What is the What was really good; Zeitoun was also. You’re right; his books are definitely all very different from one another.
Lydia–I just start the third book of the trilogy, Maddaddam, which was recently released. It’s been a while since I read Oryx and Crake and Year of the Flood, so I’m slowly remembering what happened in those while I read.
I just finished The Goldfinch. It was very good though I still think * The Secret History * was her best book.
Don’t know if anyone has mentioned it but I read * Me before You* recently and loved it.
Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty by John M. Barry
This is an excellent popular history of the early colonial period, principally in New England. It is part biography of a remarkable leader, Roger Williams, who founded Providence as a kind of free outpost from Puritan and the various other theocentric regimes that dominated the politics of their respective colonies, and part panoramic overview of the times. The book thoroughly engrossed me, it is truly a gem of culture and political machination.
Williams grew up in England, just after the time of Elizabeth I. From a poor background and unhappy family, he was noticed by Edward Coke, one of the greatest lawyers in British history. Coke was an expert courtier and brought Williams into the upper elite during the reigns of James I and then Charles I. This was the time when the kings appeared to be moving back towards Catholicism, in ever more repressive policies that aimed to punish dissenters while fundamentally altering the practices of the Church of England. In this atmosphere of pending civil war, around 1630, Williams left for the colonies, where he knew he could avoid prison - there is no other way to put it except to acknowledge that Williams’ big mouth caused him endless trouble.
He quickly established himself as a leader in independent thought, turning down an important ministry in Salem and taking up farming to be on his own. Supporting freedom of conscience - refusing to look into men’s souls and vociferously arguing against the obligatory imposition of puritan strictures on all colonial subjects - he made a series of implacable enemies, was eventually banned from Massachusetts and sentenced to deportation back to England. Fortunately, influential friends at the behest of Winthrop himself warned him to flee, which probably saved him from death in an English prison.
After much wandering, where he learned Indian languages as a trader, he negotiated the right to clear land for a colony. This became Providence, the first colony with freedom of religion and a wider range of thought. He attracted misfits, free thinkers, and renegades who didn’t fit in or agree with the puritan ethic, even Quakers, who were despised throughout the ANglo-Saxon world as dangerous heretics. This was, afterall, the tail end of the Reformation, when people were killed for the nuances of their religious beliefs. (The author’s description of Puritan beliefs and obligations will remain embedded in my memory forever, a theocentric society impossible to imagine now, so similar it appears to, say, contemporary Iran, which is “theocratic” - a distinction I am not sure I get.) He created a unique culture, more tolerant and even somewhat democratic, in accordance with ancient republican ideals. Williams protected it, even venturing back to an ENgland transformed by Cromwell to secure a charter against the encroachments of Massachusetts and Connecticut. He also served as a diplomat for all the colonies with the Indians, who trusted him, forestalling a war that could have decisively ended English dominance. It is a truly remarkable story. He even wrote books that influenced Hobbes, Locke, Milton, and many other intellectual giants of the era.
Where I differ with Barry is whether it means what he claims, at least in degree. That is, I am not sure that Williams was the well spring that established the other pole of the American character, that of libertarian freedom, where one can pursue what one wants without interference from the state. (The other pole is the “city on the hill” of the puritans, as established by John Winthrop, the “shining example” of a society favored by God for its unique piety, observance of their interpretation of biblical norms, and inherent goodness.) There are also many details of interpretation that made me skeptical. For example, in accordance with British philosophical tradition, he goes on about Francis Bacon’s impact on scientific methodology, i.e. experimentation, which I believe had little real impact on the history of science; it is one of those silly things that historians say. These things made me skeptical of Barry’s true grasp of detail.
These doubts aside, the book is a splendid reading experience. The narrative is unusually powerful, the man was truly a great pioneer. Warmly recommended.
Fascinating review, alcibiade.
Thanks for that detailed review, alcibiade. I think we could use a little more of Williams’ influence today; hopefully it will reassert itself before long. Sounds like the kind of book I’d be interested in.
Recently read “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” (can’t find how to use italics or underline); this was a fun read, cleverly written and humane. Another less recently written book that I (recently) read was Geraldine Brooks’ “People of the Book.” This is a lovely piece of historical fiction.
