Connie ’s Comments (group member since Nov 11, 2013)

Connie ’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

Here's an analysis of Beryl Markham's West with the Night that mentions sense of place. Would this fit the task? It's a wonderful book.

http://www.enotes.com/topics/west-wit...

Kate S wrote: "From Post 672

Connie wrote: "20.2 Sigrid Undset

Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw

Review:
George Bernard Shaw took theater patrons in 1923 back to the Fifteenth Centur..."

Thanks, Kate!

20.4 Elfriede Jelinek

The Lover by Marguerite Duras

+20 task (French female author, translated)
+ 10 combo (20.7 Feminism-# 118 on list, 10.9 realistic ratings 3.77))
+ 5 oldie (pub 1984)

Task total: 35
Grand total: 520

20.2 Sigrid Undset

Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw

Review:
George Bernard Shaw took theater patrons in 1923 back to the Fifteenth Century in his drama "Saint Joan". Joan of Arc declared that she heard voices from God and the saints directing her to save France in the Hundred Years War, and have the Dauphin crowned as the king of France, Charles VII. The teenage Joan, dressed in men's clothes, led the soldiers in the Siege of Orleans in 1429. She was later convicted as a heretic by the Inquisition, and burned at the stake. After papal investigations she was later acquitted and canonized as a saint.

Shaw wrote the character of Joan as a strong, intelligent woman who spoke very directly to the male soldiers and clergymen in the play. People have wondered for years whether she was a divinely inspired saint, a lunatic, a genius, or an early feminist. Although Shaw portrays some of the members of the Inquisition as corrupt, many were characterized as people who thought they were doing the right thing for their Church. Political and religious organizations feared strong leaders who might question their authority. The feudal system and the Church were both very powerful at that time. Overall, I found "Saint Joan" to be an interesting, historical play with a complex main character.

+20 task (set in 1400s)
+10 combos (10.9 Realistic rating of 3.76, 20.9 Winnie-pub in 1923)
+10 oldie
+10 review

Task total: 50
Grand total:485

20.9 Winnie the Pooh

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo 970 Lexile

Review:
Author Dalton Trumbo was inspired by a newspaper story about a Canadian soldier in World War I who had lost all his limbs and all his senses except for the sense of touch. He created Joe Bonham, a soldier whose mind was still active, but who was unable to communicate with the outside world except for tapping his head. The story takes us inside Joe's head to his stream of consciousness thoughts, sometimes thinking about ideologies and often flashing back to the past. For example, his thoughts go back to holding his girlfriend in his arms when he realizes that his arms have been amputated. The flashbacks show us how much Joe has lost, both physically and emotionally. The story shows the destructive power of modern weapons. It also points out how wealthy capitalists profit from war while the working class does most of the fighting. Sometimes it seems like the more educated author's voice takes over Joe's voice when Joe thinks about politics. Joe would like to be part of a traveling exhibit to show people the horror of war.

This pacifist book was published in September 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland. The book is about World War I, was published during World War II, became very popular during the war in Vietnam, and is still in print today. The title is based on the refrain, "Johnny Get Your Gun", from the American World War I song "Over There".

"Johnny Got His Gun" is the kind of book that the reader will not forget. It's a good reminder that war is not all glory, to recognize the huge sacrifices that our veterans have made, and to value good diplomats in today's world.

+20 task (pub 1939)
+10 oldie
+10 review

Task total: 40
Grand total:435

20.9 Winnie-the-Pooh

A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell

Review:
"A Question of Upbringing" is the first book in a series of twelve volumes of "A Dance to the Music of Time". The book is narrated by Nicholas Jenkins, Anthony Powell's alter ego, who acts as an observer of the world of Great Britain's upper class and upper middle class. Nick has a dry satirical way of looking at everything going around him. He includes references to art and literature in his descriptions. The book revolves around Nick's attendance at schools similar to Eton and Oxford (where Powell was educated), as well as a language-immersion summer in France in the early 1920s.

