2024 Top Ten Wrap-Up

The time has come to choose my stand-out books of the year, which aren't equivalent with my favourite books of all time. I tend to expect the unexpected while scrolling through each year that's just been. Last year, two Dickens novels appeared on my list. This year neither of his picks made the cut. In fact, I read several so-called 'greats' which left me fairly cold. The first half of the year was sparse for ticks, so I'm glad the second half held more. I often find a good share of kids' or YA fiction on my list, which doesn't surprise me. My ranking criteria is based on pure enjoyment and memorability, along with quality. Here goes. 

 1) Orley Farm

Anthony Trollope was part of Charles Dickens' peer group, and amazingly easier to read. This is a compelling court case drama which I ripped through in no time. We readers are cleverly coerced to hope that the guilty defendant will win her case, because the self-righteous plaintiff is as nasty as hell. Trollope plays around with his readers' headspaces, wanting us to see justice averted. The narrator has a very wry sense of humor, which makes his interjections very cool.

2) Taming Huck Finn

This romance featuring a disgruntled and heart-torn Huckleberry Finn in his late twenties helped hook me on the concept of fanfic, which I've strongly taken off with this year. He experiences one of his legendary conscience issues, this time concerning an overbearing young spinster and an exuberant little boy. It turns out Widow Douglas has left Huck a most surprising legacy in her will, which becomes a bone of contention. I hadn't read any historical romance for a long time. This made me realize that I've missed it. 

3) Farmer Boy Goes West

The author, Heather Williams, has done a painstaking amount of research to present a sequel to Farmer Boy in the spirit of Laura Ingalls Wilder herself. She takes Almanzo Wilder through his mid teens, still presenting him as the modest, compassionate, and courteous boy who won our hearts in the Little House series. Those gap years which incorporate his early to mid teens are now covered, and they were pretty eventful. 

4) A City of Bells

This is a lovely tale playing out against the backdrop of Torminster, a great cathedral town based on Elizabeth Goudge's own home city of Wells. We have Jocelyn, a young injured soldier who's talked into setting up a bookshop on the main street, and stumbles upon some intriguing marginalia written by the former tenant, a bitter, down-and-out poet named Gabriel Ferranti. The inhabitants of Torminster always celebrate ancient church celebrations with great flair. I feel that Goudge puts the holy back into holiday. 

5) Emil & the Three Twins

It's the lesser known sequel of Emil & the Detectives, which I also read this year. This quirky plot takes place in a German, coastal holiday town. Emil and his friends aim to help a young acrobat who they believe  will be cast off by his father, because he's grown too big to perform. More interestingly, Emil grapples with the unexpected curveball of gaining a new stepfather. Philosophy is woven nicely into these stories.

6) Longbourn

I'd started my fascination with fanfic by this time, which is why I read this book. Jo Baker's focus on the Bennet family's servants is clever indeed, as the events of Jane Austen's famous classic play out in the background. Two radically different lifestyles orbit together beneath the same roof, and the romance between Sarah the housemaid and James, the new young footman, is a fun, sometimes angst-ridden read. 

7) Carry On, Mr Bowditch

I can't pass by Jean Lee Latham's fictionalized biography of 17th century mathematician and astronomer, Nathaniel Bowditch. As a teenager, he perceived the urgent need for an accurate encyclopaedia of navigation, so went ahead and wrote one, which is still being used to this day. Latham embodies the devoted lengths some authors are prepared to work. She studied Bowditch's work in great depth before even putting pen to paper. Her book helps keep alive the memory of a great, dedicated genius whose work was vital.

8) Son of Oscar Wilde

This is a very cool autobiography written by Wilde's younger son, Vyvyan, who describes what it was like for him and his brother to be child pariahs in the Victorian era, caught in the shockwaves from the aftermath of his father's famous trial. His reflections shine the light on a bygone era and the mindsets of its people. 

9) The Song of the Lark

Willa Cather tells the tale of Thea Kronborg, a small-town girl who grows up to become one of the most celebrated opera singers of her generation. Thea's dedication to her art shows that talent, as well as being a gift, is also a burden that demands everything its possessor has to give. And we readers are challenged to re-think how readily we're prepared to praise the work of creative folk across the board.

10) The Pale Horse

Not often do I add an Agatha Christie mystery to the stack, but this one is surprisingly chilling and eerie. Dame Agatha departs from Poirot and Marple to use a young pair of amateur sleuths who find themselves almost too deep into something that seems to be supernatural as well as criminal. It's fascinating and unnerving with some excellent dialogue sequences and a wow factor to the solution. 

I look forward to more good reading throughout 2025.     

