"In the Driver's Seat," by Helen Simpson

Reviewers and blurbers have called the writing in the British writer Helen Simpson’s collection of short stories, “In the Driver’s Seat” (Knopf, 2007), “electric,” “virtuoso,” “faultless,” and “brilliant,” and although these descriptions may be over the top, the writing does deserve high praise. Many of the stories in this collection feature (mostly female) characters who are preoccupied with aging, illness, death, and grief, which makes for sad reading, yet because of Simpson’s original (and sometimes acerbic) take on these topics, I found myself completely absorbed in the stories. The last and longest story, “Constitutional,” is a bit more upbeat; as a middle-aged science teacher takes a mid-day walk, she observes the vegetation and people in the park at the same time as she ponders various events in her life, including a recent surprise that will change her life. This is a small book, and one I was intrigued and impressed by. Parenthetically, I have to thank my local library's book sale for, once again, putting in my path a book I might not have known about or read otherwise. And on a seasonal note: Happy New Year to readers everywhere!

"Mrs. Queen Takes the Train," by William Kuhn

Those who enjoyed Alan Bennett's "The Uncommon Reader" (which I wrote about on 3/12/10) will like William Kuhn's "Mrs. Queen Takes the Train" (HarperCollins, 2012), a sedately humorous and rather sweet novel about a fictional unexpected train trip Queen Elizabeth takes from London to Scotland. Although perhaps lacking the affectionately sharp wit of Bennett's novel, this novel also displays an endearing affection for the Queen. The story takes its time, and although there is a plot, it seems to be mainly an excuse for exploring the Queen's character and personality, and her loyalty to the British people. There are several other interesting characters, members of the Queen's household (an Equerry, a butler, a lady-in-waiting, a young female stable worker, etc.), and some lovely alliances -- even a couple of romances -- develop during the course of the action. This novel is ideal for Anglophiles and fans of the British royalty. But it is not at all -- or if so, very indirectly -- political, and no matter whether or not one supports the tradition of royalty, a reader can thoroughly enjoy this journey with the Queen.

"Prosperous Friends": Questioning the Flap Copy

I read one or two good reviews of "Prosperous Friends" (Grove, 2012), by Christine Schutt, and always being interested in "discovering" new (to me) writers, I read the novel. Here I want to focus on the front-flap copy, which I found misleading, and the back-flap blurbs, which I found both misleading and overwrought. I write about this because misleading flap copy is common, and perhaps I should just expect it and allow for it, but this particular verbiage seemed to me particularly disconnected from the actual book. The front flap describes the book as a contrast between two married couples: a young, doomed-to-fail Ned and Isabel, and an older Clive and Dinah "who seem to prosper in love." The description of the first marriage is correct, but that of the second is only accurate in that Dinah gives up much of herself in order to build her life around Clive and tolerate his multiple infidelities. The men in the two couples are both unfaithful and unreliable, so it is hard to celebrate even the older, sort-of-happy-at-odd-moments couple. It is true that all marriages, even the best ones, are imperfect; realistically, all couples make their own compromises and their own adjustments in order to stay together. But I dislike seeing women making most of the compromises. So, getting back to the flap copy: to present the two couples as a simple opposition between one that works and one that doesn't just glides over what Dinah has to accept to make her marriage work. As for the overwrought back-flap blurbs: It is true that many blurbs on many books are overwrought. But these -- from excellent writers, several of whom I have read and admire -- seem unusually over the top. A selection among several blurbs: Kate Walbert says that "no one writes like Christine Schutt"; Gary Lutz states that "It is no longer a secret that Chrstine Schutt is the finest writer among us, and Prosperous Friends is her finest work yet...a classic"; Sam Lipsyte claims that Schutt writes "some of the most original and rewarding prose I've ever read." The one blurb that I thought was accurate and not overstated was by Stewart O'Nan (whose own wonderful work I have written about several times here): "With her elusive, suggestive prose, Christine Schutt examines the mystery of one couple's dissolution [with] spare delicacy...." And I must say that some of the writing is beautiful, especially the last few pages.

