Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
31 May 2025
30 August 2022
'The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey' by Rachel Joyce
19 November 2016
No Smoke without Fire...
As you've probably noticed, I'm quite easily distracted, especially by books. This month, my eye was caught by Robert Harris' latest (bright red) novel, 'Conclave', and its excellent reviews. "Well," I thought "it's not got that many pages..."
As you might expect, 'Conclave' is the story of a fictional pope's election. Like its secular counterparts, this election is divisive and hard fought, so it takes a strong, steady hand to keep proceedings on track. This unenviable task falls to Cardinal Lomeli, Dean of the College of Cardinals, who finds himself caught up in the machinations of the four leading candidates: the Italian traditionalist Tedesco, the liberal Bellini, the imposing African Adeyemi and the ambitious Canadian Tremblay. While the world waits for the white smoke that signals a decision, over 100 cardinals pray and plot behind the conclave's sealed doors. But even here they find they cannot escape the material truths of human frailty, weakness and sin...
Mr Harris has a reputation for complex political thrillers, so, while I was curious about this book, I was also a bit daunted by it. As it turned out, I needn't have worried. I struggled to put this book down and found it, for want of a better phrase, an easy read.
From what I've heard, I suspect that many of Mr Harris' other books are more challenging, so if you're a fan of his work, this may not be enough of a toughie for you. For me, there was something of the Dan Brown holiday read about it and I found it entertaining and just believable enough. Often these things are about expectations, however, so if you're expecting a hard-nosed, complex story, you may be disappointed. If you're after a tense yet entertaining read, you probably won't be.
Despite its setting, this isn't really a book for those with a traditional view of religion. The most senior religious characters are riddled with pride and hypocrisy, or consumed by doubt. A more liberal view of faith in the modern world is favoured, culminating in the slightly weak ending. But this wouldn't be such an easy (or short) read if it took on the more complex issues of faith in the modern world.
Overall, I really enjoyed 'Conclave' and hope to read it again when it comes out in paperback. It's a great holiday read, a page-turner, and (for me at least) the encouragement I need to read more by Robert Harris.
Now, what next...?
As you might expect, 'Conclave' is the story of a fictional pope's election. Like its secular counterparts, this election is divisive and hard fought, so it takes a strong, steady hand to keep proceedings on track. This unenviable task falls to Cardinal Lomeli, Dean of the College of Cardinals, who finds himself caught up in the machinations of the four leading candidates: the Italian traditionalist Tedesco, the liberal Bellini, the imposing African Adeyemi and the ambitious Canadian Tremblay. While the world waits for the white smoke that signals a decision, over 100 cardinals pray and plot behind the conclave's sealed doors. But even here they find they cannot escape the material truths of human frailty, weakness and sin...
Mr Harris has a reputation for complex political thrillers, so, while I was curious about this book, I was also a bit daunted by it. As it turned out, I needn't have worried. I struggled to put this book down and found it, for want of a better phrase, an easy read.
From what I've heard, I suspect that many of Mr Harris' other books are more challenging, so if you're a fan of his work, this may not be enough of a toughie for you. For me, there was something of the Dan Brown holiday read about it and I found it entertaining and just believable enough. Often these things are about expectations, however, so if you're expecting a hard-nosed, complex story, you may be disappointed. If you're after a tense yet entertaining read, you probably won't be.
Despite its setting, this isn't really a book for those with a traditional view of religion. The most senior religious characters are riddled with pride and hypocrisy, or consumed by doubt. A more liberal view of faith in the modern world is favoured, culminating in the slightly weak ending. But this wouldn't be such an easy (or short) read if it took on the more complex issues of faith in the modern world.
Overall, I really enjoyed 'Conclave' and hope to read it again when it comes out in paperback. It's a great holiday read, a page-turner, and (for me at least) the encouragement I need to read more by Robert Harris.
Now, what next...?
23 December 2012
The Good, The Bad, or The Ugly?
I've just finished reading 'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ' by Philip Pullman, one of the Canongate Myth series of books through which authors re-imagine stories from various cultures. Unfortunately, I didn't know this when I started reading!
'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ' begins with the idea that not one but two babies were born to Mary in the Bethlehem stable. While Jesus begins as a mischievous child who grows into a passionate believer and inspirational cult leader, Christ is steeped in scripture and idealises the politics and hierarchy of organised religion. After an argument about the best way to bring about God's kingdom, Jesus and Christ go their separate ways, although their lives are irrevocably entwined. As Jesus's following grows, Christ becomes his biographer and, under the influence of an unnamed stranger, is eventually responsible for turning the man into a legend.
This book wasn't really what I expected. I didn't know that this was part of a series of re-written myths beforehand and, knowing a little about Mr Pullman and his previous work, I expected this novel to be more polemical and rooted in reality, particularly as the title seemed so provocative. In truth, 'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ' is much more about the power of storytelling and an exploration of myth-making than a comment on religion or Christianity.
