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Review: Mr. Chartwell

Author: Rebecca Hunt
Published: 2010 by The Dial Press
Source: Purchased
Genre: Fiction, Other
Format: Hardcover
Dimensions: 21.7cm x 14.5cm x 2.4cm
Weight: 13 oz

     After nearly three months of dreary, gray skies and chilling Arctic winds, I burst into the local Barnes&Noble looking for a cure to my winter blues. Perusing the New Writers section, my eyes were immediately drawn to the inviting buttercup yellow cover of Mr. Chartwell. As I expected, the slim volume of 241 pages slid easily into my handbag, accompanying me to yoga, the vet, restaurants and the dentist. What I did not expect was the thought-provoking story that unfolded. At times as tenebrous and oppressive as those dark winter nights I had sought to escape, the gravity of the subject matter far outweighs the physical novel's scant 13 ounces.
     Mr. Chartwell draws back the curtains on an early morning in Kent, July 1964, to reveal Winston Churchill lying awake in bed, painfully aware of a black presence lurking both in his mind and in his room. The second chapter shifts the narrative to a house in London, where librarian Esther Hammerhans nervously awaits the arrival of a potential lodger seeking to rent her upstairs boxroom. But the lodger who comes knocking is not at all who, or even what, Esther expected to meet. Churchill's lingering black entity and Esther's mysterious lodger are one in the same: Mr. Chartwell.
     Charismatic and powerful, Mr. Chartwell's destructive influence pervades every aspect of Churchill's life and his grasp upon Esther's mind tightens with each passing moment. The duration of Mr. Chartwell's stay an unknown, Churchill and Esther endure his occupancy, but to what ends? His motives are a mystery. Little do they know that within a mere five days their lives will be irrevocably altered and Mr. Chartwell's visitations will never be forgotten.
     When first embarking upon Mr. Chartwell, I found that the most useful piece of advice came from the back cover's Library Journal review, which reads, "Please, willingly suspend disbelief." Initially I scoffed politely, thinking that surely any avid reader of fiction already possesses a healthy imagination, enabling them to delve into the most fantastically fabricated stories without pausing to express skepticism. Satisfied with the buoyancy of my own imagination and my ability to believe the unbelievable, I tucked into the novel with gusto...only to come to a screeching barely a dozen pages in. Blinking owlishly a few times to clear my eyes, I reread the page. Finding no difference between my first and second reading, I leaned back and closed the book over my thumb to mark my place and contemplate. Tentatively, I turned the book over to look at the review I had been so quick to dismiss and reread aloud, "Please, willingly suspend disbelief." Almost apologetically, I nodded to the review, reopened the book and allowed myself to believe. Two hundred and forty one pages later I closed the book with a sad but wistful little smile that affirmed, Mr. Chartwell is the best read I have had in a long time.
      Artist Pablo Picasso is quoted to have said, "Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth." There is no novel that so aptly fits this quote as Mr. Chartwell, a prime example of fiction writing that reads with exquisite honesty. The reader's personal difficulty with accepting the narrative as the reality is the only obstacle to truly enjoying and deriving meaning from this marvelous novel. Mr. Chartwell is brilliantly evocative of the darkness within the human condition, using Mr. Chartwell's alluring and repulsive nature to captivate the reader from beginning to end. Rebecca Hunt delights with her humor, providing us with characters we can't help but applaud. Her descriptions are sumptuously tactile and voyeuristic, the reader following Mr. Chartwell in everything he does. Simultaneously dark and illuminating, hopeless and hopeful, Hunt arrests us with her thought-provoking portrayal of the corporeal embodiment of depression. Emotive and masterfully original, Mr. Chartwell is a tender depiction of real life struggles and the indelible spirit of the hopeful.
     Will I ever read this book again? The answer: Yes! Mr. Chartwell is a brilliant debut novel for Rebecca Hunt. When I next see her name amongst the newest releases, I will eagerly clasp it in hand, thumbs poised to open the cover, and recite, "Please, willingly suspend disbelief."
    
4 Star Rating: 4 Stars

The Handbag


Mr. Chartwell will fit easily into this "Dolci Hobo Handbag: Fumetto Print" by Tokidoki. With 2 to 3 inches of space around the book, you won't have to worry about scuffing the corners or losing much needed room for your music player, sunglasses and other essentials!

