Category: Books

Tidy Tidbits: Sheltering at Home

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CONNECTING WITH ZOOM

This week I went from never having used Zoom for meetings to having three encounters.  I now consider myself semi-experienced!  Once you have the Zoom app on your phone, iPad or computer, it’s easy to be invited to participate.  The most novel interaction was the birthday party on Monday afternoon that our daughter-in-law organized for our granddaughter who was turning 4.  They are staying north of Manhattan, the other grandparents are in Connecticut, F’s aunt is in Manhattan, and the Chief Penguin and I are hunkering down at home in Florida.  We could all see each other in our respective online boxes. 

Our son had baked a cake with pink frosting and sprinkles; we sang to F., she excitedly blew out the candles, and they ate cake while we all watched.  Then she had presents to open.  Conversation flowed, and topics ranged from the availability of toilet paper to what each of us was planning for dinner!  A successful event and a great way to feel a part of F’s away-from-home celebration.

Later in the week, we had a virtual dinner party with good Philadelphia friends.  We had each done curbside pick-up of our dinners and then enjoyed wine and conversation while showing off our various entrees.  On Friday, I conducted a condo board meeting which had 33 people online.  For this, I practiced, received helpful tutelage from a savvy neighbor, and took a webinar on Zoom basics.  

In these strange and unusual times, there will be more Zooming on my calendar—meet-ups with siblings, for starters.  Hope you too are finding ways to stay connected with friends and family, whether it be by phone, e-mail, Facetime, Zoom or whatever!

BURIED IN A GOOD BOOK

Savannah by Eugenia Price

When I was in Savannah in February (which seems oh, so long ago now), I purchased this historical novel first published in 1977.  I’m sure I read some other novels by Ms. Price years ago, but this one intrigued me, obviously because of its focus on what is sometimes called the “Hostess City.”

The man character, Mark Browning, a young man of 20 who comes to Savannah from Philadelphia in 1812, is fictitious.  But Robert McKay, owner of a shipping company who becomes his mentor and good friend, was a real person as was his wife, Eliza, and their children.  McKay was a leading citizen of the time and actively involved in civic affairs and in a local auxiliary militia.  Mark is attracted to Eliza and to Caroline Cameron, a young lady of his generation, who has been raised mostly by her grandfather in a family with a complicated and contentious history.  The novel is as much about the growth and development of the city of Savannah (its churches, municipal buildings, agriculture and industry, and its beautiful squares) as it is Mark’s coming-of-age story.

Wright Square (youtube.com)

Eugenia Price was born on St. Simon’s Island and died in 1996.  In addition to her fourteen historical novels, she was well known as a Christian writer and speaker.  She penned a number of non-fiction works related to the Bible and Christian living.  Given the time (early 19th century) and place (the South) it’s probably not surprising that religion plays an important role in these characters’ lives.  Even with that, however, some contemporary readers may find the references to God’s wishes and God’s knowledge a bit much.  

It’s long (more than five hundred pages) and slowly unfolds; possibly making it perfect for this strange time when we are so much at home.  I enjoyed it and could picture some of the buildings and squares from my recent visit.  Now, I need to decide if I want to delve into the next book in Price’s Savannah Quartet.   (~JWFarrington)

Tidy Tidbits: Staying Home

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COVID-19 & STAYING HOME

Other than one trip to the supermarket, we have not left our island neighborhood for the past week.  We are fortunate to be having gorgeous weather (sunny and warm) and have walked our boulevard each morning and then gone to the pool in the late afternoon—always mindful of keeping an appropriate distance from each other.  In between, cooking or baking, reading, and viewing have been the main activities.  Plus, a lot of shopping online.

With restaurants only allowed to offer curbside pick-up or delivery, we will be experimenting with that in the next few days.  For my local friends, both Alice’s Ristorante Italiano (formerly A Casa Tua) and Bonefish Grill either are already or will be offering revised menus.  

SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE!

Like restaurants, independent bookstores face the challenge of staying in business since they can no longer invite customers into their physical spaces.  If you value your own local bookstore, order books from them online.  You can probably pick them up curbside or have them mailed to your home.  Yes, it will cost you more than going the Amazon route, but thinking ahead, don’t you want them to still be here when the pandemic subsides?  Here’s an article about this topic.  And here’s a link to my favorite Sarasota bookstore where I just ordered several titles to be mailed.  

