Review: The Ebony Tower

The Ebony Tower by John Fowles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and a novella, each bearing a meta-literary element or theme; the writer's mythology of writing makes an appearance.

The Ebony Tower

Henry Breasley is an elderly painter whose secluded retirement is invaded by the narrater David, commissioned to write a biographical study. The writer at work sees that Breasley shares his home with two young English girls, both former art students, one of them reading The Magus. David is left in no doubt about his host's views on modern abstract art and both puzzled and scintillated by the old man's relationship with the girls, especially when he himself is attracted to Diana.

Eliduc

A translation of a Breton lai by Marie de France with explanatory footnotes. Fowles the writer explores an ancient genre from the inside. In finding lust away from home, it mirrors David's plight in the title piece.

Poor Koko

An elderly writer has borrowed a country cottage from friends in London. On the first night of his stay, the house is burgled, but the burglar exactly a needlessly cruel price that hurts the writer as a writer.

The Enigma

John Fielding, British Member of Parliament, disappears without trace. Was foul play involved, or did he fake his own disappearance? The police officer in charge finds the most intriguing theories from a woman that suggests an analogy of a universe where a writer is constructing the plot he is attempting to unravel. This puts the officer in Kafka-esque existential despair.

The Cloud

A picnic in the south of France for an English family is a psychological diorama for deeper, troubled undercurrents. Mythologies and the idea of imperfect symbols and thus communication is brought forward. The technique of jaded adults conjuring fairy tales for children recalls to me "A Perfect Day for Bananafish".

View all my reviews

Review: Society's Child: My Autobiography

Society's Child: My Autobiography by Janis Ian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I honestly have not heard enough of Ian's music to decide if I am a fan, or not. However, I had heard good things about this autobiography, so I dived in and am glad that I did. I am especially am glad that I chose this audiobook edition as a it is a true performance by Ian from snatches of guitar and singing to her own feelings surfacing in the narration be it from a poorly decided ménage à trois, dealing with a ruthless IRS, or the death of her mother. Starting a solo recording and performance career at 13, dealing with the pains of fame as a teen, and then needing to start over as a has-been by 20, Ian condensed multiple careers into her life. This includes being an early commentator about music downloads and a pioneer in internet auctions. Frank without being salacious, Ian shares her memories of her own relationships -- navigating her own bisexuality during her career -- and having her hard-earned wealth absconded.

View all my reviews

Review: Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I figured I would read this some time, just to see if it justifies to me its longevity and the attention paid in adaptations, none of which I have taken in. This audio version performed excellently by actress Rachel McAdams (Narrator) was just the opportunity. Since I rarely read fiction, it felt natural to compare this in my mind to Little Women , the novel by American author Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes four decades before this in 1868 and 1869. Also Coming-of-Age Fiction, that Bildungsroman shows the puritanical tragedy of a precocious, expressive woman pushing down her goals and knowing her place, whereas Anne with an "E" of Price Edward Island's Avonlea wins over her adoptive parents and the reader with her pluck and vision in an entertaining, engaging way.

View all my reviews

Review: The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God

The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God by David J. Linden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating, accessible review of current work on brain biology related to sexual orientation (separated monozygotic twins supporting a genetic basis for such behavior), sexual attraction, the mystery of dreams (dreams, even narrative ones occur outside of r.e.m.), and the cross-cultural believes in divine being and calling capsaicin sensation "hot". The brain is truly an engrossing mystery and during this age, the curtain is opening wider on those mysteries.

View all my reviews

Review: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I very much enjoyed the audio presentation here mainly narrated by Cary Elwes himself. Robin Wright, Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal, and other members of the cast do their portions which really makes it feel like an onstage panel with surviving members of the cast. (Some members are voiced by other narrators which keeps the presentation diverse.)

I always felt here was a Monty Python feel to the movie, different from the book as I pointed out in my review of The Princess Bride. This makes sense since I learned that Production Design by Norman Garwood (Brazil, Time Bandits) tied key creative direction to the Python troupe. The casting that brought in Garwood and the actors reveals how this was constructed from such a desire to produce a witty, smart, satirical screenplay with the participation of author William Goldman. Other things of note include the gigantic generosity and appetites of Andre The Giant, the completely unnecessary insecurity of Wallace Shawn ("Inconceivable!"), the intense amount of swordplay practice put in by Elwes and Mandy Patinkin to stage the "greatest duel" as well as the two serious injuries that befell Elwes.

Certainly 4 stars for any committed fan of the movie as it is like a warm and witty audio commentary to the film.

View all my reviews

Review: Every Man in This Village is a Liar: An Education in War

Every Man in This Village is a Liar: An Education in War by Megan K. Stack
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While this book is subtitled "An Education in War", a more accurate subtitle might be "An Education in The Islamic World". For, other than some in-the-shit reporting from the 2006 Lebanon War, this is largely a non-military journalist's memoir. The reportage of dealing with translators, handlers, and citizens covers also Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, an ex-pat community in Saudi Arabia, and even Yemen where Stack had an almost Zelig-like ability to be on the group during key moments of conflicts. From this travelogue of interactions with people largely overwhelmed with uncaring governments, tense conflicts with locals on the group segues to the sad tale of murdered journalist Atwar Bahjat. One is left with the feeling that the author could easily have gone down the same path as Bahjat.

View all my reviews

Review: The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just as classic as the movie, "in my book." Really, the essential differences are fairly innocuous: the book's Zoo of Death becomes merely the Pit of Despair in the movie and the adult's retelling of a remembered tale sort turns the point of view inside out. The "ending" is different with the weight of the differences giving a darker shade of irony to the book and leaving the movie a but sunnier and more fairy tale-like. As read by Rob Reiner, the tone of this story really feels more like Wood Allen's humor in Side Effects, etc.

View all my reviews