Personal Writing (continued)

   My last blog was about keeping the words of those we love, even though we are missing the connection that we once had.  
   I sometimes see John smiling while he is reading "The Dancing Cottage" by our friend and ex-pastor, Dan Gibson.  Dan and his wife Susan have moved to the east coast and Dan has had some medical challenges.  However, the distance has not changed the connection that we have experienced.  And John still loves to read Dan's words.
   Every Sunday while Dan was our minister, we looked forward to the sermon and always found it inspiring and thought-provoking.  I love to mull over ideas and there were plenty of opportunities for that.
  In addition to the pastor connection, we had a deep friendship.
  Here are 'the men'.

This self-published book allows us to keep Dan's words and remember his wonderful spirit.

Personal Writing

Jean's poetry

My friend Jean is now in an institution because of Alzheimer's.  She doesn't know me any more, but I can stay connected to her words.  She loved to write poetry and many years ago, she gave me three little books that she had put together.  These words have great value for me and this week I am going to share them with a mutual friend, George, who is in his last days.  He will love to reconnect to Jean's spirit- what a fun-loving spirit it was!  She wrote about her joys in life- family and God.

In Nassau with my friend Jean

When I visit with George this week, I will read Jean's poems to George and it will seem that Jean is in the room with us.  It will bring smiles to George's face because he knew her so well and he has great memories that he is able to tap into.  He will have lots of stories of Jean.

This has reminded me of the value of personal writing, journals, photos books.  I have blogged about this before.  Check it out here.

The Corrigan Women

M.T. Dohaney

 M.T. Dohaney wrote a series of three novels about life in Newfoundland in 1988.  They were reprinted in 2004, and I bought them when I was travelling in Newfoundland.  I found these in my stack of unread books.



Book One:  "The Corrigan Women"
   This novel follows three generations of Corrigan women.
   Bertha Ryan , the grandmother, came to the cove to work for the Corrigans, was raped by the son Vince, and gave birth to Carmel.      When Vince was killed in the war, Bertha had an affair with his brother Ned and gave birth to Martin.
   When Carmel grew up, she married a construction worker, but discovered that he was already married.  She moved to New York and left her daughter, Tessie, with grandmother Bertha.
I enjoyed reading about life in Newfoundland.

Book Two: "To Scatter Stones"
 Very well-written book about Tessie, the youngest of the three generations of Corrigan women.  She had been married but divorced and moved back to the cove, where she became the nominee for the Liberal party in the local by-election.
  Complicating the plot, is the return of her childhood sweetheart, who is now a priest.  Forbidden love- what an interesting theme!
"Sometimes, our need to touch, to embrace, to kiss, is so present that its scent hovers in the air as sweet and as heady as the blooms of the lilac trees, and we have difficulty manoeuvring ordinary conversation in and around this neediness."
  The title comes from a Biblical quote: "for everything there is a season, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to gather stones and a time to scatter stones....."

Book three: A Fit Month for Dying"
  Another book about Tessie who is re-married with a young son. Her father-in-law dies at the beginning of the book.  
Her mother-in-law Philomena is such an interesting character.  I think she may be typical of Newfoundland women of her era.  When Tessie and her husband suggest that Philomena move to St. John's to live near them, this is her response: "Never!  Here I can breathe.  Here I can have a clothesline stretching halfway across the meadow if I wants to.  I can let me drawers flap in the wind fer days on end.  Can't do that in St. John's, certainly not on those lots as small as a postage stamp.  Yer drawers would be flapping up against yer neighbour's window".
   Love Philomena!  Love reading about Newfoundland!
   This novel was lacking in plot but overflowing with description.

"Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne

   I'm sure that everyone has heard of this book- or at least the movie. Belonging to a book club that includes classics makes sure that you read all those books that have just been titles in the past.
   This really is a classic that is worth reading if you enjoy travel and adventure.
   Phileas Fogg accepts a bet that he can travel around the world in 80 days.  And so, he begins the adventure with his servant, Passepartout.  Adding to the adventure is the fact that a bank has been robbed and a detective follows Phileas Fogg, believing that he is the bank robber.
   The story reads like a farce: comic drama with slapstick aspects and very improbable situations.  As they travel by ship, train, sledge, and even elephant, there is one setback after another- each more comic than the last.
  In the end...well, I won't tell you if they make it in 80 days or not.  But Phileas Fogg does end up with the love of a beautiful woman.  One of our readers felt that this love was a reward for his great treatment of people along the way.


