The Pursuit of Love

Sneaky look at 'The Pursuit of Love' and you guessed it - I love her!... (the hat, hair, gloves, the expression on her face)

Wigs on the Green by Nancy Mitford

I started Wigs on the Green (1935) at the end of September and have finally got round to finishing it – it was quite a pleasant read. One thing I have to say is this novel reminded me of Wilde’s ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ (which I love). I have to admit, reading the Introduction and the blurb I did feel a little twinge of ‘do I want to read this’, written before the outbreak of WW2, two of Nancy’s sisters, Diana and Unity were quite besotted with Hitler and his views. Mitford, quite obviously used this all as a backdrop to Wigs, and upon its publication it upset the two sisters. Nancy wanted Wigs to cease being published as the atrocities as the outbreak of war occurred and after 75 years, the novel was published again by Penguin as a part of a collection of five of Mitford’s novels.

 So as I have said the novel was incredibly reminiscent of Earnest, through its setting and the two characters I loved the most – charming Jasper although a womaniser and dear old poor Noel.

The novel commences with Noel inheriting a sum of money after his Aunts death – he doesn’t want to work anymore and wants to find himself a wife to settle down with and live a relatively easy life. The only glitch with the ‘wife figure’ is that she has to be rich or an heiress! Pretty shallow..you think that until Jasper comes along on the journey to find a lady to marry...

The only way to describe the characters are they are all hopeless romantics, either looking for love or falling ‘madly’ in love with people they’re not supposed to (because they are married – oh the sacrilege) or as in the case of Eugine Malmais passionate about political values and the future of your country! She really was the eccentric and deluded by the values of the Union Jackshirts, I didn’t like her for the extreme – but the passion doesn’t falter anywhere in the novel, I suppose that’s what can happen when a charismatic ‘leader’ has the chance to indoctrinate you.

On the whole it was a nice read, the village setting made me chuckle – and it’s funny to think that these small community antics are still thriving today, I think it’s quite possible to suggest that this the a version of ‘Made in Chelsea’ from the 1930’s..

I cannot wait for the next read ‘The Pursuit of Love’ I’m thinking it’s going to have pretty much the same themes running through... but I think I read the first chapter when I brought it and it was good.

Until next time – happy reading...

 

  

Nancy Mitford

So I have decided after a visit to Chatsworth (which was incredible) last week, that I will read the five Nancy Mitford (1904-1973) books I have. She was the eldest of six sisters who lived some very interesting and fruitful lives. Her books all have some sort of reference to these six sisters... The connection Nancy has with Chatsworth is through her youngest sister, Deborah, who is now the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire... I took this picture whilst there - I love it!! (Deborah is top left; Nancy is bottom right).

I will post the first Nancy Mitford review at the end of Septemeber. Happy reading :)

I heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

Ok, I’m a few days late with this post (apologies) but here we go...

The story behind the purchase of this book wasn’t an actual intentional purchase but believe me if I saw this book/cover online or in a bookshop, I absolutely would have bought it. I attended an event last year, ‘Marie Claire – How to get Published’ (take a look at http://shewhoscrivens.wordpress.com to read about the event) and we were given a goody bag with A LOT of goodies including ‘I heart New York’. Lindsey Kelk, the author, was there speaking about her journey to publication and then she signed everyone’s copy of the book. As I’ve already said I think she is a very lovely lady (she complimented my dress – so I can say this even though I don’t actually know her).  

Anyway, on with the review of the book. ‘I heart New York’ was published in 2009 and has several other titles that followed it including ‘I heart Hollywood’ (2010), ‘I heart Paris’ (2010) and ‘I heart London’ which was published this year.

So we follow the life of Angela Clark, and I have to say the start was completely unexpected. As I started reading, I thought ‘Great here we go again another wedding... the main character is getting married, where exactly is this going’. I was caught completely off guard, Angela’s narration is hilarious as she is walking up the aisle, you think Angela is getting married, she isn’t - her best friend is. This is the wedding where Angela’s life comes crashing down as she manages to completely trash the wedding, make a slight scene, alongside breaking the grooms hand and the event that caused all the mayhem was Angela catching her fiancée in a compromising situation with another woman. Angela ups and leaves to New York (after committing a very embarrassing and quite shocking act of revenge!), not knowing anyone there and having never been there before she jets off... A lot to take in the first chapter but I was hooked.

