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Author Topic: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}  (Read 6534 times)

FifthCityMuse

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #10 on: February 21, 2011, 03:50:52 AM »
   Dora had a vermillion dress with black buttons that she wore for housework. The child Grace was asking, "Why are you always angry in that dress?"
   Dora scarcely knew how to flare. "In this dress -- I'm always busy. Not angry, busy."
   Grace disbelieved.
   "I don't care to be told I'm angry all the time. I certainly am not angry." Dora was very angry.
   Grace trembled. "I'm sorry."
   "Do you have any, do you have the slightest notion how hard I work for you. I am never done." It was true, housewives were slaves. "Then I get this flung at me, I am told I'm angry. Well let me tell you."
   Grace went outside to cry.


      - The Transit of Venus, Shirley Hazzard

A wonderful, beautiful, criminally under-read novel.

oneaprilday

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #11 on: February 21, 2011, 06:19:24 PM »
Far and away my favorite of 2010 - brilliant, devastating, and the narrative voice is so beautifully controlled - telling us everything in the unsaid. This will be on my favorite books of all time list.
1. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Brilliant - and these provoked lengthy, fun discussions among my book group members:
2. As I Lay Daying by William Faulkner (!!!!! I would love to teach this, but it would be incredibly overwhelming - so much, so dense)
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (must read more Atwood)
4. Dubliners  by James Joyce (a re-read)
5. The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield (Can't believe I hadn't read her before - incredible short stories, these)

Brilliant but a bit of work sometimes to get through:
6. A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
7. Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens (a re-read)

Moments (stories) of brilliance in these collections, but a bit disappointing overall:
8. Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie (especially loved "Do Not Go Gentle" and "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" was really great, too)
9. Unaccustomed Earth  by Jhumpa Lahiri (loved the title story)

Awful - can't believe this won the Pulizter:
10. March by Geraldine Brooks

smirnoff

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #12 on: February 21, 2011, 06:49:55 PM »
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (must read more Atwood)

I just listened to Kermode saying how this book came to mind when watching Never Let Me Go. The things he was saying about it really intrigued me.

Junior

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #13 on: February 21, 2011, 06:57:42 PM »
Far and away my favorite of 2010 - brilliant, devastating, and the narrative voice is so beautifully controlled - telling us everything in the unsaid. This will be on my favorite books of all time list.
1. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Brilliant - and these provoked lengthy, fun discussions among my book group members:
2. As I Lay Daying by William Faulkner (!!!!! I would love to teach this, but it would be incredibly overwhelming - so much, so dense)
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (must read more Atwood)
4. Dubliners  by James Joyce (a re-read)


You got two of my favorites of all time and two of my most anticipated books right there. Awesome list.
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worm@work

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #14 on: February 21, 2011, 07:12:06 PM »
Love that post, oad. I LOVE The Remains of the Day.. both the book as well as the film. Also really love the Atwood and the Joyce (which I read for the first time last year). I agree that the title story is the real highlight of the Lahiri but I really like her style and probably enjoyed the book more than you did. Have you read anything by Amitav Ghosh?

I just added the Mansfield book to my library queue. Looking forward to it :).

oneaprilday

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #15 on: February 21, 2011, 07:43:59 PM »
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (must read more Atwood)

I just listened to Kermode saying how this book came to mind when watching Never Let Me Go. The things he was saying about it really intrigued me.
Handmaid's definitely has really interesting parallels to NLMG (I really must read the book soon) - not only the dystopic alternate reality aspect, but the limited perspective in both. Our sense of the larger context is restricted in both, so we don't understand the why's or the how's - we get only the small world of our main character(s) and it forces us as viewers/readers into a really interesting claustrophobia and frustration and then, ultimately, into different trains of thought than we might otherwise have. Anyway, it's really a great read - I think you'd enjoy it.


You got two of my favorites of all time and two of my most anticipated books right there. Awesome list.
Thanks! And I thought you might be happy about those two. :) Looking forward to hearing what you think of the other two!



Love that post, oad. I LOVE The Remains of the Day.. both the book as well as the film. Also really love the Atwood and the Joyce (which I read for the first time last year). I agree that the title story is the real highlight of the Lahiri but I really like her style and probably enjoyed the book more than you did. Have you read anything by Amitav Ghosh?

I just added the Mansfield book to my library queue. Looking forward to it :).
Thanks, w@w (and hi!!!). :) Remains was one of those transcendent reading experiences, of a kind I've not had in a very long while (I should revisit the film; I don't remember it all that well).
I do like Lahiri's style, too, and I actually really loved the questions she was asking in this particular collection, questions about rootedness and cultural identity in America, even if all of the stories didn't work for me. I've not read Amitav Ghosh - what can you recommend?

Also, looking forward to hearing what you think of Mansfield!

Bondo

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #16 on: February 21, 2011, 08:02:57 PM »
I read The Handmaid's Tale early last year as well (I remember exchanging PMs discussing it with oad :)). I didn't like it quite as much but still found it highly intriguing. As much as any book I read last year, while I was reading it I was storyboarding a film version in my mind because the limited perspective really promotes a visual thinking of the situation.

worm@work

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #17 on: February 21, 2011, 09:14:39 PM »
Thanks, w@w (and hi!!!). :) Remains was one of those transcendent reading experiences, of a kind I've not had in a very long while (I should revisit the film; I don't remember it all that well).
I do like Lahiri's style, too, and I actually really loved the questions she was asking in this particular collection, questions about rootedness and cultural identity in America, even if all of the stories didn't work for me. I've not read Amitav Ghosh - what can you recommend?

Also, looking forward to hearing what you think of Mansfield!

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii :)!!! I haven't watched the film version of The Remains of the Day in a long time either but have very fond memories of the same. I've been meaning to revisit it for a while now.

As for Amitav Ghosh, I started with The Shadow Lines which remains one of my favorite books ever. However, right now I'm more inclined to recommend The Hungry Tide. I just love the unique setting and the time he takes to establish that sense of place while letting the plot details slowly creep in almost catching you unawares. I think it requires a bit more patience than The Shadow Lines which is more playful and immediately engaging but is totally worth it at the end.

You should probably just read whichever one the library has available sooner :). They're both pretty terrific. I can't wait to hear what you think of them.

oneaprilday

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #18 on: February 21, 2011, 11:37:57 PM »
I read The Handmaid's Tale early last year as well (I remember exchanging PMs discussing it with oad :)).
:)

As for Amitav Ghosh, I started with The Shadow Lines which remains one of my favorite books ever. However, right now I'm more inclined to recommend The Hungry Tide. I just love the unique setting and the time he takes to establish that sense of place while letting the plot details slowly creep in almost catching you unawares. I think it requires a bit more patience than The Shadow Lines which is more playful and immediately engaging but is totally worth it at the end.

You should probably just read whichever one the library has available sooner :). They're both pretty terrific. I can't wait to hear what you think of them.
Thanks! I'll put these both on my to-read list for sure. Looks like my library has only The Hungry Tide, so I'll try that.

Mosca

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Re: The Best Thing We've Read All Year {2010 Edition}
« Reply #19 on: February 22, 2011, 07:49:22 AM »
I think The Remains of the Day is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.
Last year I really enjoyed: God's Own Country by Ross Raisin. It's about an isolated adolescent in rural oop North. It's called Out Backward in the US.