Nevermore: Show Girl, Tales of the South Pacific, Library of Legends, Lost Words

 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

Nevermore: Overstory, Longevity Paradox, Wild Swans, Blowout, Beekeeper of Aleppo, In a Sunburned Country, Pursuit, None of the Above, The Dog I Loved

Reported by Laura 

Nevermore read a wide variety of books this week; some were enjoyed, some were not. The first was The Overstory by Richard Price. Each chapter is a new story about a different tree and the character’s unique experiences with them.  This book won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize, but the reviewer was not impressed. She found the stories a little weird for her taste.

          Our next book has been read by several members. Most did not like it. The Longevity Paradox by Steven R. Gundry outlines a nutrition and lifestyle plan that he says will support gut health and help people to live, not only longer, but well. Our reviewer felt it wasn’t scientifically sound and didn’t find it very helpful. There was no new useful information and the book could do with some editing. One food item (lentils) was on two lists: What to eat and what to avoid. Definitely not recommended.

          The Wild Swans by Jung Chang was a book that was recommended! This nonfiction book spans a century covering three generations of a Chinese family. The author tells the biographies of her grandmother and mother and then her own autobiography. The reviewer enjoyed the book and said she learned a lot about China and the Japanese invasion. The grandmother was a concubine with bound feet and the mother was strong in the Communist party, though fair. The family suffered a lot and Ms. Chang relates how the only time she ever saw her father cry was when he was forced to burn his books.

          Another nonfiction book read this week was Rachel Maddow’s Blowout. The reviewer found it to be a slow, dreary read and couldn’t finish it. She said it covered anything you might need to know about big oil and gas taking over the world and Rex Tillerson illegalities. If you are interested in those topics, give it a try.

          The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri is a fiction book based on the author’s experiences over two summers in Athens at a refugee center. It deals with the flight of refugees from Aleppo to Europe during the Syrian Civil War. Nuri, a beekeeper, and his artist wife, Afra, are faced with leaving everything they love behind as they embark on a journey to Britain where Nuri’s cousin and business partner has started an apiary to teach beekeeping to fellow refugees. The reviewer found it thought-provoking and a good read.

          In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson was deemed laugh out loud funny and highly recommended. In his usual style, he takes readers off the beaten path as he explores Australia and gives information not found in ordinary travel books. With all that is going on in the area at present, it was somewhat bittersweet to read about, but all in all, an excellent book.

          Our next book was a suspenseful offering by Joyce Carol Oates. Pursuit is told in flashbacks, alternating between present day and the terrifying childhood of the main character. Abby marries one day and is in a horrible accident the next. In and out of consciousness, she shares horrifying details of her past and her husband is faced with wondering what his new wife hasn’t told him. The reviewer enjoyed the book, but figured everything out halfway through.

          None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio is a YA fiction book that was sad, but very informative. The book centers around a young girl who is a popular high school student. She is an athlete and elected homecoming queen, but when she decides to lose her virginity, she finds it unbearably painful. A trip to the doctor reveals that she was born intersex, having both male and female parts. After she confides in her best friend, the secret is leaked to the entire school, the bullying begins in earnest, and her life is changed forever.

          The Dog I Loved by Susan Wilson was a beautifully written book that focuses on two different women and the dogs who saved them. Rose was a woman caught in the trap of a controlling boyfriend who ends up serving time in jail for a crime she didn’t intend to commit. While in prison, she becomes part of a program training service dogs. Meghan is a young woman severely damaged in the war and searching for a way to regain her freedom. A service dog may be the key to fulfilling her dreams. This book is a testament to the human (and canine) spirit.

Nevermore: Matheson, Genova, Kushner, Tyson, Chang, Butler

 Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore jump-started their meeting off with The Best of Richard Matheson.  Best known for his novel I Am Legend and his work on Twilight Zone, Matheson was a master of twentieth-century horror and fantasy.  According to the cover synopsis, “Matheson revolutionized horror by taking it out of Gothic castles and strange cosmos and setting it in the darkened streets and suburbs we recognize as our own.”  Our reader picked up Matheson on a whim and, while she didn’t regret picking up a collection of his greatest works, she noted that she didn’t finish much of it.  “I made it through two chapters, but I had to stop [because] it scared me,” she admitted.  She noted that Matheson had a gift for the frightening, creating stories that had a heavy emotional impact—“a lot of oomph,” she said—and an underlying feeling of suspense that left her shoulders coiled with dread long after she put the book aside.

Next, Nevermore explored Factory Girls:  From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang, which offers a look at the everyday lives of the migrant factory population of China.  More than 130 million migrant workers live and toil in China’s cities, many being young women from impoverished, rural towns.  Our reader had previously explored Two Years on the Yangtze and Country Driving:  A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory by Peter Hessler, who happens to be married to Chang, and she thought Factory Girls was a wonderful book to round out her exploration of China.  Although she noted the book was rather long, she thoroughly enjoyed Chang’s book.  It was an interesting and in-depth study of women who had the courage to uproot their lives and start fresh somewhere else.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson was very popular with our next reader.  A quick but concise examination of the universe, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry offered incredible insight into the subtleties of astrophysics such as the nature of space and time, humanity’s place in the universe, and what quantum mechanics really mean.  “[The author] admitted there are things they don’t know,” our reader said, “and I was thrilled about that.”  He noted that, as a scientist, Tyson was willing to admit that human knowledge is still growing and expanding like the universe; moreover, he offered reflections on the cosmic perspective that was both enlightening and truly fascinating.

Nevermore also checked out a new book by Lisa Genova:  Every Note Played.  In her new novel, Genova tells the story of Richard, a world-renowned concert pianist with ALS, and his estranged wife, Karina, who is living an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher—and, soon, Richard’s reluctant caretaker.  As Richard slowly succumbs to his disease, he and Karina must reconcile their tumultuous past and learn forgiveness before it’s too late.  Our reader said, “This is a book that will make you cry.”  Although it was rather depressing and, of course, tragic, she noted that Every Last Note was incredibly well written, beautifully told, and wonderfully enlightening.

Next, Nevermore took a look at Kindred by Octavia Butler.  Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when, suddenly, she is transported from her home in California to the antebellum South—somehow summoned through time to save Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner.  Time and again, Dana is drawn back to the old plantation and each stay is longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until Dana fears her life will end long before it even begins.  Our reader, who is a fan of Butler, said she really enjoyed reading Kindred.  She noted that the author seriously researched her subject, drawing on historical details to give the story a strong sense of place and an astonishing emotional impact.  She highly recommended it to her fellow readers, along with Butler’s other works Fledgling and Lilith’s Brood.

Last, but certainly not least, Nevermore shared Angels in America by Tony Kushner.  Set in the 1980s, Angels in America is a Pulitzer prize-winning pair of plays that follows the interweaving lives of Prior, Louis, Joe, Harper, and Roy Cohn as they attempt to reconcile the disheartening truths of their world—and the heartbreaking reality of AIDS within the gay community.  Our reader said, “[Kushner’s play] was a tough book, but, at the same time, it’s tough to put it down.”  It’s very real, very raw, and limned with unexpected bouts of humor and heart-wrenching moments of tragedy.  Although she wouldn’t say she loved Angels in America, she liked it very much and she recommended it to anyone who might enjoy a serious, thought-provoking play on human nature.