Cecily's book reviews

In general I've written reviews of every book I've read since I joined GoodReads (RIP) in May 08, along with one or two I read prior to that. More recent reviews tend to be longer (sometimes a tad too long?). I always carry a book, though I don't get as much time as I'd like to get engrossed - life is busy, but in a good way. Too many of my favourite authors died without writing enough! Apart from reading, and writing about reading, I enjoy Scrabble, good restaurants, woodland, and attending the theatre.
Beginners - Raymond Carver This is the original versions of the stories that were first published as "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/88935078), which I reread alongside this.

Some of the versions here are more than double the length, and most of them are darker and with more ambiguous endings.

I would like to believe that Carver was treated badly by an over-zealous editor, but I'm not sure that's entirely true. The two versions of each story are often quite different, but it is hard to say which is better. In some cases, leaner works, but in others, the originals contain backstory that adds depth and richness. However, some of the changes are more gratuitous, such as renaming Mel McGinniss to be Herb McGinniss.

All the stories involve sad, dysfunctional people, but there is often a glimmer of hope. Many are beguiling, a few are grisly, but towards the end of the collection I lost the impetus to continue, so I put it aside for a while. I'm not sure what the problem was.

CONTENTS

The summaries are more to jog my memory in future than to add great insight for anyone reading.

"Why don't you Dance?" is about a yard sale. A young couple come by, dance on the driveway and linger.

"Viewfinder" has a wonderful opening line, "A man without hands came to the door to sell me a photo of my house".

"Where is Everyone?" is about an alcoholic relationships.

"Gazebo" is about a couple running a declining motel. Drinking "consumes a great deal of time and effort if you devote yourself to it fully".

"Want to See Something?" concerns a neighbourhood feud and how the killing of a slug leads to reappraisal of a marriage. It is told from the woman's perspective and is very different from the edited version.

"The Fling" is what a man tells his visiting adult son about. The extra detail and backstory of this original version make it much darker.

"A Small, Good Thing" is one that I think I've seen a film of. A mother orders a birthday cake for her son's birthday. When she doesn't turn up to collect it, the baker takes a nasty turn. This longer version is much more elegiac.

"Tell the Women we're Going" starts with the mundane but gets very nasty. This version is more nuanced than the edited one.

"If it Please You" follows a couple to bingo where they are annoyed by the presence of a hippie couple (oh, how dated that makes it sound). "He liked to be on time, which meant a few minutes early." I can relate to that bit.

"So Much Water so Close to Home" is when three men go on a fishing weekend, find a body, but do nothing about it straight away. Their wives are horrified, to the detriment of their marriages. It was filmed as Jindabyne (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382765/).

"Dummy" explores the mysterious obsession (fish) of a mute, and its tragic consequences.

"Pie" is about the aftermath of a broken relationship and particularly the strains of Christmas.

"The Calm" did nothing for me. A man chats to his barber.

"Mine" is about possession, rather than excavation: a separating couple dividing the spoils - including their baby!

"Distance" is a vignette of a father telling his daughter of one incident shortly after she was born, that illustrates the relationship pressures of the early days of parenthood.

"Beginners" has couples pondering the meaning of love and whether it's incompatible with physical abuse.

"One More Thing" has a man rowing with his teenage daughter who thinks mind over matter can fix his attachment to drink.

Currently reading

The Illustrated Gormenghast Trilogy
Sebastian Peake, China MiƩville, Mervyn Peake
Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake