The white woman on the green bicycle by Monique Roffey

Monique Roffey was born in Trinidad in the 1960’s and spent her first 13 year’s living in Portof Spain before moving to England. She has received most of her formal education from the UK and recently received a doctorate from Lancaster University, in creative writing. She has been a journalist, travelled the Middle East extensively, worked for Amnesty International and taught english. Monique describes herself as having unruly hair and being ‘curmudgeonly when not being impulsive.’ Her first novel ‘Sun dog’ was published in 2002.

The inspiration for her book originally came from her mother who in the 1950’s left the UK by boat with her green Raleigh bicycle and two suitcases for Trinidad. She told Monique how she used to cycle round wearing her shorts drawing attention to herself. People used to say: “Oh you are the woman on the green bicycle”. Monique took this idea and mixed it with the political history of Trinidad to produce a novel spanning a 50 year period. Events such as the rise in popularity of Eric Williams and the People’s National Movement [PNM], independence of Trinidad and Tobago and civil unrest in the 1970’s are woven into the plot. The novel’s main themes are colonialism, love, hate, resentment and anger.
The two protagonists, George and Sabine, arrive in Trinidad on a three year working contract at a time the country is going through change. Sabine hates the place whilst George loves it. Sabine adapts to life in Trinidad but at a cost to their relationship. Whilst I found I was not completely absorbed by the characters the novel did leave me with a sense of sadness and wondering about life.

On beauty by Zadie Smith

This book is a few years old now, a past winner of the Orange Prize and one I took for holiday reading recently.

As I was reading the book I was constantly thinking about the title -"On Beauty" and wondered how such a title could fit the novel.

The story is set in present day, mainly in the USA, in Boston where the Belsey family live. Howard Belsey is a white English academic trying to write a book about Rembrandt and lectures at the elite Wellington University. He is married to Kiki, a black American who works as a nurse. They have 3 children - Jerome who has embraced religion, Zora a forthright ruthless scholar and Levi who talks in gangsta rap and empathises with the Haitian cause. Kiki is very much in love with Howard but the household is not the peaceful haven it should be. Howard is 57 years old, a liberal who is struggling to hold onto what 'used to be'. Howard has had an affair with a family friend, his relationship with his children is strained, he is estranged from his father, he is unable to communicate with his wife without arguing and he is having difficulty writing his book.

The Kipp family on the other hand appear to be the opposite of the Belseys. Sir Montague Kipp, Caribbean born conservative is a rival of Howard Belsey and is to leave England to take up a teaching post at Wellington College. He too is married. Carlene, his wife is suffering from a terminal illness which Montegue and their children are not fully aware of. There are 2 children in the Kipp family: Michael and Victoria .

Carl is a character who comes from the rough side of Boston and is encouraged by Zora to attend the poetry class at Wellington. He is a gifted poet and rapper and has ambition for himself. He represents the tokenism offered by the university.

The 2 families are opposite in that the Belseys feel like a 'real ' family'. Life is not always easy, they have their issues, they hate their father for his actions and Kiki is full of anger. Despite all this however, the family manage to stay together.There is one particular passage in the novel where on a very cold day Jerome, Zora and Levi accidentally meet in the street. They unite and hug letting the wind blow violently round them but unable to part them. They express compassion and unity for each other weaving the fabric of the family deeper.

The Kipps portray a facade that everything is perfect. Montegue Kipp is always the gentleman, smartly dressed, the perfect host, always polite. They have money, a large smartly furnished house and own expensive paintings. Montegue is articulate, successful and is able to gain support of his colleagues at the university. Michael is soon to be married and Victoria is a beautiful, intelligent student at Wellington. Behind all this though lies a lot of evil : Montegue is controlling of his wife and exploits a young black girl. Arguments in the family are hinted at and there is an aura of secrecy. Montegue is sly and manipulative and has outbursts of anger. Michael acts 'superior' and dismissively towards his fiancee. Victoria acts as an evil temptress with no concern towards those she hurts but rage and fury spills out of her when scorned.

The novel has a beautiful ending hitting at reconciliation between Howard and Kiki.

