McGuinness has written a thinly veiled account of the last days of communist rule in Bucharest, Romania, under the rule of strong-man Nicolae Ceausescu. McGuinness lived and taught in Bucharest during the final years of Ceausescu's reign and knows his subject well; his experience was first hand and the story he tells rings true from the characters to the plot.
The main character, a young Englishman, is never identified by name. Almost as soon as he arrives in Bucharest in the late 80s, he is enmeshed in the strange underground society of the city called the "Paris of the East," though a decidedly shabby shadow of its namesake. The young man is quickly taken under the wing of a likable but shady black-market dealer named Leo O'Heix who also has a University position. Leo knows the old city and its haunts as if he was born there. He introduces the narrator to this City of Lost Walks, so named by Leo because of the number of beautiful old areas of the city that have been razed, along with historical buildings and churches. Like a war zone, it is a city of crumbling buildings with a few remaining dusty and dark museums.
"This is how you measure what you have against what there was," Leo said, "you walk it, what remains of it, you hear the clamour of all that's gone. It's your listening that brings it back."
Through Leo the young man meets and becomes involved with a dissident group which is smuggling people out of Romania.
Along with Leo, our hero is mentored by Sergiu Trofirm a former communist intellectual who is writing a memoir of the city. The young man helps smuggle this book out of the country and into Paris for publication. He also manages to become involved with two young women, Cilea, a daughter of a party apparatchik and Ottilia, an idealistic young doctor working in appalling conditions in a poorly staffed and dingy hospital.
All movement within the city was under surveillance and monitored by the Securitate, who somehow seemed in collusion with the corruption and black-marketers.
"For all the grotesqueness and brutality, it was normality that defined our relations: the human capacity to accommodate ourselves to our conditions, not the duplicity and corruption that underpinned them. This was also our greatest drawback--the routinization of want, sorrow, repression, until they became invisible, until they numbed you even to atrocity."
McGuiness, now a professor of French and comparative literature at Oxford, has written an interesting and engaging book about the end of the repressive communist regime in Romania. Real characters from that era intermingle with the fictional characters. I enjoyed reading about a country I knew little about except for the odd mention in the news. I recommend this read for any who enjoy a dose of reality along with their fiction wrapped up in a well-written novel.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
BOOK OF AGES BY Jill Lepore (non-fic)
"Book of Ages: the Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin" is an interesting and informational read. We all are acquainted with the mighty Ben Franklin and the important and pivotal role he played in the creation of the American nation. Most people have used or heard the aphorisms of "Poor Richard's Almanac." We know Franklin was a printer, scientist, diplomat and statesman as well as a philosopher. He was an important voice in the Second Continental Congress and helped draft the American Constitution. But, who knows of Jane Franklin, his beloved sister? Jill Lepore enlightens us on this by contrasting the lives of the brother and sister.
Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706, the youngest son in a family of 17 children. Jane Franklin Mecom was born in 1712, the youngest daughter. These two siblings shared a special bond that continued throughout their lives. Their faithful correspondence continued throughout their lives. Both were autodidacts filled with curiosity and a love of learning. Benjamin was expected to make his way in the world; Jane was expected to marry, and she did. At 15 years of age she married Edward Mecom, and she raised 12 children and outlived them all except for one. She loved her children; they and her grandchildren consumed her days.
Life in colonial America was harsh and difficult. Money was scarce, and Edward Mecom spend a good deal of time in debtors prison. Jane soldiered on working from light to dusk. Besides the full time job of raising 12 children, she made and sold a popular soap called Crown Soap; she sewed fine silks and hats for ladies. But, she never was able to lift herself out of poverty. She had no help except for the children when they became old enough to work. Jane had no formal education. With the help of Ben, she taught herself to read and write, and she became a voracious reader. Through her letters, we learn of Jane's everyday trials and tribulations. Her husband was mentally ill, and two of her sons were unable to hold jobs being similarly afflicted. We learn of the occupation of Boston by the British, and how the citizens coped with food shortages. We witness the start of the Revolution though her eyes. Ben cared deeply for his sister and made sure she had money, housing and plenty of books.
