The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

The Bohemian life of the Lost Generation has been a fascination of mine for a while. It is remarkable how much has been contributed by the artists, writers, and philosophers of that time period. From Picasso to Braque to Gris and Hemingway to Fitzgerald to Stein and Jean-Paul Sartre to Simone de Beauvoir to Albert Camus. When it was time this month to read a biography for our Gables Book Club, I turned to The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein. Stein, in a conversation with Ernest Hemingway, is the person who coined the phrase, saying, "you all are a Lost Generation."

In this book, Stein actually writes her memoirs, but in the guise of the autobiography of her partner, Alice B. Toklas. The two were among the most prominent "socialites" of the the Paris scene, living at 27 rue de Fleurus, just blocks from the Tuileries Garden. Stein was born in Allegheny City, now incorporated into the city of Pittsburgh and the book starts there. The chapters go on to detail life before the war, Paris, and life after the war. They are filled with accounts of the salons, the artists, and the writers. Much of it mirrors the descriptions of Parisian life as described in Zelda or A Moveable Feast. Toklas recounts how she is relegated to time with the wives when Stern "entertains" Hemingway or Picasso.  One of the most enlightening quotes in the book was about F. Scott Fitzgerald.

"Gertrude Stein had been very much impressed by This Side of Paradise. She read it when it came out and before she knew any of the young American writers. She said of it that it was a book that really created for the public the new generation. She has never really changed her opinion about this. She thinks this equally true of The Great Gatsby. She thinks Fitzgerald will be read when many of his well known contemporaries are forgotten. Fitzgerald aways says that he thinks Gertrude Stein says these things just to annoy him by making him think that she means them, and he adds in his favourite way, and her doing it is the cruelest thing I ever heard."

The book was enlightening on many fronts. It detailed their lives as they bought a Ford and traveled around France volunteering for the American Fund for the French Wounded. At one point, to make some much needed money, Stein traveled to England to lecture on her writings. The turmoil over their passports and reentry to France was illuminating to say the least.

This book would not be high on every one's list of must reads. It often reads like a diary of someone who is self-impressed and who is trying to create that sense of importance by name-dropping. But, that is the way the Lost Generation worked. This incredibly talented and creative group of people did play off one another and did thrive in doing so. How they lived and traveled with their limited incomes has always intrigued me. But they did and for that I am grateful.

Gertrude Stein's Grave at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris

Alice B. Toklas' Grave Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris (on the back side of Gertrude Stein's grave)

The Heist by Daniel Silva

With a lull in book club book reading, it was time to turn to one of my favorite authors, Daniel Silva. I look forward each year to his new spy, mystery, and art history novel. The Heist was 2014's addition to his collection and was, as usual, a good and entertaining read.

Gabriel Allon is in Venice restoring a painting and awaiting the birth of his twin children with wife Chiara. It is not a surprise to his faithful followers that this work is interrupted by a crime committed for which his help is needed to solve. A notorious vendor of stolen art thief is found dead and according to General Ferrari, the Italian chief of police for art theft, all leads point to Allon's friend, Julian Isherwood. The murder leads to the question that the very famous  Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence by Caravaggio has been stolen. In his quest to find this,  Allon uncovers another series of murders directly connected to the art world. In his typical fashion, he finds that the murders and art thefts were connected to the Middle East and the ongoing crises there. In this novel, the reader is transported to Syria and the war it has waged with Israel. 

In a cleverly designed guise, Allon enlists the aid of a young woman, Jihan Nawaz, who works for a Syrian banker, but who witnessed the 1982 Hama massacre in which her parents were murdered. Allon plays on her hatred to aid him in recovering money stolen by the Syrian government. Jihan figures to be a new player in the Gabriel Allon novels and is one that the reader hopes will resurface in another book. 

As Gabriel is preparing to take control of the intelligence office in Israel, familiar characters make their appearance to support his scheme. One of the most poignant scenes is when Gabriel visits his first wife, Leah, who is in an institution as a result of the trauma she experienced in the auto accident that killed their son. Her comments hearken back to that time and elicit sympathy and empathy for their lives.  Uzi Navot is enlisted as well as his wife Bella, who feels that Uzi is being pushed out of his job. Allon also calls on Yaakov Rossman to bring his talents to the case. The twists, turns, and suspenseful action keep the reader turning the pages. 

