2. Hotel Babylon (2004) - Imogen Edwards-Jones & Anonymous

His voice peters off into nothing. I don't bother to reply because we are both staring at the main door where Michelle's getting out of a cab, ten minutes late for her exit interview. She is wearing a pair of knee-length boots, flesh-coloured tights and a very short mini skirt. It's a combination not dissimilar to the recently departed Jaguar. She looks a lot more attractive out of the dark suit and light shirt she usually wears on reception. Steve the doorman's mouth hangs open as she swans through the revolving doors, her head held high. Even Dave stops polishing his brass.

The inspiration for the popular British television series of the same name, Hotel Babylon provides a glimpse into the largely unglamorous life of the hospitality industry. Based off the real life experiences of an anonymous hotel worker, the novel presents a series of events compressed into a 24 hour shift. This book provided me with some relatively "light" reading, although I wouldn't quite place it in the same category as chick lit because it is after all still an expose about the reality of working in a hotel. I found the latter quite compelling actually as knowing that these events and even people were factual made me applaud the staff for putting up with the crazy, let alone handling it with politeness and aplomb. Imogen Edwards-Jones is a good writer and the structure of the novel is interesting and easy to read. I'm not rushing off to read the other exposes in this Hotel Babylon series, but I'm not ruling them out of future reading lists either. 

2.5 Stars 

1. The Prestige (1995) - Christopher Priest

I imagine it was part of his design, and enabled him to take certain preparations in the room where the seance was to be conducted. He and his two young assistants, one male and one female, darkened the room with black blinds, moved unwanted furniture to the side while importing some of their own which they had brought with them, rolled back the carpet to bare the floorboards, and erected a certain wooden cabinet whose size and appearance was enough to convince me that conventional stage magic was about to be performed. I stayed discreetly but attentively in the background while these preparations were put in place. I did not wish to make myself at all interesting to the spiritist, because if he was alert he might have recognised me. The previous week my stage act had drawn a favourable press notice or two.

Set in the 19th Century, the book revolves around two stage illusionists, Alfred Borden and Rupert Angier, who, after a small confrontation, end up engaging in a bitter feud. As their animosity spirals out of control, it conceals a deeper, darker secret that will haunt the two performers for generations to come.

What I love about this book is that it has many layers to dissect, even after the last page is turned. To be honest when I first finished The Prestige I didn't think it was as great as people had made it out to be. Eerily haunting, yes. Great, no. But then the English Lit nerd in me kicked in and I started to really think about some of the plot lines, the narrative style and the way the story had been constructed as a whole. At times I found it a bit hard to engage in the rivalry between the two illusionists, largely because of the narrative style of the book which took the form of diaries, beginning with one man's life followed by the other. Because of this it was difficult to see the relationship between motivation and action, with only some clarity afforded in the latter half of the novel through Angier's diary where one could retrospectively compare the two men's version of events. I believe this is why I felt unfulfilled, because while by the end you know the secret, the novel still manages to strike you as simply being about the rivalry between two men. But, and this is why I think Priest really is a great storyteller, the secret only takes it's full form in thinking back upon the story, combining the two narratives and that of the illusionists' descendents. Throughout the text Priest drops hints, particularly in the form of key phrases and words, that like the illusionists themselves, are not all they appear to be. In hindsight, these hints absolutely tease you with their obviousness. 

I am particularly reminded of one story that Borden tells about a Chinese illusionist whose secret to his most popular trick is so obvious, that no one suspects it, and it means a lifetime of deception. I find that this is what The Prestige is about - a lifetime of illusions and deceit, with a secret as bright as day at its heart. This novel is well worth the read and I recommend paying attention to the tone and style of the narration, particularly any changes in mood, as well as repeated phrases. I firmly believe that good books are the ones that you can read over and over again, but that the best are the ones that compel you to look again.

Are you looking closely?

4 Stars

N E W Y E A R ~ N E W B L O G ~ N E W C H A L L E N G E

Last year I tried to read 100 books in a year and failed spectacularly at a mere 11 (I did read more than that but didn't record them and it was definitely no where near 100). This year, no challenge. Instead I'm merely attempting to read more widely, think a little and hopefully become more informed.

So the plan is to read from the categories of fiction, non-fiction, biography and graphic novels, where each time I finish a book, the next category will be randomly chosen and I will then pick a book from it. I think I'll also try and keep up the p.56 thing too. Anyway if you have any recommendations for books, feel free to comment.

To start it all off I just picked the categories myself and ended up borrowing three books from the library. They are: 1. The Prestige - Christopher Priest (fiction), 2. When God Goes to Starbucks - Paul Copan (non-fiction), 3. All My Road Before Me: The Diary of C.S. Lewis 1922-1927 - C.S. Lewis (biography).

Here goes.

