RECENT READING
The Stargazer’s Sister by Carrie Brown
If you are at all interested in astronomy, this is an engaging historical novel about Caroline Herschel, sister of famed German astronomer William Herschel. Lina, as she was known, was William’s younger sister by 12 years. Small and slight and scarred by a bout with smallpox, she never married and was mistreated and abused by their mother. William, who had gone to the UK, returned to their home in Hanover and rescued her by taking her back to England.
Smart and quick, she became his devoted assistant in studying the night sky and dedicated her life single mindedly to him. She loved him greatly and gave up any thoughts of marriage and a family for herself. He received fame and recognition for his discoveries and for the telescopes he built while she labored by his side. Only later were her own solo discoveries acknowledged. While based on the historical record and the extensive correspondence the Herschels left behind, this is a work of fiction with a happy, although somewhat unbelievable ending. To her credit, Brown details in her notes where she has deviated from real life. (~JWFarrington)
The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson
This suspense novel was my pick for our January book group meeting. When I first read it, I found it slow to get going and feared I’d picked a dud. Turns out that almost everyone liked it a lot, and some couldn’t put it down once they started. In alternating chapters, set mostly in 1960, it’s the story of three women each related in some way to two brothers, Paul and Henry. Angie’s story is told in the first person while Silja’s and Ruby’s are third person. Angie is only 23 and married to the much older Paul and mother to baby PJ. For Silja, we get her life from 1942 to her marriage to Henry, and her successful career, up to her disappearance in 1960. Ruby is Silja and Henry’s daughter and a sullen and withdrawn teenager who doesn’t talk much.
The novel opens with a call to Angie from Ruby that Henry has committed suicide, and from there events unfold as Angie and Paul journey from Wisconsin to Stonekill, NY to be with Ruby. When I reviewed this book for the discussion, I found it more compelling. The period detail is spot on, and there are clues throughout as to what happened to Henry and Silja. (~JWFarrington)
ON SCREEN
Beautiful Boy (Amazon Prime)
Based on two memoirs, one by father David Sheff and the other by his son, Nicolas, this feature film is a depiction of drug addiction and its effect on one family. Focusing as much or more on the father than the son, it spotlights a loving father’s puzzlement, worry, frustration, and devotion in his determination to help his son. Nic’s aimlessness, cravings, and manic behavior, followed by sorrow and regret, repeat and repeat until he almost dies. For any parent, this is a hard film to watch as nothing seems to make the situation better. Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet are exceptionally good as father and son as is Maura Tierney as Nick’s stepmother, Karen.
Srugim (Amazon Prime)
This Israeli TV series ran from 2008 to 2012 and follows the lives of a group of single Orthodox Jewish men and women living in Jerusalem. Hovering around 30, they are navigating the dating scene while also figuring out their careers. Most of their contemporaries are already married, many with children.
The women are Yifat, a graphic artist, Reut, an accountant, and Hodaya, a graduate student who studied the Bible, but tries working as a waitress. The men are Nati, a medical doctor, Amir, a high school grammar teacher, and Roi, Nati’s younger brother. All are religious and closely follow the strictures around food, observing the Sabbath, and relationships with the opposite sex. The exception is Hodaya, daughter of a rabbi, who is questioning her religious beliefs.
The series focuses on relationships so don’t expect a lot of action. Nonetheless, I found myself quickly becoming absorbed in the lives of these individuals and am now well into the second season. The episodes are short, 35 minutes, with subtitles, and the video quality is just fair. This program was cited for being the first time the lives of Orthodox Jews were portrayed in a realistic production designed for a general audience. And I owe thanks to Patricia for recommending it! (~JWFarrington)
