Light filtered in through the lace curtains and made patterns on the polished wood. The air smelled of dust and old paper. Rows and rows of books lined the shelves and I let my eyes linger on the sturdy spines, thinking how human books were, so full of ideas and images, worlds imagined, worlds perceived; full of fingerprints and sudden laughter and the sighs of readers, too. It was humbling to consider all these authors, struggling with this word or that phrase, recording their thoughts for people they'd never meet.
~Lucy Jarret from The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards
A group of seven women gather for an outdoor candlelit dinner in Seattle to celebrate their friend Kate’s recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate makes a pact with them: to start her new lease on life, she’ll overcome her fears and go white-water rafting down the Grand Canyon. But if she goes, each of them must also do one thing in the next year that is new or difficult or scary – and Kate gets to choose their challenges.
Ten books read in April. I should be a happy reader, but I'm not. Not to slight WALDEN by Henry David Thoreau, the only real star in the list was MARCH by Geraldine Brooks, and this was a re-read for a class I took. Everything else was just fair to middling.
AGAINST THE WIND by Kat Martin (3.5/5 Romance Scale) This first book in the Raines Brothers Trilogy was the April selection for the Barnes and Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers. All in all, this story of a Sarah Allen's escape from an abusive, criminal husband back to her hometown and into the arms of local rancher, Jackson Raines (who she knew from high school days) was a good start to the series. I will want to read both Gabe's and Devlin's stories to round out the saga of the Raines' family.
DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart (3/5 Mystery Scale) Normally, I love settling in with an installment in the Death on Demand series by Carolyn Hart. This time, not so much. It seemed to me that the plot elements were stretched to the extreme in order to fulfill the 200+ page usual length of a book of this type. While I love the references to Annie Darling's mystery bookstore and mystery books and authors, I was driven to distraction by the cat paintings with cute sayings done by Annie's mother-in-law, Laurel---and I love cats!!!
PROMISE CANYON by Robyn Carr (3.5/5 Romance Scale) Enjoyable trip to Virgin River with Clay Tahoma (Navajo) and Lily Yazhi (Hopi) as they found each other and reconnected with their Native American upbringings. It was nice to have one of the secondary series couples (Nate Jensen and his fiancee Annie) featured in the main plot along with two subplots that allowed updates on Jack and Mel as well as the Riordan brothers.
MARCH by Geraldine Brooks (4.5/5 Fiction Scale) March was a book that I just held in my hand and sighed when the final word was read. This is the story of John March, the father from Little Women, and covers his life from the age of 18, his meeting and marrying Marmee, his Civil War experiences, and return to Concord and his family--and so much more. Were his letters home deceitful or protective? And can one of moral certainty become a ruined dreamer?
CLEANING NABOKOV'S HOUSE by Leslie Daniels (2.5/5 Fiction Scale) A quirky, interesting start that quickly turned boring, annoying. Enough with the cutsey angst; give me a real story with characters I truly care about. Best of the book? The young son who wanted to name his cookbook "Ate It Anyway." Cleaning Nabokov's House will, I think, appeal to many readers who enjoy stories of thirty-somethings seeking the perfect life balance. It just didn't do it for me. Now, if we were talking about sixty-somethings seeking whatever we are supposed to seek, well, that would be another story.
CHASING FIRE by Nora Roberts (3/5 Fiction Scale) Good story; traditional NR characters and plot development. 472 pages? Would have enjoyed this story of smoke jumpers in Montana even more if it had ended about 100 pages sooner.
44 CHARLES STREET by Danielle Steel (3/5 Fiction Scale) Story of friendship and love as four strangers come together under the roof of 44 Charles Street. Another easy, enjoyable story from Ms. Steel.
THE LADY MOST LIKELY by Julia Quinn, Connie Brockway & Eloise James (2/5 Romance Scale) May selection for the Barnes and Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers. This story, told by three different historical romance authors (Julia Quinn, Connie Brockway, and Eloisa James), revolves around a country house party. The Earl needs a wife, and his sister obliges by inviting several damsels and a few other gentlemen to what promises to be the event of the season. Spare me the invitation next time, please.
BEAUTY IN SCIENCE AND SPIRIT by Paul H. Carr (Read as course material) Interesting take on the mathematical beauty of modern science emerged from the mystical beauty of ancient stories, illumined by art, with some good old random vs. order in the universe side trips included. A lot of in-class discuss on beauty and what it means to each one of us.
WALDEN by Henry David Thoreau (Read as course material) How do you rate/review Walden other than to say that it was (and will continue to be) a thoughtful reading experience. Whenever the opportunity arises to read/think about all of the Concord, MA, residents of the late 1800s, I am amazed and grateful, too, knowing that a visit to their homes is but a 15-minute drive away.
