This week’s Best Book of the Week is The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones.
Author: whatmeread
Day 105: This Side of the Sky
This Side of the Sky is Elyse Singleton’s novel about the friendship between two African-American women. It begins when the two are growing up in a small town in Mississippi during the 1930’s. Myraleen is a light-skinned beauty but sarcastic and stubborn, who sometimes tries to pass for white. Lilian is dark, more educated, quiet and hard-working.
The two girls become close friends, even though Lilian’s mother looks down on Myraleen. Eventually, they move away to Philadelphia where they get menial jobs. There they find more freedom but segregation that is more hidden. With still more ambition, they join the Women’s Army Corps towards the end of World War II, eventually ending up posted in London and then Paris.
Although the plot of this novel is sometimes interesting, the characters never seem to be real people. Each of them has only a few characteristics. Nor does the period setting seem particularly convincing except for the details of small town life in a poor, rural area. London during the war is not very well depicted, and Paris is barely depicted at all, as if the author has never been to either city. A few chapters from the point of view of Kellner, a German prisoner of war who is involved with Lilian, seem particularly unconvincing.
Overall, I felt this story should have been very interesting, but it was ultimately lacking in the kind of detail that would make it believable.
Day 104: The Death of Sweet Mister
Another of Daniel Woodrell’s Ozark mysteries, The Death of Sweet Mister is grittier and more pessimistic than the previous Woodrell mystery I read, Winter’s Bone, and that is saying something.
The novel is set in the 1960’s. Shug Atkins is a lonely, overweight 13-year-old boy. His mother, Glenda, is a beautiful, promiscuous drunk who is married to Red, a brutal drug dealer who beats both of them and forces Shug to help steal drugs from sick people. Only Shug’s mother loves him and calls him Sweet Mister.
Glenda meets Jimmy Vin Pearce, a city man with a bright green Thunderbird who works as a cook in an upscale restaurant. The two begin sneaking around together with only Shug as witness. Eventually, Glenda decides to run away with him.
The novel is about the death of innocence, as Shug tries to cope with the demands of covering up his mother’s misdeeds and trying to reconcile his feelings about stealing from the helpless. As always with Woodrell, the book is beautifully and sparingly written. Your heart sinks as you follow Shug’s story.
Day 103: Dark Road to Darjeeling
My interest in the Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn waxes and wanes. Although it is unusual for me to like books that mix mystery and romance, I usually enjoy reading this series, but I enjoy some books more than others. The books have followed the relationship of Lady Julia Grey and Nicolas Brisbane–who solves crimes for a living and whose breeding makes him an unsuitable mate for Julia–since they first met when her husband was murdered. Now, after several books following the ups and downs of their relationship as they solve crimes and get each other into and out of danger, they are married.
In Dark Road to Darjeeling, Lady Julia and Brisbane have been persuaded to interrupt their honeymoon in the Mediterranean by Julia’s sister Portia, who is worried about her friend Jane. In a previous novel, Jane left Portia to be married, and she is now a widow on a tea plantation near Darjeeling. Portia has asked Julia and Brisbane to investigate the possible murder of Jane’s husband. Jane herself is obsessed by her own pregnancy and the mysterious death of her husband Freddy, who may have been murdered for his inheritance.
The Brisbanes take along part of her eccentric family, Portia and brother Plum. Upon arriving at the plantation, they get to know the potential suspects, including Freddie’s aunt, his cousin Harry, several neighboring families, and the mysterious White Rajah.
I was unable to guess the murderer but figured out which family the murderer belonged to. Although this series sometimes resorts to the typical conflict between romantic co-investigators about the danger of the job, a conflict that I find extremely tedious, the dynamic between Julia and Brisbane still holds my attention. If you are interested in this series, I recommend that you start with the first book, Silent in the Grave.
Day 102: Who Murdered Chaucer? A Medieval Mystery
It is an accepted interpretation of history that Richard II was a weak, dissolute ruler who was hated by the English people. But Who Murdered Chaucer? A Medieval Mystery makes a plausible case for the truth having been rewritten by the victors after Richard was deposed.
