Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

So I took a break from Fall of Giants' 985 pages to read the November selection for the Flower Memorial Library Book Club. Chris Bohjalian's Skeletons at the Feast was a quick read, but not an easy one. Taking place at the end of World War II, it is a chronicle of the horrors and atrocities of war. Bohjalian was given a diary that belonged to a friend's East Prussian grandmother, Eva Henatsch, kept from 1920 through 1945. The novel was as absorbing as it was horrific. I was thankful that there were sections that lightheartedly broke through the darkness.

Skeletons at the Feast is a novel with 3 concurrent story lines. Taking place as World War II is drawing to a close, men, women, and children from Prussia are streaming to the west as refugees trying to escape from the Russian army. We first meet the Emmerichs, a well-to-do family who own a beet farm. Mutti and Rolf, parents to Werner, twins Anna and Helmut, and Theo. Their home, Kaminheim, is well-appointed and comfortable. Mutti is a strong supporter of Hitler and has a portrait of him hanging in the parlor. They have received help in working the land from British POWs, one of whom, Callum Finella, has fallen in love with Anna. As the family is poised to leave their beloved home for the west, Helmut and his father join up with the German army to fight in a counteroffensive mission. Werner has already left and with no word of him in months, he is presumed to be dead. Mutti, Theo, and Anna continue on with the carts full of possessions and their horses leading them. Callum goes too, often hidden under the grain and oats.

Uri Singer is a Jew, separated from his family, as the Nazis took Jews as prisoners. He finds himself on a train to Auschwitz and realizes what will happen there, tho most of the transported prisoners have no clue. He throws himself from the train, eludes the guards and eventually assumes the identity of Manfred, a Wehrmacht officer. As time passes and he struggles to reach the west and the American and British lines, he meets with the Emmerichs and joins them in their flight. He searches for his sister Rebekah and is determined to undermine at any point the German army.

The third element of the story is the plight of French refugees, namely Cecile. Cecile is a privileged young woman who show incredible character and resilience. She and others whom she meets are moved from work camp to work camp as the fighting grows closer. Through her and her friends Leah and Jeanne we gain another insight into the atrocities that were committed in this war.

Bohjalian masterfully weaves all these stories together and creates a strong and compelling narrative. His descriptions of the march, the horrendous conditions during the winter months, and the morally corrupt Red Army are vividly portrayed. At times it is painful to read. His strong craft, tho, is his character development. Each person in this novel brings a point of view that allows the reader a glimpse at this war through many different lenses. All together they present a pictures that are disturbing and yet enlightening. The romance and true love between Callum and Anna, the acceptance of Uri (Manfred) by Mutti, her realization of what the Nazis were actually doing, and the sheer courage of all remind us that we are sometimes human beings that cannot always control what goes on around us, but we can, at least, carve some of our own personal destiny. Human beings when allowed to be just that without superficial barriers, can and will find a way to survive even in the most atrocious situations.

This was an inspirational and incredible read.

Mennoninte in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen

October's selection for the Flower Library Book club is a memoir by Rhoda Janzen. Raised in a Mennonite family in California, she has distanced herself from many of the tenets of her religion and the church, but she does still embrace the spirituality of the life. Her father was the former head of the North American Mennonite Conference for Canada and the U.S. and her mother the glue that kept the family together as she and her sister and two brothers were growing up.

Janzen's return home to the safety of her parents' home is precipitated by a series of unfortunate events: a hysterectomy that went bad, the dissolution of her marriage when her bipolar husband finds true love with a man named Bob from gay.com, and the inability to continue to pay the mortgage on her new lake front home. Add to this a horrendous car accident that leaves her with many broken bones.

The book is really a series of essays that retrace many of the events of her childhood, her career, and the relationship with her husband. The reader is treated to family situations that are humorous and poignant. The recounting of the family camping trip in a van was especially funny as she and her sister tried to escape the wrath of killer mosquitoes. A discussion of typical Mennonite food ensues after Janzen describes the lunches and thermoses that the kids take to school. Cabbage and borscht are stables as is the "Cotletten-and-Ketchup Sandwich."

