Friday, June 09, 2017

The Narrows

by Michael Connelly
The return of a notorious fbi agent turned criminal known as The Poet keeps Harry more than occupied in a tense cat and mouse chase 7/10

Buddenbrooks

by Thomas Mann
Mann's first novel published in 1901 is the story of a wealthy merchant family in Germany covering three generations from the 1830's to the late 1870's. It charts the gradual decline of the family fortune.
I loved this book. The descriptions of the characters were such that I could see them immediately in my minds eye. I loved Toni, who is constantly referring to herself as a silly goose but actually was the most committed to maintaining the family position and suffers personally as a result. Little Hanno with his artistic bent was wonderful and then Christian and Thomas - so different but so true to life. I will miss them all 10/10

The Orange Grove

by Larry Tremblay
Another great short novel from Peirene Press.
This novel left me tearful as it examines the fate of twin brothers caught up in a bloody civil war and being forced to take actions that we in the West find hard to comprehend.
Being the father of twin boys I recognised the friendship that bound the two central characters and ultimately ripped them both apart. 8/10

The Pen and the Brush

by Anka Muhlstein
A look at the link between novelists and painters in nineteenth century French fiction looking at Balzac, Zola and Proust together with Maupassant and Huysmans.
This is a fascinating survey of the painter in the French novel and how the novelist uses their own relationships with painters and painting to influence their writing. I particularly liked the piece on Proust's painter Elstir. Made me want to pick up the book again 8/10