What I have been reading recently

After making my way through The Ice Storm (which I had mixed feelings about), I started on Cheri by Colette. I adored Colette’s style of writing, and her amusing portrait of French society. In a similar way to Edith Wharton, she also managed to capture perfectly the very bittersweet sense of loss. Being a very slim work, I ripped through Cheri quickly and I am half tempted to watch the relatively recent film version starring Michelle Pfeiffer… though I’m not sure how well it translates into film.
The next book I tackled was The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan. I was attracted to this book for two reasons - firstly I LOVED Saturday so was keen to read more of his work, and secondly (as pathetic as it sounds) I liked the cover design… It was a very interesting read, and the beginning of Maddona’s ‘What it feels like for a girl’ finally makes sense. It was bizarre and vivid in equal measures, and I’m glad I took a chance on it, though I’m not sure it is a book that I shall revisit in years to come.
On an impulse I picked up The Soft Machine by William Burroughs, and all I can say is 'wow’. It was incredibly surreal to read, more so than The Waves by Virginia Woolf, and I’ll be frank I found it hard going, and I’m not sure I “got it”. Also, I’m not sure any book has the word “cock” in it quite as many times that is not an erotic novel… I’m still not sure what to make of it…
Currently I am reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins which is much more within my comfort zone (not that I don’t like being challenged by what I read). I was a little weary when I learnt that it was an epistolary novel (memories of Richardson’s turgid Pamela resurfaced) but it has yet to get in the way of my enjoyment of it. Having taken a course on crime fiction at university, it’s interesting to see an early form of the genre, and to be honest it’s just good old fashioned fun, which is always appreciated.
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