The King's Favorite by John Vance

Not all books are meant for all readers. Many months at the library book club my husband and I are the "thumb up, thumb down" opposites. 

Deciding to not to finish a read a book is very personal. Although I chose not to finish these books, I hope to do justice to their merits as well as their flaws.

Having read Samuel Pepy's diary twice--abridged and in full--I was curious about John Vance's first novel set in the court of Charles II. His father Charles I was murdered under Oliver Cromwell during the militant Puritan revolution. The new government hoped to create a holy society on earth but instead instituted a religious dictatorship. In 1660, the Brits were ready to reinstate the monarchy and brought Charles II home to rule. 

People were no longer forced to follow the Puritan lifestyle. With the end of the Blue Laws, the playhouses were reopened. For the first time, women acted on the stage. Fancy clothes could be worn again. Adultery and blasphemy were no longer against the law. The pendulum swung, and it swung hard. And Charles epitomized his time with his profligate lifestyle--fancy clothes, many mistresses, love of the theater, and as Pepys often complained, neglect of business.

As a scholar of this time period, John Vance shows his deep familiarity in The King's Favorite, a historical mystery involving Charles II's many mistresses, the newest found dead in the king's bed. Regicide is afoot. Getting a close look is an American in London for the first time.

Charles II, showing off his admirable leg

The Restoration, what a time it was! And Vance brings in all the sexy scenes, the dirty dialogue, the raucous activity in the theaters, streets, and court. We meet Lady Castlemaine, the king's longtime mistress, as well as his other favorites vying for his attention. 

The novel is slow going plot-wise because there is so much Vance wants us to know. All these people and history and relationships he figures (rightly) that readers won't know. But he falls into the trap many writers fall into of too much telling. Many readers enjoy these kinds of details. Others find it a dull slog. I was somewhere in the middle. Until I wasn't.

155 pages in I decided to not finish the novel. The mystery just was not grabbing my attention. 

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

The King's Favorite
by John Vance
Black Rose Writing
Publication July 2018
ISBN: 9781684331031
Ebook $6.99 (USD)

A Celebration of HERstory Quilts Strong Women

Here's to the strong women.

May we know them.

May we be them.

May we raise them.

unknown. 

Suzanne Miller Jones presents 108 juried quilts celebrating women who impacted the world. Some are universally known and some are forgotten. They include women who stood up to power and women who brought laughter into our homes. Most were 'firsts' in their field. 

Each quilt has a full-page color photograph and a full-page artist's statement with a history of the woman celebrated in the quilt, a quote from the subject, and artist information.

The quilt artists use every technique and fabric available, including painting and thread painting, fusible applique and piecing, fabric dying and commercial fabrics, computers and scanners and fabric printing. The descriptions of how the artist made the quilt is as interesting as the subject of the quilt.

Subjects include women from history and women changing the world today. International and American women are represented.

The book is divided into sections: Suffragists, Strong Women, Groups, and Personal Heroes.

I was pleased to see such a diversity of women honored. Some of my favorites include:

• Sally Ride (1951-2012), the first female American astronaut.  Deb Berkebile's portrait shows Sally's well-known wide smile, the Space Shuttle in the background.
• Mary Blair (1911-1978) was a favorite illustrator when I was a child for her book I Can Fly. As a Disney artist, she created the concept art for well-beloved animated films and It's a Small World. Tanya Brown sketched, scanned, and printed her image on fabric then densely stitched it.
• I was pleased to see writers represented, including the late poet Mary Oliver (1935-2019). Barbara Dover offers a pictorial landscape quilt representing Oliver's poem The Summer Day. 
• Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) fought for voting rights in the Jim Crow South, withstanding beatings and jail. Carol Vinick's fabric collage portrait rises above a lunch counter with women of all colors waiting to be served.
• Misty Copland (1982-) is the first African American ballet dancer to be a principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre. Nneka Gamble shows a young Misty in ballet school, the only girl of color.
• One of my personal favorites among the lesser-known women is Emily Carr (1871-1945), a Canadian artist who studied the Native Americans of British Columbia. I first learned about Carr in Susan Vreeland's novel The Forest Lover. Maggie Vanderwelt honored Carr with a quilt depicting one of the totem poles Carr documented.

