2006 Retrospective

Retrospective

Like so many others in the biblioblogosphere, I have reviewed what I've read in 2006 in the hopes of coming up with a "Best of" list. (See recent postings from Garden in the Pocket, Ex Libris and Mary's Library) Unfortunately, little about the 40+ titles I've read this year has proven memorable, beyond that which has been previously noted in this blog. But as I studied my list, I realized that there was one specific memory of what I'd read that was worthy of note. I could recall one character particularly well even though it had been in the early months of 2006 when I first encountered him. So instead of providing you with a "best of" list from my reading during 2006, I'll give you instead the novelty of an entry on "My Most Memorable Character of 2006".

Josiah Crawley

Crawley is a clergyman who appears in Anthony Trollope's The Last Chronicle of Barset. He is somewhere in his early '50's but professionally he's only attained the low-level professional status of curate in the Church of England. He's as poor as the proverbial church mouse which is particularly hard on his wife and children, given that financial status in Victorian England was everything with regard to long-term security and prospects. His daughter's chance at a happy marriage with the man she loves may be ruined by Crawley's debts and subsequent legal trouble. Crawley is a high-minded clergyman, struggling to do his best in his low-level role in a parish of working-class families. Crawley's innate intelligence and talents are wasted in large part in this role; a better use of his talents might have been as a scholar or college professor, but he lacked the social connections necessary to be considered for those positions. The crux of Crawley's trouble in Last Chronicle is that he's accused of having stolen and cashed a check that properly belonged to the Dean of the Cathedral in his diocese. No one finds it particularly credible that he has committed theft but the evidence of his cashing the check is undeniable. Crawley is deemed to be half-mad by all who know him, but few recognize that the madness is brought on by a mixture of frustration, desperation and pride. Crawley even says to his wife at one point that he either belongs in Bedlam (the famous asylum of the mad) or in jail, given the evidence against him. Socially, professionally, personally, there must be consequences. The Last Chronicle of Barset plays out the consequences of the accusation against Crawley (although, in the end, "the good end happily and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.")

Crawley is in many respects a tragic figure. He is indeed innocent of the charge levied against him. At the same time, even given his virtue and his intelligence, he seems unable to advance in the Church or work out any kind of comfortable existence. His wife goes to great lengths to protect him from the consequences of his own extreme behavior. Yet when Victorian society and every institution of importance to him seems to condemn him, he lives up to the standard of honor demanded by that society. He does not give an inch when it would inappropriate to yield to power seeking to encroach upon his rights and yet gives all when it seems to him in his own mind that such is required. He is a most uncomfortable person to live with and yet he is also that upright soul who lives according to the most honorable of principles.

I have met one or two people on this earth who are kindred spirits with Crawley. Their lives are in many respects a living hell for them; certainly a little more flexibility in their principles of behavior would allow them an easier time of it. And yet, the dogged nature of their personality (stubborness?) keeps them from bending and moving more comfortably with less rigid principles. You can love them (as Crawley's wife clearly and deeply loves her husband) but they'll truly drive you mad because they can't seem to relinquish abstract moral principle in favor of daily practicality.

Trollope survives as a writer on the basis of his ability to delineate character and Josiah Crawley deserves to be noted as one of his best.

(Image displayed above is borrowed from the Trollope Society web site.)

Indiscretion

[ Not for any challenge; just an ordinary review]

Title: Indiscretion (cover image from The Christian Science Monitor)

Author: Jude Morgan

Copyright: 2005

Length: 379 pages

Genre: Romance

Summary: Caroline Fortune is the only daughter of a ne'er-do-well father. Her mother's family disowned her mother for marrying the soldier she loved and the future for Caroline looks bleak. Her father is an inept gambler and is unable to support her; the options for making her own way in the world are limited. But Caroline goes initially as companion to the wealthy Mrs. Catling, the widow of her father's former Colonel, and the consequences of that brave initiative form the basis of all that follows, good and bad. There is a bit of Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Pride and Prejudice in this Austen-esque romance novel. Yet these are not cardboard cutouts of Austen's characters nor is the plot a thinly veiled version of any of Austen's works. In fact, the novel was not nearly as predictable as one might anticipate under these circumstances. The sentence structure, the vocabulary, the wit remind one of Austen in much the way that a light whiff of cinammon provides a reminder of the very best cobbler or pie from one's childhood.

