Books – Page 11 – Finding My Wings

‘Everyone Brave is Forgiven’ deserves a place on your nightstand

IN A NUTSHELL Unknown - Version 2

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave (Simon & Schuster, 2016)
In 40 words or less: Mary, a privileged Londoner, volunteers for the war effort. Cleave brings to life the personal effects of the Blitz and the war’s early campaigns on Mary and those closest to her. The imperfections of the characters bring depth to the story.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Locale: London, France, Malta, Algeria
Time: 1938-42
Read this for a glimpse at the early British involvement in WWII. Cleave takes on class distinctions, racism and the high personal toll on those on the home front as well as on the battlefield.

Before, life had been a tradition, a tendency to forgiveness, a regression to the mean… A child was lost as easily as a shilling. And once one had understood that, though one’s heart continued to beat, one was never entirely alive again. She knew, now, why her father had not spoken of the last war, nor Alistair of this. It was hardly fair on the living. (p.268)

Chris Cleave made his mark on US readers when Little Bee was published here in 2009. In his latest novel, Everyone Brave is Forgiven, class, racism and power again play major roles in the story. Mary North is a daughter of London’s elite but with a mind of her own. When war is declared she enlists, only to find herself assigned to help ferry children from London to the countryside to escape the expected bombardment. For some of the children, life in the country is not meant to be, and several end up as the only pupils in an urban school with Mary as their teacher.

Elsewhere in London, a school administrator and an art conservator share a garret apartment. Alistair, the conservator enlists and is sent to France; Tom is put in charge of Mary’s school. As the bombing of London begins the men’s letters tell the story of the great changes occurring in Europe. Mary is far from the classical teacher and reaches out to her small band of students, each of whom would stand out in a regular classroom. She takes particular interest in Zachary, a bright African-Amerian student who is unable to read and has a tendency to run at the least provocation. As Mary and Tom develop a personal relationship, Mary’s advocacy for Zachary is a point of contention.

When Alistair returns disheartened from France before being posted to Malta, Tom, Mary and Mary’s friend, Hilda, plan an evening out to raise his spirits. The evening ends in a shelter during a bombing, with Mary following him above ground to turn over his duffel before he rejoins his regiment. This brief, chaste encounter changes all their lives.

As the war continues, roles change as does the landscape of London. The foursome is wounded physically and emotionally. Bonds are broken. The weak show resiliency and the strong learn that no one is immune from the ravages of despair.

What differentiates Cleave’s story is his careful picking at society’s prejudices. Racism, the power of rank and class, friendship and familial allegiance are all intrinsically part of the narrative in this rich historical novel.

My to-be-read list is summer ready!

Ahhhh! Even if your student days are far in the rearview mirror, somehow summer has its own unique rhythm. Now’s the time to change your reading horizons in all sorts of ways. Grab a book and head to a park bench at lunchtime – your desk can manage without you. Try out an audiobook for that road trip. Negotiating a title with your fellow passengers may introduce you to an author or genre you’d never have selected on your own.

For me, summer is the time to queue up books that take me to another place and time. Last summer, two particular titles really fit the bill. The Truth According to Us, Annie Barrows’ novel of small-town West Virginia in the summer of 1938, just out in paperback, has an enticing combination of family drama, labor unrest and explication of the New Deal program that brought writers to small communities across the country to preserve their histories.

In The Oregon Trail, Rinker Buck brings the reader along as he and his brother follow the trail from Missouri to Oregon using equipment and tools of 150 years ago. Buck, a seasoned journalist in the midst of a personal crisis, decides this is just the change he needs. As a child, he and his siblings were taken on unusual journeys by their father, an accomplished, loving but difficult man. Needing another skilled horseman for the trip, Buck invited his brother who was dealing with physical and emotional problems of his own. Not particularly close since childhood, the extraordinary physical challenge of the undertaking tested and strengthened their relationship.

Page after page, the reader joins them on the trail, often within spitting distance of 18-wheelers. Along the way they take meals and spend the night with locals in small towns across the route; on farms, in dying communities set aside after an interstate usurped their role as staging point or provisioners. They meet old-fashioned craftspeople that keep their rig going when repairs are beyond their skill. Weather, rough terrain, exhaustion, and injuries leave them minutes from abandoning the quest. It was a joy to accompany them from the air-conditioned comfort of my home!

So what’s on the list for this summer? First up, Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Chris Cleave’s latest about Europe in 1939. Mary North takes on the task of teaching students that were not accepted in homes in the countryside as most children were sent for safety from London. Tom, charged with supervising the school, and Alistair, Tom’s best friend now serving as a military officer, both fall for Mary.

On a more serious note, Tribe, Sebastian Junger’s assessment of the damage we have brought on ourselves by loosening the communal bonds of society. He contends that combat veterans overcome their fears and insist on returning to their units after injuries because of the tribal ties they create. Junger suggests it is the breaking of these bonds that fuels PTSD.