HERStory Quilts is an uplifting and inspiring book, educating us about women's history while delighting our eyes as a collection of art.

I received a book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

HERstory Quilts: A Celebration of Strong Women
Susanne Miller Jones
Size: 8 1/2″ x 11″ | 114 color images | 240 pp
ISBN13: 9780764354601
$34.99 hardcover

from the publisher: 

A long-overdue tribute to a selection of women who have shaped history through herstory, this rich collection of 108 mixed-media fiber art pieces celebrates extraordinary women who cracked glass ceilings, made important discoveries, or shook the world by breaking into fields dominated by men. The subjects of these exquisite quilts, by 85 artists from 7 countries, include politicians and scientists, environmentalists and entertainers, activists and artists, athletes and authors—and even a fictional heroine. The quilting medium mirrors the advances these women have made, as the art quilt movement has inspired women to express their creativity in a whole new way.

Maggie Brown & Others by Peter Orner

What kind of word magician writes a novella in short stories that leaves me in tears when a character dies? These snippets pieced together a life, a community. And I hated to leave.

I had heard a lot of buzz about Peter Orner's Maggie Brown & Others. And it was on my pre-approved NetGalley shelf. I squeezed it into my reading schedule.

The early short stories captivated me. Twice I quoted the book for David Abrams' Sunday Sentence on Twitter, where people post 'the best sentence' they read that week:

An old boyfriend once told her that she had a way of using magnanimity as a weapon. 

Shouts in the dark. Maybe that's the best we can do to reach beyond ourselves.

I noted lovely sentences such as, "Her shoulder blades are still shaped like the prows of rowboats." And pointed insights like "There's something so ruthless about optimism."

The diverse stories are insightful and I loved meeting all of these people, learning so much about them through these small slivers of life.

In the fourth section of the book, Walt Kaplan is Broke: A Novella, we meet a good man with a small life, a broke man rich in love. The stories jump through time, building the story of Fall River in New Jersey and the remnant community of Jews--those who have died and "the ones waiting for the opportunity."

You have to love people like Walt and Sarah Kaplan who ask "you wanna" and then push their twin beds together, never having considered purchasing a queen bed.

I could return to these stories again and again.

In one story a writer is told there is no money in writing short stories! I would guess that is true, but I am sure glad writers like Orner still employ the form.

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

Maggie Brown & Others: Stories
by Peter Orner
Little, Brown and Company
Pub Date 02 Jul 2019
ISBN 9780316516112
PRICE $27.00 (USD)

Wickwythe Hall by Judithe Little

In the award-winning Wickwythe Hall, Judithe Little brings to life events few Americans know about. I loved the writing and these original and sympathetic characters. Little gives us a wonderful balance of the personal and the political, the carnage and romance. 

In 1940, Nazi Germany pushed the British troops to the English Channel, saved only by the Miracle of Dunkirk. But France was left at the mercy of the Germans.

As Germany plans to take over France, a party converges at Wickwythe Hall, the country home of the Spring family, Tony and his American wife, Mabry.

Foremost is in the party is Winston Churchill, accompanied by Reid Carr, his American contact with President Roosevelt. Churchill pressures Carr to make America understand that the Battle for Britain can't be won without American warships. 

Reid and Mabry were once in love, and perhaps still are. Mabry is no longer the vivacious and spirited girl Reid knew. Unable to bring a pregnancy to full term, feeling a failure, Mabry's garden is her therapy and escape. 

Then there is the beautiful Annelle LeMaire, an orphan taken in by the nuns. Just as she was to take her vows she joined the throng of refugees fleeing France. Annelle finds her way to the English coast where she would be rounded up as a suspicious immigrant. But Mabry, organizing to provide refreshments for the battle-weary and wounded soldiers, takes Annelle home to Wickwythe. 

