Nevermore: Eliza Hamilton, Midwife, Accidental Tourist, Frankenstein, Big Rig

Reported by Jeanne

Several of our Nevermore members have enjoyed reading about the Founding Fathers and Mothers of the United States, such as George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, and Alexander Hamilton.  This week began with a biography of Hamilton’s wife.   Eliza Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo begins the story in Eliza’s childhood and continues it until the end—which was quite some time, since Eliza outlived her husband by decades and died at the age of 97. Our reader said the book was very informative and well written, and oh, how she wishes Eliza hadn’t burned the letters!

Patricia Harmon’s newest title is Once a Midwife.  In this third entry, Hope River, WV is starting to emerge from the Great Depression, but the looming threat of a second world war has everyone on edge.  Patience Hester, the local midwife, is struggling to support her family and to keep them safe after her husband Daniel refuses to sign up for the draft.  The carnage he saw during WWI made him vow never to go to war again.  Not only is there pressure from the community who see him as being unpatriotic, but he could be facing arrest.  The Nevermore reviewer enjoys this series for the characters and the setting.   “Expect lots of births!” she added.

Perennial favorite Anne Tyler’s book The Accidental Tourist up next.  Macon is the author of a series books called “The Accidental Tourist,” providing travelers with advice on how to avoid unexpected surprises on their trips.  Avoiding the unexpected is also the theme of Macon’s life, something that becomes more difficult after a tragedy that alters his world forever.  In trying to pick up the pieces, he meets a woman whose happy go lucky outlook is in stark contrast to his own.  The book was deemed another winner from Tyler, and recommended.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a book everyone thinks they know, but actually reading it came as a revelation to our next reviewer.  She was impressed with the quality of the writing and with the complex characters and themes.  She suggested that everyone give the book a try to see what they had been missing with just the video and theatrical versions.  There was near-unanimous agreement that “old books are the best books.”

Finally, Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream by Steve Viscelli drew the attention of a Nevermore member who had once worked as a long haul trucker. Viscelli examines how a profession which once provided well-paying jobs has turned into what some have called “sweatshops on wheels.” Many drivers are now contract employees who have to invest thousands of dollars to buy their own rigs. (A cab and trailer can run around $200,000.) Our reader had some experience as a trucker and thought the book was very, very good in its analysis but that the book could have used an editor.

Nevermore: Mother of Rain, Mary's Monster, George Orwell, Manhattan Beach, Perfect Mother

Reported by Jeanne

Nevermore’s first book was Mother of Rain by Karen Spears Zacharias. As the book opens, a family tragedy has sent ten year old Maizee  to live with an aunt and her husband in Christian Bend, Tennessee.  The story follows Maizee as she struggles with the voices she hears in her head.  She marries, and gives birth to a boy she names Rain. Her life gets more complicated when her husband is drafted into the Army to fight overseas in World War II.  Our reader saw part of the book’s theme as being about the impact a mother’s life and death can have on a child.  The book is written in Appalachian dialect but was easy to understand.  One member wondered if there really is a Christian Bend, and the answer is yes:  it’s a small unincorporated community in Hawkins County.

The mother/child influence theme was also a component of the next book, Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge. It is a biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly told in free verse with illustrations.  Every member who has read it has praised the book for its power and beauty.  There are copies in both adult and YA, and Nevermore proves that Mary’s Monster has definite crossover appeal because it has been making the rounds of the entire Nevermore Book Club, and earning rave reviews from all who have read it. It was quickly taken up by another reader this time as well. It's also timely:  2018 is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein.

Before he became famous for such novels as Animal Farm and 1984, George Orwell wrote a memoir entitled Down and Out in Paris and London. In it, he details the travails of living poor in a large city.  In Paris, he worked as at a hotel, gave English lessons, and worked as a dishwasher.  He also pawned his clothes.  Finally exhausted with working 17 hour days without a break, he seeks employment back in London.  He obtains a position teaching and caring for a child with challenges, but he arrives back in London to find the family gone abroad and he is left to scrounge a living as well as find a place to sleep.  Our reviewer thought it was extremely interesting, and painted a vivid picture of the underclass in both cities during the 20s and 30s.  While parts of his account were challenged, Orwell said that while he may not have included events chronologically, all that he recorded actually happened at one time or another.

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan is another historical novel which moves forward and backward in time, and Nevermore members have read a lot of those lately.  Part of the story is set during the Great Depression, when eleven year old Anna meets Dexter, her father’s employer, at Manhattan Beach.  Anna senses that Dexter is something more than what she’s been told but is uncertain what it means. Years later, during WW II, Anna fights to become a diver repairing warships and seeking to find out what became of her father who has gone missing and whom Anna thinks is dead.  Our reviewer said it was a good book and well-written, but the current fashion for having books move back and forth in time is getting a bit old.

