At last I read Edward St. Aubyn's final book (I think) in the series of Melrose novels. I have reviewed the previous novels in a blog in 2012. St. Aubyn is one of my favorite writers despite the gritty content of his novels which deal with abuse, addiction and destructive behavior. If you haven't read the other books in this series, you should not begin with this novel. You need the previous books to understand the characters and their various transformations with the passage of time. "At Last" and the other Melrose novels are the closest the reader may ever come to examining the dysfunction of certain Upper Class British, unless you count the British press/Murdoch bugging scandals and the Chipping Norton set who aren't really Upper Class anyway, despite playing at it.
As "At Last" opens time has passed since we last left Patrick in pretty awful straits. Somehow he has resurrected himself and seemingly found some peace without resorting to spiritual psycho-babble. The novel is constructed around his mother, Eleanor's funeral in the course of one day. As the ceremony drones on, we become voyeurs into the thoughts of the various characters from the previous novels, some close to death themselves, others resurrected and redeemed.
St. Aubyn maintains his amusing sardonic voice and insights into his appalling childhood of abuse, both physical and mental. We again meet Patrick's understanding wife, Mary; his precocious and observant sons, Robert and Thomas; the self-absorbed and ironically funny Aunt Nancy and Nicholas Pratt; as well as some other peculiarly funny specimens of humanity. At the same time we have a closer look at Eleanor and her own dysfunctional background. If all this sounds too dreary, it isn't. St. Aubyn who admits he draws on his own background, writes with such skill and talent that despite the dark content, his novels are fascinating and addictive. If you have read his other novels, I don't have to tell you that you cannot stop without reading this addition to Patrick Melrose's history and you will not be disappointed.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
MISTRESS OF THE MONARCHY by Alison Weir (non-fic)
This biography of Katherine Swynford has an unfortunate title. It sounds like a bodice ripper, but rather it is a scholarly study of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster and the history of her time. More accurately, it is also a biography of John of Gaunt, who was the third son of Edward III of England. Without John of Gaunt there would be little knowledge of Katherine, in fact we might not even have known of her importance in the history of the English throne. Most the factual knowledge we have of her is derived from the records of John of Gaunt and the numerous grants he made to her. The story of Katherine and John spans the years 1350 to 1403, the years of Katherine's life.
Katherine de Roet was born in Hainault where Philippa, the wife of Edward III, was born. As a youngster Katherine's father brought her and her sister, also a Philippa, to the British court to serve the English Queen. Philippa de Roet eventually married Geoffrey Chaucer, of "Canterbury Tales" fame. She and Katherine remained close throughout their lives.
Like many who became fascinated by Katherine Swynford, many years ago I read the fictionalized romance of John and Katherine by Anya Seton. This study by Alison Weir, despite being non-fiction, is every bit as exciting as the novel. Weir is meticulous in her scholarship, citing many original sources. She deals in facts and leaves room for the reader to continue to muse on the whys and wherefores. I even found her chapter notes interesting. Although there are not many known facts about Katherine, Weir turns what is known into a fascinating story .
Katherine grew up at court and at a young age married a knight, Sir Hugh Swynford who fought along side John of Gaunt in the wars against the French. They had four children who lived, early death always a danger in medieval times.
John of Gaunt, 10 years older than Katherine, was married to Blanche of Lancaster and though it was an arranged marriage, it was apparently a love match as well, which was unusual for that period. Their oldest son became Henry IV and his decendents became the Yorkist monarchs of England. Sometime after Blanche's death John fell in love with Katherine. As she was not considered highly born, they were unable to marry, and she became his mistress. They had four children together whose surname was Beaufort. Their decendents were the Tudor monarchs.
John's second marriage was a political one; he married Constance of Castile. The marriage was part of an alliance against France. Theirs was not a happy marriage, and John's romance with Katherine continued for twenty more years with one short period of separation. Their love was long and enduring. When Constance died, John, despite strong public approbation, married Katherine. Unfortunately they only had four years as man and wife, but their children were legitimized by the Pope, thus enabling them to inherit titles and wealth.