Jules Vern was born in 1828 and trained to be a lawyer.  He was born in a seaport, with ships arriving and departing.  This sparked his interest in travel and adventure.  

   In his thirties, he became a playwright and then started writing novels.  He wrote more than 70 books and was a great influence on the new genre of science fiction, as he wrote about innovations and technological advances years before they were a reality.
   The series that has remained the most popular includes:
Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Around the World in Eighty Days

memoirs

  "The Glass Castle" is a very popular book that I have read for a couple of book clubs in the past.  It is so well-written that I remember it clearly.
   It  reminded me of "A Million Little Pieces" because you think life can't get any worse but it does- again and again.
   The parents, Rose Mary and Rex Walls, "made a big point about never surrendering to fear or to prejudice or to the narrow-minded conformist sticks-in-the-mud who tried to tell everyone else what was proper." ( p. 103)
   Rex believed in "science and reason" but did many unreasonable things- like moving the family in the middle of the night.  He could not conform, so couldn't keep a job.  He needed to be free and the family lived in extreme poverty.  He lived with a dream of building a glass castle.
   Rose Mary also couldn't follow rules or conventions.  She took the children to church but encouraged shoplifting.  She stood by her husband regardless of his drinking and the affect on the family. 
   The novel begins with Jeanette on her way to a fancy party and she sees her mother rooting through a dumpster.  Very, very unusual parents and a fascinating memoir.

  "North of Normal" is another memoir with even more bizarre parenting!  
  The author's name is Cea Sunrise Person.  Her grandparents were hippies who raised their family in the woods- smoking pot, living in tipis, at the mercy of storms, food shortage, with adults half/or fully nude having sex wherever and with whomever.
  This is the only family that Cea knew and she said, "Sometimes, at night, I would sit in my bedroom thinking about my life.  My family was crazy and there wasn't a thing I could do to change it.  I was twelve years old, and for at least the next six years, I would be their prisoner."
  Cea always knew that her extended family was not normal, and she set out to find her own 'normal'.  What a struggle!

Cea Sunrise Person

  In the acknowledgements, she writes, "I must also thank a woman I have never met: Jeannette Walls, whose incredible memoir "The Glass Castle" inspired me to finally tell my story, which had been living unwritten inside of me for most of my life."

   It took six years, and 30 drafts for this memoir to reach the publishing stage.
   It is an unbelievable story and she has written a follow-up book that is only available in e-book format called "Nearly Normal: Surviving the Wilderness, My Family and Myself". In this book, she is attempting to work out the issues from her very unusual childhood.

"Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter

   The summer is a slow time for book clubs, and since there is a new book club starting at a local library, I decided to read their first selection, and attend the discussion.
  Boy, did I struggle with this book!  It is called an epistolary novel, with excerpts of letters, screenplays, and novels written by the characters.  What a jumble!
   The beginning of the novel drew me in.  It painted a beautiful picture of the coast of Italy.  But as soon as I started the second chapter, I knew that I would not enjoy this book. The sentences became long and convoluted as the scene changed to Hollywood. And each successive chapter jumped around in time and place.
   The novel covers 50 years and the ending was a fast romp back through all the myriad characters- telling how their lives turned out.

From Wikipedia:  "The novel is a social satire critiquing Hollywood culture.  Though not the explicit focus of the novel, receiving very little direct appearances in the novel, the characters' lives revolve around Elizabeth Taylor and her role in the movie Cleopatra, and the subsequent love affair between Taylor and Richard Burton".

My reaction:  Richard Burton doesn't appear until well after the half-way point in the book and although he is somewhat important to the plot, his appearance does not improve the novel.  He just appears as a drunk who fathers a child.  Elizabeth Taylor is very much in the background.

**************************************************************************************************************************
Author:
   Jess Walter lives in Spokane, Washington.  His short fiction has been published in magazines such as "Playboy".  This doesn't surprise me because there is a sexual 'edge' to his writing- a crudeness that I didn't appreciate.

social moron

In 1998, I read "A Suitable Boy" by Vikram Seth.
This was the second book in my very first book club and it was long!  (1400 pages)  
The subject of the book was 'arranged marriages' in India.  I worked out how many pages I had to read each day to finish in time and it took priority.  I finished one hour before the meeting and I was the only one in the group that had finished.
I learned a lot about Indian culture and found the book interesting.
  Here's a wonderful quote from the book:
"I hate long books: the better, the worse.  If they're bad, they merely make me pant with the effort of holding them up for a few minutes.  But if they're good I turn into a social moron for days, refusing to go out of my room, scowling and growling at interruptions, ignoring weddings and funerals, and making enemies out of friends.  I still bear the scars of Middlemarch".

