Paradise News by David Lodge: book review

Paradise News (1991) is set in contemporary times in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Forty-four year old bachelor, Bernard Walsh, from England, receives a phone call from his dying, long-forgotten aunt Ursula in Hawaii. A few days later, Bernard and his father John are on a plane to see her. Bernard has not spoken to his sister Tess since their mother died two years ago, but now they are in contact, by telephone, about news of their aunt.

Ursula had migrated to America after the war, and had barely kept in touch with her brother John, but she is thankful that they will soon be at her bedside.

On their first day in Hawaii, on their way to Ursula, John is run-over by driver Yolande Miller and is rushed to hospital. In the hotel, Russell and Cecily Harvey, Sidney and Lilian Brooks, Brian and Beryl Everthorpe, and Roger Sheldrake all hear the ambulance. Sue Butterworth and Dee Ripley are still asleep.

This is a comical view of Bernard’s trip to Hawaii. He is, quite suddenly, in a completely new world, far from Rummidge, England, which is a ‘big, industrial city in the middle of the country. Very grey, very dirty, mostly very ugly. It’s about as different from Hawaii as anywhere on the face of the earth.’

As his aunt Ursula lies dying, and his father John is in hospital, life opens up for Bernard in this steamy, tropical paradise. In fact, life begins to flower for this ‘late flowering man.’

There is too much preamble in Part 1 about getting to Hawaii (the bookings, the flight etc.), but the novel gains pace on their arrival. Part 2 is mostly about events in Hawaii, written in the form of postcards by the people Bernard meets in his hotel. Part 3 is the culmination of his time in Hawaii and his journey home. While it’s a bit slow in parts, overall its an easy read.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog