Summer Pages: Review {Page-Turner}

At the beginning of summer, I shared with you my list of Summer Pages. Those were the books I had selected, the Elect if you like, to accompany me through my favorite season of the year. What an honor, right?

Below you will find who has made it in the end - life is unpredictable after all - and what my thoughts are on those that reached the finish line.

1 - Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert 

The magic is not there for me. So I came up with two interpretations: either the book is indeed lacking sharpness and new information, or I am definitely not cut out for this kind of read despite all my efforts to vary the type of books I choose. Admittedly, it is always difficult to write a new book after a sensational success - Gilbert is definitely aware of this as she writes about it in her book - but while “Eat, Pray, Love” remains engraved in my head, no memories subsist of "Big Magic". Maybe because it is less personal in a way? Maybe because there is no real “plot” or narrative. Which brings me to question my ability to read and enjoy books other than novels. What did you think about this book, I am curious? 

2 - L'homme qui parlait la langue des serpents by Andrus Kivirähk  

This is where I let the awful truth out: I have not read it. I have a very good excuse though since this book is the only one of the list I bought in paperback. It turned out to be a very thick book, quite heavy to carry, not handy at all when taking the plane with two kids - right I'm blaming it on two vulnerable beings unaware of the existence of this very blog. I substituted it with two (Kindle) books in French:

Les gens heureux lisent et boivent du café by Agnès Martin-Lugand

Le charme des après-midis sans fin by Dany Laferrière

I will post a review for the two outsiders. No spoiler here.

3 - The Lake House by Kate Morton

This is not my first go at a Kate Morton’s novel and she remains true to her style, her settings, her flavour of romance and intricate storytelling. What have I preferred in the book? Her description of what a family house is - a home really - and how a house can embrace different generations and be a testimonial of their lives, their choices and the consequences of their actions. Her descriptions of the Cornwall-based lakeside Edevane house and its garden oscillate between reality and fairy tales, introducing a romantic layer of moody mystery. Two parallel stories unwind as we progress: one set in the past and one in the present led by detective Sadie Sparrow. During one of her stays in Cornwall Sadie finds out about the Edevane estate and gets raptured in the unsolved disappearance of one of the family members who used to live there - a baby boy, no less. From then on, past and present are tied together and it becomes impossible to put the book down. You are warned.

My only doubt about the book - and a major one too - lies in its ending: the mystery is solved all too easily and the happy ending falls flat, lacking the twist the reader is expecting throughout the book, while the family tragedy builds up. A perfect book if you like suspense, lush nature, family drama and a romantic touch.

4 - Les Oiseaux de Christophe Colomb by Adrien Goetz

This has been the lightest book of my summer selection, both in volume and content.  Yet a true delight with a surprising ending that makes it all worth reading. The main character, a young girl, takes us to the Quai Branly Jacques Chirac museum in Paris. She needs to prepare a paper for her school on Christopher Columbus. While she discovers how the museum operates behind the scenes, she also gets to know its inhabitants and a bit of herself. She’s smart, sharp and notices details, which makes her the perfect guide and investigator. What seems to be an innocuous trip to the museum turns out to be a fantastic fable where birds encourage us to look at history under an interestingly new and entertaining angle. Go go go, read it!

5 - La Femme fardée by Françoise Sagan

This has been by far the most complex of the books I read this summer, much longer and more articulate than Bonjour Tristesse which remains my favorite so far from the same author. The story reminded me of Agatha Christie’s mystery novels and subsequent movies: a group of rich bourgeois is gathered on the Narcissus, a ship bound for a cruise. The characters are trapped during the entire trip as it were, stuck with one another. As their lives intertwine, collide or merge, their emotions and behaviors show the shallowness of their personalities. They all seem to be acting in a play, the play of their farfetched identities. The symbol of their fake existence is  the mysterious Clarisse, a sensitive woman who hides for her husband’s sake behind a thick layer of horrid makeup that makes us wonder instantly: who is she really? As her affair develops with Julien, she let’s go of her mask and so do many of the other characters. Some are nicer than others once faced with their real nature… Some succeed in showing a touch of human empathy and understanding, others are born actors who will never adapt and grow out of their role. A must-read since Sagan is a master at drawing with sharp cynicism society and its puppets, their interactions and developments. 

Credits: Pinkpot (edited by TheDaydreamer)