How does an author create an understanding of a very large subject…such as, in the case of Simon Winchester, the Pacific Ocean? In his nonfiction book, Pacific, he chooses ten separate topics to discuss in detail to develop his themes about the earth’s great ocean. Winchester’s easy conversational style makes the immense amount of information accessible and readable.
Political change is underway. The control by the West, England and the United States, is waning. The powers of China and Japan are rising. Smaller Pacific islands are rediscovering indigenous strengths. Australia is suffering growing pains as it sorts out its white/native identity.
While largely political, the book also deals with changes in natural history. Coral reefs have been depressingly despoiled, but there is excitement about the discovery of new life forms in the deep and a stronger understanding of the global influence of Pacific weather.
The most compelling and shocking chapter was the first, The Great Thermonuclear Sea, about the US testing of atomic weapons on Bikini Island in the Marshalls. Reading that chapter, I found it hard to know which was worse – the appalling environmental destruction or the uncaring horrific attitude towards the islanders displaced or put in harm’s way.
On the opposite end, the epilogue, The Call of the Running Tide, was a favorite of my book group. We were all taken with the story of Polynesian exploration – sailors who knew where they were out on the ocean with no navigational instruments, not even a compass, because of their knowledge of the winds, tides, stars, birds and (lying on the floor of the canoe) sound of the ocean. This lovely chapter tied together the others and ended the book on a hopeful note.
After navigating the depths of Pacific, I was ready for some easy reading. Two gems came my way.
On a vacation island near Boston is a bookstore owned by cranky A. J. Fikry who meets publisher’s rep Amelia Loman. It is all uphill after that. Charming characters, a plot with just the right number of twists, and lots of book atmosphere and information make the Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin a delight to read.
Each chapter starts with a quote from one of A. J.’s favorite short stories, thus giving his customers, and us, plenty of possibilities for future reading.
Louise Penny’s latest, The Madness of Crowds, returns us to idyllic Three Pines where murders happen on a regular basis. All the favorite characters are there: intuitive Armand and the Sureté, his extended family who have returned from Paris, the quirky inhabitants of the village not on the map. The plot is clever; I never did guess the killer.
Penny’s ability to evoke a sense of place is superb. I can smell the hot chocolate in the bistro and hear the crunch of ice underfoot as I’m walking away. There is always an element of moralizing in Penny’s books and this one is on the edge of too much. Nevertheless, I was happy to sit by the winter fire in frigid Quebec for a few afternoons this summer.
There is news for detective Maisie Dobbs fans. Chelsea and Hillary Clinton’s company, Hiddenlight Productions, has acquired the film and tv rights to Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs books.
I look forward to seeing what these two do with this popular series.
“Literal bird brains can accept climate change faster than Republicans.”
Photo: Leon Neal (Getty Images)
I would like to say that it was my interest in birds that made me look at this headline, but no, it was really its feisty non-pc attitude. Andrew Paul, in the AV Club, describes scientific research done in Australia that shows birds are already physically adapting to climate change by enlarging the sizes of their beaks, ears, and legs to help themselves cool in the face of a warming world.
Better than the book? We rarely say that about a movie, but in the case of the Good Lord Bird, it is so. This Showtime series, available on Netflix, is faithful to James McBride’s novel but gives it the drama, power, and immediacy that film can provide.
Ethan Hawke is terrific as the fanatical John Brown, playing him with nuance and sympathy. Yes, Brown is a zealot, but sincere in his faith, large on courage, loving to his family and fellow man.
The well-chosen music, perfectly matched to each scene, gives the movie a dimension the book can’t match. Its outstanding score is a compilation of negro spirituals, folk tunes, and jazz performed by musical greats ranging from Mahalia Jackson to a hymn by Elvis Presley.
But like the book, the movie raises some uncomfortable issues. What are we to do with a religious fanatic, one of the sparks of the Civil War, who appears to be right when he said only war would effect the broad social change of freeing the slaves? I never think of violence and fanaticism in positive terms, but in this case…
You have a great gift reducing plots to just what we need to pique our interest.
Thanks for some great book suggestions–maybe some of them will show up on our annual list? See you next week.