On Thursday 6 February 2020 Hove’s leading book group of gentlemen readers gathered for their monthly literary salon to discuss Roland’s Tainted Love themed selections
Reading: Light Years (1975) by James Salter
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| Light Years (1975) by James Salter |
To varying degrees we struggled with Light Years which seemed to be more about “the beautiful writing” and less about the plot.
Light Years (1975) by James Salter is the story of a marriage between two Americans, the Berlands: Nedra (the woman) and Viri (the man). Viri was born in 1928 and Nedra a few years later. Had they had renamed themselves, or were two sets of American parents were giving their kids such unusual names in that era? Other characters have names like Franca, Jivan, Kaya, Arnauld, and Hadji (this one a dog).
Light Years (1975) by James Salter is the story of a marriage between two Americans, the Berlands: Nedra (the woman) and Viri (the man). Viri was born in 1928 and Nedra a few years later. Had they had renamed themselves, or were two sets of American parents were giving their kids such unusual names in that era? Other characters have names like Franca, Jivan, Kaya, Arnauld, and Hadji (this one a dog).
Reviews were peppered with words and phrases like challenging, hard to get into, and exhausting. That said, we all found redeeming features, and all agreed things picked up in the second half of the book.
The plot, such as it is, was slightly puzzling. Nedra and Viri live a charmed and good life, complete with two lovely daughters, a dog, and a vibrant social life, enjoying a lovely rural environment just outside New York and yet, before you know it, they’re both being unfaithful, and eventually they split up.
A preponderance of four and five star reviews on Amazon and GoodReads is testimony to this book’s appeal for many readers who are in thrall Salter’s beautiful writing. In reality his writing is often over laden with metaphors, similes, and analogies, aligned to a meandering plot.
A preponderance of four and five star reviews on Amazon and GoodReads is testimony to this book’s appeal for many readers who are in thrall Salter’s beautiful writing. In reality his writing is often over laden with metaphors, similes, and analogies, aligned to a meandering plot.
Tristan had lovingly prepared this marvellous parody...
Nick 7 / Tristan 7 / Nigel 6 / Keith 7 / Roland 7 / Robin 6
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We agreed that Tainted Love still sounds great. A cover version should do something new and interesting with a song and this version of Tainted Love most definitely does that. This twelve inch version which segues into Where Did Our Love Go ups the ante even more.
It’s a sublime slice of 80s synth pop.
We love it.
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Tristra sat at a table in the Westbourne. As always there was something thrillingly vulgar about her. Outside, cars passed on the wet tarmac, like beasts from a mythical painting.
For the day to unfold it must in its blueness, its immensity hide the conspiracy she lived on, hide but enclose it, invisible, like stars in the daytime sky.
Her dog Nigri trotted past, toes clicking on the bare wood. fragrant beast, eyes dark as coffee, smiling mouth. Like all the old, he was always hungry.
Roli walked in. He had a long nose, an intelligent face.
Would you like some lager? she asked
I don't think there is any.
We drank it all?
Some time ago.
She was reading from a book, that transported her to distant realms
Oh Roli, she said. It's wonderful.
For the day to unfold it must in its blueness, its immensity hide the conspiracy she lived on, hide but enclose it, invisible, like stars in the daytime sky.
Her dog Nigri trotted past, toes clicking on the bare wood. fragrant beast, eyes dark as coffee, smiling mouth. Like all the old, he was always hungry.
Roli walked in. He had a long nose, an intelligent face.
Would you like some lager? she asked
I don't think there is any.
We drank it all?
Some time ago.
She was reading from a book, that transported her to distant realms
Oh Roli, she said. It's wonderful.
Nick 7 / Tristan 7 / Nigel 6 / Keith 7 / Roland 7 / Robin 6
*
Listening: Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go (12 inch version) (1981) by Soft Cell
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| A 12 incher |
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| Shut it Nick |
It’s a sublime slice of 80s synth pop.
We love it.
Nick pointed out they missed a trick by not putting one of their own compositions on the single thereby missing out on lots of royalties as this was a huge hit back in 1981.
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Watching: Marriage Story (2019) directed by Noah Baumbach (Netflix)
However Keith was left unimpressed and did not like it at all: too American and too unsubtle. He wouldn't even acknowledge Laura Dern's performance would be a worthy best supporting winner. Only time will tell whether the Academy recognises her performance at the 2020 Oscars (edit: they did).
Take that Driver. And you Johanson.
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| Keith was unimpressed |
Most of us enjoyed this credibly handled story of a marriage break up.
The two leads, Scarlett Johanson and Adam Driver are superb, as is the supporting cast
There was some disagreement about whether Laura Dern was any good.
Despite being quite slow moving it was always interesting and there were some really powerful scenes.
However Keith was left unimpressed and did not like it at all: too American and too unsubtle. He wouldn't even acknowledge Laura Dern's performance would be a worthy best supporting winner. Only time will tell whether the Academy recognises her performance at the 2020 Oscars (edit: they did).
Take that Driver. And you Johanson.
*
Endorse It
1917 (Film/Cinema)
Peter Gabriel’s third LP (Music)
Uncut Gems (Film on Netflix)
Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy by Serhii Plokhy (Book)
Peter Gabriel - Third LP (Music)
Only You (Film on Netflix)
A Kind of Loving (Book)
A Kind of Loving (Film/DVD)
Phantom Thread (Film on Netflix)
Stewart Copeland’s Adventures in Music (BBC iPlayer)
Inside No. 9 (BBC iPlayer)
Peter Gabriel’s third LP (Music)
Uncut Gems (Film on Netflix)
Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy by Serhii Plokhy (Book)
Peter Gabriel - Third LP (Music)
Only You (Film on Netflix)
A Kind of Loving (Book)
A Kind of Loving (Film/DVD)
Phantom Thread (Film on Netflix)
Stewart Copeland’s Adventures in Music (BBC iPlayer)
Inside No. 9 (BBC iPlayer)
*
Next time out…
Next time out…
Reading: Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty
Listening: Astral Weeks (1968) by Van Morrison
Watching: Good Vibrations (2013) directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn
