A Thousand Acres

Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1992. I remember seeing parts of the movie with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange and falling asleep. So my enthusiasm for this PP winner was pretty low from the beginning. The story takes place on a thousand acres of farmland owned by the Cook family. Larry Cook, the widowed father of three girls, sets the scene early as a successful, detailed, experienced man of the field who expects the same from those who work for him, namely his sons-in-law, Pete and Ty. Larry’s character quickly changes as he surprisingly decides to hand the farm over to his daughters and their husbands. Ginny, the oldest; Rose, the middle daughter; and Caroline, the youngest and the only one not living on the farm, are stunned by their father’s plans. Ginny agrees, to keep the peace, which is her nature. Rose agrees, to get the power away from her father. And Caroline lets her suspicions take over and nixes her involvement in the whole scheme.

What follows next is a family’s ups and downs lived out under the microscope of a small town. Marriages fall apart. Affairs begin and end. Characters plot to kill and others die. Children are shuffled back and forth. A father is seen for what he really is. Sisters lose their connections. Memories haunt the nights.

Smiley definitely has the plot going, after a rather slow start, down roads unpredicted by the reader. There are times when I wanted to say, “Jane, enough already … get on with the story,” after chapter-long rants about certain things relating to farm life, organic living, or character flaws.

My main complaint with this novel is the change of style mid-story. In the beginning, the story is a tale about the goings-on of the Cook family and the community around them. But in the middle, when the family is pretty much kaput, Smiley takes us into the mind of the narrator, Ginny. Not that this insight isn’t important but it doesn’t really flow. As the reader, I had to take a few looks back to figure out where I was. When the reader realizes that this is the style Smiley intends to use for the rest of the novel, the flow picks back up.

Overall, A Thousand Acres is a fairly moving portrayal of an American way of life in the farmlands. It makes you, as the reader, wonder just how many secrets are buried with the farm families of old.

Book Rating: * * *

Their Eyes

I haven’t been able to get a good habit of blogging about my reading yet. Which, as I’ve said before, is crazy considering I love reading and reviewing books. I guess all I can do is continue to strive for better, right?!

I finished Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston a few weeks ago. This is another one of those American novels that somehow I made it through my English degree (with an American lit concentration, no less) without reading. The novel was published in 1937 and received much controversy due to Hurston’s depiction of Janie, a young black woman, and her ups and downs in life with men.

Only in the last few decades has the book been noticed for what it truly is — a vivid, real portrayal of a woman’s heart and desires in a confusing world. Janie gets advice from her elders, who grew up in a different time and a different racial landscape than Janie lives in. But she follows their life and marries first for safety. This unhappy union plants a seed of bitterness in Janie for her grandmother and the older generation’s view of “love.”

Not long after marrying, Janie falls for Jody Starks and runs off with him. Jody values her beauty and puts promises into her head that she hasn’t heard before. She is convinced that this is love and she must have it. (Whether it is or not is for the reader to decide.) Janie and Jody run off to Florida and Jody quickly sets himself up in a new “negro town”  as the head, being elected mayor in his first days there. Critics say that this part of the novel is implausible, but Hurston stays true to her storyline and leads the reader on the road of building up a town with free people who were raised in bondage. What they want and what they do is based on each individual’s experiences — good and bad.

After Jody’s death, Janie falls quickly for another man, a younger man, called Tea Cake. Janie and Tea Cake look like love, and this reader believes that Janie has finally found what she is looking for. This relationship, however, like any, has its ups and downs, and ends tragically.

The novel is told masterfully, and Hurston does that thing that many writers only dream of doing — daring to go where others have not. I hope to read more of Hurston some day soon. I think my soul will be better for it.

Book Rating: * * * *

Reading Revival

With my recent move, most of my spare time before and after vacating my apartment was dedicated to packing and unpacking. Thus, my reading life suffered. But now that I’m more settled, I’ve been able to pick back up some Pulitzer Prize winners and a few others. For me, reading equals relaxation. (my lack of reading may give you a hint as to my level of stress during the move ; ) So back to a healthy dose of relaxing, right?!

