Browsing the Bookshelves

Headlong by Michael Frayn

I really enjoyed this engaging literary romp around the mind of a philosopher (or, perhaps, more correctly, I should say his mind and his other mind) and through the 16th century dutch art world. Pleasantly written, with plot that jogs along just as you need it to, you find yourself digesting large amounts of European history without realising you are doing so. This is entertainment learning at its very best.

I liked the way the story flitted between 16th century Holland and 20th century rural England with such ease. I liked the recognisable, engaging characters - especially as they all seemed to warm and fill out as the book went along. Frayn's wit is sharp and pointed - almost to the point of pain at times.  I was laughing out loud as Martin circled St James's Square for the seventh time in his clapped out landrover pulling a trailer bound together with baler twine and stinking of sheep's urine, only to miss out on the parking space because he wasn't looking! If there's one thing I didn't think matched the style of the rest of the novel it was the rather flat, cowardly denouement. But I'm not going to spoil the novel for you by telling how it ends.

One other thing. About half way through I realised the book would be so much more enjoyable if I'd had a big, glossy art book with all of Bruegel's pictures in it to hand. I didn't. And the book was too engrossing to put down for a few days while I requested one from the library. So, take a hint, unless you are familiar with the work of Peter Bruegel the Elder already, get a Bruegel book before you start.

...over the New Year, provided the perfect opportunity to do some real reading, not least because the weather celebrated the holidays with a chilling wind and driving rain, making what are usually tempting cliffside walks seem more like a cruel and unusual punishment. I finished Jonathan Frantzen's The Corrections (this month's selection for the BBC bookclub), and then tucked into Property by Valerie Martin, which one the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2003. I often find award-winning books a disappointment and find myself struggling both to understand the judges' decision and to enjoy the book, but Property deserves to be made an exception.

It's a slim novel which relates the story of Manon Gaudet, the wife of a harsh and humourless slave-owning planter in the American South. Set in the 19th century, it is a vivid portrayal of the effects of slavery on slave owners and the ways in which an evil institution victimises slave-owners as well slaves, although in very different ways. Evocative and disturbing, this single-sitting read lingers in the mind long after you've closed the book.

Next up was a few hours delving into the delights of the latest Good Fiction Guide to tempt me into parting with my money.  Actually, this one, edited by Jane Rogers, stands out from its rivals for its introductory essays which cover specific genres and regional writing.  They are written with enthusiasm and a passion rarely found in such volumes, engendering a genuine, if momentary, desire to 'read everything'. I resisted - but even so, my wishlist grew at an expodential rate for a few hours.

Diving into John Keay's The Honourable Company: A History of the London East India Company, was a sheer delight. Keay, who always writes engagingly, exploits a mass of primary and secondary evidence to present a history of the Company in a manner which reads more like an adventure story at times, although he is not slow to debunk conventional wisdom, especially relating to the foundation of the British Raj, whenever he can.

I started reading Kipling's Kim too, but didn't get much further than the somewhat dry introduction.  I got distracted by Embers by Sandor Marai. 

All in all, a great new year so far.