When I began reading, I realized Thomas Cromwell, the main character in this fictional work, was not based on that best known British Cromwell, Oliver. Thomas was associated with Henry VIII, and lived some generations before Oliver. Thomas began life as the much abused son of a blacksmith, so often beaten that he ran away at a young age, looking for an army to join. Eventually he...
Audiobook. I was moved to listen to this book by a mention of it by Lilia, who found it remarkable that her American husband read this Russian classic in college. I had read it years before, but fear that I had carelessly erased that tape from my brain. Bazarov and Arcady have just finished their studies and make their way to Arcady's home out in the countryside for an...
Audiobook. This is another wonderfully plotted book (as was Seven Types of Ambiguity). The most prominent voice is the widower, a 70 year old retired librarian who worked in the Reference Room at Widener Library at Harvard. The New England accent and the crotchety old fashioned outlook was reminiscent of Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge. Just as I was growing...
Even before the narrator tells you about his impulse to push Sarah, who had just broken off their engagement, down the stairs, you know that Patrick is troubled. The terse dialogue recounted by Patrick makes for an intense read, and you know from the beginning he is so tightly wound that something unpleasant will happen. He tries to be a normal person, but he displays each of the...
I finally read this beloved Australian book whose author died in December. She wrote many children's books and was married to D'Arcy Niland, another much-loved author who wrote The Shiralee (reviewed here). The Harp in the South was published in 1948 and is set in the slums of Sydney, probably in early 40s, though the war is not mentioned. Most of the inhabitants of...
I took on this 600+ page book because of the 5 stars Reading Matters gave it. And she is right, it deserves at least 5 stars. Seven narrators tell the story of their involvement in, and the consequences for them, of a single event. Simon, the central figure, briefly kidnapped the child of a former girlfriend from 10 years before. The child was returned to his parents unharmed...
Audiobook. An Object of Beauty tells the story of an ambitious young woman in the art market. It's not that Lacey overcomes her idealism to make money; she never displays any hesitance to do whatever it takes to further her career. She begins work in the 1990s at Sotheby's and the novel ends after the 2008 collapse of the financial market and its aftermath. ...
As expected, this Paul Auster tale is mesmerizing; I always find myself pleased to fall into his stories. The main character, Miles, is a mysterious fellow, full of promise even after spending years in an aimless life after he dropped out of college. The tragedy of the death of his stepbrother at a young age marked Miles too, as he might bear some responsibility for his death. One...
Audiobook. Each chapter of Tom Rachman's book focuses on a single imperfect person; all of these people are connected to an English language newspaper published in Rome. The trajectory of the life of the newspaper itself is told in flashbacks separating each chapter from its beginning in the 1950s to its demise in 2007. The newspaper life is a useful setting for...
Paul Auster's new book: Sunset Park. audiobook narrated by Auster. Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman. Set in Melbourne. Reading Matters gives it 5 stars. In the public library. Steve Martin books are available as audiobooks. My Brother Jack by George Johnston. All time favorite book of Reading Matters. Set in Australia. MJ Hyland's...