Although it is still warm and summery in Florida, November ushers in a season for looking inward and spending time inside. With that in mind, here are thoughts on some of my recent reading and viewing.
RECENT READING
SURVIVING THE PANDEMIC
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
If you’ve read other novels by Mainer Elizabeth Strout, you may be acquainted with Lucy Barton. She was introduced in My Name is Lucy Barton, and readers learned about her marriage to first husband William in the most recent work, Oh, William. I’m a big fan of Strout’s work and have read almost all her novels.
This one, I found especially poignant and meaningful. Lucy by the Sea takes place from the beginning of the pandemic until the vaccines become available. The first part is hard to read; it brings back so many memories of the uncertainty and then fear, many of us felt about this deadly new virus.
Lucy’s second husband David has died, and William comes to New York to take Lucy to Maine—initially she thinks for just a few weeks. They are in a rented house by the water and the changing weather, and the roll of the seasons, play a role in the story. Lucy is a novelist but also a fearful person, whose deprived and neglected childhood has made her feel inferior and not special.
The novel is told primarily through Lucy’s voice. It’s a strong voice on the page as she muses about William’s quirks and lacks, reflects on past events in her two marriages, and worries about her grown daughters, Chrissy and Becka. Given that she and William are in lockdown away from all but a few new friends, it’s a time for contemplation and assessing one’s life.
For me, this book was a meditation on love of all sorts: marital, maternal, friendship—and on grief. Grief over the losses of spouse and friends and grief over the troubles and trials of her daughters’ marriages. It’s a beautiful novel, and I highly recommend it! (~JWFarrington)
RELIGION IN AN ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE
Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer
Lauren Belfer came onto the scene in 1999 with her wonderful historical novel, City of Light. Subsequent books include A Fierce Radiance about the invention of penicillin and After the Fire, a quest to learn about a long-hidden music manuscript. I thoroughly enjoyed all three novels. Her latest novel, Ashton Hall, is set in the present, but in an old English country house with secrets in its attic.
As usual, Belfer’s latest work is thoroughly researched, so much so that at times I felt the history she wanted to share slowed down the narrative. One of the contemporary characters is a boy who suffers from autism. His behavior is challenging and yet, he is the one who uncovers the initial secret. Creating this character and making him a focus were obviously important to Belfer. I read the novel through to the end, but overall was disappointed. There was too much going on and too many disparate strands for it to be a satisfying whole.
VIEWING
CRIME OFF SCOTLAND
Shetland Season 7 (Amazon Prime)
This is Douglas Henshall’s last season as detective Jimmy Perez, and it’s an excellent season. A young man, a graphic novelist, is reported missing. His mother is distraught and his father, an ex-policeman, has skeletons in his past. When there seem to be possible links to eco-terrorism, the search for Connor becomes more complex, and there are more bodies.
Perez is dedicated to his job, but the strain of it is beginning to tell. He is both burying and fighting his feelings for Meg, a nurse. Meanwhile, his team of Tosh, Sandy, and Billy, are as engaging and effective as ever, making for some great ensemble acting. There are seven episodes encompassing one overarching storyline. Highly recommended for fans of complex crime series! Season 8 with a new, yet-to-be-named lead will be filmed and released in 2023.
CROSS CULTURAL LOVE STORY
From Scratch (Netflix)
From Scratch, a Netflix original series, is the story of what happens when a young Black artist from Texas goes to Florence and meets an aspiring chef from Sicily. Against her parents’, particularly her father’s, wishes, Amy leaves home to take a painting course in Italy. Lino, estranged from his farmer father, is working as a cook in a Florentine restaurant. They both have dreams of greater success, and they resolve to make a life together. Initially, it seems that bringing their respective families to acceptance of their relationship will be the greatest challenge. But not so.
I thought the first few episodes were overwritten and overplayed in terms of racial and cultural stereotypes. Amy’s father was particularly egregious. Later episodes are tamer, and I’ve stuck with the series (eight episodes), having become fully immersed in Amy and Lino’s story. It’s a passionate, at times heartrending, drama, based on Tempi Locke’s memoir of the same name published in 2019.
Note: Cover photo of a November sunset ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
