Book Review: The Women- “Remembrance Mattered”

The Women by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Not bad. The story has an interesting, but not original premise*:
Frankie wants to get her parents’ (especially her father’s) approval. Green and naive, she becomes an army nurse and ships off to Vietnam. Why? Her brother’s friend, the wise and dreamy Rye tells her “Women can be heroes”. Gradually she realizes what a serious decision she made but still clings to her dream of making a difference in the world:

Back in the world, when Frankie had told her friendsthat she’d hoped to make a difference over here, hoped to make her family proud, they’d rolled their eyes and acted impatient with patriotism…” p. 52

Once she returns stateside, she has trouble reintegrating into everyday life, suffers from PTSD, and develops other side effects from the trauma. Eventually, after several personal setbacks and near disasters, she starts to heal.

However, I have some issues with the book. Some of the story beats are too coincidental. I won’t spoil the story, but I noticed it early in the book, on page 19, and several other imes. I consider this lazy storytelling.
There are also some eye-rolling moments. For instance:

Ethel stood in the midst of the chaos like an Amazon goddess, directing traffic, poistioning the casualties, pointing out what to do with the wounded.”

(p. 26)

Had it always been like this? Had mom always been a shadow woman, held together by vodka and hair spray?”

(p.230)

I will come clean: I really did not like Frankie. There were points where I wanted to throw the book against the wall! I wrote notes to her: “BE ANGRY, NOT DRAMATIC!” but she did not listen to me. She kept making poor choices. Oh Frankie, when will you ever learn! And from my earlier description of him, I didn’t like Rye either. His charm and good looks are just a facade, Frankie!

Also, too much vomiting. Why?! As I have pointed out in previous blog posts, “Once is unnecessary, more than once is a big turn-off for me. Find another way to show that a character is upset. Need I say more?”

In contrast, some passages brought tears to my eyes. For instance, her interactions nursing wounded soldiers and the native children were heartwarming.

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  https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=VA053676

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  https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=VA057233

Frankie’s interaction with the native children on MEDCAP trips was the only insight into the local life. This seems culturally insensitive, Hannah keeps the story mostly centered on the insulated life of the medical center. From nights of non-stop incoming wounded (known as “MASCAL) bombings, or downtime life for Frankie revolves around the doctors and nurses, blood and guts…all playing out to a soundtrack of late 60’s music.

The Vietnam Jungle, Photo by Micah Camper on Unsplash

I was disappointed in the ending. Why must Frankie be saved by a returning, albeit broken prince? Hannah does this in other novels. For a novel that is supposed to be empowering for women, this ending is, in my opinion, contradictory as well as implausible.

It makes for a good book club choice. Some people found the book engrossing, others agreed with me, especially about the ending.

*My final thought: This is a well-intentioned story that is a cross between Mash and China Beach but with less likable, less developed characters.

And there it was: remembrance mattered. She knew that now; there was no looking away from war or from the past, no soldiering on through the pain.”

(p. 464)

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Book Review: Kitty Karr needs an editor!

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There are two types of people in this world, Mary: people with time to sit under the trees, looking up at the sky and pondering life… and those who end up hanging from those same trees, looking down on the life they might have had, had they been born different. You were born different, by the grace of God, so you get to choose.”

p. 52

I was very hopeful for this book. Although not completely original, the book’s description had all the ingredients for a novel that would tackle issues of race, fame, birthright, and family… just to name a few. Would it answer questions such as “At what price Hollywood?” and “What is racial identity? What does it mean to be Black/White?”

I say this because this debut novel promised to mix elements of “Passing” by Nella Larsen, “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett, and “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid as well as “A Star is Born” from the fresh voice of Crystal Smith Paul.
Unfortunately, poor editing, problems with continuity, and flat characters made it a disappointing BOTM selection.
I will give some examples.
1. Confusing/ poorly written lines:
“Elise never went to sleep, and she wasn’t the only one.” (p. 1.) That evening? Habitually?

“Nathan had been obsessed with his wife and never embraced her professional life outside of acting,” (p. 90) What does that mean? It is never explained.

“Some said she stared, but if you knew her, you understood her interest was a compliment- most people she just looked right through.” (p. 352) Huh?

Taking water from the filtered tap… (OK, we know they are rich. Of course, the water is filtered.)

“Elise was, however, the most unusual-looking of the trio, with eyes that changed from dark blue with her moods. They’d been steel gray for weeks now, unenthused by life.” (p. 10) Was Elise unenthused, or were her eyes unenthused?

