The Song of Achilles

S

I think I have turned into a number one fan of  Greek story telling. I loved all the myths as a kid and have happily returned to them.  This book was a retelling of the Iliad by Homer from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles friend and lover. I have an extremely jumbled and muddled idea of what the Iliad was about and the characters in the Trojan war but now I kind of get it. There is no way I could wade through the poetry of the original so this book was perfect. What a great story!  Even though the original was written nearly 3000 years ago it all seems so relevant with topics on love, lust, pointless wars being fought in the East, honour, pride, families and friendships.

This is a time when Greek gods lived, walked and talked with humans and I loved how the author incorporated gods and goddesses into the story. The boys, Achilles and Patroclus are taken away for three years to live high up on a mountain with a centaur and Achilles water nymph mother is an angry, bitter and jealous goddess who knows Achilles is the strongest man in the war but also knows her son will die whilst fighting. She can't change his destiny. 

This story fleshes out Achilles and Patroclus' life. The joy of their childhood and then the pain of having to partake in such a long and pointless war. I liked the other characters too; the diplomacy of Oddyseus, the kindness and charm of Briseis, and the power crazy madness of Agamemnon. Achilles comes across as selfish and egotistical to be honest, but as soon as he finds out about the death of Patroclus he goes on a crazed , vengeful, killing spree around Troy. What I liked about this version was how the story easily came alive. Even though some of the dialogue seemed a bit unnatural it was still a great read. 

 I've checked characters on Google to see if they really were in the Iliad and it all seems based on the original. A kind of alternative viewpoint.  ( Apart from the fact that Patroclus  should have been older than Achilles and although it was implied that they were lovers, it was never definitely stated. ) I especially liked the ending. I love a good, bloodbath chariot battle and for me Patroclus was the real hero. 

It's all Greek to Me

Y

Wow, I have done something I haven't done for years. Read a book from cover to cover in one night. I loved this. I was wandering around Bicester library on Wednesday and picked this up. It looked fun and an easy idiot's guide to all things ' Ancient Greek' and well to say I have devoured it is an understatement. I loved it. Charlotte Higgins has bought the Greek world alive for me and placed it in an accessible relevant , enjoyable context. 

So many books are based on Greek myths and ideas so sublimally I already knew a bit of this stuff. But to access so much in such a handy guide was brilliant.

  I especially loved the descriptions of Homer's classics the Illiad and the Odyssey and the concise outline of the amazing story behind Oedipus. ( I'm reading a book on the background of Achilles at the moment and I thought browsing through  this could help me understand more but it has done far more than that.)

  I loved the Titan and  the Olympian gods feuding and how everyone plays dark tricks on each other.  Tantalus chopping up his son into little bits to feed to the gods was total psychotic comedy. 

  My favourite quote was 

'Don't call a man happy until he's dead' 

Before today I have always misinterpreted this quote to mean that life is so shit that the only good thing to do is die.  (Twisted I admit.)  Im so glad I now know the real meaning which is  that life is so full of twists and turns that our happiness factor can change at any time. We must never  presume that things will stay the same and get too smug or too depressed. Life is an open book until obviously we cease to exist. I much prefer the proper interpretation! 

In fact that is what hit me most about this book. The way the Greeks expressed this randomness of life. Excepting love, pain, loss, war, dying young, unfairness and fairness. Greek gods lived for ever squabbling and watching humans as if from a VIP box in Wembley stadium but humans live a charmed short life full of many ups and downs. 

I have focussed on the myths and plays but this book also covered the beginnings of western democracy, politics, science,  and philosophy. The first history/travel books of Heredotus and the beginning of recorded misogyny, the hatred/ fear of women. Spartans were the only girls to get an education and also join the army, whereas Athenian woman were mostly under house arrest.  

Yes, I loved this book. Funny, uplifting and informative. Filling lots of holes in my non-classical education! 

Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords.

