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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
I had learned about this book over a year ago at a pitching session alongside Canongate. The story intrigued me to scribble down its title, but I was as actually given this as a proof during my time as a bookreviewer at a local paper (RIP).
A year on and the TBR random pull Gods decided it was time.
It is 1921, on the Straits settlement of Penang. Lesley, arguably the main character, and her husband invite over his friend Willie, world renowned author, to stay with them as he works on his latest book.
What unfolds is a story about love, betrayal, colonialism and revolution.
I’m always a sucker for stories about writers, writing, books, reading — and there was certainly a lot of quotable lines about this — but, as said, it was actually Lesley and her story that usurped the narrative for me. Anytime it turned back to Willie it felt like filler.
For a historical period I know very little abouf, it found it very easy to get into.
A year on and the TBR random pull Gods decided it was time.
It is 1921, on the Straits settlement of Penang. Lesley, arguably the main character, and her husband invite over his friend Willie, world renowned author, to stay with them as he works on his latest book.
What unfolds is a story about love, betrayal, colonialism and revolution.
I’m always a sucker for stories about writers, writing, books, reading — and there was certainly a lot of quotable lines about this — but, as said, it was actually Lesley and her story that usurped the narrative for me. Anytime it turned back to Willie it felt like filler.
For a historical period I know very little abouf, it found it very easy to get into.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There’s something old fashioned about this book that I found particularly cozy. I don’t quite know why but I couldn’t shake the perception that it was published in the 90s. I can picture it mentioned on Gilmore Girls or adapted into a film from that era too! Which is impressive, considering I’m not even sure how it evokes this feeling so strongly.
This adds to the experience immensely, but the story is also perfectly realized and easy to imagine. I’m excited to explore Somerset Maugham’s work due to care and research that was put into this story.
This adds to the experience immensely, but the story is also perfectly realized and easy to imagine. I’m excited to explore Somerset Maugham’s work due to care and research that was put into this story.
Booker Prize 2023 longlist
I keep saying "I wasn't sure what to expect" with all the Booker Prize books and honestly it's a bit redundant because I haven't read any of the synopses of any of these and have gone into every single one completely blind lol. But regardless, I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, and I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy it the amount that I did. I was anticipating a story more from the point of view of Malaysian characters, given that the author is Malaysian, and I was initially unpleasantly surprised that it wasn't, but it eventually became clear that this erasure was systematic and deliberate to behave as a metaphor for British rule in Malaysia. This was emphasised through two things: the book taking place exclusively from the perspectives of wealthy white settlers who gave little to no voice to even the faintest opinion on the ethics of the colonisation; and the fact that a main love interest is a Chinese revolutionary whom Lesley, one of the main characters, falls madly in love with and with whose freedom politics she becomes deeply invested in, while simultaneously ignoring the incredible irony that she herself is living on colonised land. And yet, you care for the characters, despite the fact that they treat Penang as a fun little holiday destination, despite the fact that Lesley considers Penang her own home more than she would ever stop to consider whether it is home to her Malaysian rickshaw drivers and servants and nannies too. All that I've said about colonialism and irony appears in the novel only as subtext to be parsed in the reader's own time; the surface layer of the novel asks us primarily to consider the intricacies and ethics of love and marriage in a time when homosexuality was not only shunned, but illegal and, in some countries, punishable by death. (Truly, this was the last book I expected on the longlist to be gay, but there you go.) Marriages of convenience all-round here, folks! What surprised me the most was the fact that this novel is actually inspired by aspects of real life; famous novelist, playwright, and closeted homosexual W. Somerset Maugham and his secretary and secret lover Gerald Paxton appear as two of the lead characters; the Chinese revolutionary is based on the real-life father of the ROC Taiwan, Sun Yat-sen; and the subplot about a murder trial (which felt a bit superfluous to me, but whatever) is based on the real trial of Ethel Proudlock. In fact, the whole story takes place in the years during which IRL Maugham wrote his 1922 travel book, On a Chinese Screen, about his travels through Asia. I'll be honest; maybe it's just me, but I'm a bit lost on what drew the author to use these famous individuals and moments in history to tell this story, although that certainly isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it. It's one of those frustrating books where I feel like I would get more out of it upon a re-read, but I also didn't like it enough to re-read it, so I may have to just content myself to living in the liminal space being simply enjoying it and actually getting it.
I keep saying "I wasn't sure what to expect" with all the Booker Prize books and honestly it's a bit redundant because I haven't read any of the synopses of any of these and have gone into every single one completely blind lol. But regardless, I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, and I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy it the amount that I did. I was anticipating a story more from the point of view of Malaysian characters, given that the author is Malaysian, and I was initially unpleasantly surprised that it wasn't, but it eventually became clear that this erasure was systematic and deliberate to behave as a metaphor for British rule in Malaysia. This was emphasised through two things: the book taking place exclusively from the perspectives of wealthy white settlers who gave little to no voice to even the faintest opinion on the ethics of the colonisation; and the fact that a main love interest is a Chinese revolutionary whom Lesley, one of the main characters, falls madly in love with and with whose freedom politics she becomes deeply invested in, while simultaneously ignoring the incredible irony that she herself is living on colonised land. And yet, you care for the characters, despite the fact that they treat Penang as a fun little holiday destination, despite the fact that Lesley considers Penang her own home more than she would ever stop to consider whether it is home to her Malaysian rickshaw drivers and servants and nannies too. All that I've said about colonialism and irony appears in the novel only as subtext to be parsed in the reader's own time; the surface layer of the novel asks us primarily to consider the intricacies and ethics of love and marriage in a time when homosexuality was not only shunned, but illegal and, in some countries, punishable by death. (Truly, this was the last book I expected on the longlist to be gay, but there you go.) Marriages of convenience all-round here, folks! What surprised me the most was the fact that this novel is actually inspired by aspects of real life; famous novelist, playwright, and closeted homosexual W. Somerset Maugham and his secretary and secret lover Gerald Paxton appear as two of the lead characters; the Chinese revolutionary is based on the real-life father of the ROC Taiwan, Sun Yat-sen; and the subplot about a murder trial (which felt a bit superfluous to me, but whatever) is based on the real trial of Ethel Proudlock. In fact, the whole story takes place in the years during which IRL Maugham wrote his 1922 travel book, On a Chinese Screen, about his travels through Asia. I'll be honest; maybe it's just me, but I'm a bit lost on what drew the author to use these famous individuals and moments in history to tell this story, although that certainly isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it. It's one of those frustrating books where I feel like I would get more out of it upon a re-read, but I also didn't like it enough to re-read it, so I may have to just content myself to living in the liminal space being simply enjoying it and actually getting it.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. This book just slowly but surely dug its way into my heart in a way that had me tearing up at the end. Gives vibes of The Painted Veil and Pather Panchali.
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Beautiful writing, stunning descriptions of Malaysia and an interesting look at colonialism in a part of Asia that often gets lost!
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
masterfully written and incredibly enjoyable. i loved reading about such complex characters in the time setting. also rather informative about the culture of the time. really a marvellous book.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes