Great Gatsby - The Game!

You thought your life was not quite making the grade, didn't you? Maybe you're like me and made the wrong decision for lunch (I just didn't want that salmon salad), perhaps you're not getting paid quite as much as you'd like/deserve and your weekend is full of things you planned ages ago but now, perhaps, you don't really want to get out of bed for. But thanks to the wonderfulness that is the Emerald Street newsletter, all of that becomes obsolete. Your life is now complete with The Great Gatsby - For Nes.

Get suited up into your party outfit because you're now Nick Carraway. Poise your fingers over your keyboard and get jumping through Gatsby's glitzy pad in search of Gatsby himself, but watch out for the waiters and dancing flappers! You can have a go at http://greatgatsbygame.com/ 

Literary Maps

Some maps are notoriously difficult to read so it is, perhaps, ironic that Geoff Sawers, a writer and poet from the UK, has designed this rather stunning literary map full of some of the most well-read names in British literature. 

Each of the 181 writers included in this map are in the geographical position most associated with them. You will find Seamus Heaney sat comfortably on top of Ireland, my fav Ginny Woolf nestled in the Sussex Downs and even Le Morte D'Arthur writer, Thomas Mallory, gets his place in England despite scholars for years thinking he was Welsh...

It's not just about birthplace, however. For instance, Bram Stoker appears making his way into the port at Whitby in North Yorkshire, a reference to the path of the ship that arrives in Stoker's infamous Gothic horror novel, Dracula.

The names on this map cover centuries of British writing, from one of Britain's first professional writers, Aprha Behn, and poet Christina Rossetti to the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and Roald Dahl.

Perhaps the only disappointing aspect of this map is that there are, inevitably, always going to be authors left out. Nevertheless, I personally think this is brilliant... think I'll be buying a poster of it myself...

And so can you! At the marvelous Literary Gift Company website where I came across it: http://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/literary-map-2678-p.asp

Interestingly some of these writers make it across the pond to feature in Geoff Sawers and Bridget Hannigan's literary map of the USA. American-born T.S. Eliot is seen fleeing America's east coast for Europe along with Henry James.

But what a road-trip that would be... land in the east-coast ports of Edith Wharton, Paul Auster and Arthur Miller, drive inland on the Louisa May Alcott highway, stop for tea with Harper Lee before heading west via Patricia Highsmith and Barbara Kingsolver before reaching the coastal towns of John Steinbeck and Vladimir Nabokov. Epic...

http://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/usa-literary-map-3459-p.asp

The Magus

Blurb: 'An astonishing achievement' Anthony Burgess

On a remote Greek Island, Nicholas Urfe finds himself embroiled in the deceptions of a master trickster. As reality and illusion intertwine, Urfe is caught up in the darkest of psychological games. John Fowles expertly unfolds a tale that is lush with over-powering imagery in a spellbinding exploration of human complexities. By turns disturbing, thrilling and seductive, The Magus is a feast for the mind and the senses.

Going on holiday this somewhere? Pick this up. Whether you're going to somewhere nice and tropical and want to read about beaches and sunshine and all the things you're surrounded by, then it's great. If you're stuck at home and want to be transported somewhere else, it's great again. It was the latter case for me and I have to say this quickly became one of my favourite books.

What is so clever about this book is that you never entirely know, like Nicholas Urfe, what is real and what is not. The trickster comes and goes and figures appear and disappear across the island as the trickster tests him. Nicholas becomes completely and dangerously involved in this confusing and scary side to island life on Phraxos, never knowing just how far the trickster will go.

Don't be put off by the word 'trickster', though. It's not some fantastical island adventure with monsters and spells, it's a psychological thriller. The Hunger Games for adults! Well, not quite... but it is a game of sorts.

If the storyline doesn't float your boat, the setting will - wide open ocean, golden sands and sheltered coves. This is one of my ultimate favourite books, so do hope you enjoy it too. It's not a piss easy read but not because the writing is hard, just the nature of tricksters is that they are rather confusing! But take this on holiday with you, relax and get stuck in!

9/10

If this takes your fancy, why not look at some of my other Fowles posts:
Introducing... John Fowles
Selected Poems by John Fowles

Selected Poems by John Fowles

John Fowles was known to have written poetry throughout his life but only had one book of his own poems published in his life time, aptly if not originally named Poems.

Since his death in 2005, however, his wife, Sarah Fowles, came across some unpublished poems of his when going through his belongings. She passed them on to British poet, novelist and playwright, Adam Thorpe, who meticulously went through all Fowles' writings to put together a brand new collection with a far more exciting title, Selected Poems. The poems are said to span a staggering number of years, from the 1950s through to Fowles times in hospital nearer the end of his life.

Sarcasm aside, Fowles is known to be a great poet and I'm sure this collection won't disappoint. Rather pleasingly, the collection is to be published by a very small publisher, Flambard Press, and will include an introduction from Thorpe himself.

