Elizabeth Finch: Julian Barnes (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 10/04/2023

Author: Julian Barnes

Publisher: Vintage 

Publication Date: February 23, 2023

Rating: 3/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours)

About the book:

From the Booker Award-winning writer, a swift narrative that turns on the death of a vivid and particular woman, and becomes the occasion for a man's deeper examination of love, friendship and the mysteries of biography.

"I'll remember Elizabeth Finch when most other characters I've met this year have faded." -- John Self, The Times (UK)

This novel of unrequited platonic love takes aim at the singular character of the exacting Elizabeth Finch. When Neil, adrift in his 30s, takes her adult education class on Culture and Civilization, he becomes deeply fascinated by this private, withholding yet commanding woman. While other personal relationships and even his children drift from his grasp, Neil hangs tight to Finch and her unorthodox application of history and philosophy to the practical matters of daily living. As much as he wants to figure her out intellectually, he want to please her. Both are impossible.

In Neil's story, readers are treated to everything they cherish in Barnes: his eye for the unconventional forms love can take, a compelling swerve into nonfiction (this time through Neil's obsessive study of Julian the Apostate, following the trail of crumbs Elizabeth Finch has left for him), and the forcefully moving undercurrent of history and biography as both nourishment and guide in our daily lives. Finch is a character who challenges the reader as much as her students to think for themselves, and leaves us searching for a way to deal with one of her simplest of ideas: "Some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us."

Review:

        I have read 'The Sense of an Ending' before and it is what pulled me into his latest novel. The story of a teacher . . . I wouldn't want to miss that one. There are not many that appreciate and consider this field worthy to create a story. After all, a teacher's life is not as exciting as a doctor's or lawyer's even though we have our battles to fight. So I cherish every story out there about us.

        Elizabeth Finch is everything that I imagined and much more. She is an enigma and remains so even to our narrator till the end. A role model to be aspired to, but a hard one to achieve. The first part gives you a peep into her classes and along with her students, we too begin to ponder. The second part is rather dry with all the details on Julian the Apostate. It looked more like the author using Elizabeth Finch as a tool to shove onto the readers his critique of Christianity. In the last part, we are back to the main plot, again trying to unravel the life of our eponymous teacher.

        It is not everyone's cup of tea, that is sure. And you won't find any surprising twists like in 'The Sense of an Ending' here. But if you are in the mood to read fiction that is more like non-fiction, then you are in the right place.

Meet the author:

Julian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur.

Lost Property - Helen Paris (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 21/04/2022

Author: Helen Paris

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: April 14, 2022

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours)

About the book:

Dot Watson has lost her way.

Twelve years ago her life veered off course, and the guilt over what happened still haunts her. Before then she was living in Paris, forging an exciting career; now her time is spent visiting her mother's care home, fielding interfering calls from her sister and working at the London Transport Lost Property office, diligently cataloguing items as misplaced as herself.

But when elderly Mr Appleby arrives in search of his late wife's purse, his grief stirs something in Dot. Determined to help, she sets off on a mission - one that could start to heal Dot's own loss and let her find where she belongs once more...

Review:

        This was a hard nut to crack, just like Dot Watson's life. Lost just like the items in the Lost Property, we are to pick up the clues just like a Sherlock Holmes mystery. A demanding task, considering the fact that Dot is an unreliable narrator. I felt her be too judgemental and prone to easy conclusions, most of them far from the mark too. Glad to see that I was right in the end.

        The first part of the book was a tad bit slow (was even thinking of giving up), but my perseverance was rewarded. Potential readers, consider yourself to be warned. The pain spikes up in the second part of the story. One by one, the mysteries of the past are revealed and we are left bereaving only to find hope when all doors seemed to be closed. 

        The uncanny similarity in the lives of Dot and Sylvia Plath is hard to be ignored. Dot had everything ready for the life ahead. She is proficient in multiple languages and her travel dreams are about to bloom. Everything is set off course when her father kills himself. Shelving her future plans, she takes a job at the lost property office, oblivious to the fact that the truth could be different from what she believes. This is her story of rediscovery, finally coming to terms with the grief and guilt she kept close to her heart.

        Aside from Dot, the one I liked most is Philippa. Being an elder sister, I could understand what she is going through from the very beginning. Protecting younger siblings from the harsh realities of the world tends to result in a backlash. As for their parents, they deserve a story of their own . . .  with a better ending that is.

        On the whole, a heartbreaking but inspiring story that pushes you to move forward. Well, don't forget to keep your tissues at hand, you are definitely going to need them.

Favourite quotes:

"Life gives us so much, . . . chance, excitement and hope. But woven through it all is loss. If you try to pull out that thread, the whole thing unravels. Loss is the price we pay for love"

". . . just as objects cannot replace people, guidebooks are not destinations. However, I will never forget their ability to inspire, to educate."

Meet the author:

Helen Paris worked in the performing arts for two decades, touring internationally with her London-based theatre company Curious. After several years living in San Francisco and working as a theatre professor at Stanford University, she returned to the UK to focus on writing fiction. As part of her research for a performance called 'Lost & Found', Paris shadowed employees in the Baker Street Lost Property office for a week, an experience that sparked her imagination and inspired this novel. 

Lost Property is her first novel.

