A Thoughtful Read

I finished reading "The Cellist of Sarajevo" on the bus home tonight. It is one of the most tragically beautiful books I've ever read, and I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to attending a number of the One Book, One Calgary events over the next month and just wish my schedule allowed me to attend a couple more, because there are so many interesting events that will be taking place. I'm very impressed with the Calgary Public Library, for the book choice and the event schedule. If you're in the city, read "The Cellist of Sarajevo" and come out to some events, I think you'll find it's worth the time. I'm not going to say much about the story, because I think you should read it and experience it yourself, but I'll do my best to convey part of my experience of this reading.

Completely ignoring the content for just a moment, this novel was a really pleasant read. The language is clear and concise, and the organizational structure is straight forward, an absolute treat to read. I never felt the need to flip back and re-read a passage, and I never once felt that I was 'working' to read - it was pure experience for me. I think the word for this is probably 'accessible' but I feel that word has developed a negative connotation in the literary circles where they seem to think 'accessible' means a lesser artistic value. I, however, think accessibility in writing is a great thing. So, I really loved Galloway's writing style in this novel.

Now, that does not mean this was an 'easy read' - the emotion of this story is intense, and the deeper questions of humanity, hatred and civilization are very thought provoking. Normally, I'll think about whatever book I'm reading while I work on "mindless" tasks during the day - walking to the store or bus, while I'm shelving books, during commercials while I watch TV - but with this novel, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It was so intense it affected how I think about my daily activities. Emotionally, I've been a bit of a wreck - I can't think of another book that made me cry, not by a character's death but by their view of life. It was that beautiful. But, it's also sad, frightening, heartbreaking, and hopeful.

When you read "The Cellist of Sarajevo" - and really, you should. You must. It's fantastic. - I suggest getting yourself a nice recording of "Albinoni's" Adagio in G Minor to accompany your reading. It may seem a bit obvious, but I found it really enhanced my reading experience.

I'm back to the Booker tonight. Sadly, my beloved library seems to have lost it's only copy of David Storey's "Saville" which means I'm moving on to read Paul Scott's "Staying On". It also means I need to locate and purchase four books, but I'm going to hold off a bit and see if I need to order any more - figure I should save on shipping if I can.

Oh, and a quick confession. I actually read two books this week, because I felt I needed a little emotional break from the Cellist. I chose to read Helene Hanff's "84 Charing Cross Road" - it was a sweet nostalgic treat for a couple of mornings, a very quick and pleasant book. You like books? You've tried to find an elusive book? (Gosh, do I ever know what that's like!) You'll enjoy this sweet story of friendship.

Happy Reading!