Along with the the Brandywine River Museum outside Philadelphia, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland has one of the largest collection of works by the Wyeth family. Here are works by Andrew Wyeth of Cristina’s World fame, by his son Jamie Wyeth, by Andrew’s father, N. C. Wyeth, and some by other Wyeth relatives. This year’s featured exhibit is works from Betsy Wyeth’s estate, a gift to the museum. Betsy, wife of Andrew, died in 2020 at the age of 98.
Islander by Jamie Wyeth
Fisherman’s Family by N. C. Wyeth
Wicker by Jamie Wyeth
I was also struck by a couple of works in their permanent Maine collection, a striking woman in white and a still life of intense golden flowers.
Kym in White by Alex Katz
Orange Prince by Beverly Hallam
Another highlight for me this year was the Women of Vision exhibit. It focuses on thirteen women who are either artists or patrons of the art whose work and/or philanthropy has ties to Maine. Some are historical figures like Edna St. Vincent Millay, one was a Passamaquoddy basket weaver, while others like photographer and gardener Cig Harvey are actively working. I was particularly struck by a charming strawberry basket.
By Molly Neptune Parker
PERFECT FOR AN AIRPLANE FLIGHT
A Good Mother by Lara Bazelon
Author Bazelon is a law professor who also spent seven years as a federal public defender in Los Angeles. She knows how the federal court system works and has penned a fascinating and gripping courtroom drama set in LA. This is her first novel.
Lead defense lawyer Abby Rosenberg is a bit of a hot shot who utilizes bold and sometimes questionable techniques to win her cases. She is also a new mother still on maternity leave. Her client, Luz Rivera Hollis, is a nineteen-year-old accused of murdering her soldier husband at an army base in Germany. She too is a new mother to infant Cristina. Abby’s co-counsel, Will Ellet, is young, ambitious, and unsettled in his marriage. You may wonder about the ethics and behaviors of these lawyers, but their actions make for a good story! What exactly constitutes being a good mother?
Note: Photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo is cone flowers at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
Today, June 19, is Juneteenth. It is now a federal holiday and yesterday, government workers had the day off. It commemorates the date in 1865 when Texas got the word that American slaves were emancipated. Many states already have Juneteenth celebrations, but this bill, passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law on Thursday by President Biden, reinforces this date as one to celebrate both freedom and African American culture. Thus far, nine states have also made it an official state holiday. Sadly, legislation to enact this in my state of Florida died.
HISTORICAL NOVELS
A successful historical novel engages the reader in a good story. Simultaneously, it provides a context for events of a time and place distant or just different from our own. The focus can be on notable events depicted through fiction or the creation of a three-dimensional real individual about whom we know not much. And because it’s fiction, timelines can be altered and love interests, probable or simply imagined, added. A good author makes history come alive through her novels. Here are two that I recently enjoyed, one that’s particularly fitting for this holiday.
BLACK LIFE IN RICHMOND & PHILADELPHIA
The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen
Most of the novels about slavery that I’ve read have been set on a plantation, detailing the hard lives of house slaves and the brutality and mistreatment of those who worked in the fields. Mary Bowser was a real individual, born into slavery in Richmond who, at about age 12, was bought by Bet Van Lew, the daughter of her owner. Bet freed Mary and sent her to Philadelphia to live free and be educated. Mary’s mother had also been freed, but her father was still enslaved and working as a blacksmith, so they stayed in Richmond.
The first half of this absorbing novel depicts the differences in urban life in Richmond, where most Blacks were slaves, and in Philadelphia with a population of free Blacks. The rules for living in Richmond were very clear and strict; in Philadelphia, freedom came with its own nuanced restrictions.
Bet Van Lew (smithsonianmag.com)
With Civil War looming, Mary made the amazing and courageous decision to leave Philadelphia and return to Richmond. Once there, she collaborated with her benefactor, Bet Van Lew. Pretending to be a slave, she got taken on as a maid in Jefferson Davis’ home. During the war years, she collected and passed on information on the Confederate plans to the Union side.
Much about Mary Bowser is not known, and there are no known photos of her. But Mary, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Thomas McNiven, another character, were all real people who spied on the Confederacy for the Union. Leveen’s novel creates the environment in which Bowser lived and worked and gives us a fictional, yet wonderfully rich, portrait of Mary’s thoughts and actions. Highly recommended!
For a differing perspective on this Mary, this article questions some of the claims made about her.
BRIDGE BUILDING
The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
This novel is about Emily Warren Roebling’s role in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I found it fascinating and compelling. So much so, that I raced to finish it. There is a lot of description of the various steps and processes involved in the bridge construction which might put off a few readers. I gained a greater appreciation for what went into the beauty of this monumental structure. Like many folks, I have walked across it!
