Thank you to #NetGalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.
My Interest Julia Child!! That’s my interest! I loved her oThank you to #NetGalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.
My Interest Julia Child!! That’s my interest! I loved her old shows–I’ve watched all that are on You Tube and remember watching some of the early ones with my Mom and the later ones in my own living room. Southeast Asia was commanded by the then Lord Louis Mountbatten (“Uncle Dickie” of The Crown) so that added interest. While this book is historical fiction, and while I admire Julia still, I don’t know so much about her that I’d be disappointed in a fictionalized version of her.
The Story Julia McWilliams, daughter of a prosperour Pasedena, California family has finished the fabled Smith College (one of the “Seven Sisters” colleges that allied with the then all male Ivy League Colleges) and has tried her hand at working in New York writing advertising copy. Wanting to play a part in the War, Julia volunteered but was deemed too tall for the women’s armed forces. Instead she went into the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and was eventually sent to Southeast Asia where Britain’s [as he was then] Lord Louis Mountbatten was in command. OSS was “covert” operations–spies to the layman. Julia maintained with a wink and a nod until she died that she’d just been a simple file clerk. This book, however, imagines what might have been with Julia as an operative in the field as well as doing file clerk duty. Along the way (in the story) she meets James Bond’s Uncle–i.e. Peter Fleming, brother of Bond’s creater, Ian Fleming. And, of course, she meets the love of her life–Paul Child.
The story is peopled with characters both real (Julia, Paul, the briefly mentioned Peter Fleming, “Wild” Bill Donovan–founder of OSS and, Dickie Mountbatten) and imagined. The author’s note at the end separates fact from fiction.
My Thoughts This was an exciting story well told. Julia as written by Chambers was believable–as was Paul. The author’s research gave her insight into their character, manners, and speech that carried over into the writing. Julia’s life in Southeast Asia sometimes stretched my ability to believe it, but it was well written and compelling regardless.
I did struggle though to feel any real chemistry between Julia and Paul. Liking, mutual interests, caring–yes, those came through. But the passion to spend a life together was not really there to me. Yes, Paul’s poem, but… but….
I did like the way the author sneaked Mountbatten’s “secret” into the story. Stephen Warick [I may have that spelled wrong–I listened to the audio] had no money–it was all his wife’s and the estates were hers, too. Edwina Mountbatten was a rare English heiress–the wealthiest of her generation according to many reports.
I really liked the story and recommend the book, but I took it down just a little for not feeling the chemistry between Julia and Paul.
[See below for errors in the book]
My Verdict 3.75 The Secret War of Julia Child: A Novel by Diana R. Chambers
Mistakes Antibiotic cream wasn’t available at the time of the story.
The part of the telephone that one talked into in that era was known as “the receiver” not the “hand-set” which came about 50 later.
Oh those pesky titles! At the time of the story, Mountbatten was only Lord Louis Mountbatten–the younger son of a Marquess [albeit one who was born a Serene Highness and Prince]. He did not become “Lord Mountbatten” until after the war when he was made Viscount Mountbatten of Burma and then elevated further after being Viceroy of India when he became Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
Being an American the audio performer mispronounced Mountbatten’s name as “Lewis” since Americans habitually pronounce Lewis and Louis in that way. (Like the British pronounce Houston, Texas as “Who-ston” instead of “Hugh-ston.” She also mispronounced Marelene Dietrch’s name and a few other words I’ve forgotten.
Real editors and fact checkers would solve these problems.
I'm listening to Nevil Shute's books. I can't promise I'll read those not available on audio, but I'm committed to doing all of them I can My Interest
I'm listening to Nevil Shute's books. I can't promise I'll read those not available on audio, but I'm committed to doing all of them I can listen to on my commute. I've loved every one so far. (I'll link my reviews at the end of the post).
The Story
Small town boy cum Stanford educated geologist, Stanton Laird, is sent out on his second international job to the outback of Western Australia to search for oil. In an area the locals call "The Lunatic," he meets the daughter of a sheep station glazier, Mollie. Along the way he comes to see just why the place earned it's nickname, but he also comes to admire the people who make this inhospitable land their home. Homesick for Hazel, Oregon, and haunted by a youthful disaster, Stan find comfort in talking to Mollie. Mollie admires all that she sees in the ads in the Saturday Evening Post and other American magazines that Stan shared with her and her family. Though a young Englishman, David Cope, is making a go of a small sheep station, Mollie's admiration drifts naturally to Stan and she wonders if the grass really is greener in America. Stan waxes lyrical about the marvelous life in Hazel, Oregon. Mollie, who has only been off the home place to go to a Catholic boarding school and on occasional visits to Perth, is beguiled by the charms of Hazel.
