'Daddy Long-Legs' by Jean Webster

When Jerusha Abbott, an eighteen-year-old girl living in an orphan asylum, was told that a mysterious millionaire had agreed to pay for her education, it was like a dream come true. For the first time in her life, she had someone she could pretend was "family." But everything was not perfect, for he chose to remain anonymous and asked that she only write him concerning her progress in school. Who was this mysterious gentleman and would Jerusha ever meet him?

MY THOUGHTS:

I first read this at High School, during lunch time in the library while trying to dodge bullies. I still remember the pleasing aroma of the pages from that edition. It was a long time ago, so it was time for a refresh. I thought it'll do nicely for my Animal in the Title category of the 2021 Back to the Classics Challenge. I hope an arachnid counts as an animal, and trust that it will. 

At the age of 17, Jerusha (aka Judy) Abbott is the eldest orphan in the John Grier Home, and works hard for her keep. A rich trustee takes a fancy to her written work and offers to send her to college, with conditions. He will remain anonymous, and she must update him of her progress with regular letters which he'll never answer. 

Judy takes this in her stride, but ditches his unoriginal alias of 'John Smith' in favour of 'Daddy Long-Legs' because she once saw his lanky, distorted shadow on a wall, and it reminded her of a spider. (I'm not sure if American daddy-long-legs' are the same as the Australian ones I know, but I'm guessing they must be similar.) 'Dear Daddy-Long-Legs' is how she begins every letter in this very cool epistolary novel. She manages to create quite a fond, one-sided relationship with this fellow whose long, skinny legs are the only thing she knows for certain about him. 

Judy is a delight, emerging from a dour institution that encouraged conformity as a sunny and fairly cheeky original. She has the cheery eccentricity of Cassandra Mortmain, the imagination of Anne Shirley, the independence of Laura Ingalls, the frankness of Jo March and the optimism of Pollyanna. Anyone who ever enjoyed tales of any of these girls must do themselves a favour and give young Judy a go. At the very outset, we're told of her tendency to snatch the tiniest excuse for amusement from any situation, and it's refreshing to read a whole bunch of letters by someone with this attitude. 

Judy paints the university lifestyle in the brightest possible light. A college campus is evidently a far nicer institution than an orphanage, and she waxes lyrical about the 'bracing atmosphere of academic calm.' Maybe anyone who's only partially through their degree and feeling burnt out might take courage from this. It's not enough to make me nostalgic about formal study again, but I know others who claim to feel the exact same way Judy does. 

I didn't warm to the leading man as I did to Judy herself. He's a smug piece of work; a privileged rich kid from birth who's used to people jumping to attention whenever he snaps his fingers. He thinks flinging around a bit of generosity from his lofty perch gives him the right to be a control freak who makes all the major decisions in other peoples' lives. It appears that money and family reputation, rather than character, has bestowed on him this fan club. Oh boy, it was satisfying to see Judy put him in his place a few times for his dictatorial tendencies, but on the whole she's his biggest devotee. And that's saying quite a lot! 

Maybe I liked him a bit better toward the end. I tried my best anyway, because I'm sure we were meant to. He wasn't hoarding all his bounty, after all. However, it might have been nice to discern a bit more character development in him. 

Anyway, my favourite part is Judy's final take on her humble origins from the John Grier Home, which she's formerly regarded as a humiliating roadblock that needs to be hushed. But Judy comes to see it as rather an advantageous viewing platform from which to regard life. Other girls, such as her wealthy friend Julia, who were born with all the blessings Judy longed for, are short-sighted when it comes to happiness. They don't recognise it because they've been raised in it, like fish who are oblivious to water. But Judy has a frame of reference. She knows the worth of those small, everyday moments of happiness, and will never take them for granted. 

Most of us who read this book didn't start off as nameless foundlings, but her epiphany is a definite challenge to transform any unfortunate aspects of our pasts by using them as stepping stones for character growth. Those financial challenges, school or workplace bullying, health hurdles, unfulfilled ambitions or whatever else. I've had issues with each of those I've listed at some stage, so it's interesting to think they might be woven into a brighter philosophical outlook. 

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'Major Pettigrew's Last Stand' by Helen Simonson

You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is a multicultural, yet very British read, with a likable hero.

Major Ernest Pettigrew is a widower, retired army major and school teacher aged 68. He's a gentleman and pacifist at heart, whose parents raised him to believe in politeness above all, but now lives in a far more entitled generation where people are taught to demand their rights and face perceived slights or insults with hackles raised. Major Pettigrew faces the world with a sort of bemused humour, ever ready to take a joke, or face an awkward truth about his own attitude. 

He's attracted to Mrs Jasmina Ali, a charming widow of Pakistani heritage who runs the local mini-mart with her nephew. Although she has never left British shores, Jasmina is used to being treated like a foreigner. She considers her shop to be a tiny, free space in a world with many limits. On the whole, the novel is a sort of second chance romance between a pair of like minds who initially bond over books. But it's also about the astonishing twists of public perception, pride and prejudice. I've seen its style likened to a modern Jane Austen, and indeed Major Pettigrew could well be an older, male version of someone like Lizzy Bennett or Elinor Dashwood, since we're seeing culture through his wry, perceptive eyes. 

