The Mistress of Nothing (Kate Pullinger)

So the reviewer in The Washington Post that complained about the fact that this book beat out Alice Munro's Too Much Happiness for the Governor General's Literary Award (a Canadian prize) wrote that this book read like a romance novel and that it was pretty much a big mistake to give it the award instead of Munro's collection of short stories.

I can say with all honesty that this makes me think that this person has never read a romance novel. So there! Romance novels have a formula, and this book does not follow it at all. At. All.

Of course, most of these awards go to books that are depressing. Most great works of literature are depressing. I enjoy books with tragic stories, as anyone can tell from checking out this blog. This book was just as depressing as Munro's. Does that mean it was better written? No. I can say Munro's work stories definitely had much more complicated plots. I don't think that means that The Mistress of Nothing isn't a good book.

Anyway, I don't presume to know what the judges at these competitions think. Though I love to read, I can't say that I enjoy high literature. So if you decide to check out those books, you can decide for yourself who should have won that prize.

In my opinion, Pullinger delivered a well written and well researched book. She wrote the story from the point of view of Sally Naldrett, Lady Lucie Duff Gordon's maid. Lady Duff Gordon suffered from tuberculosis and the doctors told her she needed a drier climate, so she moved to Egypt. Sally went with her. In Luxor, Sally falls in love with their Egyptian guide, Omar. They have an affair that has tragic consequences--more for Sally than for Omar.

I hadn't heard of Lady Duff Gordon before. She published a book of her letters from her time in Egypt and had gained some fame as a literary translator. Apparently, many that knew her loved her. Sally did, too. Unfortunately, in this story, she comes across as a heinous bitch. Not all the time, mind you, but she treats Sally horribly once she finds out about the affair. In a way, she personifies someone that I've come to dislike intensely: a person of privileged that has the ability to show kindness as long as it's towards someone that doesn't affect them directly.

Pullinger kept the story moving pretty well, and Sally makes a good narrator. Maybe it would have been a more exciting story if she had chosen to tell it from Lady Duff Gordon's point of view, but it's great to get the story from a perspective that most tend to ignore.

If this review seems a bit tepid, it's because my reaction to the book was tepid. To put it simple: it was alright.

Next up: When Tito Loved Clara, by Jon Michaud.

Room (Emma Donoghue)

I heard from quite a few people that this book was absolutely amazing. A co-worker told me she pretty much locked herself away an entire weekend to finish it. One of my book club friends also highly recommended it, that it is one of the best books she's read.

Usually this level of praise makes me skeptical. Not to mention that I'd already decided to avoid the book because of the subject matter. A little five year-old boy, Jack, tells this story. He lives with his mother in Room. He doesn't know anything else and thinks the world outside Room is Outer Space. So, everything in Room, to him, is unique. So it's Table, instead of the table; Toilet, instead of the toilet; Rug, instead of the rug.

Of course, that means his mother had him in Room and that she too can't get out. The man that locked her up, only known as Old Nick, kidnapped her at 19. So this gives me the hibbie jibbies. She does the best she can raising Jack, teaching him what she can and making due with what Old Nick provides. Mind you, he doesn't really provide for them. She has to ask for things like medicine for "Sundaytreat," as Jack calls it.

Even though Jack is telling the story, you can get a feel for how his mother feels. They have few books, which of course they've read multiple times. She tries to keep him as active as possible within an 11' by 11' space. Her teeth are rotting, she suffers from bouts of depression. All things considered, she's doing an admirable job of raising her son. Considering the inherent boredom that must come within this type of situation, the book is never boring. Donoghue has painfully flawed characters--something to appreciate, since it would have been so easy to make Jack and his mom saint-like.

I think the story didn't end up creeping me out because Jack tells it. He doesn't know anything different from Room, so his perceptions aren't shaped on what he's missing. He's smart and inquisitive, and the combination of that with his lack of knowledge of the outside world drive his mother into taking a huge risk to get him out of Room.

Totally worth the short amount of time it takes to read. That doesn't mean it's simple and you'll forget about it as soon as you finish it. You'll be thinking about it for a while.

Next up: Mistress of Nothing,  by Kate Pullinger. This is the book that beat out Alice Munro's Too Much Happiness for the Governor General's Literary Award, in Canada. The reviewer from WaPo was quite outraged by this. I'll let you know if I think he's right!

The Distant Hours (Kate Morton)

Another fantastic book from Kate Morton! I stumbled upon her work previously when I picked up a copy of The House at Riverton. It was tragic and beautiful and mysterious and I enjoyed ever moment of it. Morton continued in that vein with The Forgotten Garden, again a tragic story that you just couldn't put away.

I highly doubt Morton will ever write a book with a syrupy plot. And, frankly, that's not what you should look for in her books. It's not what I look to her for anyway.

We start Edith, who lives in London and works in publishing. She developed a love of books after her mother, Meredith, gave her a copy of The True History of the Mud Man when she was laid up in bed sick as a child. Turns out that the writer of that book, Raymond Blythe, lived at Milderhurst castle with his three daughters. Persephone (Percy) and Seraphina (Saffy) the twins, and Juniper--and Meredith lived with them after she her parents had her evacuated out of London during World War II.

Meredith and Juniper had developed a close friendship. Indeed, our story starts when Meredith finally receives a letter Juniper had written 50 years before. Edith is there when Meredith receives the letter. Edith  visits Milderhurst thought she doesn't tell the sisters who she is; she finds that the three sisters never married and have lived at Milderhurst castle all these years. Juniper, however, in her delusional state still manages to know Edith isn't a stranger. Of course, Juniper thinks Edith is Meredith.

From that point Edith does everything she can to find out as much as possible about her mother's life, especially of her time at Milderhurst. If you've read Morton's previous works, you know the story will have plenty of twists and turns. The Distant Hours does differ in that it has a much more Gothic feel to the story. Morton manages the pacing quite well, though I do confess that I was tempted more than once to look ahead to see what happened. It also helps that a literary mystery has a pivotal role in the plot.

So, bottom line: loved this book!

Next up: Room, by Emma Donoghue