Nevermore: Daughters of Yalta, Last Ferry Out, A Marriage at Sea

 

Nevermore 12-16-25

Reported by Rita

 

The Daughters Of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz

The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and of the conference’s fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II. Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days.

This was an easy read and I found it very interesting.   - WJ      5 stars

 

 

The Last Ferry Out by  Andrea Bartz

On a trip to the tropical paradise where her fiancée died, a young woman begins to suspect the death was no accident—and the killer’s still on the island. As her quest for the truth unearths dark secrets, shady pasts, and a web of lies, Abby grows more determined than ever to find out what happened to the love of her life. And the deeper she gets in the close-knit expat community, the more she suspects one of them is Eszter's killer—and will do anything to keep the truth buried. But will she discover who it is before she becomes the island’s next victim?

It was slow to start but got really good toward the end. It had a good surprising ending.     - GP       4 stars

 

A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst

The electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits. Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream – as we all dream – of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away? Most of us begin and end with the daydream. But Maurice began to study nautical navigation. Maralyn made detailed lists of provisions. And in June 1972, they set sail. For nearly a year all went well, until deep in the Pacific, a breaching whale knocked a hole in their boat and it sank beneath the waves. What ensues is a jaw-dropping fight to survive in the wild ocean, with little hope of rescue. Alone together for months in a tiny rubber raft, starving and exhausted, Maurice and Maralyn have to find not only ways to stay alive but ways to get along, as their inner demons emerge and their marriage is put to the greatest of tests. Although they could run away from the world, they can’t run away from themselves.

The writing is wonderful. I loved it.       - AH      5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

Bruno, Chief of Police (Bruno, Chief of Police, #1) by Martin Walker

Bringing Home Animals: Religious Ideology and Mode of Production of the Mistassini Cree Hunters by Adrian Tanner

Where Are They Buried?: How Did They Die? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of the Famous, Infamous, and Noteworthy by Tod Benoit

Nevermore: Daughters of Yalta, Everyone Who Is Gone Here, Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

 

Nevermore 12 - 2 -25

Reported by Rita

The Daughters Of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz

The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and of the conference’s fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II. Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days.

Very interesting and enjoyable. I learned more about WWII. - KM 5 stars

 

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer

An epic, heartbreaking, and deeply reported history of the disastrous humanitarian crisis at the southern border told through the lives of the migrants forced to risk everything and the policymakers who determine their fate.

I found this interesting and filled with lots of information, however, it was not an easy read. - NH 3 stars

 

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he'd return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there's nobody left in Fred's life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he's desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. Fred's luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has a roof over his head, three meals a day, and, most importantly, the chance to be part of a family again. All he has to do is hope that his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up. As Fred navigates life in Bernard's shoes, he learns about the man's past and what it might take to return a life in better condition than he found it.

 

Fun and funny, mellow, and sad in parts. An absolutely delightful feel-good story. - NH 5 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

The Pilgrims And Pocahontas: Rival Myths Of American Origin by Ann U. Abrams

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds by John Fugelsang

 

New Books

 

107 Days by Kamala Harris

Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging by Angela Buchdahl

Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen

Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy by Joyce Vance

Dog Days! Books with Canine Stars

 

Enzo is a clever old dog who has learned a lot.  He adores Denny, an aspiring race car driver, and Denny’s daughter, Zoe, who is at the center of a custody battle. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is a heartwarming novel with both tears and joy. 

A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron is the first in a series of dog books. Bailey the dog is searching for his purpose in life. He finds it in caring for his boy, Ethan. When that life comes to an end, Bailey becomes a police dog, but he knows he needs to find his way back to Ethan. This book will both touch and charm dog lovers!

 

One Good Dog by Susan Wilson follows the story of Adam March, who once had it all until one day he lost control.  Sentenced to community service, he ends up with Chance, a pit bull mix who has issues of his own.  Wilson has several warm and affectionate fiction books that revolve around the human-dog connection.

