I'm a real fan of Gray's books - she writes what I guess could be called narrative histories, since the stories are true, but she writes them so well they read like a novel. She also is able to meld her research with a narrative touch so everything holds together well.
This book is about a young housemaid in Toronto in 1914 who shoots and kills her employer as he returns home from his work day. The subtitle of the book : A Maid, Her Master and the Trial That Shocked a Country pretty well tells it all- Carrie Davies is the 18-year-old maid who has recently come from England to better herself and help her family financially back home, John Massey is the master whose wife is away visiting family in the US when he decides to make moves on Carrie, and the trial is shocking because of the differing levels of society that are represented here, as well as the lawyers, judge, etc and their presentation of this case, plus the ramifications for the jury's final verdict.
Gray also fits all of this into the framework of a country at war, a newspaper war, emerging rights for women and a fast growing Toronto. I found it fascinating.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Nocturne: On the Life and Death of My Brother - Helen Humphreys ✔✔✔
Humphreys is a favorite Canadian author of mine - I loved The Lost Garden especially. This was a very different book, since it is a letter to her brother Martin, a well-known Canadian pianist, RCM examiner, composer who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the summer of 2009 and who died in December of the same year at the age of 45.
There are some wonderful quotes I could copy here , on the themes of grief, dying, sibling love, but most especially about music. Interestingly enough, one of Martin's favorite pieces was Debussy's Clair de Lune, which is also my "signature piece", and she even quotes the Paul Verlaine poem which was the basis for all of Suite Bergamasque. But anyway, here are a few...
"Grief enjoys shorthand, that's what I'm thinking today. Narrative is too fluid. Grief is all chop, all rhythm and breaks, broken. It is the lurch of the heart, not the steady beating of it."
"Maybe music is better company than writing because it makes a sound, takes up human space, a dimension in the world. It releases emotion, whereas writing pins emotion down. And all writing is necessarily elegaic."
"You must have felt both liberated and oppressed by the fact that the music lived through you, that you were responsible for making it happen, that without your body to animate it there was only silence"
There are some wonderful quotes I could copy here , on the themes of grief, dying, sibling love, but most especially about music. Interestingly enough, one of Martin's favorite pieces was Debussy's Clair de Lune, which is also my "signature piece", and she even quotes the Paul Verlaine poem which was the basis for all of Suite Bergamasque. But anyway, here are a few...
"Grief enjoys shorthand, that's what I'm thinking today. Narrative is too fluid. Grief is all chop, all rhythm and breaks, broken. It is the lurch of the heart, not the steady beating of it."
"Maybe music is better company than writing because it makes a sound, takes up human space, a dimension in the world. It releases emotion, whereas writing pins emotion down. And all writing is necessarily elegaic."
"You must have felt both liberated and oppressed by the fact that the music lived through you, that you were responsible for making it happen, that without your body to animate it there was only silence"
Saturday, September 21, 2013
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden ✔✔✔✔✔
I could give this book more checkmarks, I would - it's a wonderful book! The third by Boyden, and although I thoroughly enjoyed them all, this was very special.
The Orenda is the story of the Huron Indians, the Jesuit priests who came to convert them in the early seventeenth century, and the Iroquois Indians, who were bitter enemies of both the Hurons and the Jesuits. Bird is a Huron elder whose wife and family were killed by the Iroqouis many years earlier, and is the central Huron character in the story. He captures and kills an Iroquois family, but saves their young daughter, and adopts her as his own, naming her Snow Falls. And finally there is Christophe, the Jesuit priest referred to by the Hurons as Crow, because he wears a flapping black robe. He has come to the Hurons, escorted by Bird when this killing takes place, and is later joined by other Jesuits. Christophe's character is based on Jean de Brebeuf, the Jesuit martyr.
This isn't an easy book to read, because it is very brutal, both in the violence throughout, but also in the weather conditions, the illnesses, lack of proper food. However, Boyden paints a clear picture of a way of life we can only wonder at, and describes many native rituals, including torture, in such a way that you could never say the violence was gratuitous. And I couldn't put it down, and found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. The rituals ands religious symbols of the Jesuits were a complete mystery to the natives, and to have these described from the native's vantage point is masterful.
It's been nominated for the Giller, which Boyden won for Through Black Spruce a few years ago, so it'll be interesting to see if he's able to repeat. And - as usual after I read a good historical novel like this one - I spent another half hour or so looking up information about the various tribes and the role of the Jesuits in these communities.
