The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark (1963)

Follows several young women (and their men) living in a London hostel at the end of the Second World War.

Book Review: The Girls of Slender Means was my first introduction to Scottish writer Muriel Spark (1918-2006), is one of my favorites of her books, and I think one of her best. It directly followed The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), her most successful novel, and may have suffered by comparison (although it sold well at the time). It is a quieter book, more subtle, perhaps smaller, but no less captivating and meaningful. Spark creates a credible sense of the feel of London during the War, of rations, bombings, the distant image of King George VI and the two princesses, and the Bomb. It is a time of two worlds, as the past fades into the new reality to come. The young women live in a hostel "for the Pecuniary Convenience and Social Protection of Ladies of Slender Means below the age of Thirty Years." The setting of The Girls of Slender Means is similar to the usual boarding school story (sharing clothes and food), but about women just a bit older as they try to make a living in London and meet men: "It was a miniature expression of a free society ... a community held together by the graceful attributes of a common poverty." Spark's description of the various inhabitants, each unique and fascinating, is charming and irresistible. One of the women works for a publisher (as did Spark) who tells her, "Always think of authors as your raw material, Jane." In her spare time Jane attempts to elicit lucrative, hand-signed letters from authors such as George Bernard Shaw and Dylan Thomas. I adore Spark's writing. She's always precise, intelligent, unsentimental, and elegant: "She spoke soothingly, as to a child who had just been prevented from spooning jam into the stew." Her razor humor is here as well. A mostly calm novel, but with moments of sudden or almost unseen horror. As is often the case with Spark there is a quiet religious theme here, but never overbearing or presumptuous. A young poet, captivated by the collage of women in the hostel, finds himself and his life's meaning through their varied aspects and elements. He and the women confront, or choose not to face, a backdrop of eternity, the inevitable, and eternal truths. "A vision of evil may be as effective to conversion as a vision of good." But never fear, it's also simply a memory of certain people in a certain time and place, evoking London in wartime. Although The Girls of Slender Means will be too quiet and subtle for some, for those in a reflective mood it will be rewarding and intriguing.  [4½★]

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (1989)

A multi-generational, historical-fiction, epic that uses the constrcution of an English cathedral circa 1100 CE as the focus for a number of revolving stories about an interconnected cast of characters.

Book Review: The Pillars of the Earth is long, but goes by quickly. This is good, old-fashioned story telling. Not brilliantly written, no hidden meanings, just a plot-heavy, fast-reading monster of a book. Character development is not the point. Cliches abound and are common as dirt. The cliches tend to grate on my snobbiness, but do little harm. They're easy to understand, go by quickly, and are often shorthand for concepts that might require lengthier explanations. Listen to public speakers (even in, say, Ted Talks) who often use cliches and common sayings in their presentations. They're used for the same reason: to move the discussion quickly, to encapsulate ideas, to provide a general basis of understanding. As the story's the thing, character development isn't the point. Story telling: a riveting story in which one wonders what comes next and what will happen to the characters we care about, while hoping the characters we hate get their comeuppance. In The Pillars of the Earth we have un-nuanced, purely evil villains. The chief bad guy is a (literally) sadistic, murderous rapist. Our primary hero is a saintly and unrealistically chaste monk whose primary fault is being a little too ambitious to see the success of his do-gooding, and who can become discouraged after murder and arson rule the day. While reading it seemed to me that Ken Follett had done extensive research, but a little checking on-line indicates that his accuracy is open to question, so I'll express no opinion on the matter. The plot does in fact, however, connect (awkwardly) to actual historical events of the time. I did wonder if The Pillars of the Earth is a male-centric historical romance. Georgette Heyer from a man's perspective. For the more delicate readers, Ken Follett's individual fetishes and obsessions are blatantly on display here. Although good story-telling, I won't be reading more Ken Follett.  [3★]

Morning Haiku by Sonia Sanchez (2010)

A series of haiku sequences that are as passionate as any poetry written.

