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20.6 John BuchanDiana Mosley: Mitford Beauty, British Fascist, Hitler's Angel by Anne de Courcy
Diana Mosley, one of the beautiful sisters in the eccentric Mitford family, was a controversial woman in 20th Century England. She was married at age 18 to Bryan Guinness, a sweet generous man who loved her, and they had two sons. Backed by the Guinness fortune, she entertained lavishly and enjoyed traveling. In 1932 she was attracted to Sir Oswald Mosley, the anti-Semitic leader of the British Union of Fascists. The married womanizer was confident, virile, and charismatic, and Diana left her husband for Mosley. Mosley was a disciple of Mussolini who provided financial support for the Fascist movement in England. Mosley felt that every political campaign needed a scapegoat, and the Jews filled that role.
During the interwar years, Diana's sister Unity Mitford became obsessed with Adolf Hitler, and then introduced Diana to the German leader. Diana found him very charming and intelligent, and they became good friends. Hitler arranged the secret marriage of Mosley and Diana at the home of the Goebbels in 1936.
After World War II broke out, both Diana and Mosley were detailed and jailed because of their association with Hitler. They left behind their two young sons during more than three years of detention in a cold, dirty jail. After the war Mosley tried to get back into politics, but was unable to win a seat in Parliament.
Diana seemed to feel an obsessive love for Mosley. In spite of his philandering, his poor parenting of his children, and his domineering, self-centered personality, Diana was infatuated. She was attracted to strong, charismatic men, and overlooked Mosley's faults. The wealthy couple--with huge houses, cars, and servants--seemed to have little regard for those that had suffered during the war. Diana would never totally believe the full extent of the Holocaust.
Anne de Courcy tries to paint a balanced picture of Diana Mosley. She could be warm, witty, and charming in social situations, but her politics were terrible. After Diana died at age 92, the author summed up her life: "It was the end of a long life that had dazzled, outraged, horrified, charmed, shocked, beguiled, and appalled."
+20 task
+ 5 combo 10.4 (pub 2003)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Grand total: 320
Thanks for the extra points, Kate.
10.4 Hubert SelbyThe Talking Trees by Sean O'Faolain
"The Talking Trees and Other Stories" is one of the later collections of stories from the Irish author Sean O'Faolain. Some of his earlier work was more political since he was involved with the Republicans during the Irish Civil War. This collection centers on Irish people and how the past haunts them. Childhood memories might determine what kind of people they are in the present. Some stories are about people trying to make sense of their marriages. As in much Irish literature, experiences involving the Church and religious schools are very important. This enjoyable collection of eleven stories has characters as diverse as young children to the elderly.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 275
20.8 J.D. SalingerA Room with a View by E.M. Forster
This coming-of-age story shows Lucy caught between the repressive rules of Victorian society and the more liberal values of the Edwardian age. She is vacationing in Italy, and is exposed to various social classes mixing together and acting in a more relaxed manner than in her English hometown. Lucy is admired by two very different men. Upper class Cecil is a snobbish, bookish man who would be more socially acceptable to marry. The more liberal, but lower class, George values Lucy's ideas, is more sensual, and is drawn to the natural world.
The book is quite humorous as it illustrates the class differences, manners, and customs of the early 20th Century English. Lucy changes as an individual into a more confident woman who has a voice in determining her future. However, her relationship with George seemed a bit rushed. Overall, I found "A Room With A View" to be a light, charming story.
+20 task
+ 5 combo (10.6 Lit Map-Edith Wharton)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Grand total: 255
I thought "The Boston Girl" was done very well.I agree that "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Life of Pi", and "The Help" were very good movie adaptations.
Beth wrote: "Well, that was an interesting month. I read a lot! The books I picked at the beginning actually had a lot of momentum and I just kept going. It helped I really got into what was available from the ..."You did really well finding authors with last names at the end of the alphabet, Beth.