As Janzen details the relationship with her husband, it is a completely different feeling. Their relationship was on again, off again and quite stormy. She endured the verbal abuse and temper outbursts due to the bipolar disease. She watches him spend money that they don't have and suffers the indignity of losing him to "Bob the guy from Gay.com." These passages are cathartic and are some of the most powerful in the book. It's one thing to lose your husband to another woman, but to find that he is more interested in men is devastating. The fact that she finds some happy times with a man who is seventeen years younger than she is just rewards.

I enjoyed this book, but at times felt disconnected from it. I am glad that Janzen included the history of the Mennonites, but I wanted more. The vignettes and parade of characters seemed perfunctory and formulaic. And where was the black dress?

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, is an intense action adventure filled with violence, twists, politics, and propaganda.

“Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.” [Publisher's Summary]

It is especially hard to review this book without giving away most of the plot and characterization. I had a hard time warming up to this book. I loved The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, but I liked Mockingjay.

There is still the tension carried over from the first two novels in the series between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. At times I was in the Gale camp, but really secretly hope that she and Peeta would overcome immense obstacles and become the couple. One thing is for certain, Mockingjay speaks loudly and clearly against war. Kat is a pawn who will do the bidding of those controlling her. The role of the media and its part in creating or compromising reality is fascinating and a reminder to us to look through and beyond what we see and hear bombarding us on television, radio and the Internet.

As in many series, we can expect characters whom we love to die. Mockingjay was not dead and that he would come back to the story. Toward the end of the book, I wasn't sure that I could root for was no exception. I wasn't surprised at these deaths, but they hurt just the same. I did want to believe that CinnaKatniss unequivocally. I was stunned at some of her thoughts and actions. I do think Collins tried to tidy up the ending much too quickly or had prolonged the rebellion too much that the ending seemed hurried. Upon finishing the book, I really didn't know what to think. However, after some pondering, I can understand the reasoning behind her words.

War and its ramifications are despicable. What is real? This trilogy will allow you some insight and definitely a worthwhile read. .

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I finished this book nearly a week ago but have not written my thoughts because I have been nursing a broken ankle and because I am really not sure what I want to write. (Is that the percocet influence?) I was engrossed in this first novel of Larsson's trilogy and often wondered where the next turn was going to take the reader. Although it was a long read, it wasn't onerous.

The novel has a number of plots and subplots. It opens with the delivery of a framed flower to an aging Henrik Vanger which sets the stage for the first of the subplots. Vanger, an industrialist and financier, is uncle to Harriet Vanger who disappeared 36 years ago. Was it a result of an abduction, murder, or an escape on the young girl's part? Mikael Blomkvist, a financial journalist for Millennium Magazine, has recently written an exposé that results in him being charged with libel, convicted to a future prison term. Lisbeth Salander ( why did I keep reading salamander?) is the girl with the dragon tattoo and an incredible computer wizard and investigator. Add her to my list of wannabee likes - Abby from NCIS, and Penelope from Criminal Minds. Salander is hired to do a background check on Blomkvist by Vanger and as a result the paths become intertwined.

The novel is superbly crafted by Larsson. There are just enough hints to allow the reader an insight into the mysteries and investigation and more than enough twist to keep one from feeling comfortable in playing detective. The violence in the book is more than disturbing as are some of the situations in which Salander finds herself. I am not sure that the way she handled the encounters with her guardian was in the best interest for her or the guardian who was completely despicable. I had a hard time picturing the romantic interest between her and Blomkvist. Maybe I am just not as enlightened to the times as I should be. After the mystery has been solved, the revelation of the resolution fills nearly 100 pages. It was shocking and disturbing. Do business interests and "the bottom line" really trump morals and ethics? I am sure they do, but disturbing, none the less.