SPOILERS [skip this paragraph]
When both David and Stan propose, Mollie decides to accept Stan. Her mother though, has shrewd advice--go back to the USA with him, but not as a fiance. Things can be very different than they appear and Stan's homesick romanticism of his hometown might not match up to reality. Then, too, can a girl born in The Lunatic with such an "interesting" family manage to adjust to conventional small town life?
My Thoughts
Trust a Scots woman--a former barmaid--to have good, solid advice. The Lunatic is all that Mollie really knows, but even there her family is out of the norm. How would they have been viewed in the suburbia and small towns of an Australia still guided by the White Australia rule? Mother understood all of this and in so doing set her daughter up for the life she would likely choose in the end.
I liked Stan, but thought it a bit "off" that he didn't see his youthful disaster the way Mollie did. He was very well educated, had lived in another country once already, but still saw it in terms of a child. This didn't ring true to me. So, too, did it not ring true when Stan's mother managed such restraint at Mollie's "revelation" [no spoiler for that] or the second revelation while they were all watching t.v. Very few people in America in the 1950s would have acted so charitably as to have her continue her visit.
I also found it hard to accept that Ruth's family couldn't see the obvious--and had her back home so readily. In that small town her situation would have been worthy of even more gossip that Mollie's. Ruth was older, more mature, and understood that she'd have to live thru it. But would her parents really have been so blind? Especially, as we are led to believe, how the story will play out. That would have been an impossible life for poor Tony at least.
This sounds like harsh criticism, but I thouroughly enjoyed the story. Nevil Shute tells a great story every time. I almost tried to find a review from 1955 to see what was made of this story then. In the end, it was too much trouble.
Shute is an excellent author, but much as I'd like to give this 4 full stars because I enjoyed it. I have to take it down to 3 for my reactions.
Note: I am not sure if the terms Shute used to describe certain people are derrogatory today--they are not the terms used in the USA in the Jim Crow era. Stan's aunt uses a deragotry term once that we do not use today. Sadly, it was in wide use in 1955. My Verdict 3.0 Beyond the Black Stump by Nevil Shute I listened to the audio version of this book. I didn't have a print copy, but I think the reader was saying the name "Amy" when they said "AY-MAY." Very odd....more
My introduction to the 1970 Club post is here and includes a list of books published in 1970. My first review is here Rat Race by Dick Francis My IntereMy introduction to the 1970 Club post is here and includes a list of books published in 1970. My first review is here Rat Race by Dick Francis My Interest
This is the first book in a trio of books in Farrell's [British] Empire Trilogy. The books have been on my TBR since I learned of them in ...gasp....2012. High time I got to them--or at least to the first book, anyway. That was reason one, reason two should be obvious--the first of the three books was published in 1970. That it was available on audio and wasn't too grizzly a story sealed the deal.
The 1970 Club’s Hosts The 1970 Club is Hosted by Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings and Simon at Stuck in a Book. Won’t you visit their blogs and leave them nice comments? They don’t get paid to host these events and there’s a good bit of work involved in doing one. How Does the Club Work? Just read a book published in 1970 and review it on your blog, Instagram, Youtube. or any other social media or just leave a comment on it in the round-up posts on the hosts’ blogs. Simple! NOTE: While appropriate at the time of the book's setting, there are a few scenes that today would be considered animal cruelty. The Story “Surely there’s no need to abandon one’s reason simply because one is in Ireland.”
Throughout the last years of World War I Major Brendan Archer has been writing a woman he calls his "finacee"--Angela Spencer. Her husband owns the Majestic Hotel in Southern Ireleand. When the war ends and Brendan, who has suffered "shell shock" makes his way to Ireland to see Angela and [no Spoilers!] He gets to know the family, the long-term hotel guests, and the locals. The hotel is crumbling badly, just as British control over Ireland is doing. The fight to save the hotel just doesn't have much power--just like the British in outwitting the Irish.
Along the way Brenda becomes attracted to Angela's friend, Sarah and Angela's brother becomes engaged to a Catholic which causes less fuss than I thought--but these are fairly upperclass people, at least in their minds. There are, of course, Anglo-Catholics in the British aristocracy. As the violence intensifies and the Irish take whatever steps are necessary to throw out British rule, Brendan gets caught [no Spoilers]. Of course, the end results is the birth of the Irish Republic.
