Nevermore: Marie Colvin, Dan Rather, Feather Thief, Gilead, The Sum of Us, Slaughterman's Daughter, Rainier Erupts, Exiles

 

 Reported by Jeanne

The Nevermore Book Club opened with a rave review for a movie.  A Private War is a dramatization of the last years of war correspondent Marie Colvin.  Colvin was an American who wrote for The London Times and who covered conflicts around the world.  She lost an eye while reporting in Sri Lanka, but that didn’t prevent her from continuing her career in dangerous situations. Her final assignment was in Syria. Our reviewer couldn’t praise it highly enough.

 

Fittingly, the next entry was a book by Dan Rather, also a news reporter.  What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism is divided up by categories, including “Freedom,” “Community,” and “Responsibility,” which are then subdivided under headings such as “Audacity,” “Environment,” and “Service.”  Our reviewer felt that Rather is an excellent writer, praising him for being both succinct and enlightening as well as patriotic.  She singled out his observation that the public has lost a great deal by having the news consist of sound bites instead of in-depth reporting.

 

This was followed by the historical novel The Slaughterman’s Daughter  by Yaniv Iczkovits. Written originally in Hebrew, the novel is set in 1895 in Russia where two Jewish sisters set out to track down the missing husband of the older sister, Mende.  Younger sister Fanny has always been something of a wild child, even training in their father’s profession of being a ritual slaughterman.  This training comes in handy on the journey which comes to involve bandits, the Russian secret police and the czar’s army.  Our reader recommended it highly, saying that it’s different, interesting, and enjoyable.

Rainier Erupts! by Thomas Hopp postulates what would happen if Mt. Rainier were to, well, erupt.  This novel follows several points of view, from scientists trying to predict events to one family struggling to survive.  Hopp presents a vivid picture, made more real to our reader because she has been to the area.  She said this was a good but not great book and added, “If you like a book about things going wrong, you’ll like this book."

 

The title of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel Gilead by Marilynne Robinson refers to the town of Gilead, Iowa where the Reverend John Ames seeks to write an account of his heritage to leave to his young son. Ames is in his seventies, and he knows there isn’t much time left to tell about his father and grandfather, both of whom were also men of God but who certainly did not see eye to eye.  It’s also a meditation on life, faith, and theology, wrapped up in beautiful prose.  “I wasn’t ready for this book before, but I am now,” commented the Nevermore member. She praised the book specifically for its “superb storytelling.”

Up next was the collection of American Short Stories which one of our readers has enjoyed dipping into for something light and refreshing. She particularly recommended “The School” by Donald Barthelme and treated us to a reading of the first few lines.

 

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline has made the rounds of our readers, all of whom have been drawn into this historical novel which begins in 1840.  The book weaves together the stories of three women: an Aboriginal girl named Mathinna who has been taken away from her mother by a white aristocrat; a Scottish orphan who is caught stealing bread; and a London governess, also accused of stealing.  The latter two are convicted and shipped off to Australia as punishment. Our reviewer said the book was well worth reading and also put in a good word for Kline’s other novels, especially The Orphan Train.

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson is a true story that reads like fiction.  Author Johnson was fly-fishing with a friend when he first heard the story of the American student who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of feathers from a British museum in order to make Victorian fishing flies.  Fascinated, Johnson began to research the story and wrote this incredible account not only of the theft but also about the mania for rare birds that drove some species to extinction or near-extinction.  Our reader found it to be an excellent book, both thrilling and informative.

 

Heather McGhee’s The Sum of Us:  What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together was described as a book that “sometimes makes you so mad and so depressed, but you still think everyone should read it.” The author believes that segregation hurts everyone, both the dominant group and the minority group, and causes the dominant group to become less flexible and compassionate.  Our reader pointed out that while everyone says they want diversity, their actions say something else.  People make choices that are more about their own comfort levels, going for the familiar.

Finally, there was a recommendation for a Netflix offering, “The River Runner.” It’s a documentary about kayaker Scott Lindgren, and our viewer thought it was both powerful and beautiful.

The session ended with a quotation from Bertram Russell: “The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”

 

Other books mentioned:

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death by Caitlin Doughty

Read My Pins by Madeleine Albright

Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Shadowlands by William Nicholson

Jack’s Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis by Douglas Gresham

Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Reviewed by Ambrea

In the opening of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, readers are introduced to Reverend John Ames.  A Congregationalist minster, Ames has spent his entire life in Gilead, like his father before him, and he knows he will die there.  He picks up pen and paper with the intention of writing a letter for his young son, but his short, poignant letter quickly turns into a memoir that shares Ames’s life experiences and his family history.  He recalls memories from his childhood, experiences from his clerical life, his short marriage to his first wife and his marriage to Lila, his remarkable second wife, and all the tragedies and triumphs he has faced in a very long lifetime.  In his writing, John Ames seeks to connect to his son, who he knows will have only distant memories of his father, and reconcile himself with his growing age, his failing health, and his wavering faith.

