Life After Life by Kate Atkinson was February's book club choice but I only managed to finish it this week, 6 weeks after I started. It's quite a weighty tome stretching to 621 pages and I found myself dipping in and out of it rather than devouring it like a lot of the book club did. This didn't hamper my enjoyment of it much though.
The premise is a simple one yet one I've not read before. What would you do if you could live your life over and over again? What would you change and how would you change it? This is explored from the very first page as we find Sylvia giving birth to our protagonist Ursula, but complications arise and Ursula dies within minutes. Darkness falls around her then she feels snowflakes. Ursula is now being born again, in the same place, to the same mother with the same surroundings, yet this time she survives. Just. Only for her life to end not long after. And repeat. Each time Ursula dies she is reborn on February 11th 1910 to Sylvia whilst a blizzard rages outside. It took a while to fully grasp the writing style but once I understood then it was a treat. We find out not just about Ursula and how her life pans out in several spanning arch's but also that of her family and friends. In one life a child is murdered whilst in another that same child grows up to wed Ursula's brother. There is never a conscious knowing if Ursula remembers her previous lives, but more that she has a feeling about what is right and wrong. Should she take the shortcut to get home or should she walk the long way? One way leads to a grisly confrontation so in the next life she unconsciously decides on the other path.
After the first few reincarnations her live's seem pretty similar and mundane, but then when Ursula turns 16 a shocking act occurs. I felt rocked by this act. I was emotionally sapped. I'd come to really enjoy Ursula's company and it veered away from the importance of focusing on how she's headed towards her deathbed to how she's going to cope with her current life. It was the first time I was happy for the story to start again, as that's the easy way out, rather than dealing with it.
Being born in 1911 meant that Ursula lives and experiences the second world war. Kate Atkinson has found several angles to approach this from. In one life we see Ursula living in Germany and has regular contact with Adolf Hitler himself, mostly in the mid 1930's. The book ask's itself not just 'What would I do differently?' but also 'What would I change?'. Does she pull the trigger on Hitler in the mid 30's to stop the war ever happening? And even if she doesn't in one life, does she in another? I must admit her time in Germany was the least engaging for me as I enjoyed her relationship with her family. Once she returns to the war in another life in London however I think this is the strongest part of the book.
The street's are transformed to rubble and glowing embers, explosions occurring almost hourly. The way Atkinson weaves Ursula into this is majestic. She throws several unlikely personalities together to create a band of amiable figures. Butchers, teachers, musicians all banded together to help clean up the streets along with Ursula. Sometimes Ursula lays down and accepts death and sometimes she's heading straight into a 20 foot mound of twisted metal and fire to see if anyone is alive, but never once do we feel that she's a different character each life. Her decisions in her life affect how she approaches the war. It was a very moving part of the book.
The main gripe with the book club though was the ending. How do you end it? Can she just keep being reincarnated for ever more? I won't reveal how it does end but I disagreed with most of the club as I thought the ending was suitable and bitter-sweet. It was a long read, a sometime burden if I wasn't enjoying a certain route she had taken, but that route always ended a new path was taken as a new life. I would recommend it to most but perhaps make sure you devour it in a few sittings rather than the two dozen or so I had!
Rating books is a personal thing and I've decided against giving half scores this year. It's better than a 6 but not quite a 7, but I think it probably deserves the 7 for the devastating scenes alone so it's been awarded 7 cushions on the comfometer.
If you want to join the book club just add yourself to the Goodreads club and the Facebook club. Choices are posted at the end of every month to pick from and the winner announced when we chat about the previous book. We chat on Goodreads on the last Sunday of the month at 4pm but also have comments on Facebook too so if you only use one of these (Goodreads is best) then it doesn't matter.
On Tuesday evening I was invited along to the Fargo Village tenants meeting. This meeting also included a walk around the site. From the outside the place looks the same as it did in November but stepping indoors I can see a lot of progress has been made. The place has been sandblasted, cleaned up, doorways cut out and partitions have started to be put in place to divide the place into the units. As my unit is on the corner, the architect has decided to change my doorway from what it was, with it now facing a more central direction and including a large window. I think this will be better.
