The Lamplighters and The Rule of Four

The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

This is a quietly creepy mystery about three lighthouse keepers who simply vanish in 1972. When a relief boat arrives they find the lighthouse empty, locked from the inside, all the clocks set to 8:45, and the table set for a meal. The weather log-book records a storm when there had been none. 

The story moves back and forth from uneasy lighthouse scenes where relationships are strained among the keepers, to two decades later when the keeper's wives, still bearing the emotional scars of the disappearance and resulting questions and accusations, are interviewed by a writer trying to find out what really happened to the men that day. 

This book was hard to put down. The author is adept at creating unease - between the men, and later among their wives - and of bringing the setting to life almost as a character itself. Dangerous waters, conflicting personalities, secrets kept by the wives for years, the pristine condition of the empty lighthouse, and the cover up by the lighthouse keeper's employer all add up to a deliciously tense mystery, making me resent anything taking me away from the book.   

Loosely based on a similar actual event in Scotland in 1900, an inscription says the book is written "in respectful memory" of that event but that these characters and their lives are purely fiction.

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell

This is about a group of male friends and their adventures and misadventures in their senior year of college. One of them is writing his thesis on an ancient book called the Hypnerotomachia (a book that actually exists in the real world), a diary full of convoluted clues presumed to lead to a hidden treasure. It's all fun and excitement until someone is killed for what they know about the book and they begin to realize that continuing their quest will put them in serious danger. 

Though the mystery of the diary and the unraveling of the clues was compelling reading, I'm not a fan of boy's stories generally, and college seniors or not, these guys are still just boys in so many ways. I find their ill-considered escapades and bad decisions more tiring than entertaining. I want to yell at them - Life is too short...You'll want these years back some day...Don't sabotage your future! I'm probably too old, or have seen too many things go wrong, to be a good reader of adventure stories anymore, but it is an interesting literary mystery.   

The Curiosity

 The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan

Kate Philo is in the arctic on a research boat collecting specimens for a private lab in Boston, where scientist Erastus Carthage is trying to re-animate dead things flash frozen in the ice. So far they've worked only on tiny crustations, managing to bring them back to life for just a few minutes before they succumb again. 

When they discover the body of a larger creature in the ice they think they might have a a seal, instead it turns out to be the body of Judge Jeremiah Rice who has been frozen there for over 100 years. After a few mad-scientist-type tries, they manage to bring him back to life and he begins to adjust to a world he barely recognizes. When Kate develops feelings for him, he is caught between caring for her and grieving for his beloved wife and children who, to his mind, he has only just lost.

What I liked: 

- The story. It was unusual and interesting to see what the process and repurcussions of re-animation were.

- The questions it raised. As an individual with rights and freedoms, how much control should the lab or any other entity have over where a re-animated human goes and what he does? Is he a free human being or is he a lab experiment, some scientist's project? Is it right to subject a person to reanimation without their previous consent? Whose responsibility is it to provide for him? 

 

What I didn't like:

- The obnoxious news reporter assigned to the project who saw Kate only as a body he'd like to investigate further. He was an old, tired cliche.

- Carthage, the scientist in charge of the project. Also a cliche, evil all the way through, all the time. Quite mad,

- The treatment of protestors who chanted and carried banners outside the lab, angry that anyone but God should try to create life. I'd like to have seen their concerns - some of which were valid - addressed instead of simply portraying them as an angry mob of crazy people.

The story had potential, and I did enjoy the reading of it, but a couple of almost ridiculously stereotypical characters and the missed opportunity to honestly examine important issues kept it from being great. 

The Left Hand of Darkness

 The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Wow. What a visionary, intricate world Le Guin has built in this sci-fi novel. Apparently it's what she's known for but this was my first time reading one of her books and I'm a little awe-struck. When I saw the blurb on the back, I was doubtful that it could be "as profuse and original in invention as The Lord Of The Rings (Michael Moorcock)", but now, I think it just might be.

It's a vast and detailed world written with such assuredness that you feel it must have always existed somewhere, and that you're getting only a tiny glimpse of it in this story - just a glance through a window as you fly by. I felt at the end that it somehow wasn't enough, that there must be a million more stories in this world to be told. I've since learned that others of her books are indeed set in the same universe, but on other planets and with different characters. I will have to try another one just to see where she takes it. Her imagination, and writing, are pretty amazing.

The story begins with Mr. Ai, a Terran (so a human, like us - I think?), watching a parade on the planet Gethen, also known as Winter because of it's being in a continual ice age. Mr. Ai, first name Genry, has come to Gethen as a representative of Ekumen, a political and trade alliance of far-flung planets, to persuade Gethen to join the alliance. He will meet with the King of Karhide first, and if he finds favor there it is hoped the other nations of Gethen will follow. With increasing political tensions among Karhide's leaders and a wildly unpredictable King, it won't be easy.

The Prime Minister, Estraven, recommends Ekumen to the King, who, believing it would threaten Gethen's independence, is angered by the idea and declares Estraven a traitor, banning him from Karhide and confiscating all he owns. Mr. Ai travels to neighbouring Orgoreyn to distance himself from the King, and there is captured and taken to a prison work camp where he is overworked and starved until Estraven manages to break him out. 

When Mr. Ai is strong enough they set out on a dangerous trek up and across mountains of snow and ice, planning to sneak back into Karhide. From there Mr. Ai will be able to radio his ship's crew - for whom 2 weeks have passed since he left them, while for him it's been 3 years - to bring the ship to Gethen, which will take another 17 days, Gethen time. 

