Ahab's Return: The Last Voyage by Jeffrey Ford

Ahab's back, looking for his wife and son.

Yes, that Ahab, the crazed captain who went down with the White Whale.

He miraculously survived and has finally made his way home. He turns up at the Gorgon's Mirror, a New York City tabloid newspaper, looking for Ishmael, the writer who killed Ahab off in his novelization of their adventures. Ishmael is gone but hack writer Harrow sees dollar signs behind Ahab's improbable story.

All Ahab wants now is to find his beautiful wife and teenage son.

Harrow gets his boss to fund the quest and he and Ahab go on an adventure into the heart of New York City's Five Points, encountering a drug cartel protected by juvenile addicts and the manticore, a mythological creature (pictured on the book cover). They are joined by Ahab's harpooner Madi, stylized as Daggoo by Ishmael, the staunch street urchin Marvis, and a patchwork-coat wearing female writer and opium-eater, Arabella.

Harrow is in over his head, plunged into a world of ghoulish murders perpetrated by Malbaster and attacked by his zombie-like creature Bartleby. Harrow admits that, in a gunfight, he is as "useless as Millard Fillmore." Luckily, he has the African Madi and the plucky women to protect him.

Ahab's Return by Jeffry Ford reminded me of Terry Pratchett's Dodger, a fun blend of fantasy and literary personages in a historical fantasy. And also Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next novels in which literary characters exist in an alternative world.

John Jacob Aster's opium shipping empire, a forgotten multi-racial and multi-cultural village torn down to make Central Park, the Know Nothing anti-immigrant nativist movement, all figure into the story.

The plot hinges on an interesting concept of fictioneers writing plotlines that become reality.

"I am a devotee of the works of Emerson and believe he's professing that the mind is a reailty engine--it creates reality or at least in some part it helps to create reality." Arabella in Ahab's Return

I enjoyed the novel as great escapist fun. I received a free book from the publisher through a LibraryThing giveaway.

Ahab's Return or, The Last Voyage
by Jeffrey Ford
William Morrow
ISBN: 9780062679000
ISBN 10: 0062679007

Jeffrey Ford is the author of the novels The Physiognomy, Memoranda, The Beyond, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, the Edgar Award–winning The Girl in the Glass, The Cosmology of the Wider World, The Shadow Year, and The Twilight Pariah, and his collections include The Fantasy Writer’s Assistant, The Empire of Ice Cream, The Drowned Life, Crackpot Palace, and A Natural History of Hell. He lives near Columbus, Ohio, and teaches writing at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Frank & Al: FDR, Al Smith, and the Unlikely Alliance That Created the Modern Democratic Party

Common goals bring people together; alliances are made between unlikely people. Friendships are forged, but sometimes the friends become alienated, their relationships shifting with the loss or gain of political power.

Reading biographies on President Franklin D. Roosevelt I learned about Al Smith, the New York City politician who failed to gain the presidential nomination because of his Catholic Faith. I knew that FDR's 1928 presidential nomination speech for Al Smith marked FDR's political comeback after polio. I was curious to learn more about Al and requested the galley for Frank & Al by Terry Golway.

Right away I fell under Al's spell. He had charisma and personality and a commitment to helping the 'little man' with a progressive agenda. He knew the challenges they faced first-hand., for Al had to leave school and work in the Fulton Fish Market after the death of his father. His mother took a factory job. Tammany Hall promoted his political rise to Albany. Realizing how unprepared he was, Al committed to studying until he had a command of the issues and laws. He became a popular and beloved New York State governor.

FDR and Smith political handkerchiefs. From the collection of Nancy A. Bekofske

No one could have been more different from Al than FDR with his long family history of status and wealth. FDR was a Harvard man. He was also seen as a lightweight, but he supported Al all the way.

How these two men changed the Democratic party is the core of the book. The history of their friendship recalls Adams and Jefferson--allies turned foes who embrace reconciliation later in life.

