Small Island

Finished reading the prize-winning Levy novel this evening. By half way I really could not put it down. It's essentially about two couples, one pair black, the other white, whose lives are shaped by the second world war and racial issues. This is not a simplistic colonial read though as each of them have their own barriers to overcome. Their lives draw you into the story and you wish you were able to follow their story beyond the final page. A really well crafted and utterly human story.

I'm away two days and you're bickering already! heh heh
Just had an ace weekend with the people whose wedding we went to in the states a year past christmas. I had met the bride online in a literary discussion group about the writings of Iris Murdoch. We are firm life long friends now I'm sure :) She is not only about to graduate from med school, specialising in neurology but she also retains the most amazing knowledge about everything. We went to Pitts River museum as recommended by borrower, thank you (!), and she had comments on so many exhibits. Oh these are the....did you hear the story about.... I read about this once.... etc. I really have to read more non fiction and get myself an(other) education. Oh and she runs marathons as if being a junior doctor wasn't enough pressure!
In the evening we had a pudding soiree which pretty much was what it says on the can. I made ye famous kumquat special - pear and almond tarte. Also cream teas, trifle, peanut butter cookies courtesy of mini me and drinks-a-plenty. How rare to sit in a room full of eloquent people discussing politics and making social comments in a reasoned manner. Of course I only listened!!
Monday, we went to Oxford as an Iris Murdoch pilgrimage. I bet we are the only ones to yell out on the top of a bus when we saw St. Anne's College! The pub clientelle over there is another breed - bow ties, tank tops and immaculate shirts tucked into chinos. The afternoon was the museum trip which included a "bunch" of natural history. Of course I was thrilled by the heaps of bones and unidentifiable mishmash of curiosities whose labels shed no light but there was a stuffed cheetah in the entrance which i rather took to and he didn't object to being tickled under the chin and rubbed on his belly. Whole lives may be passed over by a careless reader (im) but whole millenia can be passed over in a museum. We saw the photographs of William Thesiger which were stunning. They were about the Marsh Arabs which is also the title of one of his better known travel books. I bought the book today and can't wait to get into it.
One life isn't enough. 5 years of lit study is one thing but now i need some other lives to dedicate one to science, one to art....