John Glalsworthy [1920] said,"Where beauty is nothing ever runs quite straight", perhaps that is why the book is titled so.

If you are a fan of EM Forster's novel " Howard's End" you will love this: if not, it my be worth getting the book just to admire the dust cover.

NZ Post Book Award Finalists 2010

The full list of these awards are:

Fiction:
As the earth turns silver by Alison Wong.
Limestone by Fiona Farrell.
Living as a moon by Owen Marshall.

Poetry:
Just this by Brian Turner.
The lustre jug by Bernadette Hall.
The tram conductor's blue cap by Michael Harlow.

General Non-Fiction
Aphrodite's Island by Anne Salmond.
Beyond the battlefield: New Zealand and its allies, 1939-1945 by General Hensley.
Cone ten down: studio pottery in New Zealand, 1945-1980 by Moyra Elliott and Damien Skinner.
Encircled lands: Te Urewera, 1820-1921 by Judith Binney.
The invention of New Zealand art and national identity, 1930-1970 by Francis Pond.

Illustated Non-Fiction:
Art at Te Papa edited by William McAloon.
Go fish: recipes and stories from the New Zealand coast by Al Brown.
Maori architecture:from fale to wharenui and beyond by Deidre Brown.
Marti Freelander by Leonard Bell.
Mr Kusich: the art of transformation by Alan Wright and Edward Hanfling.
The winners will be announced on August 27th 2010.

The New Zealand Society of Authors Best First Book Award winners are:
Anna Taylor for Relief [fiction].
Selina Tusitala Marsh for Fast talking PI[poetry].
Pip Desmond for A true story of women and gangs [Non-Fiction].

Anna Taylor and her book 'Relief'

Scanning the web this morning looking for the results of the finalists for the NZ Post book awards, I spied the name Anna Taylor: winner of the 2010 NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction. I first discovered Anna Taylor last year through the Auckland Readers and Writers fest' and bought her book as soon after it was published. Relief is a collection of short stories which are simply written, showing rather than telling a story, thus allowing the mind to form its images of life and reality. The structure also mirrors the process of the thinking human mind. An idea is announced, expanded and reflected back on, after another idea is introduced. In her story 'Michael's fasting for christmas' Anna introduces the protagonist, through the eyes of Amy, as a health freak who is always on some sort of cleansing diet and infers that this is going to cause problems for the family on Christmas day: a day which HAS to be enjoyed, come what may. The main scene is crafted so well I am sure we could all relate to some aspect, even if it is just wearing the paper party hats. This ridiculousness of Christmas is juxtaposed by the weighty issue of death and the story ends leaving the reader reflecting on life.

There are 11 short stories in total, all beautifully crafted, demonstrating real-life situations with warmth and understanding and sometimes suspense: 'The Beekeeper' is based on a life event experienced by her mother.

Anna was born in 1982 and lives in Wellington. She completed the MA in creative writing at Victoria University in 2006.

A 'must read' book.

The Orange Prize

I believe there is a degree of serendipity in one's life. Have you ever had the experience of thinking about a person who you haven't seen for awhile only to find they are contacting you or you bump into them in the street.
Just the other day I found myself wondering about the Montana NZ book Awards: not one to ignore my intuition I looked up the website. What luck! The finalists for the 4 categories are to be announced on Tuesday [22nd June]. Great: I can put that news onto our blog; yes up-to-date information; in fact 1 step ahead; just how I like it!
From that site the name 'Barbara Kingsolver' caught my eye. I knew of her having heard her latest book being reviewed on National radio some time ago and I remember thinking it would be worth a read. Barbara Kingsolver has just won this year's Orange Prize with her book "The Lacuna": A novel set in the USA and Mexico which explores the themes of art and politics.
My thought processes then directed me towards researching what exactly the Orange Prize is.

