Booknotes 5.18

A Passionate Pilgrim, by Henry James, published 1871, fiction, 104 pages. A little weird, a little haunted. I really enjoyed the descriptions and characterizations, especially past the beginning. The America vs. England bit took on more meaning after I learned (while, um, writing this) that James spent the last half of his life in England. Looking forward to reading the rest of James’s work and some biographies (maybe Edel’s? not sure yet).

Essays, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, published 1841/1844 (in two volumes), nonfiction, 502 pages. Lots of interesting ideas. I’m glad I read it, but by the end his manner of stating things very confidently became grating and I was equally glad to be done. It might have been better if I’d spaced the essays out over time instead of gulping them down all at once. Still, worth reading.

Days of Shattered Faith, by Adrian Tchaikovsky, published 2025, fantasy, 659 pages. Third in the Tyrant Philosophers series. Really liked it, as always. The world continues to be compelling and these books are among Tchaikovsky’s best, I think.

Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution, by Ruth Scurr, published 2006, biography, 533 pages. As the subtitle indicates, this is a worthwhile look at the French Revolution by way of Robespierre. Before reading this (and I haven’t read much about the French Revolution, to be clear), my perception of Robespierre was heavily on the villain side of things, but the book provides a more three-dimensional view while also avoiding turning into an apologia for murder. For example, I hadn’t known that in his younger days Robespierre argued against the death penalty and defended the poor. I also hadn’t realized he was guillotined at only thirty-six years old. So young! Unwilling to admit he was wrong, unable to separate himself from the Revolution, it’s a sad story.