Louise Erdrich’s The Round House, 2012 National Book Award winner, is one of the finest novels I have ever read. Her latest, La Rose, is another family-centered novel of contemporary Native American life with a storyline drawn from tragedy. Erdrich brings a unique perspective to the complexity of the tribal and state justice systems. Snagging a copy of La Rose at the library was a real coup!

Another Louise is near the top of my TBR pile. Louise Penny has created the magical hamlet of Three Pines in Quebec. With an assortment of quirky locals, poor internet and cell coverage, a cafe, bookstore, and a B and B, it is the perfect retreat except for the occasional murder. Chief Inspector Gamache is the warm, intuitive yet analytical detective who uncovers the culprits and the underlying stories. Through the course of the Three Pines series, his wife and his second (now his son-in-law as well) add a comfortable and familial tenor to the stories.

Now that I’ve shared the top of my pile, I hope you’ll do the same. Please go to the bottom of this post (on the website) and click on COMMENTS so that I (and others) can see what you are reading. I’ll keep sharing if you will!

Anne Tyler reimagines ‘The Taming of the Shrew’

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (Hogarth Shakespeare, 2016; Random House Audio, Kirsten Potter, reader)
In 40 words or less: A commissioned reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in novel form. Kate is a preschool teacher’s assistant “encouraged” to marry her scientist father’s research assistant before his visa expires.
Genre: Fiction
Locale: Baltimore
Time: Contemporary
Read this if you are interested reading each of the eight titles in the Hogarth modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classics.

Fair warning, I rarely opt to share my opinion on a title I can’t wholeheartedly recommend. I am making an exception having had multiple occasions in the last two weeks to consider different treatments of Shakespeare’s works. My post, ‘The fascination with Shylock’, gives a taste of my Shakespearian interactions.

Modernizing classic literature for contemporary audiences is far from new. West Side Story and Kiss Me Kate have engaged many who otherwise would have been put off by Shakespeare’s language. Film marathons could be devoted to treatments of Romeo and Juliet or Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In the spirit of finding new audiences via modern retellings by acclaimed authors, Hogarth Press has created a new series, Hogarth Shakespeare.

A week ago, we saw The Shakespeare Theatre Company‘s all-male version of The Taming of the Shrew, the final production of the 2015-16 season. In brief, while

there were some wonderful acting performances, the shtick of the all-male casting often overtook the production. In another Shakespeare foray, prep for my book groups for next program year has made Howard Jacobson’s My Name is Shylock, his fresh look at The Merchant of Venice, courtesy of Hogarth, a preferred pick.

The third entry in the Hogarth series is Anne Tyler’s Vinegar Girl, released earlier this month. Tyler is renowned for her Baltimore-based novels of quirky family life. In theory, bringing Shakespeare’s tale of two daughters to a classic American city could give the story a different, yet spicy flavor. Anne Tyler ability to share the quirkiness of “regular” families makes her one of America’s beloved authors. In this novel, Tyler doesn’t take full advantage of the opportunity, creating a family most notable for its stultifying routine.

Thanks to Random House Audio, I had the chance to listen to Kirsten Potter’s reading of Vinegar Girl. To her credit, Potter aptly gave voice to the personality traits Anne Tyler imparted to her characters. Among the funniest characters are those least seen – Kate’s aunt and uncle that each have unique roles to play in the nuptials.

Kate and Bunny Battista are mere shadows of Kate and Bianca Minola. Kate Battista is rather aimless for a 29-year-old daughter of a widowed college professor – she’s dropped out of college and is barely hanging on to her job in a preschool with no real friends. Her off-hours are spent preparing the same one-pot meal to cover dinners for the entire week, doing her family’s laundry and criticizing her beautiful-but-empty-headed high school student sister.

Dr. Battista is in a quandary. He is concerned about continuing funding for transformative research involving rats. He seems on the cusp of a breakthrough but is faced with losing his assistant, Pyotr, whose three-year visa is about to expire. Battista’s solution is to have Kate marry him. Battista intends it be a marriage of convenience, creating pictures on his phone to convince ICE that it is a love match. Dad’s plan would have Pyotr moving into a (separate) bedroom in Battista household and Kate continuing with her domestic roles. Unlike Shakespeare’s Petruchio, Pytor is neither brash nor wealthy. In his somewhat awkward yet genuine way, he undertakes to woo Kate in furtherance of the scheme.

While Kate is hardly a warm, creative and altruistic figure, she is far from the obstinate and feisty character in Shakespeare’s play. The secondary characters at her preschool might make anyone a bit churlish. And Bunny’s high school infatuation with the boy next door hardly qualifies as the string of suitors set to marry Bianca as soon as Kate is married off.

For the modern reader or theatergoer, the treatment of Kate as little more than chattel is at best troublesome. Tyler hasn’t reached sufficiently beyond this in her novel. For its many failings as a modern comedy, the one aspect of the Shakespeare’s play that provides some relief is the comic changing/mistaken identities. While it may be an overused device across the body of Shakespeare’s work, having this twist might have added a comedic lift to Vinegar Girl.

To the good, it is genuine affection between Pyotr and Kate that carries the day in the end, rather than submission. Given such broad license with The Taming of the Shrew, I expected more.

