annethology
  • Home
    • About Annethology
    • About me >
      • A little more about me
    • About my books
    • Author talks
    • Contact me
    • Forthcoming events
    • World Mental Health Day
    • Privacy
    • Sign up for my newsletter
  • Sugar and Snails
    • Acknowledgements
    • Blog tour, Q&A's and feature articles >
      • Birthday blog tour
      • S&S on tour 2022
    • Early endorsements
    • Events >
      • Launch photos
      • Launch party videos
    • in pictures
    • Media
    • If you've read the book
    • Polari
    • Reading group questions
    • Reviews
    • In the media
  • Underneath
    • Endorsements and reviews
    • Launch party and events
    • Pictures
    • Questions for book groups
    • The stories underneath the novel
  • Matilda Windsor
    • What readers say
    • For book groups
    • Interviews, articles and features
    • Matty on the move
    • Who were you in 1990?
    • Asylum lit
    • Matilda Windsor media
  • Short stories
    • Somebody’s Daughter
    • Becoming Someone (anthology) >
      • Becoming Someone (video readings)
      • Becoming Someone reviews
      • Becoming Someone online book chat
    • Print and downloads
    • Read it online
    • Quick reads
  • Free ebook
  • Annecdotal
    • Articles >
      • Print journalism
      • Where psychology meets fiction
    • Fictional therapists >
      • Themed quotes
      • Reading around the world
      • Reading and reviews >
        • Reviews A to H
        • Reviews I to M
        • Reviews N to Z
        • Nonfiction
  • Shop
    • Inspired Quill (my publisher)
    • Bookshop.org (affiliate link)
    • Amazon UK
    • Amazon US
    • books2read

About the author and blogger ...

Anne Goodwin writes entertaining fiction about identity, mental health and social justice. She has published three novels and a short story collection with Inspired Quill. Her debut, Sugar and Snails, was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. Her new novel, Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home, is rooted in her work as a clinical psychologist in a long-stay psychiatric hospital.

TELL ME MORE

Perfect communities? from Celeste Ng & Thomas More

8/1/2018

4 Comments

 
Given the chance, wouldn’t you live in a comfortable right-on community where none of your neighbours voted for Brexit or Trump? Where people read books, and supported libraries, and no-one hung plastic bags of dog poo from the trees? But you know what would happen if you packed up and moved there? You’d have the neighbours on your back for putting out the bins too early, or letting your dandelions run to seed. Because it’s in the nature of utopian societies to have a downside, often manifest in a denial of our baser human instincts and/or excessive control. It makes great fodder for fiction, however, as I hope to show in my review of Celeste Ng’s latest novel set in 1990s suburban America. Alongside that, I’ve gone back to basics with my first-time read of the original Utopia, published 500 years ago.

Picture
Picture

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

If Elena Richardson seems a little smug, who can blame her? She’s an all-round decent person who seems to have it all. A strong marriage; four smart adolescent children; a job as a reporter for the local newspaper; and a beautiful home in the planned progressive community of Shaker Heights. So how come her youngest daughter, Izzy, has burnt the house down? Did the rot set in when Elena rented an apartment to itinerant artist Mia Warren and her shy teenage daughter Pearl?
 
Keen to assist the deserving poor, Elena offers Mia a part-time cooking and cleaning job in lieu of rent. She’s already welcomed Pearl into the family home to pick apart Jerry Springer in the TV room with the Richardson kids. It makes perfect sense that Pearl should want to hang out in the more opulent setting; what Elena doesn’t envisage is that her children, especially Izzy, the family scapegoat, should be drawn to Mia’s unconventional lifestyle and inner calm.
 
But the greatest insult to Elena’s sense of order comes from Mia’s role in a custody battle concerning a Chinese-American baby in the process of being adopted by her dearest friends. When the baby’s mother makes an impassioned plea for her to be returned to her, the community’s liberal attitudes are put to the test. Elena’s support for the adoptive mother leads her to do some digging around into Mia’s past. Even as she fights for what she holds dear, Elena risks losing the very thing she didn’t realise she had.
 
Cleverly crafted, and moving smoothly between the perspectives of multiple characters, Celeste Ng’s second novel is an engaging and thought-provoking tale of race, motherhood and the myth of a perfect world. Thanks to Little, Brown for my advance proof copy. For my views on the author’s debut, see
The great unsaid. For a historical perspective on Chinese-American identity, see my review of The Fortunes.

Utopia: The Island of Nowhere by Thomas More in a new translation by Roger Clarke

Imagine a society founded on rationality and organised for the common good. With no freeloaders, apart from the sick or decrepit, at either the top or bottom of the social scale. Everyone employed in tasks of benefit to the community, but no-one obliged to work excessively long hours. With money, private property and wealth abolished, and resources used efficiently so there’s always more than enough to go round, there’s no incentive for thievery or stockpiling goods. On top of that, there’s a fully functioning healthcare system available to all with optional euthanasia for when pain and suffering outpaces medical knowledge and skill. Not bad? That’s life on “the still largely unknown island of Utopia” as related by one of the rare European visitors, Dr Rafael Contrasenso, to Thomas More, Chancellor to Henry VIII, on a visit to Flanders half a millennium ago.
 
