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Unique writing style brings story to life

By Kate

On January 18, 2010

In books, reviews

Book Review of “Ellen Foster” by Kaye Gibbons

“When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy.”

That’s the first line of Kaye Gibbon’s noel “Ellen Foster.” How could you not read on?

“Ellen Foster” is the story of Ellen, a little girl with a hard childhood and how she finds her way to a safe place. Ellen lives with her ailing mother and abusive father. She watches as members of her family kill themselves or die of old age, leaving her more and more alone. But Ellen is an industrious little girl who is not about to let her future just happen. She develops a plan and sees it out so that she can end up somewhere safe, surrounded by people who love her.

Gibbons tells Ellen’s story in first person and while there is dialogue, she uses no quotations. Words, thought and narrative flow into each other to form a fluid story to wade through. In many tale this would be difficult, but “Ellen Foster” is just a short novel and so much of the subject matter is painful reading that I think the challenging writing style helps distance the reader.

A quick read, “Ellen Foster” is an engaging story and it would be difficult to finish and not like Ellen.

Okay… Only If You Like the Writing Style

By Kate

On January 15, 2010

In books, reviews

Book Review of “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home” by Rhoda Janzen

The most recent venture of my book club was “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home.” I missed the meeting where this book was selected so had no idea what to expect when I headed out to the bookstore. The sales lady pointed me in the direction of Women’s Memoirs. “Wow!” I thought. “Book club is going high brow!” Not exactly.

I don’t want to suggest that “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home” is low brow, smutty or anything of that ilk. In fact, the author writes from her own recovering Mennonite, very educated, academic perspective. Her word choice is carefully crafted and impeccable, though at times forcing the reader to his or her dictionary.

It’s her style that made it not high brow. I wish I knew how to explain that in more specific terms. But I don’t. And I didn’t like her style. I dig editorials. I read several blogs religiously. I like writers who write in the same way I imagine they speak. It makes me feel like I am having a conversation with them.
I suspect that for many reader, they will feel like they are having a conversation with Rhoda Janzen throughout “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home.” But me, I wanted to cut the conversation short.

Precious: Heartbreaking but Beautifully Done

By Kate

On November 23, 2009

In reviews

Review of the Movie “Precious“

Me and Work-Out-Queen went for pizza and to see the movie “Precious” on Saturday night. Both of us were totally ignorant as to the plot but intrigued by the buzz around the movie. I think, perhaps, our ignorance served us well. I know I was much more open to the movie and was able to be swallowed whole by the enormity of the emotional storyline.

Pretty much from the opening scene I was hooked by the sincerity of the character Precious and in awe over the violence she experiences. Too many times Work-Out-Queen and I shut our eyes or turned our heads to shield ourselves from what was happening onscreen. How nice for us to have that privilege, right?

And that, the thought that I experience privilege, is the takeaway that I have been trying to process. I am at least partially away of the privilege I have based on the socioeconomic status. Scratch that. I am intellectually aware of the privileges I am awarded just by being the color I am and being raised in the social class I was born into. But, in large part because of those privileges, I don’t think about it. And watching “Precious” called into question so many things I take for granted. There were parts of the film I related to, though I may never explain to a living person why, but for the most part Precious’s experience was completely foreign to me. And the fact that anyone has that sort of childhood baffles me … pains me … makes me feel insignificant in the work I do when I could be doing something to make a difference and positively affect change.

And that’s where I sit now: reconciling the feelings in my head and trying to figure out how to interpret them into action. It’s a good thing. And if more people end up in the same place, then “Precious” has accomplished so much.

Complete Aside: This make more sense after you see the movie, but it seems to me that parents should take a more active role in researching the plots of movies before bringing their very young children with them to the theatre. I might disagree with others on the appropriateness of violence or foul language, but I think I am in the majority when I say that films showing child rape scenes are not appropriate for young kids.

He had me, until the ending

By Kate

On November 9, 2009

In books, reviews

Book Review of “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown

My brother really enjoys the Die Hard movies. I don’t bring this up because I think it’s his greatest quality. Quite to the contrary, I think it calls into question a lot about his taste. But it’s hard to blame the guy for falling prey to action-packed movies with lots of thing blowing up and a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. He’s not watching the films for something to ponder later. he’s watching them for the immediate gratification of watching Bruce Willis save the world. It’s the same reason I reach for a Dan Brown book.