It is an annual award which acknowledges a female fiction novelist and a new female writer from any part of the world. The inaugural prize went to a UK novelist, Helen Dunmore in 1996. Since then women from the USA, Canada and Africa have enriched the literary scene with novels from around the globe. The prize originated because it was generally felt by publishers, journalists, booksellers, librarians and reviewers, both male and female, that female authors were over-looked by major literary prizes. Kate Mosse is one of the co- founder members and the present director of the literary Orange Prize.
I feel particularly excited about my discovery and I encourage others to view the Orange Prize site if only to browse through the author list in search of a quality book. Looking over the past winners I have picked out a couple of authors : the 2004 winner, Andrea Levy and the 2007 recipient, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie . Both of these writers' have novels in our public library along with many other authors whose names I found printed on the website.
I hope serendipity graces your day.

The time traveler's wife by Audrey Niffenegger

What a tiresome, tedious read. Bogged down with detail, the novel explores the love affair between Clare and Henry. Henry is chrono-impaired: he travels through time. Unfortunately for Henry he has no control over when or where he travels. He whizzes in to the past in his 30s and meets Clare as a 6 year old or crashes into the future. Not only does poor Henry have to cope with changes in time and place but when he does travel he arrives at his destination without his clothes. However, Henry is such an irritating character it's hard to feel sorry for him In fact it's hard to feel empathy for either of them. If this had been the first book I'd ever read I doubt whether I would have ever read another. It gets a 1 out of 10 from me. The book gained a 1 because it finally ended.
Susan

Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd

This novel is a thriller and a great read. It also explores the idea of identity. The main character, Adam Kindred, has returned to England after a failed marriage and a number of years living abroad. While in a cafe after a job interview he strikes up a conversation with Philip Wang. Through a series of events over which Adam has little control, he becomes implicated in Wang's murder.
Adam becomes a fugitive: hunted by the police as a suspect in the murder and by the actual murderer as a possible witness to the crime. Adam chooses to survive by going underground. He becomes one of London's homeless and takes on a series of new identities as he tries to find why Phillip Wang was killed and by whom.
If you enjoyed Restless I think you will enjoy and appreciate this latest novel by William Boyd.

Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book Award, Canada and the Caribbean

Finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize

In a moment of self-absorption, Clara Purdy’s life takes a sharp left turn when she crashes into a beat-up car carrying an itinerant family of six. The Gage family had been travelling to a new life in Fort McMurray, but bruises on the mother, Lorraine, prove to be late-stage cancer rather than remnants of the accident. Recognizing their need as her responsibility, Clara tries to do the right thing and moves the children, husband and horrible grandmother into her own house—then has to cope with the consequences of practical goodness.

As Lorraine walks the borders of death, Clara expands into life, finding purpose, energy and unexpected love amidst the hard, unaccustomed work of sharing her days. But the burden is not Clara’s alone: Lorraine’s children must cope with divided loyalties and Lorraine must live with her growing, unpayable debt to Clara - and the feeling that Clara has taken her place.

What, exactly, does it mean to be good? When is sacrifice merely selfishness? What do we owe in this life and what do we deserve? Marina Endicott looks at life and death through the compassionate lens of a born novelist: being good, being at fault, and finding some balance on the precipice.

Fans of Ann Tyler will love this book. Like Tyler, Marina Endicott writes about ordinary people coping with life's problems and trying to do their best. Susan

Pulitzer Prize winners

I have just read a Pulitzer Prize winner. The Road by Cormac McCarthy. How about the other fiction winners including this years winner Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

I am setting myself yet another challenge. Read them all! Whew. I haven't even started the last challenge.

Here is the link to the list

Nick

The Road

I haven't finished White Tiger yet. But I have finished reading the post apocalyptic novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

This is very very grim. We follow The Man and The Boy travelling The Road after an unknown disaster has destroyed pretty much all life and left only a few people to survive in a cold, bleak, ashen world. This is extreme and people use many means to stay alive. There are some gruesome scenes as the two make their journey and meet all sorts of people.

Cormac McCarthy style of writing is matter of fact. He uses short sentences and some pages are just dialogue. But it works.

This is a brilliant novel which is thought provoking and scary.

Watch out for the movie later this year. I have seen the trailer and it looks just as grey and grim. It stars Viggo Mortensen and will be well worth seeing

Nick