Nevermore: Salinger, Truman, Way of All Flesh, Education of Little Tree, The Wife, Saint Maybe

Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore kicked off their meeting with At Home in the World by Joyce Maynard.  When Maynard was entering her freshman year at Yale she received a letter from J.D. Salinger that changed her life.  He had read a story she wrote for The New York Times and admitted he admired her—and not long after, she went to live with him.  He was fifty-three; she was eighteen.  In her memoir, Maynard looks back on that year with Salinger and the repercussions of the choices she made.  Our reader said Maynard’s memoir is fascinating.  “[Maynard] is an exceptional writer,” she continued, raving about the raw emotions and honesty with which she imbues her work.  She highly recommended it to her fellow readers, noting it was a book that is real and heartbreaking and uplifting in its own way.

Next, Nevermore tackled Plain Speaking:  An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman by Merle Miller.  Composed of interviews originally intended for a television program, Plain Speaking is a book that breathes new life into the man known as Harry Truman.  Miller’s book offers insight into the thoughts and reflections of the former president, as well as provides careful background details regarding his tenure as a politician and his life beyond the Oval Office.  Our reader thought Plain Speaking was an interesting book.  At once readable and relatable, Miller’s biography proved to be thoroughly enjoyable for the insight it gave into Truman’s life and his bluff, plain-speaking personality.

The Way of All Flesh, a novel by husband and wife team under the name of Ambrose Parry, followed next.  Set within the medical community of Edinburgh in 1847, The Way of All Flesh is an eerie tale of greed, murder, and suspicion that draws Sarah Fisher and Will Raven into a mystery that could change them—or destroy them forever.  Similar to both The Anatomist’s Apprentice by Tessa Harris and Beloved Poison by E.S. Thompson, The Way of All Flesh is a dark mystery set in a time of great change and upheaval within the medical world.  Our reader said it was an interesting novel that drew her in and kept her attention.  Although she didn’t rave about it, she thought it was a decent piece of work and happily passed it on to the next reader.

Nevermore also checked out The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter.  In this novel, Carter tells the story of “Little Tree,” a Cherokee boy who was orphaned and raised by his grandparents.  He spends his childhood learning how to live in the Cherokee Way, but when he is taken away to be schooled by whites, he discovers that their way of life is much different from the one he lived and loved.  Our reader admitted she has actually read Carter’s novel several times.  “It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read,” she said.  “It’s my favorite book.”  She continued, saying she thought it was such a captivating, heartbreaking story, and she couldn’t recommend it highly enough to her fellow readers.

Next, Nevermore shared The Wife by Meg Wolitzer.  Joan Castleman has supported her husband, Joe, for decades.  Once, she dreamed of having her own literary career, but, instead, she has spent her entire marriage dedicated to Joe and his future—and now she’s decided it’s time to stop.  Our reader absolutely adored reading The Wife, surpassing even Nevermore fan-favorite The Box.  She admitted that she couldn’t put it down after she started reading.  She found Wolitzer’s novel to be absolutely captivating, creating characters who are sympathetic and a story that is enchanting and riveting and, in the end, absolutely breathtaking.  She loved reading it, and she was so very glad for the recommendation of it.

Nevermore wrapped up their meeting with Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler.  Ian Bedloe lives an ideal life:  he’s a start athlete in high school, his future is bright, and his family is happy, stable, and practically perfect—until a vicious rumor incites tragedy that leaves Ian weighted down by guilt and struggling to breathe.  Now, Ian is seeking redemption and penance and peace, and he might just find it in the life he chooses to build for himself and the ones he loves.  Our reader said she loves the way Anne Tyler writes.  “It’s descriptive and beautiful,” she told Nevermore.  “[And] it has a poetic little ending.”  Although she revealed she enjoyed Clock Dance more, she still found Saint Maybe to be a wonderful, satisfying book that just lifted Tyler higher as a favorite author.