During his lifetime, John of Gaunt was the most powerful and richest man in England. His descendants with his first wife Blanche, and those with Katherine, were a powerful influence on the history of England and Europe. His children with Constance became rulers in Spain and Portugal. Several American Presidents were also descendants of John of Gaunt.
So, this is the bare bones from which the romance of Katherine and John is constructed. If you have an interest in English medieval history, you couldn't have a more thorough guide than Alison Weir. I highly recommend her book. If you are only looking for the romantic interpretation of their story, read Anya Seton's book, but be aware it is not entirely accurate, though well written.
Katherine de Roet was born in Hainault where Philippa, the wife of Edward III, was born. As a youngster Katherine's father brought her and her sister, also a Philippa, to the British court to serve the English Queen. Philippa de Roet eventually married Geoffrey Chaucer, of "Canterbury Tales" fame. She and Katherine remained close throughout their lives.
Like many who became fascinated by Katherine Swynford, many years ago I read the fictionalized romance of John and Katherine by Anya Seton. This study by Alison Weir, despite being non-fiction, is every bit as exciting as the novel. Weir is meticulous in her scholarship, citing many original sources. She deals in facts and leaves room for the reader to continue to muse on the whys and wherefores. I even found her chapter notes interesting. Although there are not many known facts about Katherine, Weir turns what is known into a fascinating story .
Katherine grew up at court and at a young age married a knight, Sir Hugh Swynford who fought along side John of Gaunt in the wars against the French. They had four children who lived, early death always a danger in medieval times.
John of Gaunt, 10 years older than Katherine, was married to Blanche of Lancaster and though it was an arranged marriage, it was apparently a love match as well, which was unusual for that period. Their oldest son became Henry IV and his decendents became the Yorkist monarchs of England. Sometime after Blanche's death John fell in love with Katherine. As she was not considered highly born, they were unable to marry, and she became his mistress. They had four children together whose surname was Beaufort. Their decendents were the Tudor monarchs.
John's second marriage was a political one; he married Constance of Castile. The marriage was part of an alliance against France. Theirs was not a happy marriage, and John's romance with Katherine continued for twenty more years with one short period of separation. Their love was long and enduring. When Constance died, John, despite strong public approbation, married Katherine. Unfortunately they only had four years as man and wife, but their children were legitimized by the Pope, thus enabling them to inherit titles and wealth.
During his lifetime, John of Gaunt was the most powerful and richest man in England. His descendants with his first wife Blanche, and those with Katherine, were a powerful influence on the history of England and Europe. His children with Constance became rulers in Spain and Portugal. Several American Presidents were also descendants of John of Gaunt.
So, this is the bare bones from which the romance of Katherine and John is constructed. If you have an interest in English medieval history, you couldn't have a more thorough guide than Alison Weir. I highly recommend her book. If you are only looking for the romantic interpretation of their story, read Anya Seton's book, but be aware it is not entirely accurate, though well written.
Friday, April 12, 2013
BEAUTIFUL RUINS by Jess Walker (fic)
"Beautiful Ruins" must have been liked and enjoyed by a number of people because it was in many notable books of the year lists for 2012 as well as receiving several awards. However, I was not one of those who thought this was a great read. There is plenty of action, yet I was bored. It is somewhat comical, but I could not get into the spirit of the book.
The story opens in a speck of a town on the coast of Italy, an impoverished cousin to the beautiful Cinque Terra. It is 1962. An American actress, Dee Moray, who believes she is dying of cancer mysteriously arrives by boat supposedly to meet her lover. She has a bit part in the famous movie, "Cleopatra" which was being filmed in Rome. The owner of the town's only pension called the Adequate View, falls for her. One of the few characters I enjoyed is an old crone of an aunt who stirs the pot up a bit with her mumbling curses.