Some of his observations might make readers wish to debate. 'The age of great men, when a single mind of intelligence and vision might change the destiny of the world, was long gone. He had been born into a much smaller age, and no amount of daydreaming would change the facts.' Is this totally true, or are there geniuses in our digital age who can also be great folk? And there are some matters of taste, the Major just won't budge on. 'The current fashion of bandying about stories and jokes about the Royal family, as if they were the cast of a TV soap opera, was deeply distasteful to him.' 

His interactions with the younger generation amused me most. The major's son Roger is determined to achieve success through social climbing, although he would never express it that way. Roger works super hard at refining his name dropping, show pony skills. ('You have no idea how expensive it is to be a success in the city.') And Mrs Ali's nephew Abdul Wahid is a devout young thinker who radiates angry young man vibes wherever he goes, until people really get to know him. ('I do not wish to be one of those men who bends and shapes the rules of his religion like a cheap basket to justify his comfortable life and satisfy every bodily desire.') I found myself really interested to know what would become of these two. 

It took a few chapters to get into before it gained my interest. Then I would've liked to see more of the major's sister-in-law and niece, but after building up their larger-than-life characters, they fade from the picture. The same applies to Mortimer, the family lawyer. And perhaps potential readers should know that although this novel is often seen classified as a romance, it's not the sort we may typically think of, involving a dawning magnetism. The attraction between Ernest and Jasmina is already set from page 1. The story is as much about social commentary and family ties. 

It highlights the fact that there are so many different ways of looking at things, it's no wonder people take offence as readily as they do. It even shows how unfortunately easy it is for white, middle class westerners to make crass social gaffes in our 21st century culture without ever intending to. Perhaps that's why my favourite line comes from Mrs Ali. 'The world is full of small ignorances. We must all do our best to ignore them, and thereby keep them small, don't you think?' 

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Back to the Classics Challenge, 2021

It's become a real tradition to begin a year with this reading challenge that gets us digging deep for classics, so I've just got my thinking cap on for 2021. Apart from the usual regulars, this year seems to include the return of some old favourite categories, so it's been fun to choose books that missed out in previous years. OK, here goes.

1) 19th Century Classic - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

2) 20th Century Classic - Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

3) A Woman Author - Song of the Lark by Willa Cather

4) A Classic in Translation - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

5) BIPOC (or non-white) author - Miguel Street (or The Makioka Sisters)

6) A New to You Author - The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates

7) New to You Book by a Favourite Author - Work by Louisa May Alcott

8) A Classic about an Animal or with an Animal in the Title - Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster

9) A Children's Classic - Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery

10) A Humorous or Satirical Classic - Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith

11) A Travel or Adventure Classic - The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

12) A Classic Play - Macbeth by William Shakespeare

'Piranesi' by Susanna Clarke

From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality.

MY THOUGHTS: 

This book helped me through a very hard time, after the beloved cat who adopted me was killed by a dog. I'd always scoffed when I heard people talking about reading slumps, but over the past few weeks I'd started to think my concentration was shattered for good. As I tried to distract myself from grief with a good read, my mind kept wandering. It turned out I only needed the right book to help me back on track. It's a slim little gem compared to the author's first masterpiece, but has the same magical quality, and I ended up preferring it. Any mystery about a main character who's lost touch with his identity hooks me in from the start.

Piranesi is a young man with amnesia, exiled in a staggeringly huge mansion whose halls are filled with statues. The sea pounds and floods the lower stories, so his daily rituals include keeping track of tides. He's discovered some skeletons of several people whose survival tactics weren't as astute as his own, and cares for their bones as a mark of respect. The only other living soul he sees is a debonair, scholarly man whose knowledge of the House is scanty, but wants Piranesi to help him in his quest for ultimate power and control. Piranesi admires 'the Other' yet we readers can't help sensing the shady gentleman is exploiting him. In fact it is he who named him 'Piranesi' although the young man is sure that isn't his real name. 

The subtext is never alluded to outright, because he tells his own story and never realises. It's the fact that Piranesi's beautiful personality is the asset that helps him thrive while others succumb to the harsh conditions. He's retained a reverential awe of all that's noble and good, whether it's the expressions on certain statues' faces or the antics of birds that visit the halls. And he keeps regarding the House as a protective entity with his welfare in mind rather than a hopeless prison. Piranesi's own benevolent heart enables him to perceive his world as a curious and friendly place, rather than menacing and hostile, or even cold and uninterested. He's essentially a worshipper who'd prefer to bask in the glory surrounding him, rather than restlessly trying to manipulate it for his own ends.  

Piranesi's impulse is always to help others and assume their best motives, so it's super satisfying when his real name and background eventually comes to light. The nature of the House and its decor is revealed too, along with how he first found himself in the plight. There's some great action moments, as the dark brooding powers that have enslaved him won't give Piranesi up without a fight. I'm happy to take this book as a little fable that even when you're majorly screwed by someone unscrupulous, what's been brewing in your heart over the long term will come out when it needs to, so try to make it good.

