Waste Not, Want Not

I do love the weekend papers.  The number of purchases I've made after reading interviews and extracts in the glossies... well, it's not really helped reduce the number of unread books I have!  Last year, I was intrigued by articles about 'A Life Discarded' by Alexander Masters, so trundled off to the bookshop to treat myself.  Should I have made resisted?

'A Life Discarded'
by Alexander Masters
(Fourth Estate, 2016)

'A Life Discarded' is the story of 148 diaries found in a Cambridge skip by two academics, which were then passed on to biographer of the unusual Alexander Masters.  After paying no attention to them for a number of years and several house moves, he finally picked up a volume and started reading.  This was the beginning of a five year project that would involve graphologists, detectives and archivists, not to mention 'I', the enigmatic diarist.  But did Masters get any closer to the mysterious writer and find a meaningful story in the millions of words?

I was extremely disappointed by this book.  It's so unbelievably depressing.  What made for several interesting articles led to a very dull and at times almost narcissistic tome. It seemed to be more about what the 'biographer' thought about his reaction to the subject and her diaries rather than the subject herself, wrapped up in an at times pretentious and repetitive prose and always keeping everything at arm's length.  I felt that this was a project he didn't really want and had no passion for, but felt he had to do in light of what had happened to the diaries' finders.

Assuming that Masters was writing 'A Life Discarded' out of a sense of duty rather than passion, then the apparent lack of feeling the author seemed to have for 'I' starts to make sense.  Without giving too much away, 'I' has led a life where dreams never became reality and what talent she had was never fully encouraged or explored, largely through her own inaction.  Although Masters seems to identify with this as a writer, I never really got a sense of how he felt about 'I'.  As a reader, I knew I felt compassion and pity, but as far as I could tell, Masters felt nothing, not even contempt at someone wasting their potential or a sense of injustice that she'd been let down by those around her.  Perhaps biographers should try to stay neutral, but if that's the case, why did so much of this book seem to be about Masters?

Ironically, this book feels like a wasted opportunity.  It could've been about the many ways lives are lost, through inaction, accident and early death, but instead somehow those threads didn't come together to create a stronger narrative and central theme.  Rather than being depressing, perhaps the book would've become inspirational and about making the most of what time you have, no matter how short or long.  If, if, if...

Unfortunately, I wish I'd resisted and not bought this book.  At least I read it, though, and you never know, whoever reads it next might not be so disappointed.  After all, tomorrow is another day!

Now, what next...

Related Links

'The Biography of a Nameless Person' (The Guardian, 14/05/2016)

Real to Reel

Disclaimer: Today is very, very hot.  As a result, this post might be complete gibberish.  If so, I apologise.  If not, I clearly have more stamina than I realise.  But the only way you're going to find out is by reading on!

'It's Only a Movie'
by Mark Kermode
(Random House, 2010)

While recovering from a bout of flu earlier this month, I staggered to the bookshelf and, with much effort, coughing and spluttering, managed to pick up 'It's Only a Movie: Reel Life Adventures of a Film Obsessive' by established critic Mark Kermode.  Fortunately, it was a good choice.

'It's Only a Movie' is a charming, whistlestop tour through Kermode's life and career as a film journalist in print and on radio.  An entertaining collection of loosely linked anecdotes, it hop, skips and jumps through tales of how his childhood obsession developed into an unlikely career with the energy of a comic book fan on their way to yet another superhero movie.  From inspirational schoolboy cinema visits, to teenage pretension and adult near incompetence at university and in his early jobs, this is the story of a man who nearly ruins Time Out, gets shot at in LA, champions horror movies, enters a long term, on air relationship, is broken by Russia, gets kicked out of Cannes Film Festival and, of course, watches an awful lot of movies.  When there's love, peril and (hopefully) a happy ending, it's bound to be a hit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It's silly, but it's fun.  The author freely admits that he may not be quite telling the truth, but that's fine.  He clearly knows that the stories he's telling are just a bit nuts, perhaps only believing them himself because he was there.