The Fixerby Bernard Malamud (1967 PP winner) was a fairly quick read and pretty interesting. It’s the story of Yakov Bok, a fixer of things, about his useless life (as he sees it), his disdain for God and his Jewish religion, his accusation and arrest for a ritual crime that he didn’t commit, and his slow decline into madness. Yakov, after being abandoned by his barren wife, heads to a part of Russia in which Jews are not allowed to live. He changes his last name and comes into a rather well-to-do employment by virtue of helping on old, wealthy man when he fell (due to drunkenness). All of these elements of his new life seen as positive at first come back to haunt Yakov when he is accused of murdering a 12-year-old boy and draining his body of blood for his supposed religious rituals. Of course, the reader and Yakov know that he is innocent. But it’s Russia and he’s Jewish by birth so very little of the process is justified or based on fact. Yakov is kept in prison for two years before he is even allowed to see a lawyer or before he is given an indictment for the crime. It’s utterly unbelievable to the reader that such cruelty and violence can be inflicted on a man who is not even indicted yet. The novel ends in a way that leaves some feeling of dissatisfaction to the reader. I wish Malamud had continued. But so many times the author wants the reader to imagine for herself what comes next. Many times the author just wants to tell the story of the journey and not the destination. This novel was a great way to get back into my reading habit and back on track to reading all of the Pulitzer Prize fiction winners.

Book Rating: * * *

Did I Miss It? A New Winner

No, I didn’t miss the announcement of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction winner; life has just been that crazy! I’m moving, which means packing. I working a temp filing job, which means no daylight computer time. And I’m still just coming out of my no-fiction-for-Lent season.

SIDENOTE: Giving up fiction for Lent was probably the best, most sobering idea I’ve had in a long time. I never realized how much I use fiction as a comfort. During trying times – like losing my job in this crazy economy — I seem to long for a good fictional story. A story that will take me into another world and another’s life, if but for a few minutes, to keep my mind not so focused on the downs of my own life. And with losing my job, I had a LOT of extra time on my hands which made me want to get going a little faster on my quest to read all of the Pulitzer Prize fiction winners. BUT I stood my course and did not pick up any fiction until after Easter.

My first forray back to the fictional world actually took the form of Amy and Isabelle by the 2009 PP fiction winner Elizabeth Strout. Obviously this was a coincidence on my part. I had read a review of the book on another reader’s blog and thought I’d give this “new” writer a try. (I also had picked it up from the library hoping to make it my first of 25 in my Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge.)

The result? I put it down when I hit the disturbing middle. I guess some topics are too much for me to read in great detail. A teacher seducing a 15-year-old student is one of those things I can’t handle. Reading brings me joy, and if a book brings despair, I usually stop reading.

Of course, then I read that Elizabeth Strout had won the 2009 PP for her fictional work of short stories called Olive Kitteridge. This one I will read for the sake of my quest. I’m hoping that Ms. Strout doesn’t go into such disturbing detail again. Despite the topic of Amy and Isabelle, Ms. Strout is a fantastic writer, excelling in my most sought-after element of any literary masterpiece — character development.

My other love …

My other love besides reading is dogs. Find out how you can help beagles in need … just like my Bailey was at one time … read this:

http://mlhbeaglebrigade.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/rescue-a-beagle/

The Dogs of Bedlam Farm

The truth is I read Jon Katz for Jon Katz. Granted it helps that his favorite topic to write about is dogs and I love dogs. But I read his stuff anyway. Not because I feel like he has some great knowledge to share with the masses but more because he is a master of the written word. He can take a mundane story … not even a story … about walking up a mountain with his dogs and turn it into a masterful commentary about all that is wrong with the world and what is right about dogs with lyrical precision comparable to Bach himself.

The Dogs of Bedlam Farm  is a simple story about a man and his dogs. The writer happens to be there too, experiencing and observing and chronicling the happens of nature. There are times with my eyes were rolling continually at Katz’s self-focus and egotism but he redeems himself by the end. If you are a writer … and writers must study their craft … any one of Katz’s books should be required reading.

Book Rating: * * *

Rough Magic

I picked up Rough Magic: A Biography of Sylvia Plathby Paul Alexander at the suggestion of a friend. The book had been sitting on my shelf for years. I had bought it in hopes of reading it before I saw the movie Sylvia with Gwyneth Paltrow. But as of last month, I hadn’t read the book or seen the movie. Now, having read the book, I hope the movie is a lot better.

