Trips Travel and All That Jazz: News

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

News

Just a quick news flash to say that I took a job in a French school right downtown. Yes, a French Lycee in London's glamourous South Kensington (quite a contrast from London's glamourous Hounslow).

Better rush off and do the marking I didn't do yesterday as I was so wired about taking the new job. Who knows what it'll actually be like, but it helps the old ego to be offered a job like that while working for such a mental school where people won't even give you the time of day!

More to come soon...

3 comments:

Joe said...: I m glad to read you ! You ve to be proud of you.

Keep cool, keep aim, and be happy my friend !

Actually i m working on Nothing else matter (Metallica), finaly i m decided to take out my fingers from my ass, and learn something harder than Silverchair or stuff like that.

See ya !; April 8, 2008 at 2:09 AM
chienchaud said...: Thanks for the comment, man! Where's your blog?; April 11, 2008 at 4:06 AM
Joe said...: Link below :
http://canadatrip2.over-blog.com/; April 11, 2008 at 3:03 PM

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Book Review: The Accidental by Ali Smith

My friend Chris got me this book in the Oxfam on Durham's Elvet Bridge. It saw me through a week of lazing about Montenegrin beaches.

Each chapter is narrated from the point of view of a different character. The opening chapter is a bit dense, and takes some getting used to, as it's narrated by the 12 year-old daughter Astrid, and is full of her quirky streams of consciousness seasoned with insecurity. She films everything and sees the world with a filmmaker's eye, which is important later on.

Essentially this is the story of a middle-class family, two children and an adoptive father, which breaks down due to an outside character, Amber, who stays with them. The father-in-law, Michael, is a professor of English. He falls in love with her, although this is mitigated by his string of affairs with students, and starts to make mistakes in his affairs because of Amber, thus showing up the gaping holes in his marriage. His wife Eve is an author who popularizes history by fictionalising the lives of deceased war victims in spite of their families. She is clearly in a dry spot with her writing and welcomes Amber as a potential friend. Amber's interests in the families are dubious, although she initiates the couple's son, Magnus to his sexual awakening, and sparks Astrid to self-confidence by shattering her camera.

The novel culminates in a full-circle cycle with Eve taking on Amber's role, but this is not really giving away the ending as it doesn't really have one. The narrative is shaped but not really defined, and nobody should read this book expecting a satisfying ending. It is brilliantly written, and suckered me in by weaving a sort of history of film for dummies into the content and the characterisation of the novel itself. It's not a million miles from Don DeLillo in its social commentary and style. But Smith's style is definitely his own, which is what makes this novel a definite five out of five.

All in all, it's hard to put my finger on what I liked best about this novel, except that it kicked me out of my summer comfort zone without giving me the impression I had to work too hard for it. If you're stuck for a copy, borrow mine, if you don't mind the smell of sea water on its crumpled pages.

Trips Travel and All That Jazz

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

News

3 comments:

A Limerick on Limericks

Book Review: The Accidental by Ali Smith

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