Blog Tour Review: Gracianna

Gracianna
Trini Amador
2013
Greenleaf Book Group Press
269 pages

'And he knew Gracianna was an energy mass that attracted like a gravitational pull - she was constantly moving ahead, gathering energy and emotions along the way.'

It has actually become increasingly rare for a book to have such a hold on me that I stay up until two in the morning to finish it. But that happened last week with Gracianna. What a book. It was worth looking a bit haggard and being completely exhausted the next day, without a doubt.

Gracianna tells the story of Trini Amador's great-grandmother Gracianna Lasaga:

'Gracianna bravely sets off to Paris in the early 1940s–on her way to America, she hopes–but is soon swept into the escalation of the war and the Nazi occupation of Paris. After chilling life-and-death struggles, she discovers that her missing sister has surfaced as a labourer in Auschwitz. When she finds an opportunity to fight back against the Nazis to try to free her sister, she takes it–even if it means using lethal force.'

The scope of the novel is quite huge - we get a sense of Gracianna's life and character from her time in Basque country through to her move to Paris and after. I really appreciated getting to know Gracianna as a person before she is flung into this crazy world of death and intrigue. It made her seem more of a whole person and therefore one I could empathise with. It also makes the events of the novel seem even more shocking. To see a young girl grow up in the country, move to Paris and then play a key role in the resistance reflected the truth of the matter and introduced me to a whole new side of the French resistance. As a character, Gracianna is more than interesting. She is strong, wilful and courageous but above all she is hopeful and optimistic even in situations that, to an objective outsider, seem entirely hopeless. I think if you want to be inspired and invigorated by one woman's courage then I'd recommend reading this.

There were a couple of little niggly things within the structure that came to the fore occasionally but, with a story as good as this, structural niggles can be overlooked. Some of the language was wonderful and the way Amador wormed his way into the heads of his characters was particularly delightful. Considering the family connection and the amount of truth in the story, I think it is a difficult task that Amador has managed with skill. 

Aside from reading one other novel that features Basque culture, I pretty much knew nothing about it before reading Gracianna. It seems that Basque is synonymous with so many different attributes, all of which are demonstrated in Gracianna and Juan. It was interesting to learn about a culture at the same time as delving into a story. All the basque proverbs quoted throughout were a joy to read and some I will apply to my own life: 'Those who don't look forward, stay behind'.

Perhaps the most heartwarming aspects of the novel are the sections involving Gracianna's great capacity to love and to love in such a flawed, human way. We all make mistakes in our relationships, be they family or romantic. The two great relationships in this novel are Gracianna and Juan's and Gracianna and Constance's. It is her relationship with her sister Constance that determines the action she takes and the unusual path she chose in the resistance. But it is her relationship with Juan and his unwavering devotion to her that really got me.

For an inspiring, heartfelt and courageous read I would rate Gracianna highly. I challenge anyone not to fall a little bit in love with Gracianna and her strength.

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To see the schedule for the rest of the Gracianna tour, go to:  http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/graciannatwotour

Blog Tour Interview: Gracianna

As a reader I am such a nosey nellie. I'm frequently just as interested in the author and the writing process as the book itself. My inclination to be nosey reached an almost all-time high as I read Gracianna. How could it not considering the premise - Gracianna is based on the life of the author's great-grandmother in Nazi occupied France. Read on to find out how Trini Amador, author of Gracianna, felt about writing his great-grandmother's story and how he feels it is important to chronicle the Holocaust.

I found Gracianna to be an inspiring book - I came out of it feeling a new sense of determination and courage. Is this a reaction that you hoped for? Was there something particular you wanted people to take away from the experience?

Thanks you so much for inviting me to LitNerd. I appreciate your comments about Gracianna. I hoped folks would think about the commitment and effort of past generations. They did not complain, they had it hard, they sacrificed. Facebook was one of the reasons for writing the book. I thought of about young folks (maybe a young girl around 19, Gracianna’s age in the book) that post pictures and socialize….what might they believe in, today, so completely, that they would act heroically like Gracianna? 

Did you face any challenges writing Gracianna's story given the family connection?

The challenges were many. Firstly, Gracianna never talked about the war or her past much in detail. She never spoke about it with me since I was just a young boy. For example, I did not know until the day I stated writing the book that Gracianna’s sister had been in a concentration camp nor that she has lived through it.  Families are complicated, meaning along with that comes the difficulties of communication and getting the complete story like in any other family. Overall I relied on my wits and own research to get the underlying facts that I needed to write the story. 

