Category: TV

Carolina Comments: Three Books & A Drama

JWF Leave a comment

RECENT READING

FAMILY TIES, SISTERS, & CHINA

Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh

Haigh (bu.edu)

American writer Jennifer Haigh’s novels often have a social issue at their heart.  They run the gamut from a rare disease in The Condition, to fracking in Heat and Light, to an abortion clinic in Mercy Street, to name just a few of them.  Her latest novel, Rabbit Moon, might be said to deal with a disjointed family, the ties that still bind them, and competing cultural issues.  

Claire and Aaron have been divorced for several years, but when their older daughter Lindsey is in a coma from a car accident in Shanghai, they separately rush to her bedside.  Lindsey has ostensibly been teaching in Beijing so why she is in Shanghai is a mystery.  To her surprise, Lindsey in some ways feels more at home in China than she ever did in the U.S.  Lindsey and Grace, her adopted Chinese sister, are very close and text daily, but Grace, away at summer camp, is kept unaware of the seriousness of Lindsey’s condition.

Lindsey saw Grace as the favored child and felt unseen by her parents.  Abroad, she has made a friend or two but gotten tangled up in a questionable business which only slowly is revealed to her folks.

I have mixed feelings about this novel.  Like all of Haigh’s works, it’s stylistically excellent, and you see and hear the sights and sounds of Shanghai.  On the other hand, I thought there was a diffuseness to it that seemed as if Haigh didn’t have firm control over what kind or which novel she was writing, one about Lindsey’s secret life, one about sibling love, or one about a family in pieces.  I finished the book but felt somewhat unsatisfied.  (~JWFarrington)

NOTEWORTHY MEMOIR

Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home by Jonathan Capehart

Capehart (blackpast.org)

I often tune into to the PBS News Hour on Friday night for Jonathan Capehart’s articulate and thoughtful comments on the latest political news.  His recently published memoir, Yet Here I Am, offers up context and candor about his life journey and his career opportunities and challenges along the way.  

Growing up partly in the poor South (Durham, North Carolina) and later in New Jersey, he never met his father.  He experienced being the only Black in a white environment and being perceived as “too white” in a Black setting.  He survived living with an abusive stepfather, graduated from Carleton College, and worked for the New York Daily News before joining the Washington Post and eventually hosting his own show on MSNBC.

He describes racism, recognizing one’s own worth, learning to ask for what you really want to do, and finding acceptance and eventually love.  Capehart writes at one point that he admired Katharine Graham’s memoir, Personal History, for its transparency and wanted to achieve the same openness her book had.  From my perspective, he has succeeded masterfully.  

We may think we have made lots of progress in society in how we treat minorities and gays, but more is needed.  Kudos to Capehart for his bracing and engaging account of life and career! (~JWFarrington)

LOS ANGELES IN THE 60’S AND 70’S

L. A. Women by Ella Berman (forthcoming in August)

Berman (hastybooklist.com)

Set in the late 1960’s and up to the mid 1970’s, L. A. Women is a story of the intense, fractured friendship between two young women: Lane, a novelist, ultimately a wife and mother, and Gala, a party girl and sometime writer with an out-size personality.  The men in their lives are Charlie, party master and closeted gay, and straightforward upright Scotty, who marries Lane.  Lane’s childhood was particularly dysfunctional while Gala’s wasn’t wonderful either.  As so-called friends, these two women use and abuse and sometimes depend on each other.  Competition and compassion are at war in this back-and-forth relationship.

The opening chapters are full of sex and drug-laden parties, and I didn’t find any of the characters very appealing or ones I could identify with.  When Gala disappears and no one seems to know where she has gone, Lane feels compelled, even driven, to try to locate her.  

This search fuels the novel as the chapters alternate in time between past events and present day 1975.  Recommended for fans of Ella Berman and those looking for a graphic portrait of an earlier Hollywood/Los Angeles era. (A version of this review first appeared in Book Browse online.)

TV VIEWING

COMPLEX CRIME SERIES: EVERYONE HAS MOTIVE

I, Jack Wright (Britbox)

Jack Wright’s family members (thekillingtimestv.com)

When billionaire Jack Wright dies, it’s initially assumed to be an unexpected suicide.  But it isn’t.  He left behind a large complex family, and the reading of his will leaves many of them angered and unhappy. Principals include his third wife, Sally and their two children; his two sons John and Gray, one in the family publishing business one not; Rose, his second wife and the mother of those sons; plus his granddaughter Emily.  His remaining two wives are close, while his son Gray, a ne’er-do-well, has been estranged from his father for years.  Add in a housekeeper, the new lawyer Jack hired prior to his death unbeknownst to Sally, and on it goes.  Who stood to gain the most from his death as almost everyone had motive? How will detective Hector Morgan suss it all out?

The series contains six episodes.  I expected to find out who the murderer was but, no, I was left with a cliffhanger.  Another season must be in the works.  I, Jack Wright is more of a psychological drama than an action series, but the Chief Penguin and I were hooked.  

