"Roadside Picnic” (1971) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

BOOK: "Roadside Picnic” (1971) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

"Roadside Picnic" by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky is a short science fiction novel written in 1971. By 1998, 38 editions of the novel were published in 20 countries. The film "Stalker" directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, is loosely based on the novel - the screenplay was written by the Strugatskys. 

Whilst perusing Writers No One Reads Keith was struck by one title, Roadside Picnic.   Keith loves roads and loves picnics.  Keith discovered this book coined the word Stalker.  Keith was pleasantly surprised by this book.  

"Roadside Picnic" tells the story of a Stalker, one of the few who dare to enter a zone of an alien visitation. Stalkers venture into the deadly realm for artifacts, which are sometimes useful, sometimes enigmatic, sometimes life-threatening, whilst surviving in the oppressive, broken community adjacent to the zone.  6/10

Tristan likes Sci-Fi and he liked this book.  First contact is usually mutual love or war, not so here, where the humans are inconsequential.  It's genius.  As is Stanislaw Lem's "The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age" 7/10

Tristan & Robin: Loved the unusual treatment of first contact

Nigel recalled whilst reading this splendid book that some of his favourite books are genre books, specifically crime, noir and science fiction. These books are almost always ignored by prestigious mainstream awards despite containing some of the most compelling, imaginative and provocative ideas in fiction. Roadside Picnic is full of ideas about humanity, philosophy, greed, sustainability, community and more, and it's also a gripping yarn with Red Schuhart - a classic dysfunctional anti-hero - at its heart. 8/10

Robin also enjoyed the unusual treatment of first contact, with the alien technology way beyond humanity's understanding meanwhile the stream of consciousness narration was a surprisingly easy read. The drunken conversation with a scientist provided Robin with some tantalising ideas. However the lack of detail maintained the mystery.  An excellent read and worthy of its classic status. 7/10

Hamish "mercifully short'

Hamish spent much of his time thinking that the book had been badly translated.  Perhaps this is the work of the censors?  He was not sure, but it did not make for a convincing read.  The dialogue seemed very stilted with the journalist simply a device to reveal key facts in a very clunky way.  Hamish didn't really care why the Zone was like it was. Mercifully short, unconvincing and with a lack of detail.  Hamish wished he could have read it in Russian as the story was probably lost in translation.  3/10

Nick was most fascinated by the Soviet aspect which is an ongoing obsession.  Comrade Nick cannot get enough.  The writing is terse and superbly descriptive, shifting from first-person narrative to third and expertly handled by the Strugatsky brothers, the undisputed masters of the enigmatic hard man personality that frequently appears in Soviet fiction. "Roadside Picnic" is a beautifully written, inspiring read, with strong, desperate characters and a thrilling premise.  The only downside is that it is too short with so much unrealised potential in its premise. 9/10

So overall a very positive response for the Strugatsky brothers with just Hamish remaining unconvinced.

MUSIC: "The Best Of ? And The Mysterians: Cameo Parkway 1966-1967” (2005) by ? And The Mysterians

? and the Mysterians are an American rock and roll band formed in Bay City, Michigan, in 1962. The group took its name from the 1957 Japanese science fiction film The Mysterians, in which aliens from the destroyed planet Mysteroid arrive to conquer Earth, and may have been the first group to be described as punk rock

They were also the first American rock band of Mexican descent to have a mainstream hit record in the United States with 1966's "96 Tears", which sold over one million copies and won a BMI award for over three million airplays.

It's official.  Hove Book Group loves "96 Tears" even the slow version.  Loves it.  We does.

FILM:  Nightmare Alley (1947) dir by Edmund Goulding

Keith thinks the book is even better - and both are brilliant.

Nick thought Stalker was the film and promised he'd pay more attention to official HBG missives in future.

Nigel liked it.

Robin was bewitched.

Tristan less so.









ENDORSE IT

Latest endorsements from Hove's finest...

Nick - http://tuebl.ca/
Tristan - Michael Marshall Smith "Spares"
Robin - County Donegal
Nigel - Four films - Foxcatcher, Whiplash, Paddington, Gone Girl

“Caveworld” (2013) by Adam Gnade

BOOK: “Caveworld” (2013) by Adam Gnade

Having seen Adam Gnade perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in late 2013, Hamish was intrigued.  Adam Gnade had a band, possibly the Hot Earth All Stars themselves, who made a delightful racket while Adam sat on the floor reading from loose pages of lyrics/stories that he discarded over his shoulder one by one.  

