Category: Books

Maine Potpourri: Books & Music

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This week’s post features two novels I recently read. One is definitely summertime fare, an absorbing love story set in and near Philadelphia. The other is yet another World War II related historical novel, but from a slightly different perspective than the recent rash of female spy novels. I found that the momentum built the farther I got into it. Character development was a bit slow and with not as much depth as the author’s earlier novel, perhaps because a few more of these characters were real people.

And on a different note, the Chief Penguin and I went to a concert of Irish music performed by the female ensemble, Cherish the Ladies.

AMISH AND BIG CITY WORLDS COLLIDE

Between You & Me by Susan Wiggs

I’ve long been a fan of Susan Wiggs’ novels.  Some are historical novels such as her early Chicago Fire Trilogy; others are contemporary.  All deal with relationships, both romantic and familial.  Not her most recent book, but one I’d missed is Between You and Me.  Set in the greater Philadelphia area, it brings into focus the contrast in cultural milieus between a rich medical student destined to become a pediatric surgeon and an Amish farmer who is raising his orphaned niece and nephew in that faith community.  

Reese Powell is following the career track her successful physician parents have mapped out for her when she encounters Caleb Stoltz whose nephew Jonah has suffered a farming machinery accident.  Jonah loses his arm and has a long road to recovery and adjustment.  Despite their different and clashing worlds, Reese and Caleb are attracted to one another.  Yet each is bound by pledges they made to their families.  I found this an absorbing and fast-paced story that drew me in immediately.  

SAVING WWII REFUGEES

The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton

Author Clayton (en.wikipedia.org)

Several years ago, I read and enjoyed Meg Clayton’s earlier novel, The Last Train to London, also set during the Second World War.  This new one is built around German artist refugees and activists involved in secretly guiding them out of occupied France across the mountains into Spain or Portugal.  A dangerous business.  

The main character, heiress Nanee, is based on the real Mary Jane Gold from Chicago.  Nanee has a passion for adventure and joins the resistance delivering messages to refugees in hiding and spiriting others across the border.  She buys an old chateau on the outskirts of Paris to house herself and colleagues, including the real American journalist Varian Fry.  Photographer Edouard Moss, wanted by the Nazis, is reluctant to leave since he has been separated from his little girl.  The novel is a story of Nanee and Edouard’s love and the amazing bravery and courage of those who endured.

It moves slowly as the character of Edouard is introduced and then gains momentum as the resistance team becomes involved in a rescue mission from a French labor camp.  A sobering portrait of a time fraught with danger. 

IRISH MUSIC

The group with Joanie Madden in front (boothbayoperahouse.com)

It’s just a month since we returned home from Ireland and so, going to a concert of Irish music was both appropriate and appealing.  The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor presents a full season of musical events beginning in May and ending in December.  Their offerings range from folk music to jazz to Broadway tunes to blues and swing bands.  Several years ago, we attended a jazz concert in this historic hall.

This week, the offering was the Irish music ensemble, Cherish the Ladies.  This Grammy-winning group, led by an exuberant Joanie Madden on flute and whistle, has been performing together for 38 years.  On fiddle, accordion, guitar, and piano plus the whistle or flute, they performed traditional Irish tunes along with some original ones.  Interspersed in were two lively step dancers and several haunting County Clare melodies sung by Clare native, Kate Purcell.  

The music was lively and lilting and the evening great fun!  The group was supposed to be here for a Christmas program in December 2019.  Due to Covid, they got here this year instead.  The hall was packed and clearly, some in the crowd were big fans.  For a sample, here’s a YouTube link to “The Cat’s Meow Jig”, Joanie Madden’s first composition.

Note: Header photo is a Maine sunset off Southport Island ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

UNWINDING IN MAINE

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We are fortunate that the Maine coast this week is one of the coolest places in the country, the U.S. at large suffering through another wave of record-setting heat.  For us, Maine is a time to slow down, read more, watch more, spend time with good friends and family, and just relax.  Here are some samples of recent fare.  