For this reader, familiar with the term utopia, but never having read the book, there were some surprises: such as a belief in a supreme being considered consistent with rationality and the island nation’s reliance on slaves. However, both of these would be considered progressive in the context of the times. As outlined in Book I, the freedom to choose which religion (or none if one keeps quiet about it) is an advancement on being slaughtered for choosing the wrong branch of Christianity as occurred in England around that time; while slavery might be preferable to the death penalty for the pauper who steals a chunk of bread. Given
the position of women 500 years on, I’m not going to squabble about Utopian women working alongside, but subservient to, men.
 
I’m not much of a philosopher, or
reader of non-fiction of any kind, but I found this an easy read in Roger Clarke’s 2017 translation. The humour came as a great surprise: minerals being valued solely for their function, gold and silver (a necessity for trade) was used for chamber pots and jewels for children’s toys. Although I didn’t read all of it, I’d appreciated the additional material, including the influences on Thomas More, in the edition I read (although unfortunately in tiny font) courtesy of Alma Books.

Picture


Can I link either of these books to a 99-word story on the theme of
copper country? It seems I can, but only by being a little silly!


Coppers bring copper to Utopia


The visitors try to impress us, as usual. We stifle our yawns. They tell us they’re coppers, but we can police ourselves. He empties his pockets of a handful of coins and a card. “Electronic money. No need for coppers.” We hate to disappoint him, but we’ve no need for money at all. “Look how it turns from orange to green as it loses its shine!” But we’re not impressed by decoration. “Don’t touch it! It’s dirty.” The coppers disagree. “Copper kills bacteria and viruses.” Really? We took a sack and in exchange for a lorry load of gold.


Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think. If you've enjoyed this post, you might like to sign up via the sidebar for regular email updates and/or my quarterly Newsletter.
4 Comments
Charli Mills
9/1/2018 08:30:47 pm

Inwardly I groaned to consider the setting of a book in 1990s suburban America which is where I landed after living rural al my life, but then going to college to pursue a career and give my children better opportunities -- which is the snake oil sold to those who move to the suburbs. By your review, I feel the author plies away at the complex layers of utopian ideals in the modern US suburbs. Then to seek our reading some Thomas Moore! I've never completed Utopia, but have read it in parts enough to know I don't believe in its existence. How can we all become unified in our thinking and agreements based on a controlled life? Better to live one's own expression of self ith consideration and compassion for others. Thus I've picked up my own hefty non-fiction reading recently, Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With a Thousand Faces." I have the hero's journey in mind with Campbell's intention to find the common ground for human understanding as spoken in the Vedas: "Truth is one, the sages speak of it by many names."

Reply
Annecdotist
11/1/2018 05:37:03 pm

I don’t mind reading about the suburbs, except for my disapproval of no-one walking anywhere, and kids driving to school on their own cars! I believe Celeste Ng based her setting on a place she lived herself.
Utopia was a strange mixture of the expected and some interesting surprises. And my next read being set in ancient Greece, I could see this as a significant advancement.
Hindu philosophy is interesting in its openness to multiple perspectives. Unfortunately, when it’s transferred into politics that tolerance of difference seems to get lost.

Reply
Norah Colvin link
12/1/2018 06:06:30 am

I think Little Fires Everywhere sounds intriguing. From your introduction, I initially thought it referred to the need to put out spot fires because people were doing little wrong things, but seems I thought wrong. I haven't read Utopia, but some time ago began reading Uscolia by Gabriel Lanyi (recommended by Marsha Ingrao, I think). I wondered if it may have been inspired by Utopia, but am not sure. Really must finish reading it.
It's amazing how little some things change from century to century.

Reply
Annecdotist
13/1/2018 04:43:56 pm

There were small fires in each room which eventually burnt the whole house down. But I think it’s also to be taken metaphorically in terms of lots of small faults / acts of kindness being glossed over.
Yeah, that’s how little things change, but given that’s only 500 years ago and my next read took me to the ancient Greeks maybe expecting too much!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Free ebook: click the image to claim yours.
    Picture
    Find a review
    Picture
    Fictional therapists
    Picture
    Picture
    About Anne Goodwin
    Picture
    My published books
    entertaining fiction about identity, mental health and social justice
    Picture
    My latest novel, published May 2021
    Picture
    My debut novel shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize
    Picture
    Picture
    My second novel published May 2017.
    Picture
    Short stories on the theme of identity published 2018
    Anne Goodwin's books on Goodreads
    Sugar and Snails Sugar and Snails
    reviews: 32
    ratings: 52 (avg rating 4.21)

    Underneath Underneath
    reviews: 24
    ratings: 60 (avg rating 3.17)

    Becoming Someone Becoming Someone
    reviews: 8
    ratings: 9 (avg rating 4.56)

    GUD: Greatest Uncommon Denominator, Issue 4 GUD: Greatest Uncommon Denominator, Issue 4
    reviews: 4
    ratings: 9 (avg rating 4.44)

    The Best of Fiction on the Web The Best of Fiction on the Web
    reviews: 3
    ratings: 3 (avg rating 4.67)

    2022 Reading Challenge

    2022 Reading Challenge
    Anne has read 2 books toward their goal of 100 books.
    hide
    2 of 100 (2%)
    view books
    Picture
    Annecdotal is where real life brushes up against the fictional.  
    Picture
    Annecdotist is the blogging persona of Anne Goodwin: 
    reader, writer,

    slug-slayer, tramper of moors, 
    recovering psychologist, 
    struggling soprano, 
    author of three fiction books.

