Goldberg: Variations, by Gabriel Josipovici

Gabriel Josipovici is one of those writers I had heard good things about on the book blogs (I know I read about him on Litlove's blog, for example), but had never heard of before that. After reading Stefanie's fascinating review of Goldberg: Variations, I decided to give it a try--and I'm very happy that I did. Goldberg: Variations is a novel of sorts, inspired by Bach's Goldberg Variations, that legend has were a series of 30 musical pieces composed at the behest of an insomniac patron named Goldberg.

In Josipovici's version, some time in the late 18th century, Samuel Goldberg, a writer and a Jew, takes a job reading to English aristocrat Tobias Westfield. Westfield is troubled by his thoughts, and cannot sleep at night. He has heard of the talented Goldberg and hopes that Goldberg's voice will soothe him to sleep. When Goldberg meets Westfield, he finds that Westfield does not just want him to read him to sleep--instead, he must compose something new every day to read to Westfield each night. Goldberg's financial situation demands that he accept this challenge, but he finds he has writer's block, and all he can write is a letter to his wife, which he reads to Westfield that first night.

What follows are 29 chapters that are connected, yet stand independently; tales involving Goldberg, Westfield and their families, a modern writer who is trying to write a novel about Goldberg and Westfield, and several other characters, sometimes told in first person or third, sometimes in letter form, sometimes in dialogues, and sometimes in third-person narrative. At first, while trying to follow the threads of the story, I got frustrated reading this book, but then I realized it was better when I just relaxed and let the story wash over me, not trying to figure out the puzzle, but letting it unfold instead on its own. And I was rewarded closer to the end of the book by some of the almost mystical voices in the tales, that challenged my feelings about narrative and what it means to tell a story.

There are many wonderful references in the book--and not just to Bach and his music--some of which actually sent me off to read more about them elsewhere. For example, one of the chapters is about Skara Brae, the ruin of a neolithic village in the Orkney Islands, which I had heard mentioned and seen on a television show, and now was even more intrigued by. Josipovici's writing about Homer, and about the nature of the fugue, also sent me off in other directions to look things up, or just to think.

One of the most intriguing ideas Josipovici had me pondering was the nature of storytelling itself. More than one of the characters is a writer tortured by writer's block, and their struggles made me think about the struggle to create, and how the difficult birthing process that is the creation of art is inextricably bound up in the struggle to live.

While I found it a challenging read, I really enjoyed the book--I found its ideas were meaty, and really stuck with me and colored my thoughts long after I had shut its covers. I think I will have to re-read this book, as there were so many layers to it that I'm sure I will uncover more when I go through it a second time.

There is a really good interview with Josipovici at Cruelest Month, and what he says about the genesis of this novel is very enlightening. I'd suggest reading this if you're interested in reading Goldberg: Variations.

Weekend with the kids

This past holiday weekend involved very little reading, but there was watermelon, there were fireworks, and there was a movie. We went to see Kung Fu Panda, which was the only movie the whole family could agree on.

It was a lot of fun, but I particularly liked one quote, from the Kung fu master Oogway: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That's why they call it the present." Very nice.

New books, big flowers

Isn't summer supposed to be slower than the rest of the year? At least, if you're on the school calendar it should be, right? Not so much, here. The kids haven't settled into a routine yet, and all three of them seem to be going different directions at once, and I'm the chauffeur. Needless to say, I haven't had much time for blogging. Though I seem to have had some time to acquire new books...

What I Loved: A Novel, by Siri Hustvedt. I'm a little afraid of this book, because I know it includes the death of a child--a subject I tend to shy away from.

The Blue Flower, by Penelope Fitzgerald. Mooched. Recently read and enjoyed Offshore, so I'm looking forward to this one.

The Last Days of Dogtown: A Novel, by Anita Diamant. I enjoyed The Red Tent, and have heard good things about this one.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris. Because he's a funny, funny man.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. Loved the movie Smoke Signals, and have always wanted to read something of his. I may pass this on to my son.

The Photograph, by Penelope Lively. I have her memoir, Oleander, Jacaranda: A Childhood Perceived. Which I haven't read. But thought it would be good to pair with her fiction. And a friend was giving it away, so I grabbed it...

Matrimony: A Novel, by Joshua Henkin. A signed copy from the author. Wahoo!

Can't wait to start reading!

Our garden is going crazy these days, and I'm not so hot at tending it. The sunflowers have taken over!

Hearts and Minds, by Rosy Thornton

Martha Pearce is beginning her tenth and final year as Senior Tutor at St. Radegund’s, an all-female college at Cambridge, when James Rycarte, the first man to ever be appointed as head of the college, arrives to take on this controversial role. Martha is loyal to the college first and foremost, but can’t help but be drawn to Rycarte, whom she imagines will flounder in the face of the female opposition he finds at St. Radegund’s. However, Rycarte, who comes to the world of academia after a successful career at the BBC, holds his own against the forces arrayed against him—though he is very grateful for Martha’s support.

Martha is at a crossroads in her life and career, not only unsure about what she will do when her term as Senior Tutor ends, but also at a loss about how to deal with her depressed teenage daughter and difficult poet husband.

This is the set up for Hearts and Minds, a novel about campus life by Rosy Thornton. I had heard about this book on several book blogs (sorry I don't remember which ones, but let me know if it might have been yours), and was intrigued, and then the writer offered to send me a copy. I was surprised to find that the book was a sort of quiet page-turner—I kept picking the book up whenever I had a spare moment to find out what was going to happen to these very real and appealing characters. I was really drawn into their world. I also liked Thornton’s gently humorous storytelling, and her satiric slant on the idiosyncrasies of the academic world.