Rodham - Curtis Sittenfeld (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 08/07/2020

Author: Curtis Sittenfeld

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Publication Date: May 19, 2020

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours)

About the book:

‘Awfully opinionated for a girl’ is what they call Hillary as she grows up in her Chicago suburb. Smart, diligent, and a bit plain, that’s the general consensus. Then Hillary goes to college, and her star rises. At Yale Law School, she continues to be a leader— and catches the eye of driven, handsome and charismatic Bill. But when he asks her to marry him, Hillary gives him a firm ‘No’.

The rest, as they say, isn’t history. How might things have turned out for them, for America, for the world itself, if Hillary Rodham had really turned down Bill Clinton?

With her sharp but always compassionate eye, Sittenfeld explores the loneliness, moral ambivalence and iron determination that characterise the quest for high office, as well as the painful compromises demanded of female ambition in a world ruled by men. Uncannily astute and witty in the telling, RODHAM is a brilliant

reimagining – an unmissable literary landmark and truly a novel of our times.

Review:

        I am not sure whether I am fully equipped to review this novel. As per geographical position, I live nowhere near America and hence not an ardent follower of the political condition there. But I did want Hillary to be elected as the President, so a fictionalised version of events where she gets to fulfil her dreams along with that of many is a small consolation. 

      Reading a fictionalised account of a living person is kind of eerie, especially when she is a household name. No one wants to think about the road not taken, that's a sure way to madness. Did her marriage to Bill Clinton change the course of Hillary Rodham's life? Perhaps. But I would like to believe that the glory of being the first female President of the United States is destined for someone else. 

       Now let's have a look at this as a work of fiction. This is my first time reading Curtis Sittenfeld and her writing is nothing short of incredible. We get to see a young and ambitious Hillary making her mark in the law school and the story keeps fidelity to her life story until she rejects the proposal of Clinton. There starts a long and sometimes tedious journey of a law professor who finally finds her way after many years.

        What I loved most about this book is the inside information and the excitement and terror of campaigning. As expected, it is not enough to have the best intentions at heart, you need to advertise it to convince the media and the voters. It does present some hilarious and crazy situations which make this fictional account truly enjoyable. I was not expecting that 'Trump' card . . . Ha! the best moments of the story, without a doubt.

Meet the author:

In addition to Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller American Wife, in which she painted a picture of an ordinary American girl a thinly disguised Laura Bush who found herself married to a President. It was longlisted for the Orange Prize, as was her debut novel Prep.

Her other books are Man of My Dreams, Sisterland (a Richard & Judy Book Club pick), Eligible, and the acclaimed short story collection You Think It, I’ll Say It. Her books are translated into 30 languages. She lives with her family in the American Mid West.

The Poison Bed - E. C. Fremantle

Date of Reading: 07/11/2019

Author: E. C. Fremantle

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Published Year: 2018

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

About the book:

A king, his lover and his lover's wife. One is a killer.

In the autumn of 1615 scandal rocks the Jacobean court when a celebrated couple are imprisoned on suspicion of murder. She is young, captivating and from a notorious family. He is one of the richest and most powerful men in the kingdom.

Some believe she is innocent; others think her wicked or insane. He claims no knowledge of the murder. The king suspects them both, though it is his secret at stake.

Who is telling the truth? Who has the most to lose? And who is willing to commit murder?

Review:

      What will you do if your best friend is besotted with an evil person? If you are someone who will resort to any means to save your friend, then you need to hear this story. The death of Thomas Overbury is a lesson that history teaches us; in the tug of war between friendship and love, the winner will always be the latter. 

      Reading 'The Poison Bed' helped me brush up some of my history lessons. The fact that I was not familiar with this poisoning case which shook the Jacobean court at least played in my favour. But those who are familiar with the story will surely know the real culprit. All the same, this is going to give you a different perspective and will surely satisfy the history buff in you.

     Fremantle's beautiful and strong writing shook me and I closed the book with a feeling of distaste to all this political warfare. No one is invincible here and a mere lack of judgement will result in the downfall of even the mightiest. Isn't that one of the amusing things about historical fiction? It gives the reader a sense of power which comes from the knowledge of the futures of the characters involved. The story of Robert Carr and Frances Howard is no different. A love story, a murder, a tragedy -- you can call it what you may. It is all these.

Meet the author:

As a child I was the one in the corner with my nose in a book who wanted to be a writer, but with the onset of a turbulent adolescence I left school, under a cloud, aged fifteen with nothing more than a fistful of O Levels and a hapless sense that things would somehow work themselves out. Eventually, after working in various dodgy dives – I've served grey scrambled eggs to squaddies at 5.30am; I've served vintage champagne to raucous hoorays; I've pulled pints for all and sundry – I managed to find myself, much in the way Forrest Gump always landed on his feet, working as a dogsbody on a fashion magazine. Over a decade, I worked for titles such as Vogue, Elle and The Sunday Times and contributed to many others. Marriage took me to Paris, a stint at French Vogue and the birth of my two children but divorce saw me back home in London where I have remained. Fuelled by frustration with a fashion world that does no favours to women, I decided to complete my truncated education as a mature student which led, in a long and roundabout way with many frustrating impasses, to my fulfilling that childhood dream to become a novelist.