  I love this quote, but the funny thing about it is that the previous month, we had read "Middlemarch".  And "Middlemarch" is not nearly as long as "A Suitable Boy".  It is only 880 pages!
 
 I was reminded of this quote this week, because John is engrossed in Richard Wagamese's "Medicine Walk".  It is not a long book, but John has become somewhat of a 'social moron'.  When we are out, he can't wait to get home to continue the book.
  Isn't it wonderful when a book can connect to you in that way?  He says that the book 'resonates' with him.  It is about a father/son relationship and our son also enjoyed this author's writing.
 

Richard Wagamese

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

   I had read this book in 2009 and was fascinated by this story of the German occupation of the Guernsey Island during the second world war.
  Since the book was chosen for our library book club and I was leading the discussion, I re-read the book very carefully and appreciated it even more.
  There were individual stories of several people on the island- fiction in this case. The author showed how people can surmount terrible situations if they can keep a sense of humour.  Quote: "Humour is the best way to make the unbearable bearable".
  The 'literary' aspect of the story was also interesting and the book club really enjoyed this book.
  Although this is a fiction story, you can learn a lot about history and I was surprised about the evacuation of the children from the island to England.  And so, I researched 'child migrations' and found it shocking and interesting.
   
  
 I remembered that I had read a very good book called "Orphan Train" about moving 200,000 children from New York City and other Eastern U.S cities across the United States to find homes. This also was a fiction book, based on facts.



  In Canada there were 100,000 children brought from England between 1860 and 1934.  Many were not orphans but because of sickness, poverty, or the death of one parent, the families could not support them.

I was reminded of "Orphan at my Door" by Jean Little that I read many years ago.  That was a diary of a 'home child'.


And so I picked up another biography of a home child, written for children.  "Charlie: A Home Child's Life in Canada" was written by Charlie's daughter.  
   It was just what I needed at the moment.  A true story of a home child who was brought to Canada by Dr. Thomas Bernardo, a doctor and preacher in London.  There has been controversy about those homes so I was interested in reading about the experience of Charlie Harvey.

  It is so interesting how you can get on a subject and just find the right books to read to satisfy your curiosity.
  I cannot imagine sending these young children so far away, knowing that you may never see them again.  But it did seem like a solution for the many homeless children living on the streets of London and other cities. This book shows how some of the children were treated badly but others found a good life here.
  Perhaps I have a special interest in 'orphans' because my father spent his childhood in an orphanage when his father became sick and his mother could not support them.  And my husband spent most of his childhood in foster care.
  We believe it is a 'right' for children to have a home with their family, but hundreds of thousands of children over the years have not had this opportunity.

"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrick Backman

   As the heading on my blog explains, I don't always see a book the same way as others do.  And that is apparent with this book.                Several of my friends really loved it. On Goodreads, there were 63,494 reviews with an average 4.31 rating.
   Ove is a curmudgeon who has lost his wife and his job.  He is only 59, but seems much older. 
  Quote: "Ove had been a grumpy old man since he started elementary school. He believed so strongly in things- justice and fair play and hard work and a world where right just had to be right". 
   I rather enjoyed his backstory, but the actual story was supposed to be funny but was so dark and slap-stick - falling off ladders, hitting people with the door.
  To be honest, I feel like a curmudgeon talking about this book, because I really didn't enjoy it.  I read parts of it to my husband and he laughed.  So, it is just me.  Can a woman be a curmudgeon?
  My friend Penny wrote a 'proper review'.  Click here to read it.

   The author, Fredrick Backman is Swedish and has written another book called "My Grandmother Asked Me To tell you She's Sorry".  Both of these books have sold very well. 
   Carol, on the blog "Giraffe Dreams" believes that Swedish novels are 'unique and quirky'.  She writes about the novel "The 100-year-old-man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared".  I didn't really appreciate that book either.  I'm just a curmudgeon!

Richard B.Wright

Richard B.Wright

   Richard Wright has written fifteen books.  I had already read two of them- "Clara Callan" and "October".  I wasn't terribly fond of either of them, so I am not sure why I thought that I should read his new book.

   "Clara Callan" is about two sisters- Clara and Nora. They were born in a small town in Canada.  Nora moved to New York and became a soap-opera star, while Clara stayed in the small town.  The focus of the book is the bond between sisters.
A librarian that I knew said that "Clara Callan" was her favourite all-time book.  It didn't click with me.

