The Center Cannot Hold, My Journey Through Madness, Elyn R. Saks, 2007, narrated by Alma Cuervo. This is the memoir of a remarkable intelligent and well-educated woman and her harrowing life with chronic schizophrenia. I'm sorry to say that I found her so unsympathetic that I couldn't stand this book. In fact I don't know why I made myself listen to the whole thing.
You Don't Love Me Yet, Jonathan Lethem, 2007, narrated by Jonathan Lethem. The first Lethem novel I've read from the point of view of a female character. Totally fascinating and original, as one expects from Lethem, about rock and roll, sex, and the nature of creativity (if I'm not going to far with that one) - what's to criticize? I guess I will say it although I hate too - I want to trust Lethem more than myself. But. Our main characters is patently a fantasy female created by a man. I want to give Lethem props for writing what feels like a bold book about a woman, but he's not able to get out of that box. She writes rock songs, which she really cribs from listening to a creative man on the phone, forms a rock band, falls in love a lot and has a lot of sex with unattractive but interestingly artistic men. The book tries to be /about/ this, or at least be arch or knowing about this, even as it does this, but that is what it does. It was definitely a turn on to hear Lethem in his own voice describe sex scenes in my ear but I was left feeling a little dirty and disappointed. Oh god, Jonathan, forgive me.
April 17, 2008.
The Trustee from the Toolroom - have already blogged about this one. What a great book.
April 30, 2008.
The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain, "A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery", Andrew M. Greeley, 2001. Read by George Guidall. A mystery set in Paris, narrated by the amateur detective, a Catholic priest from Boston. A young priest disappears under mysterious circumstances - spoiler alert-- he turns out to have been a woman. Not only did I find this book incredibly annoying in all other respects, especially in the simultaneously unbelievable and unsympathetic characters - even its cavalier-while-pretending-to-be-reverent treatment of the Catholic Church got under my skin. How is this part of a succesful series? Who reads these books? Among other problems they seem suited neither to people who like or dislike the Catholic Church, and that's got to cover about everybody. As a side note, George Guidall is second only to the great Frank Muller as a narrator.
May 8, 2008
Tears of the Giraffe, No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book 2, Alexander McCall Smith, 2000, read by Lisette Lecat. I listened The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (book 1) read by the same narrator while in Cameroon. These two books are very simple (in a great way) and note perfect. Here is an example of a female lead character created flawlessly by a male author. They are the story of Precious Ramotswae, a seemingly ordinary Botswanan who sets up a detective agency. She solves a series of mysteries, which are connected in sometimes subtle and sometimes obvious ways, in a way reminiscent of Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple as opposed to Sherlock Holmes - character observation and intuition rather than forensic science or subtle deduction. As in the Holmes canon, much of the pleasure is derived from repetitive, loving descriptions of the main characters and their home. The stories are not only the most lovely character portraits but also a subtle, graceful tribute to the nation of Botswana and to African women and people. The narrator is superb and perfectly suited to the books. Almost too good to be true, I always feel as if McCall Smith is almost pulling one over on me. (That said I read one of the Sunday Philosophy Club series, probably the eponymous first one, circa 2006, by the same author - centered around an amateur female detective in Edinburgh- and hated it, finding the characters unsympathetic and unbelievable.)
May 13, 2008
Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton, 1948, read by Maggie Soboil. I took a copy of this book with me when I went to South Africa and never read it. I was blown away when I listened to it. A deserved and heart-breaking classic about a black country priest in South Africa who travels to the big city when his son dies; he finds his son's mistress and son and rescues them. The narrator had the most beautiful South African accent and did a perfect job. Apparently a more popular version is read by Michael York, a man whom I loved in Cabaret but who ranks a my least favorite audiobooks narrator of all time, having botched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
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