This may be a good book to recommend for Book Club another year.
The Orenda is the story of the Huron Indians, the Jesuit priests who came to convert them in the early seventeenth century, and the Iroquois Indians, who were bitter enemies of both the Hurons and the Jesuits. Bird is a Huron elder whose wife and family were killed by the Iroqouis many years earlier, and is the central Huron character in the story. He captures and kills an Iroquois family, but saves their young daughter, and adopts her as his own, naming her Snow Falls. And finally there is Christophe, the Jesuit priest referred to by the Hurons as Crow, because he wears a flapping black robe. He has come to the Hurons, escorted by Bird when this killing takes place, and is later joined by other Jesuits. Christophe's character is based on Jean de Brebeuf, the Jesuit martyr.
This isn't an easy book to read, because it is very brutal, both in the violence throughout, but also in the weather conditions, the illnesses, lack of proper food. However, Boyden paints a clear picture of a way of life we can only wonder at, and describes many native rituals, including torture, in such a way that you could never say the violence was gratuitous. And I couldn't put it down, and found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. The rituals ands religious symbols of the Jesuits were a complete mystery to the natives, and to have these described from the native's vantage point is masterful.
It's been nominated for the Giller, which Boyden won for Through Black Spruce a few years ago, so it'll be interesting to see if he's able to repeat. And - as usual after I read a good historical novel like this one - I spent another half hour or so looking up information about the various tribes and the role of the Jesuits in these communities.
This may be a good book to recommend for Book Club another year.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Stranglehold by Robert Rotenberg ✔✔✔✔✔
This is the fourth crime novel written by Rotenberg, a criminal lawyer himself from Toronto. I have read them all, and this one is my favorite so far. Nearly all of the characters are familiar, because they appear in the three previous novels, although the stories are not sequential.
Detective Ari Greene is accused of murder in this particular one, and the victim is another well-known character from the previous novels.
Fast-paced, many references to familiar spots in Toronto ( this one centers on a motel on Kingston Road, a very familiar street for us when travelling to David's place), and informative glimpses into the police department and courtroom drama, these are very exciting reads from beginning to end.
I can't say enough about the quality of these novels. I read this one in three days - couldn't put it down!
Detective Ari Greene is accused of murder in this particular one, and the victim is another well-known character from the previous novels.
Fast-paced, many references to familiar spots in Toronto ( this one centers on a motel on Kingston Road, a very familiar street for us when travelling to David's place), and informative glimpses into the police department and courtroom drama, these are very exciting reads from beginning to end.
I can't say enough about the quality of these novels. I read this one in three days - couldn't put it down!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Spark by Kristine Barnett ✔✔✔
I heard Barnett being interviewed on CBC Radio, and I was impressed with her son's story. I'm also pretty sure I'd heard about him before. Jake was born with autism, but also with incredible mathematical skills. He was placed in a Special Ed programme, but his mother withdrew him because he was so unhappy - teachers were trying to discover what he couldn't do rather than what he could. And what he can do is virtually immeasureable, although he has to be reminded to tie his shoelaces, and eat a proper breakfast.
This child's mind is unbelievable! Kristine relates driving past a Best Buy parking lot at 55 mph, and Jake being able to tell her not only how many cars were in the lot, but also what percentage of them were silver in color! At age seven, she makes arrangements for him to audit college classes, where the professors often cannot answer his questions. At age 11, he becomes a full-time student in a graduate degree programme, although only one class at a time, simply because when he and his Mom went for the interview, the coins in his pocket overflowed onto the floor, and he was more interested in retrieiving them than talking to the admitting officer! At the present time, he is tutoring his classmates, and research is being done into his developing what has been termed an "original theory" of mathematics, which could put him in line for a Nobel Prize.
I would assign more stars to this book for Jake and Kristine's story, but I wasn't too impressed with the writing. But a fascinating read all the same. People like Jake do not forget information - they are constantly reliving the moment when they learned, and their ability is akin to our never forgetting how to ride a bike. When we have to remember a telephone number, we have to write it down quickly, or it'll be forgotten, but Jake's mind is itself the page that's written upon - and his mom describes the size of his "page" as the size of a football field.
It still is almost impossible to comprehend, but the book again reveals the remarkable power and ability of the human brain. If I were a student again, I'd want to pursue this a bit further.
