Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

Spurred on by the announcement that Tóbín would be speaking as part of the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures series about his sequel to Brooklyn, I decided to read this first. I had thought that I had read it, but must have only seen the movie, which was an Oscar nominate film in 2016. After reading Let Us Descend, it was a pleasure to read this novel that was heartwarming and uplifting. 

Eilis Lacey is a young Irish girl who is having a hard time finding work in her little town of Enniscorthy, Wexford, Ireland. She lives with her older sister, Rose, and her mother. Her father was recently deceased. At the suggestion of Father Flood, a priest who had moved to Brooklyn and the persuasion of Rose, Eilis embarks on a life-changing journey and moves to New York. Father Flood secures a job for her at a department store and lodging at Mrs. Kehoe's boarding house. Mrs. Kehoe, is a stickler for rules and proper compartment and becomes almost a second mother to Eilis because she is always polite and respectful. Eilis has expressed a desire to become an accountant/bookkeeper at the department store and enrolls in classes to become certified. Her social life consist of helping out at Flood's parish and also in attending the parish dances. It is there that she meets Tony Fiorello, a Brooklyn native of Italian descent. Their relationship develops so beautifully with restraint as one might expect in the time of the 1950s. 

When Eilis receives word that her sister has died, the relationship takes on an entirely different course with both Eilis and Tony feeling that they needed to go to confession because of their passion. She feels that she also needs to go back to Ireland to spend some time with her mother and so they make legal the consummation of their love before she leaves. They had talked of a family and building a life together and Tony did not want her to get to Ireland and stay there. 

At that point in the novel, the reader feels the tension that Eilis felt when she returned to her home. With meeting old friends, consoling her mother, and even rekindling an almost romantic relationship with an old suitor, Jim, she is conflicted as to where she belongs. At the culmination of the book, she makes her decision.

Understanding what immigrants endured, prejudice, their hard working contribution to our country, was an added theme to the book and one that we should not forget in today's time. What a wonderful read and now on to Long Island. 
 

Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva

In between book club books gives a good time to try to catch up on the TBR shelf. This always leads me back to whatever Daniel Silva books are there. 

Portrait of an Unknown Woman  is a bit of departure from Silva's general M.O. There are no political stances, no threats of destroying world peace or any of the major nations, nor any international spy missions. What it is is a intriguing look into the world of art dealers, forgery, and some Ponzi schemes. 

Gabriel Allon, former head of Israeli intelligence has retired to Venice with his wife Chiara and his twin children. She has taken a job as the head of the Tiepolo Restoration Company and Gabriel has become the stay at home father while he recovers from the bullet wound that nearly killed him in The Cellist. Of course, if he remained in retirement, there would be no novel. Having received a call from his friend and London art gallery owner, Julian Isherwood, he sets off on the trail of a major art forgery ring that is operating from Berlin to Spain to the United States. After Isherwood receives a letter saying that a painting that he recently sold was a forgery and the woman who sent the letter was killed, there is only one person whom Isherwood would call. 

As the novel intertwines art history, forgery, and danger, Allon sets out a trap by creating forgeries of Grand Masters. Through a complicated series of events, especially sting operations involving Sarah, her husband Chris and some old arch-enemies of Gabriel, the investigation of the murder reaches a climax on the tarmac of a Long Island airport. 

Silva creates intense drama in his books without feeling the necessity of long-winded descriptions. It is interesting that he has shifted the focus of the novel to more of an art perspective and take Allon away from his intelligence job at The Office. This was a fascinating narrative into the real world of Gabriel Allon. It will be interesting to see how his character further evolves in the next novel, The Collector. 
 

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

The Magnolia Palace falls into that genre that is historical fiction based on some semblance of fact. These novels are enjoyable to read as long as one can discern fact from fiction. For me as a reader, I tend to fact check as I read, which leads me deep into rabbit warrens!

Davis has centered her book around the Frick family, especially Miss Helen Clay Frick, whose story is well known in Pittsburgh because of their home here, Clayton,  that is here and open to the public as a museum. Henry Clay Frick was a steel magnate whose relationship with Andrew Carnegie has been well-documented. The family moved from Pittsburgh to New York where he opened the Frick Collection to display his love and penchant for collecting masterpieces. 

The novel is another that blends two stories from two different time periods into a conclusion that merges the characters together. In 1919, a young model, Miss Lilly,  is hired by Helen Frick to be her personal assistant/secretary. She lives and works at the Frick home that is tied to the Frick Collection. Her past is a bit sordid, but she manages to keep that knowledge from the family by dodging their questions, all the while knowing that at some time her gig may be up. Fast forward to 1966 when Veronica, another model from England travels to New York City for a photo shoot that is being held at the Frick Collection. 

