I've spent the week reading Babel by R.F. Kuang - to my mind a clever idea, imperfectly realised. It's 'dark academia'/fantasy, set mainly in 1830s Oxford, and as it concerns a body called the Royal Institute of Translation there is much in it on etymology and linguistical nuance, and that I found fascinating, but .... Perhaps I'm outwith the target audience for the book, and others better suited to it will overlook what I saw as its flaws and love it where I could not.
For a complete change of pace and mood and sensibility I've picked up Jan Struther's Mrs. Miniver for a re-read (here's my old post on it). I'm still within the early pages, but it captivates by its economy and light touch, its perceptive observations. Here's a snippet from Mrs. Miniver Comes Home :
'Upstairs in the drawing-room there was a small bright fire of logs, yet the sunshine that flooded in through the open windows had real warmth in it. It was perfect: she felt suspended between summer and winter, savouring the best of them both. She unwrapped the chrysanthemums and arranged them in a square glass jar, between herself and the light, so that the sun shone through them. They were the big mop-headed kind, burgundy-coloured, with curled petals; their beauty was noble, architectural; and as for their scent, she thought as she buried her nose in the nearest of them, it was a pure distillation of her mood, a quintessence of all that she found gay and intoxicating and astringent about the weather, the circumstances, her own age and the season of the year. Oh, yes, October certainly suited her best. For the ancients ... it had been the eighth month; nowadays, officially, it was the tenth: but for her it was always the first, the real New Year. That laborious affair in January was nothing but a name.'
What are you reading this weekend? I hope you have something pleasant in prospect.
What a lovely passage. I've never read Mrs. Miniver, but I'm going to request a copy today!
I'm currently reading two large novels: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (a re-read for book group) and Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. The combined page count is near 1500, but I don't want either to end! This is going to be my year to read all the big books on my shelves.
Happy Friday!
Posted by: Lesley | 13 January 2023 at 04:45 PM
Hi Les, glad that Mrs. M appeals.
I have A Fine Balance on my shelves (unread), but I think I have read Coming Home, and you certainly get your money's worth with Rosamunde Pilcher!
Wishing you a very good reading year!
Posted by: Cornflower | 13 January 2023 at 04:59 PM
Just embarked on Babel so hoping for good things.
Posted by: Jane from Dorset | 14 January 2023 at 07:19 AM
Im just about to start A House that is our own. Read about it here.
Posted by: Mystica | 14 January 2023 at 10:45 AM
Jane, for me Babel got off to a good start, but then went rather downhill!
Mystica, I hope you will love A House that is Our Own.
Posted by: Cornflower | 14 January 2023 at 10:58 AM
I have just finished Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson. Slightly quirky story written in a dry style. It is based on a real person who owned nightclubs in London. I’m not sure what I thought of the ending.
Posted by: Anne | 15 January 2023 at 01:27 PM
Thanks, Anne; I'm interested to hear your thoughts as I have that on my list to buy, being an Atkinson fan.
Posted by: Cornflower | 15 January 2023 at 02:44 PM
I SO love Mrs Miniver. A perfect book. And like Mystica above, I am reading A House that is Our Own! That amazes me.
Posted by: Nan | 16 January 2023 at 06:47 PM
Great minds ... (and great books!)
Posted by: Cornflower | 16 January 2023 at 08:01 PM
That is my favourite passage from Mrs Miniver, an all-time favourite!
Posted by: Margaret Powling | 01 February 2023 at 04:22 PM
It's super, isn't it?
Posted by: Cornflower | 01 February 2023 at 05:36 PM