'Nicholas Nickleby' by Charles Dickens

When Nicholas Nickleby is left penniless after his father's death, he appeals to his wealthy uncle to help him find work and to protect his mother and sister. But Ralph Nickleby proves both hard-hearted and unscrupulous, and Nicholas finds himself forced to make his own way in the world. His adventures gave Dickens the opportunity to portray an extraordinary gallery of rogues and eccentrics, such as Wackford Squeers, the tyrannical headmaster of Dotheboys Hall, a school for unwanted boys; the slow-witted orphan Smike, rescued by Nicholas; and the gloriously theatrical Mr. and Mrs. Crummles and their daughter, the 'infant phenomenon'. Like many of Dickens's novels, Nicholas Nickleby is characterised by his outrage at cruelty and social injustice, but it is also a flamboyantly exuberant work, revealing his comic genius at its most unerring.

MY THOUGHTS:

When I was a teenager in the mid-eighties, I was part of a school excursion to watch an epic stage play of this at the Adelaide Festival Theatre. It was eight hours long. Two four hour acts with an intermission for tea. We were all stiff, sore, and brain fagged by the time it ended just before midnight. That memory is essentially what crosses my mind when I think of Nicholas Nickleby, but as part of my quest to read and review all Dickens' major works, the time came to pick up the book.  

It begins with the desperate attempts of the two Nickleby kids, Nicholas and Kate, to earn a living following the sudden death of their destitute father. Their miserly Uncle Ralph resents any hints that he's in a financial position to help. He believes that since his brother made a hash of his own affairs, it's preposterous that he, Ralph the penny pincher, should step up and lend a helping hand. 

And there are hints of an even deeper reason for Ralph's antipathy to his nephew, that stem from his historical bitter envy of his brother. (In his own words, he suspects that people consider him a, 'crafty hunk of cold and stagnant blood with no passion but love of savings and no spirit beyond a thirst of gain.' Hmm, does he remind you of any of Dickens' later creations?) 

Meanwhile Nicholas and Kate's garrulous and naive widowed mother, who simply cannot read a room, keeps building ridiculous castles in the air for her children, driving everyone crazy with her high hopes and rambling, random chatter. 

I reckon anyone who's ever felt overwhelmed by the demands of the job market will find this story highly relatable, while simultaneously discovering how dismal the Victorian employment prospects were. The Nickleby siblings keep having to start clean slates through no fault of their own.

 The term 'sexual harassment' hadn't been coined back then, but the appalling behavior of a 'gentleman' and his minions puts Kate in a terrifying position. Keep in mind that amorous gentry could force their way on innocent girls, then discard them to a lifetime of shame while they go on their own merry way. Sir Mulberry Hawk is determined to stalk the helpless Miss Nickleby, and the predatory overtones of his name surely weren't accidental on Dickens' part. His younger, more pathetic sidekick, Lord Frederick Verisopht, also has an apt name.   

The Nicholas Nickleby Wiki Page suggests that Kate is a fairly passive character, typical of other Dickensian heroines, but I strongly disagree. To me, Kate's plight reveals the appalling limitations of her culture and era, rather than any softness in her own character. She does everything she possibly can to stand up for herself. She tells Sir Mulberry in no uncertain terms that he's a despicable creep! Then she pro-actively appeals for back-up to the very people who stand in a position to help; her uncle and her employer. The fact that they reject her pleas indicates that Kate's support network has failed her, and certainly not that she is a weakling. 

To anyone who suggests passivity, I'd say, 'What the heck would you have her do then?' That sicko is determined to keep hitting on her at all costs. Thank heavens Kate has a brother who'll step in when he's made aware of what's going on, for not every girl in her position was so lucky.    

Uncle Ralph's role in selling out his niece for favor with these men is truly as loathsome as Nicholas says. And all the while, he tries to keep his gruff front in place so he won't need to feel any stirrings of conscience. Here is Ralph's rationale for resisting the protection he owes Kate, as his dead brother's child. 'I am not a man to be moved by a pretty face. There is a grinning skull beneath it, and men like me who look and work below the surface see that and not its delicate covering.' 

Okay, so I've hopefully established Kate is no pliable putty-girl, but I can't say the same for Nicholas' love interest, Madeline Bray; a stunningly beautiful, self-sacrificing girl chained by love and duty to a no-good scoundrel of a father. I don't think choosing to live as a doormat to a jerk of a dad is an admirable action, yet Madeline is among the first in a string of Dickens heroines who do that very thing. (Think Florence Dombey, Lizzie Hexam, Amy Dorrit. Ladies, come on!) On the other hand, Madeline is incredibly courageous for the horrific step she intends to carry out to get the hound of debt of her father's back. She is both passive and brave, which results from her priorities being skewed.