Is the story perfect? I can think of some aspects that could do with slight tweaks. At one stage well into it, he mentions that he enjoys tying quaint bits of driftwood, coral and seaweed into his hair to signify that he's one with his environment, so I wished I'd imagined him like that from the very start. For other readers who appreciate mental pictures as much as I do, consider that a favour from me to you before you even start. 

Oh, and I highly recommend googling 'Piranesi' in your search engine, because it comes up with the original Piranesi who the Other decided to name this young man after. You get the grim irony when you see it. 

Overall, it's one of the shortest books I've read this year (I finished it easily within two days) but one of the best. Piranesi remarks of the statues, 'Their beauty soothed me and took me out of myself. Their noble expressions reminded me of all that is good in the world.' Thankfully, I can say the exact same of him. Piranesi, with his wonderful example, was there when I needed him. It's what a good book with awesome characters should do for us. 

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Slow Reading (and why I stopped my Goodreads Challenge)

Life in the 21st century is hurtling along at a frenetic pace, which occasional protesters have tried to handicap with the introduction of movements such as 'Slow Food' or 'Slow Gardening' to counterbalance the ease of quick stops at fast food outlets and supermarkets. In recent years, several people have pointed out that our digital era also impacts how we read.

Never before has there ever been so much free reading material available at the click of our computer mice. Articles and blog posts pop up on our screens at the rate of a pandemic. There is far too much for any single individual to keep abreast of, so FOMO sets in. We fear missing out on anything good because of the sheer abundance of notifications we receive all day, each implicitly pleading, 'Read me, read me!' 

We can either shrug off the angst and intentionally let some slide back into cyberspace where they came from, or we can try to stretch our limited attention as far as it possibly can. Many of us are attempting the second option; training ourselves to skim passages in an effort to cut to the chase, with no regret for any finer detail we might sacrifice.

I've seen popular speed reading courses advertised for students, and one young lecturer tipped us off that because of the bulk of assigned reading, we should learn to cherry pick whatever we need from text books without getting bogged down in the whole lot. When it comes to reading, we've become like ducks who are satisfied gobbling up the light weed floating on top of the pond, with no desire to dive down deeper for denser snacks with more nutrients. 

I'm sure for me this started way back at Adelaide Uni, when the number and density of our English novels exceeded the time in which we were given to read them and write the assignments. But that was a long time ago and I no longer want to be that shallow, restless reader who flits from book to book without leaving time for proper mental digestion. I suspect that when I do, I miss far too much. When we take time to read slowly and properly, even if we don't enjoy every moment, we can be sure we've missed nothing vital. I'd rather be a pelican than a hummingbird in my reading habits. 

This blog is my attempt to intentionally read slowly with my writing pad and pen at hand to jot down interesting thoughts as I progress through my books. It's my protest against the fast reading trend. And one bonus is that we get to know ourselves better, and consolidate our own true feelings when we read deeper and ponder longer.

I like to choose a fair share of thick classics authors wrote way back in the dim, dark past when reading was a main form of recreation. Sometimes when I turn another page and see more lengthy introspection or detailed nature descriptions, my pulse begins to race and my inner eyeballs roll back as my subconscious urges me to please hurry up. These visceral reactions are signs that I really need to take a deep breath and get nice and slow about my reading. When my breathing and heart rate have calmed, or I feel a desire to re-read a paragraph just for a beautiful turn of phrase, I know I'm on the right track. Clicking into that contemplative frame which our ancestors probably experienced far more often than us is a major victory. 

For the past several years, I undertook the Goodreads Challenge. Its aim is to decide in January how many books we'll knock off our reading lists before December, choosing a number that sounds slightly beyond our comfort zone. We give ourselves pats on the back with each one and a big hurrah at the end. But it's all a bit crazy if you ask me, because in 2019 my shortest book was 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and my longest was 'War and Peace', yet they each count as equal, single ticks in the total.

 In 2020 I started with a sinking heart instead of a rush of anticipation. Although Goodreads has great intentions by encouraging us to read more books, the emphasis on quantity irks me. It's precisely when I focus on churning through them and ticking them off that I get angsty and wound up, more inclined to binge on the next one than ponder the last.  

So I went into Goodreads and pulled the plug on the challenge! I never regretted that decision for a moment all year. Nobody even noticed that I opted out of the Goodreads Challenge or questioned me about it. And at the end of the year, I was surprised to find that Goodreads sent me an automatically generated wrap-up of my year's reading anyway. That's the best part, and not the mental whip of the tally. I won't be doing the challenge this year either. Here's to more note taking, scrunched up wads of paper, navigating my way through loopy paragraphs, copying beautiful sentences into my quote book and turning back to start of a book to clear up something I've read part way through.  

Are you into living and reading slow too? And be honest to yourself, did you feel inclined to speed read this blog post itself, so you could move on to the next thing? That could be a sign that you need to take my warning on board :)