Maybe there are just authors that don't do it for me. I am sad to admit that I just cannot appreciate Muriel Spark. I suppose that The Public Image shMaybe there are just authors that don't do it for me. I am sad to admit that I just cannot appreciate Muriel Spark. I suppose that The Public Image should be taken as a work of great humor and irony, with the actress/protagonist trying to maintain her public image despite being embroiled in scandal, but the whole thing felt superficial and contrived to me and I never developed any rapport with or sympathy for any of the characters. There was some OK writing, which saved it from a 2-star rating, but honestly, I was glad to finish it and put it aside. Some snippets that were interesting, yet imperfect: but still [the press] were deterred by the worthy scene, arranged as it was, with Annabel and infant in the midst, like some vast portrayal of a family and a household by Holbein. (p. 72) and yet Holbein did not paint "vast portrayals" of families. Perhaps she was thinking of Van Eyck? Mostly Holbein painted individual portraits; the one family portrait by Holbein the younger was not "vast" and was his own family. It is thus hard to quite pinpoint what image she was trying to convey. The very last paragraph of the book was perhaps the most poetic. Annabel again: Waiting for the order to board, she felt both free and unfree. The heavy weight of the bags was gone; she felt as if she was still, curiously pregnant with the baby, but not pregnant in fact. She was pale as a shell. She did not wear her dark glasses. Nobody recognized her as she stood, having moved the baby to rest on her hip, conscious also of the baby in a sense weightlessly and perpetually within her, as an empty shell contains, by its very structure, the echo and harking image of former and former seas. (p. 124-5). I have an issue with the redundant reference to pregnancy, I think the first mention could be striken to give the passage more power. Also, I am a bit mystified by "former and former seas" as again, other than a sort of mixed metaphor of empty egg shells and the sea of time, I am not quite sure what image she is conjuring. I think it is problems like these that give me a hard time appreciating Sparks writing ....more
I know that is is supposed to be a fantastic trilogy but it really didn't do it for me. Was I too young the first time around? Perhaps. If enough GR fI know that is is supposed to be a fantastic trilogy but it really didn't do it for me. Was I too young the first time around? Perhaps. If enough GR friends push me to do so, I'll give it another shot....more
Another beautiful tragedy from Mr Prendiville this time dealing with a white collar protagonist as opposed to the very blue collar Bear Lake. Once agaAnother beautiful tragedy from Mr Prendiville this time dealing with a white collar protagonist as opposed to the very blue collar Bear Lake. Once again, his description of character is precise and engaging. I especially appreciate the careful understatement in the dialogs between the characters. Like with Bear Lake, I could not put this one down until I had finished it....more
Bear Lake is a a heartbreaking story of desperation and tragedy in a failing logging town. The descriptions of Bear Lake but more particularly the teeBear Lake is a a heartbreaking story of desperation and tragedy in a failing logging town. The descriptions of Bear Lake but more particularly the teenagers who are at the heart of this story are vivid and engaging. It was an enjoyable read cover to cover....more
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a tale of terror as well as a warning. The dystopian future she describes in "Gilead" which appears to be cenMargaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a tale of terror as well as a warning. The dystopian future she describes in "Gilead" which appears to be centered in Boston (due to the reference to Mass Ave and the town of Salem) is chillingly misogynistic where women are reduced to strict categories: Martha for housework and cooking, Jezebels (easy to guess, right?), Eyes, Angels (soldiers for the state), infertile Wives and potentially fertile Handmaids. It is beautifully written with lots of flashbacks of "Offred", the protagonist's name, of how things devolved into the horrors of her present. It is disturbing because it exposes the politics of reproduction and male sexuality taken to extremes of violence that are shocking and, yet, probably seemed one possible future during the Reaganite 80s when she wrote the book and now feel like the world of which Michael Pence in particular and perhaps Paul Ryan but most definitely Steve Bannon must dream. Could things so change as quickly as she describes in the book? Let us hope not. #resist
It is certainly the most explicitly feminist dystopian book I have ever read. It was thought-provoking cover to cover.
All in all, a very well-written feminist text that should serve as a clarion call for defending women's rights to maintain control over their own bodies and lives now and forever.
Drumpf's sexist, violent tweet against Morning Joe and the escalating attacks against reproductive freedom are moving the American experiment dangerously towards Atwood's Gilead. #resist
Apparently, there are also changes at the CIA that bring the spectre of Gilead a little closer. In another note, I just got Mona Eltahawy's Headscarves and Hymens which is also on subject.
Any of my review readers want to tell me whether the Hulu show about this book is worth my time or not? [UPDATE] I have watched the first two seasons of the Hulu series and am hooked. That being said, I have watched 5 episodes of S03 and been disappointed. For those who may not know, only S01 is based on the book. The other two seasons are new writing (but with Margaret Atwood supervising the writer's room).
I am quite interested to know if anyone has already read the sequel that was just published in September 2019? [UPDATE] The sequel The Testaments was pretty good. My review here....more
Loading...
