The story so far

I admire the book bloggers (and there are several excellent ones whose sites are listed over there in the sidebar) who can read at a speed which allows them to review, or comment authoritatively, on virtually a book a day. I can't compete with them on volume, but I suppose it's legitimate enough to talk about ongoing, rather than finished, reading.

Currently filling the bedside table are the volumes pictured above: Hilary Spurling's biography of Matisse sees poor young Henri in the cold, sunless and colourless north of France, stifled by the constraints of the art school he's attending, and almost ensnared in the highly unsuitable legal profession!

"Runaway" is the first of Alice Munro's work that I've read, and I'm only one story in. One reviewer mentions "toughness", Jonathan Franzen in his introduction says of her "this is a gymnast in a plain black leotard, alone on a bare floor, outperforming all the novelists with their flashy costumes and whips and elephants and tigers." In other words, she can handle the out and out exposure of the short story medium, where the essence is all. I'm reading on.

Last, but biggest, "Decca" : the letters of Jessica Mitford. I love her sense of humour, her honesty and her joyous excitement at everything. Anyone who, at the age of 11, establishes an account at Drummond's branch of The Royal Bank of Scotland called - officially - "Running Away Account", (and she did use those funds for exactly that purpose not very many years later) and then puts on her C.V. "Education: Nil. Autodidact", deserves to be heard, and in these letters her voice comes over loud and clear.

Comments

[Nan]

Oh, those Mitford girls! What would be really fun is to sit down and immerse myself in their various stories, both non-fiction and fiction.

I'm amazed at some of the book bloggers too! They somehow read, write excellent "book reports", and live a life away from the computer as well. :<)

[Rebecca]

I recently listed to a Radio 4 dramatization of "Decca" and thoroughly enjoyed it, your review has just reminded me of it, off to see if I can get hold of a copy of the book now.

[Bluestalking Reader]

Do you read a lot of short stories? I generally prefer novels over stories, but the more fragmented my schedule gets the more short pieces I read. They're wonderful for times you don't have the luxury of time for a novel.

I haven't read Alice Munro yet, though I know of her superb reputation. This particular book has been on my "keep in mind" list since I saw the first review. I'll look forward to your reaction to the stories as you read further. It sounds great so far.

[Peg]

Well, Cornflower, I know you personally know Alexander McCall Smith, but now you know someone who has met Alice Munro. Actually she winters about two miles from our home. She has a wonderful reputation in Canada, and I am sorry to say I have read few of her stories - as I don't care much for short stories!
She was originally married to a man who owns "Munro's Books" in Victoria, BC and it is a lovely old store with a beautiful interior and that beautiful smell of a great book store!
Knitting seems to get in the way of reading these days - unless it is on the MP3 player!
I did show the laundry room today!

[Nan]

In Bill Richardson's, Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast, there is a list of "books for when you are feeling low", and he writes:

"Alice Munro, Lives of Girls and Women
I chose this title rather arbitrarily. In fact, anything by Alice Munro would deserve a place on this list. She has never, not once, crafted a sentence that is graceless or awkward. She has never used a word out of place. Her inspiration must come in moments of heated abandon, but her craft has everything to do with careful control. Every story is a surprise, and she has a unique genius for unveiling what's remarkable in the seemingly ordinary lives of seemingly ordinary people. These are books to pick up when you question whether continuance is a viable option. A bright-eyed hope sings from her writing."

[Peter Y. Sussman]

Hi. I was drawn here by a Google Alert to new references to Jessica Mitford. I'm the editor of "Decca." Anyone interested in seeing a few sample letters from the book and reading excerpts from the many reviews can do so at my web site, www.peterysussman.com.

Thanks for the interest. Decca was one helluva woman! And we here in the U.S. have lost another of her kind with the death this week of her friend Molly Ivins. To paraphrase Ivins in her last column, "Bang those pots and pans."

Peter Sussman