Lonely Graves by Britta Bolt

Lonely Graves is the first book in a crime fiction series written by Britta Bohler and Rodney Bolt under the pen name of Britta Bolt. Both authors draw on their professional and life experiences to write what I think will be a fantastic series.

The Lonely Funerals series features Pieter Posthumus (Pieter is relieved when others do not comment on his last name at first meeting), a team member of the council department known as the Lonely Funerals team. The Lonely Funerals team is responsible for visiting the homes of those who die without family or friends willing to wrap up the deceased's affairs and take care of funeral arrangements. Pieter cares deeply for those deceased persons whose files appear on his desk, and he goes about making final arrangements for them with the utmost respect. Pieter is not a detective but, of course, there is going to be something suspicious and complex with each death that draws him into investigating. If the first in the series is a good measure, the investigations will lead into crimes surrounding very current issues (immigration and terrorism in this case).

The Lonely Funerals series is off to a good start for me. I like the character of Pieter Posthumus and look forward to seeing him develop further as the series continues. I was a bit scattered as I tried to keep track of character names, and was stretched a bit by some regional descriptions because I have no familiarity with Amsterdam, but I found myself easing into it as the story and characters developed - this was aided by a list of Dramatis Personae in the front of the book (thank you Authors!). The pacing of the book was good, especially since the authors needed to spend time developing new characters and settings. The pace picked up toward the end of the book as the pieces of the crime(s) started coming together. I stayed up way too late reading in order to see what would happen!

Books two and three in the series are already on my reading stack and I look forward to jumping into book two right away. I really want to spend more time with Pieter and (hopefully) some recurring characters that are a part of his life - this is an excellent sign of my enjoyment.

I highly recommend this if you like crime fiction, a flawed and compassionate main character, and a plot that draws you into the story.

The Decision by Britta Bohler

Title: The Decision
Author: Britta Bohler
Publisher: Haus Publishing
Year: First published 2013; this edition 2015
Pages: 169
Translator: Translated from the Dutch by Jeannette K. Ringold

The German author, Thomas Mann, lived for three years in self-imposed exile from his German homeland as the Nazi regime grew more powerful and influential. Mann never spoke publicly against the Nazi regime during this time, but during a three day period in early 1936 circumstances forced him to decide whether he would speak out or remain silent. Britta Bohler dramatizes Mann's possible thoughts as he wrestles with this historic decision in her short novel, The Decision.

Mann struggled with a complex array of doubts and fears. He was a German who wrote in German for a German readership, upon which he was financially dependent. He had a Jewish wife and a Jewish publisher. He did not arrive at his decision to speak out in an orderly fashion, but in a messy human way, with fear often driving his thoughts.

Through the intimate narrative of the novel, the reader gets a glimpse of Mann and the things that interested and drove him. For instance, thoughts about music and writing ...

"[H]e always remained a musician in his writing. Music is the prototype of all art. The form of the novel is nothing but a composition in words, a symphony of ideas. A work of counterpoint, an ensemble of contrasts and harmony."

... thoughts on exile and asking what it means to be German ...

"What does it mean, a home? A country, a city, a memory?"

... and thoughts about slow travel ...

"... train travel. The slow passing of the world, the gradual changes in the landscape that prepare the traveler for his arrival in new surroundings."

In one scene, Mann is looking out at the night sky and thinking about the speed of light and how the stars shining there may no longer exist. He is doing this instead of attending to work related tasks. I could relate. It is so much more fun to think and wonder than to work.

It was details such as these that gripped me while reading The Decision and the only real complaint about the book that I can make is that I wanted more. I wanted more about "the gap between being an artist and bourgeois life," and "the artist as a pure spirit" with a mystical "cast of mind."

Britta Bohler is no stranger to the struggle between individuals and governments. She is an international human rights lawyer who has defended individuals against the abuse of governmental power and, as such, brings a unique outlook to this three day period in the life of Thomas Mann. I don't know a lot about Mann, but the book has a ring of authenticity and is a psychologically convincing look at a man agonizing over a decision that would cut him off from his homeland and put him at odds with an abusive regime.

