This international best seller, translated into 38 languages, also has been made into a stage show and movie which you can catch on Netflix. Bachman has had great success with Ove which is one of Sweden’s most popular books along with the Steig Larson thrillers. The books couldn’t be more different.
Who is Ove? He is a cranky widower who is lonely, and except for a running dialogue with his dead wife, he is uncommunicative and unpleasant to his neighbors. As the book exposes Ove’s background, the reader becomes aware that perhaps he suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. Adherence to rules play a big part in his life. His loving wife was able to jolly him out of his penchant for extreme order and compulsive behavior. He loved her dearly, as she was his anchor, and after her death he sinks into a depressive morass. If you think this is a sad and serious book, you would be mistaken. Parts of it are hilarious as Ove tries to police his neighbors, usually unsuccessfully. Ove’s attempts at suicide are equally comical and thwarted at every turn.
Two influences work on Ove to turn his lonely life around. On is a mangy, stray cat which he finds impossible to ignore and the other is Parveneh, a delightfully drawn pregnant Iranian immigrant, with two daughters who seem impervious to his grumpy ways and shower him with affection.
It is impossible to dislike this book and its characters, even Ove. It is charming and funny and tugs on your heartstrings as Ove begins to realize that no man is an island. Love is what heals Ove and if you look at his name, you see that only the L is missing which is just what his journey is about.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Thursday, November 9, 2017
THE LONG DROP by Denise Mina (fiction)
Denise Mina is a well-regarded Scottish crime writer who’s genius is recreating for the reader the realistic, dank and dark streets of Glasgow. “The Long Drop” is different from her other mysteries in that it is a semi-fictionalized account of Scotland’s most famous serial killer, Peter Manuel, known as the “Beast of Birkenshaw.” Between 1956 and 1958, he murdered eight people. It is a sad fact that in today’s world one is used to much higher death figures, but back in the day in a country where firearms were not common, he struck terror in the hearts of many. The long drop refers to a method of hanging used at the time.
Mina has structured her book by alternating chapters of Manuel’s murder trial and the time of the actual events. They are equally fascinating. Manuel is clearly a psychopath who suffers no remorse for his horrendous deeds. Instead he fancies himself a writer and fabricates elaborate stories. When he is accorded his moment in the witness box, he blathers on with lie after lie making his life the story he wanted to live.
During Hogmanay celebrations seeing in the New Year of 1956, Manuel murdered the Smart family, mother, father and son who lived in a small town outside of Glasgow. Gruesomely, before the bodies were discovered, he returned to the house several times as if to verify his deed. He was responsible for the hideous murder of several women, and the wife, daughter and sister-in-law of William Watt.
Here is where the story really becomes weird because Watt, soon to be matey with Manuel, was at first one of the chief murder suspects. Watt, was searching for the murderer in an attempt to vindicate himself, and was introduced to Manuel by his lawyer as a person of interest who might have information on the real culprit. Manuel played this card to the hilt and soon had roped Watt into a night of boozing and comradely bonding, including an introduction to the real-life feared crime boss Dandy McKay. Despite their vast difference in background and looks, the two men had things in common. Both longed to be accepted as one of the lads, both were drinkers trying to outdo the other, both were looking for friendship, each exaggerated his talents. Watt spent money liberally during this strange evening and Manuel took advantage of his generosity. It wasn’t until Watt got his brother involved that the suspicion that Manuel was really the murderer arose. It seemed Manuel knew too many little details of the crime and his boasting began to implicated him as he went deeper into the story with his boasting.
Manuel’s trial was famous, and weirdly it gave him what he was looking for all along. Mina has written a fascinating book of true crime with a dark setting that places the reader in the middle of the smokey decade of the 50s when the Glaswegian underworld was to be feared.
Mina has structured her book by alternating chapters of Manuel’s murder trial and the time of the actual events. They are equally fascinating. Manuel is clearly a psychopath who suffers no remorse for his horrendous deeds. Instead he fancies himself a writer and fabricates elaborate stories. When he is accorded his moment in the witness box, he blathers on with lie after lie making his life the story he wanted to live.
During Hogmanay celebrations seeing in the New Year of 1956, Manuel murdered the Smart family, mother, father and son who lived in a small town outside of Glasgow. Gruesomely, before the bodies were discovered, he returned to the house several times as if to verify his deed. He was responsible for the hideous murder of several women, and the wife, daughter and sister-in-law of William Watt.
Here is where the story really becomes weird because Watt, soon to be matey with Manuel, was at first one of the chief murder suspects. Watt, was searching for the murderer in an attempt to vindicate himself, and was introduced to Manuel by his lawyer as a person of interest who might have information on the real culprit. Manuel played this card to the hilt and soon had roped Watt into a night of boozing and comradely bonding, including an introduction to the real-life feared crime boss Dandy McKay. Despite their vast difference in background and looks, the two men had things in common. Both longed to be accepted as one of the lads, both were drinkers trying to outdo the other, both were looking for friendship, each exaggerated his talents. Watt spent money liberally during this strange evening and Manuel took advantage of his generosity. It wasn’t until Watt got his brother involved that the suspicion that Manuel was really the murderer arose. It seemed Manuel knew too many little details of the crime and his boasting began to implicated him as he went deeper into the story with his boasting.