I look forward to reading the other 2 books in this trilogy. They have certainly maintained sales and readership throughout the summer of 2010.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Too often a sequel to a very popular book is merely a retelling of the first book. There are notable exceptions like J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books and most definitely the The Hunger Games trilogy. Collins continues the saga of KatnissEverdeen in Catching Fire and it is every bit a compelling read as the previous book.
Home after the Hunger Games, Kat and Peeta have returned home to District 12, richer for their winnings. Kat is determined that Gale and his family will not do without and so she has taken it upon her self to provide for them. But life will never be the same for the two champions. Kat's rebellious act at the end of The Hunger Games has sparked uprisings in a number of the districts and so President Snow comes to visit. He is adamant that she needs to squash the rebellions and the victory tour will see to this. Readers know that Kat will not give up her defiant spirit and speaks accordingly.
In a strange twist of events precipitated by the uprisings and Panem's desire to put Kat in her place the Quarterly Quell is announced. It will send all living victors of The Hunger Games back to the arena. Kat and Peeta will compete again as affianced lovers. Kat has one goal - to protect Peeta at any cost.
To reveal anything else about this book would destroy the plot's twists, turns, and eventual resolution. Suffice it to say, it is a page-turner, although I thought some of the time spent in the arena was a bit prolonged. Maybe it was because I was being impatient and wanting to get to the end. I anxiously await reading, when I can get my hands on a copy, the last in the trilogy - Mockingjay. Collins has hit the mark with this series for those who aren't taken by the plethora of vampire books on the market.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

The novel opens with the question, "What would you think of a postmistress who chose not to deliver the mail?" It is question that engages the reader and gives pause for thought. At first I was incensed that someone would do this, but then I realized that there must be a reasonable back story. Set in the small village of Franklin on Cape Cod, London and other venues in Europe, The Postmistress is the story of Frankie Bard, a reporter who works with Edward R. Murrow in London, Emma Fitch, newly wed wife of Franklin's doctor, and Iris James, the postmistress and how their lives become intertwined.

The strength of the novel is in the character development, the way Blake creates independent individuals who are also products of their time. I can picture Iris in her uniform carefully sorting and delivering mail. How is it that she didn't carry out her duty? Emma is so quiet, so innocent. She keeps to herself after Will has gone to London to regain the confidence and put off the guilt he feels after a devastating tragedy. She endures the day to day life opening herself to few who look to support her. Frankie is adventurous and outspoken. Her radio broadcasts are filled with human interest at the same time urging those to listen and be aware of the world situation even though a listener might not be directly affected. Her call to action against the Germans falls, for the most part, on deaf ears. As she travels throughout Germany, France, and Spain she interviews and records voices of refugees and Jews who are being forced to relocate. Their stories are deeply touching, but we still turned away from help.

There is also a quiet to the book, a poignancy that allows the reader to contemplate the action that happens. Whether it is Iris dealing with a moral dilemma, Emma waiting for letters from Will or Frankie comforting a young child, the reader is deeply affected. As the seasons and pages turned, the realization that war is horrible on so many fronts stands out to the reader and becomes the real message of the book.

The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva

Daniel Silva is a master of the intelligent thriller, spy novel. His latest, The Rembrandt Affair will not disappoint the millions of his fans. It is the next in the series about Gabriel Allon, Israeli intelligence agent and professional art restorer. Silva takes us back to Cornwall, England ( I will get there in my lifetime) where Allon is living a quiet life with his wife Chiara, also a former Israeli operative. The action begins immediately and Silva has his reader hooked. A friend and fellow art restorer has been working on a mysterious Rembrandt painting. He is murdered and the canvas stolen, the action that sets the stage for the novel.

At first Gabriel becomes involved as a favor to Julian Isherwood, Allon's friend and proprietor of a sometimes profitable art gallery in London. However, as the action escalates, Allon becomes immersed with the history of the painting that takes him to Amsterdam and secrets of the Holocaust. The Rembrandt Affair is somewhat a departure from the usual Silva novel. Evidenced by his interview with a "hidden child", there are many poignant moments in the book. Allon is on the move and he or his colleagues travel to Glastonbury, London, Buenos Aires, Paris, Lake Geneva, and of course Jerusalem. A familiar team is assembled with the likes of Shamron, Uzi Navot, archaeologist, and Eli Lavon. Add to the mix a very attractive British journalist, Zoe Reed, CIA operatives from Langley, British M16 personnel, and you have a group of agents who will search for the painting and in the process encounter nefarious and ruthless business magnates who are willing to undermine world peace for in exchange for amassing wealth.