"There is so much in a life that is not lived."

- from The Decision

In the Cafe of Lost Youth by Patrick Modiano

Title: In the Cafe of Lost Youth
Author: Patrick Modiano
Translator: Translated from the French by Chris Clarke
Publisher: New York Review Books
Year: First published in 2007; this edition published 2016.
Pages: 118

In the Cafe of Lost Youth takes place in the Paris of the 1950s. Paris is known as the "city of light," but this short novel looks into the shadows of that city and the bohemians that wandered it and frequented its cafes.

The focus of the story is a twenty-two year old woman, named Jacqueline Delanque, who quietly arrives one day at the Cafe Conde -- no one is quite sure when she first began frequenting the cafe -- and sticks to the shadows. Who is Jacqueline Delanque? What is her past? Why does she haunt the Cafe Conde? No one knows. She is eventually given the nickname Louki by the other habitues of the cafe and enfolded into that small group; she is, in a sense, baptized or given a "second birth" whereby her past becomes unimportant.

The story is told by four narrators -- the mysterious Louki and three others who are themselves only partially revealed. I believe it is the author's intent to keep his characters shrouded in order to create an atmosphere that is reflective of the Paris he is trying to portray; this may be somewhat disconcerting to readers who are looking for character development and a reason to care about those characters. This tactic does create modest suspense though.

Major themes of In the Cafe of Lost Youth are identity, memory, time, and escape. The theme that stood out to me is that of escape. Louki is clearly trying to escape, but from what or from whom? A sense of discontent, always seeking, never finding -- this is Louki. She is self aware enough to reveal, "I was never really myself when I wasn't running away."

Generally, where there is a desire to escape there is also a search. Again, a search for what? Perhaps we are provided a clue in a small detail. Louki is given a copy of Lost Horizon to read, which she carries about with her and conspicuously displays. This is a book about a search for paradise. Maybe this is what Louki and the other wanderers seek -- an undefined paradise.

In the Cafe of Lost Youth is a melancholy little piece that leaves the characters and the reader without any true resolution, yet I am strangely drawn to it. Perhaps it speaks to my own "lost youth" and the restless need to escape and seek out that indefinable paradise.

"At the halfway point of the journey making up real life, we were surrounded by a gloomy melancholy, one expressed by so very many derisive and sorrowful words in the cafe of the lost youth." -- Guy Debord

____________________________________

Read this book if you are looking for a quiet and moody story that will make you think. Do not expect a tidy plot with resolution or full character development. This is a reflective piece.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

I recently read The Day of the Triffids and wanted to follow up with another John Wyndham, The Chrysalids. Both books are post-apocalyptic novels of the time in which they were written and represent many of the fears and thinking of the mid-twentieth century (at least as I know them from a North American perspective, which apparently aligned at least somewhat with those in Great Britain). Mid-century issues of cultural confrontation, the generation gap, and a geographical shift of power and progress from current locations are well represented in The Chrysalids. One could spend a fair bit of time discussing the use of metaphor as well - deviance and telepathy as metaphors for greater issues - and whether these are still effective means for communicating current concerns.

I would describe the tone of the book as somewhat secularly preachy (is this a thing?), but the book is overall a good post-apocalyptic story that will give the reader something to think about.

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

“Why do people have to be this lonely? What’s the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?”

One of my reading goals for 2015 is to read a piece of Japanese literature per month and I chose Sputnik Sweetheart as my choice for February. I'm not the only one reading Japanese Literature this year. Sabrina at Unmanaged Mischief has a reading project called Year of Murakami and plans to read twelve books by Murakami this year. While my reading project is not focused exclusively on this one author, I am reading several Murakami novels. Sabrina was reading Sputnik Sweetheart in February so I thought I'd join her.