    LATEST POSTS HERE
    I don't post to a schedule, but average  around ten reviews a month (see here for an alphabetical list), 
    some linked to a weekly flash fiction, plus posts on my WIPs and published books.  

    Your comments are welcome any time any where.

    Get new posts direct to your inbox ...

    Enter your email address:

    or click here …

    RSS Feed


    Picture

    Tweets by @Annecdotist
    Picture
    New short story, “My Dirty Weekend”
    Picture
    Let’s keep in touch – subscribe to my newsletter
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Popular posts

    • Compassion: something we all need
    • Do spoilers spoil?
    • How to create a convincing fictional therapist
    • Instructions for a novel
    • Looking at difference, embracing diversity
    • Never let me go: the dilemma of lending books
    • On loving, hating and writers’ block
      On Pop, Pirates and Plagiarism
    • READIN' for HER reviews
    • Relishing the cuts
    • The fast first draft
    • The tragedy of obedience
    • Writers and therapy: a love-hate relationship?

    Categories/Tags

    All
    Animals
    Annecdotist Hosts
    Annecdotist On Tour
    Articles
    Attachment Theory
    Author Interviews
    Becoming Someone
    Being A Writer
    Blogging
    Bodies
    Body
    Bookbirthday
    Books For Writers
    Bookshops
    Candles
    CB Book Group
    Character
    Childhood
    Christmas
    Classics
    Climate Crisis
    Coming Of Age
    Counsellors Cafe
    Creative Writing Industry
    Creativity
    Cumbria
    Debut Novels
    Disability
    Editing
    Emotion
    Ethics
    Ethis
    Family
    Feedback And Critiques
    Fictional Psychologists & Therapists
    Food
    Friendship
    Futuristic
    Gender
    Genre
    Getting Published
    Giveaways
    Good Enough
    Grammar
    Gratitude
    Group/organisational Dynamics
    Hero’s Journey
    History
    Humour
    Identity
    Illness
    Independent Presses
    Institutions
    International Commemorative Day
    Jane Eyre
    Language
    LGBTQ
    Libraries
    Live Events
    Marketing
    Matilda Windsor
    Memoir
    Memory
    Mental Health
    Microfiction
    Motivation
    Music
    MW Prequel
    Names
    Narrative Voice
    Nature / Gardening
    Networking
    Newcastle
    Nonfiction
    Nottingham
    Novels
    Pandemic
    Peak District
    Poetry
    Point Of View
    Politics
    Politics Current Affairs
    Presentation
    Privacy
    Prizes
    Psychoanalytic Theory
    Psychology
    Psycholoists Write
    Psychotherapy
    Race
    Racism
    Rants
    Reading
    Real Vs Imaginary
    Religion
    Repetitive Strain Injury
    Research
    Reviewing
    Romance
    Satire
    Second Novels
    Settings
    Sex
    Shakespeare
    Short Stories General
    Short Stories My Published
    Short Stories Others'
    Siblings
    Snowflake
    Somebody's Daughter
    Storytelling
    Structure
    Sugar And Snails
    Technology
    The
    Therapy
    TikTok
    TNTB
    Tourism
    Toxic Positivity
    Transfiction
    Translation
    Trauma
    Unconscious
    Unconscious, The
    Underneath
    Voice Recognition Software
    War
    WaSBihC
    Weather
    Work
    Writing Process
    Writing Technique

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Picture
    BLOGGING COMMUNITIES
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from havens.michael34, romana klee, mrsdkrebs, Kyle Taylor, Dream It. Do It., adam & lucy, dluders, Joybot, Hammer51012, jorgempf, Sherif Salama, eyspahn, raniel diaz, E. E. Piphanies, scaredofbabies, Nomadic Lass, paulternate, Tony Fischer Photography, archer10 (Dennis), slightly everything, impbox, jonwick04, country_boy_shane, dok1, Out.of.Focus, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Elvert Barnes, guillenperez, Richard Perry, jamesnaruke, Juan Carlos Arniz Sanz, El Tuerto, kona99, maveric2003, !anaughty!, Patrick Denker, David Davies, hamilcar_south, idleformat, Dave Goodman, Sharon Mollerus, photosteve101, La Citta Vita, A Girl With Tea, striatic, carlosfpardo, Damork, Elvert Barnes, UNE Photos, jurvetson, quinn.anya, BChristensen93, Joelk75, ashesmonroe, albertogp123, >littleyiye<, mudgalbharat, Swami Stream, Dicemanic, lovelihood, anyjazz65, Tjeerd, albastrica mititica, jimmiehomeschoolmom