11/100

Book: The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

    I focused very hard on the dead geranium in his line of vision. I thought if I could make it bloom he would have his answer. In my heaven it bloomed. In my heaven geranium petals swirled in eddies up to my waist. On Earth nothing happened.
    But through the snow I noticed this: my father was looking toward the green house in a new way. He had begun to wonder.

Note: The book that spawned the movie. I watched the latter first, and although I really wanted to like it, I found it disappointing (oh Peter Jackson). Even without reading the novel I knew they were spending far too much time on Susie's heaven and her perspective, and not on the rest of the plot or characters, which didn't make much sense considering the time and place Susie lived in. Surely there was more to see, more people involved rather than just Susie and her parents. For example her sister, who has a very strong part to play in the story, but is almost barely featured in the movie except as an accessory to her father's grief. 

I found the book more satisfying and ended up enjoying it quite a bit with it's variety of characters. I especially enjoyed seeing the ways different characters dealt with their grief and the horror of the crime. It was a more rounded story with Susie overseeing all, and in the book you got better insight into what the dead do when they're gone, who they visit, what they long for and subsequently receive in heaven. Or what they don't. 

There were definitely some bits I didn't like, but overall I thought it was a very good read.  

10/100

Book: Remarkable Creatures - Tracy Chevalier

The summer of James Foot had been the height of Margaret's potential. The following season she was treated as a fine gown that has dated in storage, the neckline now too high or low, the cloth a touch faded, the cut no longer so flattering. We were surprised that this could happen as easily in Lyme as London, yet there was little we could do to change it. Margaret kept her friends and made new ones from the seasonal visitors. But she no longer returned at night with a sparkle and a dance around the kitchen. In time the turbans she persisted in wearing seemed less daring and more a Philpot peculiarity. She did not manage to escape into marriage like Frances, but sank into spinsterhood beside Louise and me. 
There are worse fates.
(taken from p.55 as nothing on p.56)

Note: Tracy Chevalier never fails to inspire and appeal. I've read three other of her books (The Lady and the Unicorn, The Virgin Blue, and Girl with the Pearl Earring) and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. She is a straight-forward storyteller, but investing enough emotion and truth that you can't help but tie yourself to every life and every character. Remarkable Creatures is no different. Telling the story of two amazing women, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, Chevalier breathes air into their remarkable lives, both as women and as major contributors to the study of geology. 

Now both this book and Persuasion make me desperately want to visit Lyme Regis! 

9/100

Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns

For most of the days, Mariam stayed in bed, feeling adrift and forlorn. Sometimes she went downstairs to the kitchen, ran her hands over the sticky, grease-stained counter, the vinyl, flowered curtains that smelled like burned meals. She looked through the ill-fitting drawers, at the mismatched spoons and knives, the colander and chipped, wooden spatulas, these would-be instruments of her new daily life, all of it reminding her of the havoc that had struck her life, making her feel uprooted, displaced, like an intruder on someone elses life.

Note: From the bestselling author of The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini delivers another captivating story in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini again uses the lives of highly personable characters to recount the war, culture and religion surrounding Kabul and Afghanistan  from the 1970s to the 2000s. I love how he tells complex histories, emotions and stories through simple means. That's the best way I can describe it really. Another powerful and gripping book by this author that deserves to be read.

8/100

Book: Emma - Jane Austen

'While you were in the smallest degree wavering, I said nothing about it, because I would not influence; but it would have been the loss of a friend to me. I could not have visited Mrs Robert Martin, of Abbey-Mill Farm. Now I am secure of you forever.'
      Harriet had not surmised her own danger, but the idea of it struck her forcibly.
      'You could not have visited me!' she cried, looking aghast. 'No, to be sure you could not; but I never thought of that before. That would have been too dreadful! - What an escape! - Dear Miss Woodhouse, I would not give up the pleasure and honour of being intimate with you for any thing in the world.'
      'Indeed, Harriet, it would have been a severe pang to lose you; but it must have been. You would have thrown yourself out of all good society. I must have given you up.'
      'Dear me! - How should I ever have borne it! It would have killed me never to come to Hartfield any more!'
      'Dear affectionate creature! - You banished to Abbey-Mill Farm! - You confined to the society of the illiterate and vulgar all your life! I wonder how the young man could have the assurance to ask it. He must have a pretty good opinion of himself.'

Note: I tried reading Emma a couple of years back when I first got my Austen collection but found that I just couldn't get past Emma's arrogance. However a few weeks ago I was determined to finish it (and my Austen collection in the process), and now am very glad I did. I ended up really enjoying it with its range of characters and the development of Emma's character by the end of the book (not to mention the happy ending and the proposal scene). I like that about Jane Austen romances though, that good characters have happy endings, while annoying or bad characters receive their just desserts. Emma is still quite annoying but it's impressive how far she's come by the proposal scene to be mature and listen to Mr Knightley, even though she fears the worse. There was a lot of dialogue in the book too, mostly idle chatter, but I guess in the case of some characters like Miss Bates it was necessary. However I can understand why my friend didn't enjoy studying it in college!