I was actually thrilled while reading the narratives about the conventions! Al's Catholicism was a huge issue. The KKK came out in full force to wield its influence. The Democrats had to choose to condemn the KKK as an Anti-American terrorist group and risk splitting the party or water the platform down to condemning any secret society. The clan gathered in New Jersey to burn an effigy of Al Smith. Protestant preachers across Middle America turned Al into a Papal pawn and denounced his opposition to Prohibition.

Al Smith political handkerchief. From the collection of Nancy A. Bekofske

Al was hugely popular in the East and among city folk but could not win rural WASP America. After Hoover's failure to address the Depression, FDR was successful in his presidential bid...and the rest is history. Al, though, did not take his losses well and was critical of FDR's policies.

The Democratic party was transfigured by Al's agenda which was continued by FDR on the national level; the president admitted he was following the agenda set by Al many years ago in New York State. The two men had some form of reconciliation and worked together but the warm friendship was never regained.

FDR campaign handkerchief. From the collection of Nancy A. Bekofske

It always strikes me when I read history how human nature does not change. Al and Frank, or John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, politics power disrupts friendships. Xenophobia rears its ugly head again and again. Where once the Catholics were feared as puppets of the Pope, now we fear Muslims. Every history I read is relevant to the issues we face today.

Golway has written a wonderful book that brings these men and the times to life in a thrilling narrative history.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Frank and Al: FDR, Al Smith, and the Unlikely Alliance That Created the Modern Democratic Party
by Terry Golway
St. Martin's Press
Publication Date 11 Sep 2018
PRICE: $29.99 (USD)
ISBN: 9781250089649

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

After reading an excerpt from Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris my interest was caught and I requested the ARC. First, there was the setting, 1931 Philadelphia. The main characters work for a Philadelphia newspaper. And most of all, that opening scene when Ellis Reed notices the sign "2 children for sale" next to young brothers.

With vivid descriptions and great characterization, the story takes readers into the harsh realities of the Depression, a time when a widowed and ailing mother is pushed to a desperate choice, hoping to provide for her children.

The story is a heart-breaker, with a touch of romance and a threat of prohibition era gangsters, and a whole lotta of reclamation for Ellis and Lily. I enjoyed this historical fiction read not only for its storytelling but also for its relevance to issues that we still face today: poverty, lack of affordable medical care, separation of families, human trafficking, mental illness, and journalistic standards.

McMorris was inspired by an actual 1948 photograph and the story of what happened to the children in the photo. Learn more about the book, read an interview with the author, and find a book club kit at the author's website here.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

from the publisher:
Philadelphia, 1931. A young, ambitious reporter named Ellis Reed photographs a pair of young siblings on the front porch of a farmhouse next to a sign: “2 children for sale.”

With the help of newspaper secretary Lily Palmer, Ellis writes an article to accompany the photo. Capturing the hardships of American families during the Great Depression, the feature story generates national attention and Ellis’s career skyrockets.

But the photograph also leads to consequences more devastating than ever imagined—and it will take jeopardizing everything Ellis and Lily value to unravel the mystery and set things right.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photo that stunned readers throughout the country, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of ambition, redemption, love, and family.

Sold on a Monday: A Novel
by Kristina McMorris
SOURCEBOOKS/Landmark
Pub Date 28 Aug 2018
ISBN 9781492663997
PRICE $15.99 (USD)

Further Reading:
In the story, Ellis learns about Breaker Boys work in the coal mines. To learn more, read Coal River by Ellen Marie Wiseman, reviewed here.

Vintage Sheet Music: Novelty, Nonsence, and Humor

A hundred years ago people loved a silly song, a song that made one laugh. Today I am sharing a selection novelty, nonsense, and humor sheet music.

No, No, Positively No by Chris Smith and Harry Brown was a 'great hit' in 1907, here performed by Thomas H. Cullen. Hear a 1927 recording here. 'Just say no' is good advice.

