Erika Robuck's Blog, page 16
July 29, 2013
Book Review: BEAUTIFUL FOOLS: THE LAST AFFAIR OF ZELDA AND SCOTT FITZGERALD
“‘Scott, you know I’m always right about these things,’ she said. ‘Remember how I sent you away and refused to marry you until you finished your novel and became famous? I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t believe in you. I’m not cruel, just practical when I have to be.’
‘Practical and visionary, how rare,’ he said. ‘A lucky combination to find in a wife.’
‘That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.’
Scott laughed, charmed by her ebullience, by her inexhaustible ability to spin narratives that weaved the past into a tapestry of eternal romance.”
R. Clifton Spargo, BEAUTIFUL FOOLS
Publisher Description
An unforgettable novel that imagines the missing, final chapter in the tragic romance of one of America’s great literary couples.
Beautiful Fools is the story of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald’s last trip together to Cuba to save their passionate but ill-fated marriage. Fighting the demons of alcoholism, mental illness, and failed artistic ambition, but remaining intensely loyal to one another, Zelda and Scott are a heartbreaking testament to the limitlessness of hope.
A love story for the most unyielding of romantics.
My Recommendation
I waited awhile to read this novel, having an irrational fear of other books featuring the Fitzgeralds as fictional characters when my own released just two months ago, and having very strong, specific, and loyal thoughts about my recent muses. I couldn’t have been more captivated and moved by BEAUTIFUL FOOLS.
Based on meticulous research, Spargo’s characterization of Zelda and Scott is precise and human. He captures the Fitzgeralds’ admirable devotion to each other, while demonstrating how very broken and ill-equipped the two of them were at handling life. Even in the midst of chaos, the presentation of the Fitzgeralds is tender, complete, and a rendering by which the subjects themselves would, no doubt, be humbled.
At one point in the novel, Zelda expresses the following wish:
“In her sleep she had suffered a vision of how she might be seen–how literary men and biographers would talk about her. She knew what Ernest said about her already, even to common friends such as Gerald and Sara…She wanted to be remembered for the things she had done for him, for the joy he obtained simply from being in love with her. She was special, she wasn’t like other people, he was lucky to have known her.”
BEAUTIFUL FOOLS fulfills this wish in scope, honesty, and reverence, and Spargo is a master craftsman. I give this novel my highest recommendation.
July 27, 2013
Book Review: THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS
“For a long time now, he has been aware that anyone in the world could be his mother, or his father, or his brother or sister.
He realized this early on, and realized too that what people think are their lives are merely its conditions. The truth is closer than thought and lies buried in what we already know.”
Simon Van Booy, THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS
Publisher Description:
In The Illusion of Separateness, award-winning author Simon Van Booy tells a harrowing and enchanting story of how one man’s act of mercy during World War II changed the lives of strangers, and how they each discover the astonishing truth of their connection.
Whether they are pursued by Nazi soldiers, old age, shame, deformity, disease, or regret, the characters in this utterly compelling novel discover in their darkest moments of fear and isolation that they are not alone, that they were never alone, that every human being is a link in an unseen chain.
The Illusion of Separateness intertwines the stories of unique and compelling characters who—through seemingly random acts of selflessness—discover the vital parts they have played in each other’s lives.
My Recommendation:
Imagine watching an artist begin painting on an empty canvas.
He starts on one of the lower corners with a dark shade that does not seem connected to the light on the top, the texture on the side, or the splash of vibrant color between the two. But slowly, as he works with meticulous brush strokes, the canvas becomes animated by the picture he creates. Those things that are not connected begin to show cohesion, and when he is finished, you can’t imagine any part of the painting existing on its own without the power it possesses as part of the whole.
This description applies to Simon Van Booy’s latest novel THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS. The characters are rich and diverse, separated by age, time, culture, and geography. But like many divergent streams meeting in a river, their stories and longings, loves and losses find one another at different places on the trail.
Van Booy is fast becoming my favorite contemporary author. He has a gift for balancing language and story, and never sacrificing one for the other. The novel is short–just over 200 pages–but it must be read carefully and with reflection, and the reward is great.
If you enjoy literary fiction like that of A S Byatt or Ian McEwan, you will love THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS. I highly recommend it and all of Van Booy’s novels and short stories.