Synopsis
Sputnik Sweetheart is narrated by K, a teacher in love with an aspiring novelist named Sumire. Sumire views K as her best friend but is, herself, smitten with a sophisticated businesswoman named Miu. Sumire spends many hours talking with K about the big questions of life before accompanying Miu to Europe and then on to a tiny Greek island. It is on this Greek island that Sumire reveals to Miu that she is in love with her, but this love is not reciprocated. Soon after this revelation, Sumire disappears "like smoke." Miu makes a desperate call for help to K who hurries off to the Greek island in search of his friend. K discovers that something very strange has happened to Sumire even as he has his own haunting visions and uncovers the strange history of Miu.

Sputnik Sweetheart is a melancholy love story, a detective story, and a surreal mystery all wrapped up into a meditation on the human condition of longing and loneliness.

Themes, Writing, Thoughts
The usual Murakami themes of isolation, loneliness, and alienation are present in Sputnik Sweetheart. The title refers, in part, to Sputnik 2. Sputnik 2 was the first spaceship to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika, into space. It was rumored that Laika lived for a while, circling alone above the Earth. This was likely not true, but the image of a dog looking longingly out the window at the Earth persists. This image is used by Murakami in Sputnik Sweetheart to represent the human condition of longing and loneliness. We streak soundlessly, alone, across life. We are all truly alone when it comes down to it. We are like Sputniks orbiting around each other in isolation, unable to connect.

In Sputnik Sweetheart the characters are not only alienated from each other, but are also alienated from themselves and experience a type of self obliteration. Sumire tells K that she has "this strange feeling I'm not myself anymore" and appears to melt away "like a chunk of ice left out in the sun." She mysteriously flees the real world. This is where the story becomes Murakami-esque. Has Sumire truly vanished or has she simply had a mental break? Is Murakami using her physical disappearance as a psychological metaphor? We are left to ask ourselves what is real and what is unreal. Perhaps the more accurate question should be, "What is true?" A fictional account can represent the truth of something while still being fiction. I'm reminded of a quote from another novel by Murakami, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: "More often than not I've observed that convenient approximations bring you closest to comprehending the true nature of things." Perhaps the physical disappearance of Sumire in the story is a convenient approximation of the true nature of Sumire's psychological condition. Murakami does not always make it clear when he is using a "sign or a symbol" and often requires us to put our own interpretation on things, and this can be uncomfortable. In Sputnik Sweetheart, Murakami draws us into what appears to be a straightforward storyline and mystery, but then he releases us into a place that does not have clear lines.

I anticipated the themes presented in Sputnik Sweetheart since they are common to all of Murakami's works that I have read thus far. He handles these themes in an unusual way. I hesitate to call what Murakami does Magical Realism, since I think it goes beyond that, but I'm not sure what else to call it. I generally find meaning in Murakami's works in a less cognitive way. I have written a bit about this in the essay and book reviews that are linked below.

The shift from straightforward storyline into that fuzzy weird place was a bit disconcerting in Sputnik Sweetheart because it took place quite late in the story. I'm not sure what to make of that yet. As is usual with my reading of Murakami, I will have to let this book and story settle into a less cognitive area of my brain and see what comes of it in future. I anticipate that I will make some odd connections much later when I least expect it!

Recommendation
I recommend Sputnik Sweetheart for those who like to read Japanese literature and/or those specifically interested in the works of Haruki Murakami. I also recommend it for those interested in the themes of loneliness, longing, and alienation and/or those with an interest in psychological metaphor. Those who can not abide story lines with ambiguous or blurry lines of reality might want to take a pass on this.

More of my writing about Murakami is available on my personal essay blog, Tip of the Iceberg. You can find those pieces here if you are interested:

• Understanding Haruki Murakami (essay)
• Kafka on the Shore (review)
• After Dark (review)

Video | The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

My video is a slightly different, and hopefully more coherent, review of The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. You can read my written review here if you are interested.



