Izzy Reads, Page 9

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

April 3, 2011

Prize-winning fiction always catches the eye of book clubs and blogs so it is no surprise that Maggie O’Farrell crossed my radar. She was the winner of 2010 Costa Book Award for her book, The Hand That First Held Mine.

The novel tells the story of two couples: Lexie Sinclair runs away from home to London in the 1950s where she sets up home with magazine editor/publisher Innes Kent. Their’s is a beautiful and happy love story, for a time.

In the present, Elina has just given birth and is learning to cope with her new baby. Her partner, Ted, finds the new baby stirs up memories of his own childhood that are disturbing because they don’t entirely fit with his present circumstances.

The two stories are interlinked and although the reader guesses that from the outset, it takes quite a while to learn exactly where the links are.

I found The Hand that First Held Mine sometimes surprised me. It is very well written and will have you turning the pages. If you haven’t read Maggie O’Farrell before, do give her a try. I don’t think that you will be disappointed.

: contemporary fiction, Maggie O'Farrell
:

400th Anniversary of King James Version of Bible

April 3, 2011

As good books go, you will not find many better than this good book itself. Dating from 1611, the King James version of the Bible celebrates its 400th anniversary this year. Oxford University Press is marking the occasion by publishing  a limited edition of the 1611 with real leather binding, gilt edging, ribbon marker, gift presentation plate, and protective cloth slipcase.

The King James Bible Trust has been established to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible which was completed in 1611. Throughout 2011, many Events and Projects will be taking place across the UK and around the World to mark the 400 years since the creation of the book that changed the world.

In Ireland, one of these events will see four hundred (400) volunteers will read the entire King James Version (1611) in All Saints’ Church Raheny, Dublin in a continuous event from Palm Sunday, 17 April (3 p.m.) to Holy Thursday, 21 April (6 p.m.).

The rector of All Saints, Rev Jim Carroll has invited members of the public to join with parishioners in reading sections of the Bible during the four days of this marathon event.

 

 

: NON-FICTION
: , , ,

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson

March 20, 2011

The Finkler Question by Howard JacobsonWinner of the 2010 Booker Prize, The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson has had many reviews and you will be able to find much better analysis than mine elsewhere on the interwebs. I always feel that I should read the novels on the Booker shortlist each year and, usually, I will get to read at least a couple, including the winner. And so, The Finkler Question found its way on to my shelves. I’d seen the blurb:

Julian Treslove, a former BBC worker, and Sam Finkler, a Jewiish philosopher, writer and television personality, are old school friends. Despite very different lives, they’ve never lost touch with each otehr – or with their former teacher, Libor Sevcik, a Czech more concerned with the wider world than with exam results.

It’s the kind of story line that would probably have led me to purchase the book irrespective of the Booker listing so I was looking forward to reading it and, initially, it got off to a good start. I should confess that I’m not a fan of comedy so although some of the vignettes in the novel amused me, (like Libor’s date in Chapter 2, section 2) gradually I found that I was reading more slowly – sometimes only a page or two a day and that’s usually not a good sign. It’s the reader’s equivalent of writer’s block. It prevents you enjoying the current book and delays moving on to the next one. For me, The Finkler Question was almost a 6-week hiatus. I have no doubt that there are plenty of readers who will enjoy the novel more than I did. For me, I was relieved to get to the end and to move on to something that would have me turning the pages with more enthusiasm.

: Howard Jacobson
: , , , , ,