If there's such things as Jonahs, I must be one for fair

When good luck had been issued I guess I was nowhere there,

I went to see a hoodoo man to have my fortune told, 

He said, "no give me ten bills, and you'll find a pot of gold."

But I said, "no, no, no, oh, no positively no!

When I say no, no, no, oh, no,

then I mean that word to go

I use some judgment now and then,

I'd be a fool to give you ten,

So no, no, no, oh, no, emphatically no."

How well I can remember when I was but a child,

My mammy had some beehives in the back yard quite a while,

So brother Jim took me with him, one day to steal some hon',

Said sure, I like you, Jim, but I can't agree to let bees make pincushions out of me, (chorus)

Once Barnum Baily circus had come to town one day

A lion and a tiger got a fighting during the play,

Said I, "don't let them fight no more, you folks know right from wrong,

Then one said, "you go separate them, you look big and strong."  (chorus)

Some friends of mine had asked me to go with them to dine

A swell cafe we strolled in, I thought I'd have a scandalous time,

We'd all been drinking gin and beer and were full of fun and glee,

And when the waiter showered the check they all looked right at me (chorus)

***

Humor a hundred years ago was far from 'politically correct;' targets included women and immigrants and African Americans. 

The Preacher and the Bear by Joe Arizona published 1904 manages to be offensive to clergy and African Americans at once. Or at least African American clergy. And yet it was recorded over and over again, including by Andy Griffith and The New Christy Minstrels. Alan Lomax collected it in Kentucky. Listen to a 1908 Victor recording here.

 A preacher went out a-hunting;
‘Twas on one Sunday morn.
It was against his religion,
But he took his gun along.
He shot himself some very fine quail,
And one little measly hare,
And on his way returning home,
He met a grizzly bear.
The bear marched out in the middle of the road,
And he waltzed for the coon to see.
The coon got so excited that he climbed a ‘simmon tree.
The bear set down upon the ground,
And the coon climbed out on a limb.
He cast his eyes to the God in the skies,
And this is what he said to him:

Chorus: “Oh, Lordy, you delivered Daniel from the lion’s den.
Also delivered Jonah from the belly of the whale and then
Three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace,
The good books do declare.
Now, Lord, Lordy, Lord, if you can’t help me,
For sakes, don’t help that bear.”

This coon stayed up in that there tree,
And I think it was all night.
He says, “Oh, Lord, if you don’t help the bear,
You’re gonna see an awful fight.”
Just about that time the limb let go,
And the coon came tumbling down.
You should have seen him get his razor
Before he hit the ground.
He hit the ground a-cutting right and left,
And he put up a very game fight.
Just then that bear, he hugged this coon,
And he squeezed him a little too tight.
The coon, he lost his razor,
But the bear held out with a vim.
He cast his eyes to the God in the skies,
And this is what he said to him: (Chorus)

***

Dance crazes have been around for a long time, and the Shimmie was one of the early ones.

Everybody Shimmies Now by Joe Gold and Edmund J. Porray with lyrics by Eugene West was introduced by Sophie Ticker and her 5 Kings of Syncopation in 1918. Hear the All Star Trio Victor recording here. This Tin Pan Alley song made Mae West famous and the sheet music was also published with Mae on the cover.

Honey baby, won't you come and take a chance,
Sweet tootie, let us do it now
That nervous sort of movement like Saint Vitus dance,
Sweet Mama won't you show me how
That dance that I love best,
The dance the folks are doing with their chests.

'Cause everybody shimmies now
Everybody's learning how
Brother Bill, Sister Kate, Shive like jelly on a plate,
Shimmie dancing can't be beat.
Moves everything except your feet.
Feeble folks mighty old shake the shimmie and they shake it bold
Oh! Honey won't you show me how
'Cause everybody shimmies now.

Honey baby, can't you hear the jass [sic] band play,
Oh, dearie, I just can't keep still
That syncopated music make me feel so gay,
I just must sway against my will
Now babe, don't be afraid
Come on and to the dance that's up to date.
'Cause everybody shimmies now (chorus)

***

The Shimmie was scandalous and sexy. Ragtime was obviously the work of nefarious creatures.