   In "October", James Hillyer traveled from Canada to England to visit his daughter, Susan, who had been diagnosed with cancer.  While there, he encountered Gabriel Fontaine, a man he knew from one summer when the two men were teenagers in Perce, Quebec. Gabriel was dying of cancer and asked James to accompany him to Switzerland where he had arranged to be euthanized.  These events caused James to recollect that summer sixty years in the past, and to ruminate on life and relationships and death.  I liked this book better than "Clara Callan" and found it an enjoyable read.

             And so, the new book: "Nightfall"

Beautiful cover.

   Goodreads calls this 'a love story for the elderly'.  Oh, yes, that's why I decided to read it!

   Well, Richard Wright picked up the story of James Hillyer when he was 76.  There were passages repeated from "October" to show how James had met Odette one summer when they were 14.  

   In this book, James' daughter has died and James is despondent.  Then he remembered Odette and searched for her.  So, yes it is a love story.  But I did not find it nearly as fascinating as this blurb in Goodreads describing it: 

"Nightfall skillfully captures the way in which our past is ever-present in our minds as we grow older, casting its spell of lost loves and the innocent joys of youth over the realities of aging and death. The novel is skillfully grounded in observation, propelled by unforgettable characters, and filled with wisdom about young love and old love.  Drawing on the author's profound understanding of the intimate bonds between men and women, Nightfall is classic Richard B. Wright".

Wouldn't that write-up convince you to read the book?

"Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande

The subtitle of this book is: Medicine and What Matters in the End
   It addresses end of life issues and was recommended to me by my friend, Judy, who is involved with care of her parents and aunt.
   The author is a surgeon who is searching for the best care for people at the end of their lives.  Medicine has focussed on 'fixing' people and often will offer more and more 'fixing'. Even when they say there is nothing more they can do, there usually is more- operations, tubes, experimental drugs.  But this doctor is evaluating when it is wise to 'fix' and when it is not.
Quote: "We pay doctors to give chemotherapy and to do surgery but not to take the time required to sort out when to do so is unwise".
  These issues are good to discuss long before decisions need to be made.  So my husband and I have been discussing them and I knew that he would relate to this military quote:
"The simple view is that medicine exists to fight death and disease, and that is, of course, its most basic task.  Death is the enemy.  But the enemy has superior forces.  Eventually, it wins.  And in a war that you cannot win, you don't want a general  who fights to the point of total annihilation.  You don't want Custer.  You want Robert E. Lee, someone who knows how to fight for territory that can be won and how to surrender it when it can't, someone who understands that the damage is greatest if all you do is battle to the bitter end."

Atul Gawande

Wouldn't we all like a doctor like this!  One who spends a lot of time with patients and their families, when they have really tough decisions to make. Some doctors give instructions about what must be done. Others give the patient oodles and oodles of information and leave them to sort it out.  But a good doctor will spend time finding out what makes life valuable to the patient and how to support those interests and values to the end.

"The ultimate is not a good death but a good life- to the very end."

   The Canadian government is presently discussing end of life issues.  This book gives you much to think about.  The author addresses the whole spectrum of nursing homes, paliative care and hospices.
"Whatever the limits and travails we face, we want to retain the autonomy- the freedom- to be the authors of our lives.  This is the very marrow of being human".

"Aquarium" by David Vann

   I was excited to read this book because my granddaughter works in an aquarium and I thought I might be able to recommend this book to her. 
  I was very quickly drawn into the story of a 12-year-old girl, Caitlin,  visiting the aquarium every day after school to wait for her mother to pick her up after work.   Caitlin is fascinated by all the sea creatures and finds an elderly man there that loves to chat with her about the animals.  They develop a close relationship.
  The book at this point has pictures and information about sea creatures, like the ghost pipefish- very interesting critters.  I was loving this book when it took a turn for the worse and never recovered.
  This man in the aquarium turns out to be Caitlin's grandfather- the father of Caitlin's mother Sheri.  Caitlin lived with her mother and had never known about any other family members.
   Well, Caitlin's mother Sheri was furious to see this man who had left her and her mother when Sheri was a teenager and her mother was dying of cancer.  
   The old man was now filled with regret and apologies, AND he was wealthy.  But Sheri went on a rampage with Caitlin.  Sheri decided to teach Caitlin what it was like for her when her father left.  She pretends to be her dying mother and makes Caitlin care for her every physical need- dressing, feeding, cleaning messes, bathing.  It is disgusting and the story never recovers.
   Many people appreciated this as a story of a dysfunctional family. I wanted to continue the story of the young girl and old man wandering through the aquarium learning about the fish.  
  The book blurb says, "Relentless and heartbreaking, primal and redemptive."
   I will not be recommending this book to my granddaughter or anyone else. 