From here the book jumps around in time from 1962 to present day Hollywood. Other settings include Florence, Seattle, Idaho, Oregon, Edinburgh, et al. Characters appear and disappear. Richard Burton plays a part in moving the plot along. He may have meant to be funny, but only seems a buffoon. Elizabeth Taylor is also lurking in the background. After the passage of 50 years Pasquale (the owner of the inn) and the lovely Dee enter each others orbits.
At any rate, perhaps if it were summer and I was reading on the beach in the warm sunshine, I might find more positives to say about this novel. I soldiered on to the end, but was happy to move on to the next book waiting by my easy chair.
The story opens in a speck of a town on the coast of Italy, an impoverished cousin to the beautiful Cinque Terra. It is 1962. An American actress, Dee Moray, who believes she is dying of cancer mysteriously arrives by boat supposedly to meet her lover. She has a bit part in the famous movie, "Cleopatra" which was being filmed in Rome. The owner of the town's only pension called the Adequate View, falls for her. One of the few characters I enjoyed is an old crone of an aunt who stirs the pot up a bit with her mumbling curses.
From here the book jumps around in time from 1962 to present day Hollywood. Other settings include Florence, Seattle, Idaho, Oregon, Edinburgh, et al. Characters appear and disappear. Richard Burton plays a part in moving the plot along. He may have meant to be funny, but only seems a buffoon. Elizabeth Taylor is also lurking in the background. After the passage of 50 years Pasquale (the owner of the inn) and the lovely Dee enter each others orbits.
At any rate, perhaps if it were summer and I was reading on the beach in the warm sunshine, I might find more positives to say about this novel. I soldiered on to the end, but was happy to move on to the next book waiting by my easy chair.
Monday, April 8, 2013
CANADA by Richard Ford (fic)
Richard Ford is one of my favorite American authors and "Canada" is my favorite of his books. Ford has written through the eyes of a young teen male before. This time we follow Dell Parsons, 15 years old, who tells the story of how an ill-thought out robbery by his immature parents, changed his life forever. Dell, the narrator, is now 60 years old, a teacher of writing, who returns to American to visit his twin sister who is dying of cancer.
The novel is placed in 1960 and rings authentic in its descriptions. I recognize this middle century America; it is as true as I remember it. Just so, is the bewilderment of young Dell as his parents actions lead to consequences beyond his control, that he is incapable of understanding. It is all so real, even Dell's passivity and inertia to control the events that are determining his life and what he is to become.
Dell and his twin sister, Berner, grow up on a series of American air bases, until they find themselves in Great Falls, Montana, where their father, Bev Parsons, decides to settle down and leave the service. Dell at last begins to lead a more normal school existence, and it is touching to see his blossoming interest in chess and beekeeping. Meanwhile, Bev's choices in life are naive and grandiose, and he eventually destroys his family with his crazy schemes.
The book begins with the robbery, and after his parents are arrested Dell is spirited off to Saskatchewan by a friend of his mother. Here the reader begins to feel real anxiety as Dell is thrown in with some shady characters, especially an ex-pat radical, Arthur Remlinger, the brother of the woman who brought Dell to Canada. There is also a particularly peculiar and creepy character named Charley, who the reader will want to rescue Dell from. Yet, through all his subsequent adventures, there is something about Dell that is grounded and the knowledge that he is writing this, having reached adulthood safely, is somewhat comforting. Meanwhile his sister, Berner has chosen to run off to California and chooses a vastly different path in life than Dell.
Ford's writes perfect sentences, clean yet at the same time so full of description, that you don't have to have ever been in Montana to know just how desolate the open scrub landscape can be. When Dell flees to Canada, the reader does as well. All of Ford's characters are well-drawn and complete.
I highly recommend "Canada" to all readers. It is also a good choice for book club readers. It would be on my list of best books of 2012.
