Two Book Reviews from our Friends at Life Wordsmith

Something old – Brideshead Revisited (4 out of 5)

and

something new -  Brooklyn (rated 4.3 out of 5)

Life Wordsmith

Reviews by Club Member, Birdy

Classic, Fiction

Brideshead Revisted

by  Evelyn Waugh

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It’s refreshing to return to review writing after a break. Especially after that break included a holiday to Laos! But books never leave me and I finished reading both The Pilot’s Wife and Brideshead Revisited. The latter, a true classic written by Evelyn Waugh, captured my attention.

Brideshead Revisited begins with its protagonist Charles Ryder describing a life in the army in the prologue. This was the boring bit as he goes into much detail. But then, his regiment arrives at Brideshead, triggering off a set of memories and that is where the book begins. Ryder starts off describing his close friendship with Sebastian; a relationship imbued in homosexual tones, interspersed with delightful passages recounting his life at Oxford University. But their lives separate after college and Sebastian disappears. Although the rest of the book is Ryder’s journey, he is never far from Sebastian’s family and his friends.

What struck me the most in this book was the language. It had such lush, delicious prose that I re-read some of the passages again and again. This is one of my favorites -

The fortnight at Venice passed quickly and sweetly – perhaps too sweetly; I was drowning in honey, stingless. On some days life kept pace with the gondola, as we nosed through the sidecanals and the boatman uttered his plaintive musical bird-cry of warning; on other days with the speed-boat bouncing over the lagoon in a stream of sun-lit foam; it left a confused memory of fierce sunlight on the sands and cool, marble interiors; of water everywhere, lapping on smooth stone, reflected in a dapple of light on painted ceilings; of a night at the Corombona palace such as Byron might have known, and another Byronic night fishing for scampi in the shallows of Chioggia, the phosphorescent wake of the little ship, the lantern swinging in the prow, and the net coming up full of weed and sand and floundering fishes; of melon and prosciutto on the balcony in the cool of the morning; of hot cheese sandwiches and champagne cocktails at Harry’s bar.

But there were passages that I did not grasp as much too. Most of them were Ryder’s or Sebastian’s arguments on religion. I skimmed through many of them because they tested my patience but ultimately those arguments are the core of the book and become one of the reasons for the book’s ending.

The character of Sebastian particularly stands out as being enigmatic and luminescent. His full name, Sebastian Flyte, is reminiscent of his flighty personality. He is the perfect spoilt rich kid, albeit with a lot more depth and charm, who becomes a drunkard. Most characters are fleshed out well and we see their many moods and personages. A smooth transition to the harsher realities of life and adulthood is made later on, which is equally enjoyable.

Waugh does a splendid job of describing the indolent life of the rich alongside the unhurried existence of youth. We also get a wonderful view of the British landscape in the early 1900s.

Brideshead Revisited is a classic but a very readable one. It is a must read at least for the rich prose if not for anything else.

Verdict: Yes, read

Rating: 4/5
Worded by Birdy at 2/11/2010
Categories: Classics, Fiction

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Life Wordsmith

Reviews by Club Member, Birdy

Classic, Fiction

Brooklyn

by

Colm Toibin

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There is something mildly sad about a Sunday night. It’s the knowledge that Monday morning would descend with its bluesy veil and wrap me up in it for a time. Until the end of the day when it would just disintegrate like early morning mist disappearing with an increasingly warming sun. Well, I guess the end of a three day weekend inspires me to write something akin to poetry. And I think it’s also the effect of just finishing Colm Toibin’s moving book “Brooklyn.”

I don’t think I need to give much of an introduction to this very popular book, which has received A+ ratings from most of the stalwarts among newspapers and book blogs. I would say I am slightly biased towards books that have received positive reviews from the New York Times. So the moment I saw the NY Times’ opinion I wanted to read Brooklyn and I am glad I did.

Brooklyn traces a couple of chapters in the life of Eilis, who lives in a small county in Ireland, with her mother and older sister, Rose. It is a known fact that there are no jobs left in Enniscorthy, which is why Eilis decides to accept Father Flood’s offer to go to Brooklyn in the US to work. Her sister Rose, a successful working woman, engineers Eilis’ passage to the US through Father Flood and soon Eilis finds herself in Brooklyn. Initially, she finds it extremely difficult to adjust to her new way of life as everything overwhelms her in the big city. But she manages to slip into a rhythm and soon falls in love. She is about to settle back in her new life when news from home forces her to go to Enniscorthy for a few weeks where she finds that her life is slipping out of her control.

Toibin writes in gentle prose that chronicles the wave of emotions Eilis experiences as she arrives in an alien city and learns to adapt. He is at his best in the last section of the book when Eilis battles conflicting feelings, once she returns home for a few weeks. Toibin’s writing is sedate, but observant just like life in Enniscorthy. He sketches perfectly the transformation from Eilis the shy and diffident country girl to the more confident and poised American emigrant. Eilis, in her confusions, her hesitations and her apprehensions, is very much human and I warmed to her as the book progressed.

Brooklyn is also a two-sided painting with one side depicting life in the Irish town of Enniscorthy where everyone knows everyone and life in the big city of Brooklyn that is harsher and comprised of more colorful characters.

There was a gentle poignancy, humor and sadness in Brooklyn that was very palpable and a certain something that I could not put my finger on; something that few books have. I would say this is a book not to be missed.

Verdict: Brilliant writing that must be read

Rating: 4.3/5
Worded by Birdy at 2/14/2010
Categories: Fiction