The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1945)

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is a lovely little story about a young widow who leaves the home of her in-laws and moves with her two children to an isolated cottage by the sea. It is here, in the British coastal town called Whitecliff, that Irish author Josephine Leslie (writing under the pseudonym R.A. Dick) introduces her lead character Lucy Muir to Daniel Gregg, a sea captain who has passed on to a dimension too big for him to describe in earthly words. The two begin a romance of sorts and the story takes the couple through to their long-awaited reunion at the end of Lucy's life.

"Little Mrs. Muir," as she is so often described by those around her, realizes upon the death of her "adequate" husband that she has been left an "inadequate" income and rather than remain under the obligation of in-laws, she discovers there are "other ways to live." So with that, little Lucy asserts her independence by walking out the door and finding a place she can call her own. This sudden strength of character also gives Lucy the courage to stand up to the ghost that haunts Gull Cottage: her future partner, Captain Gregg.

I loved this story first as a television series and then as an old black and white film but now that I have read The Ghost and Mrs. Muir in its original form, I think the book tells the story best. The author writes with ease and her descriptions - of a breezy March day or the end of one's life - are perfection.

And now, since my "reviews" tend to focus on the position of women in the environment they occupy during their time in history, here goes: 

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir can be seen as a transitional novel, following in a lesser (literary) degree stories like The Awakening (1899). Lucy doesn't want "more" out of life, however. She wants less. No clubs. No societies. No golf. No bridge. She wants to be left alone, to live alone, and as the house agent states with great concern, "without a man's protection." 

It must be acknowledged, however, that Lucy does live with a man, an invisible ghost man, but a man nevertheless and she depends upon him a great deal for advice and protection. Lucy buys Gull Cottage with Gregg's money and, most notably, obtains financial security when she anonymously publishes a book he has written. To the outside world, Mrs. Muir is self sufficient and Leslie's novel introduces the concept that a woman can desire autonomy even if she can't achieve it on her own. And in the same way that later authors will deal more specifically with female independence, and future decades of readers will accept it, Lucy passes the torch and financial security on to the next generation. She says to her daughter:

“Oh, yes, I will [continue to give you an allowance after you are married],” said Lucy, “you don’t know how humiliating it is to have to ask even for a penny to buy a stamp.”

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is a classic in American culture, a story loved by many. Five stars for the memories and an enjoyable read. 

An in-depth and well-considered analysis of the book can be found here.

The Mirror Dance (1970)

I read Elisabeth Kylie's Mirror Dance about a month ago and while I have a vague memory of the plot, I have forgotten most of the details. Goodreads gives the book two stars, probably because the writing is simplistic and the conclusion weak, but I will elevate that rating to three stars because the author creates an independent woman in 1970 and does a good job describing the urban lifestyle I love so much.

The very first sentence of the novel tells us a lot about the city atmosphere that is to follow:

"Paxton was a favoured suburb of London in which to live. It had an excellent train service up to town." 

Judith Marlowe lives in a flat, one she shares first with room mates and then keeps on her own when her salary allows for it. She is financially and emotionally stable. She works, takes holidays, and commutes. 

Things get complicated when Judith inherits her grand-aunt's house and discovers, hidden away, a suitcase that was supposed to have been with her cousin Giselle when she died in a British train accident.

How is it that Giselle's body was damaged yet her suitcase remains in perfect condition? How is it that Giselle's passport includes a Danish entry mark dated several days prior the crash and yet there is no exit visa bringing her back to London? 

Judith, naturally, travels to Copenhagen to solve the mystery of her cousin's death. While there, she lives in a hotel, one with a narrow entrance and an old-fashioned lift. When she looks outside, she can see inside a "handsome" flat across the street and, two stories down, a crown-approved jewelers shop. 

The author describes city life throughout the story in a genuine way. When Judith awakens, an early morning bus rumbles by carrying workers to their 6am shift. The streets begin to fill as the sun rises, first with shop girls and clerks and later with professionals and tourists. Stores open. Judith walks through different neighborhoods, elegant ones and then busier ones selling foodstuffs. She stops for a coffee. Late at night, back in her room, Judith's radiator is noisy but the streets are quiet. The room is stuffy. She opens her window. Another bus passes by and after a short interval, a party of strollers. The flat she was able to look into earlier is dark and the shop below, illuminated softly, is shut tight with iron grilles.

Judith investigates but she doesn't rent or borrow a car. She takes a bus to question her prime suspect. She flags a cab when she's in a hurry or on her way to the airport. Mostly Judith walks, referencing maps and choosing well-lit streets filled with activity for safety. When Judith socializes with others, she does so in parks or over meals in restaurants. She fills her time wandering through museum exhibits and chats with strangers at the ballet. And, throughout it all, she gathers information. At no time does Judith justify her employment or apologize for her lack of a husband.