Next blog:  Summer reading list

Note: Header photo is of Mirror Labyrinth NY by Jeppe Hein at the North Carolina Museum of Art ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Manhattan Viewing: Sargent & The Austens

JWF Leave a comment

If you need a distraction from the political scene this holiday weekend, here is an art exhibit to enjoy vicariously and a fun drama series to binge on. Happy Memorial Day—may the good times return!

PORTRAITS AND MORE: JOHN SINGER SARGENT

Sargent and Paris (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Madame X by Sargent, 1883-84

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was an American painter who grew up mostly in Europe.  He is probably best known for his daring portrait, Madame X.  Depicting an elegant woman in an almost strapless gown, it was considered scandalous when first shown in Paris.  Consequently, Sargent had to re-build his reputation before being fully accepted again for commissioned portraits.

The exhibit, Singer and Paris, is rich and wonderful in its expansive coverage of Sargent’s early career.  I knew Sargent had painted society women but was unaware of his early works based on travels to France, Italy, Spain, and Morocco. There are outdoor scenes, intimate interior ones, and family groupings. 

Wineglasses, ca.1875
Venetian Interior, ca.1880-82
Le Verre de Porto), 1884

And there are portraits of artist friends and colleagues both men and women.  I was particularly struck by his arresting portrait of the surgeon Dr. Ponzi and the delicacy of the tented woman inhaling the smoke of ambergris.

Detail, Fumee d’Ambre Gris, 1880
Dr. Ponzi at Home, 1881
(Mrs. Henry White) 1883

Later, after he painted Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherford White, the wife of an American diplomat, high society began to seek him out for their portraits. He also painted this stunning portrait of Carmen Dauset Moreno, a Flamenco dancer, as a show piece.

La Carmencita, ca.1890

The exhibit was both popular and crowded, even though we arrived at the opening hour.  I recommend it highly and could easily return for a second look! On view through August. 3.

AUSTEN SISTER: CASSANDRA AND THE LETTERS

Miss Austen (PBS Masterpiece)

Isabella and Cassandra with others (bbc.com)

I binge watched this series (4 episodes) over two days.  And really enjoyed it!  I’m a diehard Jane Austen fan.  I’ve read her books, seen various productions of her works, and briefly was a member of the local chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America.  

This series is based on a novel by Gill Hornby, a writer I didn’t know, and focuses on Jane’s elder sister Cassandra (the Miss Austen of the title) and her efforts to safeguard Jane’s reputation.  It is not fast paced, but engrossing. When Cassie’s sister-in-law’s father dies, years after Jane’s death, she shows up at the Fowles’ home to offer her support and assistance.  Surviving daughter Isabella, who lived with her father, will have to move elsewhere to accommodate the new vicar. Cassie is concerned for Isabella’s future but has an ulterior motive.  She is seeking letters that Jane wrote to Isabella’s mother Eliza.  (In truth, Cassandra was responsible for burning some of Jane Austen’s personal letters.)

In Cassie’s searching and reflecting, there are flashbacks to their upbringing, Jane’s writing, her own brief romance, and the complex dynamics of the large extended Austen family.  Some in-laws are more tolerable than others, and some family members are more concerned with their social standing.  Overall, it’s a series about love—romantic love, married love, and the very strong sibling bond between Cassie and Jane.  Each sister largely felt she could not survive without the love and support of the other.  

Keeley Hawes is marvelous as Cassandra and Rose Leslie excellent as Isabella. There are also familiar faces from Downton Abbey.  Recommended, especially for Jane Austen fans!

Note: Photos from the exhibit by JWFarrington. Header photo is Sargent’s The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, 1882.

Manhattan Moments: Seeing & Viewing

JWF Leave a comment

AN ENDURING MAGAZINE

A Century of The New Yorker (New York Public Library)

New Yorker cartoon

Started in 1925 and still going strong after more than 5,000 pages, The New Yorker is a mainstay of the periodical world.  This major exhibit in the New York Public Library’s historic building at Bryant Park is informative, fun, and rich with examples of its distinctive style of writing and humor.  (Early in his career, our son worked at The New Yorker as a fact checker. This cartoon is for him and also for our older granddaughter.)

From a lighter worldview in its formative years, The New Yorker took on serious issues of the day as noted in this text from the exhibit:

“During the 1960s, Shawn ushered in a golden age of nonfiction writing at The New Yorker, one infused with the era’s ethos of activism and social change.

In short succession, the magazine published revelatory pieces on the political and psychosocial nature of race relations in the United States, the impact of industrial pollution on the environment and the human body, and the troubling legacies of Nazism. Recognizing their absence in the magazine’s pages, Shawn began publishing more contributors of color…“

Editors such as William Shawn and Tina Brown are cited, and milestones in publishing celebrated:  Ann Petry’s short story in 1958, the first by a Black individual, and John Hersey’s complete Hiroshima for the entire issue of August 31, 1946. Examples of playful and disgruntled correspondence between authors and their editors also have a place.   

