Book themes – Page 49 – What David Read

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

25776122 Simonson wrote the delightful “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand“, and this book, only her second, is even better. The story takes place in an English village (Rye, in Sussex) before WWI, with all the snobbery and vicious gossip that characterized Downton Abbey. The description of the limited role of women is particularly well-told in this pre-suffragette era. The book ends with a graphic description of the horrors of trench warfare; belligerent and ignorant troop commanders are particularly odious. This is an excellent read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25776122-the-summer-before-the-war?from_search=true&search_version=service

The Excellent Lombards by Jane Hamilton

26031214 Hamilton is a great writer (A Map Of The World, The Book Of Ruth, etc.). This new book is a very fine addition to her list of novels, a book about complex family relationships but mainly a coming-of-age story about a young girl who doesn’t want to grow up. Consequently, at times her behaviour is wildly erratic, both frustrating and endearing. Highly recommended.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26031214-the-excellent-lombards

Who By Fire by Fred Stenson

who_by_fire_220 This is a very fine book by one of Alberta’s best writers. First the settings of a 1960s farming family next to a sour gas plant in Southern Alberta and contemporary Fort MacMurray are described perfectly, especially the farming story. And second, the complex relationships are rich with nuance: husband-wife, parents-children, siblings, and so forth. This is excellent story telling on an increasingly relevant topic.

The Confessions Of Frances Godwin by Robert Hellenga

Confessions of Frances After the death of her husband, Frances begins to chronicle her life, her confessions, from marriage in the 1960s to 2006. She has been a Latin teacher so there are lovely passages about learning Latin in Italy. Her spiritual conversations (NOT confessions) with a Catholic priest provide a surprising element, along with some dialog with God. This is a very good read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18594395-the-confessions-of-frances-godwin

Boo by Neil Smith

boo Smith was a chance discovery by Sarah and I as part of an interview of three authors at the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival in Montreal. Boo is Smith’s first novel, and presents an imaginative view of heaven, a not very celestial place that is segregated by age. Thus Boo is in a unique hereafter for dead 13 year-olds. This book has wonderful story-telling.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23012503-boo

Stoner by John Williams

John-Williams-Stoner Bill Stoner lives a remarkably passive life characterized by: (a) a disastrous marriage, and (b) a 20-year feud with his University English Department Head. Indeed, the description of University politics is perfect. He has one brief period of passionate love that is doomed by his naivety. The ending of the book has transcendent writing. This is an excellent read; thanks Sarah for this recommendation.

The Illegal by Lawrence Hill

This is a no-brainer since The Illegal has just won the annual Canada Reads competition; happily, I am going to listen to Hill talk about literature at the Banff Centre on April 8. The Illegal is so topical, as it deals with illegal immigrants without documentation. Keita is a runner who literally is running for his life in much of the book. The book is set in a fictional location is the near future and the story telling is compelling with an illegal refugee trying to survive in a world of violence and corruption. The other characters in this novel are vivid and interesting and complex. This is masterful writing; as an aside, Hill is the only 2-time winner of Canada Reads (he won in 2009 for Book of Negroes).

H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald

Most of you know that I rarely read non-fiction, but this book was a very rewarding excursion into the world of non-fiction literature. MacDonald has written a really excellent book with three interacting themes: (i) the human emotion of grief precipitated by the the death of her father, with a detailed description of her emotional paralysis; (ii) an intense human-bird relationship because she decides to train a goshawk as a coping mechanism; and (iii) an examination of the author TH White who had a tortured life and wrote a book about training a goshawk in the 1930s. (TH White wrote the exceptional novel called The Once And Future King, a book that I rank in the top-ten books that I have read in my entire life). MacDonald’s book is wonderfully introspective about both the psychology of humans and birds, and the physiology of birds in relation to flight. A section of the book about the shared responsibility of hunting and killing is truly remarkable. This is a great read.

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

When this book was published about two years ago under somewhat mysterious circumstances, the reviews seemed mediocre to me. In fact, this is a really excellent book set about 20 years after the events described in To Kill A Mockingbird. This book is mostly about Jean Louise (Scout), now 26 years old, living in NY and visiting Macomb to see her elderly father Atticus. There is a heartbreakingly sad story at age 11, and a brilliantly funny episode from her high school grad. But the core of this book is about Scout’s relationship with Atticus, her saintly and principled father in the context of race relations. A wonderful read.