One surprise in the book is when Silva mentions The Sybille of Cleves by Lucas Cranach. Cranach is my 12th great grandfather and a well known artist in the medieval world. 

Already announced for the summer of 2015 is Silva's new book, The English Spy. Here's hoping the English Girl will make another appearance. Can't wait.

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni was a new author for me. He is another lawyer turned writer who is crafting his work in the genre of detective/courtroom drama and has been compared to John Grisham. My Sister's Grave is his latest and is a stand alone work that could possibly be the first for his new detective heroine, Tracy Crosswhite. As Tracy is investigating the murder of a dancer, she receives word that remains that could be her sister's have been found.

Through a series of flashbacks and present narratives, the reader learns that Tracy's sister Sarah disappeared nearly 21 years ago after the two had participated in a shooting contest. It was intended that Sarah drive hero older sister's, Tracy, truck back home to Cedar Grove, Washington so that Tracy could go with her boyfriend. A day later the abandoned truck is found, but there is no trace of the younger sister.  Tormented by the guilt that she felt, Tracy left her job as a science teacher in order to become a police detective and be able to spend significant time trying to come up with the solution as to what became of her presumed dead sister. Edmund House had been convicted of the crime, but when the remains were discovered, something didn't sit right with Tracy and she felt that maybe Edmund did not have a fair trial. With the help of a childhood friend and now lawyer, Tracy and Dan O'Leary commit themselves to finding out exactly what happened that tragic night.

Like breadcrumb leading back to the solution, Dugoni reveals tiny morsels of the events that followed Sarah's disappearance. With weather impacting every turn of the story from the soaking rains to the blinding snowstorm the pair manage to get a retrial for House. They have interviewed all those who were complicit in the first investigation and are confident in the innocence of House. From the judge who originally tried the case to Sheriff Calloway and a salesman recruited to attest to the spotting of a car near the truck, something seems amiss.

What follows the retrial is a page-turning and gripping group of events from which the truth comes forward amidst a set of twists and turns and after a number of red herrings. It's an easy read and a good, but not great book.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Although I have always enjoyed Jodi Picoult books, I never feel compelled to buy them as soon as they are published. As a high school librarian, I bought most of the books because my students enjoyed them and I would read them when they were on the shelf and not being held for a patron. When it was announced that she would be speaking for the Pittsburgh Arts and Lecture series, I decided to buy her new book. I usually like to read books before I hear the lecture, but didn't have time since her book debuted only a few days before the lecture.

Elephants for one reason or another are fascinating animals. In Leaving Time, the reader will learn a massive amount of information about them, their habitat in Africa, and the process by which they come into this world and what happens to their herd when they die. Picoult has researched meticulously for this book and presents it in a scholarly, but approachable way. 

The novel is narrated by the four main characters and switches location between a New England elephant sanctuary and the savannas of Africa. Jenna Metcalf is the 13 year old daughter who has been left virtually an orphan as a result of her mother, Alice's disappearance. Alice was an elephant researcher in Africa before she became pregnant with Jenna and returned to the United States. As the novel opens, Jenna is searching and determined to find her mother. There had been an accident at the sanctuary during which a handler had been killed and her mother had been seriously hurt. Mysteriously, Alice disappears from the hospital and is never heard from again. All of this was too painful for Jenna's father and he is now in a mental institution with no recollection about all that happened that night nearly 10 years before where the novel picks up. And so Jenna enlists the aid of a down and out psychic, Serenity Jones, and a washed-up, alcoholic cop, Virgil Stanhope. Stanhope was one of the original investigators of the accident and feels compelled to help the teenager because of the lack of a thorough investigation when it happened. 

Jodi Picoult autographing Leaving Time

The story becomes much more of a mystifying journey to find out exactly what has happened to Alice. The narrators relate their views and hypotheses and clues the reader in on what might have happened that night.  The characters are well-developed and unique. Jenna has spunk and is a great protagonist. Virgil and Serenity both have a past that has sorely affected the struggles with which they deal on a day to day basis and that color their lives.  The book moves quite quickly and takes some turns that enable the reader to formulate a solution. And just when that happens, you are hit square in the face with what has to be the most unforeseen, dramatic, and shocking twist in literature. 

