Literary A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor

sun surfer · 03-09-2014, 12:42 PM

This is the MR Literary Club selection for March 2014. Whether you've already read it or would like to, feel free to start or join in the conversation at any time! Guests are also always welcome.

Some ebook availability-
Australia- Amazon
U.K.- Amazon
U.S.- Amazon

Some pbook availability-
Canada- Amazon

So, what are your thoughts on it?

paola · 03-09-2014, 03:14 PM

I've just started it, and I am mesmerised!

issybird · 03-09-2014, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paola

I've just started it, and I am mesmerised!

That was my reaction when I first read it; I'm glad my memory isn't faulty! Looking forward to rereading this and its sequel before I finally get to the long-anticipated conclusion.

paola · 03-09-2014, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

That was my reaction when I first read it; I'm glad my memory isn't faulty! Looking forward to rereading this and its sequel before I finally get to the long-anticipated conclusion.

yes, that is the other "problem", it is a trilogy and I am already hooked...

Bookworm_Girl · 03-10-2014, 11:18 PM

I accidentally stumbled upon this blog by an English man who appears to be a passionate Paddy aficionado. There are photos, videos, links to interviews, news articles, you name it! It's very comprehensive what he's collected.
http://patrickleighfermor.wordpress....ws-with-paddy/

sun surfer · 03-11-2014, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paola

I've just started it, and I am mesmerised!

Tantalising! I'm very much looking forward to finally reading this; it looks to be just my cup of tea. I'll be starting it as soon as I finish the (long) book I'm reading now.

Thanks for the link Bookworm_Girl; it looks very interesting.

paola · 03-11-2014, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I accidentally stumbled upon this blog by an English man who appears to be a passionate Paddy aficionado. There are photos, videos, links to interviews, news articles, you name it! It's very comprehensive what he's collected.
http://patrickleighfermor.wordpress....ws-with-paddy/

great find Bookworm_Girl, thank you!

Bookpossum · 03-11-2014, 05:53 AM

Thanks for that, Bookworm_Girl. I'll have a browse. It's been another busy day (that's the trouble with being retired - no time!) so I have only read the introduction so far, and have fallen in love with Patrick Leigh Fermor on the spot.

desertblues · 03-13-2014, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I accidentally stumbled upon this blog by an English man who appears to be a passionate Paddy aficionado. There are photos, videos, links to interviews, news articles, you name it! It's very comprehensive what he's collected.
http://patrickleighfermor.wordpress....ws-with-paddy/

Thank you for the link, Bookworm Girl.
I started to read this book as I have a weak spot for travels.......

edit: for the same reason I started 'on the trail of Genghis Khan' by Tim Cope as well.

Mike L · 03-13-2014, 05:20 PM

I read this earlier a couple of months ago. I'd heard a lot about Leigh Fermor, and I saw him interviewed on TV a short while before he died. I had been planning to start reading his books for some time. I wasn't disappointed with this one. It was a fascinating story, and beautifully written.

If anyone saw the film Ill Met By Moonlight, you'll remember Patrick Leigh Fermor was the officer who was in charge of the plot to kidnap of the German commander in Crete (he was played by Dirk Bogard in the film). I hear that a Kindle edition of the book on which the film was based is due out soon (in the UK, at least).

Mike

bfisher · 03-15-2014, 09:36 PM

It's listed at amazon.com for pre-order for March 27 (nice price too)

http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Met-Moonli.../dp/1589880668

Thanks for the information, Mike. I read The Broken Road on your recommendation, and enjoyed it immensely. I'm also a fan of Powell and Pressburger, but I've never seen that movie. I'll have to look around for that.

Bookpossum · 03-16-2014, 12:44 AM

Try this folks: I watched it for free, so I hope it can work for you. And I enjoyed seeing it again after a great many years.

https://archive.org/details/MoviesSe...hellHeroes1955

I'm off for a few days, but should be able to get some reading done in and between gardening work at our beach house.

Bookworm_Girl · 03-16-2014, 06:57 PM

I've made it to the midpoint! I now know the source of the cover on the Kindle edition that I am reading.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pi...rt_Project.jpg

Spoiler:

Bookpossum · 03-19-2014, 06:49 PM

I loved this book so much, and though I really want to go on with the next part of the trilogy, I'm going to space them out rather than gobble them up all at once!

The language above all is so beautiful, and his descriptions of people, places, art, architecture and the countryside are wonderful.

