Run

Novel by Ann Patchett

"When an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard Doyle cares about is his ability to keep his children--all his children--safe."

So reads the inside flap of this 2007 novel. Because of this snippet, I almost didn't read the book. I am incredibly vulnerable to stories of injury to children right now. For example, I was perusing the first few pages of a very trendy Christian inspiration book, came to a scene where the author's sister dies at a young age, and slammed the book down.  These kinds of images just cause my anxiety to flare and I really don't need that in my life right now. But....I started reading this book anyway, with trepidation, and I'm glad I did. Because really, there is none of that in the story. This quote is misleading--it stirs up ideas of drama that isn't in the book at all. Sure, there's an accident and some injuries, but the children are never really in danger. There's other drama, better drama, but not the heart-palpitation-inducing drama that I don't want to hear about right now.

And I'm glad I got past the cover, because this book is another rich one from Patchett. After I read State of Wonder, Patchett's newest, I asked you which others you would recommend. My friend Marie replied that Run was her favorite, and I can easily see why it appeals to her. As usual, Patchett explores some universal issues in sensitive ways. The ones in this book, social justice and adoption, are close to Marie's heart. It's also as fast-paced as the other books, which is a must for busy moms who choose between reading and sleep. I wondered as I finished, though, why I still liked Bel Canto better than this one. Maybe because Bel Canto was my first experience with her writing and a total surprise. Maybe it's because this one was set in Boston and didn't have that other-world quality. Maybe it's that intangible something about some books that just grab us, and it's different for each reader. So don't be discouraged from reading this book based on my opinion--it may be your favorite.

As I started with a quote, I'll end with one as well. This is also from the cover, and is miles better at describing the heart of this story: "It shows us how worlds of privilege and poverty can coexist only blocks from each other, and how family can include people you've never even met."

Broken for You

Novel by Stephanie Kallos

Communion. Sacrifice. Heart ache. Mosaic. Broken bones. All of these come to mind from the title and cover art of this lovely book. And all of those ideas are found on the pages inside. Stephanie Kallos's first book is amazingly complex, deep and yet fast-moving, and a little intimidating. And most importantly (for me), it still has a happy ending.

There are so many lovable, damaged characters in this book, but the main two are Wanda, a recently single 30-something, and Margaret, a rich old lady who takes in Wanda as a boarder. Margaret has cancer, and decides to make some changes in her lonely old life before she dies. The two begin a complicated, generous, therapeutic relationship, the growth of which creates a plot with all kinds of interconnections between people. It has wonderful juxtapositions of characters and events (like all those popular movies with the ensemble casts). Also, the setting is Seattle's Capitol Hill, so it's easy for me to imagine it all vividly. In fact, the author credits a visit to Shafer Baillie Mansion in helping her describe the old house that is so central to the story. My husband and I stayed at the Shafer Baillie, which is now a bed and breakfast, a few years ago for our anniversary. It's gorgeous and a bit intimidating (like this book, actually).

As I reflect on the novel, I keep coming back to the title. Broken for you. Usually I hear that during Communion, and truly this is a deeply spiritual novel. But the main characters are either lapsed Catholics, atheists, or Jewish (and you don't realize until more than halfway through what importance the Jewish faith plays in the outcome). So it's interesting to me that Kallos chose such a Christian saying as her title.  On the outside, the philosophy of the book seems to be that religion is unnecessary and negative, something we have to overcome in order for people to really come together. For example, a critic's review of a holy-book-shaped mosaic states, "Schultz-who calls herself a 'spiritual atheist'- reminds us that the words of faith are not only divisive, but insignificant."  I think, however, the real message of this novel is about being open to love, healing, and faith in people, which is also part of most faiths.  I love the continuing theme of doing "mitzvahs,"  the Jewish term for good deeds that can heal the world. Big and small acts of kindness truly do heal people in this story.

There is a point at which I wish I was in a real book club, because I have some questions: How does Wanda not recognize someone from her past for such a long time? Is that real, or just a plot device? And how is she not absolutely enraged at that person? Does that show her change of heart or is it convenient for the story to wrap up?

I suppose I could talk with my mom about these questions; she recommended the book to me. But like me, she reads too many books too fast and can't remember much about them after a while. So if you read this book, keep those questions in mind at the end (I promise, they're not plot spoilers) and email me so we can talk!

The Wednesday Sisters

Novel by Meg Waite Clayton

When I write these posts, I feel a little like Michelangelo, sculpting from the front of the marble to the back. The similarity is not in that I am a genius or that my posts are masterpieces (oh, the David! sigh). Far from it.  Rather, I acknowledge that I am completely making it up as I go along, with no plan, and with the knowledge that if it doesn't work, I'll have to just chuck it and start over.

