With the arrival of cooler weather, perhaps you are spending more time indoors, When you get tired of reading or knitting, I have three top-notch television series to recommend.
Call the Midwife (PBS)
Nurse Crane & Sister Julienne (bbc.co.uk)
It’s hard to believe that this is the 10th season of Call the Midwife. Early seasons drew extensively from the memoirs of midwife Jennifer Worth. Successive seasons have built on the premise of an order of nun midwives working alongside secular midwives to serve a poor East London community. While some viewers may feel that the series is too sentimental, more recent episodes highlight medical and social issues such as Thalidomide babies and domestic abuse.
The current season, which the Chief Penguin and I binge watched, is both sober and thought provoking. It is 1966 in Poplar, the Beatles are popular, and England is in the World Cup. Abortion, Down syndrome, race, and wretched housing condition all figure here. And yet, your favorite midwives, from the often wise Sister Monica Joan, compassionate yet firm Sister Julienne, and outspoken but oh, so caring Trixie, aka Nurse Franklin, persevere. As the voiceover before every episode states, it’s definitely for mature audiences.
Grantchester (PBS)
Leonard Finch (distractify.com)
Grantchester too is a keeper, and the seasons keep coming. Most of us have adjusted to Sydney’s replacement by Will as the curate since detective Geordie, assistant curate Leonard, and housekeeper Mrs. C. remain in place! This season, season 6, is a much darker one than the previous ones.
It is 1958 and while there is a murder in every episode, Leonard’s homosexuality and the U.K. laws in effect are a running story throughout the season. It is a season with added depth and poignancy and one that made me appreciate society’s greater acceptance of differing sexual identities. This is first rate television. Highly recommended!
Maid is a new offering on Netflix and one also dealing with a serious subject. Based on a memoir by former maid, Stephanie Land, it’s a graphic and heart-rending picture of poverty and living hand-to-mouth while working. Alex, the maid, abruptly leaves an abusive relationship with her toddler daughter Mattie. Without a plan or any support, she is hard pressed to find a job or a place to live. Some of the social services offices she encounters seem unhelpful or at best indifferent. Reluctantly, she is offered a job as a maid cleaning houses. Some clients are wealthy with gorgeous homes; others are realtors having seriously filthy properties scrubbed for sale.
You can read about what it’s like to be poor in America, but this series clearly depicts how one small incident (a sick child, for example) has a domino effect on everything else from her job to her apartment. It’s raw viewing, but Alex’s daydreams and her interactions with her kooky artist mother provide some relief. Margaret Qualley with piercing dark eyes is amazing as Alex, while her real-life mother, Andie MacDowell, plays her mother here.
Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints Day. The evening before was dubbed All Hallows Eve which later became Halloween. Whether you honor saints or celebrate with pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts and candy corn, have a wonderful day!
FLIGHT AND SO MUCH MORE
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
I’ll start right off by stating that I loved this novel! The characters are complex and fascinating, the writing is rich in detail, but not overdone, and I quickly became immersed in it. Over one hundred years, these characters and their descendants connect and overlap and impact one another. Marian and Jamie Graves are twins. Their father, Addison, a ship captain, saves their lives and his own when his ship is sinking. Their childhood is a strange one in Missoula, Missouri as their father disappears and they are raised by their alcoholic Uncle Wallace. Marian is enthralled when she meets a barnstorming flying couple and becomes determined to learn to fly.
Enter the dangerous and seductive Barclay McQueen who wants to possess Marian but grants her wish for flying lessons. With shorn hair and in trousers, Marian looks more male than female and uses this to her advantage. She makes air deliveries for McQueen’s business and later delivers fighter planes in England during WWII. And she works toward making an ambitious and arduous flight over the North and South Poles.
Interleaved with Marian and Jamie’s stories are chapters set in the present day. Hadley Baxter is an actress who’s been selected to play Marian in a movie about her life. Echoing Marian’s experiences, Hadley too was raised by a single uncle, and like Marian, she would like to take better control of her life. This is Hollywood with a steady stream of gossip and lots of celebrity hook-ups.
Marian is a pilot, Jamie becomes an artist, and Hadley wants to take herself and her craft more seriously. Who these individuals love or lust after and how they experience race and gender combine for a wide-ranging romp through the history of the 20th century. I found the Hadley story not as compelling as those of Marian and Jamie, but overall was impressed, engaged, and amazed at how Shipstead put together the various puzzle pieces. I found the ending unexpected, but very satisfying. It’s a marvelous novel and so deserving of its nomination for the 2021 Booker Prize! As one of the best books I’ve read this year, I highly recommend it. (~JWFarrington)
Footnote: My book group’s discussion brought forth a host of differing opinions. A few individuals actively disliked the novel. Some thought Marian was too self-centered; others thought her extreme self-focus was due to her dysfunctional childhood. Probably Jamie was the most liked character with Eddie and perhaps Ruth close seconds. All of us agreed that the Hadley story, while necessary for the plot, was less interesting overall.