Miss Lilly's story evolves as she is promised a sum of money by Henry Clay Frick if she can arrange a marriage for Miss Helen. Richard Danforth is proclaimed a suitable beau and Lilly sets the stage. Along the way her plans are derailed and she finds herself in a sticky situation that involves Richard. Upon the death of Henry, Helen places in his casket a cameo broach with a hidden compartment that houses a magnolia colored diamond. The cameo is a silhouette of Martha, the youngest Frick child who died at age 5.  Before his funeral, it is discovered missing.

Veronica arrives at The Frick Collection ready for the Vogue photo shoot only to discover the sexist attitude of those involved.  She is about ready to flee when the electricity goes off and she finds herself locked in the mansion due to a horrific snow storm. She is discovered by Joshua Lawrence, an intern there. The two of them embark on following clues that Helen had made up for a scavenger hunt for Richard. 

As the two stories converge the reader becomes a witness to the greed, animosity, and wealth that aristocratic Americans held as well as the mystery of the cameo. Davis reveals the tragedy of the death of Martha and the impudence of Childs Frick.  The novel conveys the devotion of Helen, not only to her father, but to philanthropy. She established the Frick Art Reference Library that provides public access to materials and programs focused on the study of fine and decorative arts, the fine arts department at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Frick Art Museum on the grounds of Clayton.

Definitely an enjoyable read with much background on an American family of note.

Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris

After reading the prologue and then continuing to the novel itself, I was not sure how the reader was going to get from Point A to Point B. The prologue, set in 1937, describes an apparent escape from Alcatraz, where a young girl has gone missing. As the  pages unfolded, it did become clear and proved to be a very good read. The Edge of Lost is an account of the life of Shanley Keagen, a young boy who is introduced as a young boy living with his uncle in Ireland. His uncle is quite taken with the drink and is eventually kicked off the dole. Shan tries to help make ends meet by performing comedy in some of the pubs. He has in his possession a photo of his mother and a man whom he thinks is his father, am American sailor. His desire is to go to the United States to find him. 

With no other recourse, Uncle Will decides that the two will leave for America to find Shan's father. However, on the voyage, Will dies and Shan is orphaned.  With a serendipitous piece of fortune, he is adopted by an Italian family, the Capellos, and begins his new life in Brooklyn as Tommy Capello. His brother Nick and sister Lina receive him into the family with just less than open arms. Shan/Tommy does will in school and begins to help out his father in the plumbing business while still pursuing the dream of meeting his father. Nick becomes mixed up in some of the criminal activities surrounding prohibition, although he was not really a criminal. Because of this Tommy Capello is sentenced to Leavenworth Prison. From there his is moved to Alcatraz, where he is a model prisoner and is assigned to work in the greenhouses and gardens. 

The intersection of the two story lines is what keeps the reader anxiously turning pages. McMorris skillfully blends the accounts of Italian and Irish immigrants with the hardships of life during the prohibition and depression in America. She has provided an intriguing glimpse into life in that period as well as what it must have been like to live on The Rock as both civilian and prisoner. The twist in the ending pages was one that was not telegraphed in the earlier part of the novel and was a surprise for sure. Good and interesting read.
 

The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood

Selected for the September Gables Book Club, The Engineer'sWife is an historical novel based on the life of Emily Warren Roebiling, wife of the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, Washington Roebling. She has been looked over by historians for her contribution to the construction of the bridge, a definite engineering feat.

The novel begins during the Civil War when Emily's brother introduces her to Washington and the two begin a long distance relationship until the end of the conflict. They seem madly in love and write, even if it is sporadically to each other. 

After their marriage in January, 1865 they, according to the book, moved to Cincinnati while Washington's father was working on the bridge across the Ohio to Covington, Kentucky. She showed her spunk by visiting the job site and taking food to the workers, but also learning about the bridge construction. 

They travel to Europe while Emily is pregnant in order to study the use of caissons in bridge construction. While there she delivers their only child, a son, John. Her delivery was complicated and resulted in the outcome of never being able to carry a baby again. The couple return to the United States and Washington, with his father, commence the building of the bridge. After a freak accident with a ferry, his father dies from a tetanus infection. Washington carries on the project until he developed decompression sickness, otherwise known as caisson disease. From that point on he became a virtual recluse. It was then that Emily took over the supervision of the bridge construction with a bit of Washington's guidance and a lot of studying from the books in his library. Her work came to fruition in 1883 when the bridge was dedicated. 

Throughout the book other characters are introduced, including some of Emily's family, the bridge workers and P.T. Barnum. It is this interaction that caused some consternation. In the afterword, Wood declares that relationship was fictional. Perhaps that statement should come in a foreword instead of the afterword. When an historical fiction author takes that much liberty, it becomes impossible to separate fact from fiction in other areas of the book. 

The  building of the bridge and Emily's role in it are documented and were the interesting parts of the book. Insights into the social and cultural styles of the times are also fascinating. Overall, I just wished the novel was less sensationalized and over-dramatized and I could have spent more time enjoying it rather than fact-checking.