In Which We Discuss War and Peace - Chapter XXV

Chapter XXV

We now move 100 miles away to Bald Hills, the home of Prince Nicholas Andreevich Bolkonski.  I'm not convinced that we've met him before - I had to do a bit of googling.  He is a famed Russian general, and his son, Andrei Bokonsky, is Pierre's friend.  Andrei has a pregnant wife and has just joined the army.  I just checked, and he was in Chapters V-VII, where he was referred to as Andrew and Andre (to be fair, I've switched translations).  You see why I need these summaries?

I like Prince Nicholas, who is a different person from Nikolai Rostov.  He thinks the only evils are idleness and superstition and the only virtues are activity and intelligence.  He would love Don Tillman (of The Rosie Project).  They both keep perfect timetables.  I am in awe.  Prince Nicholas was exiled to Bald Hills by a former ruler.  He can now go back to Moscow but has decided they can all go to him instead.  And they do - every high official "considered it his duty to visit".

Nikolai is very strict and controlling; he's been giving his daughter (Mary/Maria Bolkonskaya) lessons in advanced geometry and algebra, and has arranged her life to the second.  This morning, when she arrives for her lesson, there is a letter for her from someone who appears to be named both Heloise and Julie.  Okay, Julie is Julie Karagina, and she writes in French.  She tells Maria that Maria is very beautiful, and passes on lots of news about politics.  She prays that Russia will beat Napoleon and she fancies Nikolai Rostov.  Pierre is now the Count, the three princesses have received very little, and Prince Vasili has nothing.  Many, many women now recognise what a charming and handsome man Pierre is.

Apparently, people are also pushing Julie towards Pierre.  They've been matchmaking her for the past two years, and this is the best option.  Julie also passes on that Anna Mikhaylovna is trying to set up Maria with Anatole.  I was wondering when Anatole would appear again.  Julie has also included some kind of spiritual book with the package, and asks after Andrei and his wife.

Maria writes back.  She thinks Christianity is better than men, and her father is particularly sound about the Count dying because now he feels like the last of his generation.  She feels sorry for Pierre to be burdened with such riches.  She is very tedious and holier than thou.  She's not going to read the book because Julie said some of it was hard to grasp, and what's the point in wasting time reading something you won't even understand?  She's just going to read the Bible again instead.  What a pious little snit.  She's praising the idea of being dumb and just letting God put thoughts in your mind if he wants them there.  I'm an atheist, but I much prefer the understanding that God gives mysteries not answers, and if we fail to correctly interpret the evidence around us, that's on us.  Maria has not heard that she is to be married to Anatole, but Prince Vasili will be visiting her father, and she will fulfil her marital duties no matter how painful they are.  Anatole can do much better.  Andrei is also on his way, with his wife, whom he will abandon at Bald Hills while he goes to war.

Mademoiselle Bourienne, Maria's companion tells Maria that Prince Nicholas is in a bad mood.  Apparently Maria is too prissy to even accept that information - she considers it a judgement on her father.  I would very much like to slap her, very hard, right in the face.

In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 27th Year, Week 36/52

Five books last week - 14th to 20th of April.  All but one were books I'd read before.

The Hunter is a book I first read as a teenager.  Last year, I picked up all three books in the series on Audible.  They're pretty short; 5-7 hours each.  The story focuses on Jenny, who is beloved by Julian, a Shadow Man.  Something of a Norse god/demon whose people inspired myths like those of alien abductions and dark elves.  I like the fact that - spoiler - although Jenny is tempted by Julian she acknowledges that his way of pursuing her isn't healthy, and rejects the idea of a relationship with him.  Considering it's a supernatural romance - that, fyi, predates Twilight by over a decade - it's a pretty healthy take on it.  I also like that it's about a group of friends rather than just one girl.

I've described The Rosie Project as 'Sheldon Cooper woos Zooey Deschanel', which is doing the book a bit of a disservice.  Don Tillman, the hero, is implied to be autistic and is definitely non-neurotypical, though he makes it work for him and has not actually been diagnosed.  He doesn't seem to have felt the need.  Don decides he needs companionship and begins his 'wife project', meting Rosie who he quickly decides is a totally unsuitable companion.  She's not a manic-pixie dreamgirl, beyond the fact that she does shake up Don's life and what he believed he wanted.  She's a normal girl who's somewhat accepting of Don, though not magically accepting.  It's a very sweet relationship and a fun book.  I enjoyed the audiobook, which is narrated in an Australian accent.  The book's written by an Australian and set in Australia, so that makes sense.

