Friday, May 11, 2012

A very (t)winsome tale


Dorothy Baker, a Californian writer, wrote only a handful of novels and plays, but I happened to stumble upon her 1972 novel Cassandra at the Wedding, and it was both brilliant and highly  entertaining.  The novel follows one weekend in the lives of two sisters, twins, who are twenty four years old.  Cassandra, who lives in Berkeley and is working on her thesis, drives to the San Joaquin valley to her family's ranch to attend her sister Judith's wedding.  Familial antics ensue, and Baker infuses equal parts wit and tenderness into this very readable book.  Here is part of one of the conversations between the two sisters, that I just loved:

"Me?  You remember the place we called from when you forgot your vaccination certificate?"
"You're there?" 
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes, really.  It's all full of waltzing mosquitos and I just fell off a ladder." 
"What?" she said, quite a lot like granny.  Concerned.  I loved the sound of it.  Loved it.
"Also," I said, "one of my ears has been sluiced."

A really good book!  Add it to your summer reading list.

Ode to Introverts


As an introvert, I appreciated Susan Cain's book Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.   She points out that there are many different definitions of the introvert/extrovert dichotomy, but she mainly focuses on the belief that introverts and extroverts differ with regard to how much stimulation they need to function in their environments.  Cain points out some interesting trends in American culture, such as shift from what she calls a culture of character in which private, inner virtue was valued, to a culture of personality in which charm and gregariousness are now valued. She points out that introverts are not anti-social; rather, they are "differently social."  Cain also discusses how introverts and extroverts differ in terms of leadership as well as how they navigate the innovation process in business culture.  Rather than suggesting that introverts try harder to be more outgoing and in the spotlight, Cain points out that introverts are capable of acting in an extroverted manner for topics and people that they value.  She also points out the importance of creating what she calls "restorative niches," or places introverts can go to feel more comfortable after being in an overstimulating setting, and even says that if introverts try too hard to act in extroverted ways that are not natural to them, this can actually compromise their immune systems. 

She also makes some specific recommendations for how to support introverted children, such as exposing kids gradually to new situations and people, or bringing kids to parties early so that they can feel comfortable in the space.

Overall, this book is certainly an ode to introverts, and the particular qualities they bring to different situations in life and work.  It resonated with me immensely!

Yates, Yet Again


Having really enjoyed The Easter Parade, I decided to read Yates' third book, published in 1969, called A Special Providence.  The novel explores the relationship between Alice Prentice and her son, Robert Prentice.  Alice is a somewhat delusional artist who often thinks that she is on the cusp of her one-woman art show which will finally bring financial stability, and Robert is a young soldier struggling to find his place and his sense of identity during WWII.  Yates is a wonderful writer who is an expert with dialogue and exploring the intimate relationships between family members.  While I will probably read everything Yates has written because I like his writing style, this was my least favorite work of his that I have read thus far.  However, I have two more Yates novels sitting on my bookshelf that I look forward to reading soon.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

On the High Seas

Jack London's The Sea Wolf, published in 1904, was an awesome novel!  I recommend you read it very soon.  It's a good old-fashioned nautical adventure, complete with brutish sailors, a beautiful woman, an enigmatic captain, a desert island, and stormy weather.  That isn't to say that it is a formulaic tale, because what makes the writing so rich is that it is a psychological exploration of the protagonist, Wolf Larsen, and his thoughts on mortality and morality.  It was captivating, and was both accessible and intellectual.  This was the first book I have read by London.  I look forward to reading more. 

Gone With the Wind


Gone With The Wind, published in 1936 and the only published novel by Margaret Mitchell, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937.  I was intimidated by the size of the book and I'll admit it took me two months to read, which is surprising given that it is quite a page turner.  Set in Georgia during the American Civil War and Reconstruction, it is the story of a spoiled plantation owner's daughter, the Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, and her romance with the brooding Rhett Butler.  It is epic, sweeping, and peopled with many characters.  It is a book that many people have strong associations with, and is widely criticized for its portrayal of African American people in the South during the 19th century.  It is a problematic book which perpetuates many stereotypes.  It is also one of the best-selling, most widely read books of all time.  Very dichotomous, and that alone makes it an interesting book to read and discuss. 

