Do you know Olive? Olive Kitteridge I am talking about, a book written by the east coast American writer Elizabeth Strout. Olive is not immediately a wholly likeable character but she is very real and as I went through the book I became increasingly sympathetic with her and her plight. Her plight being simply dealing with life and everything it throws at her.
Elizabeth Strout is a very accomplished writer who can control the structure of her novel with confidence. She introduces a number of characters who live in a small town in the state of Maine and each of them then has some sort of interaction with Olive, to their benefit, for Olive is a force for good. By the end of the story you realise that the author is an observer of the minutiae of life; someone who understands the human condition. If you have enjoyed Barbara Pym ( I know, very dated now) or Anne Tyler then I think you would like Strout. And there is more if you get hooked: Olive again, My name is Lucy Barton, and Anything is possible.
Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner was a Christmas present and I read it quickly and with enjoyment. The author was a maid of honour at the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and also lady in waiting to Princess Margaret from 1973 until her death in 2002. Anne was married to Colin Glenconner who bought and ran the Caribbean island of Mustique.
The writing of this autobiography is fluent, well structured and easy to read. It is humorous, self deprecating and quite touching. There is no self pity when she relates how when her husband died in 2010, he left everything to a former employee. Lady Anne Glenconner has indeed had a truly extraordinary life with large amounts of both glamour and tragedy. A lesson in resilience I think. I enjoyed it.
I was about to open the front door and walk to the railway station when I decided I needed a book for the journey. Yes, I do have books on my phone but I would always prefer the real thing if possible.
So, turning to the bookcase in the hall I picked out a paperback that was quite slim and looked to see its title: The Quiet American by Graham Greene. Into my bag it went. By the time I reached Marylebone (I was on a slow train which sometimes I choose because it gives a peaceful chunk of reading time) I had decided that yes I had read this before but not for several decades. That didn’t matter because the writing was wonderful. At first I thought I was reading about the Vietnam war but quickly realised this wasn’t so and that the story was set during the Indochina War of the late 1940s and early 50s.
Greene is a superb storyteller with a great sense of place. He paints a word picture for the reader so that you become immersed in the local setting. His main character is an English newspaper reporter who has been in the country for several years. He is louche, laconic and on the edge of going native. The ending is unexpected but satisfying, although the war continues unabated. I have read Brighton Rock, Travels with my Aunt and the Third Man but there is plenty more. I plan to investigate.
I am starting a book club, called Bookends, on the first Monday of each month. It will be based in Church House at 7.00 pm. The first meeting will be on Monday 6th April when we will discuss what books we might like to read. Please feel free to bring a book with you to recommend if you would like to. There will of course be tea and coffee to go with our conversation. If you plan to come please let me know so that I can ensure there are enough refreshments … or you can book yourself in on ChurchSuite.
I leave you with my favourite Emily Dickinson quote for this week: ‘There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away.’
Happy reading.