Review: Rivers of London

Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Published: 2011 by Gollancz
Source: Purchased
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Dimensions: 22.5cm x 14.5cm x 3.5cm
Weight: 1 lb 2 oz

     I first stumbled across this novel while browsing the New Titles section of Waterstones Bookstore.  Despite all of the cliches regarding books, covers, and not judging by them, it was the cover that caught my eye and led to my inevitable purchase. Safely stowed in my handbag, I dragged this book along my rather harried journey from bookseller to cafe to train station to park bench to airport terminal lobby to another country across the pond.  Although the novel, as the title suggests, is set in contemporary London, England, Rivers of London took me on a far-reaching adventure, creating a world within the one we already know.
     Rivers of London wastes no time in setting the mood, opening with a chilling winter's evening and an even more chilling case of murder.  Constable Peter Grant is called to keep watch over the scene, but while minding his post, Grant discovers something far stranger than skulking drunks or hen parties gone wild.  He encounters the primary witness...a ghost, who says he saw everything!  After reporting the incident to his superior officers, Grant is placed under the command of the Economic and Specialist Crime department's Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale...a wizard, who claims Grant has a gift for the supernatural.  Under Nightingale's tutelage, Grant embarks upon his career as a wizard copper, confronting everything from ghouls and vampires to water nymphs and trolls.  But with a murderer on the loose, and the bodies piling up, Grant doesn't have much time to learn the art of magic before the forces of chaos tear London apart.
     When I first began reading Rivers of London, I experienced a moment where I literally grimaced.  There was this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that said, "Really? A ghost shows up, turns out magic is real, and all the characters pretty much accept it without a fuss?"  In order to move on with the narrative, the reader has to accept magic as a reality just as readily as the characters do.  However, considering the fact that most of the characters are associated with the Metropolitan Police Service or are supernatural creatures themselves, perhaps their acceptance of magic is not that far fetched.  Officers of the law witness some of the most bizarre occurrences on a daily basis, so it is possible that discovering the existence of ghosts and goblins is just another case of "it comes with the territory".  
     There were also points in the plot where I felt that an action-packed climax was reaching its crescendo...only to fall flat; like swinging a tennis racket and not following through or stopping mid-swing, either way you miss the ball.  Not to say that the book lacks exciting climaxes or moments of suspense; it has those in spades.  But there were times when I wanted the action to be pushed a bit further.
     What Rivers of London really mastered was creating a sense of history and character depth beyond the main plot of the book.  Aaronovitch seamlessly weaves the history of London into the narrative through Grant's investigations and with every supernatural encounter, you are left with the feeling that there was something else lurking in London's shadows; something more.  As I read, I became increasingly concerned that the book would end without explaining the more and leave me awake at night wondering, "Does every bridge have a troll?  How many magic spells are there?  What the heck was she?"  
     It was only on the last page that I was able to heave a sigh of relief upon seeing that a sequel is already in the works.
     At the end of every review, I close by answering the most important question:  Will I ever read this book again?  The answer: Yes!  Despite having to suspend my disbelief at the existence of magic, experiencing a few abrupt halts in the action sequences, and being left wondering at the history behind it all, Rivers of London saved itself by promising more.  The reader is literally left wanting more of Constable Grant, Inspector Nightingale, and the city of London.  This reader is eagerly awaiting the sequel! 

4 Star Rating: 3.5 Stars

  

The Handbag 


Rivers of London would fit perfectly into this ''Dazzle Handbag" by Puma, which is also available in purple.  It offers 2 to 3 inches of extra room around the book, with plenty of space for phone, wallet and other essentials!

Reading on the Go

   Indulging in a warm bath while reading by candlelight. Snuggling into a cozy armchair, with a cup of tea and a good book. Enjoying a duvet day with your friends, Jane Austen and Stephen King. Lounging under a tree, time flying as fast as you turn the pages...alright, enough with the Fiction!
   For those of us living in the realm of Non-Fiction, reality consists of enjoying the company of our cover-bound friends while sitting (or standing) in cramped subway cars, fighting for elbow room on jostling buses, and stuffing our faces during our excruciatingly short lunch breaks.
   This blog is devoted to those books that suffer alongside us; dropped into puddles while racing to work; sneezed upon by the guy in the next seat; stained by the sweet and sour sauce on our Chinese take-away lunches; inevitably scuffed and torn by repeatedly shoving them into our bags.
   All works reviewed, praised, and booed on my The Book in My Handbag blog, are bound books that can fit into a handbag (or man bag); because in today's fast paced, job oriented world, the books that we read most, are the books that are portable. Every review will be accompanied by a brief description of a handbag (or man bag) that can carry both your modern essentials and your literary ones.
   So get up and go! You've got reading to do!