Category: Books

Manhattan Moments: Screen, Page & Plate

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DC SOCIAL SCENE ON SCREEN

Georgetown (Amazon Prime)

Elsa and Mot (nytimes.com)

Georgetown, a movie offering from Prime, is inspired by shocking real events.  Mot, an immigrant to the U.S., aspires to grand adventures and a role in the diplomatic world.  Charming and debonair, he meets a grand dame socialite and former journalist, invites her to lunch and flatters her.  When Elsa’s husband dies, he re-establishes contact and then marries her.  She is several decades his senior, but he is not above using her connections to host Washington notables at elegant dinner parties.  

From there, with her smarts, he parlays his way into advising and counseling heads of state and other eminent individuals.  When Elsa dies, the manner of her death raises questions, and Mot’s behavior gets a thorough examination.  

The narrative arc is shallow and the ending predictable but watching Mot maneuver makes for good entertainment.  And the cast includes notables Vanessa Redgrave and Annette Bening.

RISING TO THE TOP IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT

Lessons from the Edge by Marie Yovanovitch

Former ambassador Yovanovitch (theguardian.com)

Foreign Service Officer Yovanovitch gained fame and notoriety when then President Trump fired her from her position as ambassador to Ukraine.  Her testimony during Trump’s first impeachment trial was riveting.  Her memoir is a fascinating account of the political climate after the Cold War and the end of the communist state in the USSR.  Of Russian heritage and an immigrant to the United States herself, Yovanovitch was very interested in serving in Moscow and the former Soviet countries.  

During the 1980’s and early 90’s, the Foreign Service Office was a male bastion; the very few women there were routinely either ignored or discriminated against.  Ms. Yovanovitch details both her professional struggles and her personal insecurities in her climb up the diplomatic ladder.  

I’m about a third of the way into her memoir and find it an informative look at the U.S. diplomatic efforts in Somalia, Moscow, and Ukraine.  She is candid to the point of rawness and does not stint on criticism of herself and some of her superiors, while praising those who listened to her and gave her opportunities.  

ETHIC DINING

One of the pleasures of being in Manhattan is the wide range of ethnic restaurants.  As has been the case for a while, Italian cuisine predominates, but there are good Chinese, Indian, and Turkish restaurants too.  Here are a couple we enjoyed recently.

Wa Jeal

Chicken broccoli and Shrimp with peppers

This Upper East Side Sichuan restaurant interior is light and attractive.  We had lunch here and were delighted with the warm welcome from our waitress and with the clean flavors of the dishes we ordered.  The scallion pan cakes and the Sichuan pork dumplings were excellent.  Sliced chicken with broccoli and the sauteed shrimp and green peppers in a hot pepper sauce were equally delicious.  Pair those offerings with white rice and a Tsing Tao beer, and you have a fortifying meal!  Take out and several delivery options are also available.

Agora Turkish Restaurant

Interior of Agora

We like A La Turka restaurant on 2nd Avenue but decided to venture farther up that avenue to Agora for lunch.  Paintings adorning the walls and Turkish oil lamps on each table give this restaurant a charming Old-World feel.  We liked our waiter and ordered hummus to start followed by chicken shish and lamb adana.  Each entrée was accompanied by rice, onion salad, red cabbage, and tomatoes and green pepper.  

The chicken seemed a bit dry, but the Chief Penguin found the lamb very tasty.  Another place to add to our list of regulars!

Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Manhattan Moments: Seeing, Viewing, Reading, Pt. 2

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ART OF ALL KINDS

The Whitney Biennial 2022 (Whitney Museum of American Art)

Roughly every two years since 1932, the Whitney has presented a survey of contemporary American art.  This year’s exhibit occupies two floors of the museum and includes more women than some years and, overall, a very diverse set of artists.  Viewing the exhibit, one might ask, what makes something art?  Here is sculpture, painting, film, and all sorts of strange and exotic arrangements.  One floor is white-walled and quite bright.  The other floor is black throughout and very dark.  