2. Continuity- many instances but I do not want to spoil the story, so I will provide minor examples:
On one page the character is wearing a dress with a lace collar, but on the next, she is adjusting her suit jacket. I know this seems silly to point out, but it is distracting.
As well as:
“Elise never went to sleep, and she wasn’t the only one.”
“Sara slept so much Elise had usually felt compelled to check on her…” Wait..what?

3. Grammar mistakes:
“My momma raised Laurie and me up in the same way…” (p. 211)
“They met every week to trade information, organize and fellowship.” (p. 235)
“How does her gifting her estate to my sisters and I seem like coercion?” (p. 372) This one had two errors! Yikes!!

4. Unrealistic or confusing story beats… I can’t include examples unless I include spoilers… but I did make a note of them! (For instance, the whole concept of the Blair House was hard to buy into., and all the machinations were hard to follow) This kept me looking back through the book to clarify the facts/timeline in the story.

One, thing, in particular, is confusing… Nathan and Kitty work on “The Misfits”, a movie by Telescope Pictures, a fictional studio. Perhaps the author and editors did not know that this is the name of a real movie, released in 1961, written by Arthur Miller, and directed by John Huston, starring both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable (the last films for both stars). I kept thinking that this would develop into a relationship between Kitty Karr and Marilyn Monroe or Clark Gable.

5. Flat characters… Elise and Kitty are somewhat developed, but the rest of the characters are one-dimensional and forgettable.

Elise starts out rather shallow and does grow (a bit) but is unlikable until the end:

with ten years of acting and five hundred million dollars in box office sales under her belt, Elis’s life hadn’t belonged to her in years. Sometimes the emotional restraint it took to conceal her unhappiness was just a hair away from masochism.” (p. 4)

good luck finding an available seamstress to work on an eight-thousand-dollar gown hours before the Oscars. Refusing to panic, though she was starting to sweat… she stepped out of the dress and fetched the joint from the sill of the rose window. To the surprise of the room, after lighting it she offered it to no one, not even her sisters.”

P. 398

The author gives more insight into Kitty’s feelings and motivations., but not always:

“Kitty had uninstalled all the overhead lights because they reminded her of being onstage. The result was a tomblike environment Kitty found comforting.” (p. 89) Why? it is never explained.

6. Too much vomit. Once is unnecessary, more than once is a big turn-off for me. Find another way to show that a character is upset. Need I say more?

7. It became extremely political in places, which is ok, but readers should be aware before they pit. The ending seemed far-fetched, but hey, it’s fiction, and in fiction, we are allowed happy endings.

I was surprised that most readers were not bothered by any of this. It was a Goodreads Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2023) and Best Debut Novel (2023). Why get an editor… as the narrator observes:

The whole thing could come crashing down…But Elise had decided weeks ago to let the chips fall where they may- to wing it. She figured the details would work themselves out. That was the American way. “

(p. 401)

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Book Review: Havana Gold- “Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a boy who wanted to be a writer…”

Havana Gold by Leonardo Padura

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a boy who wanted to be a writer…His heroes were Ernest Hemingway, Carson McCullers, Julio Cortazar, and JD Salinger.” p. 111

At 35, Mario Conde, “the Count” laments the state of his life… a policeman who dreams of being a writer. How did he wind up in this life? He can’t understand it. He and his friends had such dreams…
This is the heart of the story…the murder of a teacher at Conde’s high school (“Pre-Uni) brings about reminisces of his time there. What could he and his friends be if they still had their time again?

Nobody can imagine what night-time is like for a policeman. Nobody can know what ghosts visit him, what hot flushes assail him, the hell where he simmers on a slow burner, or where fierce flames shoot around him. The act of closing your eyes can be a cruel challenge, conjuring up troublesome figures from the past, who never leave your memory, who return, night after night, with the tireless regularity of a pendulum. Decisions, mistakes, acts of arrogance, and even the frailties of generosity return like irredeemable sins to haunt a conscience marked by each petty act of infamy committed in the world of the infamous.” p. 26

This, and a new love brings about an existential crisis for the Count…

I dream I could dream other happy dreams, build something, possess something, hand something on, receive and create something: write. But it’s the futile delirium of a man who feeds on what has been destroyed, That is why a policeman’s loneliness is the most fearful loneliness: it accompanies his ghosts, sorrows, guile…” p. 28

This book, as well as the previous one in the series, “Havana Blue”, is not a typical detective novel. The crime is a McGuffin, a backdrop that helps move the story of the Count’s sorrowful tale of lost love, regrets, and dying dreams. As he reflects, “writing is very difficult, that writing is something almost sacred and even painful”, and that being a policeman has sapped all his emotional energy. Finally, there is this to contemplate…the Count’s rumination on death:

There is nothing,…the mere idea that man’s time on earth is a brief interlude between two voids has been humanity’s greatest source of anguish since it became conscious of its existence. That’s why I can’t get accustomed to death and it always surprises and terrifies me: it’s a warning that mine is getting closer.” p. 233

Creating something will be a way of leaving a legacy for the future. Would he ever write again? Will he ever become a writer?

