The Apple: Crimson Petal Stories by Michel Faber

Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and The White is one of my favourite books (see my review).  It's a Victorian-style gothic tale about Sugar, an angry prostitute that manages to rise through society by making a wealthy man fall in love with her.  But it's more than that too - it's a panoramic of London in the Victorian times, in all its squalor, filth and inequality.  When I closed the book back in December 2010, I wanted more as Faber's style was just so distinctive and captivating.  So I was excited to read The Apple, a collection of short stories set before, during and after Crimson Petal, featuring both main and secondary characters from the original novel.

Once again, the best thing about this collection was the way Faber wrote about Victorian London and the people on the seedier side of it.  I knew I was going to love the writing from the very first lines;

"Close your eyes.  Lose track of time for a moment - just long enough to be overtaken by a hundred and thirty years.  It's December 1872.  Feathery snow is falling on that dubious part of London between Regent Street and Soho, a hodgepodge of shops and houses crammed between the opulent avenues of the well-to-do and the festering warrens of the poor."

Aside from the vividness of the writing, it was nice to be able to read from the point of view of some of the more minor characters from Crimson Petal.  For that reason, my favourite story in the collection was 'Clara and the Rat Man', about a maid who, having lost her job, is forced into prostitution and must deal with a very unusual client.  As I read each of the stories, I found myself mainly wishing that I had read this collection soon after finishing Crimson Petal, and I also found myself wanting to reread it.  I was happy to find out a little bit about what happened to Sugar and Sophie after the end of the novel.

My only criticism of the book was concerning the longest story, 'A Mighty Horde of Women in Very Big Hats, Advancing'.  It takes place quite some time after the events of the novel and the setting of quite wealthy women in Edwardian time fighting for women's rights didn't click as well with Faber's writing as Victorian London.  But I still enjoyed the story for the element of finding out what happened to certain characters.  I think that only people that have read Crimson Petal would enjoy this collection, as it would lack a lot of emotional impact and connection to the characters without that background.

Verdict: Good collection, go and read Crimson Petal first if you haven't already!

Source: Kindle

Score: 4 out of 5

Sunday Salon: I Hate Abridgements!

Last week, I was in the mood for revisiting a favourite book, so I took down my childhood copy of Little Women from my shelves.  I have had this copy since I was about eight or nine and it's rather dog-eared as both my sister and I loved the book and read it numerous times between us.  I was all ready to settle down and read it when, as I was looking up what year it was published in out of curiosity, I saw the dreaded words abridged by in tiny letters.

And I just hate abridgements!  The whole time I've been saying that Little Women is one of my favourite books and it turns out I haven't really read it at all!  I do feel that if a book is an abridgement, it should say so on the front or back covers, not just in tiny writing buried behind the title page.  So of course I started wondering what had been left out of my copy, what I have missed and decided that I had to buy a 'proper' copy right away.

After much rooting around on various websites, I found this gorgeous copy.  It's part of the Penguin Threads range, and is just stunning.  It's not released yet, so I pre-ordered it and am expecting my copy to arrive in early May.  The Penguin Threads range was designed by Jillian Tamaki and the protoype books were hand-stitched.  Unfortunately the range is small at the moment, but I'm hoping it will expand in future as all of them are beautiful.

As we all know, one purchase leads to another and I found myself ordering the Penguin threads version of Emma, as I only have a tatty mass market paperback copy of it.  I also treated myself to two of the Puffin Hardback children's classics; Peter Pan and The Secret Garden.  The Secret Garden is one of my favourite books, but I've never actually read the original Peter Pan.  Now I will have the perfect excuse.

 

More and more I'm finding that if I love a book, I want a nice copy that I can treasure and reread.  I very rarely purchase any books I've not already read as I have a fabulous library system near me.   Books have to earn their spots on my shelves, especially as space is limited.

How do you feel about abridgements?  And are you willing to spend more on beautiful copies of books you love?

The Book Of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark (Venice In February)

So the first book I read for Venice in February was a bit of a disappointment.  I had high hopes for it too, since I very much enjoyed Newmark's later novel, The Sandalwood Tree.  The Book Of Unholy Mischief tells the story of Luciano, a street thief who is lucky enough to become the apprentice to a top chef in Venice in 1498, just as it is being swept up in mania over a mysterious book, that apparently contains a formula for eternal life as well as the secrets of alchemy.  But why has he been chosen above so many others?

