Book Review: Two Cents Plain

As I have started before, there has been a surge in graphic memoirs in the past few years. Some have excelled while there have certainly been some who have failed. Martin Lemelman's memoir "Two Cents Plain" falls somewhere in the middle.

Lemelman focuses on his childhood growing up in Brooklyn and the changes that the community undergoes from the 1950s to the 1960s. Additionally, he details his relationship with his parents and their experiences as Holocaust survivors in America. The story is bittersweet for both Lemelman and his parents as Lemelman tries to find the silver lining in a childhood filled with rats, quarrels, and antisemitism.

The graphics are exceptional and consist of photographs, sketches and collages. Unlike other graphic novels, I found the Lemelman was able to seamlessly incorporate the narrative and the illustrations. I even lent the book to a non-graphic novel reader who devoured it in one sitting. She had grown up in the Brooklyn during the same time and agreed with many of Lemelman's remembrances. Additionally, she found the book accessible and even lent it to her 83 year old mother who adored it despite never having read a graphic novel before.

Personally, I was not as enthralled or engaged as I have been with other graphic memoirs. At times, I felt that the characters were a bit one dimensional and didn't leave a lasting impression on me. Still, I would recommend this book as the illustrations are excellent and the story is certainly worth reading.

-DLP

Book Review: The Birth House

This February I am going to Quebec City with my family. Though I have been to Canada before, I don't remember much about it. Of course as an avid reader, I must read a lot of Canadian literature before going. I find that a nation's literature tells a great deal more about the people and culture than any tour guide can. It is for this reason I have devoted myself to reading as much CanLit as possible in the next month and a half.

I started my marathon with The Birth House by Ami Mckay. I chose this novel because it was nominated (and perhaps won) an award for best debut fiction. I love to try new authors, so I thought this would be a great fit for me. From the first page, I was hooked!

Mckay writes a story of a young woman, Dora, who is the only daughter in a long line of sons. When he family can not longer support her, she lives with Mrs. B, the midwife in the community. Dora learns Mrs. B's ways which include the folklore and traditions of midwifery. Both of their worlds are shaken when a young doctor moves into the area and opens a hospital for women. The affluent members of the community embrace the new doctor and his contemporary practices and in turn ostracize Mrs. B and Dora. Husbands in the town begin to favor the doctor over Mrs. B who they believe to be a witch. However, women still call upon Dora and Mrs. B for their expertise and calming methods. The skills that Dora learns under Mrs. B forever changes her life and her view of women.

 The first two parts of this novel focus on Dora's development as a midwife and woman. These parts are captivating and I often found myself incapable of putting it down. Mckay intersperses diary entries and news articles and letters throughout the narrative. I found this to be a bit distracting at first but her technique grew on me. I was also impressed with how she was able to discuss issues of women's rights without making the novel a feminist tome. Sadly, the third and final part of the novel did not live up to the previous two sections. In the third part, it seemed that Mckay tried to tackle too many issues ranging from life in Boston during and after WWI to the Spanish Influenza to Babe Ruth and the Great Molasses Flood. Due to this, the final part focused less on the development of the characters and more on a cursory look at these historic events. It is for this reason that the novel seemed to fizzle out and lose the explosive power that it had the first two parts. Still, I would recommend this novel as the first two parts greatly make up for the slightly stale taste of the final part.

I am anxious to read what Mckay writes next as I think she has the potential to be a fantastic writer!

-DLP

Book Review: Blankets

Blankets tells the story of the author's, Craig Thompson, first love. However, it is not your typical romantic comedy. Thompson is very forthcoming as he explores his relationship with his brother and his battle with religion. His parents are abusive and oftentimes lock him and his brother in a cubby hole if they misbehave. They are born again Christians and try to push their faith on Thompson with limited success. While Thompson tries to adhere to his parents' rules, he finds that he cannot do so while also remaining true to himself. It is not until he meets Raina that he finds acceptance as she loves him for who he truly is.

Thompson clearly handles some difficult issues in this graphic novel but he does so without being preachy or oppressive. Instead, he begs to reader to ask themselves the same questions that he had to grapple with. Though this graphic novel is a bit hefty, it is not overwhelming. One of the issues with graphic novels is that they are either too short and leave the reader wanting more or they're so long and cumbersome that one can barely slug through. Neither of these are a problem for Thompson who reveals just enough to keep the reader intrigued and gain a fuller understanding of him without feeling as if this memoir is a "tell all". The artwork is beautiful and integrated perfectly into the story. I would even go as far as to recommend this to non-graphic novel readers.