At the story's conclusion (spoiler alert), we are told that Gisele overdosed while staying with her friend Inge in Denmark. Even though the pills were somehow legal, Inge worked in a chemist's shop that was missing drugs and to avoid scandal and possible incrimination, she dumps Giselle's body in the river and pretends her friend dies in an accident. The true drug thieves, although never named or described, are said to have been arrested. Judith returns to London, without reporting her findings to authorities, and is merely grateful she no longer feels responsible for her cousin having been on the train that crashed. 

I don't know if we are supposed to accept this explanation as fact or see through it? It makes more sense that Inge killed Giselle for her money and dumped her body in the river. Aunt Vera may have wanted to avoid publicity and been blackmailed. A final edit would have helped if the author wanted us to read one thing yet know another, or if she had wanted to leave the ending ambiguous. Either way, Inge lives in fear that the body will resurface and Judith has a new love interest, a short man, small boned and slightly foreign looking, another indication in 1970 that standards are changing. We can conclude the book with satisfaction. 

SIDEBAR: Yet to add a little more confusion, the covers used when this novel was in print do not represent the story at all. The one I show above is ridiculous. This is not a gothic novel although it may have been marketed as such in 1970. The terrified female running from a big house on the moors or cliffs does not apply. Judith lives in a flat and then a hotel. She visits her aunt who lives on a city block and then interviews suspects in bars and parks. She travels to sea-side cottages and modern apartment blocks. At no time does she flee in terror wearing only a nightgown. 

Literature in the 1970s

1970
Waiting for Willa by Dorothy Eden
The Mirror Dance by Elisabeth Kyle
The Terracotta Palace by Anne Maybury
Love Story by Erich Segal

1971
Ride a White Dolphin by Anne Maybury
The Other by Tom Tryon

1972
Scars on the Soul by Francoise Sagan
Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James

1973
The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge
A Taste of Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith

1974
Jaws by Peter Benchley

1975 
Salem's Lot by Stephen King

1976
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
Trinity* by Leon Uris
The Jeweled Daughter by Anne Maybury

1977
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

1978
Chesapeake by James A. Michener
The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye

1979
Close to Home by Deborah Moggach

Abracadaver (1989)

I bought this book in Mexico for ten pesos, the equivalent of about a buck or less, from a vendor who had a table of old books for sale. It was a score for me because it's in English.

Abracadaver is #13 in the Father Dowling mystery series. I am familiar with the character from the American TV show and while the books came first (I believe), Abracadaver reads like a weekly episode. Characters have relationships that suggest romance but the connection never moves forward. Individuals have personality quirks that allow for a little substance but nothing they do is necessarily significant or valuable to the story. Perhaps this is why Raplph McInerny's books translate so well to television?

Overall, I give Abracadaver a big MEH and toss it in the giveaway pile. The crime was moderately interesting but the conclusion of the book was a big disappointment because the resolution relied on information we, the readers, were never given. If you are at all familiar with the Ten Commandments of Detective Writing, solutions like this are a cardinal sin.

While it might be a stretch to say that the setting in Abracadaver operates like a "character," what I will take away from the story in return for my time spent is McInerny's well-done description of the never-ending snow storm in Chicago and how it acts as a background to his action.

Literature in the 1960s

1960
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

1961
The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

1962
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

1963
The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson

1964
The Italian Girl by Iris Murdoch

1965
Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart

1966
Kid Rodelo by Louis L'Amoour

1967
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz

1968
True Grit by Charles Portis

1969
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
Mount Vernon Love Story by Mary Higgins Clark
The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Mount Vernon Love Story (1969)

Mary Higgins Clark, the famed mystery writer, started out with a different purpose in mind. Her first book titled Aspire to the Heavens was renamed Mount Vernon Love Story in the hopes that it would find an audience but it never did well and the author switched to a more lucrative style of writing. This book, however, is probably Higgins Clark's best. It's a fictionalized account of George Washington's life based on the author's historical research. I found the book interesting but not strong enough to recommend as an educational tool or basis for fact.

I live near George Washington's home Mount Vernon. I have visited the grounds but never the house. I am familiar with many of the names and locations referenced within the book. Sally Fairfax's family is now known to us on a regular basis as Fairfax County, the largest county in northern Virginia. George Washington's Fredericksburg is where people drive or take the train (me included) for a day out and a bit of overpriced antiquing. Braddock (Road) and (Fort) Belvoir are names we might use when giving directions. I am familiar with the locale and to have the area peopled with history and activity is a pleasure to imagine.

The book is also valuable because it gives readers insight into George Washington the man. He is no longer just a Gilbert Stuart painting or an old man with wooden teeth. He is more than an icon cutting down a cherry tree. He is a young man battling his mother and finding his way in the world. He falls in love, learns to dance, decides on a career, and marries when it feels right to do so. He becomes a husband and a stepfather. He is a good friend to his neighbors. While the book provides very little detail about George Washington's career, we do get a sense about how his relationships might have been structured.