We follow Angela on her, completely out of character, adventure and how by taking this brave, courageous, plain stupid no no, impulsive action the world quite literally opens up with all of these opportunities and experiences she would never have had, if all that happened to her within those 24hours hadn’t happened.  So we share Angela’s three weeks in the Big Apple, we see everything through her eyes and it really is amazing. So to sum up, because I don’t want to ruin this for any potential readers, she stays in a hotel one of the concierge staff befriends her and basically takes her under her wing. Through this friend she manages to get a major makeover and be fed everything her heart could content, the most I’ve been offered from a hotel is sandwiches and a safe journey home. She buys a brand new designer laden wardrobe (thank goodness for credit cards and ‘multinational banks as she says) and bags herself two men!! I know it all happens very fast. Oh, and she starts to write a dating diary blog for a sister website of ‘The Look’ magazine. Angela has these amazing three weeks where her life is ‘perfect’. But, as always when you run away from your problems new ones pop up such as to be dating two men at once and be writing about them on a website? To my relief she gets rid of the ‘rich one’, I never really liked him as he quite clearly was a slime ball but he did buy her a necklace from Tiffany’s, but still...  She has the minor problem of needing to figure out if she will go back to Britain or if she will set up permanent camp in NYC after she’s offered a job back home by the London branch of the magazine? We find out in the epilogue that she does take the job... but the rest is left on a bit of a cliffhanger.

‘I heart New York’ was a great read, full of one-liners (shoe-icide pg113 – it killed me) and it was really funny and I think I will carry on with the series because Angela is a great character! Also, I need to see what happens with ‘the one’ she might start dating again.     

‘I heart’ the very last part of the book which is an actual guide to NCY!! When, if I ever get there (which I most definitely intend to do) I will absolutely be making use of ‘Angela’s Guide to NYC’... One dollar in my back pocket...NCY here I come!

 

References

Kelk.L. (2009) I heart New York. Harpercollins: London 

 

I heart New York...

...Ok, so I fell in love almost, what do I mean almost, it was immediately when I saw this lady. I know she's not looking at us, but it was the hair and the dress and the fact that this woman is in NYC!! What's not to love?...

The next book I will read and write about is I heart New York, by the lovely Lindsey Kelk - I think I'm allowed to say she's lovely because I have met her, only for a few minutes but first impressions always count :)  I can't wait any longer to read this book, so I shall see you back here in August!...Happy reading :)

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

Ahhh... I told you I’d read the novel by the end of July and we’ve still got a few days to go.

Firstly I’m going to start off with my story behind buying Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958 [2011]). So I bought this novella at the beginning of the year, I think most students buy their books for their courses online, and at the beginning of the year I became a little fed up with online shopping and really just wanted to go into a bookstore, browse and of course only buy the books on my reading list. So there I was in Waterstones, enjoying the atmosphere and calm ambience of the store, looking for Angela Carter’s ‘The Magic Toyshop’ (I ended up paying a little more for an amazing cover, it was worth it). I found the book but I couldn’t reach it as it was on the top shelf! There was a taller lady (not hard to be) not too far from me, I thought I’ll wait until she gets a little closer and I’ll ask if she can get it down. So as I waited I continued to look, and the book that caught my eye was Breakfast at Tiffany’s... and I instantly fell in love with the cover (thanks to Methane Studios) and didn’t want to put it down even though I knew it wasn’t on my reading list. The lady approached and I asked if she would get The Magic Toyshop off the shelf for me, which she kindly did and told me about her PhD on Carter. A truly bizarre and interesting experience... So to end my story I bought the book I needed and Breakfast at Tiffany’s – I think we’re all allowed some indulgence! ...p.s Carter will feature on the blog very soon.