Then there is his youthful enthusiasm and openness to everything he experiences. He was clearly a charming young man, by the way so many people took him in, helped him when he was in trouble (after all his possessions including his passport were stolen, for example), and generally helped him on his way.

Finally of course there are his observations of ways of life which probably no longer exist, and of the looming presence of Nazism in Germany and also in Austria to a lesser extent. With the benefit of hindsight, I was fearful about the future of so many of the people he met, such as the red-headed Jewish baker, the gypsies he saw on the way, and many others.

So a big thank-you to issybird for introducing me to Patrick Leigh Fermor! I'm looking forward to hearing what others thought about the experience of reading his book.

ccowie · 03-20-2014, 06:55 PM

I had much the same reaction to this book as Bookpossum. The language and style is beautiful and I was struck by the way that he was so well received in so many places. I wonder a little how much of the insights he shares were actually experienced at the time or whether they grew in the 40 some odd years between recording his initial diaries and the time that he actually wrote the book. Some of my travel experiences have deepened over the years as events took root in the person I was and then merge with new experiences and who I’ve become to change them somewhat. For example, I love this comment he makes on pg 87: “We have all invented a half-bogus golden age to embower us when we eat and drink away from home.” That’s either a remarkably present and thoughtful 18 year-old, or one who’s reflected repeatedly on a collection of experiences.

I did find it a little eerie to read about his travels knowing full well what was about to transpire in that area of the world. There was scene in the book (can’t seem to find it now) where he was with some new friends in a restaurant or eating outside and he was confronted by some brownshirts. He seemed a little stymied by the situation. I hope I’m remembering this correctly. It reminded me a little of the movie Cabaret, which I haven’t seen in about 25 years, but where the backdrop of WWII provided a dark shadow over a lot of mundane details of people’s lives who just weren’t waking up to the gravity of the situation.

Again, I really enjoyed how beautifully written this book is. This is the first time I’ve set an annual reading challenge and I notice that some target a number of books and others a number of pages. I think I’ll stick with a book goal because I don’t read every book at the same speed. I read On The Trail of Genghis Kahn this month as well, as I’m sure others did. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but read it in about a third the time I took to read A Time of Gifts. I also read some sections two or three times in one sitting, just to see everything in what was being described, but not losing the beauty of how a paragraph or thought was constructed.

03-09-2014, 12:42 PM	#1
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44667380 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor This is the MR Literary Club selection for March 2014. Whether you've already read it or would like to, feel free to start or join in the conversation at any time! Guests are also always welcome. Some ebook availability- Australia- Amazon U.K.- Amazon U.S.- Amazon Some pbook availability- Canada- Amazon So, what are your thoughts on it?

03-16-2014, 06:57 PM	#13
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	I've made it to the midpoint! I now know the source of the cover on the Kindle edition that I am reading. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pi...rt_Project.jpg Spoiler: The link between journeys and painting, especially this sort of journey, is very close. There was plenty to think about as I made my way through the snow-bound monastic orchards; and it occurred to me, in the silent fields that followed, and for the hundredth time since my landing in Holland, that so far one painter had presided over every stage of this Winterreise. When no buildings were in sight, I was back in the Dark Ages. But the moment a farmhouse or a village impinged, I was in the world of Peter Brueghel. The white flakes falling beside the Waal—or the Rhine or the Neckar or the Danube—and the zigzag gables and the muffled roofs, were all his. The icicles, too, and the trampled snow, the logs piled on the sledges and the peasants stooped double under loads of faggots. When children with woollen hoods and satchels burst out of a village school with a sudden scamper of miniature clogs, I knew in advance that in a moment they would be flapping their arms and blowing on mittened fingers and clearing a space to beat a top in, or galloping down a lane to slide on the nearest brook, with everyone—children, grown-ups, cattle and dogs—moving about in the wake of their own cloudy breath. When the wintry light crept dimly from slits close to the horizon or an orange sun was setting through the branches of a frozen osier-bed, the identity was complete.

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03-09-2014, 03:14 PM	#2
paola Wizard Posts: 2,840 Karma: 5843878 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: UK Device: Pocketbook Pro 903, (beloved Pocketbook 360 RIP), Kobo Mini, Kobo Aura	I've just started it, and I am mesmerised!

