by Michael Rosen
In 1898 Zola had to disappear following a court case relating to his stance in the Dreyfus case.
This book charts the time he spent in England during the year before he was able to return to France. Using letters that remain and newspaper accounts it charts a very personal account of the pressure Zola was under and the cost he had to pay for his speaking out in support of a wrongly accused man. Although it is a story I know well I enjoyed this book and I liked the fact that J'accuse was included as an appendix together with a ghost story he wrote while in England. 9/10
Monday, March 27, 2017
The Courtesan and the Gigolo
by Aaron Freundschuh
This book uses the Pranzini Affair from 1887 Paris to examine social and political life at the time. Parallels with today are hard to avoid as the book examines the rise of right wing xenophobia and the looking for scapegoats among the outsider. Very interesting 7/10
This book uses the Pranzini Affair from 1887 Paris to examine social and political life at the time. Parallels with today are hard to avoid as the book examines the rise of right wing xenophobia and the looking for scapegoats among the outsider. Very interesting 7/10
Zero K
by Don Delillo
On the face of it this was a novel examining why someone might go for cryogenic freezing ranging from hope for a cure for a disease to escaping the current human disasters in hope of a better future.
The story is narrated by the son of a wealthy man who has set up a hidden and highly secure facility in the middle of nowhere. The father and step mother end up going through the cooling process and the son is a witness, opposed to the whole idea.
The book works best and is at it's most engaging when the father and son are interacting. They are not close and the exchanges between them bring out some of the ethical issues raised. Much of the rest of the book I found laboured but as you would expect written in a prose that was wonderful. 6/10
On the face of it this was a novel examining why someone might go for cryogenic freezing ranging from hope for a cure for a disease to escaping the current human disasters in hope of a better future.
The story is narrated by the son of a wealthy man who has set up a hidden and highly secure facility in the middle of nowhere. The father and step mother end up going through the cooling process and the son is a witness, opposed to the whole idea.
The book works best and is at it's most engaging when the father and son are interacting. They are not close and the exchanges between them bring out some of the ethical issues raised. Much of the rest of the book I found laboured but as you would expect written in a prose that was wonderful. 6/10
Frog
by Mo Yan
This is a novel about a chinese midwife called Gugu and her nephew called Tadpole who narrates the story. However, it is much more than that. It tells the story of the one child policy in China from the time of post second world war to the current day. At one point it is talking about the national level and the benefits the state would see and then seamlessly, takes it down to the individual level and the pain and problems caused to families and individuals.
It was funny in places and heartbreaking in others. Personally, I found difficulty in getting to grips with the names but that did not get in the way of a thought provoking and enjoyable novel 8/10
This is a novel about a chinese midwife called Gugu and her nephew called Tadpole who narrates the story. However, it is much more than that. It tells the story of the one child policy in China from the time of post second world war to the current day. At one point it is talking about the national level and the benefits the state would see and then seamlessly, takes it down to the individual level and the pain and problems caused to families and individuals.
It was funny in places and heartbreaking in others. Personally, I found difficulty in getting to grips with the names but that did not get in the way of a thought provoking and enjoyable novel 8/10
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