There is not as much violence in this novel as in the previous Allon books, nor the arms descriptions that the reader has come to expect. Instead we are treated to an array of electronic devices and the tasks that they can accomplish. It was enough to send the best technophile into overdrive. In an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, Silva responds to 3 disturbing accusations about defiling the art world, his writing process, and putting his marriage in jeopardy. In The Rembrandt Affair we also get an insight into some of Silva's political beliefs - his support of Israel, skepticism about global warming, and the ineffectiveness of the Homeland Security department. Silva's writing is accomplished and polished, his characters are more than believable and the reader needs to remember that this is really fiction, and the plot moves more quickly than the reader can turn the page. And now we have to wait at least another year before we are treated to the next Allon installment. Not FAIR!

Kiss it Good-bye by John Moody

Kiss It Good-bye: The Mystery, the Mormon, and the Moral of the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates was a trip down memory lane for me. Moody grew up in the Pittsburgh area in the late 50s and early 60s and relates how the city and especially the Pittsburgh Pirates influenced his life. This is such an easy concept to which I can easily relate. I spent most Sunday afternoons at Forbes Field watching double headers with my family. My mother would pack us a picnic lunch/dinner (usually ham salad sandwiches and potato salad, cookies and lemonade) and we would make a day and sometimes an evening out of it if a game would go into extra innings. Those were the days when you could bring food into a ballpark and not have to worry about having your children hear inappropriate language. It didn't matter that the Pirates were a horrible team, they were our city's baseball team and we knew all the player stats and had our own family favorites. My brother loved Bob Skinner, my dad, Bill Virdon, Mom's was Dick Groat and mine was Bill Mazeroski. We kept score for every game we saw and loved the Bucs. When we weren't at Forbes Field we sat on our patio and listened to Bob Prince and Jim Woods on the radio as he announced the games. We all knew his nicknames for the players, his signature phrases and most of all we enjoyed the way his excitement became ours.

In Moody's book we are able to relive this era as the author tells the story through the eyes of Vernon Law, the Cy Young winner of 1960. Law, the ace pitcher of the team, is a devout Mormon who distanced himself from alcohol and profane language. He was recruited by a member of the Pirate Board of Directors - Bing Crosby. The mystery is the accident that happened on the plane after the Pirates clinched the pennant in Milwaukee. Many of the Pirates were drunk that evening and celebrating, during the course of which Law's ankle was hurt. This change the course of the rest of the season and World Series. It had never been revealed who had been responsible for the injury until the publication of this book.

The desire of Danny Murtaugh, Law and the Pirates that year was to bring a pennant to the long suffering city. Their resurgence was a parallel to the renaissance that the city was experiencing. It was through hard work and a few instances of luck that this happened. It was then that they should bring a World Series title to complete the year. But against the Yankees? Anyone who grew up in Pittsburgh at that time knows the rest of the story and the joy that was felt when Mazeroski hit the 9th inning home run. For many of us, we didn't have voices to scream at that point because of Hal Smith's tying home run the inning before. October 13, 1960 was a glorious day.

Throughout the book are those remembrances from days gone by: Ed and Wendy King's Partyline and the nightly Party Pretzel, the Jenkins Arcade, Pittsburghese galore, and often forgotten Pirates like Gino Cimoli, Ducky Schofield, and Rocky Nelson. It was an uplifting read for the middle of a most dismal baseball season for Pirate fans. Maybe the present day owners should look to the past and see how to bring a team back. Surely there is another Murtaugh and Joe L. Brown out there who can work a little magic for us. Please.......