My Thoughts “Did the people of Ireland want to govern themselves? They most certainly did not. They knew on which side their bread was buttered. Ask any decent Irishman what he thinks and he’ll answer the same thing. It was only criminals, fanatics, and certain people with a grudge who were interested in starting trouble.” (Was this said by some chinless wonder in EVERY colony? Wasn't that why the Boston Tea Party was such a shock?)
Amazingly, I've read two Booker Prize winners in a little over two weeks--1979's Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald being the other. (I've also read one from the 1970 Booker Prize Shortlist--The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark). Back to (review next week) the book. I thought the crumbling hotel for the crumbling of British rule was a bit too obvious, but it worked--it really did. Brendan, having no family except a dying elderly aunt, found a home at the Majestic. I'm sure Sarah's castic ways were symbolic but I'm too dense to figure that out--she became nicer as the story went on. Was it having to be nice to the English who were in power? I'm not sure. I found Brendan pretty bland. His "shellshock" (today's PTSD) was perhaps to blame? I never really found much to like or dislike in him. Angela's father, Edward was a type--the small village Squire loosing his world. I didn't like what he did to that dog over the dead chicken. In 1970 40 or so of Britain's one-time colonies had gained their independence and the "Troubles" were on in Northern Ireland (Ulster) which is today still part of the United Kingdom. So a bit of a play on that in the book's title. My Verdict 3.5 Troubles by J.G. Farrell I listened to the audio version of this book....more
Thank you to #Netgalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
My Interest I read the author’s previous book, NineThank you to #Netgalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
My Interest I read the author’s previous book, Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret, which disappointed because I was expecting something more conventional and because so many of the anecdotes related in the book were not new to me. Nonetheless, I requested this book on Netgalley and got it.
I now that I understand that this book is the author’s “thing”–he rounds up published or broadcasted or filmed stories about a person/group and publishes them as a book, I can give a better review of this one.
The Book and My Thoughts “A new biography [is this a bio??] of Queen Elizabeth is particularly interested in the ways in which the late monarch, a familiar presence in the daily lives of so many for so long, also appeared unbidden in her subjects’ imaginative lives.”
The New Yorker on X
The stories related here cover all of the late Queen’s 96 years. They come mostly from the diaries, interviews, articles, memoirs, of writers, poets, artistis, politicians and the like, but some come from the memoirs of the Queen’s governess, from the memoirs of her distant cousin, Queen Marie of Romania and all sorts of other sources. Some have more to do with the person relating the story than with Her Majesty. As with the Margaret book, I’d read, seen, or heard many of the tales already, but a reader who does not collect on the royals would find a lot that is entertaining.
One of the stories new to me does not paint the Queen or the royal establishment in anything like a good light, but I believe it 100%. The queen’s racehorse trainer had the use of a property Her Majesty privately owned including a house. When he was gravely injured in a [fox] hunting accident he came back to work in a wheelchair but did the job. When he later had a heart attack, he was effectively fired and told to vacate the property. Lord Carnarveron (“Porchy”) did the dirty work, but it turns out it was his Godson who got the property to start his own training establishment. Then the injured man and his wife were asked to say good things to the press to cover it up! I laughed when the man led the Ruler of Dubai to victory with a horse descended from one the Queen bred and later sold to the Dubai royal. That was sweet justice to Porchy. I totally agree with the author though that no matter that it was Porchy who delivered the words NOTHING about the Queen’s blooodstock was done without her approval. It was H.M. who weilded the hatchet.
The funniest was the spoof of the Queen’s diary. (I’m a huge fan of spoof diaries and for a few years wrote one for my… friends of Camilla).
[punctuation may be off–I took these down from the audio book]
“Monday, a hectic week. After church Mr. Lucien Freud, who is a painter arrived to paint my portrait….I asked if he has been painting long, he tells me he has. ‘How interesting,’ I said, ‘a lovely hobby.’ I might have asked him if he would be most awfully kind and paint over the crack on the bathroom ceiling, but I forgot….. Frued, not a name you hear all that often….
“Tuesday in the evening Edward and his wife arrived, We all shake hands. She has fair hair. ‘Hello, Mummy, we were just passing so thought we’d drop by and say ‘hello,’ …’You remember Sophie, of course?’ ‘Of course,’ I say making her feel at home. ‘Have you come far?’ She says she hasn’t come all that far they live quite near Windsor….
“Wednesday, I receive my Prime Minister. He informs me of his plans…[for] modernizing the railway system…. ‘Railways are still very popular,’ I tell him, ‘they are particularly useful if people want to get from A to B and for one reason or another they don’t have their driver.’ ‘You’ve hit the nail on the head,’ he says. After 50 years as their monarch I have a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer….”
