Wednesday’s Readings… Amsterdam, The Good Soldier, and The New Earth
By Kristen on Mar 26, 2008 in Reviews
This week I read two very interesting novels — The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford and Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. I also finished chapter 9 in A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, and read another few pages of The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble.
I will start with Amsterdam because it was my favorite of the week; I read Atonement last year and really enjoyed it (much, much better than the movie, in my opinion), so I decided to request Amsterdam from the library. Not surprisingly, the waiting list was very long for the actual book, but not so long for the cd. I was afraid I would not be able to fully appreciate McEwan’s prose on cd, which is probably true, but the story was nevertheless riveting and I zipped through the 4 cds. I hate to summarize the plot, but here’s the briefest summary I can muster without giving too much away.
The story opens at the funeral of a woman, Molly, who had had affairs with a number of men who knew each other with varying degrees of intimacy. Molly died from what sounded like Alzheimer’s — she very quickly lost her memory and any sense of her previous identity. Two of her former lovers — who are friends — promise each other that if either begins to decline, the other will end his life for him before he suffers Molly’s fate. One of the men is the editor of a newspaper and is given incriminating photographs of the man who will most likely become the next Prime Minister (also a former lover of Molly) and the other man is a famous composer. I really can’t share any more details — and certainly have not done the heart or spirit of the book — or its moral complexities — justice. I will say that do not expect to like any of the characters, but this did not stop my enjoyment in the least.
Next, The Good Soldier. This novel was for my latest custom kit and was a real doozy… whew! I definitely have a great appreciation for what Ford was doing with narration — he flashes backward and forward countless times (I’m not exaggerating — I tried counting how many times for the kit and then for this post and gave up both times). What is particularly interesting about this novel is how his impressions of the characters and events change throughout the story. This does result in an “unreliable” narrator and a sense of vertigo in the reader at times — and the novel really needs to be read at least twice to fully appreciate and understand it. I recommend it if you are interested in a cognitive challenge. The issues of infidelity and gender would result in good discussions for a book club, but your club members must be very tenacious. If you do tackle it, I also recommend that you use my kit since I provide chronology help in case you get lost or frustrated.
Next, I finished chapter 9 in A New Earth and listened to the latest webcast. There were a number of good questions, especially regarding the military’s place in Tolle’s “new earth.” Speaking of interesting oration, if you haven’t heard Obama’s speech from last week yet, check it out on You Tube. Well worth the 38 minutes… But back to A New Earth! Here are my favorite quotes from chapter 9:
When you look upon what you do or where you are as the main purpose of your life, you negate time. This is enormously empowering. The negation of time in what you do also provides the link between your inner and outer purposes, between Being and doing. When you negate time, you negate the ego. Whatever you do, you will be doing extraordinarily well, because the doing itself becomes the focal point of your attention…
This means there is quality in what you do, even in the most simple action, like turning the pages in the phone book or walking across the room…The great arises out of small things that are honored and cared for.
Everybody’s life really consists of small things…The paradox is that the foundation for greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment instead of pursuing the idea of greatness. The present moment is always small in the sense that it is always simple, but concealed within it lies the greatest power. Like the atom, it is one of the smallest things yet contains enormous power…
As you become present and thereby total in what you do, your actions become charged with spiritual power…When you meet with people, at work or wherever it may be, give them your fullest attention.
…the end and the means are one. And if the means did not contribute to human happiness, neither will the end.
When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilites open up in your life. It means fear is no longer a dominant factor in what you do and no longer prevents you from taking action to initiate change.
Last, but really not least, I am continuing to enjoy The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble at night. The Good Soldier was time-consuming, so The Reading Group was delegated to my nightstand, and I only manage to turn about 10 pages before I drift off (I’m a morning person), but I look forward to those 10 pages every night.
This week I will be spending time in airports, so I hope to finish The Reading Group, as well as Julie and Julia, and The Savage Detectives. For once I won’t mind any flight delays I encounter..!
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