Carolina Comments: Screen, Page, Restaurant

VIEWING: GRIEF AND CRIME ON THE ISLE OF SKYE

Bergerac (PBS)

Bergerac with mother-in-law & relative of the deceased (goodhousekeeping.com)

Bergerac (2026) is a new version of the Bergerac detective series from the 1980s which starred John Nettles of Midsomer Murders fame.  Jim Bergerac, played by Damien Molony, is a deeply troubled man. Mired in grief over the death of his wife, he ignores his teenage daughter’s needs and tussles with his mother-in-law (smartly played by Zoe Wanamaker) over how he lives his life and what kind of school Kim needs.  His professional specialty is child abduction cases.  When the daughter-in-law of a wealthy tycoon is murdered and her baby is kidnapped, Begerac is on the case.  He has great insights into the criminal mind, but his personal demons and obsessions make him less effective much of the time.  

The series consists of six episodes, all built around the one case.  Initially, I found it difficult to be sympathetic to Bergerac as his actions seemed so self-defeating.  As the episodes unfolded, I began to appreciate him and to find the series compelling.  Three seasons are planned and Season 2 has already been released.  Recommended!

ON THE PAGE: FRIENDSHIP AT THE AQUARIUM

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

(wikipedia.com)

I’m late to the scene on catching up with this bestseller novel and film.  Remarkably Bright Creatures is Shelby Van Pelt’s delightful, heart-tugging story of an aquarium cleaner’s friendship with a Giant Pacific Octopus.  Tova is a widow whose son Erik died many years ago in a sailing accident.  She cleans the aquarium at night and is in the habit of talking to the creatures in the various tanks, but especially Marcellus, the octopus.  

Marcellus is a key character and narrates some of the chapters, always beginning with how many days (more than one thousand) that he has been in captivity.  He is especially sharp and observant and often muses about the foibles and oversights of the human guests and his cleaner.  Although clever enough to get out of his tank, he occasionally requires rescue by Tova from what otherwise would be a dire ending.  

In a secondary, but ultimately interlocking plot, 30-year-old Cameron, on the brink of financial collapse and desperately searching for his father, arrives in Sowell Bay, ends up living above Ethan the grocer’s store and eventually meets Tova at the aquarium. How these lonely individuals engage and end up finding more meaning and direction in their lives, while Marcellus watches and tries to orchestrate from his tank, makes for a satisfying story.  Recommended!

CASUAL DINING IN CARY

Lloyd’s Full Service

A former filling station/service station from the 1950’s or more familiarly a “gas station,” Lloyd’s is now a bright and airy restaurant with a wide set of outside tables, light-colored wood tables inside in either end of the building, along with a bar and other seating in the center.  The décor is industrial chic with green tile accents and contemporary lighting.  

We lunched here today and were both surprised and pleased at the variety and creativity of the menu.  Yes, there is a burger and a hot dog, but also salad bowls (shrimp and crab Louie, for example), a couple of pasta dishes, generous starters, other sandwiches, and a variety of vegetable side dishes.  

We tried the vinegar and salt fish with fennel on an herb remoulade which was lovely and delicate.  It could easily be the entrée for one person or shared as we did.  The Chief Penguin ordered the shrimp po’ boy sandwich with French fries, while I sampled the corner dog, a hot dog in a potato bun topped with mild chili, tasty slaw, and mustard.  

Corner dog

I had my slaw on the side and would have liked the chili better with a bit more oomph.  Our server was friendly and happy to give recommendations on the most popular dishes.  

This was Sunday noon, and very soon all the inside tables and even those outside were filled; people without reservations were turned away.  Obviously, Lloyd’s Full Service is a new Cary hot spot!  We will go back soon to try more menu items!

FORTHCOMING

Our initial visit to Juliet Books in a future post. 

Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Summer Reading Wrap-up 2026

BOOKS READ THIS SUMMER

I read many of the books on my proposed summer reading list, but not all of them.  In addition, I read a number of new and notable books and some others just for fun. I was in Maine with a relaxed schedule and beautiful views. Reviews of many of these titles appeared in earlier blog posts, and here, I’ve included thoughts on one historical novel.

Appraisals by Claire Boyles (pre-pub)

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

The Bookstore Diaries by Susan Mallery

Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths

Heather by Caitlin Mullen

Last Letters of Sally and Walter by Cammie McGovern

Last One Out by Jane Harper

Liberty Island by Virginia Hume

The Safekeep by Yael Van der Wouden

Savor: A Chef’s Hunger for More by Fatima Ali

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

Whistler by Ann Patchett

Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart

NOT YET FINISHED

Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution by Amanda Vaill (have read two-thirds of this 600-page biography & will finish it.)

