“Barn Burning” (1983) by Haruki Murakami

“You’re a writer, so I thought you must be interested in patterns of human behavior. Writers are supposed to appreciate something for what it is, before they hand down a judgment.”

Murakami’s talent shines through as he manages to craft a multidimensional story in just 12 pages! “Multidimensional” is not a coincidental word choice – the author examines the question of the different realities we live in, and by the end of this enigmatic story I realized that I’ve missed the answer that was lying right on the surface…just like the main character did…

To shed the light on the content without revealing the major plot twists, I’ll just say that it follows the somewhat classic Murakami storyline, where a 20-year-old working class writer loses the girl he loves to a rich 20-year-old boy with “The Great Gatsby” vibes and a strange hobby of burning down abandoned barns. The veil of ambiguity hangs over this seemingly simple and strange story, and only the unexpected open ending uncovers that in fact every word and every small detail were constantly pointing towards one idea…

An interesting thought was put forward by the South-Korean director who adapted this story into a film called “Burning” (2018) – Lee Chang-dong. He highlights that, in a way, this story acts as a reflection to our modern world, where the rapid pace of life sometimes gives little time to deal with subtleties and complexities that hide beneath the shiny surface. And I have to say that he does a brilliant job of communicating his thoughtful interpretation through film. Initially, I didn’t plan to watch it, but listening to the discussion of it on the New Yorker podcast persuaded me to do it, and wow! I’m so impressed how Lee Chang-dong captured the many dilemmas that may tear the young minds as they search for the right path, navigate through their feelings, encounter the instances of inequality and get “burned” by some of the experiences. 

Please let me know if you have read or watched it – I would love to hear your thoughts!

And I hope you all are staying healthy and safe at this difficult time!

“The Secret History” by Donna Tartt

“One’s thought patterns become different, he said, when forced into the confines of a rigid and unfamiliar tongue. Certain common ideas become inexpressible; other, previously undreamt-of ones spring to life, finding miraculous new articulation”

No matter which book I pick, my thoughts keep returning to this disturbing beauty. The magic of Donna Tartt’s words made me feel a part of that small elitist circle of students studying Greek and now I dearly miss her emotionally confused, well-read, witty, unlikeable in many ways and not at all adapted to living in the real world characters – Richard, Camilla, Henry, Francis, Charles and Edmund. To be honest, at first I didn’t think I liked “The Secret History” as much (maybe because I kept comparing it to the greatness of “The Goldfinch”) yet, surprisingly, the memory of this book becomes more and more precious to me as the time goes. .

First of all, this book is like a bow to the great classics. The storyline reminds of the “Crime and Punishment” (the constant allusions confirm it), whereas one of the main characters, Henry, is like an evil version of Sherlock Holmes. So it was rather entertaining to see Donna Tartt put a twist on the good old stories to give birth to a new one. .

Secondly, Donna Tartt again manages to tackle so many relevant topics: the search of identity, unrequited love, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse. Just like “The Goldfinch”, it provides a glance into different aspects of the modern day life. .

And of course, Donna Tartt’s writing is a separate piece of art. The novel could be condensed to about 300 pages, and I agree that some details might have been unnecessary to the development of the plot, yet the positive side is the prolonged enjoyment of her mastery of the English language and her rich vocabulary. I read it with a notebook and a pen closely by my side. 
Would love to hear your thoughts about this one!

“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck

“Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck is an incredibly touching story.

I admire John Steinbeck’s wisdom, captivating writing and dynamic characters. As he writes in his journal entry: “Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other.” The Great Depression steals the characters of their aspirations, leaving them lonely and bitter, seeking a company of a friend. Socially and financially insecure, they move from place to place in search for work and find refugee in bars. Yet, the protagonists, George and Lennie, appear to be different because they have each other, they are loyal friends, they work hard and they share a dream of buying land one day and becoming independent. But how long will their common dream be able protect them from the oppression and abuse they experience?

“Of Mice And Mice” is a short and compelling read… Highly recommend.

