Lifelong, conflicted friendship of two women is the premise of Hannah’s maudlin latest ( Magic Hour, 2006, etc.), again set in Washington State. Tea? (Literary Guild main selection/Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection) In this little realm, this England, the men are sincere and the tweeds handwoven. The damp charms of the Scottish countryside are tenderly described and the author's remarkably evocative sense of place and watercolorist's eye for muted detail help distract from the usual contrivances of a Pilcher plot (the unexpected legacy, the valuable heirloom sold to make a new beginning, etc.). As always, Pilcher is a sensible fairy godmother, bestowing happy endings upon the worthy and heartsick, while keeping the less agreeable characters on the other side of the Atlantic, where they evidently belong. As winter sets in, an old estate in rural Scotland becomes a temporary home to an unlikely assemblage: Elfrida Phipps, a gently eccentric former actress her friend Oscar Blundell, a dedicated musician and recent widower Elfrida's distant relation, Carrie Sutton, an independent young woman recovering from the heartbreak of a failed love affair with a married man teenaged Lucy, Carrie's quiet niece, who yearns to escape from her grandmother's London flat and Sam Howard, a handsome textile-company executive whose American wife has just left him. The enduringly popular Pilcher ( Coming Home, 1995, etc.) holds fast to a theme that has all but disappeared from American fiction: the healing comforts of domesticity and companionship.
0 Comments
No outsider ever knows the interior landscape of a marriage. The introduction tells us that “Crossing to Safety is a love story…in the sense that it explores private lives. The hunt for the Holy Grail of tenure and discussions of suitable academic work that will get tenure is one theme - poetry? novels? literary criticism? Each year the two couples get together at a summer family compound in Vermont owned by the wealthier couple. It’s an academic novel in a sense – both men start out as English professors at the University of Wisconsin in the difficult years of the late 1930’s – the end of the Depression, heading into WW II. The story follows two couples through life. Despite some dark passages, it’s a delight to read and I’m adding it as one of my all-time favorites. Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language” examines the connection between politics and modern English, criticizing contemporary prose for being too vague, too lengthy, and too convoluted. Does the rise of Twitter call Orwell’s arguments about the connection between politics and the English language into question? Some political leaders, most notably Donald Trump, have used Twitter to communicate with masses of people. Social media platforms like Twitter play an increasingly important role in daily life. With the advancement of modern science and technology, politics, communication, and the English language have all undergone a series of revolutionary changes. His six rules for writing have persisted over the decades, encouraging students like me to write concisely and sincerely. In 1946, George Orwell declared that the English language was declining. The omnibus inspired the John Van Druten play I Am a Camera, which in turn inspired the film I Am a Camera as well as the famous stage musical and film versions of Cabaret. Isherwood based the character of Sally Bowles on teenage cabaret singer Jean Ross, Isherwood's intimate friend during his sojourn in Berlin. The second novel recounts the travails of various Berlin denizens whose lives are directly or indirectly affected by the Nazis' rise to power. The first novel focuses on the misadventures of Arthur Norris, a character based upon an unscrupulous businessman named Gerald Hamilton whom Isherwood met in the Weimar Republic. Berlin is portrayed by Isherwood during this chaotic interwar period as a carnival of debauchery and despair inhabited by desperate people who are unaware of the national catastrophe that awaits them. The two novels are set in Jazz Age Berlin between 19 on the cusp of Adolf Hitler's ascent to power. The Berlin Stories is a 1945 omnibus by Anglo-American writer Christopher Isherwood and consisting of the novels Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935) and Goodbye to Berlin (1939). Their latest job begins when a new species is welcomed into the Galactic Commons, which will necessitate building new tunnels to facilitate travel and trade. Aboard the ship is a motley inter-species crew that makes their living by building wormholes for interstellar travel, and Rosemary has been brought aboard to keep their permits and paperwork in order, so they don’t lose their license. When Rosemary Harper abandons her privileged life on Mars for a new identity, and takes a job as a clerk aboard the Wayfarer, her only expectation is to get away from the past. For anyone who had grown up planetside, it took some time to get used to the clicks and hums of a ship, the ever-present ambience that came with living inside a piece of machinery… Silence belonged to the vacuum outside.” “ Living in space was anything but quiet. Thetis expresses her belief that Patroclus is not of high enough birth to be a suitable companion for her son.Įventually, it comes to light that Paris of Troy has kidnapped Helen, taking her home with him. Patroclus falls in love with Achilles, and the two start a relationship, despite Achilles’ mother’s disapproval. It’s at this time that he first meets Achilles. This event resulted in his exile to Phthia. Patroclus describes accidentally killing another young boy, one of noble birth. The remaining young men take a blood oath in defense of her choice. Helen does not select the young Patroclus, but instead Menelaus. Patroclus narrates these events with the insight of a grown man, looking back on how his father was continually disappointed in him. ‘ The Song of Achilles‘ opens with Patroclus, a Greek prince, son of Menoetius, being presented to Helen, daughter of King Tyndareus (and the future Helen of Troy) as a suitor. Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below. Achilles’ fate, foretold in a foreboding prophecy, plays out in a tragic series of events. They avoid the negative influence of Achilles’ mother and eventually have to go to war together, assisting Agamemnon as he attempts to retrieve his brother Menelaus’s wife, Helen, from Troy. ‘ The Song of Achilles‘ follows Patroclus, a Greek prince, who falls in love with the famed warrior, Achilles. ‘Spoiler-free’ Summary of The Song of Achilles Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Naturals is a gripping novel with killer appeal and a to-die-for romance. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. What Cassie doesn't realize is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicides-especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they've begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. But, it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 bestselling author of The Inheritance Games, delivers an exhilarating mystery-perfect for fans of Criminal Minds and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Read Less Below is a list of products arranged by condition. “A rich and unforgettable fantasy forged from the power of storms, the danger of secrets, and the magic of Cora Carmack’s imagination.”-Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author“Well worth the wait…It crushed all of my expectations with gusto, and surprised me more than once.”-Hypable When a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage…She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough. But the more Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. Aurora has been groomed to be the perfect queen…but she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.To keep her secret and save her crown, she’ll have to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom: He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. And you become its master.Legend says that Aurora Pavan’s ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. It doesn’t hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. On the ice, he’s fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she’s willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.īut the game just got a whole lot more complicated Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn’t include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. His exchanges with Civil War enthusiasts from all walks of life spur the narrative along. Along the way Hortwitz gets to know a number of interesting people. But despite spending a number of years working as a war correspondent, it was this surprise encounter with the “men in grey” that prompted Horwitz to turn the critical gaze of the journalist upon his own and his country’s enduring fascination with the bloody conflict that pitted American against American in 1861-1865.Ĭonfederates in the Attic is an informative and entertaining record of the extended road trip that Horwitz made through the Confederate heartland of the United States to investigate how Americans and southerners in particular continue to remember the war, and to make sense of that strange and enduring Confederate pride. Horwitz had once been a little boy who would spend hours engrossed in an old, enormous book of Civil War sketches, captivated by images of Yankee and Dixie soldiers engaged in battle. The noise came from an unexpected Civil War re-enactment being filmed outside of his bedroom window. In his introduction to Confederates in the Attic, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tony Horwitz recounts the very strange moment when his weekend sleep-in was rudely interrupted by the loud cracking of gunfire. |