Beaten by Hemingway!

Hasn't been a good week for the quest really.  If you've been following me on Twitter (@Girl_LovesBooks), you'll know that I decided to take on a book of Ernest Hemingway short stories, 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro'.  I love short stories and tales of exotic and interesting places, so this, combined with Hemingway's excellent reputation, made me think it was a good bet for me.

'The Snows of Kilmanjaro'
by Ernest Hemingway
(2004 Vintage Classics)

Unfortunately, as early as page six, I really wasn't doing very well with it at all.  It wasn't engaging me and the story wasn't even sinking in, so that I wasn't able to recount anything that happened after I'd read about it.  It was also taking me a horribly long time to get through, which wasn't very helpful when I have so much to get through!  By page ten, I'd decided to give up on the first story and try the second, but pretty much the same thing happened.

I'm incredibly disappointed to have completely failed on this one, particularly with such a reputable writer.  I usually have a rule about finishing the first couple of chapters of something before I decide whether to keep going or not, but I didn't even manage to do that this time round.  The shame!

I'm happy to say, though, that there aren't that many books that I haven't managed to finish.  Off the top of my head, the only ones I can think of are 'Jennie' by Paul Gallico (quite liked it, but found it lacked enough pace to keep me interested), 'Ratcatcher' by James McGee (From what I remember, even though I love this sort of historical fiction, I felt is was a bit too cliched for me sadly) and 'The Gallow's Curse' by Karen Maitland (again, I just didn't connect with the story and unfortunately it became a drag for me to read).  I also found 'The Anatomy of Ghosts' by Andrew Taylor hard going, but I did get through it.  It was a good story, but again lacked pace in places.

The fact I've not finished any of these books is certainly no reflection on their quality though.  I find there are a lot of things which influence what I read, ranging from mood to time of year, never mind the quality of the book or the writing!  I've always found Philippa Gregory's work to be hard to get into, but once you've orientated yourself to the time, place and key characters, the books are fantastic and I consider her one of my favourite authors.  Daphne Du Maurier can be difficult sometimes too.  It took me three or four attempts to read 'The King's General', but I'm extremely glad I did it in the end.

So, for the first time I'm crossing a title off my list that I haven't managed to read.  With 474 books to go, I'm sure it won't be the last time this happens either.  I think I'll go for a safer bet next time to cheer me up.  Have narrowed it down to six already...

No More Heroes...

I have just finished 'I am Legend' by Richard Matheson, a relatively short book often cited as a classic of Science Fiction and Horror and the first book to combine the two great genres.  I've not seen the Will Smith film, but may do having read the book.

'I am Legend' by
Richard Matheson
(Film Tie-In Edition,
2007, Gollancz)

'I am Legend' is the intense and claustrophobic story of Robert Neville, (quite possibly) the last man standing after a plague has swept through the human race and made vampires a nightly reality.  Trapped in his own world and left with nothing but memories and his survival instinct, the book tracks Neville's character over three years as he battles demons without and within.

Although this was a fantastically written book, capturing and developing the character of Robert Neville to great effect, I'm finding it hard to be passionate about it.  Then again, that may just be the nature of the genre.  After all, how many people want to recommend something they know may scare?  I don't really want to give people nightmares!  To be fair, though, this book isn't particularly gory, even for my relatively low horror threshold.

Speaking for myself, I found this book completely engrossing.  The first half presents a fascinating, close quarters analysis of how someone might react and behave in such extraordinary circumstances and highlights the author's incredible imagination.  In the second half, as Neville's mood moves from despair to acceptance, the pace of the novella changes and the plot starts moving towards its almost inevitable climax and conclusion.

Also - always the sign of a classic - the book doesn't feel at all dated, despite the fact that it's 57 years old.  I love it when that happens.  It's nice to know that when change comes, it doesn't automatically make everything that came before irrelevant and obsolete.  It's horrible to think that the meaning of things we care about today may be completely lost to future generations, just as the significance of cave paintings or carved deities can only be guessed at by even the most eminent of modern academics.

Hmm, I'm clearly in a very philosophical mood today!

Anyway, back to the book.  I would recommend it if you like these sorts of apocalyptic tales, but I don't think there's enough of a meal here for even the most sharp-toothed literary analyst.  Then again, I doubt it was ever meant to be high culture, so, if you can, enjoy it for what it is.  An engaging twentieth century classic.

Either this Wallpaper goes or I do...

I've just finished a Dover Thrift collection of six short stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 'The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories'.  I bought it because my class read 'The Yellow Wallpaper' at school and now I'm older, I wanted to re-read it.

'The Yellow Wallpaper and
Other Stories' by Charlotte
Perkins Gilman (Dover Thrift
Edition, 1997)

This collection includes six stories, all published between 1892 and 1914 and all unexpectedly relevant and modern in their message.  I think my favourites were 'Making a Change', the story of a young family cracking under the strain of a grumpy new baby, and 'Mr Peeble's Heart', about a dutiful husband who finally does something for himself.  BUT my very favourite was 'Three Thanksgivings', the story of a widow standing on her own two feet despite the protestations of her own selfish, adult children and a predatory money lender.

Considering how long ago these stories were written, it's amazing how modern the voice used is and how relevant the issues and situations still are.  Gilman is a feminist writer, so she's highlighting and exploring relationships in a way that was unusual pre-Great War and it's very refreshing.  But don't let that put you off.  Unlike many feminist writers, there is a lot of humour in what Gilman writes.  She uses a lot of wit to make her points and the stories are much the better for it.  After all, no one likes being preached at!

Overall, I'm so glad I read this book.  It wasn't at all what I expected and I can't wait to read more of Gilman's work.  It's another pleasant surprise among the many pleasant surprises that I'm having on this quest!  Let's hope it's not the last!