Like much of the country, we here in North Carolina have been challenged this week with extreme heat. High 90’s, humidity, and feel-like temperatures of 100 or more have made staying inside more desirable and the healthier choice.
The Chief Penguin and I started a new TV series, did more reading, took advantage of the indoor fitness center, and went to a movie (yes, in a theater.) But we didn’t walk downtown per usual, we drove!
TV: RETURN OF THE DETECTIVE AND THE VICAR
Grantchester, Season 10 (PBS)
While some viewers may have tired of police detective Geordie Keating and his series of helpful vicars, I continue to be engaged and charmed by Grantchester. From unconventional and conflicted Sydney Chambers to Will Davenport, bighearted and caring but happy to gain a father surrogate in Geordie, to now Vicar Alphy Kottaram. Alphy is viewed with suspicion: an outsider with brown skin, and forebears from India most likely.
As is often the case, the interrelationships dominate the series over the murders. In the first three episodes, love, sex, and race are central. Alphy claims not to be lonely, but becomes invested in establishing a relationship with Meg, the attractive town librarian. Co-workers DC Larry Peters and Miss Scott are deep in lust—even in the workplace. Leonard is annoyed with his partner Daniel and needier than usual, while several members of Geordie’s family are grappling with their roles in work and life.
Although the time frame is 1962, the issues raised are remarkably contemporary. The writing is good, the characters have real depth, and humor and poignancy both play a part. Recommended, especially for those who are already Grantchester fans! This season has 8 episodes.
SUMMER READING: FOOD & HEALING
Finding Freedom by Erin French
Published in 2021, Finding Freedom is Erin French’s journey from her childhood in small Freedom, Maine, to her return much later as the successful owner and chef of the Lost Kitchen. Her memoir is both gut-wrenching and mouth-watering. Her descriptions of food of all types will make you salivate.
French’s father owned a diner and was a demanding and dominant figure in her youth. He was easily angered and never hesitated to belittle her and her efforts. Her mother was timid and unassuming and generally silent in the face of her husband’s anger and attacks. She did not leap to Erin’s defense. For a time, French worked the line in the diner and found real satisfaction in the work. Making food to share with someone else was gratifying.
Going away to college, but dropping out when pregnant, she then married a man two decades older. The marriage was a mistake, but motivated to cook, she created a supper club in their house. The supper club was successful and led to the purchase of an old mill for a real restaurant. The combined stress of motherhood, the business, and an abusive husband resulted in addiction. How she fought her way out of both addiction and the marriage took time, determination, and patience. Ultimately, she made it.
I admired her conviction to overcome what she had lost, and I loved her descriptions of foods and cooking. They resound with warmth and love. Recommended for foodies and those who find good memoirs satisfying. (~JWFarrington)
AT THE MOVIES: ONE IMPRESSIVE WOMAN
Prime Minister (Cary Theater & theaters elsewhere)
It’s unlikely that you will ever see such an intimate, up-close portrait of a government leader than this film about Jacinda Ardern. Prime Minister charts the stunning election of Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand’s 40th prime minister in 2017 and the following eight years. She was young, just 37, a somewhat reluctant politician, and a newly pregnant one who gave birth while in office; in short, she was an unusual leader. I followed her time in office through the international news and was impressed by how successfully she juggled the demands of job, home, and motherhood.
Her term in office coincided with a gruesome terrorist attack on a mosque in Christchurch, a volcano eruption, and Covid-19. One crisis after another or so it seemed. In these situations, she led with compassion, kindness, and order. Her actions kept New Zealand from suffering hundreds of deaths from Covid. Ardern was remarkably open and candid with her constituents. And the access she allowed to her private life for the political diary project and for this film is amazing. Footage of her in her political life and casually at home is interspersed with excerpts from thoughtful interviews she gave at regular intervals throughout her time as prime minister.
Overall, the film makes you wish there were more leaders like Jacinda! It’s just plain excellent, and I highly recommend it. The C. P. and I also enjoyed seeing familiar scenes in New Zealand where we spent October 2017 and those at Harvard where Ardern recently held joint fellowships in the Kennedy School of Government.
Note: Header photo of spurting fountain outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