R

For weeks I have been living in the land of Westeros and have slowly plowed through these  3 billion pages.  Of course I have loved them they are like Tolkien on speed. A mixture of medival high drama and politics, Lord of the rings, and Eastenders for over 18s. After reading so many back to back I need a break though, but I am looking forward to reading more.

I haven't watched any of the TV series and from what I hear they have pumped the programmes even more full of steroids and sex but I am glad that I am reading these with no images of characters or places. Occasionally  when I am feeling brave I google a character and see what they look like on the TV series. Often it's kind of OKish apart from the fact that Tyrion the Dwarf still has a nose and half his face intact. I think the actor must have refused to play the part with such facial deformities! 

I love how everyone is not completely good or bad.  as for Jaime Lannister...I WANT HIM here now! I've loved how his personality has developed so well. 

OK the books are a bit confusing with how they jump around from character to character every chapter but my kindle has been invaluable in letting me flick around and recap. I did find Daenarys' and Bran's chapters a bit dull by the end. She just kind of got lost out in the wilderness and now seems to be camping out as Queen in a far flung land. Bran is just waiting about trying to find a crow which will tell him what his powers are. Hurry up and get a plot line!!!! Plus I wanted the dragons to do something hot and dangerous. Hurry up and grow up dragons!

But I love Jon Snow and the Ice chapters and anything with the Lannisters and Tyrells.  As for the Others and the Lord of Light...what will happen? That weird Melisandre gets on my nerves. She reminds me of an evil, satanic, power crazy Kate  Bush.

  In the books the women are a bit cliched and flat and that's a bit disapppointing at times. (I was annoyed that Lysa was so pathetic when she temporarily joined the story at the end of book 3b. That moon door and Tyrion on  the high moving ice prison of hers in Game of Thrones were a highlight for me and I was looking forward to seeing her again.)

 George Martin is much better at writing male characters. (Not that I'm complaining too much! I do love a knight on a horse.)  I've heard that on TV the women have been both symbolically and literally fleshed out more.

Time for a break now...But will I manage it? I want to know what happens next! 

The White Queen

I never watched this on TV but I really feel that Gregory wrote this in the format of a mini-series script. Congratulations, it worked for her! 

 I enjoyed the story and the history. I have always loved the mystery of the Princes in the tower. So I feel like I have been reminded about what happened during the the dying days of the War of the Roses. Yes, a great story, good on facts but the characters were not real enough for me. Everyone was a cardboard cut out. As there were lots of women in this book  I thought I might get some insight into a  women's life in the 15th century but no, nothing but bitching and scheming with bits of witchcraft thrown in for good measure.  (Women hid away in a dark room for 6weeks before their babies were born, isolated from everyone but one maid. it would have been interesting if Gregory had told us what the hell this was like.) 

This is my first Philippa G book and to be honest I didn't really like her style. My GOD she sledgehammers the plot out, constantly repeating things!    Every character is introduced as 'Richard my son' or 'Edward, the King'. Every time someone speaks they clunkily refer back to past events to 'help the reader.'  OK, I'm taking this way too seriously but hey, I'm allowed to!

This book reminded me of a version of those TV shows on a Sunday evening on BBC 1 like Merlin and Atlantis. A kind of melding of modern day soap opera with folklore and history.   On TV it works because they play about and have a laugh but in this book it didn't because Gregory tries to keep within the true historical facts and it's just annoying.   This would have worked far better for me if there were dragons or wizards. Sorry Mel, I'm a harsh critic. 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Y

Wow, I really enjoyed this book and have raced through it. Something really different, well written and highly interesting. it's a mix of social history, poverty, race, ethics, biology and an amazing history of cell research. The cancerous cells of this woman,who died in Maryland in 1951, have become the standard for so much research over the world.  Without Henrietta's cells there would be no modern vaccines. (polio would still be killing people)  no modern chemotherapy drugs, and no world standard for human cell research. Her cells replicated perfectly and never died. They were like a magic porridge pot for cell researchers in the 1950s. her cells were called Hela and are still used prolifically all over the world.  