10.1 Fall FreebieThe Risen by Ron Rash
A shocking newspaper article brought the alcoholic writer, Eugene Matney, back 46 years to the summer of 1969. He and his older brother, Bill, were spending an afternoon fishing in a stream when Eugene met his first love. The beautiful, manipulative teenager (who assumed the exotic name Ligeia) was sent to stay with religious relatives in the boonies of North Carolina. Her parents were trying to keep her safe since she had recently run away to a hippie commune. While Bill could see that she was trouble, Eugene fell for Ligeia's charms. He was introduced to alcohol, drugs, sex, and rock music. Now, secrets about that fateful summer and Ligeia are finally uncovered.
The two boys were living with their widowed mother and their domineering grandfather. Bill was the golden boy--intelligent, athletic, personable, talented, and destined to fulfill his grandfather's wish that he become a doctor. Eugene became a writer, but his love of alcohol derailed his career and his marriage. Eugene confronts Bill about events from 1969. The rivalry and strained relationship between the two brothers, and the influence of their tyrannical grandfather come to the surface. There is much moral ambiguity and shared responsibility for the tragedy that is revealed.
This is the fourth book by Ron Rash that I have read, and I enjoy how he includes Biblical or literary references in his works. Throughout this book, the main literary reference is "Look Homeward, Angel", a book loved by Eugene's mother. The younger brother was named for the character Eugene Gant who wanted to leave his small North Carolina town and difficult family for life as a writer in a distant city.
I remember the summer of 1969--the great music, love beads, hearing about Woodstock and Haight-Ashbury--so Ligeia seemed very real. While this is not my favorite book by this author, "The Risen" kept my interest and was a good suspenseful read.
+10 task (book added in August 2016)
+10 review
Points this task: 20
Total points: 220
Ed wrote: "On a different subject..... I won't be posting much, if at all, for the next five weeks.... going on a trip to India, Burma and Vietnam....and much of that time I suspect I will be lacking internet..."Your trip sounds wonderful, Ed. Enjoy!!
10.3 George Orwell (Dystopia)Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton
"It was as if there were no radio transmitters left in the world, or perhaps no souls to use them. He kept scanning. There was nothing."
Augustine, an elderly astronomer, was stranded in the Canadian Arctic when he refused to be evacuated from a research facility. He had chosen to devote his life to research, and had pushed away any serious relationships. In his isolation, he reflects back on his life, wondering if he had made the right choices.
Meanwhile, six astronauts on the return trip from observing Jupiter have lost contact with Mission Control. They are unable to communicate with anyone, and no lights are visible as they view the Earth from their spaceship.
While an unspecified apocalypse is the crisis in the book, the story is really about people, isolation, connections, and group interactions. It's about people making choices on how to live their lives, and more choices when threatened by death. The story is a beautifully written piece of literary fiction with gorgeous descriptions of outer space, and the stark beauty of the Arctic Circle. There is a lovely bit of fantasy that surprised me, and helps entwine the two stories together. The reader has to let themselves go with the story since some events are not totally grounded in realism and seem more symbolic. I enjoyed letting Lily Brooks-Dalton's beautiful prose carry me to another place.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 200
10.8 PTSDMidnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul by Charles King
Charles King has written an engaging popular history of Istanbul, a city at the crossroads between the East and the West, during the interwar years until the end of World War II. Istanbul was a great multi-ethnic city in the Ottoman Empire with a location at the entrance to the Black Sea, important as a port city, a religious center, and a military location. When the Turks were defeated in World War I, Istanbul was occupied by the Allied troops. Greece tried to take over parts of the Ottoman Empire, but Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and his forces drove the Greeks out. He established an authoritarian government in Ankara, and the Allies left Istanbul. The city became more modern and secular.
Many refugees passed through Istanbul, such as the White Russians escaping the Bolshevik Revolution. Later, Jews moved through Istanbul on their way to Palestine as they were fleeing the Holocaust. Fires devastated many neighborhoods in Istanbul, changing the ethnic character of the city. Many people of non-Turkish descent were forced out of the country so the percentage of ethnic Turks increased. The chapters about the refugees, some of them stateless and without resources, were very troubling.
