News From Thrush Green/The Silmarillion

 News From Thrush Green by Miss Read

This third book in the lovely Thrush Green series takes us into the schoolroom of the infinitely patient Miss Watson and Miss Fogarty; the welcoming kitchen of kind Winnie Bailey, retired Dr. Bailey's wife; the parsonage of vicar Charles Henstock and his wife, Dimity; and Tulliver's, a house that long sat empty, now being being enlivened again by Phil (Phyllida), a writer of stories, and her young son. 

The arrival of an attractive young woman in the village is a topic for much speculation, more so as Phil's husband does not arrive with her. Is she married? Where is this husband she speaks of? Separated? Divorced?  Her neighbour, Harold, who becomes her good friend, is particularly interested to know.

The daily doings of gentle people in a small Cotswold village make up the story and create a world that is always comfortable to fall back into. They are a gift I give myself when I grow weary of the world we're living in today. 

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

With over 200 named characters and a timespan covering what must be thousands of years, this is a book that requires some commitment. But I love Tolkien's writing and I wanted to learn the histories referred to in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so I dove in, just hoping to get through it eventually. 

I finished it a few days ago and have to say I loved it. I'd get bogged down in all the names, places, and battles occasionally, then take a break and come back to it later, but I didn't at any point feel like giving up. It's beautiful. 

And talk about world building! With wonderfully lyrical language Tolkien builds a world that once entered, I never want to leave. Learning about the origins of that world gives The Lord of the Rings story and characters more depth and has even made watching the movies better.

My favourite part of The Silmarillion is the creation story at the beginning - absolutely stunning and worth reading again and again. Loved it!

The Wedding People

 The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Pheobe, a young woman whose husband left her for her now ex-best friend - arrives at a resort hotel planning to have one last good meal then end her life quietly in beautiful surroundings. Through a booking error she finds herself the only guest not part of the large wedding party commandeering the rest of the hotel. 

Lila, the bride-to-be, has the week meticulously planned. After a brief encounter with Pheobe, in which Pheobe has been remarkably open about why she's there, Lila makes it clear she does not want her wedding week ruined by a suicide. And it won't be, simply because Phoebe's cat's painkillers, which she hopes will do the job, are not as powerful as she thought they'd be.   

Over the next week she gets to know the various wedding people, is able to be of help with a number of their problems, and in many ways becomes exactly what they - and she - needed.

The first few chapters seemed a little unrealistic to me. I couldn't quite believe a bride could be that high maintenance, but I've been assured since that they can indeed, and apparently it's my good fortune that I've never known one. Anyway...she and the other characters gained depth as the story progressed, becoming more credible and the story more interesting.

It might have been a better story if the cringy and unnecessary "sexting" messages had been left out. They seem to have served only for shock value or maybe they make the book more marketable, who knows. And there was an inexplicable scene about a man having sex with a car, the details of which I'll spare you.

In the end I did get quite involved in the story and found some of the characters  relatable. I liked it, but didn't love it as some in my book club did.

The Paris Express

 The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

A slow burn of a story that starts with people boarding an express train to Paris on Oct 22,1895, and building in intensity until it arrives at its destination with a spectacular crash into the Montparnasse staion. That's not a spoiler as this is based on a true story with the ending a matter of public record. At the close of the novel the author elaborates on the news story, explaining the changes and additions she made in her novel.

There are quite a number of characters, divided among the three third-class, two second class, and two first class carriages. In addition there is the engine, the post and two baggage carriages, and half-way along the route a private carriage is added. Toward the end I was lost as to who was in what car - and it made a difference - so I tried to make a diagram. But then I got so involved in the story I just had to keep reading to see how it would end for each of these people I'd come to know. I went back to the diagram later but found I'd have to re-read almost the whole thing to get it right. This is a book that really needs to include a map of the train, or at least a list of characters and where they were. It would be much easier to follow. 

The characters include:

 Mado, a 20 yr old anarchist/feminist carrying a homemade bomb

Henry, an African American painter, fleeing racism in America.

Cecile, a pregnant woman who goes into labor on the train.

Blonska, a Russian immigrant who becomes aware of what Mado is hiding.

Hakim, who goes from car to car selling coffee from a large tank strapped to his back 

Maurice, a 7 yr old boy travelling for the first time by himself.

Alice, a secretary traveling with her boss.

The Christophle family, traveling in the private car.   

Guillaume, who's driving the train

Victor, the stoker

Leon - senior train guard

Jean - Junior train guard

Point of view changes from person to person, letting us get to know each one and what they are about, bringing depth to the story and slowly increasing the tension as the train gets nearer the end of its run. Knowing for certain there will be a devastating crash at the end adds to the effect. By then you care about these people and are afraid for them. 