I assume Mary Higgins Clark based her account on the many letters and documents George Washington left behind for the public to read. And because Mount Vernon, the charitable organization that maintains the house and grounds, endorses the book and is using it as a 2015 fundraiser incentive to mark the 256th anniversary of George and Martha's wedding, I have to believe the book commits no major error in the telling of the story. Maybe this year, I will make Mount Vernon a destination point. Arrivals are possible by boat leaving from Old Town Alexandria.

The Jeweled Daughter (1976)

From the book cover: The Hong Kong residence in which Sarah is staying is called the Pavilion of Apricots. It's a beautiful palace filled with an extraordinary art collection, but for Sarah, it has become a prison, the scene of events over which she has no control, which threaten to overwhelm her career, her great love -- and even her life.

I read this book while half asleep at night with my eyes half shut. For some non-academic reason I have made the commitment to track down and read every single book Anne Maybury has ever written completely overlooking the fact that most of her stories are lacking in plot and none of her books remain in print. It's not an easy task I have before me but I am determined to do it. So, with that in mind, here's my look at the The Jeweled Daughter:

Does the story include the necessary romantic-suspense elements?

a narrator who is ordinary and insignificant? No, Sarah is not a wallflower; in fact, she is by far the most likable lead character AM has ever created. Sarah Brent is a career woman, a jade specialist, and she travels the world for work attending auctions, appraising jewels, and studying art. She stays in Hong Kong because it benefits her career to do so, not because she is held there against her will. She has the means to leave if she chooses. She is independent and self directing.

an old house with a long history and secret passageways? Hmmm, well, in spite of the beautiful name, the Pavilion of Apricots never really materializes in my mind. The house is a compound of sorts in the middle of an old city enclosed by walls. There are interior gardens and doors to the street but the layout of the house was never clear to me. I don't think AM altered the "required" elements for a romantic-suspense novel; I think her interpretation fell short. The country house prototype works well in her other locations (Rome, Venice, and France), but not so well in Hong Kong.

a sophisticated female who is in competition for the husband who has superior beauty and status? Yes! Sarah's employer Theodora Paradine is wealthy and privileged. She gets what she wants and she only wants to acquire property, men, and more jewels. Once again, something was lacking in the description. Theodora's age was difficult to determine and, for that reason, I was never able to really imagine who she is supposed to be. Is Theodora an elderly woman with money or a middle-aged woman with means? Is she a fairly young woman with several marriages behind her? I don't know. Maybe I missed it.

a secretive husband whose trust is called into question? Yes. Sarah and her husband Marius are estranged. Marius is interested in Eastern healing practices and wants to incorporate them into Western medicine. Sarah is concerned that Marius might be willing to do anything ... including negotiate with Theodora ... to acquire the funds he needs to succeed.

an alternate male who provides support and friendship? Yes. Oliver Farache, Theodora's third husband, is visiting Hong Kong and takes Sarah out for an evening of drinks. Sarah thoroughly enjoys herself but there's no real hint of romance between them. Oliver is an obligatory character without much purpose to the story.

a murder or an attempted murder? Uh, well, the guy Sarah buys the jade from under unusual circumstances is found dead but who is he and what does his murder suggest? Unfortunately, the danger and mystery never develop into something worthwhile.

Is the conclusion of the novel satisfying?

Yes, but only because I was done with it. Overall, the story was un-engaging and fell flat. Did I miss something? Who can say but an immediate re-read is not in order.

From an historical perspective, though, the development of the female lead is interesting and quite possibly, this kind of evaluation is the real reason why I have signed on to this exercise of torture.

When I compare The Jeweled Daughter (1976) to I am Gabriella (1955), The Terracotta Palace (1970), and Ride a White Dolphin (1971), I notice radical changes how the main character is portrayed.

The earliest female lead, Karen (1955) is part of a detective duo. She works along side her husband and doesn't have a profession as far as I can remember although she may have had an inconsequential hobby.

Juliet (1970) is dependent upon her benefactors for her well being. She is employed but in between jobs and on a break. Whatever she does is merely a means to make money and her future is precarious.

Leonie (1971) is educated and was pursuing an unlikely career in something scientific but she gives it all up to be with her husband and resents the fact that she was not consulted about their relocation and that her job history will suffer.

Sarah (1976) is different. She is respected in her field. She meets and develops a relationship with a man who also has a career. Their marriage suffers when they try to balance out the demands of both professions but they come back together in the end and agree to make it work. This progressive relationship is a real testament to the social changes that were occurring during the 1970s and the way in which one small genre of fiction internalizes those changes fascinates me.

Pippi Longstocking (1945)

My sister Andi used to sleep like Pippi Longstocking. She would put her head under the covers and her feet inside the pillow case. Her daughter Asia was also infatuated with Pippi Longstocking and is shown below in costume. Me? I was a Nancy Drew girl. I liked Harriet the Spy. I knew very little about Pippi Longstocking outside of her crazy pigtails and mismatched socks.

