Double Oh Zzzzzzz...

As a mini-project within a project, I'm still working my way through all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and I have now finished 'Octopussy, the Living Daylights and Other Stories'.  It was another AudioGo audiobook, this time read by Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston.

'Octopussy and The Living Daylights'
by Ian Fleming
(Vintage, 2012)

This short collection includes four stories.  In 'Octopussy', a psychopathic Major finally gets his just rewards courtesy of the local wildlife, while 'The Property of a Lady' appealed to my love of shiny things as the plot revolves around the auction of a rare jewelled Fabergé sphere.  Bond takes on an unlikely Russian sniper in 'The Living Daylights'.  Finally, the collection concludes with '007 in New York', about... erm... James Bond in New York. This is read by the author's niece, Lucy Fleming,

Unfortunately, things didn't go well between me and this book from the start.  I fell asleep while listening to 'Octopussy' and had to replay it again from the beginning to catch up.  In retrospect, I'm not surprised, because it's not really a James Bond story (it just happens to have James Bond in it) nor is it a great short story.  It's plodding and predictable and I've come to expect more now I've encountered so much great work from Mr Fleming.

'The Property of a Lady' left me surprised and disappointed as the complex set up didn't deliver the plot twist I expected, while '007 in New York' felt a bit like a fan-focussed Easter Egg, a secret extra for the eyes of real obsessives only.

The best of the four was definitely 'The Living Daylights', a story which draws the reader into the working life of a jobbing double-0.  It opens up the the events leading up to the assassin's gunshot, the tedium of waiting, the meticulous planning, the risk of getting caught.  It had tension and provided insight into a character that we all think we know.

'Octopussy and the Living Daylights
and Other Stories'
by Ian Fleming.
(AudioGo, 2012)

I felt a bit sorry for Tom Hiddleston really.  He didn't have as much to work with as some of the other actors who have narrated CDs in the 007 Reloaded series, but that didn't stop him trying.  He clearly had a lot of fun voicing Major Dexter Smythe in 'Octopussy', although it did make me smile a couple of times.  I couldn't help being reminded of Kulvinder Ghir in the 'Goodness Gracious Me' Coopers/Kapoors and Robinsons/Rabindranaths sketches.  Both probably had the same inspiration.

Overall, I would recommend this as a curiosity, something to read so you can say 'I've read all the James Bond books'.  It's not got the energy of the other stories I've listened to so far, so in a way, here, Mr Fleming is a victim of his own success.  I'm hoping it's just a blip and that Bond will be back on form for 'Thunderball'.  After all, James Bond will return...

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'Dr No'
'For Your Eyes Only'

Women at War

As many of you know, when I'm not reading books, buying books or blogging about books, I can often be found on Twitter, posting about books as @Girl_LovesBooks (not to be confused with Book Loving Girls with similar names. They're lovely too, I'm sure, but not me!).

Being quite easily distracted and up for a challenge, I began joining in with Doubleday's #bookadayuk campaign in June and July this year.  Each day had a book-related theme to post about and it was great fun trying to come up with an idea for each topic and seeing what other titles people recommended.  A few books on my reading list were mentioned, so that was reassuring!

Anyway, I'd been tweeting away quite happily, coming up with books with blue covers, exotic story settings and childhood favourites, when I got a message saying I'd won the publisher's prize draw.  I hadn't even realised it was a competition, so it was a nice surprise to be sent a copy of 'Wake' by Anna Hope.

'Wake'
by Anna Hope
(Doubleday, 2014)

'Wake' is the story of three women in post-World War One London.  Although none went to the front, each has been affected by the tragedy and horror of the devastating conflict, suffering the loss of a loved one, either in body or spirit.  Hettie is a dance instructor at a night club, hired for sixpence a song to partner men around the floor, forced to surrender half her earnings to her mother while her psychologically damaged brother is trapped by the trauma of his wartime experiences.  Wealthy and defiant Evelyn works in a string of low paid and sometimes dangerous jobs, broken-hearted and looking for something to numb the pain.  Ada's son died at the front, but she is still haunted by visions of him in the streets around her home.  While she watches for him, she is losing sight of her husband and doesn't notice the growing distance between them.  The three stories unfold and entwine over the course of five days in 1920 as the body of the Unknown Warrior makes its way from the battlefields of Europe to Westminster Abbey.  He is destined to bring peace of mind to the grieving country, but can he really take the place of those lost to Ada, Hettie and Evelyn?