July 24, 2013
Happy Birthday, Zelda! #Giveaway
“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald
On this day in 1900, Zelda Sayre was born in Montgomery, Alabama. She was an accomplished painter, dancer, and writer, but is most often known for her marriage to author F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Married in 1920, the dashing young couple inspired the Jazz Age. Making flapper dresses, bobbed hair, and gin rickeys popular during Prohibition, Zelda and Scott decorated the globe from one continent to the next. They had one daughter, Scottie, born in 1921, and they lived in New York, France, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, and North Carolina, to name a handful of places.
Zelda died at the Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina from a fire, while being treated for her recurring mental breakdowns. Zelda and Scott are buried in Rockville, MD at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
In honor of Zelda’s birthday, I’m giving away two signed copies of my novel featuring her as a character, CALL ME ZELDA. For a chance to win a copy, please comment below about how you know about Zelda, if you’ve read her novel SAVE ME THE WALTZ, or your favorite (Zelda-inspired) work of fiction (just about all…) written by her late husband.
Please spread the word on social media, and good luck! (Contest ends Friday, July 26th. US only, please.)
July 21, 2013
Happy Birthday, Hemingway! Giveaway
On this day in 1899, Ernest Hemingway was born. His legacy in literature has enriched the fabric of the American literary cannon, and his work is timeless. He is one of the most translated authors in the world because his simple sentence construction retains its meaning from one language to the next.
I have been a long time admirer of “Papa”, as he was known, and was inspired to write my novel, HEMINGWAY’S GIRL, after visiting his home in Key West, reading his Pulitzer Prize winning novella, THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, and his thinly veiled memoir, A MOVEABLE FEAST.
To celebrate Hemingway’s birthday, I’m giving away one signed paperback and one signed audiobook of HEMINGWAY’S GIRL. To win, please comment below with your favorite Hemingway work, or what you’d most like to read by him if you have not yet done so. Also, kindly indicate if you would prefer to read paperback or audio. Finally, please spread the word on social media. (Contest ends Wednesday, July 24th. US only, please.)
Viva la Papa! 
July 20, 2013
Book Review and Giveaway: THE ENGAGEMENTS
“Frances closed her eyes for a moment. She should sleep some, or else she’d look a fright at the morning meeting. But what about the signature line? She arranged a handful of magazines in the shape of a fan on the floor, all open to her ads.
In Vogue: Your diamonds glow with loveliness at every wearing. Theirs is a timeless charm transcending every change in fashion.
In Collier’s: Wear your diamonds as the night wears its stars, ever and always…for their beauty is as timeless.
In Life: In the engagement diamond on her finger, the memories will shine forever.
She had clearly long been surfeited by this idea of permanence. She closed her eyes and said, “Dear God, send me a line.”
Frances scribbled something on a scrap of paper, taking it to bed with her and placing it on the nightstand. She lay down fully dressed without getting under the covers, and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.”
From the Publisher:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Commencement and Maine comes a gorgeous, sprawling novel about marriage—about those who marry in a white heat of passion, those who marry for partnership and comfort, and those who live together, love each other, and have absolutely no intention of ruining it all with a wedding.
Evelyn has been married to her husband for forty years—forty years since he slipped off her first wedding ring and put his own in its place. Delphine has seen both sides of love—the ecstatic, glorious highs of seduction, and the bitter, spiteful fury that descends when it’s over. James, a paramedic who works the night shift, knows his wife’s family thinks she could have done better; while Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding—beach weddings, backyard weddings, castle weddings—and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own.
As these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: “A Diamond Is Forever.” And that line changes everything.
A rich, layered, exhilarating novel spanning nearly a hundred years, The Engagements captures four wholly unique marriages, while tracing the story of diamonds in America, and the way—for better or for worse—these glittering stones have come to symbolize our deepest hopes for everlasting love.
My Recommendation:
I became acquainted with J. Courtney Sullivan’s work through Maine, a novel about a dysfunctional, Irish, Catholic family whose matriarch is nearing death and wishes to sell the family seaside property. Foremost, I enjoyed Sullivan’s rich and layered characterization, and because of my appreciation of her writing style, and the multi-period plot, I was eager to read her new novel, The Engagements.
As a writer and a reader, I am drawn to fiction that explores the connection between places and times, and Sullivan’s use of the diamond advertising campaign that continues to influence world nuptial culture to unite the stories is brilliant. Sullivan also captures the controversies and current events of each decade, and presents all of her characters as flawed, authentic representations that seem real enough to step off the pages.
