Jill from The Magic Lasso has been hosting Orange Januarys and Julys for awhile now. The challenge is to read at least one (or as many as you want) book(s) that has won or been shortlisted or longlisted for the Orange Prize. I did better this time than I normally do, and I’m fairly happy with my results this time.
The books I read:
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (2005 New Writers’ shortlist)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (1999 shortlist)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (2004 longlist)
I really liked all of these, but especially Unless and The Poisonwood Bible. Both were truly magnificent. I also am halfway through The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff (2008 New Writers’ shortlist) and am on page 70 of Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (1997 shortlist), so I’ll finish up those in August.
A group of us are participating in Orange July, and I haven’t posted my intention to participate yet — after we’re almost halfway through the month! I have been reading winners and shortlist and longlist titles, which all qualify.
Books so far:
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (2005 new writers’ shortlist)
If you haven’t been in a war and are wondering how long it takes to get used to losing everything you think you need or love, I can tell you the answer is No time at all.
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff won the Printz Award and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for New Writers. I really enjoy ‘end of the world as we know it’ books and this was no exception. However, I did take exception with Daisy’s relationship with her cousin Edmond. Although relationships between cousins used to be acceptable, it just isn’t today. At least by my standards.
Daisy’s father has remarried and she is shipped off to England to stay with her cousins. When her Aunt Penn is away on business, war breaks out and the children are left to fend for themselves, and they survive for awhile admirably. As the war goes on, though, it becomes increasingly difficult for the family to stay together and find the supplies they need. The goal of survival begins to take its toll.
I did enjoy this story, except for the situation noted above. I normally don’t like books written in a run-on, free-form style as this one was, but as it was narrated by a teenager, it didn’t bother me as much as it usually does. I really empathized with Daisy and her situation, and I admired how she was able to see one of her problems in a new light toward the end of the book.
But why did they have to be cousins? The answer isn’t ‘because of the war’ as they began their relationship before it started. I just wish it could have been a friend of the cousins instead.
Of course it’s every peasant whose forgiveness must be sought. But the rabbi’s point is even more tyrannical: nothing erases the immoral act. Not forgiveness. Not confession.
And even if an act could be forgiven, no one could bear the responsibility of forgiveness on behalf of the dead. No act of violence is ever resolved. When the one who can forgive can no longer speak, there is only silence.
Fugitive Pieces is a must read for those interested in Jewish fiction or the history of World War II. The book is told in two parts. In the first we have Jakob Beer, rescued as a child from the forces of WWII by a Greek scholar. He struggles mightily with the memories of his parents and sister. They haunt him throughout his life, overshadowing even the good. In the second, we have Ben, the son of two Holocaust survivors. He is much influenced by Jakob’s poetry, which helps him understand his parents’ deep emotional pain, and, in turn, his own. In this regard, I found the second section a bit reminiscent of Maus. In both parts, there is always the question of whether or not the survivors really and truly survived or if they are hopelessly caught in their pasts.
I have a difficult time reading anything about the Holocaust, even if it deals primarily about the aftermath of the survivors. But, I feel it is extremely important for me to do so. I highly recommend this book if you have a similar interest in this topic.
Jill from The Magic Lasso has been hosting Orange Januarys and Julys for awhile now. The challenge is to read at least one (or as many as you want) book(s) that has won or been shortlisted or longlisted for the Orange Prize. I did better this time than I normally do, and I’m fairly happy with my results this time.
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