Annelle takes up work as a cook and gardener. Her only family are her brothers in the Foreign Legion and she is desperate to find them. Perhaps Reid Carr, a Foreign Legion veteran, can track them down.

Covering four years of the war, the novel brings to life the horrific scenes of warfare, the tensions and privations on the homefront, and the terrible choices war entails.

At the center of the novel is Operation Catapult, sanctioned by Roosevelt and directed by Churchill, the destruction of the French navy deemed necessary to prevent Germany from the control of the ships.

I received an ebook from the author through a giveaway on the Facebook group Breathless Bubbles and Books. My review is fair and unbiased.

Helen Korngold Diary: July 14-20, 1919

Helen Korngold, Dec. 1919, New York City

This year I am sharing the 1919 diary of Helen Korngold of St. Louis, MO.

After graduating from Washington University Helen went on a trip to Colorado.

July
Monday 14

Village not very exciting. Edith & I waded in Big Thompson – lots of fish – Met Mr. Strothers from K.C. Used to go to Central. Played ball with him & danced. He’s a fine chap. To bed, after a long chat with him.

Tuesday 15

Mr. & Mrs. Nieman took me riding – They are just too dear for words. We had a lovely dinner – time to go to lunch. Danced with Edith & Durand. Fooled around – dinner – talked & danced.

Wednesday 16

Walked to Country Club with May – rode back – met a mutual friend Harry Thomas McGarry. Took pictures & talked – lunch – home to ret. Dinner. Danced all evening. Smith is a wild dancer. While Strother is almost pep-less.

Thursday 17

Tired. Rest all morning. Read. Lunch – talked. Took a long hike with David. Home – He’s nice, but not very excellent company. 

Friday 18

To town with May & David. He’s a sport when it comes to (?) Home in time for lunch. Slept all afternoon. Dinner – played cards. Edith may leave tomorrow morning.

Saturday 19

Write letters. Walk to village with Durand. Longs Peak Inn & Copland Lake. Drove into lake. Wild. Danced in evening.

Sunday 20

Judge went to Longs Peak. Outside all morning. Met Betty Kouchin’s chum Julia Cross. Spent afternoon with them. Out with David & girls in evening. Durand & I got home at 11 bells. Not very exciting.

NOTES:

July 14

Mr. Strothers of Kansas City who went to Central High may be Lewis Strothers in the 1905 Central HS yearbook, born 1889

July 16

Longs Peak Poster

Harry Thomas McGarry appears in the Colorado Springs 1922 City Directory as an attorney. He was born in New York around 1895. In the 1921 Colorado Springs City Directory, he is listed as president of Farmer’s and Miner’s Trading Company. July 19 Copland Lake is a manmade lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park Longs Peak Inn was a lodge purchased by Elizabeth and Esther Burnell summer of 1916. In 1918 Esther married Enos Mills and they ran the inn together.

1912 photo of Long's Peak Inn

See another photo here

July 20

Betty Kuchai/Kouchin may be the Betty G. Kuchai on the 1916 through 1922 Denver, CO city directories, working for Cranmor & Co. as a stenographer or bookkeeper. There is a death record for Betty Kuchai Mendel, born October 10, 1901, in Colorado and died October 31, 1980, in Los Angeles. Her father’s name was Kuchai and mother’s maiden name was Kirchner.

An Abraham Kuchai appears on the 1910 Denver Census married to Ray with children Rebecca, Esther, Lena and Hyman. He was Russian/Yiddish, arrived in America in 1904, and worked as a job lot peddler. In 1915 he appears on the Denver City Director working for Girvan Furniture & Auction. In 1916 and 1917 his business is listed as ‘clothing.’ In 1924 Ray is working as a milliner and Hyman is a clerk in the Piggly Wiggly. In 1942 Ray Kuchai donated $35 towards the Jewish American Congress, organized in 1917 to secure Jewish rights at the end of the war.