But by far, my favorite chapter concerend Prince Philip:
“Prince Philip was in many ways a tweedy, saloon bar philosopher….There was an element of Basil Fawlty [t.v. show Fawlty Towers with John Cleese] in him as there was of Sybil in the Queen–one of them ruffling feathers as the other attempted to smooth them….his instinctive iconoclasm could send him into crackpot journey….” Pretty funny!
I’d read Timothy Knatchbull’s book, so this was not new to me, but I was touched anew by the story of him arriving at Balmoral after the murder of his Grandfather, Lord Mountbatten and of his twin brother, Nicholas, to have the Queen “mother” him even though his older sister was unnerved and just wanted Her Majesty to go to bed. He relates how the Queen checked on him during the visit and even played Mummy long enough to send him to rest one day–something he badly needed. That was very sweet.
Now that I’m used to the author’s “thing” I enjoyed this collection more.
My Verdict 3.5 Q: A Voyage Around the Queen by Craig Brown
I listened to the very long audio version of this book....more
My Interest Like the Royal Family, the British Parliament is so interesting–after all, I don’t pay a cent in taxes to support it. And, in the EdwardianMy Interest Like the Royal Family, the British Parliament is so interesting–after all, I don’t pay a cent in taxes to support it. And, in the Edwardian and pre-World War I era, Parliament and the Prime Minster were a huge part of aristocratic life. I find the aristocracy fascinating. Plus, this Prime Minister is not only the gr-grandfather of actress Helena Bonham Carter, but could almost be called the Bill Clinton of Whitehall. He was going through the run-up to WWI having a daliance with a lady younger than his daughter, 26 year old Venitia Stanely. So, give that Robert Harris’ books are excellent and that this was a novel that uses the real letters of one of the main characters (H.H.A.) I knew it would be worth my time.
Also, I enjoy older man–younger woman relationships, though I only write about those who marry and were happy together. There are several of those on this blog, including another Prime Minister, Anthony Eden and his second wife, Clarissa Churchill. The Story Like many men in top circles, Herbert Henry Asquith, liked to have a girlfriend around to play with. It was not always a given that to “play with” came to mean what we call “playing around” today. But, regardless of the degree of physical intimacy, it was an affair. What made it worse was that H.H.A. shared state secrets with Venetia–violating the State Secrets Act. The starting point for the “thriller” aspect of this book is H.H.A. reading a telegram meant only for those with top security clearances or “need to know” and then, wait for it! tossing it out the window of the car they were driving around in. Enter a policeman who picks up the paper to throw it away. His curiosity overcomes him and he sees what it is…..
Fast forward. H.H.A. and Venetia’s letters are intercepted by the relevant government service and the same policeman has been rewarded with a promotion and gets to vet and photograph all the intercepted letters. H.H.A. proves the adage ‘there’s no fool like an old fool’–by telling his lady love “all.” Meanwhile, War is starting, then starts and goes badly. Venetia, by now restless and bored with H.H.A. sets out to become a nurse. She finds she likes working–a novelty to a young woman of her time and class who mostly were educated at home by a governess as she was and have no experience with their peers beyond a very limited social circle. While she may throw up every time she empties a pot, Venetia survives. Exhausted by the work, H.H.A.’s demands on her time become tedious. Maybe her mother is right? Maybe she should….marry?
Weirdly, when Venetia became ill from stress she was prescribed strychnine and raw meat which was served to her as “steak tartare.”
My Thoughts This is how a fictionalization of real people should be written. I didn’t want to stop listening. While the author was forced to invent Venetia’s letters, his research let him do that in a consistent and believable voice. H.H.A.’s increasing demands and his deafness to Venetia’s hints or even outright requests, shows a man accustomed to being in charge of things. Ladies have all the time in the world for him even when working 7 days a week as a nurse in wartime.
Politicians have always been an interesting group. Carried usually by charisma to the top of the field, they often become too surrounded by “yes men” to know the truth. The cringe-y hospital tour scene [No Spoilers] is the epitome of this in H.H.A..
So, too was the policeman–Dima’s claustrophobia and isolation doing the dirty work with the letters. Like Venetia, he grew and changed and came to see that both side…NO SPOILERS.
I saw several parallels to the early, pre-stroke, courting days Woodrow Wilson and Edith Bolling Galt, who became the second Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. The drives in the country, the besotted President wooing his lady, the inappropriate sharing of classified information, the daughters not too impressed, the staff “concerned.” Thankfully, Venetia was not Edith Bolling–she didn’t want to run the country.
