The Easter Parade by Richard Yates

A quick rundown… The story of two sisters over their lives, from childhood to the end. The different paths – with very divergent results – make for interesting reading.

Strengths: Yates writes beautifully, communicating emotion in few words.

Weaknesses: Not always happy, but true to life.

Why I read it: I’ve really enjoyed his other works (so much so that I’ve searched bookshops around the world for a complete set).

Pages: 240

Published: 1976

Publisher: Vintage Classics

Setting: America

Rating: 9 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Other Richard Yates books, such as Revolutionary Road.

I always enjoy Richard Yates’ books and know that I can be guaranteed a well-written, sensitive narrative that doesn’t shy away from the uglier side of life. The Easter Parade certainly delivers on all those fronts. Deceptively slim at a mere 240 pages, Yates chronicles the life of two sisters, Sarah and Emily, from 1940s to 1970s New York. There aren’t any ‘big’ blockbuster type dramas in this book, rather it’s two lives lived somewhat differently with the benefits and drawbacks of both. To put it simply, it’s just life. Yes, there aren’t events that happen to everyone but I bet they will have happened to someone you know (even if you aren’t aware of it). This is a story that everyone can relate to.

Through elegant prose, Yates leads us through the young lives of Sarah and Emily and what it means to have divorced parents in that era. Emily is somewhat unsure of her role in the family – is it to be the sensible side of Pookie (her alcoholic, whimsical mother) or is it to emulate the glamourous Sarah, who once had a photo in the newspaper from the Easter parade? Or it is to make her own way?

Sarah chooses the conventional side of life and marries Tony, settling down in Long Island on his parents’ estate. Emily, in comparison, chooses college, mundane jobs and dead end relationships. It would seem that Sarah has the better end of the deal – or does she? The story is bittersweet as we learn that life in the suburbs hides unhappiness, abuse and alcoholism. Each sister has a sense of unfulfilment which she is trying to solve. Yates doesn’t offer any definite answers or sense of relief. This is life with its ups and downs – take it or leave it.

You might be wondering why I rated this so highly if this book is so damn depressing. It’s Yates’ skill to make sadness and emptiness readable so that hopefully, we recognise the good things. I think this is something he has in common with Truman Capote (such as in Summer Crossing). Both write detailed stories that detail everyday life, warts and all, capturing emotion so well. I can’t wait to read more of Yates’ work, paradoxical as that may seem!

Highly recommended.

[sic] by Joshua Cody

A quick rundown… A rambling remembrance of Joshua’s cancer treatments –chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant.

Strengths: He has a broad knowledge of a lot of subjects.

Weaknesses: Very free flowing, going anywhere and everywhere.

Why I read it: Sent to me by Bloomsbury – thank you.

Pages: 272

Published: 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Setting: New York City

Rating: 7 out of 10.

If you liked this, try: April Fool’s Day by Bryce Courtenay

When I saw Bloomsbury offering ARCs of this book, I was immediately interested. I loved the title and the cover and I thought it would be interesting to see what chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant was like from the patient’s point of view. While very interesting, the book didn’t quite live up to that side of things for me. This memoir – starting from the end of Josh’s first failed chemotherapy and finishing after his transplant, it contains many, many varied subjects.

First thing you should know is that it’s not really linear. Josh jumps straight into the action, then tells part of his back story every now and again. It’s like a puzzle, but occasionally you miss some pieces. To this day, I’m still not 100% what type of cancer Josh had (some might say this doesn’t matter, but it matters to me).

Second thing is that it’s a bit sexually graphic in places. You might want to hold the book up a bit to avoid over the shoulder readers on public transport.

The bone marrow transplant is more of a secondary plot line. You could say that Josh is reflecting on his life – sex, women, cocaine, hallucinogenic dreams, music and general knowledge. Just as you get interested in one topic, he changes to something else. There is often no introduction to the next topic, which can be confusing to the casual reader. It’s a rambling stream of consciousness.

I read a proof copy, but there were a couple of errors in terms of drug doses – wrong units used so Josh was either getting a massive overdose or tiny dose. Hopefully these have been corrected in the final version, as I wouldn’t want others going through the same thing getting worried.

One good thing is that Josh never rambles on about ‘why me’? He is always out to beat his cancer, no holds barred. In summary, I’d say this is better touted as the musings of a young man in a big city, rather than about the cancer so much.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Where Does it Hurt? By Max Pemberton

In a nutshell… The junior doctor is back – now with one year’s knowledge, he’s working out on the street.

Strengths: Honest and emotive.

Weaknesses: Not as much humour (difficult given the setting)

Why I read it: Loved Trust Me, I’m a Junior Doctor

Pages: 304

Published: 2009

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Setting: England

Rating: 9 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Bodies by Jed Mercurio

Max Pemberton is a talented writer and a very good doctor from what I read. Here in his second book (his third has just been released in the UK), he leaves the hospital where he did his initial training to work on the streets, looking after the homeless, mentally ill and substance dependent. While this doesn’t provide as much of an opportunity for humour as the initial book, there are still some very funny moments (bin diving for designer shirts) as well as some very poignant and sad ones. It’s an excellent insight into the life of working with people who are forced to live on the fringes of society.