Well, after reading Astrid Lindgren's first collection of chapter stories, let me tell you, Pippi Longstocking is pure girl power! She can defend herself against robbers, shoot pistols, and even face off with the strongest man at the circus. She is completely self sufficient. Pippi manages her own money, has two pets, cooks and cleans, and never lets anyone bring her down. She is amazing! In fact, in one episode, Pippi uses determination, creative thinking, and bravery to save two small children from a burning house. Hip hip hurray, everyone cheers, Pippi loudest of them all.

Lindgren's style of writing in translation is lyrical. Her stories flow easily and make you smile. Sometimes, though, the escapades of the little girl will break your heart, such as when Pippi who has no training goes to school for the first time or when she tries to behave at a tea party. Pippi might have the admiration of her friends Tommy and Annika but even the strongest of girls needs some love! Pippi's mother is dead and her father is lost at sea. In later volumes, I am told Pippi reunites with her father? If anyone's read the full series, please let me know how it goes. Overall, a wonderful diversion and worth sharing.

Literature in the 1940s

1940
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

1941
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

1942
The Body in the Library* by Agatha Christie

1943
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Hungry Hill* by Daphne du Maurier
The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn*  by Betty Smith

1944
Gigi* by Colette

1945
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by Josephine Leslie/ RA Dick
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Village in the Sun by Dane Chandos

1946
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgins

1947
Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Z. Hobson

1948
Maigret's First Case by Georges Simenon

1949
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
No Boats on Bannermere by Geofrey Trease

Village in the Sun (1945)

This book is about Ajijic, a small village situated between a lake and a mountain, found within close distance to the larger Chapala and the even larger Guadalajara. Currently, Ajijic is a thriving expat community full of Americans and Canadians, but in 1945, when Village in the Sun was first published Ajijic was a remote, hard-to-reach pueblo accessible easiest by water. The author Dane Chandos (a pseudonym for Peter Lilley, Nigel Millet, and Anthony Stansfield) was one of the area's earliest foreign residents.

Very little happens in this book. The writing is heavily descriptive about birds, dogs, the water, light, sunsets, fruit, and flowers. It's a beautiful night-time read, very painterly and restful, right before you go to sleep. A paradise of Eden in print.

The narrator, known only as el Señor, is kind but remote to the story's plot. He is primarily an observer. The real characters are the Indios: Candelaria the cook, Cayetano el mozo (a joven/youth with butler duties), Don Bernabe the builder, and to a lesser degree many others including the three seamstress sisters, Aurora the laundry woman with a sour face, and the revolving maids who work together to keep the position filled. While the Indios may be antiquated in practice, their dialogue is translated with an elegance reminiscent of Shakespearean English. Chandos clearly has respect for the culture in which he lives and writes. El Senor's visitors are not quite as accepting, though. Some of the Europeans who breeze through the small town and some of the big-city Mexicans are condescending and rude. Social class is definitely an issue in 1940s Mexico and the external world is moving in. At the end of the novel, the presence of a powerboat on the lake sums it up. Mexico is changing. And so is Ajijic. The future of the small village is foreshadowed by Don Pedro who takes a loss every year in anticipation of the time when Ajijic will become a resort town with conveniences. That time is now.

A Summer Place (1958)

A Summer Place by Sloan Wilson begins in Pine Island, Maine, and moves midway through the story to a vacation spot in Florida. The author's focus is on the social issues surrounding sexuality and adultery during the 1930s and 50s. He describes how one family, torn apart by divorce, suffers guilt, resentment, and unresolved anger for many years. The pain the characters feel is ameliorated, though, by the fact that Ken Jorgenson's wife Helen is frigid and more interested in money than she is in her marriage, and it's a bit easier for us to forgive Sylvia for her transgression when we learn that her husband Bart Hunter is an advanced alcoholic.

The reader's allegiance, while Ken is building his financial kingdom and Sylvia awaits her punishment, goes to the children, Molly and Johnny, who in their innocence inherit the sins of their parents. They struggle throughout their teenage years amidst their family drama and eventually find their own place in the world, back home where they met on Pine Island.

I recommend this novel because …

1) the casting off of the old caretaker, Todd Hasper, with his evil dog Satan, from the island paradise, at the very end, is overwritten and cruel, but symbolic;

2) these mid-century novels all have a certain elegance of life that escapes us now;

3) and, because the author served in the Coast Guard.

Yes, Sloan Wilson gets it. 

Palm River, Florida, is full of characters who live the boating life. Yachtsmen wave as they take the inland water route down to Miami and parts south. A woman lives on a houseboat and walks her dog every night with a man who dreamed of sailing around the world but decided to settle down instead. Another man, not quite right in his head, keeps a grand piano on his motor boat and anchors out all alone in the river. Molly and Johnny bond romantically while they sail their dinghy farther and farther, eventually capsizing and in need of rescue.