The roller doors will be my front door, partitions still to be put in
We were shown the rest of the village and it's all at varying degrees of completion. Once the walk-around was completed we shuffled along to the Fargo Office and started the meeting. About 20 tenants were in attendance along with Jo and Steve from Fargo and Wendy from the Federation of Small Businesses; a very valuable woman to know! Each person shared what they hope Fargo will become and what they will bring to the village. I brought a book. I know, original right? But not just any book, I bought The Legend Of Everwinter by local author Tara Behan and artist Matthew Hill, to showcase that I'll be involving local talent in the shop, with both of them hoping to have an author reading, discussion and workshop.
The Fargo Family checking out progress
We were shown through exactly how far Fargo has come since building started and what to expect over the next 6 months. The question on everyone's lips was obviously 'When does it open then?'. We were given a pretty good idea of when we can access the village, start creating the shop and eventually opening, but I won't divulge that here. I know in the past I've said 'Nearly there!' then it's delayed again and trust me, it's so frustrating, but as long as we don't get a blizzard or wind like the past month, then all should be ready VERY SOON.
I came away very positive. The unit was bigger than I recalled and definitely has a lot more height so I'm wondering how to fill all that room with wonderful things.
My front door
I've started to slowly buy up things that the shop will need. Bookcases are a priority but I know where I'll be purchasing them from. One worry was that I'd need to fork out for a counter soon. In a bitter-sweet email from Tinderbox Toys in Earlsdon it turned out my problem was solved. This lovely local shop that's been open for 5 years was shutting its doors, so they offered me a few things. I snapped up their counter amongst other bits and bobs. I also started to buy a few pieces from eBay. I couldn't resist this Roald Dahl cushion cover.
I have also set up an eBay shop to help shift a few more books and it's going OK. Early days yet. View the shop HERE and buy something. Please.
Finally, I've been confirmed to have a stall at the Earsldon Festival on May 5th. Last year it was the best experience I'd had since starting The Big Comfy Bookshop and was the catalyst for me joining the Fargo family. Have a look at what's going on at the festival and pop down!
When asked where the bookshop will be, my reply is "The new Fargo Village on Far Gosford Street in Coventry that's opening very soon!". The next question is usually "Where's that then?".
Well Coventry resides in the centre of the letter 'a' in the word England. Look.
It's sandwiched between 2 other cities, Birmingham and Leicester, and just 10 miles from where I'm writing this blog from. Closer inspection sees it's located in the little gab in the letter 'e' in Coventry. Just to the West of Coventry is Meriden, the official centre of England for 500 years.
And once in Coventry, you don't even have to manoeuvre the love-it-or-hate-it ring road, as Fargo is just outside. See.
Once a year the biggest and brightest of Hollywood's elite (and their mum) show up on the red carpet for the Oscars. Several of the best films fight it out to win the coveted golden statue and a guaranteed increase in box office sales. Just being nominated increases the audience for a film and if that film is based on a book, then you'll see the book enter the top 20 best sellers too. Just have a look at the top selling books right now: Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon Northup, The Wolf Of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort, Philomena by Martin Sixsmith and A Captain's Duty by Richard Phillips amongst others have all entered the higher reaches of the chart since their film adaptations have been released and nominated. Always on the cultural pulse I have yet to see a single one of these films (I saw The Hobbit at the cinema last year, THAT'S IT!). What other Oscar winners and nominees have been based on books though? For the sake of argument, I'll be including films nominated in the Best Film catagory only.
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. 2001-2003
All three films were nominated between 2001-2003 but only the third, The Return of the King, came home triumphant, the first two losing out to A Beautiful Mind and Chicago. The cinematic achievement was huge and it was thought that although the third is often seen as the weakest (it is), it was handed the Oscar on the basis of the work put into the entire trilogy. The books by J.R.R.Tolkien have remained a classic since publication and the films only increased their reach. The Lord Of The Rings has become a behemoth since, with cash-ins around every corner from computer games, toys, artwork and board games. The Hobbit has since been made on the back of the strength of Lord Of The Rings.
The Shawshank Redemption - 1994
Probably the most famous Oscar snub in history is that the Tom Hanks tear-jerker Forrest Gump beat this Stephen King adaptation to the Oscar in 1994. It often tops Best Film categories and it's clear why: It's flipping brilliant. It's based on a short story written by the horror maestro entitled Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption in a collection called Different Seasons. In the same collection, the story The Body can be found, which was also adapted into the coming of age classic Stand By Me. Two of the best films ever made. A tonne of King's books have been adapted with varying success, but each time a new one comes along, the book it's based on sees a bump in sales.
