torontoc reads and also sees films in 2016

Hi
I am just setting up here- will report on both films and books.

Happy New Year, Cyrel! I've got you starred and am looking forward to your reviews for 2016.

Looking forward to your reviews. Happy New Year!

I'm also watching here. I enjoy your posts.

Thanks!
first book

The Crimean War by Orlando Figes My book title is different from the touchstones but this is the title of my edition. I have read and enjoyed some of this author's other books on Russian social history-The Whisperers and A People's Tragedy. This history reminds me of Anthony Beevor's work- sound details and great background on the why of this war. The author begins with the disagreements on religious rights at churches in Jerusalem between the Orthodox and the other Catholic groups. Russia and Britain, Turkey and the Ottoman empire, France and Austria became embroiled in disagreements on the status of lands in the area of the Crimea and the Black Sea. The fate of areas controlled by the Ottomans and the Russians in the area of the Danube was also a factor in the call for war against the Russians by the British. Figes shows the way the various armies and leaders won and lost battles that resulted in the catastrophic loss of many soldiers' lives. Bad judgements by leaders who didn't know what they were doing, insufficient preparation of supplies for the common soldier and the effects of uncontrollable disease led to the loss of many lives for control of a few towns. Each side could claim victory of a sort, although the French and British were the victors and there was a settlement at the Congress of Vienna. However, any penalty given to the Russians was changed in the following years. Figes believes that the French were better prepared for this war. He also talks about the work of Florence Nightingale and others who helped saved the lives of soldiers. I liked this history as Figes wrote about the aftermath in terms of literature and political changes in the Crimean area.

The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels Acclaimed poet and writer Anne Michaels and her illustrator Emma Block have produced a very charming set of five stories for children in this book. The interesting thing is that the words have not been simplified. In fact, Michaels take the time to use "grownup words' and give easy to understand definitions. The whimsical world of Miss Petitfour and her 16 cats is imaginative. Miss Petitfour takes a tablecloth , holds it so that she can catch the wind, takes her cats with her and flies to various parts of her village. The reader learns about a lost Penny Black stamp that flies away, a search for marmalade, a messed up jumble sale and the saving of the owner of the confetti factory. The illustrations match the tone of the book. A lovely work for a young reading child.

Interesting about the Crimean war.

>5 torontoc: This is on my TBR, along with a couple of other related books. I think based on your review I will like the approach. I always enjoy Figes when he writes about books and politics.

>6 torontoc: I hadn't heard of this Anne Michaels book but it sounds wonderful for an adult with her own collection of children's books. Anne Michaels is always a treat to read.

The Anne Michaels book is good if you are in a " whimsical" mood. I am saving the book for one of my great nieces!

I have to go through my TBR piles ( actually some plastic bins) to find my other book by Figes that I should read this year-Natasha's Dance

Happy New Year and looking forward to following along this year!

Thank you!
The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. Wow! I really enjoyed reading this extensive history of the origins of Wonder Woman. The author goes right back to the biographies of the very unusual man who was at the centre of Wonder Woman's creation, William Moulton Marston, his wife Elizabeth Holloway, and his mistress, Olive Byrne. The three lived together and Marston had children with both women. Holloway worked and Byrne raised the children.Byrne also wrote a column for Family Circle about Marston- she characterized him as a leading psychologist. Lepore writes about this family group and their influences from early feminist leaders, avant-garde ( at the time) forces and their stretching of the truth. Olive Byrne was the niece of Margaret Sanger, a guiding force in promoting birth control when it was illegal, and a leading feminist. Marston developed the lie detector but was unable to hold a steady job in academia as his detractors thought that his research was more sensational than truthful. Lepore details Marston's involvement with various causes before he became involved with the creation and writing of Wonder Woman. In Lepore's view, Wonder Woman was the product of the work of early feminism. Marston believed in the superiority of women although his personal life seemed to be the opposite. Lepore devotes part of her work to the theme of bondage ( although Wonder Woman always escapes) that was a significant part of Wonder Woman stories under Marston's direction. After Marston died another director took the Wonder Woman story in another direction where she was more subservient to men. Her role mirrored what happened to women after World War II and in the 1950's.This is a fascinating study that reveals the " secret history" of not only Marston and his family but Wonder Woman herself. A great read.

I'm a big fan of Jill Lepore and though I have that book, I haven't read it yet.

Great review. This has been on my radar screen for awhile. Maybe this year....

Nice review. I'd read anything by Jill Lepore. I loved Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin

>1 torontoc: Hi! I've starred your thread, and look forward to your reading this year. Happy New Year!

Thank you!.

Outline by Rachel Cusk A writer is travelling to Athens in order to lead a course on writing for a week. We never learn her name until the end of the novel. However, this woman concocts with friends, and her students as well as a man who she sat beside on the plane. Each chapter brings out the most intimate stories about the lives of these people. The language and the thoughts on life are beautifully expressed. The reader learns a little about the life of the narrator, although we do witness her brief relationship with the man from the plane who takes her swimming on his boat. A wonderful read and interesting insights on the nature of relationships

>16 torontoc: Glad you liked that one--I did, too! Loved the way she structured it.

I'm on the list (a long one) for this at the local library. Glad to see it's worth the wait (trying not to give in and buy it.) Frankly, it had me at the description, "traveling to Athens...."

>16 torontoc: One for my wishlist, I guess. I know Rachel Cusk but had not heard of this novel. Your review makes it seem worth reading.

Thank you- I really liked the language and the author's turn of phrase.

Coming Ashore by Catherine Gildiner. I just finished this very entertaining memoir. It is actually the third book that the author has written chronically her life from childhood to marriage. In this volume the reader follows Cathy and her life in college at Oxford,her studies in Toronto and we view the choices that she made. The book is very funny in places.At Oxford, the author rides a bicycle through a post office window, learns how to behave at high table at the college, helps her friend plot to sleep with Jimi Hendrix and understands the problems of class in English society. In Toronto, Cathy studies at Victoria College at the University of Toronto,and lives at Rochdale College in the ashram of a drug dealer in the early 1970's. Rochdale was a failed experiment in independent learning that turned into a very interesting place for alternate living. The reader learns how the author changes her studies and finds the love of a good person. I studied at University of Toronto in the late 1960's -early 1970's so I recognized the references, places and some of the situations. This was a good read and I must go and read the first two memoirs.

Slade House by David Mitchell. This brief ghost story was perfect for a gloomy afternoon. Mitchell is one of those great storytellers to me. I enjoyed his tale of two " spirits" whose lives depended on the souls of a certain kind of person lured to their home every nine years. The characters and the description of their lives as well as those who tried to fight back were interesting. The book is set up for a sequel in my opinion. Now I haven't read The Bone Clocks that apparently has a connection to this novel. But I enjoyed the story.

Nixon in China: The Week that Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan. MacMillan has written an account of the historic trip that Richard Nixon took in 1972 to visit China and meet Mao Tse-tung. There was more to this one week trip as Henry Kissinger had prepared the way by taking secret trips to China.On Nixon's direction, Kissinger initiated the changes in American foreign policy that would lead to the signed memorandum by both countries at the end of the trip. The work done by Kissinger, Nixon and Chou En-lai started a new direction for the United States and China as they confronted their common foe, the Soviet Union. MacMillan takes the reader both back and forward in time from that trip to provide a comprehensive background on the histories of the leading players, the changes in foreign policy and some startling revelations. ( to me at least) The work on foreign policy and changes in agreements that involved Viet Nam, Japan and Taiwan was done by Nixon and Kissinger as Nixon cut out his own State Department and the Secretary William Rogers. Kissinger gave the Chinese top secret information on the Soviet Union. MacMillan describes the momentous changes that would shape China and affect the United States.
A very interesting history!

I also saw the film "Carol" yesterday. It was beautifully photographed with great costumes ( the ugly stuff of the 1950's looked really good!) But- and here is the but- I didn't think that the performances were outstanding or that the story was best picture material, I enjoyed and liked "Spotlight", "The Big Short" , 'The Danish Girl" and 'Trumbo" better. I think that I may be in a minority about "Youth"- I thought that it was outstanding ( some of my friends hated it)

>22 torontoc: Did Nixon in China address the involvement of Pakistan and its relation to Bangladesh and manoeuvres there? I am part way through The Blood Telegram and it seems to connect much of American foreign policy on the subcontinent at that time to the upcoming visit to China. I have Nixon in China somewhere in a TBR group, but suspect in a boxed TBR group. It is a book I very much want to read. I was always dismayed by the way the US denigrated Trudeau's establishment of relations with China in 1970 and then suddenly did an about face.