Alexander sets the expectations for this book by explaining that his primary source of information for his tale of Sylvia Plath’s life is her mother. If I had done my research before, which I didn’t, I would have changed my hopes for the book. Mrs. Plath, through Mr. Alexander, tells a very basic, surface story of Sylvia’s life. It’s factual. It’s simple. It’s missing a lot. From what I know now seen through my counselor lens, I wonder just how much denial encompassed Sylvia’s mother. Sylvia’s life, journals, novel, and, above all, poetry depict the heart of darkly disturbed woman who battled mental illness her entire 30 years. Sylvia’s inner demons had their outlet through her work and her actions. There is no doubt in my mind that Sylvia was very sick; however, her mother doesn’t want the world to remember Sylvia that way … and in her attempt to change the world’s views of Sylvia, she tells this story to Alexander. Like I said, it’s factual … and very boring.

There is evidence that Sylvia herself tried to hide her illness, her darkness, from her mother. Her letters to her mother don’t reflect the torment Sylvia lived with most likely on a daily basis. But don’t we all try to put on our best face for our parents? Did Sylvia’s mother even know the extent of her illness?

While I can understand Mrs. Plath’s dissatisfaction with the world’s view of her daughter, there is something to it that equals her mastery of poetry. Many very successful writers have those inner demons that are searching for outlets. We, as a reading public, have gotten some of the best pieces of literature by way of mental illness. That’s not said to lighten the load Mrs. Plath most likely carried her entire life — not knowing how to help her daughter or maybe not even knowing what was wrong with her daughter, but to say that Sylvia’s “madness” was a part of her writing, her triumph, as a poet.

Would I recommend the book? Not really, unless you are researching Sylvia’s life and want to read everything written about her. My friend who suggested the book also suggested that I read Sylvia’s published journals along side this biography. I may do that one of these days.

Book Rating: * *

Giving Up

I’m a little late in posting about a significant change in my reading habits … at least for the Lenten season. I decided to give up fast food and fiction for Lent. I have a tendency to get obsessed with reading fiction … mainly with the hopes of inspiration. I want to write a novel some day — whether for publication or just my own personal achievement. I love reading fiction that gets my writing juices flowing. In addition to that, I’m ready to be done with this challenge of reading all the Pulitzer Prize winning fiction (and I still have a LOT to get through).

All that equals a life caught up in reading fiction, fiction, and more fiction. Since Lent is a time to focus on Jesus Christ and his gift of salvation, I thought it would be good to dive into that stack of spiritual growth books that sits on my book shelf.

As of today, I’ve read one spiritual growth book, have almost finished a literary biography, and have started a book about life with dogs. Ok, so I didn’t stick to the spiritual growth books … but staying away from the fiction has actually been harder than I thought it would be.

Since I lost my job I’ve had a lot of time on my hands. The stack of unread PP winners has been calling my name. I have to turn away when I walk past them. But I hope to stick to my Lenten resolve … and get in a few more spiritual books.

As for the fast food, that one didn’t last a week. Lent started just as I found out that our company was closing. And let’s admit it, fast food is always the best comfort food during stressful times. Of course, now I’m trying to stay away from it for the sake of my shrinking wallet.

A March Round-up

March has been an eventful month — in reading and in life. I finished two Pulitzer Prize winners from two very different times. I enjoyed both of them, for the story and the masterful writing.

THE STORE (1933 PP Winner)

The Storeby TS Stribling, described by some as boring, surprised me. I thought it would live up to my impressions of many of the other early PP winners … no plot … hard to finish … etc. However, Stribling told an intriguing tale in this the second installment of his famous trilogy that caught me up in the lives of Post-Civil War Reconstruction Southerners. Then novel tells the story of Colonel Miltiades Vaiden, a once respected and revered man of the South, who faces a little bit different life after the Civil War. He lives in a rented house with a wife he doesn’t love, and longs to resurrect his name and status in the community. He does this by way of stealing some cotton — cotton he believes was stolen from his family long ago. Through this action, Colonel Milt opens a store and regains his wealth. Also, while grieving from the loss of his wife, he begins to court his former fiance who left him the night before their wedding. The woman he ends up marrying is the surprise of the novel, a little implausible for my 21st century mind but maybe more acceptable back then. You be the judge. This is a definite must-read if you are interested in the South and its history.

Book Rating: * * * *

FOREIGN AFFAIRS (1985 PP Winner)

Foreign Affairsby Alison Lurie is what I expected when I started this quest to read all the Pulitzer Prize fiction winners. Masterful writing, intriguing storyline, in-depth character portrayals, and a few twists and turns that bring shock to the reader’s eyes. Lurie’s award-winning novel tells two different stories about American professors spending time in England to conduct research.

