Book Review: The Arena by William Haggard

ThomasLeave a comment

The Arena
William Haggard

I am not one to spend much time on crime fiction, but this vintage Penguin Crime cover caught my eye when I was in a used bookstore in Doylestown, Pennsylvania back in November. I haven’t come across many (if any) of these green jacketed editions from Penguin in the U.S., and the crime involved seem to be white collar crime rather than anything grisly, so I thought I would give it a go.

The story involves merchant banks, defense contractors, and the fuzzy ethical lines in high level government machinery. Written in 1961, the book also paints an interesting picture of the alcohol-sodden workdays of 1960s London along with description of now-quaint ways of communication, travel, and information technology (or lack thereof). In that way, The Arena appealed to me as a period piece with just enough intrigue to make it count as a thriller, if a rather subdued one.

Book Review: Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively

Thomas4 Comments

Moon Tiger
Penelope Lively

I finished this one right before we left for vacation on December 31st so there is much about it that I remember with any clarity. Between travelling and other books read during the past 19 days, I don’t remember as much about this book as is necessary to write a decent review.

Booker Prize-winner Moon Tiger is the fourth book by Penelope Lively that I have read. And while I found it interesting, I did not find it as compelling as other Lively books. (My favorite is still Consequences.) Claudia Hampton is dying and reflecting on her life as a journalist in WWII Egypt and as a writer. I actually found the bits in the present tense the most interesting. I was fascinated by Lively’s description of Claudia’s state of being as she lay dying. The part I found most disquieting was Claudia’s too close, and sometimes incestuous, relationship with her brother.

Beyond those two impressions I don’t remember enough to comment further. I found the book interesting and can understand why it won the Booker, but I have enjoyed other Lively books much more.

BKK – PEK – ORD – IAD

Thomas2 Comments

It has been a great trip to Thailand and Cambodia but now we are headed home. I have Elinior Lipman and Margaret Atwood to keep me occupied on the long flights.

We first fly Thai Airways from Bangkok to Beijing (BKK-PEK) a mere 4 hours 40 minutes. And we aren’t on this 747, we are on an Airbus 333.

Then we hop onto a United Airlines flight from Beijing to Chicago (PEK-ORD). Although we flew a 747 on the way over we won’t be on a 747 like this one, we will be on a 777.

And thanks to the miracle of frequent flyer miles we will be in these fantastic 6’6″ lay flat sleeper seats for the 13-hour flight. These are actually their old sleeper seats. The 777 fleet has yet to be converted to the new and improved versions that we flew in on the way over. Still, I am not complaining.

And then we arrive at Dulles International Airport just outside of Washington, DC. Designed by Eero Saarinen, it is certainly one of the more iconic (if not efficient) airports in the world.

Arriving in Phuket (and Boy, do I miss you book bloggers…)

Thomas15 Comments

As we get ready to board our Thai Airways flight from Chiang Mai (where the extremely nice check-in agent upgraded us to Business without us asking) to Phuket, it might be hard to believe that I would miss anything about my normal life. But I just checked into my Bloglines account (the tool I use to keep track of all of you bloggers out there) and I saw that there are literally hundreds and hundreds of fabulous blog posts on the 189 blogs that I follow. On the road I don’t have much time online so I can’t really dip-in to see what all of you are up to. But I did look at a few posts here and there and I can’t wait to get back to the U.S. to catch up with all of you. Of course I am sure I will enjoy our six days on the beach in Phuket, but don’t think that means I don’t miss all of you.

I haven’t done half as much reading as I thought I would. I finally gave up on A Weekend with Claude by Beryl Bainbridge. I got to page 65 and just felt it was a waste of my time. Since this book also made the trip to France this summer without being read, I decided the best place for it was the library at our hotel in Chiang Mai. I don’t need to bring it back to the U.S. Another book that made the trip to France this summer that was also in the suitcase in Thailand was Colette’s Cheri and the Last of Cheri. However, since I first took it for a spin to France we saw the horribly boring film of the book with Michelle Pfieffer. So, when I tried to read it on this trip, all I could think of was the lame movie. So it will remain unread and in the hotel library in Chiang Mai as well. It is a little disappointing since I really liked The Ripening Seed.

After jettisoning those two books (and finishing two others) I still have War and Peace, an Elinor Lipman, and a Marge Piercy to keep me company. Should be fun.