Regime Change by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan (about 40% done; can only read it in short bits)

CHILLING HISTORY

Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart

Everhart (thebookreporter.com)

Donna Everhart’s new novel, Women of a Promiscuous Nature, explores a chilling piece of American history.  The American Plan, legislation passed around the time of WWI, was created to get so-called troublesome women off the streets, ostensibly to protect the military troops from venereal disease.  Colonies for reform were set up in various parts of the country, and one was in Kinston, North Carolina.

The Colony in Kinston was still in existence in 1941 which is when this novel is set.  Ruth Foster, a 24-year-old single woman was on her way to her job at a local diner when she was picked up the sheriff and subsequently delivered there.  She had done nothing wrong, other than to live independently by herself.  Stella at 15, another main character, ends up there after her father impregnates her.  

The goal of the institution was nominally to instill a work ethic into these young women and mold them for a better life.  The reality is alarmingly different, with back-breaking work in the laundry and fields, solitary confinement in a “meditation’’ room as punishment, and unnecessary and debilitating medications given for unspecified or non-existent diseases. 

Dorothy Baker, the Kinston superintendent is a zealot, and believes in the rightness of her cause while Mrs. Maynard, one of the housekeepers, enjoys meting out physical punishment.  How Ruth and Stella and the other residents rebel or submit, how they try to escape, and ultimately, how they re-gain their freedom makes for a compelling and poignant story.   Recommended for women’s history buffs.  (~JWFarringon)

Ruffled Cove

Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Maine Moments: Gardens, Novel & More

COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS ET AL

Fun with Our Granddaughters

Our granddaughters and their parents were with us this past week.  No visit would be complete without continuing tradition with some annual outings.  Everything from mini golf to the botanical gardens to purchases at Sherman’s Books to one more visit to Railway Village.  

Did someone say treats?

Of course, we rode the steam train around the loop, but this year, feeding Coal and Tender, the two resident goats, and trying to climb the hanging rope were as much fun as checking out the antique cars and the extensive model train layout.  

Red Dahlias

As for the gardens, the dahlias were lushly in bloom.  Butterflies were about, the girls checked up on the bees, and then they made two other stops that are part of this annual ritual.  

One is rowing the beached boat, and the other is posing on the bear statue associated with Blueberries for Sal. This might be the last year they will both fit on it!

Together, now row!
This week
In 2021

MAINE NOVEL: HAUNTED HOUSE, HISTORY & ADDICTION

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan

Sullivan (writersdigest.com)

The Cliffs is a multi-layered novel about Jane Flanagan, an archivist who returns to the Maine coast and becomes caught up in the mysteries and history of a house that first attracted her as a teenager.  She has lost her job, is taking a break from her marriage, and hopes to sort herself out.  Instead, she delves into the complex stories of residents of the house from long ago, participates in a spiritualism retreat, and studies the history of the Wabanaki, some of Maine’s earliest tribal residents. 

It’s a novel that has so much in it, I wondered along the way if it might have been better as two books. One as a novel about Jane, her quest and her alcoholism, and the other, nonfiction about Maine’s early history and what role spiritualism and mediums might have played.  Some of the historical info is tutorial in nature. But, there’s a richness here, and despite the novel’s multiple strands, I enjoyed it.  Cautiously recommended! (~JWFarrington)

J. Courtney Sullivan is the author of many other novels including another one set in Maine, published in 2011, and plainly titled Maine.

Maine Musing: A Maine Novel

SUMMER READING: MY BOOK OF THE WEEK

Liberty Island by Virginia Hume

Author Hume (usmacmill.com)

Set in 1900, 1910 and 1922, Liberty Island brings together the overlapping stories of Anna, spinster author of a popular children’s book, and her niece Julia, who is exuberant, wild, and never seems to fit comfortably into her environment.  Rounding out the main cast are Julia’s mother, Elizabeth (Anna’s sister), who has a calm accepting demeanor, and Lillian, Elizabeth’s often domineering mother-in-law.  

The island of the title is off the coast of Maine, and it is where young Julia and her friends were encouraged to run free, play, and make up stories without restrictions.  It is also a place of retreat into adulthood. Anna bases her novel on this idyllic island.  Apart from that, both these women are governed by the rules of society and New England conventions.  Many subjects are off limits for conversation, and secrets are kept.

The novel moves between Maine, Boston society, and the heady radicalism of New York’s intellectuals; Julia goes to Barnard College and tries to find a place and friendship in this bohemian enclave.  

Hume excels at capturing the playfulness of children, and the impact of WWI at home and on men who return damaged, along with the liveliness of the Roaring Twenties.  In a time of set expectations for women that were loosening, Anna and Julia must each figure out who they are and who they want to be.  

I found it a wonderful multi-faceted novel and would have enjoyed these two women in real life.  Given its similar period, and the issues it explores, Liberty Island is a great companion piece to the TV series, My Brilliant Career.  Highly recommended!  (~JWFarrington)

For an engaging interview with Virginia Hume about mothers and daughters in her novel, see this article from the Portland Press Herald.