Adam struck a compelling and intense figure and one that I thought HBG should investigate.  His concept of mixing novels and music also seemed to fit perfectly with our own cultural group’s wider interests.  He hasn’t made a film yet, but it can only be a matter of time.  And the crowdfunding element intrigued too. 

So with that in mind Hamish nominated “Caveworld” (2013) by Adam Gnade for our latest foray into the world of culture.

A “dark fucker” is how Adam described his book to Hamish, and he certainly covers some ground - alcohol, drugs, kids, Vietnam, marriage, work, God, America.  Its all there. 

Gnade’s eye for detail is intense.  The descriptions of views out of car windows towards desert, outlet malls and a cluster of gas stations were as evocative as the state of the post party sofas littered with cans and bottle tops. Adam is both precise and concise and Hamish really enjoyed his use of language and the perfect way he captures the essence of ordinary things.

The way in which major events (Merc and Channy's deaths) are frequently treated in the same low key way as a minor conversation on the beach was great.

Particular highlights for Hamish..

• Drunken visit to Tijuana ending with near arrest by Mexican cops
• Tom Boone (what a character! ) and his party generating antics, including the fantastic topless assault on the off licence. (I promise a similar drunken nudity story when we next meet)
• The simple and enjoyable pleasures of farm life for Merc and Channy

At times the book slowed a bit, sometime just after halfway the rounds of drunkeness seemed in need of editing. But the pace and intensity picked up again in the final section and overall Hamish really enjoyed it.

Perhaps a la "Midnight's Children", it is a book Hamish would have appreciated a little more time for - the Book Group deadline hangs heavy sometimes. But an honest, wide ranging, brutal and revealing portrait of modern America's flawed beauty nonetheless. Good work Mr Gnade.  8/10

Hamish receives an impressive package

Keith explained how he started to compose a written review and then flung down the pen as he realised it was pointless.  Gnade's patchwork was just all too similar and having read around 20% of the book Keith realised his heart was not in it and he finished the remaining 80% with a heavy heart and a simmering sense resentment.  3/10

Robin stated that if he had read it then he would have been irritated.  Fortunately he barely scratched the surface thereby avoiding any unwelcome irritation.  

Tristan quite enjoyed the sex, drugs and southern California although he felt the two tales did not interlock quite as well as he would have liked.  The various descriptions of the USA were ravishing  6.5/10

Nick thought there was a good book trying to get out and wondered if the crowd sourcing meant there was no editor to help Adam Gnade.  Would a 200 page version of this book have been better?  "Yes" we chorused as one.  Adam Gnade can write though however "Vernon God Little" and "Less Than Zero" pull of a similar trick better.  Just. Didn't. Go. Anywhere. 5/10

Nigel described it as a sprawling tale which interchanges between two separate storylines, one set in the late 1970s/early 1980s and the other in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Pondering the extent to which they might connect was intriguing.

The writing is great - echoes of Brett Easton Ellis and Doug Coupland (both big plusses for Nigel) - with convincingly flawed, interesting and memorable characters. Occasional moments of high drama intersperse with day-to-day ephemera, and the inner lives of some of the key characters are skilfully explored through a varied range of techniques. 

That said, Nigel's overriding emotion on finishing the book was relief. By the halfway point it was starting to outstay its welcome and become quite repetitive. One of the two storylines has seemingly endless, and rather wearing, descriptions of excess drinking and drugging, many during regular trips to Tijuana. Reining in some of these scenes, and the associated brooding over relationships, life's meaning etc., would have made for a better book.  6/10

"Caveworld" stimulated a great discussion.  Thanks Hamish - and thanks Adam Gnade.

MUSIC: “The Americans” (2013) by Adam Gnade & The Hot Earth All-Stars

Hamish chose some Adam Gnade music to accompany our book.  The tracks on this album are:

1) Hello America
2) The Whole Lonesome Thing
3) The Ballad of Tom Bluefeather
4) You Got Mean
5) Supper's Waiting on the Table
6) This is the End of Something (But It's Not the End of You)

This mix of storytelling and music went down very well for Hamish. Adam's voice on this is superb and matches the honesty and conviction of his novel writing. I thought the music added to the words and I look forward to hearing more.

