Reported by Garry
The books brought to Nevermore this week ran the
gamut from historical fiction to farce and romance to murder mystery. We always
have a great selection of books to discuss!
The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison is a historical
romance novel that follows the story of Olive McCormack, a young woman from the
Midwest who moves to New York. She finds work with the world famous Ziegfeld
Follies, a series of lavish reviews that were a mix of Broadway show and
variety show. Headstrong and independent, Olive is set on becoming a star in
the glamorous world of the Follies and throws herself into the grueling work of
entertainment. Then she meets Archie Carmichael, a wealthy and handsome man who
tolerates her worldly ways - until she accepts his marriage proposal and a
devastating secret from her past comes to light. Our reader enjoyed this love
story and recommends it for some light escapist reading.
Following up on last week’s Caravans, one of
our readers took on Tales of the South Pacific by James A Michener. This
Pulitzer Prize winning novel was Michener’s first published book and became the
basis for the Broadway musical, South
Pacific. Based on his observations of his co-workers and locals during his
time on the island of Espiritu Santo (now known as Vanuatu), Michener’s book
takes place during World War II and examines the cultural differences between
the US Military, French colonial expats and the native population. Our reader
says that this book is a very interesting look at the day-to-day life of
overseas military personnel at the time, but that the book does not have the
details that became Michener’s trademark.
The Library of Legends by Janie Chang
is a beguiling historical fantasy novel loosely based on true events. In 1937,
the Japanese army begins bombing mainland China in preparation for an invasion.
Nineteen year old Hu Lian and her university classmates are ordered to evacuate
from Nanking. They are also tasked with carrying with them the Library of
Legends, a centuries old collection of folklore and myths central to Chinese
society. Murder and magic haunt the convoy, and Lian’s own family history comes
back to haunt her during the 1000 mile trek to the country’s interior. Our
reader quite enjoyed this book with its deep appreciation of Chinese myth and
history, and its well written, compelling characters.
One of the most beautiful and unusual books brought
to the group is The Lost Words: A Spell Book by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris. The
2007 edition of The Oxford Junior Dictionary deleted a number of words
from its pages in order to make room for words young people use more commonly
now, such as ‘blog’ and ‘chatroom.’
Among the words dropped were many from the natural world, like ‘bluebell’,
‘dandelion’, ‘acorn’, etc., that were considered “no longer applicable” to
modern day children.This caused an outcry and resulted in the creation of this
gorgeously illustrated “spell book” which the authors wanted to conjure these
words back into the lives of children. Our reader loved this book and its
beautiful, evocative illustrations, and was aghast at the thought that the
natural-world related words had been removed from the dictionary. She feels
that having the “lost words” highlighted in such a beautiful book goes a long
way to helping re-wild the lives and imaginations of children who may never otherwise
encounter a bluebell.
Also mentioned:
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David
Sedaris
Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel
Philbrick
A Study in Crimson: Sherlock Holmes 1942 by Robert
Harris
The Cat Saw Murder: A Rachel Murdock Mystery by Dolores
Hitchens
The Diviners by Libba Bray