For all of the books I sought out (68 Knots and Adventure on the High Sea) and for all of the books I cannot bring myself to read (Moby Dick), this is the one story that gave me in part what I was looking for … a little bit of the boating life, some glamour, and a nice conclusion. "Well done, and good luck."

The Ice Princess (2003)

From Scandinavian Crime Fiction: Writer Erika Falck returns to her hometown after the funeral of her parents. She finds no solace. Erika is instead met by the news that the body of her childhood friend Alex has been found frozen in an ice cold bath. Her wrists have been slashed, but did Alex really take her own life? In order to deal with the tragedies, and to overcome her writers block, Erika starts working on a memoir (about) her dead friend. The writing process turns into an obsessive interest in Alex and her fate, and soon Erika's research leads her to local detective Patrik Hedstrom. Only when they start working together are they able to find answers, and to unfold the small town's deeply disturbing past.

The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg first drew my attention on the Metro. I don't remember what the advertising poster said but I went so far as to seek the book out with no luck at my local library and bookstore. Time passed and I forgot about the novel until recently when Chuck, a fellow mystery reader, recommended I read it.

Now available via download, The Ice Princess is a good BBC-style mystery with a Swedish village as its backdrop. The mystery itself and the conclusion to the story are satisfying but I can't fully recommend the book without telling you about its multitude of faults, primarily its lack of organization and content editing.

Too many primary characters. 
The most confusing structural problem with The Ice Princess is its lack of a primary character. To whom do I owe my allegiance? Eilert Berg introduces the book as the man who finds the body. Erika Falck follows as the main character who cares about Alex's death. And then suddenly, halfway through the story, Patrik Hedstrom takes over as the detective who drives the story to its conclusion.

This problem with focus is further evidenced by the fact that Goodreads initially called the series the "Patrik Hedstrom books" and now has revised that title to read the "Fjallbacka series." I have read books where there are many people narrating the story but it didn't work easily in this case.

Too many minor characters. 
I know it's a literary device for writers of crime fiction to create an entire village of people so the killer is better hidden from the reader's suspicion but there were just too many minor characters. The inner life for each was well done and interesting to read but I began to feel as if the vignette was more important to the writer than the character was to the story.

Too much information when it comes to romance. 
The budding relationship between Erika and Patrik was central to the story but it was TOO detailed, particularly when it came to underwear choices and the avoidance of urinary tract infections. YUCK. What kind of book is this?

Too many pages in each chapter. 
Hundreds of pages, in fact, with no clear reason for the text division when it finally did occur. Where is this going? I like organization within a book that makes sense and I like a clear place to stop and take a break.

Too chatty.
Overall, the book was satisfying but a big red pencil would have helped it read better. Hopefully as the series continues, Lackberg will have learned how to remove the excess and focus on building her story and characters with more relevant information and less inconsequential detail.

The Fault in Our Stars (2012)

I was pushed really really hard into reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Asia, my 11-year-old niece, wrote the title on all of my note lists. She asked me about it every time we saw each other. She told me it was the Best. Book. Ever. That I HAVE TO READ IT NOW!

So, with that pressure on my back, I finally took the time to download the book and started reading it. It's not often I come across a book I read non-stop until finished. It's not often I take a book (hidden on my iPad) to meetings and read a page or two under the table when the conversation becomes dull. It's not often the whole family reads a book and talks about it during long distance phone calls.

This book is considered children's literature. Really? It's about two kids, teenagers, both dying of cancer. They are smart, clever, deep, intellectual, and care about each other and the big questions. What happens when you die? Is it important (or even possible) to do something heroic that makes your life worthwhile or are we all destined to oblivion any way?

To give you more information about this "amazing book" Asia wants you to read (or else), I now turn my review over to a Q&A session with Asia "the great and powerful"...

Asia, The Fault in Our Stars is a love story. What do Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters mean when they tell each other every thing is okay? When Hazel and Augustus say everything is okay, they are referring to their friends, Isaac and Monica, who tell each other "always" so that they will "always" be there for each other. Hazel and Gus mix this statement around to create their own "always;" it is okay.

Which scene in the book do you remember and love the most? The scene from this book that I remember most is Augustus' pre-funeral. SPOILER ALERT!!! I loved this scene because the connection between Augustus and Hazel is emphasized in a way that you understand what they are going through.

Why do you think Augustus carries a cigarette in his mouth but never lights it? Augustus is a very metaphorical person. In the book, Augustus says that he is putting the killing thing in his mouth (the cigarette) but not giving it the power to kill (lighting it). It's a metaphor.

What do you think Hazel means when she says she is like a grenade? Hazel has cancer in her lungs. When she says she is like a grenade, she is stating that one day she is going to blow up and obliviate everything in her wake and she doesn't want to hurt anyone.

