Book reviews

I've been woefully behind on recording what I'm reading.  Not that it's particularly life-changing, or even worthy of an "aww" like kid pictures.  But I've heard from some loyal readers that they do occasionally read some of my recommendations.  So here goes.

Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman, a reread.  Still good, still pertinent.  Except that this time I have two kids, not one, so the chapters discussing siblings mean more.  My only wish is that she would spend more time on the "Bad Mother" guilt aspect of not spending as much time with the older children as with the baby.  Or who knows, maybe she didn't feel guilty on that score, and it's just me!

The Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt edited by Ruth Ellenson, another reread.  (Sensing a theme?)  I first read it in 2005 (I know because I wrote it as my "Jewish book review" on my HUC application).    She talks about things like marrying a goy, not calling your mother, not feeling connected to Israel, pepperoni pizza on Passover, pedicures on Yom Kippur, and more.  After rereading Bad Mother, I did a search on Ayelet Waldman and realized she had an essay in it.  It's just as good as I remembered. 

This I Believe: On Love, edited by Dan Gediman.  A series of 500-word essays, first heard on NPR.  It was part of my anniversary present and covers all kinds of love, from love for parents and children and siblings, to love for places (e.g. the mountains or the house you grew up in) to love for teachers and food and truth and singing.  Some essays made me laugh, some made me cry, some I couldn't relate to it in the least.  Overall though, it was very worthwhile.

One Day by David Nicholls.  The most original love story I've read since The Time Traveller's Wife.  It's about Dexter, the rich party boy, and Emma, the brainy writer, who meet for the first time the day they graduate from college, on July 15th.  Each chapter is set in July 15th of the next year, so we follow Dex and Em's relationship for 20 years, through various jobs, lovers, and even when they're estranged from each other.  The perfect beach book.  Which explains why it's being made into a movie as we speak.

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell.  A much more serious book, about two female artists, one in 1950's England and one now.  Both are driven, dealing with careers and parents and men and babies.  Both women are fascinating characters in their own right, and as the novel progresses you see how they're connected.  Some excerpts I found unbelievably moving; her writing style is beautiful.  It reminded me of Dara Horn.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson.  This one is my favorite by far, I highly recommend it.  I was going to summarize it myself, but in creating the book link I realized that Amazon.com reviewer Jill Shtulman has already done it for me:

Major Pettigrew is a very proper and delightfully droll widower of 68 who resides in the quaint village of Edgecombe St. Mary in Sussex, England. He is the father of Roger, a posturing and preening young man who has incorporated none of the values of his dad. And he is also the accidental suitor of the proprietress of the village mini-mart, Jasmina Ali, a 50-something Pakistani widow who shares his love of Kipling and his wry look at the world in which they both reside. The two of them -- the quintessential local and the attractive outsider -- must navigate the gossip and outright prejudice of their stilted society. Helen Simonson writes, "He (the Major) had always assumed gossip to be the malicious whispering of uncomfortable truths, not the fabrication of absurdities. Was a life of careful, impeccable behavior not enough in a world where inventions were passed around as facts?" 

This is by no means "chick lit", nor is it hard-hitting politically correct narrative, couched in fiction. It is a charming English comedy of manners -- in places, a laugh-out-loud comedy. A scene, for example, where the atrocities of Pakistani Partition are reduced to a bad-taste dinner show or where the favored ducks of schoolchildren are chosen as prey for a duck hunt are satirical and spot-on. 

Yet despite its gentle humor, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand touches on many of the big issues: the clash of culture and religions, the greed of unbridaled globalization, the tension between fathers and sons...and families in general. At its heart, though, it is an old-fashioned love story. I couldn't help but stand by the sidelines rooting for the Major and his lady and keep my fingers crossed for their eventual coupling. The book is an ode for anyone who refuses to give up on life or love at any stage of life.

I couldn't agree with her more.  

I must say, I love not having any responsibilities this summer.  I can't remember the last time I was able to read like this, at the pace I wanted.  I do know that I'm going for lighter fare, because it's always hard on me to only stay at home; I've had Room and Sarah's Key on my shelf for a good long time now, but they seem too heavy.  Next up I think I'm returning to fantasy - "The Game of Thrones" on HBO has been garnering lots of attention and it's based on a book series which Antonio highly recommends.  New series, here I come!