Watch on YouTube: http://youtu.be/toXsf2f93h0

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

The Sirens of Titan is Kurt Vonnegut's second novel, published in 1959. The story is told by a future historian and takes place over a forty-plus year time span, "sometime between the Second World War and the Third Great Depression." It is a romp through time and space and can be, quite honestly, a bit hard to follow. But then, there is a reason why we at least perceive ourselves within a linear and defined time/space continuum. Well, at least most of us do. I don't really know what I'm talking about, but reading Vonnegut has that effect on me.

There are three main characters in The Sirens of Titan: Malachi Constant, Winston Miles Rumfoord, and Rumfoord's wife, Beatrice. Vonnegut builds up all three characters and then uses that build up to tear them down. (Who does he think he is? God? Hey, maybe this plays into the story. Hmmm ....)

Rumfoord is a bit of a prophet figure. Beatrice made me start thinking about Dante's Divine Comedy, but I'm not really sure where my brain was trying to go. Let's just say there might be something to that. Or not. 'The excesses of Beatrice were excesses of reluctance." Maybe that is why I was thinking of Dante. That and the name "Beatrice." And I'm not sure what was up with poor Malachi. I'm sure he is a type ... or ... a type of a type .... (Oh Vonnegut, you REALLY messed with my mind in this book.)

There is also an alien. A machine alien. With inflatable feet. His name is Salo. He's got a missing part that plays a big part in the novel. To tell you more would be spoilerish. So, I won't. "The machine is no longer a machine. The machine's contacts are corroded, the bearings fouled, his circuits shorted, and his gears stripped. His mind buzzes and pops like the mind of an Earthling - fizzes and overheats with thoughts of love, honor, dignity, rights, accomplishments, integrity, independence." Aliens in science fiction are often foils to humanity and help us define our human nature, and so Salo fills this purpose. I think.

The Sirens of Titan is a morality tale. It is satire that is somewhat humorous, but ultimately sad and depressing. The characters are powerless. I think they are powerless. I think I'm supposed to think that. Yeah, kinda bleak.

The central idea of the book is: What is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of human existence? I won't tell you how Vonnegut answers these questions, but if you've been paying attention at all here you can probably guess.

Some random thoughts because, honestly, I don't know how to incorporate these into a review:

• Vonnegut smacks down organized religion yet honors personal belief.
• The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent (I'm sure there is a whole theological discussion just in this name.)
• Free will: Yes or no? (Not really answered and kinda argumentative loop-ish, just like in real life.)
• Earth as God's spaceship (I'm telling you, there is some whacked stuff here people!)
• I'm pretty sure Douglas Adams was influenced by this novel.

This novel is about Ideas with a capital "I". If you like Ideas, satire, social commentary, characters representative of types or other literary characters then you will like The Sirens of Titan.If you need a plot that hangs together well, characters that are developed with understandable motives then you might be a bit bewildered as to why some of us actually like this book.

If you find Vonnegut's satire and humor tiresome and/or depressing, you might find that you like (can tolerate?) his writing in short bursts; try his short stories in Welcome to the Monkey House.

Fin.

Edited to include a link to my video review on YouTube > http://youtu.be/toXsf2f93h0

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential was first published in 2000. He wrote it for fellow cooks and those in the restaurant biz. Bourdain wrote it to "sound like [he was] talking, at say ... ten o'clock on a Saturday night, after a busy dinner rush, [him] and a few cooks hanging around the kitchen, knocking back a few beers and talking shit." This is exactly what it sounds like. It was a surprise to Bourdain when the book was more widely read by the general public and then, of course, criticized for being a blustery piece of tell-all expose. It is blustery, and Bourdain freely admits this, but that was not the intent nor the audience. Bourdain tells it like it is. He pulls no punches and you get a good look at what really happens in the cooking world.

Bourdain has a rough and biting sense of humor, but he doesn't use that humor to tear others down and is often self-deprecating. I like it. He reflects on what it takes to be successful in the cooking world. You've got to have a sense of humor about it or you won't survive.

