Archives: Fiction E-I

Welcome to the Fiction E-I aisle.

Rating	Meaning
****	A must read. If you've already read it, read again!
***	A good read, well worth your time.
**	Not an entirely bad book, but only read it if you're interested in the subject matter.
*	Don't bother, unless you're on an island without anything else.
none	Under no circumstances should you read this book!

The Samurai The Good Conscience

by Charles Earle Funk by Carlos Fuentes

© 1980 SBN # 0-394-72726-6 © 1961 SBN # 0374.5.0736.8

In my "to-be-read" pile. The slow and boring family history of the Ceballos family begins the novel. The remainder of the novel describes Jamie Ceballos' life through adolescence. Jamie wants to grow up to be a man of "good conscience", somewhere between his father, a weak but moral man; & his uncle, a powerful hypocrite. Fuentes' style is excellent (as always), but this book has way too much Christian symbolism for my tastes.

Rating: ? Rating: ** + (1/2)

The Solitaire Mystery The Aerodynamics of Pork

by Jostein Gaarder by Patrick Gale

© 1990 ISBN # 0-374-26651-4 © 1986 ISBN # (none)

Young Hans Thomas leaves Norway with his father to seek out his mother in Rome. On the way he acquires a magnifying glass and a miniature book. The book contains a (true?) fairy tale. Stylistically this book is brilliant. Divided up into 53 chapters, one for each card plus the joker, the style is original and brilliant. To top it off, this book has 53 midgets! Need I say more? I should've know from the title & the cover (puffy headed women drinking in a "pub", as the Brits call it) that this book would royally suck. A lesbian police-inspector still mourning the loss of her lover, investigates a series of crimes with on common thread - the perpetrator burn the most recent reading of all of London's astrologers. Along the way she falls in love with some "punk" girl & doesn't want to tell her she's a cop. The only decent thing about this book is that there was not any graphic depictions of sex.

Rating: **** Rating: (none)

The Beach Lost Provinces

by Alex Garland by Stephen Glazier

© 1997 ISBN # 1-57322-048-5 © 1981 ISBN # 0-380-77255-8

Drug-induced novel about a group of 20-somethings searching for "The Beach," a communial utopia, somewhere off of Thailand. The protagonist, Richard, gets a map from his neighbor just after he commits suicide. He and two other aquaintances follow the map. The beach is exactly what everone expects - at first. Richard has many bloody nightmares, both asleep & awake, as the giver of the map haunts him. While reading this book, I originally was gonna give it a ** rating, but the disturbing ending changed my mind. Clayton Peavey, while visiting Paris in the early 1900s, meets a mysterious artist and together they witness the death of a young acrobat. After being accused of the crime & later released, they start their own investigation. A cast of hundreds including: a painting police inspector, gypsies, and even a dwarf, make this book an exciting must-read.

Rating: *** Rating: ****

The Tin Drum Knulp

by Günter Grass by Hermann Hesse

© 1961 ISBN # 0-679-72575-X © 1915 ISBN # (none)

The autobiography of Oskar Matzerath and his life in Germany during WWII. At 3 feet tall, his only possessions are an immensely loud scream & his tin drum. Interspaced with tales of interaction with Bruno, his keeper in a mental institution, Grass does an excellent job of keeping the story riveting throughout. A man named Knulp wanders from town to town, staying with friends, refusing to settle down. Always a gentleman, Knulp offers stories of his travels in return for food & lodging. Broken up in three parts, written in 3 distinct styles, this book is a good primer for anyone that wants to appreciate the genius of Hesse.

Rating: **** Rating: ****

An Artist of the Floating World The Unconsoled

by Kazuo Ishiguro by Kazuo Ishiguro

© 1986 ISBN # 0-679-72266-1 © 1995 ISBN # 679-40425-2 (hc)

A novel about a Japanese artist, Masuji Ono, and his life in post WW2 Japan. As he tries to marry of his eldest daughter, he's confronted with his past. An interesting view of Japanese culture, but I recommend The Remains of the Day by the same author. Currently reading. 'Nuff said.