"And what do you do when none of them speak for you?"

“Tom Bluefeather drops his gun”  Perfect ending to sum up fatherly love and the humanity, flawed as it is, in all Mr Gnade’s work. 

A very fine piece of music.  8/10

Nick said "Yes" to tracks 1 and 4.  5/10

It was not Tristan's thing. 4/10

Nigel enjoyed his five listens however never focussed sufficiently on the lyrics to tease out the linkages with the book 6/10

FILM:  Nick Cave’s "20,000 Days on Earth" (2014) - dir Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

In the absence of cinematic choice from Hamish we decided to watch "20,000 days on Earth".  And why not?  

And, according to Hamish, a stylish and delightfully Brighton focussed piece it is too.  Beautifully shot and an exceptional concept.  Throw in some footage of the Bad Seeds recording (and demonstrating how tedious a lot of recording sessions must be!).  Its got to be great surely.  And indeed it is.  A wonderful, wonderful film.  Just not one that says very much at all about Nick Cave. Or at least not the interesting bits.

20,000 Days on Earth

Nick Cave strikes Hamish as a man who loves being famous, but also expects his privacy and for fame to be on his terms.  Is Kylie really one of the most important influences on his musical life?  Or rather just one of the most recognisable faces that he has worked with (for all of one song!) and a great distraction from revalations about Nick himself  And Ray Winstone.  Nick’s film career is not the most important part of his cultural output and I am not sure why Mr Winstone was given such a hefty role either.

Fortunately the coolest man in rock, Mr Warren Ellis was on hand to demonstrate his culinary expertise and fine choice in accommodation (if he really lived there of course!) while writing the new album. 

But really, and good as it is as a film, this did not reveal anything significant about Nick.  At best, a stylised portrait of the 21st Century Nick perhaps.

But sadly, despite sharing accommodation, guitars and probably heroin with Nick, there was not a mention of Grant.  Ah well.  8/10

Nigel explained the many levels of artifice revealed in the "making of" DVD extra and yet it seems to tell us more about the essence of Nick's art than any documentary could hope to (and despite what Hamish may assert)  9/10

Nick thought it was great 9.5/10

Keith loved it 9/10

Robin thought it was intense 7.5/10

Tristan revelled in it  7.5/10

ENDORSE IT

What we are endorsing this time round...

Keith: "Capital" by Thomas Piketty (book)

Robin: "Glass Animals" album (music)

Nick: Boyhood (film) + Whiplash (film)

Tristan: "The Man Whose Mind Exploded" (film)

Nigel: House of Fools (Vic n Bob TV series) + Toast of London (Matt Berry TV series)

And on that note, and with Keith's exciting selections for our next gathering, we bade each other farewell.

Ten ten til we do it again

"To rise again at a decent hour” by Joshua Ferris

Tristan - harshly judged

To gasps of amazement, Hove Book Group discovered that Tristan, the architect of the choices under discussion, had in the words of one HBG'er "swanned off to Paris without a bye nor leave, and caring not a jot for the feelings of his compadres bravely flying the flag in The Poets Corner pub in Hove's fashionable Poets Corner quarter".  Was Tristan being judged too harshly?  Indeed he was, for he had communicated through the medium of email....

"To rise again at a decent hour” (2014) by Joshua Ferris

Tristan picked "To rise again at a decent hour” by Joshua Ferris because he'd read his first book "And Then We Came To The End" and enjoyed it a lot.

Tristan liked the extreme character of the Paul O'Rourke, the dentist protagonist: flitting between misanthropy and an acute desire to fit in. He also liked the diatribes and rants; the stylistic quirks; the faux-biblical stories of the Amelekites; being "cunt gripped"; and the scathing commentary on modern consumerism. 

It was not all gravy though.  Tristan conceded that it dragged a bit towards the inconclusive ending.

