Beautiful World, Where are You by Sally Rooney
Book review: Beautiful World, where are you? by Sally Rooney #beautifulworldwhereareyou
I was drawn to pick up Sally Rooney’s novel because of her style in using 3rd person narration to give multiple viewpoints. I’ve also been on the lookout for omniscience or free indirect discourse in contemporary novels and I thought Beautiful World, Where Are You? may show me a unique version of these techniques. The four main characters and their voices in the novel are Alice, Eileen, Felix and Simon and their points of view switch between chapters. Misleadingly simple and mundane in its telling of events in each character’s life experiences, I found myself needing to work hard to stay focused on whose opinions and emotions were driving various parts of the narrative. As in all of Rooney novels I’ve read, not a lot happens though intermittent calmly conveyed erotic love scenes keep distracting and tipping the balance away from what the characters are trying to tell the reader. I think that’s the whole point of Rooney’s storytelling!
Eileen, Simon, Alice and Felix spend a lot of time trying to communicate efficiently with each other and seeking to understand their relationships to each other but also to themselves. There are also email chapters written in 1st person from Alice to Eileen and vice versa, though honestly these drew me out of the story and I never quite connected with whose email was whose until a few paragraphs into the chapter in most cases.
The specific detail and description of the places occupied in the story is cinematic in its linear step-by-step delivery. It seems Rooney has been clever with her stylistic choices that are simple, yet extraordinary and offer a leveled blank canvas upon which she makes perhaps just three or four true-Rooney opinion comments of Rooney’s. This fits with the viewpoint expressed by previous reviewers who suggest maybe Rooney could have written this in the form of essays, instead of a novel.
I was drawn to pick up Sally Rooney’s novel because of her style in using 3rd person narration to give multiple viewpoints. I’ve also been on the lookout for omniscience or free indirect discourse in contemporary novels and I thought Beautiful World, Where Are You? may show me a unique version of these techniques. The four main characters and their voices in the novel are Alice, Eileen, Felix and Simon and their points of view switch between chapters. Misleadingly simple and mundane in its telling of events in each character’s life experiences, I found myself needing to work hard to stay focused on whose opinions and emotions were driving various parts of the narrative. As in all of Rooney novels I’ve read, not a lot happens though intermittent calmly conveyed erotic love scenes keep distracting and tipping the balance away from what the characters are trying to tell the reader. I think that’s the whole point of Rooney’s storytelling!
Eileen, Simon, Alice and Felix spend a lot of time trying to communicate efficiently with each other and seeking to understand their relationships to each other but also to themselves. There are also email chapters written in 1st person from Alice to Eileen and vice versa, though honestly these drew me out of the story and I never quite connected with whose email was whose until a few paragraphs into the chapter in most cases.
The specific detail and description of the places occupied in the story is cinematic in its linear step-by-step delivery. It seems Rooney has been clever with her stylistic choices that are simple, yet extraordinary and offer a leveled blank canvas upon which she makes perhaps just three or four true-Rooney opinion comments of Rooney’s. This fits with the viewpoint expressed by previous reviewers who suggest maybe Rooney could have written this in the form of essays, instead of a novel.
Yet, the novel is clever. You can see its ripples of social commentary gently pushing at the reader, tricking us into thinking this novel is just about young 30 somethings struggling to know how to really connect with each other. In fact the relationships between these four protagonists are intertwined with current uncertainties about the world and weirdly the erratic, unpredictable emotions seem to represent the unstable state of world affairs.
A novel I’m not sure I’ll read again but I’m glad I did, especially since Rooney has another novel coming out soon.
Although I don’t ‘love’ her writing, I do think Rooney writes with a classical but historically accurate edge, meaning her novels have that studyable timeless quality.
#beautifulworldwhereareyou #sallyrooney #classicliterature #cleverbooks #literaryfiction #aprilreading
A novel I’m not sure I’ll read again but I’m glad I did, especially since Rooney has another novel coming out soon.
Although I don’t ‘love’ her writing, I do think Rooney writes with a classical but historically accurate edge, meaning her novels have that studyable timeless quality.