For the “other” side of this story–that of Mrs. H.H. Asquith see Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street.
My Interest I’ve wanted to read a Rory Clements book for a long time, but need to be in the right mood for a thriller. My interest came first from his My Interest I’ve wanted to read a Rory Clements book for a long time, but need to be in the right mood for a thriller. My interest came first from his name–I have a character in one of my manuscripts whose first and middle names are “Rory Clement.” The rest of my interest comes from my interests in politics and World War II. When I saw that this book included Unity Mitford as character I knew I’d found the one to start with.
The Story Munich in 1935, two years into Hitler’s rule. The British upperclasses are anywhere from fascinated by to devoutly supporting fascism–some at home, too. No one is a more ardent admirer of Hitler than Lord Redesdale’s fourth daughter, Unity Vallkyrie Freeman Mitford–known to friends as “BoBo.” (Rumored to have been conceived in Swastika, Onatrio, Canada where her parents were on holiday}. Many other young people, some following Unity’s lead, others just wanting the 1930’s equivilent to a rich kid’s gap year are living on a life of German language lessons, finishing-school level cultural appreciation and partying. One such young woman has now been found dead with strange markings made in what appears to be lipstick on her body. No shock that the marks are instantly thought by one of the devout party members to be Hebrew. But is it?
Munich Detective Sebastian Wolff, rescued from a wild night’s stay at Dachau by a well-connected Uncle, is given no choice but to solve the crime “yesterday” so that an agreement with the British is not jeapodized day before its signing. The girls brother, a Viscount, has come to demand answers. Everyone, naturally, wants someone of the Jewish faith to be fingered and a man is found to fit the bill. But did he do it? The stories vary between the suspect, the Viscount, Unity, and other friends. Wolff’s investigation is made harder by the presence of a Gestapo “minder”–part of the conditions of his release from the concentration camp where he was sent for re-education by an overly zealous Gesapto officer.
But when another man, one well-known to Wolff is found dead in a circumstance not like him in real life and when a second woman is found dead with the same markings–what will happen to the fingered Jewish suspect and to Wolff? And how does Wolf’s ardent Hitler Youth son and his girl friend figure in? Or the wife of a cold, calculating Nazi?
My Thoughts Although a few people who read here regularly may be offended, I couldn’t help but see parallels to today’s political scence here in the U.S. The hate being spewed against illegal immigrants in a political ad by the man running against my state’s Democratic senator is straight out of Hitler’s day (for the record I am NOT for illegal immigration, I am for fixing our horrendously broken immigration system)–illegal immigrants are both “dangerous and meancing.”
Now, back to the book. It is hard to review a thriller without spoilers. I thought Unity was in the story just enough–she wasn’t allowed to take over the story, but did say something very useful. Wolff is a great character–already so over the Nazis and it’s only year 2 of their reign of terror. He is still there standing up for right and suffering consequences when necessary for his beliefs. The powerlessness he feels in regard to his son is very real.
I loved the way the pseudo folklore the Nazis used was woven into the story. I’ve learned some about that in books like Nazi Wives and other recent books on the era or the party. The “Pig’s” wild part was right out of In the Garden of Beasts (by Erik Larson) in terms of purportions, debauchery and believablity. [FYI that is a very readable nonfiction book on the Nazis]
I hope Wolff will get another book–he’s very compelling and I like the banter with [No Spoilers!]
When the late Queen and Prince Philip visited Russia for the only time, Philip was asked if he was happy to be there. [paraphrasing] “They killed muchWhen the late Queen and Prince Philip visited Russia for the only time, Philip was asked if he was happy to be there. [paraphrasing] “They killed much of my family, but of course I’m happy to be here….” Ella, like the last Tzarina Alexandra, was his great-aunt–his maternal grandmother’s little sisters. [They were also related to the Queen, of course–all were descendants of Victoria]. Ella was later canonized as a Saint in the Russian Orthodox Church. Prince Philip’s mother based her work in Athens on Ella’s work in Russia.
Ella is the princess who thwarted Kaiser Wilhelm’s desire to marry her.
Sadly for Ella, her husband was the man assigned responsibility for the Khodynka Tragedy when hundreds were trampled to death to get free food and a souvenir cup following the coronation of Nicholas and Alexandra. She and her husband had guardianship of Grand Duke Dmitri who helped kill Rasputin.