Once you start this book, it holds you mesmerized until the end. Great read and a great lecture by Jodi Picoult.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

My first experience with Gabrielle Zevin's books was as a school librarian when her book Elsewhere hit our library shelves. It was an immediate hit and created a group of Zevin fans. When I discovered that she had written an adult book, I was anxious to read it. I was not disappointed. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is charming, enticing, suspenseful, and a delightful read. Our Gables Book Club always tries to read a shorter book for the December meeting. This was our selection.

Set on fictional Alice Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, the novel opens as the reader meets the protagonist who is a curmudgeonly book store owner.  His demeanor as he meets an new publisher's rep. Amelia Loman,  is dreadful; but then we learn the back story of his young wife being killed and the resulting loneliness and reliance on the bottle to get through most days. Adding to this malaise are the pesky seizures that he has during which he can black out for seconds or hours. He has a prized possession in an very valuable edition of Tamerlane by Edgar Allen Poe that he reads to soothe his sorrow. To his horror, the book is stolen from under his eyes and his life changes. He has lost his source of retirement income, but larger than that his family circumstances change. Mysteriously, a baby is left inside the bookstore. He is taken with Maya and she transforms his life, giving it purpose once again. 

As two mysteries unfold, the whereabouts of the lost Tamerlane, and who is the child, the readers meets others on the island. Officer Lambiase conducts the investigation and eventually forms his own book club that centers on police and detective books. Ismay is A.J.'s sister and is married to Daniel Parish, a bit of a rogue and philanderer. And then there is Marian Wallace, whom we eventually learn is Maya's mother. She walked into the ocean and drowned, an apparent suicide. 

The book is a tribute to reading, bookstores, and the human soul that both touch. Each chapter begins with an excerpt  of a short story or novel that is annotated with Fikry's thoughts. As Maya grows up from the precocious toddler in the beginning to her teenage years, so does A.J. grow to love and accept the changes that he feels in his life toward people and his beloved books. The book begs to be read by those of us who so love to be surrounded by writing and our books. Borrowing a quote from C.S. Lewis and expanding on it on page 249, A.J. comments: "We read to know we're not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone."  That pretty well sums it up. A wonderful book to contemplate and enjoy.
 

Winter of the World by Ken Follett

The second part of Follett's Century Trilogy, Winter of the World, continues the saga begun in Fall of Giants. It didn't take nearly as long to read this book as the last. The novel begins in 1933 as Germany is struggling with the rise to power of Hitler, fascism, and economical distress. England is dealing with much the same issues and the United States is trying hard to avoid another international conflict.

It would be impossible to summarize this book of over 950 pages. Follett again centers his novel on the families of Fall of Giants with the children of the significant characters becoming the protagonists. They are there at the center of the action, but also give voice to the philosophic ideas of the time leading up to World War II and when they are living out parts of that tortuous time in the history of the world. Paramount among those are Daisy Peshkov who marries into British political royalty, but who loves another, Woody and Chuck Dewer, sons of a powerful American senator, Carla Von Ulrich, a young German girl who dares to challenge Hitler's policies, and Russian spy Volodya Peshkov. It is around their stories and the historical events that the novel turns. 

Although the book continues through to the end of the war, there are a few seminal scenes that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished.  One will never forget when the Carla finds evidence of Hitler's killing of the infirm and mentally challenged children. It is painful to read and the reader is as outraged as she is. Would any of us have had the courage to do what she did. The bombing of Pearl Harbor is described in such detail that you can hear and feel the bombs falling and see the planes above. It is tragic for not only for our nation, but also for those characters who were in close proximity. And then there is the crushing London blitz, the plan to invade France and the landing on Normandy Beaches. The Battle of Midway is portrayed as a real turning point in the war and where the code breakers managed to outwit the Japanese. We can detest Stalin as much today as many of his contemporaries did. Follett's roots as an espionage and writer of spy fiction shine through as he focuses on Russians gathering intelligence on the development and production of nuclear bomb.

The book is a compelling read and this reader is anxious to have a block of time to be able to read the next installment in the trilogy, The Edge of Eternity.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Once a year The Gables Book Club reads a piece of classic literature. For this year's offing, Brideshead Revisited was chosen. Originally published in 1945, it has also been the subject of at least two film/tv iterations. I enjoy revisiting the classic literature that I may have missed or that I read as an adolescent and did not appreciate. Evelyn Waugh's novel of the adult life of Charles Ryder as he struggles to find himself and his place in the world. From a beginning prologue to the body of the book and then the epilogue, the reader wrestles with Ryder and Waugh for truths to be told.

