RECENT READING
Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes
With the publication in 1996 of Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes shone a spotlight on one of the lovely Italian hill towns in Tuscany. Since then, “her” town of Cortona has become a tourist attraction, and she has milked the area and her life there for several other nonfiction books. I read Under the Tuscan Sun when it first came out and then, several other books by Mayes.
Fast forward, and around 2003, I hosted Mayes at Lehigh University for a Friends of the Libraries event. Last month, the Chief Penguin and I spent several very pleasant days in Cortona sitting in the main square, dining around, and soaking up the architecture and the history. For all these reasons, I was keen to read Women in Sunlight, Mayes’ new novel.
At heart, I’d say Mayes is much more of an essayist/memoirist and poet than she is a novelist. This book features a writer, Kit, in her 40’s who lives in Tuscany, and three senior women, who rent an old villa and become her neighbors. The women are new friends from North Carolina who met while visiting a retirement community in Chapel Hill. One is an artist, another has a green thumb, and the third is a seasoned traveler and organizer. Camille, Susan, and Julia are all single, and each is recovering from loss of a spouse through death or desertion. Over the course of a year, they bond with one another and with Kit, become acquainted with the townspeople, and have their horizons expanded through more travel.
Much of the novel reads like a travelogue. Mayes deftly paints word pictures of the beautiful surroundings and mouthwatering descriptions of meals and food in general. Except for Kit, I found the other women somewhat diffuse and not well distinguished one from another. Also, Kit’s focus or wandering attention to writing her memoir of her friend Margaret was a distraction and didn’t enrich the plot.
Overall, this was a mixed reading experience. I liked aspects of the book and was curious enough about how the women evolved to read to the end with a bit of skimming here and there. (~JWFarrington)
VIEWING
Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
I loved Bonnie Garmus’ novel, Lessons in Chemistry, as did everyone in my book group. I wondered if it could be translated into a successful series, and I’m pleased to say it has been.
Garmus was involved in this production, and the series is exceedingly well cast. Brie Larson as chemist and later TV star Elizabeth Zott is spot on, and Lewis Pullman as scientist Calvin Evans has the right combination of indifference, fierce dedication, and hidden charm. Child actress Alice Halsey plays the delightfully idiosyncratic Madeline, Zott’s daughter.
Set in 1950 and into the early 1960’s, the series showcases women’s second class status (some might say third) outside the home with pathos and humor. Elizabeth is smart and determined, but subject to blatant sexism and belittlement. Nonetheless, she is a force to be reckoned with, and despite many obstacles, she perseveres.
There are 8 episodes in total with new episodes being released weekly through November 24. The first two episodes are free.
All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix)
The Chief Penguin and I have watched the first two episodes of this four-part mini-series. Based on Anthony Doerr’s novel with the same title, it’s intense and powerful. I must admit that it’s been too long since I read the novel to be able to assess how closely the series hews to the book. Whether or not you’re familiar with the book, this story of young blind French broadcaster Marie, and Werner, a misfit Nazi radio operator in occupied coastal France (Saint-Malo, to be precise) is compelling and will quickly draw you in. It also demonstrates the staying power of a voice on the radio.
As a side note, last year the CP and I visited St. Malo, walked this once walled city, and and climbed up to its ramparts overlooking the mouth of the Rance River. Recommended!
The Sommerdahl Murders, Season 4 (Acorn)
The Chief Penguin and I have enjoyed the earlier seasons of this Danish crime series, and this latest one held our interest also. The triangle of crime solvers and best friends Dan Sommerdahl, Flemming Torp, and Marianne Sommerdahl (Dan’s ex-wife) is complicated by Dan’s new love interest, Josefine Sundby. The crimes are intriguing, and always lingering in the background is puzzlement about what fishmonger Oscar is hiding. There are eight episodes, each an hour long, and most crimes are dealt with in 2 parts. Recommended!
Note: Header photo is in town square, Cortona, Italy, ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
