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The White Tiger

3m — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:26:28 +0000

The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga

2008 Booker Prize winner
2008, 276 pp.

Hmmm, well, I happened to get this book from the library on the Saturday before the Booker Prize was announced “just in case.” When The White Tiger was revealed as the winner, I was really surprised. Not only did it have the longest odds to win, but I had recently read The Secret Scripture and not-so-secretly hoped it would win. In fact, the committee admitted these two were the main contenders and that the decision was not unanimous.

To be honest, I kind of groaned when I heard Adiga’s book was the winner. I don’t have a love affair at all with the Booker prize winners that I’ve read, so I was a little skeptical that I would enjoy this one. But, being the trooper that I am, I thought I’d give it at least 40 or so pages to see if it could capture my interest.

Surprise, surprise; it did. Not only is it a scathing indictment against India’s treatment of its poorest citizens, it also manages to be a clever black comedy. This is exactly what the prize committee chairman revealed as the reason behind its decision. So which book did I like better, The White Tiger or The Secret Scripture? It’s really comparing apples to oranges. They’re just not the same type of book at all. They both are worthy social commentaries on the authors’ home countries, but just written in a totally different style. While Sebastian Barry’s prose is lyrical, Adiga’s is biting (and comical). They both work spectacularly, just in different ways. I can definitely see why the committee had a difficult decision on its hands, and either one would have been a winner in my book.

How does it fare against the other Booker Prize winners? Well, I definitely enjoyed it more than some of the other winners I’ve read, including:

2007 – The Gathering by Anne Enright
2006 – The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
2005 – The Sea by John Banville
2000 – The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
1997 – The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
1985 – The Bone People by Keri Hulme
1983 – Life & Times of Michael K by J. M. Coetzee

And believe me, no one was more surprised than I was.

And the (Booker) winner is…

3m — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:38:39 +0000

Click on the picture for story.

Booker Shortlist Authors on Audio

3m — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:07:43 +0000

Click on a picture for individual audios, or HERE for the complete set.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

3m — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:20:38 +0000

Yann Martel’s Life of Pi won the Booker Prize in 2002. It’s the story of Pi Patel from his childhood to his time on a lifeboat after the ship carrying his family and his father’s zoo animals sinks. Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger, shares Pi’s fate on the raft. Due to the tiger, he must constantly be on guard during his 227 day ordeal.

I really didn’t get all that much into the story until the ship sunk — it really gets going at that point. And then, just when I was getting tired of all the desperate tactics for survival in the lifeboat, another interesting development occurs. I was surprised by the twist ending as well, but it was a good one. I was impressed by the symbolism in the book. Recommended.

2001, 319 pp.
Rating:

Review: The Gathering

3m — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:32:09 +0000

The Gathering by Anne Enright won the Booker Prize in 2007. The novel is about family relationships, grief, and memory. Veronica comes from a large family of 12 siblings (plus several stillbirths). Her closest brother Liam has just committed suicide, and as she deals with her grief about losing her brother, the event dredges up some fairly shocking childhood memories. Soon she doesn’t know how she feels about either of her families — either her childhood family or even her husband and children.

The language and scenes are shocking and graphic. The subject matter is dark and depressing. Normally, I would have predicted that I would have hated this book, and I can see why many don’t like it. But, Enright’s writing drew me in. Veronica’s voice is so brutally honest it cut through me. Definitely not for everyone, but it’s a book you think about long after you’ve finished it, and in my mind, that’s the mark of a good one.

2007, 261 pp.
Rating: 4/5
2007 Booker Prize winner

Life & Times of Michael K

3m — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:24:00 +0000

The Life & Times of Michael K won the Booker Prize in 1983. Written by Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee, it is set in South Africa during a civil war. Michael is a gardener in his earlier thirties who has a harelip. He was institutionalized by his mother when he was a child, but at the beginning of the book when she is old and very ill, she calls for him. She would like him to take her to the village where she grew up. Getting the proper paperwork for the train is practically impossible because of the war, so finally they give up on it and try to go there on their own.

Many things happen to Michael on the trip. He is captured and made to work for awhile, and then released. He finds what he thinks is the farm where his mother was raised and makes himself a home (if you can call it that) there. Struggling to survive and evade the government, in the midst of it all he still wants to be a gardener and plants a small pumpkin patch, which he guards and tends with fervor.

The book is told in three parts. Parts I and III describe the storyline from Michael’s perspective. Part II is told in first person by a doctor who tries to understand Michael when he is brought under his care. This was a thought-provoking book and I enjoyed it, though I could have done without some scenes at the end. I’ll definitely read more by Coetzee.

A quote:

I could live here forever, he thought, or till I die. Nothing would happen, every day would be the same as the day before, there would be nothing to say.

1983, 184 pp.
Rating:

More on The God of Small Things

3m — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:59:30 +0000

I’ve been doing a little more research on The God of Small Things because I’ll be leading the discussion of it for BookAwards starting September 1st.

In my earlier review (if you can call it that), I stated that I was confused about something in the last couple of chapters in the book. I sort of had a “Did what I think happen, happen?” moment. My suspicions were confirmed. I haven’t rated the novel yet, nor really written an adequate review of it because 1) I want to discuss several issues with my book group without giving things away, and 2) I don’t know how in the world I’m going to rate this book with this certain event taking place in the second to last chapter.

This novel is definitely one that will generate discussion. I can’t say I liked it, but, surprisingly, I can’t say I hated it, either. I have NO IDEA how to give this book a rating, but after our group discussion, I’ll attempt one with at least some stab at a better book review as well.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

3m — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:48:32 +0000

The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy

1997, 321 pp.

