Monthly Archives: April 2009

Barry Maitland, “No Trace”

Posted on April 30, 2009 by carolwallace

Maitland is new to me. This is another book I bought because of its cover — note to publishers of murder mysteries, bring on the moody black and white images, relevance to plot be damned. Apparently Maitland is launched on … Continue reading →

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Georgette Heyer, “The Masqueraders”

Posted on April 29, 2009 by carolwallace

OK, it’s my one true vice. Not, in point of fact, all that vicious but I still hesitated to admit that I’d read this. But the deal I made with myself was that I’d write about every book I finished, … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, historical fiction | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Julia Child, “My Life in France”

Posted on April 27, 2009 by carolwallace

A minor work from the titanic Julia. Mastering the Art of French Cooking was a sacred text in my house growing up, and when my children were tiny PBS kindly ran the early French Chef TV shows at an hour … Continue reading →

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Georgette Heyer, “The Unfinished Clue”

Posted on April 27, 2009 by carolwallace

Copyright 1934, straight-up English country-house mystery. Totally predictable, very restful. Opening sentence: “It was apparent to Miss Fawcett within one minute of her arrival at the Grange that her host was not in the best of tempers.” I think we’re … Continue reading →

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Sara Gruen, “Flying Changes”

Posted on April 24, 2009 by carolwallace

Flying Changes follows Sara Gruen’s Riding Lessons, picking up with the same characters just a few months later. It exhibits pretty much the same strengths and weaknesses as the earlier book: the heroine is occasionally unbearable, the animal characters come … Continue reading →

Posted in contemporary fiction, horses | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Charles Dickens, “Little Dorrit” 3

Posted on April 22, 2009 by carolwallace

It did not occur to me until page 751 that one of Dickens’ subjects in Little Dorrit is the very creation of narrative.  Of course in a book this big the author’s got a lot of preoccupations and I wonder … Continue reading →

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Charles Dickens, “Little Dorrit,” 2

Posted on April 20, 2009 by carolwallace

This book is a massive read: what my children might call “a beast” of a book.  But that’s one of its pleasures, I find. Lurking at the back of my mind, day in and day out, is this alternate universe, … Continue reading →

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Charles Dickens, “Little Dorrit”

Posted on April 11, 2009 by carolwallace

Man, I hate crying on the subway. I was just sniffling gently and seeping tears, but you feel so exposed. And slightly embarrassed. Oscar Wilde famously wrote that “One would have to have a heart of stone to read the … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, classic, Victoriana | 1 Comment

Sara Gruen, “Riding Lessons”

Posted on April 7, 2009 by carolwallace

Two points to think about here: aspirations and authority. 1/ Not everybody is writing Moby Dick. Some books have smaller ambitions, and what matters is whether or not the author meets the goals she’s set. Sara Gruen’s Riding Lessons might … Continue reading →

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Ruth Rendell, “The Water’s Lovely”

Posted on April 4, 2009 by carolwallace

Finishing this book I felt the words of a pop song eluding me: something along the lines of  “Is it you, is it me, I don’t feel it the way I used to…” (Am I wrong to be thinking Gordon … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, mystery | 2 Comments