The Lion by Nelson DeMille

It is 13 months after the WTC bombings in New York and John Corey, an ATTF detective, and his wife, Katherine Mayfield, an FBI agent, are on their way to Sullivan County, NY to participate in a group sky-diving challenge. Any reader of DeMille knows that it can't be that simple. As the title suggests, Asad Khalil is back in Corey's life and is willing to strike in the most inopportune moments. Let's just say Hannibal Lector is a pussy cat compared to Asad's lion.

It is hard to really give a plot summary of this novel because any description would be tantamount to giving the plot and twists away. The premise is that Khalil has returned to the United States to finish the job left undone in The Lion's Game. The Libyan terrorist is determined to eliminate all those pilots and any other accomplices who had a hand in the bombing that killed his family members that fateful night of April 15, 1986. He has nearly completed his mission with only a few remaining. It is that mission that he will attempt to accomplish on this trip to the U.S.

DeMille has penned an exciting thriller this time around. It seems much more cerebral than some of his previous novels with an extraordinary cat, make that lion, and mouse game going on between Corey and Asad Khalil. There is, of course, much violence and bloodshed, but always a twist or an unexpected turn of events, especially the ending. The action stretches from San Diego to Hollywood to Sullivan County to Manhattan and Brooklyn and keeps the reader on the edge of her seat. Corey is an irascible man, a total alpha male and a master of one-liners. He very much reminds me of the British Inspector Morse, especially with his love of alcoholic libation. In all the tenseness of the novel, there is still the occasional laugh-out-loud comeback or observation that does for a fleeting second lighten the mood. The secondary characters, those men and women of the ATTF and F.B.I are well-developed and secretive enough that the reader can't always be sure that they are on "our side."

A great read that ended too quickly.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

WOW! What a well-crafted book that was. Wolf Hall is the fictionalized account of Henry VIII's break with the church in Rome and his obsessive desire to have a male heir to the throne. This story has been told countless times, but what sets this Man Booker Prize winner apart from other accounts is that it chronicles the events from the viewpoint of Thomas Cromwell.

Cromwell was a self-made man who extricated himself from an abusive childhood, joined the French army because France was where wars were fought, memorized the Bible, and learned numerous languages. He returned to England and became a secretary to Cardinal Wolsey. The two had a close and symbiotic relationship until the Cardinal and King Henry became embroiled in the Supremacy struggle as Henry sought to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled. Cromwell witnesses that Wolsey will not broker this divorce and ingratiates himself with Henry. He becomes the king's most trusted adviser and through his machinations brought about much of the changes (reforms) in both the political and religious realms.

Mantel's novel brings together all the players in this historical time period. For the casual reader and even those steeped in the scholarship of this time, there is a cast of characters for all the venues in the book. From Cromwell's beginning in Putney, to his Austin Friars neighborhood in London, to Westminster, the court, France, and Wolf Hall - home to the Seymours, she identifies those who so impacted the course of English history in the 1520s - 30s. Henry's loss of interest in Catherine, his spurning of their daughter Mary, and his infatuation with Anne Boleyn serve as a backdrop to all of Cromwell's actions as he covets and wields power. As he did with Wolsey, Cromwell does philosophic battle with Thomas More, author of Utopia, who believes in the papal supremacy. And we all know how that ended.

The novel's impact is heightened as it is told in present tense with flashbacks. Mantel has infused humor and great description into the story. One notable passage is Henry's reaction to the birth of Elizabeth, the princess and future queen. All had expected her to be a him and Henry laments her birth: "The princess, unswaddled, had been placed on cushions at Anne's feet: an ugly, purple, grizzling knot of womankind, with an upstanding ruff of pale hair and a habit of kicking up her gown to display her most unfortunate feature."

One of the most interesting secondary characters was Hans Holbein, the court painter. Holbein was commissioned to paint the important people of his era. His political beliefs can be analyzed through his paintings. Compare his treatment of both Cromwell and More. I was a little amused to read his critiques of Lucas Cranach, a German painter close to Martin Luther. Cranach is my great grandfather - to the 12th power.

This is one of those books that you don't want to end. But then you realize that it will be one that you will revisit in the years to come. An absolutely wonderful read.