Skip to main content

Book Review, September






I found this author via Radio 4, Desert Island Discs. Having spent so many years without the funds for new books, I am unaware of many writers whose work I would otherwise be munching up. Of course the 50p box at the second hand store has delivered me many unusual delights, no need for sympathy - but I heard Ali talk and thought, I like her, I want to read those books. So when I could, I bought a brand new paperback. I had been working long hours and the first page swam in front of me for a while. It seemed too dense, I couldn't get through it. Such disappointment! Luckily this was just tiredness - for which I will accept some sympathy because I am tired again today - this week I have clocked 97 hours! 
Anyway, we should discuss the book, now I’ve told you how honest-poor and hard working and admirable I am (grins, sheepish, impish). Two stories, one of a young girl whose mother has died, and one of a renaissance artist, are told and spliced without it seeming incongruous. It is full of humour, quirky, insightful, touching, thought provoking. Rather than give away too much about the book and how it is structured, because I revelled in discovery with this, I thought I’d pick a bit of prose to share.
Here is an extract from Georgie’s story (she’s the modern teenager) where she is keeping the leak in her bedroom ceiling a secret:


‘Her room will be stained with the grey grease and dregs of the dirt the rain has absorbed and carries, the dirt the air absorbs every day just from the fact of life on earth. Everything is this room will rot.
She will have the pleasure of watching it happen.
The floorboards will curl up at their ends, bend, split open at the nailed places and pull loose from their glue.
She will lie in bed with all the covers thrown off and the stars will be directly above her, nothing between her and their long-ago burnt-out eyes.’


Here are links to a superior review:

And a preview:


Comments

Sally said…
Sounds an interesting book.
29 September 2017 at 15:48
Unknown said…
Interesting. I've not heard of the book or author before. Thanks for sharing!
V of V's Reads
30 September 2017 at 00:44
Toi Thomas said…
Yeah, it can be hard finding time to read.

I can't get a good impression of this story from what you've shared, but the writing looks good. I'm glad you enjoyed it. What genre is it?
30 September 2017 at 16:56
Lisa Southard said…
Pretty sure I've not done the best job of explaining it, but it is one I'll be re-reading. Thanks Veronica :-)
30 September 2017 at 21:38
Lisa Southard said…
Time and energy often pushed to the limit here - but all the more enjoyed when I get either/both.
No one can get a good impression of the story from this review, Toi, because mostly it's me saying how tired I am!
I would class this as contemporary fiction. And the writing is good :-)
30 September 2017 at 21:45
The Armchair Squid said…
My wife's a big fan of Desert Island Discs. I don't think I've heard the Ali Smith episode but the book sounds like fun.
1 October 2017 at 04:25
Lisa Southard said…
Desert Island Discs is an absolute classic :-)
8 October 2017 at 18:54
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Contact Pants Conundrum

There is weather today, I do note it: take a few moments to reckon the size of a cloud (big) and the frequency of rain (sporadic.) Centre of my interest though is a stack of magazines. Not the fashion kind. This is martial arts research. I'm not even sure what it is I'm looking for, but intuition calls loud. A range of old adverts skew some amusement. Contact pants, for example. Pants are not trousers where I come from. They are underwear. Professional contact pants: improved smirk value. But why would a person be likely to purchase a grappling hook and a lock pick set? For specialists and hobbyists only, the blurb assures. Guidance on the pheromone spray that attracts women against their better judgement? I doubt it works any more proficiently than the mysterious potion that defines your muscles while you sleep. But, then: I wonder is some sprayed on this paper? What was my intuition thinking, making this ghastly shout… Tea break time. There's a lot of words...
2 comments
Read more

Back From The Future Blog Party

Another joint blog adventure- if you want to see who else said what the list of participants is here . The premise is this: 'You're up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven't brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you ... from you. You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox -- sent from ten years in the future -- and it's filled with items you have sent yourself. What's in it?' Here's how I imagined it: Before dawn? Shadows outside, first forming. Sleep has gone, I don't know where. Coffee I can find. All the way from Machu Pichu, this fair-traded pack. Scissors are in the drawer, which ...
26 comments
Read more

A Glitch Or Two

My Chromebook has been crumbling. It seems a little like dementia, this inability to upgrade its powers of communication, it makes me sad, even for an object. It's one of the reasons my posts here have been put aside, that and generally being tumbled by tiredness. I have saved up money for a replacement, also I have spent that money on trees and shrubs. I have two novels to sort out however, and this will be the reason I save up again. I don't stop writing, even if I don't tell anyone. In the meantime should you need a calm place to go, I have begun a substack account. Please do drop by. If the kettle crumbles we can make tea (or soup) on the firepit. Me on substack:  Lisa Southard
Post a Comment
Read more