Category: Books

TIMELY NOVEL

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Author Lefteri is the child of refugees from Cyprus and once volunteered at a refugee center in Athens.  Her life experiences obviously informed this novel about a refugee couple who flee from war ravaged Syria.  Nuri was a beekeeper, but the war and the death of their young child force them to leave.  England is their desired destination.  Afra is an artist, but since the trauma of Sami’s death, she is blind and speaks little.  The novel is delicate and poignant as you relive their travails through Nuri’s dreams and reflections.  Despite cramped and crowded living conditions, dangerous travel, and a lack of material goods, these two are survivors, always hopeful for a better life with Nuri’s cousin Mustafa in Yorkshire.  There’s a lightness to the writing, it’s never ponderous; a novel of perseverance and patience midst turmoil. I recommend it!

FILM

The Irishman (Netflix and theaters)

This film about the Mafia and Jimmy Hoffa is long, more than 3 hours.  We decided to watch it at home, and by so doing, were able to pause it twice and view it over several nights.  Robert DeNiro is excellent as Frank Sherran, the Irishman of the title, a corrupt labor union official looking back on his long career. Also excellent is Al Pacino as Teamster Union boss Hoffa.  

I found the first third a bit slow and keeping the characters straight somewhat difficult; after that it became more engaging as Hoffa’s story unfolded.  I remember reading about Hoffa’s “disappearance” in real life and was primed for how it was going to play out here.  Not an action film, but there are a number of efficiently executed murders.  There has been quite a bit of press discussion, even controversy about its effectiveness, about the computer-rendered youthfulness of DeNiro (76), Pacino, and others in the early scenes when they are in their 30’s and 40’s. The Chief Penguin liked this film more than I did.

NEW NONFICTION

Following up on my last blog, here’s a list of nonfiction titles, one of which I’ve read, and others which are waiting to be attacked. Two of them are memoirs. First, though, I’m re-reading the novel, The Maze at Windermere, which I selected for my local book group.

Nonfiction

All the Lives We Ever Lived by Kathryn Smyth

American Fire by Monica Hesse

The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power

The Last Ocean:  A Journey Through Memory and Forgetting by Nicole Gerard

This is a book about Alzheimer’s which includes chapters on current research, information on memory facilities, and the role and care needed for caregivers. It’s based around the author’s account of her father’s decline and eventual death from it. I expected there to be more about Gerard’s own experiences, but it turned out to be more nonfiction than memoir. She resides in Britain so there is a natural focus on resources in the U.K. Sobering and dense, but thought provoking, particularly if you are just learning about Alzheimer’s.

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