 

When widower Sam moves with his son to Christmas Street, Jack the dog welcomes them to their new home.  Jack was left behind when his owners moved, but this neighborhood stray has the knack of building connections between people. A Dog Called Jack by Ivy Pembroke is a wonderful feel-good story about community and the love of a dog.

 

Jet pilot Brady Cole is really attracted to his next-door neighbor, Lily, but he’s not much of a dog person.  The trouble is, to get to Lily he’s going to have to get through her opinionated, temperamental, destructive doggy companion, Doug.  And Doug does NOT like Brady.  Beware of Doug by Elaine Fox is a delightful rom-com with a canine twist!

 

When Dawn’s boyfriend dumps her, she turns to the one being she can count on for comfort:  her rescue dog, Chuck. Chuck has some thoughts on the matter, which much to Dawn’s surprise, she can hear. In fact, she can hear all dogs now and they are just full of advice. Merrill Markoe’s Walking in Circles Before Lying Down is about the search for love, the etiquette of peeing, and the joy of playing fetch.

 

 Dancing Dogs is a collection of sixteen stories by Jon Katz featuring a variety of dogs, from purebreds to mutts.  Katz is a noted dog lover who titled his memoir A Dog Year.  The tales run the gamut of emotions, but all are endearing.

Nevermore: Immobile Empire, Daughters of Yalta, Humans, Forgotten Country

 

Nevermore June 7, 2022

 

Reported by Garry

 

The Immobile Empire by Alain Peyrefitte is a detailed look at the disastrous attempt by the British Empire to open up China to trade with the West in 1793. Both cultures viewed the other with derision and were convinced of their own superiority. Egos clashed and the results have echoed around the globe for generations. Peryefitte draws on the diaries of those involved on both sides to paint a fascinating picture of distrust, hubris, and etiquette. This exhaustively researched book clocks in at a hefty 630 pages, but the length of it neither put off nor bored our reader who says that this is a very interesting book for any history buff.  FC

 

The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz is the meticulously researched tale of the daughters of three of the most powerful men in history: Sarah Churchill (Winston’s daughter), Anna Roosevelt (Franklin’s only daughter), and Kathleen Harriman (daughter of Averell Harriman, the US Ambassador to the Soviet Union). These three daughters accompanied their fathers to a world-altering meeting at Yalta during the waning days of the Second World War. Seamlessly combining the politics of the day with the interpersonal relationships of the three daughters and their fathers, this book fascinated our reader, who found it hard to put down.  CD

 

Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips is an irreverent look at how we humans manage to mangle nearly everything we get our hands on. How we are still here is a bit of a mystery when you look at all the ways that we have messed things up. Our reader says this breezy book has equal amounts of history and humor and was a delight to read, and she found herself laughing out loud many times.  PP

 

Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung is one of the most beautiful books that our book club member has ever read. Weaving Korean folklore into a decades-spanning story of immigration and the search for identity, this story focuses on Janie, a Korean-born, American-raised immigrant, and her family. Janie’s elder sister disappeared and cut all ties with her family. The family moves back to Korea and Janie is tasked with finding her sister before their father dies – a task that Janie both feels compelled to do, but bitterly resentful about. This debut novel takes a deep and emotional look at not only the immigrant experience but the ties that bind (and sometimes chafe) amongst family members.  AH

 

Also mentioned:

Same Place, Same Things by Tim Gautreaux

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten

The American Women’s Almanac: 500 Years of Making History by Deborah G. Felder

Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R. A. Scotti

The Memoirs of A Survivor by Doris Lessing

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton

LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia edited by Jeff Mann and Julia Watts

Love is the Cure: On Life, Loss and the End of AIDS by Elton John

Fools Crow by James Welch

His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa

Unmasked: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases by Paul Holes

The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies by Paul Fischer

Yinka, Where is Your Husband? By Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Eight Faces at Three by Craig Rice

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Each month, someone from the Bristol Public Library participates in the Radio Bristol Book Club and in October the book was A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.  For the uninitiated, Bill Bryson is a humorous writer of non-fiction, possibly best known for his travel writing though in recent years he has branched out into other areas.  His latest book is The Body:  An Occupant’s Guide. A Walk in the Woods is an account of Bryson’s attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail.  It includes a great deal of information about the history of the AT, including possible hazards (Bryson is always interested in things that can kill him on his travels) and how to equip oneself for the trail.