Detail of Row Houses…by Rick Lowe

Lots of the works did not appeal to me either aesthetically or otherwise, but I think that is part of the point—pushing beyond what many of us expect.  There were striking pieces like the representation of a woman standing in a sea of spent bullet shells or whimsical ones like the Palm Orchard of yellow trunked palm trees with colored spikes.  Here are a couple examples.

Ishkode (Fire) by Rebecca Belmore
Palm Forest by Alia Farid

POLITICAL HANKY-PANKY

Anatomy of a Scandal (Netflix)

Thanks to my friend, Patricia, I got onto this compelling 6-part series.  Based on a novel by Sarah Vaughan, it’s the account of a British cabinet minister facing trial for a rape charge brought by an associate with whom he had an affair.  James Whitehouse, the politician, is handsome and polished with a picture-perfect family—his blond wife Sophie and two young children.  The attorneys are both women, Angela Regan, for the defense and Kate Woodcroft, very precise and measured as the prosecutor. What is truth?  In the courtroom and in life?  And what constitutes a definition of rape?  

How each of these principals, James, Sophie, and Kate, handles the unfolding scandal and recalls their past histories, provides plenty of fuel for this gripping drama.  Michelle Dockery of Downton Abbey is the impressive Ms. Woodcroft.  For mature audiences.  Recommended!

SPY TURNED DECTECTIVE IN ITALY

Signora Volpe (Acorn)

A British spy on the outs with MI6 decamps to Umbria for her niece’s wedding.  No stranger to intrigue, Sylvia Fox suspects trouble with the fiancé and gets herself embroiled in a complicated criminal case.  Emilia Fox (who starred in the chef restaurant series, Delicious) is masterful as a former spy who finds herself settling into village life midst family and new friends.  

The beautiful Italian scenery is as much a character as are Sylvia’s sister Isabel, her brother-in-law Matteo, niece Alice, and the regional police chief, Giovanni Riva.  Each of the three episodes (only three, alas) is an hour and a half.  The pacing is somewhat leisurely, and there is a warmth and delight to the interrelationships.  Crime yes, but lots of local color too.  Highly recommended!

WOMEN WARRIORS IN THE AIR

A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear

Jacqueline Winspear has now churned out (although they don’t feel churned at all) seventeen Maisie Dobbs mysteries.  This latest one features Jo Hardy, a WWII female pilot who ferried fighter planes and other aircraft to where they were needed.  It was a dangerous exercise and not for those lacking in daring do.  When Jo approaches Maisie about an unsuccessful shot at her plane and another tragic incident, Maisie swoops into action. A soldier is missing and there is a plot to harm First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.  Her sidekick Billy provides reliable assistance, and her family and friends, along with new husband Mark Scott, play their familiar roles.  I thoroughly enjoyed this latest adventure with Maisie.  

Note: All photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Manhattan Moments: Seeing, Reading, Viewing

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MATISSE EXPLAINED

The Red Studio (Museum of Modern Art (MOMA))

The Red Studio is a fascinating exhibit.  Seeing Matisse’s painting of his studio with the deep red background and then seeing many of the actual paintings and other works depicted there right in the MOMA gallery was somewhat mind-blowing.  The explanations (they were more than just labels) provided the locale for each work and some details on what Matisse was looking at or doing in the art.  It’s one of the best art exhibits I’ve been to in a long time.  Sheer pleasure!

Cyclamen, 1911
Large Red Interior, 1948
The Blue Window, 1913

EASY READING 

The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor–the Truth and the Turmoil by Tina Brown

If you want all the juicy details of the past twenty years of the British royal family, then Tina Brown’s latest work is for you.  In The Palace Papers, no one, except perhaps the Queen herself, is left unscathed.  Many readers will be very familiar with Princess Diana’s history, but this book provides much in the way of backstories on Camilla, Prince Andrew, Prince William, and Kate, and more about Prince Harry and Meghan than has appeared in the American press.  

As a Brit and someone who has covered and spent time with some of these royals, Brown is overall fair and balanced in her account.  It’s a long book, but I was quickly immersed in it for several days.

CLAIRE FOY MAKES THIS HISTORICAL DRAMA

A Very British Scandal (Prime Video)

This three-part historical series is about another scandalous divorce, this one that of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.  Margaret Campbell was Duke Ian Campbell’s third wife.  Their marriage was a tumultuous one to say the least.  Margaret liked the company of men, lots of men, and may have had affairs with many of them.  Ian was volatile, physically aggressive, short of cash, and probably also adulterous.  

The real Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (National Portrait Gallery)

Their divorce trial in 1963 was a scandal more for what it revealed, or at least presented as truth, about Margaret Campbell. Neither character is likable, but Claire Foy is excellent as the wife and a far cry from who she was as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown.  

Note: Photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is Matisse’s Still Life with Geraniums.

Return to Manhattan

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TULIPS AND MANHATTANS

After our abbreviated visit in December, we’re back in Manhattan for several weeks.  Being here this time of year is a tradition, and we always anticipate the colorful tulips along Park Avenue, in Jefferson Garden, and in small beds encircling sidewalk trees.  Despite cold and extremely windy weather, there were tulips in bloom, and even some that hadn’t yet been blown apart.  And we spied some bright daffodils. It felt more like brisk March than almost May, making me very grateful for my down jacket and several layers of fleece.

Daffodils on a Manhattan street

Our first night’s dinner is always at Sel et Poivre, a cozy French restaurant on Lexington.  The Chief Penguin orders his favorite Manhattan (we are in Manhattan after all) and I a glass of Chardonnay.  The prix fixe menu is still a good deal, and he went for the green bean salad, roast chicken, and, of course, profiteroles.  This time I opted for simplicity with the chicken paillard accompanied by dressed greens and fries.  Then I tacked on a scoop of raspberry sorbet with chocolate sauce!  This was the perfect ending to a trip that began in 80+ Sarasota and ended in chilly New York. 

HOLBEIN: AN ART LOLLIPOP

Erasmus of Rotterdam

One of the several current exhibits at the Morgan Library is Holbein the Younger’s works and it’s appropriately called, Capturing Character.  Hans Holbein excelled at expressive portraits of noted figures of the day such as Erasmus.  He also painted merchants, members of the Hanseatic League, and other upper-class men and women.  Active in the early 1500’s, he also produced drawings for early books, images for jewelry, and rondels for society’s elite.  

Two of Holbein’s contemporaries are also included, Jan Gossaert and Quentin Metsys.  The real treat for me was seeing up close Holbein’s portrait of Sir Thomas More, previously viewed at the Frick Collection, but from a greater distance.  Here, one really appreciates Holbein’s depiction of facial expression and the rich colors of clothing and drapery.   

Simon George by Holbein ca. 1535-40

FASCINATING NOVEL: THE SHAPE OF DNA

Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict

Marie Benedict specializes in historical fiction about under-appreciated and overlooked talented women.  This latest novel, Her Hidden Genius, is a fascinating account of scientist Rosalind Franklin’s career.  She leaves her job studying the properties of coal in an English lab for a position in Paris. There she gains high praise and respect for her skill and aptitude in using X-ray crystallography to see patterns and shapes others don’t.  Her parents don’t fully understand or appreciate her chosen path of career instead of marriage and, partly due to their pressure, she returns to her native England.  

Suffice it to say that this British lab is very male and highly competitive. The work she now undertakes on the structure of DNA puts her in contention with Watson and Crick.  Benedict’s novel paints a picture not only of scientific rivalries, but also of the dismissive and discriminative treatment of women during the 1950’s.  Only years after her death did Dr. Franklin begin to get the recognition she deserved.  A good read!

Note: Photos by JWFarrington.