Category: Books

Summer Reading: Part 1

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VISITING OLD HAUNTS

This week we are returning to the scene of past crimes—no, not crimes—just past lives.  Coming to Bethlehem for an event at Lehigh University let us re-explore Bethlehem’s Main Street and its burgeoning dining scene.  New restaurants midst old familiar ones (such as Edge, still excellent) and lots of sidewalk seating.  On Friday night, the streets were hopping!

The next morning, in the bright summer sunlight, Bethlehem’s Moravian heritage sparkled, the buildings appearing washed clean with unblemished facades. This rectilinear red brick and brownish stone architecture is still pleasing almost three centuries later!  

Even better than viewing former haunts was visiting with old friends and colleagues and sharing in the celebration of Mohamed’s career.  Dinner with Sharon and Ron and Swarthmore friends Peter and Nancy followed by lunch with Dolores were occasions rich with memories peppered with talk of travels. Next stop: upstate New York.

SUMMER READING
I read recently that one blogger sets herself the goal of reading 20 books between June 1 and September 1 and shares in her blog the book she intends to read.  The author of Book Stop, yet another blog, took up this challenge and shared her own list of titles.  I don’t know that I will read a particular set of twenty books this summer, but here, are 10 titles in my stack or on my Kindle that I want to read.   In no particular order, other than fiction comes before the several nonfiction works.

Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout.  She’s a favorite author and I look forward to this, her latest novel.

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer. I’ve read at least one other of her novels, but this one is the basis for a new movie starring Glenn Close due out this summer.  After seeing the preview, I added the book to my Kindle.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders.  I’ve avoided reading this novel since it sounded weird, but decided I really should give it a go.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.  This hardcover novel and National Book Award finalist has been sitting on my nightstand far too long (the book is now out in paperback).  It’s a multi-generational saga about a Korean family.

The Leavers by Lisa Ko.  A novel about immigration which may become my next book club choice.

Americanah by Adiche.  I’m late to the game on this novel about a young Nigerian couple and race and identity.

Love’s Attraction by David Adams Cleveland. This art historian and novelist writes big tomes (this one 500+ pages).  It’s set in Concord and Venice and sounds appealing and awaits on my Kindle.  On spec, I bought his latest novel in paper which is doorstop worthy at a thousand pages!

Educated:  A Memoir by Tara Westover.  Westover’s book has received a lot of attention given her unconventional childhood and the obstacles she overcame to become educated.

The Heart is a Shifting Sea by Elizabeth Flock.  This is a nonfiction study of several marriages in India.

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey.  I started this, but haven’t finished it yet. Need I say more.

Manhattan Inside: Films & Books

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The rainy gray weather of the past week kept us inside, and we focused on seeing newly released films, heavy ones with religion at the core, but also the somewhat frothy Book Club.  We took the 6 line from 59th Street station down to Bleecker Street and the Angelika Film Center where we saw three of them.  I also found time to do a bit of reading.

FILM FARE

Book Club

This movie is funny and fun, a chick flic for the retirement set.   But it isn’t all fluff as there are some poignant moments midst the humor and the sex jokes.  And the four stars, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen, are perfectly cast. 

Fonda is a rich single hotel owner, the kind of brittle stylish female she does so well.  Keaton is nervous and anxious, a recent widow, who’s being micromanaged by her adult daughters.  Bergen is the more sedate, serious one of the group. Divorced 18 years, she’s a federal judge who lives alone with her cat.  Steenburgen, a chef, has a recently retired husband who seems to have retired from any and all fun.

When one of their book group selects Fifty Shades of Grey for their next meeting, the fun begins as each woman in her own way shakes up her life or gets it shaken up (see Steenburgen’s flight).  Yes, there are men involved, and they provide the spice or the yeast or whatever metaphor you prefer.  As in all good romances, there is a happy ending!  See it, have fun, and end feeling good or, at least, happy.

On Chesil Beach

  Ian McEwan’s novel is short, more of a novella really, and I wondered how it could be turned into a full-length feature film.  The answer lies in the fact that McEwan, who wrote the screenplay, expanded the story to continue on from 1962 to scenes in 1975 and 2007.