The author uses the Pera Palace Hotel, the surrounding neighborhood, and its famous guests to show the social changes in the city. More women joined the workforce after World War I. The book introduces the reader to jazz singers, prostitutes, writers, reformers, beauty queens, photographers, religious leaders, and politicians. Istanbul was especially famous for espionage and the great number of spies. There's a bit of dry humor in some of the stories. There are also moments of awe, such as the descriptions of the sun lighting up the mosaics in the renovated Hagia Sophia. I enjoyed Charles King's interesting book about the transformation of Istanbul.
+10 task
+ 5 combo 20.6
+10 review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 180
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Our annual library book sale is coming up in a couple of weeks. I was thinking I might visit the mystery/thriller table for a change. Are there authors you think I'd like more than others? More "li..."Ron Rash writes Southern fiction/mysteries, and he's also a poet. The Cove, Serena, and One Foot in Eden are some of his books.
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger is on my list of literary mysteries to read.
If you're looking for oldie books, another one on my list is The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash is a literary Southern mystery.
Kate Atkinson has written some British mysteries.
20.6 John BuchanThe Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
"The Light in the Ruins" is a historical mystery set in Florence and the Tuscan countryside. A killer's sinister thoughts show that he/she wants to destroy the Rosati family. The murderer's calling card is to leave the victims with their hearts cut out in several attacks in 1955. Why are the Rosatis being targeted?
A narrative set in 1943 tells the Rosati family story from the points of view of several members of the family. They owned the Villa Chimera, and had olive groves and vineyards on their Tuscan property. An Etruscan necropolis on their grounds attracted the interest of the Nazis who were removing valuable artwork from Italy. The Rosatis were put in the difficult position of having to entertain, and eventually billet some Nazi soldiers. Meanwhile, the oldest son Vittore Rosati is trying to save Italian art treasures from destruction or transport to Nazi Germany. Another son is fighting in Sicily while his wife and children stay at the villa. The daughter Cristina is attracted to a German soldier who returns her love. Although the Nazis were allied with the Italians, they acted more like a force of occupation as the war progressed. The patriarch of the family had to make some questionable, tough decisions in order to keep his family safe during the war.
Serafina Bettini is the only woman in the Florence homicide unit. She is a former partisan who targeted both the Nazis and the Italian facists during World War II. As Serafina investigates the murders of the Rosatis, traumatic memories of 1943 continue to haunt her.
The book is told in three narratives featuring Serafina, the Rosati family, and the murderer. The story kept me in suspense, and I was unable to guess the identity of the killer. While the book did not delve deeply into the minds of any one character, it did give a good overview of the situations people faced in wartime Italy.
+20 task
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 155
20.6 John BuchanA Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton
Widowed Amaterasu Takahashi is living in Pennsylvania with nothing but alcohol to keep her company. She is surprised when a scarred man comes to her door claiming to be her grandson, Hideo. Ama believed her daughter and grandson had been killed when the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945, although their bodies had never been found.
Ana has been living with guilt for her actions prior to the dropping of the bomb. The Takanashis had moved away from Nagasaki because the memories of their beloved daughter haunt them. Her daughter's diary, letters written by Hideo's adoptive father, and Ama's memories bring us back to prewar Nagasaki. The book is beautifully constructed with layer upon layer being peeled away as forbidden love, family secrets, and the horror of war are revealed.
At the start of each chapter, passages from a dictionary explain Japanese feelings, philosophy, or beliefs in Western terms. This look into Japanese culture helps the reader understand the actions of the characters. The book will appeal to readers who enjoy stories with family relationships, romantic entanglements filled with complications, and historical settings.
+20 task
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 125
Louise, I haven't read these romance authors but they are in the N-Z half (but use some of the letters you have already used):Penny Watson
N.M. Silber
20.6 John BuchanMy Southern Journey: True Stories from the Heart of the South by Rick Bragg
Rick Bragg describes this book as "a kind of love story to the South". The book is made up of around seventy articles or essays, most from his column at "Southern Living". They range from the humorous to the heartfelt. It's the type of book that you can pick up when you have only a few minutes to read.