Are you glad you found out that Sisyphus the Hamster ended up okay? Yes, because at least when Hazel and Gus went to Amsterdam they weren't totally disappointed.

Even though the "world is not a wish-granting factory," if you had a Genie foundation wish, what would you ask for? I don't know what I would do with my wish. I have a good life so I would probably give my wish to someone who needs it more than me.

Do you think Augustus chose a visit to Amsterdam because he wanted to give Hazel her wish or do you think he chose Amsterdam because he wanted to make Hazel fall in love with him? Or both? I think both because Augustus is a very charismatic person and he wants Hazel to have a good life before she dies but Gus has very strong feelings for Hazel and the trip to Amsterdam shows his affection for her.

Why do you think we like to read sad stories that make us cry? Because it's real life. Real life is hard and it will make you cry. But it also makes you laugh and smile. That is what I love most about this book. You are crying because Hazel is sick or because Gus dies, but you are laughing at the jokes and you feel happy when you think about the love they share for each other!

READ THE FAULT IN OUR STARS!!!

Love Story (1970)

Having recently read The Fault in Our Stars, I decided to revisit the love story that broke the young romantic hearts of my generation: Erich Segal's Love Story.

I will say up front and center: The Fault is better. The writing style is more sophisticated. The characters are more developed. The story deals with death more intimately and much more realistically. The connection between Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters is deeper and more heartfelt than the relationship between Oliver and Jenny, even though they are all supposed to be intellectuals of some sort.

Love Story is almost still an outline. The story was published too soon and still needs work. It isn't finished! Yes, it's a classic but it can never be called literature. The success of the story in 1970 must have been due to timing. Jenny was ethnic in an era when the blonde-haired blue-eyed standard of beauty was being challenged by the "other." It was what we wanted to read and see at the time.

Here's a brief summary of the story: Harvard jock meets Radcliffe music student. Oliver Barrett IV has generations of wealth and accomplishment behind him. Jenny Cavalleri is the daughter of an Italian baker, although her father is specifically not an immigrant and does not speak Italian. The social gap between the lovers is wide but the disparity of their class is part of what attracts them to each other. They date, marry while still in school against the wishes of Oliver's parents, and then struggle to make ends meet. Oliver achieves success with his wife's help and then - blam - she dies.

The heart of this story is about Oliver and his father, not about Oliver and Jenny. 

Oliver gets good grades, excels in sports, but is angry at his father because he gets no recognition for his accomplishments. Oliver is expected to do well because he's a Barrett and generations of Barretts have always done well. There's even an underlying suggestion that many of Oliver's accomplishments are due, not to his personal efforts, but instead due to his last name and the financial contributions made by his father.

Jenny is this perfect character with no apparent faults. Everyone in the neighborhood loves her. She sleeps with Oliver without expecting a relationship. She marries Oliver when he's broke and then helps her husband through law school. Jenny doesn't even suffer tremendously when she becomes ill and only asks to be held tightly right before she dies.

Jenny's illness and death scene is shorter and less detailed than Oliver's opening hockey games which play no significant part in the story. (And what's with the doctor telling Oliver that Jenny is sick and asking him to keep the information to himself? WTF? My God, times really have changed.)

Love Story is about how Oliver stands up to his father, makes his way in the world, graduates third in his class without his father's assistance, learns the value of money, and then acknowledges the unconditional love he feels for his father after he has matured and become a successful man in his own right. With a little more work, Love Story might have been a work of literature but probably not the great success it was in theaters.

The Terracotta Palace (1970)

From the book cover: Where is Vanessa Malimbrosa? Juliet Holdroyd wants to know ... and nothing the very strange, very rich Malimbrosa family can do will keep her from the twisted truth hidden in a fabulous villa in Rome.

My last few reads have been on iBooks and I have to say there's real pleasure in reading an old out-of-print paperback. This book (Anne Maybury's The Terracotta Palace) has a musty attic smell and I like the cover art.  Here's my evaluation based on a set of questions I have pulled together and will apply to all romantic-suspense novels I review on LiAM:

SPOILERS!

Does the story include the necessary romantic-suspense elements?

• an old house with a long history and secret passageways? YES! The Terracotta Palace is an ancient mansion in Rome where the Malimbrosas live in beautiful suites with wonderful servants, manicured grounds, and dark cellars originally built to house prisoners.

• a secretive husband whose trust is called into question? YES! Philip is Juliet's untrustworthy love interest. His potential deception is carried through to the very end quite effectively.

• an alternative male who provides support and friendship? YES! Martin, who is frequently referred to as Juliet's "gay companion," is her confidant.

• a sophisticated female who is in competition for the husband and has superior beauty and status? YES! Irena is described as being the most elegant woman in the room and it appears that she and Philip are involved.

