I’ve dipped into the TBR Book Jar to find three new titles from which I’ll pick one to read by end of May.
The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West
I bought this shortly after reading her short but intense debut novel Return of the Soldier. The Fountain Overflows is a semi-autobiographical novel that reflects on the cultural, historical and psychological elements of the first decade of the 20th century, reflected through the prism of the gifted, eccentric Aubrey family. It was one of her last books and was meant to be the first part of a trilogy but she was never satisfied with the second and third parts so they were never published in her lifetime.
There Were Many Horses by Luiz Ruffato
This is one of the first books I requested via NetGalley, so long ago that I can’t remember anything about the book other than the author is Brazilian. From Goodreads I learn that it’s set in São Paulo in 2000.
” As Luiz Ruffato describes the scenes around him on this one typical day, he deciphers every minute and second of a metropolis marked by diversity―a mosaic of people from all over Brazil and the world that defines São Paulo’s personality at the start of the twenty-first century. The city is more than just traffic jams, parks, and global financial maneuvering. It is alive, and every rat and dusty grocery truck informs its distinctive character. ”
That blurb doesn’t give any indication that there is a plot to this novel. Reading some of the reviews posted on Goodreads it seems to be more of a documentary about a city, one that uses poetry, stream of consciousness, and non-literary techniques.
Winter by Ali Smith
This is where I discover a flaw in the Book Jar experiment. Winter is the second title in Ali Smith’s “seasonal” quartet but since I’ve yet to read the first — Autumn — I’d be reading them out of order. So here’s my dilemma: I have other titles in my jar that are part of series so could well end up with the same problem in the future. Should I remove all the series titles from the jar??
And the vote goes to …….Rebecca West
Not a difficult decision to make this time around. West wins on the basis that I already know she’s a talented writer, particularly when dealing with the psychologies of her characters.
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