RECENT NOVEL: LARGER THAN LIFE
An American Beauty by Shana Abe
An American Beauty, Abe’s recent “novel of the Gilded Age” is fascinating historical fiction. Belle Yarrington was a child of poverty. Left a widow, her mother Catherine struggled to feed and clothe her five children. When Belle was fifteen, she arranged for Belle to work at Johnny Worsham’s club. Beautiful Belle played the piano, charmed the male clients, and attracted the attention of wealthy railroad man, Collis Huntington.
Several years later, Belle became Collis’ mistress. He supported both her and her family over many years. The part he played in Belle’s life, her role as a shadow wife, and how she came in her later years to have two husbands are what one might expect to find only in the tabloids. From poverty to show girl to wealthy woman philanthropist in her own right, Belle’s story is an engaging one.
Collis Potter Huntington (1821-1900) was one of the Big Four in San Francisco (others were Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker) and instrumental in the building of the Central Pacific Railroad. Collis’ nephew, Henry Huntington (1850-1927), is perhaps better known. He was also a railroad magnate and the founder of the Huntington Library and gardens in San Marino. Both men have roles to play in this novel.
NEW FILMS: COMPLICATED LOVE STORIES
This is the time of year when the Chief Penguin and I get serious about trying to see as many films as possible that are Oscar contenders. Fortunately, several of them are already available on Netflix or Apple TV.
Maestro (Netflix)
While charting Leonard Bernstein’s trajectory from wunderkind filling in for Bruno Walter to widely acclaimed conductor and composer, Maestro is primarily the story of the complex and sometimes tortured 30-year love affair between Lenny and his wife Felicia. These two smart individuals come together, produce several children, and pursue their successful careers. Felicia organizes his life, and he supports her acting, while continuing to indulge his attraction to men. It’s a bittersweet tale of much joy alongside moments of pain and anguish.
This is Bradley Cooper’s film: he is producer, director, and star. He becomes Lenny Bernstein, and he is superb! Equally excellent is Carey Mulligan as the vivacious Felicia. And the score—it’s all music composed by Bernstein. It’s music that wraps itself around the viewer and deserves to be heard in the theater or at least on a good home sound system. Recommended!
Past Lives (Apple TV+ $)
Past Lives, rendered partly in Korean, is tender and poignant. It explores the connections to place or persons we develop in childhood and carry into our adult lives. As a child in Seoul, Nora, an aspiring writer, becomes close friends with Hae Sung, a boy in her class. At age 12, they depend on and support each other. But she and her parents move to Toronto, and then she emigrates from Canada to New York.
They have little contact for a time and then 12 years later, they talk online regularly. There is then another long break before Hae Sung goes to New York to see her again. She is now married. Interwoven with the affection Nora and Hae Sung have for each other are cultural gaps, wildly different lifestyles, and quite different career paths. Yet each, even the more successful and sophisticated Nora, has retained a strong bond to the other.
The film unfolds gently. The scenes with Nora, Hae Sung, and her husband Arthur are especially moving. Recommended!
