On Female Friendships

Earlier this year I read Ann Packer's first novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier. I liked it. I mean, I wasn't that thrilled with the story but I liked the characters. So, I was interested when I saw that she had a new novel coming out. I liked Songs Without Words much better than the first novel, maybe because it is about a long-lasting friendship between two women. I really like novels about female friendship and this one is a good example.

Songs Without Words tells the story of Liz and Sarabeth. Liz and Sarabeth have been friends since forever but their friendship was really cemented when Sarabeth came to live with Liz's family after her own mother committed suicide. Years later, Liz's world is shattered when her daughter attempts suicide. On top of all the expected stresses, the suicide attempt nearly destroys the relationship between Liz and Sarabeth. I liked the story, I liked the characters. I thought this was an all around good book.


On another note, those of you who read this blog with any regularity have noticed, I'm sure, that I haven't been posting as often. A few things happened to change my blogging habits. For one thing, this blog has always been mainly about what I'm reading and I'm doing a lot less reading these days. Something about chasing a 15 month old around has cut into my regular reading time ;). I've also done some re-evaluating of my priorities. Between the time I spent reading and the time I spent posting about my reading, I realized I was really spending too much time on that stuff and not enough time on other important things. I still read as much as I can (which, if the latest NEA study is to be believed is significantly more than how much the average person reads!) and I'll still be posting at least a blurb about everything I read but it will be less than before!

Both sides of the story

I think The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta deserves a spot on my top ten list this year. It is definitely one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in months! The book really focuses on two main characters, Ruth Ramsey and Tim Mason. Ruth is the Human Sexuality teacher at Stonewood Heights High School. Last year, during a discussion about oral sex, she commented that “some people enjoy it” and set off a firestorm of controversy. School board meetings were held, jobs were threatened and, finally, the school board adopted the Wise Choices for Teens abstinence curriculum. So, this year Ruth find herself forced to teach a curriculum that she doesn’t believe in and stuck in a job that she dislikes more each day.

Tim Mason is a recovering alcoholic/drug addict who now belongs to the Tabernacle, an evangelical church that is one of the driving forces behind the new abstinence only curriculum. Tim coaches Ruth's daughter's soccer team. One morning, after a particularly challenging game, Tim leads the team in prayer, a move that angers Ruth.

So, Tim and Ruth seem to be natural adversaries but when they start talking they realize that they have more in common than either originally thought. I enjoyed this book a lot but I was pretty disappointed in the end and wish Tim's character would have made different decisions. Until the end I thought it was a pretty honest look at the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of the debate. It all seems to fall apart a bit at the end. Still, it was a good read...especially for fans of Perrotta's other work.

A Brave Escape and Cautionary Tale

The picture of Carolyn Jessop on the cover of her book, Escape, is really what drew me in. I hadn’t really heard about the book and don’t know if it is really the kind of book I would usually pick up. I’m glad I did read it, though. It was a very interesting and thought provoking biography.

Carolyn Jessop was born into the FLDS. That is, the Fundamental Later Day Saints. This is a Mormon sect that has been totally disavowed by the mainstream LDS. One of the main things that sets them apart is that they believe in and practice polygamy. They follow the instructions of their prophet and in the last 20 years the instructions of that prophet, currently a man named Warren Jeffs, have become more and more extreme. Carolyn’s book describes incredible abuse of women and children that is accepted on religious grounds. A woman can be abused by her husband for practically any “infraction” no matter how small and that abuse is justified by claiming that the wife is “out of unity” with her husband, her spiritual head. The women trapped in these situations don’t really know anything different and have been brainwashed to believe that the outside world is evil. The situation described in the book is one that I cannot imagine putting up with.

One of the things that really struck me about this book is how we are adjusted to whatever our family norm is. It took 35 years for Carolyn to finally decide she’d had enough and escape from her situation…and she is a rarity. Most women, even those who think things aren’t quite right, never actually leave, largely because they are afraid of eternal damnation. It also brought home to me just how important it is to be sure of my beliefs, careful about the teachers I listen to, and certain to check every sermon or instruction that I hear against the ultimate authority, the bible. I really enjoyed the book and thought it was a cautionary tale against blindly following a man instead of God and against fundamentalism of any kind.

On Love and Race

I finally ended my disappointing book streak! I don’t remember exactly where I heard about this book but a month or so ago I asked our acquisitions librarian to purchase The Splendor of Silence by Indu Sundaresan. As soon as I picked it up, I just could not put it down. One tiny fact about me before I really get in to reviewing this book: I love books about India. I am a junkie for books about India. I don’t know what it is, but India is a country that has always captured my imagination in a special way. I’m sure this colors my opinion about The Splendor of Silence somewhat.

The Splendor of Silence tells the story of Sam, a young U.S. Army captain serving in Burma during World War II. He receives word from his mother that his younger brother, serving in India, has been reported missing and is presumed to be AWOL. Certain that this is untrue and determined to find his brother, Sam goes to India for a short leave. In India he is confronted with the realities of racism when he falls in love with an Indian woman. The woman, Mila, is the daughter of the political agent and a relatively high class member of society. Nevertheless, an interracial relationship is totally unacceptable, in the eyes of both British and Indian people.

This love story is a big part of the plot and serves to illustrate the larger points about India on the verge of Independence. The author also makes a number of interesting comments about race relations in America at the same time. Sam often makes comments about the inequalities in India but, as is constantly pointed out, America at that time was full of the same kinds of inequalities. I really, really enjoyed this book. The story was gripping, the writing was lovely, and the characters were realistically flawed. I definitely recommend this one.

A Strong Finish

Earlier this week I told my mother that I considered reading The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig a particularly grueling form of torture. It is true; the first three quarters of the book are slow and painful to read. It does seem to redeem itself in the end and I did find myself enjoying the book. I guess the book just seemed to be ambling along, without any real plotline. Then in the final portion of the book there are two or three interesting stories that emerge. It is definitely an odd book. My mother loved it. I’m a little lukewarm about it. I guess it’s just a matter of personal preference.

The Whistling Season is told from the point of view of Paul Milliron. From time to time you get the feeling that he is reminiscing about his childhood but the majority of the story is told as though it is happening in the present tense. It all takes place in rural Montana and most of the story revolves around a new housekeeper for the Milliron family, a one room schoolhouse, and Halley’s Comet.

I thought the most interesting part of the book was the emphasis placed on the importance of one room schoolhouse and the main character's grief at their ultimate demise. He considered the country schoolhouse to be a community center of sorts, a way of holding rural people together. That part really was lovely. Most of it, though, just seemed so plodding and pointless to me. I feel like I'm having really bad luck with books lately!

Predictable

Ann Brashares, author of the popular young adult series The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, recently released her first novel for adults, The Last Summer (of You and Me). Having really enjoyed the Traveling Pants books, I was excited to read this new book. It was good enough, a fast and entertaining read but I’ll admit that I wasn’t terribly impressed. I’m not sure why they decided to publish this as an adult title; I think it was a young adult book with slightly older characters.

The story follows sisters Alice and Riley and their friend, Paul. Alice, Riley, and Paul spent their childhood summers in the same Long Island town. Paul stops going there in his early twenties but, after 3 years away, he comes back for one final summer. As you have probably already guessed, a love affair develops between Alice and Paul and they both worry about that changing things with Riley. As with many young adult novels, one of the characters dies by the end of the book. It’s all just a little too predictable….enjoyable, but predictable.