Saturday, September 26, 2009

Justine and Balthazar

I must admit that in all my reading I had never heard of Durrell which of course makes me not so well read. He is a great writer.

About Justine. Wonderful writing if sometimes a bit verbose and his use of uncommon words for describing something simple, well lets just say his poetic license if much higher than mine and most of the reading public. He was a book club selection and I am glad for it.

Justine is a modern woman. She lives by a different set of rules than the women of her age, she is a Katherine Hepburn type. The men on the other hand are impotent. They are passive bystanders. She moves, digests, uses them and in the end she leaves them.

About Balthazar; I found this book a little easier to read. Perhaps because I already had an introduction from reading Justine. Balthazar as a character is never quite clearly defined. However this book seemed to have some flow and plotline. I would have named this book Hussain, Nessim's brother is to me the most compelling character. At first a benign good brother who tends the farm and takes care of the mother. But the cleft lip. A good hint at the imperfection that is to come. His lovesick obsession with Clea and subsequent murder of Toto because he comes on to him and he thinks its Justine because of the ring. Well it blows your mind. Durrell sets up Clea very well for the next installment.

Alexandria is the mother city with her ample bosom of diversions and ethnic flair.

But its the language and the rhythm of Durrells prose that makes you feel that you are experiencing a book not just reading it. Well done.

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