tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post4585235404752197536..comments2023-11-05T10:11:31.578+00:00Comments on Just William's Luck: 'there is no such thing as an uninteresting life'William Rycrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-69377711262744267562009-01-13T19:25:00.000+00:002009-01-13T19:25:00.000+00:00Thanks for your comments Bob. Unputdownable is the...Thanks for your comments Bob. Unputdownable is the exact word that my friend used when recommending the book to me. That beating heart at the centre of the book is an interesting idea. I think that comes from a couple of things. Mistry clearly has a lot of love for his characters. There is also that sense of hope, no matter what fate deals them, they never give up (a similar theme seems to be contained in the recent hit film Slumdog Millionaire)William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-23639378622227598522009-01-13T10:43:00.000+00:002009-01-13T10:43:00.000+00:00Despite the fact that A Fine Balance is quite thic...Despite the fact that A Fine Balance is quite thick, it is very readable and Mistry's prose is very flowing. To use a cliche I found it unputdownable. Most of all I found a big heart beating in the centre of the novel, despite all the cruelty and heartbreak (for both character and reader) that goes on. Unfortunately none of his other novels have moved me in the same way. I liked some stories in Tales from Firozsha Baag, Hated Such a Long Journey and liked Family Matters but found it lacking something.bobbloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10221997102897106322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-74637206278902942122009-01-04T19:48:00.000+00:002009-01-04T19:48:00.000+00:00Hi James. Happy New Year. You're absolutely right ...Hi James. Happy New Year. You're absolutely right about the deceptive tone. Those violent moments suddenly appear, making them all the more shocking.<BR/><BR/>I'm glad you're both enjoying Dad Rules, John. My wife just finished it too and we've been comparing notes. May we both wish both of you all the best for the coming weeks, months, years.......William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-11408172864951416912009-01-04T16:58:00.000+00:002009-01-04T16:58:00.000+00:00Hi William,I've read a few Mistry novels and this ...Hi William,<BR/>I've read a few Mistry novels and this is indeed 'the daddy'. The violence is all the more shocking for the deceptively light-hearted tone common to most of his books. This book shows he can be a great storyteller - it never felt like 600 pages. I also like the way it captures a feeling that, despite the apparent chaos and injustice in India, the human spirit endures in ways that are unique to the sub-continent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-35802059794268438352009-01-04T16:06:00.000+00:002009-01-04T16:06:00.000+00:00Yes, William, the next month or so will tell. (In...Yes, William, the next month or so will tell. (Incidentally, both Mrs Self and I are enjoying Andrew Clover's <EM>Dad Rules</EM>. I got hold of a copy on your recommendation recently.)<BR/><BR/>John Irving! There's a writer I haven't thought about in a while. I still have a good deal of affection for <EM>The Cider House Rules</EM> and <EM>A Prayer for Owen Meany</EM>, though I wonder if I might find them unbearably sentimental now.<BR/><BR/>Indeed Irving was the first 'grown-up' novelist I read, back in my teens, and I devoured everything of his up to and including <EM>A Son of the Circus</EM> (1994). Then I couldn't finish <EM>A Widow for One Year</EM> and haven't bothered with his two novels since. I think Irving may, for me, be the very opposite of an acquired taste.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-42095335005580061952009-01-03T23:31:00.000+00:002009-01-03T23:31:00.000+00:00John, you have to make time with those babies you ...John, you have to make time with those babies you know. Or master my patented read-whilst-getting-baby-off-to-sleep method.<BR/><BR/>Thanks both for your comments. Midnight's Children will get its moment (perhaps in a similar Christmas limbo this year).William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-80937583114991784942009-01-03T18:46:00.000+00:002009-01-03T18:46:00.000+00:00Kind of like John Irving.Kind of like John Irving.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-58390453038804760942009-01-03T18:44:00.000+00:002009-01-03T18:44:00.000+00:00An interesting comment, John, because I too liked ...An interesting comment, John, because I too liked Shalimar, The Clown -- and outside of you I haven't found anyone else who did. I do think that Rushdie's early work is much better than his more recent stuff (Shalimar excepted). When he is good, he is very good -- I suspect his fame overtook his ability.