Summer Reads

It smells like a camp fire outside. This is the summer of smoke. And heat... is it always this hot in the summer? I've been conditioned by the air conditioning for the last few years that I've forgotten how hot summers actually are. Anyways this post is a what I've been reading post not a weather report.

The Diviners by Margaret Laurence 

L picked up this book for me from a box of giveaway books in the hallway of our condo. My favorite aspect was the physical feel of the novel. The yellowed soft pages. The aged wistful cover. It reminded me of those long ago novels in high school English class like Who Has Seen The Wind. I liked the character of Morag enough. For Morag it is a gradual process of self discovery and learning to accept her flawed loved ones. The plot line retreated from Morags present day experience of struggling to write a novel amidst her worried fretting for her daughter and flashbacks to her early life. I preferred the flashbacks as the present day experience was very slow, and a little depressing. I misplaced the book with only 10 pages left to go and when I found it again I didn't feel compelled to finish it as in a who done it novel. Are you shocked I'd give up so easily. Amazon gives it a 4.5. I was surprised but then again I found later this Canadian classic was often banned by school boards. I can't really imagine high school students wanting to read this novel. It is definitely for the introspective reader that doesn't need a strong plot line to sustain their read. The title is an interesting fit for the novel as really there is only one or two actual references to divining for water. I suppose it is supposed to be metaphoric as all English teachers love. 

A Recipe for Bees by Gail Anderson Dargatz

This another of the books that L picked from that box. In the acknowledgments the author thanks the R.J. Haney Heritage Park in Salmon Arm for helping her place the novel in time. I enjoyed the few references to Chase, Canoe, and Kamloops as I grew up in this neck of the woods. My geographic mind was trying to place where the main characters homestead was. I think I enjoyed this novel more than The Diviners. Augusta's telling was in ways similar to Morags-- the flashbacks, the harsh existence, the gradual process of self discovery and acceptance of loved ones. An aged Augusta awaits news of her son in laws brain surgery alongside her husband and friend. As she waits she reflects on her tumultuous relationship with her daughter, toying with a pendant of a suspended bee she intends to give her that carries its own secretive weight. Amazon gives it 3.5 stars. I am divided since I enjoyed it more than Margaret Larences novel but not sure that it deserves a 4. Does that mean I would give ML novel a 3. How do individuals rate novels anyways? I would like a rubric. 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I was intrigued by the television series Outlanders. The Scottish highlands. Accents. Period costumes. Sci-fi time travel mixed with historical fiction. So I thought I would read the novel first. Oh my! It's really a romance. Almost harlequin. I liked the twists and turns of the novel as Claire wrestles with falling in love in the 1700s or returning to the 1940s. I liked the fiery passion of Claire. She is one feisty character. I watched the first episode after reading the novel. Oh! Blush! The film is fairly consistent with the novel. At $2.36 per episode on iTunes I'm not sure now if I will watch the rest of the series. I likely ruined the watching of by reading the novel first. I thought the Scottish bloke she falls for in the novel was much more attractive on screen than I pictured in the novel however. Shockingly Amazon gives it 4.5 stars. See what I mean - how are these stars being assessed? As I read it in less than 2 days staying up until the wee hours of the morning that is telling that I enjoyed reading it even if I'm a little embarrassed to say so. Is it a classic or will it ever be nominated for a Giller prize or be selected as a classic for an English class? Likely not, but if your less of a prude than me you will enjoy this novel. 

...Update...L and I thought we would watch the television series together and didn't even make it through the first episode without falling asleep. For me it was a re-run for him entirely new. I guess I was first intrigued and then after reading the novel found the episode interesting as a comparative exercise...fast forward a year and it lost its charm.