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anisha_inkspill's reviews
171 reviews
The Florentines by Paul Strathern
informative
4.0
When I saw this book by Paul Strathern, I flicked through it where it seemed like maybe it would fill in a few more gaps for me about the Renaissance. The book’s focus is Florence, and gives a flavour of its literature, art and science during these times. It also highlights cultural developments, including the calendar, the banking system and the political landscape. The latter is mostly through the emergence of the Medici family.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this, and it was also handy in giving me background on two reads that have been parked in my tbr for quite some time: The Divine Comedy and The Decameron.
And though in places it was bitsy (where it moved on quickly to the next point or subject), I have still come away with a better understanding of the Renaissance than before.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this, and it was also handy in giving me background on two reads that have been parked in my tbr for quite some time: The Divine Comedy and The Decameron.
And though in places it was bitsy (where it moved on quickly to the next point or subject), I have still come away with a better understanding of the Renaissance than before.
The Aeneid by Virgil
There were parts where the poetry was moving, but minus: the story of Dido; the sea voyage Aeneas has; and some sobering war scenes, this mostly read like a piece of propaganda, but I would read again. This time I read Robert Fagles verse translation, I found it to be an easy read. When I read this epic last, I was less familiar with the backdrop of these stories than I am today, so maybe this also helped.
Not I by Samuel Beckett
4.0
Just a mouth telling a story of woman’s life makes this an unsettling play.
The … that breaks up the phrases in this monologue invites me to read it fast but I read it slowly.
What emerges is a picture of how suffering shapes this woman’s life. What makes this story startling is how Beckett tells it.
The play ends on a positive note, the woman has finally, finally found relief and she’s happy about this. This takes me a long moment to process; what sticks is it takes her seventy years to find this.
Through the story fragments I see her suffering and the length of her suffering which feel undeserved. This injustice is more glaring to me than the honest picture this play draws of the pointlessness of suffering.
The … that breaks up the phrases in this monologue invites me to read it fast but I read it slowly.
What emerges is a picture of how suffering shapes this woman’s life. What makes this story startling is how Beckett tells it.
The play ends on a positive note, the woman has finally, finally found relief and she’s happy about this. This takes me a long moment to process; what sticks is it takes her seventy years to find this.
Through the story fragments I see her suffering and the length of her suffering which feel undeserved. This injustice is more glaring to me than the honest picture this play draws of the pointlessness of suffering.
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder
In listening to this, I wasn’t sure if this is a biography of Eileen O Shaughnessy (George Orwell’s first wife) or voicing the inequality faced by privileged women.
If this was fiction or a memoir of a privileged woman living today than this book would have made more sense to me.
If this was fiction or a memoir of a privileged woman living today than this book would have made more sense to me.
A Dog's Heart by Mikhail Bulgakov
The premise of this short novel is quirky and disturbing whilst raising some philosophical concerns on humanity, science and politics. There are subtleties here I think I missed because I don’t know enough about the Russian Revolution and after.
Reading it as is, in parts the story does not flow but I liked how it kept taking surprising turns. This was also an eye opener for me, like Shvonder having issues that Filipp Filippovich has too many rooms. This was just one of the few details I noticed, so I want to read this again hoping the next time I will intuit more.
For now, I am left with the impression this is a very brave novel to write.
Reading it as is, in parts the story does not flow but I liked how it kept taking surprising turns. This was also an eye opener for me, like Shvonder having issues that Filipp Filippovich has too many rooms. This was just one of the few details I noticed, so I want to read this again hoping the next time I will intuit more.
For now, I am left with the impression this is a very brave novel to write.
Vincent: A Graphic Biography by Simon Elliott
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley and Quatro Publishing for letting me share my honest opinions of this eBook.
It was good to read this, almost 6 years ago I read A Memoir Of Vincent van Gogh by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger , whereafter I would looked at Vincent’s work differently.
I like how this graphic biography puts Jo van Gogh-Bonger and Theo van Gogh at center stage of Vincent van Gogh.
Jo van Gogh-Bonger was married to Vincent’s brother, Theo van Gogh, who passed away 6 months after Vincent from natural causes. When in 2018 I read Jo’s memoir of Vincent I realized Vincent’s art would have been long forgotten if it had not been for Jo and Theo.
The format of this is like a graphic novel that tells the story of Vincent’s life from Jo’s perspective, it’s a quick or very quick read, except I took weeks, reading this got me looking through my art books, Jo’s memoir and Vincent’s letters.
Simon Elliot’s book goes beyond Jo’s memoir, and continues after Vincent and Theo’s death. Elliot doesn’t just tell the story of Vincent’s life and art but also notes Jo’s efforts of promoting Vincent’s art.
