Some bookish musings today.
So I did manage to finish Mrs. Van Gogh by Caroline Cauchi. The action in the second half of the book went much faster, which means the book got picked up more, I moved through it quicker, and managed to finish it by the middle of last week. I was totally not expecting that!
I have to say I was disappointed in that the book was top heavy.
The saga about the single girl protagonist Johanna Bonger went on much too long. The confusion, the drama, the immaturity of the character was shown in such detail in the first half of the book. But when it came to the meat and potatoes of the book- about how Johanna managed to get Van Gogh’s work out into the world, we skipped years a lot, and the wrap up happened rapidly.
Yes, I agree we need to hear about Johanna Van Gogh and her story, but only in context of what she did for the world, no? Other than that she was an ordinary human being like you and I, and I am not sure a historical fiction could be written about all our lives, unless there is something of public significance to be captured in a book.
So I was happy to read about her character development (to a point), but what I really wanted to know was how she managed to bring the genius of Vincent Van Gogh out into the world against all odds. That I want more details of, and more pages devoted to. Not so much about how she was stuck in her mind between her romantic liaisons. That does not interest me much. But, it was an entertaining read, and I am happy I read it and its now finished.
Also, its funny and always seems to happen- I don’t finish a book for a long time, but when I do, I also finish my audiobook, and another read quickly at the same time!
Last week, I also got through Meditation for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman– loved it! I finished The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek Miller on Audible- a very well written World War II drama set in Italy from the perspective of a teenage girl. And I finished a tiny novel called The Outsider by Albert Camus. This story, told in barely 100 pages, is about a weird character who gets himself stuck in a difficult situation. I was not expecting it to be a page turner it was for me- I didn’t want to stop reading this translated story!
So not finishing anything for 2 weeks, and then getting to the end of four books in a week- and I’ve noticed this phenomenon many a times.
I guess the momentum is gained at certain times, and especially in second half of books when things get more exciting, and finishing a book itself is an exciting prospect?
This week I am tackling William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Julius Caesar…which means I am slowing WAY down to take in the more difficult language, and the beauty of Shakespeare’s writing.