Chris Bohjalian

   In the late 1990's Oprah had a book club and she talked about Chris Bohjalian's "Midwives".  I was interested in reading this book at that time because my children were having babies, sometimes using midwives.
   The book centred on a midwife on trial and I really enjoyed the book.  It was well-written and kept my interest.


   This month, one of my book clubs has chosen another book by Chris Bohjalian- "The Sandcastle Girls". 
    It turns out that this book is Chris' fourteenth novel.  Still good writing.  But this book did not catch my interest.  Perhaps it was the subject matter- the Armenian genocide.  It is advertised as a 'story of love and war'.  Actually, I just read a story of love and war- "The Lost Wife" and I thought it was difficult to read about the brutality of the holocaust.  Well, I found this book more difficult.  Perhaps I have reached my limit of sadness.  Perhaps this book focused too much on the brutality.  Or perhaps it was the flipping back and forth from Syria in 1915 to New York in 2012.  It was definitely too heavy for reading in this beautiful spring weather.
   In 20 years of book clubs, I have only refused to read one book. So I did read this book, but skimmed through some of the difficult parts.  My commitment to book clubs causes a dilemma at times. 

Change in perspective

I love checking my daily 'thought for the day'.

"A change in perspective is worth 80 IQ points."

Alan Kay, computer scientist (b. 17 May 1940) 

   I have realized that this is important for me in a novel.  I am most interested in reading about growth and change.  I think most people are frustrated with a story where the characters never learn from their mistakes.  They are not open to change.
  I have written about my thrill at reading "The Hero's Walk", where a man whose heart was hardened against his daughter, changes his perspective.  You can check out "The Hero's Walk" here.

"Girl Runner" by Carrie Snyder

   This novel begins with the protagonist, Aganetha Smart, at 104, living in a nursing home.  A young couple arrive to take her out.  It is believed that they are just going outside for a visit, but they take her to the farm where she grew up.
   Aganetha had been an Olympic runner and the story brings in vignettes of her youth.  I enjoyed reading about her life on the farm where she loved to run and balance on railings or even on running horses.
   Aganetha moved to Toronto where she worked at Packer Meats and began training. She became pregnant, and the story of the birth is released in small details throughout the book, leading to the climax, revealing the significance of the young couple who take the 104 year-old Aganetha from the nursing home.

  Carrie Snyder, the author, is also a runner, and she agreed to speak to our book club.  I asked about the non-linear aspect of her writing and she said that the story just came to her that way.  She began thinking about Aganetha at 104 and she developed the story from there.

Preston Library Book Club

"The Last Van Gogh" by Alyson Richman

Alyson Richman

  
   Alyson Richman lives in New York and has written 7 books, all receiving good reviews and high ratings.  
   I was so impressed with her writing that I wanted to read another of her books.
  "The last Van Gogh" got a four star rating on Amazon, but most of the others rated even higher.



Overview:
   Dr. Gachet had trained as a medical doctor, but he became interested in natural medicine.  And so, he became a homeopath. He cultivated plants and herbs in his garden to use for his tinctures. He experimented with the remedies with himself and his family.  He gathered the flowers, roots and special leaves and soaked them in alcohol.  After two weeks, he would press the herb-steeped solution through a wine press and funnel the liquid into flasks.
   Dr. Gachet was most interested in artists because he felt that they were subject to 'melancholy' and he encouraged them to come to Auvers, France to recuperate from their illnesses by using his elixirs.
  This book focusses on Vincent Van Gogh's last 70 days under Dr. Gachet's care in Auvers.
  Dr. Gauchet's daughter fell in love with Van Gogh and that is the heart of the story.
Language:
  This author writes beautiful, descriptive sentences.  That was my reason for checking out another of her stories.  In this novel, she described in detail not only the paintings and the method of painting, but also the flower beds, clothes,  food, etc.  
Sample:
"At my piano, my fingers stretched out to reach him.  As if the ivory keys were ladders to his heart.  I struck each note with the precision of a harpist, plucking out a melody that I imagined could reach only him".
Plot:
  There was very little plot in this novel.  It could have been written in 100 pages instead of 300 pages.  And so, I felt that the description overwhelmed the story and I found myself skimming through the description to get to some 'action'.  

Both a love story and a historical novel.