• a narrator who is ordinary and insignificant? YES! Juliet is strong, independent, and not easily swayed but she is "ordinary" in that she's not wealthy and "insignificant" because she's not immediately recognized as one of the clan.

• a murder or an attempted murder? YES! Vanessa is missing and possibly dead; Pepi, the little boy, is being tortured by ghosts and Juliet is a target.

Is the conclusion of the novel satisfying?

Initially, YES, when I closed the book, The Terracotta Palace was an acceptable read. The characters were tolerable and sufficiently developed for light fiction, and the story wrapped up with the (obligatory) romance. BUT, when I started to think about my blog post, I realized that the story doesn't quite measure up and here's why:

The mystery is solved, but doesn't make sense.

Vanessa is alive and her family knows all about it. Allegra actually engineers her grand-daughter's "disappearance" as part of an excommunication from the family for having forged checks.

For having forged checks? Really? Money flows easily and generously in the Malimbrosa household. There's no reason (such as drugs or gambling) to explain why Vanessa would need more money than what she has. The conclusion that she can't be trusted and must be banished before she embarrasses the family just doesn't make sense to me.

Juliet is a Malimbrosa and that gives us a solid explanation (and an acceptable gothic motive) for why someone is trying to kill her. Vanessa wants her cousins Juliet and Pepi out of the way so she can find her way back into Allegra's heart.

There's no resolution. 

Vanessa is going to jail. Pepi is still weak and emotional. Juliet is going home. Even if Juliet and Philip marry, it's not likely they will both change their names to Malimbrosa. Irena isn't going to jeopardize her relationship with the sterile Leo by having a secret child outside of her marriage. Romola is too old to bear children and has no prospects. No one inherits? All of this drama for nothing?

And no one rescues the child.

I can't believe Anne Maybury just dropped this part of the story. Will Juliet go back to London and write the kid long letters as some means of support (as she plans) or will she actually do something to improve Pepi's life? It would have been a much more satisfying ending to the story (and a logical one) if Juliet and Philip had taken a ride out to the country with the intention of saving the child (and the heir).

Does the novel include artistic color?

No, not really. This is something I have come to expect from Anne Maybury novels. Juliet walks up and down the street looking for Vanessa and drinking coffee. She explores vacant buildings and burned out houses. Geraniums are always described as looking tired. Juliet is out of sorts. People stub out their cigarettes but never light them or smoke them. Two stars for the book in general. Three stars for the genre.

Divergent (2011)

While traveling to and from Mexico this month, I read Veronica Roth's YA novel Divergent.

My niece Maya is a huge fan of dystopian fiction and this book came highly recommended (as did The Giver many years ago and the book that launched this site).

I have decided that my job (as a LiAM blogger) is not to sell books or entice people to read stories. I want instead to discuss books I have read without having to speak cryptically or tip toe around the plot. So with that in mind, here is a general description (taken from Amazon) to be following by my SPOILER-filled discussion of the book.

"In Beatice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue -- Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is -- she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself."

* SPOILER * SPOILER * SPOILER * SPOILER * SPOILER *

What did I like best about Divergent? 
I like the visual language of the story, most specifically the symbols of the five factions (mentioned above and shown below) and how the members of Dauntless each get a meaningful tattoo to represent what's important in their lives (such as family in spite of the expectation that their faction comes first) and also as a marker in one's growth when difficulties are overcome and mastered. This is a great message for YA readers.







I also like the love story between Tris and Four. The relationship is sweet in spite of the brutality they have opted to take part in. The two characters work together as a team and respect each other. Be true to yourself and those around you. Another great message for YA fiction.

What makes for a dystopian YA novel? 
Having read only a few, here are the re-occuring characteristics I have noticed in the genre.

Strength. 
Dystopian stories often include a strong female protagonist who can fight and isn't afraid to take on responsibility.

Brutality. 
These books are rough. Tris is involved in a competition of strength and ability. She overcomes her fears and pushes through obstacles as part of her initiation into the faction Dauntless. While The Hunger Games has been the catalyst for most of the media attention given to this genre, Divergent is a little less upsetting. Tris isn't involved in a gladiator-style fight to the death where teenager is pitted against teenager. Her conflict is dangerous but it's somewhat controlled and not being held for entertainment purposes. I think of Tris as a Ronda Rousey character taking part in an MMA bout. She can handle the challenge. She is tough, and even though she's small, she can win.

Excitement. 
According to an article published in the Guardian and found here, the real pull for these books is the excitement they generate and I have to agree. The second half of the book flew. After a slow start and maybe one too many simulation drills, I was lagging. Then the pace started to quicken. The computer program is stalled but not dismantled. Tris and Tobias are on the run. Caleb is faction-less. Christina is missing. The parents are dead. Then, wham, the book is over. The ending was so sudden.

Will I read the follow-up book Insurgent? 
You bet, I will. Too may things were left unanswered. Is Tori a good guy? I have a sneaking suspicion she might not be. Are they being kept inside the compound or is the fence really meant to keep something out? When I find out, I'll let you know.

