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Indlæser... Dark Palaceaf Frank Moorhouse
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. Over the pre-Christmas weeks, there was the usual flurry of lists of best reads of 2011. One title appearing highly recommended on several reliable lists was a new Frank Moorhouse – the third in his series on the League of Nations. I bought the the first one (Grand Days) about fifteen years ago; and the second one (Dark Palace) when it was released in 2000. ‘Dark Palace’ won the Miles Franklin that year. There was a huge fuss because, while it is about an Australian, it is not actually set in Australia and that was really pushing the boundaries of the award criteria – and you know how the luvvies work themselves into a state about things like that! They are HUGE (both over 700 pages) and very earnest seeming from the blurbs - you know, the sort of thing one thinks one should read - eventually. They've both been sitting on Mt TBR awaiting an appropriate moment. The recommendations - and a sense that I should read at least one ‘worthy’ thing over the Christmas break instead of all escapist fantasy and mindless crime thrillers - prompted me to bite the bullet. I selected a larger handbag on Thursday 29 December, hefted ‘Grand Days’ into it; and headed off into town for a round of personal wellbeing appointments - the hairdresser, the optometrist etc. Well, despite its weight, I couldn’t put the bloody thing down. I was so enthralled I didn’t even get grumpy at being kept waiting long past scheduled appointment times. I finished it at 3am on New Years Eve; and promptly searched out the second on Mt TBR. It took sheer willpower not to start it there and then and turn the light off. I waited until 10am on New Years Day, and then immersed myself once again in the world of Edith Campbell Berry in the between-wars period in Geneva. The work of the League of Nations continues as the cloud of WW2 rolls across Europe. I finished this one in two days - two solid days, I have to admit, with very little else getting done around the house. The end of the book was a real cliff hanger and I've already ordered the third volume. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Belongs to SeriesEdith Trilogy (2) Hæderspriser
Winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Five years have passed since Edith Campbell Berry's triumphant arrival at the League of Nations in Geneva, determined to right the wrongs of the world. The idealism of those early Grand Days has been eroded by a sense foreboding as the world moves ever closer to another war. Edith's life too, has changed: her marriage and her work are no longer the anchors in her life - she is restless, unsure, feeling the weight of history upon her and her world. As her certainties crumble, Edith is once again joined by Ambrose Westwood, her old friend and lover. Their reunion is joyful, and her old anxiety about their unconventional relationship is replaced by a feeling that all things are possible - at least in her private life. But World War II advances inexorably, and Edith, Ambrose and their fellow officers must come to terms with the knowledge that their best efforts - and those of the well-meaning world - are simply useless against the forces of the time. Moving, wise and utterly engrossing, this is a profound and enriching novel. Grand Days and Dark Palace confirm Frank Moorhouse as one of our greatest writers - a master of tone and timing, an elegant and exuberant stylist, and an unerring chronicler of the human spirit. No library descriptions found. |
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