A summary of unposted titles from Spring 2021....
Subtitled A True Story of Vengeance and Survival, John Vaillant's account of a man-eating tiger in Russia's Maritime Territory gave us a fulsome education on the wrenching poverty that afflicted Russia's far east after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the endemic corruption that has devastated the tiger's habitat, and the history of the Siberian tiger and its brethren in Africa and the Indian subcontinent. What it didn't offer was a concise story. After a promising start, in which we learn about and applaud the tiger's killing of a local poacher, Vaillant veers off into lengthy digressions about Soviet-era politics, the Russo-Japanese war, the consumer economy in China, the plight of early man in sub-Saharan Africa, etc. After occasional updates on the activities of the marauding tiger, Vaillant does return in the final 30 pages to finish the story of how the tiger was eventually tracked and killed. He doesn't, however, answer the question implicit in the subtitle, as we are never quite sure whose survival is at stake in this most bleak of environments. Rating: 7.2
While Peter did offer News of the World for our consideration, we clearly disappointed him by not opting for one of his more substantial titles (Far From the Tree-Solomon; The Known World-Jones; Necessary Lies-Chamberlain; and The Return-Matar). At 208 pages, Paulette Jiles gave us (and Hollywood, since it was recently made into a film starring Tom Hanks) a short, endearing story about a Civil War veteran who's agreed to escort across Texas a young girl recently freed from Indian captivity. The book contains all of the ingredients needed for a successful movie: a sympathetic protagonist bound by a sense of duty, menacing bad guys (and few good ones for contrast), an arduous but successful journey, and a bond created during that journey that produces the novel's climax. OK, so it was predictable and at times corny, but it proved an enjoyable read. Indeed, that was the most common adjective used during our Zoom discussion. Misgivings aside, we liked the Civil War and Reconstruction history, Captain Kidd's livelihood as a reader of news in a time of deep political polarization, and the brief but sympathetic treatment of Joanna's captors, the Kiowa, and their Comanche allies. Rating: 7.4
Kevin Barry's novel about two aging Irish gangsters waiting expectantly one night at the Port of Algeciras has been on everyone's list of books to read. And it's been on ours as well. Offered but rejected in the past, I resurrected it alongside Homeland Elegies (Akhtar), The Abstainer (McGuire), The Splendid and the Vile (Larson), and Fortune Smiles (Johnson). For most, our selection was vindicated by an appreciation for Barry's poetic dialog, his unforgettable characters, and the building suspense he creates out of a series of flashbacks. Were it not for our American ears, we might all have given it a full thumbs-up as Doug did. But the fact that Barry had us running for the Irish-English dictionary slowed many of us down. While I found pleasure in reading quickly and ignoring the unfamiliar references, I was in the minority. All of us, however, were engaged by the gangsters' back story and intrigued by the significance each of the two men places on the elusive Dilly (for whom they are waiting) and her mother (whose death they both grieve). Rating: 7.8
When Tom told us we were finally going to dine in person, and he offered us a choice of Krueger's This Tender Land, Weiner's The Geography of Bliss, Proulx's Bad Dirt, and Sides' Hellbound on His Trail to accompany our meal, he figured he'd also toss in a book about food just for kicks. And that's how we ended up with Anthony Bourdain's book about his televised quest for the most compelling meals in the most exotic places around the world. After a 14-month hiatus, with only Zoom meetings to sustain our reading, the promise of real food and a discussion of same proved irresistible.
Let's dispense with the book first. It featured interesting locales and passable writing, with a few compelling stories intermixed with just as many forgettable ones. What was most memorable about the reading were the occasional anecdotes--his time in France with his brother, his reflections crossing North Africa, his depression in Indochina--that foretold Bourdain's subsequent suicide. While many of the dishes were enticing (and some utterly repelling), Bourdain's travelogue was bittersweet from start to finish.
Our dinner, on the other hand, was a pure pleasure from start to finish. With 15 guys in attendance (including our good friend Mark), and a table groaning with BBQ chicken and ribs and assorted sides, we spent less time on the book and more time simply eating and catching up. Fully-vaccinated and guided by the latest from the CDC, our dinner was the first large indoor gathering most of us have enjoyed since the onset of Covid. What a terrific way to return to normalcy!
Thanks for summarizing our take on these four books, Andrew. I won't go into detail as I don't remember all my comments on all the books, but I will note that there might be a common and disturbing theme running through these choices. Night Boat is about two old guys reminiscing about the past and their mistakes with their families. News of the World is about an old guy trying to find meaning in a new way. A Cook's tour is about an old guy traveling, trying in some places to regain a sense of past happiness and in some places being depressed. The Tiger maybe is less about old guys, but there are old guys in the book living lives of subsistence and desperation in the woods. So I worry about the common theme...and I guess we should be thankful that our most recent book at Armando's place avoided the old guy reminiscing/frustrated/unhappy genre.
ReplyDeleteAn eclectic group of books.
ReplyDeleteA Cook's Tour, while not great, was more poignant knowing that some of the comments from Bourdain, when viewed after his suicide, shows that you need to pay attention to what your friends are saying.
Night Boat to Tangier I could have done without. Two old men talking of their drug kingpin past while looking for an estranged daughter was not a worthwhile read.
News of the World was well written, and I enjoyed the twists of the tale. That said, Peter was right regarding his choices being usurped. I picked up The Return and it was a good, interesting read.
The Tiger was another interesting read. Peter having the stuffed tiger as his backdrop for our online meeting was a master stroke. The travails of the Russian Far-East came to light in this book.