Manuel’s trial was famous, and weirdly it gave him what he was looking for all along. Mina has written a fascinating book of true crime with a dark setting that places the reader in the middle of the smokey decade of the 50s when the Glaswegian underworld was to be feared.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
MARTIN LUTHER by Lyndal Roper (non-fic)
RENEGADE AND PROPHET
Seeing that it is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, I thought I should learn more about its beginnings and the man who began it all, Martin Luther. You can’t do better than to read Lyndal Roper’s biography of Luther. Her research is thorough and impeccable, and she has written an absorbing account, not only of Luther’s life from childhood, but also of the historical events and social influences which led up to the posting of the 95 Theses on the 31st of October nailed to the door of a Wittenberg church.
Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany in 1483. The family moved to the mining town of Mansfeld where his father had a successful business. If Martin had followed the norms of his social class, he would have studied law. But, nothing was ordinary about Martin Luther. In the first rebellious act against his father, Martin chose to study for the priesthood and entered an Augustinian monastery.
Luther was brilliant with a strong and magnetic personality, and it wasn’t long before he chafed at the rules and authority he lived under. He attracted a large number of acolytes willing to challenge the precepts of the Catholic Church and criticize the materialistic practises that had grown up within the medieval church, such as the odious selling of indulgences and the opulent lifestyle of the Pope, cardinals and bishops of the church. He inspired great loyalty in other scholarly men.
There is such a wealth of material covered in this book, it is impossible to pick out the most important. Luther’s rise coincided with the rise of the printing press and the wider dissemination and affordability of books and pamphlets. Accounts of Luther’s speeches and writing was passed from hand to hand and before long his fame had spread throughout Germany and Europe. Luther’s collected works have survived and fill 130 volumes. He alone counted for 20% of all the writing printed in Germany between 1500 and 1530. His translation of the Bible into German was probably the greatest influence on common households. Another reason that Luther was so successful is that he had the backing of the princes and nobility, who saw that breaking with Rome and the Church, would give them greater autonomy in relations with the country and abroad. Luther’s assertion that only the Bible had doctrinal authority and faith alone was justification for one’s beliefs was very attractive to the ruling class.
After the Diet of Worms and Luther’s excommunication, his fame spread even further. In 1525 he married an ex-nun, Katharina von Bora. Luther was an earthy man who enjoyed a good laugh; he did not shy away from sexuality, and could be vulgar and cutting in his criticisms of others. He did not like to be contradicted and had a healthy ego. As he aged, his very bulk gave testament to his enjoyment of life, he was not an aesthetic. In short, he was very human with weaknesses as well as strengths.
Luther’s chief venom was aimed at the Pope and Jews. His writings directed toward the Jews are shocking, even given the context of the age in which he lived. His unfounded accusations and his desire to expel them from the country traces a direct line to Hitler’s Germany.
Luther was reluctant to delegate responsibility to his followers. After he broke with Catholicism he didn’t create a structure or hierarchy for his own church, and it was a task left to others after his death in 1546 at age 62.
I had the good fortune to travel in Saxony a few years ago. One cannot help but see signs of Luther’s legacy everywhere. The many beautiful Lutheran churches survived the many wars and the communist take-over of Eastern Germany after World War II. And, of course, the beautiful and inspiring church music composed by Bach is a delightful reminder of Luther’s powerful influence.
I highly recommend this book to all who wish to acquaint themselves with the beginnings of the Protestant faith and at the same time read the life of one of history’s most fascinating individuals.
Seeing that it is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, I thought I should learn more about its beginnings and the man who began it all, Martin Luther. You can’t do better than to read Lyndal Roper’s biography of Luther. Her research is thorough and impeccable, and she has written an absorbing account, not only of Luther’s life from childhood, but also of the historical events and social influences which led up to the posting of the 95 Theses on the 31st of October nailed to the door of a Wittenberg church.
Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany in 1483. The family moved to the mining town of Mansfeld where his father had a successful business. If Martin had followed the norms of his social class, he would have studied law. But, nothing was ordinary about Martin Luther. In the first rebellious act against his father, Martin chose to study for the priesthood and entered an Augustinian monastery.
Luther was brilliant with a strong and magnetic personality, and it wasn’t long before he chafed at the rules and authority he lived under. He attracted a large number of acolytes willing to challenge the precepts of the Catholic Church and criticize the materialistic practises that had grown up within the medieval church, such as the odious selling of indulgences and the opulent lifestyle of the Pope, cardinals and bishops of the church. He inspired great loyalty in other scholarly men.
