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Latest Reads:
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The Sexual Life of Catherine M.
by
Catherine Millet
This was the first novel on the list of the book club I recently joined. I had read some good reviews about the novel
so I expected a lot more then what I actually ended up reading. The novel recounts the hedonistic life of Catherine "M" in Paris. She is quite
brash about the number of encounters she has experienced, so much so that one begins to wonder how much of the text is actually a recount of her life
or simply fiction. Suffice it to say that the novel was not at all well received by the club, not for the fact of the subject matter, but more due
towards the writing style and the believability of this supposed autobiography. One reviewer was bold enough to put this title on the same level of Gloria Steinem's
writings. That is far too generous (if not completely outrageous), for I believe that this is more of an account of hedonistic self-degradation then women's sexual liberation.
Originally written in French, I have been informed that the translation
is not to blame. 5/10 (I'm being generous)
The Lovely Bones
by
Alice Sebold
"The Lovely Bones" recounts the story of Susie Salmon, who tragically dies at the age of fourteen. She narrates the story from "her" heaven. Over the course of the novel
she watches as her family comes to terms with her death, how her killer continues to evade capture, and how people whom she knew, no matter how close, eventually have closure
and move on with their lives. The novel opens up an interesting scenario of what part of the afterlife could be. One reviewer suggested that it is essentially a rehash of
"Ghost" which I though was rather harsh. I really did like the story, however I was disappointed with the formulaic ending. 7/10
Fugitive Pieces
by
Anne Michaels
"Fugitive Pieces" revolves around the life of a young Polish Jew, Jakob Beer, who witnesses the murder of his family by the Nazis in WWII Poland. He is rescued by Athos,
a Greek, who smuggles him out to his home on the Greek Island of Zakynthos. There, Athos raises Jakob, teaches him Greek and his love for Archaeology. They later both
immigrate to Toronto, Canada where Jakob, now a young man, continues to deal with his family's death as he matures. Over the course of the tale, we see Jakob win and lose
in love and see how he absorbs some of Zakos' traits. The second part of the novel is narrated by Ben, an acquaintance of Jakob's and whose parents are Holocaust survivors,
who finds his journals at a much later date. Some did not appreciate this abrupt change in the narrative; I found it to be an interesting change from the norm. I believe
that people from Toronto will enjoy the illustrative archaeological descriptions of Toronto's landscape. This book struck a personal cord with me as the description of Zakos'
death, who becomes a professor at the University of Toronto once the two principal characters have settled there, if not exact, is quite similar to the way my father, a
professor of French at the University of Toronto at the time of his passing, passed. I believe that this novel is very well written, and so far is it my favourite out of
our reading list. Highly recommended. 9/10
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