Estraven's (my favourite character) point of view alternates with that of Mr. Ai, through whose curious eyes we learn about this new planet and its people. As a kind person who means well, he is frustrated when he blunders and offends people unintentionally, which happens fairly often.

That basic storyline is filled out with an impressive array of cultural, social, and political information about Gethen and its people, who are neither women nor men but have qualities, and the organs, of both. During kemmer, a time of sexual desire each person experiences for two or three days every month, they mate with other beings also in kemmer at that time. An individual can become either male or female during kemmer, possibly becoming pregnant or fathering a child. Some Gethenians have children they've birthed, as well as children they've fathered. It seems freakish at first reading, and I still don't completely understand it, but by the end of the book it seemed more normal.....sort of. 

An intriguing plot with credible, layered characters, exceptional world-building, articulate writing, and vivid descriptions make this one very good reading experience. 

An Object of Beauty

 An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

Daniel Franks, art writer, narrates his story of Lacey Yeager, art lover, who begins her career with a job in the basement of Sotheby's auction house, then works her way up to dealer and gallery owner. 

Lacey is smart, beautiful, and ambitious. She wants to be one of the big players in the art world and will risk breaking the rules to achieve that end, no matter the possible consequences to herself or others. Not very likeable, she's...well...a lot.

Daniel is not in the story often, just enough to show us he's smitten with Lacey and doesn't stand a chance. We don't really get to know him as anything other than Lacey's rather sad friend who can't seem to win for losing. 

I found the narration odd. Daniel begins in the first person then veers into a third person viewpoint telling us about Lacey's life in detail. Things he couldn't possibly know - her thoughts, what she said on phone calls, and minute details of her sexual encounters with other men. Then he abruptly switches back to the first person making it feel creepy, as if he'd been standing in the corner watching.  

What drew me to the book was the artsy setting and Steve Martin's name. I knew him only as actor/comedian and was curious to see what kind of writer he is. I'd only been reading a few minutes when I knew I'd like it. He's smart and witty and great fun to read. These lines from the first page made me eager to read the rest.

"My goal, once I discovered that my artistic aspirations were not accompanied by artistic talent, was to learn to write about art with effortless clarity. This is not as easy as it sounds: whenever I attempted it, I found myself in a convoluted rhetorical tangle from which there was no exit."

What I liked best about this book was getting a glimpse at how the art business operates - the buying and selling, the wheeling and dealing as stock market ups and downs affected the trade. I love a book that takes me into a world I know nothing about and shows me how it works.

Writing...check, setting...check, characters.....no, they left me cold. Reading this book was a little like a visit to a gallery. I viewed the art (literally - there are reproductions throughout the novel), listened to people discussing it, and met a few of those people. But they all stayed very much just passing acquaintances, glossy characters who didn't want or need any response from me. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining dive into the art world with enjoyable writing, very much worth reading  

Clara and Mr. Tiffany

 Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

A fictional account of a true story. There was an actual Clara Driscoll who worked with Tiffany for years, designing the stained glass lamps that brought Louis Comfort Tiffany fame and for a time, fortune. Susan Vreeland highlights Clara's unrecognized contributions to the design and creation of Tiffany's iconic lamps and windows and her determined attempts to get women organized and fighting for fair treatment in the workplace. The existing union welcomed men only because women didn't need jobs, her proper place being in the home.

Clara worked at the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company for a while until she got married and, in compliance with company policy, had to leave. The story opens a few weeks later when, single again, she went back to see if they'd rehire her. They did, and put her in charge of a women's section they were looking to expand because Tiffany firmly believed "women have greater sensitivity to nuances of color than men do." He saw their talent, but took credit for their work himself; this book doesn't paint him in a flattering light at all.

Clara's personal life with friends at her boarding house together with her work life with other female artisans at the studio all made for a good story, but Clara herself wasn't an endearing character. She seemed a little too full of herself. and her need for recognition and special attention from her boss was mentioned often enough to become tedious. 

Still, I enjoyed the book for its setting in the stained-glass industry. Learning a little about the different types of glass, why they select certain colours for specific projects, and how it's assembled in the leaded setting made this a very satisfying read. For me the art itself is the main character, and it's what I'll take with me from this one. 

Yours, Jack and The Night Circus

  Yours, Jack by C.S. Lewis

A wonderful collection of readings taken from Lewis's letters. He is known to have answered personally every letter received from his readers which must have taken up a great deal of his time, yet his insightful replies show he considered each question and comment worthy of a thoughtful response.

 

I've long admired Lewis as an author and a teacher, but having read this book I think I understand him better now as a human being, one who struggled as the rest of us do to live up to our beliefs. He lived with health problems, family difficulties, frustrations and unanswered questions...in short, he was one of us. 

Full of practical observations and encouragement in Lewis's refreshingly clear, honest writing, this book is one to be absorbed a little at a time, then returned to again and again. A treasure.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Full of magic and mystery, the Night Circus appears in your neighbourhood suddenly and unannounced with acrobats, magicians, fortune-tellers and other wonders for the entertainment of all, but something else is going on behind the scenes. It's this insidious something else that ruined the magic for me. I can't see the circus - and thus the book - as fun and whimsical when the purpose behind it is to cold-bloodedly pit two young people against each other in a competition that must lead to death for one of them. Everyone loves this book, but the malevolence behind all the pretty things took the fun out of it for me.