Nevermore: Fears of a Setting Sun, Patron Saint of Second Chances, Left on Tenth, Unsinkable Greta James

 

Nevermore May 17, 2022

Reported by Garry

Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America’s Founders by Dennis C. Rasmussen. One would think that the Founding Fathers would have been extremely proud and optimistic about their crowning glory, the United States Constitution. They weren’t. Partisan bickering and campaigns of misinformation threatened to tear the country apart from the very beginning and most of them did not believe that the U.S. would survive long. This very enlightening book outlines how and why the Fathers were both disappointed and pessimistic about the outcome of this country and the experiment in democracy that they started. Our reader loves this book so much that she has read it twice so far in just a few weeks, and was moved to tears by the dedication shown by the writers of the Constitution, who toiled for months to establish the world’s first democracy.  DC

 

The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon is a sun-soaked summer read set in the extremely small fictional Italian town of Prometto (population 212). Faced with having the town shut down due to faulty and aging water pipes, the self-appointed mayor decides to start a rumor that a famous movie star is coming to town to film his latest blockbuster, in a hair-brained bid to bring tourists (and their money) to town. Best-laid plans go awry when the fictional film takes on a life of its own with nearly every member of the town (plus others) wanting to participate in one way or another, and Signor Speranza (the mayor) realizing he may have to make the movie himself.  This hilarious, heartfelt debut novel was a hit with our reader, who thought it was a perfect summer-getaway novel.  WJ

Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life is a memoir by Delia Ephron, sister to Nora Ephron. A best-selling and highly accomplished screenwriter in her own right, Delia recounts a horrific few years of dealing with not only the death of both her husband and sister within a short time but her own battle with a particularly aggressive form of leukemia. Against this backdrop of sorrow and trial, Delia unexpectedly falls in love with a man that she had very briefly dated fifty-four years previously. (So briefly that she had completely forgotten all about him and didn’t even recall dating him in the first place!) This touching and honest memoir was praised by our reader for the writing, but she did criticize how economically out of touch the author is when complaining about being “broke” and only being able to go to the South of France twice a year.  NH

 

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith is a modern novel following Greta James, an up-and-coming musical artist. After the sudden death of her mother, Greta falls apart on stage during a performance. The footage goes viral and Greta, shocked and embarrassed, stops playing altogether. Her career on the precipice, she reluctantly agrees to accompany her father on a cruise meant to have been a celebration of her parent’s fortieth anniversary. On board, she meets Ben Wilder, a historian dealing with his own loss. Love, loss, healing, and the beautiful surroundings of Haynes, Alaska was a real hit with our reader, whose own son lives in Haynes.  MH

Also mentioned:

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

Winter Hero by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Never Simple by Liz Scheier

From the Hood to the Holler: A Story of Separate Worlds, Shared Dreams, and the Fight for America’s Future by Charles Booker

Junk Science and the American Criminal System by M. Chris Fabricant

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Paradise by Toni Morrison

Look For Me by Lisa Gardner

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Caroline Myss

The Echoes by Jess Montgomery

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

Prairie Fever by Michael Parker

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

The Wise Ass by Tom McCaffrey

Playing Doctor - Part One:  Medical School: Stumbling through with Amnesia by John Lawrence

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline

The American Women’s Almanac by Deborah G. Felder

The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine by Serhii Plokhy

Hell and Other Destinations: A 21^st-Century Memoir by Madeleine Albright

There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important than Kindness: And Other Thoughts on Physics, Philosophy and the World by Carlo Rovelli

Louis Wain’s Cats by Chris Beetles

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

While the name “Louis Wain” may not be commonly recognized, his art almost certainly will be.  Wain specialized in painting anthropomorphic cats; indeed, he pioneered the look and certainly popularized the cat as a pet rather than just vermin controller. Born in 1860, he was the eldest of six children, and the only boy.  When his father died in 1880, Wain became the sole support of his mother and five sisters. He became a freelance artist, doing mainly country scenes and especially animals.

His life changed dramatically when he met Emily Richardson, who was his sisters’ governess.  They fell in love and married. Not only was Emily ten years older than Louis, but they were from different social classes so the marriage was considered scandalous.  Unfortunately, Emily developed breast cancer not long after the marriage.  She found diversion and comfort in their pet cat, Peter, whom Wain took to drawing for her amusement.  Emily died in 1886, but because of her encouragement, Wain sought successfully to have his drawings published.  They were immediately popular.  Wain was extremely prolific, but since he failed to copyright his works, he failed to get much of the financial rewards he deserved. 

Later in life, his erratic behavior caused him to be institutionalized in appalling conditions.  His admirers, who included H.G. Wells, came to his aid, getting him transferred to better hospitals where he continued to create art until his death in 1939. Some of the later pieces influenced the psychedelic art of the 1960s.

Wain was one of those individuals who seemed to throw himself into whatever took his fancy at the time and was (mostly) astonishingly good at what he attempted.  His failings were mostly financial—he had no talent for investing.  He championed animal rights and helped create protection societies. 

While Wain’s work has remained popular, much of it has been out of print except in collections.  A recent film, “The Electric Life of Louis Wain,” which starred Benedict Cumberbatch as the artist and Claire Foy as his wife, brought renewed interest to his art and an updated version of this particular collection, for which Cumberbatch supplied the introduction.

Beetles’ book includes a great deal of biographical information about Wain as well as reproducing many of his better known works. His earlier art was very realistic, but his genius was in making the cats reflect humans and human society.  After his illness began, his art became more abstract and included vivid colors and backgrounds.  The book also covers his amazing ceramic abstract cats created in 1914. The book is worth a look for the pictures alone, which are beautifully rendered. 

