"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it." (James Bryce)

Monday, June 27, 2011

THE WEDDING SHAWL (Sally Goldenbaum)

I think what appeals to me most about Goldenbaum's Seaside Knitters series is the strong element of friendship among the women - and men - in the novels.  I have to admit that I am getting a little confused about which knitting shop is in which town.  Maybe I need to take a little break from knitting mysteries and regain my sanity!

That being said, the wedding shawl of the title is a circle of love and friendship created by the Seaside Knitters for Izzy Chambers to wear during her wedding to Sam Perry.  Naturally, during the course of the wedding planning (which, along with the creation of the shawl, runs throughout the novel) a murder draws Nell, Cass, adorable Birdie, and Izzy into investigating.  Tiffany, an energetic young beautician, has promised to coordinate the hair and make-up needs of the wedding party, but a few weeks before the big day she is found  dead in her office, supposedly the victim of a robbery.  Tiffany's best friend, Harmony, had died 15 years earlier on the day of their high school graduation, drowned in a local quarry.  Coincidentally, both women had been involved with Fractured Phish musician Anndy Risso, who is now the prime suspect in both deaths.

Goldenbaum writes a decent mystery.  Her clues unfold logically and at the end you find yourself thinking, "Oh, yes.  Of course!"  But the draw here is the loving relationships among the recurring characters.  They are a little bit too perfect (except for the murderer, of course) and the food is a little too delicious and abundant.  No one seems to lack money or time to socialize and there is not an overweight person in sight.  But I say, "Who cares?"  I would love to be a part of this beautiful town and this welcoming, caring group of people.  They are pretty good at ferretting out murderers, too!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

DRY GRASS OF AUGUST (Anna Jean Mayhew)

We all remember the simpler times of our childhood, when we trusted that summer days would be long and filled with fun and that those who loved us would be there forever.  In the summer of 1954, Jubie Watts sets out on a road trip with her mother, sisters, little brother, and Mary Luthor, the family's black maid.  Mr. Watts is conspicuously absent.  As the group drives further south on their trip from North Carolina to Florida, Jubie notes an increasing number of anti-integration messages along the way, and Mary is expected to use separate bathrooms (or outhouses) and to sleep in inferior quarters separate from the family.  Mary is acquiescent, subservient, and cooperative in society's desire that she remain as invisible as possible in the deep South.

Jubie is a curious, thoughtful 13-year-old, the hapless victim of her father's alcohol-fueled rages and her mother's self-involvement.  This trip is, in fact, a prelude to possible divorce as Paula, Jubie's mother, flees to her brother's home to consider her marriage and her future.  Paula's treatment of Mary along the journey is problematical.  On one hand, Paula adheres to the local racial segregation rules only loosely, but largely for her own convenience rather than out of indignation.  On the other, she fails to recognize the danger to which  she is exposing Mary to in this alien world of the Klan and intense racial divisions.  When tragedy strikes, Jubie is forced to look at her parents and her world in a different light, knowing that her summers will never again be the carefree summers of childhood.

Mayhew's first novel (at age 71!) is much less complex than "The Help" but examines of the same racial dilemma, the dehumanization of blacks in the south.  It's scary that these things were going on during my lifetime, and in many places still are.  I would heartily recommend Mayhew's wonderful coming-of-age novel.

Monday, June 13, 2011

THE NINE TAILORS (Dorothy L. Sayers)

I have to say that I, like most of the Christie Capers Book Club, could have done without the first 100 pages or so of this acclaimed Lord Peter Wimsey novel.  The level of detail concerning bell-ringing was just too much, but understandable considering Sayers' background as the daughter of the chaplain of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford and headmaster of the Choir School there. 

That being said, Sayers novel of murder begins as Lord Peter and his man, Bunter, run off the road during a New Year's Eve storm in Fenchurch St. Paul.  Since one of the local church's bell-ringers is incapacitated with influenza, the absentminded Rev. Venables recruits Lord Peter, who, incredibly, has experience as a bell-ringer, to participate in the spectacular nine-hour nonstop bell ringing.  The title, Nine Tailors, efers to the ringing of nine peals when a man dies.  Stranded in Fenchurch St. Paul while his car is being repaired, Lord Peter learns of the death of Lady Thorpe, whose family has been haunted for the past 20 years by the theft of a valuable necklace.  When her husband, Sir Henry dies at Easter, Lady Thorpe's grave is opened for his burial and an additional, unidentified body is discovered buried in the grave.  Lord Peter is on hand to investigate, naturally.  During the course of the novel a year passes, other deaths occur, the mystery of the missing necklace is solved, and Wimsey acquires a ward.  Eventually the final mystery is solved and Lord Peter rides off into the sunset with his faithful man, Mervyn Bunter.  This is a quintessential English mystery from one of the great authors in this genre.  It's well worth it if you can get past the beginning!

THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL (Melissa Senate)

Anyone who has lost a beloved grandparent or other friend will relate to Holly Maguire's determination to carry on the traditions established by her grandmother, Camilla, the "love goddess" of Blue Crab Island, Maine.  Camilla passes away just 2 weeks after Holly returns to Blue Crab Cove after the sad end of a romantic relationship, and Holly inherits Camilla's house and business, Camilla's Cucinatta.  Despite her grief over her grandmother's death, Holly decides to learn to cook Camilla's famous recipes and keep the business and cooking classes going (minus the "love goddess" psychic predictions).  A childhood nemesis provides some competition, but Holly perseveres, testing recipes and bringing in new business while carrying on with her grandmother's cooking classes, forming unexpected and enduring new relationships in the process.  As one would expect, Holly does finally find a recipe for her own happiness during the course of her adventures with cooking.  This delightful novel would be a perfect way to relax on vacation or a day at the beach.

BEACHCOMBERS (Nancy Thayer)

Three sisters seems to be the theme of my reading lately!  Thayer's "Beachcombers" is set on Nantucket, as expected, where widower Jim Fox has rented his daughters' former playhouse to the recently divorced Marina Warren. The youngest daughter, Lily, lives at home and works for a local publication as a society reporter.  She yearns for a more jet-setting life and enjoys the round of parties and social events that her job requires her to attend.  When middle sister Emma shows up devastated over the loss of her job, her savings, and a bitter break-up with her fiance, Lily is concerned and contacts oldest sister, Abbie, who has been working as an au pair in the UK.  Abbie helped her father to raise her younger sisters after the suicide of their mother when Abbie was 15 years old.

Abbie and Emma, desperately in need of income and concerned about their father's finances, start a company called Nantucket Mermaids, eventually including Lily as well.  During the course of the novel their various assignments, including baby-sitting, reading to the elderly, and gardening, provide an interesting glimpse into Nantucket summer life.  The sisters themselves lack maturity and direction and at times the sibling rivalry becomes almost annoying, but Thayer has a talent for developing a sense of place so strong that the reader can overlook the sisters' whining and their attitude toward their father and his social life.  The ending is just a bit too neat for my taste, but overall this is a great book to take to the beach or read on the porch on a summer evening.