Highway, Tomson "Kiss of the Fur Queen"

Highway, Tomson "Kiss of the Fur Queen" - 1998

After a couple of pages, it was the first time that I would have liked to throw this book away. But it was a book for our international online book club and I hoped it would get better. It didn't.

I am not the biggest fan of all those mystical stories but I thought this might be interesting. It wasn't. And the worst bit, the author had a terrible style of organizing his writing, he was jumping from one part to the next without any warning or any connection between the parts. And I'm not prude but could have done without the detailed description of sexual abuse, violence and gay activities.

But I seem to have been the only one with such a strong reaction. Here are remarks from the group:

• Kiss of the Fur Queen is considered a semi-autobiographical novel. In his 2021 memoir 'Permanent Astonishment' Tomson Highway recounts the early years of his life with his younger brother Rene Highway. (1954-1990)
• Comment: This absolutely makes perfect sense. I did not look it up, but felt there was real history behind much of the story, and very well researched, if not all personal experiences.
• I had mixed feelings about Kiss of the Fur Queen, but overall I am glad I read it. The story follows two Cree brothers from northern Canada from somewhere around 1950s into the late 1980s. Through their lives, the book shows the effects of the Canadian residential school system and the pressure placed on Indigenous people to abandon their language, culture, and traditions.
• What interested me most was learning about Cree culture, mythology, and traditional stories. I enjoy reading about different cultures and legends, and this was something I knew very little about before reading the book. The mysterious Fur Queen character and the mythological elements gave the story a unique atmosphere. At the same time, I appreciated the deeper themes of identity, faith, culture, and how people cope with trauma. The brothers are caught between Cree traditions and Christianity, and I thought the novel explored this conflict in a powerful way.
• The writing is often beautiful, especially the descriptions of nature, dreams, and traditional stories. At the same time, this is a very dark novel. Much of the story deals with abuse, violence, loss, and the long-lasting effects of trauma. There were parts that I found difficult to read. However, I do not think these elements were included only for shock value. They are connected to real historical experiences, which makes them important to the story, even when they are uncomfortable.
• This is not an easy book, and I can understand why some readers may dislike it because of the difficult subject matter. In some places I felt the focus on suffering was overwhelming. At the same time, I think the novel offers an important perspective that many of us outside Canada may not know much about. For me, it was a valuable read because it combined history, culture, mythology, and personal stories in a memorable way.

There you have it, some people were glad they had read this. I didn't.

Book Description:

"Born into a magical Cree world in snowy northern Manitoba, Champion and Ooneemeetoo Okimasis are all too soon torn from their family and thrust into the hostile world of a Catholic residential school. Their language is forbidden, their names are changed to Jeremiah and Gabriel, and both boys are abused by priests.

As young men, estranged from their own people and alienated from the culture imposed upon them, the Okimasis brothers fight to survive. Wherever they go, the Fur Queen--a wily, shape-shifting trickster--watches over them with a protective eye. For Jeremiah and Gabriel are destined to be artists. Through music and dance they soar."

Lahiri, Jhumpa "Interpreter of Maladies"

Lahiri, Jhumpa "Interpreter of Maladies" - 1999

I have read this book in 2015. This was my review back then:

"As most of my friends know, I am not a big fan of short stories. However, I read 'The Namesake' by the same author and really loved it. And several of my friends had recommended 'Interpreter of Maladies' to me, one had even left a copy to me when she was moving, I just had to read it.

I was pleasantly surprised. What a lovely collection of short stories, some of them even interlink, so it doesn't seem like there are a hundred small stories that you forget right away. On the contrary, Jhumpa Lahiri has created some wonderful characters that you won't forget that easily. She incorporates all sorts of problems anyone might face who lives in a culture different from the one they or their parents grew up with. She describes some lovely people (and some not so lovely ones) who are all confronted with a life in two different parts of this world. Since the author is Indian herself and grew up in the United States, this is the background to almost all her stories. Having lived abroad (though not in such a different culture as the characters in the book) almost half of my life myself, I can certainly relate to a few of them.

Jhumpa Lahiri has a good, elegant style, her stories just flow, I will certainly read more of her writings."

A while ago, I joined an online group called Literary Wives and this was the next book on our list. So, I re-read the book because it was a while ago that I read it and we read it with a different topic in mind. What does the author say about the wives in his book?

Most of these stories take place in India and/or around Indian couples.

A Temporary Matter

We look at the end of a marriage. A couple suffers from the loss of a baby that was stillborn. They have nothing to say to each other even though they try hard.

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

In this story, a woman remembes a man from East Pakistan/Bangladesh coming to visit her Indian family in the States while his family is back home. It is more a story about the man than about this particular wife but it still gives us an insight into the life of the Indian wives in the US.