Ella’s murder was truly horrific. She was flung down a mine shaft and left to die. Prince Philip gave dna to help identify her remains and those of the family of Nicholas and Alexandra.
Warwick did a commendable job of holding to his stated aim of not letting politics and more famous relative overtake the story. There was a little of that than I thought necessary, but much better than most such books.
Fun P.S. This book led me to the wonderful commedy of manners, The Visits of Elizabeth by Elinor Glyn. Don’t you love following book rabbit trails like this?...more
Bletchley Park! What doesn't interest us about this place--and those who steadfastly kept their mouths shut while working there. [Imagine that happeniBletchley Park! What doesn't interest us about this place--and those who steadfastly kept their mouths shut while working there. [Imagine that happening today!] Sarah is besties with Oslo and both are Goddaughters of Dickie Mountbatten [whose real name, "Louis" the British narrator kept pronouncing in the American fashion as "Lewis"--odd]. They both did their "bit." Both found a purpose (like Lady Louis Mountbatten did) through war work. For the "girls" Sarah and Oslo, it was first in factories and then at Bletchley. Not mentioned was Oslo's famous stint as Prince Philip's girl friend! [He would later be Godfather to at least one of her children]. I loved this one from start to finish. ...more
Edward VII, like his great-great-grandson, Charles III today, waited a near eternity to be King (albeit not as long as Charles). Along the way he led Edward VII, like his great-great-grandson, Charles III today, waited a near eternity to be King (albeit not as long as Charles). Along the way he led a rather…well, dissolute life. His mother gave him nothing to do and with those high expectations set he saw no reason to set higher ones for himself. He lived for women, gambling, shooting, and food. When it was finally his turn in the top job he got to his Coronation week and nearly died of appendicitis–very, very dire back then. He submitted to the new operation and lived to be crowned a few months later. When he died not many years later his reign was symbolized with “Black Ascot”–the famous race week but with everyone wearing black for mourning. If this somehow seems familiar, Cecil Beaton used in in the race scene in My Fair Lady. There is so much more in this wonderful book though! The King is Dead, Long Live the King… by Martin Williams. (nonfiction)...more
My Interest I saw this book on the NPR page and liked the sound of it. Like The Three of Us: A Novel by it is a story set over one day and concerns a mMy Interest I saw this book on the NPR page and liked the sound of it. Like The Three of Us: A Novel by it is a story set over one day and concerns a marriage and is very short.
An added bonus to this book, for those “Reading Across the USA” (aka reading a book set in each of the 50 states) is that it is set in Delaware–a state not overly used as a book’s setting. Delaware Trivia: It is the home of the Du Pont family (who make Teflon famous among other things) and is the home state of now lame-duck President Joe Biden. More triva: Ethel du Pont married Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr as the first of his five wives and was the mother of FDR III and another son with him.
The Story “…a voice so soft it sounded stolen….”
Virgil and Kathleen Beckett have been married for nine years and have two sons. Virgil, a World War II veteran, has moved the family back to Kathleen’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware following several years working in Rhode Island. On the day the USSR sends Laika the space dog into orbit, Kathleen stays home from church–religious practice being a new habit to the family begun at Virgil’s suggestion. Both sense it, but over the course of the day something will change in their lives.
Over the course of that day both Kathleen and Virgil reflect on their earlier lives and how those experiences [biting my tongue wanting to put in that awful woke-ish word “inform”] influence the events of this day. As Kathleen, oddly, sits in the apartment complex’s never-used swimming pool on this unusually hot Sunday afternoon for hours and Virgil plays golf, a game he isn’t even sure he likes, with men from a job he knows is going nowhere, they will reach their marital epiphany–both alone and then together, while their boys do what we all did as kids in the 1950s and 1960s–watch endless tv or play somewhere without our parents knowing where we were or what we were doing.
My Thoughts I found this book compelling. I got frustrated occasionally with the cycling of the story but that had more to do with listening rather than reading a print or Kindle copy of the book. I felt for Kathleen due to letting one person put her off her dream–exactly what I did, though thankfully it did not occur the same way for me. But, I also had sympathy for Virgil, stuck in a job he never wanted, never giving his dreams a chance– like me with yet another another realistic dream.
I loved that this was all taking place in one day–a Sunday. Yes both tell their stories from the past to the reader, but the actual events that make the story are in one day. As they relate their past lives, a sense begins to form of what and when things went off course and it isn’t just with the obvious.
I liked the way Wilmington and the Du Ponts were woven into the story without having an actual Du Pont appear. That was very good in making the setting real. The apartment complex as a place, [paraphrase] “alone or in pairs, people came to die,” was very apt. The occasional use of tennis terms or lingo also worked well.
