How much do we keep from the people we love? Why is the truth so often buried in secrets? Can we learn from the past or must we forget it? The Illuminations, Andrew O'Hagan's fifth work of fiction, is a powerful, nuanced and deeply affecting novel about love and memory, about modern war and the complications of fact. "goodreads"I have read some of the reviews for our story this month and they seem quite positive. I know it is another book on aging, dementia and memory but I’m hoping we can find something new and different with this one. I still remember being delightfully surprised when I enjoyed Elizabeth Is Missing a few months ago. I am expecting some beautiful prose in this novel, for which Andrew O Hagan is well known. Let’s hope we enjoy this one.
We travel around a lot in place and time in this novel, from peaceful coastal Scotland to war torn Afghanistan, from current day back into the late fifties early sixties.
How do we think the author faired tying so many different scenarios together?
Which character did you enjoy the most and why?
Hi Both
ReplyDeleteFive years. Amazing. Congratulations to us. And many, many thanks, Nancy, for continuing to create a site that is a joy to enter. It’s regularly renovated (not the right word, I think, but nice alliteration!) and is both very attractive and very well organized.
And good to raise the prospect of change. To respond to the points you raise, Nancy: I wouldn’t like to take a break as I fear we might not take up the reins again. Though that’s perhaps silly of me given we all share a terrific sense of responsibility or we wouldn’t have kept this going for so long. Lacking imagination, I’m not sure how we can improve on our current approach to reviewing books. I hasten to point out I’m not against a change of approach, but am unable to suggest any.
A free choice month to discuss other books we are reading would be very interesting, and perhaps take us into other genres too. I’d like that. My only worry there is I have more time at my disposal than either of you, and, as I planned it in my head, realized it’s quite a task. Should it be limited to, say, three texts? Number just dragged out of a hat.
Or, we could spend one month of each year reviewing our personal year: highs, lows that kind of thing. But that’s probably like Facebook, which I’m not on. Besides, within the current arrangements, we regularly tell each other what we are doing.
Or, we could have a five-year review. Which books have we most enjoyed from the list of books we have amassed? Might be a bit repetitive, though.
Thanks for making me think, Nancy, even if I’m rubbishing my thoughts as they occur.
I’m happy to continue as usual, but hope that’s not the usual human response to suggestions of change: reluctance.
Love to two wonderful readers and reviewers
Sue
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed our book club immensely! It has been nice to have a guaranteed adult discussion at least once a month. I am happy to continue with our current layout but I am also happy to try something new. Do we maybe want to try and answer more "book club question" questions? I sometimes flounder in my discussions if I'm the first to post. That's the only suggestion that I can currently think of.
I am not opposed to a free choice month. I fear though that I may not have anything worth recommending as sometimes I enjoy trashy novels. By that I do not mean romance/sexual books but for example I just finished a book called " I heart my little A-holes." A little trash book about the joys of parenting when your children are less than perfect. It was amusing but certainly no great work of literature. Or sometimes I enjoy reading classic literature ( I just finished the Count of Monte Cristo). Not exactly light book club reading either (haha). So while I do not mind a free choice month, I hope I would be able to contribute as thoroughly as you both.
Or if you both want to discuss/review our collection, I am game! We have done a substantial amount of reading over the past five years! It has been fun!
Just an unrelated note, my baby boy starts his first day of preschool tomorrow! It is very bittersweet. Just as I can't believe it's been five years since Greece, I can't believe he is old enough to be sporting a schoolbag! The littlest Chong is now crawling. I think she is trying to keep up with her brother! Just wanted to share our happy news.
Let me know what you'd both like to do!
Much love!
Katie
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the feedback on our book club. I too wish to continue as I really enjoy out discussions and feel it is a great way to stay in touch and maintain our friendships.
I am not sure if you have access to the stats of our book club so thought I’d add a few.
Although we are only three anyone can read our comments or visit our page they cannot comment unless they are members though.
I’ve checked our most viewed books over the past five years and here they are:
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson has had 701 views at the top of our list !!!!!
Dinner at the homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler is next with 457
then I am Nujood Aged 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali has 389
Not Wanted On The Voyage by Timothy Findlay 213
Honolulu by Alan Bennett 166
that rounds out the top five of the past five years.