I would agree with you about Youth which I saw over the holidays. I didn't really want to see it, as the theme as described in the puffed up promos is one I try to avoid, but who could resist the combination of Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel? I'm very glad I saw it.

Nixon in China is also an opera by John Adams. I haven't listened to it. The book sounds more interesting.

>23 SassyLassy: Yes,Margaret MacMillan -did write how Kissinger and Nixon used the leader of Pakistan to pass messages to China- this was also to avoid the State Department knowing what was happening!

I am glad that you liked " Youth"

>24 FlorenceArt: I heard about the opera but I haven't seen it.

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel. I read the title story in the New York Times Book Review section about a year or so ago. The rest of the stories vary -from troubled families dealing with anorexia, infidelity, and couples mismatched with each other. There is a writer put up in a terrible hotel before a book reading, a new immigrant dealing with a nightmare situation at her last job and more. The stories are expertly plotted , although in most cases very grim.Still, I was happy to read Mantel's work while waiting for the last book in the Wolf Hall series to be published.

>26 torontoc: That one has been on my wish list since before it came out. I got her memoir, Giving Up the Ghost, from my LT Secret Santa but haven't started it yet.

I enjoyed The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher too, even though I like Mantel's novels more.

>26 torontoc: That definitely sounds like a good one. I still have 6 unread Mantels on my TBR pile, so I hesitate to add more, but it just sounds so good.

>29 Nickelini: I find that Mantel writes about such different subjects in all her books- she can't be typecast.
>28 rebeccanyc: I do like her novels best , as well, but this book was good.

>30 torontoc: That's one of the things I like about Mantel, that she tries different subjects and different styles of writing.

Nice review of The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, Cyrel. I'll have to make room for it later this year.

I find that short stories are a quick read for me- but I am ready for a novel after this last book.

20 Under 40 Stories from The New Yorker edited by Deborah Treisman This collection was published in 2010 and has been hiding in my TBR piles. I enjoyed the various stories. I did recognized some as excerpts from novels that I have read by Gary Shteyngart and David Bezmozgis I must admit that many of the stories were extremely depressing. So, I wondered- what is it about the short story format that leads to these very gloomy outcomes? The authors are very accomplished and I have followed some of them-Nicole Krauss, Tea Obreht, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Yiyun Li and Jonathan Safran Foer.

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck This slim volume reads like a poem. The author writes about the history of a house in Germany. The various owners are described and their actions in changing and designing the house, boat house and garden. In fact the gardener is the only character whose presence is described throughout the whole story. The only characters who are named are Jewish. the author follows them as they disappear into the killings of the Holocaust. The authors uses repetition, and descriptions of the garden and house to trace the life of the people who inhabit the house during the 20th century. A very interesting book. If readers like W.G. Sebald, they will like this book.

>34 torontoc: This was already on my wishlist but your review intrigued me.

>34 torontoc: I read Visitation a few years ago and thought it was very well written, but it was at a time when I had had my fill of WWII and it was almost like the straw that broke the camel's back. It left me with such a sense of desolation --- probably unfair to thrust my state of mind on my judgment of the book, but there it is.

>36 Poquette: Yes, sometimes you have to leave a subject alone for a while.

The Children Act by Ian McEwan I reread this novel for my book club meeting, On second reading it is still so well told and heartbreaking. There are certain books where the language and plot are seamless and lead the reader through the story in a very satisfying way. this is one of them.

I'll look for the German version of Visitation when I'm next at the bookstore.

>37 torontoc: Indeed, stepping away from heavy topics is essential.

>38 RidgewayGirl: Cyrel's assessment that it reads like a poem is very apt. And the POV of the book is quite unusual and adds to the poignancy of the whole presentation. You'll probably like it.

I saw the documentary on ballet star Misty Copeland last night.
A Ballerina's Tale- the story of American Ballet Theatre dancer Misty copeland - the first African American woman to become a principal dancer with a major ballet company.
The film was very good with amazing access to rehearsals and performances.

40> ooh -- I'd like to see that.

It was a good film!

Two Gun & Sun by June Hutton This novel is about a feisty new publisher of a newspaper or really, a news sheet, Lila Sinclair, in a small mining town in the Pacific Northwest. The reader sees Lila arrive in the town to take over the newspaper that had been run by her late uncle. Lila meets the famous Morris" Two Gun" Cohen, a character based on the real Canadian adventurer who did work with Sun Yat-sen in China. The town is filled with interesting characters from the Chinese workers who live in their own section of town and mange a hidden garden, the prostitutes and the travelling opera company. Lila hires a Chinese printer, Vincent who has secrets of his own. Lila is impulsive and manages to make some really bad decisions. The story is interesting but the writing does take some detours with puzzling town descriptions at the beginning. The various plot lines do tend to run riot near the end of the book. I enjoyed the book but have to admit that the structure of the story was not clear at times.

Lady Katherine Knollys The Unacknowledged Daughter of King Henry VIII by Sarah-Beth Watkins. It is always interesting to read about people in history that major biographers have ignored. Sometimes there are just not enough original sources and documents that can tell us their story, I believe that this is the case for Katherine Knollys, daughter of Mary Boleyn and most probably King Henry VIII. The author gives the reader as much information as she can but really there are not enough documents to track a very detailed study of Katherine Knollys' life. In this brief account, the reader learns about the relationships of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, his later wives where Katherine was a lady in waiting and her position with Elizabeth. I think that the author has added some information that really doesn't tell us much about later periods in Katherine's life. There are too many letters reproduced that could have been placed at the end of the book near references. Interesting but too brief.

>43 torontoc: Katherine would be a great focus for historical fiction (like the woman I'm using for my novel). There's not even enough known about her mother, Mary Boleyn, which is why every biography I've read of her is either repetitive, speculative, or both. But there have been some very popular novels written about her, including The Other Boleyn Girl.

I read The Other Boleyn Girl- but like Alison Weir's work better!
and now my ER book- I really didn't like it!

Tokyo Decadence 15 Stories by Ryu Murakami. I actually interrupted my reading of this book of short stories to look up reviews and information on the author. I still couldn't figure out why this author is highly regarded-but I think that my taste is different. Some details in the stories seem to come from the author's life. Murakami did go to art school, lived near an American army base in Japan and has a liking for Cuban music. I didn't like the repetition of women portrayed as call girls, graphic sexual content and the use of verbal abuse against women by the key male figures in the stories. Many of the male characters were compelled to insult the women that they became attracted to. Many of the young men were supported by their families who thought that they were going to school although they were not and just indulging in bands that failed or dealing drugs. Some of the stories were linked by the same characters. Some of these stories have been published in earlier periodicals.

>45 torontoc: I expected as much, regarding Tokyo Decadence. I read some other books by him which are rather the same as you describe these stories. Still somehow my fascination won from the disgust in Almost Transparent Blue and Audition.

I tried to read Coin Locker Babies years ago and gave up in disgust. It was just sordid and depressing. I don't think I will try reading anything by him again.

Edit: well apparently I did read something else by Murakami, In the Miso Soup. I did finish that one but it was disturbing.

Yikes. I'll definitely pass on Tokyo Decadence, which wouldn't be my kind of book anyway. I own Coin Locker Babies and In the Miso Soup, but I'll probably sell them to a local secondhand bookshop.

My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl. This is more than a cookbook. The author had been editor of Gourmet Magazine. The famed magazine was abruptly closed by the publisher. and Reichl writes about the year that followed. In a way this book of recipes was Reichl's way of healing after the shock of losing her job and great colleagues. The narration chronicles Reichl's life as she lived in her upper New York state house, survived power blackouts, broke bones in her foot and wrote about the great produce and recipes that followed. I like her explanations for cooking- she also gives some good directions for handling basic ingredients. I want to cook asparagus and make devilled eggs using her methods. The book should win awards for design and photography- it is beautiful to look at as well as read.

Nice review of My Kitchen Year, Cyrel. I have more cookbooks than I know what to do with at the moment, so I won't buy this one anytime soon.

