“THESE ARE all my politics: I enjoy music and painting; a good book is an event in my life.” A character in “The Red and the Black” by Stendhal, a French writer, proclaimed(宣称，声明) those words in 1830, but plenty of people today will recognise the sentiment(情感，观点). If you are weary of politics and seek an escape in art, pick up one of our recommended novels.(如果你厌倦了政治，想在艺术中寻找逃避，不妨拿起我们推荐的一本小说。) Perhaps it will even become an event in your life.
“这些就是我的全部政治：我享受音乐和绘画；一本好书就是我生命中的大事。”法国作家司汤达《红与黑》中的一个人物在1830年说出了这些话，但今天很多人都会认同这种感受。如果你厌倦了政治，想在艺术中寻找逃避，不妨拿起我们推荐的一本小说。也许它也会成为你生命中的大事。
The Calamity Club. By Kathryn Stockett(①作家简介：凯瑟琳·斯托克特（生于196...). Spiegel & Grau; 656 pages; $35. Fig Tree; £20
《灾难俱乐部》。作者：凯瑟琳·斯托克特。Spiegel & Grau出版社；656页；35美元。Fig Tree出版社；20英镑。
A rollicking work of historical fiction set in Oxford, Mississippi, in 1933. Meg endures(忍受，承受) misery in an orphanage. Birdie comes to town to borrow money from her married sister. Inevitably the characters’ paths cross; soon they find themselves joining forces with other downtrodden(被压迫的，受欺凌的) women intent on improving their lives. This novel has intricately(复杂精细地) woven storylines and a vibrant cast(充满活力的人物群像).
这是一部热闹的历史小说，背景设定在1933年密西西比州的牛津。梅格在孤儿院忍受苦难。伯蒂来到镇上向她已婚的姐姐借钱。不可避免地，角色的道路交织在一起；很快她们与其他受压迫的女性联手，决心改善生活。这部小说情节巧妙交织，人物鲜活。