Setting the Bar

Jessica Darling is a hyperobservant, overachieving 16 year old in suburban Pineville, New Jersey. During her sophomore year, her best friend - Hope Weaver - moves away and goes to a private school.  With this uprooting, Jessica completely loses all of her moorings and beings to drift. She doesn’t feel like she belongs at school because she doesn’t fit in with the “Clueless Crew” and her parents pretty much ignore her, unless it’s to discuss her older sister’s nuptials (her mom) or her cross country career (her father).

When I initially got the book, I didn’t have the highest of hopes.  I actually judged the book by its cover and thought I was going to hate it because the cover was very, very bright - pastels and neons and there is a picture of a teenage girl on the front lounging on a bed.  I thought it was going to be one of those really stupid books, a la Sweet Valley High, but I was dead wrong. I actually kind of found myself liking Jessica, the main character because on some level, she could have been me or she could have been one of my friends, at least in high school. She was funny and smart and like me! The book itself was funny - Jessica’s observations were spot on and were witty. McCafferty has created a realm that is surprisingly realistic. While this isn’t likely to win any prizes - Pulitzer, Booker, etc. - it’s a really good summer, beach read.

Book 23/100

A group of forty somethings in this book by Anita Shreve gather together at a bed and breakfast in the Berkshires in Western, MA to celebrate the marriage of two of thier group.  This group has a connection - they all graduated from Kidd’s Academy in 1974 together. Bill and Bridget are the two that are getting married, after rediscovering each other 22 years after their relationship in high school. It’s a second marriage for both of them, each have children from their first marriages and Bridget is fighting breast cancer, and has a 50/50 chance of beating it. Nora, another classmate, owns and runs the inn that they marry at and is a widow. The death of a charming schoolmate- Stephen - hangs over the entire event. Stephen died at a drunken high school party and Harrison, who was in love with Nora (who was dating Stephen at the time) was his roomate. Harrison struggles with what he perceives to be his role in his roomate’s death, even though he has the seemingly perfect life - marriage, two children and a successful career with a publishing house in Toronto. Abrasive Wall Street businessman Jerry, now-out-of-the-closet pianist Rob, single Agnes (who teaches at Kidd and has a secret of her own) and various children round things out. These folks are supposed to be able to find themselves, forty years later, through the stunning revelations that are made during the weekend.

For Ms. Shreve, it’s either hit or miss.  When she hits, her novels and stories are phenomenal (think The Pilot’s Wife). Unfortunately, this book is in the miss category - it’s boring and slow and the metaphors are just plain boring. It’s too predictable - the revelations that are made can be seen coming and the actions taken by the characters are also very, very predictable.  For example, the characters constantly reminisce about their prior lives together. How many other books or movies have utilized this technique? Tons and most of them are much better than this book! The characters don’t come to any original conclusions on matters such as 9/11, adultery, second marriages or alchol abuse!  It was the same stuff that we’ve all heard over and over again in prior books. The plot line and characters just weren’t developed or resolved enough for my tastes, even though I liked them.

I just had a hard time getting into this novel and connecting with the stories and characters. You can pass on this one.

Book 22/100

I don’t remember where I saw my first review of The Help by Kathryn Stockett but I’m really glad that I saw that review and decided to get the novel out of the library. I even had to wait a few days before reviewing it because it had such a tremendous impact on me.

This novel takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960’s - 1962 and 1963 to be exact (and apparently, the author also hails from Jackson herself!!). The novel centers around three women - one white and two black - who take a very dangerous step in the fight for racial equality between blacks and whites. Black maids pretty much ran white households and raised white children, even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed them from bondage 100 years before. These maids, although worked to the bone, were paid pittances and given even less than that in credit for the hard work that they did. The segregation and the inequality was so bad, that they were often forced to use separate bathrooms because their white employers were afraid of catching diseases from them (!!!!!!). Ms. Skeeter, one of the white women of privilege, defies the stereotypes for women of her age and day in many ways - she graduated from college, at 23 she is unmarried and writes a weekly column and wants to become a professional editor at one of the big editing houses in New York.  She comes up with the idea to write a narrative of stories taken from the stories of the maids that work for the white people in Jackson. Abileen and Minny are two of the black maids that are instrumental in convincing other maids to be interviewed by Skeeter, even though the risk to them and their families is tremendous. These women risk physical violence as well as financial hardship - essentially, they could get fired and blacklisted among the other white families in the area - if rumors of their cooperation get out.

