Recent Reading

The Caretaker has been sitting beside my bed for many months because I didn't feel ready to read it. Rash can be a tad dark in his always beautiful writing, and the dark time we're in has had me reading lighter stuff. But finally I braved up and began.

Excellent writing as always and the characters and their stories grabbed me immediately.  A recluse with a damaged face, a young couple who marry despite parental opposition, the Korean War, an obsessed mother. . . and  what a plot! I had to keep going. Highly recommended for any time.

I continue to enjoy and be in awe of Leonard's snappy story telling and his way with dialogue. He is a perfect example of the writing teacher's mantra Show, don't Tell. These three were delightful.

On the other hand, I was surprised to find that I didn't enjoy these two from Alice Hoffman as much as I expected to, and found myself skimming through and quibbling with some anachronisms that annoyed me. Also, the two books were very heavy on the Tell as opposed to Show. It's all so subjective --some other time, I might have liked them more.

 

The Marrige of Opposites

Another intriguing novel from a fine author. The Marriage of Opposites deals with the life of Rachel Pomie, a member of a small Jewish community on St. Thomas in the early 1800's. A passionate woman, Rachel is constrained by her family and community but, following her heart when she is left a widow, makes a scandalous liason.

The descriptions of St. Thomas are lush and evocative; the tangled relationships between the races are compelling and bittersweet. Rachel's story is made all the more interesting as it is based on fact. Rachel Pomie became Rachel Pizzarro and her favorite son Camille, became Camille Pissarro -- 'the dean of the Impressionist painters,' and as much a rebel as his mother. 

Camille Pissarro

The latter part of the book focuses on Camille and his struggles to paint in the face of demands that he enter the family business.

Family relationships and expectations loom large in this story and it's ironic to see how each generation may repeat the mistakes of their parents.

This was a wonderful novel that sent me off in search of more information on Pissarro and St. Thomas and the Sephardim. I love books that expand my horizons like that.

Camille Pissarro

The Dovekeepers

The Dovekeepers was one of the books I requested for Christmas and I wasn't disappointed.  The novel tells the story of four very different women, all dovekeepers in the Jewish fortress of Masada, where, on this seemingly impregnable mountaintop, Jewish zealots made a stand against the Romans in 70 CE.

I've always been fascinated by the history of Masada and Hoffman brings this centuries - old story to vivid life -- the people, the politics, and the economy of a group living in isolated self-sufficiency .

 And that's where the dovekeepers of the title come in -- on Masada, dovecotes or columbariums (the picture below is what remains of one) provided not only squabs and eggs but, more importantly, fertilizer for the gardens and orchards. (Wikipedia has an excellent article on dovecotes HERE.)

 

Like Wolf Hall, another of my Christmas requests, this is a fascinating and complex book and one that I'll certainly reread.