The rendering of 1962 in all its youthful innocence is spot on as this young couple meets and courts and then marries.  They each bring baggage from childhood exacerbated by their difference in social class and compounded by their different expectations.  It’s unclear what Edward will do long-term while Flo is committed to a career in music with her string quartet.  What results is a wedding night neither would have predicted. The novel ends ambiguously; the film gives us the coda to 1962.  It’s beautiful, and at times, painfully sensitive, to watch.  Saoirise Ronan and Billy Howle star as the wedded pair.

ASPECTS OF FAITH

Pope Francis:  A Man of His Word

This documentary shows the human side of Pope Francis and both his compassion toward those less fortunate and his global concern.   It is, however, mostly talking heads, the pope’s primarily, as he and others give speeches and make pronouncements before Congress and at tragic events or situations in many countries.  It’s good, but not great and definitely too long.  It would have benefited from much editing.

First Reformed

This is a strange and weird movie that combines a troubled hermetic minister with a troubled environmental activist lawbreaker.  Set in bleak upstate New York, it is dark, dimly lit, and stark.  Reverend Toller, minister at the historic congregationless First Reformed Church, has a job there solely by the grace of the enterprising successful minister at the evangelical Abundant Life church.  Abundant Life owns 250 year old First Reformed.

Toller is divorced, grieving and guilty over the death of his soldier son, and berates himself for his perceived shortcomings.  He’s called upon to counsel Michael, at the request of Michael’s pregnant wife Mary, who is fearful about her husband’s dark tendencies.  How the lives of these three intersect around the issue of climate change and the future of planet Earth makes for a dark, disturbing film.  While the critics have accorded it high praise, I did not find it entirely convincing or satisfying. Ethan Hawke stars.

 

RECENT READING—HISTORICAL AND MYSTERY

White Houses by Amy Bloom

It is accepted knowledge that Eleanor Roosevelt had a very close friendship with journalist and reporter Lorena Hickok.  Whether that friendship constituted a physical affair is debated.  What Bloom has done in this sensitively written novel is to depict an affair based on Hickok’s reminiscences of their times together. The novel is set over several days in 1945 after the death of FDR and Hickok goes back in time to recount instances in their friendship, a trip she and Eleanor made together, embraces stolen in secluded corners, and her own years of living in the White House.

Reference is made to historical events and, we have Hick’s thoughts on FDR’s affair with Missy LeHand and his relations with other women.  We never have Eleanor speaking in her own voice; all is filtered through Hick. It’s a lovely novel and created based on Bloom’s extensive research into nonfiction works, correspondence and the like. (~JWFarrington)

To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear

I have liked some of the Maisie Dobbs better than others and thought some were more fully developed than others. This one I enjoyed very much.  The year is 1940 and Maisie is asked to find out why a neighboring family hasn’t heard from their son recently.  Joe is working for a painting company and usually calls home weekly. When he turns up dead, Maisie’s investigation takes her deep into the wartime letting of contracts and who shares information that is classified.  The secondary characters, Billy Beale and Sandra, her associates, as well as her friend Priscilla and family, all have rich roles in this book. Even the events surrounding the Battle of Dunkirk have a place.  (~JWFarrington)

Notes:  Images are from the web:  Book Club from deadline.com, On Chesil Beach from nytimes.com, and the photo of Roosevelt and Hickok from advocate.com.  Header photo by the author.

Around Manhattan: Sculpture & Food

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HUMAN BODY SCULPTED

Like Life: Sculpture, Color and the Body. 

This exhibit at Met Breuer of people from about 1300 to the present takes up two floors of the museum. Classical sculpture of human figures was done in marble, almost always white.  This exhibit explores examples of white sculpture, but also instances of tinted figures and some contemporary works such as the black house painter by American sculptor Duane Hanson.  The second half of the exhibit on the 3rdfloor is more challenging, and I would add, “viewer discretion advised.” It includes bodies in coffins, several crucifixion works, and other works that are bizarre or macabre. It’s both fascinating and occasionally creepy.