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge (JWF)
Emily Roebling (asce.org)
Emily was married to Washington Roebling, whose father John was a successful bridge builder and the one who drew up the original plans for Brooklyn. Washington was a former military man who took over the chief engineer role after his father’s death. Unfortunately, he suffered severe illness from working in the caissons (underwater tubes) and was an invalid for much of the construction work. Over the next eleven years, It fell to Emily to be the messenger transmitting plans, ideas, and decisions between Wash and the working team at the bridge site. Later she took over supervising, calculating, and deciding on materials.
Emily Roebling pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable for women in the late 19th century. She was limited in her participation in the women’s suffrage effort by the all-consuming bridge project. Wash’s illness had a negative impact on their life together, although they remained married. Appropriately, Emily was one of the first individuals to cross the completed bridge in 1883!
My mother was always interested in architecture. She was especially fascinated by bridges. In my teens, we made a family trip to see and drive across the famed Mackinac Bridge linking Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas. The Big Mac, as it was called, is one of the longest suspension bridges in the Western Hemisphere. It opened in 1957.
(mightmac.org)
Another reason for my interest in this novel is the hint of a family connection to the Roeblings: if not a relative working on the Brooklyn Bridge, then on one of Roebling’s other structures. My mother had two teeny tiny saws, the size of a bracelet charm, which belonged to a family member. I don’t know that she ever figured out to whom they belonged, so the saws remain a puzzle.
LOCAL CUISINE
You know that life is nearly back to normal and the direst days of the pandemic behind us when the Chief Penguin and I return to Cortez Kitchen. Before we moved here, it was our go-to place on our twice-yearly visits to Florida. Once established here, we ate there once a week on average. The other night we decided it was safe to return after an absence of more than a year.
Located in the historic fishing village of Cortez, the restaurant is a semi-covered outdoor space on the water. The menu includes local fish (mainly grouper), shrimp, seared tuna, steamed clams, and a burger for those who prefer meat. It’s a funky kind of place whose clientele includes faithful regulars, the biker crowd, snowbirds, and folks like us. We go not for the food, but for the vibe, the live music that’s occasionally very good, and the slightly rustic, relaxed ambience. We went early this night, ordered our usual fare, and even connected with our favorite longtime waitress!
Summer is often viewed as the time to indulge in lighter reading fare—mysteries, thrillers, beach reads and the like. Here are two recent notable novels (one a first novel) that are well written and meet the criterion of being thrilling or suspenseful.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Sarah Penner (deadline.com)
First time novelist, Penner has penned an historical thriller about an 18th century female healer or apothecarist who also dispenses poisons. Nella will provide them to any woman desiring to kill off a cheating or abusive man. She mainly provides women with helpful herbs and salves, but her own life situation led her down this alternate path.
In the present day, Caroline Parcewell has learned that her husband was unfaithful, but proceeds alone to London on their anniversary trip. On a mud larking expedition, Caroline discovers an old vial which leads her to a hidden apothecary. Seeking answers, she consults someone at the British Library and delves deeper into the historic record.
Penner does an amazing job of detailing Nella’s life and her interactions with a young girl, Eliza, and then linking that with Caroline’s research. Some readers might think that the parallels between Nella’s work and Caroline’s marriage strain belief, but I found them convincing enough. A most accomplished debut!
The Survivors by Jane Harper
Author Harper (sun-sentinel.com)
Australian Jane Harper is a recent favorite author of mine. I’ve now read all four of her mystery novels. The Survivorsis set on the Tasmanian coast and concerns the recent death of Bronte, a young woman working as a waitress at the local Surf and Turf tavern.
Twelve years ago, another young woman, Gabby Birch, died, and two men drowned in a very bad storm. Kieran was eighteen at the time of the big storm and is still haunted by guilt over his own actions that day when his older brother Finn died. Bronte’s drowning brings up memories. Kieran and his wife, Mia, friends Ash and Sean, and his parents Brian and Verity struggle to cope while secrets long festering are slowly revealed. This is an atmospheric mystery with more conversation and less action, but still compelling. You won’t soon forget the underwater caves of Tasmania!
SUMMER READING
Here are some of the titles I hope to read this summer. A couple of them are for my book group so I may put them off until early fall, closer to when the group discusses them. Besides these titles, I have a stack of other books waiting in the wings.
Eleanor by David Michaelis
I’ve read several biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt including Blanche Wiesen-Cook’s monumental three volume work. Nonetheless, I look forward to this recent biography drawing on new research about her life.