Award-winning books you’ll never hear of

When I’m wearing my book group facilitator hat, I often seek out reviews of books written in the country in which the story is set. As an American, it’s difficult to tell how true the cultural tone rings and the reviewer’s perspective is invariably different. Since I’ve found these foreign newspapers’ book sections I’ve noticed something. There are many, many excellent titles that never make it to US shores. And the same holds true in reverse. (Interested? Here’s the web version of the Guardian‘s Bookmarks weekly email)

International publication rights are closely monitored and may be very restrictive. This week the message came through to me loud and clear. First, there was a contest for a pile of summer titles, only open to US residents. All the titles were US editions and could not be mailed across borders where the rights may be held by other publishers. For example, a novel may be published here by Penguin US, and not published in Canada for another 6 months.

The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction was announced this evening in London. Created in 1996 in response to the dearth of women on the shortlists for the major British literary prizes, it was originally called the Orange Prize. To be eligible, a book must have been published in English in the UK by a UK publisher within the previous year. Titles could have been published in another country previously if this was its first publication in Great Britain. This year’s winner is The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney, published April 9, 2015, in the UK by John Murray Publishers. Tim Duggan Books, a Penguin Random House imprint, will release it in August in the US.

2016 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist — 2016 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist

What does it really matter if a book has a delayed release in another country? Often it doesn’t matter at all. But many books, including winners of major national literary prizes, never receive foreign publication. A few years ago I was fortunate to hear Ishmael Beah speak about his novel, Radiance of Tomorrow, at the Library of Congress National Book Festival. He mentioned how hungry the people of Sierra Leone are for books. The rights for publication in many African nations are bundled with European rights. The combination of smaller, poorer markets and high transportation costs result in few top name books making it into their shops. According to Beah, entrepreneurs make semi-annual trips to the US to buy up by the pound container-sized loads of “remainders” that stock the shops and book stalls throughout much of Africa.

Those of us with ready access to a neighborhood bookstore are so fortunate. Professional booksellers are always on the look out for upcoming titles to tempt the patrons. Many are affiliated with IndieBound which provides curated book lists and marketing materials to member stores. They also maintain an online locator and archives of booklists by month and interest. Some even have relationships with foreign publishing houses to make very special orders possible.

Whether you are traveling to the beach or a distant continent, take the time to seek out local bookstores. Ask about titles that have won literary awards or are of particular local interest. It may be the unknown gem you can share with your friends. And don’t be surprised if the American bestseller you brought with you looks completely different in its foreign version. To many of us, a book is a book is a book. But on the printed page, it is big business.

The fascination with Shylock

Whether you are someone who seeks out Shakespeare’s work or is uncomfortable with the language and cadence, Shakespeare’s stories and words permeate our culture. Few of Shakespeare’s characters evoke such strong feeling as Shylock, the titular character in The Merchant of Venice. When first performed over 400 years ago, Shylock was the personification of all the prejudices about Jews – clannish, money-grubbing, dirty, ugly, sanctimonious – the list goes on and on. In different eras and in different cultures, Shylock has at times received more nuanced and sympathetic treatment. Luminaries of stage and screen have taken on the role, each giving it his own take.

This year there are two very different productions with Shylock at the forefront in the Washington area. This past week, a new play based on The Merchant of Venice has been staged at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. District Merchants by Aaron Posner, brings the story to Washington in 1873, a time of great political and economic upheaval immediately following the Civil War. The Folger’s strong reputation and Posner’s skills in rethinking the work of others on the stage encouraged us to see the production. In one word GO!

The massive pillars that filled more than half the set served two purposes: first, a reminder of Washington and the fundamentals that created the US, tested by the Civil War; and two, it effectively brought forward and contracted the size of the stage, increasing the interplay between the actors and audience in what is already an intimate venue. The quintessential issues of justice and prejudice, family and peoplehood, generosity and greed flow naturally through this retelling. Each of the eight cast members lived his/her character. The melding of Posner’s and Shakespeare’s words was completely successful. Whether the Shylock’s story is set in the 16th, 19th or 21st century, its power remains the same.

For traditionalists, in late July Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour will present The Merchant of Venice at the Kennedy Center. The show is advertised as “..this new production of Shakespeare’s play dramatizes competing claims of tolerance and intolerance, religious law and civil society, justice and mercy.” Isn’t it always so?

Were this not enough, there is a new version of Shylock’s tale for those who prefer the armchair view. The Crown Publishing Group’s Hogarth Press has commissioned the retelling of eight of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays by some of the world’s most renowned novelists. British novelist and 2010 Man Booker Prize-winner Howard Jacobson was chosen to tackle The Merchant of Venice. His novel Shylock Is My Name was released in February. I’ll go out on a limb and predict at least one of my book groups will tackle it during the 2016-17 season. Watch this space for my assessment.

For the Anne Tyler fans out there, her take on The Taming of the Shrew will be published tomorrow. Vinegar Girl, set in contemporary Baltimore, should be a great mashup, proving again how modern masters can bring the timelessness of Shakespeare to today’s audiences.

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