August – Private Life : A Novel
Ever since reading Snow Falling on Cedars, I have been intrigued by the period right before the attack on Pearl Harbor – when suspicion, paranoia and prejudice plagued America’s Japanese citizens. This is the story of Margaret Mayfield, a woman who marries the eccentric, egotistical, domineering astronomer and Navy Captain, Andrew Early, and travels from her home in rural Missouri to Vallejo, California. The narrative begins with a prologue in 1942, and then returns to 1883 when Margaret is a little girl, meets Andrew, marries in 1905 and leaves the Midwest for life as a new bride in California. Gradually but steadily her hopes for her life are slowly refashioned into a narrow, carefully predictable existence ruled by Andrew’s own increasingly selfish and ultimately dangerous obsessions. This is Jane Smiley’s best book since A Thousand Acres!
July –Nefertiti: The book of the dead & Tutankhamun: The book of shadows
Until I am able to cruise down the Nile myself, I am satisfying my wish to see Egypt’s ancient wonders through the eyes of Nick Drake’s clever detective, Rahotep. Both Nefertiti and Tutankhamun request his assistance in solving murders and threats to their dynasty. Life more than three thousand years ago was astonishingly sophisticated and at the same time deadly – this smoothly written, carefully detailed depiction of this civilization makes for terrific reading for those who enjoy either historical or mystery fiction, or both! Here’s hoping that the final installment of the trilogy will be as exciting and available soon.
June –The Lonely Polygamist
Fans of the television series “Big Love” will be intrigued by Golden Richards, the protagonist of this simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking tale. Golden’s life is complicated by four wives, twenty-eight children, and his struggle to support them either financially or emotionally. Forced to accept a construction job to build an addition to a brothel a long drive away in Nevada, Golden finds that he relishes the distance from his family and is tempted to have an affair with his client’s wife. The reader can easily predict that Golden will not be able to escape his myriad of problems forever – but this does not spoil the story. Brady Udall has created a world in remote southwestern Utah that somehow manages to reflect many of the problems faced in contemporary society, and his bizarre characters will remain alive in reader’s minds long after the book is finished.
May - Mudbound
Life is hard enough in the rural Mississippi Delta in 1946 without the bigotry and hatred that surrounds this cotton farming community. It threatens to destroy the lives of two families who are forced to form an unlikely and unwilling alliance when they are marooned during the frequent floods that leave their homes Mudbound. This winner of the Bellwether Prize for Fiction written by Hillary Jordan is narrated by several different characters. Laura is Henry's wife, who reluctantly moves from her comfortable hometown of Memphis to this remote farm and into a primitive shotgun shack. She is ill equipped to deal with the rigors of country life and finds living with her hateful, racist father-in-law nearly intolerable except for the love of her children and the support of her black neighbor, Florence. Henry has always dreamed of owning a farm, and he is determined to overcome all obstacles to succeed. When Florence's son Ronsel returns from fighting overseas and finds that he is still a second-class citizen in the Jim Crow South, all the necessary ingredients for tragedy are there. Jordan captures the nuances of the diverse characters by the skillful use of their voices in alternating chapters, and this look at life in the post-WWII South provides a welcome companion to The Help - our USM Book Club selection for May.
April - I See You Everywhere
This third novel by one of my favorite writers, Julia Glass, is a story of two sisters, told in their alternating voices over a period of twenty-five years. Louisa, an artist and art critic, is the older of the two, serious and pragmatic; she envies her charismatic younger sibling Clem's exciting life. Clem is a beautiful, athletic risk-taker, living a seemingly rootless existence, enchanting a series of men while she follows her career as a wildlife biologist to wilderness areas from Newfoundland to Wyoming. This tale of sisterly love and competition is beautifully rendered through the eyes of each woman - and the reader learns how difficult it is to really know another person, even for someone who is the closest relative. Glass is a master at presenting complicated relationships - and this book is almost as satisfying as Three Junes.
Spending the winter in New Orleans has made me curious about the lingering and quite visible effects of Hurricane Katrina and I discover that the people I meet who have lived through it are not always eager to talk about their experiences. The low-lying areas that were literally destroyed are off limits to the curious visitor. Tour buses are considered violations of privacy by those who are trying to rebuild. But in the local newspaper, stories continue to examine police cover-ups, misuse of government funds, and a long list of criminal behavior that is still being investigated after five years! James Lee Burke's series of mystery novels featuring Dave Robicheaux are mostly set in New Iberia (a town to the southwest of NOLA), but the detective’s adventures feature many actual events and places as a backdrop to this violent and gripping story. Tin Roof Blowdown (c2007) is set in New Orleans during and immediately after Katrina and really captures the haunting power of this city and its people, during a catastrophic storm that brought out the best and worst in human nature. The HBO series "Treme" was being filmed while we were living in New Orleans, and it gives the viewer a good taste of the town post Katrina.
Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle told the heartbreaking but unforgettable story of her childhood. This new novel is a beautiful tribute to her maternal grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, told in the first-person. Her adventures in the wild west of the early 20th century; as a cowgirl, schoolteacher, rancher, wife and mother are told in a matter of fact, breezy and entirely authentic voice. Born in 1901, she lived with her family in a one-room dugout in West Texas with "scorpions, lizards, snakes, gophers, centipedes and moles" until a flash flood washed it away. After a tornado destroyed their next house, her family moved to a ranch in New Mexico. When she was hired at age 15, to teach in a one room schoolhouse in Arizona, she rode there alone on her horse. The trip took 28 days! And this is just the beginning of her experiences. Walls's grandmother is a heroine with enormous appeal - and this novel based on her life offers an inspirational reading experience.
Our tiny Cotton Mill Warehouse loft apartment in New Orleans is charming and offers a great location. In the bedroom bookcase, I found this book by Julia Reed, a journalist who bought a historic home in the Garden District of New Orleans and embarked on a massive restoration project which was nearing completion when Hurricane Katrina struck. Her narrative is lively and provided a perfect introduction to my three month winter home. Reed grew up in Greenville, in the Mississippi Delta, about 400 miles north. Throughout her life she returned to NOLA for vacations and eventually rented a small apartment in the French Quarter. When she married a local attorney, the couple decided to buy a home. Their house at Chestnut and First Street is in the lower Garden district, a desirable residential area and home to many well known local artists and personalities. Anne Rice (of the Vampire Chronicles) lived right across the street: her former home is currently for sale for more than 3 million dollars. Archie Manning (football great and father of Eli and Peyton) also lives nearby. Although I haven't visited her street yet - it's certainly on my list! Reed admits to making many mistakes as a novice homeowner - from her poor choice of a contractor to her unrealistic plan to move into her house in less than a year. Only the demolition went as planned - everything else was a nightmare (and that's before Katrina). If you are planning a trip to the Big Easy, this book will get you in the proper frame of mind. If not, it will convince you to exercise extreme caution when contemplating a major remodeling project!