So far so good, but Henrietta's family never found about their Mother's cells until 20 years later when a variety of scientists, con-men and TV reporters turned up at their door.  The scientists wanted more cells from close relatives to do more research into genomes and the reporters of course wanted a story.

Anyway things went badly for the extended Lacks family.  They were angry that drug companies had made money from their mother without their knowledge and they were highly ignorant about what cells were. Nobody sat down with the family and explained what their mother had done for science and that there were no clones of Henrietta wandering around. 

The Lacks family are extremely poor and ill educated. A family with their roots in tobacco farming.The kids all left school before 14 and were never good in school anyway because of their congenital deafness never being diagnosed. ( a symptom of Henrietta marrying her cousin.) The grinding poverty of their lives is extreme and in complete contrast to the other strand of the story about cell research in labs all over the world by scientists.

Anyway, in the late 90s the author of this book managed to get the trust of the family and through years of research and persistence this book was written.  In the end it's a tribute to Henrietta and how out of her hard life something good appeared. ( her cervical cancer cells were so aggressive due to HPV and constant syphillis infections from her playboy husband.) Infact the HPV vaccine is only here because of Henrietta's cells.

As for the ethics of this book this has been complicated for me.  The story is a product of the American health system,the American education system, grinding poverty and race. The Lacks family are rightly angry that they are too poor to have health care and benefit from the the products which their mother 's cells helped to create but also they were all so badly educated they were living withsome strange godly fear that Henrietta still felt pain when her cells were tested on. Scientists are not the evil group in my opinion.  Johns Hopkins hospital/ University never sold Hela cells and shared their research with other scientists freely.  It was only when the cells had to be made on mass that drugs companies started to turn a profit on them. The problem is the health system in which the Lacks were embedded  A system which demonises the poorest and weakest in the community. 

The idea of informed consent did not exist in the 50s and doctors took samples from all cancerous biopsies from this hospital at the time. Henrietta just happened to be the perfect case. No cells ever reproduced in culture as well as hers. 

Anyway, if any of the above topics are interesting for you and you have a strong stomach then read this book.  It really made me think, the science was fairly easy to understand and the Lacks family story was interesting, irritating, annoying and heartbreaking all at the same time.  All I can say is thank god I don't have to deal with the American health system!  As for the history of black only wards and black only toilets and secret syphillis testing on the black wards in Tuskegee...it's a history that has to be read to be believed. 

The Secret Garden

My mate Nicky of Newcastle facebooked me a few weeks back to see if I had ever read this. She pursuaded me to get out my copy and reread it. So I did, a book I have had for over 35 years. I haven't read it since I was about 11 though and I know I really loved it then. Would it be the same as an adult?!

Well, I really enjoyed it. It is such a great book to read when you are feeling down, unloved and grumpy because these words describe the two main characters, Mary and Colin. Their personality and physical changes throughout the book are really amazing.  Their spoilt, selfish ways are the perfect antidote for each other and slowly they change to much happier and healthier children. And like them, you also get a real life enhancing boost when you read this book.

The garden though is the main pull of this book.  it is absolutely magical and even now, so many years later I could so quickly imagine again this absolutely amazing secret place. I could see it all laid out so perfectly. the mystery, the magic and the secrecy are so well described.  It really was still as exciting as when I read it as a kid.  This is weird for me because I hate gardening ( although I have done some today.). But I can still appreciAte the magic as these kids begin to grow and feel loved through this connection with nature. And the descriptions are just so vivid. Almost real.  (maybe all these clear pictures are because I read it so many times as a kid and the images all just came flooding back!

 Through the vivid descriptions of nature, growth, change and elemental forces and through rooting for 'Mary, Mary, so contrary,' you just feel really uplifted. You kind of think, if these spoilt revolting brats can change for the better then there is hope for me!