On the whole though it was Tristan's kind of thing. The oblique look at characters and situations, and the mix of detachment and heart-rending sadness.  All in all, Joshua Ferris feels like a unique voice, and one which Tristan will happily read more of.  7.5/10

Keith admitted that he became increasingly bewildered as the story meandered to its conclusion however, when pressed for a pithy one liner, Keith proclaimed this novel to be tremendously good, sporadically amusing, and it left him with an unprecedented longing to visit his dentist, with all the attendant horrors and indignities he habitually suffers there.  "Bravo Mr Ferris" cried Keith, holding his pint of Harveys aloft.  8/10

Hamish felt that page one was as good as this book got.  A more charitable reviewer than Hamish might conclude that our dentist protagonist is the personification of contemporary man's feeling of displacement from spirituality, love, material reality, the past and other humans.  However for Hamish, whilst not a bad book, it was ultimately "utterly average".  What was the point?  Alas, no one could answer that one.  5/10

A consensus was emerging that the first third of the book showed great promise and invention, however this was not followed through in the final two thirds of the novel.  

Nick felt the dentist was on "the edge of madness".  Amongst Nick's varied life experiences were encounters with dental students at St Thomas's who were some of the biggest mentalists Nick has ever encountered.  Is it any wonder that dentists as a professional group have the highest rate of suicides?  No Nick, it is not.  "To rise again at a decent hour” is obsessed with mouths and it bores like one of his dentist's drills.  Nick acknowledged the interesting ideas but concluded, that unlike Tibor Fischer, this is all mouth and not enough trousers. 6/10

Nigel reenacted the moment he finished the book, throwing a copy across the pub whilst exclaiming "Is that it?" 

An ambitious and original book that promised so much ultimately delivered so little. Nigel had hurled the tome with a profound sense of disappointment.  Nigel was excited by the opening 20 pages or so. The book contains some pithy observations on modern life and the plot embraces some big themes: religion, identity, identity theft, social media, obsession, baseball, affluence's disappointment, racism, love and relationships, loss, dentistry, and the big one - what's it all about?  A fairly engaging, meandering plot felt to Nigel as though we must be heading for some kind of interesting pay off. We weren't. The sense of anticlimax still rankles. Ultimately this is fairly enjoyable, inconsequential tosh.  Nigel concluded it was enjoyable enough but also eminently forgettable. 5/10

How some of the reviewers quoted on the paperback edition conclude this book is "hilarious" and "riotously funny" baffled all the HBGers. 

Robin - used his infallible "sleep test"

Robin had not managed to finish the book.  Using his infallible "sleep test" to gauge the merits of the book he discovered, on average, he nodded off within 5 minutes and 12 seconds of reading it in bed.  And this despite his well documented obsession with mouths.  Mouths can embody health and decay, wealth and erotic possibility: the "wet new thrill" of a childhood sweetheart's tongue, or memories of Lolita-like lollipops "moist and pulpy at her lips". 4/10

“2001” by Dr Dre

Tristan only chose “2001” by Dr Dre because it involved a doctor and so was a foil to Joshua Ferris's dentist.

In keeping with Tristan's reputation for outrageous conduct, he revealed that he didn't even get around to listening to it but he hoped we had all enjoyed it.

It transpired he was not the only member of the group to have not managed to cop an earful of Dre's beats.  Indeed the only two people who had listened to it were Nick and Nigel, and it turned out that Nigel had waved the white flag after three songs.

Nigel stated that at the risk of common on like a Guardian reading, middle class stereotype, he heartily dislikes the gratuitous sexism of much of the hip hop genre which seems to appeal to idiotic teenage boys and/or not-very-nice people.  Dre's “Fuck You" being a classic case in point which is just deeply unpleasant. Bitches, dicks, etc. 

There are so many examples of how the creativity of hip hop can be used to celebrate positivity and/or have an uplifting or campaigning message (e.g. Arrested Development, Jurassic 5, De La Soul etc) but alas "2001" was not one of them containing the depressingly predictable raps about violence, drugs, pussy, bitches, dope, guns, and gangsters.

Woah. Hold on there.  Nick, who correctly pointed out was the only HBGer qualified to offer informed comment as he had listened to the entire thing, quite possibly more than once, revealed it is actually a concept album, and "what a concept"...  

By the album's conclusion the women have emerged triumphant to subvert the stereotyping - and Dre's degrading them every way he can think of, most of which involve his dick - and, far from being lazy misogynist stereotypical gangster crap, it is actually a blow for feminism.  Who knew?  Bravo Tristan.  Bravo Dr Dre.