I loved this novel. I loved the characters and the issues that they faced. I admired them for standing up for what they believed in, even though it could lead them to become social pariahs and could harm them and their families in many ways.  The writing was wonderful and the plot phenomenal.  I was so sad when I turned the last page, that I actually cried, these women and their struggles were that real for me.

Definitely rung out and get this book!

Book 21/100

As most of you know, I finished Persepolis last week. Persepolis 2 picks up where Ms. Marjane Satrapi left off in her previous autobiographical graphic novel. In this novel, we meet Marji in Vienna, Austria, where she is attending a French school and living on her own, separated from her parents who are still in war-torn Tehran. As she tries to integrated into Western culture, specifically Austrian culture in the eighties, she experiences a loss of identity.  She remains fiercely proud of her Iranian heritage in the face of prejudice and ignorance and misinformation, but becomes very, very depressed in doing so.  She somehow manages to retain her fierce intensity in the face of suicide attempts, illness and divorce from an Iranian man, which is taboo!

Again, Ms. Satrapi has done a magnificent and powerful job conveying her lifestory with minimalistic but yet powerful and beautiful art! She somehow relates to us the struggles of immigrants in foreign countries and women in a fundamentalist Islamic society, where a single strand of hair or lipstick can be the basis for an arrest and divorce is considered a mortal sin! She is honest and endearing and funny and empathetic and candid.  Her story tugged at my heartstrings! She uses cutting wit - wit that sears the message into both your brain and heart - to tell her story and I appreciated this very, very much. For instance, there is a scene later in the novel after she has returned to Tehran. She is running to catch her bus because she’s late and she is stopped by the morality police who tell her to stop running because the movement of running makes her butt move in ways that they consider obscene. She yells at them “Well then don’t look at my ass” and continues to run to catch her bus. I loved this - such a simple interaction conveys so many messages: how women’s bodies are controlled etc. It’s wonderful! This book and its predecessor are books that all should read and should read multiple times!

Book 20/100

Fire is a 1996 film directed by Deepa Mehta and starring Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das. It is very, very loosely based on a story by Ismat Chugtai called The Quilt. Of note, it is the first Indian film to show homosexual relationships. The movie takes place in Delhi, India and at the center of it, is a Hindu joint family, which runs a video and fast food store in the first floor of their two story home. The main characters are the two daughters in law that have joined the family through arranged marriages - Sita (played by Nandita Das and who is married to the younger of the two brothers - Jatin) and Rhada (played by Shabana Adzi and who is married to Ashok, the elder of the two brothers). Both marriages are very, very unhappy and very, very unhealthy. Jatin feels forced into marriage, so he ignores Sita and continues to see his Chinese girlfriend. Ashok has decided to become ascetic after two doctors told the couple that Radha was infertile. He uses Radha to test his celibacy and has done so for 13 of their 15 years of marriage. They have separate beds and he forces Radha to sit there in order for him to overcome his desire for her. The two women turn to each other for solace and support and eventually, become lovers.  They are discovered by Ashok, who is tipped off by a servant.  This movie details their relationship and their eventual uncovering.

What was interesting was the reception that this got among the masses in Indian society.  While the film passed by the censor board without being touched, there were mass protests and theaters were burned down. Some moviegoers were frightened away from seeing the movie, which was a shame because this was such a wonderful movie.

This movie was a searing critique of a social system that Deepa Mehta hates and considers oppressive to all women, but in particular to lesbians because women and homosexuals have no rights. In fact, there is not even a word for homosexuality in the Indian language, so the intersection of sexuality and gender really lead to lesbians being some of the most deprived citizens of the country in terms of rights and protections. There is no melodrama, but the critique is ther nonetheless and the subtlety and finesses is what makes the criticism that much more beautiful and powerful. The shots are beautiful as are the costumes that the characters wear.