The novel is placed in 1960 and rings authentic in its descriptions. I recognize this middle century America; it is as true as I remember it. Just so, is the bewilderment of young Dell as his parents actions lead to consequences beyond his control, that he is incapable of understanding. It is all so real, even Dell's passivity and inertia to control the events that are determining his life and what he is to become.
Dell and his twin sister, Berner, grow up on a series of American air bases, until they find themselves in Great Falls, Montana, where their father, Bev Parsons, decides to settle down and leave the service. Dell at last begins to lead a more normal school existence, and it is touching to see his blossoming interest in chess and beekeeping. Meanwhile, Bev's choices in life are naive and grandiose, and he eventually destroys his family with his crazy schemes.
The book begins with the robbery, and after his parents are arrested Dell is spirited off to Saskatchewan by a friend of his mother. Here the reader begins to feel real anxiety as Dell is thrown in with some shady characters, especially an ex-pat radical, Arthur Remlinger, the brother of the woman who brought Dell to Canada. There is also a particularly peculiar and creepy character named Charley, who the reader will want to rescue Dell from. Yet, through all his subsequent adventures, there is something about Dell that is grounded and the knowledge that he is writing this, having reached adulthood safely, is somewhat comforting. Meanwhile his sister, Berner has chosen to run off to California and chooses a vastly different path in life than Dell.
Ford's writes perfect sentences, clean yet at the same time so full of description, that you don't have to have ever been in Montana to know just how desolate the open scrub landscape can be. When Dell flees to Canada, the reader does as well. All of Ford's characters are well-drawn and complete.
I highly recommend "Canada" to all readers. It is also a good choice for book club readers. It would be on my list of best books of 2012.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
I REMEMBER NOTHING by Nora Ephron (essays)
This is the last book published by the late contemporary writer, Nora Ephron. Most of the essays in the collection had been previously published in columns she wrote for various journals. This is a super airport book. It will afford you excellent company in that interminable terminal; it is light reading and easy to return to after a distraction. It is especially appealing to middle-aged women and beyond. Ephron is able to take the mundane in our daily existence and find the absurd. I found the last two entries, "What I Will Miss" and "What I Won't Miss" particularly moving in the light of Ephron's imminent death. The book is a poignant memorial to a gifted writer and artist.
THE PASSAGE OF POWER by Robert Caro (non-fic)
"The Passage of Power" is the fourth volume in Robert Caro's masterful life of Lyndon Johnson. I believe it to be the best of the series, and Robert Caro must rank among the best, if not the best biographer of all time. The sheer magnitude of his research is mind boggling.
This volume covers the five years in Johnson's life leading up to and following the assassination of President John Kennedy. We see Johnson as the absolute master of the Senate, wheeling and dealing, a shrewd judge of his colleagues, a giant of a man in appetites and achievements. Then we see him almost emasculated as a powerless and depressed Vice-President to Kennedy, and finally we see him take the reigns of power, rise to expectations and beyond, and become one of the most fascinating and complex personalities to occupy the Presidency of the United States.
Just as Kennedy was a product of his eastern prep-school monied background, an achieving son of an ambitious father; Johnson, in contrast, was a product of his upbringing, the son of a Texan dirt-farmer; poor, proud, and single-minded ambitious, anxious not to repeat the mistakes of his father.
Early on, Johnson focused on the Presidency. He spent little time in the US House of Representatives. He knew the Senate would be his stepping stone and worked quickly and diligently to forge the relationships he needed to achieve his ambition. Johnson's facility for reading people, finding their weaknesses, and feeding their egos, came early and naturally. He was relentless in going after what he wanted and very few were able to refuse him a favor. No one before or since has been able to do this as well.
Johnson was crude, brilliant and insecure. In this passage Caro captures him exactly: "Ruthlessness, secretiveness, deceit--significant elements in every previous stage of Lyndon Johnson's life story. Not always, however, the only elements, not always the only character traits, contradictory though other traits might be. And sometimes these other elements--the anger at injustice, the sympathy, empathy, identification with the underdog that added up to compassion--had been expressed by this master of the political gesture, in gestures so deeply meaningful, so perfect in their symbolism, that they reached a level for which "mastery" is an inadequate term.