This was a fast and easy read – probably because I was so interested in finding out what happened to each of the character – Sister Stein, the stern nurse at the drug dependency clinic; Patrick, who will restore your belief in the human spirit and Max’s former flatmates. The darker side of the book deals with topics not discussed very often – drug dependency in pregnancy, people who prefer life with drugs, those who battle mental illness and those that live on the streets. I found this a good insight into what patients may be experiencing. There were sad points and high points – just like life itself.

One question I do have is why Max left after one year – was his contract up? Did he prefer work in the hospital?

A great story and I eagerly await his third book!

Hospital Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anonymous

I made the mistake of reading this while I was on call. And yes, I do work in a hospital. While my experience of working 24/7 was not quite as bad as the unnamed doctor, there are a lot of things that ring true in this book. Written in conjunction with numerous hospital staff, this book tells the story of a truly horrible 24 hours in the Emergency Department. While all of these things do happen, hopefully they don’t happen in a single (double) shift.

This book is incredibly funny and yet incredibly sad. From the propofol and sux (suxamethonium, both anaesthetics) races – wrong, but oh so funny to the nurses hiding the chocolates, this will have you laughing and crying. People really do take up residence in the ED waiting room, the place usually has several drunks sleeping it off and others do shoot up just outside. There are also the traumas that just cannot be saved and the unexpected deaths when it all looked so medically simple.

The book also catches the feelings of the staff – from feeling useless at a trauma, exhilaration after a successful resuscitation and annoyance at the abuse of the system as well as the ‘four hour rule’ (i.e. in and out of ED in four hours or less, it’s the source of a lot of talk currently in Australia). I don’t know if some of the sexual things go down but the tiredness and the snaffling of food, any food is all real.

This is a great look at what goes on in the ED from the doctor’s perspective – it is moving and funny. The procedures are explained simply (and correctly, one of my issues with some fiction books) and it’s a light, quick read.

My only issue was that my ebook copy has a big black blank for the cover, disappointing as the cover is pretty good.

Read this if: you’re after an insider’s perspective on life in the ED without actually having to work there.

9 out of 10.

Halfway To Hollywood: Diaries 1980 to 1988 by Michael Palin

Everybody knows that I enjoy Michael Palin’s works – whether they be in book format, comedy or travel documentaries. This is the second book of Michael’s diaries, taking us from the end of Monty Python to A Fish Called Wanda and then onto an unknown horizon – Around the World in Eighty Days. This book also deals with some more serious issues – the death of his sister and mother moving out of the family home. However, there are some highs – Mrs Palin taking her first overseas trip to New York at age 80 and the success of various ventures (I have to see The Missionary now!).

Once again, Palin’s writing is brilliant, taking you to that era and making the everyday seem extraordinary and interesting – from parent-teacher meetings, to work meetings and travelling Concorde (okay, so that’s not so ordinary). It feels like he’s a regular, everyday Englishman who happens to act, write and perform very well. I was interested to read his trepidations before the 80 Days trip – he didn’t think it would be overly successful and Palin was a fourth or more choice. But as we all know, it started off some fantastic journeys. I loved reading about behind the scenes with Wanda and Meaning of Life (one of my favourite films) as well as ‘George H’ dropping by (that’s George Harrison of The Beatles). Ordinary man living an exceptional life.

I really enjoyed this book. I presume there won’t be any more published because the travel diaries have already been produced, but I suppose I can hope…

Read this if: you want to pretend you’re a cool British person in the 80s

8 out of 10.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I received this book for Christmas from my parents. My mum had been lining up to meet Ken Follett to have Fall of Giants signed when she was recommended this book by someone else in the queue. “It’s about the building of a cathedral,” the gentleman raved, “Your daughter will love it.” Now, my mother knows that building cathedrals does not rank highly on my list of preferred hobbies but she knows I enjoy Ken Follett’s books. So it was duly added to the Christmas pile. 

The book is somewhat daunting by its size – my copy was 1076 pages, plus an introduction and the first chapter of the sequel, World Without End. The print is fairly small and there are no page breaks for chapters. After the first hundred pages, we still haven’t met all the characters and there’s no cathedral in sight.

But despite that, this book is good. Really good.

What’s it about? Well, it’s about the building of a cathedral in the small town of Kingsbridge, England in the 1100s. But it’s about so much more than that – the lives of many different people from Philip the monk, Waleran the Bishop, Tom the Builder, Aliena, William, Jack and Ellen. All these characters come from different backgrounds and give their perspective of what it was like to live in these times (pretty bloody dangerous in my opinion). Although religion plays a role, it’s certainly not preaching or dominant. Philip is the type of man you would describe simply as ‘good’, no matter what his religion. William is silly but evil and shows the power of the wealthy and bloodthirsty. Waleran is conniving, always out to improve his situation. Jack is lovable despite his faults and Aliena is a strong female character. The supporting characters are also well written and memorable.

Despite the historical setting, the characters are easy to understand. The number of things the town of Kingsbridge goes through is simply amazing – bad luck or something more sinister? However, the characters manage to come through it all with good humour and hope for the future.

This book is brilliantly written – the author weaves and twists many plotlines through the narrative but it’s written in such a way that you remember every word.

Just a quick caution if you’re buying a paperback copy – mine has some pages that are rather light on ink (understandable given the length) so check you can read your copy before you purchase it. This would also be an ideal ebook due to its weight.

Read it if: you have the time to enjoy a great story. No, you need to actually make time for this one!

9.5 out of 10.