To focus first on what I did like about this novel, I was pleasantly surprised at how in-depth the culinary theme was.  As someone who likes cooking, I enjoyed reading about all the different dishes the chefs prepared and how the busy kitchen worked.  I also liked that the mystery was in some way tied to cooking and cook books (without giving anything away), as this seemed a novel approach.  Some of the dishes sounded absolutely delicious too.

The description of Venice itself was very evocative.  Newmark's Venice is one of secret corners, torture dungeons, dark alleyways and silently moving gondolas.  I could easily imagine the maze of streets and was transported back to the vision of Venice Newmark created;

"Over that bridge, the Cappa Nere conducted criminals and heretics to dark underwater caves where the poor wretches lay chained in dank cells listening to the plash of oars as gondolas passed freely overhead." p66.

Despite this positive aspects of the book, it had two fundamental problems.  The first was the lack of connection I felt with the characters and events of the story.  The main character, Luciano, was a bit of an everyman and the cast of secondary characters were indistinct from each other to the point where it was hard for me to keep them apart in my mind.  The only characters that were memorable were the chef, and the main villain of the piece.  This disconnect meant that it was a struggle for me to get through this book - it took me a week to read it, unheard of for a book I am enjoying.

The other problem was the mystery itself.  There was so much build up in the initial stages of the novel about what might be contained in the mysterious book (eternal life? alchemy?), that when the secret was revealed, I couldn't help but be a bit let down.  There also wasn't that frantic pace towards the end that I associate with a good mystery or thriller, everything moved much too slowly.

For me, these two problems were much larger than the other, positive aspects of the book.  I can appreciate that it was well written and that the historical setting was very vivid, I just didn't enjoy reading it.  One I am glad I borrowed from the library rather than purchased.

Source: Library
First Published: 2008
Score: 2.5 out of 5

Howards End Is On The Landing by Susan Hill

One thing most bibliophiles love is books about books and Howards End Is On The Landing is one of the best I've read.  British author Susan Hill decides to spend a year rediscovering and rereading the books she already owns, and Howards End documents her thoughts during this period.  Loosely organised into short chapters, it is a manifesto for reading for total pleasure and for reading without any guilt or pressure.  Susan Hill believes you should read what you want to, when you want to.

This book will only appeal to certain kinds of readers.  If you are a very organised reader who always has a list of what is going to be read when and perfectly alphabetised shelves, this probably isn't the book for you.  In fact, the rambling style will almost certainly put you off.  But if you are more of a spur of the moment reader, you'll find yourself nodding your head to many of the points Susan raises.

A lot of themes of the book seemed to coincide with things that we as book bloggers think and worry about.  Hill cautions against getting caught up by new releases, against not taking the time to reread favourites and worries about the rise of e-readers.  My favourite part was when she writes about people who want to read as many books as they can in the shortest possible amount of time;

"A strange competitiveness has emerged among some readers in the last few years.  I have known book-bloggers boast of getting through twenty books plus a week, as if they were trying for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.  Why has reading turned into a form of speed dating?"

I think most of us (myself included) are guilty of that a little bit, the urge and pressure to read as much as you can so as to always have new content up on our blogs.  Howards End is a gentle reminder of why we like reading in the first place and to not change our reading habits too much.  It was a timely reminder for me, as I can get so caught up in review deadlines and new releases that I forget to both read the books I want to read, and reread the ones I loved.  I used to do that all the time before I started blogging.

Much like the arguments it is making, the book is written in an unorganised, quite rambling style.  It comes across as Hill writing down her thoughts about reading as and when they strike her.  This took me quite a while to get used to, but I definitely appreciated the laid back approach by the end.  But this may not work for anyone - if you like clear structure, this isn't the book for you.  The only other thing that was hard for me was that many of the books Hill refers to are not popular now, meaning I couldn't always relate to the stories of her reading.  But this didn't bother me too much, as the arguments of the book were so clear.

Verdict: A well written, persuasive manifesto for reading without restriction.

Source: Library

First published: 2009

Score: 4 out of 5

Sunday Salon: Venice In February

Now that it's February, it means that it is time for the only reading challenge I am taking part in this year, Venice in February.  Hosted by Dolce Bellezza and Ally from Snow Feathers, the aim is simply to read books set in Venice, as many or as few as you feel the urge to.  There's a review site where people have already started to link their reviews.  I feel comfortable participating in this challenge as there are no deadlines and definitely no pressure.  I have a good idea of how many books I would like to read for it, but if I don't read them all, it won't be the end of the world.