As a big fan of his novel, The Magus, I'm particularly excited (*geek*) to hear that the collection includes poems, such as his Apollo sequence, that were inspired by his time on Spetsai - the Greek island that became Phraxos in The Magus. Thorpe has said that any Magus fans will notice the same setting and quality in these poems.

Oooo I'm feeling all Magus-y now, so there may be a book review tomorrow... until then, have a look at my earlier post on Fowles in general.

Introducing... John Fowles

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical

Roald Dahl is one of those writers that I have read and read and read. As a child, I think I must have read all his books and loved every single one of them. Although Dahl himself was reportedly against film adaptations of his books, his talented script-writing for films such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang only proved that Dahl was always going to translate well on screen, resulting in many many adaptations of his novels for children. The BFG, George's Marvelous Medicine, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches and Fantastic Mr Fox have all been made into successful films.

Arguably one of the most famous Roald Dahl films is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, producing 2 very popular versions. After the fantastic success of both, it was never going to be long before the classic story hit the stage. The fact that the musical of Matilda has been so well received will have only sparked more excitement and now, after months of rumours, it has been announced that producers are to put Wonka and his chocolate factory at the centre of a new West End musical next summer. Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes will be taking on the project along with Hairspray composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Assassin's Apprentice

Blurb: Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chilvary, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility. So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.

So this book, Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, has a shiny silver cover - awesome. It's how all fantasy novels should be presented. Shiny and silvery and cool. I love the effect it has on people on the train on the way to work; there's something comforting that everyone really, deep down, oohs and ahhs at pretty sparkly things. Plus there's always a particular kind of male commuter that remains perplexed for the entire journey at the thought of a woman who reads fantasy...

Anyway, I'd say that the cover was one of my favourite things about the book which isn't always a good sign. I did find the writing at times a little embarrassing and it is pretty much a staple plot - bastard child gets taught how to be chivalric and use swords and poisons and whatnot. Saying that, that's exactly why I picked it up and for that reason it didn't entirely disappoint.

It was a bit ridiculous but fun and any fantasy novel needs a bit of the ridiculous... The main character, Fitz, as often is the case in any novel, fantasy or otherwise, is not the most interesting character but the narrative voice is consistent and keeps everything clear and ticking over. Personally, his dog is my favourite... but there are plenty of characters to choose from; bitter noblemen, loyal keepers, crazy old women, anxious kings in waiting and some love interests along the way.

At the heart of this book is a constant threat posed by the Outislanders, the Red Ship Raiders. They are attacking the Farseer kingdom's coastline and the affected villagers never seem quite the same again... It's that, for me, that keeps everything interesting. Hobb gets across the fear across and the Outislanders complete spontaneity - when and where will they hit next?

The best judgement has to be taken from whether or not I want to read the next two books in the trilogy. I think I probably will, yes. But not straight away. I need a break from the Farseers but it's a bit of fun that I may well return to and when I do, I'll let you know how I  get along!

6/10

The Orange Prize 2012

Because I'm rubbish and didn't post for ages, I completely missed giving you an overview of this year's Orange Prize. There seemed to be an even greater spotlight on the women's fiction prize this year as it is to be the last ever Orange Prize due to Orange withdrawing their sponsorship in favour of other investments. Who knows what it will be next year? Chocolate and coffee are out of the equation as Galaxy and Costa already have their own prizes... I'm secretly hoping it's something wonderfully inappropriate like Durex... but then that's just my immature sense of humour... and oh maaan... now my blog is going to come up in searches for Durex...

The spotlight really should be on the winner, however, who this year was first time novelist, Madeline Miller and her novel The Song of Achilles.

Here is an overview of all the shortlisted titles so you can go out and get reading:

Esi Edugyan

Half Blood Blues

Serpent’s Tail

Canadian

2nd Novel

The aftermath of the fall of Paris, 1940. Hieronymus Falk, a rising star on the cabaret scene, is arrested in a cafe and never heard from again. He is twenty years old. A German citizen. And he is black. Fifty years later, Sid, Hiero's bandmate and the only witness that day, is going back to Berlin. Persuaded by his old friend Chip, Sid discovers there's more to the journey than he thought when Chip shares a mysterious letter, bringing to the surface secrets buried since Hiero's fate was settled. In Half Blood Blues, Esi Edugyan weaves the horror of betrayal, the burden of loyalty and the possibility that, if you don't tell your story, someone else might tell it for you. And they just might tell it wrong.

Anne Enright

The Forgotten Waltz

Jonathan Cape

Irish

5th Novel

In Terenure, a pleasant suburb of Dublin, in the winter of 2009, it has snowed. Gina Moynihan, girl about town, recalls the trail of lust and happenstance that brought her to fall for 'the love of her life', Seán Vallely. As the city outside comes to a halt, Gina remembers the days of their affair in one hotel room or another: long afternoons made blank by bliss and denial. Now, as the silent streets and the stillness and vertigo of the falling snow make the day luminous and full of possibility, Gina waits the arrival on her doorstep of Seán's fragile, twelve-year-old daughter, Evie - the complication, and gravity, of this second life.