Bourdain talks tough, but he is a hopeless romantic. Just read the "Mission to Tokyo" chapter to see some of this. A lot of Bourdain's bluster is a macho New York cover and partly what has allowed him to survive in a tough world. I do look forward to reading his more recent book, Medium Raw to see if the older Bourdain confronts his younger blustery self.

One of the characteristics which I admire is Bourdain's apparent ability to take people as they are, recognizing that we are all a bit of a mess but still worthy of respect. He is a curious person, interested in the world and people around him, always up for new experiences (sometimes to his detriment), and willing to take responsibility for his thrill seeking behaviors.

I read Kitchen Confidential out loud to my husband. Bourdain's writing style matches his voice (if you watch his TV series, Parts Unknown, you'll know what I mean). Many of the chapters can be read as stand alone articles, yet there is a cohesive story told through the whole.

I would recommend this book to those curious about Bourdain, and to those who have worked in the restaurant business or are interested in it and want an inside look. Those who are considering a career as a chef might want to read it to get a sense of what they are likely to experience; the chapter titled, "A Day in the Life" gives an inside look that will scare your pants off! He also offers a chapter with advice for those who do choose to pursue this career path.

I loved this book. It has been accused of being an expose. It has been described as both memoir and documentary. I think it is a love story. It is a wonderful homage to a business and life that has been both brutal and ultimately fulfilling.

Video version of my review: http://youtu.be/ekMg9hLWbKc

 

Video | The House on Paradise Street by Sofka Zinovieff

I learned a lot from this book. It would make an EXCELLENT read for book clubs because of the themes; there is much that can be discussed.

http://youtu.be/w8ryX9F4zYE

 

Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge

Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge is a novelization of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. The novel was originally published and won the Whitbread Prize in 1996.  Europa Editions reissued it in 2012 on the 100th anniversary of the tragedy.

Bainbridge tells the story of the tragic voyage of the Titanic through the eyes of Morgan, a young man who was the nephew of industrialist J.P. Morgan. Morgan boards the ship as one of the self-centered idle rich. Though he mixes with these shallow "bright young things," Morgan seems to have a conscience and is the focus of a modest coming of age story line.

The book is primarily character driven, but I had a hard time caring about any of the characters. Even Morgan seemed hard to cozy up to and I found him to be the most sympathetic character out of the bunch. Every Man for Himself is a shallow look at the shallow lives of very wealthy first-class passengers on a ship we already know will sink. Steerage class passengers hardly note a mention as though not worth the paper and ink. This baffled me until I wondered if Bainbridge was employing subtle irony. I'm still not sure if the author was using a clever device to make a point or not. Those who are more familiar with her writing might be able to enlighten me.

Very little happens until the ship hits an iceberg and begins to sink. The drama and horror, the terrible loss of life that was the sinking of the Titanic is wrapped up in the last 35 pages of a 201 page book. This hurried ending does impart a frantic and chaotic note that was surely a part of those last hours, but there is no character redemption or reflective commentary involved. The shallow characters never cease to be shallow and continue to idle away their last hours in various self-indulgent states. The reader is never focused on any one scene for too long during these last pages, as though confused by the chaos and noise. Perhaps this too was intended by the author to make a point, but it fell flat for me. I honestly didn't care if any of the characters survived or not and that seems important to me in a character driven story.

I really had high expectations for this book. These were mostly based on various comments about the author's skill as a writer that I came across in reviews and other write ups prior to reading the novel. Again, the book is not bad, but it failed to make much of an impact.

Video | Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut

Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut was a nice play on the tale of Bluebeard and a commentary on art and art movements. I really enjoyed this book. The book is a satire on art movements, but Vonnegut's barbed wit was moderated and he even brought a bit of sweetness to the story.

(You may need to click through to view the video if you are using a reader.)

Video | Thoughts on Feminism and Dorothy Sayers

I have decided to try and resurrect my YouTube channel and so have created a video version of my written review of  the Dorothy Sayers essay, "Are Women Human?" It is mostly a rather rambling repeat, but hey, some of you seem to like watching these things!