Interpreter of Maladies

This is about an Indian American family visiting the country of their heritage. We learn even more about the life of such a wife, she is so lonely. I can relate because as a non-working wife abroad, you don't have the sort of social life your husband and children habe and it is hard work to try and find your place.

A Real Durwan (doorkeeper)

This story is about an eldery woman who is a stairsweeper and lives on the roof ot the building she works in.

While this is less about the situation of a wife, it tells us about poverty and how you can be even poorer than all the others around you.

Sexy

We're back in the US. Again, not the story of a wife but of a mistress. And of a husband who is leaving his wife. A good reflection about this kind of situation from every point of view, the wife and the mistress. 

Mrs. Sen's

Her we have the story of an Indian woman living in the States who doesn't drive and doesn't have any contact outside the house. She looks after an eleven year old boy after school and teaches him about their food. Probably one of my favourite stories. I really felt for the lady.

This Blessed House

A yound married Indian couple in Connecticat who moves into their new house and find many Christian relics. The wife puts them on the mantel of the fireplace. A good story about how different people can have different opinions about what to keep and what not and what to embrace. And how they have to work on your marriage.

The Treatment of Bibi Haldar

A woman suffers from seizures and a doctor recommends to marry her off. But it costs money to get married and you have to find a suitor. So, her relatives rather let her live on the roof. This story focuses on the treatment of illness and of prejudices.

The Third and Final Continent

This guy has moved from India to London and then to the States where he rents a room from a 103-year-old lady. They develop a good connection until he gets married and moves out. We follow his and his wife's life and how they get to know each other.

As I mentioned in the stories, they are not all about the wives, some of them don't relate to their status at all, they are just there. But where they are mentioned, we learn a lot about the differences between Indian and (mainly) American wives, their rights and their duties.

I think it also helps to understand why immigrants so often stay among themselves. It is not just about the language, though that doesn't help if nobody teaches them the host language, it is more about the culture and understanding each other. Especially the wives are invisible, they disappear in the crowd. Especially if it has been an arranged marriage, the husband often doesn't understand his wife.

From the back cover:

"Navigating between the Indian traditions they've inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations. In 'A Temporary Matter,' published in The New Yorker, a young Indian-American couple faces the heartbreak of a stillborn birth while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession. Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant."

Jhumpa Lahiri received the Pulitzer Prize for "Interpreter of Maladies" in 2000.

And here are the reviews of the other literary wives:

Becky from Sydney of Aidanvale

Kate from Melbourne of booksaremyfavoriteandbest

Rebecca from Maryland, USA of Bookish Beck

Kay from Washington State, USA of What? Me Read?

Six Degrees of Separation ~ The Post Office Girl

Zweig, Stefan 

"The Post Office Girl" ~1930/1982 
(GE: Rausch der Verwandlung) 

#6Degrees of Separation:
from The Post Office Girl to A Change of Regime

#6Degrees is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. I love the idea. Thank you, Kate. See more about this challenge, its history, further books and how I found this here. 

It doesn't happen often that I have heard of a starter book or the author before it comes up as a starter book (only read 13 of them).

And because I always wanted to read another book by Stefan Zweig, I ordered this straight away and read it. So, this month, you can see the description on my post.

I just had to start with the other book I read by Stefan Zweig and then I'll carry on with the words in the titles.

Zweig, Stefan "The World of Yesterday" (GE: Die Welt von Gestern. Erinnerungen eines Europäers) - 1942

Coates, Ta-Nehisi "Between the World and Me" - 2015

Abulhawa, Susan "The Blue Between Sky and Water" - 2015

Lamb, Wally "We are Water" - 2013

Dionne jr. E.J.; Reid, Joy-Ann "We are the Change We Seek. The Speeches of Barack Obama" - 2017

Stroyar, J.N. "A Change of Regime" (The Children's War #2) - 2004

The connection between the first and the last book? They both have to do with a fascist regime.

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Zweig, Stefan "The Post Office Girl"

  

Zweig, Stefan "The Post Office Girl" (German: Rausch der Verwandlung) ~1930/1982

Ever since reading "The World of Yesterday" (Die Welt von Gestern), I have long wanted to read another book by Stefan Zweig; and since it happened to be the starter book for "Six Degrees of Separation" this month, I decided to finally pick it up.

Stefan Zweig wrote this book in the 1930s—nearly a hundred years ago. However, it was not published until 1982, when it was released posthumously from his literary estate. The publisher revised the manuscript fragment and supplemented it with notes left by the author.