One DNF for the month: THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER by Jael McHenry. There has been a lot of on-line buzz for this book. 100 pages convinced me that I just didn't get what the buzz was all about.
So there you have my April--heavy on pages, light on enthusiasm.
Once again, Geraldine Brooks takes a remarkable shard of history and brings it to vivid life. In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, Brooks has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure.
The narrator of Caleb's Crossing is Bethia Mayfield, growing up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amid a small band of pioneers and Puritans. Restless and curious, she yearns after an education that is closed to her by her sex. As often as she can, she slips away to explore the island's glistening beaches and observe its native Wampanoag inhabitants. At twelve, she encounters Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a tentative secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the tribe's shaman, against whose magic he must test his own beliefs. One of his projects becomes the education of Caleb, and a year later, Caleb is in Cambridge, studying Latin and Greek among the colonial elite. There, Bethia finds herself reluctantly indentured as a housekeeper and can closely observe Caleb's crossing of cultures.
Like Brooks's beloved narrator Anna in Year of Wonders, Bethia proves an emotionally irresistible guide to the wilds of Martha's Vineyard and the intimate spaces of the human heart. Evocative and utterly absorbing, Caleb's Crossing further establishes Brooks's place as one of our most acclaimed novelists.
Time again for the annual escape weekend in Rockport. Lots of reading, some shopping on Bear Skin Neck, relaxing on the verandah, eating a lobster roll, enjoying fish chowder, spending time with my best friend. Ahhhhhhhhh....
AUNT DIMITY AND THE FAMILY TREE by Nancy Atherton (3.5/5 Mystery Scale) "If one lives in Finch, one learns to expect the unexpected." So says the Epilogue in this latest installment of the Aunt Dimity series from Nancy Atherton. This was a playful village romp with all of the usual Aunt Dimity characters (with one mysterious stranger thrown into the mix) who, as usual, fall prey to that most tittilating talk--gossip. Quibble: A book put out by Viking and they don't catch "accomodate"?
WATER BOUND by Christine Feehan (2.5/5 Romance Scale) This was the March selection for the B&N (Burlington, MA) romance readers group. A heroine with a special gift to control the element of water; a broken hero who cannot remember who he is or what he was. An intriguing romance somewhat spoiled by the author's unwillingness to trust her readers to recognize the basis of the heroine's problems. The repetition of character development in the first 200 pages was unnecessary, resulting in the low rating.
AND FURTHERMORE by Dame Judi Dench (3.5/5 Non-fiction Scale) As an avid fan of As Time Goes By and the movie Mrs. Brown, I happily read the story behind the actress, Dame Judi Dench, as a follow-up to James Miller's Scenes from My Life, which I read last year.
THE NOMINATION by William G. Tapply (4/5 Fiction Scale) This fast-paced suspense novel weaves together the lives, history, and fates of many people after Thomas Larrigan is nominated to fill a Supreme Court vacancy. The Nomination (not part of Tapply's Brady Coyne series) was the last novel from this popular New England author who sadly passed away in July 2009.
A KILLER PLOT by Ellery Adams (3/5 Mystery Scale) This is the first in the Books by the Bay mystery series. It was a good first installment given that I definitely want to learn more about Olivia Limoges (a kinder, gentler Agatha Raisin) and her dog, Captain Haviland. Despite a few "huh?" moments in story inconsistencies (mostly descriptions that didn't match up), the mystery held true. And, as always, I didn't guess whodunit.
THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain (4.5/5 Fiction Scale) You know going in how this book ends, but you go in anyway. Then you leave, angry at the hubris of this literary giant and breathless with the strength of his Paris wife. In the end, I cried for these incredibly fascinating lovers who were "beautifully blurred and happy."
TO HAVE AND TO KILL by Mary Jane Clark (3/5 Mystery Scale) First in a new series/new direction for Mary Jane Clark, author of the KEY News mystery series. It fell somewhere between a cozy cozy and a cozy crime mystery, and I wasn't sure which direction the author really wanted to take me. Will read 2nd in series when it comes out just to see if Piper Donovan, her family, and friends are taking me somewhere I want to go.
THE PEACH KEEPER by Sarah Addison Allen (3/5 Fiction Scale) Perhaps I'm missing something. I've read all of SAA's books, and she does write a good story; but it's just that for me--a good story. She's a library request author for me; not at all (IMHO) in a league with Alice Hoffman, an author with whom she is often compared. The theme that did resonate for me in The Peach Keeper was the aspects of friendship--how it begins, how it changes, and how it renews.