The same comment was made about the next book, The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy. The May Mothers are a social group of women who all had babies in May.  They meet in the park each week for a bit of socializing with their babies, but one week they decide to have a “Mom’s Night” and get together at a bar without babies in tow.  What should have been a fun occasion takes a terrifying turn when one of the mothers has her three month old child kidnapped. The investigation reveals that every mother has secrets.  Our reader said it was pretty good, but the technique of going back in time to reveal each character’s history is becoming boring.

The Lady and Her Monsters: a Tale of Dissections, Real-Life Dr. Frankensteins, and the Creation of Mary Shelley’s Masterpiece by Roseanne Montillo

Reviewed by Christy H.

The pull-quote on the cover of my edition of this book states that it “rattles enjoyably through a lurid and restless landscape.” I completely agree – mainly because the verb “rattles” conjures up visions of a rickety old roller coaster whose course you cannot predict. Montillo swings from the real-life “mad scientists” who spent their evenings grave robbing (or hiring someone to do it for them) to Mary’s scandalous love affair with Percy Shelley to even an erupting volcano in 1815! Back and forth, crisscrossing along the way, it’s somewhat difficult to get your bearings. So many names were thrown at me I often wondered if I should start taking notes just to keep them straight.

While I can’t say anything specifically needed to be edited out (I enjoyed every tidbit I read), it certainly would’ve benefited for some kind of organization. Some parts were needlessly messy and confusing. On more than one occasion Montillo skipped over the death of one of Mary’s children only to bring it up later in the book in regards to her depression. Or possibly it was the same child’s death she was referring to a few times, it isn’t clear. I still don’t know how many children Mary had in all. (One survived into adulthood.)

            That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this book. It’s very enjoyable for anyone who takes an interest in science, literature, horror, history, science fiction, or just celebrating talented women and their work – pretty much something for everyone. It begins by alternating between Mary Shelley’s childhood and the popular science experiments of the time. (Hint: they involved cadavers and electricity.) From there, it tumbles through the history of these experiments and the history of Mary - taking detours for mini biographies on Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and principal others. While convoluted at times, it is a fun little read, especially for fans of Frankenstein. Speaking of which, that aforementioned volcano in 1815 caused intense weather anomalies in 1816 - including the severe thunderstorm that kept Mary, Shelly, Byron and company holed up in a house on a lake with nothing much to do except tell ghost stories. Mary’s story, legend tells, eventually became the classic novel Frankenstein.

Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein

 Reviewed by Jeanne

When one of the library’s wonderful volunteers mentioned that Tinseltown was showing the original 1931 Frankenstein and its sequel, Bride of Frankenstein, I toyed with the idea of going.  After all, everyone’s seen those movies over and over, so it would just be the novelty of seeing it on the big screen, right?

Only the more I thought about it, the less sure I was that I had ever actually seen the movies. Oh, sure, I’d seen clips galore of the iconic Karloff monster, and the Jack Pierce makeup was so distinctive that the square-head and bolts look has been copied and parodied endlessly on everything from “The Munsters” to Frankenberry cereal.  But had I ever seen the entire movie all the way through?  I wasn’t sure I had.

The 1931 Frankenstein image is even used for the cover of a book of essays on the original novel.

So off to the movies I went.  It turned out this was another limited “Fathom Event,” which I note because earlier in the year I’d gone to see two versions of a stage play of Frankenstein. In times past, feature movies were usually shown as part of an evening’s entertainment which would include cartoons and newsreels in addition to previews, so the movies themselves were relatively short—about 70 minutes or so. To pad the running for this special event showing, there were interviews with Bela Lugosi, Jr., Sara Karloff, and modern master make-up artist Rick Baker.  Sara Karloff was a delight, very outgoing and funny, while Lugosi was more reserved.

Now for the main attractions:  what surprised me more was not what I saw but the amount I hadn’t seen or at least didn’t remember seeing.  Some of the sets were obviously on a back lot but that didn’t stop me from enjoying.  I didn’t remember any of the romantic back story with Elizabeth, and I’ll add parenthetically that had I been Elizabeth I would have taken off with Victor.  Not only was he more handsome, he actually seemed interested in Elizabeth.  Henry was more preoccupied with his great experiment than with his fiancé.  (Yes, the names are switched:  in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel, the main character is Victor Frankenstein who has a friend named Henry.  In the movie, it’s Henry Frankenstein who has a friend named Victor.)  Of course, being me I was very concerned about the kitten but it seemed to have had a lucky escape as did the hounds hunting the Monster. 

As I sat in the theatre, I tried to imagine what it would have been like back in 1931, waiting to see what would happen. It really was pretty creepy and Karloff did a great job with a role that limited his opportunities to act.  Watching it also disabused me of at least one misconception:  Henry’s assistant is Fritz, not Igor.  There were some bits of humor in the movie, but my favorite was the crediting of the novel to Mrs. Percy B. Shelley. (For the sequel, Mrs. Shelley did get her first name back as having suggested the story.) Highlights for me were the first stirrings of the Monster and, of course, Henry’s scream, ”It’s alive!  It’s alive!”