All time views was 12,524 !!!!!!!!! that includes our own views us.
So I hope some other readers have enjoyed our reviews also.
Would you like to make January a free choice month?
I will be involved in some trashy summer reading of my own Katie, so no worries there!
It seems an epic task to go back over all our choices so maybe in free choice month we
could talk about our favourite book over the past year.
Also let’s add a couple of questions to our title book posts, good suggestion Katie. I know you Ladies generally do so I will amend this month’s post soon.
What do you think ?
Katie would you like to add some titles to our list before I post them?
I can’t believe Benjamin is heading off to preschool.
How did he go?
When Sam first started the teacher rand me at lunch time to make sure I was OK,haha, he loved it. I hope Benjamin does too.
Love to you both
Nancy
I would like to add:
ReplyDeleteA Thread of Grace - Mary Doria Russell
The Tree Bride - Bharati Mukherjee
The Family Orchard -Nomi Eve
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeleteSorry to be so long replying to your posts. Been a bit busy here.
Your list of books, Katie, is exactly why this book club is so good for me. Never heard of any of them. You're extending my awareness of the world. I will try to include questions in the introduction to books I have selected. You're right, Katie, it does make it easier to focus. How is Benjamin enjoying pre-school? He'll have so much to tell you. Must be an absolute joy. (Non-parent's perception!)
January as a free choice month is a good idea. It will be difficult, and enjoyable, to identify a favourite book, and will involve re-reading our posts.
Thanks, Nancy, for those stats. Can't believe other people, and seemingly a lot of other people, have been reading the posts ('Not Wanted on the Voyage'?!) Very intimidating.
Take care of yourselves
Love to your families
Lots to you both
Sue
Hello agan, Ladies
ReplyDeleteHere in the U.K. we are officially into autumn. For a few days there were equal hours of light and dark. I’m not sure whether in Australia you’ll be having the same thing, Nancy? How’s Benjamin getting on, Katie? Indeed, how are you and all your family getting on? It’s 7.30 on a Sunday morning here, very quiet as Jay sleeps in. I rather think your mornings, Katie, are a little more active. Enjoy them.
So, in this quiet, I’m trying to decide how best to respond to O’Hagan’s book. You asked about tying together the different scenarios, Nancy. Assume for a moment that this is a story about Luke, who becomes closer to his dead father as a result of his military experience and then more understanding of his mother because of what he learns through Anne. We then have a unified narrative that is encapsulated in the title: “The Illuminations”. Luke has been illuminated, so to speak. Scenarios wonderfully tied together, reinforced by vivd images of explosions and fairy lights.
However, it didn’t come across like that at all while I was reading it. The blurb inside the front cover of the library’s hardback copy suggests Anne is the central character. So when, on p.35, I was suddenly transferred to Afghanistan and the new character’s all too realistic conversations and actions I was surprised. And for the rest of the book, I saw the army characters and their awful experiences as an intrusion. Ridiculous, I know. But it did feel like I was reading two books. Even when Luke and Anne meet, connecting the two worlds, I wasn’t sure what Luke was bringing to Anne’s situation that he wouldn’t have brought without his military experiences.
Those wartime experiences were graphically described and the characters interesting. If the author is trying to present a portrait of Britain, the military is an important aspect. We do one heck of a lot of fighting in other people’s countries. But I’m not sure that describing Britain today was the author’s intention. Is it significant that Harry did not fight in WW2? But it’s very simplistic to suggest the novel conveys the view that without military experience, men lack sympathetic insights. Though Gordon, Alice’s second husband, is slightingly dismissed too.
For me, the whole thing would have been a lot more coherent if the Afghanistan sections had been omitted altogether. And I needed more on Anne. I had an outline, other people’s perceptions and Anne as she is in her illness. It seemed to me there was a much more interesting story that had not been explored.
The character most clearly delineated was Maureen. Wonderful portrait. Deserves yet another novel.
So, perhaps the author just had too many ideas: at least three novels in one here. Really got my money’s worth then. Thank you, Nancy.
Hello Ladies!
ReplyDeleteFall is starting to roar its head around the East Coast of the US. Benjamin is doing quite well with school (so far!) And yes, Sue, the mornings are quite busy! But I don’t think I’d have it any other way.