Jane died in 1794. Lepore did a tremendous amount of research into Jane's life and what it was like to be female in colonial days. There are thorough notes and appendices at the end of the book that are helpful and add to the interest of the book. As she completes her research, Lepore tells us:
"Sorrows rolled upon Jane Franklin like waves of the sea. She left in their wake these gifts, her remains: needles and pens, letters and books, politics and opinions, this history this archive, a quiet story of a quiet life of quiet sorrow and quieter beauty."
I highly recommend this book to all who love history; it is an excellent book for a reading group.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
STATION ELEVEN by Emily St.John Mandel (fic)
Normally I avoid dystopian novels. I read a review of "Station Eleven," and saw that it was one of the NY Times 10 best books of the year, so I thought I would give it a try. Well, I loved this gripping and brilliant book. I was completely enthralled and pretty much read it straight through. What made it interesting for me was the realization that a catastrophe as that described in the book could actually happen; maybe not in such a quick dramatic way, but a similar event is possible.
The story opens on stage in Toronto where "King Lear" is being performed. Arthur Leander, a well-known star of stage and screen dies of a heart attack in the middle of the show. Leander is the catalyst around which all the characters and events revolve. The story keeps circling back to Leader, his life and wives. His first wife, Miranda, has created a series of comic books with the character, Dr. Eleven, a physicist living on a space station, thus the title of the novel.
What happens shortly after Leander's death is horrifying. A world wide pandemic wipes out 99% of mankind. Soon there are no planes, no fuel, no phones, computers or electricity. Isolated pockets of survivors have gathered in small villages and settlements for safety and companionship.
The story fast-forwards twenty years, and the reader keeps company with a traveling symphony of about 20 members who perform remembered pieces of music and the plays of Shakespeare. They wander among settlements along Lakes Huron and Michigan entertaining villagers and occasionally picking up a member or two. We are reintroduced to Kirsten Raymonde who was 8 years old when the story opened, and who was a cast member in "Lear" with Leander. Being fond of young Kirsten, Leander gives her two copies of Station Eleven which are treasured by her, though tattered and worn.
Our traveling company arrives at the settlement of St. Deborah by the Water looking for two former cast members who had temporarily settled there to await the birth of their child. The town is mysterious and under the sway of a religious fanatic called "The Prophet." After a series of disturbing and sinister events, the symphony quickly breaks camp and moves on, hoping to reach a larger settlement at a former airport. Here there is a famous landmark called the Museum of Civilization run by an old friend of Leander. Another character who reappears at this time is a paramedic named Jeevan who was in the audience on the night of Leander's death and tried to revive him.
The small band of actors and musicians find themselves targeted, and several members become separated from the main troupe. Tension mounts as the story works to a climax and ending, connecting the characters once again.
In the end this is a story of survival in unusual circumstances along with mankind's yearning to keep the past present and memories alive. I highly recommend "Station Eleven" as an entertaining and interesting novel with a plausible premise.
The story opens on stage in Toronto where "King Lear" is being performed. Arthur Leander, a well-known star of stage and screen dies of a heart attack in the middle of the show. Leander is the catalyst around which all the characters and events revolve. The story keeps circling back to Leader, his life and wives. His first wife, Miranda, has created a series of comic books with the character, Dr. Eleven, a physicist living on a space station, thus the title of the novel.
What happens shortly after Leander's death is horrifying. A world wide pandemic wipes out 99% of mankind. Soon there are no planes, no fuel, no phones, computers or electricity. Isolated pockets of survivors have gathered in small villages and settlements for safety and companionship.
The story fast-forwards twenty years, and the reader keeps company with a traveling symphony of about 20 members who perform remembered pieces of music and the plays of Shakespeare. They wander among settlements along Lakes Huron and Michigan entertaining villagers and occasionally picking up a member or two. We are reintroduced to Kirsten Raymonde who was 8 years old when the story opened, and who was a cast member in "Lear" with Leander. Being fond of young Kirsten, Leander gives her two copies of Station Eleven which are treasured by her, though tattered and worn.
