Question 5 #nyrbbookclub
@BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi @sprainedbrain @mklong @youneverarrived @LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen @Liz_M @merelybookish @MicheleinPhilly @GatheringBooks @saresmoore @vivastory @sisilia @Reviewsbylola @Suet624 @Theaelizabet
mklong It‘s interesting not only to think of what the world was like when it was written, but also in time in which we are reading it. I suppose the world rarely resembles the idyllic summers in this book, and while I enjoyed the escape, I couldn‘t fully drown out thoughts of the rest of the world, then and now. 4y
BarbaraBB I thought about this while answering question 4. I appreciated the book because it brought the reader an escape from harsh reality. Knowing that added to the reading experience. Without that knowledge I would have been very surprised why it made such an everlasting impression on Greek readers. I do wonder why it became a NYRB classic though! 4y
vivastory @mklong I was worried I'd have the same experience & I think had I read it just a few days later I would have but I was able to immerse myself in this book, but once I finished it I was immediately pulled pack into the world by all the chaos. I think insular dream bubble is a good phrase for the experience. 4y
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vivastory @BarbaraBB I was wondering the same re: selection for NYRB. Suba recommended the following Greek novel, also pub by NYRB, which I immediately ordered![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png)
The Murderess 4y
The MurderessLiz_M I always read the forwards/introductions after the novel, to avoid spoilers and prevent incorporating other's interpretations before I've formed my own, so the quote didn't influence my reading at all. 😁. To me this novel feels similar to another nyrb book:Enchanted April 4y
Enchanted AprilTheaelizabet I chose to accepted it as an idyll, though I knew it to be divorced from reality. Reality ain't what it used to be so I kind of understood the impetus for Liberaki. 4y
vivastory @Liz_M That one has always been on my TBR. Thanks for the reminder! 4y
BarbaraBB I see the connection with The Enchanted April. However that was a real feel good novel for me and I think Liberaki also tried to add some unconventional ideas about women - which I liked. Having said that, I loved Enchanting April much more than this one. 4y
LeahBergen I‘m the same as @Liz_M . I never read the introduction until after I‘m finished so I was fully in the dream bubble/idyll and unaffected by any knowledge of the contemporaneous politics. 4y
Liz_M @BarbaraBB It's been ages since I read it, but I suspect the pacing and plot structure are better in EA. 4y
LeahBergen I loved The Enchanted April and enjoyed the experience of reading it way more than this one, too @BarbaraBB 4y
Liz_M @vivastory You're welcome. There is also a lovely movie of the book. 4y
Leftcoastzen The beauty of the book in some sections, was astonishing.I spent time on my grandparents farm , it reminds me of that.Time stops a bit , riding a horse through a field, collapsing in a field letting nature talk to you,a world away. I haven‘t read Enchanted April. Like @BarbaraBB enjoyed the more unconventional ideas about women. 4y
batsy @vivastory The Murderess was really vivid and strange and grim, and super interesting. I didn't agree maybe with the entire sensibility of the book but it was memorable. I'd love to know what you make of it. 4y
vivastory @Liz_M I will def keep that in mind. After hearing praise from @barbarabb & @leahbergen as well, EA just moved way up my TBR 4y
batsy @Liz_M Enchanted April is definitely on my TBR! 4y
batsy @mklong I think that kind of idyllic summer is so nostalgic, because you can only experience that kind of absorption in your own life and little bubble when you're young. And then you grow up and the real world never retreats! 4y
vivastory @batsy vivid, strange, grim You're speaking my language! Can't wait to dive into it. I also ordered Kassandra & the Wolf, so it'll be interesting to see what Liberaki's daughter has to say. From what I've heard it's quite an experience. 4y
vivastory @Leftcoastzen My aunt has a farm, too & I was reminded of summers I spent on it while reading this. Pleasant memories for sure. 👍 4y
batsy @vivastory Kassandra & Wolf—I'd describe it in the same way. Go grim! Lol. And I think I prefer the daughter's style more than her mother's 😅 It's definitely an experience. She digs deep into the ugly stuff. 4y
batsy @Leftcoastzen "Time stops"—I like that. I like how the book tried to convey that quality, too. 4y
vivastory @batsy #TeamGrim 😂 4y
merelybookish I found reading this quite slow. It captured that languid quality of summer. But it started to wear on me too maybe because my summer is like my spring was and my fall will be. I guess I don't want to be aware of the passing of time (steeped in memory and nostalgia) in a book when I am so aware of the strange passing of time (steeped in loss and uncertainty) in my own life. 4y
batsy @merelybookish That's such an astute point! I do wonder if my own impatience with the book at times had something to do with that. Particularly during this year, where it seems it's impossible to catch a break and much of the time has passed with no particular purpose or meaning. 4y
Theaelizabet @batsy @merelybookish Yes! Such perfect summaries of the time and its effects. 4y
GatheringBooks Unlike @batsy and @merelybookish I found the pace of the book comforting & just right, although I could perfectly understand the impatience. I think the fact that I am having back-to-back-to-back virtual meetings, orientation, fully-online classes - this proved to be my “escape.” I didn‘t really have any “summer” (was teaching fully online even then), this became my experience of summer, allowing me to burrow deep in greens and innocence & light. 4y
Suet624 Too many books give away too much in the intro. So it was interesting to find out the history of the time period the book was written in. I really appreciated the writing that dealt wit nature, with walks, with the stars and the observatory. I had just a bit of trouble with the fiddle-de-de nature of the younger characters and their live interests. I‘m curious if this was a lovely reprieve for readers or a tease for readers who longed for peace. 4y
LapReader I‘m intrigued. 4y
batsy @Suet624 Yes, nicely put Sue. I think those were the strengths and weaknesses of the book. I enjoyed Katerina's perspective but her reading of other characters means we get her young adolescent perspective, so maybe certain people or their motivations seemed simplistic while at other times, profound. 4y
BarbaraBB @GatheringBooks It‘s interesting to see how different we receive (?) this book. For me it was very calming in the chaos of the current times. @batsy and @vivastory thanks for coming up with such great questions ☀️💚 4y
batsy @BarbaraBB Thanks for joining in 💚 It was a fab discussion and I loved hearing everyone's perspective. 4y
tpixie Wow! Intriguing! 4y