Suzie

Peaceful and contemplative, 22 Sep 2012

Like all Peirene books, this is so short, just 106 pages, but it is a wonderfully peaceful and soothing read. It is a fictional portrayal of seventeenth century Chinese painter Bada Shanren (his final adopted pseudonym), from childhood as a prince of the Ming dynasty (then named Zhu Da) to later life in a simple hut in the mountains.

It's the story of a young man who escapes a hostile conquering regime and takes refuge in a monastery, who at times feigns madness in order to evade authority, a man ultimately at peace but not necessarily happy.

The writing is atmospheric - like the prints of his paintings that adorn the book, enhancing the story with their dreamy,… Read more

Beautiful and original, 10 Sep 2012

I read this because it's longlisted for the Booker and it sounded the sort of story that would appeal. It's an extraordinary little tale, which, if it hadn't been so beautifully written, would have been little more than a three-star read. As it was, I've given it the full five because, for me, the imagery and poetry of the writing made it utterly original and brought it so alive.

Even so, it's a strange book whose characters feel to me unlikely and unreal, as do some of their conversations. Indeed, apart from Kitty Finch, the young and very much alive `body' floating in the swimming pool of the villa near Nice that Joe, his wife Isabel, fourteen year-old daughter, Nina, and… Read more

Well written but...., 10 Sep 2012

This is an accurate portrayal of a young mother shackled to a toddler's constant demands - being woken at 2 am night after night after night, exhaustion, lack of mental stimulus, not being able to get on with your own work, life, etc.

Although while it's happening it is seemingly everlasting, conversations of the type one has with a toddler can become repetitive and rather tedious in the context of a novel. At least, that is how it felt to me for the first part of this story. Admittedly, Moth's demands (strange name until you realise it's short for Timothy) are interspersed with extracts of Anna's text for an academic book she is trying to write. But to me these sounded like… Read more