The version of events that has been accepted for centuries is that Henry IV saved the English kingdom by overthrowing the corrupt Richard II at the urging of the populace. Authors Terry Jones, Robert Yeager, Alan Fletcher, Juliette Dor, and Terry Dolan provide plausible evidence that Richard was neither unpopular nor weak, but that he was a relatively enlightened monarch–a patron of the arts and an advocate for the new fashion of authors writing in their own languages instead of in Latin–and that he permitted criticism of the church.
However, his rule was periodically threatened by several of the more conservative members of nobility and the church, including especially Thomas Arundel, the younger brother of the Earl of Arundel. Richard eventually had to banish some of them, including Arundel, and others were killed. The end of Richard II’s reign actually came later when he felt secure enough to travel to Ireland.
As the result of a proposed duel, Richard also banished Henry of Bolingbroke, the son of John of Gaunt. Henry was considered the consumate knight and was admired throughout the kingdom. Richard seemed to be fond of him and probably considered him his heir. Henry’s dispute with Thomas de Mowbray resulted in charges of treason, and they were both banished. Henry was banished for 10 years, but Jones et al. find plausible indications that Richard had an agreement to allow Henry back early. One was that Richard initially did not take Henry’s property, as was usual.
But Henry met with Arundel on his European travels, despite strict injunctions not to have dealings with him. The two plotted to overthrow Richard, attacking England when he was away in Ireland with his army. Henry won and became Henry IV, treating Richard shamefully. No one was sure what happened to him, except that he was dead. (Henry’s own son, after he became Henry V, had Richard’s bones brought to Westminster to be buried.)
The book shows that Henry relentlessly rooted out records that were approving of Richard, even implicitly, or that were negative to himself. He assiduously promoted propaganda alleging that Richard was hated, weak, and dissolute. He gave Arundel free reign, as Archbishop of Canterbury, to burn heretics for the first time in England and to set his own criteria for judging heretics. In short, he instituted a reign of terror.
What does this have to do with Chaucer? This shift in power left him very vulnerable. His works under Richard II had criticized the very things about the church that Arundel considered to be heresy. Chaucer disappears from the historical record right around 1400, about a year after Richard was deposed.
The book makes a shakier case that Arundel either caused Chaucer’s death, possibly in imprisonment, or paid to have him killed. There is no evidence of this, of course; the authors’ conclusions are drawn from things that happened to other writers, from some vague accounting records, and from hazy interpretations of some of Chaucer’s work. Although I feel that they have certainly pointed toward some possibilities, even they admit that it is unlikely anyone will know the truth.
The book is easy to follow and amusing at times. It is beautifully illustrated with pictures from illuminated manuscripts. The political and historical theories about Richard’s and Henry’s reigns are very interesting. However, I believe the book falls off a bit at the end when it settles down to examining the story of Chaucer’s end, especially when it resorts to interpreting Chaucer’s poetry.
Day 101: The Uninvited Guests
The Uninvited Guests is a delightfully original novel. At first it seems to be an Edwardian family social comedy that reminds me of the light, eccentric novels written by Stella Gibbons or Dodie Smith, but then it takes a turn toward the bizarre.
The Torrington-Swifts live in a large, ramshackle house that is at risk because they can’t afford it. The grown children, Emerald and Clovis, make a show of resenting Edward, their kind, patient, one-armed stepfather. Clovis is sulky and irritable, while Emerald is more likeable. Charlotte, their mother, is selfish and used to being cossetted. Smudge, the youngest girl, is used to being ignored.
It is Emerald’s 20th birthday, and the family is preparing for guests and a party, but Edward must miss the party because he has to travel to Manchester to try to borrow money to save the house. The guests are settling in and a storm is building when other people begin to arrive. A horrendous train accident has occurred a few miles away, and the railroad has sent the passengers to the house for shelter. Among them is an odd character in a red waistcoat who insists upon inserting himself into the birthday party.
Here is where the story begins its strange turn as the party gets odder and odder.
The novel is extremely well written and completely captivating, with a touch of the bizarre.