The stories about his family are some of my favorites. His love for his mother and other family members is evident. He grew up in a red clay area of Alabama filled with working class people. Life was a struggle, and he has never forgotten the sacrifices his mother made as she raised her sons without her absent husband. He's included a cute story about an old dog working his way into his mother's heart.
Stories about Thanksgiving dinners will leave the reader hungry. He also has a humorous story about coleslaw past its prime. Who can forget the first time they tried an oyster? Bragg's reaction was that the first one tasted like river mud.
Bragg is a master at storytelling, but his carpentry skills are severely lacking. He includes a funny story about sticking his fingers to the wall with Gorilla Glue when making home repairs--while his cell phone is too far away to call for help.
Other stories are about the various places where he lived. His disaster stories about a tornado, and about the BP oil spill were memorable. As a Northerner, I had to laugh at his reaction to snow in New York and Boston. He had a sweet memory of his grandmother scooping up the rare Alabama snow, and flavoring it with sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and vanilla to make "snow cream". He also included essays about Southern football.
Bragg's essays are very conversational so I checked out youtube to hear him speak. There were some lectures and readings about earlier books. I intended to watch for five minutes, but he was so engaging that I spent almost an hour listening to Bragg. Although I read the hardcover book, people may enjoy the audio version even more.
+20 task
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 80
10.4 Hubert SelbySo Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell
William Maxwell wrote a semi-autobiographical novel about two lonely boys whose lives briefly intersect. Although he is now an old man, he still feels guilt that he did not reach out and offer support to his friend after a tragedy.
The narrator's life fell apart when his mother died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. His family members each grieved privately, but no one talked about their feelings. It was a difficult time for the sensitive ten-year-old boy.
The second great loss occurs a few years later in the Illinois farmland where his friend Cletus resides. Told from multiple points of view, the troubles in two unhappy marriages lead to a love triangle. Passions ignite, friendship is betrayed, and tensions mount. A shot was heard in the second paragraph of the book so the reader knows there will not be a happy ending. The human characters don't always fully express the depth of their feelings. But Cletus' dog vocalizes for the two families as she howls in the night, expressing her feelings of loss and abandonment.
Maxwell is best known for his work as the former fiction editor at "The New Yorker". His own writing, using a spare, understated style, certainly packs an emotional punch in this slim volume.
+10 task (pub 1979)
+ 5 oldie
+10 review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 50
10.6 Literature MapUnder the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
Frances Mayes bought a neglected villa in the Tuscan town of Cortona. The house was called "Bramasole", meaning "yearning for the sun", and the sunshine and warmth of Italy comes shining through Mayes' enthusiastic descriptions.
One gets a sense that Mayes is being reborn. After a midlife divorce, she is in a relationship with her future husband, Ed. The two poets both have demanding jobs as the heads of creative writing departments in their California universities. Both worked hard, along with Italian craftsmen, renovating the house in Tuscany during their summer and mid-winter breaks. They fell in love with the Italian culture, pace of life, and food.
The sense of time is so different in Tuscany with their villa surrounded by fascinating things from ancient times--an Etruscan wall, a Roman road, old churches, and a nearby Medici fortress. The walls of the old villa were thick slabs covered with plaster. Various owners had added on more rooms over the years so it was always a surprise to see what was under the last coat of plaster.
The Tuscan food is simple, fresh, and picked when perfectly ripe. Mayes' descriptions of the food and wine are sensuous, and she included a few recipes. Her tables are often topped with fresh flowers from the many gardens they planted.
I enjoyed the book, but wished I had spread the reading out more instead of reading it over three days since there is so much description. The mood of the book is upbeat, joyous, and often humorous. The Tuscan sun has definitely warmed up Mayes' life.
+10 task
+ 5 combo 10.4 (pub 1996)
+10 review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 25