My Verdict 4.0 I listened to the audio version
Picky stuff:
No one said “in the flannel,” aka “a flannel,” of today-speak in 1958
Virgil had “no idea” how someone got his phone number in 1958 when all you had to do was call “Information” aka “Directory Assistance” for that city. Very few people had unpublished phone numbers.
Also, how did someone in that era not know who Moses was?
I never understood why a pool with a cover on was still fully filled with water in November. Wouldn’t it be drained and or with minimal water and something to keep ice from forming? Weird.
I learned of this book via this review by blogger The Literate Quilter. Won't you click the link, go to their site and read their review, too? Leave aI learned of this book via this review by blogger The Literate Quilter. Won't you click the link, go to their site and read their review, too? Leave a nice comment--those are so important to bloggers most of whom, like me, do this for free. My Interest
I was in the Peace Corps in 1989-1991. That gives me somewhat of a bleeding heart. I've even been mistaken for a UN elections monitor! Everything about this book interested me, but most of all the author himself did. The child of a Hattian father and [white] French mother, related to a former Hatian "ruler" (not sure of the correct title). I knew he'd have a unique take on the humanitarian "industrial" complex as well as on the countries mentioned here. He is currently head of the UN World Food Program in Haiti.
Another long post no one will read.....lol The Story
Bauer discusses the various international aid projects, food programs, and other international aid activities with which he has worked over the course of his career in humanitarian work. He tells all of this in a very engrossing way--"narrative nonfiction" as it should be.
My Thoughts [Sorry--these are more notes than a true summation of my thoughts, but this book has been too hard to review in the time I've had available and it's been waiting to be posted for a few weeks now]. Chef Jose Andres, whose book We Fed An Island, is discussed. I love what he does and was glad he was featured as a bright light in this world. The super white world of aid work and the expat life that goes with it is bloated and often useless just as the charities and IGOs and NGOs that support it. As he shows, little listening is really done in the countries. The diplomatic corps mindset of supporting their own country's interest comes first, then the "natives." Peace Corps, which I served in, now supports gender-affirmation regardless of local culture. Missionaries are totally ignored in this book--for the most part with good reason. But there are GOOD, helpful missionaries who do community development work first, religion second. That always gets ignored today. Yes, they are few and far between in many countries, but they are a valuable part of the food security equation. Missionaries include Muslims who build mosques to foster community and may be good or bad just like Christian missionaries. I would have liked more focus on how foreign aid interfered with farming by forcing chemical fertilizers and a western farming practices which were so detrimental. Pushing Monsanto is a sin the USA will be living down abroad for generations. Forcing people who were feeding themselves to totally change their farming methods was not the brightest idea. I'm glad he talked about all the ways dictators use food security to solidify power. I know first hand what went on in Malawi under Kamuzu Banda. In some areas millet, sorghum, rice or cassava grew better, but corn [maize] was the staple food pushed. Even worse, the most nutrient-lacking milling of flour was seen as "best." In Zambia and Zimbabwe [before Mugabe went mad] the more nutrient-rich milling of maize flour [cornmeal] was promoted--resulting in much better health. Whole meal brown bread was also much more popular in Zimbabwe and "real" milk much more plentiful. A further food security problem in Malawi was a legacy of British colonialism. Zambia ("Northern Rhodesia"), Zimbabwe ("Southern Rhodesia"), and Malawi ("Nyasaland") were one "unit"--The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, but food production was divided--meat was raised mostly in Rhodesia. Nyasaland provide grains, rice, and fish. While ethic groups do, of course, differ widely in physical stature, people in Malawi were much worse off nutritionally even with beans and occasionally meat or fish. .
He was amazed that a RED STATE could do something positive about food at a grass roots level. Not only for the local food movement but also reclaiming farm land from developers. Another Red State program he should look at is The Patachou Foundation --one of several initiatives founded by the same person to benefit food insecure children and the community in a RED STATE. The person who started it is amazing--I was pleased to work for her husband for several years. [So absolutely sick of big shots looking down their nose at any state Trump won. Guess what? I live there and I didn't vote for him! There's a lot of us. And, even Trump voters care about their communities, donate money and give their time to helping others].
