Andreas lives his whole life in the Austrian Alps, where he arrives as a young boy taken in by a farming family. He is a man of very few words and so, when he falls in love with Marie, he doesn't ask for her hand in marriage, but instead has some of his friends light her name at dusk across the mountain. When Marie dies in an avalanche, pregnant with their first child, Andreas' heart is broken. He leaves his valley just once more, to fight in WWII - where he is taken prisoner in the Caucasus - and returns to find that modernity has reached his remote haven. . |
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His philosophy is, a bible in one hand and a machine gun in the other
Michael and Janet Crump are retired to a small coffee farm in Costa Rica. Having eschewed gated communities, they live in a very rural part of the country on the far western edge of the Meseta Central, aka the Central Valley. The lifestyle leaves them close to local culture and requires them to speak Spanish, both a joy and a challenge. Mike's culturally-rooted stories: "The Good Policeman," "The Walk," "La Novena" and "The River," were originally published in La Revista de Lenguas Modernas," (The Review of Modern Languages), at the University of Costa Rica. "The Walk," has been read almost ten thousand times on his website (www.stillpointfiction.com). Bookworms Thoughts Angela Q: Chose because intending to visit Central America but shocked by the terrible atrocities detailed in the book. Not written very well - some errors (in translation or proof-reading). Interesint theme of religion running through with Quakers, Evangelicals and Catholics. President says: "My bible in one hand and a machine gun in the other" - awful.. In this period USA was paranoid about communism hence supprted right-wing regimes. 5/10 Jackie: Got half-way through and found it hard to get into. Didn't know about the background and found it hard to connect with the characters. Read more like a non-fiction book. 5/10 Ceri: Not sure how to talk about it. Very informative (eg ethnobiology) but wanted more to develop. Chronolgy was confusing. Did not latch on to any of the characters. Thought it needed some research. Read it and learnt from it. 5/10 John: Son had taught in Guatemala and raised money for a school on his SWCP walk. Very ignorant about this war and the area in general so interesting to get the history even though it was terrible - the world is not getting any better. Struck by the sense of tribe which we seem to have lost. Candyman seemed to be cought between his American self and his roots., but in the end he wanted to be a man and not run away from his tribe. Glad I read it. 6/10 Matt: Read 60% Not grabbed by stroyline or characters. Wasn't motivated to research the background. Book had erros and there was a lack of flow. Prefer books to take me away from the horrors of the world. 4/10 Tony: Read "The Blacksheeps Daughter". "The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.
Leslie Poles Hartley (1895-1972) was born in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, and educated at Harrow and Balliol College, Oxford. His first book, Night Fears (1924) was a collection of short stories; but it was not until the publication of Eustace and Hilda (1947), which won the James Tait Black prize, that Hartley gained widespread recognition as an author. His other novels include The Go-Between (1953), which was adapted into an internationally-successful film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates, and The Hireling (1957), the film version of which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Bookworms thoughts:
Yvonne: Chose it because on the shelf. Never read. Liked opening quote. Really enjoyed. Lead character a bit annoying with his obessioins with temperature etc. Got absorbed with period descriptions. Felt the shooting at the end was forced. Touching relationship with his mother and Mrs Maudsley. Not a brilliant book but glad I read it. 7/10 Ceri: Really enjoyed. Sets the scene of the impending chatasrophe really well. Lots of go-betweens - M & T, M & Lord T, Holdiay & School, Home & Brandon, Real World & Celestial, Leo & Marcus. Leo the outsider. Enjoyed most the style of conversation. Ending did not live up to the rest of the book 8/10 Tony: Struck by the obsessions of Leo. Was Marian the poisonous plant - Belladonna. Well written and a reminder of an era that's best over. Probably won't read again. Found schoolboy talk irritating 7/10 John: Seen both films and enjoyed them but glad to read the book. Fascinated by the symbolism - temperature, zodiac, angels & fallen angels, Garden of Eden. Belladonna, horse called "Wild Oats". Was Marian to blame? Trimmingham says, women are never to blame, but at the end Marian seems to dismiss the past out of guilt - a female spider at the centre of a web . 9/10 Nick: Did not read the book but enjoyed the recent BBC adaption. |
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