I know- I have a few cookbooks that beg to be opened! I do have to get to Paula Wolfert's The Food of Morocco. I also cut recipes out of the newspaper that look interesting- sometimes they just sit in my " newspaper cuttings" drawer for too long!

Ivory Vikings The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them by Nancy Marie Brown. The subtitle of this book is kind of misleading. The author does admit that her theory of who made the famous Lewis chessmen is based on a little bit of evidence and is not definitive. In her quest to promote the theory that the chessmen were originally made in Iceland, the author does provide the reader with a history of early Iceland, Vikings and the connections between many northern Scandinavian countries. That aspect I found very interesting as I had no idea of the depth of culture and civilization of Norway, the Hebrides, Greenland, Iceland and parts of present day Ireland and Scotland from the 800-1200 AD time period. The history of the kings, bishops and their battles does get complex with the betrayals and many killings. The role of women in the society of Iceland was an eye opener to me- the author's description of Margret the Adroit of Iceland and her accomplishments does make her a good candidate for the creator of the chess pieces. One of the problems of this book is the lack of photos of the places and object that she describes. Each main chapter does have a different photo of the chessmen but I needed more. Still a good introduction to the early history of the north Atlantic countries.

>52 torontoc: I own this book, although I'm not sure why. I didn't buy it. But I've been staring at it, curious about it.

The story is that we stopped by this little bookstore in Menomonie, WI that my inlaws go to a lot. The owner is really nice and the only one who works there. She gets tons of ARCs. So we were discussing the ARCs this summer. We both agreed Between the World and Me looked really appealing. Several months later my inlaws brought me that ARC of BtWaM and also one of Ivory Vikings. I never asked for either them and I don't recall anything about Ivory Vikings.

I've forgotten the bookstore name, so I'll come back and post in...in case anyone stumbles across Menomonie.

It's called The Bookends.

http://www.librarything.com/venue/15223/The+Bookends

Always good to know about good bookstores!

The Short Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan A Boy Avenger, A Nazi Diplomat and a Murder in Paris by Jonathan Kirsch Unfortunately this is another book where there are not many new documents to support the story. The story of how a very young illegal immigrant to France manages to kill a Nazi diplomat at the German embassy in 1938 is astonishing. Herschel Grynszpan is described as a very impulsive and immature young man who has made his way to France with the help of his family. His anger at the removal of his parents to Poland from Germany fuelled his plan to kill a German diplomat. The story of the plans for his trail by his French lawyers and then his German captors explain the ulterior motives that outsiders attributed to his motive for the killing. No one knows when Grynszpan was killed in Germany. The information on the young man's transfer to prisons in the south of France when Germany had invaded the country is puzzling.He actually had to opportunity to escape but didn't. The reader has to wonder at his lack of maturity. An interesting read but still- I have questions.

Ivory Vikings sounds intriguing.

I enjoyed it! and this next book was a lot of fun.
. The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley This was a great book to read during a very cold spell. I really enjoyed Buckley's take on an attempt to steal what would become the Shroud of Turin when it was housed in Chambery in Savoy. The reader follows Dismas, a relic hunter who works for two rivals in 1517-Frederick the Wise of Saxony and Albreacht, the Archbishop Bishop of Mainz. Frederick has complicated relationships in the European Catholic world by protecting the renegade monk, Martin Luther. Through a series of mishaps, Dismas has to steal the Shroud of Jesus from Chambery for Albrecht. He is accompanied on his quest by three nasty soldiers and his friend, the artist Durer. In fact Durer may have got him into trouble by some of his actions.This troop rescues a young woman who has been accused of witchcraft on their journey as well. The plot has elements of Monty Python, blood thirsty behaviour, greed and humour about religious practices in the 1500's.

Born With a Tooth by Joseph Boyden I have liked the two books by this author that I have read in previous years. This book of short stories is actually his first book published. All the stories concern Native or Aboriginal characters and their lives in Northern Ontario. Boyden uses the themes that have governed and possibly ruined many -the effect of the residential schools on indigenous peoples and their children and the discrimination and stereotypes that have followed the inhabitants of the north. The positives that are revealed in the stories are the strength and resolve of the women and men to maintain their culture and the healing and important place that aboriginal practices have in their community. Some of the stories are difficult- The Legend of the Sugar Girl traces the lasting effects of diet and life in the residential schools. The last stories are told from different characters seeing the same events. A really interesting group of stories.
*for those who don't follow Canadian history-the residential schools were run by Christian groups for Aboriginal children in the 20th century. The authorities took children away from their parents and put them in these schools. The aim was to destroy native customs and language and turn the children into mainstream citizens. The abuse was horrific- in fact only in the past number of years has the Canadian government recognized the terrible nature of this policy- There has been a Truth and Reconciliation Commission -the recommendations were not acted upon by the past government but the new government is making steps to address this and implement the report.

>58 torontoc: That sounds really good, although after reading two Boyden novels, I've pretty much sworn off reading him ever again. I may reconsider if I see this. Is it new?

No- it is his first book but I think that my copy was a later reissue

Arvida by Samuel Archibald and translated by Donald Winkler. This book of short stories was on the 2015 Giller Prize shortlist. I liked the use of language ( a very good translator) and the variety of subjects. Every story centred on life in a small town in Quebec-Arvida. The stories cover ghosts, hunting, hockey, bad relationships, complicated family histories and more. There is also incest, ritual mutilation in one of these tall tales and mystery. I must admit that I can admire the skill and imagination while not liking the direction of some of the stories. An interesting book.

I also saw the film "The Lady in a Van" with Maggie Smith- very good !

Both the book and the film sound interesting!

Looking forward to that film!

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure. Two people that i know really liked this book. I thought that while the main plot was very interesting, the character development was not. The story is about an architect, Lucien Bernard, who is asked to create hiding places in Paris apartments for Jews in 1942-3 Paris. Lucien does not want to do this at first because of the risk he faces but he gets lucrative contracts to design factories for the Germans in return. We do see some development in Lucien's empathy for those in hiding. However, the dialogue and situations that occur are... hmm, too facile and improbable.

>64 torontoc: That's a shame, the premise sounds interesting.

>64 torontoc: I hated The Paris Architect.

>45 torontoc:, >46 Simone2:, >47 FlorenceArt:, >48 kidzdoc:

Murakami Ryu, unlike Haruki, is indeed almost depraved and his works are quite sexual. But I like him because he shows the side of Japan that many are afraid to expose as it would peel off the veneer that is the mythical Japan of geisha and perfection and art and beauty. Tokyo and other cities in Japan can be quite gritty and full of perverse worlds and although rude and tough, Ryu is quite good at showing you that world.

But not all his works are sexual (or disgusting). Read his From the Fatherland with Love to see him mock the Japanese government as North Korea manages not only to take over one of the major islands of Japan, but also someone persuade the Japanese people that is a better life, all while the Japanese government watches from the side buried under its paperwork and protocol.

However, I do have Audition coming up as my next read by him. I am fully prepared to be disgusted by the world.

>67 lilisin: Thank you for the commentary on this author and his work.
>66 dchaikin: Interesting that the more one reads- the more I lose patience with mediocre books. I guess that I am always measuring novels against really good works

>67 lilisin: The premise of From the Fatherland With Love sounds a bit like that of Houellebecq's Soumission (which I haven't read, in fact I must read some Houellebecq soon). Intriguing.

>69 FlorenceArt:

Interesting. Houellebecq is another French author I've heard about all my life and yet have not dipped into his works. I would assume his book is much more serious than the Murakami, however, as Murakami really wanted to make Japan's government make an ass of itself so he took more of a comical approach to the topic. I think I'll have to add the Houellebecq to my list when the time comes for me to read about that part of the world again (outside of just the news).

so many authors and their books to consider reading!

Basic Black With Pearls by Helen Weinzweig This book was reissued to mark the centenary of the birth of the author and the 35th anniversary of first publication. The book won the Toronto Book Award in 1980. The writing is very good in my opinion although the plot is kind of surreal. A middle aged woman arrives in Toronto to meet her mysterious lover who may be a spy. She has met him continuously in various cities around the world. Their meetings are always part of a puzzle that the woman must solve to find their rendezvous point. Toronto is this woman's hometown although she had abandoned her husband and children an unknown number of years ago. The woman searches for her meeting point with the lover and remembers part of her childhood- she was an immigrant who lived with an unstable mother in parts of Kensington Market and perhaps the Ward area. The reader must wonder how much is truth or fiction. An accomplished book but I was not sure about the artifice of the woman's present life.