The story is set in Austria shortly after the First World War. In truth, it could have taken place in any of the post-war nations. Many men never returned home from the war; most people could barely find work and eke out a very meager existence.

Then, an invitation arrives from some wealthy relatives, inviting Christine—a young postal clerk—to stay at a hotel. She is catapulted into a completely alien world—one, however, that does not last very long.

After this holiday, she meets Ferdinand, a returning war veteran who is struggling just as much as she is.

It is a sad story—a bleak story. Stefan Zweig himself did not lead a happy life, and this is reflected in his work here. Yet, he possesses a rare gift—one unmatched by almost any other writer—for gazing into the human soul and making it accessible to us.

I absolutely must make a point of reading another book by this magnificent writer. Do you have any suggestions?

Book Description:

"The post-office girl is Christine, who looks after her ailing mother and toils in a provincial Austrian post office in the years just after the Great War. One afternoon, as she is dozing among the official forms and stamps, a telegraph arrives addressed to her. It is from her rich aunt, who lives in America and writes requesting that Christine join her and her husband in a Swiss Alpine resort.

After a dizzying train ride, Christine finds herself at the top of the world, enjoying a life of privilege that she had never imagined. But Christine’s aunt drops her as abruptly as she picked her up, and soon the young woman is back at the provincial post office, consumed with disappointment and bitterness.

Then she meets Ferdinand, a wounded but eloquent war veteran who is able to give voice to the disaffection of his generation. Christine’s and Ferdinand’s lives spiral downward, before Ferdinand comes up with a plan which will be either their salvation or their doom.

Never before published in English, this extraordinary book is an unexpected and haunting foray into noir fiction by one of the masters of the psychological novel."

Happy June!

   Happy June to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this

beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch

"Blütenzauber der gelben Schwertlilien"
"The Floral Magic of Yellow Irises"

 

Frank says to this picture:

"Ich mag die Schwertlilien. Mich faszinieren die Formen der Blüten und die verschiedenen Farben. Nicht um sonst ist der botanische Name der Schwertlinien, Iris, von der griechischen Göttin des Regenbogens, Iris, abgeleitet ist. Bisher habe ich Schwertlilien in Blau und Violett gemalt."

"I like irises. I am fascinated by the shapes of their blossoms and their various colors. It is not without reason that the botanical name for irises—*Iris*—is derived from Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow. So far, I have painted irises in blue and violet."

Irises are not my favourite flowers and yellow is also not my favourite flower colour but isn't this a fabulous pictures???

Read more on their website here. *

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Some of you might have noticed that I was quite absent from the blog this month. That's because I have been ill for several weeks. I am geting back on my feet again slowly but surely but it might take a while until I am back to normal. I have prepared a few posts for the beginning of the month that I will post but other than that, it will take a while.

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* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

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🐞 I wish you all a very Happy June! 🐞

Top 5 Tuesday ~ Secret Societies

Top Five Tuesday was originally created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, but is now hosted by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads. To participate, link your post back to Meeghan’s blog or leave a comment on her weekly post. I found this on Davida's Page @ The Chocolate Lady.

And here is a list of all the topics for the rest of the year.

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This week’s topic is Secret Societies.

Like the last two weeks, this doesn't fit my usual genres, but I have read a few books with the word "Secret" in the title. So I'm going with that twist.
All of the books are fantastic but very different. And they span a lot of different countries and cultures, Australia, China, Syria and the USA.

Grenville, Kate "The Secret River" - 2005

Schami, Rafik "The Calligrapher’s Secret" (GE: Das Geheimnis des Kalligraphen) - 2008

See, Lisa "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" - 2005

Thomson, Mike "Syria's Secret Library: The True Story of How a Besieged Syrian Town Found Hope" - 2018

Wells, Rebecca "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" - 1996 

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📖 Happy Reading! 📖

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Grann, David "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder" - 2023

Grann, David "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder" - 2023

What an interesting story. Not just because of what happened with this ship in particular but about life on a ship at the time. I have read a few books about voyages on a boat (e.g. Master and Commander) and they are always interesting. This one is about life during a war on a ship, a shipwreck, a mutiny. This is the background to many novels we read from that time where there are sailors, I think especially about stories by Jane Austen whose brothers were sailors and who included seafaring men as well as the clergy (which represented her father and a brother) in most of her books. This book adds to those stories.

So, if you want to know more about the life on those vessels, this is the book for you.

Oh, did I mention that this is based on a true story?

Book Description:

"A page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on the Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty's Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as 'the prize of all the oceans,' it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.

But then . . . six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes - they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death--for whomever the court found guilty could hang.

The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann's recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O'Brian, his portrayal of the castaways' desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann's work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound."