Hi. I’m not sure where to begin but I hope everyone is staying safe and staying put at home. We are holed up here in western Canada and just going out for dog walks a couple times a day and only essential grocery shopping. It doesn’t look like we are near the peak of this pandemic, so everyone just hang on and stay in … so we can try to flatten the Curve of this. The next few weeks will be crucial apparently. Luckily the sun came out today, which was nice. It had been snowy earlier in the week as you can see below.
Meanwhile we’ve watched a few Oscar nominated movies at home recently … finally getting to “Knives Out,” “JoJo Rabbit” and “Bombshell.” Have you seen any of these? All three seemed worthwhile.
I especially liked Thomasin McKenzie’s role as the Jewish girl in “Jojo Rabbit” — she follows up the excellent movie “Leave No Trace” with another good part — and Cuban/Spanish actress Ana de Armas makes her mark as Marta, the nurse in “Knives Out.” (I hear Ben Affleck is dating her these days after their upcoming movie together “Deep Water,” hmm.) Though perhaps we liked the potency of “Bombshell” the best out of the three. Wow Charlize Theron really nails the role of one-time Fox anchor Megyn Kelly. I could barely tell it was Charlize! It’s a movie that will make your skin crawl in parts. Kudos to Gretchen Carlson who ultimately blew the whistle on Fox News’s former CEO Roger Ailes and his awful harassment, good gawd. And now I’ll leave you with reviews of two books I finished lately.
It’s been too long since I picked up a Tracy Chevalier novel — not since her bestseller “Girl With a Pearl Earring” in 1999, but I’m glad I finally did. I listened to her 2019 novel “A Single Thread” as an audiobook and I enjoyed walking to it. At first I thought the story was too slow with its “gentle pace” and that nothing was happening, but then the more I went on I found the story pretty immersive and quite soothing … during these times.
It’s set in England in 1932 and Violet Speedwell, age 38, is still hurting after the loss of her brother and fiance who were killed fighting in WWI. Her mother, who she looks after, is grumpy and embittered and her other brother Tom, who has a family, thinks she should get out more. Violet finally saves up enough to move away to Winchester … where her life as a single woman begins to improve with her lodging at a boarding house and her work as a typist at an insurance company and with an embroidery society at Winchester’s grand Cathedral, where she begins to make friends. Eventually she meets a 60-year-old male bell ringer at the cathedral who strikes a chord with her … and yet he’s married.
The story has a bit about embroidery and church bell ringing to it — but you need not be enticed by these to like the overall story; still they add some interest to it. I like too how the story explores the independence of women’s roles in it … mothers, wives, sisters etc…. in an era where these roles often seemed so confining and stifling. It tells of the Lost Generation from a women’s perspective … in which Violet is viewed as a spinster but she tests that mold … by getting her own place and job and by following her heart and her friends. She has the good fortune to meet Louisa Pesel (who was a real-life embroidery pioneer of the day, see more about her here) who shows her the way and teaches her how to stitch pretty cushions and kneelers for the cathedral.
It’s a gentle tale with a cast of characters still gaining their footing after the Great War — that has conflicts and resolutions along the way — but one that felt gradually uplifting and appealed to me during these stressful pandemic times.
Next up, I read the slim memoir by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and her late husband James D. Houston about her family’s years when they were relocated with thousands of other Japanese-Americans by the U.S. government after the attack on Pearl Harbor to Manzanar internment camp in California.
“Farewell to Manzanar” came out in 1972 and is often required reading in many high school classes, but for whatever reason it was unknown to me until I saw it in a bookstore window when I was in Ketchum, Idaho, in February. The library at Ketchum was doing a lecture series with various authors on U.S. internment camps during WWII … mainly because one of the 10 camps — Minidoka — is nearby and this marks the 75th year since the U.S. internment camps closed in 1945. At one time the camps across the West held as many as 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry.
I’ve read novels about such heart-wrenching experiences — in “Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson and the “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” by Jamie Ford — but this was my first memoir account of it and it was pretty eye-opening.
The author was 7 by the time her large family (she was the youngest of 10) was relocated to Manzanar interment camp at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California in 1942 and left around the time she was 11. At first the conditions there were very poor and harsh and her father took to drinking and abusing her mom. A couple years later the family switched to another block building and things improved and they grew a bit more accustomed to their life behind the camp’s fences.
It’s sort of a coming-of-age tale told by the author decades after she left …. and tells of her family before, during, and after internment … and how the experience affected her when she was young about her race and identity over her whole life. The family also disintegrated quite a bit during their time at Manzanar, especially with their father, and it is sad in that respect and in other ways … such as how it took their livelihoods, respect, and dignity away.
It’s a subtly told but powerful story, which taught me quite a bit about this unjust and terrible policy in our nation’s history and what it did to people living in the U.S., as well as in Canada, which had many internment camps too. My only quibble with the memoir is that although the author remembers a lot about her life then, she is writing about it many decades later … so it seems to skip, or is less detailed or muted of her time a bit near the end. Still it is a true tale worth visiting and knowing about.
Sometime I’d also like to read the novel “Obasan” by Joy Kogawa, who wrote her book based on her family’s experiences at an internment camp in Canada. My husband recommended this one to me.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read any of these books or seen the movies I mentioned? And if so, what did you think?
Take Care & Stay well Everyone.
We made the tough decision to close our business this week and have been at home ever since. I thought I would get a lot of reading done but I’m having trouble focusing and am finding physical activities more satisfying. I had groceries delivered for the first time today and it worked like a charm.
Hi Kathy: sorry about your business closing. That’s tough. It is hard to focus right now … and read. Just too much to think about. I haven’t tried the grocery delivery yet but I’m glad it worked for you. Hang in there.
Here in LA the story is similar, though we had marked orders from the Governor this week and finally the whole town got quiet. Husband and I continue to be fine. We started staying home and stocking up about 2 weeks before most folks and feel we did the right thing.
I am waiting for all the movies you saw, what they call “short wait” on Netflix. It looks like we will get Bombshell next. I want to see them all, especially after reading your thoughts on them.
I am so gratified that you liked A Single Thread. Your review is perfect. And you made me want to read Farewell to Manzinar.
Stay well, walks are the best, and of course we have all this time to read!
Thanks Judy: I’m glad you & your husband are doing all right there. See what you think of those movies. A Single Thread is a bit an old-fashioned story but it was fine for me this past crazy week. I need to go back sometime & read her novel Remarkable Creatures which you had reviewed …. and maybe At the Edge of the Orchard too. Take Care! & Enjoy your reads.
We do live in scary times. Here in Southeast Texas, schools are shut down and many businesses closed. Restaurants are open for delivery and pick-up orders only. It’s quite weird. My husband and I are both considered vulnerable and our younger daughter (who lives closest to us) has insisted on doing all of our shopping for us while demanding that we stay home. We have complied with her and her sister’s orders. It’s the busy gardening season so that is helping to keep us sane, plus, of course, lots of reading and listening to music. My husband watches television quite a bit – me, not so much. But the point is it has been quite easy to keep ourselves entertained, as well as informed. I’ve been reading Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light, very slowly, savoring it. I do love me some Tracy Chevalier so maybe I’ll get to the one you read soon.
Hi Dorothy: that’s great your daughters are helping with grocery shopping. Wise just to stay home. Gardening sounds like a perfect activity right now for you there & music & reading. I look forward to hearing what you think of Mantel’s final book of the trilogy. I read book 2 but not sure when I’ll try book 3. Always authentic atmosphere with her stories. Enjoy the sunshine for me there, and all your pretty flowers!
I read A Single Thread recently, also as an audio, and think it was best that way. The story is old-fashioned and the tempo is slow. I might have given up on it if I had tried the print version. But, it was a good listen and the characters were sympathetic. Chevalier has written many amazing tales and while this isn’t her best as far as period tales, her writing and character development remain solid here.
I am not taking the best advantage of this stay-at-home time — I have too many books started and am not close to finishing any of them. Very scattered but looking forward to honing in with all the time ahead of us. I did listen to Eric Larsen’s new one: The Splendid & The Vile about Churchill’ s first year as P.M. Very good — an “in-the-room” type of account. It was interesting to hear more about Churchill’s family members throughout.
Stay safe up there — thinking about you.
Hi. Yeah for awhile I thought Chevalier’s book was going to be too slow for me but I hung on. And I agree the audio probably was the best way to go for this one. After awhile I got used to the narrator’s voice of Violet. But my, were some of those days for women stifling!! Glad you made it through Erik Larson’s new book; sounds intriguing. I still want to go finish that audio about Churchill & Roosevelt’s friendship by Jon Meacham, but I sort of want the print copy now. Audios of history are a bit tough for me on audio. I feel I can keep track better in my mind with print.
Glad you ended up liking A Single Thread—I agree that it felt slow, but then simply sucked you in. I came to admire Violet so much—life was rough on single women then—and I did not real that Louisa Pesel was a real person. Now I’ll have to read that link you provided.
Tracy Chevalier is one of my favorite authors—she has such a range of subjects and her writing is always top-notch.
Stay safe and healthy, and read on!
Hey thanks Jane. Yeah it’s interesting that Louisa Pesel was a real pioneer of her day. The link of her has some good photos & info on it. This Chevalier book came to me at the right time. I felt Violet would recover and get to spread her wings in Life. So it was uplifting … which everyone needs right about now. I hope you are enjoying your reads these days. I will stop by your site to see. Take care!
It’s been a very challenging week so far and although we’ve all been mostly remote this week, we’ve just got our stay home order here in Ohio so it will be interesting to see how things progress this week. I didn’t read much this past week but devoured a book yesterday about something much harsher than what we are going through, so that has felt somewhat cathartic. I’ve never heard of Farewell to Manzanar so that is on my list.
Hey Athira — hang in there! It’s going to be challenging for quite awhile it seems — and I fear the worst. Though staying inside might not be as terrible as some wars or disasters right? It just takes everyone doing it. We can beat this, I hope.
Who would have though even a couple months ago, that our whole world would be turned so upside down? I guess we all should have, but somehow just weren’t. Everyone is needing to adjust and I think parents with school age kids have it the toughest right now. Many are trying to work from home and supervise distance learning. On the other hand, I’m trying to get up to speed on delivering distance learning which begins today for us. It’s a steep learning curve and I’m still way down at the bottom!
I’m adding Bombshell to my list of movies to watch. Thanks for reminding me I’d missed that one. Have a great week and stay safe.
Thanks Susie. Your distance learning online seems a whole new ball game to learn. It’s admirable of you to try and help the kids through their disrupted school year. I don’t know how schools & parents are managing right now; it must be really tough. The junior tennis tournaments I supervise with kids have all been canceled into the foreseeable future … though I might see if there are other ways to help out. Treat yourself with books & movies. Great ways to relax or escape I think.
I am really behind on current movies. I’ve not seen any of the ones you mentioned. I saw a Korean horror movie about zombies the other day, that was so well done but perhaps too much to watch during our COVID 19 days, A Train to Busan. Have you seen it? The sequel comes out this fall. It was quite good. Very well acted.
I am working from home. One kid doing school online. The other still at college but also online. He lost both his campus jobs which is really not great. The Hub is still working but he works alone so that’s fine.
I have been out for necessities a few times. Luckily, I made a huge trip long before any of this hit. My husband thought I was looney tunes at the time but not now.
Can’t really read much. Too distracted by the news and the alarming fact that tyhe lack of ventilators will be an issue soon.
Yeah Ti — I know what you mean. It’s so hard not being distracted … and trying to read. I’m not reading well either right now. Not sure I can do zombies at the moment but maybe later. Your kids are troopers with school online. Isn’t this crazy? When will it end? I’m glad you’re at home working now, so is my husband. Can you do what needs to be done from there? Hope so. Stay well.
I have found that I am having a hard time focusing. But I’m trying to work on that. I don’t want to be filled with anxiety. We will figure this all out.
We are retired, so we are at home, keeping watch on our many friends and family members who are much older and much less resilient than we are. We picked up groceries at Walmart yesterday and that went fairly well. My dad, 93, is scheduled to pick up his today at Kroger. He’s also planning to pick up Olive Garden. I think getting out for a bit will help his mood. He’s terribly social.
No movies, but we’ve taken on a few tv series, like the mystery Endeavor. Anything to keep the stress at bay.
Hi Deb, thanks for the update. It sounds like you are staying safe & trying to keep down the stress of all of this …. I think it’s all we can do at this point. Listen to some news but not endless hours of it. My family & friends are trying to stay in touch via Zoom or Facetime / things like that. Try to keep positive yet self-isolate. Reading is a bit hard these days. But if you can go for it.
Good report, Susan. Working on “Sapiens” here. Kind of behind the curve, it’s been out for awhile.
Hi John, let me know what you think of Sapiens. I have not read Harari’s books — since I mostly read fiction or memoirs — but I have heard quite a bit about them. I should read Sapiens.