Which is basically what this book is about. The Wednesday Sisters are in informal writing club, and while the book is in large part about their lives as moms in the late 1960's-early 70's, it's also about their writing process, as they begin novels and short stories, then revise or burn them. So the whole time I was reading, I was thinking about characters, plot structure, leads, point of view, time frames, and all the other intricacies of novels. That's not to say I wasn't very involved in the characters' lives. I was. I cried when Ally experiences a familiar heartbreak, and celebrated when two characters finally get published (one writes a book titled Michelangelos' Ghost, hmmm), and nodded when they woefully send their children off to kindergarten. It was a very relatable book for me. But I was also reminded constantly that it's a book about writing. And I'm kind of a writer. So it was kind of intense.

My one criticism is that I sometimes had a hard time keeping straight the characteristics of the five protagonists. Clayton works very hard to give them some definitive character traits, such as Linda's straightforwardness and Kath's Southern charm. But those characteristics became so prevalent that when any other subtleties are revealed, I kind of forgot who was talking. Maybe that's actually very realistic or the way that a group of women become when they are so close, but like I said, I got confused. Wait, maybe it's also that I read too darn fast.

By the way, I read this book because my mom made me. That sounds very seventh grade, but it's true. I already had a big stack of books to read (also borrowed from my mom) when she pressed this one one me, saying it was about writing and maybe it would inspire me to write. If I ever publish, it will be thanks to the persistence of my mom and my grandma. And a patient husband. And maybe a good babysitter...

Catherine, Called Birdy AND Anna of Byzantium

Young Adult Historical Fiction

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett

Ok, I finally did my homework. I am teaching an honors seventh grade social studies class this semester, and we only have time to study the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. I want the kids' understanding of the scope of history to go beyond the Mediterranean and beyond the fall of Rome. So I decided to give them a choice of novels to read about a different culture and time period. These two were recommended by our librarian and some other sources, but I hadn't read them, so I've had them sitting on my bedside table since Christmas, waiting for inspiration to strike. (I'm also offering two books about ancient Korea by Linda Sue Parks, The Kite Fighters and A Single Shard, but I've already read those.)

You know I love historical fiction, and mostly I like YA fiction as well. Following suit, I enjoyed both of these books. It's interesting to review two books at once because I can't help but compare them. The first one I read was Anna, and it's my least favorite of the two. It's about a true historical figure, a princess of Byzantium (the area that was the Eastern part of the Roman Empire and continued on after the fall, though was more Greek than Roman in culture). Anna would have been empress, but a family dispute made her brother emperor instead. That's no plot spoiler--the story starts with her telling her tale of woe after the fact. I learned more about Byzantine culture from the book than I had ever known before, which I enjoyed, but the characters were dark and complicated--too much like real people for me. I think the author should have romanticized it a bit. Catherine, on the other hand, was a real winner. It's also told from a young girl's perspective, but this time in medieval Europe. It's in the form of a diary kept in 1290, the year in which Catherine's father, a minor knight, is attempting to marry her off at a profit. Catherine is stubborn, foul tongued, and tender hearted, and she doesn't want to marry a stranger. In fact, she'd rather be a Crusader, or a minstrel, or a hundred other things. She is delightful. God's thumbs (to borrow her idiom), this is a good one!

I'm glad the kids are going to be reading these mostly outside class, and discussing in their own little book clubs, because otherwise it would be a little too...interesting...to discuss some parts of the books together. There's a good deal of talk about baby making in Catherine. Not sex; just baby making. But still. That's more than I want to talk about with middle school boys, thank you very much. There's also a great deal of religion in both, mostly Christian but with some Greek mythology thrown into Anna. Should make for some good discussion with the kids. I'm glad I get to listen in...

State of Wonder

Novel by Ann Patchett

I know, I know...I said I was going to read some young adult historical fiction next, to prepare for a class I'm teaching. But I had this Amazon gift card burning a hole in my...account. So I had to check out Ann Patchett's newest, and I am oh-so glad I did. I couldn't put this one down.  By now you know I am kind of a softie. I've read books I haven't liked but none that I couldn't find at least something nice to say about. But this one, oh, I'm not just being nice. I'm ready to go check out all her other books because I loved this one, and the last one I read (Bel Canto) so much.

So State of Wonder is about a pharmaceutical researcher who goes to the Amazon to find a colleague who didn't return from a visit to their lead field researcher there, who hasn't reported on her findings in 10 years. Dr. Marina Singh goes to Manaus, Brazil and then the heart of the Amazon jungle and encounters a chivalrous chauffeur, a pair of Australian bohemians, a deaf native child, a stoic and icy research doctor, a fascinating tribe, and several other colleagues of interest. Oh, and a modern medical miracle or two. The cast of characters is as intricately woven as the plot and the vines of the jungle. This novel so greatly resembled a dense ecosystem that it reminded me that's what I thought about Bel Canto : this book is not only about an opera singer, but it's like an opera in its richness and high and low notes. Both books just resonate their subject matter. They use just the right amount of words and just the right words; they are both spare and poetic. It's masterful. My only complaint is that the ending is too sudden, too unexpected, too unsettling. But maybe that's just because I read it so quickly.

