A few quick reviews from my less interesting reading encounters:
Graustark by George Barr McCutcheon (1901) – I loved Brewster’s Millions (despite its many quirks and frankly bizarre plot twists) so was determined to read more by McCutcheon. When I learned he’d written a series of Ruritanian novels, starting with Graustark, it was clear where I would start. I love a good Ruritanian romance. However, it turns out this is not good. It starts well enough, yes, with our young hero meeting a beautiful, mysterious girl on the train as they travel across America. By the time they reach Washington, DC, he is in love but she must depart for home, a small European principality he has never heard of. Naturally, it isn’t too long before he finds his way there and ridiculous adventures involving hidden identities, dastardly aristocrats, and national debt ensue. The saving grace was our hero’s stalwart friend and travel companion, who provided a bit of levity and a merciful dose of common sense when everyone else lost theirs. A ridiculous book – yet I’m still strangely tempted to try the next book in the series…
A Lost Lady by Willa Cather (1923) – this novella by Cather was a lovely reminder of just what a beautiful writer she was. As usual, her characters are a bit flat (particularly the lady at the center of the tale) but Cather’s passion for her setting – a small Western town of fading importance – and the simple elegance of her writing made this a pleasure to read. That said, the memory of it is already fading from my mind, unlike her best works which remain vivid even years later.
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle (1972) – This is the first volume of L’Engle’s Crosswick Journals and, as usual, I approached them all out of order. I read the last one first (Two-Part Invention – still one of my favourite bookish discoveries), then the third (The Summer of the Great-Grandmother), and now jumped back to the start. The problem with that is that L’Engle rose to such heights with her later books that this first one can’t compare. Those later books are deeply personal and she shares her memories and emotions in a way she probably hadn’t imagine when she wrote this first book. This is an interesting look at her life and some of her thoughts, particularly around the communities she belongs to, but it lacks a compelling focus and I missed the sense of L’Engle herself that was so strong in the other books. I still have An Irrational Season, the second book, left to read and will be interested to see how it compares to the others.
The Doctor’s Sweetheart and Other Stories by L.M. Montgomery (1979) – what a throw back to my childhood. After I discovered Anne of Green Gables, I spent the next few years obsessively reading anything by or about Montgomery, including all the collections of her short stories. This was one of many volumes that was put together drawing on pieces she’d had published in magazines (both before and after Anne, her breakthrough novel, was published), most of which had some sort of linking theme – here it is lovers who are parted. I remembered them as repetitive and melodramatic, and was a bit embarrassed that anyone had wanted to draw attention to them by republishing them. Twenty-two years later, that is still how I feel about them. Well done ten-year old Claire for being such an astute literary judge. From a scholarship point of view, this collection does have some interest – you can see Montgomery playing around with plots she would eventually use in her novels – but on their own they are best forgotten.
Salt-Water Moon by David French (1984) – part of a cycle of plays about the Mercers, a Newfoundland family, this focuses on the parents’ story, looking back to their youth. It is just one-act, set on a moonlit summer night in 1926 when Jacob Mercer reappears in his small Newfoundland hometown a year after having left for Toronto. He’s come to see Mary, his girl, and learn why she’s become engaged to the town schoolteacher. Jacob is a chatty fellow and the two bicker back and forth all evening in enjoyable interplay. By the end, of course, they have decided to face the future together, even though for Mary it might not be as practical as the future she had talked herself into with the hapless schoolteacher. This wasn’t particularly special on its own but I’m intrigued enough to want to read more about the Mercers in French’s other plays.
This post contains affiliate links from Book Depository, an online book retailer with free international shipping. If you buy via these links it means I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you).
I enjoy reading your very honest comments on less than perfect books.Keep it up .Have not read any of these myself.
Thanks, Tina.
Ha, well done ten-year-old Claire!
A Lost Lady is one of my favourite reads of the year, so I’m intrigued by your mini-review of it. And I have been meaning to read (and do own) Two-Part Invention for SO long. Maybe next year, once ACOB is over.
Yes, Simon, you MUST read Two-Part Invention! I have never been more confident with a recommendation. It has tales of backstage life, musings about faith, and a long and happy marriage at its heart. Basically, it was written for you. I look forward (eventually) to hearing your thoughts on it.
ACOB may have to be DAMNED at this point…
Well that’s certainly been my approach this year! Still, it’s always worth abandoning plans for a really good book.
Ooh I loved A Lost Lady too, such a beautiful little novel. Intrigued by some of those others too.
It is a beautifully written book. The more I read by Cather, the more I appreciate her. This one wasn’t quite perfect for me but it was still enjoyable.
I’m another fan of A Lost Lady which will be one of my best books of the year. I’ve heard good things about A Circle of Quiet and am glad to know that I haven’t missed much by not reading it.
For me, A Circle of Quiet is still good and worth reading. It simply doesn’t live up to her later Crosswicks Journals. If you are interested in the Journals, I’d highly recommend reading them in order and enjoying how L’Engle grows more and more comfortable with the format as she ages.