Our traveling company arrives at the settlement of St. Deborah by the Water looking for two former cast members who had temporarily settled there to await the birth of their child. The town is mysterious and under the sway of a religious fanatic called "The Prophet." After a series of disturbing and sinister events, the symphony quickly breaks camp and moves on, hoping to reach a larger settlement at a former airport. Here there is a famous landmark called the Museum of Civilization run by an old friend of Leander. Another character who reappears at this time is a paramedic named Jeevan who was in the audience on the night of Leander's death and tried to revive him.
The small band of actors and musicians find themselves targeted, and several members become separated from the main troupe. Tension mounts as the story works to a climax and ending, connecting the characters once again.
In the end this is a story of survival in unusual circumstances along with mankind's yearning to keep the past present and memories alive. I highly recommend "Station Eleven" as an entertaining and interesting novel with a plausible premise.
Friday, May 15, 2015
THOSE WHO LEAVE AND THOSE WHO STAY by Elena Ferrante (fic)
This is the third volume of the Neapolitan series of books by Ferrante. There is one more to be written. Like its predecessors this book is a beautifully written account of the continuing relationship between Elena and Lila who are now entering middle age. Elena is married and Lila is living in reduced circumstances in the old neighborhood in Naples. Although they rarely see each other, the influence each exerts on the other is as strong as ever, continuing Lila's dominance. You can find a review of the first and second books in earlier postings. So as not to repeat myself, the superlatives I assigned to the first two volumes apply here as well. This third book is as strongly arresting and fascinating as the first book. Again, I highly recommend all three books which should be read in sequence. I am looking forward to the publishing of the next book in the series.
Friday, April 17, 2015
DEAD WAKE by Erik Larson (non-fic)
The sub-title of this book is "The Last Crossing of the Lusitania." As a fan of Erik, I was eagerly awaiting the publication of his latest book, and it did not disappoint. Larson writes very readable and accurate books of events that have a great impact on subsiquent history. You may read, "The Devil in White City" or "In the Garden of Beasts," which is my favorite.
"Dead Wake" is an accounting of the last ill-fated sail of the Cunard Line's Lusitania from its pier in Manhattan to its destination of Liverpool on the coast of the Irish Sea. This May marks the 100th anniversary of the her sinking by a single torpedo fired from the German submarine U-20. Larson begins his tale in a mood of celebration as passengers embark on Saturday,May 1, 1915. The great ship was under the command of Captain William Thomas Turner, a somewhat dour and very experienced sailor. There was definite concern about this crossing as German subs had been busy in and around the Irish Sea, St. Georges Channel, and the Isles of Scilly which lay off the coast of Cornwall, particularly one very dangerous sub under the command of Capt. Walther Schwieger who had begun targeting neutral liners and cargo ships which dared to make the crossing. However, it was the general consensus that the Germans would not dare to attack such a large and well known passenger ship, considered the fastest on the sea. Besides, she would have the protection of the Royal Navy warships as she passed through St. George's Channel.
Larson skillfully introduces us to a number of passengers and follows them throughout the voyage which was largely uneventful as they sailed in fine weather and calm seas. The reader begins to form a bond with these people and picture them at play and rest. His descriptions of the ship and passengers down to their period clothing and habits presents an endearing picture. There were a number of children on board as well and a mixture of American and British citizens. Larson writes an equally interesting account of Schwieger's character and life aboard the very cramped quarters of the sub where sanitation and ventilation were difficult.
The sense of foreboding intensifies as the ship nears the coast of Ireland. Though the reader is aware of the outcome, it is no less nerve wracking as the two ships near their destiny. The passengers awoke that clear Saturday morning with a sense of celebration as they neared their destination and began to organized their belonging in anticipation. What they did not realize, but Capt. Turner did, is the British navy was nowhere in sight for the expected escort, nor was Turner adequately warned of the deadly submarine lurking nearby, that the Admiralty was certainly aware of and deliberately ignoring.