"Beautiful Ruins," by Jess Walter

When I requested Jess Walter’s novel “Beautiful Ruins” (Harper, 2012) online at my local library’s website, I was 128th in line to get it. I am often far back in line on the library lists, but this was an unusually long list, so apparently the book is hugely popular. I have also read a few positive reviews of the novel. In any case, I waited patiently to see what all the fuss was about, finally got the book, and now have read it. It is a “big” book, covering several time periods (mainly two, fifty years apart) and several places around the world, most notably a small seaside village in Italy and Hollywood in the U.S. There are some very original characters, as well as some real life people, including the actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during the filming of the movie “Cleopatra.” Two of the characters in particular -- Pasquale, the Italian owner of the Hotel Adequate View, and Dee, an American actress -- are very sympathetic, and we come to really care about what happens to them. Others are not so appealing, but their eccentricities and foibles are fun to read about; see especially the Hollywood producer Michael Deane. The author weaves some true details into the fictional events of the novel. Satire and sentimentality, show biz and real life are intriguingly intertwined. The "beautiful ruins" of the title perhaps refer both to the Italian scenes and to the way the characters change over the 50 years. Although the novel moves around so much in time and place, clear chapter headings make it easy to keep track, and the narrative is an absorbing one. By the end of the novel, all the stories have been woven together in a very satisfactory way. This book is well written and a “good read.”

"Married Love," by Tessa Hadley - WOW!

As I have written before (7/12/11 and 7/13/11), every time I read something by British writer Tessa Hadley, I get that “WOW!” feeling that tells me I am reading something original, something with the power to surprise. Her latest collection of short stories, “Married Love” (Harper Perennial, 2012) amply confirms that feeling. Each story is a gem, a mini-novel, a small masterpiece. The characters are original yet recognizable, as are the situations in which they find themselves. What happens when a teenaged student marries her professor who is old enough to be her grandfather? How does each member of a young couple in the 1960s feel when she/he brings the other to meet her/his family? What is it like for three middle-aged adults to reunite 35 years after they had been playmates at the home of their mutual godmother? What change in fortune reverses the social statuses of two childhood friends from different backgrounds? These and other situations are very character-driven, and are almost always located in the setting of family lives and relationships. They often deal, very subtly, with social class and gender, but never in a didactic way. I had to stop myself from galloping through the stories, because they were so compelling. Slow down and savor them, I had to tell myself. And they are definitely worth savoring.

Holiday Gift Suggestions: Some Favorite Books of 2012

This is the season of making “best books of the year” lists, which are both interesting and useful for those buying books for holiday gifts. Below I offer a list of some of my favorite books published in 2012. So this is not a general “best of…” list as much as a very individual, personal “some of the books I have most enjoyed” list. As I said last year at about this time, I urge readers to give books for gifts, and to buy those books from independent bookstores when at all possible. The dates I posted here about the books are in parentheses. FICTION: -The Beginner’s Goodbye, by Anne Tyler (4/15/12); -Carry the One, by Carol Anshaw (4/8/12); -Coral Glynn, by Peter Cameron (5/1/12); -Dear Life, by Alice Munro (12/6/12); -How It All Began, by Penelope Lively (1/21/12); -Married Love, and Other Stories, by Tessa Hadley (not yet posted about); -NW, by Zadie Smith (10/2/12); -The Odds, by Stewart O’Nan (1/26/12); -Shout Her Lovely Name, by Natalie Serber ((8/27/12); -The Theory of Small Earthquakes, by Meredith Maran (7/6/12); -The World Without You, by Joshua Henkin (8/19/12); NONFICTION: -Are You My Mother?, by Alison Bechdel (6/23/12); -Letters to a Friend, by Diana Athill (6/9/12); -The Secret Life of Objects, by Dawn Raffel (9/11/12); -Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (8/4/12): -Yes, Chef, by Marcus Samuelsson (7/21/12).

Obama Reading Novels

I just read a fascinating article about President Obama in the October 2012 issue (OK, so I am a bit behind in working my way through my pile of magazines!) of Vanity Fair. Writer Michael Lewis spent time with Obama in the White House, at one of Obama's regularly scheduled basketball games (where he, apparently, plays hard and smart, despite his age), and on Air Force One. Lots of intriguing behind-the-scenes insights. But one that jumped out at me, as a "fiction person," was that Lewis noticed a pile of novels on the desk of Obama's inner, private office; sitting on top of the pile was Julian Barnes' recent novel, "The Sense of an Ending." (See my post about this novel on 1/6/12.) I can't help feeling that a president who reads good novels is a better president for it.

On Reading What Writers Recommend

The ways we decide what to read are various and complicated. As I have written before, I generally decide what to read based on a. seeing that one of my favorite authors has just published a new book; or b. reading a review of a new book that piques my interest. Occasionally I read something because it was recommended by a friend or by an author I respect and like. As examples of the latter: in the last couple of days, I have looked for books because they were mentioned by authors I like. First, author Caroline Leavitt posted on Facebook a link to her blogpost on why she reads Joan Didion. This reminded me of how much I have liked Didion's work over the years, despite its frequent bleakness. I have read most of her fiction and nonfiction, most recently "Blue Nights" (which I posted about on 1/17/12). I have also gone back to some of her earlier work, such as "Play It As It Lays" (see my post of 3/23/11). Leavitt's reminder made me go back again to more of Didion's earlier work -- "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" and "The White Album" -- which I have just obtained and will soon read. Second, I read an interview with the great short story writer Alice Munro (whom I have written about here several times) on The New Yorker online (11/20/12), in which she spoke of Eudora Welty as a writer she admired; she spoke of "The Golden Apples" in particular. This led me to request "The Golden Apples" at my local library, and I look forward to re-reading it as well. I read all three of these books many, many years ago; re-reading them after all these years will be a different experience than the original reading. This reminds me of something else about my reading, and that of many readers: We read many new books, but we also revisit books we have read and liked in the past, in a sort of dancing loop. Both are essential parts of our ongoing complex relationship with the books in our lives.