#beautifulworldwhereareyou #sallyrooney #classicliterature #cleverbooks #literaryfiction #aprilreading
Children of the Benin Kingdom by Dinah Orji
This children's novel (chapter book-style) is a great introduction to historical fiction for young readers. It's an adventure story with a journey undertaken by Ada, a girl who has grown up with a father figure Papa Eze, whom she soon learns is not her real father. He is a herbalist who heals his fellow villagers from sickness in their village situated on the fringes of an Edo community in West Africa. This story is set in the 12th century and Ada is urged to leave her Papa and this village close to the rainforest when her revealed true identity becomes a danger for her. She is being sought by the Edo people who know of her ancestry and of her mother Akele who was from a powerful royal family but who had been accused of "bringing bad luck to the land...an evil omen,' and was chased from the land. Ada finds out she is Ogiso, the sky-king's daughter, but also had a twin brother.
In the UK, on the National Curriculum for KS2 there is room to teach of this history and this novel is a great way to explore more about the culture and history of this part of Africa. It is noted in the information notes and questions at the back of the book that the title of the novel is 'Children of the Benin Kingdom' to be understood with western readers (because of the Benin Bronzes of the art world, stolen during the colonial era and now housed in western museums in the US and UK), since 'today the ancient Igodomigodo civilisation is often referred to as the Benin Kingdom, and the forest city is called Benin City.' However, it also notes that the word 'Benin' would not have been recognised by people in the 12th century so characters in the novel speak of the Edo kingdom. The Republic of Benin today is actually located further to the east, not to be confused with the medieval kingdom.
A fascinating civilisation and beautiful history of which I now know a little more through Dinah Orji's concise but fast-paced narrative, describing the gods of the Edo religion, importance of ancestry, the guilds of specialist craft and knowledge, medicine, power symbols of the Edo people, cowrie currency and much more.
I recommend this well-researched independently published young fiction novel by Dinosaur Books, written by Dinah Orji for children aged 8-11.
'In the ancient forest four friends uncover a dangerous secret.'
review by Christina Francis-Gilbert
#childrenofthebeninkingdom #dinahorji #dinosaurbooks @dinosaurbooks #historicalfiction #historicalfictionforkids #chapterbooks #westafricannovels #edopeople #12thcenturyafrica #adventurefiction #historyadventure
Stone Mattress Short Stories by Margaret Atwood
This was a re-read, but a good one. Short stories by Margaret Atwood. Stone Mattress: Nine Tales.
They’re all clever. They’re all expertly written. They’re all thought-provoking. They’re all filled with interesting, perhaps not always relatable, but always fascinating characters.
Brief Review:
As mentioned on the cover, these short stories really are: “tales of acute insight, turbulent relationships, and psychological aberration.” I enjoyed the first three connected stories, which I realised afterwards formed a trilogy of characters. This reminded me of the skill in structuring short stories used by Elizabeth Strout, where she managed to write a novel of short stories with ‘Olive Ketteridge’.
I think I got most from reading ‘Torching the Dusties’ and ‘Stone Mattress’, since I have been interested in the stories of elderly characters and one of my protagonists has similar thought processes as Atwood’s, which I’m pleased about!
I’m certain that there were many mythical references which I have missed, but I was intrigued by the writing approach in these stories and valued Atwood’s acknowledgement where she says: “calling a piece of short fiction a “tale” removes it at least slightly from the realm of mundane works and days, as it evokes the world of the folk tale, the wonder tale, and the long-ago teller of tales. We may safely assume that all tales are fiction, whereas a “story” might well be a true story about what we usually agree to call “real life”, as well as a short story that keeps within the boundaries of social realism.”
Take a look at this collection. Recommended! Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood
#ninetales #stonemattress #margaretatwood #shortstories #bookreview #bookreviews #readingcommunity #readabitofeverything #francisgilbertbooks #reading #readmorebooks #gettingbacktoreading #gettingbacktoreadingmore #readingjourney #readingjourneys #readingstages
They’re all clever. They’re all expertly written. They’re all thought-provoking. They’re all filled with interesting, perhaps not always relatable, but always fascinating characters.
Brief Review:
As mentioned on the cover, these short stories really are: “tales of acute insight, turbulent relationships, and psychological aberration.” I enjoyed the first three connected stories, which I realised afterwards formed a trilogy of characters. This reminded me of the skill in structuring short stories used by Elizabeth Strout, where she managed to write a novel of short stories with ‘Olive Ketteridge’.