"The Lost Wife" by Alyson Richman

"A rapturous novel of first love in a time of war".
   This is the advertising for this novel.  And rapture it is!  First love- estatic, euphoric.  The cover captures it!
   This author is a master of words!  The writing is sensuous- involving all the senses. Quote: "There are two sensations of skin you will always remember in your lifetime: the first time you fall in love- and that person holds your hand- and the first time your child grasps your finger". 
Another quote" "You hear in the person you're destined to love the sound of those yet to be born."  
   This story is an emotional roller coaster- the love, the war, Auschwitz.
   The Nazi invasion of Prague separates this couple for sixty years!  Providence gives Lenka and Josef another chance.  Lenka's granddaughter is marrying Josef's grandson in New York.  Both Lenka and Josef believed that the other had died many years before.  Each had married and had children and grandchildren.  But the memory of the first love never left either of them.  Sixty years is a long time and they barely recognize each other when brought together by fate.
   This is an amazing story that was well-researched.  It includes the stories of several people whose lives are documented in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
   I really struggled with the horrors of Auschwitz-  so difficult to understand the depth of suffering.
   I was disappointed that the reunion of Lenka and Josef is only mentioned briefly at the beginning and the end.  The rest of the book briefly tells Josef's story but relates Lenka's story in detail.  She is "The Lost Wife".  They had been married very briefly before being separated.  I wanted to know what they would say to each other after sixty years, but the novel stops at their first recognition.

  This is a very emotional novel about the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit, and the strength of memory.

Civil War Trilogy

   These books arrived at our door this week- a surprise for my husband.  He loves the writing of Jeff Shaara because Jeff helps you understand events from the viewpoint of those involved- the soldiers, the generals, everyone involved.
  And, as a special perk, each book is autographed.

   Jeff's father, Michael, born in 1928, wrote "Killer Angels" in 1974.  He taught literature at Florida State University while writing fiction in his spare time- drinking coffee and smoking long into the night.  This stress caused heart failure at 36, but he recovered and continued writing.  "Killer Angels" won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975 and was made into a movie with the title "Gettysburg".  Michael died of heart failure in 1988.

  The son, Jeff, graduated from university with a degree in criminology, but after his father died, he began writing historical fiction, documenting the American wars.  He has now written 13 novels that have been on the New York Times bestsellers list.
   He added to his father's writing by adding a prequel and a sequel, to completely document the Civil War.
   In the autograph for his father's book, he wrote: "For my father's legacy".
   I surprised John once before with Jeff Shaara books.  Read about it here.
P.S. To say that Jeff Shaara books are well-received in this house is an understatement!

"The Excellent Lombards" by Jane Hamilton

Jane Hamilton

  This novel is the growing up story of Frankie (Mary Francis) Lombard.  Members of her extended family own a farm with several buildings and an apple orchard and Frankie is fiercely in love with the whole operation.
  I have enjoyed Jane Hamilton's writing in the past and read this promotion on the cover:  "This is the book Jane Hamilton was born to write, and it is a book that thrilled me to read.  "The Excellent Lombards" is, in fact, magnificent".
That quote is from Ann Patchett who is an author of great renown and I expected a 'great novel'.
  Well, this novel is not 'magnificent', nor did it thrill me.
   When I began reading, I was enjoying Jane Hamilton's ability to write beautiful sentences.   For example:  "The harvest was a wild living thing that you were  trying to tame while all the while it was dragging you behind, arms out, flailing, in the chase. But here, was the miracle: Despite the chaos, the lack of planning, the bad feeling between Sherwood and my father, there was also an overriding unity of purpose, a reverence for the family history, a love for the soil within the property lines."                       
  But eventually, I needed more than well-written sentences.  I was looking for more plot.
  The novel described Frankie's life on the farm, her school life, her friends, and quirky family members.   Mostly she loved the farm so much that she never wanted to leave and was concerned about the other financial interests in the property, as well as the challenge of keeping the town from overtaking them.  Change is inevitable and Frankie is desperate to keep things as they are.
  This book reminded me of "The Orchard" by Theresa Weir.  That book was a memoir and dealt with environmental issues as well as family dynamics.  It was much more interesting.
  This novel really needed some 'pizzazz'.

I have read two other books by Jane Hamilton and enjoyed both of them much more than "The Excellent Lombards".  

