JG Farrell's Troubles

was awarded the lost Man Booker prize this year. Written in 1970 it was missed because of a change in the rules. This is an odd one. To start, we all know how much I hate Irish writing (thanks to Frank McCourt's disgusting blathering vomit about his boo-hoo childhood) so I went into it a bit cautiously. The book is long (at 450 pages) and didn't feel like it was moving at all but I was always surprised at how far I had progressed. The story is exactly what one would expect, so no surprise there but it was really well put together. It was quite funny and heart-warming and preachy in a sweet way. When the protagonist almost dies at the end I was shocked and I must say if he had died I would have stopped reading the book. I know this is part 1 of a trilogy and I'm doubtful I'll pick up the other two, yet it was good.

Botany of Desire

turned out after a short burst of reading frenzy I'm back to slackertown again. Botany of Desire (the June selection for Naked Suit) didn't change that. The book is bogged down in bizarre details and color that really drag. I had a difficult time finishing the book and didn't feel super enlightened (except for the part about witches dildoes). Thumbs up only because I love Pollan but really it was not very good.

The Sea

John Banville won the Man Booker Prize with his magnificently written story of memory and loss. While the language is so beautiful, the book is ultimately not that interesting and I found the ending a bit predictible and dull. Thumb down.

Ghostwritten

David Mitchell has been on my bookshelf for oh so long now. I read something by him a while back and was very impressed but never got around to the rest of his catalog. So, I invested a little quality time with Ghostwritten. I must say I really enjoyed it. I love the way the story changed throughout the book providing different narratives, each really a standalone story, but all connected. I like how that is so true about life and how all of our actions touch someone else somehow. I also loved how the point of view changed as things happened. It reminded me very much of Mrs. Dalloway and how the POV changes were almost viral in that they moved from person to person after some type of physical connection (a touch, a bump, etc). This was also true with Ghostwritten. Very nicely done.

And finally...

I finished the 2009 Man Booker Shortlist with Adam Foulds' The Quickening Maze. This prose poem about identity, home, and the difficulty of change was not my favorite. The story is beautifully told and the structure was well-thought out, with the changing seasons tracking the changes in the character's lives. The ending, however, was so powerful I felt like it really redeemed the book. This is definitely a thumbs up for me, making this 6 of 6 for the '09 MB.

The Glass Room

Simon Mawer's The Glass Room is the fifth in my MB reading list. Another small story told in terms of sprawling history, the author explores the idea of man's inability to really see ourselves no matter how hard we try. It compares the precision of science to desire. And on top of all its lofty themes the novel tells the amazing story of the modern Landauer house and the family who inhabits it. I loved the book. I thought it was nicely written and the story was really engaging. I've never read anything by this author but was glad for the opportunity. One book left for my short-list survey!

Bel Canto

I've had this book on my shelf for ages. Somewhere along the line someone told me it was a must read and there it sat. My Man Booker 2009 short list read was interrupted by availability of the last two books so I picked this up and egads but it is spectacular. Ann Pratchett's ability to capture the relationships and feelings these characters have for each other; her ability to depict how situations and other personalities force us to look at ourselves, amazing. The book is really about the beauty in the human experience regardless of highest triumph or lowest failure and our humanity through it all. "All the brilliant things we might have done with our lives if only we suspected we knew how."