This child's mind is unbelievable! Kristine relates driving past a Best Buy parking lot at 55 mph, and Jake being able to tell her not only how many cars were in the lot, but also what percentage of them were silver in color! At age seven, she makes arrangements for him to audit college classes, where the professors often cannot answer his questions. At age 11, he becomes a full-time student in a graduate degree programme, although only one class at a time, simply because when he and his Mom went for the interview, the coins in his pocket overflowed onto the floor, and he was more interested in retrieiving them than talking to the admitting officer! At the present time, he is tutoring his classmates, and research is being done into his developing what has been termed an "original theory" of mathematics, which could put him in line for a Nobel Prize.
I would assign more stars to this book for Jake and Kristine's story, but I wasn't too impressed with the writing. But a fascinating read all the same. People like Jake do not forget information - they are constantly reliving the moment when they learned, and their ability is akin to our never forgetting how to ride a bike. When we have to remember a telephone number, we have to write it down quickly, or it'll be forgotten, but Jake's mind is itself the page that's written upon - and his mom describes the size of his "page" as the size of a football field.
It still is almost impossible to comprehend, but the book again reveals the remarkable power and ability of the human brain. If I were a student again, I'd want to pursue this a bit further.
Summer Reading Recap
I noticed this morning that I haven't got too many books recorded on this blog for the past two months or so, but I only record the ones I've completed - I have a number of books "on the go" at any one time.
So I thought I'd list them here, more to remind myself when I'm looking for something to read ( as if that will ever happen!). I always have a couple of non-fiction hanging around or on my Kindle/iPad, and books about spirituality are regularly read and reflected upon.
Currently Reading Non-Fiction:
Jazz: A History of America's Music by Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward
The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide To Caring For People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias and Memory Loss - Mace and Rabins
Spirituality:
Immortal Diamond - Richard Rohr
Falling Upward - Richard Rohr ( Study Group selection for 2013/2014)
Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint For Our Times - Matthew Fox
The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord's Prayer - John Dominic Crossan
(Interesting to note that all four titles above have been written by Catholic writers. All of them are former priests!)
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom - John O'Donohue
Book Club Preparation:
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce
Ernie's Gold: A Prospector's Tale - Brian Martin
So I thought I'd list them here, more to remind myself when I'm looking for something to read ( as if that will ever happen!). I always have a couple of non-fiction hanging around or on my Kindle/iPad, and books about spirituality are regularly read and reflected upon.
Currently Reading Non-Fiction:
Jazz: A History of America's Music by Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward
The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide To Caring For People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias and Memory Loss - Mace and Rabins
Spirituality:
Immortal Diamond - Richard Rohr
Falling Upward - Richard Rohr ( Study Group selection for 2013/2014)
Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint For Our Times - Matthew Fox
The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord's Prayer - John Dominic Crossan
(Interesting to note that all four titles above have been written by Catholic writers. All of them are former priests!)
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom - John O'Donohue
Book Club Preparation:
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce
Ernie's Gold: A Prospector's Tale - Brian Martin
Thursday, August 8, 2013
THE CUCKOO'S CALLING by J.K. Rowling ✔✔✔
This book reads like the could be the beginning of a series of novels by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling. It introduces us to private investigator Cormoran Strike, an British ex-soldier who lost his leg in Afghanistan, and to Robyn, the young temp he hires to help him with his new - and to this point highly unsuccessful - business as a private investigator. Robin arrives for her temporary duties at the precise moment Cormoran's girlfriend, Charlotte, flees his office, having just broken up their 15-year relationship.
Anyway, it's a good read, well-paced, with interesting characters, whose names or places in the story I didn't seem to forget , which is always a good point with mysteries. The chemistry between Robin and Cormoran is good, and doesn't ever intrude on the progress of the case Strike is trying to solve.
All in all, a pretty good read, and I'd read a sequel for sure. I did read that there's the possibility of a TV show based on it - I hope it's British!
Anyway, it's a good read, well-paced, with interesting characters, whose names or places in the story I didn't seem to forget , which is always a good point with mysteries. The chemistry between Robin and Cormoran is good, and doesn't ever intrude on the progress of the case Strike is trying to solve.
All in all, a pretty good read, and I'd read a sequel for sure. I did read that there's the possibility of a TV show based on it - I hope it's British!
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