“Scarface" (1983) directed by Brian De Palma

Tristan enjoyed “Scarface" a lot. Oliver Stone is a great cinematographer, and there are some fantastic scenes, the sets were brilliant, and the storyline gripping. 

The montage scenes seemed cheesy and dated, as did some other bits. And what's with Al Pacino's accent? He sounds like an Italian American badly impersonating Speedy Gonzales?

But all in all, a rollocking ride, with a few buried Existential Questions (what is happiness? what do you buy when you've bought everything? can an empire built on violence and control ever persist?). Great stuff.  7/10

Nick celebrated the macho performance, lavishing it with 6.5/10

Hamish lauded Al Pacino in his pomp and, with an involuntary shudder, recalled the chainsaw scene.  8/10

Robin "enjoyed it" 7/10

Keith praised a rather ridiculous romp and riot.  He was a first time viewer.  9/10

Nigel saw it in the cinema and had enjoyed repeat viewings over the years and compared this latest viewing as akin to encountering an ex with whom he was once very much in love.  As Nigel proved, he can still quote swathes of dialogue.  The years have not been as kind as they might to some of the scenes however it is still a complete classic.  9/10

"Say hello to my little friend"

Endorse it

And finally to "Endorse it" - our new feature in which everyone is invited to recommend stuff.  Here's what we came up with...

Nick: Whiplash 2015 film

Keith: Camp 14 - Total Control Zone - documentary on Netflix

Robin: Wolf Hall BBC TV adaptation

Nigel: "May We Be Forgiven" book by AM Homes

Hamish: ????

And with that we bade each other farewell after another evening of top flight gentlemanly discourse.

"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley

Ten years after

It seems like only yesterday that Robin, Nigel, and a few others who have fallen by the wayside, were at the inaugural Hove Book Group meeting in January 2005.  It really was ten years ago.  

Happy 10th anniversary Hove Book Group

Let them eat cake

At around half way through our discussion, and with mounting impatience on Robin's part, a cake appeared, was deftly cut into five pieces, and we gazed at each other, happily munching, with awe struck faces.  Here's to the next ten.

Raising our game

At the end of year HBG festive meal in December 2014 we resolved to raise our game and make 2015 a year to remember and to kick us off Robin had chosen an eclectic and intriguing mix including...

"Frankenstein" (1818) by Mary Shelley

Robin

Why Robin why?  

Robin visited a cinema in Worthing where he saw Benedict Cumberbatch perform as The Monster in a National Theatre adaptation of Frankenstein.  It was love at first sight. Frankenstein is an engrossing, spine-chilling drama: creator and creature in an inimitably gothic mirror motif, with the outcast creature, rejected by his maker, and yet a reflection of him.

Robin loved this amazing, clever, insightful, far fetched but ultimately believable tale.  9/10

Keith was filled with feverish anticipation prior to reading Frankenstein.  His overriding emotion once he'd finished was disappointment.  Keith acknowledged that Frankenstein is a parable of scientific arrogance, a critique of masculine meddling in creation, which has only increased in our age of test-tube babies, genetic engineering and stem-cell therapies however the actual experience of reading the book was "not all that".  4/10

Nigel really enjoyed "Dracula", another Robin choice, and so with this in mind had high hopes for "Frankenstein".  Nigel was struck by how different the cinematic adaptations are when compared with the original story.  The original story felt more implausible, and he could appreciate why it has been simplified for the cinema.

The basic idea (messing with nature and unleashing unstoppable forces), and the book's themes (hubris, horror, madness, the danger of pushing beyond accepted human limits (both Frankenstein and Walton)), are wonderful, however the book itself doesn't make the best use of the grand themes and such a stunning central idea, with too many overlong sections and too many implausibilities.  Nigel was glad to have read it however he felt it could and should have been even better.  6/10

Hamish claimed "Frankenstein" represents the greatest disparity between source novel and subsequent adaptations.  He thought the book was very readable and liked the letter writing structure.  He mused about the extent to which Mary Shelley might have realised how prescient her tale would prove.  The relationship between monster and creator was both compelling and fascinating.  8/10

Tristan started his review with a wonderful diatribe written in the style of the book which will live long in the memories of those privileged to hear it.  Bravo Sir.