The reader first meets Ryder as he is pulling up one camp during WWII and traveling to another outpost in England. Upon arrival, he knows the estate and the sight of Brideshead catapults him into a memoir of his time spent their as a youth. Charles was raised by his father in London after his mother died. His father seems indifferent and almost eccentric, spending very little time with Charles. Charles goes off to Oxford University where he meets Sebastian Flyte, the son of the Lord Marchmain who owns the palatial estate. They become best of friends and more importantly, drinking buddies. During the summer term, Charles spends time at Brideshead and meets the other members of the family: Lord Bridey, Julia, and Cordelia, the siblings of Sebastian and his mother Lady Marchmain.

The story that ensues details his relationships, his beliefs, and his life's journey from Oxford to his revisiting Brideshead in 1944. As with many classic pieces of literature the themes on which the author focuses are well delineated and presented. Brideshead Revisited has no dearth of such themes. With Evelyn Waugh, the reader must remember his roots as a satirist as the exploration of those themes ensues. Noteworthy are his treatments of alcoholism and the acceptance of it by the aristocracy in Post WWI England and a heavy handed examination of the Roman Catholic dogma and church. Each member of the Flyte family exhibits a different commitment to his or her faith and as such embodies Waughs struggle with his own beliefs.

Another characteristic that stands out in classic literature is the richeness of the language. I don't know if we as readers in 2012 are less intelligent or lazier than those in 1945, but to read a novel that is so infused with beautiful language is so refreshing. Page after page the reader is treated to a feast of words that flow with richness that is a characteristic of the past. 

Brideshead Revisited is worthy of a read or a re-read. It's provocative, probing, and profound.

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

It never ceases to amaze me how really little I know about US history despite having had a remarkable course in high school and reading throughout my adult years. The Good Lord Bird is an almost comedic look at a snapshot of the life of John Brown, abolitionist. It is also amazing that I went to college in a town that play a prominent role in his life and the staging of his raid on Harper's Ferry and I never really understood the importance of Chambersburg. I can't tell you how many times I walked past the historical marker there. If only as youth we would have paid attention to our surroundings. 

McBride's novel opens in Kansas where John Brown becomes involved in a skirmish near Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas in 1857. He kidnaps the narrator of the novel, a black youth, Henry, whom Brown mistakes for a girl and thus becomes Henrietta. Brown nicknames him as Onion and the two are off on what is sometimes a rollicking adventure. With some of his sons, Brown's  gang travels east as he develops his plan for eliminating slavery in the country. Along the way they find an ivory-billed woodpecker that is known as the "Good Lord Bird." One of its feathers is sure to bring you a peace that will last your entire life. 

The reader sees Brown as a deeply religious man who firmly believes that with the African-American help, there may be a chance to eradicate slavery in this country. Brown is also comedic and with some of his observations will have the reader chuckle or laugh right out loud. One of the most humorous scenes is when Onion begins to have a bit of pining for a woman when s/he is staying at a whore house. Brown wants to make sure that s/he is still pure and has not "commingled" without benefit of marriage.

There are other noteworthy figures who play a prominent roll in The Good Lord Bird. Frederick Douglass is introduced in Rochester, NY when Brown goes to live with him for a couple of months. McBride does not treat Douglass reverently, but rather portrays him as an alcoholic and womanizer. These character flaws were hinted at in Transatlantic, but not nearly as blatant as in McBride's book. Onion meets Harriet Tubman, who would love to have been more involved in Brown's plot, except for being so ill. In a poignant scene she gives Onion her scarf.

For me the most interesting parts of the book came as the actual raid on Harper's Ferry was being staged. The accumulation of weapons and the working of the details were fascinating and now spur me a trip to the actual place. Although John Brown, his men, and his cause have had treatment in many fiction and nonfiction books, this one was a most memorable one for me. It had history, wonderful writing, and a human interest side. Onion is definitely a character for the ages. 

It was also a privilege to hear James McBride speak on his book, its writing and his view of our world today.







 "John Brown Historical Marker," ExplorePAHistory.com, <http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-FC> accessed 11 November 2014.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

One of the most rewarding outcomes of belonging to a book group is the impetus to read outside your comfort zone. One of the members of the Gables Book Club is a hospice nurse and so suggested and led the discussion of Me Before You.  It is probably not a book I would have read without this stimulus.