DINING FINDS

We are staying in another neighborhood new to us near the Queensboro Bridge and are exploring dining options in the surrounding blocks.  

Tiella—This Italian eatery is small and cozy with a pleasing choice of dishes.  A standout entree was the orata served under layers of wafer thin slices of potato and sautéed spinach flavored with lemon and thyme.

Under the Bridge—A tiny Greek place that quickly becomes loud and boisterous.  We were warmly welcomed with a smile and a big hello and then proceeded to order a range of small plates instead of entrees.  The shrimps in an ouzo laced thick tomato sauce were exceptional, and the grilled halloumi satisfying, while the special zucchini fritters and lemon potatoes rounded out the plate.  Tables are close together so you can easily check out your neighbor’s fare!

Rosa Mexicano—This is part of a chain, but the food seems to be genuine Mexican fare—nothing gloppy or sloppy!  The guacamole is made tableside to your degree of heat and the margaritas are large and potent.   We sampled a quesadilla and some chicken flautas.

Bistro Vendome.  Charming French restaurant with an upper level terrace that was perfect for a spring evening.  We loved the food—duck confit and broiled branzino with fennel and red peppers, preceded by an artichoke salad and a special “cocktail’ of avocado mousse topped with crab meat and mini tomato bits.  Service could have been more attentive than it was.  

READING AND VIEWING

Howards End by E. M. Forster. 

Prompted by my friend Patricia some months ago, I finally got around to re-reading Forster’s novel. I procrastinated until I read that a new version was to be shown on the Starz network.  Despite Forster’s many authorial comments and frequent philosophizing, I enjoyed it.  It questions to what extent we are individually or collectively responsible for the wellbeing and fate of those less fortunate than we.

A novel about social class, it brings into conflict, or at least tension, the arty Schlegel sisters and brother with lower class clerk Leonard Bast.  Add in business tycoon, Henry Wilcox and his family, and you have another set of views based on profit, rationality, and indifference to others.  Margaret Schlegel is the focal point.  She is smart and educated, and has provided a home and stability for her flighty sister and much younger brother after the death of their remaining parent.  Both she and Helen interact with the Wilcoxes, but Margaret’s relations will have a lasting impact.  The novel was original published in 1910.

The BBC production on Starz is in four parts and is very faithful to the book.  Unlike the wonderful film with Emma Thompson, the pacing is more measured and there is more time for small details and character development.

RECENT BOOKS

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova.

Neuroscientist turned author, Genova writes novels that focus on how an individual or a family deals with some tragic illness.  Still Alice, her best-known novel, was about an accomplished professor who was afflicted with early onset Alzheimer’s. It was made into a popular movie of the same title.  Genova then wrote about Huntington’s disease and this latest novel takes up the cause of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease as it’s commonly called.  Stephen Hawking lived more than 30 years with ALS, but he was an exceptional case.

Richard, a world-renowned concert pianist, develops ALS when he’s 45.  He is divorced from Karina, also a talented pianist who put her career aside for him, and father to a college-age daughter named Grace.  As his ALS progresses and it becomes clear that he can no longer stay in his own apartment, Karina takes him in.  The novel reads at times like a documentary or a medical treatise on the ravages of this horrible disease, with the fictional story of Richard and Karina’s tumultuous and bitter relationship an afterthought. I wouldn’t call it a totally successful novel, but as a guide to learning about ALS, it is comprehensive.

The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy.

A staff writer for The New Yorker for the past decade, Levy gives us a memoir of her atypical upbringing and her rough ride through her 20’s and 30’s.  She seeks adventure, travels to exotic locales for work, and, after a mad party-fueled period, marries Lucy, her lover and mentor who turns out to be an alcoholic.  Levy’s account is bold, brash, and very frank.

I have to admit I didn’t particularly like the book.  At times it was too raw, too emotional, and, to me, too self-indulgent.  But it was named a best book of the year by a number of publications including Vogue, Time, The Guardian, and Library Journal, so I guess I’m in the minority.  I also learned after finishing it (I did read it to the end) that my son had worked with her and likes her.