What inspired you to tell her story?

We had been working on our family wine brand for several years and had been thinking about her since we named the winery after her. When I was a boy she used to talk about being thankful…. “Be thankful…,” what does that mean to a five year old bay? Not much but it stick with me and as I grew older I better understood the meaning. 

I love how well researched this book is - particularly the details of Basque culture - how did you find researching the novel? Did you find anything particularly revealing about the past?

I went to the Basque Country to get a feel for where Gracianna was from. Lisa and I ended up in St. Jean Pied de Port – an ancient walled city. It was rugged but beautiful. The hillsides were steep and rocky. I read anything I could on the Basque. It was a wonderful awakening.  I had learned the Gracianna might be from Baigorri and it made sense that Juan was from Laxia (Laxague was his Basque given name). We drove all around the countryside in wide wonder. 

I know the story is based on the true events of Gracianna's life - how much of it is fact and how much fiction? Did you struggle creating fiction around the facts of your great-grandmother's life? 

The book is full of facts. It is hard to put percentages on it but I had no problem filling in the blanks. As a boy I had fantasized about the gun and how it had gotten in her night stand. There was not a long way from the lip to the cup to get it in her hand doing the impossible. She was tough. She was resolute. I had nearly fifty years to let the story roll around in my head – by time I was ready to write Gracianna it burst onto the page. 

I holed up in a hotel room in Asia for three days and wrote and wrote and wrote. The typical novel is 100,000 words, I wrote 12,000 words in three days. 

Many writers (both then and now) feel like writing about events such as the world wars and the Holocaust is important because they 'bear witness' to such atrocities. Did you feel like you were doing that with Gracianna? How important do you think it is to narrate these past events?

It was important to “chronicle” the war and the Holocaust. I went to Auschwitz as part of my research. I had no delusion that I could tell much new about the war or the atrocities but I did feel, when I got to it, that some of perspective might have been different. It was not easy to research. I learned more than I had expected. I am glad I did. It adds to my constant journey toward gratitude.

Does Gracianna have anything further to tell us or do you have something different in the pipeline?

Huh, funny you should ask. There is another story and my publisher has asked if I would be interested to write it. I will decide as we get into the New Year. I would LOVE to write again and hope to be able to do that. 

Finally, could you share with us your favourite reads of 2013 so far?

Favourite read is to go back for me, always: The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane. I love this story and come back to it over and over again. It was the first time that I understand that a “story” had a deeper meaning. It was not just the words on the page and the story itself but there is always a message…well good work has a message right?

Thank you to Trini for answering my questions so wonderfully! Read my review of Gracianna here.

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Review: Havisham by Ronald Frame

Havisham
Ronald Frame
Faber & Faber
2012
368 pages

'Our lives are fictions. How others interpret us. What we allow others to do with us. What we make of ourselves. What we fancy, make believe, we might do.'

This book was the final straw/last nail in the coffin for me in that it has finally proven to me that you cannot start reading a book with certain expectations. I've been wanting to read Havisham for ages and ages, all the while thinking I knew how it was vaguely going to go and how it was going to be written. In terms of plot, yes, my expectations were more or less fulfilled but in terms of writing - I was completely off the mark. I was expecting a run of the mill novel with all the usual character/plot devices and no funny business with the writing style. I hadn't expected it to be, what I can only call, experimental. And then, I hadn't expected it to be so beautiful. Lesson learned: don't have expectations.

Havisham, as can easily be inferred, tells the story of Dickens's Miss Havisham and how she becomes the infamous manipulator of Estella and Pip. The back story Frame creates for Catherine Havisham makes it hard to believe that she could have turned into anything other than what she does. She begins the story as a naive, curious, energetic and intelligent young girl aware of her standing in society but not taking much notice of it (she forms a very strong bond with a maid). But she is lied to, manipulated and used quite ferociously for the gain of others until she herself becomes a master manipulator intent on revenge (enter Estella).  

The best way I can describe the writing in Havisham is like a series of pictures. It flows and is a linear story but small things are focused on in detail and described with marvellous skill. It is a character study more than a plot-driven novel which I think explains this unusual style. Although the story is significant and obviously present, it felt like we were being introduced to Miss Havisham and elements of her personality slowly revealed to us through her actions and interactions. It is a series of pictures punctuated by quotes from writers, poets and philosophers which made the reading experience even richer and more enlightening. 