Adam Stern (hmhbooks.com)
THE LIFE OF A RESIDENT
Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training by Adam Stern
A graduate of Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, Adam Stern arrived at Harvard for his psychiatry residency feeling seriously outclassed. This memoir of his four years details his interactions with various patients both in the hospital and in private practice, but he also shares the challenges of arranging a social life on a resident’s demanding schedule. It’s a quick read and he’s a good writer.
I gained a better sense of the contrast between hospital psychiatric admissions and private practice. If you’re interested in medicine and mental health cases, then you should find it engaging. (~JWFarrington)
SNOW ON THE Great Plains
The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin
This is a novel about the tragic 1888 blizzard in Nebraska and Dakota that took the lives of hundreds of school kids. At times it reads more like a documentary than a novel as the characters are not as well developed as you might expect. Two sisters, Gerda and Raina, daughters of Norwegian immigrants, are teachers in schools three hours apart. They make different decisions about how to respond to the midday temperature drop and the arrival of heavy snow. One sister is hailed for her efforts, the other castigated.
Gavin Woodson, a somewhat jaded young reporter, provides an overarching view of the depths of the tragedy. He travels around after the storm visiting families, witnessing the devastation, and hearing firsthand accounts of the lives of those who froze. If you know little about this event, this novel graphically puts you there in the cold and snow.
Benjamin is also the author of several other historical novels I’ve read including The Aviator’s Wife and Mistress of the Ritz.
Melanie Benjamin (penguinrandomhouse.com)
HANDMAIDEN TO ROYALS
Service to the Queen by Tessa Arlen
Marion Crawford, aka Crawfie, was a dedicated governess and companion to Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret beginning when they were young children through their late teens. Away from her home in distant Scotland, Marion sorely missed her mother and then her fiancé as she carried out her duties in London. The girls’ mother, Queen Elizabeth, known to most of us as the Queen Mother, was a dominating individual. She expected and demanded loyalty and obedience (some would rightly say too much) from those in her service.
What suspense there is hinges on whether Marion will ever marry George and how her service to the queen will end. The novel is rather flat but would still be of interest to those who are keen to know more about the princesses’ upbringing.
ADDENDUM
After reading The Personal Librarian, I bought tickets to visit the Morgan Library. It’s a grand and sumptuous place, elaborately decorated. I enjoyed gazing around Morgan’s office with its monstrous desk opposite an equally imposing fireplace. Belle Greene’s large office is also a lovely space, no longer an office. There are tiers of closed book stacks, but selected rare items are on display for closer viewing. In the new spaces designed by Renzo Piano in 2006, there are several exhibits to explore. The Chief Penguin and I last visited the library when Renzo’s glass cubes were new, so it was fun to return. I recommend a visit!
Morgan Library interior showing tiered stacks and stained glass windows
One of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s current exhibitions brings together Surrealism works of art from around the globe from Egypt to Mexico to Europe. Most of the artists I did not know. I also don’t know that I liked these paintings and objects but they are different, often provocative, and sometimes chilling.
Body Snatcher in Switzerland by Enrico Baj
At least one, Salvador Dali’s black telephone, has some whimsy.
The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are jointly presenting the largest retrospective ever of Jasper Johns’ work. Prolific since the 1950’s, he is 91 and still producing. There are many rooms of paintings on display at the Whitney. I agree with the critic who stated that the Whitney might have showed two-thirds of what is here.
Flag above White with Collage
Lots of American flags in different color combinations; several maps of the U.S., some multi-colored, some black or gray; and various paintings including real objects (tableware, used paint cans) or string and pieces of wood. I especially liked the colorful version of the United States, the placement of tableware along a frame, and the fifteen monotypes of a Savarin coffee can filled with paint brushes.
Map, 1961
Frame detail, Dancers on a Plane, 1979
Savarin, 1982, one in a series
Seeing gallery after gallery, one appreciates Johns’ recurring themes and recognizes the repetition of certain elements. I wish we’d been in Philadelphia long enough to see the other half of this massive exhibit!
