April books

[slemslempike]

Apparently I never got around to posting about what I read in April, so here are two non-consecutive months' worth.

April Books
Come Hither, Nurse! - Jane Grant
The Finkler Question - Howard Jacobson
Exchanges of Hearts - Janet Quin-Harkin (Sweet Dreams)
No More Boys - Charlotte White (Sweet Dreams)
The Lark on the Wing - Elfrida Vipont
The Spring of the Year - Elfrida Vipont
Flowering Spring - Elfrida Vipont
The Pavilion - Elfrida Vipont
The Story of Horace - Alice M. Coates
The Summer Jenny Fell in Love - Barbara Conklin (Sweet Dreams)
Penny and Aggie
Mr Wonderful - Fran Michaels (Sweet Dreams)
The Cinderella Game - Sheri Cobb South (Sweet Dreams)

Come Hither, Nurse! was a largely forgettable story which I'd have enjoyed much more had I not already read Monica Dickens and indeed Helen Dore Boylston. The strict rules of hospital life, the Matron terrifying her charges, the not-really-all-that-forbidden romances with doctors, the occasional eye-watering description of a medical treatment, all present and correct.

I had taken a slight dislike to The Finkler Question before I even read it, because the first time I saw the cover I mistook the pattern of the scarf for the check of a summer school uniform, and was disappointed it wasn't a book about a girls' school. However, despite this fundamental lack, it was excellent. Treslove, the central character, is fascinated and attracted by Jews and Jewishness, but in a hugely aquisitive way. He is not Jewish, but wants to be a part of what he sees as their club, to experience their cultural highs and lows - in short, to make sure that they don't have things that he doesn't/can't have. The reviews on Amazon focus on the loathsome nature of all the characters, which is largely true.

In Exchange of Hearts Fiona, an English girl, goes out to live on a ranch in New Mexico as an exchange and falls in love with a (dreadful) American boy called Taco. As if this wasn't entertaining enough, the book also has some notes from gair (who gave me all the Sweet Dreams books) with gender and sexuality analysis. This enlivened the dire prose no end. My favourite is this: "It must be hard to drive a big truck like this," she said hesitantly."Skill! Power phallus!" One one page the handwriting draws out the text telling us "women lie" and a few pages later "how they lie!" I think my second favourite is "vagina? Seductress!" Sadly the notes stop about 1/3 in. Either gair got busy with something else, or (and this is what I think happened) the heteronormativity of the novel swamped her and stayed her unfeminine pen from sullying the pages while she guzzled the lessons along with the story. By the end of the book Fiona has become "a great little horseswoman", and is so changed by America she forgets she has to take her own bag along to the greengrocers in England! No More Boys was a damnable lie, and the other Sweet Dreams are almost entirely forgotten two months on.

The Elfrida Vipont books were lovely. These were the books I borrowed from my fellow Girlsown fan and colleague Alison. Seeing Kit grow up and have to negotiate her way around wanting to be a singer was really interesting, and I was initially a bit disappointed when the later books passed to her niece, but she was also an interesting person to follow. I liked that she didn't get in to grammar school because she wasn't quite bright enough, and didn't work hard enough, and that her new headteacher was kind but firm, and wanted to make a success of the secondary modern.

The Story of Horace is a picture book about a bear called Horace who eats his way through an entire family. I read it because Alison my colleague was surprised I didn't know it, and recited it to me over the desk divide before bringing it in so I could see the illustrations. Very good.

I borrowed Penny and Aggie from terriem literally years ago, and have finally got around to reading it. Next time I see you I shall return it, along with the Toby Young book! Penny and Aggie is a comic about two girls at high school in America, which I enjoyed.

Comments

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

I have read a Howard Jacobson book, although I can't remember which one, and all the characters in it were quite ghastly, so maybe he specialises in vile characters?

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I've read one before that might be called Coming Up for Air? And possibly another one set in a Turkish university? No-one there was very pleasant either, it might well be one of his things.

[terriem.livejournal.com]

I saw Penny and Aggie on the list and thought to myself "Cool, I wonder where Clare found out about that?". Completely forgotten that I'd lent it to you! Glad you enjoyed it.

My schedule is about to get a lot free-er, so next time you're in London we should definitely meet up. I'm in Edinburgh in September, but that's for a wedding, so not sure how much free time I'll have...

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately it doesn't look like I'm going to be in London again until the autumn, and not then if I move on to a different post. Once things are sorted thoguh I might come down for my own time! If you do have free time around a wedding it would be lovely to see you, but I know that's unlikely!

[terriem.livejournal.com]

It might be possible - will keep you posted!