Salt Peter, John....Pins, Abigail

After a few months, here I am - ready to finally discuss 1776. Let's be clear: I finished this book on the plane to Aruba. I wanted to be sure I was done before I got down to some serious reading on vacation (which consisted mostly of an O The Oprah Magazine). Since then, I have taken on some good books - each with their own merits. They will each get their own blog in good time, but for now, we must complete our military campaign.

The title of this entry is from a song in the musical 1776 - I love this show and blame it for some of my difficulty in getting through the book. How is it possible to concentrate on David McCullough's painstakingly researched book when I keep humming, "He plays the violin..." or "Molasses to rum to slaves" or better yet "We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp of an eaglet being born"? I really did have a hard time with this book, and even though I am a reasonably intelligent person who can appreciate books for lots of different reasons, I couldn't figure out why. Then, in the shower one day (the only quiet 10 minutes of my day) I had a thought.

I believe I am a character-driven reader. It seems to me that I am drawn to books that don't skimp on character development. Action, it seems, is somewhat secondary. When I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Sarah's Key I was surprised at my reaction to them. They are two World War II stories, both focusing on events and places that are often not highlighted in the mainstream - but Sarah's Key, while sad and interesting, felt pale next to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. I think this is because Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows did such a good job depicting their characters.

Now, let's apply this to 1776. I loved learning about George Washington because the primary source material in this book is just outstanding. Reading and actually seeing letters written by and about George Washington is like going back in time. I love seeing the handwriting and reading about the minutiae of the lives of historical characters. Even during the siege of Boston, Washington sent letters home about Mount Vernon's renovations and his dissatisfaction with some details of his kitchen. That, to me, is fabulous.

The military campaigns, on the other hand, lost me. I recognize that this is all about my own personal preference. I'd rather know more about the officer who lived with another soldier's wife in Boston. Give me more about Washington as a reluctant leader and one who made several questionable military decisions. And while the crossing of the Delaware was indeed compelling, there were times I never thought I would get out of Boston or New York. I worry somewhat that I am too focused on the pop culture of 1776. Am I looking for the Us Weekly and/or Facebook posts of the Revolutionary War? Maybe. But I prefer to think that character development is just the literary element that works for me.

This book clearly is a gem. The history in it and the research behind it are unbelievable. I appreciate this book because it made me look at my own reading preferences in a way I hadn't in a long time. I'm glad I got through it but I think I will turn back to the Broadway musical for now.

A note about future books - I have some fabulous material for my next couple of entries. I have read a lot in the last two months. But I am going to be getting a book called Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue. I saw a review in the New York Times a while back and it caught my eye. Then my friend Kristen said she was going to read it for a book club. That's enough reason for me - at the very least she and I can discuss it. But it sounds intriguing and if anyone is looking to read along, that might be fun.

Reader's Block

I am really trying hard with 1776. I know it is a really good book and a riveting account of an important year in our country's history, but I am having a heck of a time with it. It's possible that all the military aspects of the book are not speaking to me. I have to say that I am enjoying the peek into George Washington's life - he is an intriguing character. I also love all the primary source material, mostly because I would love to be in some museum's library, poring over original letters and journals. But I just don't seem to be making much progress. As of last night, it was only March, 1776. That leaves a lot of the year. I have promised myself that I will finish this book before I go on vacation with my husband - I don't want 1776 hanging over my head - but I definitely have reader's block. Has this ever happened to you? What do you do? Do you abandon the book or is that against some rule you have for yourself? I am going to soldier on, as if I were a part of Washington's troops, but it's March in Boston and I'm not sure I can beat the British.

Neither here nor there

I just finished The Help and it occurs to me that it is a book about being in between. It is a story about the relationship between white women and their servants in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. It follows the lives of three women who are struggling, trying to find their place in a world that is dangerous, changing, and cruel with just enough hope in it to be crushing if things go badly.

Skeeter is a young, white woman caught in between her old social circle and an awakening social conscience. Her friends and family all have servants, particularly black women, working in their houses and raising their children. These same servants are being subjected to Jim Crow laws and everyday cruelties based on the desire to hang on to some pre-Civil War status. Aibileen is a black woman who is stuck between being a mother to a promising young man who died on the job and being a mother figure to the children of her weak and thoughtless employer.

And then there's Minny. Minny is pulled in just about as many ways as a woman can be pulled. She has children she's trying to educate and a husband who beats her up. She has the ability to be a fabulous cook and house-keeper and the inability to keep her comments to herself in dangerous situations. She is powerful and vulnerable. She is a fabulous character and I wish I had written her.