The name of the twelve volume set is based on Nicholas Poussin's painting, "A Dance to the Music of Time". The artwork depicts four classical figures, named for the four seasons, dancing in the round. In "A Question of Upbringing", we can see individuals moving in and out of each others' lives as if they were also dancing to the music of time. We meet schoolmates, their family members, housemasters, and acquaintances of Nick Jenkins and already see relationships changing by the end of the book. I'm looking forward to spending more time with these characters in the second book.

+20 task (pub 1951)
+10 review
+ 5 series
+ 5 combo (10.9 rating of 3.70)

Task total: 40
Grand total: 395

10.1 Design Your Own Task

The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck

Review:
Although it is a short novel, "The Pecan Man" is a gem to be remembered. Ora Beckworth, a widow in central Florida, hires a homeless black man to weed her garden and mow her lawn. He's called the Pecan Man by the neighbors. The police arrest him for murdering a man near his makeshift home in the woods, but Ora feels that he's innocent.

Ora narrates her story about living in a 1970s Southern town, her friendship with the housekeeper Blanche and her family, race relations, and justice. The book explores secrets, lies, and moral gray areas. The story also shows there are lots of ways of caring, sharing, and being a family.

This is a self-published debut novel that has been getting a lot of buzz. I'll be looking forward to Cassie Dandridge Selleck's next work.

+10 task (Published in the 21st Century 2012)
+10 review

Task total: 20
Grand total: 355

10.9 Realistic ratings

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Review:
Rachel is living a lie, commuting by train every day to a nonexistent job so her flatmate won't know she's been fired. The train often stops in front of the home of " a perfect, golden couple" sitting on their rooftop terrace. One morning Rachel notices something shocking when the train makes its stop. The next day the perfect blond woman is reported missing.

The main characters are unreliable narrators, women with low self-esteem, cheating spouses, and compulsive liars. Memories are just a little out of reach after heavy drinking. This psychological thriller has lots of twists and turns, and is a quick page turner.

+10 task (rating of 3.84)
+ 5 combo (20.8 NPR list)
+10 review

Task total: 25
Grand total: 360

20.3 Toni Morrison

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines

Review:
Miss Jane Pittman is a spunky survivor, a strong black woman over 100 years old. She narrates the story of her life from her days as a slave, after emancipation, and during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. In a Missouri Review interview in 1999, Ernest J. Gaines said that he grew up on a plantation in Louisiana around his handicapped aunt and other older people who visited her. Jane is a fictional character based on the kinds of experiences those people might have gone through, using their vocabulary and the dialects he could remember from his childhood. He also used slave narratives in researching her story.

The role of the strong black man also comes through in the book. Jane's husband, Joe Pittman, proves his manhood by breaking the toughest horses. Jane acts as a mother figure to both Ned and Jimmy, strong men who take huge personal risks in protesting against the discrimination of blacks.

As a slave Jane never learned to read and write, so the premise is that a teacher is taping her oral narrative. Jane is spirited and witty in spite of having faced many challenges and losing people she loved. The author is a master of dialogue with a warm conversational style. The reader feels like they are spending an afternoon in Louisiana talking with the wonderful Miss Jane Pittman.

+20 task
+ 5 combo (10.2 Noel)
+10 review
+10 oldie (pub 1971)

Task total: 45
Grand total:335

20.10 Leap Year

Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect by Reese Erlich

Review:
Journalist Reese Erlich realizes that the roots of the Syrian civil war are found in history. He gives us the highlights of Middle Eastern history stretching back to World War I that are influencing Syria today. He also interviews leaders, rebels, university professors, government analysts, and ordinary people. He discusses the influence of other countries, especially Russia, the United States, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Erlich was raised in a Jewish home in America, and understands the pain felt by those who suffered in the Holocaust. But he also empathizes with the Palestinians who lost their homes, and shows both sides of the conflict between Israel and Palestine that adds to the instability of the Middle Eastern region.

The appendix of the book has a guide to Syrian political groups supporting and opposing Assad. It also has a section explaining the differences in the religious groups in Syria, and which factions (Alawites, Shias, Christians, and Druze) received better jobs and preferential treatment from Assad. The book ends in 2014 as the ultraconservative Sunni rebels, such as ISIS, were becoming more powerful. Erlich has a useful Syria Timeline (starting in 1914) in the back of the book which he has updated on his website, www.reeseerlich.com .

Syria--and the whole Middle Eastern region--have a complex history. The region has a strategic location from a military standpoint, and has large oil and natural gas reserves. The combination of so many competing factions within Syria, plus foreign intervention, has led to a situation with no easy solutions. Erlich's book is not a chunky history text with a huge amount of detail. It is a good overview of the Syrian situation that would be very useful to someone that wants to supplement the news they receive from newspapers and television.

+20 task
+ 5 combo (10.9 Realistic Rating of 3.26)
+10 review

Task total: 35
Grand total: 290

20.8 Best of 2015

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins

Review:
Gold, fame, and citrus were the enticements that drew people across the country to California. But the state of California in this dystopian novel is experiencing extreme drought and high winds, resulting in a reverse of the migration in "The Grapes of Wrath". Some states have closed their borders, and the last of the evacuation buses have left for the east. The few holdouts in the parched area survive on "ration cola", black market provisions, and goods looted from abandoned houses.

Luz and Ray have holed up in a starlet's former home in Los Angeles. They assume a parental role toward Ig, a neglected, possibly abused two-year-old who was spending time with a group of junkies. To find a better life for Ig they head eastward, crossing the desert with meager rations of gasoline and water. They find a sea of sand covering the Southwest, moving like a glacier and swallowing town after town. A desert cult, led by a charismatic dowser who finds water and food in questionable ways, may be their only hope for survival.

Watkins' writing is beautiful. Her descriptions are sensual and earthy, and sometimes hallucinogenic. The author has taken California's real problems of water shortage, diminished aquifers, wildfires, and corporate greed, and envisioned a near future with exacerbated problems. The people left behind seems real--survivalists banded together in communes, gangs, and cults. The scary thing about Watkins' vision is knowing that there is a possibility of at least some of it actually becoming a reality.

+20 task (on NPR list)
+ 5 combo (10.9 Realistic Rating of 3.40)
+10 review

Task total: 35
Grand total: 255

Wishing you a Happy New Year!!!

My goals for 2016:

1. Continue reading both non-fiction and fiction set around World War I, as well as reading about the first half of the 20th Century.
2. Read a few books set in the Mid-East region since that area is so prominent in the news.
3. Read the selections every month for my two library book groups.
4. Continue on my "trips" around the historic counties of the UK, and around the regions of France for the Around the World in 80 Books group.
5. Read at least one of the monthly group reads for a couple other Goodreads groups.
6. In January I'll be starting Anthony Powell's first book in the "Dance to the Music of Time" series. If I like his writing, I would like to read the 12 books in the series.
7. Read a few chunksters on my shelves.
8. I've got about 20 "The New Yorker" magazines from a subscription in 2014-15 left to read. I love their articles and short stories, but haven't had enough time to read them all. I want to read at least one article/story every week.
9. Read some of the best contemporary books.
10. My 2016 goal is 90 books.

10.3 Science Fiction Day

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Review:
"The War of the Worlds" is an exciting first-person narration of a man who witnessed the Martians invading the Earth. Cylinders containing the Martians were shot from Mars and landed in England. The British army was defenseless against the Martian Tripods, three-legged fighting machines fitted out with a Heat-Ray and chemical "Black Smoke". The book was written in 1898, prior to World War I, but the Martian weapons were similar to lasers and chemical warfare. Wells uses the ideas of Darwin to describe the Martians who had evolved to possess huge brains.

Great Britain was a colonial power when this book was published, so it was a turnabout to read that Great Britain was being attacked by a civilization far superior in technology. Streams of refugees were fleeing from the invaders. Rumors and confusion existed in the era before rapid communication.

It's not surprising that "The War of the Worlds" has been adapted into films, comic books, games, and radio dramas. People thought that a 1938 radio drama by Orson Welles was a genuine news broadcast which incited panic in some American listeners. This science fiction classic is full of suspense and kept my interest.