Rating: ? Rating: **

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The Samurai		The Good Conscience
by Charles Earle Funk		by Carlos Fuentes
© 1980	SBN # 0-394-72726-6	© 1961	SBN # 0374.5.0736.8
In my "to-be-read" pile.		The slow and boring family history of the Ceballos family begins the novel. The remainder of the novel describes Jamie Ceballos' life through adolescence. Jamie wants to grow up to be a man of "good conscience", somewhere between his father, a weak but moral man; & his uncle, a powerful hypocrite. Fuentes' style is excellent (as always), but this book has way too much Christian symbolism for my tastes.
Rating: ?		Rating: ** + (1/2)

The Solitaire Mystery		The Aerodynamics of Pork
by Jostein Gaarder		by Patrick Gale
© 1990	ISBN # 0-374-26651-4	© 1986	ISBN # (none)
Young Hans Thomas leaves Norway with his father to seek out his mother in Rome. On the way he acquires a magnifying glass and a miniature book. The book contains a (true?) fairy tale. Stylistically this book is brilliant. Divided up into 53 chapters, one for each card plus the joker, the style is original and brilliant. To top it off, this book has 53 midgets! Need I say more?		I should've know from the title & the cover (puffy headed women drinking in a "pub", as the Brits call it) that this book would royally suck. A lesbian police-inspector still mourning the loss of her lover, investigates a series of crimes with on common thread - the perpetrator burn the most recent reading of all of London's astrologers. Along the way she falls in love with some "punk" girl & doesn't want to tell her she's a cop. The only decent thing about this book is that there was not any graphic depictions of sex.
Rating: ****		Rating: (none)

The Beach		Lost Provinces
by Alex Garland		by Stephen Glazier
© 1997	ISBN # 1-57322-048-5	© 1981	ISBN # 0-380-77255-8
Drug-induced novel about a group of 20-somethings searching for "The Beach," a communial utopia, somewhere off of Thailand. The protagonist, Richard, gets a map from his neighbor just after he commits suicide. He and two other aquaintances follow the map. The beach is exactly what everone expects - at first. Richard has many bloody nightmares, both asleep & awake, as the giver of the map haunts him. While reading this book, I originally was gonna give it a ** rating, but the disturbing ending changed my mind.		Clayton Peavey, while visiting Paris in the early 1900s, meets a mysterious artist and together they witness the death of a young acrobat. After being accused of the crime & later released, they start their own investigation. A cast of hundreds including: a painting police inspector, gypsies, and even a dwarf, make this book an exciting must-read.
Rating: ***		Rating: ****

The Tin Drum		Knulp
by Günter Grass		by Hermann Hesse
© 1961	ISBN # 0-679-72575-X	© 1915	ISBN # (none)
The autobiography of Oskar Matzerath and his life in Germany during WWII. At 3 feet tall, his only possessions are an immensely loud scream & his tin drum. Interspaced with tales of interaction with Bruno, his keeper in a mental institution, Grass does an excellent job of keeping the story riveting throughout.		A man named Knulp wanders from town to town, staying with friends, refusing to settle down. Always a gentleman, Knulp offers stories of his travels in return for food & lodging. Broken up in three parts, written in 3 distinct styles, this book is a good primer for anyone that wants to appreciate the genius of Hesse.
Rating: ****		Rating: ****

An Artist of the Floating World		The Unconsoled
by Kazuo Ishiguro		by Kazuo Ishiguro
© 1986	ISBN # 0-679-72266-1	© 1995	ISBN # 679-40425-2 (hc)
A novel about a Japanese artist, Masuji Ono, and his life in post WW2 Japan. As he tries to marry of his eldest daughter, he's confronted with his past. An interesting view of Japanese culture, but I recommend The Remains of the Day by the same author.		Currently reading. 'Nuff said.
Rating: ?		Rating: **