I saw the film "Hail Caesar"- I found it very funny- bur you have to know the films from the 1950's ( and the stereotypes) that the Coen brothers are referencing.

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz The author is continuing the saga of Sherlock Holmes and his able friend and biographer, John Watson. ( I believe that Horowitz was either commissioned or given permission by the Conan Doyle estate to write additional books about the great detective -readers- correct me if I am wrong). This adventure is complex and starts with a threatening stranger and ends up as a sinister conspiracy that shields a vast evil empire of vice. Sherlock investigates a number of murders and is imprisoned himself and he escapes in a very clever way.This book was a lot of fun to read and I hope that Horowitz writes more.

Empress of the Night A novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak I did read the wonderful biography of Catherine by Robert Massie and found this fictional account of her life to be somewhat puzzling. The author had written an earlier book about a young woman in the Russian court who does make a brief appearance in this novel. I thought that the focus of the book- the life of Catherine near the end of her life- to be not as interesting as the events of Catherine's problems in her marriage to Peter and her relationship with Empress Elizabeth. Her lovers were also not used enough in the plot to my liking. I thought that the author skipped some of the most dramatic parts of Catherine 's life.

Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper This was a wonderful read. Etta decides at the age of 83 to walk across Canada from Saskatchewan to the sea on the east coast. She leaves her husband Otto and his best friend Russell on their respective farms. The story weaves back and forth from the time that Otto joins the army, the meeting of Otto and Etta, the relationship between Russell, Otto and Etta and the events that change their lives. Etta walks with a coyote who talks to her , James. The story is well told and I enjoyed every moment.

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. I felt as I was reading the work of a master storyteller in this novel. Tyler writes about four generations of one family and their lives in Baltimore. The reader meets Abby, her husband Red, and their four children. The reader meets Denny, first, as we see his problems and inability to settle and make a life for himself. Abby is endearing as the mother who has her own issues of aging and sickness. We see what makes Denny so bitter and learn the secrets of Red, his sister Merrick and their parents , Junior and Linnie. The family is dysfunctional but perhaps no more than others who work out how to deal with sickness, death and problems of life. The plot shows the reader past and present generations and how they cope with bad situations. A great read and I am sorry that I haven't read more of Tyler recently.

I really loved A Spool of Blue Thread, too.

I really have to read more Anne Tyler- don't know why I stopped.

Bettyville by George Hodgman This is a book that was a very good read but I am telling some of my friends who are dealing with aging parents to avoid it now. The story of how the author goes back to his hometown of Paris, Missouri to care for his 90 year plus mother, Betty can be a very painful experience. Hodgman uses this book as not only a chronicle of the frustrating times he has with his very stubborn mother but it is a story of his own life and problems. Hodgman could never come out as a gay man to his parents- their lifestyle in a small town could not assimilate this knowledge. He writes about his family's history and also about the destruction of small town America with businesses dying or gone. Betty can be funny and the reader admires her drive to be independent although she really needs more help that she will admit. This is a very frank book about mother and son. The reader can see the frustrations and also the love. A timely book that will speak for the many people going through the same dilemmas with their own families.

>75 torontoc: I listened to this one on audio last summer and quite liked it--funny at times, moving at others.

My next book was from Early Reviewers- I find that recently there are very few books available to Canadians except for children's books. I review and then give them to my great nieces and nephew.

If I had a Gryphon by Vikki Vansickle and illustrated by Cale Atkinson. This children's book is really sweet. The rhyming story seems to be calling out for an adult to read a young child. The illustrations are very appealing as the artist shows many imaginary beasts that the young girl in the story considers for a pet. In fact the simple story contains a cautionary tale for thinking about something that would be better that what you have already. The young girl in the story has a hamster. She thinks about having a more "fabulous " pet but with each creature she realizes the problems- from the havoc a hippogriff would cause in the park to the fire sneezing dragon. At the end of the story the young girl appreciates the pet she has- a very nice hamster.

The Lady from Zagreb by Phillip Kerr. I get very excited when a new Bernie Gunther adventure is published by the author. Although I really liked the earlier mysteries when Gunther was a detective in pre-war Berlin, these new stories are very readable. Kerr uses some of the history from the former Yugoslavia in this episode. Gunther has to help Joseph Goebbels persuade a film star, Dalia Dresner to continue working in a new film. In order to do this Gunther has to go to Zagreb and find her long lost father, who might in a monastery in an area of fighting. Kerr shows the inhumanity of the killing in this area as Gunther looks for Dalia's father. The events of the search also lead to more tasks for Gunther. He is hunted down by opposing groups in Switzerland, solves a few murders that implicate the Swiss in Germany's war and he does escape. I am looking forward to the next adventure- this book has the beginning chapters of the next story at the back.

I saw a very good play last night- it was translated from the French
You Will Remember Me by Francois Archambault-
A brilliant professor has Alzheimer's disease- he is losing his memory- and the audience sees him in interactions with his family. There are larger themes presented as well- the loss of culture- In Quebec as well as past cultures
Beautifully acted.

Ostend: Stefan Zweig, Joseph Roth and the Summer Before the Dark by Volker Weidermann and translated by Carol Brown Janeway I have to thank Chatterbox who had reviewed this book. I was intrigued and put it on my wish list. I think that for those readers who have read some of work and history of both Zweig and Roth, this account certainly enriches the stories of their characters. I really enjoyed reading about their friends and lovers and how they used the seaside town of Ostend as a way to forget briefly about the problems of censorship and loss of their respective home countries. The issues of exile and how that impacted on German speaking and writing authors was a continuing theme. Another was hopelessness of surviving when your reading audience is reduced by politics. A very satisfying read!

I saw the animated film Zootopia last weekend- I really liked it and did see it in 3D- I did go with two friends who worked in the film industry so we stayed for all the credits!

>79 torontoc: That sounds like an excellent book. I am going to add it to the list for the Reading Globally quarter of Writers at Risk

>79 torontoc: Ooh, glad to hear Zootopia was good. I like that kind of stuff so am looking forward to it.

the bunny is so cute! and lookout for " Mr. Big"-very funny

>73 torontoc: Nice review, I have the book but haven't read it yet. Now I will move it up my TBR pile!

Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough. This is a reread that I really like. The authors were college friends who went on a trip to England and Paris in the 1920's. The story of their adventures on the ships that brought them to the continent are hilarious. This is one of the few books that has me laughing out loud at some of the incidents-Emil,y on hearing the warning " man overboard" throws a deck chair overboard and knocks out the man ( who was trying to swim ashore as they were just in the St Lawrence Seaway at that point. The stories of two very innocent and impressionable young women are funny and remind the reader of a very different time.

>84 torontoc: I have heard of this title but never knew where it came from. Your review encourages me to check it out. It seems akin to Three Men in a Boat.

It is a fun read.
17 Carnations The Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover-up in History by Andrew Morton-hmm touchstones not working this morning-
The somewhat sensational title does give the reader a sense of the style of this none-the-less interesting story about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Morton is known for his book on Princess Diana. This time he concentrates on part of the life of the Duke of Windsor. The author's contention is that Edward was really not fit to be king in the first place. Although very popular, he was not interested in the preparation or constraints of being a king.He was also very sympathetic to the Fascist politics of Germany and Hitler. Edward is shown to be very self centred and after meeting Wallis Simpson , determined that she would be his wife and queen. The book details how Edward abdicated and later how he made very bad choices in his selection of friends. Morton shows Edward making declarations about deploring the war between Germany and Britain and offering to work with groups that would sue for peace and stop the war- this might mean that he was open to being King again. His relations with the Germans may be seen as treasonable today. Edward may have passed on information to the Germans that betrayed certain war plans of France and Britain. as well. His actions in 1940 come under scrutiny. Whether he would travel from Lisbon to the Bahamas or go back to Spain under the protection of Spanish and probably German forces is an important section of this story. Morton then writes extensively about so- called damaging "Windsor File"- an accounting of actions by the Duke and the German government during the 1940 period found in a German government archive. The British government wanted to Americans to agree to destroying the file. The politics involving historians and officials in both countries is traced by the author. Whether the Duke of Windsor was active in participating in treasonous activities or whether he was a naive dupe is considered. I have read other histories that do touch on this area. This book was interesting in the research done on the groups that worked on either publishing or hiding the Windsor file.