Divergent is the first of the trilogy, followed by Insurgent and a third installment due out in October 2013.

Top 25 Love Stories of All Time

Esther Freud, one of my most favorite authors, provided a list of her top 10 love stories in the Guardian a few years back. Using her picks as my starting point, I made a few changes, added my own selection of books, legends, films, and plays to come up with the following Top 25 Love Stories of All Time. 

Which titles would you add or take away?

1100s
Tristan and Iseult
Abelard and Eloise

1597
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

1847
Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

1877
Anna Karenina* by Leo Tolstoy

1891
Tess of the D'Urbervilles* by Thomas Hardy

1936
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

1945
The Ghost and Mrs Muir by Josephine Leslie (R.A. Dick)
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford

1951
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

1957
Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
An Affair to Remember* with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant

1967
Barefoot in the Park* with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford

1970
Love Story by Erich Segal

1973
The Way We Were* with Barbra Steisand and Robert Redford

1975
Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson
(filmed as Somewhere in Time)

1977
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

1984
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

1989
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

1997
Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

2006
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

2007
Love Falls by Esther Freud

2008
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

2009
One Day by David Nichols

* = read or seen but not yet blogged about.

Anne of Green Gables (1908)

Anne of Green Gables is a sweet story about a young girl's adoption, growing up, settling down, and getting an education. It's also the first novel I've read completely online through iBooks. :-)

Anne Shirley, when we first meet her, is an overly dramatic, extremely talkative 11-year old. She has a temper she cannot control and a passion to speak her mind. She is high-spirited, scatterbrained, and always in some kind of innocent but problematic trouble.

As the young girl ages, under the strong care of Marilla Cuthbert and her quiet but loving brother Matthew, Anne becomes more balanced. She works hard, achieves recognition as a scholar, and makes solid decisions that put others before herself.

Mark Twain is said to have called Anne "the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice." The character is certainly well developed with both positive qualities and youthful faults. Anne is driven by her emotions and imagination and later by her ambitions. She can be set apart from other young heroines by her rich inner life. Additional characters within the story are less developed, though, and men are positively absent or barely significant to the plot.

Which of the following portrayals come closest to how you IMAGINE Anne Shirley to look?

Mary Miles Minter

Dawn O'Day

Meghan Follow

50 Classic Matchbook Girl Novels

Are you a Matchbook Girl?  Matchbook is an online magazine that covers "past and present fashion ... the arts, travel, and culture." It seeks to "inspire women around the globe to design a life they adore."

And here is the Matchbook list of Classic Novels.

How many have you read?

1811
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

1813 
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

1815
Emma by Jane Austen

1847
Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

1853
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

1857
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

1861
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

1865
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

1868
Little Women* by Louise May Alcott

1869
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

1874
Middlemarch by George Eliot

1877
Anna Karenina* by Leo Tolstoy
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

1880
Heidi by Johanna Spyri

1881
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

1891
Tess of the d'Urbervilles* by Thomas Hardy

1900
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

1902
The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

1905
The House of Mirth* by Edith Wharton
The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

1908
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (Canadian)

1909
A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter (American)

1911
The Secret Garden* by Frances Hodgson Burnett (English-American)

1918
My Antonia* by Willa Cather (American)

1920
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (American)

1924
A Passage to India* by E.M. Forster

1925
The Great Gatsby* by F. Scott Fitzgerald (American)
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (British)

1926 
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (American)

1927
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (French)
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (British)

1928
Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

1932
Little House of the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

1934
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald (American)

1936
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (American)

1943
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn* by Betty Smith (American)

1945
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford

1951
The Catcher in the Rye* by J.D. Salinger

1955
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

1957
Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

1958
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

1960
To Kill a Mockingbird* by Harper Lee

1961
Franny and Zooey* by J.D. Salinger

1963
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

1970
Play It as it Lays by Joan Didion

1978
The World According to Garp by John Irving

1984
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

* = books I've read but not yet blogged about.

All Windows Open (2012)

"All Windows Open" is a recently published book that includes a namesake novella and a collection of short stories each running about 10 pages long. To summarize the group would be to say that they all deal with longing, lust, and desire, sometimes fulfilled, often times not.

The novella is dual narrated by lovesick Chrissie and the widow Magda who knows everyone's secrets, both those spoken and those surmised. The author Hariklia Heristanidis has created a genuine neighborhood of people who interact in a tightly knit, sometimes oppressive, but always caring fashion. To say anything more about the plot would be to spoil the surprises and humor that follow.

My biggest compliment is that the story is thoughtful and well considered. Random events and comments come full circle and build character or have meaning later in the story.

The book arrived in the mail late last night and I finished all of the stories this morning with coffee. A very good read and a highly recommended book.

To find on Amazon: All Windows Open: and Other Stories