Satire; this sketch on life is dripping with it. Factually, there are no unflawed, boringly normal, characters in the entire and wide cast of this book. Every one of them is easily mockable. The page to page writing is very good, the story so ridiculous though so human that you sort of know that all the elements are plausible and common, though rarely if ever so concentrated even in one small backwater on the road from and to only marginally less isolated nowhere.

The writing is well enough structured that the reading is effortless and entertaining. Description is crisp and focused. Characters are all individualistic enough to be remembered or, if we have been distracted, to be easily reminded of in one or two clear phrases. One comic pratfall flows effortlessly into the next, so that I could not help but find myself in the final chapters almost before I knew what a totally ridiculous ride Cade was taking me on. There we come to what is for me the only weakness in the book, the lack of climatic resolution, the looseness of the final knitting. Does that matter in such a book? Probably not. This isn’t a thriller that desperately needs conclusion, it is more of a wry look at the ridiculousness, the small mindedness, the gullible incompetence that we all occasionally suffer from, and most especially those arrogant individuals that think they never do.

AMAZON LINK

   A book stuffed with irreverent comedy, funny in a way that few since the 1970s and 80s have dared to be. A writer who is prepared to stick two-fingers at the stifling blanket of multicultural non-offensiveness that has been allowed to slowly suffocate comedy, and so cultural diversity. The 1970s were the highwater mark of freedom to mock, which is an exacting measure of freedom of speech. Yes, the weak need to be guarded, but they don’t need to be protected by a righteous piety which filters out everything that could give any possible offense to any Tom, Dick or Titty.

   So it is great to read a writer that is prepared to be rude, even if he completely overdoses on the comedy in what leaves, and in certain atypical social groups enters, the arse. And yet, even in this book there are groups that the author chooses not to offend. There is still an element of protectionism towards certain left of centre ‘BBC type standards’ of middle-class self-righteous piety. Perhaps that is genuinely the ground Saunders rests on, like some latter day Ben Elton, or just perhaps this author still compromises comedy to protect certain of his sacred cows.

   But all in all, and especially considering the now comparative weakness, the containment, of British humour, this book absolutely deserves five stars. Writing like this helps give me confidence that the tide can be turned against the political correctness and the sanitisation of public thought. The ‘private eye’ of diverse all has been shown a crack in the door- a hope for escape from bland multicultural sterilization. In this writing, our everybody-cultured society had been found a little air. Not all fresh air exactly, as, as I said, Mervyn vs. Dennis is far too heavily focused on bottom humour, but certainly a wind of unfettered, socially penetrating, liberating humour.

   Saunders’ writing is good, his comic timing is excellent. Now all he needs to do is put a cork in his craphole jokes and instead write to take the piss out of his own values as well as those of those that are even now almost beyond the fringe of cultural piety.

   Not suitable reading for those that think they have a social right not to be offended.          More pineapples and exotic fruitcakes, please, Mr. Saunders.

AMAZON LINK

Classic satirical take on the futility of war and the chasm between the accompanying rhetoric and the reality of conflict. Wonderfully witty and thought-provoking, Heller serves up one of the top 100 novels of modern literature, a 'must read' book, which has the quality to remain significant over time, if not to be viewed as quite profound.

As I already remarked two years ago, when I wrote a biography of Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851-1921) on my main book blog Edith’s Miscellany (»»» read her author’s portrait there), the important Spanish author unlike her male counterparts from English-speaking countries and France began to fall into oblivion rather soon after she gained considerable fame for her work. Several of her books have been translated into English. Two of them are her most famous novel The House of Ulloa from 1886, which has been reissued in English translation only in 2013, and its often overlooked sequel Mother Nature from 1887. As an example of Spanish Naturalist writing above all the first deserves a closer look.

The House of Ulloa is set towards the end of the reign of Spanish Queen Isabel II, more precisely just before the liberal revolution of 1868. Father Julián Alvarez enters into service with Don Pedro Moscoso who has a remote country estate in Galicia and is generally known as marquis of Ulloa although in reality the title belongs to a cousin living in Santiago. The young priest is supposed to take care of the marquis’ affairs sorting papers in the library that are in a complete mess, but to his great dismay he finds that his private life is in disorder too and the estate threatened by ruin. In fact, his employer turns out to be a man of loose morals who openly consorts with his mistress Sabel working in the kitchen and treats his illegitimate four-year-old no better than his hounds. Moreover, his daily life is filled with little more than hunting and drinking. When pious and naïve Father Julián asks Don Pedro to change his ways, he admits that he can’t because his steward Primitivo, the father of Sabel, would never allow it and has the power to turn all peasants of the region against him. Nonetheless, the priest hopes to lead his employer back on the path of virtue and suggests that he passes some time in Santiago to choose a wife from his Cousin Manuel’s daughters. Thus he marries Marcelina, called Nucha, and brings her to the house of Ulloa as his wife and new mistress of the estate, but the discreet young woman soon realises that she isn’t accepted and that her husband goes on with his life as if she weren’t there. She suffers and makes Father Julián her confidant. The priest, though, is powerless and can only watch what is going on. Meanwhile, Don Pedro gets involved into politics which at the time is inseparably linked with corruption and risks his estate…

In this naturalist masterpiece the nineteenth-century author Emilia Pardo Bazán skilfully interweaves the main story of predominantly male decadence and corruption in politics as well as society with a feminist critique of a patriarchal world that submits women of all classes to a sexual double standard, violence and abuse in the name of Catholic religion and often with the help of clerics. Although the novel touches very serious topics and has a not less serious plot, its tone is not only gloomy like the wintry landscape of Galicia but also full of wit and clever irony. Moreover, it’s a timeless work of literature that has lost none of its power and meaning in this modern world. In other words, The House of Ulloa is one of those almost forgotten classics that deserve being read more widely outside its country of origin Spain.

Nota bene:

The original Spanish versions of Emilia Pardo Bazán’s work have long entered into the public domain and many of them as well as some older translations are available for free via the Virtual Library Miguel de Cervantes, on Feedbooks, on Project Gutenberg, on Wikisource, and several other sites of the kind.

I admit it, I'm a sucker for Lynn Galli books so when I got an email that this one had been released I immediately bought it.  I like her books.  I like her easy style of writing.  I tend to like the main characters.  I also enjoy the fact that characters from prior stories tend to pop up in current ones.  When they do they are in a supporting role and don't detract or distract from the main story, but it's fun to catch a glimpse of characters I've enjoyed and liked.

In this particular story the three main characters are Iris, Vega, and Lane.  Vega is a free lance journalist who is writing about how couples met and fell in love.  Oh, and she's pretty cynical and I could completely relate to her mental snark as some of the women talked about their love stories.   

My favorite line in the book was "Adorable did not fit a thirty-something woman who looked like she'd been around the block so many times she couldn't remember which house was hers anymore."  I'm fairly certain the people on the plane thought I was insane as I was laughing to myself.

It's during these love story interviews where a number of past characters show up. They provide some color and a backdrop to the main story and I was reminded of their quirks and in some instances how annoying they could be as in "if I was friends with them I would have smacked them".

Once again I was not disappointed with the final product.  This is an easy, enjoyable read with interesting and likeable characters.  My only complaint, which is the same every time I read one of Lynn Galli's books: Now I have the urge to go back and re-read some of my favorites of hers and I have so many other "To Read" on my list, but I know I'll be re-reading "Finally" and "Life Rewired" again.  This means I'll also probably re-read "Mending Defects"