I loved The Chilbury Ladies Choir, so I was looking forward to reading Ryan's new novel, The Spies of Shilling Lane (released June 4, 2019). Unfortunately, The Spies of Shilling Lane is a real disappointment. Whereas her first novel had a lot of charm, this one just feels forced and unlikely. It's definitely readable, but the plot is completely improbable and feels as though it is a Disneyland version of some old gangster movie (or maybe even Bugsy Malone). The characters come across as caricatures, and I pictured them in my head as cartoons rather than real people. There was also a thread of sentimentalism woven throughout that felt misplaced. Is it a spy novel or a feel good novel about loving your family and community? The two don't work well together. Overall, this new effort was not nearly as enjoyable as Ryan's last novel.
I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley, but my views are my own.
Has anyone else read this yet? What did you think?
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
How did she get there? or The Confessions of Frannie Langton
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
This is an amazing and powerful novel, and I want more people to read it so that I can talk about it with them. The Confessions of Frannie Langton offers the compelling story of a former slave and servant who is brought from Jamaica to England in the 1820s and given away as a gift once she arrives. In her new household, her life becomes intertwined with that of her new mistress. She also learns in excruciating detail how her masters in both Jamaica and London have long used her as a pawn. This novel reminded me of Sarah Waters's Fingersmith in its reimagining of unspoken histories, as well as in its Gothic elements. The narrative begins where it ends, with Frannie writing her barrister from Newgate Prison, where she is awaiting trial for the murder of her English master and mistress.
Colm Toibin has said that he hates the literary device of flashbacks, which he sees as overused in contemporary fiction. Toibin dismisses flashbacks as a cheap way to create layered literary characters, but I think a more interesting and related technique is the narrative device of beginning at the end of the book and using the rest of the narrative to explain how we got there. I'm thinking of Celeste's Ng's Everything I Never Told You, Laila Lalami's The Moor's Account, Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key, and many others. When well-crafted, as in the previous examples, this strategy can create layered narratives with lots of momentum because, as a reader, you want to know what happened.
Collins uses this narrative technique (framing? Is there a term for what I'm describing or should I make one up?) to great effect, creating tension and suspense. Frannie's "confessions" are more than the backstory of a violent night, and Frannie's story amply justifies the rage that she feels toward those who've used her for their own ends and made her endure and be complicit in horrors. I don't want to give away any key details, but Frannie's anger is well earned and reinforced by Collins's narrative.
Overall, this is an intense and absorbing novel that offers a devastating meditation on the historical nature of freedom for people of color both in Jamaica and in England. I thoroughly recommend it.
If you've read The Confessions of Frannie Langton, let me know what you thought in the comments or tweet me @sigcordell.
I was provided an ARC of this novel by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This is an amazing and powerful novel, and I want more people to read it so that I can talk about it with them. The Confessions of Frannie Langton offers the compelling story of a former slave and servant who is brought from Jamaica to England in the 1820s and given away as a gift once she arrives. In her new household, her life becomes intertwined with that of her new mistress. She also learns in excruciating detail how her masters in both Jamaica and London have long used her as a pawn. This novel reminded me of Sarah Waters's Fingersmith in its reimagining of unspoken histories, as well as in its Gothic elements. The narrative begins where it ends, with Frannie writing her barrister from Newgate Prison, where she is awaiting trial for the murder of her English master and mistress.
Colm Toibin has said that he hates the literary device of flashbacks, which he sees as overused in contemporary fiction. Toibin dismisses flashbacks as a cheap way to create layered literary characters, but I think a more interesting and related technique is the narrative device of beginning at the end of the book and using the rest of the narrative to explain how we got there. I'm thinking of Celeste's Ng's Everything I Never Told You, Laila Lalami's The Moor's Account, Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key, and many others. When well-crafted, as in the previous examples, this strategy can create layered narratives with lots of momentum because, as a reader, you want to know what happened.
Collins uses this narrative technique (framing? Is there a term for what I'm describing or should I make one up?) to great effect, creating tension and suspense. Frannie's "confessions" are more than the backstory of a violent night, and Frannie's story amply justifies the rage that she feels toward those who've used her for their own ends and made her endure and be complicit in horrors. I don't want to give away any key details, but Frannie's anger is well earned and reinforced by Collins's narrative.
Overall, this is an intense and absorbing novel that offers a devastating meditation on the historical nature of freedom for people of color both in Jamaica and in England. I thoroughly recommend it.
If you've read The Confessions of Frannie Langton, let me know what you thought in the comments or tweet me @sigcordell.
I was provided an ARC of this novel by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Starting Fresh
It's been a looong time since I last updated this blog, but it's the summer, it's time to start training for fall marathons, and (mostly) I let my enthusiasm run away with me in requesting advance copies of forthcoming novels through NetGalley and Edelweiss. So, it seemed like a good time to refresh this blog. Many of the books I'll be commenting on this summer are ARCs, but I promise you'll get my honest opinions of them. I'll also likely be talking about other parts of my life (baking, libraries, research, and running), but I will tag all my posts so you can skip the parts you don't care about.
Just to give you an idea of what I'll be reading my way through this summer, here's the list of what I've got loaded on my Kindle:
Sally Rooney's Normal People (April 2019)
I keep hearing rave reviews about this title, so I thought I'd give it a try.
Anne Beattie's A Wonderful Stroke of Luck (April 2019)
Richard Russo's Chances Are (July 2019)
I was slow to try Russo, but I am completely sold. His stories about fading factory towns are intricately crafted, with layers to the narrative and characterization.
Jeannette Winterson's Frankisstein (October 2019)
Mahesh Rao's Polite Society (August 2019)
This is a modern retelling of Austen's Emma in Delhi. You'll discover that I have a particular weakness for Austen retellings - or, really, retellings in general.
Téa Obreht's Inland (August 2019)
Jennifer Ryan's The Spies of Shilling Lane (June 2019)
The latest from the author who wrote The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, which I loved.
Ta-Nehisi Coates's The Water Dancer (September 2019)
A first novel by Coates, who is a genius of long-form non-fiction.
Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys (July 2019)
Tash Aw's We, the Survivors (September 2019)
If you haven't read Five Star Billionaire, there's time before this one comes out. I recommend it.
Uzma Jalaluddin's Ayesha At Last (June 2019)
A modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice. Did I mention that I'm a sucker for Austen retellings?
Chandler Baker's Whisper Network (July 2019)
Sara Collins's The Confessions of Frannie Langton (May 2019)
Jo Baker's The Body Lies (June 2019)
Jacqueline Woodson's Red at the Bone (September 2019)
Edwidge Danticat's Everything Inside (August 2019)
Emma Donoghue's Akin (September 2019)
I loved The Wonder, so I'm looking forward to this one.
Ok, that's a long list. But you can see why I couldn't resist any of these, right? This is my summer reading plan, in addition to a few other projects like finishing a book manuscript, revising my syllabus, writing a few articles, and doing the regular collections and liaison work that are key to the life of the modern library subject specialist. I'm sure this will be no problem!
A few of these titles have already been published, so I'd better get started...
Just to give you an idea of what I'll be reading my way through this summer, here's the list of what I've got loaded on my Kindle:
Sally Rooney's Normal People (April 2019)
I keep hearing rave reviews about this title, so I thought I'd give it a try.
Anne Beattie's A Wonderful Stroke of Luck (April 2019)
Richard Russo's Chances Are (July 2019)
I was slow to try Russo, but I am completely sold. His stories about fading factory towns are intricately crafted, with layers to the narrative and characterization.
Jeannette Winterson's Frankisstein (October 2019)
Mahesh Rao's Polite Society (August 2019)
This is a modern retelling of Austen's Emma in Delhi. You'll discover that I have a particular weakness for Austen retellings - or, really, retellings in general.
Téa Obreht's Inland (August 2019)
Jennifer Ryan's The Spies of Shilling Lane (June 2019)
The latest from the author who wrote The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, which I loved.
Ta-Nehisi Coates's The Water Dancer (September 2019)
A first novel by Coates, who is a genius of long-form non-fiction.
Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys (July 2019)
Tash Aw's We, the Survivors (September 2019)
If you haven't read Five Star Billionaire, there's time before this one comes out. I recommend it.
Uzma Jalaluddin's Ayesha At Last (June 2019)
A modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice. Did I mention that I'm a sucker for Austen retellings?
Chandler Baker's Whisper Network (July 2019)
Sara Collins's The Confessions of Frannie Langton (May 2019)
Jo Baker's The Body Lies (June 2019)
Jacqueline Woodson's Red at the Bone (September 2019)
Edwidge Danticat's Everything Inside (August 2019)
Emma Donoghue's Akin (September 2019)
I loved The Wonder, so I'm looking forward to this one.
Ok, that's a long list. But you can see why I couldn't resist any of these, right? This is my summer reading plan, in addition to a few other projects like finishing a book manuscript, revising my syllabus, writing a few articles, and doing the regular collections and liaison work that are key to the life of the modern library subject specialist. I'm sure this will be no problem!
A few of these titles have already been published, so I'd better get started...
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