A nice addition to the Upper East Side, Marwin has about five tables and offers on site or takeout dining for lunch and dinner. We enjoyed a satisfying and modestly priced meal from the special lunch menu. Between us, we had Thai dumplings and spring rolls to start. The Chief Penguin tried pad Thai while I sampled the green curry with chicken. His pad Thai was good and my curry very satisfying. It’s a brothier curry with less coconut milk and lots of green peppers, bamboo shoots and basil. And since Happy Hour runs from 11:30 to 7:00 pm, we decided on beer—Singha and Stella d’Artois—$5.00 apiece.
Occasionally, I have a yen for some good Mexican food and prefer to patronize a restaurant that isn’t part of a chain. Canyon Road on the Upper East Side fit the bill for a recent casual dinner. It’s decorated with colorful square flags and strings of little white lights and has a comfortable feel.
We ordered the requisite original margaritas and the house guacamole. Both were very good, and the guacamole had a lively kick. I tried the chicken tacos (three small corn tortillas on a board and plenty of food). The Chief Penguin, who’s a fan of quesadillas, had the shrimp and jalapeno one which came with salsa, sour cream, and a bit of guacamole. We went early so there were only a few other diners. Service was excellent. It’s now on our yes, return list.
Note: All photos by JWFarrington. Header images is Squash with Pan de Muerto by Maria Izyquierdo, 1947.
As the saying goes, you can’t go home again. But you can go visit. We spent a wonderful day in Bethlehem at Lehigh University celebrating the inauguration of Lehigh’s 15th president, Joe Helble. The campus looked lovely, and the ceremony had the requisite pomp prompting misty eyes. The Chief Penguin and I were pleased to see and chat with so many former colleagues and friends. The experience was simultaneously a trip down memory lane and a day of optimism for the future. Go Lehigh, cheers for the Brown and White!
RECENT READING–SUPER LIBRARIAN
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Belle da Costa Greene (history net.com)
Marie Benedict writes novels focused on strong women, usually ones who have been ignored by history or not fully appreciated. I’ve read several of her works, but this one stands out as one of the best. Bella da Costa Greene was initially hired by financier J. P. Morgan to catalog and document his library of rare manuscripts and books. Over time, her role expanded. She became his chief negotiator and agent in the purchase of new items, even traveling to England and the Continent solo. Their relationship was a close one, both professionally and personally, and after Morgan’s death, she was named the first director of the library. All of this would be remarkable enough for the early 20th century when few women had such prominent positions, but Greene had a big secret. Born Black, she had lived as a white woman since her teens. Benedict and Murray’s novel depicts the stresses and challenge of maintaining this façade at a time of more rabid racism.
This book will delight my librarian friends and is a welcome tribute to one woman’s determination and accomplishments. Partly due to her efforts, the Morgan Library transitioned from a strictly private library to a library and museum open to the public. Now I need to make another visit! (~JWFarrington)
COMPELLING LIVE THEATER!
To Kill a Mockingbird
After a long Covid hiatus, Broadway is back. The other evening, we went to see To Kill a Mockingbird, and it was simply marvelous! The entry lines for checking vaccination status moved along efficiently, and masks were required in line and everywhere in the theater. Theater staff enforced mask wearing, citing individuals with a reminder if they weren’t complying. We had third row seats and the hall was full.
Like many, I first read Harper Lee’s novel when I was a teen and then again later in life. I recalled upright Atticus Finch and Scout, his curious, frisky little girl. Set in the 1930’s in a small Alabama town, multiple strands are interwoven with the main plot. Atticus’s willingness to defend an innocent Black man against death penalty charges is consistent with his belief in the goodness and decency in everyone. Later, his belief is tested when events spin out of control. His two children, Jem and Scout, and their friend Dill don’t always understand or agree with him, but they defend him. It’s a powerful play, set in a different time, yet with messages that resonate today. Despite its seriousness, there are occasional bits of humor, often provided by the children acting as chorus and interpreters.
Jeff Daniels as Atticus and Cecilia Keenan-Bolger as Scout are both superb, while Michael Braugher is convincing in his Broadway debut as the accused Tom Robinson. Highly recommended! (~JWFarrington)
CRAFT IN THE KITCHEN
Fanciful Halloween pumpkins
Clementines for Halloween
My older granddaughter loves to bake, but she also enjoys just puttering in the kitchen and inventing creative ways to make edible food items. In anticipation of Halloween, she devised a clever way to showcase clementines as jack o’lanterns.
Peeled clementines are decorated with a banana slice and some green colored yogurt for the top and the stem. Eyes, nose, and mouth are devised from slices of prune glued on with molasses or honey. Sprinkles or other decorative touches can also be incorporated. This was a fun activity for both granddaughters and me. E also has her own blog, but since it’s available by invitation only, I’m unable to share the link. Suffice it to say, she wrote a detailed recipe complete with a photo.