He thought it alarming how easily heaven and earth could combine to crush a man like a sandwich about to be chomped painfully”. p. 285

5 stars and looking forward to the next book in the series, “Havana Red”. The translator is British and the translation reads well.

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Photo by Florian Wehde on Unsplash

Book Review: A Fall of Marigolds

A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love this book for so many reasons! To start, Susan Meissner is a gifted writer who creates characters that I care about as a reader. In this story, Clara and Taryn are women connected by a beautiful scarf and unspeakable tragedy. Both of their stories take place in New York City; Taryn’s in 2011 and Clara’s in 1911.
As a survivor of a tragic house fire, I related to both of their reactions to witnessing historic tragedy: the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, and the 9/11 Twin Tower collapse. Both women retreat into an “in-between place”. This is a common reaction.
The book also has a strong sense of place. Having worked in the World Trade Center, Meissner took me back to downtown NYC when writing about Taryn’s experience. Clara, a nurse at Ellis Island, interacts with immigrants suffering from scarlet fever. One of these is a tailor. I thought about my grandparents who came through Ellis Island during the same period, one of whom was also a tailor. This story fleshed out their experience for me.

I also liked how she used Keats’ “Ode to a Grecian Urn” as a means of understanding longing and loss. The poetry book itself is a McGuffin within the story, just to name a few.
Lastly, I love scarves. Having lost my collection in my house fire, family members have lovingly shared theirs with me. My new, small collection is dear to me because I can relate each scarf to the person who shared it with me, as do the characters in this book.

This might be what the marigold scarf looked like!

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Updated Book Review: Demon Copperhead

“Literature is a long conversation through time and space.”

Barbara Kingsolver

Although this book is intellectually stimulating and well-written, its bleakness can be depressing. 
In her introduction, Kingsolver speaks of the inspiration for this novel.  She had finished a tour for her last book and was grappling with the subject for the next one.  She knew that she wanted to write about opioid addiction.  She knew “any novel worth your time and mine should concern itself with the problems that keep us awake at night.” She just did not know how to present it.
In the introduction to the Barnes and Nobles Exclusive Edition, Kingsolver recounts how the story of Demon Copperhead came about. She was staying at an inn that was once Bleak House, the seaside residence of Charles Dickens, and was allowed to explore the house and even sit at the desk where Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield.  While looking out at the sea, she realized that this was also Dicken’s view while he wrote the novel that was “closest to his heart.”
She then had an “ethereal visit” and felt

“a ghost of outrage past, suggesting I was a coward if I couldn’t risk telling the stories that matter most.  Whether or not people want to hear about such things. It’s the artist’s job to make them want to hear.” 

Barbara Kingsolver

A voice told her: “Look to the child”.  Was this Dicken’s permission to rewrite David Copperfield to tell a tale of misery about the Appalachian mountains,  “a beautiful, rural place” in which she grew up, now a place where an entire generation of kids are growing up a product of families destroyed by prescription drug abuse.
With Dickens’ approval, she has it all here: every major character is rewritten in this tale of childhood trauma and eventual resilience.  If you are interested in comparing the original to this version, I recommend this link as a place to start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_Copperhead

David Copperfield (1935) Lobby Card

Reading the original is not a prerequisite for this book.
Just beware. This is not feel-good fiction. Along with an exploration of the opioid crisis in Appalachia, the characters discuss the economic tragedy brought about by the mining industry, the education system in the region, society’s denigration of their lifestyle as “hillbilly” culture, and the social/historical aspects of Melungeon people, and lastly, the role of art as a means for societal change.

Kingsolver feels that Dickens would approve. In her acknowledgments, she starts with the following paragraph:

“I’m grateful to Charles Dickens for writing David Copperfield, his impassioned critique of insitiutional poverty and its damaging effects on children in his society.  Those problems are still with us. In adapting his novel to my own place and time, working for years with his outrage, inventiveness, and empathy at my elbow, I’ve come to thinkof him as my genius friend.”

Barbara Kingsolver

Charles Dickens (Getty Images)

This book is a selection chosen for both book clubs I belong to. For the most part, the members of my book club liked the book. Some have read David Copperfield, but most have not. Some are now planning to read it. Several members were a little put off by the language. The author was looking for authenticity in her writing. Overall, this book provided content and style for a great discussion!
4 out of 5 stars not only for the utter bleakness of the book but for the ending!