The 38th Grapevine - Book Club Kit for High Fidelity inside
October 17th, 2021
Hello and happy Sunday!
Here’s the High Fidelity book soundtrack to get us started
What a difference some peace and relaxation can do for the soul! And reading!
I’ve managed to finish two books by the time of writing this, and it feels goooood!
One of them is High Fidelity, so take this as a reminder that our Book Club Discussion is this Wednesday, October 20th, at 7 PM.
Reading the book allowed me to put together the Book Club Kit in time to share it with you, so get it at the link below.
I haven’t watched either of the adaptations yet, but I hope to find some time for them because they could bring a lot to the discussion. I’m especially curious about the Zoë Kravitz one since it takes the very core of the book (masculinity and obsession) and turns it on its head by casting a female lead. This New Yorker review seems to think that is not enough to bring it to the 21st century, though.
There’s a lot to uncover, but the aftertaste I’m left with is that I should have read this book many years ago. I struggled with the first chapter because the young male perspective hit me when I least had the patience for it! The audiobook helped. 🙈
Maybe the harsher statement would be that this book didn’t necessarily age well.
First off, without spoiling anything of importance, the CD-collector status is one that didn’t survive past the noughts (2000’s). Steve Jobs changed everything with his invention of the iPod and music on the go.
Watching the interview I referenced in the Book Club Kit, I realised that Nick Hornby is a bit of a geek and a CD collector himself and slightly awkward.
Secondly, relationships have changed so much along with technology. People still make up for the low fidelity in their love lives with high fidelity media.
I don’t want to debate too much on the topic before we all chat, but I’ll leave you with this article from Vice as food for thought.
A Slow Fire Burning, Paula Hawkins
See this, Alex? I have finally finished this!
This book was an absolute delight to listen to narrated by Rosamund Pike, someone we know from another book-movie association, Gone Girl, based on Gillian Flynn’s book. She was perfect in both the movie and when reading this book out.
I haven’t read much crime fiction, but I find the most challenging thing to achieve is to surprise the reader. If you managed to deflect and send them off the wrong trail, then that’s even more masterful. Achieving more than one twist without making it ridiculous takes a lot of skill, and I am glad to see that Paula still has it.
Here’s what The Guardian had to say about the performance:
Pike makes deft work of these unreliable narrators who span several generations, imbuing their voices with a defensiveness and vulnerability born from past disappointments and trauma. Miriam is forever second-guessing the judgment of strangers who she knows see her as a lonely busybody, while Laura is chaotic and brittle-sounding, convinced that none of the calamities that befall her are ever her fault. In particular, Pike captures the melancholy of the widowed Irene, whose frail appearance and occasional mishaps prompt others to condescend and patronise rather than treat her as a sentient adult. This being a Hawkins novel, the plot twists are sprinkled liberally to keep listeners on their toes, though the story is sustained by the humanity of these expertly narrated characters whose secrets are slowly brought to the surface.
Sally Rooney makes the headlines again (grab your 🍿)
Earlier this week, Sally Rooney caused a bit of a stir when she released a statement explaining her decision to turn down a bid by an Israeli publisher to translate her new book into Hebrew, noting human rights concerns and emphasising that she would still be willing to sell the translation rights.
Meanwhile, I am still wondering if we found out why people hate her 😅:
but she made an appearance in Paula Hawkin’s new novel that I thought was cute.
The best thing about them, from Irene’s point of view, was that they didn’t make assumptions. Laura didn’t just assume Irene would be incapable of learning how to use a new app on her mobile phone; Angela didn’t assume Irene would have no interest in the words of Sally Rooney. Neither of them assumed that Irene wouldn’t laugh at a dirty joke (she would if it were funny).
A Slow Fire Burning, Paula Hawkins
Sally Rooney’s statement read, “the Hebrew-language translation rights to my new novel are still available." This happened on Tuesday after reports that she had declined to have the book be translated in Israel by Modan Publishing House, which published her previous two novels.
Rooney continued that while "it would be an honour" to have her work available to Hebrew readers, at this time, she would not sell the translation rights to an Israel-based publisher.
"If I can find a way to sell these rights that is compliant with the BDS movement’s institutional boycott guidelines, I will be very pleased and proud to do so," she added.
A lot of people were upset by the news, which was initially reported as her declining to translate the book to Hebrew, which some viewed as a conflation of the Jewish state and people.
Author Ruth Franklin wondered why Rooney would single out Israel.
In her statement, Rooney acknowledged that "many states other than Israel are guilty of grievous human rights abuses," but noted that, "In this particular case, I am responding to the call from Palestinian civil society, including all major Palestinian trade unions and writers' unions."
While Rooney left the window open for a Hebrew translation, she said that she could not currently sign a new contract with a publisher "that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people."
"In the meantime I would like to express once again my solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, justice and equality,” Rooney concluded.
The Handmaid’s Tale series broke a record at the Emmys
But it’s not what you think!
The Handmaid's Tale broke the record for having the most Emmy nominations without winning a single one.
Maggie Gyllenhaal picks Ferrante novel for her directing debut
Maggie is Jake Gyllenhaal’s sister and if you don’t know who they are, you’re missing out.
This is to announce that yet another book by Elena Ferrante is the basis of a movie.
Our next book is Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity.
The book discussion will happen on October 20th at this link.