Reverting to his customary street patois, Tristan then savaged the book, lambasting the preposterous plot, the endless coincidences, the lack of insights, and the poor characterisation, before finally dismissing it as "a throwaway entry to a ghost story competition...".  Ouch.  Take that Mary Shelley.  2/10

As is so often the way, a divisive book is the catalyst for a stimulating and entertaining discussion and so it proved, as we traded bon mots and stinging jibes, before moving on to...

"The Usual Suspects" (1995) directed by Bryan Singer

Robin, Nigel, Hamish, Keith, Tristan

Robin described "The Usual Suspects" as flawless.  10/10

Tristan thought the twist was less effective second time round. 8/10

Hamish had completely forgotten watching it "back in the day" and was grateful for his shocking memory 9/10

Keith was watching it for the first time as his wife only lets him watch foreign language art films.  He thought it was excellent before resolving to watch more of "this kind of thing".  9/10

Nigel queried a few plot points, amidst another glowing review, which sparked feverish discussion. 8/10

"The Bends" by Radiohead (1995)

Robin loves The Bends 9/10

Keith likes The Bends 8/10

Nigel quite likes The Bends 7/10

Hamish somehow linked a tale about a visit to a Motel in the USA which he had to leave in a hurry to "Creep" before declaring Radiohead the best British band of the modern era.  9/10

Tristan was once subjected to a 24 hour Radioheadathon by his evangelical brother in law which resulted in him feeling ambivalent ?/10

Endorse it

"Endorse it" is our new feature in which everyone is invited to recommend stuff.  Here's what we came up with...

Hamish: "lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar" by Robert Plant
Tristan: "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage" by Haruki Murakami 
Nigel: "Handsome Brute" by Sean O'Connor
Robin: Segway Granada tour
Keith: "Natural Born Killers" 1994 dir by Oliver Stone

And with that we bade each other farewell.  What a wonderful evening.

Hove Book Group Christmas Meal

The hardest working book group in Hove look back on another year of culture

Another splendid evening of bonhomie, insight, incisive discourse, lovely food, wine, and ales, also saw the results of the Hove Book Group review of 2014.

To a gasp of amazement from Tristan, "The Railway Man" by Eric Lomax was voted the best book we read in 2014.  Here's the complete run down...

1. "The Railway Man" by Eric Lomax 

2. "The Lowlife" by Alexander Baron
2. "Between The Woods and the Water" by Patrick Leigh Fermor
4. "White Noise" by Don DeLillo
5. "Last exit to Brooklyn" by Hubert Selby, Jr.
6. "Quiet" by Susan Cain
7. "The Rehearsal" by Eleanor Catton
8. "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom
9. "The Violence of Organized Forgetting: Thinking Beyond America's Disimagination Machine" by Henry A. Giroux

Our occasional musical selections saw Primal Scream share the honours with the late, great Ian Dury..

1="Screamadelica" (1991) by Primal Scream
1="Reasons To Be Cheerful: The Very Best Of Ian Dury & The Blockheads" by Ian Dury & The Blockheads (1999)
3. "XO" (1998) by Elliott Smith
4. Muzsikás Feat. Marta Sebestyen "Fly Bird Fly - Very Best of”
5. "Pure Heroine" (2013) by Lorde 

The mention of Muzsikás prompting a hearty guffaw from Tristan.  

And cinematically, there was one runaway leader....

1. "London - The Modern Babylon" (2012) by Julien Temple
2="All The Presidents Men" (1976) - directed by Alan J. Pakula
2= "Scum" (1979) directed by Alan Clarke
4 "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) directed by Wes Anderson
4. "Requiem for a Dream" (2000) by Darren Aronofsky
6 "The Virgin Suicides" (1999) dir Sofia Coppola 

Nick mentioned, via email, that 2014 had not been a vintage year for HBG and this prompted much soul searching.  Is it better to read great books and have consensus in the group, or to chose more divisive books that perhaps do not linger in the memory?  We all erred towards the former and resolved to up our game in 2015, the year of our tenth anniversary.