Excerpt: Book World included an excerpt in her review of this book, but I will include a brief example of the humor that permeates the narrative.

"Parties? Oh -- as to that Miss Fanny, I am a dull fellow for parties in any event,' Captain Brunton said; occasioning in Caroline a brief mental review, to see if there were any news that had ever surprised her less."

Now there's a swipe that reminds me of Jane Austen.

Also Relevant: Because I learned of this book in a review appearing in the Christian Science Monitor (December 12, 2006), I assumed that it was a new hardcover just appearing in stores. "Ah," I thought, "I'll be reviewing something entirely new to the biblioblogosphere!" Imagine then my momentary chagrin when I discovered that the book had been released in paperback in 2005 and others were well ahead of me. See the UK news story about the author from February of 2006 as well as the review published by Book World above. Jude Morgan is really Tim Wilson, a 43-year-old tutor at the Peterborough College of Adult Education with a wife and child. Tutoring is only a sideline. He writes full time and Indiscretion is his 26th published novel.

The pacing is pleasant and leisurely. There are the correct number of characters to carry the story forward, each introduced naturally. None of the plot twists were predictable and yet each was entirely plausible. You have to read closely to properly enjoy the humor and yet the whole is as fun and as bubbly as a glass of champagne.

I might have preferred to buy this in trade paperback, but I'm not sorry I bought it. More of our light entertainment reading should be this well-executed.

By the way, if you enjoy humor in your Regency period tales and don't object to magic as an element of the story, you might also try Sorcery and Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. Different authors, but deftly told.

Plumber Here Today

We have a plumber replacing the problem sump pump (what a silly name for a mechanism). We are suitably grateful as this puts an end to the laundromat issue.

The whole thing puts me in mind of a poster I saw 'way back in the '70's. The society that scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither their pipes nor their theories will hold water....

We will never scorn excellence in plumbing in THIS house.

The Minister's Daughter

[Not for any challenge; just an ordinary review]

Title: The Minister's Daughter (Published in the UK as The Merrybegot)

Author: Julie Hearn

Copyright: 2005; hardcover ISBN 0-689-87690-4. (very recently released in paperback here in the United States)

Length: 272 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Summary: A curious mixture of historical fact and earthy folklore, The Minister's Daughter is set during the period of the English Civil War. Two sisters, Grace and Patience, daughters of the local Puritan minister, claim that they've been bewitched by Nell, the grandaughter of the local "cunning woman", a midwife-herbalist who follows old pagan/folk ways. Nell cares for her aging grandmother while mastering the old woman's knowledge and craft. When Nell refuses to comply with a request made by Grace, the foundation of the conflict is laid. When the Witch-Finder General, Matthew Hopkins, comes to town to support the minister in routing out Satanic believers, the villagers forget their positive experiences with Nell's grandmother and decide to blame Nell for a variety of concerns. Nell is, of course, innocent of any wrongdoing but some one must save her from the witch-hunters. There is enough action and mystery to the narrative to keep the attention of an adult. There are a few anachronisms that surface in the language, but I suspect those are there to assure the younger reader that the author's awareness is firmly in this century.

Excerpt: The book record for The Merrybegot at Amazon.co.uk has an excerpt. The author's website has an audio version of a sample chapter as well.

Also Relevant: This was the December selection for the mystery & science fiction book group at Didi's (her write-up of the book is here). My opening gambit that night was that I was actually surprised that this book had been marketed as a young adult novel; the story telling style seemed far more sophisticated than I would have expected to find in YA fiction. (Apparently I haven't kept up with the field.) The award-winning story features witchcraft, sex, and earthy folklore which can pose a barrier to sales in some markets, even as it attracts a readership. The marketing blurbs made a clear reference to Hearn as a former student of Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass; nothing so unsubtle as "If you loved that book, you'll love this one," but a suggestion of similarity in the works of the two authors is certainly present. The characterization isn't entirely without merit. Those aligned with the Church come off poorly in this book even as the more Nature-based folk tradition is presented in a positive light. (Pullman has expressed his views on what's flawed in organized religion at his Web site as well as in the press.)

