What I'm Reading: 'My Brilliant Friend' by Elena Ferrante

March 9, 2015 Natalie Morath

I almost hate posting the above photo of the English edition cover of the first volume in the Neapolitan novels trilogy, because it motivated me to start reading e-books on my Kindle. It is a truly hideous book and proof of the adage that you cannot judge a book by the cover (but as an aside -- there is nothing wrong with a beautiful book, and whenever possible, isn't is preferable?).

My Brilliant Friend has the dubious honor of having re-energized my reading and getting me out of a bit of a slump, along with preventing my reading War and Peace very quickly. Elena Ferrante's trilogy about a lifelong friendship between two women has been on my radar for quite some time -- James Wood at The New Yorker is a huge advocate and the author has gotten a lot of buzz lately for being famously reclusive. Her identify is somewhat shrouded, causing the Italian press to speculate that 'Elena Ferrante' is the pen-name of a more established (male) Italian author. This is unfair and seems almost certainly untrue.

I've never read a better characterization of female friendship and more and more I'm realizing how much I enjoy books that explore this relationship. Maybe it's because I've been happily married for five years, but generally books that focus on romantic relationship don't do much for me -- they either focus on passionate and tempestuous relationships that are doomed, or on the numbness of prolonged monogamy, neither of which mean anything to me. But at this point in my life, relationships between women seem like the most dynamic and engaging, and as a reader it's what I'm drawn to.

Books on Books: 'How Fiction Works' by James Wood

January 27, 2015 Natalie Morath

I have already espoused my love of James Wood but I was recently re-invigorated by (as usual) the New Yorker OutLoud podcast; I had been saving two juicy James Wood episodes on Elena Ferrante and Hilary Mantel that I finally got around to listening to, and they were as good as ever. If you have even an inkling of interest in either of those two writers, I recommend listening, and even if you don't, I recommend James Wood's 'How Fiction Works' which is essential reading for anyone who reads (see what I did there?). Wood is the ultimate literary critic in that he can simultaneously establish his expertise while he very deftly teaches the reader and the non-expert how to see what he sees in an author's work, and he does so with his own distinctly brilliant prose. He has the authority to tell you how fiction works because he writes as well as he reads. I assure you this volume will not feel like homework, but will instead only serve to enhance your appreciation for the books you already enjoy.

#Readwomen2014 Non-Fiction: 'The Secret History of Wonder Woman' by Jill Lepore

November 18, 2014 Natalie Morath

This book is a bit on the nose for me; it's a history of a feminist comic book character whose creation is firmly grounded in the history of the American woman suffrage movement, written by a beloved New Yorker contributor, so in other words, all the things I like.

Even so, I was genuinely surprised by how much I've loved it so far; Lepore has such a knack for rhythm and storytelling, and despite the fact that it's meticulously researched and very grounded in historical fact, the narrative moves forward at a brisk, comfortable pace. It is rewarding for a ten-page stretch, and rewarding for a ten chapter stretch. For a non-fiction work of history, that is saying something, and that kind of pacing is so incredibly difficult to manage, and yet comes across so effortlessly. It is certainly buoyed by the fact that the true story of the creation of Wonder Woman is stranger than fiction. I have never read a Wonder Woman comic, and I was too young to enjoy the Linda Carter series, so she was never a character I connected with, but even so I've found Lepore's account endlessly fascinating, in large part because it focuses so tightly on the real people adjacent to the Wonder Woman character.

What I'm Reading: 'Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?' by Roz Chast

October 20, 2014 Natalie Morath

You knew I was going to read this eventually, given my big graphic novel kick and the number of awards this thing has been up for this year. Plus there's my New Yorker addiction...Roz Chast is a very funny and talented writer and cartoonist and you've almost certainly seen her work before. She recently published a one-volume graphic memoir about the death of her parents called Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? and its being long/short-listed for all the prizes.

I would call it tragicomic except that the tone can often be uncomfortably ambiguous, which is exactly what Chast wants. Her relationship with her parents was fraught with anxieties and baggage, and their slow physical and mental deterioration complicated an already tense situation. Chast is able to write about it with such grace and honesty, and her unflinching willingness to share her entire experience is really admirable.

Books on Books: 'The Fun Stuff' by James Wood

August 13, 2014 Natalie Morath

James Wood is a bit outside the scope of the blog in the midst of #ReadWomen2014, but he's married to Clare Messud, author of The Woman Upstairs so it seemed like a good time to talk about The Fun Stuff, one of several collections of literary criticism and essays he has published. Wood is a literary critic for The New Yorker and his 2008 book How Fiction Works is one many of you have probably encountered. The Fun Stuff, however, is more of a random assortment of essays and criticism, less focused than How Fiction Works, although it is largely concerned with fiction and the novel.

What I'm Reading: 'The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis'

July 14, 2014 Natalie Morath

I'm sure I've written before about my long-standing distaste for short stories. It probably stemmed from early adolescence, when I was forced to read 'The Gift of the Magi' one time too many. All of the awful short stories that English teachers make kids read give the impression that all short stories must have some kind of macabre, twist ending. As an adult, I skipped over the short story in every issue of The New Yorker, and it wasn't until I read George Saunders that I really started to enjoy them.

I'm not too proud to confess that I bought The Collected Short Stories of Lydia Davis purely for its aesthetic appeal: it's tiny and thick and the most beautiful blushy-orange color. It looks extremely satisfying on my nightstand, and I'm really enjoying the slow process of consuming it. Some stories are as short as a paragraph or a even a sentence, so it's hard to recommend to short story skeptics like myself, because Davis' stories are an exercise in the dismantling of the genre. Even so, for those who never found short stories appealing, the fact that her collection is so very different may be precisely what converts you.

Jennifer Weiner's War on...Men? Women? Fiction? Everything?

July 2, 2014 Natalie Morath

I have very little patience for Jennifer Weiner. I have never read a novel by her; I have no plans to. Nothing about her books is appealing to me-- the covers (legs and shoes, mostly), the titles (“Good in Bed”? Blech!), the blurbs (“Allison Weiss got her happy ending—a handsome husband, an adorable little girl, a job she loves, and a big house in the suburbs. But when she’s in the pediatrician’s office with her daughter and a magazine flips open to a quiz about addiction, she starts to wonder whether her use of prescription pills is becoming a problem.” Yes, that is real), the genre (chick lit, “slumber party fiction”). But that said, I was perfectly content to leave her be; obviously someone buys her books, because she’s one of the best-selling authors in the English language, and you can’t visit an airport without seeing dozens of those leg-and-shoe covers staring back at you. It’s not for me, but I don’t mind if it exists.