How to Live in Space: Everything You Need to Know for the Not-So-Distant Future by Colin Stuart

Reviewed by Kristin

My first concept that people might be able to live in space came from television—no, not from the moon landing—but from the cartoon family called the Jetsons.  (Does anyone else hear The Jetsons’ theme song in their head right now?)  I realized that we weren’t there yet, and also that we didn’t have a robot dog or a robot maid, but it was a very appealing thought that we might be able to expand our horizons and live somewhere beyond this earth.  I even attended Gus Grissom Elementary School, so I saw pictures of astronauts every day, and knew that one day we would be living among the stars.

Flash forward to 2018 and I’m still living on the ground.

But there is hope!  Note the subtitle: “Everything You Need to Know for the Not-So-Distant Future.”  Colin Stuart thinks that humans should keep looking upward and exploring our planetary limitations.  He begins with astronaut training, what it’s like to live in space, and moves upward and outward with space tourism and what future space exploration may include.  With private industry getting into the game alongside nation-states, Stuart notes that living in space might actually be a reality in the centuries, or perhaps decades, to come.

Fortunately we have Stuart to help us prepare as he covers everything from flight control to personal grooming, giving us a glimpse of what space living may entail.  Did you know that on the International Space Station, dirty laundry and other more delicate human waste products are ejected into space in a module which is then sent into orbit to eventually burn up as it falls into the atmosphere?  Yes, that last “shooting star” that you observed may have been something else entirely:  it may have been astronaut poop.

Stuart spins his tale in a believable manner, sketching out a clear path as to how humans soon may be living beyond our wildest dreams.  Science fiction may turn to science reality as technology advances at warp speed.  Remember, it’s been a mere 57 years since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to leave the atmosphere and make a complete orbit around Earth.  Other advances may allow our descendants to set up housekeeping on Mars or to build the real Starship Enterprise.

As for me, I’m still waiting on that robot housekeeper to clean up after me and my not-so-robot cats.  I’ll definitely name her Rosie and I’ll appreciate her more than the Jetsons ever did.

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths

Reviewed by Jeanne

British archaeologist Ruth Galloway receives a call from an Italian colleague, asking if she will come to Italy to help him with an excavation near a small mountain village where he has uncovered some interesting remains.  Angelo Morelli has been working with a film company (who is helping to finance the dig) but they are losing interest.  He thinks that if Ruth comes, that as a “foreign expert” she might re-ignite some enthusiasm—and funds.  He offers Ruth the use of an apartment and encourages her to bring her young daughter, Kate, as well as another friend and her son. It will be a holiday of sorts, expenses paid.

Intrigued by both the promise of a holiday and by Angelo’s talk of “anomalies” with the skeleton he has found, Ruth sets out.  She soon discovers that her presence isn’t welcomed by all and that even Angelo is claiming to have received threats.  Is it about the Roman archaeological site—or more recent history?

But as fans know, the Ruth Galloway books are much more than mysteries; they’re a chance to find out what is going on in the complicated lives of a fascinating group of characters.  The core relationship is that between Ruth and DCI Nelson, the married police detective who first brought her into the realm of murder investigations when he called her in to consult after bones were found near Ruth’s home in the saltmarsh, but all the characters introduced since then have gone on to live very interesting lives. Sometimes I have to remind myself that there’s a murder to solve, but I’d rather find out what is going on with Cathbad, Clough, Judy, et al. 

Griffiths does an excellent job of creating characters we care about, even the ones who may seem unlikable at first.  They may still be people we don’t love, but we at least understand—like in real life. Ruth is a wonderful creation; she’s intelligent, independent, thirty something who is extremely competent at her job, but somewhat less organized in her personal life.  She’s also unfashionable, overweight, and sometimes socially awkward. 

The books also have a streak of understated humor.  I particularly enjoyed this exchange in Dark Angel when Ruth reluctantly refuses a second helping of delicious pasta, the village priest encourages her by saying, “You young women are too thin.”  Griffith writes, “It is almost enough to make Ruth become a Catholic.”

Given the strong part that character plays in these books, I highly recommend that they be read in order.  

The Crossing Places

The Janus Stone

The House at Sea’s End

A Room Full of Bones

A Dying Fall

The Outcast Dead

The Ghost Fields

The Woman in Blue

The Chalk Pit

The Dark Angel

The Stone Circle (due in May, 2019)

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.