Lit an' shit
Aug. 10th, 2005 07:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jawnbcBeen reading the last several weeks. Books. Novels even. In fact a read and a re-read.
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston: Newfounland is Canada’s most eastern point and was the last part of British North America to enter federation--in 1949. Many have mistaken a Newfie’s accent as Irish, though in fact the Newfoundland voice is distinct--and rarely effectively captured in text. Wayne Johnston, who is from “the Rock” but has lived “away” in Ontario for many years, uses his insider/outsider duality to transliterate this unique dialect of English.
But first and foremost, this is a great story. Joe Smallwood teeters between the right and wrong sides of the tracks. A scholarship to an exclusive private grammar school gives him access to an excellent education, but “the quality” keep Joe at arm’s lengths. As he grows up Smallwood is obsessed with 3 things: becoming famous, his über-privileged classmate Prowse, and the mysterious Sheilagh Fielding, a student at St John’s most pretigious girls’ school. We follow Joe through school, seeking work, developing a political sensibility, time spent working in NYC, and eventually the campaign for Newfoundland to become a part of Canada.
Historical novels can only succeed when the narrative is engaging, the factual aspects remain (largely) accurate, and the historical figures are rendered humanly. Johnston manages all three via a text that is lyrical, warm and infuriating. Truth be told there was no Sheilagh Fielding, but by the end of the book you wish there had been. One of my favourite books of all time, and absolutely my favourite title for a novel ever.
Rating: High Distinction*
Brick Lane by Monica Ali: it took a second crack--and the removal of both work-related time constraints and any other unread novels in the house--for me to work my way into (and through) Brick Lane. i expected to really love this books: a first novel gets shortlisted for the Man Booker, Monica Ali is both brilliant and elegant, and I’m all about post-colonial literature. And that’s the tricky bit when writing inter-culturally; knowing when to explicate and when to leave things to stand on their own. Too often I felt that Ali didn’t strike that balance correctly, making the first 1/3 of the book hard going.
But I stuck with it ... and it paid off. Eventually the story of Nazneen, an educated village girl whose arranged marriage leads her to London and its Bangladeshi community. Brick Lane aspires to an epic’s sweep, and while it doesn’t quite get there, the story picks up momentum about halfway through. We see Nazneen transform from devout, obeisant young wife, to struggling young mother, to a woman who has grown into her roles (wife, mother, piecework seamstress) and a increasingly sophisticated world view. And once I suspended disbelief about some of the most critical twists in the book’s plot, I enjoyed the story immensely--and really developed an affection for this woman whose lack of formal education belies sharp wits. And passion.
Rating: Credit*
*based on scale of Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction, High Distinction
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston: Newfounland is Canada’s most eastern point and was the last part of British North America to enter federation--in 1949. Many have mistaken a Newfie’s accent as Irish, though in fact the Newfoundland voice is distinct--and rarely effectively captured in text. Wayne Johnston, who is from “the Rock” but has lived “away” in Ontario for many years, uses his insider/outsider duality to transliterate this unique dialect of English.
But first and foremost, this is a great story. Joe Smallwood teeters between the right and wrong sides of the tracks. A scholarship to an exclusive private grammar school gives him access to an excellent education, but “the quality” keep Joe at arm’s lengths. As he grows up Smallwood is obsessed with 3 things: becoming famous, his über-privileged classmate Prowse, and the mysterious Sheilagh Fielding, a student at St John’s most pretigious girls’ school. We follow Joe through school, seeking work, developing a political sensibility, time spent working in NYC, and eventually the campaign for Newfoundland to become a part of Canada.
Historical novels can only succeed when the narrative is engaging, the factual aspects remain (largely) accurate, and the historical figures are rendered humanly. Johnston manages all three via a text that is lyrical, warm and infuriating. Truth be told there was no Sheilagh Fielding, but by the end of the book you wish there had been. One of my favourite books of all time, and absolutely my favourite title for a novel ever.
Rating: High Distinction*
Brick Lane by Monica Ali: it took a second crack--and the removal of both work-related time constraints and any other unread novels in the house--for me to work my way into (and through) Brick Lane. i expected to really love this books: a first novel gets shortlisted for the Man Booker, Monica Ali is both brilliant and elegant, and I’m all about post-colonial literature. And that’s the tricky bit when writing inter-culturally; knowing when to explicate and when to leave things to stand on their own. Too often I felt that Ali didn’t strike that balance correctly, making the first 1/3 of the book hard going.
But I stuck with it ... and it paid off. Eventually the story of Nazneen, an educated village girl whose arranged marriage leads her to London and its Bangladeshi community. Brick Lane aspires to an epic’s sweep, and while it doesn’t quite get there, the story picks up momentum about halfway through. We see Nazneen transform from devout, obeisant young wife, to struggling young mother, to a woman who has grown into her roles (wife, mother, piecework seamstress) and a increasingly sophisticated world view. And once I suspended disbelief about some of the most critical twists in the book’s plot, I enjoyed the story immensely--and really developed an affection for this woman whose lack of formal education belies sharp wits. And passion.
Rating: Credit*
*based on scale of Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction, High Distinction
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-10 12:40 pm (UTC)In fact, the Newfoundland dialect is supposedly much closer to the original Irish than the current Irish accent is now. This is because of the British influence on the Irish over the years.
Fascinating, ain't it?
no subject
Date: 2005-08-10 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-10 11:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-11 12:02 am (UTC)http://canadian-politics.com/colonydreamsreview.htm
no subject
Date: 2005-08-10 11:37 pm (UTC)