A Month in the Country by J L Carr

I know I only got this a month or so ago, and with over 80 odd books on my TBR pile I don't have any excuses really, except that I could not resist this one, for reasons explained on my Rural Novels post. It is only 85 pages so more of a novella really.

Set in Yorkshire just after the First World War, Tom Birkin arrives at Oxgodby to restore a medieval wall painting in a small church. He is also seeking refuge and peace after the horrors he has seen, betrayed by a stammer and a twitch. Tom is our narrator, as he reflects on that long-ago summer from old age, with nostalgia for a lost rurality and more than a little humour. Living in the bell tower during that hot summer he describes his sleepy and beautiful surroundings, and his relationships with the local's with affection, his friendship with Charles Moon who was also in the war, his crush on the vicar's wife, and his admiration for the artist who created the fresco and the mysteries it holds. During his stay amongst the quiet and rhythmic hum of the countryside, Tom Birkin begins to heal.

The humour of the narration makes this book very easy to read, and the warmth of the summer is tangible through Tom. This is not a fast paced book full of action. It is instead a wonderful meditation about people and their surroundings, and appreciating it for what it is, before it is lost forever. Tom is irresistably drawn into the lives of the locals, by his routine, and by the mysterious painter who never managed to finish the work on the chapel wall, which is of a rare quality. There are some sadnesses along the way, especially Moon's background in the war. These are only alluded to, and the rest is left to your imagination. Their experiences are not less for this. You know Tom is haunted enough to get a tic and seek some peace. This is an upbeat study about how one man tries to quiet his mind, told with witty observations and warmth.

I already knew the story having seen the film (which adds a few details where the novel holds back) so I knew what it was about. I loved the film, with Colin Firth and Kenneth Branagh, and I really enjoyed reading this book. The whole thing feels like something to savour and I recommend it highly.

Bookrags has a study guide for A Month in the Country, which may be of use for book group discussion.

There is also a good article from The Independent about the author you may find interesting, entitled The Last Englishman: The Life of J L Carr by Byron Rogers

There is also A Month in the Country dedicated site.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

This book was bought for me, as a present, by a work colleague after I had enjoyed the film 2 years ago. I have had a mixed relationship with Ian McEwan's books. The first one, Enduring Love, I really enjoyed, and I have recommended it to a number of people. I quite liked On Chesil Beach (click for review). I found Saturday interesting but also disappointing, and I didn't get on so well with Amsterdam either.

I waited a while after seeing the film of Atonement, which I loved, so as to get it out of my head, then a few weeks ago a friend told me she was reading it. It was time to pull it from my TBR pile and give it a go.

It tells the story of a family broken apart by the younger sisters accusation, fuelled by an over active imagination, with consequences that last for the rest of their lives, most tragically for her sister Cecilia, a ward of the family called Robbie, and herself, Briony, the accuser. It spans from 1935, a summers day at a country house, and then throughout the second world war, and finally to 1999 where the far reaching consequences are laid to rest.

I was captivated from the first page, and it did not let me go until the last. The words are rich and skillful, and there is a sustained quality all the way through. I wish I'd taken some of the passages down to share with you, but I couldn't put it down long enough. I intend to go back over it and revisit certain passages for my own pleasure. It was memorable throughout.

I don't know if I enjoyed it more because I had seen the film first, and I have tried to imagine how the book would be for those who do not know the story. Every location is vividly recreated in my head. Each character wrenched my heart as I read about their predicament. The ending brought tears, even though I knew what was coming.

I loved it, and it has joined my list of favourites. I recommend it with enthusiasm. Totally heartbreaking. Brilliant and complete.

For reading groups you can click on the link for Atonement discussion questions.

For Ian McEwan's website click the link.

Also, there are plans to turn Atonement into an opera, and you can read the report on The Guardian Book Blog by clicking the link.

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

I picked this one up from the Bluecoat book fair a couple of months ago, wondering what the novel behind such a famous film was like. I saw the film years ago, and there are many iconic images from it that are regularly seen in the media. It was also pretty short at just on 100 pages.

Set during the 1940's in New York, the story is narrated by a man who is never named. He tells the story of an enigmatic and exuberant young woman who lives in the same building of apartments. The woman in question has passed into the mists of legend at the beginning, rumoured to be in Africa and just as infamous, making his friend Joe misty eyed with remembered affection. From here our narrator recounts how he met Holly Golightly and became entangled in her life for a short time and the effect that she had on all around her.

The story is an examination of Holly's character as a good time party girl, a charismatic character full of contrasts that are irresistable to all. Prioritising money but yearning for love, needing protection like a naive child but also a street-wise survivor. Holly hates feeling caged or trapped and yearns to be free. When anyone comes too close she closes up and becomes vague, adding to her allure. By the end everyone has a crush on her, is a little in love with her, or even more than a little.

I enjoyed reading about her, once I had got over the fact that she has short, blond hair. She still continued with Audrey Hepburns voice though, such is the endurance of the film. This is a story about one of the most memorable female characters (from a book or film) and I think that it is because Holly is so unpredictable and charming. She gets away with more than most women of her era simply because she is so likeable. You are aware of her materialism, her shallowness, her dubious relations with men, but she is also very alluring, and beautiful, causing men to be entrapped by her personality, like moths around a flame. I couldn't decide whether she really was so in the dark about the mess she becomes entangled in, but the question adds to her mystery.

The abiding theme of the story is that you cannot trap a wild thing. Indeed, the narrator is first aware of her before he meets her, by a notice on her mail box, 'Holly Golightly, travelling' and it seems that she never stops long, anywhere. When Holly buys the narrator a birdcage he had admired, she makes him promise not to put anything in it. She also likens herself to her nameless cat saying they are both homeless.

A series of events ensure that Holly is off travelling again at the end, and appears to still be so fifteen years later where the story began. You can be sure that adventure will always follow her and many more will recount the days in ber presence with a rosy nostalgia that accompanies days spent in a hedonistic hormonal kind of bliss.

The enigma that is Holly Golightly will ensure that this book will be held high, as a classic story about an unforgettable female, for a long time, and will provide lots for readers groups to discuss too.

There is a dedicated website to all about Breakfast at Tiffany's. Click the link.

Also there is a Breakfast at Tiffany's study guide.