Roy Wilkins, the leader of the NAACP wrote, "Withe Johnson, you never quite knew if he was out to lift your heart or your wallet."
The story of the enmity and rivalry between Johnson and Bobby Kennedy would be fair game for a Shakespeare if we only had one. Caro's presentation is as close as we will get to understanding it.
We often speak of our current Congress with its polarization and deadlock as hopeless and frustrating. However, if one looks back on other Congresses, it can be seen that similar situations were not uncommon. Kennedy was having trouble getting any of his programs enacted in a congress much like ours today. Looking back, we can see his relationship with his Congress was much like Obama's today. After Kennedy's death, Johnson's former colleagues were under no illusions at to what was about to descend on them. In an all-out blitz, Johnson, through threats, wheedling, and alternately bullying and charming, was able to push through the 1964 Civil Rights Act, The Voting Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and social programs like Head Start (which gave me a summer job when a college student).
It is impossible in a review to adequately reflect the richness of this book. Though long, it is a mesmerizing study of a powerful, yet flawed leader. I give it my highest recommendation as a window on a bygone era and a group of skillful politicians (Harry Byrd, Sam Rayburn, Tip O'Neill) the likes of whom we may never see again. To all interested in history or the gateway to a rich discussion in a book group, do not miss this read.
This volume covers the five years in Johnson's life leading up to and following the assassination of President John Kennedy. We see Johnson as the absolute master of the Senate, wheeling and dealing, a shrewd judge of his colleagues, a giant of a man in appetites and achievements. Then we see him almost emasculated as a powerless and depressed Vice-President to Kennedy, and finally we see him take the reigns of power, rise to expectations and beyond, and become one of the most fascinating and complex personalities to occupy the Presidency of the United States.
Just as Kennedy was a product of his eastern prep-school monied background, an achieving son of an ambitious father; Johnson, in contrast, was a product of his upbringing, the son of a Texan dirt-farmer; poor, proud, and single-minded ambitious, anxious not to repeat the mistakes of his father.
Early on, Johnson focused on the Presidency. He spent little time in the US House of Representatives. He knew the Senate would be his stepping stone and worked quickly and diligently to forge the relationships he needed to achieve his ambition. Johnson's facility for reading people, finding their weaknesses, and feeding their egos, came early and naturally. He was relentless in going after what he wanted and very few were able to refuse him a favor. No one before or since has been able to do this as well.
Johnson was crude, brilliant and insecure. In this passage Caro captures him exactly: "Ruthlessness, secretiveness, deceit--significant elements in every previous stage of Lyndon Johnson's life story. Not always, however, the only elements, not always the only character traits, contradictory though other traits might be. And sometimes these other elements--the anger at injustice, the sympathy, empathy, identification with the underdog that added up to compassion--had been expressed by this master of the political gesture, in gestures so deeply meaningful, so perfect in their symbolism, that they reached a level for which "mastery" is an inadequate term.
Roy Wilkins, the leader of the NAACP wrote, "Withe Johnson, you never quite knew if he was out to lift your heart or your wallet."
The story of the enmity and rivalry between Johnson and Bobby Kennedy would be fair game for a Shakespeare if we only had one. Caro's presentation is as close as we will get to understanding it.
We often speak of our current Congress with its polarization and deadlock as hopeless and frustrating. However, if one looks back on other Congresses, it can be seen that similar situations were not uncommon. Kennedy was having trouble getting any of his programs enacted in a congress much like ours today. Looking back, we can see his relationship with his Congress was much like Obama's today. After Kennedy's death, Johnson's former colleagues were under no illusions at to what was about to descend on them. In an all-out blitz, Johnson, through threats, wheedling, and alternately bullying and charming, was able to push through the 1964 Civil Rights Act, The Voting Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and social programs like Head Start (which gave me a summer job when a college student).
