Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart is the story of Okonkwo, a "strong man" in an African village whose life is lived in the warrior style, fueled by anger and confusion. His attitude is upheld within his tribe as one of a leader, but ultimately it leads him to the depths of despair - and all things do, literally and figuratively, fall apart.

This book was a little slow for me at first, and I found it difficult to keep track of all the names. The main character, Okonkwo, is represented in the third person, which makes it a little hard to relate to him. He was also a very unlikeable character; admonishing his sons for displaying "female" traits, and lamenting that his sensible daughter was not born a boy. As the story went on, however, I found myself captured by his story and the torment of the way he thought he should be, and the way he felt in his heart. His own personal struggle is magnified by the tribe's struggle to hold onto its culture in the face of the white man - missionaries who are "saving" the tribe by introducing Christianity.

I also enjoyed reading something in a writing style that was more fable-like. It's not a book I would have probably picked up on my own, but I'm glad for the read, as the book is widely recognized as premier work of African literature by an African writer, and is an interesting look into the history of missionaries in Africa.

It's Been Awhile

I don't think that many people read this blog, but I have been reading since my last post! Just haven't had as much time lately to get things done. I did read "Founding Mothers" by Cokie Roberts, but didn't finish it. It was a good book, but just wasn't the kind of reading I was looking for at the time. I'm nearly done with another book, so stay tuned...

Unlubricated - Arthur Nersesian

This book was something a little different for me. I picked it up as a staff recommendation at the local bookstore, and also because it takes place in New York City and addresses events surrounding the 9/11 attacks. I hadn't really read any fiction that incorporated this event.

Hannah is a young actress who comes across a script for a play that she believes to be the lost manuscript of a famous dead writer. She contacts an old college group and they agree to invest in and produce the play. Through a variety of plot twists, Hannah ends up not acting but solely producing, and getting herself tangled in an increasingly complicated situation of legalities and moralities surrounding the play.

Through the book's plot is the backdrop of 9/11 - Hannah's experience on that day, her subsequent anxiety attacks, and later in the book, her father's way of coping with the terrorism that destroyed the buildings in which he once worked.

All in all this book was mildly entertaining, but not entirely my style. It seemed unable to find its way between a meaningful story and a Jennifer Crusie novel. Only near the end of the book did I feel the author really captured Hannah's emotions in a convincing way. I have many other books on the nightstand that I wish I would have read instead of this one.

Housewrights - Art Corriveau

I picked up this book for $1 on the bargain shelf at my local used bookstore, and what a find!

The story begins in the early 1900s with the young Lily Willard. A housewright and his twin sons, a year older than Lily, come to build a new home for the Willard family. Oren and Ian Pritchard don't know much about the world, having spent their lives living in a caravan, traveling from house to house with their father and learning the housewright trade. Lily and the twins become fast friends, and she teaches them how to read, how to ride a horse, and shows them special places around her country home.

But soon the Willard house is finished, and the Pritchards must move on to the next job. Young Oren pledges his love to Lily before they go. Years pass and Lily rarely thinks of the Pritchards, until Oren shows up with the intent of taking Lily as his wife. Lily falls in love with this giant, gentle man and they do indeed marry, and Oren begins to build a house of their own.

But where is Ian? He is off serving in the war, and returns to the States a wounded man. Lily and Oren take him in; for Lily has learned to understand that her life with Oren was also intended to include Ian as well. He moves in with them and the three become entangled in a unique relationship that is viewed as unconventional by the small Vermont town that Lily was born and raised in. Lily's relationship with Ian is innocent, but Ian represents many things his brother is not - gregarious, musical, and full of laughter. She finds herself doubting if she married the right brother. Oren senses this, but the reality is that he is a better man with his brother near his side...which is where the conflict lies. But the three of them seem fairly comfortable in their unique trio.

