A Monk Swimming.

Malachy is Frank McCourt’s wild younger brother. His tale begins in America working the docks as his older brother did, stealing as much as he could conceal on his bodice and drinking far more than recommended. From there a wild string of events takes place: he works his way to (minor) stardom in the theatre and TV chat shows, opens up “Malachy’s” with a few buddies which quickly turns into the hottest saloon in New York, weds a not-quite-girlfriend and has two children by her which he abandons to engage in excessive drinking and general hedonism, smuggles gold to India…

It’s an interesting read for a number of reasons. I’ve read both Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis, and now I’ve seen parts of those books from a different point of view. Malachy is also the entertainer of the family and this is portrayed in his writing style. It’s very colloquial, easy to read yet he is obviously well-read. The dictionary had to come out a few times. He is, in his own words, an erudite. Still, reading his book is just like listening to him telling stories at a pub.

The stories themselves aren’t overly impressive. He’s led an exciting life, but I think we all do, so this is to be expected of a biography. If there wasn’t anything exciting or different to write about there wouldn’t be much point. What I did like, as I just mentioned, is his writing style and therefore have to recommend it. In my opinion he’s superseded his brother. Very entertaining.

Miss Gomez and the Brethren.

Miss Gomez discovers the Church of the Brethren of the Way in Jamaica in a paper left behind by a client at a brothel in London. She begins corresponding with them and eventually ends up on the desolate Crow Street, doomed for demolition. She is convinced that a sex crime is about to occur between Alban Roche, previously incarcerated for sexual misdemeanors, and Prudence Tuke, daughter of the owners of the Thistle Arms. No one listens to Miss Gomez when she intervenes and tries to prevent the act with prayer. When Prudence doesn’t return that night a huge investigation takes place.

There was a little too much preaching in this one for me. Miss Gomez, once converted, tries endlessly to convinces others to join her church. It’s main concentrated in one section of the book, but that was more than enough. Because if it, it took nearly a month to finish!

The writing is delightful though. Very funny and descriptions are original. The omniscient point of view is also well used, adding thoughts from random people passed on the street or updates on characters only briefly involved in the plot. It gives the story a profound sense of realism.

The plot is really interesting and characters well developed. Miss Gomez goes from being the sole survivor of a horrific fire to a disturbed child at an orphanage in Jamaica to a hooker in London to a fanatic Christian trying to save people. Prudence’s mother, Beryl Tuke, is a gin-guzzling, sappy romance-reading, promiscuous woman. Alban Roche is a man deeply disturbed by incest.

It certainly makes for an interesting read and Trevor’s style is great. I’ll have to read some of his other works.

P.S. I Love You.

Biography about the hilarious but deranged Peter Sellers by his son Michael. Michael describes his father’s childhood, his introduction into entertainment, his first taste of fame with the Goons, right up to his death in 1980 from heart failure. Peter always displayed erratic behaviour, being moody and highly superstitious. He goes through four marriages, all of them plagued with obsessive jealousy and violence. Michael also describes his stormy childhood and that of his sister Sarah and half-sister Victoria. They were all disowned at numerous times when having children was an inconvenience to Peter. He wasn’t all bad, however. In good times he would shower those he loved with excessive gifts in a show of affection. These times sadly never lasted long.

It’s an interesting biography. It’s written in a very personal manner as Michael writes it from the viewpoint of Peter Seller’s closest confidante. Michael witnessed everything first hand – the good times and bad. You’d never realise what a difficult man he can be from just having watched his films. The Pink Panther series is brilliant, and Sellers is so damn funny. However, you often find that behind genious is a hint of lunacy.

I definitely recommend this book. Even if you’re not into biographies or non-fiction and just like a good story, trust me, you’ll get it. There’s so much drama surrounding Peter Sellers – all of which he creates himself. He goes through one stormy relationship after another, obsesses about cars and various gadgets, and lives in extreme luxury. He’s clearly a disturbed man who was constantly on the hunt for happiness but never seemed to find it.

The Diving-Bell & the Butterfly.

Dictated with the use of just one eyelid, spelling each word one letter at a time, this is an extremely moving autobiography by Jean-Dominique Bauby, former editor-in-chief of Elle, after suffering a majorly debilitating stroke. He describes what it is like to suffer from “locked-in syndrome” – a fully functioning mind trapped inside an unresponsive body: the daily routine of the long-term hospital patient, his former life, the dreams he had for the future, the family he wishes to talk to and kiss.

Imagine that everything you have ever known and loved is taken away from you in a second, but rather than dying you are left immobilised within your own body, regretting all that you have lost and can never have again. You still think and feel, but you can’t speak or lift a finger. It must be the saddest and scariest thing in the world.

Still, Bauby retains a light-hearted outlook on his new life. He cracks jokes and plans to write a humourous play. So many times he had me laughing. Others he actually made me cry.

This book is wonderful. It has impacted me greatly after the ordeal I went through with my dad last summer. His descriptions of the different characters in the hospital, especially those who feign care but then ignore desperate signs of discomfort, the importance of routine, the terror dreams…these are not things people realise, but they are all so true.

A Room with a View.

Lucy and her cousin Charlotte meet the unconventional Emersons in Florence over a discussion about the lack of view from their rooms. After a couple of questionable encounters between Lucy and George Emerson including a kiss amidst a sea of violets, the two ladies flee to Rome. Upon returning to England, Lucy announces her engagement to the prudish but handsome and suitable Cecil Vyse. Thanks to him, the Emersons soon move into town and Lucy is forced to decide what it is she really wants.

I am really undecided about this one. It’s a pleasant novel and I especially enjoyed the characters. Lucy develops immensely throughout. In Italy she is quite naïve and for the first time encounters ideas different from the prim upper-class she is so accustomed to. You watch her grow up and learn to believe in herself and her opinions which in the beginning she needed confirmed by others. Charlotte, the old maid, hinders everyone else’s happiness and is a constant burden. Vyse is so awkward and controlling, wanting to decide how Lucy should behave and think. The Emersons are free spirits, not afraid of the truth and disregarding common courtesy to stay faithful to it.

My favourite part was the appendix, A View without a Room, written 50 years later. You instantly notice the change in style – more refined through the years. Forster reflects on the characters and what has happened since he wrote the novel in 1908. He starts off reinforcing the fact that it is fiction, deciding that the Emersons live in “Hampsted. No – in Highgate”, changing his mind as he goes. As he progresses, however, they turn into real people, a true story he is recounting about friends he once knew.

My problem with it is that I feel like the most important parts were vaguely written. I’d finish a chapter and wonder what exactly had just happened. Reading on, all would reveal itself. I wonder if Forster meant it that way or if I just wasn’t paying close enough attention.

It’s also a very nice story. Too nice. They always bother me and leave me unsatisfied. Like Hollywood teenybopper films I despise so much but can’t help watching at times (great hangover movies). Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, difficulties arise, all seems lost, wonderful turn of events, boy gets girl, boy and girl live happily ever after. Blech.

It’s not bad. It’s not great. Merely something in between. Definitely noteworthy for its characters and themes, but unexciting plot.