The Mathematician's Shiva by Stuart Rojstaczer. I enjoyed this novel about a Russian( and Polish) American woman, her death and shiva( seven days of mourning where the family stay in one place -the deceased's house sometimes-and friends and relatives come to visit.) The narrator, Sasha is Rachela Karnokovitch's son. He is a professor in Alabama and both his parents are mathematicians and professors in Wisconsin and Minnesota Sasha's mother is the most brilliant scholar-she divorced her husband years ago. After her death from cancer, Sasha, his father, his uncle and his cousin are tasked with organizing the funeral and shiva. Complications arise as hundreds of mathematicians want to come to the funeral and sit shiva with the family. Sasha is sure that the reason is that they want to find the proof to one of the most difficult questions in mathematics that Rachelal is rumoured to have solved. The mathematicians propose that eight of them sit shiva with the family. The plot relates the past histories of Sasha and his mother. The reader meets Anna a Russian ballerina who Rachela convinced to defect many years ago and Shash's long lost daughter and granddaughter- both mathematicians as well. The story is entertaining and interesting and sometimes very funny.

I did see the film based on The Little Prince- very good framing story- done in great animated style. I loved the artwork - great fox and Little Prince!

Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon This is a very good thriller and spy story. There are some melodramatic moments but the plot moves very fast and is like most historical fiction, interesting to me. Alex Meier is a former German Jewish refugee who lived the in United States after leaving Germany before the second world war. He is caught up in the anti-communist witch hunt in the US and in 1949 moves back to Germany where he is welcomed by what would become the East German state. He actually is acting as a spy for the US in exchange for clearing his name. Alex renews friendships with old friends and is set up in a comfortable flat by the government as he is a noted writer. The story of his life, his meeting with an old girlfriend, his interactions with the secret police and his escapes make for good reading. Is it a great book - no- but it is entertaining.

History's People Personalities and the Past (CBC Massey Lectures) by Margaret MacMillan i really like reading the books that come out after the Massey Lectures. A notable person ( past lecturers and writers include Lawrence Hill, Adam Gopnik, Douglas Copeland, Wade Davis, Margaret Atwood, Ursula Franklin, George Steiner) gives a series of lectures in the fall in different cities in Canada. These lectures are broadcast on CBC radio and later a book is produced. MacMillan introduces the themes of Hubris, Daring, Curiosity, and Observers. She then discusses a group of personalities, both well known and obscure, who have stood out for her in some way. This book covers Hitler,Stalin, Margaret Thatcher, Richard Nixon, Elizabeth Simcoe, Samuel de Champlain and Harry Kessler to name a few. The result is a very interesting talk on why these people contributed to the stories of history and in in some cases their bad decisions. A very good read

>89 torontoc: I don't follow the CBC Massey Lectures as closely as I should. This one sounds interesting. Is it this year's or an older one?

It is this year's Massey Lecture- I would like to go to one of them- I will have to find out what the schedule is for next fall.

Forty-One False Starts Essays on Artists and Writers by Janet Malcolm I think that I found this book from Cariola's thread ( thank you). It is a wonderful treat to read long essays on specific modern and "postmodern" artists and writers. Malcolm does not spare her subjects- she is honest in her opinions and assessment of their culture and influence. I like the longish piece on ingrid Sischy and the magazine Artforum ( I, too, use to buy it and not read it). I was astonished at the material on Gene Stratton-Porter , author of Girl of the Limberlost and had to agree with Malcolm's critique. I enjoyed the history of the Bloomsbury group. This collection of essays led me to look again at selected authors and artists.

>92 torontoc: I read that a year or two ago and like the essay on Sischy too. I am a fan of Janet Malcolm.

I really liked Malcolm's point of view.

Granta 26 Travel. This book was on the bottom of one of my TBR towers-it is dated ( 1989) but I enjoyed reading pieces by some of my favourite travel writers- Bruce Chatwin, Colin Thubron and Ryszard Kapuscinski. Political situations in many countries around the world don't seem to have changed much- maybe the geographical location is different but the situations seem to be the same. I find that this issue of Granta was both informative on countries that I had not read about ( Taiwan) and interesting in recounting incidents of interest-( Kapuscinski's account of Idi Amin's Uganda.)

Call Me Sammy by Sammy Luftspring This is a very old memoir that I read for background - I am leading new walking tours in the area that is prominent in this book. The book was ghostwritten but was very interesting in the beginning when the author talks about his childhood and upbringing in the Kensington Market area in Toronto. The latter part of the book is about Luftspring's career as a boxer in the 1930's and later activities.

>94 torontoc: ooh. Who wrote the article on Taiwan? (I have lived there a few times and I'm very fond of it but it doesn't have much international profile, so I'm always interested in things like this).

>96 wandering_star: Ian Buruma wrote the article on Taiwan- another one of my favourite writers on travel!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I did like this book- it was a little too long but the structure of two stories that did come together was very good. Both the stories about Werner, the young German soldier and Marie-Laure, the blind French girl certainly did give the reader a sense of the life that both characters led in wartime Germany and France. The author creates some very interesting traits for both- the interest in science, mathematics and engineering. These interests did change their lives in some way. Doerr traces the moral character of Werner and Marie-Laure in his story. There are villains and the endings are not too happy. Some of the language is really touching. A good read for me-

Haven't seen many films recently- two film festivals are coming up, though

Forty-one False Starts is on my wishlist. Thank you for reminding me!

It was a really good read!

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth StroutDid I like this novel? I must admit that I put it down for a week and then came back to it. Jim is the more successful of the brothers- he is wealthy and noted for his work as a lawyer. His younger brother, Bob, is a public defender and not as polished and his private life is a bit of a shambles. This could be explained as apparently when Bob was four he was behind the wheel of a car that killed his father. This incident has haunted and probably influenced his life. Bob's twin sister, Susan still lives in their small home town in Maine. A crisis occurs when her son Zach is accused of throwing a pig's head into a mosque in the town. Jim and Bob travel from New York to help their sister and nephew. The stories of how they both react and help and hinder is told along with description of the Somali community and the reactions of the town. The reader learns about the problems in Jim's life and how Bob learns to cope with his issues and relationship with Jim. There are surprizes. Susan, Bob and Zach show more strength and wisdom as their lives change and together they help Jim resolve a major crisis that he faces.

So DID you like it in the end? I've been looking at this one but keep putting it off as I was not a big fan of Olive Kitteridge.

Hmm- yes and no- the ending was satisfactory- and the language was very good- was it a wow-no- if I didn't have it in my TBR tower- I would have probably moved on to another book.

>102 torontoc: Thanks, think I'll skip it.

I wasn't a big fan of Olive Kitteridge either. It's interesting that Strout is so well thought of, being a Pulitzer winner after all; yet, we seem to be in agreement that there is something missing from her work.

Agreed- although I did like Olive Kitteridge better!

By Chance Alone by Max Eisen Max Eisen has written a remarkable memoir about his early life with his family in a farming town in Czechoslovakia (later it became part of Hungary) and his experiences as a teenager in Auschwitz. He lost his whole family to the gas chambers. This book serves as a memorial to his parents and grandparents and shows how he survived. Sometimes it takes a " small kindness' to ensure survival. ( I heard this phrase from friends who had parents who were Holocaust survivors). Max Eisen describes the life he led with his parents in a small town- he then details the forced labour, and finally the expulsion from the town and the subsequent life he alone led in the concentration camp. The author was forced on a " Death march" as the Russians were closing in on Auschwitz at the end of the war- very few survived the journey to a town in Germany where they were finally rescued by the American army. What is also interesting is Eisen's account of his journey back to his home town, what he found there and his later travels to get an education and how he got to Canada.
Max Eisen is in his eighties- he regularly lectures to students and he was a witness at the trail of an Auschwitz guard.
His determination to tell his story is admirable. A very good read.

I went to my first "Hot Doc" today ( Hot Doc Documentary Festival)- it was about an Japanese photographer who was taking (wonderful) photographs of Frida Kahlo's clothes and personal items- they had not been touched for over 50 years. The focus of the film sort of moved - I thought that it was about the painter- but the subjects sort of meandered on to Mexican embroiderers and Day of the Dead festivities- still interesting!