Georgina Harding

Painter of Silence

Bloomsbury

British

3rd Novel

Iasi, Romania, the early 1950s. A nameless man is found on the steps of a hospital. Deaf and mute, he is unable to communicate until a young nurse called Safta brings paper and pencils with which he can draw. Slowly, painstakingly, memories appear on the page. The memories are Safta's also. For the man is Augustin, son of the cook at the manor house which was Safta's family home. Born six months apart, they grew up with a connection that bypassed words. But while Augustin's world remained the same size Safta's expanded to embrace languages, society - and a fleeting love, one long, hot summer. But then came war, and in its wake a brutal Stalinist regime, and nothing would remain the same.

Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles

Bloomsbury

American

1st Novel

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Cynthia Ozick

Foreign Bodies

Atlantic Books

American

7th Novel

The collapse of her brief marriage has stalled Bea Nightingale's life, leaving her middle-aged and alone, teaching in an impoverished borough of 1950s New York. A plea from her estranged brother gives Bea the excuse to escape lassitude by leaving for Paris to retrieve a nephew she barely knows; but the siren call of Europe threatens to deafen Bea to the dangers of entangling herself in the lives of her brother's family. Travelling from America to France, Bea leaves the stigma of divorce on the far side of the Atlantic; newly liberated, she chooses to defend her nephew and his girlfriend Lili by waging a war of letters on the brother she has promised to help. But Bea's generosity is a mixed blessing: those she tries to help seem to be harmed, and as Bea's family unravel from around her, she finds herself once again drawn to the husband she thought she had left in the past...

Ann Patchett

State of Wonder

Bloomsbury

American

6th Novel

There were people on the banks of the river. Among the tangled waterways and giant anacondas of the Brazilian Rio Negro, an enigmatic scientist is developing a drug that could alter the lives of women for ever. Dr Annick Swenson's work is shrouded in mystery; she refuses to report on her progress, especially to her investors, whose patience is fast running out. Anders Eckman, a mild-mannered lab researcher, is sent to investigate. A curt letter reporting his untimely death is all that returns. Now Marina Singh, Anders's colleague and once a student of the mighty Dr Swenson, is their last hope. Compelled by the pleas of Anders's wife, who refuses to accept that her husband is not coming home, Marina leaves the snowy plains of Minnesota and retraces her friend's steps into the heart of the South American darkness, determined to track down Dr. Swenson and uncover the secrets being jealously guarded among the remotest tribes of the rainforest. What Marina does not yet know is that, in this ancient corner of the jungle, where the muddy waters and susurrating grasses hide countless unknown perils and temptations, she will face challenges beyond her wildest imagination. Marina is no longer the student, but only time will tell if she has learnt enough.

The Line of Beauty

In the summer of 1983, 20-year-old Nick Guest moves into an attic room in the Notting Hill home of the Feddens: Tory MP Gerald, his wealthy wife Rachel, and their two children, Toby – whom Nick had idolized at Oxford – and Catherine, always standing at a critical angle to the family and its assumptions and ambitions. As the Thatcher boom-years unfold, Nick, an innocent in the worlds of politics and money, finds his life altered by the rising fortunes of the glamorous family he is entangled with. Two vividly contrasting love-affairs, with a young black clerk and a Lebanese millionaire, dramatize the dangers and rewards of his own private pursuit of beauty, a pursuit as compelling to him as that of power and riches to his friends.

I know it has been a week or so since I last posted... unacceptable I know. To reward you all for the wait... here's a brand new review and it's a really great book! This book was recommended by a friend of mine a while ago who kept going on about how good it was. Now for me, that's never a good thing. Recommendations? Fine. But when people continue to go on about how good it is, I just feel that, inevitably, I will be disappointed. With Alan Hollinghurt's Booker-winning The Line of Beauty, however, this was not so.

This book has that 'tone' I always rabbit on about. That 'tone' that I can't put my finger on but I just love. Sadie Jones has it, Richard Yates has it, and this book is, dare I say it, ever-so-slightly Gatsby-esque. A man named Nick, an outsider, becomes entangled and obsessed with a new and exciting world that he doesn't altogether agree with but just can't ignore.

There's something captivating about watching someone become so enraptured by another world. By 'another world', I don't just mean the house Nick moves into, but London as a whole. Its vibrance, its danger, its politics etc.

On top of this, Hollinghurst writes brilliantly and there's no fuss here. It's a political book, certainly, but don't let that put you off. There are love affairs, locked gardens, humour, awkward truths... you name it.

Really recommend this book. 9/10