Book Review: THE ENCHANTED APRIL by Elizabeth von Arnim

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"What would she see out of her window? A shining world, or a world of rain? But it would be beautiful -- whatever it was would be beautiful... Such beauty, and she there to see it. Such beauty and she alive to feel it."

I've been wanting the peace and quiet that comes with cold mountain air for years, and tomorrow I shall endure a long bus trip to get it, for a few days. But old habits die hard, and it's difficult to shake away teacher's guilt at even five minutes of purposeless sitting.

How wonderful, then, that this is the first book read during the Christmas break. It It is THE PERFECT BOOK to begin any break from reality with, whether it's only the weekend, or a few weeks!

I think I was only on page five of this book when I frantically ordered the two other von Arnims available from a local bookseller, it was THAT good!

Written exactly a hundred years ago, the concerns of the protagonists are very much ours today. What if one desires a vacation but can't afford it? Why, one finds friends, old and new, with which to split the cost, of course!

Von Arnim brings together four women from different backgrounds, all facing challenges in life and love; souls heavy with the friction of daily living, eyes dim with the toll of years of endless routine. Their only connection? An Italian castle, rented for a month in April. This Heaven, however, needs to be worked for. As anyone who has planned an out-of-town break knows, the preparation takes months. Transportation, accommodation, not to mention food expenses... it takes a great deal of headache before the actual trip, in order for it to proceed smoothly (and even then, unexpected problems arise!).

Von Arnim's characters fight over sitting rooms, who is to order lunch, how much is to be spent on groceries, and who can invite a husband (or lover). They are petty, and snap at each other... but come together so beautifully at the end, that it fills the reader with joy and good will towards all humankind.

Using von Arnim's criteria of a good book ("No one should ever write a book God wouldn't like to read."), this is a very Christmas-like book indeed. It is far wiser than I thought it would be, and far better for my soul than so many other "deep" prize winners. Begone, salt on wounds! Give me wisteria and sunshine, and wounded souls longing for the comforts of beauty and kindness.

Von Arnim reminds us again that a great deal of happiness lies in just being empty "cups of acceptance," of the importance of smiling "not because they were happy, but because they wished to make happy," that we need only look for the good in others and ourselves, in order for that cycle of love and joy to come back to us. And yes, that vacations ARE necessary and not evil luxuries we need be guilty of taking!

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Book Review: GALATEA 2.2 by Richard Powers

Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The weight of glory. The sheer mass of beautiful passages in only three hundred pages. I suspect this novel was the author's way of getting through a mid-life crisis, two heartbreaks, as well as a mild form of writer's block, but oh, what a flex of literary virtuosity!

What if I type up my autobiography until my thirty-sixth year, and insert a fiction which is a literary mass of my profound reflections on the internet and artificial intelligence? Richard Powers must have thought to himself, and proceeded to do just that. His protagonist in the fiction work is named after him, and has even written books with the exact same titles, same plotlines. Life gives him a plum job for a year in a university where he gets embroiled in a scheme along with other professors and scientists: Can humans train a computer to pass the Turing test, by teaching it to be human through exposure to the best of our art, music, and literature?

Supposing this is Richard Powers at his worst, he is still sooooo good! This was my fourth novel by the same author of BEWILDERMENT and OVERSTORY, and the quality of his thoughts and writing is so marvelous, I shall do my best to slowly collect all his books over the course of my lifetime. To read Powers is to have him "explain in miniature where history had left me." He gives us The Big Picture, and asks hard questions about the nature of humanity in a landscape that is becoming increasingly and alarmingly soul-less, only we are too caught up in it to realize.

Written in 1995, Powers meditated on the twin wonders/terrors of the internet and technology:

"I thought: a person might be able to make a life in all that etherspace... debates flowed without beginning or end, through tributaries and meanderings, responses to responses to responses... the longer I lurked, the sadder the holiday became. People who used the web turned strange... the web began to seem a vast silent stock exchange trading in ever more anonymous and hostile pen pals.

The web was a neighborhood more efficiently lonely than the one it replaced. Its solitude was bigger and faster. When relentless intelligence finally completed its program... and everyone could at last say anything instantly to everyone else in existence, it seemed to me we'd still have nothing to say to each other and many more ways not to say it..."

Galatea, after all, was shaped by the sculptor Pygmalion. In a way, that's what all parents, all teachers are. And that's what fascinates me the most about this book: the detailed curriculum of a lifetime, with the aim of producing the most human AI possible, fed to the computer... the construction of a soul in a year.

Along the way, Powers muses on the power and limits of art, the supremacy of the lived human experience, and the fragile and hurtful nature of human love.

I also love how he writes about music, one of the most difficult things to do! He writes "how a sonata layered itself like a living hierarchy," of how the Clarinet Concerto K# 622's middle movement was "the most pained palliative in creation...the clarinet and orchestra exchanged phrases, elaborating on the ongoing expansion, unfolding, inhaling beyond capacity like the lungs of a patriarch wedging open the air after being told of the death of his last great-grandchild. The endless phrase spoke of how you reach an age where anything you might answer would not be worth asking. Who in all this restless measurement had time for so infinite an aside" for such "hopeless peace... a grace too huge and slow for understanding?"

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A Cross-Post: Commentary on Christmas TBR Lists

                                                    (Original entry can be found here)

In 1983, Marguerite Yourcenar wrote:

"The time of commercial Christmas is already here... For most of the celebrants today, the great Christian feast is limited to two rites: buying, more or less compulsively, useful or unuseful objects, and gorging themselves..."

No wonder, then, that some religious denominations choose NOT to celebrate Christmas at all. And having walked in the pouring rain yesterday for hours on end because of the December Carmageddon that made the local news yesterday (* achoo *), I'm feeling rather Scrooge-y at the moment.

So I'm glad to be reminded by Yourcenar about the meaning of the season: 

"It is concerned with a birth, and a birth such as births should always be, that of a child awaited with love and respect, carrying within himself the hope of the world... It is concerned with the poor... It is the festival of men of goodwill... It is the festival of the human community... It is a festival of joy, shaded with pathos... Finally, it is a festival of the Earth itself -- of the Earth which, in its revolutions, passes at this moment the winter solstice and leads us all towards Spring. And that is why, long before the Church fixed this date for the birth of Christ, it was already, in antiquity, the Feast of the Sun."

This is a bookstagram post, after all, and won't be complete without my asking: What books did you gift yourself this season?

Behold my To-Be-Read list! We have our annual two weeks of break coming up, and I look forward to sleeping in and reading as much as I can :) 

I FINALLY have volumes 1 and 2 of MAUS, the famous graphic novels featuring the real experiences of the author's father who survived the Holocaust. MAUS became prominent this year because a school board in Tennessee voted to ban it from the curriculum, sparking an international conversation and driving up the demand for these books so high, it was sold out everywhere! So it means so much to be able to grab these babies, now!

I'm also excited to read I Promessi Sposi 's English translation, The Betrothed. Nothing like the Pope saying it's his favorite book to recommend it!

I got a copy of Seven Pillars of Wisdom two years ago, but am only going back to it now, after having watched (AND LOVED) the film with Peter O'Toole of the blue eyes, Lawrence of Arabia. No wonder the movie is a classic, it's truly a gem! I hope the book matches the magic of the film!

Speaking of Arabia... I have a nonfiction account of Danish explorers in the 18th century going to modern-day Yemen, formerly known as Arabia Felix. Am so glad this account was written of a little-told story, as the world is in need of such inspiring stories of courage and scientific curiosity!

I'm also looking forward to The Levant Trilogy by Oliva Manning, based on her wartime experiences in the Middle East.

There's a certain geographic and historical slant to my reading choice for Christmas, although I am only realizing this now! While it's hard to pinpoint why I'm drawn to wartime exploits during a peaceful holiday, I suppose it has to do with what Yourcenar mentioned above: the fact that Christmas is actually tinged with melancholy, even from its very origin. A child is born, who will grow up to die for humanity. This underscores that JOY is a choice. May we choose joy every day, and not just this December. And with the help of books, coffee, and good company, there is so much happiness to look forward to!

 

A Cross-Post: Have Yourself A Merry LITTLE WOMEN Christmas

 

(Original post can be found here)

What, for you, is a book that contains the essence of Christmas?

For me, it has GOT to be LITTLE WOMEN. Heck, even the opening line, the very first word, contains this blessed holiday:

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without presents.”

This line is uttered by our heroine, Jo, the second of the four March sisters, whose shenanigans have been the subject of so many film adaptations after author Louisa May Alcott put them down on paper.

(In the spirit of the season, let's not get mired into that debate over which film version is the best, which essentially depends on which Laurie was deemed most swoon-worthy. That being said, let me just say that it's hard to beat Christian Bale's dashing good looks in the 1994 version. Now if we could only combine him with Rossano Brazzi serenading June Allyson with "Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt" on the piano ... * swoons * )

LITTLE WOMEN has defined my life, and that of so many others. Critics say it is old-fashioned, and only for children, but I've read it both as a child (in its abridged form, with lots of pictures) and as an adult, and found more joy in it as a grown-up! Perhaps it's because I see how the golden values it speaks of are all the more sorely needed in a world that increasingly teaches its children to be cut-throat.