Havisham overlaps with Great Expectations quite considerably towards the end but it still sticks to the other side of the story, Miss Havisham's side, rather than trying to unrealistically weave in elements of Dickens's original tale. There are some wonderfully metafictional sections, though, around Pip as the author/narrator which would please any lover of Great Expectations.

For a new twist on an old story and some disarmingly beautiful writing, I would really recommend reading Havisham. I think whether you've read Great Expectations or not, or whether you even like it or not, Havisham is an emotive story about women's roles in Victorian England and what women will do to get by. 

'The engagement banns were read.
   I surrendered myself to everything, and became - 
   that cherry tree throwing its branches
   the flame leaping on the new wick
   the water tumbling joyfully over the weir
   the fragrant spring wind seeping trough the window cracks
   the yellow cart rolling down the street
   the vigorous hyacinths sprouting from their bulbs, after a dark cupboard-growing
   the old Roman bricks stuck into the flint wall at the bottom of the garden, when I would sit in the mild sun staring and staring in front of me.
   I was still trying to believe my luck.'

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#readWilkie: The Start

'There are few higher, better, or more profitable enjoyments in this world than reading a good novel.' (Wilkie, 1856)

Well said, Wilkie...So, the day is finally here. Let the month of Wilkie begin! Thankfully I was out for most of yesterday evening otherwise I think I would have spent to whole thing fondling the book and becoming increasingly desperate to just start reading. Yeh. It's like that. Anyway, since I wasn't in close proximity to the book until late when I was too tired to do anything but catch some z's, I avoided that kind of over-excited (slightly worrying) behaviour. Phew.

To get me started today I'll be doing some tube journey and lunchtime reading before settling in (post-gym) with Wilkie this evening. It's going to be wonderful. It's November, it's cold and it's damp so for me it will be buckets of tea, blanket, snacks and reading.

Just to remind you all of the schedule for the readalong...it is completely low pressure, so low pressure you could do it lying down (which I will be, at times):

1st November - START READING
16th/17th November - Mid-way catch up...how are you getting on? What do you think?
30th November - The finish and review (though not necessarily on that date if you aren't able)

I'm going to be doing some Wilkie-related posts throughout the month just so I can have a bit of an outlet for my excessive Wilkie love. I'm planning on reading Peter Ackroyd's recent biography this month (it has been placed by my bed) which I'm hoping will shed some light on Wilkie the man and author.

There is a master Mister Linky below so add all your posts to that as and when you decide to write one. And don't forget the hashtag #readWilkie on twitter.

Given it's the first day today, how about sharing a picture of your version of The Moonstone on your blog or twitter? We all know that book porn is ridiculously addictive and I know there are some knee-knockingly gorgeous versions available so, please share!

Happy reading everyone and I hope you enjoy reading Wilkie!

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On DNF-ing

Books are pretty impressive things. They have the power to considerably influence my emotional state, they have the power to make me forget reality (even if momentarily), and they have the power to dispel loneliness. I never can feel lonely when I have a book in my hands. It is safe to say that I rely on books quite heavily for comfort as well as entertainment which only serves to intensify the feeling of disappointment when a book does not live up to expectations. 

I rarely set aside books without finishing them - I do not DNF lightly. So when I do, I usually have rather strong feelings about it. This year, as far as I can recall, I have only set aside two novels. The first was Nicola Barker's The Burley Cross Postbox Theft. I had such high hopes for this - it is epistolary and about countryside village life, what's not to love? Apparently not much. I found the writing cliched and unfunny so I made the executive decision to return it to the library unread, comforting myself with the idea that there are plenty more fish in the sea.

Several weeks ago now, during one of my lunchtime expeditions to the Waterstones on Gower Street (heaven, I tell you), I treated myself to John Boyne's The Absolutist. Pegged as the new Birdsong, the cover is emblazoned with trench imagery with a very prominent sticker just emphasising again that it is the new Birdsong (damn you, clever marketing strategies). I am a sucker for Birdsong comparisons and trench imagery (I must be the marketer's idea of a dream audience). Obviously the visuals were not the only element that made me march up to the till and part so willingly with my money. Oh no, an intriguing blurb and opening page had something to do with it too. And, of course, Boyne's reputation. Whilst I have not read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas I have heard its praises sung enough to warrant Boyne's place in the 'reputed writer' category in my head. Clearly fate was against me on that dingy (no doubt) day and all these factors converged to point me towards the till with The Absolutist in hand. Ah life, you cruel mistress.