However, eventually the talk of the town becomes too much, and Lily encourages the courtship of Ian and her friend, Hallie. Ian and Hallie marry, but life is never the same for the Pritchards. Oren and Ian grow apart, and Lily and Oren's marriage falters while Ian and Hallie seem to grow stronger. It becomes clear that Oren needs Ian, but for Ian to truly be himself, he must be separate from Oren. Lily is jealous of Hallie and Ian's relationship, and Oren becomes distant, silently blaming her for the wall between he and his brother. The result is truly heartwrenching.

I really enjoyed the way this book is written - I could see each of the characters in my mind, and I felt like I knew them. The story speaks to the way it is in a small town, when your business is everyone's business, and "appearances" are put on to show the town what they want to see - even if it's at the expense of a relationship or a friendship. I also like the references to and descriptions of the work of the housewright, which served as a metaphor for Oren's struggle. My only criticism is that sometimes the storyline seemed a little too modern for the actual time period, and I found that I had to remind myself it was early 1900s. But I suppose that makes Oren, Ian and Lily's relationship all the more unusual to be set in such a time.

This is Art Corriveau's first novel (published in 2002), and Housewrights definitely made me curious about any other of his works. According to his website, he has a collection of short stories coming out this fall. I'll be looking for it!

Future Book Club Selections

My book club met this week and selected the following books to last us through September:

Founding Mothers - Cokie Roberts
Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe
Rasputin's Daughter - Robert Alexander
The Places In Between - Rory Stuart
Dreams From My Father - Barack Obama
The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda - Philip Gourevitch

Nice title, huh? But read this book, and it makes perfect sense. This is a very well-written account of the author's (a journalist) research and personal interviews and travels investigating the Rwandan genocide of 1994. 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. This is a significant world event that happened in the past 15 years, that we knew little to nothing about.

What was I doing in 1994? I graduated from high school. I was spending one of my last summers at home before heading off to college in the fall. I HAD NO IDEA. Was I ignorant? Probably at that time, yes. And admittedly still a bit now. Things like this seem so far away, and what can I do about it, really?

But seriously. 800,000 people killed, and by such methods that you can't even believe. Killed violently with machetes by people who once co-existed with them as neighbors, co-workers, friends. Simply because they were Tutsis, or because they were Hutus who sympathized with Tutsis. A barrage of propaganda egging them on, urging them to kill, make sure you kill the women and children too, and take care that any unborn Tutsi fetus is also disposed of. And these same people just a short time later were asked to discard the Tutsi/Hutu labels, and be just "Rwandan," living and working beside the same people who killed their family members. Could you do it? I don't know if I could.

This is an extremely poignant and engaging book, despite the subject matter. It delves into the conflict without getting too gruesome, but still holding true to what in fact was a horrific and gruesome act. The author talks with survivors, explores reactions (and inaction) from the rest of the world, and ponders the root behind the conflict itself. Definitely not a light read, but you will leave it enlightened.

Priestess of Avalon - Marion Zimmerman Bradley and Diana L. Paxson

A few years ago I read The Mists of Avalon and really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd give this one a shot.

While Mists is more based in the fantasy/magical world of Avalon, Priestess starts off there, but is based mostly in the "real" world of the growing Roman Empire. When Elian, a young priestess, falls in love with a Roman officer, their affair leads to her banishment from Avalon. However, she believes she carries the child which will fulfill a prophecy, bringing two worlds together.

In the outside world she is Helena, and through the years she grows in power along with her husband and her son Constantine, who eventually becomes the Emperor. It is a time of great change, where Christianity is growing rapidly and Helena's own pagan beliefs in the goddess are questioned. Through her life she suffers much, but never loses her belief and her tie to Avalon, though she believes she can never go back. Eventually she discovers that although the prophecy did not play out the way she thought it would, all is not lost and new opportunities are presented.

The writing in this book is lovely, and the world of Avalon is both mystical and believable. There are historical references here, and the pagan/Christian struggle is very real. I loved Helena's character, and I deeply felt her anguish and celebrated her triumphs. The plot takes some unexpected and wrenching turns, yet in the end you can sense Helena's destiny...however, what she must to do achieve it is definitely something of extraordinary strength.

