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
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