I agree with you Sue that this novel seemed to be three in one without any of them being completed. During the whole novel it is inferred that Anne had an exciting, though difficult life. However we are as left out of Anne’s life as Alice was. It was kind of shameful that the people who knew Anne’s story best were two old biddies who rented a room to her. I think our story may have been a little more interesting if we had gotten to be a part of Anne’s past (I guess I know how Alice felt!) I do not think there was much cohesion between Luke’s military experience and Anne’s history.
I’m afraid what I thought The Illuminations would be about was completely off. I thought that maybe Anne was not actually slipping into dementia but was able to channel into an alternate reality and that Luke was able to do it too. I guess I read too many science fictions novels! I felt that the main character of this novel was Maureen. I didn’t care for her desire to play the victim. We had more insight into her life than we did of Anne or Alice or even Luke. As for your question Nancy about which character I enjoyed most, I didn’t have a favorite character. I felt that O’Hagan alluded that each of his characters had a particular depth but then never gave us a look into those dimensions. I felt like I was looking through a blurry glass for most of the novel.
On page 225 of my copy, Ester thinks kind thoughts about her mother that really resonated with me. “Love is hard work and you don't get anywhere just by feeding your resentments.... She once read a paper that said if you love someone then you're always ready to let them start again.” I think I see this sentiment in my own life as I raise two strong-willed little individuals. Some days it’s easy to think about how one of them didn’t sleep and prevented me from enjoying a good night’s rest, and then I remember that one day they will be grown and they won’t need me the way they did that particular night and I will miss that. And certainly feeling love toward an angry toddler can be a bit of a challenge some days! (haha!) But yes, I am always ready to let them “start again” and usually it’s then that a little someone gives me a sweet hug or kiss.
Thank you for the suggestion Nancy, it was a good change from what I would have selected for myself.
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteWell it is 5am here and I’m stealing a few moments to write this month. We leave for the States tomorrow and I’ve been busy with all the preparations for this exciting trip. We have planned lots of hiking in Yosemite and Utah’s beautiful State Parks so I hope I’m fit enough and Ivars and Gracie don’t leave me behind !!
Our weather here has been stunning, it is still cool in the mornings, but Spring has definitely made an entrance with bursts of colour throughout the garden and the arrival of lots of beautiful birds. We spend many a morning coffee on the verandah spotting different species.
On to our story, I agree with you both about feeling there were incomplete stories within one novel. I enjoyed them as separate stories and would have love to read each expanded into its own novel. I felt I was reading the first of a mini series where future episodes would develop each character and story more completely.
The whole time I was reading I was looking for more information on Anne as I was under the impression she was the central character. I would have liked to know so much more of her early life,which seemed so interesting. In the end her relationship with Harry was explained, and while that relationship seemed to define the rest of her life, I’d already guessed at that.
Sue, it wasn’t until I read your comment that I began to think of Luke as the main character, yet still I felt something missing.
I was interested in Luke’s story and the soldiers and situations in Afghanistan, but I found it difficult to make the jump in my mind to such a different scenario, and different writing style. So I guess I’ve answered my question of tying different times and places together in the book. I had trouble reconciling them, but that maybe just me.
My favourite character was more difficult to define than I expected, if I had to choose I would choose Anne. Despite feeling I needed to know more about her, I guess I felt sympathy for her and I loved how she was portrayed as such a free thinking woman. All the more sad she felt the need to to keep secret Harry’s lies and abominable treatment of her. Easier to choose my least favourite character !!
If this story is all about the secrets we keep from our loved ones and the consequences that causes in our lives then I think O’Hagan pretty much nailed that. I feel I was waiting for the big reveal at the end and was disappointed, but maybe that was intended, it certainly would fit the brief. I did enjoy this story although it may not seem like it from this comment.
I have been secretly reading The Goldfinch over the last few months, I knew I’d never finish it while I was on holidays. So am looking forward to our discussion on this epic.
Hope this finds everyone well and happy. Katie, your comment on your children made me smile, maintaining your temper with toddlers can be challenging. Sorry to tell you though, it never ends, even when they're supposedly grown up, they never stop needing you or challenging you. I too, wouldn’t have it any other way.
love to all
Nancy