Sofa Spotlight - That Hideous Strength, C. S. Lewis

The third in The Space Trilogy and in my opinion the best. The pace is much faster and there is more going on in terms of action, but there is still that beautiful prose which makes the writings of C. S. Lewis so excellent.

At first I didn’t think we were going to meet Ransom in this book, and I was concerned that I would never find out what happened to his foot. But all was well, he was there but came in an unexpected way. Which was only one of the things that came out of left field in this book.

On the whole I loved the idea. I think it is very true to life and C. S. Lewis was just as perceptive as George Orwell in terms of where society would be heading. This book is different to the other two in that it is the only one focused on what is happening on Earth. Earth is in the background of the other books but now it is centre stage as a battle takes place between the bent eldila and the gods of the heavens.

It’s subtle, beautifully written and exciting. It cleverly puts into a semi-plausible narrative what might happen at the end of time. The arrival of Merlin was an interesting twist that I didn’t buy entirely but it is certainly an interesting possibility.

Reading the whole series is a must in my opinion.

Sofa Spotlight - Sag Harbor, Colson Whitehead

It wouldn’t be the start of summer without reading a Colson Whitehead book. What I love most about his books is that they have the feel of poetry to them. The way he writes brings people and places to life, and you can almost reach out and touch what he is describing. And Sag Harbor was no different.

The story is about two black teenage boys as they spend the summer in Sag Harbor and reacquaint themselves with the friends that they meet every summer. I love the teenage politics and what criteria make another kid cool or what is acceptable to do or say. I honestly didn’t want this book to end, it felt so personal and beautiful. It’s fun watching a group of teenagers getting to know themselves and finding their identity in a complex, contradictory world.

I enjoyed this book a lot, I think it has a lot to say about coming of age and finding out who we are. It provokes thoughts on what influences us, and what are the factors that determine our place in the world.

Sofa Spotlight - Perelandra Voyage to Venus, C. S. Lewis

It’s not taken me long to crack on through this trilogy and this is book two. Thankfully the series is such that there are few spoilers along the way. It’s less about drama driven by action but drama driven through moral dilemma.

As the second book in the series there seems to have been a move from being ambiguous about which religion the story is tied to, and instead it’s fairly explicit about following the Christian narrative. That being said to get full appreciation of the novel a knowledge of the early chapters of the Biblical book of Genesis certainly helps.

In contrast to The Silent Planet which explores what has happened to our world from the perspective of those out in the universe, Perelandra is about the start of a new world. Just as in our own world Perelandra is initially occupied by a man and woman paralleling Adam and Eve. And just as in our world there was a temptation to disobey God, that same temptation is offered to the inhabitants of Perelandra.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ransom who reappears in this story and is a pivotal character. He goes through a lot and most of the book I spent worrying that he would lose his integrity by trying to save the innocence of the King and Queen. What upset me though is that it is never resolved whether they could stop his heel bleeding. So if for nothing else I will have to read book three!

Sofa Spotlight - Hamlet Globe to Globe, Dominic Dromgoole

Last year I spent some time reading Hamlet again, possibly the first time I’d read it since studying it for A-level. It was part of a campaign I had to read all of Shakespeare’s works. That didn’t work out so well and I quickly found that spending time studying Hamlet had greatly enhanced my enjoyment of it – an element that was missing in my reading of the other plays. So, I’ve given up until a later date.

The result of the above musing was that I thought that Hamlet Globe to Globe would be a good read. The idea is that Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre tried to take Hamlet to every country in the world and on the whole succeeded. I enjoyed the connections that were made between elements of Hamlet and the cultures that were encountered on the journey.

I think what I appreciated the most was the way that it allowed me to explore Hamlet again. There’s a difference between studying a play for an exam and being able to think about it for pleasure. I would say that there are benefits to both, but this book reopened the play to me and took me around the world as part of the deal!

This is a book I would recommend. The author comes across as very down to earth and human, and not afraid to talk about the less than glamourous side of the tour. It’s fun and informative – what more could you want from a book?