Virginia Miner, “Vinnie,” is a 50+ year old single professor/expert in children’s prose. She loves England and couldn’t be more enthusiastic to be spending 6 months doing research in the country she now considers almost like home. Her flight to England appears at first as uneventful but quickly turns into a fateful meeting with a man who would change her life and leave it just as quickly as he entered it.

Vinnie’s story is wonderfully intertwined with a younger colleague of hers, Fred Turner, a newly separated poet and professor in England to do research on another tragic poet’s work . For everything that Vinnie loves about England, Fred detests. He doesn’t want to be in England and can find little to make him happy. That is until he meets the famous actress, Rosemary Radley at one of Vinnie’s parties.

Rosemary excites and refreshes Fred’s view on life and love. He quickly becomes obsessed with Rosemary, who turns out to have more inner demons than all of Lurie’s other characters combined.

This is a definite must-read for anyone interested in the inner lives of those in academia and in the wonderful, carefully crafted writing of a real-life professor.

Book Rating: * * * *

Also in March, I finished Prodigal Godby Tim Keller. Keller takes Jesus’ parable about the Prodigal Son and examines it through the lens of a heavenly father’s relationship with his different children. The parable is often looked at in light of the younger son’s greed, but Keller just as closely and critically (and forgivingly) looks at the heart of the elder brother and his hatred for the lack of punishment his brother gets when he returns from his sinful ways. Keller states, boldly and insightfully, that these relationships between father and sons is a symbol of our relationship with our Lord. We may be like the elder brother or like the younger brother, or maybe we are a little of both, but either way, we are all in need and in receipt of forgiveness without excuse, without punishment, without judgment … all because of Christ’s sacrificial life. Great book!

Book Rating: * * * *

You Wouldn’t Think

You wouldn’t think it by looking at the number of posts that I love blogging about my reading life. But I do. I love discussing the plot, characters, writing, etc. about every book I read … good or bad. I used to have a book club that I met with pretty regularly but it disbanded about two years ago. I wish I could get another book club going but there are so few people who want to commit to “one more thing.” I know the feeling – notice my lack of book blogs.

I currently have a back-log of 3 book reviews to blog – including 2 PP winners – and am almost finished with another PP winner. So in the effort to catch up, please forgive me if these three book reviews are rather short.

I first read The Optimist’s Daughterby Eudora Welty (1973 PP Winner) when I picked it for our book club. I am still surprised that I didn’t focus more on Southern Literature when I majored in English at a Southern university!

The first time around I didn’t really appreciate this book. I think I read it quickly and wasn’t really focused on it. This second time I took time and fully embraced the characters, their differences, and their unique relationship. Laurel is the daughter. Faye is the step-mother. Neither really know each other but they are both thrown into tragic circumstances when “The Optimist” dies. Laurel is the old South and Faye is not quite the same. The neighborhood supports Laurel, but Faye is the grieving widow who is left everything. Welty does an amazing job depicting family relationships, community strength, and the things that tear both apart. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the changing times the South has lived through and the impact on the different generations.

Book Rating: ****

I also finished Radical Womanhoodby Carolyn McCulley. I first became familiar with McCulley when I was turned on to her blog by a friend from church. Her blog used to focus on her life as a single Christian woman (which I am also) but has since evolved to living as a Christian woman in today’s world (me again!). McCulley changed her blog title from Solo Femininity to Radical Womanhood as the latter, she felt, more accurately portrayed her life. She was a self-described feminist in college and through her twenties, but when she turned to follow Christ, she struggled to see her feminist views in light of the Gospel. Did it have to be one way or the other? Christ or Womanhood? McCulley, in Radical Womanhood, shares some of that struggle and how she came to view her femininity through the Gospel … which she found was even more radical than being a feminist — as defined by the world. I recommend this book for all women, Christian or not … Feminist or not … Single or not. It’s an amazing look at the history of women and the current state of where we are today. McCulley writes in several areas that further research and writing is called for. I hope that she accepts that call from God and brings more of this information to print. It’s not only necessary for us adult women but I think it is critical for our young girls who are growing up amidst so many mixed messages.

Book Rating: *****

I was planning to review all three books in this one blog post … but it’s already pretty long and my eyes hurt from looking at the computer screen!! I’ll just give you a preview to the other PP winner I finished:

Book Rating: ****

Stay tuned ….