Schindler's List - 1993
Steven Spielberg was often overlooked by the Academy but his take on Thomas Keneally's Schindler's Ark in 1993 was simply too powerful. The book was published 11 years before the film and is based on Oskar Schindler who managed to save over 1000 Jews in World War II. It came away triumphant beating another adaptation, The Remains of The Day based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel of the same name. In the same year Spielberg made the BEST FILM EVER Jurassic Park, based on the Michael Crichton book. A fabulous year for Spielberg.
Life of Pi - 2013
Just last year this fantastical tale lost out to Argo. It was passed around Hollywood for years as it was thought to be un-adaptable, before visionary director Ang Lee tackled Yann Martel's tale and brought his unique style to it. The book it's based on (of the same name) won the heavyweight literary prize The Man Booker Prize in 2002 and sales rose steadily since. Once the film was released the book entered the top echelons of the charts once more. It split the reading and viewing public down the middle. I loved both the film and book.
The Godfather - 1972
Considered one of the best films of all time, The Godfather was adapted from Mario Puzo's novel of the same name, released just 3 years previously. It came away with the golden statue at the 1972 awards after Puzo had adapted his own book, along with director Francis Ford Coppola. It's a rare case of the film often being voted better than the book it's based on.
So these are 5 of the most well known, but travelling back through time you'll see dozens all based on books. Which are your favourites?
Over the past decade the interest in Sherlock Holmes has grown, mainly due to the release of several films and TV series. Robert Downey Jr. donned the (unquestionably wrong) cap in the 2009 film that seemed to spark a new interest in the detective for a new generation. The exceedingly popular BBC series staring Benedict Cumberbatch gained great reviews and the third series was the most watched drama on the BBC since 2001. Those that have read the blog for a while will know that as well as books I also use audiobooks and an e-reader on my phone. After reading War of the Worlds on the Aldiko app e-reader on my phone last summer, I opted to delve into The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes.
Fast forward 6 months and I have finally finished. Let me first say why it took so long. Reading on Aldiko is very easy for me. I use it when it waiting rooms and when my son falls asleep on me and any little bits here and there, rather than my primary book, as I usually have at least 2 on the go (4 at the moment). Round about the time I started reading this we managed to (sort of) transfer my son from sleeping on me in the day, to somewhere else. This reading time was more or less evaporated in one go. Second, I started my book club and had other books on the go too. Both of these things do not detract from the fact that I really enjoyed my first foray into Baker Street.
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, unbeknownst to me before reading, were the first Sherlock stories and are actually 12 short stories collected together. For reading on the e-reader this was perfect. In quick bursts of reading I could gain a whole short story. Some of the stories and characters I recognised from the TV and Film adaptations, including the first in the collection called A Scandal in Bohemia. Each story is told from the perspective of Watson, not Holmes, and often in hindsight and I loved this. The techniques and thought process of Sherlock is astounding and the majority of stories are cleared up pretty sharpish after only an interview or two, with maybe Sherlock investigating one crime-scene. They range from dark and perilous (my favourite The Five Orange Pips) to the ridiculous (The Adventure of the Red-Headed League) but all are satisfactorily resolved. In the later stories Sherlock seems to become a little more drawn-in and resentful rather than the jolly one we start the collection off with but still manages to be likeable.
I'd recommend it to anyone yet to dip into Sherlock literature. There are thousands of free classics on the Aldiko e-reader and also other readers too (Kindle, Nook etc) but I always encourage a BOOK. I just like to read as many things as I can and on the Aldiko it's literally in the palm of my hand. It's hard to give this book a score on the comfometer as some stories were a 9 yet some a 5, so I've gone for a 7.
Caitlin Moran's How To Be A Woman caught my eye a few years ago as the front cover and title stood out. I had no idea who she was yet the Gothic font, ballsy title and hair like a badger drew me in. I bought it for my wife (secretly me) for Christmas. Since then it's sat unread by me and Caitlin Moran's profile has soared stratospherically. I thought it was about time I picked it up.
Part biography and part opinion piece, Moran is by trade a journalist with a long standing column, writing for the Times. Her childhood is not what I would call normal, as from the start we're thrown head first into her world of several siblings sprawling in the tiny house in Wolverhampton she grew up in. She writes with warmth and humour and never strays into self-deprecation, in fact quite the opposite, the fact she's brought up in a large family and with no friends at all is the catalyst for many warm reminiscences. Chapter titles hit you hard with exclamation marks on each one, with no ambiguity at all, such as 'I Am Fat!' and 'I Need A Bra!' which she then recounts her experience of. She continues to extend on these topics, dissecting questions that she's happened upon due to being female. The struggle and differences between the two sexes are at the heart of the book with her ideals of feminism the leading focus. 'Are you a feminist?' she asks. Many think it's a dirty word, but Moran and I have the same opinion in that if you think woman and men should be treated equal then yes, you are a feminist. Moran's life itself is quite a ride taking in her first job in journalism at the excellent (now defunct) music magazine Melody Maker and her time presenting a late night music show on channel 4 called Naked City.
I am a man, not a woman. Am I then allowed to read and enjoy it? According to some forum posts apparently not, and this is where the 'feminism' 'debate rears it's head in a demeaning manor. Feminism is, as written above, a means to make men and woman equal, not getting women to overthrow men, and it's a point Moran makes well.
I did enjoy this book a lot. Often she uses metaphors to add humour and it works but sometimes she uses just one too many to say the same thing, albeit they are enjoyable. I've read Moran in her column several times and also seen and heard a few interviews (one from Hay Festival was excellent) and she talks how she writes; frantic! 7 cushions on the comfometer.
I AM A FEMINIST!
PS. I've just noticed she's on tour in the summer and I may well go and see her.
Meltdown is the thirteenth novel from one of Britain's most well-known writers Ben Elton. Included in his repertoire is the hugely successful musical We Will Rock You, plus the classic British comedies Blackadder and The Young Ones. His early novels gained overall good reviews and whenever a new book appears penned by him it'll enter the top ten. Meltdown was released in 2010 and revolves around a set of friends and their meteoric rise, and the subsequent fall due to the 'credit crunch'.
I've only ever read one Ben Elton book before, Chart Throb, and I never finished it. It wasn't bad but just forgettable. Meltdown had been sitting on my wife's bedside table for ages so one night I picked it up. The story revolves around a group of friends, with Jimmy taking the lead. This group of friends all met at University and the chapters flit back and forth between their time there and all the important bits in between until the current day. The five men who met at Uni have all in one way or another become successful and some ridiculously rich. Jimmy is in the Stock Market, Rupert is the head of a bank, David is a famous architect, Henry is an up and coming politician and Robbo, who is slightly different to the others, simply enjoys life and has found a successful wife. Jimmy has a beautiful wife with three children and a live-in nanny, then, the money disappears. The credit crunch arrives.
Ben Elton has written Rupert as an elitist snob, Henry as a bumbling politician and Jimmy as a Jack-the-lad. The problem is, they are all really irritating. Throughout, Rupert and Henry annoyed me and not once did I like being in their company. The worst part though was that Jimmy, the protagonist, is just as exasperating. He make's stupid decisions throughout. Several times I almost left the book but I persevered, with little gained at the finale. Robbo is the only one in the group who I could relate to as although I've said he's found a successful wife, he didn't go out searching for one and doesn't really live off of her. The wives of the group are a little better. Jimmy's wife Monica struggles with raising her kids once she can no longer afford the nanny and being a dad myself to a 2 year old, several of the scenes rung very true to me; toys splayed out everywhere, getting them to sleep at the proper time and enjoying the hour or two before your own bedtime approaches, only to be woken 5 minutes later by a screaming baby.
Ben Elton
As the book approaches the end it starts to feel like Elton is trying to cram as many ideas into it as possible. Insider Trading, Arson, Murder, Suicide, it all gets a bit silly. The book is light hearted but it seemed to me to drag a very thin plot to the end of it's considerable 382 pages. I simply didn't care when everything went tits up for Jimmy and I thought he got what he deserved, and when more misery was piled on top of him such as his young son having to leave private school to go to public school, I wanted to reach into the pages and punch Jimmy for being a snob. Although that's what the entire book is all about, realising life is more than money, being made to sit through page on page of a supercilious arse was literary agony. There were two stand out paragraphs that I thought were excellent regarding getting his daughter to sleep, again due to my recent addition to the parent club, but those alone failed to save the book. I enjoyed Chart Throb a hundred times more so I won't be writing Ben Elton off as yet but Meltdown still gets a lowly 3 from me on the comfometer.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know below in the comments or tweet me @BigComfyBooks.