                   

The Price of Life

  Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan were kidnapped in Somalia.  I have written about Amanda's book, "A House in the Sky".  This is Nigel's story.
  The book is printed in Australia and very hard to find in Canada.  But I could not rest until I heard Nigel's thoughts.
   It is a very different book- mostly because it is not written by professional writers.  The language is crude and often confusing. 
   Nigel's sister and sister-in-law collaborated on this book.  I was very interested to read about the story from the point of view of the family, interspersed with Nigel's account of the kidnapping.
   The first thing that I noticed was the difference in their family situations.  Nigel had two brothers and a sister. Each of his siblings was married with three children.  They all lived close to the parents and Nigel had previously helped to build a large house for their parents.     
  When the kidnapping happened, Nigel immediately recognized the seriousness and was very worried about his family.  He was the youngest child in his family and was a wandering playboy.  He had just spent time in Scotland with his girlfriend.  But Amanda was able to convince him to join her in Somalia.  She talked about projects that would help his photography career but he was also interested to see where the relationship with Amanda would go.
   The second thing that caught my attention was the complexity of an international kidnapping.  The family home in Australia was swarmed with officials of all sorts.  There were representatives from DFAT (Department of foreign affairs and trade), AFP (Australian Federal Police), QPol(Queensland Police), FLO (family liaison officer). This is the confusing part of the story because there are so many 'negotiators'.  The family use short forms for everything, so they talk about 'negs' for negotiators.
  Operations central was set up in the family home with the telephone in the centre.   The walls became filled with charts containing strategy for negotations- what to say, what not to say, how to answer questions, what questions to ask.  I didn't realize from Amanda's story that there was so much communication - not only with Adan (in Somalia) but with kidnap specialists all over. The negotiator in Nairobi kept changing. There was a TPI (Third party Intermediary) who went in person to negotiate with Adan in Somalia.  He offered $250,000.00 but that was refused.  Amanda's family was not offering any money, content that the government would look after it.
  Nigel's sister, Nicky, was trained to answer the phone calls.  The house was busy with people coming and going.  The family was completely consumed from the moment of capture.
  Members of all the groups were constantly changing as other people were brought in.  Eventually they moved 'operations central' out of the family home because there were grandchildren also running around.  The family was discouraged from using e-mail or cell phones because of security.  Also they were discouraged from fund raising or any form of publicity.  In Brisbane the 'negs' set up MIR (Major Incident room) and in Canberra there was ICC (Incident Coordination Centre).  There are many kidnappings every year and there are international negotiators.
  And so, the story rotates between the three authors- Nigel, Nicole (sister), and Kellie (sister-in-law).  
  Nigel tells how "guilt chews away at me".  He writes that Amanda was a powerhouse in the first week .  She did most of the talking while he struggled to come to terms with what was happening.  Perhaps Amanda was more nonchalant because she had already been kidnaped once for a short time and also she told Nigel that her mother had been held hostage 11 years before, in Japan.  This explains why Amanda was not as devastated as you would expect.
  But as Nigel writes further about their situation, you realize that he had a much, much easier time physically than Amanda.  After Amanda was separated from him, they found ways to communicate and he was aware of Amanda's abuse. 
  When it was getting close to a year since the abduction, with no progress and very little contact with Nigel, the family wanted to try a private negotiator.  They had researched and looked for  help in many places.  Nigel's aunt was willing to give them some money and she organized a trip to Vancouver with Kellie and Nicole to meet Amanda's parents and hopefully make a plan together.
  The actual final negotiations got very bizarre. Such a complicated country to be trying to make a plan that sticks!
  Another surprising thought is that you can go to jail for 25years to life for paying ransom.  So, getting the money out of the country and into the right hands was certainly dangerous.
  At one point, the sister-in-law that was doing all the work wondered why Nigel was in Somalia.  "I wanted to know if Nigel met up with Amanda to get his leg over.  If so, I hoped that shag was worth it cause it's been nothing but trouble for the rest of us".
   This book really added insight into the kidnapping.  I found it fascinating!

A House in the Sky

   I read this book before it was announced for O.B.O.C.  It is the true story of a kidnapping in Somalia.
  The first half of the book frustrated me as I tried to understand Amanda.  She was warned and warned about going to "the most dangerous place in the world".  She was told that she would be raped and beheaded.  She knew that reporters needed ransom insurance.  She saw a corpse along the road that had been beheaded.  She ignored everything.  I could never relate to her. She had magical thinking. 'It won't happen to me'.  And she convinced Nigel to go with her! 

