British Reading

Some weeks ago, my tongue was a bit twisty after reading two British books in succession; I can’t help reading them without a British accent in my head! At that time, I was also nursing a bad cough (read: evil virus going around) with lots of mint tea and honey (okay, and some all-butter shortbread), so I was enjoying round-the-clock teatime, perfect for these two books: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend, and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I’ve seen copies of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 everywhere, in an astounding number of different editions (and sequels too), and I’ve always been wondering about its apparent cult following (I figured it must have one, with all those books). I needed a T for the A-Z Challenge and finally settled on this book.

It is exactly what the title suggests — the diary of an awkward pubescent teenage boy.

Here’s a particularly funny passage:

“Wednesday, January 14th

Joined the library. Got Care of Skin, Origin of Species, and a book by a woman my mother is always going on about. It is called Pride and Prejudice, by a woman called Jane Austen. I could tell the librarian was impressed. Perhaps she is an intellectual like me. She didn’t look at my spot, so perhaps it is getting smaller. About time!

… None of the teachers in school have noticed that I am an intellectual. They will be sorry when I am famous. There is a new girl in our class. She sits next to me in Geography. She is all right. Her name is Pandora, but she likes being called ‘Box.’ I might fall in love with her. It’s time I fell in love, after all I am 13 3/4 years old.”

Yup, a couple of decades before The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Adrian Mole was already moaning and groaning about spots on his face and how his ears stick out at an angle of 90 degrees, analyzing the weirdness of his parents, proclaiming himself an “intellectual,” surrendering his lunch money to the fearsome Barry Kent, waxing poetic about the beautiful Pandora, trying to get excused from gym class, reading Animal Farm and Madame Bovary, celebrating the wedding of Charles and Diana, delivering newspapers in the neighborhood (and getting them mixed up), growing fond of a n old age pensioner he volunteered to spend time with to be able to skip Maths class on Mondays, starting his own magazine (Voice of the Youth), and painting over his floor to ceiling Noddy wallpaper to make his bedroom black!

It was candidly hilarious from cover to cover, reminding me of an 80’s male version of Georgia Nicholson (from Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging), and before I knew it I’d finished the book in one (very short) sitting. I couldn’t believe I’d missed out on the Adrian Mole books all this time, and I wanted more! A little googling tells me there are plenty more for me to read along Adrian’s timeline: The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (a year after the first book); The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole (age 20); Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years (23 years old); Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (30 years old); Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (33 years old); The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole, 1999-2001 (Between 30-33 years); and Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (40 years old).

I haven’t seen the sequels here, though, so I’ll probably have better luck getting them on BookMooch, since a lot of copies are available for mooching.

Meanwhile, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (awarded the 1989 Booker Prize) tells of a butler named Stevens, who is taking a leisurely drive across the English countryside (c. 1956) at the suggestion of his employer Mr. Farraday, with the loan of his Ford automobile and the provision of gas money.

Stevens, the quintessential English butler, makes his way through Salisbury, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, and Weymouth, and looks back at his three decades of service at Darlington Hall under the infamous Lord Darlington (prior to Farraday), as well as the nature of his relationship with Miss Kenton, the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall with whom he is scheduled to meet towards the end of the novel.

The story is told from Stevens’ point of view, in his formal language, which I found quite amusing (in my mind I was really laying on the accent quite thick!). Stevens takes his job as butler very seriously, and he talks about the challenge of managing a household with a staff reduced from twenty-eight to four, the duties and responsibilities of a dignified butler, and his comical but unsuccessful attempts to develop a sense of humor (much like Sheldon Cooper attempting to master sarcasm and contemporary slang) so he can banter with his employer.

In this novel however, what Stevens is not saying is equally important as what he is saying, as his prevarication on certain subjects, such as the personality of his former employer Lord Darlington (whose friendly terms with the Germans during World War II caused the decline of his popularity). Stevens retains the utmost respect and loyalty towards Lord Darlington, and he is reluctant to admit to the latter’s foolishness, as he reassures himself that the has “served humanity by serving a ‘great gentleman.'”

His recollections of his encounters with Miss Kenton also hint at a relationship that goes beyond professional camaraderie and friendship, which later gains confirmation as the novel progresses. Compelling stuff, really, this whole butler-and-housekeeper affair. I found myself looking forward to Stevens’ memories of Miss Kenton in each chapter!

I also found out there is a film adaptation of The Remains of the Day starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson:

I will have to hunt down a copy of this film — it looks bloody awesome! :D

This is my first Kazuo Ishiguro novel, and I enjoyed it immensely, especially for the droll humor. I think I will go on to read another Ishiguro (maybe Never Let Me Go?) this year.

***

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4, mass market paperback, 4/5 stars

The Remains of the Day, trade paperback, 5/5 stars

books 178-179 for 2010

books T and I for the A-Z Challenge

[amazonify]::omakase::300:250[/amazonify]