The Ragtime Goblin Man by Andrew B. Sterling and Harry von Tilzer from 1911 was a virtual warning. Ragtime was out to take prisoners and there was no escape. Hear a Victor recording here.

A ragtime goblin man he comes around and softly hums a ragtime tune.
I know he followed me, he'll catch me sure, 
And then there'll be a ragtime swoon,
He's beside me, hide me, hide me, 
I can' feel his breath, Oh I'm scared to death,
He will take me, shake me, make me join his raggedy band.
That goblin man, that goblin man.

Look out for the goblin man, that ragtime goblin man,
Look out for the book in his hand, that great big book in his hand,
There he is, there he is, he is there,
see his eyes, see his eyes, see his eyes glare,
Mister bugaboo, if he catches you, he'll beat you, then he'll eat you,
Run, run, just as fast as you can from the ragtime goblin man.
Hide, hide, or he'll give you a ride, just hear him shout
Look out, look out, for the rag, rag, rag, ragtime goblin man.

That ragtime goblin man was mild, what was it drove him wild?
A ragtime tune, on dark nights just look out
He'll catch you if  you sing about a ragtime moon,
If he grabs you, grabs you, jabs you, you won't get away
Cause you'll have to stay, then he'll bring you, sting you, fling you
To his raggedy band, see, he, want to get me, that goblin man. (chorus)

***

Maggie!"Yes Ma'am" Come Right Up Stairs by Leslie Moore and Johnny Tucker dates to 1922 and was performed by Smith and Stritt in Vaudeville. Hear a 78 recording here.

There's a family right next door
Wakes us up at three or four
When the daughter comes home with her beau
First they stand outside and chin
After they tiptoe in and begin their spooning down below
Then when all is quiet in the hall, downstairs you hear her mother call

Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Who's with you there?
Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Stop that affair!
Why does it take you so long to say goodnight?
You know I've told you always, it's not safe to stand in hallways.

Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Give him his hat. 
Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Just leave him flat
I forgot what mother taught me, that is how your father caught me.
Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Come right upstairs

Maggie doesn't care a bit what the neighbors think of it.
She declares that lovin' is no crime
Even tho' her sweetheart Dan was always a union man
Maggie has him working overtime
Now and then they lean against a bell
Then the whole darn house begins to yell

Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Who's with you there?
Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Stop that affair!
You'll wake the neighbors the way you carry on.
I'm gonna get a copper to chase that young finale-hopper.

Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Give him his hat.
Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Just leave him flat.
Give his face a darn good smacking if he starts to be wisecracking
Maggie! (Yes, Ma'am?) Come right upstairs.

***

One of Tin Pan Alley's greatest hits was the 1920 Oh By Jingo! was written by Lew Brown and Albert Von Tilzer. Listen to recordings here.

It appeared in Linger Longer Letty, sung by Charlotte Greenwood who created Letty as her alter ego. The song has been recorded by many artists over the years. Hugh Laurie sang it as Bertie Wooster in the Jeeves and Wooster television series.

The story is set in San Domingo and the lyrics note the lovers "both were collared" and that "the gang" insisted the fleeing lovers take one of them along.

In the land of San Domingo,
Lived a girl called Oh! by Jingo,
Ja da Ja da da da da da, ump-a, ump-a, ump-a, ump-a,
From the fields and from the marshes,
Came the old and young by Goshes,
Ja da Ja da da da da da da, ump-a, ump-a, ump-a, ump-a,
They all spoke with a diff’rent lingo,
But they all loved Oh by Jingo,
And ev’ry night they sang in the pale moonlight.

Oh! by Gee! by Gosh, by Gum, by Jove
Oh by Jingo, won’t you hear our love
We will build for you a hut
You will be our fav’rite nut
We’ll have a lot of little Oh by Gollies,
Then we’ll put them in the Follies
By Jingo said, By Gosh, By Gee
By Jiminy please don’t bother me
So they all went away singing
Oh by Gee, by Gosh by Gum, by Jove by Jingo,
by Gee, you’re the only girl for me.