In all honesty, this book drags at times. It took me so long to read, and I persevered mostly for Nicholas' sake. I love this gallant, polite and tactful young hero who'll strongly protest only when pushed too far by jerks and arses. The fact that Nicholas makes so many strong protests in the course of this story indicates how many jerks and arses exist in the world. 

In fact, there are brilliantly delineated characters of all sorts. To mention just a few more, there's the tyrannical, one-eyed schoolmaster, Wackford Squeers, and his heartless wife; the seamstress, Madame Mantalini, whose honey-tongued wastrel of a husband's indiscretions catch up with everybody, and the demanding wilting daisy, Mrs Wititterly. There are also the exceptionally kind Cheeryble brothers, and poor young Smike, that 'listless, hopeless, blighted creature.' 

This is Dickens third novel, overlapping with his second, Oliver Twist, since he was working on both at the same time for a while. He was still only 26 years old as these installments were being released, and in some ways, his youthfulness shows.

Spare a thought for poor Fanny Squeers, the plain daughter of the brutal headmaster, whose romantic overtures to the good-looking Nicholas are rebuffed a little too soundly. Fanny's friends keep poking fun at her in the area where it hurts most, her inability to bag herself a husband. Having them rub it in so much verges into bad taste. It's fairly obvious that a young man wrote it, with no sympathy for the sad desperation of this girl to make a decent match. 

Also, I've seen the rumour that Mrs Nickleby was patterned on his own mother, Elizabeth Dickens, who reportedly missed seeing it completely, (in the spirit of the dense Mrs Nickleby herself), thinking that such a ridiculous woman could never possibly exist. Hmm, perhaps lampooning his mother so thoroughly in a story is another sign of a juvenile author. (You know, just because you can doesn't mean you should.)

Finally, he describes the decrepitude of Arthur Gride with the relish of a young man. 'His nose and chin were sharp and prominent, his jaws had fallen inwards from loss of teeth, his face was shrivelled and yellow, save where the cheeks were streaked with the colour of a dry winter apple, and where his beard had been, there lingered yet a few grey tufts which seemed, like the ragged eyebrows, to denote the badness of the soil from which they had sprung.' 

I'd certainly recommend Nick Nick to anyone with any interest in Victorian literature. It's a very cool ride, but be sure to put plenty of time aside. It takes a bit of grit.  

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Some Christmas Shorts

Here are some very short Christmas-themed tales from a handful of late, great authors. They won't take much time to squeeze into your Advent reading, and I'm sure digital copies are easy to track down. (The image above is the beautiful Christmas tree at the Adelaide Mortlock Library.) 

1) I Saw Three Ships by Elizabeth Goudge

This seasonal novella is under 100 pages. 

Orphaned Polly Flowerdew lives with her maiden aunts, Dorcas and Constantia, in a temperate coastal town. Polly wishes to observe an old custom to leave their doors unlocked on Christmas Eve night, to welcome the Three Wise Men, but the aunts are too nervous. Aunt Dorcas thinks the notion of wise men is hard to swallow anyway. In her experience, only the women in their family ever possessed any wisdom at all, while the men have been foolish.

In the course of this story, three men, each wise in his own way, end up converging on Holly Cottage. It puts me strongly in mind of another famous Elizabeth G's story, and that is Cranford. (Gaskell instead of Goudge.) Here we have similar straitlaced elderly aunts, whose high-spirited brother ran away to sea many years ago. They employ similar ruses to make themselves appear more financially stable than the really are, and the presence of a young, dependent niece brings out the sort of merriment they haven't had beneath their roof in years.

The illustrations by Margot Tomes add lovely ambience to this story.  

2) The Gift of the Magi by O'Henry

It's a short story, first published in 1905, which has become a classic for excellent reason.

Mr and Mrs James Dillingham Young, aka Jim and Della, are in their early twenties and struggling to make ends meet. Della has only managed to save $1.87 by Christmas Eve, which is nowhere near enough to purchase any present worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim. She has the sudden idea to sell her crowning glory, her beautiful hair, to buy a wonderful, classy fob chain for Jim's cherished watch. 

I won't spoil the bitter-sweet twist of an ending, if you haven't read it before. Even though I have read it in the past and knew what was coming, it still brought tears to my eyes. Perhaps it strikes close to home, since I know what it's like when your income barely covers your living expenses, and then another December slips around. Poor Jim and Della have generous natures, but are forced to penny pinch just to survive.  

O'Henry makes the observation toward the conclusion of his story that the magi started the tradition of gift giving at Christmas time. Those star-followers had no idea of the centuries of angst they set in motion with their tributes of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Perhaps if they could have foreseen the mad commercialism of modern Christmases, they might have had second thoughts. 