For those who read and highly recommended Goldfinch…pease tell me the VERY dark and horrific beginning doesn’t continue through the whole book. I could barely sleep last night after reading the first couple of sections. Wow.
Mamita–I really liked Mr. Penumbra’s. (and thanks for the reminder. I was trying to remember what the other book besides The Circle that i"d read recently which satirized Google-like companies was. that was it.)
Just finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It’s a quick, enjoyable read about a retired accountant who implulsively decides to walk 600 miles across England to see a former colleague who’s dying of cancer. During the walk (which he completes in yachting shoes) he surprises himself and his wife–changing the course of their marriage, which was in bad shape. Harold also impacts the lives of folks that he meets on his walk as well as he becomes a celebrity once the media picks up the story of his walk.
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The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson. It’s a haunting and very dark story, actually more of a fable, about one man’s life in North Korea. It’s a beautiful and absolutely worthwhile (though there were moments that I felt like I was reading a Forrest Gump version of this person’s life in North Korea) but it is DARK. I read it along with Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. I highly highly recommend this book.
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. It’s another dreamy, surreal sort of story but this one is an easier read. Beautiful writing and a powerful blend of childhood imagination with adult reality provided as the narrator takes us back into a strange memory.
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I was not crazy about MaddAddam even though I liked the first two books in the series. I also didn’t love And the Mountains Echoed (Khaled Hosseini) and wished he’d focused harder on the main characters.
The Goodreads Choice Awards 2013 came out today. It’s always fun to see how many of the books I’ve read. This year I haven’t read many - most coming from the mystery/thriller category - but I bet many of you have read a goodly number.
[Best</a> Books 2013 ? Goodreads Choice Awards](<a href=“http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2013]Best”>Readers' Favorite Books 2013 — Goodreads Choice Awards)
Just finished Edwidge Danticat’s Claire of the Sea Light.
Just gorgeous. Definitely recommend!
I got The Aviator’s Wife from the goodreads nominees (as well as The Other Typist.) That is a solid list. They always have good fiction and historical fiction recommendations.
I’m reading Me Before You based on Momlive’s recommendation and loving it. I love books that make me tear up one minute and laugh the next.
This is an old one, but for fans of big fat fantasies, I really enjoyed Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker. Too often fantasy takes itself so seriously, but this one is laugh out loud funny in many places. And unlike some of Sanderson’s books it doesn’t go into excruciating details about just how his system of magic works.
Nathanial Philbrick: Battle of Bunker Hill. Great book on the start of hostilities and the siege of Boston that goes into greater depth than “the midnight ride of Paul Revere” and "Don’t shoot till you see the whites of their eyes.
I should look for that–I have ancestors who were major players in both those incidents.
Has anyone read The Kingkiller Chronicles? Thoughts? NO SPOILERS, please!
It’s on my to-read list, and I am thinking of starting it next month. I know it’s going to take me a while to get through, as I know it’s really long, and I don’t have a lot of reading time in a day, so I am hoping it’s worth the time!
I was really disappointed in The Goldfinch–plowed through to the end, but then wished I’d spent the time on something else. Tartt’s prose can be captivating in small doses, but this book was just terribly repetitious and plodding and much in need of an editor who could have cut it down by a third and improved the final result greatly. Maybe it’s inevitable that when an author takes eleven years to complete a novel she loses all perspective, and inevitable that a publisher will take a hands-off approach with an author as successful as Tartt. But gosh, I wanted to take her by the shoulders and say, “What were you thinking?” And yet despite the length, one very critical turn of events in the protagonist’s life (won’t spoil it here) is never given adequate motivation or sufficiently explained. Frustrating book! Would love to hear other opinions.
I gave it 3 stars on Amazon. Saw my D over Christmas and mentioned it. We had slightly different “takes,” but both of us agreed it should have been cut by a LOT. D ended up loaning me “The Secret History.” She says it’s much better than Goldfinch.
The thing is…I liked the beginning of the book. The last part though was just plain silly. My D thinks Tartt wrote the ending in an effort to write something that could be turned into a movie script.