“March Violets” by Philip Kerr

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I initially planned to write a proper review about this one but decided against it since this is more of an entertaining read that doesn’t need much of an introduction other than: it is a historical detective set in Nazi Germany in 1936 that revolves around political intrigues of Goering and Himmler (if you would like to learn more about these characters or Nazi Germany as a whole, you might consider picking this up). Also the narrator is very sarcastic which makes the book darkly funny at times despite the horrific events described. “The March Violets” by Philip Kerr is one of my first reads in genre of historical detective and I have to say I was surprised to find out that the author himself was born two decades after the year his novel is set in. Or maybe not, maybe if he was a real witness of such events, he would not have been as sarcastic in his writing. 

Have you read anything by Philip Kerr? Do you have any historical detective recommendations? 

“The Boy in Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne

“The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne (@JohnBoyne) .
It’s a very moving story. I’ve read much about the horrors of the Second World War yet scarcely have any of those readings grasped the abyss between the two sides (Nazi soldiers and Jews in concentration camps) like this book.

The story is told from the perspective of 9-year-old Bruno, whose father is a Commandant in Auschwitz. There, Bruno secretly becomes friends with a Jewish boy, Shmuel, to confront the evil together. –

I like the accessible language of this book because many war-themed novels have adults as their target audience but this one would be easy for young people to read. Excellent way to educate.

What makes the book unique is, probably, the child’s point of view because it is free from hypocrisy and sees people as they really are. Despite the simple childish thinking, Bruno touches on some very philosophical questions, especially: “What exactly was the difference? And who decided which people wore the striped pyjamas and which people wore uniforms?” I would also like to mention a character that I find to be very controversial: Bruno’s father. Often the soldiers are presented as monsters but in this book Bruno’s father seemed to have two personalities: that of a loving (in his own way) father and that of a stone-hearted soldier. And it is very hard to understand how one person can act so different.

*spoiler alert*

The ending was shocking. Very sad but it shows that all people are the same and the distinctions are artificial because if the soldiers knew Bruno was German, he would not have been killed and that is terrifying that innocent people were killed for their nationality. Really shows that such distinctions are absurd. And the last lines of the book are rather sarcastic and bitter “Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age.”
Strongly recommend, “The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas” is a must-read.

If you have read it, please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

“The Red And The Black” by Stendhal

“Much shall be forgiven thee for thou hast loved much”

I adore Stendhal for writing a literary masterpiece that “The Red And The Black” is. Despite being written in 1830, the book is still very applicable to modern society -it seems that the advances in science didn’t eradicate passions and ambitions common to our ancestors. I wonder if that is good and if that ever changes.
The book is about Julien, a plebeian, determined to reach success, – that for him is becoming a part of elite society,- while saving his pride. Along his journey, Julien falls in love with provincial Mme. de Renal and conquers haughty Mathilde. Moreover, with his hard work and brilliant mind, Julien manages to reach his goals only to realize that “simplest, modest virtue has been sacrificed to that which glitters.” And there, at the end of the book, comes the unexpected shocking climax! The book was written in one pace, with Stendhal‘s care for reader’s psychological state, until those explosive concluding untitled chapters.
It’s been a week now that I have finished reading this book but with each day I find more areas to apply Stendhal’s philosophy to. Grateful to Stendhal for sharing his wisdom. It is a very educating book. Even in terms of language and writing because the omniscient narrator of “The Red And The Black” captures scenes like a playwright and feelings like a poet.
Of course, there is so much more to add to this review and if you have read this book, I’d like to discuss it with you in comments!
Also important to note that the title “The Red And The Black” can be interpreted differently. For me, it seems like a description of Julien’s dual nature. But also critics explain that “red” is the color of soldier’s uniform and “black” is the color of priests’ cassocks – both clothings worn by elite whom Julien admired. How do you prefer to interpret the title?

 

What does it take to be an Inspector in 1950s Paris? Georges Simenon answers in his novels.

To start this review, I have to say that I, personally, enjoy reading detectives at summer. The thing is, I feel that vacation read requires to be both thrilling and not emotionally heavy. And “Maigret And The Tall Woman” turned out to be just the book of that kind – so I’m very thankful to Penguin Books for sending it to me.

Actually, I was excited to read it as I’ve already been introduced to a few of Maigret detectives and all of them appeared to be full of plot twists and aperitif. And clearly, “Maigret And The Tall Woman” is no exception.