Oh by Jingo had a lover,
He was always undercover,
Ta da da da da da da da, ump-a, ump-a, ump-a, ump-a,
Ev’ry night she used to meet him,
Oh how nice she used to treat him,
Ta da da da da da da da, ump-a, ump-a, ump-a, ump-a,
They eloped but they both were collared,
And the gang stood there and hollered,
Don’t raise a fuss, you’ve got to take one of us.
Chorus 

Oh! by Gee! by Gosh, by Gum, by Jove
Oh by Jingo, won't you hear our love
We will live out in a tent
Cheat the landlord of his rent
We'll have a lot of little Jiminy Crickets,
We can use them for meal tickets
By Jingo said, Now boys don't rave
I have put four husbands in the grave
So they all went away singing
Oh by Gee, by Gosh by Gum, by Jove, by Jingo,
By Gee, you're the only girl for me. 

Home they went with spirits wilted
On account of they were jilted
(All the By-Goshes, with hearts down to their galoshes!)
All winter long they brooded—that is, all but very few did
(They left to join a fan club for Lana Toyn-a.)
The rest wrote to Beatrice Fairfax
Got the how-to-make-him-care facts
So came the spring
They sailed once more to sing:
Oh by Gee, by Gosh, by Gum, by Jove
Oh by Jiminy you're the one we love
We will build for you a hut
You will be our favorite nut
Then we'll have a bunch of Oh-By-Gollies
And we'll put them all in the Follies
(Oh) By Gee, by Gosh, by . . . [improv segment]
By Jiminy you're the one for me! 

***

Good-night, Nurse is a Comic Song by Thomas J. Gray and W. Raymond Walker, 1922. Hear a Victor recording here.

Now Sam McKee was sick and he
Was taken to a hospital,
And there he met a swell Nurse Gal
And right away our Sam got gay
He soon forgot about his ills
Made love when she brought him pills,
Ev'ry night when she would go off duty
Sam would hollar out, "Come here, my Cutey,"

Good-night nurse! Tell the doctor I'm no better;
Good-night nurse! write my folks a letter
Say I need a rest and you fear I had better stay here a year,
Feel my pulse, hold my head a little longer,
How's my heart? Don't you think it's getting stronger?
Call me in the morning or I'll get worse!
Kiss your little patient, Good-night Nurse!

This tale they tell, How Sam got well
The day he left his cozy bed he met his old girl and was wen,
But married life, Sam and his wife,
Soon agreed to disagree, 
When he said "That nurse for me!"
Pots and pans his wife then started throwing
Sam'd back in the hospital a crowing (chorus)

The Books I Could Not Read This Summer...and One I Wish I Had Hadn't Read

Not all books are meant to be finished, and some are finished when they should have been left unread.

I passed on a few books. I am burning out after 120+ books read this year. My husband had knee replacement surgery and I had more to do around the house and to help him. I usually skirt around genre fiction and plot-driven reads, but they are going down easier right now. I need more happy and upbeat books.

So, here are the books I am missing out on:

I requested Sight by Jessie Greengrass through NetGalley. It seemed right up my alley: a woman talks about the death of her mother, her decision to have a child, and science. The language was quite amazing. But I found I did not have the energy to deal with the dense and demanding prose, and after nearly 50 pages felt like I had been reading for a hundred. I decided I had to move on.

Sight
Jessie Greengrass
Hogarth Books
Publication August 21, 2018
ISBN 9780525574606
PRICE $21.00 (USD)

Because I had read Daniel's Torday's first book The Last Flight of Poxl West I was offered his new book Boomer1. I read nearly 200 pages then bowed out. I had trouble wanting to read it.

There is an interesting situation illustrating the nature of Internet technology today, how ideas are put out there and take on lives of their own.

