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.