You can find me on YouTube as MsTerriB http://www.youtube.com/user/msterrib

(If you are reading this in a reader, you may need to click through to my blog in order to view the video.)

Are Women Human? by Dorothy Sayers

I've long admired Dorothy Sayers' writing and knew right away that I would be reading one of her essays for The Classics Club event Feminist Literature in March. I'm going to be up front and honest with you: I don't define myself as a feminist. I don't define myself as a feminist mostly because I don't find the label particularly helpful nor clearly defined. I also tend to get tetchy if someone asks me for a woman's point of view about something. More often than not, the term "feminism" is polarizing when it doesn't need to be and I find that there are as many points of view as there are women. Ask me about my point of view on a particular topic and I will tell you my point of view on that topic. Sometimes my point of view will be recognizable as feminist, but other times it will not. I don't fit easily nor completely into most categories and I'm guessing most people do not.

Now that I've sent you all running for the hills, let me tell you a little bit about Dorothy Sayers and her essay, "Are Women Human?" Dorothy Sayers was one of the first women to graduate from Oxford University. She did not devote her time to talking or writing about feminism, but instead lived her life doing the work for which she was suited whether or not society understood her choices as feminine.

"Are Women Human?" is an address given to a Women's Society in 1938 and is one of the few times that Sayers wrote on the nature and function of women. In this essay, she puts forth her position on women with honesty and wit. Just look at the essay title and you'll get a taste of that sharp edged humor. As far as Sayers is concerned, "male" and "female" are adjectives qualifying the noun "human being," and as Mary McDermott Shideler says in her introduction, "the substantive governs the modifier." We are human beings first and foremost. This is not to make light of the difficulties experienced by women. Sayers was, after all, one of the first women to graduate from Oxford University. I would imagine that she faced many challenges as a woman in that environment, yet she felt that she was suited to the type of work in that environment and lived it out in spite of the difficulties. I can just about hear her say that life is full of difficulties.

What Sayers most wanted was to be reckoned as an individual person and not always as a member of a class. "A certain amount of classification is, of course, necessary for practical purposes… [but] [w]hat is unreasonable and irritating is to assume that all one's tastes and preferences have to be conditioned by the class to which one belongs. That has been the very common error into which men have frequently fallen about women -- and it is the error into which feminist women are, perhaps, a little inclined to fall about themselves."

I believe that Sayers' position fits into the spirit of feminism. She clearly believed in a woman's right to participate fully in the world however that woman is so suited. She did not align herself with a feminist movement since, I believe, she found that too confining. Instead, she lived feminism.

Light Boxes by Shane Jones and why I DNF'd it

Light Boxes by Shane Jones is a novel of experimental writing told from multiple perspectives. I think it has a fantastic cover and the blurb on the back of the book convinced me I would like this book.

The inhabitants of a closely knit town are experiencing perpetual February, and that means unending cold and darkness. It turns out that a godlike spirit, named February, is punishing the town for flying and bans flight of all kind, including hot air balloons and even children's kites. It's February who makes the sun nothing but a faint memory, who blankets the ground with snow, who freezes the rivers and the lakes. As the punishing weather continues, children go missing and adults become nearly catatonic with depression, all but giving up hope. But others find the strength to fight back - and launch a war against February.

- blurb on back cover of Light Boxes 

I did not like this book. I wanted to like this book, but after reading more than half of it I had zero interest and decided to consider it DNF (did not finish).

I love fables, even dark fables. I love metaphor. I love the surreal. I love imagery. I love fantastical, magical tales. I guess you could say this book has all of these elements, and yet .... The elements didn't pull together for me. I understand that the writing is experimental, and I don't mind experimental writing. Experimental writing requires the reader to look at it differently. Yes, this can be more work for the reader, and I don't mind working for it. I do expect some kind of "pay off" though. I should enjoy it, I should be intrigued, or I should be thinking "deep thoughts" because of it, or it should move me in some way, or .... Let's just say I did not enjoy it, did not remain intrigued, did not think deep thoughts, and I wasn't moved. Instead I was annoyed. Frustrated. I had a big question mark hanging over my head. I wondered why I was spending time reading it. This book did not connect with me, and I do believe that a reader should be able to connect with a book on some level for some reason.