Fans of J. Courtney Sullivan’s earlier novels, and readers of family drama and period novels will find much to enjoy on the pages of The Engagements. In addition to its fascinating coverage of the history of diamonds as the symbol of marriage in many parts of the world, the novel is a moving portrait of real people doing the best they can in love and in life.
I had the pleasure of attending J. Courtney Sullivan’s reading in Washington DC last week, and I have one signed copy of the novel to give away. To enter, please leave a comment below about your favorite Sullivan novel (or which you most wish to read), and spread the word on social media. A random winner will be selected on Thursday, July 25th.
July 3, 2013
Book Review: THE BOOK THIEF
“Perhaps [the books] were damp. Perhaps the fire didn’t burn long enough to fully reach the depth where they sat. Whatever the reason, they were huddled among the ashes, shaken. Survivors.” Markus Zusak, THE BOOK THIEF
From the Publisher:
“Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.”
My Recommendation:
How can a novel narrated by Death and set in Nazi Germany be uplifting?
It’s a question I’ve been pondering since I finished THE BOOK THIEF several days ago, and while I can point to Death’s macabre humor and unique sensory experience of the world, I can name the feisty adolescents and silly swearing housewives, I think what most strikes me is the care given to souls through this unusual narrator, whether or not those souls are worthy.
Human worth is explored in great depth in this novel, and the protagonist, a young German girl named Liesel, her foster parents, the Jewish man they hide, and Liesel’s best friend, Rudy, are all terribly human and dazzlingly worthy. Zusak has created an intricately connected world of characters real enough to step out of the pages of the book. This is a novel of courage, pain, sin, and redemption, and as my friend who recommended THE BOOK THIEF said to me, “You will never see the world quite the same once you’ve read it.”
I must agree with this statement, and I highly recommend THE BOOK THIEF to anyone interested in fiction that transcends style and genre to create a story that touches the core of what it means to be human. THE BOOK THIEF is one of those novels that lingers with the reader, and makes one’s heart feel larger for having read it.
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/
June 26, 2013
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Greetings and Readings
Greetings & Readings is another independent bookstore somewhat local to me. Nestled in lovely Hunt Valley, just twenty minutes outside of Baltimore, G&R is another store who carried not only my first self-published novel, but my subsequent novels with Penguin. I hope you stop by if you’re ever in town.
Title Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley
Setting 118-AA Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21030
Characters @g_and_r
Backstory The Baum family opened Greetings & Readings in 1969. Known for its selection of books and greeting cards, Greetings & Readings has grown into Baltimore’s premier independent gift store, branching out into lots of different gift categories with Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles gear, designer handbags, jewelry and fashion, toys and much more.
Hook Greetings & Readings caters to its Baltimore base with souvenirs and sports gear, plus a focus on local authors, artists, confections and the popular gift lines that Baltimore shoppers love.
Website http://www.greetingsandreadings.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/greetingsandreadings
June 25, 2013
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: The Ivy
I learned about The Ivy several years ago when a friend gifted me a book from their shelves. Since then, I have enjoyed many visits, and have respect and gratitude for a bookstore who has been willing to carry novels from my self-publishing days to now.
F. Scott Fitzgerald would have loved to visit this cozy shop while he lived in Baltimore, and I recommend it to all of you.
Title: The Ivy Bookshop
Setting: 6080 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD 21209
Characters: Twitter- @theivybookshop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIvyBookshop
Backstory: The Ivy Bookshop was founded in November 2001 as an alternative to the big chain book stores. In January 2012, Ann and Ed Berlin purchased the store and began connecting with previously untapped sectors of Baltimore’s literary community through the development of an effective web presence and through a wide range of in-store events. It has become Baltimore’s premier bookseller, winning multiple “best of” awards including 2012 and 2013 Best Bookstore award from both Baltimore City Paper and Baltimore Magazine.
Hook: The Ivy Bookshop is an independent literary bookstore, carrying a broad range of titles with an emphasis on new fiction, non-fiction, biography, art, interior design, cooking, and children’s books. Our booksellers are knowledgeable and friendly, ready to recommend based on your personal preferences. We are locally owned and have a deep interest in promoting the community and its organizations. We hold weekly in-store events, host books clubs, and provide book sales for offsite author readings.
Website: www.theivybookshop.com
June 24, 2013
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Concord Bookshop
In honor of the wonderful indies I visited during the Call Me Zelda book tour, I wanted to highlight these places so you can visit them on your own travels. I sent questionnaires to my contacts at each of my stops along the way. Today’s indie spotlight is The Concord Bookshop in Concord, Massachusetts, a place where I have many fond memories and new friendships.
