Son of the Morning by Joyce Carol Oates 3/5 Version française: N/A Synopsis Elsa Vickery, daughter of an agnostic small-town doctor and his pious wife, is gang-raped at the age of seventeen. Her son, Nathan, is brought up by his grandmother as a devoted Christian. At the age of seven, Nathan begins to experience visions of Christ. He becomes a boy preacher, and later the charismatic leader of a church, which is accumulating vast riches from donations. With every year, his visions become more and more grandiose. My thoughts Son of the Morning is my second Joyce Carol Oates book this year, and while I was going to give her the benefit of the doubt after disliking the first one, I have come to the realization that her novels are just not my cup of tea. SotM had a promising premise that could have brought us both interestingly twisted characters and a plot full of suspense and jump scares. Unfortunately, she only managed to deliver on the former. Indeed, we do encounter some colourful characters, especially Nathan. Oates does a good job at making demented people seem normal, almost believable. Therefore, if you are expecting a freaky kind of twisted à la Stephen King, this is not it. Instead, the “freak” aspect comes from how normal everything seems to be. Even when there were some more shocking moments (I could count two, including the ending), it was treated banally.
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 3.5/5 Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2018), Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel by an American Author (2019) Français: Là où chantent les écrevisses *Thank you JB for the gift. Summary For years, rumours of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens. My thoughts Get ready for a controversial review. When When the Crawdads Sing came out, it was all everyone could talk about (thanks to Reese Witherspoon). It was on the front shelves at every bookstore for weeks, received accolades from every major newspaper, and has over 50,000 five-star ratings on Goodreads. However, to me, WCS just did not hit the spot. It was by no means a terrible book, but it definitely did not live up to the hype. The book begins as a classic tale of the outcast who struggles to make her way through society. Just to add to the drama, her family situation is remarkably tragic with a mother that left her alone with an alcoholic, violent father. To be honest, it was already all a bit too much to begin with, not to mention cliché. To interesting part begins as Kya becomes an almost complete hermit at a very young age. To see how she managed to survive despite having received no education nor any real survival skills was fascinating. Her sheer determination to make it work, from waking up earlier than all the other fishermen to get the best catch to learning how to cook while she was most likely not tall enough to reach the countertop, was the part that struck me the most. Indeed, not only is it riveting to see the resourcefulness of the human body when it simply needs to survive, but it is also inspiring to see Kya eventually creating a manageable existence out of a literal swamp. A Border Passage: From Cairo to America – A Woman’s Journey by Leila Ahmed 4/5 Version française: Aucune version publiée. *Read as part of my history of modern Egypt class. Summary Ahmed describes the political upheaval that motivated her to leave Egypt, and explains how her experiences shaped her ideas about language, nationalism, feminism, and religion My thoughts I rarely review nonfiction because I am somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of criticizing someone’s life and the way they recount it. However, when I was assigned this memoir to read for class, I knew I was going to end up writing about it because A Border Passage truly deserves to receive more widespread commendation. Ahmed’s life itself is fascinating: she grew up as an upper-class woman in British Cairo, saw the rise of Arab nationalism and suffered from the Nasserist government, then went on to become a pioneer of women’s studies in North American academia. However, she punctuates her narrative with vignettes of her childhood and adolescence, especially regarding the tenuous relationship with her mother. It is those memories that make the novel whole. Ahhhh, remember 2019? When everything seemed so hectic and stressful? You know, we were all worried about