Books – Page 14 – Finding My Wings

House of Thieves brings 1880’s New York to life

IN A NUTSHELL Unknown - Version 2

House of Thieves by Charles Belfoure (Sourcebooks, September 15, 2015)
In 40 words or less: Belfoure brings to life high society and “these mean streets” in 1886 New York. His architect’s eye details the glitz of the Astors and the grit of street urchins in a story of family, crime and a living, breathing city.
Genre: Historical fiction
Locale: New York and Newport, RI
Time: 1886
Read this if you enjoy vivid historical fiction, an architect’s view of the world and/or are a fan of New York. This is easy read, perfect for a vacation or a rainy weekend at home.

Those who love cities and their histories glory in the opportunity to wander the streets looking at varied buildings that tell stories of many who came before. In New York there is small industry of urban historians providing walking tours on the waves of settlement and the life created. In his second book, House of Thieves, writer and architect Charles Belfoure paints a vivid picture of New York in the mid-1880’s and the tour is included.

John Cross is a well-respected and innovative architect with birthright into the upper echelon of New York society, known collectively as the Knickerbockers. Think Astors, Cabots and the like. He is equally passionate about his family and his profession. It is with pride he celebrates his son’s graduation from Harvard and his dedication to teaching the less fortunate children of newer immigrants living in the tenements of Lower Manhattan. His pride is tempered when approached by James Kent, a man of refinement and connections. Despite appearances, Kent is the head of an underworld gang, Kent’s Gents, who informs Cross that his son’s extraordinary gambling debts can only be erased by Cross using his knowledge to rob the mansions, banks and finer buildings of the city. Kent quickly proves that death is the only alternative to compliance.

Cross keeps his moonlighting from his children but his wife learns his secret. Beyond saving his son’s life, keeping the family from scandal is vital. His daughter is about to make her debut, with all the fashion finery and societal rules that entails. Any hint of impropriety would dash hopes of a good marriage and ruin Cross’ professional connections. All three Cross children find out how the other half lives in New York through escapes from the strictures of their class.

As in his prior novel, The Paris Architect, Belfoure’s eye for detail and storytelling come together well. Those familiar with New York neighborhoods can picture the streets as his characters traverse the City. Aficionados of this heyday of women’s fashion will appreciate the descriptions of the finery and the lavish events. Reading descriptions of the latest building innovations is like taking a mini-course in the evolution of modern architectural techniques.

While at times I found some of the plot twists farfetched, I was happy to ride along all the way to the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, the shining event of 1886 and the climax of the book.

What I learned from my BFFs (Book Festival Friends)

If Malcolm Gladwell is correct and it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery of a skill, I’ve certainly done the time to become a fine reader. The difference between mastery and truly owning a skill is the continuing passion to improve and find new opportunities to learn from others.

For the last ten years I have been taking an intensive course in critical reading, no classroom or tests involved. If you have served with me on a book festival committee or been a member of one of my book groups, I have you to thank for the lessons. So here’s some of what I’ve learned:

It isn’t a bad book just because you don’t like it. Not every book works for every reader. Just like the car you test drive or the great looking pair of shoes, it doesn’t always suit. There is no crime in putting down a book if you really can’t get into it. Figure out what it is that turns you off. There are people very uncomfortable with multiple narrators or time jumping. Others dislike lengthy descriptions with little dialog or action. Take a few minutes and consider whether someone you know might enjoy it. And sometimes it is poorly written or flat-out boring and you can chalk it up to experience.
Reading a book knowing nothing about it can be exhilarating. Publishers and authors supply bookstores, bloggers, reviewers and book festivals with advance copies to build a buzz and secure orders. This may be the first exposure to a new author. Often these early editions look nothing like the finished product – no fancy cover, no laudatory blurbs. While you may kiss a lot of frogs before finding a prince, it is great when it happens. Sometimes a published book has just been below the radar waiting for someone to wave the flag. It could be you!
Authors are interested in what readers take from their writing. I’ve been lucky to facilitate discussions with a few authors about their books and to talk to several one on one. With few exceptions they’ve been curious about what has piqued the most conversation and what characters/situations were liked or troubling. Authors of both nonfiction and fiction spend so much time on research these days. They are very appreciative of questions about how they came to their ideas and the process to get from a glimmer of an idea to a finished title.
Sharing the reading experience with others takes time. It just takes longer to read a book that is under consideration as a book group title or to be reviewed. At this point it is almost second nature to create discussion questions as I read and mark passages to go back to later. I spend time thinking about the author’s intention or how a particular title connects to a different author’s work or a museum exhibit I may have seen. My matchmaking goes beyond the people in a living room discussion. It’s so nice when people come up to me about a book they have read and ask for suggestions. My TBR (to be read) pile inevitably gets longer after they share what they have found.
Make time for “just for fun” reading. I love a good mystery. While I don’t completely write the genre off for discussion purposes, many are good reads better consumed and passed along to a friend. Thankfully my facilitator eyeshade doesn’t kick in when I settle in to read one. But don’t be surprised if you see a write-up of a favorite mystery author here before too long because sometimes you just have to share.