Patrick Leigh Fermor "Between The Woods and the Water"

Patrick Leigh Fermor "Between The Woods and the Water"

The hardest working book group in Hove gathered in their traditional haunt in Hove's glamorous Poets Corner district to focus their prodigious intellects on "Between The Woods and the Water" by Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915–2011) was an intrepid traveler and a heroic soldier who is widely considered to be one of the finest travel writers of the twentieth century. After his stormy schooldays, followed by the walk across Europe to Constantinople that begins in A Time of Gifts (1977) and continues through Between the Woods and the Water (1986) and The Broken Road (published posthumously in 2013), he lived and traveled in the Balkans and the Greek archipelago. His books A Time to Keep Silence (1957), Mani (1958) and Roumeli (1966) attest to his deep interest in languages and remote places. 

The controversial book cover

How would HBG respond to Paddy and his teenage travels?

Nigel, who had selected the book, was predictably enthusiastic.  He explained how he was already "in deep" with Paddy and listed the other books he had read by, or about, the man, including the biography by Artemis Cooper.


Nigel had revelled in "A Time of Gifts", the first volume in the trilogy that recounts Patrick Leigh Fermor's extraordinary journey, which commenced in 1933, when he was 18 years old, and during which he set out to walk from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. At the end of "A Time of Gifts" Nigel had left Paddy in Hungary, and this is where "Between the Woods and the Water" picks up the journey.  In "Between The Woods And The Water", Paddy travels to Budapest and thence across the Great Hungarian Plain, before travelling through Transylvania and the upper Carpathian Mountains, variously walking, riding on horseback, by car, on a boat, and by train.  Paddy continues to share his enthusiasm for life, language, history, nature, religion, people, music, food and anything else that piques his interest. His gift for making friends knows no bounds. In this volume, alongside the usual array of aristocrats, Paddy befriends two communities of Gypsies, young women harvesting, Transylvanian shepherds, an Orthodox rabbi and his sons, and various other people and groups he encounters. It appears there is no one with whom he cannot find common ground despite the differences in language, circumstance and culture.

Nigel "revelled"

This book was published in 1986, nine years after "A Time of Gifts", however both books share the same vivacity and freshness that belies the gap between the original experience and when the books were written. What elevates this book, and its predecessor, is Paddy's gorgeously poetic descriptions, which vividly bring his journey to life.  Nigel concluded by hailing it as another beautifully written travel book, that also variously serves as a book about European history, social history, relationships, youth, lost worlds, and all in the company of the most charming, erudite and enthusiastic travelling companion imaginable.  9/10

Robin's body language and demeanour suggested the Paddy love-in was about to abruptly end - and so it came to pass.  Robin felt disengaged by much of the book and found himself frequently zoning out.  Robin loves Laurie Lee.  There, he's said it.  He wants to shout about his love for Laurie Lee from the rooftops.  The downside of his love for Laurie is that it leaves little leeway for alternative attractions.

Robn - loves Laurie Lee

Robin demands that his travel writers rough it every night - not just when the writer is not staying in castles and playing bicycle polo.  Horses, boats, cars?  Come on Paddy.  Rough it man.  Rough it.  4/10

Tristan hailed Paddy as "a remarkable person" with a "prodigious intellect".  He shines a light on a lost Europe and we all benefit from this illumination.  

There is also the occasional reminder of the dreadful future awaiting so many of the people he met along his way in 1934:

"Every part of Europe I had crossed so far was to be torn and shattered by the war; indeed, except for the last stage before the Turkish frontier, all the countries traversed by this journey were fought over a few years later by two mercilessly destructive powers; and when war broke out, all these friends vanished into sudden darkness. Afterwards the uprooting and destruction were on so tremendous a scale that it was sometimes years after the end of it all that the cloud became less dense and I could pick up a clue here and there and piece together what had happened in the interim. Nearly all of them had been dragged into the conflict in the teeth of their true feelings and disaster overtook them all." 

Tristan was able to further enhance his splendid review with reference to his own recent visit to Transylvania.  He regaled us with slides of his visit that included a ex-Salt Mine now used for table tennis, an abandoned and highly toxic chemical factory and his legendary re-enactment of The Matrix.  Confused?  So were we.  But delightfully so.  

Sadly Tristan could exclusively that the Water Buffalo are no longer a regular sight and the diversity of wildlife is in steep decline.