Recommended for those who enjoy something a little different now and then. You need not be a fan of the fantasy genre to enjoy this book.

Books Read in 2006

Since I started this blog just a couple of months ago, I thought I'd post a list of books I finished in 2006. Why? I've always kept a list of books I read, and I guess I'm just a nerd like that.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Lake Wobegone Summer 1956 - Garrison Keillor
Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
My Antonia - Willa Cather
Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
The Hours - Michael Cunningham
Eventide - Kent Haruf
My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
Red Azalea - Anchee Min
The Loch - Steve Alten
The Man Who Ate the 747 - Ben Sherwood
The Mineral Palace - Heidi Julavits
A Room With a View - EM Forster
Because of Winn Dixie - Kate DiCamillo
Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz
March - Geraldine Brooks
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon
Hummingbird House - Patricia Henley
La Charette: Village Gateway to the American West - Lowell Schaake
The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant

Stats for other book nerds:
23 books totaling 6,759 pages
Average 294 pages
12 by female authors, 11 by male authors
21 fiction, 1 non-fiction, 1 memoir

Eva Luna - Isabel Allende (Book Club)

Eva Luna is name of the protagonist in this book, and her story actually begins with her mother, Consuelo, as a young girl. Consuelo's story is important because it leads us to the unique circumstances of Eva Luna's conception, how she received her name, and the strong link she had with her mother.

Tragedy strikes and Eva goes through life working as a servant in different households, paying her wages to the madrina in whose care she has been left. Her hardships are offset by her talent for telling stories, and she shares them with anyone who will listen. Her patrona goes a bit crazy and Eva runs away, and in the ensuing years her personal relationships are with those as unique as she is: a Turkish shopkeeper, a young revolutionary, a madame, a transsexual, and a young reporter and filmmaker named Rolf Carle.

Parts of the book also chronicle Rolf Carle's life as a young boy with an overbearing father, growing up in a stifling village, the boundaries of which Rolf longs to escape. He does get out, and makes a career as a controversial filmmaker, who gets deeply involved in the work of revolutionists, which leads him to Eva.

I couldn't really tell where this book was going at first, and had a difficult time staying interested. I even though of ditching it and reading something else (which I rarely do), but it was the first mention of Rolf Carle and his family that got me hooked. I do have to say that the book does weave a tale of extraordinary and sometimes unbelievable circumstances; particularly the presence of multiple sexual experiences that I wasn't sure were integral to the story itself. Not graphic descriptions by any means, but a few seemed out of place and a little farfetched...particularly Eva's encounter before leaving the village of Agua Santa.

This is one of our book club selections, but unfortunately I can't make the upcoming meeting. I will be interested to hear what other members thought of the book. Overall I believe the book was worth the read, and this strange tale may be a stroke of brilliance to some, but it wasn't really my style. The language was beautiful, but I just couldn't get into the story.

The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant

This historical fiction novel is set in 15th century Italy, and follows the life of Alessandra Cecchi, the teenage daughter of a wealthy fabric merchant. Alessandra is a bit of a free spirit, and is interested in art and politics, which is not considered befitting of a young woman her age. When a young painter is hired to paint the family's chapel, Alessandra forms a unique relationship with him, but is not allowed to fully explore that relationship because it is not considered acceptable, and also because she is married off to a much older man, and moves out of her parent's house to become the mistress of his house.

But her days with the painter are not over, as the circumstances of her marriage become clear to her only after she becomes a wife, and her life is full of twists and turns, all with a backdrop of political and religious wars that are tearing Florence apart with violence.

This was a book I could not put down. I really got into Alessandra's story, and there are so many unexpected plot turns that you can't wait to see what happens next. The prologue pulls you in from the very start, and actually discusses the circumstances of Alessandra's death - then the story is woven to tell you how she got to that point. A beautifully written story, reminiscent of Tracey Chevalier's "Girl With A Pearl Earring," but with a richer backdrop and more vibrant plot and characters. A good read particularly for those interested in historical fiction.

Hummingbird House - Patricia Henley

This book is about an American women, Kate, who takes a trip to Mexico but ends up staying and working in Nicaragua as a midwife. She gets caught up in the plight of the country's people and works to make a difference in their lives. Years later, when she feels it maybe time to go back home to the States, she finds herself suspended in Guatemala, visiting friends who have changed substantially and seeing the underside of a social and political conflict that tears at her heart. Along the way, she finds love and family in unexpected places.

I have always enjoyed Latin American lit, and this book certainly did not disappoint. The author does a fantastic job of getting you involved in the emotions of the characters and the overall political atmosphere. This is a story of love lost and love found, of family, of hope, and also of terrible and unjust consequence. There were times the drama was so heartwrenching that I found myself cyring out loud in disbelief. Not since "Kiterunner" have I felt so emotionally affected by a book. It's hard to believe this is the author's debut novel.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon

A friend recommended this book to me, and I wasn't sure how I would like it, but I really did! It's about a 15-year-old autistic boy, Christopher, who is trying to solve the mystery of the death of his neighbor's dog. Through his "investigation" you are taken into the world of autism and his thought processes. Other reviews of this book say it is a very accurate portrayal of an autistic mind, but this I cannot attest to. I think it would be interesting for someone who has worked with autistic children to read this book and weigh in on it.

Christopher lives with his father and mourns the death of his mother. His dog investigation leads him to some realizations about both; and these truths are painful. The one thing Christopher can believe in is that he knows his father will never lie. When he discovers otherwise, it is devastating. This was the most captivating part of the book for me.

The book is told from Christopher's perspective, and as you may expect, it jumps around a bit from topic to topic. This book may not be for everyone - some may not have the patience for it. I did find myself skimming over some parts where Christopher described in detail the solving of some math problem in his head. But the story is endearing, and this book is worth a look.

March - Geraldine Brooks (Book Club)

The inspiration for this book was taken from the book Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. The father of the March family has little mention in the original novel. From Little Women we know that Mr. March left his family to serve in the war as a chaplain, an occasional letter was written home and read aloud to his daughters, a telegram arrived informing Mrs. March that her husband was very ill, and that he did eventually return home to his family. March tells the story of what Mr. March was up to during his time in the war.

Throughout the novel the reader gets a birds-eye view of Mr. March’s activities as part of the Union Army, for which he served as a chaplain and later a teacher to “freed” slaves and their children. In his journey he stumbles upon a house he had known in his past, and in it the same slave women, Grace, whom he developed a special relationship with as a younger man. Grace is a strong presence throughout his year of service, and one of the strongest characters in the book. Mr. March himself is a very complex character, and the author does a wonderful job of helping the reader to feel his emotions and the weight of the difficult decisions he has to make. Often Mr. March is caught between a rock and a hard place; whatever decision he chooses will likely result in some terrible consequence, mostly to those whom he has come to assist. But he must often choose the lesser of two evils, and in his heart and actions attempts to hold true to his religious and personal ideals. His relationship with Grace and his attachment to the other slaves make his decisions all the more personal and tough to bear. He holds himself to such high standards that his guilt nearly becomes his death, and he learns a hard lesson from the woman he held on a pedestal for so many years.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and it spurred some very good conversation in our book club. Mr. March was a changed man when he returned from the war, both physically and mentally. He carried a lot of guilt for what he had seen and done, and felt helpless that he could not do more to see results. His family at home had also changed, but in different ways. These are issues that ring very true in today’s time as well, with the war going on in Iraq.

No need to have read Little Women to enjoy or understand this book, it stands on its own. You don’t even have to be that interested in the Civil War to like it. The characters are excellent and well-developed, and you’ll find yourself wrapped up in Mr. March’s conflict and asking yourself “what would I do?”