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

Connie ’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

20.9 Three Names

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Review:
Station Eleven seems frightfully real as the survivors of the Georgia Flu Pandemic are seen before the disease strikes, and up to twenty years after the apocalypse. The book revolves around the family and friends of actor Arthur Leander who collapses onstage during a production of "King Lear", Shakespeare's play about great loss.

The novel gets its name from some science fiction comic books, illustrated by Arthur's first wife, about a group of people living on a damaged space station after aliens invade the Earth. Two of the younger survivors of the pandemic have copies of the comic books, given to them by Arthur, and are considered their treasured possessions. Earth after the pandemic has totally changed, similar to the plight of the people in Station Eleven trying to survive in outer space.

Much of the book is seen through the eyes of the members of the Traveling Symphony, a group bringing culture to the area south of Lake Michigan. They alternate between presenting symphonic concerts and Shakespearean plays. Just as Shakespeare continued writing at the time of the plague, this group does not forget that people still need the arts in their lives after the pandemic. The actress Kirsten has a quote from Star Trek tattooed on her arm: "Because survival is insufficient."

The British man Clark preserves artifacts from the time before the pandemic--books, credit cards, cell phones, and anything that runs on electricity. There are no modern means of transportation, medical care, and communication. A young man called the Prophet twists Biblical passages and sets up a dangerous cult. People must carry weapons since many strangers are violent.

Although this is a post-apocalyptic novel, there are many complex characters that work together to support each other. The theme that "Survival is insufficient" runs through the book. In the midst of desolation, there is love and a glimmer of hope. Highly recommended.

+20 task
+ 5 combo (10.4 Math-eleven)
+10 review

Task total: 35
Grand total: 225

15.2 TtUS Flight-Seer

Orphan #8 by Kim van Alkemade

+15 task (set in New York)

Task total: 15
Grand total: 190

10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland

Review:
Art lovers and Francophiles will enjoy "Lisette's List". Fictional characters Lisette and Andre Roux left Paris to live in Roussillon de Provence to care for Andre's ailing grandfather, Pascal. Cosmopolitan Lisette misses Paris, but becomes very fond of Pascal who tells her stories about Pissarro and Cezanne. Pascal had worked in the ochre mines and later sold paints made from the ochre pigments. He made frames for the artists who paid him with their paintings.

When World War II breaks out Andre joins the military, hiding the valuable paintings before he leaves Roussillon because the Nazis were stealing artworks. Lisette befriends the villagers and learns the skills of a country woman. She also spends time with the Jewish couple, artist Marc Chagall and his wife Bella, who are in hiding. After the Nazis surrender Lisette looks for the paintings which have disappeared from their original hiding place, and tries to build a new life for herself.

I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the artworks and of Roussillon. The author has an informative website with photographs of Rousillon and the paintings mentioned in the book. It must be a fabulous sight to see the sun shining through the ochre canyons of Roussillon, carved away by both the mistral winds and quarrymen, with colors ranging from the lightest yellow to orange to rose to purple. This would probably be a good book club read for a group of art lovers since themes of friendship, love, war, and the meaning of home are also present.

+10 task (approved list post 108)
+10 review

Task total: 20
Grand total: 175

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "A book which isn't due out until next month has come to my attention. I believe many of you read and liked A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. His new offering is [book:The Tsar of ..."

Thanks for the suggestion, Elizabeth. I put a hold on the book for whenever it reaches our library's system. I love Anthony Marra's writing.

10.6 Reunification

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Review:
Paul Baumer and his friends were encouraged by their teacher to enlist in the German army to fight in World War I. The young men had dreams of glory, and had no idea that they would be spending the next few years trying to survive and seeing their friends die. The author was wounded five times in combat so he knew firsthand the horrors of war. Remarque shows us trench warfare, the damage of poison gas, starving prisoners, and the meaningless loss of lives. The comradeship among the soldiers is what keeps them going.

Even the men who physically survived the war suffered emotional damage and found it difficult to fit back in their home towns. Remarque calls them "the lost generation", the young men who went to war before they had an occupation, or a wife and children. They had nothing to return to when they came back so damaged from the war.

Although the book is written from the point of view of a German soldier, any soldier in the Great War would have a very similar story to tell. The book is eloquent and moving, and certainly deserves its status as a classic.