NOTE – I did NOT take this photo.

Gasping for Air in Bangkok

Thomas2 Comments

Yesterday we had a great visit to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, but then couldn’t find a taxi willing to drive us to our hotel. That meant about a 5 km walk before we got to a Sky Train station. Wouldn’t have been a problem except traffic was crazy and the air pollution was out of control. By the time we made it back to our hotel my lungs were tight, my head was killing me, and my throat felt like raw meat.

And then Traveler’s Tummy and its associated unpleasantness showed up last night. It actually might be a side effect of my anti-malaria medication, more likely food/water related. But John, thankfully, is fine. And we have eaten all the same stuff.

We went to a bookstore today. Thankfully prices and my small suitcase kept me from buying anything. Can’t wait to do my book review of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. It was wonderful. But that won’t be for a couple more weeks. Too hard to blog from the road.

Book Review: On Reading by Andre Kertesz

Thomas7 Comments

Back in November I posted a scan of my favorite bookmark. It had a wonderful image on it with absolutely no photo credit or information on it. I have had it for at least 10 years and have always wondered where the photo came from. Well thanks to the power of the Internet and to the fabulous blogger Lethe, I now know. As Lethe wrote in her comment to my post:

André Kertész. It can be found on p. 56 of his book On Reading (reissued 2008) and is titled “André Jammes, Paris. November 4, 1963”.

Even better, I now have in my hands my own copy of W.W. Norton’s reissue of On Reading. It is a gem of a book. Smaller format than I had expected, but the images are wonderful.

Some of you in London may have been lucky enough to see an exhibit of this work as Reading Matters writes about here. Check out this site to see more of the images or better yet plan an exhibition.

Here is the beat-up old bookmark in question.

Andre Jammas, Paris, November 4, 1963
copryright Estate of André Kertész

Here are some of the other images from On Reading.

Academie Francaise, Paris, 1929
copyright Estate of André Kertész
New York City, February 25, 1951
copyright Estate of André Kertész

Book Review and Sunday Painting: Mariana and Amity

Thomas7 Comments

Mariana
Monica Dickens

First, the literary review: Spirited English girl comes of age. Enjoyable, somewhat cozy, romantic tale.

Amity
Bernard Fleetwood-Walker

Now for the painting(s): I’ll be truthful. I ordered this Persephone because of the cover. I love the standard gray Persephone covers, but they have done such a great job choosing paintings for their Classics editions that they are hard to resist. And two of them, Mariana and Cheerful Weather for the Wedding had images too compelling to pass up. (Thankfully I enjoyed Mariana much more than Cheerful Weather.) The cover painting on Mariana is called Amity and was painted by Bernard Fleetwood-Walker in 1933. I am drawn to it not only for the bright colors and the idyllic scene depicted, but I am also fascinated because there is something slightly subversive in the painting. Stylistically, the painting is almost illustration-like in the vein of American Norman Rockwell, but it also has a bit of an ironic twist like toned down John Currin.

Whatever Fleetwood-Walker’s intent, the two figures look as if they are related and there seems to be something going on below the surface that hints at an “innocent” incest in the same way the relationship between the cousins in Mariana does. And although the painting seems to be the epitome of wholesome sweetness at first glance there is something highly sexual about it as well. There seems to be a hint of Balthus-like perversion and more than a little of Cadmus’ cartoonish sexuality thrown in. The female figure recumbent, lazily offering up her flower with a basket of (perhaps forbidden) fruit. The male figure slightly erect with his muscular but fleshy head thrust forward. They look bored by whatever it is they are watching (other members of the party perhaps) but they also look as if things may have been interrupted just before they got going and are now just biding their time until they are alone again. .

Do you think the folks at Persephone had these things in mind when they chose this painting? Caustic Cover Critic points out that Penguin also used the painting for Colette’s The Ripening Seed. If Penguin chose the same painting for Colette’s tale of sexual awakening, I guess my take on the painting isn’t as far fetched as I may have initially thought.

Fleetwood-Walker’s Amity:

Like a combo of Norman Rockwell…

and toned down John Currin…

Heartless, 1997
John Currin

with hints of perverted Balthus…

Theresa, 1938
Balthus

and sexual Paul Cadmus

Jerry, 1931
Paul Cadmus