As an alternative history, the story was OK. The style was interesting and well pitched, bringing back childhood memories of reading Ladybird Bible stories. At times is was so convincing I forgot I was reading a parody! If you're reading the book as a myth, this is a great strength, but if you're expecting some more realistic twist on the tale, it feels a bit like a case of Stockholm Syndrome.
Because I was looking for thought-provoking ideas and opinions, I felt the most interesting moments were when the characters soliloquised about their faith, expressing doubts and worrying about the consequences of their actions and myth-making. Unfortunately for me, these moments were few and quite late on in the book.
Overall, I found 'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ' a bit disappointing, but think this is because I was approaching it from the wrong angle. It's title and provenance suggested to me a book which gave a new perspective on religious faith, which it clearly isn't. If you're interested in alternative histories, however, this is a well-written, considered piece that may be of interest to you, although it probably won't knock your sandals off.
Now let's see if we can make this month three in a row!
As an alternative history, the story was OK. The style was interesting and well pitched, bringing back childhood memories of reading Ladybird Bible stories. At times is was so convincing I forgot I was reading a parody! If you're reading the book as a myth, this is a great strength, but if you're expecting some more realistic twist on the tale, it feels a bit like a case of Stockholm Syndrome.
Because I was looking for thought-provoking ideas and opinions, I felt the most interesting moments were when the characters soliloquised about their faith, expressing doubts and worrying about the consequences of their actions and myth-making. Unfortunately for me, these moments were few and quite late on in the book.
Overall, I found 'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ' a bit disappointing, but think this is because I was approaching it from the wrong angle. It's title and provenance suggested to me a book which gave a new perspective on religious faith, which it clearly isn't. If you're interested in alternative histories, however, this is a well-written, considered piece that may be of interest to you, although it probably won't knock your sandals off.
Now let's see if we can make this month three in a row!
22 May 2011
Here Comes the Son...
I love a bit of Science Fiction. It's brave, it's clever and it's often quite bonkers. What's not to like?!
Earlier this week, I finished reading the 124-page novella 'Behold the Man' by Michael Moorcock. This is the story of Karl Glogauer, directionless, neurotic and and an unlikely stand in for Jesus Christ. But, after a traumatic trip into the past, that's just what he ends up being.
On the face of it, I rather liked this story. It's about myth and myth making, how the mundane can become the magical and, above all, how belief in something better or higher than ourselves could be something we need as human beings. In particular, it examines the conflict between Atheism and the need to believe on a personal level. These are issues which are as pertinent today as they were in the 1960s, perhaps more so as Atheism goes from strength to strength, apparently ignoring why people feel the need to believe in the first place.
The book did annoy me a bit though and not through any fault of the author. The blurb on the back pretty much told you the whole plot, which was a shame because it may have been easier to relate to Karl as a character if we shared his journey with him. It made me feel a bit like I was waiting for Karl to catch up with me rather than taking in the story properly, so I think I will be re-reading it just to make sure I've not missed anything.
That said, a word of warning - there's a lot of sex in this book considering its size! It's a shortcut to tell you about Karl's moral framework and highlight how confused he is (we see him as obsessive teenager, feckless lover, wandering lothario and indifferent bisexual), but it's not everyone's cup of tea. It was probably incredibly shocking when the book was first published in 1969, but times have changed and most of us can tell the difference between what's there to shock and what's there to make a point.
On the whole, 'Behold the Man' is an engaging curiosity which will probably remain a relevant read for a while to come.
Now, what next..!
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| 'Behold the Man' by Michael Moorcock (published by Gollancz, 1999) |
On the face of it, I rather liked this story. It's about myth and myth making, how the mundane can become the magical and, above all, how belief in something better or higher than ourselves could be something we need as human beings. In particular, it examines the conflict between Atheism and the need to believe on a personal level. These are issues which are as pertinent today as they were in the 1960s, perhaps more so as Atheism goes from strength to strength, apparently ignoring why people feel the need to believe in the first place.
The book did annoy me a bit though and not through any fault of the author. The blurb on the back pretty much told you the whole plot, which was a shame because it may have been easier to relate to Karl as a character if we shared his journey with him. It made me feel a bit like I was waiting for Karl to catch up with me rather than taking in the story properly, so I think I will be re-reading it just to make sure I've not missed anything.
That said, a word of warning - there's a lot of sex in this book considering its size! It's a shortcut to tell you about Karl's moral framework and highlight how confused he is (we see him as obsessive teenager, feckless lover, wandering lothario and indifferent bisexual), but it's not everyone's cup of tea. It was probably incredibly shocking when the book was first published in 1969, but times have changed and most of us can tell the difference between what's there to shock and what's there to make a point.
On the whole, 'Behold the Man' is an engaging curiosity which will probably remain a relevant read for a while to come.
Now, what next..!
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