As an early Baby Boomer myself, the protagonist's obsession with Boomers not retiring and keeping Millennials down was difficult. Hey! We Boomers had the 1970s inflation and high gas prices to contend with. Our first house mortgage had 15% interest rate! We barely made $40,000 with two incomes! Quit yer griping!

The guy made bad decisions and blamed everyone but himself. I just decided to give myself a pass rather than spend more time with him. Sorry, Daniel. As a reader, I feel I failed you.

Boomer1
Daniel Torday
St. Martin's Press
Publication September 18, 2018
ISBN 9781250191793
PRICE $27.99 (USD)

I made myself finish the much-touted Ohio by Stephen Markley. It is well written, beautiful writing at times such as in the opening, and the characters are well-drawn and the theme timely and the plot is part a mystery and part a character study of a whole cadre of classmates.

But it is dark, gruesome, shocking, and violent, the characters struggling with horrible situations and issues. I stopped reading it several times. I was sure I was going to walk away, unwilling to spend more time with these broken people.

And when I finally did finish the novel, my stomach was in knots and I felt slightly ill. Graphic sex and self-abuse and violence and all kinds of stuff going on which I usually avoid like the plague.

And these kids, ten years out of high school but trapped by what happened in those few years, destroyed by it. They don't move on, they can't move on. The beautiful ones are destroyed and the less beautiful ones who love them are destroyed.

I am so destroyed, I wish I had not finished the book.

Which perhaps shows how successful the novel is--

I was given a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Ohio
Stephen Markley
Publication August 21, 2018
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 9781501174476
PRICE $27.00 (USD)

WIP and a New Sewing Space and Books on the Shelf

I finished this quilt top four years ago before we moved. This January I took it to the long arm quilter along with others, knowing I was not going to get all my tops hand quilted in this lifetime.

I made the quilt with three shirts that had belonged to my father-in-law, Herman Bekofske. It is a simple star pattern which I have made before.

I found a photo of Herman in one of the shirts which I scanned and printed onto fabric for the label.

We moved my sewing area into the finished basement. We will upgrade the unfinished area, beginning with improved electric upgrades. 

 I bought a new seweing table, too.

And have one design wall up. I have another moveable one but I needed a bigger piece of flannel.

Meanwhile, we are working on the sitting area on the other side. We bought two chairs at a warehouse sale from local retailer Leon & Lulu.

I am making a quilt with the Kathy Schmitz embroidery patterns from her book Stitches from the Harvest. I paired the patterns with a fat quarter fabric pack that I liked, Born Wild by Anna Davis.

And still enjoying making hexie flowers...while finally watching Downton Abbey!

Our local library had a mini-sale and a friend made these fantastic bookmarks which the library sold for $1.

I found some music-related books, a paperback copy of Etta and Otto and Russell and James, a biography of Nellie Bly's life, and the Three Tenors CD.

 I purchased a signed edition of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy by Anne Rioux Boyd.

On my NetGalley TBR pile are these books:

Wasn't That a Time by Jesse Jarnow about the Weavers
A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne who wrote The Heart's Invisible Furies
Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg is a follow up to The Story of Arthur Truluv
Unhold Land by Lavie Tidhar; I read his Central Station last year.
Surrendering my Ordination by J. Philip Wogaman, a United Methodist pastor

From Edelweiss I have:
Learning to See by Elsie Hooper, historical fiction about photographer Dorothea Langue
The Splendid Sampler 2 by Pat Sloan; read about The Splendid Sampler 1 here
Red & White Quilts from That Patchwork Place

And on Kindle I am reading:

A Beautiful Place to Die, short stories by Samuel Bigglesworth
Death in Paris by Emilia Bernhard, a cozy mystery
and looking over
A Divided Life by Robert Cecil about a British spy

Plus...I am still working on Doris Kearns Godwin's The Bully Pulpit and Militant Spirit on John Quincy Adams. Still.

Books next to my bed include:
The Splintering of the American Mind by William Eggerton
Ahab's Return by Jeffry Ford
Killer of the Flower Moon by David Grann, a gift from a Goodreads friend

And in the mail are coming:
Fly Girls by Keith O'Brien from LibraryThing giveaways
Laurentine Divide by Sarah Stonich from Bookish First

I just finished:
Wanamaker's Temple by Nicole C. Kirk
Guilty Thing a Life of Thomas De Quincy by Frances Wilson

And for book club, I am reading Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, whose The Good People I read last year.

Scheduled Fall book reviews include:

Rush: The Forgotten Founding Father by Stephen Fried
Adrift, a true story of a shipwreck, by Brian Murphy
Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris
Frank & Al  about FDR and Al Smith by Terry Golway
The Ancient Nine a mystery by Ian Smith
Hard Cider, Michigan-based fiction by Barbara Stark-Nemon
Transcription, a WWII set spy novel, by Kate Atkinson
Virgil Wander, a sweet story set on Lake Superior by Leif Enger
The Flame by Leonard Cohen, the book he was preparing when he died
A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl by Jean Thompson, about three generations of women
The Library Book by Susan Orlean, whose book on Rin Tin Tin I read
The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel by Charles J. Shields is on John Williams, author of Stoner
Lessons from Lucy by Dave Barry
The Rain Watcher by Tatiana De Rosnay, whose biography of Daphne Du Maurier, Manderley Forever, I read
White Darkness by David Grann is about Henry Worsley's Antarctic expeditions

I have completed 138 books so far this year.

And for fun I have been sharing selections from my vintage sheet music collection!

Adrift: A True Story of Tragedy in the Icy Atlantic and the One Who Lived to Tell About It

In Adrift, Brian Murphy recounts the journey of the packet ship John Rutledge from its navigation down the Mersey River to the ice fields that sank four ships in 1856. Nearly 1,000 souls died in three months, with commercial losses in the millions of dollars. The Irish immigrants and crew on board the Rutledge were all lost, save one man. This is his story.

I love a good adventure story, and if there are ships and ice involved, I'm all in. I was also interested in reading Brian Murphy's Adrift because it is about Irish immigrants, who in 1856 had scrimped and saved for their passage, hopeful they would find a better life in America. My own Irish ancestors left their homeland for England, a much shorter sea journey. But the reasons for leaving their homeland would have been the same, as well as their poverty.

The book is based on the story of Thomas Nye, a New Bedford maritime sailor who was twenty-two when he shipped on the packet ship John Rutledge out of Liverpool. The ship carried over 100 Irish passengers, bound for New York. 

In 1903, just two years before his death, a journalist interviewed Nye who told the story of the sinking of the Rutledge, his nine days asea watching the other survivors succumb to the elements and dehydration, and his providential rescue.

Murphy takes us on Nye's journey, recreating the events, drawing from Nye's writings, ships logs, and newspaper accounts. We are there when the ship strikes a berg and during the launching of the lifeboats. We experience Nye watching as his fellow passengers in an open board are driven to desperate measures and die until only he is left.

It is a tale of harrowing adventure, but also a study of human nature in desperate circumstances when conventional morality and social norms are washed away. There is no cannibalism involved, thankfully, for as Murphy shares, sometimes that did happen.

Reforms to improve maritime safety did not advance until the 1912 sinking of the Titanic. (Some things never change: the lives of impoverished immigrant families did not spur safety advances, but the deaths of some of the richest men in the world did.)

As climate change accelerates the calving of Greenland's ice sheet, more icebergs will clog shipping lanes. Today we have communication between ships and ship and shore, and knowledge of where the ice fields are.

Murphy is a journalist with the Washington Post and the author of three books.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Adrift: A True Story of Tragedy on the Icy Atlantic and the One Who Lived to Tell about It
by Brian Murphy
Da Capo Press
Pub Date 04 Sep 2018
ISBN: 9780306902000
Hardcover $27.00 (USD)