The book is very mch a criticism of society and we very much felt that Henry James was making a political statement. Why did we all struggle with it so much, you may ask? Two main issues, the first being Henry James' writing style. I think it would be fair to say he showed a dislike to the paragraph - the text flowed on and on and on with very little pause for breath. To the point that, having downloaded a version on my Kindle, I felt obliged to check my hard copy of the book as I was sure it was just a formatting issue with the ebook. It wasn't! The language that James uses is complicated too, and it takes a lot to immerse yourself in that style. The second reason that can explain our widescale dislike of the tale is probably because of the characters - they were all pretty much out for what they could get and rather unpleasant. Their shocking behaviour didn't leave you with anyone to side with, to warm to. The title character Maisie, yes, you feel sorry for her, but not to the point of wanting to find out more about her life or willing the characters to change. Having said all of that, the storyline is interesting and the book has been made into a Hollywood movie - brought up to date. Which could work really well, because although written over 100 years ago, the tale is probably more common now than it may have been in James' day. Making a positive out of a less than successful reading experience, let's keep an eye out for the film coming to the Arts Centre and having a Reading Group evening out.
(I was tempted to put all of the above in one paragraph, James' style, but thought better of it!)
Other titles we have been reading include:
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick (about life in North Korea - surprisingly it isn't as depressing as you might imagine, is very readable and takes you into a country you are unlikely to visit for your summer holidays). Which made us revisit Snowdrops by A D Miller, set in Moscow. Only one brave Reading Group member thought they'd like to visit Moscow having read Snowdrops. The rest of us weren't convinced.
A Crisis of Brilliance by David Haycock, is about five young British artists and their response to the First World War.
The Music Room by William Fiennes is about his childhood based in Broughton Castle, and his relationship with an epileptic brother.
Looking back to a previous Reading Group title, here's a review on As I Lay Dying, the film adaptation which is showcasing at Cannes 2013.
http://gu.com/p/3gxhz
Finally, Emily Jamieson has kindly volunteered to take over the healm of the Reading Group in my absence. You will be in safe hands and I daresay no more American Classics will be hurled your way, to which I'm sure many of you will breathe a sigh of relief! I'm still here in July though, so I'll see what I can sneak in!
Next time:
Scandi Theme (in other words either a book set in Scandinavia or by a Scandinavian author, or indeed both). Quite a few are reading The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out the Window, but the choice is yours.
9th July 2013