+10 task (born in Osnabruck, Germany)
+15 combo 10.9 (post 243), 20.9 (3 names), 10.2 (lived 1898-1970)
+10 oldie (pub 1928)
+10 review

Task total: 45
Grand total: 155

Barbara W. Tuchman wrote The Zimmermann Telegram and The Guns of August.
The Guns of August was made into a documentary narrated by Fritz Weaver.
Fritz Weaver was in "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight" with Rosemary Howard.
Rosemary Howard was in "R.I.P.D." with Kevin Bacon.

Margaret MacMillan wrote the book Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World.
The book was made into the TV movie "Paris 1919: Un traite pour la paix" featuring Paul Bandey.
Paul Bandey was in "Magic in the Moonlight" with Emma Stone.
Emma Stone was in "Crazy, Stupid, Love" with Kevin Bacon.

15.1 Flight-seer

The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs by Matthew Dicks

+15 task (set in Massachusetts)

Task total: 15
Grand total: 110

10.3 Dictionary

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson

Review:
"A God in Ruins" is a companion novel to "Life After Life", the story of Ursula Todd who expired and was reborn multiple times during the first half of the 20th Century. Her brother Teddy was a RAF pilot during World War II who was shot down and missing in action. In "A God in Ruins" we learn that he had been in a German POW camp for two years before returning to England.

The book is written with a constant shifting back and forth in time. The story starts slowly with incidents about Teddy's childhood and old age. His wife, their daughter Viola, and his grandchildren are also important in this multi-generational saga. Viola is a selfish woman who neglects her children. She goes from a hippie commune to other bad situations looking for fulfillment. She was a witness to an event that Teddy always kept secret, and it drove a wedge between them. Viola is almost overdrawn as a character, appearing totally unlikable.

Teddy is a kind, stoic man who signs up for the RAF during World War II, finding his passion in flying bombers. The book picks up pace during the war years with very exciting, well-researched writing about the bombing runs. The story does not ignore the fact that many civilians were also killed as the bombs were dropped on their targets. Skill, a tight crew, and a lot of luck was involved in surviving as a RAF pilot. It's worth reading "A God in Ruins" just for the excellent chapters about Teddy's war years. The ending came with a twist that is a clever bit of storytelling, and fits in well with the spirit of the two books.

+10 task
+10 review
+ 5 combo (10.9 on Approved List post 66)

Task total: 25
Grand total: 95

Kate S wrote: "Connie wrote: "10.4 Math

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF WORLD WAR I by Andrew Wiest

Review:
This general history of World War I covers the causes of the war, the major ..."

Thanks for the points, Kate!

Erich Maria Remarque wrote the book All Quiet on the Western Front.
All Quiet on the Western Front was made into a movie in 1979 featuring Richard Thomas.
Richard Thomas was in the movie "September 30, 1955" with Tom Hulce.
Tom Hulce was in "Animal House" with Kevin Bacon.

Joe David Brown wrote the book Addie Pray.
Addie Pray was made into the movie "Paper Moon" featuring Ryan O'Neal.
Ryan O'Neal was in the movie "Nickelodeon" with Burt Reynolds.
Burt Reynolds was in "Starting Over" with Kevin Bacon.

10.4 Math

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF WORLD WAR I by Andrew Wiest

Review:
This general history of World War I covers the causes of the war, the major battles on all fronts, the peace treaties, and reparations. It concentrates on the military history more than the political and social history of the time. The excellent photographs brought out the human cost of war, the relentless mud in the battlefields, and the horror of extended trench warfare. Boxes highlighted important topics and people, and colored maps showed the lines of battle.

The book shows how industrial advances changed the type of war being fought with better guns, cannons, tanks, ships, and planes being built as the war progressed. The war started with an attritional style of warfare. As World War I progressed, technology played an important part in winning the battles.

+10 task
+10 review

Task total: 20
Grand total: 60

10.9 Six Degrees

Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

Review:
Etta left a letter for her husband Otto: "I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. Don't worry, I've left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back."