I'm familiar with reading poetry as prose, and it is my understanding that Shane Jones writes poetry. One of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury, does this (read The Halloween Tree) and I love it. There is a flow to the words and images. I can hardly separate the words from the images in my head and the feelings pressing against me and reaching for my emotions. I tried to read Light Boxes in this way. Nope. Didn't work for me.

The writing in Light Boxes seemed too conscious of itself, as if on every page it was shouting, "Look at me! I'm experimental!" It came across as gimmicky. It lacked the poetry. It was more like looking at a writer's notes about a story, still in draft mode.

With all that said, I still love the cover (illustration by Ken Garduno) and there are plenty of readers who did like this book - very much. You can read their reviews on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon.com, etc. and then decide for yourself whether or not you want to read it.

Did you read Light Boxes? Did you write a review? If so, let me know and I will link to your review in order to provide other perspectives.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Title: Maisie Dobbs
Series: Book One in a series
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Publication Date:  2004

Maisie Dobbs is categorized as a mystery, but I would consider it general fiction or historical fiction. The main character, Maisie, is a detective and there is a mystery to solve, but the novel diverges from the usual patterns of the mystery genre. Maisie Dobbs is primarily a character driven novel and the plot takes a backseat to the main character.

The novel is divided into three sections. The first section introduces Maisie in 1929 as she takes on her first investigation case with a mystery to solve. This section reads very much like a mystery novel. The second section is a flashback to Maisie's youth, prior to WWI, as a smart young girl taken into service as a scullery maid in the home of Lady Rowan. It is here, as part of Lady Rowan's progressive social beliefs, that Maisie is provided an education alongside her service as a maid. Maisie is also mentored by a rather enigmatic gentleman detective and government consultant as part of her education. It is hoped, by this gentleman, that Maisie might one day take over his business when he retires. This section also describes Maisie's war experiences as a nurse during WWI. The entire second section reads like historical fiction. The third section of the book returns to 1929, the mystery, and its resolution. The third section is somewhat suspenseful, but not overly so.

I found both the character of Maisie Dobbs, as well as the historical and social aspects of the novel, quite satisfying. I fell in love with Maisie and her unconventional detecting methods. Maisie's real skill is helping people find the truths about themselves. The detecting becomes more about the people involved than about the events. There is a bit of Eastern mysticism involved in Maisie's intuitive methodology that I hope the author engages with in future books of the series. I am particularly interested in the time period covered in this novel with it's early 20th century shift from a class-based society to an emerging (more) egalitarian one and the social issues that are involved with that shift. Those who like Downton Abbey will probably enjoy this first book in the Maisie Dobbs series. Particularly heartbreaking in this novel is the trauma of WWI and the deep scar that the horror and grief left on Great Britain for many years. The novel captures this personal and national grief well through plot and character.

I must mention that there were a few times I had to suspend my disbelief. I don't know if the author decided to take liberties with her writing in order to suit the storyline or if this was oversight. It will be interesting to see if this continues in future books.

I highly recommend this book to those who like historical fiction, character driven novels, or just a good story. I noticed that School Library Journal reviewed the book which tells me it is a crossover novel between adult fiction and YA. I don't think it is marketed as YA, but it is certainly appropriate.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know if you've written a review and I will add it in a list below.

Here is what others have to say!

Jenn at The Picky Girl is "Mad for Maisie" and is responsible for me picking up this book

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of Francie Nolan. The book opens on a summer afternoon in 1912 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with the sun shining through the branches of a tree called the Tree of Heaven. This tree had "pointed leaves which grew along green switches which radiated from the bough and made a tree which looked like a lot of opened green umbrellas." This tree grew lushly amidst the tenement houses and reached for the sky.