I think I got most from reading ‘Torching the Dusties’ and ‘Stone Mattress’, since I have been interested in the stories of elderly characters and one of my protagonists has similar thought processes as Atwood’s, which I’m pleased about!
I’m certain that there were many mythical references which I have missed, but I was intrigued by the writing approach in these stories and valued Atwood’s acknowledgement where she says: “calling a piece of short fiction a “tale” removes it at least slightly from the realm of mundane works and days, as it evokes the world of the folk tale, the wonder tale, and the long-ago teller of tales. We may safely assume that all tales are fiction, whereas a “story” might well be a true story about what we usually agree to call “real life”, as well as a short story that keeps within the boundaries of social realism.”
Take a look at this collection. Recommended! Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood
#ninetales #stonemattress #margaretatwood #shortstories #bookreview #bookreviews #readingcommunity #readabitofeverything #francisgilbertbooks #reading #readmorebooks #gettingbacktoreading #gettingbacktoreadingmore #readingjourney #readingjourneys #readingstages
Tenth of December Short Stories by George Saunders
Challenging - dark - emotional - funny…
Let’s see how I get on with these short stories by George Saunders! Reviews on StoryGraph and Goodreads have been wide and varied. I’m interested to read for myself. This is a shift from essays by Kingsolver to stories by Saunders! And it’s intended as a short interlude before I start Babel by R.F.Kuang for my international colleagues and friends’ book club!
Reader friends who’ve read Saunders, is this a good choice? I wasn’t a fan of Lincoln in the Bardo, but I thought The very persistent Gappers of Frip was literary art and I’ve been advised that Saunders’ stories are his best writing form. I do fear my ‘interlude’ strategy might be off but we shall see!
#georgesaunders #tenthofdecember #shortstory #shortstorycollection #shortstoryanthology #literaryfiction #literatureforlearning #learningfromthemasters #acclaimedauthors #bookawardfinalist
Let’s see how I get on with these short stories by George Saunders! Reviews on StoryGraph and Goodreads have been wide and varied. I’m interested to read for myself. This is a shift from essays by Kingsolver to stories by Saunders! And it’s intended as a short interlude before I start Babel by R.F.Kuang for my international colleagues and friends’ book club!
Reader friends who’ve read Saunders, is this a good choice? I wasn’t a fan of Lincoln in the Bardo, but I thought The very persistent Gappers of Frip was literary art and I’ve been advised that Saunders’ stories are his best writing form. I do fear my ‘interlude’ strategy might be off but we shall see!
#georgesaunders #tenthofdecember #shortstory #shortstorycollection #shortstoryanthology #literaryfiction #literatureforlearning #learningfromthemasters #acclaimedauthors #bookawardfinalist
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck
Oh I don't think I'm going to find another novel quite like this for the rest of this year! I LOVED this novel. I also love the front cover and the title. Everything about this novel appealed to me: its realism, its magic, its structure and layout, its personal interiority and emotional resonance, its language and style, its relationships and settings.
This is a debut novel but does not read like one. It is written with confidence and a unique voice that I will follow as I continue on my (mostly literary/upmarket though often a #readabitofeverything) reading journey.
The story covers motherhood, metamorphosis and transformation alongside identity and the grief one feels when needing to let go of a loved one. The main characters are Lewis and Wren who we meet soon after their marriage and when they have learned of Lewis' rare diagnosis. It is one that means he will retain his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. This diagnosis is presented as a matter-of-fact genetic mutation: Carcharodon carcharias.
Indeed this will be an 'unforgettable novel about life's perennial questions, the fragility of memories, finding joy amidst grief, and creating a meaningful life.' The narrative reads so smoothly but in a fascinating and gripping original way. The characters' backgrounds are interwoven into various fragmented sections all related and relevant to the opening relationship between Lewis and Wren. I loved how the plot came together in the final section.
I have not given anywhere near enough of the story of this wonderful novel away since I urge you to read it! You will find it fantastical and so perfect for our weird and wonderful world.
I found intertextual connections with Kafka's Metamorphosis as well as the shapeshifting points of discussion in Shapeshifters by Gavin Francis. A really interesting read and as I noted to start this review, one of my favourite reads so far this year!
review by Christina Francis-Gilbert
