Griet Op de Beeck: Vele Hemels Boven De Zevende

Hi again

This review is about a Flemish novel; Vele Hemels Boven De Zevende. Unfortunately it hasn’t been translated in any language so far.
It has 271 pages and I got it at the Boekenbeurs Antwerpen.

Five characters’ lives are interwoven and we find out how. It’s a story of love and family

This novel is a real hype in Belgium (or at least in Flanders). 

And it’s proven again that hypes aren’t necessarily my cup of tea.

I found this novel too easy. The prose feels like it’s written for a 16-year old.
The story itself is slow too. But that’s generally okay because I don’t mind it if a novel’s strength comes from the characters and the atmosphere. But it lacks a bit in that department too.
It’s not realistic, which it is supposed to be. It’s dramatic and no-one talks like that in real life even though that’s what Op de Beeck wanted it to be like.
And the feelings, man the feelings, I don’t know where to begin about that.

It’s just all kind of meh. It reads more like a soap. Especially with the unnecessary Lou as a POV.

What are you reading?
Helena

Junichirõ Tanizaki: Some Prefer Nettles

Hi again

Some Prefer Nettles is rumored to be Japanese writer Tanizaki’s most autobiographical novel. I can’t compare with his other work because this is my first read. This was written in 1929.
It has 151 pages and I got it at the Waterstones some time ago in the UK.

“The marriage of Kaname and Misako is disintegrating: whilst seeking passion and fulfilment in the arms of others, they contemplate the humiliation of divorce. Misako's father believes their relationship has been damaged by the influence of a new and alien culture, and so attempts to heal the breach by educating his son-in-law in the time-honoured Japanese traditions of aesthetic and sensual pleasure. The result is an absorbing, chilling conflict between ancient and modern, young and old.”

To me, this novel has many layers and I can’t presume to be able to write about them in the way they should be explained. As a non-literary student I can only give my own opinion and interpretation of a novel.

I’d say that half of the scenes are centered around Traditional Japanese puppets and performances. I think that this is meant as a way to show us that the real performers are Kaname en Misako. They try to keep up the appearance of a rather happy marriage, especially to her father when in reality they have wanted a divorce for several years. She has been driven away to someone else by his lack of interest in her. But he thinks love and sex aren’t vital to a happy marriage. Something she desperately needs.

Secondly there’s the clash between the old Japanese traditions and the new Western habits. We see Kaname slowly leaning more to the old traditions even though that’s not the way he is introduced to us at the beginning.
Kaname longs for a traditional marriage with a doll-like traditional eastern wife. Someone just Like O-Hisa (who we discover on further reading isn’t as traditional as her husband would like to believe). But he can’t bring himself to actually make the decision whether to stay or go.

This was such a beautiful novel. The coldness between the couple is always hidden behind politeness and a façade of happiness. Both have treated each other well, there is just no love between them. The loneliness and the struggling are captured in rich details. Their own flaws are never hidden from us as a reader. 

It is subtle, lyrical, intricate, delicate and subdued. A stunning novel and I loved the writing.

Happy reading!

Helena

H. G. Wells: The Invisible Man

Hi

The Invisible Man was the novel today!
Only 156 pages and a 4-page afterword.
This novel was a gift from my parents.
You can find all my H. G. Wells reviews here.

“This masterpiece of science fiction is the fascinating story of Griffin, a scientist who creates a serum to render himself invisible, and his descent into madness that follows.”

I really liked Wells’ prose in this novel. It reads so easy, so fast and it is very intriguing.
Griffin’s descent into madness and his increasing brutality and violence make this a very, very suspenseful novel.
His sudden outbursts, the slowly culminating anger and his unexpected, sudden changes in mood are actually terrifying.
The atmosphere Wells created is amazing. Fear, expectation and trepidation on every page.

Definitely recommended!

Happy reading.

