April Reads of Note
from Pilgrim’s Inn by Elizabeth Goudge
amazon.com
page 227:
Grand old place, he thought , pausing to look about him. It was a fine still day, with the sky faintly veiled in mist so that the suffused sunlight fell silverly. The cushions of moss were emerald between the cobbles, and the garnet-colored walls and the steep, crinkled, amber roofs of the outbuildings glowed with warmth. Beyond the silver trunks of the old apple trees there was a haze of shadow behind the bronze and gold of a few late chrysanthemums. There was a bonfire burning somewher, its pungent scent mixing with the smell of the wet chrysanthemums, the scent of the ironing from the kitchen, and the smell of a baking cake drifting down fromthe open door up there, the door that opened on the Malony’s balcony.
I tend to harken toward classic literary when filling up my basket for extended reading. Authors like Willa Cather, Daphne du Maurier, DE Stevenson, and Elizabeth Goudge are ones I easily grab and check out. There is a sense of unhurried eloquence of pacing, setting, and characterization that is difficult to find amongst contemporary reads. There is also the lean towards omniscient point of view, so that all is known about everybody in such a seamless manner the thread of plot is not lost, as it so often happens with the current practice of each chapter being a separate character’s perspective.
I am open to new literary classics in the making. One such author is the renowned Ishiguro. I became a fan after Remains of the Day. Admittedly, I have hung in there with his other offerings, yet I haven’t been as enamored. I did, however, give his latest novel a try: The Buried Giant. I wanted to like it, but I ended up finishing it with more questions about the plot than satisfied resolve. I do think Ishiguro is an accomplished writer and I look forward to his next book.
amazon.com
Seeing as how I mainly write for children, it’s important for me to wade out there and see what exactly is catching g the eyes of readers and publishers. I requested Pax from the library (that’s usually the sign of a good book if others have it checked out) and I would have read it in one sitting if I hadn’t started so late in the day. It’s difficult to resist a story of a boy and a fox, especially as they struggle to be reunited once again. I had a feeling I would cry at the end of the story. I did.
These were the top three reads of my spring break, and I am still tracking down as many DE Stevenson’s as I can. To keep up on my current reads, I have taken time to read my notices of new novels and have loaded up my “want to read” list. I hardly watched any movies over the last month. Nothing like a good book, actually lots of good books, to lessen the desire to plunk down in front of the screen and be bombarded for 90 minutes.
Anyone else find movies less desirable once the reading bug truly gets to biting?
Pam Webb 
The Ishiguro book sounded a bit weird but it may be worth a go, I’ve only read The Remains of the Day which I really enjoyed. I like the Goudge book cover.
I remain hopeful Ishiguro will return the solid writing in Remains of the Day and quit venturing into quasi fantasy realms. There are a couple of other books he’s written, but the reviews have put me off.
I’m the same, after RotD I was looking forward to picking up another of his books but the blurbs didn’t grab me so I wandered off to other literary places.
I’ve never read Pax, but I don’t feel like crying. What to do?
It’s more a happy sniffle cry and it will no doubt become a movie. If you like The Little Prince you’ll like Pax. Read it with your kiddo.
I’ll have to read it on my own first and get all the crying out of the way.
Your son will appreciate the man bond if you sniffle together
I prefer to bond with him over our mutual love of Laurel and Hardy.
We watched The Kentuckians with Hardy and John Wayne the other night. Highly suggested. Olly was hilarious as The Duke’s sidekick.
Poor Ollie was past his prime in 1949. No, there is only one Oliver Hardy western in my book: 1937’s Way Out West. He and Stan were snappy dancers, too.
And,
Wayne liked Hardy so much he made him an offer to become his permanent sidekick, but he would’t forsake his Stan.
I didn’t know that!
I have always been so pleased to read that Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel were such great and lifelong friends. (Sadly, so many otehr iconic comedy teams couldn’t stand each other.) Stans’s daughter even referred to Ollie as Uncle Babe.
Hardy only agreed to do the Kentuckians because Laurel was ill. He encouraged Hardy but once hd recovered they resumed their partnership. They were buds through and true.
Aw. This makes me very happy.
Classic literary novels fill up our senses, no doubt. Do you include Kate Atkinson in that category? I find her writing immensely fulfilling and definitely worth skipping TV watching. Last year I read her Life After Life, and this month completed A God in Ruins. More tears than even Pax, and the book makes you think about….everything important for days and weeks after.
Thanks for the tip. She’s a new author for me.
Hope you like it. Start with Life After Life…