This charming story about three octogenarians had me turning the pages, hoping that Etta would fulfill her wish as she walked 3,200 km to the ocean. The book looks back at them growing up on the dry dusty farms of Saskatchewan, Russell's childhood injury, Etta teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, and Otto's terrible wartime experiences. Otto, Etta, and Russell were very devoted to each other. When Etta left on her walk it prompted both Otto and Russell to also experience something new and different in their lives. The flashbacks seem very realistic, but their present experiences seem more symbolic as they act on their unrealized dreams.

James is a magical surprise conjured up by Etta's foggy mind, and he helps her reach her destination. With a bit of magical realism at the conclusion, identities shift and merge as they float between the present and the past, and between reality and a dream. Delightful!

+10 task (Approved, post 147)
+10 review

Task total: 20
Grand total: 40

Emma Hooper has her doctorate in musicoliterary studies, and teaches music at a university. And now she's an author. What talent!

1.Etta and Otto and Russell and James was written by Emma Hooper.
2. Emma Hooper was the main title composer for the TV series "2 Redheads" featuring cast member Lisa Herceg.
3. Lisa Herceg was in "Yellow" with Joette Waters.
4. Joette Waters was in "Personal Interview" with Richard Cotovsky.
5. Richard Cotovsky was in "Stir of Echoes" with Kevin Bacon.

Ed, everyone seems to be enjoying this task!

1. Artist Marc Chagall is an important character in Susan Vreeland's Lisette's List.
2. Marc Chagall is portrayed by Leonid Bichevin in "Chagall-Malevich".
3. Leonid Bichevin was in Gruz 200 with Alekey Poluyan.
4. Alekey Poluyan was in Brat 2 with Tom Milanovich.
5. Tom Milanovich was in Novocaine with Kevin Bacon.

Editing because I found a better connection:
1. Lisette's List was written by Susan Vreeland.
2.Susan Vreeland also wrote What Love Sees.
3. The TV movie "What Love Sees" starred Richard Thomas.
4. Richard Thomas was in "Cactus in the Snow" with Buddy Garion.
5. Buddy Garion was in "The Big Picture" with Kevin Bacon.

1. The Nightingale was written by Kristin Hannah.
2.Kristin Hannah also wrote Home Front.
3. Home Front was bought by the director Chris Columbus.
4.Chris Columbus directed Joe Pesci in "Home Alone 2".
5. Joe Pesci acted in "JFK" with Kevin Bacon.

1. The Sandcastle Girls was written by Chris Bohjalian.
2. Chris Bohjalian also wrote Secrets of Eden.
3. "Secrets of Eden" was a Lifetime Television movie featuring John Stamos.
4. John Stamos was in "They Came Together" with Adam Scott.
5. Adam Scott was in "Black Mass" with Kevin Bacon.

10.1 Author

Death and Forgiveness by Jindra Tichá

Review:
Anna has just buried her mother in Prague when her son calls with the news that her ex-husband Jan committed suicide. She and Jan were academics who had left communist Czechoslovakia in 1968 to live in New Zealand. The book alternates between the past and the present as Anna and her daughter fly back home and make arrangements for the funeral. In the past thread in 1968, as Jan and Anna travel by ocean liner to New Zealand, she tells of the difficulties living under the communist regime, her fears of starting a new life, and the problems in their marriage. In the chapters set in the present, Anna is dealing with the stress and grief of losing someone she cared for. She also feels hurt and angry since Jan had left her for a younger woman.

Written in the first person, the story appears to be a fictionalized memoir. Many details in the book are similar to the lives of Jindra Ticha and her deceased husband Pavel Tichy who both lectured at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Although Ticha has published extensively in her native language, this is her first novel written in English. It's probably very difficult to write in a second language, and her writing has a stiff formal quality to it. Perhaps the heaviness comes because there is little dialogue, and she rarely uses contractions in her sentences. I found it especially interesting to read about the challenging times in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. The character Anna expressed well how multi-faceted her feelings could be, processing both a death and a failed marriage.

+10 task (never read this author before)
+10 review

Task total: 20
Grand total: 20

1.A God in Ruins was written by Kate Atkinson.
2. Kate Atkinson also wrote Case Histories.
3. The BBC film "Case Histories" featured actor Jason Isaacs.
4. Jason Isaacs was in the film "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with John Cleese.
5. John Cleese was in the film "The Big Picture" with Kevin Bacon.