Now on to the review. I haven’t outlined the complete plot here as I feel I shouldn’t give any huge spoilers for those who may want to read or watch Tiffany’s. I read Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the space of a few hours, a novella and therefore it was easy to read and remember. I have watched the film so many times that I sort of knew the plot even though most books and the film version of them are never exactly the same; I found this to be true of Tiffany’s, but enjoyed them both. The novella is about a young woman called Holly Golightly, it’s all in the name, she’s a twenty year old who lives a life which is very transient and full of glamour. The novella is narrated by one of Holly’s old neighbours who had both hated and loved Holly when he knew her, he is called back to the neighbourhood years later by a bartender who also was in love with Holly after hearing about her ‘travels’ in Africa, the narrator (a writer) revisits his memories of this ‘most amazing person’ (p65).

Holly is quite a complex character, allusive about her past until a blast from the past turns up and spills the beans on her marriage as a 14 year old. She ran away as this was not the life she wanted, she wanted an easy life a luxurious life, away from her sordid insecure childhood. The song the narrator recalls her singing a song which sums up her character and what she wanted in her life ‘Don’t wanna sleep, Don’t wanna die, just wanna go a-travellin’ through the pastures of the sky’ (p58). Her dream of wanting to belong and feel settled all comes down to the feeling she gets whenever she enters Tiffany & co, hence the title. ‘Fred’ (isn’t the narrators name, but she called him Fred because he reminded her of her brother Fred) manages to encapsulate all of this in a really beautiful and poignant way at the end of the novella. Holly and a no named cat lived in the same apartment but didn’t belong together; they were simply two independents waiting to find somewhere where they belonged.  Fred spots the cat in a house and ‘wondered what his name was, for I was certain he had one now, certain he’d arrived somewhere he belonged. African hut or whatever, I hope Holly has, too’ (p98).

One of my favourite parts of the novella was when the narrator follows Holly into a public library and watches her from afar. Somehow he is reminded of a girl he knew at school called Mildred and how she is/was the complete antithesis of Holly...‘the one had splurged herself into a top-heavy realist, the other a lopsided romantic...Mildred still studying the menu for its nutritional values, Holly still gluttonous for everything on it’ (p52). It was at this point that I really fell in love with Ms Golightly!

I think the difference between the film and book is that the film really does exude the glamour of the novella and that’s why it is such an icon. I feel the book in comparison allows the reader to question issues of identity in so many ways, Holly, the no-named cat, the no-named narrator. At the end of the novella I really felt a sense of the short periods of time we experience, that are so significant at the time, but within a blink of the eye they’re gone. Holly’s life was transient and to come from a dire childhood to becoming the ‘It Girl’ of New York and to get caught up in drug smuggling (without realising it of course) just goes to show the ‘transient nature of life’.  I loved this novel (and the cover) and it made me think there are so many ways to read this classic. I really wish Breakfast at Tiffany’s had been on the reading list... I think I may have been able to write a pretty good essay on it :)  

 Here's A.Carter's The Magic Toyshop... Amazing cover ;)

 References

Truman.C (2011) [1958] Breakfast at Tiffany's. Penguin: London

Carter.A (1981)[1967] The Magic Toyshop. Virago Press: London

Breakfast at Tiffany's

My review on Truman Capotes 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (1958) will be coming very soon along with my story behind buying the book... We all know the iconic film starring the beautiful Audrey Hepburn, but does the film live up to the novel or vice versa?... Watch the space - old school Hollywood glamour is coming your way...

BookCoverBeauty - What's it all about???

Hi Everyone,
Over the past 5 years I seem to have developed a habit (or addiction) of falling in love with books based on their covers. I know this goes against the saying - 'don't judge a book by it's cover', it's a fair comment but lets face it, we all do it (or at least I do).  So over the past 5 years, I have been studying my A-Levels and have been reading an English degree therefore reading what I have wanted to read has been a little difficult, and during this period of time I have managed to buy (and not read) 60 books (now do you believe me about my addiction?)!! I bought them all based on their covers, how beautiful I thought they were and of course the blurb...

So now as I am about to embark on my career in publishing (deep rooted love of anything to do with literature and publishing) I aim to read a book a month and write a review on it. I need to do justice to the story behind the cover...

I really hope you enjoy this journey of my bookshelf and the beauty of the book...