Going Postal was another one I listened to as an audiobook.  It's part of the Discworld series and is the first to star one of the new main characters, Moist Von Lipwig.  I quite like Moist, although I will always love Granny Weatherwax and Vimes more.

Light as a Feather is another book I first read as a teenager.  It's so nineties; about a woman who sets up a weight-loss support chat room which quickly blossoms into a small company.  There are boyfriend shenanigans and mean bosses, and investors who say she's too fat to promote her own company and hire a bitchy, thin woman to pretend to be Orla for TV appearances.  The good people get their dramatic victory and the bad people get their well-deserved comeuppance, and it's all very silly and fun.

The Language of Power is the first new book I finished this week.  It's the fourth of the Steerswoman series, which has been published very, very slowly since 1992.  The Language of Power was released in 2004, so I expect to be able to read the sequel any year now.  It's such a good series; I hope she does wrap it up soon.

In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 26th Year, Week 24/52

Six books this week!  Two rereads, four new.  Four library, one kindle, one audible.

Sisterland was new to me.  I borrowed it from the library a while ago.  Saw it there on my lunch break, realised I'd left my purse at the office.  I asked the librarian if there was anyway she could help me; she offered to sell me a new library card, the cheeky cow.  I realised, as I was on my way back to work, that had she bothered to look up from her book for more than a minute, she could simply have looked up my library card number.  I could have typed that manually in to the self-service machines; since I know my pin, all I needed was that number.

Anyway, I went back after work and got it then.  No lazy librarian is keeping me from my books.

I quite liked it.  It's about twin sisters, both of whom had a vague psychic gift.  One has suppressed it and become a suburban mom, the other has embraced it and become a complete hippy.  The latter makes a public prediction of an earthquake to hit St Louis, triggering various plot shenanigans.  I didn't like it as much as Prep, which I read in late 2006/early 2007.

Couch Fiction was another library book, one I picked up along with How to be a Heroine, The Rosie Project and some sheet music when I returned Sisterland.  It's a graphic novel showing a therapy session, with little footnotes and thoughts on what both therapist and client are thinking, and possible issues which are raised.  Incredibly interesting.  I realised I do the opposite of what the client does; instead of suppressing emotions and ignoring any hint my childhood wasn't idyllic, I suppress emotions and ignore any memories of my childhood that weren't relentless abuse or misery.  I find it hard to feel like the good bits count, in light of the rest.  And I guess if I acknowledge that there are good bits, that means something must have changed, which my mother says is my fault.

The Secret of Platform 13 is an old favourite, which predates Harry Potter by three years.  I mention that because it involves a secret door opening in King's Cross station.  The author has said she is not going to sue Rowling.  Behind the door is an idyllic island kingdom.  They lose their prince on the surface, wait nine years for the gump (the secret opening) to reopen, and then mount a rescue mission.  It's lovely.

How to be a Heroine is a book about reading.  It's written by a woman who loved various literary heroines in her adolescence and went back and re-examined them as an adult with a feminist consciousness.  Very interesting.  I'd read about half of the books she mentions, and I'm enthusiastic to read the rest now!

The Rosie Project is about a Sheldon Cooper style character meeting a manic-pixie dream girl.  I am in admiration of Don (Sheldon Cooper)'s organisation skills.  I make a fortnightly meal plan with shopping delivered every fortnight, and lots of meals made in advance and frozen.  He made a weekly meal plan long ago and hasn't varied it, allowing him to perfect his weekly shop and the time it takes to prepare food.  I tempted to try this.  I am aware that I am missing the point of the novel.

Finally, Jingo.  Jingo was the second Discworld book I ever read, after Colour of Magic.  I have a bit of a soft spot for it, and for Vimes specifically.  I listened to it as an audio book this time.  Not sure I quite see a Scottish Detritus and an Irish Sergeant Colon, but it works okay.