It is impossible in a review to adequately reflect the richness of this book. Though long, it is a mesmerizing study of a powerful, yet flawed leader. I give it my highest recommendation as a window on a bygone era and a group of skillful politicians (Harry Byrd, Sam Rayburn, Tip O'Neill) the likes of whom we may never see again. To all interested in history or the gateway to a rich discussion in a book group, do not miss this read.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
THE RIGHT-HAND SHORE by Christopher Tilghman (fic)
Christopher Tilghman has written a novel about a stately manor of vast acreage built in 1657 by the ancestors of the Bayly family on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. It is actually the second novel Tilghman has written about this estate, but this story takes place before his previous novel, "Mason's Retreat."
The story opens post-civil war and continues until the turn of the century. It is a story of the consequences of building an empire upon slavery and the breakdown of an aristiocratic family, its members fleeing the dead end the Mason House plantation had become.
When we enter the story, we learn the last of the slaves were sold off as the civil war was coming to an end. Ophelia, the heiress married a Union man from Baltimore, as if the remove the stain of the family's support of the Confederacy. Ophelia plays a small role in the story; she soon abandons the property to her husband and escapes with her daughter Mary to France and then Baltimore.
For a while the plantation was successful growing peaches, until blight ruins the orchard and changes the direction of the story. While all this is playing out, the reader becomes engrossed in the stories of both the black and white workers on the farm. Their relationships, especially the romance between Thomas the heir, Randell Terrell his best friend and Randell's sister, Beal, move the plot along to its poignant end. It seems all the main characters in the novel are searching for their own ways of escaping the vaguely sinister atmosphere of the manor.
Mary Bayly returns to the manor as a grown woman and is the only family member interested in bringing back the glory days of the property. She does this by turning it into a modern dairy with the latest equipment. It becomes a model for organic farming in the early years of the 20th century. As soon as Mary returns, her story becomes entwined with that of Thomas and Beal. We view much of the story through the eyes of the faithful estate manager as we and he watch the decline, rise and denouement of the stately Bayly homestead.
Tilghman writes beautifully and keeps his readers interested in the history of the Chesapeake peninsula and the drama of the Bayly family. I recommend this book as a good read which may prompt you to find his previous book to discover what happens to Mason's Retreat in the 20th century.
The story opens post-civil war and continues until the turn of the century. It is a story of the consequences of building an empire upon slavery and the breakdown of an aristiocratic family, its members fleeing the dead end the Mason House plantation had become.
When we enter the story, we learn the last of the slaves were sold off as the civil war was coming to an end. Ophelia, the heiress married a Union man from Baltimore, as if the remove the stain of the family's support of the Confederacy. Ophelia plays a small role in the story; she soon abandons the property to her husband and escapes with her daughter Mary to France and then Baltimore.
For a while the plantation was successful growing peaches, until blight ruins the orchard and changes the direction of the story. While all this is playing out, the reader becomes engrossed in the stories of both the black and white workers on the farm. Their relationships, especially the romance between Thomas the heir, Randell Terrell his best friend and Randell's sister, Beal, move the plot along to its poignant end. It seems all the main characters in the novel are searching for their own ways of escaping the vaguely sinister atmosphere of the manor.
Mary Bayly returns to the manor as a grown woman and is the only family member interested in bringing back the glory days of the property. She does this by turning it into a modern dairy with the latest equipment. It becomes a model for organic farming in the early years of the 20th century. As soon as Mary returns, her story becomes entwined with that of Thomas and Beal. We view much of the story through the eyes of the faithful estate manager as we and he watch the decline, rise and denouement of the stately Bayly homestead.
Tilghman writes beautifully and keeps his readers interested in the history of the Chesapeake peninsula and the drama of the Bayly family. I recommend this book as a good read which may prompt you to find his previous book to discover what happens to Mason's Retreat in the 20th century.
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