There is such a wealth of material covered in this book, it is impossible to pick out the most important. Luther’s rise coincided with the rise of the printing press and the wider dissemination and affordability of books and pamphlets. Accounts of Luther’s speeches and writing was passed from hand to hand and before long his fame had spread throughout Germany and Europe. Luther’s collected works have survived and fill 130 volumes. He alone counted for 20% of all the writing printed in Germany between 1500 and 1530. His translation of the Bible into German was probably the greatest influence on common households. Another reason that Luther was so successful is that he had the backing of the princes and nobility, who saw that breaking with Rome and the Church, would give them greater autonomy in relations with the country and abroad. Luther’s assertion that only the Bible had doctrinal authority and faith alone was justification for one’s beliefs was very attractive to the ruling class.
After the Diet of Worms and Luther’s excommunication, his fame spread even further. In 1525 he married an ex-nun, Katharina von Bora. Luther was an earthy man who enjoyed a good laugh; he did not shy away from sexuality, and could be vulgar and cutting in his criticisms of others. He did not like to be contradicted and had a healthy ego. As he aged, his very bulk gave testament to his enjoyment of life, he was not an aesthetic. In short, he was very human with weaknesses as well as strengths.
Luther’s chief venom was aimed at the Pope and Jews. His writings directed toward the Jews are shocking, even given the context of the age in which he lived. His unfounded accusations and his desire to expel them from the country traces a direct line to Hitler’s Germany.
Luther was reluctant to delegate responsibility to his followers. After he broke with Catholicism he didn’t create a structure or hierarchy for his own church, and it was a task left to others after his death in 1546 at age 62.
I had the good fortune to travel in Saxony a few years ago. One cannot help but see signs of Luther’s legacy everywhere. The many beautiful Lutheran churches survived the many wars and the communist take-over of Eastern Germany after World War II. And, of course, the beautiful and inspiring church music composed by Bach is a delightful reminder of Luther’s powerful influence.
I highly recommend this book to all who wish to acquaint themselves with the beginnings of the Protestant faith and at the same time read the life of one of history’s most fascinating individuals.
Saturday, November 4, 2017
WORLD MADE BY HAND by James Kunstler (fiction)
Despite the fact that this novel paints a dystopian future that seems all too possible in today’s overwrought world, the reader will find the author has created an alternative that has a certain aura of peacefulness about it. The story takes place in Union Grove a small town along the Hudson at a time in the future when life fueled by modern conveniences has come full stop. Terrorist attacks and hacks have destroyed the underlying structure and technology of modern cities. The federal government has gone underground, and small cities and towns find themselves isolated. The economy has fallen to pieces after gas becomes all but unavailable. The lack of antibiotics has decimated the population as a wide-spread plague attacks the vulnerable. Global warming has played havoc in destroying once vibrant cities.
All this is in the past as the story opens. Robert Earle, a former software executive, is our narrator. Having lost his family, he has been able to make a living through carpentry and playing the violin with a local group. The now small town of Union Grove is kept alive in a disorganized fashion. People barter their skills in return for goods and take up small farming, much as the colonial world existed. Earle finds himself in the position of helping the town to organize a sustainable society that will be of some benefit to its citizens. It has little to do with the world left behind.
As often happens when law and order fail and society breaks down, there arises a petty dictator. Wayne Karp, a thug living on the outskirts of town, opens a “general store,” bilking the villagers and running the local economy like a banana republic. On the other side of town Steven Bullock, formally a wealthy landowner, has built up a model farm set up in the manner of a feudal society with himself as the benevolent overlord. Before long, Brother Jobe arrives in town. He is another type of overlord, one who has convinced his followers that he has been divinely chosen to lead them to the promised land. He is a clever huckster with enough of a following to threaten what had been an established way of life in Union Grove.
All of these characters connect one summer in the life of the town and change the direction it takes.
Kunstler has written a novel that is realistic in the aftermath of a world tragedy. Though the world has changed, human nature has not, nor has man’s desire to create order out of chaos. It makes for an interesting story of a future that is easy to imagine. The book is well-written and the characters are believable and skillfully drawn.
All this is in the past as the story opens. Robert Earle, a former software executive, is our narrator. Having lost his family, he has been able to make a living through carpentry and playing the violin with a local group. The now small town of Union Grove is kept alive in a disorganized fashion. People barter their skills in return for goods and take up small farming, much as the colonial world existed. Earle finds himself in the position of helping the town to organize a sustainable society that will be of some benefit to its citizens. It has little to do with the world left behind.
As often happens when law and order fail and society breaks down, there arises a petty dictator. Wayne Karp, a thug living on the outskirts of town, opens a “general store,” bilking the villagers and running the local economy like a banana republic. On the other side of town Steven Bullock, formally a wealthy landowner, has built up a model farm set up in the manner of a feudal society with himself as the benevolent overlord. Before long, Brother Jobe arrives in town. He is another type of overlord, one who has convinced his followers that he has been divinely chosen to lead them to the promised land. He is a clever huckster with enough of a following to threaten what had been an established way of life in Union Grove.
All of these characters connect one summer in the life of the town and change the direction it takes.
Kunstler has written a novel that is realistic in the aftermath of a world tragedy. Though the world has changed, human nature has not, nor has man’s desire to create order out of chaos. It makes for an interesting story of a future that is easy to imagine. The book is well-written and the characters are believable and skillfully drawn.
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