I was not surprised to learn that Thornton is a fellow at a college at Cambridge, as she has written with perfect pitch on the subject of turbulent campus politics, including student unrest, stifling political correctness, and vicious infighting between academics. I really loved how the complicated politics of the story unfolded. I liked watching Rycarte balance trying to keep the college afloat financially while attempting to maintain his integrity. It was also fun to follow the Machiavellian maneuverings of the women who plot Rycarte’s downfall. I found it very easy to root for both Martha and Rycarte, who combat the nasty politics on campus with good humor and good sense.

Martha’s problems at home are as difficult as her trials at work—and Martha’s reactions to these troubles are relatable and realistic. I felt such sympathy for her when her husband and daughter seemed so out of touch, and out of reach, to her. The portrayal of Martha’s daughter’s depression was so natural and true that it was very distressing to me—I really related to Martha as a mother!

This novel was a pleasant immersion in the particular world of Oxbridge academia. I found it to be an entertaining and somehow comforting read. I think the comforting aspect came from really relating to the characters—they felt like people I would like to know--and from Thornton's gently satirical style. I look forward to reading her next book.

P.S. With a little prompting, I figured out at least one of the places I first heard about Hearts and Minds--on BooksPlease, in this lovely review! (thanks for the hint, BooksPlease!)

Walden Pond

Nothing so fair, so pure, and at the same time so large, as a lake, perchance, lies on the surface of the earth. Sky water. It needs no fence. Nations come and go without defiling it. It is a mirror which no stone can crack, whose quicksilver will never wear off, whose gilding Nature continually repairs; no storms, no dust, can dim its surface ever fresh; -- a mirror in which all impurity presented to it sinks, swept and dusted by the sun's hazy brush -- this the light dust-cloth -- which retains no breath that is breathed on it, but sends its own to float as clouds high above its surface, and be reflected in its bosom still. -- Henry David Thoreau

This weekend was our last weekend of insane travel for awhile. We were in Boston for a long weekend, for a lovely family event. And though the schedule was grueling (up at 4:30 to make a 7am flight), the time we spent was memorable.

Monday, before catching a flight home, my sister-in-law took us to Walden Pond, near Concord, MA. The area is now a Massachusetts state park. We saw the replica of the tiny cabin Thoreau built and spent two year in, thinking and writing and living simply. We also walked along the shore of the pond to the original site where it stood. Next to the site, visitors have left rocks as a memorial, and now the pile of rocks is quite large.

It was a really beautiful and peaceful spot. I didn't bring my camera (and good thing, since we were drenched in a sudden spring downpour), but I found a few shots on the internet (the top one at Freefoto, by a photographer called Ian Britton). We only encountered a few people hiking around the pond on that cloudy day, but my sister-in-law says the beach gets crowded in the summer when people come to swim.

I'm glad people can enjoy the beauty of the spot, but it is funny to think of Thoreau's place of contemplation filled with summer picnickers and beachgoers!

I have never read Thoreau's work, but I have two of his books on my shelf: Walden, and Cape Cod. I hope to get to both soon!

Booking Through Thursday--Clubbing

A combo of two suggestions by: Heidi and by litlove

Have you ever been a member of a book club? How did your group choose (or, if you haven’t been, what do you think is the best way to choose) the next book and who would lead discussion?

Do you feel more or less likely to appreciate books if you are obliged to read them for book groups rather than choosing them of your own free will? Does knowing they are going to be read as part of a group affect the reading experience?

Yes, I'm in a book group now, and I so look forward to the monthly meetings. We've been meeting for over four years, and it's a great group of women.

Our process is really informal. Motivated members bring suggestions for our next book. Then we just talk it out to decide what we want to read next. Sometimes whoever suggests a book will email a review or two to the group, but that's the extent of our research. What we do try to do is vary the types of books we read, so it's a fairly broad mixture of fiction and non-fiction, contemporary and classic books, short stories and novels.

And nobody leads our discussions. We just discuss the book, in a free-for-all. It's always lively, and entertaining. And we digress, a lot!

I feel my appreciation of a book is the same, whether I'm obliged to read it for book group or whether I've picked it myself. However, reading a book for my book group does change the reading experience. If I'm honest with myself, I probably pay a little closer attention to the details of a book when I'm reading it for my group, because I know we're going to discuss it. I probably even pay more attention to whether I like the book or not--that is to say, I think about the pros and cons of the book, and form a more particular opinion of it, and decide how I will express that opinion. I suppose it's a bit like reading a book for school, but without the pressure!

Hearts and Minds, and birds attack!

The blogging has been rather spotty this last week of school, as kids' events have swallowed up my schedule. I've managed to begin Rosy Thornton's novel Hearts and Minds, set in a women's college at Cambridge, and so far, I'm hooked. I keep sneaking pages when I can, in places like the carpool line at school. On her website, Thornton says she writes "contemporary fiction of a kind which you might call romantic comedy with a hint of satire - or possibly social satire with a hint of romance", and so far I'm finding it a nice combination.

I can barely get out my back door at the moment because we're under siege. A pair of nesting mockingbirds who are trying to get their baby fledged attack whenever we go out into our back yard. I wondered what was going on when I started getting dive-bombed by birds, and then I finally spotted the fluffy little baby bird, hopping around in my jasmine. (You can barely see him in this picture, but you can tell I need to get in there and trim back the jasmine.) Mama Bird is quite a protector, and totally unafraid of humans, who are all clearly possible invaders of her nest. She swoops fearlessly at me and is keeping my two cats and dog at bay 24/7. My husband says this sort of situation must be how Alfred Hitchcock was inspired to make The Birds. I'm hoping baby learns to fly soon!

After my son's graduation from elementary school this evening, we are off on yet another weekend away, but next week I hope to get back into the blogging groove.