Untitled

K+ book review-The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo

I must begin by saying that the fact that this tale is a true story is incredible given the way the author Catherine Johnson makes princess Caraboo seem so real despite being able to read clearly in the book about how whilst being princess Caraboo, Mary Wilcox Is aware that Caraboo shouldn’t act in a certain way. Notably that she ‘couldn’t understand some English’.

Besides the interesting character Catherine presents us in the form of princess Caraboo, fascinating themes which link with the time at which the book was written include: the role of women, love, xenophobia and a ‘true Caraboo’?

The role of women seems especially interesting and something for us all to consider as they are treated as objects or even goods we can buy. This is due to several references which show us how in the early 19th century women were seen as the inferior gender, for example ‘the 2nd girl was brought in’ this is the part of the book near the beginning whereby young men at the inn are looking at women naked as if it were completely casual, George drooling and his eyes bulging at the sight of one of them. This could be compared in the modern times to window shopping perhaps where we are enticed by a product, unfortunately in this novel as was commonplace at the time the women were seen as products. Furthermore derogatory terms such as ‘trollop and tart’ are used to describe the women which shows us once again that they are being discriminated against, just being there for men to look at. ‘At least while you have cash in your pocket she can be yours’ also shows us that men could buy women for sexual services even if there is no sense of love or emotional connection showing once again that women were seen as products a theme that is recurrent throughout the novel.

This links in heavily with the theme of love, a concept which certain characters fail to grasp due to the way certain women were casually bought at the time for example Fred as he asks himself ‘what did love feel like when you didn’t pay for it?’ this proving problematic to Fred as this idea was how society was at the time which perhaps means many younger men without wives who went to public houses looked for pleasure through means of paying meaning they seldom felt a sense of genuine affection. Furthermore near the end of the novel it is very difficult for Fred to get over Caraboo (Mary Wilcox at this point) leaving him as he had never had such an intimate experience buying his previous ‘love’.

Xenophobia seems to appear at times in the book as the professor even sees French as a ‘mongrel tongue’ despite France being one of the closest countries to England one would think that there would be a knowledge or respect of the other nation. Furthermore upon the arrival of Caraboo Mr Worrall remarks that he doesn’t want ‘filthy foreign beggars’ showing at the time there was a prejudice against those who weren’t from the same country and that they were filthy even though Caraboo in the case of the book wasn’t a beggar. These ‘filthy foreigners’ as described in the book were also not taken kindly too as other languages seem to disturb the conscience of the characters such as Mr Finiefs who described the language Caraboo speaks as ‘pig latin’. This is a rather interesting theme to contrast to the modern day society where we are becoming ever more connected to other countries through exchange programmes, holidays and international problems, despite the racism and xenophobia that still exists.

Moreover a question that is critical in reviewing this book is ‘is there a true Caraboo’ or is the princess as Fred describes her as a ‘damned Liar’. It is arguable as she says that she can’t understand what the Worralls are saying whilst being Caraboo, despite being able to speak English, this could perhaps be considered a lie. Furthermore a damned liar may describe her earlier in the book as she says to herself ‘she could hurt him the way she was hurt as she was after all a princess, as well as break his heart’, despite this she doesn’t harm Fred or his family, where she in fact falls for Fred despite playing the character of princess Caraboo. Furthermore she seems to learn a lot about herself and that she shouldn’t be so sadistic and arrogant or abuse her false ‘power and prowess’ which is she is seen as having by the others.

  The story of this book and the message it conveys clearly ring true wherever many people are across the globe, especially concerning their stability economically and financially. This book delves into the extraordinary of the main character, Enaiatollah Akbari, the narrator as well as the author Fabio Geda who through his occasional insights proves essential in digging deeper at the meaning of the book but also at the delivery of the messages and the evermore vital “food for thought” which readers will hopefully be feasting on throughout their lives having read this book. 

  Concerning the setting of the book it is set in many locations, most importantly however before plunging into the deeper material it must be known to you (a person who may hopefully read this review) that it begins with a struggle, overcome by perseverance and will power in Pakistan until the eventual safety and comfort of Italy. Despite such a journey it is as i have said it is more about what is taken from the experiences, especially if we delve into ideas such as the ‘places and personality’, questions of the author and the contrast of childhood innocence on which there is a markedly unconventional take on with this review.