 Notes:  Header photo is Donatello’s Nicollo da Uzzano. All photos by JWFarrington.

Tidy Tidbits: Flowers, Books, etc.

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WARHOL IN THE GARDEN  

Continuing their annual tradition of presenting several of an artist’s works and interpreting them in the garden, Selby Gardens this year is focusing on Andy Warhol.  Throughout the garden there are large white square planters filled with magenta and pink impatiens as well as a divided window display of plants against a multi-colored screen and some oversize acrylic red and yellow blooms.  In the conservatory there are other treatments of Warhol’s love of repeating shapes or patterns, and in the house museum, four of Warhol’s flower paintings.  It’s always fun to go to Selby Gardens, always something new to see, and I never tire of visiting.  This time we took our Philadelphia friends Ellen and Bob.

  

READING

Tomorrow, April 23, is World Book Day.  Established in 1995 by UNESCO, it aims to promote reading, copyright, and publishing.  April 23 is the day Shakespeare died, but in the U.K, World Book Day is celebrated the first Thursday in March.

TIMELY NOVEL

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

What happens to the relationship between an educated middle class black couple when he is found guilty and sentenced to twelve years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit?  Roy is an up and coming 30’s executive living in Atlanta and his wife, Celestial, is a talented artist whose business making dolls (poupees) is getting attention and making money.  Their mutual friend Andre, a computer programmer who introduced the couple to each other, also harbors fond feelings for Celestial.  The novel alternates chapters between the three of them, Roy, Celestial, and Andre, initially with the letters Roy and Celeste write to each other as time unfolds and as Roy’s sentence is served.  In prison, he meets his biological father, his mother gets cancer, and Celestial finds it harder and harder to maintain their brief marriage.

Andre’s uncle Banks works the justice system on Roy’s behalf and when Roy is cleared and released early, the situation becomes a crisis as all parties grapple with what comes next.  With empathy and clear-sightedness, Jones creates the world as it exists for a black man in Atlanta from small town Louisiana.  To her credit, you, the reader, feel something for each one of them, Celestial, Roy, and Andre.  They are not bad people, just humans with good intentions, aspirations, and shortcomings.

Our island book group enjoyed the novel and had a thoughtful discussion about what it must mean to be a black man in today’s society.  We also thought that Roy’s meeting his father in prison was unconvincing and too pat.   This is Oprah’s Book Club pick for 2018 and it’s a worthwhile investment of your reading time.  (~JWFarrington)

HISTORICAL MYSTERY

No Comfort for the Lost by Nancy Herriman

In her debut mystery, Herriman takes on old San Francisco in a manner reminiscent of Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mysteries set in old New York City.  The year is 1867, anti-Chinese sentiment is on the rise, and nurse Celia Davies runs a medical clinic for women.  One of her Chinese patients dies in suspicious circumstances.  Celia is a transplant from Britain who initially came to the U.S. with her Irish husband.  He has since left, and she lives with her housekeeper and her half-Chinese cousin Barbara.  Detective Nick Greaves is assigned to the case, but keeps encountering Celia who is doing her own investigating in some of the shadier areas of the city.  I know San Francisco so enjoyed this book for its setting and appreciated its basis around real events of the time, but found the pacing a bit slow.  There is a second title in this series, No Pity for the Dead (2016) which I’ve not read.  (~JWFarrington)

CHALLENGING PLAY

Gloria, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a comic-tragic piece of theater that was a 2016 Pulitzer finalist.  I didn’t love it, but I thought it was very well acted and staged.  It’s about a group of millennials, office colleagues, and their relationships with each other and their feelings toward their much older boss.  The first act is jokey and sarcastic with lots of colorful language until there is violence.  The second act is a whole different mood as these individuals deal with the aftermath of a horrible event.  Seen at the Asolo Repertory Theatre, it runs through April 29th.

Note:  Tayari Jones photo from Wikipedia.  Other photos by JW Farrington.