Once again, I am left with complete admiration for Jo: her knowledge of art was limited, and I’m thinking, like the art and art critics mentioned in this book, the galleries she approached were also run by men. This is the 1890s, for her to succeed shows her truly amazing strength in character.
I’m glad I read this, it’s nice Jo van Gogh-Bonger (along with Theo) is remembered here.
It was good to read this, almost 6 years ago I read A Memoir Of Vincent van Gogh by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger , whereafter I would looked at Vincent’s work differently.
I like how this graphic biography puts Jo van Gogh-Bonger and Theo van Gogh at center stage of Vincent van Gogh.
Jo van Gogh-Bonger was married to Vincent’s brother, Theo van Gogh, who passed away 6 months after Vincent from natural causes. When in 2018 I read Jo’s memoir of Vincent I realized Vincent’s art would have been long forgotten if it had not been for Jo and Theo.
The format of this is like a graphic novel that tells the story of Vincent’s life from Jo’s perspective, it’s a quick or very quick read, except I took weeks, reading this got me looking through my art books, Jo’s memoir and Vincent’s letters.
Simon Elliot’s book goes beyond Jo’s memoir, and continues after Vincent and Theo’s death. Elliot doesn’t just tell the story of Vincent’s life and art but also notes Jo’s efforts of promoting Vincent’s art.
Once again, I am left with complete admiration for Jo: her knowledge of art was limited, and I’m thinking, like the art and art critics mentioned in this book, the galleries she approached were also run by men. This is the 1890s, for her to succeed shows her truly amazing strength in character.
I’m glad I read this, it’s nice Jo van Gogh-Bonger (along with Theo) is remembered here.
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
The last time I listened to this, the following year I listened to Pat Barker’s Life Class series where the characters are wonderfully drawn and the story gels.
The story does not work for me, there are parts that don’t add up for me, this would have been easier of the setting was modern to match how Briseis processes her world.
There were many scenes I liked, that showed real moments of understanding and empathy but they would be lost as this story is more busy in its retelling of Homer’s The Iliad.
Nathaniel Hawthorne - Biographical Stories: From: "True Stories of History and Biography" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
This is an earlier work by Nathaniel Hawthorne written for children. Edward Temple, a nine-year-old, is having a tough time, he has recently become blind. He lives with his family who are sensitive to this. To help Edward come to terms with his blindness the father tells the whole family stories.
These stories are childhood experiences of 6 famous people, two of these are Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Johnson. They are moral tales to teach young people good acceptable behaviour and to define gender roles.
Today, reading this feels outdated, this was written for an audience of a different time and expectations. What caught my attention was its structure and how it effortlessly moves between two modes of storytelling.
These stories are childhood experiences of 6 famous people, two of these are Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Johnson. They are moral tales to teach young people good acceptable behaviour and to define gender roles.
Today, reading this feels outdated, this was written for an audience of a different time and expectations. What caught my attention was its structure and how it effortlessly moves between two modes of storytelling.
The Iliad: A New Translation by Peter Green by Homer
4.0
I return to this translation by Peter Green with fond memories recalling the excitement I felt when I realised there were contemporary translations of Homer’s The Iliad written for people like me.
Since then, I have read several translations, including the one by Robert Fagles; with each one, and this is the amazing bit, I discover more to see more the next time I read this.
For this reason, I will keep coming back to Homer’s The Iliad but Peter Green’s translation will always hold a special place for making me believe that I could also read this very complicated story with its huge, huge cast list.
Since then, I have read several translations, including the one by Robert Fagles; with each one, and this is the amazing bit, I discover more to see more the next time I read this.
For this reason, I will keep coming back to Homer’s The Iliad but Peter Green’s translation will always hold a special place for making me believe that I could also read this very complicated story with its huge, huge cast list.
The Vampyre; A Tale by John William Polidori
3.5
This has an old worldly feel, the story is about Aubrey who doesn’t know what he has signed up for when he becomes a companion to Lord Ruthven.
Its gothic tone makes this an atmospheric read, and how the story unfolds is not disrupted by the imperfect plot. The ending could have gone two ways and kept me guessing.
As John Polidori was working on this Mary Shelly was writing her Frankenstein, at the time they were both staying at Villa Diodati, they were responding to a challenge set by Lord Byron. Neither of them would foresee the impact Frankenstein and The Vampyre will make.
Its gothic tone makes this an atmospheric read, and how the story unfolds is not disrupted by the imperfect plot. The ending could have gone two ways and kept me guessing.
As John Polidori was working on this Mary Shelly was writing her Frankenstein, at the time they were both staying at Villa Diodati, they were responding to a challenge set by Lord Byron. Neither of them would foresee the impact Frankenstein and The Vampyre will make.