The Doll Factory by Elizabeth MacNeal – I’ve read a few historical gothic novels recently as they seem to be enjoying an increase in popularity. As a result of this I probably expected a bit more from this novel than it was able to give. It’s not very creepy, predictable and I’m afraid I wasn’t captivated by it. I did enjoy the descriptions of the Great Exhibition and felt MacNeal brought that to life but the storyline is too reminiscent of John Fowles’ The Collector crossed with a Charles Dickens novel. Somehow it just didn’t live up to my expectations – the curse of over-hype.
Travels with my Aunt by Graham Greene – A rather dull bank manager retires and is reunited with his long lost Aunt at his mother’s funeral. She sweeps him into an exciting, fast paced and slightly criminal life. This novel has some really lovely moments but on the whole it wasn’t for me, not because the writing isn’t good but because the time period (1960s) and the setting just aren’t what I normally enjoy.
Bluets by Maggie Nelson – A cleverly written book. Nelson takes us through her relationship break up and the serious injury of her friend. The structure of the book is such that we are given snapshots of her thoughts in 240 numbered paragraphs. There is no normal story telling here but by a clever ordering of these paragraphs we are lead through the events of her friend’s accident, how Nelson cares for her after and also the decline of her relationship. This is good but at times it felt a bit self indulgent. Having said that I’m going back to this one and want to read more of Nelson.
Women and Power by Mary Beard – Just a little book of two of Beard’s talks ( ‘The Public Voice of Women’ and ‘Women in Power’) but it packs a punch. I really enjoyed reading this and was impressed by her use of the classical world to show how we are no better now than we were then. I agree with several of her feminist theories discussed here and Beard is another author I fully intend to read more of.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – It’s been a while since I last read this novel but it is one which I have reread several times. It is just perfect and each time I read it I find more in it. I know I’m biased as my Masters dissertation was based on 1920’s fiction as will be my PhD thesis but I really can’t recommend it enough. Once you have read the book, watch the film with Leonardo DiCaprio. I was impressed by how closely they stuck to the original novel and it looks gorgeous.
Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley – Another 1920’s novel about dysfunctional young people at a country house party. It doesn’t achieve the same level of cynicism that Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies does but it still displays a certain feeling of futility and a lack of purpose in the protagonists, representative of that period. It is an interesting read in that the main story of the weekend is interspersed with completely random stories about loosely related matters e.g. a distant relative. This is what makes it a bit different and fun to read. This is another one I’m going back to.
Overall, a good reading month although I started with a couple that didn’t really impress me. I’ve got a few more on the go at the moment that I am really enjoying so more on them later. They are The Trials of Radclyffe Hall by Diana Souhami, The Short Stories of Katherine Mansfield and 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak. A special shout out to an amazing independent bookshop I discovered on holiday in Santorini – Atlantis Books – it has been described as the best bookstore in the world by The Guardian and I agree. It was perfect.