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The Diaries of Adam and Eve
March 2021: Other Books
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The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain; 3.5 stars
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Amy, Livvy is from my hometown of Elmira, New York. Where they lived in Elmira is a few miles away from where I grew up. I drove by there often. The study in which he wrote his novels is on my alma materTheresa is from the same area and know the story.
https://marktwainhouse.org/about/mark...
I haven't read that one of Twains but would love to. Thank you for that.
Fran, my husband and I have visited your home town. We like to stay at a B&B in Corning, which is charming. The area beckons us back with its finger lakes and museums. We have seen, but not visited Mark Twain's house.
Amy, please forgive me for being a bit off topic here, but as I was reading your review, I was thinking about Mandy Patankin. Have you seen some of the videos featuring him and has wife? Their son has been filming them during this pandemic and they are fun to see. His wife is very much an Eve.It's early here - 8 am and my mind keeps jumping to tangents. :0)
I’d love to take a look at those!
@Amy - so glad you enjoyed this! The Mandy Patinkin & Betty Buckley audio is exceptional and led me to read the original Twain short stories which were in a collection I had. Did you know Amy there is a musical in part based on them? Jerry Bock created The Apple Tree based on 3 separate sources, each source inspiring an act. Twain is the first act. I saw both the Encores! and Roundabout productions mentioned here with Kristen Chenowith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_App...
The final line of Adam's story, especially as read by Patinkin, just touches my heart deeply.
Holly R W wrote: "Fran, my husband and I have visited your home town. We like to stay at a B&B in Corning, which is charming. The area beckons us back with its finger lakes and museums. We have seen, but not visited..."Holly - next time you spend time in that area, you should consider staying in my hometown of Owego, NY - one hour east of Elmira along Rte 17/84. Historic late 19th Century river town with interesting architecture, charming boutiques along Front Street and a river walk along the Susquehanna. Great restaurants and cafes like The Cellar. Some of the historic riverfront homes are now B&B's - like the Pumpelly Mansion. And the new B & B added to the community is the Bella Lockwood Inn which was featured on House Hunters a few years ago. It was where I took ballet and tap dance lessons once upon a time. Lots of interesting history to the town - John D. Rockefeller came from there, Robert's Rules of Order were in part writen there. Watson started IBM in a cornfield just outside of town... it is now owned by Lockheed.
I have been to Twain's study on the Elmira College campus but have not visited the home.
Oh, and RobinP is from that general area as well.
I think it would make a beautiful musical. And I felt that way about the line too....
Theresa wrote: "Holly R W wrote: "Fran, my husband and I have visited your home town. We like to stay at a B&B in Corning, which is charming. The area beckons us back with its finger lakes and museums. We have see..."I'm hoping that with the vaccines, life will become more normal soon. I'd love to return to the finger lake area and would for sure check out Owego.
Holly R W wrote: "Fran, my husband and I have visited your home town. We like to stay at a B&B in Corning, which is charming. The area beckons us back with its finger lakes and museums. We have seen, but not visited..."We love visiting the Finger Lakes too. I think our first visit was to Corning. We stayed at a lovely B&B (I think it had Roses in the name) close to the Glass Museum. I love the little shops and we have a lot glass art, some of which we made ourselves.
We also love the wineries around Seneca Lake. We often visit the first weekend of June for an Anniversary weekend, but we missed the last two years. Our 40th anniversary will be this year. I think it's too soon to have a party, and probably too soon for winery visits too.
I love Twain. I read this book two years ago. I liked the gender humor, but it got a little tedious at time. Granted, he might have been one of the first writers to make some of the observations that we've heard a thousand times since.
NancyJ wrote: "Holly R W wrote: "Fran, my husband and I have visited your home town. We like to stay at a B&B in Corning, which is charming. The area beckons us back with its finger lakes and museums. We have see..."I love the Glass Museum. I've been to it many times.
I love the glass museum too. The museum nearby featuring Indian art is really good also.
Holly R W wrote: "I love the glass museum too. The museum nearby featuring Indian art is really good also."That is the Rockwell museum, which started to feature Remington's art and other western art. Remington had ties to Elmira/Corning area and factories there.
As suggested by a friend, this was meant to be an audio experience. It was short, just two hours and five minutes, and I did most to just about all of it folding three huge baskets of laundry. I think what was difficult, was listening to this after the masterpiece that was Eve (by Elissa Eliot), where for 16 hours I have listened to the flushed out characters and personality and inner thoughts of Eve and Adam and their family. This was a different take, and it took some adjusting. What was masterful though, was to listen to Mandy Patankin and Betty Buckley. And of course, the writing of Mark Twain. I learned a few things. I believe these stories were the last he ever wrote, and that he always meant them to go together. The audio reads like a play with alternating voices on the same experiences. I rather think he would have loved the result. The audio also had a sweet musical background theme, with interludes of music at various points throughout the dialogue.
I also learned, at the end, there was some bit about Mark Twain and his life, mostly focused on his beloved Livvy, for whom was his Eden and his Eve. That character/author insight made the experience for me, seeing Adam and Eve through his eyes in 1901, but also as a present day conception, one where this kind of bond, Lovers as well as parents, persists through humanity. It was very well done, and I was grateful for the recommendation.
I picked Eve as a historical figure for the years, because astonishingly, I realized I had 6 books on my TBR that referred to her or to Eden. I thought a spotlight on her might just be quietly asserting itself, but also that I could clear 6 more books off my TBR. The next one is called Havah. And that one has been on my TBR for forever. Now it sits in the back of my car. I will keep you all posted, as this journey continues.