Category: Books

A NOVEL, A MYSTERY AND A MEMOIR

Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict

This historical novel is built around the premise that someone or some event must have triggered Andrew Carnegie’s transformation from merely a successful, rich, and somewhat ruthless businessman into the philanthropist and library founder he became.  Clara Kelley is poor and young and sent by her family from Ireland to the States in 1863 to find a job to help support her family back home.  She travels in steerage and upon disembarking, hears her name called, answers, and is swept up by a woman who places lady’s maids with wealthy clients.  Clara is not that Clara, but assumes her identiy and thus leads a double life pretending to be someone with experience. 

Fortunately, her father saw that his children were educated so Clara is not without knowledge or ability.  Serving as Andrew Carnegie’s mother’s maid in Pittsburgh, she becomes acquainted with both Carnegie sons, but especially Andrew, and listens in as he and his mother discuss their business affairs. The focus of the novel is Clara’s relationships with both Mrs. Carnegie and Andrew and how they play out over several years.  The action is limited and the scope somewhat slight, but I found it an enjoyable book. (~JWFarrington)

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

I have not yet read any of Harper’s other mysteries, but this one was gripping.  Set in the hot dry dangerous Australian outback, it’s the tale of three brothers, Nathan, Cameron, and Bub.   But Cameron is dead, his car abandoned, and his body found near an isolated grave. For someone born and raised in this forbidding landscape and who knows the risks of the extremely hot sun, it’s a mysterious ending.  The novel is related from Nathan’s perspective.  Nathan is a solitary sort who lives alone on the adjoining property (adjoining but distant by several hours) and stays away from town due to an earlier misfortune.  What binds Cameron’s wife and kids together and what secrets they and the brothers’ mother keep hidden are slowly revealed as Nathan seeks answers. (~JWFarrington)

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

In one fell swoop after a long lead-up, Ray and her husband Moth lose their home, their livelihood, and his good health.  Without any resources and children just beginning their own independent lives, they are truly homeless.  Avid hikers in their earlier years, they decide to walk the South West Coastal Path through Dorset and Cornwall, or at least the first half of it.  Armed with only the clothes on their back, rucksacks stuffed with a tent, cooking utensils, a copy of Beowulf, their remaining few pounds of cash, and not much else, they set out.  Ray is 50 and Moth several years older and recently diagnosed with a terminal disease.

This is Ray’s account of their journey, wild camping on cliff edges, enduring every kind of weather from blistering sun to driving rain, being hungry, and surviving many days on a diet of noodles and fudge bars.  From hopelessness to acceptance, it’s initially a slog which becomes a walk in nature lightened by a newfound appreciation of freedom and the wider world.  These are resilient individuals and I found myself rooting for them.  It’s Winn’s first book and she’s a good writer who captures nature’s beauty while relating their struggles with wry humor.  Near the end, I did tire a bit of the nature descriptions, one more cove, another cliff, but that’s just me.  (~JWFarrington)

BIG SCREEN

Late Night

I would go see Emma Thompson in almost anything.  She’s one of my favorite actors and she’s marvelous in this new film as Katherine Newbury, the reigning host of a late night comedy show.  After 28 years, Newbury has gotten stale, but doesn’t realize it until that truth is forced upon her.  In an effort to diversify her all male staff of writers, she hires an inexperienced Indian woman, Molly, whose naivete and refreshing candor create waves in the studio.  As played by Mindy Kaling, Molly is a delight. There has not yet been a late night female TV host, and Thompson’s character illustrates the harsh realities of women trying to age with grace on the screen.  Funny, relevant, and entertaining.  I’d see it again!

EATING OUT

Roessler’s Restaurant

Tucked in off busy Route 41, Roessler’s is south of Sarasota in a former residence with lovely windows overlooking a pretty garden.  There are several small rooms at one end, one with a bar, and then a spacious dining room (actually the former swimming pool area) decorated in soft greens.  Adam, our waiter, was new to the staff, but helpful and professional.  They were still offering a Savor Sarasota menu so we and our friends took advantage of it. 

Two of us ordered the Roessler Chicken with mushrooms and artichokes while the other two had the veal and the bouillabaisse.  First courses included a choice of house or Caesar salads, soup, or a crispy lobster tail.  For dessert, we sampled the parfait and the nicely tart key lime pie.  The lobster and the veal each came with a slight up charge.  It was a most relaxed and pleasant meal and also a place to visit again!

Note: Text ©JWFarrington. Header book photo from runningoutofpages.com