Special Post! Best Book of Week 20
Announcing the Best Book of Week 20: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Day 100: Appaloosa
Woohoo! One hundred days of blogging! I hope you’re enjoying it. And now, on to the review.
I do not usually read Westerns but looked for Appaloosa after seeing the excellent movie starring Ed Harris (also the director) and Viggo Mortenson. I was surprised to find the book was written by Robert B. Parker, who I only know from the Spencer and Jesse Stone mysteries.
Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch clean up towns. The businessmen of Appaloosa hire them after the sheriff is murdered at Randall Bragg’s ranch when he goes out to arrest some of the hands. Bragg’s hands have been flagrantly breaking the law and terrorizing the town–taking merchandise without paying, assaulting women, and murdering men.
Cole works from a strict sense of law and duty, although he does it his way. He sets the laws in his towns and others must follow them or suffer the consequences. Hitch loyally backs up Cole.
Hitch and Cole get the town under control quickly, but the only witness to the sheriff’s murder, Deputy Whitfield, ran away after the shooting. However, under Cole and Hitch, the town feels safe enough for Whitfield to volunteer to testify against Bragg. Now Cole and Hitch must arrest Bragg and at the same time keep their witness safe.
In the meantime, an attractive widow named Mrs. French arrives in town and latches onto Cole, who is a bit naive when it comes to women. Hitch is skeptical of her, but after awhile, it looks like Cole may be planning to settle down.
The novel is full of action, but it stands out because of the friendship between Cole and Hitch and Parker’s ability to create distinctive characters using laconic dialogue and a bare minimum of description. And Parker has not omitted a twinkle of humor, such as when Cole marvels that Mrs. French takes a bath every single day. Although Appaloosa sounds like a traditional Western, it is unusual, especially in its denoument. I found it to be a quick, appealing read.
Day 99: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
And now for something completely different. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is an absolutely wacky spoof by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. In the planning for Armageddon, a demon gives the Antichrist to a Satanist nun to swap with the baby of an American diplomat. But she mixes up the babies, and the Antichrist goes home with an ordinary British family.
Eleven years pass, and the powers, both of light and darkness, gear up for the end of the world. But one angel (Aziraphale) and one demon (Crowley) have decided they like the human race and life on earth too much to want the war between Heaven and Hell. They go off together to find the Antichrist and avert Armageddon. And then there are Agnes Nutter’s “nice and accurate” predictions.
A review on the book cover says it is like a combination of The Omen and Monty Python, and that gets it about right. It contains lots of digs at sources of apocalyptic literature. This book is not for everyone, but many of you will find it hilariously funny.
Day 98: The Poison Tree
What starts out as a seemingly ordinary novel about a young woman who makes a fascinating, exotic new friend builds slowly to the macabre in The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly. This is not a traditional mystery, but more the foreboding story of how several characters’ lives are changed irrevocably by the incidents of a careless summer in 1993.
In a story that begins ten years before the novel’s present, Karen Clarke is a naive but high-achieving linguistics student who is soon to graduate from a college in London. Her academic success has more to do with a natural ability to learn languages than application, and she finds herself unable to decide what to do with her life. After being very focused for years, she is inclined to let her near-term future be decided by fate.
One afternoon near the end of the term she meets the flamboyant, charismatic Biba Capel and is immediately captivated by her and drawn into her circle. Biba lives in a sprawling, ramshackle house with her brother Rex and other assorted people, and they spend most of their time partying.
The novel’s present day begins with Karen picking up her husband, Rex Capel, from prison, where he has served 10 years for murder. With her is their ten-year-old daughter Alice. Karen has been supporting her small family, economically and emotionally, for years, and knows she must continue to do so, as Rex will find it difficult to get work. She is very protective of Rex and Alice and afraid their new life will be ruined if people learn about their past.
How Karen goes from the carefree life she adopts that summer—which she spends with a bunch of irresponsible young people partying all night and sleeping all day—to the fearful present involves the Capels’ tragic history. As she learns about this history and learns more about her friend, she is drawn into tragedy.
Well written and absorbing, the book slowly builds from normalcy to a sense of dread.