Having finished it I don't really need to sort out the cars and passengers anymore but I think I will anyway. I'll probably re-read most of it in the process, except for one rather lurid scene between two men in a washroom. I can't see how that contributed to the story at all, but it surely does seem as if every comtemporary novel now must have a steamy scene or two. As a society it strikes me as odd that we all have doors on our bedrooms for privacy - it seems we don't want others watching our private moments - yet we want to watch/read about the private moments of others. We've become a society of voyeurs, not an encouraging thought, but I digress....

I liked this one for it's character development, dialogue, differing viewpoints and the interesting world it created inside this train. I wished I could follow some of these characters after the accident to see how it affected them and how they would then live out their lives. 

Not wanting the story to end is, I think, a pretty good recommendation for any book.

New York 2140

 New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson

Another climate change tome from Kim Stanley Robinson. It's hefty, but really fun to read. 

The lower part of New York City in 2140 has been flooded by rising sea levels, as have most of the other coastal cities in the world. The streets are canals now and people still living in those areas get around in boats instead of cars. Buildings partly underwater are eroding unless they were built on bedrock; those ones are still standing solid and filled with residents. Even underwater there are people living and businesses operating, down where it's easier to hide - yourself or any questionable activities you may be involved in.  

This novel focuses on one particular building, the Met Life Tower, and its residents: Vlade, the building superintendent; Amelia, an influencer who live-streams from her blimp as she moves endangered animals to safer environments; Franklin, a financier; Charlotte, a housing advocate and chairperson of the Tower tenants assoc.; NYPD Inspector Gen (Gen is her name, not her title); Stephan and Roberto, two young boys who hunt for underwater treasure and occasionally need rescuing; and Mutt and Jeff, hackers living in the "hotello" at the top of the Met Tower.

The story begins with Mutt and Jeff being kidnapped, Inspector Gen investigating. The kidnapping is connected to finance, Franklin's area of expertise, and eventually all the characters will play a part in the hunt for the missing men, becoming a family of sorts along the way. 

The story is at times absolutely riveting, but a few sections - like detailed explanations of financial matters - I found tedious, but then I'm not a financier. I liked the story, the climate science, and the way the characters and their relationships were developed - especially Vlade, he's a wonderful character. 

This book, like the author's The Ministry For the Future, is full of details from his seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of climate change, and here, building construction and finance as well. It's an education if you can stick with it through all the particulars and technicalities. When I finish one of his novels I feel like I've really accomplished something, and that's not a caution but a recommendation. 

A challenge, and well worth it!

The Glass Chateau

 The Glass Chateau by Stephen Kiernan

France, 1945. Much of the country lies in ruins, as does the home of Asher, a man tormented by the memory of his wife and two year old daughter being shot by a German soldier. His furious need for revenge led him to join the Resistance where he did things of which he'd never in his life thought himself capable. Now he carries the weight of those actions in addition to his grief and unmitigated rage. Without purpose he wanders, like many others, from place to place, seeking only a bit of food and to survive another day. 

When he hears of a place, a sanctuary, where it is said men have gone and found some kind of peace, he sets out to find it, in time coming to the door of Le Chateau Guerin. Hoping only for a meal, he is surprised to be welcomed, and given a room to sleep in and work to do. His job will be to feed the furnaces burning day and night as glass is made to replace the blown out windows of France's cathedrals. In time he'll move on to learning the delicate skills needed for making stained glass and will come to find he has a talent for it.

He is only one of several broken souls being cared for at the Chateau, each carrying their own scars and secrets. As Asher settles in he fears what will happen if they should find out not only what he's done, but who he is.

A moving story with writing that seemed to droop a bit toward the end but still offered a satisfying conclusion. It was the glass-making aspect that first drew me to the book, but it also helped me see the aftermath of war from a different perspective. I'd never thought about damage done to the many beautiful cathedrals of Europe or what it would take to repair them and was interested to learn about that. Those things and the convincing characters made this a very enjoyable read. 

James

 James by Percival Everett

A companion book - or perhaps the author's setting straight of  - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It begins by following Huck's story as told from the viewpoint of the slave, Jim, then veers off into something very different. 

I didn't enjoy the Huck book or this one either. For one thing, Jim in the first book is a sage - wise, with a rich thought life and unending patience. In this one Jim becomes a cold-blooded murderer, an angry man whose anger, yes, is justified, but not very relatable to who he was in Huck. We are all certainly capable of all kinds of evil we think we aren't, but for me the change here was just too drastic.

I was looking forward to reading about Jim, the only character I liked in the Huck book, but I didn't recognize him in this story.