Sofa Spotlight - Out of the Silent Planet, C. S. Lewis

 

C. S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy was always one of those things that I meant to read. Right after I had reread The Chronicles of Narnia. I must confess that I was a bit intimidated by it and didn’t want to read it in case I didn’t like it as much as Narnia.

Well, I needn’t have worried.

I’ve finished the first book and as I started it, I wasn’t sure what I was getting, and at the back of my mind was the idea that Aslan would be strolling onto the scene. And in some ways Aslan isn’t far away in this book. Don’t get me wrong – this is a very different kind of story, but there are important scenes. I couldn’t help thinking about what Aslan says in one of the books about how he is not just in our world as well as in Narnia, but he has a different name there.

But before I explain about that. The story is about a guy called Ransom who, at the start of the book, is on a walking tour for the summer. He bumps into two unfriendly types, Weston and Devine, who subsequently kidnap Ransom and set off for the planet of Malacandra. As much as I felt sorry for Ransom, it just goes to show that you shouldn’t tell a relative stranger that you are set to be alone for some time and that no one would miss you for a few weeks.

It’s on Malacandra that Ransom has some similar Narnia experiences. There are different types of creatures and there is an Aslan character, by a different name, just out of sight. But the concept this time centres on a world where sin has not corrupted, and what that would be like. It provides a different take on the Biblical story of what has happened on Earth, the Silent Planet, and gives it a wider context, albeit a fictional one.

I’m certainly interested in reading more in this series. There’s a lot to unpack in this first one. I felt that it was a mix of excellent writing at the beginning as I explored an intriguing world through Ransom’s eyes. But for me the pace really picked up towards the end. It’s not so much that there was more action, just much to ponder and think about.

Sofa Spotlight - Burmese Days, George Orwell

 

Having read the obvious George Orwell books I thought it was time to move on from Animal Farm and 1984 to other books that I didn’t know. Burmese Days was my choice and I have to say that I enjoyed it more than the other two.

The main character, Flory, is part of the white community in Burma sometime after the First World War (I wasn’t paying much attention to when it was set). His struggle is that he doesn’t agree with the racism that radiates off his fellow club members and prefers the company of the local Burmese doctor. 

Flory’s struggle is one of putting his values above his need for a quiet life that doesn’t involve rows with the other members of his club. It is forced to come to a head by the schemes of one of the Burmese officials who wants to be a member of the all white club. What stands in his way is Flory’s friend the doctor who would be a more natural choice for the first non-white member.

From what I’ve read Burmese Days was inspired by George Orwell’s time as a policeman in what was then Burma. I found it hard to read because of the prejudices of many of the characters who seemed to lack substance when compared to Flory, who is capable of thinking for himself even if he has a hard time standing up for himself and his values.

I’d say it’s definitely still a relevant book. There are many contradictions in the characters which reflect so accurately the contradictions people have in themselves in real life. The characters are flawed but real and the book does expose the ridiculousness of racism. 

Sofa Spotlight - Becoming, Michelle Obama

I’m behind on reading this for a couple of reasons. The first is that I’m not a big reader of autobiographies so it wasn’t a book I would naturally reach for, and secondly I thought it might be a bit too heavy on American politics, not something I know a lot about, so my thinking was that it probably wasn’t for me.

But I kept hearing good things about it and I thought it might be worth a try. After I’d got over my initial shock of reading an autobiography I found that I was really enjoying it. It was a very engaging read and provided a window on a world that I didn’t know about. What came across to me was how much both Michelle Obama and Barack Obama cared about what they were doing, and how genuine they seemed to be. Whilst I was reading Becoming I was also reading other books and coincidently the authors of those books mentioned meeting the Obamas. What I thought was great was that the impression that those authors had of the Obamas was the same impression that I was getting as I read Becoming.

The focus is really on her family and what they went through together. It is very readable and one that I would recommend. Her life is inspiring but also human and relatable. Oh and there was an easy balance on the American politics thing, I wasn’t overwhelmed and I could understand what was going on – always a good thing!