Early Allende

Several years ago, I read THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS by Isabel Allende and liked it's style of magical realism well enough that I decided to check out another of Allende's early novels, EVA LUNA. I liked it as much as THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS. It's the life story of a woman, born in the jungles of an unnamed South American country and follows her life from childhood, when she's orphaned at an early age and shows a talent for spinning fabulous stories. The novel is a somewhat sprawling work and has a fairly large cast of characters and lengthy time frame. Allende's style is hyper-descriptive and almost every sentence is filled with unusual and fascinating adverbs and adjectives. THE STORIES OF EVA LUNA is a collection supposedly written by Eva Luna. I thought creating a character who's a writer and then having that character write a collection of short stories was very interesting. Isabel Allende has written many novels since EVA LUNA and her DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE was an Oprah book club pick in 2000. It's a good bet that no matter which of her novels you pick, you'll be happy with your choice.

New novel by Wisconsin author

The new novel DRIFTLESS by Wonewoc, Wisconsin author David Rhodes has been getting rave reviews. It's the story of July Montgomery who has settled down in the fictional town of Words, Wisconsin after a period of drifting. Through July, the reader meets the many citizens of Words and sees how life flows in this slow moving community. A reviewer in Booklist says "In vividly realized scenes involving family secrets, legal battles, gambling, and miracle cures, Rhodes illuminates the wisdom acquired through had work, the ancient covenant of farming, and the balm of kindness. Encompassing and incisive, comedic and profound, Driftless is a radiant novel of community and courage."

Rhodes, the author, has had a fascinating life and career. He had published three acclaimed novels while still in his twenties -- one of which, ROCK ISLAND LINE, the library also has on order -- and then was badly injured in a motorcycle accident. Divorce and drug dependency followed and it would be more than thirty years before he published his fourth novel: Driftless.

Better than the movie

I'm don't always agree that a book is automatically better than a film based on it. THE ICE STORM by Rick Moody and anything by John Grisham are examples of film treatments being better than the novels they were based on. However, one book that's definitely better than the movie is RESERVATION ROAD by John Schwartz. The book is an examination of how the hit-and-run death of ten-year-old Josh Learner affects his family and also the diver of the car that kills him. The book is told from three perspectives: Ethan, Josh's father and Grace, Josh's mother and Dwight, the driver of the car. These three characters take turns narrating the events of the novel and as they do, the tension starts to build towards a provacative climax. Schwartz does a good job of differentiating each character and as the book progresses, the reader begins to understand each person's motivations and decisions more fully. At less than 300 pages, the book is a fairly quick read and would probably make a good choice for book discussion groups.

Political fiction, Part III

Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer Prize winning book, ALL THE KING'S MEN, has been called one of the best political novels in American literature. It is the story of a small town southern politician in the beginning of the last century and his rise to the governor's mansion. It is often said to be based on Louisiana's Huey Long but Warren repeatedly said the book was based on the general political atmosphere of 1920's and 30's South. The novel is narrated by Jack Burden, an political employee of Willie Stark (the "Boss"). As Jack charts Stark's political progress, he also tells his own story: his relationship with his divorced mother and father, his stepfathers, his childhood and young adulthood, his friendship with Adam Stanton and his love for Adam's sister, Anne. Jack, an extremely introspective character, continually struggles to make sense of his world and his place in it. The narration style is fairly cynical and hard-boiled and is reminiscent of films noir of the 1940's and 50's. And, being about politics in America, a large focus is on the compromises often made in the name of the overall good. Do the often good ends justify the often not-so-good political means? The style is dense and tends to force the reader to slow down. This mirrors the languid atmosphere of the slow-talking, fan-waving, cocktail-sipping pre-air conditioning South. If you're looking for a break from the "real" political show being played out on the airwaves, check out a copy of this classic. It'll stay with you for quite awhile.

If you read one book this year ...

... you might want it to be OUT STEALING HORSES by Per Petterson. I really haven't read another novel like it and really loved it. The setting is eastern Norway (how many novels have you read that take place in Norway?) and as the book opens, we meet 70 year old Trond Sander. He is living alone in a remote area, remembering the summer of 1948, one of the most important of his life. Almost from the beginning, the reader is aware that Trond is trying to come to terms with himself and his life. He gradually paints a picture of that life and how it has made him the person that he is at the book's beginning. The book moves back and forth in time and as it does we learn more and more about Trond's father and also life in Nazi-occupied Norway during World War II. This was one of the more fascinating elements for me. I wasn't expecting it to be a "war novel," and in many ways it isn't. While the war does play a major role, the book is about so much more: fathers and sons, personal lives being lived during great historical events, nature and our part in it and also about memory, loss and acceptance. The book moves swiftly and suceeds on several levels. While it could be termed a "page-turner," the issues that is deals with are profound and unforgettable.

A blast from the past

I've always been fascinated by authors whose work has been "rediscovered" long after their deaths, even when they had achieved a certain critical and commercial success during their lifetimes. Zora Neale Hurston is one example. Even the novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald were out of print shortly after his death. It wasn't until years or even decades later that their work was reevaluated, reexamined and republished. Another example is Dawn Powell (1896-1965), a prolific author from the 1920's through the early 1960's, who produced a dozen novels, hundreds of short stories and ten plays. At the time of her death, most of her books were out of print and it wasn't until the 1990's when writers such as Gore Vidal championed her work that readers could again enjoy her fiction. Her specialty was satire and perhaps the best example is THE LOCUSTSHAVE NO KING (1948), a novel skewering the publishing industry and New York intelligentsia shortly before the Cold War. It's full of eccentric characters who interact in the small hothouse world of books and Powell doesn't hesitate to expose her characters' foibles and shortcomings. Another example of Powell's New York satire is THE WICKED PAVILION (1954), which depicts a group of people connected by the restaurant that is their second home, the Cafe Julien. Both novels portray a New York that no longer exists and while they definitly aren't to everybody's tastes, those who relish a cynical and satirical view of humanity will want to check them out.

An old favorite

In a couple of weeks, I'm flying to Atlanta to visit my friends Felipe and Ricardo. My upcoming trip reminded me of one of my favorite books (and movies), GONE WITH THE WIND. I'm planning on seeing the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, where Mitchell wrote her one novel. I'm sure we're all familiar with the plot and characters: Tara, the Civil War, the burning of Atlanta, reconstruction, Scarlett O'Hara, Rhett Butler, Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Hamilton. As famous as the novel is -- one of the best-selling novels of all time, it went through twelve printings within two months of publication -- I'm sometimes surprised how many people have not read it. If you are one of those who hasn't read it, you should; and if you have read it, it's worth a re-read. Like all great novels, the themes found here are broader than the specific time and place of the plot. The struggle for survival in a period of complete war and devastation are timeless and Scarlett O'Hara is one of modern literature's most memorable characters.

For true GWTW fans, the library also has MARGARET MITCHELL'S "GONE WITH THE WIND" LETTERS 1936-1949. Collections of letters aren't always easy to read since they're often filled with people and incidents unfamiliar to the reader. This collection is different. Because it prints only letters having to do with the writing and publication of GWTW, the focus is much narrower. Mitchell was a prodigious letter writer and after the publication of her great novel, spent much of her time simply responding to fans. As the frenzy over the novel and movie grew, her life was almost consumed by her correspondence. This is truly a fascinating picture of how one of last century's best-loved novels came to be written.

Atlanta, I'll see you in a couple of weeks!