I saw the documentary on Norman Lear last night - very good- I think that since it was partially sponsored by PBS- it should show up there sometime

Treachery by S.J. Parris I had lost track of this series until recently and was thrilled to read the latest instalment in the adventures of Giordano Bruno. In this story, Bruno has joined with Sir Philip Sidney to travel to Plymouth and visit Sir Francis Drake. Drake is about to launch a major voyage to plunder Spanish colonies. However, first he must deal with the unexplained death of Robert Dunne- a gentleman travelling on his ship. Bruno and Sidney look into the death to determine whether it was suicide or murder. Drake also wants Bruno to look at an ancient book that may alter the story of Christianity. The adventures, betrayals, kidnapping, poisoning and the appearance of an old enemy, all contributed to a wonderful read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald I really enjoyed this memoir and sort of semi biography of a part ofT.H. White's life. Macdonald had recently lost her father. She was also training a goshawk. The book is the story about how the author deals with her grief and her thoughts on her getting to know her goshawk , Mabel. There are chapters that talk about T.H. White- his life and how his early childhood experiences directed his decisions. White failed at training a goshawk. He wrote about it and used his experience in his books on Merlin and Arthur. Macdonald writes in great detail about the feeling of being part of her goshawk's life in hunting and then killing. She did learn how to separate herself from the feeling that she was part of a wild creature's life. The book was very satisfying to read although there were very graphic details about a predator's ( Mable) life and hunting process.

>108 torontoc: Yours is the third review I read on CR about H is for Hawk, and they all saw something different in the book. Interesting! Though I don't think I will read it.

There was a lot of gore and dead small animals and birds!

Run You Down by Julia Dahl I had to read the second in this series of mysteries featuring reporter Rebekah Roberts. In the first book Invisible City the reader is introduced to Rebekah, a reporter in New York City who had been raised by her father in Florida. Rebekah's mother, Aviva had run away from her Haredi orthodox family to be with Rebekah's father, a gentile. Aviva then left both her baby daughter and boyfriend to go back to New York and an uncertain future. In this novel, Rebekah investigates a murder that will implicate Aviva's brother ( and her uncle). Aviva tells her own story in alternating chapters as Rebekah gets closer to solving the murder and linking her own unknown family to the victim as well. The story is not so much about the Orthodox world but it is about those who leave this life and try to make a new one. There is a mix of murder, racial hatred, dealing with sexual abuse in the Orthodox world and more. I think that I liked the first book better than the second although I was still anxious to find out what happens in the story.

Degenerate Art The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany 1937 edited by Olaf Peters I saw this art show at the Neue Galerie in New York two years ago. I had to get the catalogue and did a few months later. This is the first time that I read the various essays. The topics covered the history of the confiscation of art and the naming of artists who were considered degenerate. The attitude of Emil Nolde was surprising to me-his work was banned although he considered himself sympathetic to the aims of Nazism. The essays track the exhibits in various German cities of so-called "Degenerate" art, the war on Modernism in art and the aftermath of reclaiming work after the war. That story is very interesting in the activities of art dealers who sold artworks to American museums with the proceeds going to Nazi accounts. This book is a very interesting resource as well as having rest reproductions of the art.

Neither Here Nor There Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson I started reading this account of the author's travels in Europe in about 1991 and realized that I had read it before about 10 years ago. I found the first chapters on Bryson's travels in Norway and Sweden hilarious- the kind of laughing out loud funny. However, the accounts of his further travels in Italy, Belgium and the Balkans- not so amusing. Bryson was following the route he had traveled with an eccentric friend-Katz - years before. In fact it looks like Bryson was in the former Yugoslavia just before the savage wars that took place in the later 1990's. I like travel writing and did like reading about Bryson's adventures. His point of view can be caustic with good reason!

>117 torontoc: I read that one back in the late 90s and loved it. I think I remember the first half being better than the last, as you say. I also really liked the one he wrote about travelling around England (Notes from a Small Island, I think).

>112 torontoc: At first, I thought you started reading it in 1991--made me think it must be a really painful read! Glad to hear it was a good one.

>114 Cariola: Yes- my own prose was somewhat convoluted and I can see the double meaning!

Reader, I Married Him Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre edited by Tracy Chevalier. The editor asked a number of women writers to take the phrase from the last sentence in the novel Jane Eyre and create a story. I liked most of them as the diversity of ideas was really interesting to think about after reading.
There were stories narrated by Grace Poole, Mr. Rochester himself, a modern Jane Eyre and more. There were hasty decisions about accepting proposals, tragedies and comedies. I enjoyed the stories and have to thank Cariola for drawing my attention to this book.

I saw the movie Nice Guys- very violent but parts are funny.

The Hill Top by Assaf Gavron ( no way to get right touchstone tonight) I found that this story about an illegal settlement on the West Bank was satirical but really too long. I thought that while I liked most of the many characters, the author needed a better editor. Gavron uses this story to comment on the surreal connections and disagreements between the various departments of the Israeli government, and Orthodox and Secular Jews. The reader follows two brothers from their kibbutz childhood to life in Tel Aviv, New York City and finally the small religious settlement of Ma'aleh Hermesh C. Gavron uses satire to deliver a message about the conflicts in Israel. The lives of the settlers are complex and messy. I enjoyed the writing but liked Gavron's first book Almost Dead better

The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart I find that I am "drawn into" all the novels by Jane Urquhart. even if I feel that I don't like the plot initially. This was that kind of book. Urquhart follows the stories of Kenneth Lochhead, the Canadian painter who creates the large mural in the Gander airport, Tam, a woman stranded in the airport after she has left her lover Naill and finally and perhaps most importantly Kieran, Naill's estranged younger brother. The story of Kieran is most dominant in this book. Urquhart uses Kieran's story to describe the geography and folklore of Ireland. Kieran is sent at a young age to live his family's house keeper. Kieran's birth is a traumatic experience for his mother- whose early death is perhaps set off by the circumstances of her drug addition. Kieran has very little contact with his family- as a young man he does manual labour and trains for an important bicycle race that runs through Ireland. Naill's actions are not very commendable in his treatment of his wife or his lover and ultimately his brother. In fact the reader with a contemporary sensibility may wonder about Tam's behaviour considering that she was a pilot during World War Two , ferrying planes between airports in England. Tam's reliance in the men in her relationships seem to paralyze her from living a good life. The novel is set in the fifties- so that might explain her choices. Kieran's story becomes so interesting in the way he grows into maturity. He is betrayed by his brother bur continues his life on his own terms. The ending does not tie up loose ends in the plot- but the descriptions of the lives of all the characters really connected with me, the reader. A great read .

I like Jane Urquhart a lot too. Her books are a little distant, or maybe chilly, so I think some readers have trouble connecting or warming up to her. If you can get past that, I think they are lovely.

The writing was amazing- I really was carried through the book by the author's point of view.

Granta 61 The Sea I read this issue for the Non-fiction Challenge on 75 books read - the theme is environment/science. This issue seemed to be on topic. Unfortunately the only article that really talked about environmental concerns was one by Neal Ascherson on " The Case for Butterfish" describing the pollution of the Black Sea. Now this book was published in 1998. I think that today there is a greater understanding of how the environment has been changing. The majority of the articles and stories were about the power of the sea as well as works on ships and fishing. There was a poignant description of the effects of a tsunami in "The Seventh Man" by Haruki Murakami I think that this issue of Granta is also interesting in thinking about how different this topic would have been handled today.

The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard This is a hard book to read and then very hard to put down. The author has created the life of a boy living in the Warsaw Ghetto who eventually joins the orphanage of Dr. Janusz Korczak. Korczak was known as an educator and promoter of children's rights. The boy. Aron lives a life of extreme poverty with his family in a small town before they relocate to Warsaw. Relations with his family are not good. Aron grows up in the streets of Warsaw as he joins with other boys to smuggle and steal goods. He makes friends of a sort but soon all family and friends die or are sent to labor camps. The terrible decisions that Aron has to make would be unimaginable to society today. In fact the story is told from the immature point of view of a child. The reader does get a sense of the humanity of Korczak and the sacrifices that he makes. ( he rejects all offers to save him alone and leads his orphanage to the gas chambers of Treblinka) A sobering look at a terrible time in history.

>117 torontoc: >118 Nickelini: I have the same reaction to Jane Urquhart. I am "drawn into" her work, but at the same time find her chilly (great description Nickelini). The mural at the Gander airport is one I am familiar with, having spent long hours contemplating its 22 metre span while waiting for fog, snow, wind, driving rain, you name it, to lift in St John's. I didn't know about this book, but will look for it as it sounds like another of her great explorations of individual lives.