Firstly looking at the role of Fabio Geda his questions certainly provoke thought as they bring out the feelings and character of Enaiatollah, especially in page 24 of the book where Eniatollah interacts with Geda as he talks about ‘making it clear that the Afghans and Taliban are different, where people strongly believed that Taliban are Afghans’ showing that despite growing up in an environment where one of the taliban themselves incited that schools contradict the word of God and therefore should be closed, whereby the pursuit of religious ‘terrorism’, prevalent in these parts of the world unfairly purges any group of people with a somewhat liberal mindset, Enaiatollah is (if one may say this)  positively influenced by his environment, a microcosm of the even sub-human conditions, which has been aided by the impact of the independence he was forced into (as you will read about in the book from the beginning). The more liberal views which Enaiatollah holds, especially concerning his environment are kept even in Italy, upon seeing a Brazilian and a Frenchman he attempts to relate to them.

Secondly despite this being a rather unconventional view, the contrast of the Buzul Bazi being played with friends, before the taliban’s shooting of a teacher who resisted peacefully for what they believed in, This especially links with the first point as the author, bringing out Enaiatollah’’s deepest thoughts, especially as events after this notable event show his outlook, on life, where he accepts events as they are done perhaps through stating facts showing in  a way that he feels no explicitly unbearable pain following his mother abandoning him, , where he simply moves on and continues with his life, making the most of a situation which many of us living in the developed world as unbearable and even inconceivable, This is especially emphasised as despite making no money from work Enaiatollah is content with what he has, also not being arrogant or big headed when he sees the opportunity to work to get money, treating the situation where he has to tell about his desire to move on from his work to another job, with tact, being respected as a result Furthermore this can be shown as he states ‘ people should be treated kindly for who they are as opposed to being treated in this way or unfairly depending upon their religious identity, which can shamefully be related to the rise of Nazism in Germany with the radical measures in the late 30′s where people, especially the jews were treated in a similar way simply because of their religion.

“Anna and the Swallow man”- Gavriel Savit- K+ Book club review.

This novel was the first in Savit’s career as a writer, having delved into his biography; I was fascinated to discover how he would envisage the war, through his use of characters, as well as the ways in which they react to the surrounding circumstances.  Commencing in the city of Krakow, at the South Eastern tip of Poland in 1939, the Germans having just invaded, we meet the main characters, Anna a 7 year old girl who, like her father just so happens to be multilingual. Here she is met by a being simply known as the ‘Swallow man’, who agrees to take Anna, following her father’s ‘long absence’.

I observed that Savit’s, mastery of the written word allows for him to effectively incorporate themes into the novel, one of which is going to be the main focus for this review. I feel mastery is the word appropriate here, as Savit contrasts complex language within the novel’s narrative, with the simplistic approach to explanations as can be seen with the Swallow man’s teachings.

This leads me into the main point of discussion, the theme of language. Firstly the aforementioned approach to the Swallow man’s teachings is childlike, allowing for easy understanding of the situation, in that “the soldiers coming from the west- those are wolves” these being the German forces, where the soldiers known to the reader as the Soviets “those closing  from  the east” are bears. This also allows for the book to be read by the less advanced.

Reading more deeply into the language however, it is clear that the imagery created from it shows us truly how the war affects people for the worse. The author achieves this effect through the personification of the soldiers, as they “sleep in the forest” much like predatory creatures, showing that war creates a more sombre atmosphere in the novel. Furthermore the terrible impact on human life which the war causes is the fact that if the soldiers “find a reason to kill you, they will” this is perhaps telling us that as a result of the war, these young men have become the very product of it, predators, not having any second thoughts as they kill and then devour their prey. This makes the reader realise the reality of war as well as bringing one of Savrit’s ideas which could be inferred, where war simply rips all human emotions out of people and actions are carried out solely for purpose, with a complete disregard for emotions.  

In my view, the harnessing of the language on Savit’s part has made for an extraordinary read, especially, with the other themes which allow for ideas and inferences to be created, where not only do you feel you are inside the novel but also it allows you to plunge deeply into the story to understand Savit’s own views on the war as well as friendship and loyalty. Unfortunately for myself I may have to read this book, once again in order to understand the significance of the end of the novel. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading deeply into stories with a focus on analysis but primarily an enticing storyline.

This is done excellently where Savit’s mastery of the written word brings the book to life, especially as it enables the effective use of various themes. Contrasted by the author’s complex use of language it not only allows the more experienced readers to infer ideas but the way in which it is simply written, certainly prominent within the theme of language, allows those less advanced readers to experience the novel. The main theme that shall be discussed in this review is the role of language.