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Abidi, Azhar ~ Passarola Rising

When I selected this book I thought
I am more shallow and distracted by pretty shiny things than I thought – the cover’s curious flying ship and graduated hues of blue from sapphire to turquoise to faded sky had me gripping the book for grim life in case another bower bird tried to steal it from my clutches.

50-word description
Set in 18^th-century Portugal, a clever, head-in-the-clouds man designs a flying ship and encourages his adventurous but aimless younger brother to join him on a great adventure. Their endeavours are supported by forward-thinking monarchs and thwarted by a cranky cardinal, who takes extreme steps to end the ungodly nature of manned flight.

(More than) 150-word review
Abidi took on a bold challenge to re-invent the lives of two historical figures, Bartolomeu and Alexandre Lourenco, and take to the skies Francesco Lana-Terzi’s 17^th-century plans of a flying machine called the Passarola.

A dose of faith is needed to believe the clunky-looking airship on the book’s cover can fly and navigate successfully from Portugal to far-flung places such as France, the North Pole and India. The dilemma faced by fantasies based on real life is the inherent promise to entertain and educate and my inner historian kept asking if the airship could indeed fly (no, according to the author’s research — sorry) and checking if other characters borrowed from history – such as Voltaire – were authentic of the period.

The story is narrated by Alexandre recounting his life’s journey with a tinge of regret. He recalls events clearly but doesn’t reflect meaningfully (I’m unsure if this is a ‘telling more than showing’ style of the author or the deliberate voice of a directionless man). The book would have been markedly different (and perhaps even more lively) if the story was told by daredevil priest Bartolomeu.

The book skims several premises – including science, politics and the influence of religion– and feels torn between being a rollicking adventure or philosophical journey. Abidi is skilled and imaginative enough to master both between the covers but tries to please everyone. Passarola Rising is a wonderful story in its own right but should have been allowed to bloom more ambitiously.

azhar abidi ~ passarola rising

Found in
Fiction A

Borrowed
Oct 08

Author’s link:
The book’s blog

Rating
Worthwhile

This is book 4 of the project.

Austin, Susi ~ Winners

When I selected this book I thought
I got brave and span the romance carousel at the library. I’m working up to a proper bodice ripper so I chose a book with horses on the front (I swear it was the only book I could find with the author’s surname beginning with A — promise). I like horses, I like “wickedly funny” things and I like “raunchy sex.” The signs are good so far.

50-word description
Winners follows a group of men and women vying for victory and Olympic selection at an Australian horse festival and competition. The dressage, cross country and show jumping events take a back seat to sabotage and the frantic personal lives of the competitors, grooms and equine-event groupies.

150-word review
The book could have been an enjoyable escape to another world with a damn firm edit. On page 26:

“Then frequently at the end of the day, when the gear was finally taken off, as if to deliberately infuriate the breaker, the horse would walk up to the big wooden, two metre high fence surrounding his yard and effortlessly jump out.”

Rearranging passive verbs and using words instead of ‘big’ to describe everything larger than medium sized would have aided readability. And if you’ve ever queried the importance of character naming, I’ll give you five dollars if you can pick which of these are human and which are animals:

Liz, Jack, Jake, Sam, Kenny, Sally, Ronnie, Fifi, Cassie, Tony, Willy and Muffy (clue: Muffy is a human).

Austin brings authentic and interesting knowledge of horse sports but the ability of the two primary characters to hold main storylines afloat is weakened with unresolved dilemmas. Again, a sharp smack with the editing whip would tighten the main theme and allow more space for promised side events such as “raunchy sex.” The bumping of uglies was okay, but nothing to rub in Jilly Cooper’s face.

susi austin ~ winners

Found in
Fiction A

Borrowed
Oct 08

Rating
Unrealised potential

This is book 3 of the project.

Abe, Kobo ~ The Face of Another

When I selected this book I thought
Hoo ahh, a tragedy, identity crisis, plot to trick a loved one and a test of social norms all bundled into a slim volume. Let me at it.

50-word description
Set in 1940s Japan, a scientist suffers terrible facial injuries after a workplace accident. He is shunned by his wife and those around him, and painstakingly creates a mask to conceal his scars. His return to society is chronicled in notebooks and a letter to his wife, in conjunction with setting a trap to seduce her and prove the ultimate success of his creation.

150-word review
Where to start? How about a description that the book moves between insightful philosophies about literal and societal loss of face, a technical manual if I ever need to construct a believable mask and lumps of detailed side journeys about I’m-not-sure-what.

Abe’s writing is detailed and intricately formed in a scientist’s observational style to be expected of the main character. I was awed at the insight of his sociological commentary along with wanting another book on hand because his blow-by-blow accounts of even trivial details had me skimming several times.

The novel’s point of view shifts interestingly from that of the protagonist, observers who encounter him and a letter from his wife that seal’s the books ending and provides a new interpretation of his mindset and preconceptions of the previous 221 pages.

I’m glad I read what the blurb considers a ‘modern classic of Japanese literature’ but it will be a long time before I dip another toe in the water.

kobo abe ~ the face of another

Found in
Fiction A

Borrowed
Oct 08

Publisher’s link:
Random House

Rating
Interesting but once is enough

This is book 2 of the project.

Abani, Chris ~ Becoming Abigail

When I selected this book I thought
Who on earth writes novellas? What is a novella? A book that didn’t get a deadline extension? Oh, okay, I’ll borrow the bloody thing because it doesn’t weigh a lot. I took the book to skim while waiting for a vegetarian mee goreng at the noodle bar – the 10-minute wait was two hours too short because I fell immediately into Abigail’s world and wasn’t ready to leave when number 14 was called. I ate my words instead of lunch.

50-word description
Abigail is a Nigerian girl raised by her father in the constant shadow of her dead mother. As a teenager she is sent to live with relatives in London so her father can live without the growing reminder of the woman he lost, while Abigail deals with her own ghosts of sexual abuse and enforced prostitution while searching for identity and fleeting moments of doomed affection.

150-word review
Abigail’s story could never end happily and Chris Abani handles the portrayal of her brutalised existence with a compassionate and kind touch. Confronting episodes such as Abigail’s dehumanisation when she is relocated to London and her subsequent revenge are overdramatic in isolation but fit within the quiet telling of the other traumas she faces.

The narrative steps between the present and the past to layer the foundations of Abigail’s hopeless situation. I re-read the book as soon as I finished so I could linger over the prose, and found a beautiful trick of construction that the book’s ending and beginning form a perfect circle of sequence. Abigail keeps track of her own story by marking her body to preserve memories and moments with burns and cuts.

I have a crush on poets who write books and he has added himself to my love list alongside Margaret Atwood and Michel Houellebecq.

chris abani ~ becoming abigail

Found in
Fiction A

Borrowed
Oct 08

Author link:
Chris Abani web site

Rating
Magnificent

This is book 1 of the project.