There are photographs and much to read, but the hall is enlivened by a long line of colorful New Yorker covers at the ceiling above the exhibit.  Seeing the exhibit also offers an opportunity to experience some of this building’s grand architecture. 

Interior, NYPL
My Leo and one of those lions

 If you’re a fan of The New Yorker, the exhibit is definitely worth visiting and is on view until February 21, 2026!

BRITISH CRIME VIEWING

Towards Zero (BritBox)

Neville & Audrey (chicagotribune.com)

Towards Zero is a stand-alone Agatha Christie mystery. It’s quite different and yet retains some quintessential Christie hallmarks.  Set in the 1930’s, it’s in three parts and troubled Inspector Leach is the low-profile, low-key detective.   

Tennis champ Neville Strange is a wunderkind whose life has run smoothly until his wife Audrey divorces him for infidelity in a very public trial.  He quickly marries Kay, his paramour, and prepares to visit his aunt, Lady Tressilian, at her coastal estate.  His parents are no longer around and it’s clear Neville views himself as heir apparent.  Also on the scene are Mary, his aunt’s long-serving maid of all work; Mrs. Barret, the cook; Neville’s new valet Mac; lawyer Treves and his ward Sylvia; and Neville’s former wife Audrey, whom Neville invites to join them.  

Class distinctions and the disparity between the monied and the staff create tensions which are exacerbated with the mostly unexpected arrival of Thomas Boyde, a relative.  When a death occurs, and then another, Leach is called in.  True to form, all the principals are gathered in the drawing room to await Leach’s individual questioning and examination. The series moves slowly and deliberately without a lot of suspense initially, but I was kept guessing as to who the murderer was and the motivation.  Recommended for Agatha Christie fans. 

Note: Header photo outside NYPL and the literary lion one ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Other photos are from the exhibit or the source is noted.

Carolina Comments: Art & Crime

JWF 1 Comment

LOOKING: MORE ANDREW WYETH

At Kuerner Farm: The Eye of the Earth (Winston Salem)

First Snow, Study for Groundhog Day, 1959

The Chief Penguin and I have seen many examples of Andrew Wyeth’s work over the decades, annually in Maine at the Farnsworth Museum and several visits to the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa.  Wyeth divided his time over his life between Pennsylvania where he grew up and the coast of Maine.  This exhibit at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art focuses on the farm neighboring the Wyeth’s property in Pennsylvania and includes some works never previously exhibited.   I liked all the angles in Grindstone, angles that contrast with the roundness of the stone almost outside the painting.

Grindstone, First Version, 1989

After his father’s death from a train collision in 1945, Andrew Wyeth became more aware of his mortality and was drawn to the cycles of life and death on the Kuerner Farm.  Karl Kuerner became a sort of surrogate father to him, and he painted both Karl and his wife, Anna, many times. 

Detail, The Kuerners, 1971

 The paintings in this exhibit are stark and muted, mainly in browns and white, and frequently depict the buildings and the landscape in snow.  Most are watercolors and a few are egg tempura.  The plaques describing each work are more detailed than in many museums and inform the viewer about Wyeth’s technique and offer more context for the image.  One late work is both realistic and fanciful as it depicts friends and others, alive and long gone, dancing around a maypole with colorful ribbons.

Detail, Snow Hill, 1989

It’s a thoughtful exhibit and is on view until May 25.  It then travels to the Brandywine River Museum outside Philadelphia and from there goes on view in Jacksonville, Florida, beginning in October.  

If you haven’t ever visited Reynolda House, it’s worth a trip.  The house was built in 1917, in American Country House style, for R.J. Reynolds and his wife Katharine.  The rooms are beautifully restored, and the walls feature a wide-ranging collection of both historic and more contemporary works by American artists.  In nice weather the formal gardens beckon.

WATCHING: CRIME IN LONDON

The Chelsea Detective Season 3 (Acorn)

Max and Layla (tellyvisions.org)

Quirky Detective Inspector Max Arnold lives on a houseboat and has an on-again off-again relationship with his ex-wife Astrid. He banters regularly with his well-meaning and somewhat interfering Aunt Olivia.  In Season 3, when he and Astrid decide to be just friends, he takes a stab at the dating scene with a horticulturist.

Max and his colleague DS Layla Walsh team up to solve murders in London’s affluent Chelsea district.  The murders are frequently unusual. What begins as a clearcut case becomes more complex with multiple suspects and sometimes international intrigue.  Chief Forensics Officer or pathologist, Ashley Wilton, rounds out the cast, and as a deaf actor is evidence of greater diversity in TV casting. 

Episodes are 90 minutes each and are being released weekly.  There are 4 episodes total in this season, and the Chief Penguin and I have enjoyed the first two.  Recommended!

Note: All unattributed photos by JWFarrington. Header photo of Fenced in, 2001, is one of the few Wyeth works with color, red on the horse’s blanket and on a distant barn.