Unusually, I began to read The Absolutist quite soon after purchasing it. I guess I was that excited. And  what was I to discover? Oh look - battlefield secrets! Shell shock! Homoeroticism! Conscientious Objectors! A relationship between two soldiers that was bound to turn into more than what it seemed! I'm sorry, John, but there is recycling tropes and then there is RECYCLING TROPES. The Absolutist was definitely heading towards the latter. I have no doubt that I was probably harsh in my judgements, as I am generally inclined to be when it comes to contemporary war stories. I'm not going to go into it because I've not finished it therefore I couldn't possibly review it. However, I will say that I have a suspicion that I could predict what comes next in the book. I like to think I'd be surprised but, for now at least, I'm not willing to find out.

Perhaps there is a time and a place in your life for reading certain books, no matter how excited you are to read them then and there. And perhaps (I hope) this is the case with these two novels I set aside. Considering how strongly I feel about books, feeling like I have been let down by a less than great book can effect my mood way more than it probably should. It's almost on par to being stood up  by a friend or, heaven forbid, by a date. This is in deep, emotional territory. Rather than writing these two novels off entirely, then, I am going to put them aside until such a time as I may be ready to read them. And if that time comes and I still can't get through them then I think it's fair to move on to the next one.

What are your thoughts on not finishing books? Are there too many books out there to struggle along with the disappointing ones? Have you read either of these - if so, am I being too judgemental? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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At the moment I am...

Reading... The War with the Newts by Karel Capek. This is an unusual choice for me but I am really, oddly, enjoying it. I am reading it for a book club I have recently joined that reads only post-apocalyptic fiction (how could I not join?!) and I will be attending the meeting and discussing this one tomorrow evening. I'll share my thoughts (and Bookclub experiences) with you all at some point, no doubt. This one is actually perfect for the Translation Challenge too!

Writing... CV and application forms...oh joy.

Listening to... My iPod on shuffle. I adore doing this, I always end up rediscovering some serious gems. Tonight Macklemore's Thrift Shop came on at just the perfect moment to put a giant smile on my face. That song always gives me the half-marathon warm fuzzies.

Looking forward to... New challenges. Recently I've had a number if people tell me (in not quite such clear terms) that I am in a rut. After some thought I am inclined to agree so I have been actively looking for ways to make small changes to my life. Step one is getting back into a theatre and I actually have a trial volunteer shift this week (fingers crossed) so maybe, just maybe, I can start climbing my way out of this rut.

I am also looking forward to #readWilkie which starts on Friday. And by looking forward I obviously mean obsessively checking the date, moving the book closer to my bed inch by inch, and flipping through the pages on a daily basis as I get ready to get my fill of Wilkie. Me, excited? What on earth gave you that idea?! 
Hankering for... Some serious book browsing (shopping). I feel that several members of the fam will be getting books for Christmas this year.

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A couple of cheeky purchases

Just a quickie today to share a couple of new buys I made this week. I went over to Spitalfields market on Wednesday and they had two of THE most amazing book stalls selling cheap, beautiful, nerd-enticing books. I was restrained, as you can see from the photo.

The Diary of Samuel Pepys - I remember reading bits of this during history lessons at school and ever since I have wanted to read it in its entirety. Now I can! I love that it is small, fabric bound and red. Beautiful.

The Moon and Sixpence by W Somerset Maugham - this is on my Classics Club list and I just couldn't not buy this penguin edition.

From the final three you can clearly see that I harbour a secret love of the green Virago Modern Classics. I love Virago - for it's name and for the books it publishes.

The Sleeping Beauty by Elizabeth Taylor - I've never read anything by ET but I have heard she is wonderful so I think it's time to give her a go.

Mary Olivier: A Life by May Sinclair - I adore May Sinclair and I have read or own a fair number of her works. I'm looking forward to seeing how this one compares.

The Ante-Room by Kate O'Brien - I may be making a huge faux pas here but I have never heard of Kate O'Brien. I didn't think I could walk away without buying this though as she clearly is a figure of some importance - this one stall had about three of her novels. It has an interesting premise so I am interested to see what O'Brien has to offer.

Let me know if you've read any of these - I'd love to know what I'm getting myself in to.

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