Book Chat Issue #139

Land

Hello reading friends, it’s lovely to have you here.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ll know that I don’t really write book reviews in the traditional sense. You won’t find any cultural criticism here, and I rarely delve into ‘what the writer was trying to say’. I figure the author has said what they wanted to say and my role is to think about what it means to me and/or what I learnt about the world.

Reading is a way for me to analyse my feelings and my assumptions, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about structure, or the skill with which an author draws the threads of story together. I’m more likely to talk about how a book made me feel, than about technique.

I also rarely talk about books I haven’t enjoyed and this is one reason I don’t seek out review copies. If I was forced to read books not of my choosing it would seem like a chore, and I prefer to read for pleasure.

What gives me pleasure is sharing titles I’ve enjoyed in the hope that you might enjoy them too.

And this week’s recommendation is a gem.

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What I’ve been reading

I was very excited to get my hands on a library copy of Maggie O’Farrell’s new book “Land”. There was a very long waiting list and I was pleased to finally make it to the top. Good things come to those who wait!

Not only does Land have the most beautiful cover, it also has one of the best openings - one which perfectly captures the Irish lilt of the characters. You can almost hear the narrator talking to you.

His father was ever a man of few words. Even when Liam is on the other side of the world, with a new name and unfamiliar clothes, facing a committee of robed men who have come to sit in judgement of him, he will be able to remember the astonishing day that turned his father garrulous.

Land is a historical novel set in post-famine Ireland in the 1860s. It tells the story of a mapmaker called Tomás who is working on the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. He’s accompanied by his son Liam, a young boy and slightly reluctant companion and together they move across the countryside, painstakingly measuring the land using a pole and a length of chain.

In an unnamed part of the countryside they discover a hidden copse with a deep well. The normally taciturn Tomás drinks from the well and is transformed into an entirely different man.

He begins to see mapping as “an act of colonisation”, a way of taming a country that was once the domain of gods and mythical creatures.

And this is why Land is a tour de force. It sweeps back and forth amongst generations and continents, weaving together ancient myths, magic, and connection to the land. Sometimes I felt dizzy at the breadth of the book, but I just went with it to see what happened. O’Farrell carefully weaves in the personal stories of the characters, so you never feel bogged down.

I learnt a lot about map-making, and a lot about the famine, but more than that, I pondered the nature of faith, persistence, and connection to the land.

In this excellent review by David Nally, Professor of Historical Geography at Cambridge University, he talks about how and why a land is changed. It made me think about all the similarities in the way white people came to Australia, disregarded the indigenous people and their dreamtime stories, confined them to reserves, and forced them to survive on meagre rations of white flour, tea, and sugar. There’s a lot to ponder when you read this book.

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What I’ve been listening to

I discovered a new podcast called Why Women Grow, hosted by Alice Vincent, and have been listening with great interest. It’s loosely based around the theme of gardening, but is so much more. Here you will find stories about feminism, connection, and motherhood.

Check out the interview with Maggie O’Farrell which was recorded on the morning of her book launch.

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What I’ve been eating

Last weekend I had my regular coffee catchup with my good friend Catherine. We get together most weekends and never run out of things to chat about. Last Saturday we shared a piece of sourdough toast with peanut butter, honey, and banana, and I’ve been eating this on repeat ever since.

In the cafe they slice the banana sideways which looks pretty, so I’ve been doing the same. It also has the cheery side-effect of making some of the banana slices look like little smiling faces.

What are your favourite breakfast combinations?

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International Book Club

Not long now to our next meeting. It’s happening on August 6 in the USA and Canada, and August 7 in Australia and New Zealand (9am Australian Eastern Standard Time).

Here’s the Zoom link:

We are discussing Sleepless by Annabel Abbs. I hope you can join us.

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That’s all for this issue my friends.

Next week I’ll share my TBR (or what’s on my reserve list at the library). I put a hold on Yesteryear this morning and I’m number 34 in the queue!

Until next time, take care of yourself and read as much as you can.

Cheers,

Marg (short for Margaret and pronounced with a hard ‘g’)