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-80014963530038437312009-01-03T10:07:00.000+00:002009-01-03T10:07:00.000+00:00Rushdie blows hot and cold for me. This is perfec...Rushdie blows hot and cold for me. This is perfectly exemplified by his recent stuff. I absolutely loved <EM>Shalimar the Clown</EM> but more or less hated <EM>The Enchantress of Florence</EM> - see my blog for reviews of both, and indeed see my review of <EM>Enchantress</EM> for a very detailed discussion of Rushdie by people who know much more than I do.<BR/><BR/>Kamila Shamsie's <EM>Burnt Shadows</EM> will be published by Bloomsbury in the UK and is one of their lead fiction titles for spring 09. I'm expecting a copy soon and will read it keenly ... if I have time by then!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-80925443427727591772009-01-03T00:45:00.000+00:002009-01-03T00:45:00.000+00:00Great trivia John. I had not realized that Such a...Great trivia John. I had not realized that Such a Long Journey (which I also liked) had made the Booker shortlist. I too will be pubbing with this.<BR/><BR/>I like early Rushdie, William, but not the recent stuff. Midnight's Children definitely fits in the former category and is a very good book.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-86271247883318081292009-01-02T22:25:00.000+00:002009-01-02T22:25:00.000+00:00Thanks for the tip Kevin, 'Burnt Shadows' sounds i...Thanks for the tip Kevin, 'Burnt Shadows' sounds intriguing. It's time for me to broaden my fictional horizons. I'm not sure it's time for Midnight's Children though. I've not really liked what I've read of Rushdie so far (which isn't much I admit) and I've never known a book divide people like that one. But having recently been crowned 'Best of Booker's' I can't dismiss it out of hand, can I?<BR/><BR/>Top trivia John. I really fancy a pub quiz now.William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-53457497591870903622009-01-02T20:04:00.000+00:002009-01-02T20:04:00.000+00:00I read Mistry's last novel Family Matters in the e...I read Mistry's last novel <EM>Family Matters</EM> in the earliest days of my blog (indeed, it may have been my first post), and had mixed feelings about. Nonetheless, I was always aware that <EM>A Fine Balance</EM> is the daddy. It's 600 pages, isn't it, so I can't guarantee I'll be picking it up very soon, but your review William, and your recommendation Kevin, ensure it will pass through my hands sometime.<BR/><BR/>The pub quiz aficionado's trivia on Mistry is that he is, as far as I know, the only writer to have had all his novels shortlisted for the Booker Prize (other than one-novel writers of course).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-28013519248136087642009-01-02T16:29:00.000+00:002009-01-02T16:29:00.000+00:00It is true that you have to be persistent with thi...It is true that you have to be persistent with this book, but if you are it is most rewarding. Every one of the characters -- but particularly the tailors -- becomes very interesting. The politics of Mrs. Gandhi that Mistry inserts are exceptionally well done and gradually become an overwhelming power in the book.<BR/><BR/>I know you are hesitant about epics set in India, but if you haven't read Midnight's Children, it does deserve its reputation. Also, watch out for Kamila Shamsie's new book, due for release in March. It starts out in Nagasaki in 1945, moves to Bombay, then on to Pakistan and finally New York -- with a few trips to Afghanistan in the interim. It is a plot driven book but very well done and one that I highly recommend, if you are in the right mood when you undertake it. Definitely not post-modern.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-37915183067610100292009-01-02T11:24:00.000+00:002009-01-02T11:24:00.000+00:00I can't believe that as someone who's just found m...I can't believe that as someone who's just found my blog I've started the year with your favourite book! It's always difficult to cover everything you want to say about a book of this length and depth so thank you for your comments. <BR/><BR/>I was struggling with it about half way through if I'm honest, but I'm so glad that I persisted. It's the kind of book which has the confidence to tell its story without flashy stylistics or tricks, almost Dickensian detail, and take its time too.William Rycrofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15056188088340973039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534509012046591314.post-24517999471702608732009-01-02T04:16:00.000+00:002009-01-02T04:16:00.000+00:00When I'm asked "what is your favorite book", A Fin...When I'm asked "what is your favorite book", A Fine Balance is my answer. I think this review does an excellent job of capturing its strength (and its weaknesses). Mistry has written a wonderful story with truly interesting characters -- as a good friend said about 80 per cent of the way through the book "he isn't going to do that to them, is he? I can't stand the prospect." Despite its length, it is also a book that rewards rereading. Mistry's other novels are very good -- this one is truly superb. Your summary indicates why.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com