03-10-2014, 11:18 PM	#5
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	I accidentally stumbled upon this blog by an English man who appears to be a passionate Paddy aficionado. There are photos, videos, links to interviews, news articles, you name it! It's very comprehensive what he's collected. http://patrickleighfermor.wordpress....ws-with-paddy/

03-11-2014, 05:53 AM	#8
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,145 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	Thanks for that, Bookworm_Girl. I'll have a browse. It's been another busy day (that's the trouble with being retired - no time!) so I have only read the introduction so far, and have fallen in love with Patrick Leigh Fermor on the spot.

03-13-2014, 05:20 PM	#10
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	I read this earlier a couple of months ago. I'd heard a lot about Leigh Fermor, and I saw him interviewed on TV a short while before he died. I had been planning to start reading his books for some time. I wasn't disappointed with this one. It was a fascinating story, and beautifully written. If anyone saw the film Ill Met By Moonlight, you'll remember Patrick Leigh Fermor was the officer who was in charge of the plot to kidnap of the German commander in Crete (he was played by Dirk Bogard in the film). I hear that a Kindle edition of the book on which the film was based is due out soon (in the UK, at least). Mike

03-15-2014, 09:36 PM	#11
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	It's listed at amazon.com for pre-order for March 27 (nice price too) http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Met-Moonli.../dp/1589880668 Thanks for the information, Mike. I read The Broken Road on your recommendation, and enjoyed it immensely. I'm also a fan of Powell and Pressburger, but I've never seen that movie. I'll have to look around for that.

03-16-2014, 12:44 AM	#12
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,145 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	Try this folks: I watched it for free, so I hope it can work for you. And I enjoyed seeing it again after a great many years. https://archive.org/details/MoviesSe...hellHeroes1955 I'm off for a few days, but should be able to get some reading done in and between gardening work at our beach house.

03-19-2014, 06:49 PM	#14
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,145 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	I loved this book so much, and though I really want to go on with the next part of the trilogy, I'm going to space them out rather than gobble them up all at once! The language above all is so beautiful, and his descriptions of people, places, art, architecture and the countryside are wonderful. Then there is his youthful enthusiasm and openness to everything he experiences. He was clearly a charming young man, by the way so many people took him in, helped him when he was in trouble (after all his possessions including his passport were stolen, for example), and generally helped him on his way. Finally of course there are his observations of ways of life which probably no longer exist, and of the looming presence of Nazism in Germany and also in Austria to a lesser extent. With the benefit of hindsight, I was fearful about the future of so many of the people he met, such as the red-headed Jewish baker, the gypsies he saw on the way, and many others. So a big thank-you to issybird for introducing me to Patrick Leigh Fermor! I'm looking forward to hearing what others thought about the experience of reading his book.

03-20-2014, 06:55 PM	#15
ccowie Hiding with an ereader Posts: 391 Karma: 3987376 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kitchener Ontario Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony PRS 950, Ipad 2, PRS 350	I had much the same reaction to this book as Bookpossum. The language and style is beautiful and I was struck by the way that he was so well received in so many places. I wonder a little how much of the insights he shares were actually experienced at the time or whether they grew in the 40 some odd years between recording his initial diaries and the time that he actually wrote the book. Some of my travel experiences have deepened over the years as events took root in the person I was and then merge with new experiences and who I’ve become to change them somewhat. For example, I love this comment he makes on pg 87: “We have all invented a half-bogus golden age to embower us when we eat and drink away from home.” That’s either a remarkably present and thoughtful 18 year-old, or one who’s reflected repeatedly on a collection of experiences. I did find it a little eerie to read about his travels knowing full well what was about to transpire in that area of the world. There was scene in the book (can’t seem to find it now) where he was with some new friends in a restaurant or eating outside and he was confronted by some brownshirts. He seemed a little stymied by the situation. I hope I’m remembering this correctly. It reminded me a little of the movie Cabaret, which I haven’t seen in about 25 years, but where the backdrop of WWII provided a dark shadow over a lot of mundane details of people’s lives who just weren’t waking up to the gravity of the situation. Again, I really enjoyed how beautifully written this book is. This is the first time I’ve set an annual reading challenge and I notice that some target a number of books and others a number of pages. I think I’ll stick with a book goal because I don’t read every book at the same speed. I read On The Trail of Genghis Kahn this month as well, as I’m sure others did. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but read it in about a third the time I took to read A Time of Gifts. I also read some sections two or three times in one sitting, just to see everything in what was being described, but not losing the beauty of how a paragraph or thought was constructed.

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