'The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047' by Lionel Shriver
29 June 2016
It's a long time since I read Lionel Shriver's stunning novel 'We need to talk about Kevin'. Writing here about it in August 2006 I said
“I found it completely compelling – very clever and well-written – a gripping and emotional ride that made me feel like I had been holding my breath throughout – and made me burst into tears after finishing the final page – brilliant!” So my expectations were high in approaching Lionel Shriver's new novel 'The Mandibles' (which I read as an unabridged audio book, narrated by George Newbern). 'The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047' explores the economic crises of recent years through an inventive fantasy that follows the lives of a wealthy American family through a dystopian future in which the dollar crashes resulting in the unravelling of civilisation and the rule of law across the USA. Shriver has lots of fun imagining Mexico imposing border controls to stop US citizens fleeing South and Americans providing cheap labour to the new Chinese superpower. But the author's extensive research is rather blatantly displayed. This is a novel of ideas in which characters who are desperate for food and other essential supplies seem happy to spend most of their time having long intellectual conversations about economic theory and the role of cash in society. 'The Mandibles' often feels like one of George Bernard Shaw's more didactic plays, with far too many dinner party scenes of unrealistically eloquent expository debate. Strangely, for a story whose events span the breakdown of Western civilisation, there doesn't seem to be enough plot: the dramatic incidents tend to happen 'off-stage' (even a scene where the family is robbed at gunpoint descends into a theoretical discussion with the gunman). 'The Mandibles' is an interesting exploration of economic theory but ultimately a somewhat stilted novel.
Labels: Books
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
21 June 2016
The Cornish composer George Llloyd was born in 1913 – the same year as Benjamin Britten. In his heyday Lloyd was revered (with Britten) as one of England's two great contemporary composers. But his traumatic experiences while serving with the Arctic convoys in the Second World War led him to give up composing for some years and today he is largely overlooked. George Lloyd's 'Symphony No 9', which we performed in the Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert at St Matthew's Church in Northampton last Saturday, was written in 1969. The symphony shows a composer responding to the horrors of the 20th century by deciding to focus on the cheerier aspects of life. The music feels like a, sometimes odd, mixture of the seriousness of Vaughan-Williams and the jauntiness of Eric Coates. But, over the weeks we have been rehearsing it with our conductor John Gibbons who is a great champion of British composers, I think most members of the orchestra have grown very fond of the work and many of us are now beginning to listen to George Lloyd's other symphonies. The final movement of the ninth symphony is a tour de force for tuned percussion, requiring two xylophones, marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone, tublar bells and celeste, and the NSO percussionists gave a truly stunning performance: congratulations to Keith Crompton, Ben Lewis, Oliver Lowe, Alex Taylor, William Thallon, harpist Alexander Thomas and Chris Henderson on timpani. The concert also featured a beautifully delicate performance of Rodrigo's 'Concierto de Aranjuez' for guitar and orchestra by Graham Roberts. Our programme (of pieces linked to various holiday destinations) also included Malcolm Arnold's 'Four Cornish Dances', 'L'Isle Joyeuse' by Claude Debussy, George Gershwin's 'Cuban Overture' and John Barry's theme from the film 'Out of Africa'. Like the Lloyd symphony, the concert as a whole felt like an odd mixture but proved hugely enjoyable for both orchestra and audience. There were some wonderful solos by Graham Tear (flute), Rob Reid (clarinet) and Nick Bunker (trumpet) in the Debussy, Gershwin and the slow movement of the symphony. But my main memory of the concert will be the thrilling finale of George Lloyd's 'Symphony No 9' with its rapid-fire xylophones. If you want to get an idea of the piece there is a recording of the symphony's premiere on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWCls9RNfxMLabels: Concerts, Music
Iberian cruise
17 June 2016
We had a wonderful holiday on board the P&O cruise ship Oriana, visiting Spain, Portugal and Morocco. We enjoyed two weeks of consistently glorious sunshine and remarkably calm seas. It was great fun exploring some beautiful cities, including Lisbon, Cadiz, Malaga and Porto. Visiting Tangier in Morocco was a fascinating, if slightly intimidating, experience. We wandered through the crowded, narrow alleyways of the Medina with its myriad of shops and stalls selling leather goods and spices, getting lost several times as we tried to retrace our steps from the Kasbah at the top of the hill back to the harbour. Another highlight was our first visit to the Frank Gehry's amazing Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao – an incredible building that has helped to transform an ailing industrial city into a major tourist destination.
You can see a selection of my holiday photos at:
http://culturaloutlook.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/IberianCruise2016Labels: Holidays
