Review 606: Martha Peake: A Novel of the Revolution

Martha Peake: A Novel of the Revolution by Patrick McGrath
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Found myself disappointed by this book, as it turned out to be something different than I expected. So maybe I should be disappointed in myself for misunderstanding what I was about to read.

Well, it seemed that despite the subtitle stating “A Novel of the Revolution”, that was not the main focus of the book. Instead it focused heavily on Harry Peake, Martha’s father. Oh, yes, Martha was there in the book but not as much as Harry.

Throughout the book, the story telling is overly dramatic. Then, a good way in the book, out of nowhere, this ghost type scenario appears. Strange sounds coming around in this old manor house and being told no one else was there.

After finishing the book I found out the author is known for his gothic tales. Someone more familiar with the author’s writing then would not be surprised. I bought this book a couple of decades ago, but I certainly wouldn't have done so if I knew about that aspect. My interest was in a woman becoming a hero of the revolution, which does come up in the book, but not until the near end.

I kept going with this to the end, mostly to see how it would all turn out. There is a bit of a twist, or surprise at the end. Not sure it was worth it sticking with the book. Certainly this book would work better for people who like gothic horror, or know what the book is about beforehand.

Review 605: Mine Work

Mine Work by Jim Davidson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quite enjoyed this one. The main character, Markus Cottin is in search of his father's story, and his grandfather's. He knows nothing about their lives. The book becomes the story of Markus talking to people and finding out the Cottin’s story.

His father, Andrew Cottin left the family when Markus and Lucas were young. They almost never saw him. Lucas, not at all, but Markus found him. Andrew is living like a hermit, in the desert hills at a remote hard to get to location, where he works a small mining claim. Lucas had recently committed suicide which prompts Markus to seek out his father for the questions, who is he.

The father is mean and wants to be left alone. He hardly provides any details, but just enough for Markus to get started. The story involves a mining company, Cable Minerals, in a town called Madero. Andrew was convicted of blowing up two different mines owned by Cable Minerals.

Markus goes to the town of Madero to seek some of the answers. He ends up meeting his grandfather, Tom Cottin, which was a surprise as he grew up being told he died. Tom is hardly any help. He is an angry man as well, wants to be left alone, and can barely speaks in logical sentences. His mind seems to have gone. But the clues Markus gets helps. Another surprise is the death of Tom, suddenly and Markus had just seen him a day or two before, taken his picture even. Now he has to clear out the cabin, which provides a few more clues.

Markus returns to his dad. Andrew is not happy to see him. And when Markus tells of what he learns, he gets more grief. Told to leave it all alone.

This happens several times. Markus finds someone who tells more of the story and when he returns to his dad to reveal what he learns he is told to just give it up. But in not so nice of terms. The story is really about Tom Cottin, but Andrew is there, as a young boy growing up in Madero.

It’s an interesting way to tell the story. Although partway through the POV would switch from the person telling the story to the past, as if it was happening at the current moment. It was a bit jarring at first, as how would the characters know these actions. And that is part of a weakness here, that included in these sections are moments that the person telling this would not know some of it.

Review 604: Bookshelf

Bookshelf by Lydia Pyne
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

This is a short book, knew that going in, but it felt way too short. The book is one of the series in Object Lessons. It stays very close to the subject matter, providing history and various ways in types of bookshelf, such as moveable or fixed, and very short on what can be found on a bookshelf. I did enjoy reading about the history of chained bookshelves, and particularly the library in Hereford.

Some authors in this series take a wide view of the subject and include personal details from their life, but not here. Usually I do like that approach, yet here I wanted a peek at her own bookshelves.

This book felt like it barely scratched the surface of this topic. It had a long bibliography, pages of notes and index that all told are around 20% of the book. One book Pyne quoted from often I do hope to read later this year, The Book on the Bookshelf. I’ve had that book for a long while, perhaps it will provide more of the details that I felt missing from this book.

Unfortunately, another book discussed a little too much, provided spoilers for a book on my to read list, Umberto Eco’s, The Name of the Rose. Ugh. I will have to wait a while longer before reading so as to forget what I now know.

This was good, but ended with wanting more.

Note: First Object Lessons book bought, although read quite a few already.

Review 603: The High Desert

The High Desert by James Spooner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I saw this book at my library I had to read it. I was not a punk, but did listen to some of the music and saw some punk bands play a few times. Also in the 90’s, the era of the book, I spent some time in Apple Valley where this book takes place. I did not go to the high school there, nor knew anyone who actually lived in Apple Valley. But I did have a friend who had a house that he rented out, when empty a group of us would go up for a weekend sometimes. So this book has some familiarity.

Through the whole time reading the book I felt for James Spooner. He had it tough and as a teenager there’s already a lot going on. Moving as often as he did wasn’t helpful for finding long-term friends. On top of it the horrendous racism he encountered, he was a mixed-race kid. Spooner found himself identifying with the punk music and fashion, the way it presented itself, and in this crucial year he was learning.

Over the Christmas break he spent it at his dad’s in New York City. There he ran into a few punks that helped educate him which was pivotal in his life. The more Spooner learned about punk, the more it resonated with him. Back in Apple Valley still feeling lonely, never getting the girl. The attempt at being in a band didn’t work out, his friends were also going through some rough times. It didn’t help that they hung out with racist skinheads.

I was happy to see that SHARP (Skin Heads Against Racial Prejudice) was mentioned, and the history of how skinhead culture got coopted by racists.

This was a personal memoir but it also speaks to being other.

Review 602: Strata: Stories from Deep Time

Strata: Stories from Deep Time by Laura Poppick
My rating: not-rated

The book is a bit more information dense than I was hoping for. It is readable, but you probably need a strong desire in reading about geology, deep time and stratigraphy.

The book is organized into four parts, Air, Ice, Mud and Heat.

I got through much of the section on Air, that contains a discussion on the GOE short for Great Oxygenation Event, or Great Oxidation Event. Scientists are having difficulty in determining when exactly this took place, and how. The rocks have to tell the story since this was such a very long time ago. The evidence is still there, but fragmentary, difficult to decipher. Opinions differ on what the rock is revealing. The details of this are interesting to some extent.

I image the rest of the book will be at the same detailed level and my interest just isn’t sustaining that deep dive at the moment. Perhaps I will attempt the book at another time, but for now I am leaving it here, partially read.