The movie’s depiction of the physical affair between the two is very, very discreet. For instance, the only time that the audience ever sees any private parts is towards the end of the movie when a single, naked breast is displayed. The more shocking scenes depict a straight servant frantically masturbating to pornographic films while the store is closed and in front of the elderly, sickly matriarch of the family. The sumbolism of the names of the two main characters add to the beauty and power of the film and its critique of traditional Indian society. But what makes the movie all that more powerful is how perfectly normal and believable Sita and Radha are. They could be your next door neighbors. Because of the magnificent acting skills of the actresses, viewers can sympathize with the plights that they face - they are absolutely reasonable! What makes these women such fascinating actresses is that they use their entire bodies - their faces, eyes, mouth, shoulders etc - to convey a feeling and a scene. They aren’t just simply reciting lines.  It’s a whole body effort. This is a beautiful movie and I look forward to seeing more of Mehta’s films in the future.

This week was a rough week for me and, because it was such a rough week, I couldn’t handle much more than chick-lit and chick-lit lite at that. Mr. Maybe by Jane Green therefore fit the bill because it was absolutely mindless and didn’t take a long time for me to read.

Mr. Maybe is about a 27 year old PR representative named Libby Mason, who loves her career. She wants to marry a rich man who can afford to keep her in the style that she wants to be kept in - where she can go shopping at anytime she wants for anything that she wants (which is usually at the height of couture!). She always seems to be unlucky in love and has the most awful choice in men, until she meets Nick. Nick is seemingly perfect - he’s cute, a good lay, funny and personable. But he’s also got no money because he’s a writter who hasn’t sold his book yet let alone published anything else. He lives in a nasty apartment in a less than desirable part of the city. Once Nick dumps Libby, she turns to her best friend Jules and, on their night on the town, she meets Ed, an investment financier and they become a couple.

Gosh, I know that this was chic-lit, but it was absolutely trashy and awful.  Bridget Jones’ diary is better, and that’s not saying a whole lot. I didn’t like Libby or relate to her - she’s engaged to a man that treats her like shit, simply so she can get money and live in a big house in a nice area. It’s nauseating and pathetically sad. The plot line is sadly two dimensional and predictable.  You could see the ending coming one hundred miles away. I didn’t even laugh - this book isn’t funny. It just plain stinks. STAY AWAY!

Book 19/100

Marjane Satrapi constructed this graphic novel, originally in French, to depict her life in Iran during and after the revolution. I heard about this autobiographical novel from Books on the Nightstand, a podcast that I listen to regularly. Satrapi, who is the great-grandaughter of the Shah of Persia, is nine years old when fundamentalist Muslims overthrow the Shah and shut down schools. While her revolutionary, socialist/communist family and friends extoll the virtues of the overthrow, they learn that a totalitarian and fundamentalist state is taking over and their feelings chill markedly towards the new regime.

I read the whole book in probably one day. Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel because I’d never read a comic book before and I don’t generally have high opinions of them anyways - yes I’m a snob in that sense and maybe I’m missing out. Satrapi tells the story of a recent event in an unorthodox manner - with stark black and white cartoons that are pretty minimalist.  Her sense of humor also shines through in each story that she tells in part because she tells her stories through the eyes of a child. This first hand account also adds a humanistic face to history - it’s not just the facts. We can see the emotions that these actions had on people and, because of this, we can learn to empathize with these same people.

I am not Iranian. I have never been to Iran and I’m not sure if I ever will be able to go to iran in my lifetime. This novel helped me to gain a little insight into a whole lot of Iranians that were forced to leave the country in order to remain safe, because their viewpoints may have differed from those of the ruling party.  I can’t say that I will ever understand their experience, ever, but this novel helped me to at least begin the journey towards empathy.

For that reason, I think it’s a really wonderful and important work.

Book 18/100

The performances in this movie were what made the movie as good as it was, really. The setting is the Bronx, New York in 1964.  There were still lots of nuns around, as opposed to now, where, quite frankly, seeing nuns in the Northeast can be a rare occurrence outside of a few enclaves. Sister Aloysius, played by the wonderful Meryl Streep (who is untouched by many, many actors and actresses), presides over a very traditional Catholic school that is, surprisingly enough, coeducational - she is the principal and a very tough one at that. There are boys and girls together — I wasn’t sure that this was accurate but I could be completely wrong on this one. Philip Seymour Hoffman is Father Brendan Flynn, and his character is the more liberal priest at the school, and he cuts a stark contrast to Streep’s character. Sister James, the third main character, is played by Amy Adams and she is the young, fresh-faced and naive new eighth grade teacher at the school.  The premise of the story is that Sister James arrives in Streep’s office one day concerned about the relationship that has surfaced between a black male student (the only and first black student in the school) and Father Flynn because one day, Father Flynn took this student out of class for a private meeting in the rectory. When the student returned, he was acting strangely and moodily, smelled of alcohol and was upset. Later on, Sister James sees Father Flynn put the student’s undershirt into a nearby locker. Her vaguest concerns, which aren’t backed up by a confession by the priest or a statement from the student, cause a witch hunt to begin and allegations to be thrown around.