Tristan - re-enacted The Matrix in Transylvania

Back to the book and its gold-panning Gypsies, bawdy village crones, sun-brown reapers, flirty women, Transylvanian shepherds, and the impenetrably reserved Orthodox rabbi, and - of course - the reports from within the “manor houses harbouring over-civilised boyars up to their ears in Proust and Mallarmé”, and - of course - the exploration of European history, language and customs, for Tristan this all added up to a whole heap of literary and intellectual pleasure.  

Well played PLF.  7.5/10

Keith described the book as "genre busting" and a highly intelligent account of Paddy's teenage travels.  How much of what Paddy reported reflected his teenage musings?  And how much was a lifetime of learning superimposed onto the journey?  Keith raised a quizzical eyebrow whilst surveying his HBG bredren.  Either way, Paddy revels in his powers of observation, his historical awareness, and his magnificent prose. Landscape came alive, the people whom he encountered were described and what shone through was their humanity.  The historical and philosophical digressions enchanted Keith and illuminated the reading experience. Keith was there, alongside Paddy, on the vast eastern plain, and he loved it.

Keith - nationalism schmationlism

Keith was also struck by the endless movements of people and customs across geography, of migrations, exiles, conversions and conquests that compose Middle Europe, Keith could not help but reflect upon the ridiculous imposture of nationalism, borders, and the futility and pettiness of statehood.  Europe's people have always, and will always, ebb and flow and that's what define us UKIP, Cameron and the rest of you small minded, blinkered fools.  Keith climbed down from the table to rousing cheers from the assembled throng.  8/10

Hamish went above beyond the call of duty by reading A Time of Gifts before starting this one (although he had to abandon it before finishing in order to read this volume before our discussion).  Once the cheering had died down, Hamish stated he loved the accounts of Paddy's walk.  From the moments in Budapest, with the “noctambulistic” smart set (cellar nightclubs, scotch-and-soda, American jazz) whose country-housed, horse-lending population extended deep into Hungary and Romania, along the still-twitching nerves of the old empire.  With these connections, much of 1934 was a Summer sojourn amongst old Hapsburg nobility.  Paddy pausing for weeks at a time to sample the “learning, munificence, and douceur de vivre” of that soon-to-be-swept-away class. Suddenly, the daunting hike described in this book and A Time of Gifts became more extended holiday filled with picnics, bicycle polo, and undisturbed hours in manorial libraries in which the lore and languages of the region. 

Hamish - went beyond the call of duty

Hamish revelled in Paddy's fantastic language, whilst an easy read Hamish found he could only manage the book in small doses due to the richness of each section.  The downside of travel writing is the that we don't always get as much about the personal aspect of the journey and Hamish enjoyed those sections where this was not the case.  One memorable example was the night spent with the gypsies when Paddy was unsure if his horse would still be with him in the morning.  Hamish concluded his review by asking whether there people like Paddy still exist.  We concluded they probably don't.  8/10 (including a point for the cover which, unbelievably, not everyone liked)

The complimentary film selection was...

The Grand Budapest Hotel - complimentary

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) directed by Wes Anderson

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a 2014 comedy film written and directed by Wes Anderson and inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig. It stars Ralph Fiennes as Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous hotel from the fictional Republic of Zubrowka between the first and second World Wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.



Nigel enjoyed it, and the echoes of the old Hapsburg nobility and the pre-war era with its ominous storm clouds darkening a world of culture and sophistication.  8/10

Keith, who barely knows how to operate a television, was underwhelmed. 6/10

Tristan called it a very good film which ticked all his boxes. 9/10

Robin loved it 7/10

And, to round things off, we enjoyed...

Muzsikás Feat. Marta Sebestyen "Fly Bird Fly - Very Best of"

...or did we?  Robin imagined the music, and the rest of the HBG had not noticed... 

Nigel's lovingly crafted YouTube playlist (good innit) 

...all except Hamish who borrowed the CD and was able to bring some sanity to the discussion by praising the merits of this Hungarian group who mainly play folk music from Hungary and the other countries of the region.  The perfect soundtrack to Paddy's journey.  Thanks Hamish.  The textbook response.

And on that high note the Hove Book Group bade each other farewell with much hearty slapping of backs and kissing of cheeks.