State of Wonder ~ Ann Patchett

At the end of last year when people were compiling their best books of 2011 lists, Ann Patchett's State of Wonder showed up on a lot of them.

It is the story of Marina Singh, a research scientist and doctor who works for a large pharmaceutical company in Minnesota. One of the company's projects is funding research in the Amazon jungle that deals with fertility - specifically extending a woman's fertility into her later years. (Why any woman would want to have a child in her 70s is beyond me, but in the book the pharmaceutical company thinks there is a huge market for it).

The doctor in charge of the research in Brazil, Dr. Swenson, is non-compliant when it comes to communicating her progress and details of the research, so another researcher and colleague of Marina's is sent to the Amazon to find out what is being done.

After he has been gone for a couple of months, word is sent that he contracted a fever and died. So, Marina is sent to find out what really happened to him and to bring back his personal effects.

When she finally gets to the jungle and to Dr. Swenson's camp, nothing and no one is what she expects and by the end, she has overcome some things from her past, and her world is forever changed by her experiences.

The book is a compelling read, with some unexpected plot twists. And of course no story that takes place in the Amazon jungle would be complete without encounters with cannibals, poison arrows, anacondas, and harpy eagles(!), all of which can be found in this book.

Overall, I really liked this book...that is until I got to the last chapter and the author threw in a couple of things that were totally unnecessary. 3 out of 5 stars on this one.

A Heavenly Romp!

I was reminded of this poem yesterday when my sister posted another one by the same author on her facebook page. They are both about heaven - hers is rather poignant while this one is more fun. But both of them make me think of my grandma and the wonder of her now being in heaven. I don't know exactly what she is doing there, but I like to think that she's having a heavenly romp.

Heavenly Playground
Oh God, I'm not anxious to snuff it,
but when the Grim Reaper reaps me,
I'll try to rely on
my vision of Zion,
I know how I want it to be.

As soon as you greet me in Heaven,
and ask what I'd like, I shall say,
"I just want a chance
for my spirit to dance,
I want to be able to play."

Tell the angels to build a soft playground,
designed and equipped just for me,
with a vertical slide
that's abnormally wide,
and oceans of green PVC.

There'll be reinforced netting to climb on,
and rubberized floors that will bend,
and no one can die,
so I needn't be shy
if I'm tempted to land on a friend!

I'm gonna go mad in the soft, squashy mangle,
and balmy with balls in the swamp,
colored and spherical,
I'll be hysterical!
I'll have a heavenly romp!

There'll be cushions and punch bags and tires
in purple and yellow and red,
and a mushroomy thing
that will suddenly sing
if I kick it or sit on its head.

There'll be fountains of squash and ribena
to feed my continual thirst,
and none of that stuff
about "You've had enough,"
surely heavenly bladders won't burst.

I suppose I might be too tall for the entrance,
but Lord, chuck the rules in the bin.
If I am too large,
tell the angel in charge
to let me bow down and come in.

~Adrian Plass

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Blood, Bones & Butter

Last month, I mentioned joining Huffington Post's book club. Their second selection is a memoir by Gabrielle Hamilton titled Blood, Bones & Butter.

I was kind of excited to read this one since I usually enjoy memoirs, and to have one about a chef was an added bonus. However, by the end of this one, I was pretty disappointed.

It starts out well. The first third of the book describes Ms. Hamilton rather unconventional childhood. Her parents divorce when she is about 10 and more or less leave her and her siblings to their own devices. She begins working in restaurants soon after, and when she is old enough, takes off to New York City where she works as a waitress and gets involved in drugs and some criminal activity.

The second third describes her escape to Europe, college experiences, and various catering jobs before finally opening her own restaurant in New York City, which quickly becomes successful .

Up until this point, the book is decent. Hamilton gets points for being an excellent writer - some of her descriptive passages about food are quite lovely. But, I really think she should have ended the book here.

The last third takes place outside the realm of the restaurant and cooking and deals instead with her personal life. To be frank, it's not pretty. Most of her relationships are toxic and dysfunctional - a fact of which she almost seems proud. And her personality comes across as being pretty caustic and selfish. Honestly, I'd rather not have read about it.

Read this one at your own risk. A lot of people really love it. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them.

FaveREDs?

Ummm...yes!

Clearly I'm not the only person who picks all the red jellybeans out of a bag, because Starburst is now making bags of only the red ones! I am very excited to see these in the store. Any guesses on how many bags I'll go through between now and Easter?

The Flight of Gemma Hardy ~ Margot Livesey

I love the novel Jane Eyre. It's is one of the very few novels that I break my no rereading rule for from time to time.  So, when I heard about Margot Livesey's new novel, The Flight of Gemma Hardy, I was intrigued as it is pegged as a modern retelling of Jane Eyre.

Taking on a novel like Jane Eyre is a bold step, but for the most part, Livesey pulls it off. Most of the action takes place in Scotland in the 1960s. The Jane character, Gemma, is originally from Iceland. When she becomes orphaned she goes to live with her uncle and his family, then to boarding school, and then to be an au pair for an orphaned little girl - sound familiar?

I could probably write a whole essay comparing and contrasting the two novels, but I don't want to. I don't think that is the author's point in writing the novel. If you want to know more about the similiaritis and differences, you'll have to read it for yourself.

I will point out that there is one kind of plot hole that bothered me. *Spoiler ahead* While there is no Bertha character per se, some personal revelations are made that make Gemma take flight from Mr. Sinclair (the Rochester character). However, in my opinion, the revelations aren't that big of a deal. Definitely not big enough to cause one to throw away love and happiness. I went back and read the passages a couple of times thinking I had missed something, but I hadn't. A mad wife in the attic is a much more believable plot twist.

Also, near the end of the book, Gemma heads to Iceland to see if she can learn about her family. This is arguably the best part of the book (maybe because it is where the plot strays the most from the original?) and has gotten me interested in Iceland. I would like to read more books that take place there. If you know of any, please let me know.

I think this book is definitely worth reading. People who aren't familiar with Jane Eyre should appreciate it for the story that it is, and people who are Jane Eyre fans can have fun comparing and contrasting the two.