Personally, I was a little unhappy with the mix of historical fact and fantasy. The fantasy element served no purpose in the narrative (unless the author intended to suggest that religous beliefs should be classed with beliefs in piskies and fairies). I know that one member of our book group suggested that we had to see Nell's belief structure treated as respectfully as the dominant Christian beliefs of her environment. We had to believe the same way that Nell would believe. She may have had a point. Outside of that idea as well as a cynical suggestion that "magic sells", I couldn't fathom why else the fantasy element was necessary to Hearn's story.

We have actual historical figures, Matthew Hopkins, the WitchFinder General, and Bonnie Prince Charles, male authority figures who each wield power in Nell's story. Nell however is strong and closely guards her sense of ethics and sense of self. Is The Minister's Daughter supposed to be a feminist tale of warning? The author's Afterword would seem to suggest so. She quotes a sentence from her research, "As the community looked on, their bodies expressed what they could not: that the enormous pressures put upon them to accept a religiously based male-centered social order was more than they could bear." (see page 261 of the hardcover edition).

An additional point of contrast between Nell and Grace is that Nell actually adheres to her belief system and her personal behavior reflects a consistency of faith in its validity. Grace has no personal investment in the Christian belief system and behaves strictly out of fear of her parent and the social stigma associated with an unwed pregnancy. One should note that there are no redeeming qualities to Grace's character in this book. She's just an amoral soul from the get-go.

This is an entertaining read; I don't know how good the work itself is. One of my personal litmus tests for determining whether or not something is a good work of fiction is to see if, after reading it all the way through, I can identify the point of the story and sum up the essence in 25-50 words. Even now after thinking and writing about the book, I can't quite do that here. In Minister's Daughter, it might be that the author intends the reader to understand that one's own sense of identity is more important than any imposed by authority figures, society at large, or any external religious institution. Or perhaps it is that one should, as a general rule of thumb, be wary of both individual authority figures and institutional authority. Hearn may have been so concerned about not imposing on her readers' sensibilities that she edited out any clear authorial message of intent. That in my mind is a drawback. I may not agree with an author's message, but if I've invested the time to listen for it, I want to be able to find it. I like to come away with a clear sense of what the author wanted to communicate when he or she sat down to write. I'm still fumbling in trying to get Hearn's message.

Holidays H'Exhaustion

Okay, so with the exception of the blog posts about books, I did get through the bulk of my to-do list. I baked soda bread and did the overnight french toast for Christmas morning; I wrapped two iPods so creatively they really were a surprise to the recipients. I visited family in West Virginia with offspring in tow. I filled Spouse's stocking with stuff from Staples. I must have got it all done because I now feel totally wiped out. My brain went on this morning at 5 a.m. for no good reason and I have been walking around for most of the day with a foggy brain and ever-so-slightly-strained vision.

At some point in the next 45 minutes, we will go out to run errands. I need to lay in stores of half-off gift wrap for next year's wrapping. I'm hoping it all didn't disappear yesterday during the day-after-Christmas sales. I need to think about how best to deal with a busted "sump pump" that went down during the evening of the 23rd as one offspring tried to do his laundry. We've called a plumber but it's the short work week between Christmas and New Year's. At the moment, Spouse is running periodic loads of laundry to a neighborhood laundromat that provides wash-dry-and-fold services. I'd protest the price but they do a really nice job.

Book blog postings back in a day or two...

It's Christmas Eve, Sir

"You'll want all day to-morrow, I suppose?"

To each of you and to all your kin, a Happy Christmas! And I hope each of you will stop by this blog in the coming New Year so I may welcome you and get to know you better.