Poetry Review: Morning Haiku is not made of haiku in any traditional sense. They are not in the common  5/7/5 syllable count nor do they contain other conventional aspects of haiku such as a seasonal word or reference. Instead these are haiku as written by Sonia Sanchez, short imagist and impressionistic poems that are always powerful and transcendent. They employ metaphor and other poetic techniques rarely seen in haiku. Some would say these aren't haiku at all (and I can see that), but no one can deny that these inscribed moments are heartfelt and overflow with passion that touches the bone. I believe every word. Unique to this collection is that it's written in multiple haiku sequences, such as ten, 14, or 21 poem series. Almost all recognize and are dedicated to an African American (and one Latina) artist or leader of her time. Jazz artists such as Max Roach or Ray Brown, singers such as Odetta or Sarah Vaughan, writers such as Toni Morrison or Maya Angelou, painters, politicians, peace workers and more. What I especially appreciated is that although some of these touch dark lows in remembering those who have passed (Emmett Till), others celebrate the ecstatic joys, highs, and feelings of lives fully lived, and celebrating those who gave so much (Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan). In Morning Haiku we get how Sonia Sanchez sees these folks, her vision, which may not match your own, but she shares sensation, rapture, and strength. For jazz drummer Man Roach she wrote "your hands/shimmering on the/legs of rain." For a friend she says, "You held us/with summer stained/smiles of hope." I don't know what a summer-stained smile is, but I get it. For blues and folk singer Odetta (one of the best sequences): "saluted our/ blood until we were/ no longer strangers." For jazz bassist Ray Brown: "hammering/ nails into the/ off ... beat." Other favorite suites of haiku were "haiku woman" and the concluding 9/11 poem. In her introductory "haikuography" Sanchez remembers that when she read her first Japanese haiku she "slid down onto the floor and cried and was changed. i had found me." Morning Haiku is Sonia Sanchez writing herself, her own Western, her own American, haiku. Straight from the hole in the soul, her recognitions of the world and the people in it.  [4★]

Hunter of Stories by Eduardo Galeano (2015)

The last book by the great Uruguayan writer, a collection of myriad tiny epiphanies about our world.

Nonfiction Review: Hunter of Stories is an inaccurate title. Eduardo Galeano (1940-2015) doesn't just hunt stories, he captures stories and polishes them into little glowing nuggets of truth. This book consists of many, many brief notes, a paragraph or three (rarely more) about political, social, and religious history collected and selected by the Uruguayan writer. Here the parts seem greater than the whole, like standing too close a pointillist painting, but there are many elements I enjoyed about Hunter of Stories. Although Galeano finds his inspiration all over the planet, the greater focus is on America, by which we mean the Americas. Today while "America" is common and widely accepted shorthand for "The United States of," I appreciate how Galeano uses "America" to illustrate the commonalities of our history on this side of the globe, while never forgetting the peoples who were here before the Europeans arrived (taught that Balboa was the first to see both oceans simultaneously, a young Galeano asked, "Miss, were the Indians blind?" His brief stories shine light on history, on corporate greed, the environment, women's rights, philosophy, imperialism, climate change, oppressive governments, and soccer as well as indigenous myths, legends, and tales (some tall). If any of these issues speak to you, you will find a moment of inspiration in Hunter of Stories, something collected just for you and you'll learn something. I did. Some stories are about Phillis Wheatley, Franco, Garbo, Agatha Christie, Lenin, and endless more. It's all about our shared humanity and history. Moments of wisdom: Pepe Barrientos's mother said, "Pity the poor souls who spend their lives comparing themselves to others." Galeano himself describes it as "a will for justice and an urge for beauty, unbound by the borders of maps and time." An indescribable book, you must find it for yourself. [3½★]

Everybody Behaves Badly by Lesley M.M. Blume (2017)

The backstory of how The Sun Also Rises came to be written.

