Ms SMITH
recommends... In our continuing series of staff recommendations, Ms Smith shares her thoughts on some of the books that have been important to her over the years. ď ś
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder This book came along at the right time. My Dad gave it to me when I was eleven and questioning the world in ways I hadn't previously. It's stayed with me in a way that few books do. I suppose it's a philosophy book of sorts and is digestible without being patronising.
Persuasion by Jane Austen This is my favourite Austen novel. It's the last book she published and the wisdom she cultivated through her writing life shows: the narrative is controlled and the characters are finely drawn. I re-read this recently on a trip to Bath, where much of the novel is set, and it brought the book alive. I rarely re-read novels because there's so many others to get to, but there's a depth you discover when you read a good book like this a second time.
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood Atwood is a genius. Her writing is versatile and modern. She takes risks in her work and experiments widely (she draws sci-fi cartoons as a hobby)! When I was in form V in school we read her novel Cat's Eye as part of our comparative course; I found her narrative powerful and went in search of other texts she'd written. I've read almost all of her books at this stage and hope she keeps writing them. The Blind Assassin is a literary cornucopia - there's family, friendship, crime, love, power, a strong narrative, sense of place, characters you care about, and even a bit of science fiction. Also the story within a story within a story (the literary equivalent of the Marmite jar) is ambitious and successful.
Lifelines, New and Collected It's a shame that people are less likely to pick up a poetry book than a novel. Poetry is actually the most accessible of crafts. If you like music and language, you like poetry. It's quite simple. Being an English teacher I get to read a lot of poetry and enjoy the thought and conversation a good poem can generate again and again. The Lifelines series was compiled by students and teachers of Wesley College where I went to school. This isn't a plug; it's an excellent collection of poetry with the added bonus of varied and entertaining letters from well-known figures explaining their choice of poem.
Ways of Seeing by John Berger My Mum recommended this book the year I was doing my Leaving Certificate and it served as an antidote to the less inspiring side of exam preparation! It was written in 1971 but, as with a lot of good writing, it feels fresh when read today. When studying History of Art in UCD I read a lot of critical writing about art and found some of it was extremely lengthy, pretentious waffle. But this little book had the power to remind me what is interesting, and worth exploring, in how we see the world.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery There's a series of 'Anne' books, and this is the first, and I think the best, of them. They were written for both adults and children but are more usually considered children's books. The story's about an orphan girl who is sent to a new home in the town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island in Nova Scotia (there's a lot of good literature of or about Nova Scotia) and charts Anne's time settling in to a new community. It's Anne's talkative, imaginative character that appeals so much.
The Arrival by Shaun Tan Graphic novels are now such a part of the literary mainstream that creators can tackle more heavyweight material with the cloak of visual ease and breadth. Hodges Figgis, the well-known bookshop on Dawson Street in town has recently moved its graphic section to a prominent location on the ground floor; there's now ten times the choice there was even two years ago. Recently, a graphic novel which I'm reading at the moment called Dotter of her Father's Eyes, by Mary and Brian Talbot won the Costa Book Award Biography section, beating traditional prose biography to the prize for the first time. If you're interested in this form then I urge you to 'look at' (can we say read?!) Shaun Tan's illustrated masterpiece. There are no words in this book (although there are some words in most graphic novels) but the sepia images tell a powerful moving tale of emigration and immigration to strange lands. Over the past couple of years some of my friends and family have left Ireland to find opportunities not available here due to the economic recession, so this book resonates strongly.
Untold Stories by Alan Bennett Bennett’s writing (he’s best known for his plays) is underpinned by subtle humour. In this book he mixes memoir with extracts from his diaries. He writes beautifully about his family; there's an unforced tenderness that makes the book compelling and humane.
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer The tales are master ‘pen-portraits’ written in 14th century ‘Middle English’. Pilgrims on a journey from London to Canterbury tell stories as they walk. The teller of the best story was to be rewarded with a free meal on arrival at their destination. Originally Chaucer planned a hundred tales but he only wrote twenty four. His cast of characters come from all corners of medieval society and include a knight, a prioress, a carpenter, a cook, a married woman from Bath and a very bawdy miller. Some of the stories are humorous and rude while others are moral and reflective. There are some very good translations but Middle English is actually quite easy to understand and enjoyable to read. Anyone interested in how language evolves should have a look at these colourful tales in their original form.