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

Monday, March 27, 2017

MURDER MUST ADVERTIZE (Dorothy Sayers)

Whew!  Dorothy Sayers uses a lot of words and a writing technique that makes it difficult to follow the story if your mind wanders for just a second.  I know that I enjoyed Peter Wimsey novels when I was young and my mind was sharp, but apparently the old brain has slowed down a bit!

That being said, Sayers certainly does know how to put together a story.  Murder Must Advertize is a wonderful depiction of life in 1930's England, from the social and  financial lives of the average working class to the antics of the idle, non-working rich.  Wimsey belongs to the latter, but his intelligence, wit, and ability to see beyond the trappings of money (or lack thereof) endow him with universal appeal.  Yes, he goes about his business with a sort of daredevil attitude and his connection with the aristocracy is apparent in his attitudes and appearance, but his ability to blend in is uncanny.

After a worker at Pym's advertising agency is killed in a freak fall down a spiral staircase, Mr. Pym hires Lord Peter Winsey, posing as Death Bredon (who is surprisingly inexperienced in the field), to pose as a copywriter and investigate the incident.  Mr. Bredon is inquistive and a quick learner, soon insinuating himself into the lives of people who work for a living.  He manages to convince people that the monocled dandy they they spotted one evening is his look-alike cousin, Wimsey, and that they despise each other.  At Pym's Wimsey quickly begins to suspect that there was more to Victor Dean's death than meets the eye and he is soon embroiled in the world of cocaine smuggling and possible blackmail.  When suspects begin dying under mysterious circumstances, solving the puzzle and connecting the evidence becomes more urgent.

Sayers's depictions of Wimsey as the harlequin are priceless and, to the modern reader, the underground cocaine trade and dissolute behavior of the rich of 1930's (remember, the USA was in the great depression at this time) are a fascinating contrast to how we see the drug world today.  This is a great, complicated mystery with an intricate plot and a fascinating sleuth.  Don't expect it to be a quick read, though, or a novel that you can absorb without focus.  It takes some work, but it's worth it.

THE MOTHER'S PROMISE (Sally Hepworth)

Books about cancer are scary, especially when they involve single mothers with children who have issues, and this one is no exception.  Alice Stanhope and her teen daughter Zoe have always been a team of two.  Zoe's father has never been in the picture, so when Alice is diagnosed with ovarian cancer she has few people to depend on.  Zoe suffers from crippling anxiety, and as a result has few friends.  She has been the victim of bullying all of her life and depends on Alice for support and advocacy.  What would happen to her if Alice were no linger here to guide and protect her?

During the course of her cancer treatments Alice reaches out to Sonya, a social worker, and Kate, a nurse, to help her deal with Zoe and the possibility that Alice may die.  Kate and Sonya both have issues of their own.  Kate is unable to have the child that she longs for, which has created tremendous tension in her marriage, while Sonja secretly deals with a sexually abusive husband.  After a shaky start, the four women form a bond that enables each of them to confront their fears and to build a a solid bond of trust among themselves.  Beautifully written and infused with the power of love, Hepworths' novel is a must read.  There was only one sour note, the revelation of Zoe's paternity.  It just seemed a bit too trite and convenient.  I wouldn't let that stop you from reading it, though!

SHADOWS OF THE MOON (Karen White)

I had a very funny experience with this novel.  After I posted it to Goodreads I discovered that apparently the paperback version has a rather lurid picture on the cover of a shirtless and very attractive man being caressed by a beautiful woman, definitely bodice-ripper oriented and definitely posted on my Facebook page for all my friends to see.  It was embarrassing, to say the least, especially because, although romance drove some of the plot-line, this was primarily a time-travel / historical fiction story.  Yes, it definitely included romance, because why on earth would someone be compelled to settle, even temporarily, in to a completely different historical era (1863, to be exact) unless there was love involved?  There was also a child who had mysteriously disappeared 5 years before, driving protagonist Laura Truitt's need to investigate the family who lived in her current home 150 years before she did.

What I found especially compelling about this novel is the incredible sense of place.  I have grown very fond of time travel (but only into the past), especially when the author researches well and seems to be presenting a true picture of life in the past.  Here White brings in concerns about childhood immunizations, personal hygiene, costume, and communications and how they differ from 1863 to modern times.  She also endows Laura with a strong sense of responsibility to preserving the past, not changing history if that is even possible.  One of the delightful things about the story is Laura's recognition of several civil war officers from her own modern history books and her discovery that sometimes the stories that have been handed down are not quite accurate.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shadows of the Moon.  In fact,  it has taken some time for the sensation that I had actually visited the past to wear off!  This novel has a bit of everything: romance, tragedy, historical context, intrigue, and family drama.  I would highly recommend it for a great weekend read, vacation book, or escape experience.

Monday, March 6, 2017

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR (Allegra Goodman)

Naturally I was attracted to this book because I love cookbooks (not to be mistaken with actually BEING a good cook) and assumed that they would be an integral part of the story. Plus, the cover was very pretty!

Jessamine and Emily Bach seem as different as sisters can be.  Jessamine is a dreamer, a doctoral student in philosophy who moves from romance to romance and hasn't quite figured out what she wants to do with her life.  Older sister Emily graduated from MIT and is the CEO of Veritech, a very successful California-based Internet data storage company about to go public.  Emily is in a long-distance relationship with Jonathan, who has his own Internet start-up on the east coast.

Jessamine works part-time for George Friedman in his bookstore, a business that Jess suggests is more of a personal collection than a business.  George, 39, is a retired Microsoft millionaire who is still seeking the perfect woman to cook for and nurture.  Of course, you can seewhere this is all going.  Will Emily and Jonathan work out how to combine their lives and businesses and live happily ever after?  Will jessamine and george ultimate come to the realiztion that they were made for each other?

The Cookbook Collector includes many literary references juxtaposed against the culture and ambition of the dot com boom.  It is, interestingly, set just before (and after) 9/11.  Family heritage, values, and business figure prominently into the novel, as does its historic context and a bit of Jewish culture.  While beautifully written, this is a novel that seems even better in retrospect.  My only criticism is that I had a hard time figuring out all of the connections among the stories (a little distracting), but maybe that was just me.  I would definitely recommend it.