For anyone not familiar with Gander airport (probably most), here is a link to an article about it from Canadian Architect:
https://www.canadianarchitect.com/features/ganders-glorious-room/

>120 torontoc: Interesting, I think I have that issue of Granta somewhere...

I saw the film "Dheepan"- it won a prize at Cannes-it was about a Sri- Lankan man, woman and young girl who are refugees settled in France. These people masquerade as a family with false papers- the man was a Tamil soldier. Dheepan becomes a caretaker in a high rise slum that houses drug dealers and gangs. The film was hard to watch ( and it was long) - was it worthwhile - yes but .

I have read a some issue of Granta that seem timeless-some , though are dated.

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson. I enjoyed the author's account of his trips from the south to the north of England. Bryson had written a book Notes from a Small Island twenty years ago about similar travels and this new book was really an update. Bryson is a committed walker and many of this small towns and sites were seen by hiking on paths as well by train and car travel. Bryson is an American who lived in Britain for many years ( and recently he took out British citizenship) so his comparisons and comments on the differences of both countries are interesting and amusing. He is not happy with the changes in the British landscape- he sees a destruction of the life of small towns and rural sites. Bryson is not as grumpy as Paul Theroux can be in his travel books- but he still can be caustic when he describes bungling in the train system and customer service. A fun travel read and a bit of a travel memoir as well.

>125 torontoc: I definitely need to read that one.

>121 torontoc: Korczak's story is real? The book sounds interesting.

Also interesting in the new-ish Bryson. Curious title (to me, at least).

>127 dchaikin: - Yes, He was quite famous and chose to go to the gas chambers with his orphans. He was not Jewish and could have been saved

>127 dchaikin: Was just looking for a link to a biography I have of Korczak but it seems I haven't entered it into LT. I will have to do a shelf search. I thought he was from a Jewish family that had become assimilated.

Very interesting. And thanks Sassy for looking up that biography.

>129 SassyLassy: you are right- he was Jewish although he considered himself an agnostic later in life.

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith. I liked the story and structure of this novel. The author tells the story of a Dutch woman painter, Sara De Vos, in the year 1631. In 1957 a young woman, Ellie Shipley, paints an exact copy or forgery of a painting by Sara De Vos. Ellie knows that her work will be part of a switch with the real painting-now in the collection of a private individual. Marty De Grout, a wealthy businessman discovers that his painting was switched with this forgery and works to find out who was involved. In the year 2000. Ellie is now a curator at a gallery in Australia and is confronted with two loans to her upcoming exhibit on Dutch women painters-two owners with the same Sara De Vos painting.The story moves through three time periods effortlessly as the reader finds out how Sara lived and painted and who eventually owns the real painting. The only elements of the novel that I wanted better resolution with are the actual heist of the painting and the moving of real to fake and back again. Still a very enjoyable novel.

>132 torontoc: That sounds interesting. Is it fiction or based on real people and events?

It is fiction- and very well done

>134 torontoc: On the list! Thanks.

>132 torontoc: That does sound good. I've put it on hold at the library.

I enjoyed the book!

Davy The Punk by Bob Bossin I read this book today because I saw the author give a talk last night. Bob Bossin is a great storyteller. He wrote a book that he calls a memoir about his father, Dave Bossin or "Davy the Punk". Bob Bossin's father died when he was a teenager. He did have some memories but investigated and interviewed friends, relatives and some of his father;s associates. Dave Bossin was a bookie's bookie in Toronto in the 1930's to 50's.. He was connected with some powerful American underworld figures although Bob can never get the whole story . His father never spoke about his connections to his son although Bob did hear some stories. The book has more than the life of Dave Bossin. The underworld figures that he associated with are discussed along with anecdotes. I liked the stories of Bob's grandfather and his father's early life. The reader learns about the corruption in Canadian and American police in the 1930's and the change that occurs later in the 1950's. The book was really interesting in connecting local and personal histories.

The Best of Sholom Aleichem by Sholom Aleichem edited by Irving Howe and Ruth Wisse I reread this book for my book club. I also went to a wonderful lecture on this writer given by Miriam Udel from Emory University. Reading the stories again and looking at them with a " different lens" so to speak was very different than my first read ( many years ago) Sholem Aleichem writes about the Jews who lived in small towns in the Ukraine and Poland in the late 1880's. His use of the short story format is interesting. There are many interjections from the storyteller or narrator and the climax is not necessarily at the end of the piece. Sometimes there is no resolution. The reader will not always find out what happens in a story.There is the theme of the " swindle" in many of the plots. ( the pious young man dissevered with chicken bones in his pocket on a fast day, the stranger who lost money in the synagogue but later disappears) The editors have a long discussion on the works selected for this book. Two of the most famous of the writer's works are his stories about Tevye the Milkman and the adventures of Mottel the Cantor's son. The selected stories about Tevye give the reader a sense of the real life of a village Jew. The stories are very different than the " Fiddler on the Roof" version. There is more "bitter than sweet". Mottel is a young boy who goes along with his brother's ideas for earning money- usually they don't work out. I think that there is more than humour in these stories- there is both tragedy and hope in the continuing existence of a people.

Epitaph A Novel of The O.K. Corral by Mary Doria Russell The author has followed up her previous novel about Doc Holliday ,Doc , with this wonderful story about all the people who had a role in the lead up to and aftermath of the shootings at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone , Arizona in 1881. The reader is introduced to Josie Marcus the young Jewish woman who lived with Johnny Behan and later Wyatt Earp. All the Earp brothers, Morgan and Virgil and their women, the Clanton family , the McLaurys and many of the people living in Tombstone figure in this story of politics, rivalries, and revenge. I loved this book- the language and the characters in this novel seem so real and certainly the author presents a very different picture than the one I saw on TV as a child. ( who knew that the women in saloons were more than " hostesses" -they were prostitutes.) This si a very engrossing story about the west.

Look Out For The Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding I must admit that as an adult reading this book for young readers I had some problems. The premise of four young children who live in a car on an island, go to school , and take care of themselves is a troubling one for me. I can see the adventure and resourcefulness of the characters. They are all likeable and admirable in how they survive on their own. The creepy part for me comes with the background of being abandoned by the parents who still live on the island and drop by with money every once and a while . The two parents who leave the children on their own and leave bother me as well. ( the family tree is complicated- there are two mothers and two fathers) The book is supposed to be upbeat but the issue of abandonment is further emphasized for me with ( SPOILER) when one of the mothers leaves a newborn baby for the Fitzgerald-Trouts to take care of as well. There might be a resolution at the end but still- do I want to give this book to my eight year old great niece? I might have her mother read part of the book before we make that decision.

I saw the film " Maggie's Plan" on Sat. - great acting and fun to watch.

Collapse How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond Whew! It took me over three weeks to finish reading this book. ( Although I also had a terrible cold for most of July that turned into pneumonia) Diamond writes with incredible attention to detail as he make his points about various societies-past and present-and how they deal with environmental factors that produce failure or success. Diamond covers islands in the Pacific, the Viking colony on Greenland, ancient Native American colonies,present day Montana, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Australia and China. He shows how various geographical features led to early success and later failure as forests were cleared, and bad choices were made in terms of grazing animals and crops. Essential features of soil that could not sustain crops over a number of years and cycles of good and bad weather are important factors that have led to the demise of certain societies. Although the book was written in 2005 , the material is relevant today as we see the rapidly changing climate and the damage that has been done. Diamond does write about some success stories- New Guinea is one- where the population has constantly looked at changing the way they plant and conserve on the land. There was a little too much repetition for me especially in the section on Greenland but that could be the cold virus talking!

no films this July but I am buying my film package for the Sept film festival next week!

Interesting reviews -- you seem to be catching up on books you have read over the past few weeks. Hope you have recovered well from the pneumonia!

It is getting there!
The Pursuit of Pearls by Jane Thynne After the heavy reading of my last book this one was fun- the author does create a menacing atmosphere in this series about Clara Vine- a half British and German film actress working in Berlin in 1939. Clara has been working for the British Secret Service and is asked to find out anything about a possible German-Soviet alliance. She is involved with a number of people who may betray her. The author does keep the reader guessing as well as present a few ambiguous figures from history. My favourite is the real Olga Chekhovah a mysterious either Soviet or German spy or both. There is a murder in the plot as well and some new glimpses of Clara's family back in Britain.

