Tag Archives: Old Filth

Stoner

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9781590171998_p0_v1_s192x300After discovering Jane Gardam’s Old Filth, I did not expect to experience the thrill of a new author with the story of a man who resonated with me – until I found Stoner by John Williams.  Maybe it was the descriptions:  academia with its internal politics; the students – some lackluster, some promising; a professor’s unrequited love of the Canon; or the hazy acknowledgement of professorial dedication.  But more likely, it was the florid descriptions of place and time – Missouri in the early twentieth century, and the wonder of looking inside the head of a man who struggled with life and love.

The first lines of Stoner assure the reader as the story unravels: Stoner stays in his job at the university for forty years, is recognized by his peers as well as students as an outstanding teacher, yet never rises above the rank of assistant professor.  For anyone familiar with the university system, this information is tantalizing.  With so many years at one institution, something must have happened to keep him from rising in the ranks to full professor – or even jumping over to administration.  And so Williams slowly reveals Stoner’s life, from his young life on a farm to a doctorate in literature, through a strange relationship with a wife, a tentative bond with a daughter, a steamy love affair with a graduate student, and an epiphany of honor affecting his career.

The story is slow and methodical, with pithy passages requiring thoughtful attention.  I enjoyed the immersion into Stoner’s thoughts and could easily visualize his surroundings. Perhaps this book is not for everyone, but for me, it was one of the best I’ve read.

The novelist Colum McCann called it “one of the great forgotten novels of the past century … so beautifully paced and cadenced that it deserves the status of classic.” The New York Times called it “a perfect novel.”

Thanks to my good friend and fellow reader/writer for introducing me to Stoner – “The Greatest American Novel You’ve Never Heard Of ” (from Tim Kreider, The New Yorker).  I agree with Steve Almond of The New York Times – you should seriously read Stoner right now.

Related Reviews:

The Hollow Land

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Although a recent review of Jane Gardam’s  The Hollow Land promised a new Unknownpaperback version of her children’s book, I found the 1981 hardback in my library. I was rewarded with a picture of a young Gardam on the back cover – quite different from the recent pictures I’ve seen of the 86-year-old, but still familiar.

The pages are yellowed and spotted, but the stories are as wonderful as Meg Wolitzer promised in her New York Times review.

In 1981, Gardam had already been nominated for the Booker Prize, had written three novels, and four children’s books. The Hollow Land won the Whitbread prize and her Old Filth, the book that led to her rediscovery in America, was decades in the future.

The nine stories center around the friendship of two boys, Harry Bateman, a city dweller from London and Bell Teasdale, from the Cumbria hillside where the book gets it name. Harry’s family rents a summer house on the Teasdale farm.  From the beginning, the differences between the city and country cultures almost stop the action with a misunderstanding between the families.  But the mothers resolve the issue, and the beat goes on. Secret hideaways, scary tall-tales around the fire, and daily adventures connect the stories, yet the down-home flavor of the dialogue and the British colloquialisms can be daunting and sometimes interrupt the action.  But this is Jane Gardam, and for readers who stick with the stories, Gardam beautifully reveals the world through the eyes of a child,

Related Review: New York Times Review of The Hollow Land

 

Last Friends

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One of the travel souvenirs I would have liked to have left behind – a debilitating headcold – had me seeking the comfort of hot broth and tea, and a new Jane Gardam book – “Last Friends.” Sometimes stuffed ears are a blessing.

If you are a fan of “Old Filth,”you will remember the three principals: Eddie Feathers, known as Old Filth – Failed in London, Try Hong Kong; Betty, his wife, the focus of the second book – “The Man With the Wooden Hat” – and Terry Veneering, Old Filth’s nemesis. Gardam opens with the funeral of Feathers, months after the service for Veneering. The locals fill in the background to remind you of the men’s rivalry in both law and love for Feathers’ wife, Betty – and the irony that brought them together in old age.

Gardam uses her last book in the trilogy to focus on Veneering’s young life, his escape from poverty, and the insidious influences that shaped him.
Veneering – named for a social climbing character in Dickens’ “Our Mutual Friend” – was born Terry Vanetski. His father was a Russian left behind by his circus troupe when he fell during a performance and injured his back.

Changed his name and went south. Something you could spell more easier…His mother worked the coal-cart round the streets. His dad were a Russian spy…”

Like Old Filth, Veneering manages to escape his roots.

Two minor characters reappear, Fiscal-Smith, now 90 years old, and as drudgy as ever, and Dulcie, the widow of Judge Willy Williams, who conducted Old Filth’s wedding to Betty, and who brought Veneering to Hong Kong. Gardam uses these two characters to move back and forth between the past and the present, with poignant and sometimes funny observations on old age. As they reminisce, they reveal more secrets about the three main characters and about themselves.

With her usual attention to details, her witty and vivid language, and her skillful weaving of soap opera intrigue with historical notes and personal drama, Gardam’s last book in the trilogy is pure pleasure…whether or not you have read the first two books. And her ending has a note of whimsical hope for old age.

“Fiction got us through…the two old trolls sat over their cards thinking occasionally of Tolstoy.”

Gardam is a treasure.

Review of Old Filth

Review of The Man in the Wooden Hat

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Revisiting Jane Gardam – God on the Rocks

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“Long celebrated in England, Jane Gardam gained legions of American fans with Old Filth and The Man in the Wooden Hat – her most recent critically acclaimed novels.  Now, newcomers and devotees alike can enjoy one of the honored earlier works in her considerable canon.

Originally published in Great Britain in 1973 and nominated for the Booker Prize, God on the Rocks describes Margaret Marsh’s coming of age one summer between the world wars.” …from the book flap of God on the Rocks

When one of my book clubs decided to revisit Gardam with a discussion of Old Filth, I sought out one of her earlier books – God on the Rocks.  Reading one of Gardam’s masterpieces has me yearning for the return of Downton Abbey.

Eight-year-old Margaret is not happy about the invasion of a new baby brother, and her Bible quoting father is not helping.  Lydia, the irreverent maid from Auckland offers some comic relief, but Margaret soon connects with a cast of characters, including a mad painter and her mother’s first love.  True to Gardam form, they are not who they seem.  Although the story is neatly tied up in the last chapter, you are left wanting more.

Gardam has so many phrases that set me laughing out loud, especially one that I will remember and reuse: like Margaret, often “I am beyond myself.”

My reviews of Old Filth  and  The Man in the Wooden Hat

A Book Club Slate for 2012

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One of the book groups I follow allows the host to choose the book of the month; no rejections allowed.  Deciding which books to read and discuss a year in advance can be daunting, especially if the intent is to interest as many readers as possible.

Always looking for new ideas for books to read, I like lists of books.  And, if I’ve read many of them – all the better to look forward to revisiting a favorite story.  Here is their list for next year; click on the books in red to read my review.

  • January:  The Secret Daughter by Shilipi Somaya Gowda
  • February: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
  • March:  The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
  • April: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
  • May: Into Thin Air by Jack Krakauer
  • June: Nina’s Journey by Nina Markovna
  • July: Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck
  • August: Old FILTH by Jane Gardam
  • September: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosney
  • October: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen