Stranger-than-fiction.org

by Italo Calvino

If on a winter’s night a traveler turns out to be not one novel but ten, each with a different plot, style, ambience, and author, and each interrupted at a moment of suspense. Together they form a labyrinth of literatures, known and unknown, alive and extinct, through which two readers, a male and a female, pursue both the story lines that intrigue them and one another. They are the true heroes of the novel, for what would writing be without readers?

This book was a reread for me. I originally read it for a class in college about Postmodern Fiction. I actually lost my place and ended up reading ahead before I glanced back and realized there were several chapters that I didn’t recall reading at all. So, I had to go back to fill in the pieces. What does it say about a book that you can read ahead and not be much more confused than if you had progressed in order?

It’s actually a truly interesting book, but isn’t for the casual reader who picks up a book expecting a tightly wound plot, a beginning, middle and end. Ultimately it’s about the experience of reading and, to a lesser extent, that of writing. One story, written in the second person, addressed to a Reader is wound around ten other stories which are actually the beginnings of ten different novels that end abruptly. The stories become more and more complex as does the main narrative concerning the Reader as Calvino moves from the Reader’s search for the completion of the various novels he begins to abstract notions of the reader’s relationship to the texts and the difference between what is true and false.

I adore fiction that is about literature, reading, storytelling, writing, etc.

Has it really been that long since I’ve updated? I refuse to believe the date on the last post.

Well, I have a shiny new laptop to which I’m transferring my files, so it gives me an excuse to clean house and update things. I updated to the latest version of Word Press also since I figured it had been awhile.

I have some entries to post. I’ll try to better about updating.

by Elizabeth Peters | ISBN # 0-380-73121-5

At the end of the previous installment, Vicky Bliss had accepted a position (possibly obtained with some pressure akin to blackmail) at the National Museum in Munich, Germany working for Herr Professor Anton Schmidt. Schmidt has an exaggerated ideal of Vicky as a master detective after their previous adventure; so when he comes into her office with an amazing replica (i.e. forgery) of the Charlemagne talisman that can be found in their own museum and an enigmatic clue on a scrap of paper, both of which were found on a dead man, he wants her to look into the case. Vicky manages to turn the investigation into a free trip to Rome, complete with an expense account, but quickly finds herself in over her head with an unscrupulous gang of antiquities forgers and an equally unscrupulous, but handsome, art thief alias Sir John Smythe.

The series really starts to pick up steam with this second installment. The development of a regular cast of supporting characters (including Vicky’s pudgy boss, Schmidt, the enigmatic Sir John Smythe and to a lesser extent, Schmidt’s secretary, Gerda) and a more interesting love story between Vicky and John Smythe make this a much more compelling read than the first Vicky Bliss book. Like the first book, Peters relies more on action and danger to move the story forward rather than the mystery itself. The solution cannot help but be somewhat obvious by the limited number of characters, and therefore suspects, and even the twist at the end is fairly obvious by the time one arrives at it. But Vicky is still a strong, interesting character and the dynamic between her and John is fantastic. And Peters’ humor and writing style make this a fantastic series.

Tags: Elizabeth Peters, Vicky Bliss

by Charlotte Bronte | ISBN # 1-853-26020-7

I have no qualms about putting spoilers in the book synopsis since classics always lay out the details at the beginning of the book. And because if a person does not have at least some idea of the plot of Jane Eyre, he/she has been living in a cave.

Jane Eyre’s difficult childhood with unsympathetic relatives was followed by years at a severe boarding school, where her best friend died of consumption in her arms. But through the friendship of the headmistress there, she rose to the top of her class and went on to become ateacher. Feeling restless, she advertised for a governess job, accepting a post at Thornfield for the illegitimate daughter of Mr. Edward Rochester. Jane and Mr. Rochester fall in love and are about to married when the truth about the things that go bump in the night at Thornfield are revealed. Mr. Rochester is already married (for the past 15 years) and his insane wife is ensconced upstairs. Jane flees the house (and the area) and is taken in by a clergyman named St. John Rivers and his two sisters. St. John pressures Jane to marry him and assist him with his missionary work in India, but Jane is drawn back to Mr. Rochester, whom she finds blinded and crippled by a fire that wrecked Thornfield and left his wife dead.

Overall, I really liked this book. Jane is a fantastic character, very well developed and extremely sympathetic, smart and resourceful, not at all a simpering heroine. And although I found Charlotte Bronte’s prose a trifle heavy at first, the book quickly became a page turner for me and I hardly noticed anymore (she is overly fond of the semi-colon). That having been said, several of the other characters got on my nerves, including the emo Mr. Rochester and Jane’s other suitor, St. John Rivers (how arrogant do you have to be to believe a woman is doomed to hell if she does not agree to marry you). But of course the Calvinistic St. John makes Mr. Rochester seem lighthearted in comparison and the pitiful state in which Jane finds Mr. Rochester at the end of the book makes their eventual union much more palatable. In the end, gothic romances are just not my bag. I suppose I would give the plot of Jane Eyre a C (or maybe a B-) but the heroine an A+.

Tags: Gothic

by Gore Vidal | ISBN # 0-380-73339-0

The New Testament is being erased by a hacker in the 20th century. And to save Christianity, time travelers from GE & NBC want Saint Timothy to anchor a live broadcast of the crucifixion at Golgotha. They also want him to preserve the story of Jesus in his own gospel which has not been discovered in the future and therefore not destroyed. But as more and more people from the future (with the use of varying methods from mediums to technology) infiltrate the present, Timothy’s memories of the past are becoming confused. And when the opposing motives of two groups begin to emerge he has to decide who to trust.