Nonfiction Review: Everybody Behaves Badly is a well researched, well written account of how Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) came to write his best book and the first popular modernist novel. Subtitled "The True Story Behind Hemingway's Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises," it's just that, and notes at the time it was considered virtually unpublishable and "morally sordid." Lesley Blume delves deep into the real people involved and the characters they became. She carefully explains (and insightfully speculates about) what is autobiographical and what isn't. Blume also analyzes the literary and historical significance of Hemingway's first serious novel, clarifying the "iceberg theory" and making the necessary connections to the First World War. She details the checkered publishing history that led up to the The Sun Also Rises, without sugar coating the author's habit of biting hands that he'd formerly kissed: "Hemingway had a little bit of poison for everyone during this time." She also addresses the shades of anti-Semitism prevalent at the time reflected in the novel. Everybody Behaves Badly is exhaustive, educational, and entertaining. Maintaining an all-too-rare level of journalistic integrity, Blume keeps the spotlight off herself while writing a virtual biography of Hemingway's early writing career. This book makes a fine companion to Mary Dearborn's revelatory, stereotype-shattering 2017 biography of the author. Blume notes Hemingway's willingness to "compromise ... an almost aggressively masculine image ... he would not hesitate to challenge that image if doing so would serve his art." Everybody Behaves Badly is an excellent next read for anyone who's recently finished The Sun Also Rises. This is nonfiction that gives the original a run for its money, while letting slip that Hemingway was just a big ol' gossip.  [4★]

Black Betty by Walter Mosley (1994)

Once again Easy Rawlins is hired to find someone in the black community, though this time it's a woman he knew long ago.

Mystery Review: Black Betty is the fourth of the Easy Rawlins mysteries, which began set in the late '40s (Devil in a Blue Dress) and we're now up to 1961 (five years after the previous book, White Butterfly). Along with providing gritty crime thrillers, the series is incidentally a history of black life in America, or at least a black man's life in Los Angeles. Here we learn what life was like then, events concerning King and Kennedy, and even a memory of Huckleberry Finn. We also see the state of rage and mercy in this particular man. He's changed neighborhoods, relatives have left, his family being both a state of grace and a source of sorrow. Easy Rawlins is tough, but with exasperating flaws that will cut him down to size. Mosley continues the legacy of L.A. detectives (Rawlins is a detective, he just hasn't yet admitted it to himself) such as Philip Marlowe and Lew Archer, and does it with a complexity and sensitivity they would've respected, and perhaps they could've even understood the anger. At the same time, the body count here is higher than is comfortable, but may well reflect the time and place, and certainly matches the unnatural greed to be found in America. Mosley writes about all that in Black Betty: "I realized that I'd always be surrounded by violence and insanity. I saw it everywhere ... even in me. That feeling of anger wrapped tight under my skin, in my hands." We see how the rich can control anything, how a wealthy family will do anything to stay wealthy, and how a web of greed can lead to a chain of deaths. Black Betty is another altogether proper installment in the series.  [4★]

Dance of the Happy Shades by Alice Munro (1968)

The first story collection by the Canadian future Nobel laureate.

Book Review: Dance of the Happy Shades seems fresh and new, many of the stories told from the perspective of children moving from innocence to experience, learning about life as things are, and not yet to the point in Alice Munro's later, darker stories where things are not always as they should be. Although the stories are set in rural Canada, she writes of universal experiences, captures those moments of humanity that afflict us all. Written in the Sixties, there is little of that era here, perhaps rural Ontario had not caught up to the cities. The stories are quick and to the point, well-honed and precise. Each detail and tiny observation speaks loud and clear. They're also subtle, letting readers reach their own conclusions, each story its own reward. None of the stories in Dance of the Happy Shades are as simple as they seem at first, yet none are more diffuse or difficult than they need to be. Most collections of short stories, especially first books, are uneven with a few duds spread among the gems. Here there's only one story ("The Office") that perhaps could've been left out. Yet Munro is such a talent I could see some readers picking that as one of their favorites, because talent is evident on every page. In a "Trip to the Coast" a young girl "accepted the rule of her grandmother as she accepted a rain squall or a stomach ache, with a tough, basic certainty that such things would pass." Another story, "Boys and Girls," sheds its layers as the narrator notes: "A girl was not, as I had supposed, simply what I was; it was what I had to become." Dance of the Happy Shades is one of Munro's lesser known collections, a hidden treasure that rewards the finding.  [4½★]