Nevermore: JFK, Beloved Poison, Donner Party, Fatal, Watcher, Silva

 Reported by Kristin

Our first Nevermore reader was moved by the story of peace-seeking President Kennedy in To Move the World: JFK’s Quest for Peace by Jeffrey D. Sachs.  In communications with Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev, JFK sought to reduce the threat of catastrophic war.  The two world leaders wrote letter back and forth about how to achieve the goal of peace, and those letters were revealed decades later.  JFK had served in the military during World War II, and did not trust that military forces would not lose control if there was an escalation of the Cold War.  Our reader found this a detailed history of cooler heads prevailing, however briefly, in a potentially dangerous time.

A different although rather dangerous time to be alive was described in Beloved Poison by E. S. Thomson.  Following her father into the family business, Jem Flockhart dresses as a man in order to serve as an apothecary in a dismal 1850’s London hospital.  Although a murder mystery, the main force moving the storyline forward is the richly described setting.  Our reader said that the descriptions of the filth in the town and the medical treatments were just horrifying.

Continuing in fiction, our next reader enjoyed some lighter fare with The Messenger by Daniel Silva.  Israeli art restorer and spymaster Gabriel Allon is in the thick of things again.  In this installment, jihadists make an attempt on the Pope Paul VII’s life.  Allon attempts to plant art expert Sarah Bancroft into a Saudi organization in order to have someone on the inside.  Serious as the fictional events may be, our reader enjoyed the story as “mind bubblegum,” that is, not mentally taxing.

The Watcher by Ross Armstrong features Lily, a young woman who seemingly is watching birds, but actually does much more neighbor watching instead.  When an elderly neighbor is found dead, Lily cannot resist becoming involved, perhaps to her own detriment.  Our reader didn’t necessarily like the book, as it was difficult to know what Lily was actually observing and what may have been happening only in her own mind.

Turning back to non-fiction, our next reader read The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny by Michael Wallis.  A thorough history of the ill-fated pioneers, this volume lists every name and tells who they were and what happened to them.  With a lot of detail and emphasis on the idea that God had brought them to that land and it was their destiny to go west, this was a book that our reader appreciated for its historic detail.

Finally, Fatal by John Lescroart is a tale of San Francisco Bay area attorneys who seem to have it all—beautiful homes, wine tastings in Napa, perfect spouses—except that after a one night stand, someone ends up dead.  Our reader found this to be a compelling book that could be read in a day.  Also, although this is a standalone novel, our reader believed that it was very open ended, perhaps leaving room for a sequel.

Nevermore: Dracula, Romanov Sisters, Camelot's Court, Book Thief, and Purity of Vengeance

Our Nevermore readers choose books of all sorts: fiction and nonfiction, the newest books to the classics. It makes for an interesting mix. This time the first book up was Dracula by Bram Stoker, arguably the most influential vampire book of all time. While Stoker had his own literary influences (Camilla by Sheridan Le Fanu and Varney the Vampire by James Malcolm Rymer spring to mind), it was Dracula which stoked the public’s imagination.  Our reviewer had just started the book, but said that at 25 pages in, it was “very readable.”

A new non-fiction book about the ill-fated Russian grand duchesses was up next.  The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport uses diaries and letters to tell the stories of the four daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra who were executed along with the rest of their family in 1917.  Rappaport specializes in Victorian history and Russian history of the era, and has written several other books on the subject.  While for the most part the sisters have been treated as a group (except for books on Anastasia, due to rumors that she survived), this book seeks to present them as individuals.  Our reader found the book “really interesting” and recommended it.

Another new non-fiction history book discussed was Camelot’s Court by Robert Dallek.  This is a detailed account of the Kennedy White House with an emphasis on policy and advisors.  Dallek has written a number of books about modern presidents, including  titles on Roosevelt, Nixon, Reagan, and Johnson.  Our reviewer said it was well written and filled with quotations, and he thought the epilogue was especially interesting.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is narrated by Death himself. The title refers to Liesl,  a young girl in Nazi Germany who is sent to live with a foster family.  At her younger brother’s funeral she steals a book even though she cannot read.  After her foster father teaches her to read, she steals more books and finds that stories can be transformative, no matter the circumstances.  This is a compelling book, and our reviewer highly recommends it.

Jussi Adler Olsen is one of the “Nordic Noir” writers whose work has been translated into English following the popularity of Stieg Larsson’s books.  Set in Copenhagen, the books feature Detective Carl Morck of Department Q who specializes in solving cold cases.  Our reviewer had just read The Purity of Vengeance, the fourth book in the series, which finds Morck investigating the 1980s disappearance of  a brothel owner.  Our reviewer said this was another good entry in the series.

Nevermore: Year Zero, Once Upon a Secret, Mistress, Ice Princess

Year Zero by Ian Buruma was a highlighted book in this week’s Nevermore Book Club.  The year in question is 1945, the end of World War II.  While in the U.S. the end of the war was greeted with joyous celebration, reactions were mixed around the rest of the world.  For many, the end left confusion, uncertainty, and continuing hardship.  The book is divided into thematic chapters; “Hunger” points out that for many places in Europe and Japan the end of the war didn’t mean an instant return to plenty. Food remained scarce and many places were unable to increase food production quickly.  People literally starved to death.  “Going Home” discusses what happened to the displaced people who had been made to leave either by necessity or by force as they tried to make their way back, searching for family. In some cases, there were reunions, while in others there was no one left to find, nor any identifiable structures where a home had once been.  Our reviewer was quite impressed with the way the author has structured the book and is finding it a fascinating read.

Another reviewer was praising Joseph Ellis for his approach to history in Revolutionary Summer. She had picked up the book after a previous recommendation from Jud.  Ellis takes a look at the summer and fall of 1776, after the Declaration of Independence but before anyone has any real idea whether or not this war will be won by the rebels or by the British.  Ellis manages to make the reader look at the situation anew, without seeing the outcome as inevitable.  Ellis is known for his ability to bring history to life and he certainly does so here.

Once Upon a Secret by Mimi Alford is the memoir of an affair with President John F. Kennedy.  Mimi Beardsley Alford was an 18 year old intern when she arrived in Washington, D.C. and caught the eye of the President.  The affair was conducted with the cooperation of the some White House staff, with Mimi being directed when and where to make herself available.  Nevermore spent some time discussing the history of presidential extra-martial affairs, which seems a long if not honorable tradition. As for the book in question, our reader thought it was tastefully done and very interesting.

Somewhat coincidentally, the next book up was Mistress by James Patterson and David Ellis.  The main character, Ben, is an investigative reporter whose infatuation with a beautiful woman drives him to uncover the truth about her death.  Our reviewer is enjoying the book in part because Ben’s overactive mind causes him to make wild associations at every turn: looking at a nickel makes him think of Thomas Jefferson, trivia associated with Jefferson and then with various other presidents, for example.

Another Nevermore member is still reading “Nordic Noir,” those detective stories by Scandinavian authors.  She had just finished (and greatly enjoyed) Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg.  The plot centers on Erica Falck, an author who returns to her hometown after her parents’ deaths.  She goes to meet an old friend Alex, only to find the woman in a bath with her wrists slit.   Alex’s parents ask Erica to write an article about Alex, but as Erica begins to do her research she begins to wonder if her friend’s death was a suicide—or murder.