1001 Books Round-Up July 2023

This months winners and losers…

The Green Hat by Michael Arlen – BOTM#1 – What GR says: The Green Hat perfectly reflects the atmosphere of the 1920s—the post-war fashion for verbal smartness, youthful cynicism, and the spirit of rebellion of the “bright young things” of Mayfair. Iris Storm, femme fatale, races around London and Europe in her yellow Hispano-Suiza surrounded by romantic intrigue, but beneath the glamour she is destined to be a tragic heroine. A perfect synecdoche, in fact: as the hat is to the woman, so the words of the title are to an entire literary style. Ugh

My Thoughts – I struggled to read this the characters felt flat, the situations were so out of touch with reality that I was just not interested and the behaviour of the characters was childish in the way that only the truly privileged can be childish.

The end of the book when we discover Iris’ true motives for what she did and the ending did save this from being pure boredom. But man did I feel every one of the 200 pages it took to get there.

3 Stars – If you like characters who are caricatures go for it. Need help drifting off go for it. Need a medium sized book to clear from the list go for it.

Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe. BOTM#2. What GR Says: Set in the Igbo heartland of eastern Nigeria, one of Africa’s best-known writers describes the conflict between old and new in its most poignant aspect: the personal struggle between father and son.

Ezeulu, the headstrong chief priest of the god Ulu, is worshipped by the six villages of Umuaro. But his authority is increasingly under threat—from rivals within his tribe, from functionaries of the colonial government, and even from his own family members. Yet he believes himself to be untouchable: surely he is an arrow in the bow of his God? Armed with this belief, he is prepared to lead his people, even if it is towards their own destruction. But his people will not be dominated so easily.

Spare and powerful, Arrow of God is an unforgettable portrayal of the loss of faith, and the downfall of a man in a society forever altered by colonialism. Christianity at its opportunistic best.

My Thoughts: This was a fascinating read watching as the old gods and the old religion of the Igbo people are overcome by Christianity simply by a well-timed appeal to the needs of the people.

While things are going well the Igbo are prepared to accept that the old gods are looking after them, but when things go wrong and starvation is threatened the temptation of a God who will allow them to do what is only common sense is too much to resist. The lack of flexibility of the old guard priest ultimately leads to his downfall and to the abandonment of the gods of the land.

Christianity and the “white man” see an opportunity and they cash it in but will the Igbo live to regret their choice and what of those who keep the faith?

3 stars – a fascinating read.

Money – A Suicide Note by Martin Amis. Buddy Read. What GR Says: The story of John Self and his insatiable appetite for money, alcohol, fast food, drugs, pornography, and more, Money is ceaselessly inventive and thrillingly savage; a tale of life lived without restraint, of money and the disasters it can precipitate. Yep that covers it.

My Thoughts: At the start of the book John Self is your typical narcissist he only cares about where his next drink or shag are coming from and that gets old real quick, however as the book progresses life gets more complicated; the reader learns more about Self’s past and he changes from a have all to a man out of his depth and on the brink. Unlikely as it may seem by the end of the book this reader ended up feeling sympathy for him.

I enjoyed the play on character names within the story and the fact that the author Martin Amis appears as himself at various points in the novel.

Overall this is a book about the dangers of the worship and pursuit of money and how as the old saying goes money doesn’t buy you happiness.

3 Stars – There is more to this story than first meets the eye so keep a keen focus on what is going on.

Have you read any of these? Le us know what you thought.