When the torpedo hit the unsuspecting ship, it only took 18 minutes for the invincible liner to sink, bringing to mind a similar disaster on another invincible ship three years before, the Titanic. This time, 1200 lives were lost, 128 Americans among them. Calling on the accounts of the surviving passengers, Larson presents a grim picture of their last moments.
Mystery still clings to the sinking of the Lusitania. It seems pretty much accepted now, and there is evidence to back this up, that Winston Churchill deliberately withheld escorts and aid, with the confidence that should an attack occur, America would finally enter the war. Indeed, it did precipitate America's entry as the previously isolationist country-wide feeling dissipated with the news of the sinking and lives lost. It also turns out that the Lusitania was carrying ammunition and arms for the Allies, and after the torpedo hit, the popular speculation was that the ammunition exploded causing the ship to sink. Larson holds to the theory that highly combustive coal dust caused the secondary explosion which finished off the mighty liner which otherwise might have made it to the nearest port.
As I read, I was wishing that the book contained photos of the embarking and some of the passengers whom the reader got to know. However, in the author's notes he directs one to a web site of a wonderful film made of the embarkation on the day the ship sailed out of New York Harbor. As I watched various passengers leaving taxis and excitedly going aboard, I had a feeling of sadness, knowing their tragic fate.
I highly recommend this book to all readers and book clubs. It is a terrific picture of history being made.
"Dead Wake" is an accounting of the last ill-fated sail of the Cunard Line's Lusitania from its pier in Manhattan to its destination of Liverpool on the coast of the Irish Sea. This May marks the 100th anniversary of the her sinking by a single torpedo fired from the German submarine U-20. Larson begins his tale in a mood of celebration as passengers embark on Saturday,May 1, 1915. The great ship was under the command of Captain William Thomas Turner, a somewhat dour and very experienced sailor. There was definite concern about this crossing as German subs had been busy in and around the Irish Sea, St. Georges Channel, and the Isles of Scilly which lay off the coast of Cornwall, particularly one very dangerous sub under the command of Capt. Walther Schwieger who had begun targeting neutral liners and cargo ships which dared to make the crossing. However, it was the general consensus that the Germans would not dare to attack such a large and well known passenger ship, considered the fastest on the sea. Besides, she would have the protection of the Royal Navy warships as she passed through St. George's Channel.
Larson skillfully introduces us to a number of passengers and follows them throughout the voyage which was largely uneventful as they sailed in fine weather and calm seas. The reader begins to form a bond with these people and picture them at play and rest. His descriptions of the ship and passengers down to their period clothing and habits presents an endearing picture. There were a number of children on board as well and a mixture of American and British citizens. Larson writes an equally interesting account of Schwieger's character and life aboard the very cramped quarters of the sub where sanitation and ventilation were difficult.
The sense of foreboding intensifies as the ship nears the coast of Ireland. Though the reader is aware of the outcome, it is no less nerve wracking as the two ships near their destiny. The passengers awoke that clear Saturday morning with a sense of celebration as they neared their destination and began to organized their belonging in anticipation. What they did not realize, but Capt. Turner did, is the British navy was nowhere in sight for the expected escort, nor was Turner adequately warned of the deadly submarine lurking nearby, that the Admiralty was certainly aware of and deliberately ignoring.
When the torpedo hit the unsuspecting ship, it only took 18 minutes for the invincible liner to sink, bringing to mind a similar disaster on another invincible ship three years before, the Titanic. This time, 1200 lives were lost, 128 Americans among them. Calling on the accounts of the surviving passengers, Larson presents a grim picture of their last moments.
