The Biographer's Tale - Antonia S. Byatt

 

The grass is always greener on the other side, and the books left behind in the lobby of the next door building are always better than the ones left in our lobby. Luckily, every now and again I go and check what the neighbours' stock is like, and a couple of weeks ago there I found this book. 

Most of the time, Byatt would be quite low on my priority list, but I wanted to read a hard copy book for once and this looked like the most approachable out of the pile I had on my bedside table. 

And what a surprising pleasure this was. Having just gone to a - mediocre - Tate exhibition of the Rossettis I was prepared for a deep-dive into the life stories of 19th century figures that I didn't really like interlinked with contemporary life stories of fictional characters that I didn't find too interesting, much like in Possession. 

Instead, what I got was a deep-dive into the life stories of 19th century figures that I liked, interlinked with contemporary life stories of fictional characters that I found very interesting. And that made me happy. 

Public Library and Other Stories - Ali Smith

 

This book made me realize that, perhaps, I should reduce my consumption of Ali Smith books (something that was bound to happen sooner or later anyway, as I've read most of them by now). 

The wordplay and critical observations that would have blown me away a couple of years ago have now lost their spark. 

And this short story collection to me felt haphazardly put together, while the idea of alternating the stories with short personal recollections of (often nostalgically long gone) libraries was probably one of the least original that Smith ever came up with. 

Still, we agree that libraries should play a crucial role in our society, but - having worked in one for the last six years - I definitely believe we should really revolutionize how we think of the spaces and their purpose. 

La Vita Intima - Niccolò Ammaniti

Ammaniti wrote some good books. A couple of them might even be among the best ones out of the contemporary Italian canon, but this isn't one of them. 

Much of the book is a light and stress-free read that doesn't trouble (but also doesn't give much to think about to) the reader. The end leaps past the banal and edges dangerously close to the brutally uninspired. 

Maria Cristina, the book's main character, is essentially presented as an empty vessel, and over the course of the novel she doesn't really develop as much as the author would perhaps like us to believe. It might be that this is a man writing about what is essentially the archetype of a desperate housewife of the Italian ruling class. Or it might just be that the character is inherently dull and the book is full of trivialities (something that Ammaniti in most of his other books appears to avoid). 

 

The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood

 

Here Atwood and I are two roads that diverge into the woods. That's because we see Penelope differently: while we agree that being smart and ordinary-looking should be way more than enough to earn universal respect and recognition, I believe that she was given that long before Atwood's novella. 

Or perhaps the way in which I always thought of Penelope is different from the way most people (or at least most men) thought of her through the centuries, which is a distinct possibility. 

Still, looking at this through the prospective of the twelve maids that are supposedly so dear to Atwood might have been a more interesting approach (at least for me). Instead, the maids here are reduced to a - sometimes incongruous - chorus, and I think ultimately even Atwood doesn't do them justice. 

And if I was to retell the Odyssey from a different perspective for the umpteenth time, I'd probably be looking at the events through Argos's eyes. Seriously. 

Italiana - Giuseppe Catozzella

 

I'm an Italian historian who long ago stopped reading academic books on Italian history. 

This isn't an academic book, but rather a (thinly) fictionalized account of the life of Italy's most prominent female brigand around the time of the country's unification. It's commendable in its intent, being pretty much the only novel touching on the topic of brigandage that I can think of (well, there are the Roman passages of The Count of Montecristo, but they probably don't count!). 

Yet, the retelling of a historical tale is both praiseworthy and the most significant weakness of the novel. Despite the unique angle given to the book by the lives of these outlaws, Catozzella is hardly the first person to look at the poverty of the Italian South in the late 19th century, and many others have done it better. 

Happy I read it, but as far as books on outlaws are concerned, The True History of the Kelly Gang is in another league. 

His Illegal Self - Peter Carey

 

This book was OK, which is a pretty sad statement for anything written by Peter Carey, but hey, you can't write something Booker-worthy every time. 

His Illegal Self  has a wild and pyrotechnic beginning, but once the actions shifts to Australia and the secrets of Che's "mom" are uncovered (a bit late to cause significant shockwaves) the book appears to settle, which is bizarre considering that I was expecting Carey to be - quite literally - at home there. 

And the ragtag Australian hippies are on the whole rather boring (or maybe it's just the nature of their anachronistically alternative lifestyle that doesn't attract me anymore?) and quite caricatural, which makes for many dull passages spent discussing the present and future of a former stray cat.  

The Testaments - Margaret Atwood

 

Perhaps I should go back and read The Handmaid's Tale, as I recall liking it, but not as much as its sequel. 

From what I can recall, the former is a book about persecution, and the latter is a book about an escape. Both have tortuous attempts at rebellion at their heart, but the first novel is an agonizing one in which every page adds another layer of cruelty, while the second one is an action-packed page turner. 

In The Testaments Atwood doesn't seem to dwell as much on human cruelty - that was already explored more than enough in The Handmaid's Tale and often a quick hint to something allows even forgetful readers like myself to remember the sensation of oppression left by the first book. 

All in all, The Testaments is most likely the more enjoyable read, but The Handmaid's Tale is the better book.