This is both a browser’s delight and a treasure trove of information about the artist himself.  I found it to be most enjoyable, both as a visual treat and as a source of information about the man behind the art I had long admired. I especially enjoyed seeing some of the work I was less familiar with, and gained a whole new appreciation for Wain and his work. 

Psycho by Robert Bloch

Reviewed by Jeanne

Legend has it that before the movie’s premiere, Alfred Hitchcock went around buying up copies of Robert Bloch’s book so that movie goers would be properly shocked.  He felt that if they knew what was going to happen, they wouldn’t enjoy the movie.  Turning it around, I wondered if I would enjoy the book after having seen the movie.

The quick answer is that I did.  And even though I knew how it ended, I was still turning pages in a hurry to see how it played out in the book.

I’m sure there are still a few people who haven’t read the book or seen the movie, so to recap briefly the story begins with a young woman who impulsively steals money from her employer and in the course of her escape ends up at the Bates Motel, a run-down establishment off the beaten path.  She’s checked in by Norman Bates, son of the owner.

She doesn’t check out again.

The story is told from several viewpoints, starting with that of Mary (Marion in the movie), a woman who has spent her life waiting, waiting, waiting.  Time is ticking by, and she watches her chance for happiness, for a home and family of her own, rapidly disappearing.  When a large sum of money all but falls into her lap, she sees it as the solution to her problems.

We also see the story unfold from Norman Bates’ point of view, and by extension his mother’s because Norman is acutely attuned to what Mother thinks. 

That’s where the power of the story lay for me. Understanding the thought processes behind the actions was fascinating and gave the tale more depth than the movie. This is heightened because the whole book really poses the question, how well do we really know other people?  Not just our neighbors, but even our families? It brings to mind all those reports in the wake of a crime, any crime from embezzlement to murder, when the people interviewed say, “Oh, but she was such a nice girl!” or “He wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

I will admit that I had some trepidation about reading the book because I am not a blood and gore person, and I had heard that the book was more violent than the movie.  In a way it was, but like the movie the actual violence is hinted at, not graphically depicted. I was relieved at how discreet it was, even though there is no doubt as to what has taken place.  Bloch leaves that to the reader’s imagination.

The book was written in 1959, so there are a few places where it can seem a bit dated but overall it remains fresh and powerful.

Nevermore: Sister Stardust, These Violent Delights, You Call This Democracy?, A Very Punchable Face

 

Reported by Garry

Sister Stardust by Jane Green is a historical novel based loosely on the troubled life of Talitha Getty, the wife of oil heir Paul Getty, and told from the viewpoint of Claire, a small-town young woman who moves to London and takes a job as a shop-girl. One day the radiant Talitha walks in, and Claire’s world is never the same. Set in England and Marrakesh during the height of the 1960s counter-culture, this novel is a beautifully written, captivating read. MS

 

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a historical science-fiction novel, set in the gang-ridden shadows of 1920s Shanghai and taking many thematic queues from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Juliette Cai is the New York-educated, 18-year-old heir to the Scarlet Gang, and her rival (and first love) is Roma Montagov, a 19-year-old Russian who leads the White Flowers. The two come together to find a cause and cure for a mysterious contagion ravaging the city, which causes its victims to tear out their own throats. Romeo and Juliet is masterfully transformed from a doomed teenage love story to a delightful blend of political intrigue, gruesome horror, race-against-the-clock mystery, and, yes—romance—set against a city that becomes a character in its own right.  SH

 

You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix the Government and Deliver Power to the People by Elizabeth Rusch. The political landscape has never been so tumultuous: issues with the electoral college, gerrymandering, voter suppression, and a lack of representation in the polls and in our leadership have led to Americans of all ages asking, “How did we get here?” According to Rusch, the power to change lies with the citizens of this great country—especially teens. Rather than pointing fingers at people and political parties, You Call This Democracy? looks at flaws in the system and offers real strategies to improve the United States government. Each chapter breaks down a different problem plaguing American democracy, exploring how it’s undemocratic, offering possible solutions (with examples of real-life teens who have already started working toward them), and suggesting ways to effect change—starting now!  AH

 

A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir by Colin Jost is a series of essays by the Saturday Night Live head writer about his life growing up on Staten Island and his journey to becoming the lead writer of one of the most storied and influential television shows in history. Jost’s mother was the Chief Medical Officer for the NYPD and this book includes heart-wrenching stories of her time during the 9-11 Twin Towers collapse, as well as hilariously bizarre incidents such as the time Jost watched paramedics perform CPR on a raccoon. Jost attended Harvard, majoring in history and literature, where he graduated cum laude in 2004. Our reader was laughing out loud while reading this book and said it was one of the most enjoyable autobiographies she has ever read.  CD

Also mentioned:

The Matchmaker: A Spy in Berlin by Paul Vidich

A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards

The Fifth Book of Peace by Maxine Hong Kingston

Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

I Take My Coffee Black:  Reflections on Tupac, Musical Theater, Faith, and Being Black in America by Tyler Merritt

French Braid by Anne Tyler

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Falade

A God in Ruins by Leon Uris

A Measure of Belonging:  Twenty-One Writers of Color on the New American South edited by Cinelle Barnes

Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System by M. Chris Fabricant

Black Ghost of Empire:  The Long Death of Slavery and the Failure of Emancipation by Kris Manjapra

From the Hood to Holler:  A Story of Separate Worlds, Shared Dreams and the Fight for America’s Future by Charles Booker