There have been two books this year that took my reading breath away. The first was Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland, and I will post separately about this. The second, and most recent, was The Paris Wife by Paula McClain.
From Booklist (via Amazon) History is sadly neglectful of the supporting players in the lives of great artists. Fortunately, fiction provides ample opportunity to bring these often fascinating personalities out into the limelight. Gaynor Arnold successfully resurrected the much-maligned Mrs. Charles Dickens in Girl in a Blue Dress (2009), now Paula McLain brings Hadley Richardson Hemingway out from the formidable shadow cast by her famous husband. Though doomed, the Hemingway marriage had its giddy high points, including a whirlwind courtship and a few fast and furious years of the expatriate lifestyle in 1920s Paris. Hadley and Ernest traveled in heady company during this gin-soaked and jazz-infused time, and readers are treated to intimate glimpses of many of the literary giants of the era, including Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. But the real star of the story is Hadley, as this time around, Ernest is firmly relegated to the background as he almost never was during their years together. Though eventually a woman scorned, Hadley is able to acknowledge without rancor or bitterness that "Hem" had "helped me to see what I really was and what I could do." Much more than a "woman-behind-the-man" homage, this beautifully crafted tale is an unsentimental tribute to a woman who acted with grace and strength as her marriage crumbled.
Passages Hadley viewing narcissus The Rhone Valley was in top form just then, with narcissus blooming in every bare patch of meadow and in the jagged crevices of rock. The first time I saw a narcissus pushing through ice and thriving, I thought it was perfect and wanted that kind of determination for myself.
On laughter Everyone laughed, and it was one of those domino moments. That laugh would eventually set off an entire series of events, but not yet. It just stood there in the room, tipping and tipping, but not falling. Not falling yet. Not quite.
Hadley on Ernest’s The Torrents of Spring It wasn't until that moment that I fully understood how hurt he'd been when everyone, including me, had disparaged the book and shut it down. He loved and needed praise. He loved and needed to be loved, and even adored.
On Ernest’s hubris I knew Ernest's bravado was almost entirely invented, but I hated to think of all the good friends we'd lost because of his pride and volatile temper, starting in Chicago with Kenley. Lewis Galantiere, our first friend in Paris, had stopped speaking to Ernest when he'd called Lewis's fiancee a despicable shrew. Bob McAlmon had finally had enough of Ernest's bragging and rudeness and now crossed the street to avoid us in Paris. Harold Loeb had never recovered from Pamplona, and Sherwood and Gertrude, two of Ernest's biggest champions, now topped the long and painful list.
Bicycles as metaphor On the crushed rock path along the windward side of the hotel, three bicycles stood on their stands. If you looked at the bicycles one way, they looked very solid, like sculpture, with afternoon light glinting cleanly off the chrome handlebars--one, two, three, all in a row. If you looked at them another way, you could see just how thin each kickstand was under the weight of the heavy frame, and how they were poised to fall like dominoes or the skeletons of elephants or like love itself.
On believing People belong to each other only as long as they both believe. He's stopped believing.
Hadley & Ernest
A summing up In the end, Ernest didn't have the luck I did in love. He had two more sons, both with Pauline, and then left her for another. And left that one for another, too. He had four wives altogether and many lovers as well. It was sometimes painful for me to think that to those who followed his life with interest, I was just the early wife, the Paris wife. But that was probably vanity, wanting to stand out in a long line of women. In truth it didn't matter what others saw. We knew what we had and what it meant, and though so much had happened since for both of us, there was nothing like those years in Paris, after the war. Life was painfully pure and simple and good, and I believe Ernest was his best self then. I got the very best of him. We got the best of each other.
There was always this picture of Ernest Hemingway in my mind—the older, bearded literary giant. Here in The Paris Wife, the picture sharpened with the details of the younger, insecure struggling author. This fictional rendering expanded and enhanced my mind picture of Hemingway and urged the taking up of The Moveable Feast as well as revisiting The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Perhaps there are clues there that will add nuance to the picture of Papa Hemingway.
Mameve Medwed's review of Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan appeared in The Boston Globe today. The review starts, "What a relief: No vampires, zombies, fashionistas, shopaholics; no child abuse, alternative universes, cyber anything; and no violent crime (only a scratched car door) mark Stewart O'Nan's lovely, lyrical, leisurely paced portraint of 80-year-old Emily Maxwell." Sounds perfect to me! (Read the entire review here.)
Bookticipation will be quickly sated. Emily, Alone is in stores now and, if plans hold, will be in my hands on Tuesday.