Putting the plot summary short: Maigret is visited by a tall woman he had arrested decades ago. She reports that her husband – a professional safecracker – is hiding, frightened, after coming across a murdered body of middle-aged woman during another break-in. She gives Maigret the address and  insists on investigation. Maigret calls to Brasserie Dauphine and asks for two Pernods to be delivered to his office. – Yes I have to add that upon finishing this detective you’ll be well aware of, what feels like, all the brasseries offering alcohol drinks in 1950s Paris.- Then he sets off to the house ,where , presumably, a murder has been comitted. However, to Maigret’s surprise, he finds that no murder has been reported although something about the atmosphere in the house gets him suspicious so in order to think carefully about what the case may be he decides to visit a brasserie across the street and drink some wine.

I suggest you to pick up this detective of Georges Simenon’s if you’re in for a fast-paced read filled with intrigues. It’s like, the more you read, the more does the fogg of suspense thicken.

Please, share your thoughts about your favorite Maigret detectives in comments!

 

The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Dear John Steinbeck, I wish you were alive so I could write you a letter or call you to tell how much  I loved your novel and thank you for all the inspiration.

I adore you!

 

 

I’ve finished reading “The Grapes Of Wrath” on the night of “Harry Potter And The Cursed Child”release, so it’s been like 4 days and I’m still overwhelmed with emotions. Usually I’m not a fan of open endings, but in the “The Grapes Of Wrath”it just felt good; I closed the book with a smile on my face and it was hard to fall asleep that night as MY THOUGHTS KEPT RACING. John Steinbeck managed to transmit all this terror and insanity of The Great Depression with the mere words and through the very same words he took you back in time to California and made you cry and smile and most of all – change with the heroes. Really, it was interesting to see how much Jouds changed throughout the novel if you compared the people they were in the beginning to the people they became in end. (let’s also note most of them changed in a good way, which proves that difficulties make us stronger, but of course it’s easy to say).

Moreover, while reading I highlighted many lines– some of them were thought provoking, another were reflections of my own thoughts and the rest were just beautifully BEAUTIFULLY written. I must add that “The Grapes Of Wrath” not only shows you the results of The Great Depression, it also explains the reasons and although it was written 77 years ago, it IS actual nowadays as it describes the events similar to current refugee crisis. I think it’s a must read for everyone.

Also, I’ve just read some “The Grapes Of Wrath” reviews on goodreads and people kept writing “this book is for people over 30/ only adults will like it”, I disagree – I’m 15 and I found this book GREAT – and I’m sure that “The Grapes Of Wrath” will be a good read at any age. Well, I understand, “The Grapes Of Wrath” is hard to read at times – for instance, I was reading it for a whole month as two chapters a day were more than enough for me – , John Steinbeck said  himself: “I’ve done my damndest to rip a reader’s nerves to rags, I don’t want him satisfied” , but after finishing “The Grapes Of Wrath”  you’ll just look at several things DIFFERENTLY and I think you can only refer to a book as GREAT if it has changed you and made you ask yourself questions you never asked before.

So please read it and let me know your thoughts then and if you’ve read it already I’d like to discuss it with you! By the way, my favorite “The Grapes Of Wrath” characters are Tom Joud, Ma Joud and of course Jim Casy!

Let me finish this review with my favorite “The Grapes Of Wrath” quotes:

“Maybe,’ I figgered, ‘maybe it’s all men an’ all women we love; maybe that’s the Holy Sperit-the human sperit-the whole shebang. Maybe all men got one big soul ever’body’s a part of.’ Now I sat there thinkin’ it, an’ all of a suddent-I knew it. I knew it so deep down that it was true, and I still know it.”

“Muscles aching to work, minds aching to create – this is man.”

“If he needs a million acres to make him feel rich, seems to me he needs it ’cause he feels awful poor inside hisself, and if he’s poor in hisself, there ain’t no million acres gonna make him feel rich, an’ maybe he’s disappointed that nothin’ he can do ‘ll make him feel rich.”  

“Anybody can break down. It takes a [real] man not to.”

 

 “Whenever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Whenever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there . . . . I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad an’-I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry an’ they know supper’s ready. An’ when our folks eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build-why, I’ll be there.”