I started my Venice in February reading this morning, with The Book Of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark.  Having read and loved The Sandalwood Tree (my review), I have high hopes for it.  I also have a copy of Crossing The Bridge of Sighs sent to me by the author, that I'm hoping to read over the next two weeks.  Beyond that, I already own a copy of Miss Garnet's Angel and there's always the two Shakespeare plays: Othello and The Merchant of Venice, neither of which I have ever read before.  Plenty to keep me busy!

 

Are you participating in Venice in February this year?  If so, what's on your reading list?

The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss

The History of Love is about loneliness.  An old man called Leo Gursky lives alone and spends his days deliberately creating chaos in shops and cafes so someone, anyone will remember him if he dies.  Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is desperately trying to cure the loneliness of her mother, who has lived in a fantasy world ever since her father died.  Alongside these two main characters resides a cast of secondary characters; Alma's brother Bird, who thinks he is the Jewish Messiah, Leo's childhood sweetheart, Alma's friend Misha.  All are tied together in very clever ways by a manuscript Leo wrote before the Holocaust called The History Of Love.

I so wanted to love this book.  When I mentioned that I had owned it for ages but not yet read it, lots of bloggers told me to read it as they had loved it themselves.  And I did like it, I just didn't love it.

There was lots to like.  Krauss experiments a lot with writing structure and different narrative devices (especially the use of short sentences to convey emotion) and in general, it works.  Her writing feels fresh and exciting and she manages to make each of her characters distinct, despite writing from multiple perspectives.  The characters themselves are original and a bit quirky, different from anything I have read before.  Some of the writing is just beautiful;

"Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.  When they were ten he asked her to marry him.  Their love was a secret they told no one.  He promised he would never love another girl as long as he lived.  What if I die? she asked.  Even then, he said."

But despite all of this, I just didn't love The History of Love.  I thought it was interesting and clever and well written but I didn't connect to any of the characters apart from Leo.  Leo was the only one I felt for and rooted for and because of this, some of the other sections dragged.  I know that I was supposed to be guessing and working out the connections between the characters as I progressed through the book, but I didn't want to as I didn't connect enough with the book.  Some of the characters and styles were so quirky that it felt as though Krauss were being deliberately 'different' and 'literary' and that's always a turn off for me.

But don't take just my opinion on this.  Plenty of other people have read and loved this book a lot more than I did.

Source: Personal copy

First Published: 2005

Score: 3 out of 5

Paris, My Sweet by Amy Thomas

Paris My Sweet is a memoir of a year in the life of thirty-six year old sweet-addict Amy, who gets the chance to work for Louis Vuitton in the city she has always dreamed about.  Part guide book to the best bakeries in town, part love letter to Paris, part almost mid-life crisis, Amy must learn to live as an American ex-pat in an utterly foreign city.  For readers with a sweet-tooth, there are many mouth-watering descriptions of the various pastries and cakes she tries, along with recommendations and information about famous chefs and pastry trends.

Paris My Sweet is a light, cosy read.  Although it is a well-written memoir, it's written with a light tone that makes it easy to breeze through and escape into.  I must admit to not being a massive dessert fan myself (I'm more into savoury snacks), but I did enjoy the descriptions of all the food and imagine that someone who enjoys cakes would love them even more.  My favourite part was the passion and joy with which Amy wrote about Paris, I've visited Paris only once and her descriptions made me want to visit again.  After reading this book, you too will want to cycle along the Champs D'Elysses, stopping at cute patissiers whenever the mood strikes you.

The parts that I felt didn't work as well were the parts when things became tough for Amy and she starts to feel very isolated living alone in a foreign city.  Her feelings are definitely understandable, but the tone of the book is so light (it's like a chick-lit memoir) that it's hard to connect with Amy and really understand what she is going through.  The writing jumps from loneliness to cupcakes too quickly to have any real impact.  There's also a lot about the ticking of biological clocks that again feels a bit shallow.  Paris My Sweet was more about the cakes and the wonderful setting than it was about any real identification with the author.

Still, this is a fun read that's perfect for any armchair traveller or pastry enthusiast.  It's quick, breezy and will make you want to travel to Paris and gorge on cake immediately.

Source: From the publisher via NetGalley

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Paris My Sweet is published on the 1st February 2012.