I’m on page 266 now of a 600-something page book. I’ve got book darts to mark pages; I’ve got images downloaded from the web, satisfying my curiosity to remember/learn more about the Victorian Era; I’ve got a map of England; I’ve  gotten out my favorite Victorian Poetry book from school. This novel has turned me into a total book nerd. I carry the book wherever I go. And right now, I am really worried about one of the characters–as if he were alive. I’m pathetic.

I am reading an advanced copy of The Children’s Book by A. S. Byatt. It’s due out October 1st.

So you know already that the novel takes place in Victorian Era England through to World War I. Page 266 is still in the 1890s: a conservative government is in place but socialism is the buzz. William Morris textiles and tapestries are in the homes of the well-to-do, his poetry and prose read. The Arts and Crafts Movement–the romantic idealization of the craft of handmade goods in response to the increasing presence of machine-made goods–is the backdrop for much of the novel.

Olive Wellwood is a published writer of fairy tales. She is inspired by The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. In Olive’s circles, feminism is discussed, socialism and anarchy. Benedict Fludd is a talented and moody potter with a wife and daughters he describes as “pallid silk moths.” There is Prosper Cain who is the caretaker of precious metals at a museum. Philipp is the poor young boy found in the underground passage ways of the museum sleeping in an ancient Turkish crypt, his parents, workers/artisans in the pottery factories. Philipp worked in the bottle kilns in Burslem of Stoke-on-Trent in England. Yes, this was the child labor of the time. (This area is still home today–I believe–to Wedgewood, Spode, Portmeiron and Royal Doulton.)

Byatt mingles her characters with references to persons and events from the history books, and she skillfully deepens and interweaves the lives of these characters as children grow up and adults get older with Olive continuing to craft her fairy tales in the background of much change.

Needless to say, I love this book and am relishing every page. I had not read Byatt before, so I am wondering how this novel compares to her others. I do know that she won the Booker Prize for Possession in 1990 and The Children’s Book is longlisted for the Booker 2009. Also, Byatt has a sister who is also a published novelist. This sister, Margaret Drabble, has a memoir just out this week entitled Pattern in the Carpet. All very curious and stimulating indeed. I’ll keep you posted on The Children’s Book. I’m afraid you might even get tired of me–but oh well!

It was a long time before I was finally able to pick up Tom Piazza’s City of Refuge, despite all of the good things that I had heard about it.  Being from New Orleans, and affected by Katrina, I didn’t think that I would enjoy the story.  It turns out, that finishing the book, just in time for the four year anniversary of Katrina, I loved it!

Piazza follows the lives of two families from New Orleans who are not only experiencing the hardships of Hurricane Katrina, but also dealing with problems in their families.  SJ, his sister Lucy and her son Wesley were from the Lower Ninth and like others, stayed hoping to ride out the storm.  SJ was a carpenter and was used to hearing about bad hurricanes coming, so he was experienced in preparing for, what he thought would be the worst. Once the water rose he had to think quickly about what the next step would be in keeping himself and his family alive.  Piazza follows the experience of this family, from their homes in the lower ninth, to the Superdome, and as they were scattered across the country.

The second family, Craig and Alice Donaldson, and their two children Annie and Malcolm who live uptown, are among many of the other families that decided to evacuate last minute. Craig is the editor for one of the magazines in New Orleans, Gumbo.  His love for the city is in constant battle with Alice’s desire to move away because of her concern for her children’s safety and education.  This issue becomes unavoidable for both of them once they realize the damage caused by the Hurricane.  Piazza follows their journey from New Orleans, to Jackson and then up to a Chicago suburb, where they must confront each other and the decision of where they are going to live.

I thought that the characters and their love for their deeply cultured city were easy to relate to, but I don’t think that you have to be from New Orleans to really appreciate the novel and what these characters have experienced.  City of Refuge, recently out in paperback, which includes an interview with the author, tells two very different accounts of Katrina victims and the same love that they have for their city and their homes.  Piazza was successful in describing, in detail, the places and people which make New Orleans so unique and loved, which helps the reader understand and connect to the feelings of the characters.  This novel is an intriguing page turner that can be enjoyed by anyone who was effected by the hurricane or anyone who is just looking for a great read.

See John’s review of City of Refuge.

See Nan’s review of City of Refuge.

…

Chris Rose’s One Dead in Attic should be next on your list…whether you’ve read Piazza’s take on the hurricane, or not.  Rose writes for the Times Picayune and was able to move back to New Orleans and write about life right after the Hurricane.  Though the subject of his book is disaster, he has a talent of adding humor to his experiences without disrespecting the sensitivity of the topic.  It’s a great collection of stories that include titles such as “Have Barbie, Will Travel” and “Not in my Pothole.”  Though some of his writing touches on hard times, most of the stories will make you laugh out loud. This is a theme that Piazza mentions in City of Refuge: learning how to laugh and celebrate the life that we have, despite our misfortunes.

-Sarah Clinton

Companions for the Journey is a series showcasing inspirational work by well-known writers in a small-book format designed to be carried along your journey through life.

I have enjoyed reading these books and blogged about some of them in this series before. This spring three new titles were issued and I found all three to be enjoyable.