   I was so distressed about the harm she caused the two of them but also many others, including the families at home.
  I pondered Amanda's life and wondered if her childhood is the key to understanding Amanda.  She tells in the book about her mother bringing home men who were violent, and I realized that Amanda was used to being in danger.  As a young child, she was reading National Geographic to escape, while her mother's boyfriend was punching holes in the wall.  I also read that Amanda's mother had been involved with a cult in Japan and was abducted there.
    Amanda's connection with her mother interested me.  I would expect that she would be upset with her mother for not protecting her in childhood, but she really loved her mother.  Did she turn into her mother?
  If any of this is true, it would help me understand how she was nonchalant when abducted and able to remember every detail.

  *****************************************************************************************************************************************************

  Discussion:

   This book certainly does initiate conversation because there seem to be two reactions and people line up on one side or the other.  

  One side says that Amanda was too cocky for her own good.  She constantly ignored advice from people who knew what they were talking about, e.g the fixer, Ajoos.

  The other side is that she is just adventurous- like the explorers, mountain climbers, and other people who have pushed the limits.

  And what about her charity?  When Amanda was freed, she began a charity to educate girls in Somalia. I felt that Amanda had put so much pressure on her family that her number one responsibility should have been to repay her debts to them.

  Another thought (about her charity for education) is that some of the hostage takers were 'educated'.  Does education really solve the problem of Islamic fundamentalism?  And why would she desire to return to the place of torture?  

  Apparently Amanda has been cancelling speaking engagements because 'Adam', who was a key figure in the kidnapping has been arrested, and she is obviously still suffering P.T.S.D.  Hope you got the picture.  Lots of strong thoughts.  

The 5 Love Languages

 

Gary Chapman

 Gary Chapman is a relationship counsellor.  Who doesn't need one of those?
   I saw him interviewed by Oprah and recognized the value in his thinking.
   He writes about expressing love in five different ways and the importance of finding your partner's 'language'.  I understand his idea that everyone doesn't 'speak the same language', because I have always told my husband, "Don't tell me you love me, show me".  And he does- buying groceries, preparing meals, etc. after 56 years.

   These are the love languages according to Gary Chapman:

-words of affirmation
-acts of service
-receiving gifts    
-quality time
-physical touch

    This is a good reminder of all the thoughtful things that can be done to make life more satisfying for a couple.  Although 'receiving gifts' isn't really of interest to me, I do love a new puzzle book every once in a while- especially when it took a lot of searching to find the kind that I enjoy.
   And 'words of affirmation' are always necessary.  Who doesn't appreciate a compliment or a word of encouragement?

   Gary Chapman's research shows that the 'in-love state' only lasts a couple of years.  So when the real work begins, it is helpful to know the 'love languages'.  

  The author also believes that the '5 love languages' are helpful with friends and family.  In fact, he has written books for singles and children.  
"Inside every child is an 'emotional tank' waiting to be filled with love.  When a child really feels loved, he will develop normally, but when the love tank is empty, the child will  misbehave".

"The Burgess Boys" by Elizabeth Strout

When I discovered that I had missed reading one of Elizabeth Strout's books, I decided to get right at it.

Once again, Shirley Falls, Maine is the setting for part of the book.  There is an influx of Somalian refugees and the town is divided on their acceptance of these residents.

Quote:
"About the Somalis, a few townspeople did not speak at all: They were to be born as one bore bad winters or the price of gasoline or a child who turned out badly.  Others were not so silent.  One woman wrote a letter that the newspaper published.  "I finally figured out what it is I don't like about the Somalis being here.  Their language is different and I don't like the sound of it.  I love the Maine accent."

The Burgess Boys, Bob and Jim had long ago left Shirley Falls for New York City- both involved in law.  So their experience was needed when their nephew, Zachary, still living in Shirley Falls, threw a pig's head into a mosque.  Zack was charged with a hate crime.

   I had great difficulty completing this novel.  I feel a connection to Elizabeth Strout because of her beautiful language.  But, this book just could not keep my attention.  There was not enough plot to push my way through, but I persevered.
   The infusion of immigrants could have had real relevance to our lives, but this book was totally lacking.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  "Olive Kitteridge" was obviously the best novel written by this author.  It won a Pulitzer Prize and was made into an HBO miniseries that won an Emmy.  But the last two books have been disappointing.

I have enjoyed Elizabeth Strout's writing in the past because
- her plots are linnear and easy to follow
- I enjoy the small town of Shirley Falls
- the writing is beautiful
- she writes about human nature

Amy and Isabelle               2003
Abide With Me                  2006
Olive Kitteridge                 2008
The Burgess Boys              2013
My Name is Lucy Barton  2016

I will continue to be a fan but hope that future books will return to the standard of the first ones.