If being old-fashioned means valuing generosity above counting the cost, caring for our fellow man instead of selfishly hoarding money, and putting family above personal ambition, then I gladly welcome the label, and dare modern hipsters to do the same.

Louisa May wrote many other books, and not all were as wholesome as her most beloved bestseller. But a close second is LITTLE MEN (the sequel), which depicts the life of a family devoted to teaching.

I think LITTLE WOMEN is very timely especially this December 2022, when so many families are enduring financial hardship wrought by the global recession, and so many have lost a member and are setting plates for empty chairs in memory-laden tables.

In our grief we remember happier times, and hope for more joyful Christmases to follow.

To borrow the line from a certain heartbreaking viral advertisement, “Christmas is made, not bought.”

Have yourself a merry LITTLE WOMEN Christmas, dear reader! And whether you enjoy it in book form or movie version, let us give thanks for the American author who shone the spotlight on the sacredness of the family, and proved that this is truly the reason for the Season.

A Cross-Post: Chemistry's Life Lessons

 

 

                                                   (Original post can be found here)

I have the most awful memories about a Chemistry teacher in high school. He lacked the ability to explain complex topics in a simple manner, and made his students feel stupid if we couldn't comprehend his lessons, as if his incompetence was somehow our fault.

I thought I was dumb. I thought Chemistry was the most difficult subject ever ... until I took Science classes in college under different teachers, and to my shock, realized that I could understand what seemed formerly incomprehensible! It was the teacher, after all, and not myself to blame.

Still, I am grateful to this chemistry teacher. He taught me how NOT to teach, and what kind of person NOT to be.

One of the seismic changes in education globally this year entailed my taking on a high school Science class, apart from my usual comfort zone of humanities subjects (English, Drama, etc.). In January we shall be embarking on the Chemistry portion of the curriculum, and I've dug up my old textbook (oh hello Zumdahl we meet again). I also got THIS new reference from FULLY BOOKED and look forward to devouring it over the Christmas break!

It's made to look like a real notebook :) Turning the pages is a delight, and the language is very student-friendly!

In truth, I envy the students of today a bit. They have, at their fingertips, access to infinite sources of knowledge!

The role of a teacher nowadays, I think, should be less that of lecturer filling in empty minds, but more of a buffet restaurant owner.

Our job is to scour the Internet and what books we have access to, for the best, simplest, and most interesting explanations of our topic... then present this in condensed form to our students.

All students are intelligent, I believe. We just need to make them see it, and believe it themselves.

In this brave new world of hybrid teaching, I think the biggest mistake any teacher can make now is to teach how they have been taught. Here's to embracing the challenge of doing better!

(And yes, I'm aware that this is contrary to what teacher education is like in my country -- focused more on uncritical implementation of modules or a single, solitary textbook that may be full of errors -- but let's save that debate for another time!)

What subjects terrified you as a student? Were you able to find a book to help you pass a class?

Book Review: FIFTY SOUNDS by Polly Barton

Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book seems like it was written by two women. Or rather, two different people inhabiting the same identity: a  British woman who works as a Japanese translator. (And no, this isn't some multiple personality fiction plot, as white Fitzcarraldos are nonfiction.)

The first Polly Barton that we meet is an academic, with an undergrad degree in Philosophy and additional degrees in Sociology, not to mention advanced studies in Japanese. As if further proof is required, apart from the very scholarly tone in certain parts, all one need do is glance at the back of the book to see the Review of Related Literature -like compilation of studies and books she references. She throws around words like "naff" (uncool) and "argot" (esoteric slang). Her sentences are so polished, they gleam: "Scattered throughout the gloom I trod were little pockets of breathable air, whose existence I owed entirely to my friends." Like any proper Philosophy major, she has a bit of angst, falls in love with Wittgenstein ("My feelings of inadequacy didn't go away when I studied him, but at least I was sure he was worth feeling inadequate for" LOL), and wonders continuously about "being perfectly authentic in that moment." Her penetrating insights into the nature of all learning, and the human psyche, are many and explained in a manner both poetic and succinct.

But the second Polly is what would nowadays be called a "hot mess," as befits one who is attractive yet barely keeping it together. This hot mess is in her early twenties, falls in love with both men and women, undergoes therapy, and suffers one heartbreak after another. 

In this series of fifty interconnected essays (meant to be read in order, as the flow of the narrative is there), Polly begins with a title: a Japanese onomatopoeia, and its meaning. Then she proceeds to tell an anecdote from her stay in various places in Japan throughout the years: a small island in the country, then urban Tokyo and Osaka. Readers expecting a travelogue will be disappointed, as this is more of a memoir on language learning, an extended reflection on the merits of Japanese versus English, and the weaknesses of both in terms of language and the people; the society they are products of.

But for anyone who speaks more than one language, and has caught themselves marveling at how different they feel and think when code switching from one to the other, this book holds marvelous nuggets of wisdom from philosophers like Wittgenstein and other authors like Rachel Cusk. Language teachers, especially, will find much food for thought as Polly recreates the awkwardness of learning both a foreign language and culture through complete immersion.

"Languages are the building material through which our very selves are constructed," Polly writes, then shares her insecurities, self-doubt, as she went through what all of us must: finding one's place in the world, through interacting with others. "Our language is the lens through which the world is constituted for us." No wonder she went through a bit of an identity crisis, as her Japanese and English selves were being formed separately, depending on which country she was staying in at the time.

"If I've loved Japanese, I've done so because I've loved the glimpses of people I've caught through it." 

This can be read as a romance. Barton falls in love, desperately, but it is forbidden and doomed (as the most epic love affairs are). There is so much pain, still, that seeps from the pages, that when she concludes this reader has to admit that the ending feels forced, that there is still a great deal of unprocessed pain and grief there, that this book tried to unpack. 

All in all, a brilliant read despite the abrupt ending. But again, not for someone looking for a tour guide to physical places. Barton is a tour guide for the mind and the soul, which is arguably the more difficult job. It is one of my favorite reads from 2022!

P.S I read this book as a companion read to BABEL. You see, the R.F. Kuang epic fantasy on the magic of translation was SUCH a doorstopper, and since I couldn't bring it inside my smaller lady-like bags, I had to choose a slim paperback (thank you Polly Barton!) because to leave the house without any book is simply out of the question!

My reading of Polly Barton and R.F. Kuang blended into one cohesive unit, as did the novelization of Wittgenstein's life that I read a few months back (THE WORLD AS I FOUND IT by Bruce Duffy). But then, don't all our literary experiences inform one another and form a mix inside us? And hopefully we make a coherent whole out of all the knowledge and self-knowledge we've gained, and channel this outwards to make our little worlds better?

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View my review on THE WORLD AS I FOUND IT by Bruce Duffy

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Book Review: BABEL (OR THE NECESSITY OF VIOLENCE: AN ARCANE HISTORY OF THE OXFORD TRANSLATORS' REVOLUTION) by R.F. Kuang

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Language was just difference. A thousand different ways of seeing, of moving through the world. No; a thousand worlds within one."

It's not a spoiler if it's in the title. Expect violence, dear readers. (But if you've read the POPPY WAR trilogy by the same author, then you'd know what to expect already.) Kuang speaks of violence in a righteous war, as a last resort, fought from a commitment to a greater cause.

And what cause is higher than freedom?

BABEL, a stand-alone novel set in a setting where everyone except home-schooled kids relate to, is truly an R.F. Kuang book. Her trademark style of scholarly accessibility, with a healthy dash of footnotes (some of which contain entire backstories that can be future plots of separate books!), and a cast focusing on POC's, is a very addicting blend. I can understand why this book was sold out everywhere for months, forcing this reader and her book club mates to (gasp) pre-order from a local seller!

It brings to mind Robert Jackson Bennett's FOUNDRYSIDE trilogy, because of the similarity in the way "magic" is wrought: through writing words on inanimate objects. In BABEL's case, we have silver bars as the key to Empire, and the translators of Oxford transcribing different word pairs to alter reality as they see fit, bringing about an imbalance of wealth in the world for Queen and country.

I've always had a healthy respect for the written word, but reading this book brings a new awareness about translating! "The poet runs untrammelled across the meadow. The translator dances in shackles," Kuang writes. As a bilingual Filipino (most of my countrymen have three or four languages!), the book made me reflect on how differently I translate the physical phenomena of the outer world, depending on the language I am using in my head. Truly, our languages determine our realities and how we make meaning of what happens every day.

If more academics were like R.F. Kuang, capable of writing exciting fantasy novels while somehow featuring their real-life research, there would be more people applying to grad school! As it is, I'm curious to see how enrollment increases in Linguistics departments globally, thanks to this incredible book.

Well worth shelling out cash for and buying brand new! I love how young R.F. Kuang is (she's only twenty-six!!!), because it means we can look forward to so many more excellent reads from her!

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