The Four Windsby Kristin Hannah
A much-praised novel about the Dust Bowl set in the 1920’s and 30’s. Hannah is the author of twenty novels, but I don’t think I’ve read any of them.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
This historical novel about a female aviator covers decades and locales from Montana to London to modern day Los Angeles. Cast in the role of aviator Marian for a new film a hundred years later, Hadley’s quest to find her place dovetails with aspects of Marian’s life. I found Shipstead’s earlier novel, Seating Arrangments, finely drawn and am really looking forward to this tome!
The Pull of the Starsby Emma Donoghue
A novel of the 1918 pandemic, this time set in a Dublin hospital. Donoghue is author of the highly touted and gripping novel, The Room, as well as Frog Music.
The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen
A historical novel about a real person, Mary Bowser, a slave then freed, who posed as a slave to spy on Jefferson Davis.
The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
(goodreads.com)
For those who enjoyed The Magpie Murders, this is another puzzling murder mystery by a prolific and acclaimed English writer. Like in the earlier mystery, Horowitz himself is a character.
The Time of Our Singingby Richard Powers
A novel of the Civil Rights era combining love and music in the marriage of a Jewish scientist and a Black singer. Published in 2003. Powers is also the author of The Gold Bug Variations and Overstory.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
I very much enjoyed Gyasi’s Homegoing so look forward to this novel about a Ghanaian family in the U.S. trying to make it midst addiction, depression, and prejudice.
Note: Header image of reading couple is courtesy of www.mymcpl.org (Mid-Continent Public Library).
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
For anyone who’s read Radden Keefe’s book about the Irish Troubles, Say Nothing, you know him as a nonfiction writer who draws you in with meticulous detail and creates a novel-like reading experience. His latest work, Empire of Pain, is equally meticulous and an absolutely fascinating study of the self-absorbed, greedy, and corrupt Sacklers. How many museums or universities here and abroad have Sackler Wings? The family was eager to put its name on and in buildings as a condition of its philanthropy. But they were secretive to an extreme about not having the Sackler name appear anywhere in relation to their business ventures.
The first hundred pages of this hefty work are the history and legacy of Arthur Sackler, older brother to Mortimer and Raymond, and the individual responsible for crafting the questionable marketing practices later adopted by Purdue Pharma. Purdue Pharma, as is well known today, is the maker of Oxycontin and was controlled and micromanaged by the Sackler brothers and their children. Their total denial of any connection between their product and addiction and their singular lack of any remorse for the opioid epidemic are appalling, as is the almost complete lack of any penalty for their actions.
It’s a case study of a family living in their own bubble aided and abetted by a cadre of loyal staff and easily manipulated government officials. Highly recommended! (~JWFarrington)
WORKS OF ART
Museum of Modern Art
Fruit Dish, 1908-09, Pablo Picasso
This was our first visit to MoMA since they added on to their building in 2019. We were pleased with the larger space and the chance to see more of the permanent collection on display. We went during the members’ hour on Monday and had many of the galleries to ourselves. We spent our time on the 5th floor and delighted in seeing familiar works (Monet’s huge water lilies in their own room) along with ones new to us. I especially liked a Picasso still life in greens against brown, a bold flower-dominated canvas by Stettheimer, and a colorful lady in the park by August Macke. The latter one really captivated me.
Family Portrait, II, 1933 by Florine StettheimerLady in a Park, 1914 by August Macke
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer by Edgar Degas
There is so much to see at the Met that we went back for a second visit. This time, we were interested in viewing the Impressionist collection and other works of that period. I was struck by this striking bronze sculpture of a young dancer wearing a tutu made of cotton.
I also very much liked two ladies in pink by Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt.
The Pink Dress, c.a. 1870 by Berthe MorisotThe Cup of Tea, c.a. 1880-81 by Mary Cassatt
Central to these galleries are the marvelous paintings from the Annenberg Collection. The Philadelphia Museum of Art had hoped to be the hometown beneficiary of Walter and Lenore Annenberg’s collecting, but alas for them, it was not to be. Once loaned to the Met for six months each year, their collection then was given to the museum in a bequest.
Bouquet of Sunflowers, 1881 by Claude Monet
Here is gallery after gallery of Renoirs, Cezannes, Manets, Monets, Pissarros, and Van Goghs. They are a treat to behold! And since we went first thing in the morning, the galleries were empty for for awhile.
FOOD FARE
As I have mentioned before, our most frequent go-to place for dinner is the small French restaurant, Sel et Poivre. It’s comfortable, quiet, with relaxed service, a nicely priced prix fixe menu, daily specials, and other tempting dishes. Recently, we’ve made more selections from the main menu. Here are two of them: a white asparagus special and tomato and mozzarella salad. Both appealing on the plate and both very good!
Note: All photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is a flower box near Rockefeller Center.