It's interesting to think about the few adult characters in the book. The only two caring adults seem to be dickon's mUm and Weatherstaff. Mrs. Medlock just can't be arsed with the kids and Mary's Mum was an ex pat socialite in India who just wanted to forget that Mary ever existed.  

I always loved the freaky beginning of the book when Mary's entire family and servants all die of cholera. That Mary stays alive through drinking wine dregs left at a banquet table is brilliantly grotesque! The levels of unstated abuse and neglect in this book are astounding.

As for Colin's dad, he is just pathetic.  Stuck in mourning for Colin's dead Mother and totally unble to sort himself out until he has 'a moment' in Italy and  realises that the soul of his wife is calling him back to the garden. 

 

Also, I wish Colin wasn't in the book so much.  his preaching and whinging and irritating ways got on my nerves a bit and because  I loved Mary I found that her voice was just pushed out of the limelight.  By the end it's all Colin's story.  he kind of hijacks it.

As for Dickon, wow, what a boy.  I fell in love with him all over again! only now do I see him as a Yorkshire based Peter Pan .  I'm sure he's still on the moor today with his whistle, his squirrels and his lamb. 

A Carpet Ride to Khiva

V

Yippeeeee. Finally after a long drought I finish a book. I have been trying to plough through 100 Years of Solitude and finding it impossible to pay attention or really care. I gave up.  Finally I feel like I have resurfaced from literally 100 years of pretentious boredom.  I've read it before and supposedly liked it. But I think I was dillusional at the time! 

Anyway, this book was great. A bit slow at the beginning but once it got going I couldn't put it down. (Plus now my kindle has upgraded I'm a bookworm again.)

I thought it would be a travel book about 7 years travelling along the Silk Road from China to Turkey, but it wasn't. The British guy writing his memories  lived in Khiva in Uzbekistan for seven years in his late 20s and early 30s. He is the same age as me (or thereabouts.) so lots of his history reference points are similar to mine.

He vividly created what life in Uzbekistan was like. A country in mad flux between Islamic traditions and collapsed Soviet policies. A country and an area which doesnt know it's place in the modern world. He desperately wanted to start a carpet weaving cooperative with help from UNESCO,employing women and local weavers who could remember the old local traditions of a skill which was totally dying out.

The beginning is a bit dull as he talks about settling in to this quite weird, Borat like hell hole of a place. I was beginning to wonder if he was sane to want to live in such a country. Thenslowly characters formed, stories were told and histories unfurled and the book began to race off in many directions.

I read about the history of carpet weaving in central Asia and how there isn't much local inspiration left. Most locals were making factory produced copies of Turkish carpets. The author took his first pattern from this one local fragment from the15th century. (The only bit left and residing in a museum in Greece.) 

He made up patterns, and also looked at old pictures and sourced natural dyes, ending up with a business which was able to sell great carpets to tourists.

It was interesting reading about the history of design and pattern in Central Asia and the great world of Islamic design.  Also the history of how Central Asians managed to sneak out the secret method from China on how to make silk and also how to get bright natural colours from madder Red and other natural sources.

Not only was it full of Central Asian history but also the stark realities of life in Uzbekistan now. How locals are victims of a strong Soviet system. How blind people and even just poor sighted people were totally institutionalised. How the KGB still works under a different name, the extreme corruption and how people open new mosques by celebrating with massive bottles of vodka.

I loved his trips into Afghanistan to get looms, dyes and materials and his wonderful descriptions of this country too. The fear of being a westerner, the way he wanted to start a factory here just to stop local woman getting more and more depressed whilst imprisoned in their homes. The hideous beaurocracy he had to deal with to get back over the border. The problems he had with culture and language and how finally the corruption and envy  towards his business caught up with him and he finally became blacklisted in Uzbekistan. The ending involves him spending time as a stateless person in aTajikistani airport lounge. 

He comes across as a pretty unassuming guy who falls in love with a mysterious and unknown part of the world. I enjoyed living it all through his memories. People, places, colours, smells ,art and history all came alive.

Anyway, well worth a read if you are into this kind of stuff!