All jokes aside, this is a lovely seasonal tale that highlights the sacrificial nature of true love.

3) Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

The Queen of Crime attributes nostalgia for the decadent Christmases of her childhood to her writing of this short mystery, which can be read in one sitting.

Hercule Poirot's heart sinks at the prospect of a freezing, British country Christmas, but he's coerced to visit a manor estate named King's Lacey to help solve a crime. A significant dynastic family ruby has been pilfered by the fly-by-night girlfriend of a young eastern prince. There's good reason to believe some of the Lacey family's guests may be involved. 

Meanwhile the elderly Laceys are concerned that their granddaughter, Sarah, is infatuated with the unsavoury Desmond Lee-Wortley, who preys on upper-crust girls. Sarah herself wishes to hide her sentimental appreciation of the festivities from the cynical Desmond. And three young teens, Colin, Michael, and Bridget, plan to make Poirot the butt of a prank, by staging a fake murder. 

A flaming, boozy, custardy Christmas pud laden with favors and trinkets is the main hero, and turns out to save the day. The satisfying and surprising solution to this story comes in the nick of time.  

4) The Burglar's Christmas by Willa Cather

Nineteenth century Chicago is the scene (think the Gilded Era) and a young homeless tramp named William is the main character. Once the pride and joy of his parents, he now reflects how far he's fallen. At one time he'd demanded great things from the world, including fame, wealth, and admiration. Now it's simply bread. Hunger is the powerful incentive that makes him consider stealing; a recourse he's never resorted to before. But it's harder than he anticipates to adopt a thief's mindset.

I can relate to William because he shares my Christmas Eve birthday. Whenever I come across anyone else born on December 24th, I think, 'Haha, poor sucker,' but the date worked well for Will in the past. His mother never skimped on birthday feasts for him when he was young. 'It's too much to have your birthday and Christmas all at once.'

This story focuses on his experience in the house he intends to rob. The theme is revealed in a sentence toward the end. 'Love has nothing to do with pardon or forgiveness, it only loves and loves and loves.'

Since William has only just turned 24 on the day of the story, he undoubtedly has plenty of time for making amends, and has learned some sober lessons about the world which many older men never learn. 

Have you read any of these?    

'The Flying Classroom' by Erich Kastner

A comical school story by the author of Emil and the Detectives. In the Christmas at the Johann Sigismund School there's plenty of fun and excitement for Martin, Matthias, Johnny, Sebastian and Uli, including a flying classroom, the kidnap of a friend, a parachute descent, and a family reunion.

MY THOUGHTS:

Here is an absorbing, whimsical Christmas tale set in a German boys' school in the 1930s. It's written by the late great Erich Kastner, of Emil and the Detectives fame 

The story focuses on five boys in the fourth form of the Johann Sigismund School, who are preparing a Christmas play. The novel's title makes the boys' effort a story within a story, since their unique stage production is also dubbed, 'The Flying Classroom.' 

The school play is written by Jonathan Trotz, whose father deserted him by sending him overseas to live with grandparents who no longer exist. Martin Thaler, the clever and artistic head boy, has financially straitened parents, who can't scrape together funds to bring him home for Christmas. Sebastian Frank is a fringe dweller with philosophical tendencies, and Matthias Selbmann, a perpetually hungry kid who aspires to be a prize fighter. Finally, little Uli von Simmern, reminds me of Piglet from the Pooh Bear stories. He has a small stature and wishes more than anything that he could be braver. 

From the start, the intensity of inter-school wars and politics mirrors how affairs tend to play out on a world stage. Grown men all around them become role models, whether they realize it or not. Their friend nicknamed 'the non-smoker' lives in a discarded railway carriage with that plaque on the door. He gardens and reads a lot in his spare time, and the boys sense that he never intended from the beginning to earn a crust by strumming dance tunes at a sleazy beerhall. 'Don't come to me with the yarn that a man can't live without ambition,' he tells his schoolteacher friend. 'There are far too few who live as I do.'

Dr Johann Bokh, their favourite teacher, earns the boys' allegiance by being genuinely switched on to their feelings and fixes, but I tend to like Herr Kreuzkamm, the sober German master, who seemingly could not laugh, though it is equally possible that he did not want to. Yet this dude drops the type of one-liner which keeps making students wonder whether he's pulling their legs or not. 

Overall, it's the sort of festive treat we should just plunge into to experience its charm, since any review is just scratching the surface of what makes it special. Sometimes quirkiness defies review. 

It would have been five stars from me, except that the school politics at the start dragged on a bit. 

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