Mystery still clings to the sinking of the Lusitania. It seems pretty much accepted now, and there is evidence to back this up, that Winston Churchill deliberately withheld escorts and aid, with the confidence that should an attack occur, America would finally enter the war. Indeed, it did precipitate America's entry as the previously isolationist country-wide feeling dissipated with the news of the sinking and lives lost. It also turns out that the Lusitania was carrying ammunition and arms for the Allies, and after the torpedo hit, the popular speculation was that the ammunition exploded causing the ship to sink. Larson holds to the theory that highly combustive coal dust caused the secondary explosion which finished off the mighty liner which otherwise might have made it to the nearest port.
As I read, I was wishing that the book contained photos of the embarking and some of the passengers whom the reader got to know. However, in the author's notes he directs one to a web site of a wonderful film made of the embarkation on the day the ship sailed out of New York Harbor. As I watched various passengers leaving taxis and excitedly going aboard, I had a feeling of sadness, knowing their tragic fate.
I highly recommend this book to all readers and book clubs. It is a terrific picture of history being made.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY by Nicci French
I am determined to get to the end of the week in this Frieda Klein series and look forward to the Thursday title next. The husband and wife team, Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, have hit upon an interesting mystery formula and their plots are carefully woven and presented.
The usual cast of characters appear in this story: Beside Frieda Klein, her long suffering friend, Chief Inspector Malcolm Karlsson; her love-interest, Sandy; her nemesis Hal Bradshaw; Josef the Ukrainian fix-it man; and, her needy sister-in-law and her sassy niece, Chloe.
People have secrets in this book, especially Ruth Lennox the murder victim and her lover, her husband and her three teenage children. They are the most realistic characters in the novel. Like the other books in this series, the mystery is skillfully presented and keeps the reader guessing and interested. Having said this, I did not enjoy this book as much as I did the first two, and it is not because of the story line. I feel the characters are not as realistically portrayed as in the past. In fact, Frieda is beginning to wear on me. She is depressed and frankly not very pleasant. Her boyfriend, Sandy, is just a caricature. No one could be at her beck and call as he is. Inspector Karlsson is too loyal to be real and Hal Bradshaw is just too manipulative and nasty a person to believe in. However, I continue to enjoy the mystery and hope the next installment will pick up again where the first two books left off.
The usual cast of characters appear in this story: Beside Frieda Klein, her long suffering friend, Chief Inspector Malcolm Karlsson; her love-interest, Sandy; her nemesis Hal Bradshaw; Josef the Ukrainian fix-it man; and, her needy sister-in-law and her sassy niece, Chloe.
People have secrets in this book, especially Ruth Lennox the murder victim and her lover, her husband and her three teenage children. They are the most realistic characters in the novel. Like the other books in this series, the mystery is skillfully presented and keeps the reader guessing and interested. Having said this, I did not enjoy this book as much as I did the first two, and it is not because of the story line. I feel the characters are not as realistically portrayed as in the past. In fact, Frieda is beginning to wear on me. She is depressed and frankly not very pleasant. Her boyfriend, Sandy, is just a caricature. No one could be at her beck and call as he is. Inspector Karlsson is too loyal to be real and Hal Bradshaw is just too manipulative and nasty a person to believe in. However, I continue to enjoy the mystery and hope the next installment will pick up again where the first two books left off.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
WATCH ME by Anjelica Huston (non-fic)
I wouldn't want a steady diet of it, but every-once-in-a-while, it is fun to be a voyeur into the lives of the rich and famous Hollywood royalty. Certainly, Anjelica Huston is such royalty. She is the daughter of the enormously talented John Huston who directed such gems as The African Queen and The Misfits. This is the second volume of an autobiography by Huston who seems to have written it without the aid of a ghosting hand. The first volume, "A Story Lately Told" tells of her childhood in the rural and verdant Irish countryside.
I began the book with high hopes of being entertained, knowing Huston's relationship of 17 years with Jack Nicholson was a turbulent one. He was the great love of her youth, and she was with him through his most prolific and talented years when he was at the top of his game, handsome, svelte, and entertaining. Unfortunately for Anjelica, whom he affectionately called Toots, he was also an inveterate womanizer and consistently unfaithful to her, though he seemed to care for her as much as it was in his nature to do so. "He done her wrong!," though why she put up with this and allowed it to go on for so long, is never clearly explained. Perhaps it was that he was a reflection of her dearly loved father who was also an intensely masculine presence in her life, equally involved with a string of women. She also had two other destructive relationships, an earlier one with Bob Richardson, the fashion photographer, during her modeling days and another with the actor, Ryan O'Neal, who was physically abusive.
Anjelica and Nicholson broke for good in 1990, but she holds no bitterness toward him. In 1992, she met and eventually married the great love of her later life, Bob Graham, a well-known and respected sculptor. Huston and Graham had a loving relationship and enjoyed many of the same activities and travel. The marriage was seemingly a happy one, until Graham died after they had been together for 16 years. Huston's description of her life with him, is touching and she does her best writing in this section.
While I enjoyed the parts of the book devoted to Huston and Graham's life together, the earlier section of the book was disappointing. The reader has to wade through lists and list of famous people without much substance or depth. For example she was in the house with Roman Polanski the night he was accused of raping a young girl; she glossed right over this with a non-descript paragraph or two. One wonders where the reflection is during her life with Nicolson. Did she really jump from party to party listing the famous faces in her diary perhaps and just regurgitating them for us? Was life really just drugs, sex and rock and roll? Since she turned to acting during this time and won an academy award for her role in "Prizzi's Honor" there must have been periods of hard work and self-reflection that do not come across in the book.
If you are looking for a read about the Hollywood life of privilege mixed with tidbits from the lives of the famous whose paths cross Huston's, read away. There is the bonus of the book becoming a better read after Huson marries Bob Graham, who was a well-grounded partner for her. One thing that does come through is Anjelica Huston is a genuinely nice woman who is not given to whining about the messy turns her life took.
I began the book with high hopes of being entertained, knowing Huston's relationship of 17 years with Jack Nicholson was a turbulent one. He was the great love of her youth, and she was with him through his most prolific and talented years when he was at the top of his game, handsome, svelte, and entertaining. Unfortunately for Anjelica, whom he affectionately called Toots, he was also an inveterate womanizer and consistently unfaithful to her, though he seemed to care for her as much as it was in his nature to do so. "He done her wrong!," though why she put up with this and allowed it to go on for so long, is never clearly explained. Perhaps it was that he was a reflection of her dearly loved father who was also an intensely masculine presence in her life, equally involved with a string of women. She also had two other destructive relationships, an earlier one with Bob Richardson, the fashion photographer, during her modeling days and another with the actor, Ryan O'Neal, who was physically abusive.
Anjelica and Nicholson broke for good in 1990, but she holds no bitterness toward him. In 1992, she met and eventually married the great love of her later life, Bob Graham, a well-known and respected sculptor. Huston and Graham had a loving relationship and enjoyed many of the same activities and travel. The marriage was seemingly a happy one, until Graham died after they had been together for 16 years. Huston's description of her life with him, is touching and she does her best writing in this section.
While I enjoyed the parts of the book devoted to Huston and Graham's life together, the earlier section of the book was disappointing. The reader has to wade through lists and list of famous people without much substance or depth. For example she was in the house with Roman Polanski the night he was accused of raping a young girl; she glossed right over this with a non-descript paragraph or two. One wonders where the reflection is during her life with Nicolson. Did she really jump from party to party listing the famous faces in her diary perhaps and just regurgitating them for us? Was life really just drugs, sex and rock and roll? Since she turned to acting during this time and won an academy award for her role in "Prizzi's Honor" there must have been periods of hard work and self-reflection that do not come across in the book.
If you are looking for a read about the Hollywood life of privilege mixed with tidbits from the lives of the famous whose paths cross Huston's, read away. There is the bonus of the book becoming a better read after Huson marries Bob Graham, who was a well-grounded partner for her. One thing that does come through is Anjelica Huston is a genuinely nice woman who is not given to whining about the messy turns her life took.
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