I was absolutely delighted to receive this book because, due to this year's centenary of the start of the war,  I'd been looking for something to read set in this period.  I went on a bit of emotional rollercoaster with 'Wake', however, and not just because of the emotive plot.

I love history and didn't realise how much I already knew about the era, so by the middle of the book I was beginning to feel a exasperated because I didn't feel like I was learning anything new.  But I soon realised that I'd quite spectacularly missed the point.  This book's great strength is the way it brings the dry facts to life through characters that readers, particularly female ones, can relate to.  Although I knew more than I'd expected about everything from trench warfare to shell shock to the flu epidemic to women working in factories, it was like I just had pieces of a puzzle.  This book made me put them together and think about World War One and its aftermath in a very different way.

Several other people have said on Twitter that they loved this book and I can see why.  Ms Hope does a wonderful job of making the characters feel real and it's easy to develop great affection for them.  Although they are from another time, the era of our great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, Ada, Evelyn and Hettie are going through emotional experiences that we can understand and relate to in the modern era.  The joy of love and the pain of loss and broken hearts is the same for us all, no matter the year.

Structuring the story around the arrival of the Unknown Warrior was an excellent idea which I think worked extremely well.  Again, while readers may know the facts, that many bodies were never retrieved and identified, which prevented many families from burying their dead, the book reminds us of the thousands of individuals who gained closure by believing that the Unknown Warrior was their husband, son, brother or lover.

In some ways, the media's current obsession with World War One and the annual acts of remembrance have simultaneously reminded us of and fossilised this terrible event, often making it feel as cold, formal and remote as a memorial statue on a pedestal.  As such, I think this book is a must read for any young woman who finds history dry and distant and wants to understand what World War One really meant to people like her.  'Wake' lives up to its name, helping our ancestors live again and reawakening our understanding of them.

Now, what next..? 

Shooting from the Hip

A few weeks ago, the lovely people at Blinding Books were kind enough to send me a copy of 'My Baby Shot Me Down', an anthology of poetry and prose by ten women writers.  Now, I know I shouldn't really stray from my list, but they asked so nicely.  And I love a good short story.

'My Baby Shot Me Down'
by Various Authors
(Blinding Books, 2014)

'My Baby Shot Me Down' features the work of Clarissa Angus, Katherine Black, Maggy van Eijk, Harriet Goodale, Deborah Hambrook, Claudine Lazar, Rachael Smart, Ruth Starling, Alison Wassell and Laura Wilkinson.  Some are award winners, but all could be described as up-and-coming writers.  The selected pieces range from the tragic to the poignant to the funny and capture the lives of women and girls of all ages.

OK, confession time.  I didn't read all of this book.  Now you've picked yourselves up off of the floor, here's why.  I've never really understood poetry and, despite the best efforts of my school teachers, find it a completely alien language that is impenetrable to me.  It's not the poet's fault at all and no reflection on the quality of the work in 'My Baby Shot Me Down', but after a couple of attempts I did skip all the poetry in this volume to focus on the work I could enjoy.

I do absolutely love short stories and this book includes a number of memorable examples.  They range from the bitterly funny 'A Game to Play', about how to be an (im)perfect man, and 'The Great Escape', the tale of how institutional help can hinder, to the chilling 'The Whispering Wall' and 'Mr Brown'.  'Ashes' and 'Love and App-iness' made me laugh, while 'We'll Meet Again' and 'Tissue Atlas' made me cry. 'Buried' reminded me of summers long ago.  'Supermarket Secrets' made me realise how rare it is to read about ordinary women in more ordinary jobs rather than journalists, actors, lawyers and PRs.  

Overall, this book is great as a showcase for not-quite-discovered writing talent, demonstrating depth and breadth as well as bringing to the fore themes that women in particular can relate to.  Although some of the flash fiction felt a bit too short, the book is certainly thought provoking.  I suddenly realised after reading 'Supermarket Secrets' that I couldn't think of any other piece of fiction set in a supermarket, which is odd when you consider how many people work in them and how ubiquitous they are.  It also got me wondering about the way book genres work.  I know I read an awful lot of historical fiction and not nearly enough modern books, but am I imagining the disproportionate number of strong women in the former?  Only reading my 500-odd books will tell!

This anthology worked its magic enough for me to want to buy other work by these authors.  They are certainly names to watch and I would recommend 'My Baby Shot Me Down' to anyone keen to try something new.