I Just Read

Irene Nemirovsky's Suite Francaise, originally written in the 1930's and transcribed by Nemirovsky's daughter, is among the most beautiful works I have ever read. The first part of the book, A Storm in June, captures the response of Parisians fleeing their homes in the wake of news that Germany is invading. Nemirovsky's character portraits demonstrate every range of human response, the touching and sometimes pathetic attempts people make to hold onto their familiar, valued posssessions and lifestyles while entering into new and desperate conditions, the remarkable displays of kindness, wrongly directed bravery, contemptible selfishness. The second part of the work focuses on life during Germany's occupation and is remarkable in so many ways, including Nemirovsky's graciousnous in portraying the occupying forces as individuals able to display acts of kindness as well as cruelty. The work was re-discovered in 1954 by Nemirovsky's daughter, Denise Epstein, who transcribed the work. Irene Nemirovsky and her husband were killed in Auschwitz in 1942. However, as reported by the Telegraph, Nemirovsky's daughters, Denise and Elisabeth, were spared because they reminded a German officer of his own child. For the duraction of the war they were cared for by a woman who "moved them from one safe house to another. In a suitcase carried on each of a dozen moves, Denise Epstein kept the leather-bound notebooks containing her mother's last writings". It is a remarkable book with a remarkable story to how it was published. For more information, follow the links:  Daily Telegraph article Independent article by Boyd Tonkin

The bestselling book by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, The Book of General Ignorance. This is one of those books you really cannot resist, nor should you. It was given to me by my children, who obviously have been suffering from my own general ignorance for years. I have to admit to be a big fan of the BBC television show, QI, created by Mitchinson and Lloyd, and hosted by Stephen Fry, so it is not surprising that I had so much fun reading the book. In it, you learn that a chicken lived for 2 years with its head chopped off (why not? Bush has managed two terms in office without his), that the female mosquito is the most dangerous animal on earth, and that baseball was invented in England. Great stuff.

Joan Didion’s extraordinary memoir, The Year Of Magical Thinking. Written after the death of Didion’s husband, John Gregory Dunne, A Year Of Magical Thinking is an insightful, excruciating personal account of loss, of marriage, of tragedy, written with amazing clarity and honesty. I found myself in awe of the scope and wisdom of its message, and deeply sympathetic for its creator, who will be no more comforted by the fact of writing such a superb book. I was saddened to learn that Joan Didion’s daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne, died in New York City near the time of the book’s publication.

Debra Dean’s lovely debut novel, The Madonnas of Leningrad. This is a vivid, lyric tale of a Russian émigré, Marina Buiakov, 82, who is losing her short-term memory to Alzheimer’s, yet recalls with extraordinary detail the events surrounding the siege of Leningrad in 1941 when she took shelter in the Hermitage Museum where she worked as a guide. Dean weaves the contemporary story of Marina’s illness with the memories of the struggle to survive in war-torn Leningrad with effortless, beautiful prose and the effect is wonderfully realised. I felt transported entirely to the world that Dean so eloquently fashions – my only complaint is that it could have done with a bit more of this marvellous little book.

The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany by Graeme Gibson is among the most beautiful books I have ever owned. This exquisite collection of poems, stories, journal entries and reveries about birds is complemented by extraordinary, rich artwork throughout. Graeme Gibson’s careful choices bring out the intrigue, the mystery, the beauty and mythical qualities of birds throughout the world. A lavishly published work of the highest standard, I didn’t think books like this were still made. I’ve ordered more copies to give to friends because I really haven’t seen anything else like it.

Tayari Jones The Untelling. There is quiet wisdom in Tayari Jones’story of a young woman, Aria, who survives a childhood trauma to now find herself unable to start a family of her own. Written in a lovely, evocative style this thoroughly unpretentious and capable writer makes you care so much for her characters, whose lives reflect the very real pressures that hit young people in America struggling to make good on a bad start.

The Cat From Hue by John Laurence This extraordinary first hand account of the Vietnam war is vividly told by long-standing war correspondent, John Laurence. Winner of the 2003 Cornelius Ryan Award which honors work in non-fiction about international affairs, it is a detailed and shocking portrayal of the daily lives of those involved in the war: of the soldiers who fought it, of the press who went out to cover it, of the families who tried to survive it. Not for the feint-hearted, The Cat From Hue is an up close and all too real account of a harrowing time.

Waaaay too many notes, articles, books, and blogs on sheep. It is actually quite frightening how much information is out there about sheep, mostly about killing them, hanging them, or trying to keep them from killing or hanging themselves. I don't suppose anyone out there wants an actual list of these books, do they?