WATCHING

Grantchester (PBS Masterpiece)

Mrs. C. (Sylvia) & Leonard (cheatsheet.com)

This is Season 7 of Grantchester, and it’s an excellent one.  There are six episodes, and we’ve now watched all of them.  There is still a murder case to be solved in each one and the complexities of the cases are intriguing, but the real meat is in the focus on the characters.  The separation between Geordie and his wife Kathy is one thread; another is Mrs. C’s angry and disruptive behavior as she deals with a health issue.  And then there’s vicar Will, in love or lust with a woman named Maya, someone else’s fiancée, and attracted to Geordie’s sister-in-law Bonnie.  How these relationships evolve and grow makes for wonderfully satisfying viewing.  The writing is superb, and Tom Brittney both plays Will Davenport and directs this season. It is definitely one of the best seasons of all.  Highly recommended!

A light production moment with Geordie (Robson Green) and Sylvia (Tessa Peake-Jones)

Endeavour (PBS Masterpiece)

In contrast to Grantchester, I thought Season 8 of Endeavour fell short.  Endeavour is falling apart, is lax on the job, and resorting to alcohol.  There are cases to be solved with Detective Thursday, but in at least one episode, the ending did not satisfactorily bring all the pieces together.  There are three episodes, and this is said to be the next to last season.  Perhaps it has run out of oomph.

READING

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

Author Steiner (theguardian.com)

I decided to explore this author’s work after reading her recent obituary in the New York Times.  A journalist for The Guardian for many years, Steiner went on to write three crime novels set in Cambridge, England featuring DS Manon Bradshaw. This is the first one.  A 24-year-old woman, Edie Hind, daughter of a wealthy, well-connected father, goes missing, and a wide-ranging search is undertaken to locate her.  This has all the elements of a well-done police procedural and is told from several perspectives, principally that of investigator Manon, but also that of constable Davy, Edie’s mother Miriam, and others.  

The writing is graphic and punchy.  Despite that, the book moves slowly and never really catches fire until about three-quarters in when the pace picks up.  I liked this novel enough to stay with it, but haven’t decided if I will read the next one in the series.

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly

Author Kelly (simonandschuster.com)

With the grand, but neglected estate garden at Highbury House at its center, this historical novel is the interlocking story of several women, each of whom has some role in the creation of the garden.  It’s a novel of women who aspire to meaningful lives, often greater than what society allows or expects of them.  Along the way, they find fulfillment and love.  

In the present day, Emma, owner of her own garden design business, has taken on the restoration of the Highbury garden for clients Sydney and Andrew.  In 1907, Venetia Smith designed this series of garden rooms, and her story is the bedrock upon which the others unfold.  During WWII, Highbury House is requisitioned as a convalescent hospital and the owner’s widow, Diana Symonds, cook Stella Adderton, and land girl Beth Pedley must each in her own way deal with the shortages and sorrows of wartime.  

I found this a most absorbing novel both for the characters and the intricacies of designing a beautiful garden.  It shines a light on matters of class, ambition, and the role of women.  Kelly has written several other historical novels, and she’s on my list to explore her work further.

Note: Header photo is of a cove on Southport. ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved)

Tidy Tidbits: Summer Fare

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THE LIBRARY’S MISSION BEYOND ITS WALLS

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Author Charles (simonandschuster.com)

This mostly gentle novel is for my librarian friends—and for other lovers of libraries.  When I was in high school, I was a page at my local public library.  I worked in the children’s room checking out books and doings lots of re-shelving.  The library used the Dewey Decimal System, and I became very conversant with the classification and what subjects were where.  In this novel, I was charmed by protagonist Odile’s love of reading and her intricate knowledge of the Dewey numbers for very specific topics.  She thought in terms of Dewey Decimals.  