Mini-Reviews of Good Reads

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro is beautifully written and compelling. I read it in 24 hours. As a genealogy researcher, I found it of special interest. 

Who are we? What does it mean to be family? What secrets do we keep and what should we share?

Shapiro's genealogy DNA test revealed her father was not her biological father. The memoir traces her journey from shock to seeking the truth to meeting her biological sire and half-siblings. 

I borrowed the book from the library through Overdrive.

*****

Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen: A Culinary View of Lincoln's Life and Times by Rae Katherine Eighmey


Published by the Smithsonian in 2014, the book includes 55 'authentic recipes.'  Eighmey kitchen-tested the recipes, endeavoring to stay true to the foods and tools of Lincoln's time while offering recipes that modern cooks can reproduce.

I was surprised at how much unknown Lincoln history I learned, such as his time in the Militia, and the open fire, primitive cooking the soldiers enjoyed, wrapping a simple bread dough around their gun barrels to be cooked over the fire. 

It is a pleasure to read. Now, to try the recipes--

This book was a gift. 

Read an excerpt here.

*****

The library book club read Before the Fall by Noah Hawley. Since it had been three years since I read the egalley I reread it. It kept my interest as much the second reading as it did the first time!

On the surface, this is a suspense novel--a page-turner. The truth of what happened in a plane crash is slowly revealed through the character's backstories. Each character had reached a turning point in their lives--before the plane fell from the sky.

Scott Burroughs survives, rescuing a child. He loses privacy and his character is attacked through media-manufactured accusations. He is a flawed, failure of a man who is trying to resurrect his life.

Everyone enjoyed the book--some even said it was one of their favorite book club reads! Readers noted the quality of writing, the well-drawn characters, and the deeper messages. We highly recommend this novel as a book club read.

Read my review at
https://theliteratequilter.blogspot.com/2016/06/before-fall-by-noah-hawley-information.html

The Feast Day of the Cannibals by Norman Lock

Norman Lock's sixth book in the American Novel Series delves into the ugly side of the Gilded Age. 

With a window view of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, Shelby Ross visits his old friend Washington Robling, who is incapacitated, his capable wife overseeing the construction of the bridge his father designed. Ross tells his sad story to Robling, his fall from fortune forcing him to seek work, and the events that led to his imprisonment.

Having lost his business in the depression, Ross found employment at the Customs House, working under Herman Melville, a bitter, failed novelist. Ross also works with a dreamy younger man who pursues a friendship, while another co-worker, a sinister older man, harasses them as suspect homosexuals.

A man of numbers and business, Ross reads Melville's forgotten books and Moby Dick comes to influence him in dark ways. Ross passively plays into the hands of his nemesis, until his rage drives him to commit a crime of passion.

The Gilded Age world comes to life. It is populated with legendary people: Ross comes into contact with Mark Twain, who encourages a dying and broke Gen. Grant to write his memoirs to provide income to his beloved wife Julia. 

This is a dark novel of evil and hatred, of failed dreams, the bitterness of life's unjustness, and the many ways humans are all cannibals at heart.

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

from the publisher:

Feast Day of the Cannibals charts the harrowing journey of a tormented heart during America’s transformative age.

Feast Day of the Cannibals

by Norman Lock

Bellevue Literary Press

Publication: July 16, 2019

ISBN: 9781942658467, 194265846Xk

$16.99 USD, $22.99 CAD, £12.99 GBP

Norman Lock on the American Novel Series:

Through my American novels, I hope to understand, a little, the present American era by what came before and shaped its thought, beliefs, prejudices, virtues, vices, and emotional undertow.  --from the publisher's website.

I have enjoyed several of Norman Lock's American Novel Series. Read my reviews at:

The Wreckage of Eden
https://theliteratequilter.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-wreckage-of-eden-by-norman-lock.html

A Boy in His Winter
https://theliteratequilter.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-boy-in-his-winter-by-norman-lock.html