Doesn't seem to know that whites also grew and canned/preserved foods and passed this culture down. I learned from my Mom as did nearly all of my friends. I know several who did Food Preservation ("canning") in 4-H all the way through high school. Two got partial college scholarships from this activity. Often the men in those families went hunting for sport and prepped venison, duck, pheasant, or quail, or fish for the freezer. Back further they raised pigs and slaughtered them, cured the meat, made sausage, etc. Foraging for food was a thing for all who had access to berries, nuts, wild mushrooms, asparagus, etc. and still is popular. Be here during morel season!
No idea that the government has been teaching people for years to budget and prepare food--EFNEP is one program. My Mom worked with it in a RED STATE for over 15 years and won a national award for her work. A friend worked in a "sister" program that taught money management. Nor does he realize that vegetable seeds or plants are acceptable purchases on "food stamps" [today this is known as SNAP or EBT].
Decries the loss of farm land to "plywood" houses--what about to solar and wind farms? They are devouring farmland where I live and contribute very little of our energy and I am a Democrat saying that. We need better energy solutions than these slag heaps of the very near future. [I'm sick of people being snotty about almost affordable, usually very livable homes. Those Craftsman bungalows you probably wax lyrical over were the tract homes--the plywood houses--of their day, most ordered from SEARS--oh how tacky!]
He DOES allow that farmer's markets can be VERY elitist, but ignores the farmer's market sellers who just buy produce at wholesalers and mark it up. Or that few take SNAP/EBT ("food stamps") and not everyone can pay such ridiculous prices just to go home with a heirloom tomato. I love a good farmer's market, but I'm not trying to feed 3 kids on a minimum wage job.
Putting down people for eating absolutely health affordable frozen or canned vegetables or frozen or juice-packed fruit is another elitist thing he skips. Or that access to fresh, whole foods depends on where you live.
Ignores celebrity chefs and food writers who oppose and discourage the use of shelf-stable dried herbs and push more expensive, often hard find and keep fresh "fresh" herbs (which aren't fresh when bought in a plastic clam shell at a supermarket) or the fact that many simply don't have even a big enough window space or desire to grow multiple types of herbs. (Not having the desire to grow herbs does not make one "lazy").
School gardens ARE great, but most are a token--few truly help "feed" the children in the US. Often the garden idea is just another add on-that teachers are expected to oversee as well as recruit and keep a team volunteers to help with, etc., with no extra pay. Plus, how many poor urban schools have LAND to use for this? Even here in rural America, land around schools is extensive only in Middle and High Schools and all is used for sports. Elementary schools have a parking lot and playground, though newly built schools DO often now have an "outdoor classroom" area with space for some gardening and a few have green houses. My local high school career center and our community college both have garden-type "agriculture" in addition to the Future Farmers of America type large scale commercial agriculture-related courses. Green houses are often found in high schools, too.
Final Comment This is a very good book! Don't let my comments mislead you--they are mostly my reading notes. He presents an excellent account of what goes on in the aid world. My Verdict 3.75 The New Breadline: Hunger and Hope in the Twenty-First Century by Jean-Martin Bauer I listened to the audio version of this book.
Thank you to #Netgalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. My Interest
I’ve read a lot of “The Something something lifThank you to #Netgalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. My Interest
I’ve read a lot of “The Something something life of Somebody somebody” novels which lately have become the “Somebody is a something” novels. Usually good, often tug at the heart strings or propel one to think about Life in capital letters. The Story
Jenny James is a single parent. Her son, Charlie is off to college [aka “Uni”] soon, her job is going South and their house…just slipped down a cliff. Life kind of sucks at the moment. Meanwhile, the local grumpy guy, Luke, invites them to stay in his motor home and go on an adventure to take their minds off the mess of life. They pull places out of a hat to decide where to go next.
On their road trip a lot of bonding happens, secrets are shared and all three heal from things they’ve either talked about or hidden. Jenny, Charlie, Luke and Dachshund Betty start to feel like “family,” but is t his the truth?
My Thoughts
This story shows just how differently each person sees things without it being one of those trendy “unreliably narrator” books. It also shows just how quickly time passes in our lives and how easy it is to get used to things we never wanted to happen in the first place. Putting our own view of what should happen first is the culprit here. Parents do their best. Teenagers do their best-worst. Life happens. Jenny’s story is such a typical one, yet the author makes it seem new. Charlie, too, has a typical story one he shares with way too many kids [don’t worry–it’s nothing horrific in the Oprah book meaning of that word]. ALMOST A SPOILER coming. Luke’s–that was a gut punch I didn’t see coming.
This is a good story of a decent, caring family and what can go wrong when you are trying to do your best. Even better it is one in which people do their best to heal the rend. My Verdict 4.0...more
Lisa of Hopewell
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