Taking place in Paris in the WWII years and in Montana in the 1980’s, it is the story of Odile’s work life as a librarian at the American Library and then the later friendship between Odile and her young neighbor, Lily.  It’s based on the experiences of real library staff and how they kept the American Library functioning once France was occupied by the Germans.  The parallel story profiles Odile 40 years later and how Lily learns from Odile not only French, but ways to interact with the world around her.  This is not a particularly suspenseful novel, and the narrative arc is shallow, but it’s an enjoyable read and adds to one’s understanding of the importance of libraries, particularly in times of war.

MAGNIFICENT LIBRARIES

A friend alerted me to a recent article in Architectural Digest entitled, “15 Stunning University Libraries Around the World You Need to See.”  One reason for the referral was for the inclusion of the Linderman Library at Lehigh University where I spent considerable time.  I was pleased to see that four other libraries that I know or have visited were also included.  

I worked at Cornell University one summer when I was in college and have been in the Uris Library.  Likewise, I was a librarian at Penn when the Fisher Library underwent its renovation.  Some years ago, I visited Yale and toured its libraries including the Beinecke Rare Book Library.   And as my faithful blog readers know, I was in Dublin recently and was awed by the Trinity College Library Long Room.  Other featured libraries are in Spain, France, Los Angeles, and Chicago.  Perhaps I’ll get to one or more of them!

CRIME IN A GRITTIER DUBLIN 

Redemption (Prime Video)

Detective Colette (independent.i.e)

Detective Colette Cunningham is working in Liverpool when she receives a call about the death of her estranged daughter Stacey in Dublin.  Colette relocates to Dublin to take care of her two teenaged grandchildren.  The Dublin police accept Colette on a transfer and give her low level responsibilities.  Meanwhile, she has questions about her daughter’s suicide and begins to raise questions and do her own research.  

Interactions with her grandchildren are tense and challenging, Stacey’s old boyfriend and the kids’ father are somewhat dodgy characters, and Colette’s work environment is just tolerable.  This is a slowly unfolding story of Colette’s investigations showing some of the seamier sides of Dublin life.  While the viewer might question Colette’s judgement and actions at various points, they make for good drama. There are six episodes and each is about 45 minutes long.

LOCAL ASIAN EATERY

Spice Station in Sarasota

Dining room at Spice Station

I had previously checked out the menu at Spice Station, but not eaten there.  This time, while in Sarasota for appointments and errands, we decided to try it for lunch.  We were not disappointed.  It’s a very attractive space in the Rosemary District (sort of behind our favorite Artisan Cheese shop) and did a lot of takeout orders while were there.  There were other diners so it’s obviously popular.  Their menu includes both a wide selection of sushi along with Thai curries and noodles.  We opted to try the potstickers which were light and tasty followed by a curry for each of us, one red curry and one green, each with chicken. 

The menu showed one pepper and said the curries were medium spicy.  They were very good, but a tepid medium.  We learned later that you could order spiciness on a level from one to ten peppers.  We’d order up a few more peppers next time.  The portions were nice-sized, and I took some of mine home for lunch the next day.  The Chief Penguin is a fan of seaweed salad, and he ordered it and approved. We liked the overall ambiance of the place and our helpful waitress and plan to return!

Note: Header image of Florida sunset ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Summer Lollipops: Reading & Watching

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ADVENTURE IN NEW CALDONIA

Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce

This novel about female friendship is a joyful romp of a book.  Thanks to my sister Ann for recommending it.  It’s funny, painful, poignant, and just plain good!  The setting is London, 1950, and Margery Benson and others are still dealing with the losses and shortages of the Second World War.  In a fit of pique, middle-aged single Margery leaves her job as a teacher and decides to embark on a quest to find an elusive gold beetle in New Caledonia.  A beetle collector since childhood, she adds to her collecting equipment and advertises for an assistant to travel with her.  

Most of the candidates are unsuitable, but when one withdraws, she ends up with the flamboyant, uneducated Enid Pretty.  Margery (or Marge as Enid calls her) and Enid are complete opposites both physically and in personality.  Margery is large and plain and somewhat quiet.  Enid is petite, lovely, and a nonstop talker.  Each has a past with secrets and hurts.  