Trump's impeachment, Brexit, protests in Hong Kong and climate change? Ah well, those were the days! I was clearly too busy back then to write this compilation! Now that we are all stuck in lockdown, there is no better time than to write this or for you, yes you, to read this post for some bookish inspiration. I also recommend that you check out your university or local library's website. Many of them have cleared open access to a ton of ebooks for free! Stay safe, stay inside, read a book. P.s. 2019 was apparently the year of great Canadian novels. Go Canada! Mãn de Kim Thúy Résumé Mãn est une histoire d'amour entre une femme et celles qui l'ont, tour à tour, fait naître, allaitée, élevée. Elle a été déposée dans le potager d'un temple bouddhiste sur le bord d'un des bras du Mékong par une adolescente. Une moniale l'a recueillie et nourrie d'eau, de riz et du lait des seins d'une mère voisine, avant de la confier à une autre femme – enseignante de jour, espionne en tout temps. Mon opinion Kim Thúy a été ma découverte de l’été. Lorsque j’étais à Ottawa, j’ai emprunté Ru, Vi et Mãn à ma tante. J’ai lu chacun de ces livres en un jour seulement. Malheureusement, j’ai supprimé accidentellement mes notes de lecture avant d’avoir écrit ma chronique sur ces chefs d’œuvres. Mãn se démarque du lot par son style d’écriture qui était le plus peaufiné selon moi. En effet, dans Ru, il y avait de nombreuses répétitions qui ne faisaient qu’alourdir le texte tandis que dans Vi il manquait d’originalité par rapport aux deux autres œuvres. Mãn est simplement beau et doux. C’est une magnifique histoire, bien construite malgré le peu de pages, qui réchauffe le cœur. C’est aussi un récit parfaitement humain, avec des erreurs de parcours et des moments de solitude et de regret. Après avoir lu un roman de Thúy, on en ressort grandit non seulement parce qu’on apprend sur la condition des migrants, particulièrement de la diaspora vietnamienne au Québec, mais aussi sur l’amour, la vie, la tendresse. Bref, à lire si vous voulez une lecture enrichissante sans lire 400 pages sur les horreurs de l’histoire humaine. Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill 5/5 Awards: Governor General’s Literary Awards / Prix littéraire du Gouverneur general Nominee (2007), CBC Canda Reads (2007), Québec Writer’s Federation Award for Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction (2007), Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction Shortlist (2008). French: La Ballade de Baby *Thanks to JM for reminding me that I have this blog to keep me busy during quarantine. Summary At thirteen, Baby vacillates between childhood comforts and adult temptation: still young enough to drag her dolls around in a vinyl suitcase yet old enough to know more than she should about urban cruelties. Motherless, she lives with her father, Jules, who takes better care of his heroin habit than he does of his daughter. Baby's gift is a genius for spinning stories and for cherishing the small crumbs of happiness that fall into her lap. But her blossoming beauty has captured the attention of a charismatic and dangerous local pimp who runs an army of sad, slavishly devoted girls—a volatile situation even the normally oblivious Jules cannot ignore. And when an escape disguised as betrayal threatens to crush Baby's spirit, she will ultimately realize that the power of salvation rests in her hands alone. My thoughts By now, it fair to say that I am obsessed with Heather O'Neill. This is the second book of hers that I am reading in less than a year (2019). Lullabies for Little Criminals (LLC) was not as good as The Lonely Hearts Hotel though, to be fair, that would be asking O’Neill to repeat perfection twice. It just lacked a bit of the literal magic of Lonely Hearts. Instead of magic tricks, Baby has the whimsicalness of a child, a constant positive outlook towards the world. However, carelessness, like an old coin, gets duller with every page for the reader as we are faced with a character that seems more naïve than happy. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #2 The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 4/5 French: Le jeu de l’ange *Original language: Spanish. Read in the English translation by Lucia Graves. Summary In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martin, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. My thoughts Zafón is an author that I trust. I trust that he will write good stories with a captivating intrigue. I trust that he will build universes that transport me to gothic Barcelona. However, this was my least favourite novel of his that I have read thus far. First, one must say that while The Angel’s Game (TAG) is technically stated as the sequel for The Shadow of the Wind (TSotW)when it is more like a spin-off hence why I am reviewing it right now instead of as part of a bigger series review. The stories are based in the same universe, have some overlapping characters, but completely differ in plot lines. You do not need to read them in order either. As a result, nothing I will tell you today is a spoiler for TSotW. Taqawan par Éric Plamondon 5/5 Prix: Finaliste au Prix Louis-Guilloux (2018), finaliste Prix littéraire des lycéens et apprentis de la région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (2018-9), Prix Frye-Académie (2018), Prix des Chroniqueurs Toulouse Polars du Sud (2018), finaliste au Prix des lecteurs de Quai du Polar (2018), Prix France-Québec (2018) English: No English translation has been published. *Merci à TL pour le prêt. Définitivement le meilleur à ce jour. Résumé Il avait démissionné, une jeune Mi’gmaq se trouvait sous sa protection, deux hommes étaient morts et une partie du Québec voulait qu’on en finisse une fois pour toutes avec les Indiens. Cette histoire commence en Gaspésie, le 11 juin 1981. Cette histoire commence il y a des millénaires, avant les Vikings, avant les Basques, avant Cartier. Cette histoire commence avec les Mi’gmaq. Pour eux, c’est la fin des terres, Gespeg. Pour d’autres, c’est le début d’un nouveau monde. Alors que trois cents policiers de la Sûreté du Québec débarquent sur la réserve de Restigouche pour saisir les filets des pêcheurs mi’gmaq, un agent de la faune change de camp, une adolescente affronte ceux qui ont humilié son père, un vieil ermite sort du bois, une jeune enseignante s’apprête à retourner dans son pays – pendant que le saumon devenu Taqawan, au retour de son long périple en mer, remonte la rivière jusqu’au lieu de sa naissance. Ma chronique Pour ceux qui me suivent depuis quelque temps savent que je ne donne les cinq étoiles complètes que dans des cas très rares. En fait, si je le distribuais librement, il perdrait de sa signification lorsque je place cet honneur sur un livre qui en vaut vraiment la peine. Taqawan se trouvera sans aucun doute dans mon palmarès des meilleurs bouquins de l’année et se classe surement parmi mes lectures québécoises favorites à vie. The tradition is back! I will keep doing this every year so I hope you enjoy these. Anyways, the title is relatively self-explanatory so here are all the classics I’ve read over the summer with condensed reviews. P.s.: As I said last year, my definition of “classics” is pretty loose. I tend to include every book that has been part of the literary canon for around thirty years. Debatable? Yes, but I do my best here. P.s.s. This review will be bilingual depending on the language I felt like writing in. The Art of War by Sun Tzu 3/5 *Read the translation by Thomas Cleary from the original Chinese Français: L’art de la guerre Summary Twenty-Five Hundred years ago, Sun Tzu wrote this classic book of military strategy based on Chinese warfare and military thought. Since that time, all levels of military have used the teaching on Sun Tzu to warfare and civilization have adapted these teachings for use in politics, business and everyday life. The Art of War is a book which should be used to gain an advantage against opponents in the boardroom and battlefield alike. My thoughts I still have not yet found a way to write about non-fiction concretely. In this case, I find it especially hard as I know nothing of military strategy and, therefore, am severely unqualified to testify on the accuracy or the relevance of Sun Tzu's proposed plans. While some elements make seem to make common sense, I simply do not have the knowledge or the experience to grasp others. The general public was, after all, definitely not the target audience for this treaty. Nonetheless, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is a classic that deserves to be read, especially for political fiends. The advice he gives might be strange as he does not advocate for war. Sun Tzu sounds anti-war at some point, saying that it should not be the first course of action, but that