-DLP

Book Review: Mrs. Somebody Somebody

I heard about this book from a podcast that I listen to and put it on my "to be read" list because I was planning on visiting Lowell over the summer. Growing up in New England, I know a bit about the manufacturing history of Massachusetts and remember reading "Lyddie" when I was in middle school. However, I had shied away from reading any other literature that focused on factory or mill work. Yet, this short story collection blew me away! I would recommend it to any and every one.

The stories begin in the late 1940s with a woman who is working in the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. Her story is typical of such tales in which one women desires to find a man and a better life outside of the mills while another woman wants to work for better conditions in the mill. Though this story has been told numerous times before, Tracy Winn does not let the tale grow stale. The rest of the stories span from the 1940s to the present. Each gives a snapshot of the town as it changes over time.

Additionally, Winn expertly weaves all ten stories together. Characters that were briefly mentioned in one story can be the focus of an entire story later in the collection. Of course there were tales that were more interesting than others, but I never felt that the collection was unbalanced. I found that each character showed Lowell through a different lens that was telling about the town during that specific time period. Basically, I couldn't put it down!

I think that it is very safe to say that Tracy Winn is an author to watch. "Mrs. Somebody Somebody" is already being compared to "Olive Kitteridge" in which the town is the true focus of the collection. I agree with this comparison as the reader is able to see the town's growth as well as that of the characters. However, I would even go further and state that it is similar to Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio". Like "Winesburg, Ohio", I believe "Mrs. Somebody Somebody" will become a classic and I greatly look forward to Winn's future writings.

-DLP

Books 'n things 'n stuff

My fellow romper has put me shame these last few months! So many posts and reviews! In my defense I made the betrothed my spouse, so I had a few things going on (my fellow romper was an amazing best lady, if anyone out there is interested.) The best book I read whilst preparing to make the betrothed my spouse? Ariel Meadows Stallings' Offbeat Bride. I loved it so much I've already passed it along to a recently engaged coworker.

Why was it sooooo helpful? Because Stallings' message is: BE YOU. Her book and website encourage knowing thyself, being true to it, being true to your partner and the relationship you have with the aforementioned partner. Seriously, it is one of the only outlets for brides who don't like formulas!

So I didn't have tons of time to post and then my job changed dramatically and I had to work ALL. THE. TIME. The dust is settling (even though it's holiday times now) and I have a HUGE backlog of things to blog. We'll see if I manage to ever catch up or just start fresh.

- KER

Book Review: With the Voice of Angels

In With the Voice of Angels opera singer Bradley Garvin crafts a murder mystery within the text of an opera house. Contrasting the elaborate and often absurdly high drama/high stakes of the opera with the life and death stakes of organized crime, Garvin creates a world in which the good guys are truly good and the bad guys are exceptionally bad. Using common harbingers of character - generosity, love and humanity abound for all the good guys while the bad guys are all guys who are either cowardly or violent and all are greedy. There is no gray area in Garvin's novel - one is either corrupt and morally defunct or one is righteous and self-sacrificing. Garvin uses his extensive background as an opera singer to his benefit as he sets the scene on the opening night of Tosca. Pucccini's classic, filled with passionate love and betrayals, serves as the ideal backdrop for the dirty dealings of the novel's villains.

Set at the fictional Chicago Grande Opera - a company recently requiring monetary rescuing - the story focuses on rising opera star Enzo Santi, the crime he witnesses and the perpetrators who need him to never speak of said crime. Santi as witness complicates the perfect crime housed within the bowels of the opera house, creating seemingly insurmountable challenges for those pesky bad guys. The bad guys subsequently complicate Santi's life. Luckily for Santi he loooooooves his wife A LOT and she loooooooooves him back A LOT. Additionally, one of Santi's old friends is a private detective, who has a long time friend who gets off on setting up elaborate surveillance equipment to perfectly capture activities of the underworld. While those in power at the opera house and the police may turn a blind eye, Santi has a rag tag team of indefatigable misfits, who wish to lay down life and limb against an enormous criminal network. Perhaps Garvin's intent was to exploit the melodramatic elements of operatic storytelling in his own work as With the Voice of Angels has more than one operatic quality.

Garvin fills his novel with the twists and turns required of such complex criminal happenings. His style emphasizes heavy description - from the lavishly rebuilt opera house to the frequent chase/fight scenes necessitated by the plot. At times I wished for less description and more clarity regarding the complicated criminal network, however, Garvin holds out with quite a few surprises in the final moments. While there is a clear delineation of good and bad in this novel, there were many moments when my heart sank and I worried that the bad guys had outsmarted the good guys once and for all! At the outset I was certain only good would triumph, but Garvin had me guessing.  With a strong background in the setting and a clear passion for life imitating his art, Garvin demonstrates potential offstage.

- KER