The acting talent is phenomenal - Streep and Flynn are flawless in their portrayals. However, even with the masterful acting, there are times when it feels like Doubt is eulogizing and preaching too much and that turned me off. I appreciate this movie as a defense attorney because it definitely addresses circumstantial evidence and what could happen when we rely too much on that.  But at the same time, this is something that may have been better left to the stage.

I heard about Lush Life on NPR and finally got it out of the library. The story takes place on the Lower East Side of Manhattan (lately, I’ve been on a kick of reading books set in Manhattan!). The book starts out with a murder - three aspiring actors are out bar hopping one night, celebrating one of the trio’s callback audition.  One of the trio is extremely intoxicated, to the point of falling down. As the three leave the last bar of the evening, they are held up and one is shot.  Of the remaining two, one is so drunk that he falls down and plays dead, and, of course, cannot remember a darn thing. The other runs off into an apartment and fails to call 9-1-1 and becomes the prime suspect. He is brought to the Police Department, where he is interrogated so harshly that when he’s finally cleared, he becomes even more bitter than he was before the shooting and refuses to help the police solve this homicide. As the novel moves along, he goes from being merely cynical to retreating into his own brain in a downright disturbing way. The novel is 400 plus pages of two detectives - Matty and Yolanda - who struggle mightily to solve the crime.

I became quickly and thoroughly engrossed in this novel because it is very, very readable. The dialgoue makes the pace much, much faster, although I found that I had to read every single word, or risk missing something and getting lost, even on the same page (I sometimes have the tendency to skim and speed read through - I couldn’t do that with this book). I really enjoyed how Price developed the nuances of people’s lives and how realistic his portrayal of daily life was.  How the characters reacted was realistic and not beyond the realm of what could happen, given the circumstances. For example,  Billy Marcus, the victim’s father, has a particularly close relationship with Matty Clark, the lead detective on the homicide. Through Matty’s eyes, we see Billy’s deterioration, which, believe me, is much like the deterioration that the family members of homicide victims face, especially when the death of their loved one remains an unsolved priority. Also, Eric Cash’s reaction to being mentally abused during his interrogation was eerily realistic too. 

I generally enjoyed the grittiness of this novel but wouldn’t necessarily purchase it for my personal library.

Book 17/100

I read about this book in one of my book review blogs and I was happy that I found it. Judith Matloff is a journalist, first and foremost. She was a foreign correspondent in some of the toughest spots on earth including Somalia and Chechnya. She rounded out her career as the head of the Christian Science Monitor in Moscow. She had a mid-life crisis of sorts during a particularly brutal trip to Chechnya that involved her unfortunate miscarriage during the trip. As a result of that crisis, she and her Dutch husband, John, opted to purchase a home in West Harlem, NY. This purchase of a former crack house, that gives new meaning to the term “fixer-upper,” gives her a front window view of the narcotics trade in perhaps what was once one of the worst neighborhoods in New York City. She documents her renovation of her home and her interactions with the people in the neighborhood.

I loved reading this book. It flew by way too fast and I didn’t want it to end. It made my workouts go by really quickly too because I would get so  engrossed in the book that I would forget that I was working out (no easy task, I promise you!). Ms. Matloff obviously has a core of steel - something that I truly admire and wish that I could have myself. She had compassion, though, at the same time - which probably would have made her a kick ass public defender! This book simply isn’t her complaining about the drug trade though - what I loved was how she brought the neighborhood to life without sounding smarmy or too high on herself.  I loved her wit, her writing style and how she developed the relationships. 

This is a wonderful read that was well written and just the right length.

Book 16/100