All this tension in the characters' lives really made me worried. I was constantly concerned for the physical, emotional, and mental safety of these women. I am so glad that the author, Kathryn Stockett, did not have everything end up rosy in the world of these women. There are definitely elements in this plot that could have been tied up nicely, but weren't, clearly because that's not the way life goes.

It is a real kick in the pants that this is Kathryn Stockett's first novel...I'm going to have to find out how long she worked on this one...because her handling of those plot elements and particularly of the voices of the main characters is really great. I questioned how accurate she could be in depicting the lives of black women in the sixties. Turns out she was raised by a woman much like the characters in this story. I think that makes the author's intent for writing this book rather clear.

I guess all the book clubs got this one right - I will miss this book and the women in it. I might just keep it on my nightstand a little longer, hoping to find out what happens to Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny.



BTW - I re-read my previous entry the other day. I griped on and on about a woman who started a blog in the hopes of having a meaningful project. The irony is not lost on me - a woman who started a blog to have a meaningful project. I don't care if we do have that in common...I still don't like Julie Powell. I think it just means I'll stop reading my previous entries!

Julie vs. Julia

Do you think that a reader is more invested in a character he/she knows is real?

I have been trying to answer this question since reading Julie and Julia recently. I am overwhelmed at my reaction to Julie Powell. Actually, I am just plain surprised how much I dislike her. I wonder if I would feel so strongly if I didn't know she is out there on her book tours and walking the streets of Manhattan, congratulating herself on slogging her way through a masterful cookbook.

I knew from the beginning of the book that I would not enjoy Julie Powell in person. We are so different - I am just not comfortable with the amount of angst she seems to thrive upon. But that's not my complaint. I didn't have to like her. I was interested in her project and I enjoy her style of writing. She is conversational, easy to read, and clearly loves food. Food is a very sensual thing for her - not always sexual - just a full body experience that is easy to relate to. The friends she introduces are quirky without being annoying and her mother has a universal mom-ness that comes through best at Julie's worst times: when she has a nightmare move in to a dump of an apartment or when she goes home to visit and her mother forbids her to cook. I was on board with this whole book, even if I didn't want to have coffee with Julie Powell.

Then it happened. I learned some information about Julie Powell that soured the whole experience. Apparently, she discusses some personal difficulties/indiscretions in great detail in her second book. Now, we all make mistakes, but for some reason this information galled me. I was half-way through the book and spent the second half fuming about her hypocrisy.

Then, my sister gave me a way out. She was the one who told me about the sordid details left out of the first book, by the way, but she also threw me a life line. I was on vacation, still ranting via text about Julie, when my sister said "Go get Julia Child's My Life in France. It'll make you feel better." I wasn't sure I could stand another real-life disappointment, but I trust my sister, so I tried it out.

I am pleased to report that my sister, like so many times before, was right. This book was written with her grandnephew Alex Prud'homme and is such a beauty of a book that you should all run out and read it. It is a wonderful window into the life of a very interesting woman and a great view of post-WWII France. Julia Child was not a simple woman - she was well-travelled, she had already had an interesting career in foreign service, she was particular, even obsessive about her recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, she was picky about the kind of person she wanted to spend her time with. She was devoted to her husband but had very little contact with her father. Now here is a woman with whom I would like to have a cup of coffee. Actually, I'd like to have a good bottle of wine and some fancy french meal with her. Knowing that Julia Child actually lived but is already gone from this earth makes me sad.

One other note: I am not sure what percentage of this book was actually written by Alex Prud'homme, but it is a real lesson in voice. It is so true to the voice of Julia Child, both literary voice and her distinctive physical voice, that you can hear her in the pages. Whatever Alex Prud'homme did write was done so seamlessly and affectionately for Julia Child.

Why am I doing this?

I am a lapsed reader.


I love to read but have been looking for more purpose to my reading. For approximately six years, my brain has been unable to digest little more than books I have already read. The Harry Potter series, Little Women and anything by Agatha Christie will remain favorites, but I just don't need to read them again right now.


So here I am. Here are my goals:


1. Broaden my literary scope into some genres that I have been unlikely to approach.


2. Re-visit some classic authors and books that I have not read since high school or college.


3. Have discussions about books with anyone willing to contribute.


If anyone would care to join me, that would be great. I am always looking for title recommendations, so feel free to let me know what you are reading. If nothing else, I hope this blog gets me thinking about titles other than Fancy Nancy and The Very Hungry Caterpillar!