As with his past novels, in “The Lost Symbol” places Robert Langdon in a matter of national, even international, importance. At the risk of his own life and those of many around him, he must rely on his knowledge of symbology to save the day. And spoiler alert: he does. And it’s great. (It’s even better if you are home hungover and have time to read about 400 pages in one day.)

I think Brown books are like doughnuts for me. At the mere sight of them I start to salivate and it takes all of my willpower not to just shove one in my mouth. And when I cave and scarf it down, I love the taste but 30 second later I am unsatisfied and guilty. Brown is consistently writing books that entertain me. I cannot put the books down and end up leaving dents in whatever chair / couch / bed I park myself on for hours on end. And almost always he has me until there very end when I close the book and wonder where my time went and acknowledge that the time spent was not worth it.

“The Lost Symbol” is particularly interesting to me. It focuses on Freemasons and all of the lore surrounding them. I am used to hearing conspiracies that make the group in question something to be suspicious of. Brown treats the Masons with nothing but respect and in his words, they became intriguing and admirable. I loved the inclusive nature of their organization as it pertained to religion and was impressed that, to the extent that Brown’s details are accurate, they can reach such a fine balance between religious and social.

And then the end. I won’t include a spoiler alert, but will say that everything I had been working up to and the impression I had of the Masons was for not. And I, the reader, was left unsatisfied and wondering where so many hours had gone.

Loving Frank: Wondering What is Left For Me to Love

By Kate

On November 7, 2009

In books, reviews

Book Review of “Loving Frank” by Nancy Horan

Nancy Horan’s first novel “Loving Frank” details the period of his life when he leaves his wife for one of his clients, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Per Horan’s intention, the star of the book is really Mamah. During the time period of this book, the early 1900s, she is ahead of her time in terms of her views on motherhood, women’s right and woman working. But as much as she must have challenged the people who lived alongside her, she challenged me, the reader.

I agree with Mamah (and Frank Lloyd Wright) that no woman can be defined solely by motherhood or by being a wife. I am grateful that my choice not to start popping out babies has not turned me into some outcast. (Not enough progress has been made on this front, though. I am challenged to defend this perspective regularly and frequently met with “Oh, you’ll change your mind.”)

I agree with the notion that you do your children no favors by staying in an unhappy marriage / job / life. All that results from doing so is teaching them that being unhappy is okay and they they too should strive for such discontent in their own lives. We do much better by trying to attain happiness and fulfillment.

Where I struggled with this book is that I found both Mamah and Frank Lloyd Wright, particularly Wright, so unlikeable.

While it is okay to teach your children not to settle for average but instead to strive for success, there are some responsibilities you have to them as your parents. In “Loving Frank”, Horan details all of the irresponsibilities of Frank Lloyd Wright. He leaves his wife and six children to travel to Europe and have an affair. He doesn’t pay his employees, particularly the young architects who need the money more than anyone. He alternates by giving women chance in architecture and shooting them down as mere draftsman. What is there for the reader to like about him? Is his only redeeming quality the collection of buildings he left behind? Because that leaves me liking his talent but still not the man.

I felt similarly about Mamah. I am happy she had the courage to go out and succeed in life, independently of her husband. I am happy she did not settle to be a stay-at-home mom if that dud not give her pleasure. But isn’t part of being a responsible adult owning up to the choices you make and acting responsibly about them? Horan writes of Mamah leaving her kids to go to Europe and being grateful to her sister for watching the children. But not once do we read of Mamah portrayed asking her sister to watch the children. I know that sometimes things happen without a lot of forethought, even things like children. But it’s hard for me to accept the idea that it is okay to make children and to just leave them. Or more difficult for me to digest, to leave the children but assume that you have an open ticket to go back and reclaim them at any time.

I’m pleased that I completed reading “Loving Frank” and I do feel like I have better insight into Frank Lloyd Wright after having read it. I just wished I felt more love for him at the end of the story.