+10 task (#5 on list)
+10 review
+10 oldie (pub 1898)
+10 combo (10.9 Realistic Rating of 3.77; 20.9 Winnie the Pooh)

Task total: 40
Grand total: 220

For fiction, my favorite 2015 book was The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra. For non-fiction, The War That Ended Peace: The Road To 1914 by Margaret MacMillan, chosen because I learned so much about the events leading up to World War I.

20.8 Best of 2015

Descent by Tim Johnston

Review:
It was a parent's worst nightmare. The Courtland family was vacationing in the Colorado Rockies when their 18-year-old daughter Caitlin went out on a morning run. Her younger brother, following her on his bike, was hit by a car and Caitlin was abducted.

We next see the heartbroken family one year later, their lives shattered since Caitlin disappeared. The father is drinking too much. The mother, who was already emotionally fragile, has fallen apart. The brother, mending from the accident, suffers from survivor's guilt. The story is told from the perspectives of all the family members.

The setting in the Rockies is gorgeous, but very dangerous with so many places where someone can disappear. The cover of "Descent" describes it as a "literary thriller" since it is written beautifully. The first part of the book tends to be more character-driven. Then the plot quickens in the second half to a "can't put the book down" ending.

+20 task (on NPR list)
+10 review
+15 combos (10.2 Noel, 10.9 Realistic Rating 3.64, 20.1 Grazia Deledda approved)

Task total: 45
Grand total: 180

Thanks, Elizabeth. The reviewer at Laurelwood wrote an excellent review. Thanks for introducing me to that blog.

For Descent by Tim Johnston:

https://www.bookbrowse.com/author_int...

The interviewer from book browse writes: "The Rocky Mountains serve as the majestic setting for your novel; the setting is so important that it essentially serves as a primary character. While grand and breathtakingly beautiful, the Rockies also take on a sinister context."

10.1 Design Your Own Task (book two)

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Review:
"Big Little Lies" is a book that's hard to put down since we find out on the first few pages that the police are questioning witnesses to a murder. Someone died at a PTA Trivia Night, a fundraiser where the parents came dressed as Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley. The book then zooms back six months to the new kindergarten class and their parents on the school orientation day. The parents range from people that grew up around the Australian beach town near Sydney, upscale transplants, powerful professionals, a new age hippie, and a poor single mother. Many people left the orientation feeling very upset.

The dialogue is so well-written--snappy, gossipy, and humorous--that I felt like I really knew the kindergarten mothers by the end of the book. Events are shown from multiple points of view.

The end of each chapter also contains short statements that the Trivia Night witnesses made to the police. The statements kept me turning the pages since many foreshadowed things that were to come, and kept me guessing the identity of the murder victim.

Although the book had its light moments, the author delved into the serious problems of domestic violence, destructive gossiping, and schoolyard bullying. A child is accused of harming another child. But the parents that ostracize the little boy and his mother are the real bullies with their gossip. Bullying in schools, unfair gossip, and domestic abuse are all ways of exerting power over the victim. There's lots of food for thought in this book which would make an excellent book discussion choice.

+10 task (pub 2014)
+10 review

Task total: 20
Grand total: 135

10.1 Design Your Own Task

My task was books published in the 21st Century.

Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America by Bruce Barcott

Review:
In 2012, voters in Colorado and the author's home state of Washington voted to legalize marijuana. Journalist Bruce Barcott spent two years delving into the subject of marijuana--the biochemistry of the drug, medical uses, government roadblocks to research, and enforcement of laws. There are huge numbers of black men imprisoned for many years for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Although white and black men use marijuana in similar amounts, there is racial profiling in some states in the number of arrests of black men.

He also interviewed growers, sellers, marketing executives, and the people financing the new marijuana stores. The book was well-researched and informative. I'm not a pot smoker myself, but find the medical uses of marijuana especially interesting.

+10 task (pub 2015)
+10 review

Task total: 20
Grand total: 115