This Just In!

The Wall Street Journal had this headline today: Breaking News: Santa Claus is Coming to Town (freebie - no WSJ subscription required).

Christmas To-Do List

Look at the Father Christmas in the picture. *I* think he's looking overwhelmed by that sack of toys on his back. My To-Do list for Christmas is kind of like that, too.

Okay, I confess that I'm past the point where I can come home at the end of the work day and cheerily wrap presents for immediate and distant family members. Given the bizarre construction of most packaging of electronics these days, gift bags and tissue paper seem like a splendid approach. I bless the under-paid artist at Hallmark who came up with the small square felt stockings designed to be wrapping for music CDs (which have been used for the past three Christmases). But I'm sure my mother's training will kick in at some point; I'll end up eyeballing the paper to see if it will adequately cover a rectangular shirt box that has been recycled five times over and try to gauge whether the red ribbon bought at Acme matches the red in the paper from Hallmark. So I figure I'll wrap tomorrow, preferably in the morning.

Groceries and baking -- I need to pick up buttermilk for the soda bread and a loaf of French bread for the overnight French Toast. I am going to plunk down big bucks for a huge roast that will feed the four of us 'til Epiphany. That'll happen on Saturday.

My husband's stocking looks mighty thin at this point so a trip to Staples will probably be required.

I have to run to the bank to deposit a check which will allow me to get money out of the ATM.

I will want to sit down at some point and write at least one of the five different blog posts about books like The Minister's Daughter, Indiscretion, and The Franchise Affair. I will want to sit down and watch a DVD appropriate to the season. I will want to sit down and talk to my sons.

Somewhere in there, I'll mutter about New Years Resolutions and Getting Organized. But now I must end because my son wants me to come watch Rudolph with him.

Carl's G.I.F.T. - Two Entries

For Carl's G.I.F.T. Challenge

Christmas tradition: In our house, the elves come on the night of December 23rd. How do we know that the elves have visited? They leave chocolate kisses on the dining room table. Why do they come? To see if the household is all ready for Christmas.

How did this get started and why is my house the only one on the block with elves dropping in to run inspection? At least 15 or 16 years ago, my sister included a package of chocolate kisses as packing material stuffed around the Christmas gifts she was shipping to my house. Having nowhere else to put them when I opened up the box, I poured the chocolate kisses into the crystal candy dish on the dining room table.

The next day, my eldest son (perhaps 5 or 6 at the time?) saw them and asked where the candy had come from. I've never been sure if I spoke then from a good impulse or out of sheer self-interest. I told my trusting child that the elves always come on Christmas Eve Eve (the night of Dec 23rd) in advance of Santa's visit in order to see if the household is ready for Christmas. If a child has so many toys that he carelessly leaves them lying about, the elves let Santa know. Santa is a busy man and toys are a finite resource. It might be better if Santa delivered new toys instead to a child who has less. It was a shameless manipulation of my child's beliefs in the interests of getting him to pick up his toys in the living room. It worked like a charm, he picked up his toys without argument, and I forgot about it.

The next year, slightly ahead of Christmas Eve Eve, my son said something about the elves coming. I blanched at his amazing memory and assured him that, yes, the elves would be 'round again. I then quietly informed my spouse of the need and Patrick ran to the local Giant supermarket to pick up kisses. In subsequent years, Offspring #1 reinforced the belief in Offspring #2. It became tradition in our family and every one knows you don't mess with tradition at Christmas.

Christmas Short Story: Read this Edwardian tale, "A Christmas Mystery" from Gaslight. I encountered it during the R.I.P. Challenge and saved it up 'specially for Christmas. This story of the wise men on Christmas Eve is, in some ways, far less sappy than you might expect based on the time period.

What with wrapping of gifts, the boys coming home, baking and what not, blogging will likely be sporadic and rather on the brief side.

Probably *Not* in the Christmas Spirit

Found on a really good Episcopalian blog: "Some people are like "slinkies". They're not really good for anything; but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs."

My suspicion is that I'll be in Purgatory for a very long time.