"Without A Guide" and "A Tale of Two Cities"

Without a Guide - Contemporary Women's Travel Adventures edited by Katherine Govier

This is a collection of short travel stories from some of the world's best known female authors, including Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker, Annie Proulx and Carol Shields. The stories are meant to be some of their more memorable travel experiences, but I was a bit disappointed to find them focusing less on the places they were visiting and more on what was happening to them personally at the time.

I am usually a big fan of travel stories. I'm not able to travel myself so I devour other people's travel experiences with great expectation and excitement. These stories, though all set in different places around the world, didn't make any of them seem appealing. Many of the stories are about negative experiences and one, called "On The Train To Hell And Can't Get Off", is just weird. It closes by telling us that the author is still on the train, that we are with her, and that none of us are ever getting off. Not your usual travel tale.

I did find the writing a pleasure to read, if not the stories. These are, after all, proven authors, so though  I can't say I enjoyed the book, I don't feel my time was wasted.


A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

There's no way I'm going to review a Dickens novel, but for those who don't know the story, it's set during the French Revolution and takes place in both London and Paris. It's tragic because it's set in a tragic time, but it's not all unhappy. As it says in its famous opening line:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." 

The closing line is also a famous one, one I never really understood until I read the novel in spite of its being quoted frequently in other writings:

"It is a far, far, better thing that I do, than I have ever done;

it is a far, far, better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

What else can I say? It's Dickens. If you love Dickens, you'll love A Tale of Two Cities.

"Sweetland"

Sweetland by Michael Crummey

Moses Sweetland lives on a tiny island, also called Sweetland, off the coast of Newfoundland. The federal government has offered the residents of Chance Cove, the only settlement on the island, a hefty relocation incentive if, and only if, every household on the island agrees to take it. The last two holdouts are Moses and his neighbour, Loveless, until finally Loveless gives in and leaves Moses Sweetland to stand alone. As the community tries to talk, badger, then threaten him into taking the package, he resists them all.

Moses lives alone, next door to his brother-in-law, niece and her son. The boy, Jesse, has taken a liking to Moses and follows after him when he's trapping rabbits and fishing. The affection is mutual, but Moses is not given to emotional display; he shows he cares by letting Jesse into his life.

There are a lot of stories on this tiny island. The residents and their parents before them grew up here so their lives are all intricately intertwined. Although Moses Sweetland says he will never leave, circumstances lead him to eventually give in and agree to take the settlement. Agreeing and going, however, are two very different things. If his plan succeeds, he will be the only living resident of Sweetland.

Words cannot say just how much I loved this book, in spite of a lot of cursing/bad language that for me usually takes away the appeal of even a great story. Just as I didn't really understand my ambivalence to the last book I read (Noah's Compass), so I don't really understand my strong reaction to this one. I was nothing short of mesmerized by it. The characters became so real to me that I felt a terrible loss when they left the island. And Moses, he's inside my head all the time. But the thing that really got to me is the island itself. As I approached the last chapters of the book I could feel the dread of finishing it growing in me. I didn't want to leave, but those words "didn't want" don't really express it. I was heartbroken to leave it. I am so homesick for this place I've never been that I'm avoiding putting the book away. Somehow it feels closer with the book nearby. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but there you have it.

Looking at more tangible things, the writing is also very good. I can't remember which author said that his rule when editing is "If it sounds like writing, take it out.", but he'd be happy with this one. It never sounded like writing. It's one of those books that make you feel as if you're living the story, not reading it. It's that vibrant, that immediate. I don't remember there being a lot of descriptive passages, and yet many details about the place and its people clearly stand out even now, after finishing the book. The dialogue was very natural, blending in with the narrative so well it was barely noticeable. This guy can write.

It's been a while since I found a book worthy of adding to my "favourites" list, but this one is truly something special. I hope you'll read it and enjoy it, too.        

"Noah's Compass"

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

At sixty-one years old Liam Pennywell is forced into early retirement when the private school where he is a teacher downsizes. He's not all that disappointed at the loss of the job because, divorced with grown daughters, he has no one else to support but himself. His savings and pension will allow him time to think over whether he needs or even wants to look for another position.

He does some downsizing of his own, moving into a smaller apartment and discarding anything that won't fit into his newer, more spartan existence. The first night in his new bedroom he falls asleep satisfied with himself and the direction his life is taking.

The next morning he wakes up in the hospital, with absolutely no memory of what happened to him. He's told he fought off an intruder who gained entrance through an unlocked patio door but he can't remember anything at all. Recovering those memories becomes his focus, as much as he can be said to focus on anything.

 His ex-wife, his sister and his daughters come and go in his life with all the usual family tensions. Then he meets Eunice who actually works as a "hired remember" for someone else and who Liam thinks will be able to help him. What he gets is far more than he bargained for.

I'm having some difficulty deciding if I liked this book or not. It was interesting enough, but when I got to the end I found myself asking - so what? I've had that experience with the occasional movie but never before with a book. I'm not sure what it means, maybe just that I'm not in a place to get anything from it. Books and movies say different things to a person at different times in your life.

The reviews for this book were great. USA Today said "Gracefully written tragicomedy...seasoned with poetic images [and] gentle humor." The Observer (UK) said "...an elegant contemplation of what it meant to be happy..." I feel bad that I didn't get more from it, but there you have it. You might love the characters and the story; I was unmoved.