One thing that did please me was that name dropping was kept to a minimum.  It would've been so easy to wheel out a load of gossip about the big industry names just to attract a wider audience, but fortunately Kermode hasn't stooped to this and it's a much better book for it.  You get the impression that, with a few specific exceptions, it's the movies that matter and he finds the whole celebrity circus a bit gross.  This means that it's the art form that he loves that stays centre stage.

As a result, this is a great book for movie buffs, a bit of a change from all those expensive, in depth 'making of' books and long nights spent arguing over the top 50 1980s South Korean horror movies.  Come out of the cinema and read this in the sunshine, people.  Although maybe not on a day like this...

Now, what next...

Stormy Weather

Last week I finished 'The Angry Tide' by Winston Graham, the seventh Poldark novel.  Normally I'm a bit of a sucker for a good book cover, but for some reason I didn't pay much attention to this one. Wish I had as I'd have been much better prepared for this book's revelations...

'The Angry Tide'
by Winston Graham
(2008, Pan Macmillan)

It's the last years of the 1700s and still waters run deep for the Poldarks and Warleggans.  While both Ross and George appear prosperous and content, old rivalries continue to simmer beneath the surface and it's not long before they burst forth.  While the enduringly bitter George seizes chances to conspire and strike against the Poldarks and their associates, an opportunity of another kind may mean a ray of hope for the unrequited lovers Morwenna and Drake.  But best laid plans often go astray, especially in the storm ravaged Cornish peninsula...

I might be being a bit harsh, but I felt that 'The Angry Tide' took a while to get going, but once it did, boy did it go!  Winston Graham shows himself to be a master plotter, deftly setting the scene and building the tension before letting the deluge go.  I found this book almost impossible to put down, as wave after wave peaked and troughed until the story's devastating climax is reached.

Graham also shows himself to be an expert at the art of misdirection - just when I thought I knew which way things would go, the current took me elsewhere.

Along with the 'The Black Moon', I think this is the best of the series so far and that fans of historical fiction or family saga will love it too.  I can't wait to get started on 'The Stranger from the Sea' - but I think it'll have to wait until after the new BBC series!

Related Posts

Ross Poldark
Demelza
Jeremy Poldark
Warleggan
The Black Moon
The Four Swans

Bred of Devon

I've always had a fondness for those books of local legends that you find in Tourist Information Centres across the UK. One of the best areas for such stories has to be the West Country, so during a recent trip I read 'Devonshire Folk Tales' by professional storyteller Michael Dacre.

'Devonshire Folk Tales' is a joyful romp through stories of yore from one of the country's most

'Devonshire Folk Tales'
by Michael Dacre
(History Press, 2010)

beautiful and boisterous counties.  From the giant origins of these lands to encounters with fairies good and bad, to the nefarious activities of wicked rogues and ghastly encounters with ghosts and ghouls, not to mention much mischief of a truly devilish sort, this short book covers a lot of ground without leaving the confines of this enchanting county.

The worry with reading a book like this is that it's possible to get swept up in it and begin to wonder what kind of superstitious back water you're going to find yourself paddling around in.  Fortunately, Dacre's tone remains mischievous throughout, managing to thrill rather than chill the reader.  No sleepless nights here, thank you!

The variety of topics is excellent, as is the passion with which the stories are told.  Dacre clearly loves both folk tales and the county that inspired them, not to mention the people that tell/told them.  Such hand-me-down myths and legends are a dialect all their own and should be treasured as much as any regional accent or words.  Through this book, Dacre preserves and shares not just the voices of generations long gone, but more recent enthusiasts and it's hard not to be swept up in the sense of community and fun that comes with such storytelling.

I would recommend 'Devonshire Folk Tales' for anyone who wants a locally themed book to dip into during their visit to the county.  It gives a glimpse beyond the stereotypical cream teas and buckets and spades to the character of an area that is so much more than a tourist trap.

Now, what next...