Francie is 11 years old and lives in a humble apartment in a run down neighborhood with her brother and mother and father. Her father, Johnny Nolan, is quite a charmer who sings and waits tables but spends the majority of his money on alcohol. The financial support for the family falls to Katie, Francie's mother, who works as a janitor in exchange for rent.

Francie loves to learn and enjoys school, but the neighborhood school is a cruel place. Out walking one day, Francie sees a beautiful school in another neighborhood. She longs to go to that school and, ever hopeful, she shares this longing with her father. Johnny is a dreamer too and he finds a way for Francie to transfer to this more gracious school where she thrives and becomes quite the writer of stories.

Francie is encouraged to write because:

Truth and fancy were so mixed up in her mind - as they are in the mind of every lonely child - that she didn't know which was which. But teacher made these two things clear to her …. "In the future, when something comes up, you tell exactly how it happened but write down for yourself the way you think it should have happened. Tell the truth and write the story.

Francie writes lovely stories that reflect the way she wishes things to be. She is innocent.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a coming of age story though, and in this type of story we witness the painful loss of innocence. We see this in Francie's development as a writer. She begins to write "sordid" stories that reflect more truthfully her own life experiences. Francie's English teacher disapproves of this new writing and wants her to burn the "ugly" compositions. Francie refuses and, instead, burns all of the old flowery writings that have nothing to do with her life experiences. In this symbolic loss of innocence we see Francie become aware of her identity as a person and writer.

These changes, as anyone who has survived childhood knows, are painful and we grieve our lost innocence. Francie, likewise, grieves for all she has lost in the scene with the roses. This scene was so powerful I felt the pain of my own experience all over again and it left me in tears. I guess this is your warning not to read this scene in public!

Coming of age stories are meant to bring up a lot of feelings in the reader. They touch on a shared experience. They speak of longings and overwhelming feelings. A time when we learn that things CHANGE, but we don't want them to. We don't like endings because, "The last time of anything has the poignancy of death itself …. And you grieve because you hadn't held it tighter when you had it every day." These are powerful feelings that we learn to manage as adults, but in the emerging adult they create emotional chaos.

A message of hope usually goes along with the pain of a coming of age story and, I suspect, this is why those of us who like such stories keep reading them. Throughout the book Francie remains sensitive and caring and hopeful. In the end, she looks to the future without denying her past. And the Tree of Heaven in her yard, that was not gently tended, keeps on growing as a symbol of perseverance and hope.

My thoughts:

I absolutely LOVED this book. The author writes beautifully and captures the intense feelings that come with "growing up." I truly cared about the characters and thought the author treated them very sympathetically even though they, like us, are quite less than perfect. Many social themes are woven throughout A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, though the author claimed she did not mean the book to be a social commentary. This book would make a fantastic book club read with its variety of themes. Take a look at the themes listed below for conversation ideas. I wrote SO many quotes from this book into my reading journal and look forward to revisiting the book through these quotes until time to read it again.

About the author and the book:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was written by Betty Smith and was first published in 1943. It is largely autobiographical.

Themes:

• Class and poverty
• Education
• Gender and sex
• Perseverance and hope
• Loss of innocence
• The American Dream

Who should read this book?

I recommend this book to most adults and some adolescents. Those adults who already know they do not like the emotions that go along with coming of age stories might want to skip this book. Francie asks her father about the strong and confusing feelings she is experiencing and he responds that he suspects she has a bad case of "growing up." Adolescents in the midst of "growing up" might find the book helpful as they navigate "all the feelings," but others might find it overwhelming. Anyone interested in the variety of themes listed above will most likely appreciate this book.

Other reviews:

I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as part of a read-a-long hosted by Lesley at Words of a Reader on YouTube (BookTube). You can link over to her channel on YouTube and search for her review video when it gets posted or, check back here for a direct link. I will edit this post and add links to the responses of other readers as they are posted and I become aware of them. Let me know if you have a review.