I was much less familiar with Bride of Frankenstein, so I was a bit bemused by the frame story in which Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron discuss her book and are at great pains to point out how very wicked it is to even think about tampering with life.  (The first film had been censored in part because of the line from Henry, “Now I know what it feels like to be God!”)  There was a brief recap of the first film, complete with clips of characters played by other actors in the sequel. In keeping with the slightly altered tone, this time Henry has to be drawn back into creating a bride for the original Monster via a sinister former professor and the kidnapping of Elizabeth (now played by a different actress entirely.) This film had the Monster’s first words; according to Sara Karloff, her father was reluctant to have the Monster talk and had to be persuaded that it was right for the character.  This is the source of the oft quoted “Fire—bad!”  Also the film used quite a bit more humor to break the tension, most originating with Minnie the Maid who made pronouncements and mugged her way through the movie.  This film was smoother than the first, but whether that was due to the original vision or due to heavy editing, I don’t know.

If you ever have a chance to see these films on the big screen, do it.  The audience all seemed to enjoy it and I was pleased to find that the movies still had a certain amount of power.  As someone pointed out, this was before they knew how to blow things up so they had to rely on more character and plot.

Christy's Picks for Halloween

Christy Herndon is one of our most faithful volunteers.  Here are her recommendations for a spirited Halloween!

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Oddly enough, I feel almost guilty admitting that because my birthday isn’t even until winter, and a little part of me thinks birthdays should trump all. But autumn has changing leaves, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, hot apple cider, cozy piles of blankets, and the best thing of all: Halloween. Yes, winter has some of those things too but autumn is where it all begins. After suffering in the sweltering Tennessee heat, autumn offers relief with cool breezes and crisp air. But by the time December rolls around hot beverages and blankets are old news. And to stack the odds even higher, winter does not have Halloween.

Fellow Halloween enthusiasts may take this time to indulge in some creepy reading or horror movie viewing or both! This year I seem to have taken on the classics. I’m currently reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It is much more melancholy than I anticipated but quite beautiful. (Fun fact: Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was only 19!)

In a similar vein, I highly recommend Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Written in 1897 and still genuinely creepy, it is one of my favorite books of any genre.

Modern Books

Carrie by Stephen King: If you’ve never read this King classic now is the perfect time to get acquainted with the source material before the remake is released next spring.

The Shining by Stephen King : The book is so different from Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation that they almost shouldn’t even be compared – except to say that they are both very good.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: Quite a bit of an undertaking, this creepy mammoth of a novel broke new ground with traditional storytelling and book formatting. Very interesting read.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk: Told as a series of stories, this is not horror in the traditional supernatural sense but rather the horrors to which humanity can sink. Fun fact: Some editions have glow-in-the-dark covers!

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz: A childhood staple of many millennials, this series was the most challenged book series from 1990-1999, according to the American Library Association, due to its violence. While the stories are fun, and generally aimed towards children, the original macabre illustrations by Stephen Gammell are really what make this series memorable.

Check out the Bristol Public Library for some of these titles and more!

 Film Recommendations

But what’s Halloween without some good old fashioned horror movies? Sticking with my classic theme, so far this month I’ve watched the Universal monster movies The Invisible Man and Dracula. (Enjoyed the latter much more than the former.)

As for modern horror, I’m a little bit obsessed with The Cabin in the Woods right now. Described by the director as a “love letter to horror movies”, this film takes classic horror tropes and satires them on a new, crazy-fun level. Reactions to this movie seem to go to either extreme - you either love it or hate it. But I think for any horror fan it’s definitely worth checking out.

John Carpenter’s The Thing: If you’re fan of practical effects, creature gore, or Kurt Russell with a tremendous beard you might want to check out this 1982 classic.

Insidious: While it received mixed reviews I really enjoyed this “haunted house” movie. Three dimensional characters and delightfully creepy imagery set it apart from the recent torture trend in horror.

The House of the Devil: This slow-burner was shot in 2009 but effectively styled as an early 1980s horror film. The plot is simple and familiar – a babysitter alone in a big, old house – but the escalating tension and resulting pay-off make it one of the best horror movies in recent years. (Fun fact: As a promo, this movie was released on VHS like the ones of the early ‘80s would have been. It is the final film to be released in that format.)

Frozen: Thanks to absent-minded operators, three friends get stuck high up on a ski lift and must survive the freezing cold night. A nice change of pace from supernatural horror.

Slither: This underrated gem is extremely funny, extremely gross, and a perfect mood-lightener for your horror movie marathon.

With the exception of The Cabin in the Woods, all these movies are available on instant Netflix! (And some at our library too!)

If you like your spooky fun a little bit more interactive there are plenty of activities around the Tri-Cities to get you in the spirit. Whether you’re in the mood for something haunted (house, forest, corn maze or otherwise) or want something more kid-friendly like pumpkin painting, WXBQ’s website (www.wxbq.com) has a great list of Halloween fun to choose from.

However you decide to celebrate Halloween just remember to have fun, be safe, and eat LOTS of candy. (But save me a Kit Kat or three.)  

Happy Halloween!