I had actually read the book before, but it had been a year or seventeen ago so I felt I definitely needed to read it before the book club meeting.  I remembered how very informative it was—I had known little about the history of how the AT came to be or really how treacherous parts of it can be—and that the information had been entertainingly imparted.

What I didn’t remember is how side-splittingly funny it was.  Bryson knows he needs to have someone to hike with and after an increasingly desperate search, he finds Stephen Katz.  Katz is an old school friend of Bryson’s, albeit one he hasn’t seen in decades.  Katz assures Bryson he is good shape: “Real good.  I walk everywhere these days.” (Bryson finds out that Katz’s car has been repossessed.) He also brings along provisions for the trail—a duffle bag full of Snickers bars.

After this inauspicious beginning, the two go to Georgia to start the Trail at its southern end—the most common route—and it doesn’t take long for them to realize they may be in over their heads.

I thoroughly enjoyed my re-read of this book.  Bryson has a sharp, cynical sense of humor that some people do not like, but because he can be just as cutting about himself as others, it doesn’t bother me.  He can be very critical about people and places.

What I love most, though, is all the information that’s packed into his books.  One of my most enduring impressions from my first reading of the book was Centralia, Pennsylvania.  I had heard the name of the place, but knew nothing else: I certainly didn’t know that a coal seam that ignited in 1962 is still burning today, destroying the town. Not far away, there is a mountain so polluted by a zinc mill that all the vegetation has died, leaving a bare hill.  The contrast is particular strong after the sections in which Bryson marvels at the beauty of the AT, with its dense forests and spectacular views.

The other wonderful part of the book is more difficult to describe.  It has to do with the way Bryson describes not just the forest but the effect that being in the deep woods has on him.  It’s a transformative experience.  The grandeur of the natural world is often contrasted with the man-made world which, although filled with delights like fast-food, hot baths, and vermin free sleeping, is transitory and tawdry.  Nowhere is this more evident than Gatlinburg, Tennessee where stores Bryson saw just a few years earlier are already distant memories, replaced by newer, shinier offerings.

I loved the book just as much, if not more, than I did the first time around.

In between readings, a movie was made of the book with Robert Redford as Bryson and Nick Nolte as Katz.  I saw it in the theatre when it came out in 2015 and liked it well enough, though I didn’t remember a lot of the incidents depicted.  Re-watching it after reading the book again revealed that it did follow the events in the book but it lacked the heart, the emotional resonance that I found in the book.  There were some nice scenic views, but they seemed just that:  nice scenic views.  The frame story was altered because of the casting.  In reality, Bryson and Katz were in their 40s; Bryson was interested in the Trail and its history in part because he wanted to write a book.  Katz was at loose ends and wanted to connect with a friend.  In the movie, a much older Redford is facing mortality and decides to tackle the AT as a way of showing himself that he still has it, that he will not go gently into that good night.

I have to acknowledge that part of my disappointment with that first viewing of the movie was “what might have been.”  Redford had optioned the book for a film in 2005 with the intention of having Paul Newman play Katz.  That could have been a film for the ages! But of course Newman passed away in 2008, so it was not to be.  My second viewing left me more charitable toward the film. It is very funny, even if it is formulaic, and Nolte is wonderful as Katz.  I also applaud the expanded role Emma Thompson has as Bryson’s wife, who doesn’t get quite as much attention in the book as in the film. 

I recommend both book and movie, but if you can only choose one, by all means take the book.  Your experience will be much richer.

(We have previously reviewed other books by Bryson:  Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and A Short History of Nearly Everything.