IMMERSED IN A BOOK

Say Nothing:  A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Jean McConville (thetimes.co.uk)

When there are no lectures, plays or concerts to go to, it’s possible to spend more time reading.  I mentioned this book about the Troubles in my last blog and this week, I devoted myself to completing it.  Once I got fully into it (it took me a chapter or two as there are a lot of factions with different names and acronyms to keep straight!), I got caught up in the lives of the principals:  Dolours and Marian Price, Brendan Hughes, and Gerry Adams (all IRA members who participated in deadly violence), and in the impact on the McConville children whose 38-year old mother, Jean, was dragged from their home one evening in 1972 and never returned.  She was one of the aptly called “disappeared.”  For decades her children sought to locate her body.  

This is a tale of religious conflict, hatred of the British, bombings, imprisonment, hunger strikes, and double agents.  For thirty years, Northern Ireland, especially Belfast, was not a safe nor a pretty place to be.  Even after the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, lingering resentment and outrage were the order of the day for some. 

 I found Keefe’s narrative nonfiction both compelling and chilling.   He explores the actions and interactions of the infamous Price sisters over several decades along with the transformation of Gerry Adams from revolutionary commander to savvy politician to elder statesman, Adams all the while denying he was ever a member of the IRA.  Also fascinating for me, a former librarian, was learning about the secret archival interview project housed at Boston College.  The interview with Dolours Price, for example, was intended to be unavailable until after her death.  What protections were not put in place and what the college didn’t know later resulted in subpoenas and lawsuits.  A long read, but absorbing and rewarding. (~JWFarrington)

CURRENT VIEWING

With movie theaters closed, it’s now possible to rent and watch first run movies from several different streaming sources.  The Chief Penguin found Vudu.com (I had suggested Hulu, but somehow, he ended up here), and together we created a list of films to view.  First up last evening was Emma, which is also available through Apple TV.

Emma

(dailymail.co.uk)

I’ve seen several versions of Jane Austen’s Emma over the years, some I liked and some I didn’t (Clueless).  This Emma is Jane Austen on a romp.  For a story that is about emotions, meddling, and misunderstandings, there is a lot of physicality that makes it visually exciting.  The repeating line of schoolgirls in their long red capes, the twisting, twirling patterns of the ballroom dancing, the running or flinging onto grassy slopes (witness both Emma and Knightley). Add to this scenes of Knightley or Emma in various stages of dressing or undressing.  Coupled with this is a soundtrack of rousing folk melodies, almost hymns, providing transition between scenes.  

Against this visual and aural background, you have an Emma who is always perfectly coiffed and stylishly put together, arrogant, convinced of her rightness, and rude.  You don’t dislike her totally; you see her gradually become aware of the error of her ways, thanks in part to Mr. Knightley.  And, as is the norm for Austen, all comes right in the end!  I found the film a perfect entertainment.  (~JWFarrington)

Tidy Tidbits: Diversions

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TO GO OR NOT TO GO?

This was the week that was and that was the question.  To go, or not to go.  So, this week we went.  We went to see a play and the theater was about two-thirds full.  Then we debated going to our regular orchestra concert with friends and decided to just do it.  It was a wonderful concert (more about that later), and we were pleased that there were empty seats on either side of us and empty ones in front.  Overall, the hall was only about a third full, and in the lobby, folks were standing farther apart than usual and there just weren’t as many people.  The rest room was somewhat empty, but I noted that every woman took longer to wash her hands, practicing thorough scrubbing and at least two rounds of “Happy Birthday.”

CULTURE COMMENTS

(source: Sarastomagazine.com)

The play, Into the Breeches!, takes place in 1942 and involves a group of local women putting on Shakespeare’s Henry plays while their men are off at war.  The women play the men’s roles in this comedy, and there is one hilarious scene where they practice their manly walks with appropriate appendages.  Overall, I found it enjoyable, but not my favorite. There are some more serious moments around the issues of race and sexual orientation which give it punch.   Sadly, for our local audience, the remainder of the performances have been cancelled.

The Sarasota Orchestra is hosting eight guest conductors this season as part of its recruitment process for a new music director.  Friends and I went to a morning interview and concert preview with Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, and then to the concert that evening.  Titled “Beethoven and Bartok,” it included Beethoven’s lovely fourth piano concerto along with Bartok’s last work, Concerto for Orchestra, considered by many to be his best one.  Despite the small audience, the orchestra’s playing was bright and energetic and Lockhart a fluid conductor whose remarks to the audience before the Bartok added to the richness of the experience.  Alas, that was the only performance; the Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances have all been cancelled.

COCOONING

With COVID-19 looming large, our area, like so many, is closing down.  Museums, schools, theaters, and libraries are all shutting their doors and cancelling events for the next several weeks at least.  We cancelled a trip to Pennsylvania and are monitoring the situation regarding both domestic and international travel in the months ahead.  So, what to do?