How they find their way to the northern tip of New Caledonia, the adventures they have collecting specimens in dense tropical forests, and how their tribulations bring out the worst and eventually the best in each of them, make for a delightfully absorbing story. It’s a book about finding and accepting the best in yourself and learning how to befriend someone else.  The following quote reflecting Margery’s state of mind sums it up nicely:

The differences between them—all those things she’d once found so infuriating—she now accepted.  Being Enid’s friend meant there were always going to be surprises. …However close they were, it didn’t entitle her to Enid’s memories and neither did it allow her to be part of Enid’s life before they’d met.  Being a friend meant accepting those unknowable things. …’Look how marvellously different we are, you and I, and yet here we are, together in this strange world!’ It was by placing herself side by side with Enid that Margery had finally begun to see the true outline of herself.  And she knew it now; Enid was her friend.

CRIME IN AIX

Murder in Provence (Amazon Prime)

Antoine & Martine

Fans of TV’s Endeavour series might be surprised to see jowly Detective Thursday as the debonair and svelte Antoine Verlaque in Murder in Provence.  Judge Verlaque, a Chief Magistrate works alongside his romantic partner, Martine Bonnet (played by Nancy Carroll), who is a criminal psychologist.  Slim and beautiful, Martine is always attired in simple classic designs.   Together with the police commissioner, this threesome investigates and eventually solves their cases.  

Set in Aix in Provence, the series is sun drenched (nary a cloud in sight) and bright, meals are taken in a series of cafes, and the wine flows freely.  It is as much a paean to the beauty of Provence as it is a detective story.  It isn’t quite a cozy mystery series, but it has a gentle quality that makes it relaxing to watch and perfect for summer.  Based on mysteries by Canadian author, M. L. Longworth, there are three episodes in the first season.   Each is about 90 minutes long.  A second season is slated to become available in 2023. 

RETURN AND RE-ENTRY

Eyre Square in Galway

It’s true what you’ve been reading about travel in the summer of 2022.  We loved being in Ireland but coming home turned out to be a big slog.  The Dublin airport has been the scene of long lines, lines to just get into the terminal building.  Everyone was directed to one set of entrance doors with Do Not Enter signs at other doors.  We checked out the lay of the land the afternoon before our flight and noted where the Delta counters were (opposite end from Aer Lingus).  

Even knowing that, we arrived at the airport at 6:30 am for our noon flight, quickly entered past the do not enter sign, and found almost no line at Delta.  The lines for security and then clearing U.S. immigration ahead of our flight (something new) were long, but we still had a few hours to sit until our flight boarded.

The transatlantic flight itself was uneventful, and we landed at JFK about 2:30 in the afternoon.  We had a long layover (schedule change well before we left home) until our 8 pm flight to Tampa.  Around 5 pm, we got the news that our flight would now leave at 12:01 as in just after midnight.  Inquiring revealed that we were awaiting the arrival of a co-pilot.  Further checking showed that all the next day flights to Florida that would be closer to home were sold out.  More long hours hanging around the airport lounge with lots of other people!  

A bit after 11:00 pm, we optimistically walked to our gate, eager for a change of scene.  Flight departure time was now delayed until 12:19 and then 12:55 am.  About 12:40, we boarded, and all seemed in order.  Then some quiet waiting.  

Eventually, the pilot came on to say that we should be leaving very soon after dealing with “some passenger discrepancy.”  The next thing we knew, two police boarded the plane and proceeded to march a couple (ordinary looking man and woman) down the aisle toward the door.  All the while, one police officer was heard saying to the man, “Keep moving, we’ll talk outside.”  

We took off just before 2:00 am and landed in Tampa at about 4:30 am.  I expected the airport to be empty, but no, quite a few folks around, probably there for a very early flight.  The Chief Penguin could have kissed the ground.  I was relieved to finally be in Florida!  By 6:00 am, we were in our own driveway, our 30-hour journey at its end.  It’s taken us a week to recover and feel human again, but we didn’t get Covid and we’re glad to be here!

Luminous Florida summer clouds

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved)