I have discovered this year ( totally banal) is that the impression I get from reading a few paragraphs of a book varies greatly depending on my state of mind. Until recently, I thought that the variation in my reactions (often initially negative, then positive) came from the evolution of my literary tastes (which became more refined over time, or at least that is what I thought), but I realized that it is simply the state of mind I am in when I read a few paragraphs from a book (usually from an author I know little or nothing about).
Toni Morrison. The bluest eyes. The story of a young black girl dreaming of having blue eyes, but also the history of an entire community. Published in 1970, Morrison’s first novel is a masterpiece, which has not aged a bit. The way in which she controls the narrative makes it hard to believe it’s a first novel, . Of note is the documentary on Netflix, about Morrison, who was also the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Just loved it !
Anne Enright. The Actress. Published in 2020, the Irish author’s latest book didn’t bring me as much joy as The Gathering and The Green Road (winner of the Man Booker). In her latest book, she tells the story from the point of view of an actress’ daughter, who is looking back at her flawed mother and the influence it had on her life. It is very well written and there are some moments of joy, but I had a harder time getting interested in it. I usually find the Irish cultural context very interesting and, like many Irish authors, Enright knows how to tell a story, but I prefer when she delves into family stories, where she is unbeatable.
Hilary Mantel. The Mirror and the Light. It is the third installment of the trilogy about the life of Thomas Cromwell, published in 2020. I thought this book, that impressed me even more than the first two would not only be in the running for this year’s Booker, but would win for the third time (which would have been unprecedented), but it did not happen. I read her latest book after reading Giving up the ghost (2003), Mantel’s memoir. Is it the reason I had the impression I was reading about Cromwell through a medium ? Maybe, but it really felt like I was being taken inside Cromwell’s head, and that’s her greatest talent. Anyway, a masterpiece again. It was her writing that fascinated me this time, rather than the character. I must admit, however, that there was a little too much torture towards the end, which nonetheless did not spoil my pleasure.
Ian McEwan. Solar . This is McEwan’s second or third book that I read, the one I remember is Atonement, which became a film starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy (not as good as the book, but my male friends tell me it doesn’t matter because Knightley is soooo beautiful {difficult to say otherwise}) and Amsterdam (which I vaguely remember). According to The Guardian, McEwan specializes in one-dimensional, often scientific, characters. In this book published in 2010, the British author puts himself in the shoes of a man who obtained a Nobel Prize in Physics at a young age, which serves as a pretext to do almost nothing for the rest of his life, except womanising, drinking and eating at the expenses of others. McEwan seems to take pleasure in portraying an abject and grotesque personality, describing at length his concerns about chips and alcohol, in short, this book did not particularly interest me, although McEwan convincingly demonstrates his understanding of physics (not enough to grab my attention). Luckily I bought this book at the used book fair!