The book has but a few characters, but their voices are strong and developed. Louisa Clark has been working at a café in the shadow of a castle in a tourist village in England. As a primary breadwinner for her familial unit, the puts an undue amount of pressure on her to find another position quickly. Louisa lives with her parents, her grandfather, and her sister who is a single mother.

Will Traynor has it all - a wonderful job, a gorgeous girlfriend, and penchant for adventure travel. He has climbed Mt. Kilamanjaro, hiked Yosemite, and explored exotic locations like China and Kenya. Then his world changes one morning when he is struck by a motorcycle on his way to work. He is a quadriplegic who has endured mental depression, physical therapy, and a life confined to a wheelchair watching movies. His mother, Camille, looks to hire a companion for him to help ease the depression and perhaps convince him that self-determined death is not the answer. Will's father has basically given up and retreats to a mistress. Nathan is the medical aide, who helps with the daily routine and manages his medicinal life. 

Lou(isa) is hired to become that companion for a six month tour of duty. Will maintains a tough exterior, but soon succumbs to the wit, humor, and care of Lou. She plans excursions and even a major travel adventure for him. Unfortunately, he gets ill and cannot go, but that won't stop her planning. As she pours so much energy into cultivating a good life for Will, Lou begins to distance herself from her inattentive boyfriend. Her life really is a series of unfortunate consequences. And then she overhears a conversation that Will is determined to go to Dignitas to end his life. As she attempts to deal with this, the reader shares in her struggles and ponders the dilemmas that she feels.

The theme of this book that touches so many lives. Is it right to end a life that will never be fulfilling to the person living it? It was well written and thought provoking and as would be expected, fueled a lively discussion. Moyes writes with a pen skilled in the journalistic way. She presents facts, but gives them a face and voice. It was a very good read and one that will come back with resonance as the reader revisits the problems exposed in this novel. 

The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki

In her debut novel, Allison Pataki (daughter of former NY Governor George Pataki) chooses the intriguing story of Benedict Arnold and his second wife, Peggy Shippen, The Traitor's Wife. History is so interesting when written within the confines of a novel. It is a shame that when it is taught students don't get that personal and exciting view.

Clara Bell, (Oh, that Pataki had chosen a different name for her narrator) comes to live in the Shippen household as a maid for the daughters of Judge Shippen of Philadelphia and his wife. Clara is to help both Peggy Shippen and her sister, Betsy, However, Peggy is the bold sister and does not relinquish Clara for any duties other than to wait on her. Peggy Shippen is a flirty, attractive member of Philadelphia society even at the age of 16 and it is all that Clara can do to keep up with her since she has also been charged as Peggy's chaperone. Peggy has her eyes set on a British soldier, John André. The two have amorous feelings toward each other that are kept in check by Clara's watchful eyes. Judge Shippen does not approve and thwarts the budding romance by forbidding Peggy to attend the Meschianza Ball that André had planned. Shortly after, the Redcoat left the city and a grieving Miss. Shippen.

Enter Benedict Arnold, a military hero of the Battle of Saratoga and northern outposts. He moves into the elegant Penn Mansion and Peggy sets her eyes on him. They eventually marry and after a series of tribunals for selling Black Market goods move to Fort West Point. Arnold has been wounded and not received pay for his service, a circumstance that does not sit well with his young, aristocratic wife. As events unfold, she convinces him to begin to trade secrets with the British via her former paramour, John André (aka John Anderson). The rest, they say, is history.

Pataki builds The Traitor's Wife through the eyes of very observant fictional servants in the Shippen and Arnold households. Clara, Mr. & Mrs. Quigley, and Hannah, and Caleb understand their masters and mistresses and do a fine job of painting their characters. The historical part has been well researched and a list of works consulted included. Of particular interest was in the epilogue where Pataki goes on to detail what became of the Arnolds and Shippens. It is a part of history that doesn't get covered in the text books. 

The novel is an easy and interesting read. It is very reminiscent of Finishing Becca by Ann Rinaldi, which I had read close to 20 years ago. In this novel, Becca is sent to be Peggy Shippen's maid and also performs the role of narrator. I wonder if Allison Pataki read this, too.