On Books And Wandering Along Barry Road

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Winter In Madrid by C J Sansom is a novel praised by The Guardian, The Times and The Daily Express (a publication that describes itself as "the world's greatest newspaper".....only in a parallel universe). So let's make this clear that my view is not it appears the main body of opinion of this book. But there you go.

It has been described as a "spy novel". Presumably to distinguish itself from the thriller genre. Thrills being severely lacking here as indeed is "Spy" in "Spy novel". There is a spy element set up in the beginning but then it seems to be almost forgotten until half way. Also a plot twist so obvious that it might well as been wrapped in neon. So let me make this clear. If you're considering this book for the spying part don't. You'll be very disappointed.

So what's left seems to be a checklist of things I feel I've read before. War weary central character, menage a trios, foreign location (fascist but neutral Spain in the second world war). All done better (Graham Greene came to mind - there's a Harry Lime character here as well). All in all all very unsatisfactory. There is nothing worse for the reader than the serious piece that fails.

The next book which I finished was Confessions of a Beachcomber by E J Banfield (published 1906). Not as racy a book as the title would suggest. Also more technical about the natural world of the Australian coast than I'd expected, but that's my problem not Banfield's. However mainly towards the end it was also racist in the sort of treat people with a skin darker than yours as you would a pet dog. Not a book I'll read again.

So now I'm going through The Mayor Of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. So far, so good. At least there's a book where I seem to agree with popular opinion.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to wander round Barry Town as I've hoped. Things just cropped up to make his impossible. The closest was on Sunday when I wandered ten to fifteen minutes along the Barry Road, off where I'm living at the moment. Hardly great explorations of our time I know, but when you're new to an area you can find interest in what's new, until you become part of the area when it all becomes mundane.

So let's start when I'm about to leave the street. An ordinary terraced road when suddenly I notice something along the pavement....a horse.

I call to the wife "There's a horse being ridden along the pavement!"

Wife tells me to shut up. "People will think you're insulting the area".

I disagree. There's a difference between insulting an area and saying "There's a horse being ridden along the pavement"

As I entered the road turned left and noticed as the journey developed noticed that further up the hill I went the type of house changed. Up the hill meant that the houses became semi detached and to my memory some were detached as well.

Starting my journey saw a café that did an all day breakfast. The sort of thing that would give you a free ticket to heart attack city if you ate it regularly but occasionally...? Must admit I'm tempted.

Passed Jenner Park Primary school which seemed to be built in a Victorian style (the bricks appeared new).I like this style. Nowadays schools seem to be built like office blocks.

Found a new and easier way to get to Jenner Park, home of Barry Town FC than I was told. Shame the season's finished. There was a game being played that day but was too busy to enquire about it.

The Park Of Jenner

I saw this a few minutes afterwards.

I didn't realise that you could include TY (house) and NEWYDD (new) as one word. After enquiring about this on Twitter it was suggested to me that it was named after a coal mining village in the Rhondda and that Barry was the port it was shipped from. I've no idea but just putting it out there.

There was a convenience store towards the end of the road. The local headlines were about a teenager who tried to commit a robbery using a fake gun and a chip shop burnt down due to an overnight fire. You might think a thousand and one jokes seem appropriate here, but livelihoods has literally gone in flames.

Opposite the store there was this chain pub restaurant.

Wonder if anyone talks Anton Chekhov here.....probably not

Later Wife/daughter and I went to have dinner here. Lighting was a bit dark. As if designed by the Addams Family. But could not fault the food or service at all.

As we walked back there was something heartbreaking. Put on a lamppost was a smiling picture of a child with some flowers and a printed note saying "We will remember" on it. Sometimes even words are not enough.....

There is a view from the road. Here it is.

Not the Rhondda. Still a good view

Hopefully on Wednesday will be able to wander round the town called Barry itself.

Until the next time.

I Bet No One Who Knew Victor Hugo Asked Him For Directions

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well Les Miserables has been finished with no tune to bother me. Makes me wonder whether I've been the only person in Britain who has rather read the book than watch the musical once it became popular.

Of course that makes me out as a snob, which trust me I'm not. Just a reader me. Perhaps to prove that let's begin by saying that whilst by no means the worst book I've read so far this year I doubt I'm going to read one as annoying.

For what happens seems to be this. You as the reader are hooked as the plot unfolds. You are turning (in my case swiping) every page. Suddenly though it appears out of your view that Victor has gone to his characters and said something along the lines of "Yes I know it's tough mes amis. Liberte, equalitie, fraternitie and all that so I tell you  what. Why don't you just a have a coffee and a croissant and I'll take over for a while?"

(A quick aside. If you're insulted that I haven't put any accents on the French words the explanation is simple. I don't know how on the laptop)

And this happens constantly throughout the book. All of a sudden, with a link to the plot that is tenuous at best,unclear at worst and constantly mind numbingly boring we suddenly get Victor's views on everything ranging from Waterloo to religion to slang (yes really!) with all manner of subjects in between.

You may remember that I said after reading Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes that I'd reckoned the author had pummelled all the stories he left in a bottom drawer into the novel. Well I reckon the same happened here except that we're talking opinion pieces. It just read as if Victor stuffed  the book with everything he could.

Just imagine you're lost and happen to come across Victor and ask him for directions. He will get you to where you want to go but in the longest most unnecessary route possible where there could have been a quicker route to your destination. For the reader of Les Miserables the destination is the return to the actual storyline....because when you reach it it's worth it.

When it goes into proper novel mode this book is gripping. Believable people coping in extraordinary situations. For although the goodies/baddies are clear, even the goodies have shades of grey within them. When in novel mode you can see why this book is a classic.

So Les Miserables then. A great book sprinkled with literary mogadon...which is why it's also annoying.

The next book amongst the great ebook unread is Winter In Madrid by C J Sansom.A relatively modern novel (2006) which is good as I haven't read one for a while. We'll see how it goes.

Until the next time.