I think many of us will be reading more, watching more on our home screens, and walking.  Here, we have dog walkers, those who saunter, those who power walk, and a few runners.  If I am out on the boulevard, I have a very good chance of encountering one or more of my neighbors for chit-chat.  That’s a good thing and most welcome. 

CURRENT READING

These are both books in progress. I will finish the mystery this weekend.  Both relate to Ireland.

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

This is a crime novel set in Galway, Ireland and is the first by this author.  A young man dies by his own hand, or so it seems.  Detective Cormac Reilly is assigned to a 20-year old cold case that is connected to the current possible murder. He was the rookie detective on the old case and met the young man who just died, Jack, when he was five years old. The characters are intriguing and I’m curious to know how Jack’s girlfriend, Aisling, and his long-lost sister, Maude, are interconnected with the events of twenty years ago.  McTiernan’s website states that this book has been optioned for TV and that she has written two other novels with this detective.

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

I have just begun this nonfiction work which was on several 10 best lists last year.  It’s about The Troubles and one reviewer said it read like a novel.  So far, it’s dense with detail, but I will get back to it once I complete the mystery above.

Note: Keefe photo from newyorker.com Cover photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Sarasota Scene: Theater, etc.

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CURRENT THEATER

This past week we enjoyed two plays at our own Asolo Repertory Theatre.  The Lifespan of a Fact is a witty and fast paced 80 minutes of discussion, argument, and negotiation between a young magazine fact checker, a noted author, and the magazine editor.  It’s based on real events.  Since our son was a fact checker at The New Yorker early in his career, this play appealed to us.  As always, the staging was creative and the acting excellent.

We also went to Murder on the Orient Express, probably Agatha Christie’s most performed work since it has had life as a film and a TV series as well as a stage play.  The Asolo makes all its own sets and even constructs sets on commission for cruise lines and other theaters.  The revolving train set for this performance is simply amazing!  On one side a dining car, on another several staterooms and on another more seating.  Combine that with the use of projection and sound effects and you almost feel you are on a real train.  Two of our favorite actors, Asolo regulars Peggy Roeder and David Brietbarth, also have roles.

DINING ON LONGBOAT KEY

We had dined at Shore LBK during its soft opening some months ago and decided to brave the traffic during “Season” and take our friends.  We and they were delighted with the meal we had and with the water view!  Yes, Shore is large and loud, but both the service (our waitress had a nice sense of humor) and the food were superb.  Two of us ordered the red snapper over arancini cake and spinach, and the other two tucked into the ribs and the swordfish.  Our reservation was for 5:30 pm and, while early, this was good since as we neared the end of the meal, the dining room was busier and noisier.  

RECENT READING—Historical Fiction

The Last train to London by Meg Waite Clayton

(Sfexaminer.com)

In high school, I never cared much for history and managed to go through college without taking any history courses.  As an adult, I’ve become a fan of good historical fiction and have learned some history and gained insights into events through the experiences of fictional characters.  Ms. Clayton is not an author I had previously encountered despite her having written a number of noted novels.  

I found this novel about the Kindertransport of mostly Jewish children out of Nazi Europe to England especially compelling.  Clayton has two parallel narratives going that eventually intersect.  In 1936 Vienna, writer Stephan Neuman is the privileged teenaged son of a wealthy chocolate family.  They are Jewish. He becomes friends with Zofie-Helene Perger, a mathematically brilliant Christian girl whose mother is the editor of an anti-Nazi newspaper.  Each of them has a much younger sibling, he, his brother Walter (who has a beloved stuffed rabbit named Peter), and she, her sister Johanna.  When new laws against Jews are enacted, the young people can no longer meet.  

Simultaneously, Truus Wijsmuller-Meijer lives in Amsterdam with her husband Joop and has already begun dangerous clandestine expeditions to Germany to bring young children to Holland.  They have no children of their own due to her several miscarriages, a fact that weighs heavily on them.  How the lives of the three principals unfold and how they all end up on a train together is both emotionally wrenching and intellectually satisfying.  Truus was a real person who indeed brought six hundred children out of Germany to England plus more.  She became known as Tante (Aunt) Truus.

The novel is written in short chapters with very descriptive titles that alternate focusing on Stephan, Zofe, and Truus.  They read somewhat like vignettes, capturing a particular moment in time that moves each one’s story forward; yet they are done with a light, matter of fact touch, even though the conditions and events being described are often horrific.  It’s a novel of courage and love midst great danger. I am now motivated to read some of Clayton’s other novels.  (~JWFarrington)