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Book #8 from the Women in Translation rec list: The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo, translated from Korean by Chi-Young Kim. This book is about a 65-year-old assassin approaching the end of her career who faces one last unexpected challenge.
This book hooked me immediately with its premise. While 65 may not seem old enough in today's graying society to be considered truly "elderly," a hard life can take its toll much sooner than might be expected, and protagonist Hornclaw (her work alias; we never learn her real name) has definitely had a tough road. Letting a woman—and an old woman at that—be the sole protagonist of an action novel like this was fun to read.
This isn't a book about Hornclaw reflecting on her life and career, though her recollections of what led her into this work are sprinkled throughout the story. Rather, Hornclaw is focused on the future. Despite a lifetime of being physically active, Hornclaw's punishing work has taken its toll, and every day she is evaluating herself to judge if she can reasonably continue with her work, or if its time to take her payout and retire. At various times, she fantasizes about owning a small beer and fried chicken restaurant, being a lady who gets her nails done regularly, and having the time and safety to walk her dog more often. It's these small goals which drive home how much of Hornclaw's life has been controlled by the nature of her work, although she never pities herself for the road her life has taken.
Neither is she wringing her hands with regret over a life spent killing for money. Hornclaw is nothing if not practical, and it made her perspective interesting to sink into. Her job is just a job for her; she does what she needs to to complete her assignments, and she moves on. When a relative of one of her old victims comes calling, she has no recollection of them and no particular pity for the role she played in their life. I enjoyed this aspect; it felt like Hornclaw was allowed to inhabit a role I've only ever really seen filled by male characters: the grizzled old veteran assassin.
And of course, even at her age, even recognizing she can no longer pull some of the moves she used to, Hornclaw is still a stone-cold badass.
The story itself was a little less gripping for me, it felt like it meandered a little and didn't have as much time to build up as I might have liked, particularly Hornclaw's relationship with Dr. Kang. Hornclaw is definitely the most compelling part of the book, and I enjoyed it for her narration and her actions. Naturally, the book also has commentary on ageism, as Hornclaw is constantly aware of how she's viewed as she gets old (the quickest way to make her snap is trying to refer to her as "ma'am"), which she uses to her advantage when it comes to her targets, and which she fights against when it comes to her coworkers and clients.
On the whole, this book goes by quickly, and it's fun. It's not the sort of book I'll spend a lot of time thinking about now that I'm done with it, but I enjoyed reading it and it was fun to see such a different protagonist for this kind of story.
Crossposted from my main.
Crossposted from my main.
This week I finished When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill, a low-fantasy pseudo-historical novel where women occasionally and spontaneously become dragons.
Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of.
Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.
Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of.
Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.
I have mixed feelings on this book. On the one hand, I think the metaphor does work well and the theme of reclaiming power is rewarding. On the other, I think the book loses the plot partway through and I didn't find the author's prose particularly engaging.
Within the book, "dragoning" as it's called serves as an analogy for basically anything about women that society, historically, has not liked to discuss. This can be brutal things like domestic abuse, sexual assault, and harassment, but it can also be more seemingly mundane yet equally "uncomfortable" topics like ambition, lack of motherly sentiment, queerness, and menstruation/women's bodies generally. One woman dragons because she feels trapped in a marriage to an unpleasant and ungrateful husband. Another dragons because she realized she was in love with another woman. Thus, while dragoning can be analogous to female rage, it can also be analogous to female joy, expressed in a way that society finds unbecoming.
Some spoilers below.
( Read more... )
Ultimately, I agree with the conclusion that this book would have worked better as a concentrated short story focusing only on the Mass Dragoning of 1955. There's just not enough here to fill out the 340 pages in a satisfying way.
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rocky41_7
Some spoilers below.
( Read more... )
Ultimately, I agree with the conclusion that this book would have worked better as a concentrated short story focusing only on the Mass Dragoning of 1955. There's just not enough here to fill out the 340 pages in a satisfying way.
Crossposted from
rocky41_7 The Cookie Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
This is a guide to cookies, with very meticulous step-by-step directions. It has some good general tips on baking cookies, although it does not go into as much scientific detail as some of the previous volumes like The Bread Bible.
( Read more... )
This is a guide to cookies, with very meticulous step-by-step directions. It has some good general tips on baking cookies, although it does not go into as much scientific detail as some of the previous volumes like The Bread Bible.
( Read more... )
- Mood:
busy
We finished reading the first cookbook of the year. \o/
The Way Home: A Celebration of Sea Islands Food and Family with over 100 Recipes by Kardea Brown. Amistad, October 25, 2022.
This is a Gullah Geechee cookbook, which is a branch of African diaspora soul food. We found many of the recipes heavier than our personal taste preferences, with a reliance on ultraprocessed ingredients; but some others use whole foods, so you can pick and choose along that spectrum. So far the biggest hit has been the Kelewele Dry Spice Mix, normally used to season plantains. We like plantains but they're hard to find around here. Instead I've used the spice mix in Kelewele Molasses Cookies (best molasses cookie I've had) and Spicy Butterscotch Sauce (also excellent). We've also made the Hoppin' John, which is more work than average and mixes the black-eyed peas and rice together during cooking, but the end result tastes better than others I have had. So we're still working on how to streamline that a bit, but we definitely plan to make it again. I consider these discoveries a validation of buying the book. :D
( Read more... )
The Way Home: A Celebration of Sea Islands Food and Family with over 100 Recipes by Kardea Brown. Amistad, October 25, 2022.
This is a Gullah Geechee cookbook, which is a branch of African diaspora soul food. We found many of the recipes heavier than our personal taste preferences, with a reliance on ultraprocessed ingredients; but some others use whole foods, so you can pick and choose along that spectrum. So far the biggest hit has been the Kelewele Dry Spice Mix, normally used to season plantains. We like plantains but they're hard to find around here. Instead I've used the spice mix in Kelewele Molasses Cookies (best molasses cookie I've had) and Spicy Butterscotch Sauce (also excellent). We've also made the Hoppin' John, which is more work than average and mixes the black-eyed peas and rice together during cooking, but the end result tastes better than others I have had. So we're still working on how to streamline that a bit, but we definitely plan to make it again. I consider these discoveries a validation of buying the book. :D
( Read more... )
- Mood: busy
Sinister Magic by Lindsay Buroker
Death Before Dragons book 1.
An urban fantasy series. With overt if much ignored magic.
( Read more... )
Death Before Dragons book 1.
An urban fantasy series. With overt if much ignored magic.
( Read more... )