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Books
This Autumn we recommend…
Walking the Block by Jane Weir
(Templar Poetry, £16.99) 
Walking the Block is a hefty wholesome feast, a crusty artisan-baked loaf, a sensual pleasure to look at, to touch, and even to smell! Jane Weir depicts the lives of Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher, who revived the art of natural dyeing and handblock printing. Weir’s finely crafted, subtle poetry reflects the many qualities of their work: part creativity, part ancient wisdom, part sheer hands-dirty labour. Poems alternate with full page close-ups of textiles, tools, and photos of the women whose life-partnership is obliquely celebrated. ‘We know that looks passed/between us in the workshop,/are sparks inside a diamond,/ we know we have to get it right,/…we have to hold a vigil,/way past midnight,/until we harmonise.’ The poems are snapshots of a meeting, an idea, a design, or recipes for the dyes (especially indigo, the word repeated like a mantra throughout). Weir utilises to the full the rich vocabulary of the craft, with its built-in metaphors, and this book feeds all the senses, leaving the poetry to grow like yeast in the mind long after reading.
reviewed by VALERIE LAWS
This is a selected highlight from the current issue of Mslexia. To read the book reviews in full subscribe now. Other titles also featured include: The Believers by Zoe Heller, The Rabbit House by Laura Alcoba, The Bloodstone Bird by Inbali Iserles, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding.
Mslexia Book Club: the verdict
Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung
(Portobello Books, £10.99)
Unpolished Gem tells the story of Alice’s Chinese-Cambodian family and their new life in Australia. Having just about survived Pol Pot’s Cambodia and a stint in a Thai refugee camp, they live amid the chaos of acclimatising to Melbourne life. Pung’s initial preoccupation with setting the complex scene is testament to her conscientious approach to the telling of this story, but we all agreed that it didn’t make for a very gripping introduction. Thankfully, her execution of astute observational humour quickly re-established our interest. (Hannah: ‘I thought the anecdotes should have been filtered throughout, as the beginning of the book sometimes seemed a little slapstick and lacking in real storyline.’ Amy: ‘But the first anecdote about the shopping trip was hilarious. Pung defamiliarises an ordinary image and gives it a comical conclusion.’)
Pung also has a rare talent for seamlessly weaving personal recollections with universally recognised idiosyncrasies. (Hannah: ‘She takes a private situation – like the communication breakdown between mother and daughter – and draws out the aspects that will be familiar to the audience.’ Jemma: ‘Which is something that I find most memoir writers lack the insight to do because of their direct involvement.’ Amy: ‘I totally agree. The way the mother and daughter feel disassociated with each other despite suffering from similar conditions was touchingly ironic and well conveyed. One experiences the breakdown in Chinese, the other in English, and their confusion and distress was beautifully portrayed.’)
Pung creates a simultaneously rich and raw narrative. For a text so preoccupied with fraught emotions – both hidden and open – Gem remains suitably distanced and never loses its steady heartbeat. Though we sometimes found it difficult to stay hooked due to the meandering narrative, we also agreed that that same narrative style was one of Gem’s strengths. (Amy: ‘I thought the narrative style was important because of the way it assimilated Alice’s conflict and confusion.’ Jemma: ‘If the book was structured around a clear beginning, middle and end it would simply be a normal scenario pattern. The narrative changes focus and tempo; the harsh reality of Alice’s life is filtered through funny circumstance.’)
Our discussion often descended into a raging debate, but this is a good thing: a book displays its depth when it can give multiple interpretations, and we all felt sure that upon re-reading we would find new areas of discussion. This memoir was refreshingly original, starting with Pung’s terrific opening line: ‘This story does not begin on a boat.’
reviewed by JEMMA, HANNAH, and AMY
Jemma Smith, Hannah Stevenson and Amy Williams – who range in age from 22-25 – have been friends for years and regularly get together over coffee and cake. With a range of interests, beliefs, and a busy working life it can be difficult to arrange meetings, but a mutual love of literature always brings them together in the end. Jemma is currently working on a radio play, Amy is studying for an MA and Hannah is training to be an outdoors activities instructor.
This article is taken from the current issue of Mslexia. If you'd be interested in your reading group test-driving a book for the Mslexia Book Group feature please Contact Us.
What JULIE WALTERS is reading
An extract from Bedside Table
I’m also reading a novel by David Downing. It’s the second book of a trilogy set in WWII. The first one was called Zoo Station and this one is called Silesian Station. It’s very atmospheric and I’m enjoying it because I know the central characters from the first book. It’s very, very evocative of what I imagine Berlin was like during the war. It’s kind of exciting and frightening all at once – it’s got everything going for it really.
I can’t think of another trilogy I’ve read apart from Edna O’Brien: I read the trilogy of The Country Girls, Girl With Green Eyes and Girls in Their Married Bliss. I loved them. I’m very careful about reading novels when I’ve got a lot of work on because then it ruins my reading – I’ve got to give novels space.
Bedside Table in full:
Brenda Blethyn
Tamasin Day-Lewis
Shami Chakrabarti
Mslexia Reader's Choice
Win a £10 book voucher! Tell us what you're reading and each month we'll print our favourite answer in this slot.
Jenny March is a new writer living in Leeds, currently working on short stories. She has written articles on topics including feminist history, unemployment and media consumption, and has been published in zines and a local magazine.
What are you reading now?
Paper Houses by Michele Roberts (Virago, £8.99)
Michele Roberts' memoir of her life in London and elsewhere during the
'70s is a really inspiring book for me, both as a writer and as a
feminist. I'd never read anything by this author before, and picked Paper Houses up after reading a review in the Saturday Guardian.
Roberts takes you through her writing process, and how it evolved and changed. She takes the lid off her writing and shows you how the events of her life influenced
her work. During the time the book covers, she lives in many different houses – something I can relate to as I have lived in 13 houses myself – with various combinations of friends and lovers. She chronicles her struggle to find a good place to write, and shows how hard writing can be. Far from being discouraging, I found this helped me to see how other writers have had the same problems as I do, and how they have dealt with them. As well as writing, Roberts has a colourful life, living and working in Thailand, performing feminist
street theatre and supervising the restoration of a historic building
in Italy. I would like to read other memoirs of 70s feminists – if I
can find any!