Patchett's books also make me think about some controversial issues in them. This one questions some of the practices of pharmaceutical research and funding. There is an ethical dilemma in which I would expect to land one on side and find myself leaning toward the other. Some authors of novels like this sort of slam you over the head with the issue (Jodi Picoult?) but I think Patchett is a little more subtle and lets you come to your own ideas. I've also read comparisons of this book to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (which, come to think of it, just may be a book I have nothing nice to say about) but I think it's a lot more like Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible. Both are about indigenous peoples and trips into a scary and unknown environment. But Patchett and Kingsolver bring hope and understanding into some extreme situations.

Now, I should say I'm going to read those YA novels. But first I have to grade some papers, and then I think I'll want something a little more...adult. Maybe I'll reread Poisonwood Bible. A friend is debating getting rid of his books because he says he doesn't reread them, and I feel like keeping my favorites may need justifying.

The Darcys: The Ruling Passion

Fan Fiction by Linda Berdoll

Bodice ripper: yes. More Pride and Prejudice: YES PLEASE!

This novel is third in a series that continues the story of Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy, one of my favorite literary couples of all time.  The series also includes Darcy and Elizabeth: Days and Nights at Pemberley and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues. Jane Austen would turn over in her grave at these books, though. It's often been commented that Austen's great romances end at the wedding day because she never married, so she couldn't write about the marriage itself. I think that's junk--she wrote about plenty of marriages, some merely convenient, some loving, some so irritating you love to hate them. But she certainly didn't write about passion or hot hot lovin'; Austen was too decorous for that. Linda Berdoll has no such qualms. These books are as steamy as a sauna. They're definitely a guilty pleasure for me, much like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

One funny anecdote about these books is that they were first given to me by my mother-in-law. I try not to remind my husband of that while I'm reading the books, including some little bits aloud to him. I don't think she knew they were so bawdy when she gave the first two to me, just that they were about Pride and Prejudice which she knows I love. Thank you, Pat.

My admiration for the books is obvious, for the love and the characters and letting me continue to live in Elizabeth's sassy head (I named my daughter partly for this Elizabeth and partly for my sister Elizabeth, that's how much I love her). The plot is also engaging and slightly mysterious. There's a twist you'll totally see coming if you've read the other books. My one complaint is that the timeline takes some convoluted turns--at one point I said aloud, "Wait, he's dead!" Berdoll keeps the plot hopping by jumping back and forth between not only London and Pemberley (the country estate) but between the end of the last novel and recent events in the new one. It's a little confusing, in my opinion. It's actually something she did in the previous books, but my friend Jiorgia and I agree she does so more in this recent installment. She also seems to focus on the politics of the day more in this book, but I guess that makes sense given that one of the characters is a secretary to a Lord.

One last disclaimer: there is also some heartbreak about children in this book, which you might expect due to the lack of medical knowledge at the time (bloodletting? really?). But I wasn't ready for it and it pretty well slew me. If you're tenderhearted about babies right now, read with caution. But also know that great passion and devotion is often built as much by shared sorrow as by love. I think many of us have experienced that.

Island Beneath the Sea

Novel by Isabel Allende

I would like to BE Isabel Allende. I have read her memoirs and even though she has had some horrible experiences (losing her daughter to a debilitating illness, living through revolution in Chile), she has made an amazing life for herself and is writing some of the richest novels I can find. Her stories are dense and sweet, satisfying and easy to read all at once.

This particular novel is out of Allende's usual sphere of writing; while she usually writes about California or Chile, this takes place in the colony that became Haiti and then in New Orleans during the late 1700's and early 1800's. A slave named Tete and her owner, Toulouse Valmorain, have a complicated relationship that grows ever more intertwined through a slave revolt, various marriages, and a move away from their home colony of Saint-Domingue.  A statement by the author says she became interested in this point in history when researching New Orleans for her novel Zorro (which is also fantastic). It's easy to see why Allende was intrigued: the stories and culture of the Caribbean and New Orleans are suggestive and sinuous and savory. Yet against this delightful backdrop are the horrors of slavery and war, and then layered upon that are the lovely, intelligent, humanistic characters that Allende imagines for us. Rich indeed.

What I loved most about this book was the humility and grace the main characters exhibited. That is, the protagonists. The good guys. The antagonist, Valmorain, repeatedly shows how weakness and hubris prevents him from being the man he could be. He does some despicable acts, yet is inescapable in the story. But the women (whom Allende always leans toward in her stories) are either loudly or quietly strong, clever in their survival, giving in their relationships with each other, dedicated to their children, humble about their faults, and always reaching for happiness. I just love the way Allende paints them. I suppose that's what makes me want to be more like her; her characters are fictional, but she must have some of these traits in order to portray them in her stories.

Next up: a series of young adult novels that I'm considering assigning to my honors social studies class. These kids are lucky--if I don't like the books, they won't have to read them.