Love of Fat Men

by Helen Dunmore | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 014024882x Global Overview for this book
Registered by Apechild of York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on 11/4/2006
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5 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Apechild from York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, November 4, 2006
This is a small book and a collection of short stories - a couple of which I had already read in other short story collections.
Quite a few of the stories do actually follow snippets in the life of one character, a Finnish woman called Ulli. And the majority do have a connection to Scandinavia and Finland. There's generally also a running theme of winter and cold. I think this coldness also applies to most of the people in the stories - they're very isolated and seemingly lacking in human warmth. To be honest this book left me a bit cold.
One of the best/saddest was the story Annina which is about the devasting effect of an early miscarraige on a woman's sanity.

Journal Entry 2 by Apechild from York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Set up a bookray (v.small though!):

1. Opheliaphillips - UK
2. jesmondgirl - UK
3. Megi53 - USA (anywhere)

Journal Entry 3 by jesmondgirl from Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Thursday, January 4, 2007
This popped on to the mat this morning. For a book entitled 'Love of fat Men' it is realyy rather a slim little volume!!!. I shall start reading this today. Thank you for sharing this.

Journal Entry 4 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Thursday, January 18, 2007
Just came in the mail while I was home from work early due to a threatened sleet storm that never materialized ... the stories look very seasonal (i.e., cold).

Later ... after checking with OpheliaPhillips to see what she'd like me to do with this ray, I'm going to offer it on the Book Wishes forum, since she said "anything"!

Journal Entry 5 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I was captivated with Dunmore's turns of phrase! She is a marvelous writer. The back of this book gave plot outlines of her novels, and I will look for them. There is only so much I can take of contemporary literature with its degrading, dysfunctional themes, but these stories were so lyrical that the author's talent overcame the yuck factor. *

I loved almost all of the stories; my absolute favorite was "The Ice Bear". It features Ulli returning home from a long trip. First she tried to shower and change but the drain stopped up and water got on her clean clothes, so she had to wear her sheepskin jacket over -- nothing -- on the ferry. At one point, while she was talking to a fundamentalist young Lutheran missionary, she forgot and started to remove it! At the end she shared a quick drink with some Finnish guest-workers. Simple, friendly, and heartwarming.

"Batteries", about a mother and daughter ice-skating while the boy in the family played with his Game Boy, was unique and wonderful.

"The Bridge Painter" -- positively Poe-like! (I'll bet the guy doesn't really buy dolls, heh heh.)

"A Grand Day" -- a priest is confronted by a flirtatious college girl. Unforgettable.

*By yuck factor, I mean stuff like the little boy, Carl, in "North Sea Crossing" thinking his dad's pee would be black because he was drinking so much coffee; and the gross, drawn-out toilet scene in "Smell of Horses".

Oh, and "The Thief", about the shoplifting pregnant woman and her abusive - whatever was unnerving.

But darned if they weren't all excellently executed.

Mailing to a Canadian BCer (from Book Wishes drawing) later this week.




Journal Entry 6 by PRCS on Monday, March 19, 2007
Won this book have yet to read it thanks Megi53

Journal Entry 7 by MelbCon from Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on Thursday, September 13, 2007
Gratefully received, to be released at the convention in October. Thanks from the convention committee.

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