Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
January 10, 2010
I’d heard of this book when it was first released, but only came to reading it this week.
The book tells the story of Chiyo, who is taken from her home, along with her sister, to be educated as a Geisha – although from the outset, Chiyo’s expectations of life are set to be proved way off mark, and life is a tough struggle for her. It is set over the period of WWII, and whilst the novel doesn’t go too heavily into the effects of the war (pointing out that the geisha districts remained aloof from the struggles for a time) the war does have a lasting effect on our protagonist, and the overall story is amazing.
I was astonished to find out this was someone’s first novel. The prose is evocative and beautiful. I have very little historical knowledge of Japan (although I did know that Geisha were not prostitutes, which this book rightly and eloquently sets out), but the way Golden writes left me in little doubt as to the sights Chiyo was seeing. I felt as in awe of her first time in Kyoto as she did.
Some may find the subject matter of this quite depressing; indeed, the protagonist does seem to suffer blow after blow on her journey through life. But the characters are wholly believable; you cannot help but to tbe drawn along with Chiyo’s story.
I couldn’t really put this book down once I’d started it; you need to find out how it ends. despite how disheartening a lot of it is.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
January 3, 2010
I bought and read this paperback edition on recommendation from a friend after finishing 1984 and Brave New World. It hasn’t disappointed.
I must stress, it’s been a while since I saw the movie American Psycho, though this has now been added to my Lovefilm rental list.
I see a lot of negative reviews about this book; not just because of its graphically violent and perverse content (the splatter / gore movies such as Saw or the Hostel series possibly make that a moot point now) but because of the way it is written.
If you’re not too sure of the plot of American Psycho, the blurb on the back page sums it up well:
Patrick Bateman is twenty-six and works on Wall Street; he is handsome, sophisticated, charming and intelligent. He is also a psychopath. Taking us to a head-on collision with America’s greatest dream – and its worst nightmare – American Psycho is a bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to confront.
In the way I interpret this book, it’s easy to counter head-on people’s negative comments on Ellis’ writing. Most complains are on the prose; lengthy paragraphs string together names of designers, style of garb and struggles to get reservations at top (and seemingly short-lived) restaurants. Every character in this novel is interchangeable; our protagonist Bateman is constantly mistaken for other yuppies, and likewise, he often has trouble identifying anyone outside of his close social circle. But even for his close “friends” we find no more to describe them than the clothes they wear, and the quality of their business card in comparison to Bateman’s own (which causes him no end of distress).
Patrick Bateman only comes alive – only seems to notice people – when is either stalking them for, or in the act of murdering them. At these points in the novel (and the murders in graphic detail only start a third of the way through the book, though one is alluded to right at the start) Bateman (through Ellis) describes in graphic closeness the way a person looks – their facial expressions, their reaction to what is happening, and more importantly, Bateman’s own reactions to the situations.
A pyschopath Bateman clearly is; the mastery of the writing in this book leaves no doubt in the readers mind as to that fact. The way he explores the detachment of the rising social class of the 80′s has to be admired. Yes, the lengthy paragraphs of designer-clad yuppies scrutinising hardbodies can be bland and repetitive; pretty much like the world Ellis is showing us. The juxtaposition of this blandness against the shocking depth of analysis when Bateman is alternately screwing, torturing or, for want of a more decent turn of phrase, defacing his dead victims is undeniably effective.
A fine read. If you can stomach it.
Thunder and Ashes: Morningstar Strain by Z.A Recht
January 3, 2010
I downloaded the Audible audio book for this hot on the heels of finishing “Plague of the Dead”, Recht’s first book in the Morningstar Strain series.
Finished it today at the gym (Recht’s audio books seem queerly good to work out to) and on the whole I wasn’t disappointed.
Firstly, don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t looking for epic literature listening to these books, and if that’s what you’re hoping for, well, why are you listening to or reading a zombie novel? “Thunder and Ashes”, as with “Plague of the Dead” gives you simply and straightforward action from the outset.
It carries on the stories of Anna Demilio and Francis Sherman, along with a few other stereotype survivors (journalist, soldier, loner, medic) with some expendable “extras” chucked in for good measure along the way. They are looking to find a way to Omaha to a research institute, in order to find a vaccine to the Morningstar virus which essentially turns its victims into zombies.
The only disappointments in this book were the ‘twist’ at the end which I unfortunately saw coming a mile off, and the “American Values” played out where Sherman and his survivors spend half the book assisting saving a town they come across. Still, the action therein is written well enough, and I enjoyed the lot from start to finish.
If you’re an Audible member, then this book is well worth a credit. Really not sure why the price tag on the book is so high on Amazon – it may be worth waiting for it to come down a tad before purchasing the book itself. Still a good 4 out of 5 read.
Book Review: Plague of the Dead (The Morningstar Strain), by Z A Recht
December 23, 2009
I’ve just finished listening to this audio book – downloaded from Audible, where I get all of my audio books from these days.
After listening to the audio, I’m most certainly going to buy the book itself to enjoy this more thoroughly; whilst audio books are good to use on the commute (there is no way on earth you’ll ever get me listening to Radio 1) there’s also no safe way of absorbing yourself in the story, the way you can sat on a bean bag with a book 
Whilst writing this review, I have found that Z A Recht passed away only this month http://permutedpress.com/smf/index.php?topic=7125.0 and my condolences go out to his family. It’s a shame such a talent has been cut so short 
I hope they find someone to do the third Morningstar book as much justice as the series has so far.
Plague of the Dead was, for me, a brilliant book. I normally read fantasy or classic literature, so to listen to an apocalyptic book was quite out of the park copmared to my normal fare.
The build-up of tension at the start of the book, in an exchange of emails relating to the spread of the virus, is well-done. The characters are acted out superbly by the narrator of this work, Oliver Wyman, and the way he reads the story surely assists in how it comes to life.
The action is quite relentless, as you would expect from a novel in this genre. It doesn’t go over-the-top with gore though, like you would get visually in a film of this nature (Resident Evil anyone?). Dialogues are realistic (the military detail is well researched and feels realistic, for an Average Joe like me with no military knowledge at all) and the descriptive prose helps rather than hinders the story in its detail.
A 5 star recommendation for the audio book – I expect the novel to give me nightmares no less when I read it for myself