Despite his designation as a member of the clergy, Ames is a flawed individual.  In his candid entries, which span generations of family history, he reveals he has instances of jealousy and distrust, moments of frustration with his congregation, fits of passion (especially around young Jack Boughton, whom he treated as a son), and unmistakable encounters with his own doubts about God, much to his chagrin.  James Ames is not a perfect man, but he is a good man—and I think that’s exactly what makes him so intriguing and what makes Gilead such a compelling novel to read.

An English professor once pointed out that truly good men sometimes seem to come few and far between in literature.  As a man who has enjoyed his life, simple as it may be, Ames makes an interesting study into the life of an “average Joe” and a clergyman, who is attempting to balance his faith and his human passions.  His faith, his candor, his goodness, and his willingness to admit his own faults make him a truly unique character in a world where sin often makes the story.  His story is a beautiful, poignant epic that appreciates the complexities of the human condition and offers insight into a life well-lived.

Marilynne Robinson, I noticed, made some unique stylistic decisions in writing her novel.  For one thing, she doesn’t designate separate chapters in Gilead.  Aside from the occasional division between individual anecdotes, Robinson essentially leaves Ames to his own devices in a semi-stream of consciousness journal.  While this provides the novel with the illusion of being a legitimate diary, giving it that quality of intimacy it might not have had otherwise, I found it could sometimes leave me searching for a break between pages so I could put the book aside for a few minutes.  Although I would sometimes long for a short breather, I found I liked the feeling that I was privy to John Ames’ most private thoughts.

I also enjoyed the realism of John Ames’s character.  His regrets, his personal sorrows, and his feelings of guilt frequently permeate Gilead; however, he is a man who also illustrates the simple joys of living.  Although he writes in anticipation of his death, which he suspects can come at any time, I got the distinct impression that Ames was gradually finding peace in the world and coming to terms with his flagging faith, his fears of losing his son’s affections to another man, and his failing health.  In that respect, I found Robinson’s novel to be quite beautiful despite its fatalistic undertones, because I began to treasure Ames for his flawed human nature and his ephemeral qualities.

Overall, I loved reading Gilead.  It’s a beautiful piece of work that’s lovingly created, full of characters I understand—characters I can relate to—and stories that feel so vibrant, so real, that I was hard pressed not to lose myself in them.

Nevermore: Believing the Lie, Gilead, D.C. Dead, Rules of Civility

The Nevermore Book Club discussion opened with Jud discussing Gilead by Marilynne Robinson which he described as an “American Gothic.”  An elderly minister is writing his memoir for his young son, so that the boy will know more about the person his father is and the forces which shaped him.  He describes his parents and grandparents as well, so the tale covers three generations and a wide swath of American history but does so in a quiet way.  This isn’t a sweeping epic but more of a meditation and consideration of a life. Several members of the club had read this book and all agreed it was a fine read.

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George has Inspector Lynley called in to investigate the death of a drowning victim. He in turn calls in Simon and Deborah St. James who set about investigating the deceased’s family. Our critic felt that the book had too many plot threads—some four different plot lines running through the same book-- and was too wordy. Also, the author separated some of the usual characters, which meant a certain lack of interaction.  The book just bogged down under the weight of all the stories and characters.  She added that while the book was still called “An Inspector Lynley Mystery,” she felt there really wasn’t enough Lynley.

The latest Stuart Woods novel, D.C. Dead, has Stone being summoned to Washington by President Will Lee to undertake an operation that can’t be entrusted to a government agency.  Holly Barker returns as well.  Our reviewer said the book got off to a good start but that he didn’t buy the ending. 

Rules of Civility  by Amor Towles  follows the fortunes of three young people in 1930s New York.  Katey, the daughter of Russian immigrant parents, is determined to work her way up in society, while Eve is a free spirit. Tinker Grey is a banker with a somewhat mysterious background.  The book was praised for the way it portrays the glittering New York scene of the time, with nightclubs, jazz, witty conversations, and sophistication.  Our reviewer compared it to The Great Gatsby, and thought it a wonderful book.