Helena

Mary Shelley: Frankenstein

Hi

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus! Only 170 pages and 18 pages introduction.
I got it in the Wordsworth version even though I love the Penguin English Classics more, but they don’t publish Shelley’s other work.
I read the 1831 revisited version.

“Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.”

The novel is very expressive. Both Frankenstein himself and mainly the monster have the ability to explain their feelings and the events in a way that makes us feel for them. Especially the monster generates a feeling of empathy when he recounts his life since birth. It’s amazing how Shelley does this.
The moment Victor refuses to take responsibility for his creation is the moment I was repulsed by him. In a way, every death by the hands of the monster is in essence because of Victor and his lack of guidance and support.
The story itself is (today) rather weak. But you cannot judge it in our society as a new novel. You have to bear the zeitgeist in mind.
In the end, we’re left wondering what real ‘evil’ is and the many faces it has.

Did you have a nice weekend?
Helena

Terry Pratchett: Monstrous Regiment

Hi

Monstrous Regiment was the next Discworld-novel waiting in line to be read by me.
My copy has 494 pages.
You can find my other reviews of Terry Pratchett’s novels here.

“It began as a sudden strange fancy …
Polly Perks has to become a boy in a hurry. Cutting off her hair and wearing trousers was easy. Learning to fart and belch in public and walk like an ape took more time...
And now she's enlisted in the army and is searching for her lost brother.
But there's a war on. There's always a war on. And Polly and her fellow recruits are suddenly in the thick of it, without any training, and the enemy is hunting them.
All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee. Well...they have the Secret. And as they take the war to the heart of the enemy, they have to use all the resources of...the Monstrous Regiment.”

I loved this one. LOVED it.

The Monstrous Regiment is not only a parody of life in the army; it is so much more. It is a critique on racism, patriotism, prejudice, equal rights and sexism.
It is a novel full of subtleties and laugh-out-loud humor at the same time. It’s witty and clever, but it’s also sad at times.
Every character has his/her own story with its own distinctive voice. I had no trouble whatsoever keeping them all apart. There’s another Igor, a coffee addicted vampire and a troll. Every single one of them has their own well-rounded character.
TP’s genius really shines throughout this novel.

This is a perfect stand-alone novel. Some old characters make a short appearance, but you don’t have to know about them to enjoy Monstrous Regiment.

I hope you enjoyed this review.
Helena

Terry Brooks: First King of Shannara

Hi

I finished this 534 pages novel very fast!

 “Horrified by the misuse of magic they had witnessed during the First War of the Races, the Druids at Paranor devoted themselves to the study of the old sciences, from the period before the collapse of civilization a thousand years before. Only the Bremen and a few trusted associates still studied the arcane arts. And for his persistence, Bremen found himself outcast, avoided by all but the few free-thinkers among the Druids.
But his removal from Paranor was not altogether a terrible thing, for Bremen learned that dark forces were on the move from the Northlands. That seemingly invincible armies of trolls were fast conquering all that lay to their south. That the scouts for the army--and its principal assassins--were Skull Bearers, disfigured and transformed Druids who had fallen prey to the seductions of the magic arts. And that at the heart of the evil tide was an archmage and former Druid named Brona!
Using the special skills he had acquired through his own study of Magic, Bremen was able to penetrate the huge camp of the Troll army and learn many of its secrets. And he immediately understood that if the peoples of the Four Lands were to escape eternal subjugation they would need to unite. But, even united, they would need a weapon, something so powerful that the evil magic of Brona, the Warlock Lord, would fail before its might...”

I read the original Shannara Trilogy about two years ago.

The novel is really fast-paced, full of action, epic battles, magic and sacrifice.
As with a lot High Fantasy, this novel is rooted too much in The Lord of the Rings in my opinion. It didn’t really bother me, but it is definitely there.
The characters need more depth and the prose is lacking too.

But in the end, this is just a satisfying, entertaining and suspenseful read.

Happy reading!
Helena

Wrap Up: March 2015

Hi

It’s time for my monthly Wrap Up again!
Time flies when there’s so much reading to be done.