Oh, this book is hilariously funny and so very blasphemous. Not recommended for the strong of faith. But for the rest of us, Gore Vidal is at his absolute best with his portrayal of the early Christian religion, Saint Paul’s and Timothy’s sexcapades, and the opposing views held by Saint Paul who set out to convert the gentiles and the old church represented by James who thought Jesus’s message should just be for other Jews. The ending manages to pack a punch as well, with an interesting twist that left me in love with this book.

by Elizabeth Peters | ISBN # 0-380-73339-0

Tall, buxom and brilliant Vicky Bliss, a professor of medieval history at a Midwestern university, is tired of being valued for her body instead of her brains. When a chance passage in a book referring to a lost relic of a medieval woodworking master catches her eye, she and a male colleague travel to Germany as rivals, each determined to find the relic first. Staying in the Schloss that belonged to the last owners of the relic, they find themselves surrounded by a varying cast of characters, several of whom may be interested in finding the relic themselves. Ghostly ladies in white, séances and moving suits or armor complete the eerie ambiance. And Vicky finds herself as interested in the mystery surrounding the 16th century owners of the relic and their mysterious deaths as finding the item in the present.

This first installment gets the five book Vicky Bliss series off to a slow start. Taken independently it’s an okay mystery. It has a very gothic feel to it and the solution isn’t entirely unexpected. Vicky’s image of herself as oafish, in contrast to the frequent attention she obviously receives from men, makes her a sympathetic character and her straightforward and candid style of narration is enjoyable. As always Elizabeth Peters infuses the story with humor and wit which makes any of her books a worthwhile read. She particularly excels at writing series.

I’m still not entirely sure to what the title refers.

Tags: Elizabeth Peters, Vicky Bliss

by Agatha Christie | ISBN # 0-671-82258-6

When Hercule Poirot’s ultra efficient secretary uncharacteristically begins to make mistakes, he can’t help but wonder what is bothering her. The source of her anxiety, the seemingly random series of thefts in a hostel run by her sister, intrigues Poirot, but things take a turn for the worst when one of the students is murdered. In conjunction with the detective on the case, Inspector Sharpe, and Scotland Yard, Poirot sets out not only to solve the case at 26 Hickory Road, but also to uncover a much more extensive criminal network.

This book is much more humorous than most of Agatha Christie’s novels, some parts actually being laugh out loud funny. And the characters cast of characters are particularly interesting. However the mystery isn’t as intriguing as many of her other novels and the end, although she saves a few things to reveal at the last, doesn’t pack as much punch. In fact, a few of the elements are predictable and there are no shocking revelations. Also, Hercule Poirot plays a relatively minor role, although Inspector Sharpe is a very amiable character.

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Tags: Agatha Christie

edited and translated by Royall Tyler | ISBN # 0-375-71451-0

Japanese Tales is a collection of 220 very short stories (some of them are scarcely more than a paragraph in length) representing popular myths of the 11th – 13th centuries. The editor and translator, Royall Tyler, collected them from sources of that time period, selecting what he felt to be the best representation of varying stories along the same themes. He provides variety by collecting the stories by common elements in groups of no more than 5 or 6 stories and spreading the themes out throughout the book. In this way, there are several groups that deal with foxes, several with robbers, etc. The parceling of the stories into these groups underlines the prevalence of common themes, many of which can still be found in Japanese storytelling today. Royall Tyler does a masterful job at translating the stories into colloquial language and the collection is a very interesting look at the medieval Japanese character.

by Roald Dahl | ISBN # 0-14-034020-3

Witches are not only real, but they live among us, nearly indistinguishable from other respectable ladies, except their habit of wearing gloves even in the summer. These witches, however, are out to rid the world of children, often luring them into their clutches with candy and sweets. The narrator sets out to foil the plans of the Grand High Witch with his Norwegian grandmother and the two of them embark on a grand adventure.

As with all Roald Dahl’s books the writing is engaging and humorous. The hero finds himself in a few very dangerous situations and I found myself waiting with bated breath, my heart pounding. The ending is quite unique, with a interesting mix of hopefulness and sadness as well. While The Witches certainly doesn’t have the same sense of grand adventure as James and the Giant Peach it is a highly enjoyable read.

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by Agatha Christie Mallowan | ISBN # 0-671-43282-6

Come, Tell Me How You Live is not a murder mystery. It’s actually a memoir spanning several years before World War II during which Agatha Christie accompanied her archaeologist husband, Max Mallowan, on a series of digs in Syria. Written in the present tense, the book has a somewhat diary-ish feel to it, but is not strictly segmented by days and dates. In fact, no dates are provided at all and a new paragraph beginning with “Today” may be the only division of time. So the narrative flows more easily than a typical diary might read, ending up almost seeming like a collection of very small stories and character studies. She largely cuts out the traveling to and from in between seasons, only including details that are particularly relevant or amusing. Christie writes with wit and humor about the experiences and people they meet and the result is even more enjoyable than her works of fiction.

I also found the description on the back of my particular edition of the book highly amusing. Whoever wrote the synopsis was still trying to play up the book as if it were a mystery which seems so unnecessary as the book is more than capable of standing on its own merit.

Tags: Agatha Christie