Visiting America beyond the rest stops

There’s so much to be seen between here and there,wherever there is. Having a more flexible schedule and internet connections EVERYWHERE made our recent road trip possible. Here’s what we found.

First stop – Greensboro, NC. Independent bookstores are often a reason we choose our stops. With Scuppernog Books as our destination, we arrived at the historic downtown in time for lunch. The bookstore is wonderful – not very large but with a strong and diverse collection so there’s something for everyone. I always keep an eye out for local authors and found a title I had heard about elsewhere. Experience has shown that booksellers know something about where good local food can be found. We spent the 30 minute wait for a table at Crafted wandering the neighborhood.

BTW, the fish tacos were definitely worth the wait!

On a lighter note, here’s a bit of trivia. Vicks VapoRub was created by a pharmacist in Greensboro and a historic marker is there to tell the tale.

So for the history, this downtown strip of Greensboro is full of historic structures, the facades calling back to an earlier era. Most important is the F.W. Woolworth Building, looking from the outside as it did decades ago. Unknown-4 This five-and-dime is very special. It is the site of the February 1960 lunch counter sit-in. The building is now the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. The lunch counter is in the Smithsonian American History Museum.

Before leaving Greensboro, we went across town to an extraordinary used bookstore, Pages Past, owned by Roger March. Roger buys housefuls of books – my favorite on the shelves was three volumes of Connecticut probate documents from the late 1700’s. Out of the many, he searches for the rare jewel and he does find them. Top to bottom, in every corner there are books. Almost 80% of his sales are from online inquiries. So what did I buy? There was a copy of A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle’s classic work. I had a presentation coming up and it was on the book list. When I went to the counter Roger told me I had selected a very special book. Amidst the thousands, I had picked his personal copy from college. Clearly a kindred spirit.

Our plan was to explore next a bit of Charlotte after visiting Park Road Books, a wonderful bookstore with an abundance of local author titles. Mother Nature had other plans and the heavens opened. Not before I made my book purchases!

The next morning, off to Hilton Head, SC, for a visit with my parents.

History, One Character at a Time: Fiction

One of the beauties of historical fiction is having a lens to see shattering events through the eyes of a small number of characters. For many, troop movements, names of battles and the immense number of casualties is beyond comprehension. The human toll of war is lost in the numbers. Successful authors of high quality historical fiction devote more time to research than writing. As a reader, the novels are a first step to re-examining a time in history. But it is critical to remember these books are fiction. Here are five titles to add to your reading list.

Hungary was occupied much later in WWII at a time when the Nazis were desperate for labor to continue their march. As such, the men taken by the Nazis, both Jews and non-Jews, were often subjected to back-breaking slave labor conditions, felling trees, digging roadways and other activities designed to increase the Nazi reach. In the historical novel, The Invisible Bridge, Julie Orringer’s follows two families from the cultural and educational heights of the late 1930’s in Paris and Budapest through the devastation and aftermath of the war. While the story itself is clearly fiction, the underlying setting is carefully researched and paints a detailed portrait of the vise-like shrinking of normalcy in daily life as the Nazi influence and power spread.

It is easy to forget how big the world is and how remote many areas were during World War II. Nathacha Appanah’s The Last Brother is set on Mauritius, a British colony in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The reader first encounters Raj as an older man, looking back at his life. Raj was born on the island, home to a sugar factory and subsistence economy, beset by the vagaries of nature. During a horrific storm, Raj’s brothers are swept away. The tender ministrations of his mother cannot offset his father’s temper and brutality.

One day a ship delivers to a fenced camp on the coast hundreds of white-skinned people, some with yellow hair and blue eyes, completely different in appearance from the local population. Through the fence, Raj makes a friend and finds a brother. The island’s population knows little about these imprisoned people, where they came from or why they are being held. This is a heart-wrenching story of family, friendship and loss, set in 1944 when a ship actually did bring European Jews trying to escape to Palestine to an interment camp. This small but powerful book tells a story that resonates far beyond its time or place. Continue reading History, One Character at a Time: Fiction

Road trip – I brake for bookstores!

Come summer it is time to get moving and time to chill out. Whether on vacation or just eking out one more experience with the extra hours of daylight, the pace definitely changes.

My reading changes as well. Summer is a catch up time when I have fewer book group titles to read and prepare. After going to Book Expo, it is also the opportunity to search for the yet-to-be-released jewel I can share with my book loving friends. Right now I am reading Alice Hoffman’s The Marriage of Opposites. Its historical fiction set in the Caribbean and France in the 19th century and tells of the family origins of Camille Pissarro, the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painter.

We’re off on a road trip and have already picked out (thanks to www.indiebound.org) the independent bookstores we’ll be stopping at en route through North Carolina. I’ll let you know where I go and what local gems I find.

Speaking of sharing, I’d like to ask for your feedback. I’m so pleased when someone tells me s/he has been reading this blog. It may come as a surprise but information on who and how many people are looking at the blog is very difficult to come by. Since you are reading this could you please let me know you are out there? And to make it more appealing to everyone, let me know what you are reading now and I’ll put a list in an upcoming post.

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Thanks for joining on my journey!

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