I read 9 books this month for a total of 3383 pages.
Obviously, I had a great reading month.

Here are the novels I read with links to their reviews.

• George R. R. Martin: A Clash of Kings
• José Saramago: Blindness
• Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long Earth
• Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
• H. G. Wells: The War of the Worlds
• Neil Gaiman: Smoke and Mirrors
• Ira Levin: The Boys from Brazil
• Philip K. Dick: The Man in the High Castle
• Aldous Huxley: Island

How was your reading month? Anything you would like to recommend?

Have a nice day!
Helena

Aldous Huxley: Island

Hi again

I couldn’t resist and started reading this the moment I got it.
Island by Aldous Huxley has 286 pages and I bought it at De Slegte.

“In Island, his last novel, Huxley transports us to a Pacific island where, for 120 years, an ideal society has flourished. Inevitably, this island of bliss attracts the envy and enmity of the surrounding world. A conspiracy is underway to take over Pala and events begin to move when an agent of the conspirators, a newspaperman named Faranby, is shipwrecked there. What Faranby doesn't expect is how his time with the people of Pala will revolutionize all his values and -- to his amazement -- give him hope.”

The ideas Huxley puts forth as the basis of his Utopian Island of Pala are profound and based on thorough thinking and a great knowledge.
Even though we all know it’s not possible, it is a pleasure to read about this possibility and to embark on a daydream/deep thinking about it. How would I organize it? What is important in my opinion? What part has science in it? What roles should work and industry play in daily life?
There isn’t much of a plot however, so don’t read it expecting that. A fault I made at the beginning of the novel. It took me some time to get into the novel because of these wrong expectations.
What you can expect is a novel that will make you think about our society, the way people behave and the way we treat our world.
This novel is almost an essay or a frame for Huxley’s ideas about his ideal society. It is a succession of discussions or descriptions about this society and how it works.
The great thing is; Huxley makes it seem possible. So why doesn’t it exist? According to Huxley it’s because we don’t want to make it work.

A very thought-provoking novel for everyone who’s in the mood for something like this.
Definitely recommended.

Happy reading!
Helena

Philip K. Dick: The Man in the High Castle

Hi

I read the Science Fiction Classic; The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. This won the Hugo Award in 1963.
It has 249 pages and I got it second-hand.

“It's America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some 20 years earlier the United States lost a war, and is now occupied jointly by Nazi Germany and Japan.”

The focus on these minor characters in a world where everything is so different from ours shows us the magnitude of this world. The Nazis terminated almost all life in Africa and this is just mentioned in passing by one of the characters. Oh my word. I gasped reading this. And it is mentioned so casually!
The final use of I-Ching in this novel will keep you wondering about what’s real and what’s not.
The writing isn’t beautiful or elegant. It’s short and to the point.
It’s bleak and gloomy but also full of suspense and intrigue, vivid and ultimately; chilling.

Happy reading!
Helena

Ira Levin: The Boys from Brazil

Hi

This review is about The Boys from Brazil, a novel by Ira Levin.
I read Rosemary’s Baby years and years ago; when I saw this one in a second-hand store I had to have it.
It has 258 pages.

“Alive and hiding in South America, the fiendish Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele gathers a group of former colleagues for a horrifying project—the creation of the Fourth Reich. Barry Kohler, a young investigative journalist, gets wind of the project and informs famed Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman, but before he can relay the evidence, Kohler is killed.”

Oh my word. I did not see this coming. When everything finally clicked (somewhere around page 170) I had to put the novel aside for a moment to digest the plot. I mean, it’s a huge revelation.
It is a real page turner. It’s smart, it has an optimistic note underlying the whole novel, it’s something out of the ordinary.
The prose and the characters aren’t that good. But the story is.
And it’s still a chilling plot because it’s not so far-fetched anymore as it was back when it was written.

A relaxing read that is quite different and makes you think for a moment.

Happy reading!

