The Muse, The Last Stop and The Slow Road to Deadhorse - books worth reading

As a book reviewer and avid reader, I am fortunate enough to be given access to books for free as long as I write a frank and honest assessment of the book in return. This is no hardship as I have written book reviews for a long time, after having discovered that I was losing track of what I was reading and was, occasionally, picking up the same book to read again without realising that I had discovered and enjoyed it already until some pages in. This log has morphed into something that means my words are published far and wide with the added bonus of reading material to which I would not be exposed as well as indulging in a passion whilst spending no money to do it.

Below are three books that I have enjoyed in the last three months: a novel told in poetry; and two memoirs which share the author's experiences but are very different in tone.

The Muse by Amy Ellis is a curious book which I was unsure of, at first. It is a novel told entirely through verse so as a reader, you are presented with a series of poems with different titles and varying lengths, told from the point of view of the main character, Elizabeth Miller, the muse of the title.

A young girl, she is discovered by an older male artist, who takes her under his wing and tutors her in art, as well as other things. Elizabeth is naturally skilled anyway but with some nurturing, she is soon being commissioned to create portraits for patrons, although they are unorthodox in that the poser is naked. Considered lewd and having to be performed clandestinely, Elizabeth is in danger of being caught up in scandal and infamy although she herself sees nothing wrong in what she is doing - it is society's propriety which seeks to restrict and embarrass.

Amy Ellis creates a world of sensuality stemming from a love of the human form and the accomplishment of art but there is no doubt that Elizabeth has entered a world of eroticism and there is a coming-of-age feel to the narrative. Ellis is keen to present Elizabeth as someone who merely loves to draw and do this truthfully, with a respect for the subject. It is her mentor who is more concerned about loss of reputation.

This life leads Elizabeth to discover much about herself and to broaden her horizons both through experience and change of setting and Ellis's verse portrays her development like glimpses through sheer curtains, each poem providing a snapshot of a memory that Elizabeth is choosing to relate. The narrative is linear and I think that it takes some accomplishment to write a novel in this form and make it engaging. There is no doubt that it is literary but it is not challenging - I think sometimes the two become confused and people are put off by the title "literary" in the same way that they are put off by the word "poetry", assuming that it is going to be something difficult to access and understand; that it needs to be worked out, like a complex crossword, leaving you baffled and a little lost. That was not the case here.

I loved it - I found it sensual and honest, like Elizabeth's art.

Patricia Street is, was, the mother of an heroin addict, her son, David. In her book, The Last Stop, she describes her relationship with her son and his relationship with heroin, a shadow that consistently overpowered her son and cast its darkness over the whole of his life from his interactions with family to education to his ability to be the person who he knew in his heart was there and capable of much, but was never given the chance to come to the forefront as that place was already occupied by drug dependency.

Street's writing style is very frank, no nonsense. She relates her story without sentiment - although she will describe incidents that affected her and describe their emotional impact, there is no indulgence or "feeling sorry for myself" tone to her narrative. She is relating what has happened to her and her family as she saw it. It could be considered a little distant at times but generally, I appreciated not being swamped in the misery that this situation obviously generated and being presented with the reality. Street shows clearly David's degenerative steps.

It is a very sad tale. Chances given, rehab attempted, promises made and hope perpetuated at every turn only to be stifled by addiction.

The latter part of the book is devoted to David's writings. He wrote stories, philosophical musings, poems. He wanted to be a writer and was obviously an intelligent man, funny, charismatic and well-liked. It is a fitting tribute for Street to publish his words and let the world enjoy them at their leisure. I think that David would have appreciated it.

The Slow Road to Dead Horse is a travel memoir told by James Anthony about a trip that he decided to make from Florida to Alaska. He does this by himself by car, which is no small undertaking as it is an extremely long journey and one which, done solo, would mean a lot of hours where you have only the road and the radio to amuse you. The resulting book is a travelogue of Anthony's journey and we share in the experiences that he has with people he meets, places he visits and things he learns. There is a fair bit of cultural discussion in the book about America's origins and its struggles as well as about its identity in the modern age and whether it has moved on from its past. There is no question about its diversity which is shown as much in the people as it is in the changing landscape.

I liked the fact that he visited less mainstream places and tried to show his reader the less commercialised aspects of America, of which there are an abundance.

But there is more to this book than travel advice and new vistas. Anthony himself finds his physical journey provides him with the means to explore issues that he is facing in life. In directing himself towards Alaska, he finds direction that he can incorporate into his own life journey as he reflects on his past motivations and priorities and how they have shaped him and more importantly, how he wants his future to pan out in light of his past.

It is easy to read and I found, unlike Anthony's journey, that it was one through which I sped.

If you would like to read my original reviews of these books, they can be found on my website.