Booker Prize

Rating: 3.5

I finished this book two days ago, and I still don’t know how I feel about it. Loved some of it, hated some of it, and was confused by the ending (particularly the second to last chapter; did they ?). I am reading this with my Book Awards group in September, and I have many things I’d like to talk about and discuss with them first before I write any kind of formal review.

I guess I will write one later. Lay Ter. (If you’ve read this book, you know what this means!)

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

3m — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 01:40:53 +0000

The Blind Assassin
by Margaret Atwood

2000, 521 pp.

Booker Prize

Rating: 3.5

I was disappointed in this book. I expected great things after loving The Handmaid’s Tale earlier in the year. I was especially disappointed as it was over 500 pages; it could have easily lost about 100 pages of detail. I guess that’s my main gripe about it. It just seemed too detailed for me. Also I correctly predicted almost all that happened. Long, too detailed, and too predictable. But still, Atwood does know how to turn a phrase, and that is why it still gets a 3.5 star rating.

The Sea by John Banville

3m — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:45:00 +0000

The Sea
by John Banville

2005, 195 pp.

2005 Booker Prize

Rating: 2

This was not my cup of tea. I don’t need an exciting plot to enjoy a book. I don’t mind older men looking back on their lives. In a similar vein, I loved Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, although I hated Roth’s Everyman. This was closer to Everyman.

Max is a widower that is overly sensitive to smells who is grieving (I guess?) over his wife. He calls her the “c” word and admits he really didn’t know her because he preferred not to know her.

Not one character in the book was likable. I guess I was lucky this was short.

1. Joy – July 6, 2007: Ahhh, I just added this onto my iPod! I didn’t like EVERYMAN either, so you not liking this one is not a good sign for me.
2. Petunia – July 11, 2007: I had the same reaction as you did. Didn’t care for it.

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

3m — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0000

The Bone People
by Keri Hulme

1984 , 445 pp.

Rating: 4 3.5

1985 Booker Prize

I didn’t think I was going to like this book at first, and I didn’t love it, but it definitely kept me reading and I did care about the characters.

Kerewin is an artist who lives in a Tower by the sea. She likes living by herself and even likes the isolation. She is estranged from her family.

Joe is a factory worker with an adopted son who is always getting into trouble. Joe has a bit of a drinking problem and doesn’t keep good tabs on his son. The boy ends up at Kerewin’s place, and the three end up becoming friends, if not a quasi family unit. Secrets, lies, and violence lie beneath the surface, though, and threaten to tear them all apart.

The story takes place in New Zealand with Joe and Kerewin being part Maori. Some of the myths, culture, and history of the Maori are also part of the book.

This is a different kind of book that is written in almost a “stream of consciousness” style. I thought this was a bit distracting at first, but then I got used to it and even enjoyed it. I also don’t like it when authors use the present tense rather than the past tense. This aspect bothered me for about 3/4 of the book, but then I didn’t notice it anymore.

For instance (p. 34) “She picks up the curious pendant one last time, to fondle and admire before she goes downstairs,” rather than “She picked up the curious pendant one last time and fondled and admired it before she went downstairs.” I guess it’s a preference issue.

If you’ve already read this book and would like to talk about it further, we are discussing it right now at BookAwards.

1. Laura – July 3, 2007: Thanks for the review, I have this on my list for the Book Awards Challenge. Looking forward to it!
2. Nyssaneala – July 3, 2007: This book should make for a good discussion. I hope we get a lot of people that chime in!

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

3m — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:15:00 +0000

The Inheritance of Loss
by
Kiran Desai

2005, 318 pp.

Winner: Booker Prize, NBCC

Rating: ~~3.5~~ 3

While this book has garnered much critical acclaim, I found it very difficult to complete. It took me over two months to get through it. Once I put it down, I just wasn’t compelled to pick it up again. It sort of felt like a school assignment. Luckily, the last 1/3 of the book went by much faster than the first 2/3. Before reading, I would highly recommend doing a little research if you are ignorant (like I was) of Indian culture or history. One link that shed a little light on the subject for me was here.

There are two settings for the book–America and Kalimpong. Sai lives with her grandfather, a former judge, at the foothills of the Himalayas. She falls in love with Gyan, her tutor, who is sympathetic to the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). The clash of ideals between the Indians who want change and those who wish to retain aspects of British colonialism is one of the two main conflicts in the novel.

The other conflict is that of the Indians who emigrate to the United States and the conditions of their lives once they live there. Biju, who is the son of the Judge’s cook, is one of the lucky few who get a visa to go to America. But once he is there, is he really better off? The novel asks the question — how much does each person care about their individual culture, nationality, and family. What does our “inheritance” mean to us?

While I appreciate these themes and do think the writing was brilliant at times, I wouldn’t recommend this book for most readers.

Carl V. – April 26, 2007: Beautiful title, beautiful cover art, but just not something that sounds appealing to me for some reason. Maybe because it looks like too much work. That doesn’t sound very literary of me, but most of the times I don’t want to have to slog through a book.Lisa – April 26, 2007I am really really struggling to finish this. I can’t make myself pick it up again. When I’m actually reading it I enjoy it, but it does not inspire me to return to it. Some recent discussion has made me curious about what happens with the Judge, but not so much as to keep reading.; I do think it’s a beautiful book, and I even like the writing.
3M – April 26, 2007: Carl–I almost always finish books I don’t like all the way to the end. I wouldn’t have finished this one, though, if it wasnn’t our April read for BookAwards.Lisa–I really struggled, too. I felt exactly the same way. I’m glad I finished it, but it took me about 2 months! The last 1/3 goes by a lot faster if you’re that far. I think it is about page 200 or so.
Framed – April 29, 2007: I have read similar comments about this book. It’s always nice to find a book I simply don’t “have to” read. There’s so many that I do.
Stephanie – May 3, 2007: I had the same problem as you – just had such a hard time getting through it!
Stephanie
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