Helena

Neil Gaiman: Smoke and Mirrors

Hi again

I read this collection of short stories over the last week. A few stories here and there to catch a break from reading something more serious (H.G. Wells and Jane Austen).  

This collection has a total of 388 pages and I ordered it from The Book Depository.
You can find all my Neil Gaiman-reviews here.

“In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion... and anything is possible. In this, Gaiman's first book of short stories, his imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders -- a place where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality -- obscured by smoke and darkness, yet brilliantly tangible -- in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.”

I liked how the short stories are preceded by an introduction which has a paragraph about the idea behind each story and the reason for writing it. This helps to put them into context.
I enjoyed quite a few, they are funny, mysterious, ingenious, speculative, dark or pensive.
But most of them, I didn't enjoy at all. Some are too explicit, boring, coarse or seem to have no point or story to them.

Happy reading.
Helena

Sunday!

H. G. Wells: The War of the Worlds

Hi again

The War of the Worlds is H. G. Wells’ best known work.
My copy has only 189 pages and I ordered it from The Book Depository. This is a reread for me as I read it before in Dutch when I was much younger.

You can find all my H. G. Wells reviews here.

The Earth is being watched by aliens from Mars. They existed long before the human race and because of that we’re way behind in our evolution compared to them. The Martians know this, and they need a new planet to populate. Which means that our Earth is the obvious choice.
Our protagonist (again without a name) sees an explosion nearby and he decides to investigate. Obviously he’s not the only one with that thought. Once they reach the crater however it is clear that there is life inside the cylinder. Some men decide to move closer but they get incinerated by the Martians’ heat ray. The next day these Martians are working on something in their cylinders.
More cylinders crash on earth and the same happens close to those craters; people get incinerated and a lot of smoke and noise follows.
After a few days, the Martians leave their cylinder safe and sound in their newly fabricated tripod wherein they start destroying everything around them.

Wells makes a parallel between the Martians and their superiority over humans and the humans’ perception of their superiority over animals and the Earth.

The novel is about chaos and how a structured society can erupt into total anarchy.
Even though we think we are the superior ones because we are intelligent and in control over our Earth. In reality, we are only tolerated on this earth by its real master; nature.
The novel read as an objective retelling by an unknown protagonist who can represent every human on this invaded earth, thus making it very close to home. This protagonist gives us a very dry and rather boring description of the ravage. It is a bit scary, but it’s boring because we see no action. Our protagonist is hiding throughout a big part of the novel.
Wells focuses more on describing the ruins they left behind than on the Martians themselves. It could be because it would be easier for us to imagine how a body is laying dead on the ground then how this Martian tripod looks. But I really missed those details; it felt too far away to me, too disconnected. This novel lacks emotion and even suspense. It is a dry report in the paper.

I didn't enjoy this novel as much as his other works. This means that I wouldn’t recommend you to read this one first. It is a must-read of you enjoyed his other works, but if you’re just starting out, read something else first.

Happy reading.

Helena

Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

Hi

Sense and Sensibility is Jane Austen’s first published novel but the second novel she wrote. This is my second time reading it.
It has 405 pages and a very beautiful cover.
You can find all my Jane Austen reviews here.

“Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.”

I think this novel is not just an argument for more sense or more sensibility but for a balance of both. Happiness is only possible when one learns to accept both sides.
Jane Austen’s writing is sassy, ironic, witty and subtle. The way she conveys her criticism of the disagreeable characters is (when reading carefully), very, very funny; especially in the introductions.
Mr. Palmer is a perfect example of her subtle humor. By reading his papers, Austen mocks the overly dramatic and irrational women in the novel.
Willoughby is a unique Austen villain. Next to faults, he has merits. He gets a chapter to explain himself and he gains more depth in it. As far as I remember, this is the only time she does that.

The ending is a bit too perfect in my opinion. I know, all her novels end well, but this one is a bit too perfect, a bit too convenient.

Happy reading.

Helena

Sunny afternoon!