#18 Breaking the Willow: Poems of Parting, Exile and Separation & Reunion

Breaking the Willow is an anthology of Chinese poets named for the custom to break a willow twig and present it to a departing friend. Many poems of sorrow and loss are mirrored as the reader reflects. There are many beautiful one-liners in this little jewel:

“Glorious moon hanging in mid-sky, but who looks?”

#19 Between the Floating Mist: Poems of Ryōkan (1758-1831)

This selection of Ryōkan’s poetry is followed by an exchange of poetry in sequence between Teishin and Ryōkan. I found the following exchange an adequate representation:

.

Teishin

Distant waves

seem to come,

seem to go . . .

Ryōkan

Clear and bright

your words and understanding.

#20 Mountain tasting: Haiku and Journals of Santoka Teneda (1882-1940)

Santoka Teneda is a “new Haiku movement” poet representing the Zen qualities of simplicity, solitude and impermanence conveyed in a modern setting through haiku. Teneda walked around pre-WWII Japan, living simply and writing sensitive poems. I enjoyed this collection the most of the three. I end this blog with two favorite haiku.

(For fun) #137

Nonchalantly urinating

by the road,

soaking the young weeds.

(For thought) # 346

The sound of waves–

and distant, nonclose:

how much of my life remains.

I also wrote an entry a while back on another volume in the Companion Series. Click here to read about Lotus Moon: Japanese poet, Rengetsu (1791-1875), was the illegitimate offspring of a high-ranking Samurai and a young geisha . . . Keeping few possessions she likened herself to a “drifting cloud.”

Today was my first day of classes as a senior English major at Millsaps. This is a somewhat surreal realization, but what is more disturbing is that I have yet to take an actual class devoted to Shakespeare. Last spring when we signed up for classes I selected one taught by Dr. Eric Griffin called “The Cult of Elizabeth.” For some reason I assumed this would be a course on Shakespeare; I have now realized that it s a course covering a variety of topics centered around Elizabeth I.

The first thing Dr. Griffin pointed out is how much pop culture has gotten into the Tudors as of late. The TV show “The Tudors” (HBO) has gotten a lot of hype. What I did not realize is that much of the show is inspired by the works of the writer Philippa Gregory. Gregory is probably best known as  the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, and she has become quite famous in the pulp fiction circles with her stories from the 16th century. Her latest novel, The White Queen, dips back into the 15th century and has been snapped up by both her cult devotees and newcomers alike. She has proven to be quite prolific over the years with over 20 novels in print.

So, today in class we acknowledged how much writers like Gregory have had an impact on the study of the Tudors as a clan and culture. Most people read Gregory’s books as fact and not fiction; I will admit I greedily lapped up The Constant Princess and The Other Boleyn Girl before realizing that I really needed to accept that these books were hardly considered fine literature. On the same level as Twilight and just as engaging in their own right, with these books Gregory knows how to get an audience under her spell. We read a section of her book in class today, presumably to mock how “off base” her historical assumptions were, only to find ourselves somewhat intrigued (if not disgusted) by how far she is willing to go.

The fact is that the reign of Elizabeth I was a time period rich in literature and full of writers willing to take it to the next level. Like Gregory, they knew how to capitalize on imagination (though of course we can hardly compare Spenser’s poetry to Gregory’s books). Writers such as John Donne, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon and of course, William Shakespeare saw a heyday during this era as Elizabeth I proved herself to be a patron of the arts.

For those of you who are intrigued and want to get your hands on some legit literature, here are some of the books on our syllabus: Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey, The Collected Works of Elizabeth I, Endymion (she wrote about herself, excellently enough) by John Lyly and of course, the Norton Shakespeare (sorry, Riverside devotees).

And for those of your who just want some light reading, hit up Philippa Gregory. Don’t feel badly about yourself. I’m guilty too.

-Nell

Okay, well I fell in love with this novel! It may take its place in one of the top five spots on my life-long list of favorite novels! So, you may ask, “Why is that?” Now, I’m challenged to come up with some reasons as to why I really, really liked this book. First of all, it is well written. The author, an Australian woman, was made famous by the popular The House at Riverton (2008). Secondly, this novel , which covers three generations of women, including  a fairy tale artist and present day artist, pushed my imagination far.

Set in the early 1900s in Australia and reaching to the last part of the twentieth century in England, most of the action revolves in and around the mysterious Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast. A master at creating an enchanting scene, Morton enables the reader to picture the wind blown trees, the beautiful secret walled garden leading from the circular maze, the long, winding climb up the ocean cliffs,and the dangerous carriage rides in London. The three main characters, all united in their quest, even though separated by 50-60 years, pull the reader’s heart strings and create great emotional involvement. Love and romance, as suspected on an ancient country estate, do not disappoint either. Throw in a huge mystery involving the disappearance of one of the women, and the reader is hooked and cannot put the book down!

One more thing: a four-year-old girl is abandoned on a ship sailing from England to  Australia! This novel has it all! A favorite among English and Australian readers, Morton is quickly taking her place among  American readers ready for a well written, beautiful story. I’m so glad the publisher’s rep at Simon and Schuster handed me this book!

-Nan