one must be prepared if it comes to it. He does not glorify war nor the soldiers that fight. Even if you are not a fan of military history, it is a short read and does have some morals that you can apply to your daily life. It has also had an incredible impact on the world as the tactics and principles in the book inspired generations of military leaders in both the East and the West. For this reason alone, it deserves to be read. L’adversaire de Emmanuel Carrère 2/5 *Merci à TL pour le prêt. English: The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception Résumé Le 9 janvier 1993, Jean-Claude Romand a tué sa femme, ses enfants, ses parents, puis tenté, mais en vain, de se tuer lui-même. L'enquête a révélé qu'il n'était pas médecin comme il le prétendait et, chose plus difficile encore à croire, qu'il n'était rien d'autre. Il mentait depuis dix-huit ans, et ce mensonge ne recouvrait rien. Près d'être découvert, il a préféré supprimer ceux dont il ne pouvait supporter le regard. Il a été condamné à la réclusion criminelle à perpétuité. Je suis entré en relation avec lui, j'ai assisté à son procès. J'ai essayé de raconter précisément, jour après jour, cette vie de solitude, d'imposture et d'absence. Ma chronique L’Adversaire n’est pas un roman intéressant. Voilà. C’est dit. C’est aussi simple que ça. Certains seront sans doute en désaccord avec moi, mais j’ai rencontré plusieurs personnes qui partagent la même opinion. D’autres qui sont tombés en amour avec la (supposée) complexité du protagoniste, Jean-Claude Roman, ont grandement apprécié l’oeuvre. Il s’agit surement d’un livre polarisant qui ne peut qu’ennuyer ou créer des émotions fortes. Pour ma part, je penche vers la première option. Ce que Carrère tente de faire avec L’adversairec’est de nous faire comprendre comment Jean-Claude a pu en arriver là. Par contre, les raisons traumatismes qui « expliquent » son geste ne sont pas spécifiques à lui. Nous passons tous à travers des moments difficiles et qui nous forcent à nous remettre en question. Au lieu de régler les ennuis, Jean-Claude préfère dépenser beaucoup plus d’énergie pour créer une vie imaginaire afin de cacher ces déboires (qui ne sont pas si dramatiques). Jean-Claude est un lâche. Peut-être que si son histoire avait été marquée par des problèmes flagrants (pauvreté, violence, intimidation, etc.), le livre aurait été plus choquant. Simplement, sa vie est mondaine. Il vient d’une bonne famille, était talentueux à l’école et semblait heureux quoique socialement exclu. L’auteur n’arrive pas à nous donner une raison convaincante qui explique ces actions, et donc sa mission principale est un échec. Si vous et moi sommes capables de survivre aux remous de l’existence, lui aussi. Sukkwan Island par David Vann 3/5 Prix: California Book Award for First Fiction (silver) (2008), Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction (2008), Prix Médicis Étranger (2010) English: Legend of a Suicide (includes Sukkwan Island as a “story” rather than it being the whole novel along with five other narratives) *Merci à TL pour le prêt. Résumé Une île sauvage du sud de l’Alaska, accessible uniquement par bateau ou par hydravion, tout en forêts humides et montagnes escarpées. C’est dans ce décor que Jim décide d’emmener son fils de treize ans pour y vivre dans une cabane isolée, une année durant. Après une succession d’échecs personnels, il voit là l’occasion de prendre un nouveau départ et de renouer avec ce garçon qu’il connaît si mal. La rigueur de cette vie et les défaillances du père ne tardent pas à transformer ce séjour en cauchemar, et la situation devient vite incontrôlable. Jusqu’au drame violent et imprévisible qui scellera leur destin. Ma chronique Les romans d’isolement ne sont pas mes préférés. En fait, je n’en ai pas encore trouvé un qui me plaisait. Sukkwan Islandne fait pas exception à la règle. Cette fascination avec l’ermite, avec l’idée qu’on peut se détacher de tout pour survivre avec peu, ne m’intéresse pas particulièrement. De plus,le huis clos naturel est tellement populaire et peu souvent convaincant. Je n’arrive pas à connecter ni à comprendre ce désir de vouloir tout laisser derrière sans aucune promesse que cela va apporter quelque chose de mieux. Par contre, l’avantage avec Sukkwan Island, c’est que Vann ne cherche pas à nous persuader que c’est une sage décision. |
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