* * *
Title The Concord Bookshop
Setting 65 Main Street; Concord MA 01742. In the heart of historic Concord
Characters @ConcordBookshop
Backstory The Concord Bookshop was founded in 1940 as a lending library, morphing to a full-service bookstore over the next few years. Over the decades, we’ve expanded and are constantly tweaking to best fit the needs of both our local community and the many tourists who come to town for our Revolutionary and literary history. Visitors can make a day – or a weekend, or a week! – of touring Walden Pond, the Old North Bridge, the Old Manse, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the Concord Museum, and Concord’s many wonderful art galleries and unique independent shops. One of the things that makes us the happiest is when a new-to-us customer walks in the front door and takes about 10 steps before stopping to smile wide and happily sigh “Wow, a REAL bookstore!”
Hook Our event season runs September through June, with author readings and conversation, open mic poetry, and writing workshops. We’re proud of our well-read staff, who enjoy a fun game of “guess the title” when a customer inquires about a book she’s just read a review of, or listened to an author interview. We’re an IndieBound store, highlighting not only bestsellers from national newspapers, but also the “sleeper hits” from the IndieNext list and our own Staff Picks. We’ve devoted two full bookcases to local authors, including H.D. Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne; and are well-stocked with other books of local interest. In addition to books for adults and young readers, we offer magazines, greeting cards, and quality jigsaw puzzles.
Website www.concordBookshop.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ConcordBookshop
June 22, 2013
Book Review: THE THIRD SON
“I found every day that the riches of my life were outside, in the fields and roads. I could not believe that being under the beautiful sky had killed Aki. He had fallen ill at home. It was much more plausible to me that the joylessness of our home life had done him in, and so I could not stop myself from pausing to play a game of marbles or to fashion a scrap of metal into some kind of vehicle. I became so absorbed outside that I forgot my fear, and so my mother’s punishment was the daily price I paid for an afternoon of freedom.” Julie Wu, THE THIRD SON
Publisher Synopsis
It’s 1943. As air-raid sirens blare in Japanese-occupied Taiwan, eight-year-old Saburo walks through the peach forests of Toayuan.
The least favored son of a Taiwanese politician, Saburo is in no hurry to get home to the taunting and abuse he suffers at the hands of his parents and older brother. In the forest he meets Yoshiko, whose descriptions of her loving family are to Saburo like a glimpse of paradise. Meeting her is a moment he will remember forever, and for years he will try to find her again. When he finally does, she is by the side of his oldest brother and greatest rival.
Set in a tumultuous and violent period of Taiwanese history – as the Chinese Nationalist Army lays claim to the island and one autocracy replaces another – The Third Son tells the story of lives governed by the inheritance of family and the legacy of culture, and of a young man determined to free himself from both.
In Saburo, Julie Wu has created an extraordinary character, a gentle soul forced to fight for everything he’s ever wanted: food, an education, and his first love, Yoshiko. A sparkling, evocative debut, it will have readers cheering for this young boy with his head in the clouds who, against all odds, finds himself on the frontier of America’s space program.
My Recommendation
I’ve been looking forward to reading THE THIRD SON for some time because I follow Julie Wu’s insightful blog posts at Beyond the Margins and in my writing support group Book Pregnant, so I purchased a (signed!) copy from the Concord Bookshop the week of her debut.
From the moment I began THE THIRD SON and met Saburo, I was drawn to him and invested in his safety and well being. Saburo is a highly sympathetic character–a self-sufficient, calm, and intelligent boy abused by his family. From malnutrition to verbal and physical abuse, Saburo suffers, and he seeks small moments of peace in the outdoors at great cost to himself. When he experiences his first moment of tenderness from a young girl named Yoshiko, whom he saves during an air raid, his life becomes a quest to unite himself with this girl, with tenderness, and with peace amid great odds.
Saburo’s determined spirit leads him to achieve great successes with major setbacks and heartbreak along the way, but it is powerful and gratifying to watch this boy grow into a self-confident man. I was particularly fascinated by his experience in America and all that immigrants must learn and endure. I was also interested to read about the history of Taiwan, and the political danger immigrants still faced after they had come to America.
THE THIRD SON is an impressive and moving debut by a gifted writer. I will carry Saburo in my heart long after finishing this book. Readers who enjoy history, stories of immigration, and family saga will love THE THIRD SON.