How Mr. Fox Made My Head Spin




I saw a great handwritten review of Mr. Fox, by Helen Oyeyemi, at a local bookstore and a few days later I dove into Oyeyemi's complex, captivating, charming ,and chilling book.  Oyeyemi, a young British author and the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, is the author of four novels.  Mr. Fox is a writer who consistently kills off his female protagonists, and Mary Foxe, his muse who walks the line between real and imaginary, tries to get Mr. Fox to think of other ways to end his stories without the recurring violence against women.  But the plot thickens and twists, as Mary writes her own stories, as does Mr. Fox's wife, Daphne.  Oyeyemi wrote some very beautiful and inventive stories within stories, which I appreciated and enjoyed as individual vignettes. I'm still not sure how it all works cohesively as a novel, but it is probably because I haven't wrapped my head around it yet.  It's deceptively simple and yet complicated at the same time!

Don't hesitate to read Yates



Revolutionary Road, Yates' most acclaimed novel, was one of my favorite books that I read in 2010.  I decided that I should read more Yates, so I picked up The Easter Parade from the library.  Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.  In fact,  I went on a long walk in San Francisco and picked quiet, tree-lined streets where I could walk without the possibility of bumping in to people.  That is how absorbed I was.  This is because Yates immediately draws the reader into the story, with witty dialogue and pitch-perfect scenes.  His writing is snappy and smart.

Set in the 1930's, the novella follows the lives of two very different sisters, Emily and Sarah Grimes, as they grow up and navigate relationships with men, with each other, and with their off-kilter mother Pookie.  Yates is a master of describing intimate and emotional moments between his characters, and he fines a balance between the tragic and the comic. 

Some of my favorite quotes:

"Oh dear, the way they're breeding," Pookie said on hearing of the third pregnancy.  "I thought only Italian peasants did things like that."

"There was learning not to be stricken dumb when you walked into a party full of older, certified intellectuals - and not to make the opposite mistake of talking your head off, saying one inane or outrageous thing after another in a hopeless effort to atone for whatever inane or outrageous thing you'd said two minutes before."

"God!" he said when they were back on the train for New York.  "Every time I go out there it takes me days to recover - whole days just to get to the point where I can breathe again..."

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Spring with Steinbeck


I decided to ring in spring with Steinbeck, of course!  Interestingly, Tortilla Flat is considered by many to be the novel that put Steinbeck on the literary map, as it was his first commercial success when it was published in 1935.  Set on a hillside in Monterey, the novel centers around the lives of a group of "paisanos," men of mixed heritage, who come to live together after WWI as a result of Danny inheriting a house from his grandfather.  Danny and his friends, who are portrayed ironically as modern day knights, pursue adventure, love, lust, camaraderie, and jugs of wine.  The paisanos reject and resist social mores by living outside of mainstream society, without regular jobs or commitments.  It is an interesting book, with many themes based on King Arthur's Knights of thre Round Table, but it was not my favorite of Steinbeck's work.  That said, there are some great lines and images, such as when Danny refers to his friend as "my little dumpling" and when Steinbeck describes a new day by saying, "It is a time of quiet joy, the sunny morning.  When the glittery dew is on the mallow weeds, each leaf holds a jewel which is beautiful if not valuable.  There is no time for hurry or bustle.  Thoughts are slow and deep and golden in the morning."  And, my favorite, "It is astounding to find that the belly of every black and evil thing is as white as snow." 

In contrast, To a God Unknown, Steinbeck's second novel that was published in 1933, two years before Tortilla Flat, was one of my favorite Steinbeck novels to date, behind East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath.  This slim novel follows the life of Joseph Wayne who leaves Vermont after his father dies and establishes a farm in California.  Joseph is portrayed as a man of conviction with an almost prophetic quality.  The book explores man's love for and relationship with nature, and examines the sacred and profane.  It is written in an accessible yet lyrical manner, and I think it is the best entry point into Steinbeck if one is not ready to commit to his longer works.  My favorite quotes were "....an indescribable heat came into my heart," and "If ever there's need to lose some plaguing thing, that will be the place to go."  This book is classic Steinbeck - beautiful descriptions of the natural world, sparse but beautiful dialogue, and great storytelling.