"Where'd You Go, Bernadette," by Maria Semple

I am not quite sure what to make of the quirky, breezy yet serious, down-to-earth yet unpredictable novel “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” (Little, Brown, 2012) by Maria Semple. The character of Bernadette is fresh and variously funny, sad, annoying, and sympathetic. She is an immigrant from Los Angeles to Seattle, where she has escaped from a complicated, messy past caused by an unfortunate mixture of her genius and her stubborn nonconformity. She is a misfit in Seattle, and through much of the novel, she mocks that city. (And, I have to say, although I love Seattle myself, her portrayal of the city and its residents is very funny.) Because she doesn’t care what others think, she has troubled relationships with those at her daughter’s elite school and with her neighbors, among others. She loves her husband and her daughter, and her daughter in particular is her guiding light. But in a complicated set of events, including misunderstandings, mysteries, and surprises, she disappears for a while (thus the title). Somehow the story finds itself in Antarctica – don’t ask! The fun of the story is the originality of the main character, the poised but worried voice of her daughter, and the random-seeming surprises in the plot. In other words – the old-fashioned virtues of character, plot, and originality. So, although I would not rate this book, or the writing, “great,” it is certainly enjoyable and satisfying.

"Dear Life," by Alice Munro

Readers may remember that I (along with many, many others!) am a huge admirer of the Canadian short story writer Alice Munro. (As a former Canadian, I also take pride in her worldwide reputation.) Many critics and readers call Munro the greatest living short story writer writing in English, equaled only, perhaps, by the British William Trevor (whose stories I also greatly admire). Even those who don't read her books may have read her stories in The New Yorker, where she has often been published. Munro's new book, "Dear Life: Stories" (Knopf, 2012) shows us, once again, her greatness at portraying human nature. Munro is now lauded more than ever, perhaps partly because this new book provides intimations that it may be her last, or one of her last (she is 81 years old); specifically, a prologue to the last four stories in the book is titled "Finale" and states that "The final four works in this book are not quite stories. They form a separate unit, one that is autobiographical in feeling, though not, sometimes, entirely so in fact. I believe they are the first and last -- and the closest -- things I have to say about my own life" (p. 255). Although this statement does not say that she will stop writing stories completely, it has an elegiac tone. Let us hope that she will in fact continue to write for many years to come. I find myself wanting to say eloquent things about this book, and about Munro's writing, words that would show how amazing her work is, and how much it means to me, but I find that because so many others have written so much more eloquently about her, I hesitate to add my meager, inadequate words. Perhaps I will just refer readers to my blog entry of 7/22/10, "Ode to Alice Munro," and add that "Dear Life" only reinforces my love of her work.

Listening to Colm Toibin on Fresh Air

I usually don't remember to listen to "Fresh Air" regularly, as listening depends on when I am in my car, whether I am currently listening to a book on CD, etc. But when I do remember at the right time, it is always both intellectually stimulating and a joy to listen to. Yesterday I stumbled on Fresh Air host Terry Gross' interview of the wonderful Irish author, Colm Toibin. I have read several of his works, most notably the novels "The Master" (a fictional version of Henry James's life) and "Brooklyn," which I posted about here on 1/28/10, and the short story collection "The Empty Family," which I posted about a year later, on 1/28/11. All of these books are absorbing, beautifully written works. On Fresh Air yesterday, Toibin was talking about his new book, "Testament of Mary," which tells a fictionalized version of the life of Mary, mother of Jesus. In that novel, he writes of Mary's doubts about whether her son was the son of God, and of her unhappiness with Jesus's disciples after his death. Toibin grew up steeped in Catholicism, an altar boy, and although he is no longer traditionally religious, he told of the influence of his Catholic childhood in Ireland. I found the interview fascinating, and enjoyed hearing Toibin's distinctive Irish accent. He now lives part of the year in Ireland and part in New York City, where he teaches at Columbia University. I am intrigued enough by the description of the book, added to the fact that I think he is a great writer, that I will likely find and read this latest novel from a great author.