When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid. This very brutal short novel is about a very damaged teenager who is gay and does not fit into his small town life or school. Jude's life is not perfect, with a mother who strips for a living, her sometime live in boyfriend Ray and his absent father. Jude is friendly with Angela- who is almost as damaged as Jude. Jude has a crush on a boy in school, Luke who is resolutely not interested in him . Jude is attacked and hurt many times as he chronicles his life as though he is in a movie. This book was a finalist in the last Canada Reads and the author won a Governor General Literary award. It is brief and shocking with casual violence and fascinating in the depiction of a teenager who does not fit in and makes very bad decisions.

>144 torontoc: That's on my TBR pile -- you're description sounds even more brutal than most descriptions I hear about this story. Charlotte wants to read it, but she's rather a gentle soul and I wonder if it will be scaring.

Catching up. Glad you got past the Jared Diamond. I read his Guns germs and Steel and found it very repetitive, although interesting at the time.

I was interested in your comments on Shalom Aleichem and in how the lecture affected your reading.

Thynne sounds fun, and the Raziel Reid thoroughly depressing.

>145 Nickelini: I think that you should read it first before deciding whether Charlotte should read it now.
>146 dchaikin: The lecture on Sholem Aleichem was so enlightening to me. The Raziel Reid book was depressing but I am glad that I read it.

The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer and Susan Dworkin This memoir is another source on how a Jewish woman was able to survive the Holocaust with the help of a good friend. Edith Hahn's story is unusual in that she married a German man working for the Nazis while in disguise- she did admit to him that she was Jewish but they still got married. Edith's good friend in her home town of Vienna pretended to lose her papers and was able to give them to Edith. Born in Vienna, the author describes her life in pre-war Austria, her experience in a forced work farm and paper factory in Germany and her life after the war. She and her husband were divorced and she and her daughter went to live in England. A very interesting account.

>148 torontoc: quite a life story. Noting, although I'm not crazy about the title, not crazy about "wife" titles.

>149 dchaikin: It is a little melodramatic!

Just Send Me Word A True Story of Love and Survival in the Gulag by Orlando Figes Lev Mishchenko and Svetlana Ivanova were sweethearts in Moscow before the second world war. Lev joined the Russian army, was captured by the Germans and spent time in a concentration camp. After the war, Lev was charged as a traitor and sent to the Gulag for 10 years. Both Lev and Svetlana kept up an extraordinary correspondence that they managed to save. This collection of love letters was given to the Memorial Archive in Moscow- the letters are considered the biggest known collection of private letters "relating to the history of the Gulag". Figes has given the reader a narrative of the lives of Lev and Svetlana along with many examples of their letters. Svetlana visited Lev in the Gulag a number of times. Figes describes the everyday life in the Gulag, the many prisoners and friends who helped the couple and their reunion and marriage in 1955. This is a good story -the letters are true love letters between the two. It is also a history of the life in Stalin's Soviet Union in the late 1940's and early 1950's. A great read that I will go back to again and again- the letters reaffirm faith in humanity.

>151 torontoc: That was a great read.

>139 torontoc: I didn't realize there was a followup to Doc, which is on the TBR, so I suspect the pile may be in increasing by one after reading your thoughts on it.

>152I have to read more of Mary Doria Russell's work I think that I have another of her novels in my book pile.

The End of Days A Story of Tolerance, Tyranny, and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain by Erna Paris This is a reread for me. The author divides the book into two parts. In the first section, Paris describes the history of the Jews, Muslims and Christians in early Spain. She shows how there was a real golden age of learning in literature, languages, philosophy medicine and more. Paris traces the change that occurs as the Christian kings conquer Spain and take over from Muslim rule. The role of Christian religion, the beginnings of violence, and forced conversions lead to the establishment of the Inquisition and finally the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. In the second part of the book Paris tries to understand how Spanish society moved from tolerance to hate. She draws comparisons with Germany and the Nazis. This is a very thought provoking book and I was interested to revisit it again.

The Paris and Figes books both sound terrific.

They were great reads-
I went to see a really good documentary film today- Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. excellent

The Love song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce This book is the sequel to the author's first-The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It really helps to read this book first so that Queenie's story makes more sense and you, the reader, can tie up loose ends. The story of Queenie and why she leaves the brewery and does not have any contact with Harold for over twenty years is explained in this novel. The reader learns of her illness and stay in the hospice along with some very interesting patients and nurses. So while Harold is walking to see her, Queenie is writing out the story of her life and the things that she did not tell Harold. ( spoiler if you haven't read the first book) Harold and his wife Maureen were devastated by the suicide of their son, David. In Queenie's letter that she writes in the hospice, she talks about her relationship with David and what she never told Harold. I thought that the author used an unfortunate plot twist in the last page of the book-it did spoil part of the plot for me. Was the book as good as the first-they both were very touching but the first book had more interest for me.

Stalins' Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan This is indeed a chunkster at 623 pages but still fascinating. The author ( whose work I really like) has pulled together the story of Stalin's daughter , Svetlana, from her early privileged life, to her defection to the US and her various involvements with men and various personalities. I didn't realize that the widow of Frank Llloyd Wright plotted to marry Svetlana to Wesley Peters, the chief architect at Taliesin West in order to get access to her supposed fortune. The plot did work but Svetlana got out as she did with all her marriages. The details of life in the Soviet Union, her escape to the US not one but two times and her habit of moving constantly suggest the problems with her upbringing and expectations. I enjoyed this biography

Do you have your TIFF wish list lined up yet?

>157 SassyLassy: No- I get the catalogue in two weeks and then have to power read for a few days!

Smoke by Dan Vyleta I am a fan of the novels by this author. And I wasn't disappointed in his latest novel. Vyleta creates a distopian vision of a vaguely early 20th century ( may late Victorian) Britain. When people sin or have wicked thoughts a Smoke comes from their bodies. The society is sharply divided into an upper class that live mainly in the country and control all industry. The lower classes barely survive in the mines or in London- a cesspool of sin (and soot) and anarchy. This plot has many components that remind me of the work of Charles Dickens. There is the boys school where two of the main characters -Charlie and Thomas study and are bullied by the sinister Julius, the Christmas visit to estate of Thomas's aunt and her rebellious daughter Livia, the near assassination of the boys, and the quest to find out what Smoke really is and the plot to change English society. A great story that I really enjoyed!

>159 torontoc: I've been wondering about that one. You're the first person I know who has actually read it though. It intrigues me.

>160 Nickelini: I like all of Vyleta's books so far.

The Glory of the Empire A Novel, A History by Jean D'Ormesson This is a very intriguing book- it reads as a sombre history of the great empire set somewhere near present day Turkey( maybe) that ruled over much of the known civilized world. There are footnotes and references to real historians, philosophers and diarists. The book gives the reader much information on the emperors, the disputes between rival cities, and the conquests. However, the book is all fiction- the story and detailed drawings and maps are all inventions of the author. So in a sense this book describes a vast fictional empire. The author uses his knowledge of the past to integrate his fictional array of rivalries, and royal families into a complex plot of the development of a great civilization. An interesting read.

Catching up. Some really interesting books. The Glory of the Empire sounds like the kind of book I've been wondering how and if an author might pull off. And Stalin's Daughter intrigues me. What a life to be born into.

>161 torontoc: I enjoyed The Glory of the Empire when I read it earlier this year.

I really liked The Crooked Maid. It's good to hear that Smoke is also good. I'll have to find a copy now.

>162 dchaikin: Your comment about Stalin's Daughter is exactly what a friend of mine said1 It is a very sad story-

>163 rebeccanyc: - I had misgivings after I read the introduction but then got taken in to the story!
>164 RidgewayGirl:- I really like this author!

La gloire de l'empire sounds very interesting. D'Ormesson is well known in France, but I don't think I've ever read any of his books. I hear he writes beautifully.

I'm just catching up after vacation. You've had several interesting reads. I also found The Nazi Officer's Wife to be an interesting read. My only issue with it was that I chose the audio version. It was read by the author, and she was really not a good reader. The account kept me interested though.

>167 NanaCC:- it was an interesting read!

Well it is almost time for the Toronto International Film Festival- I have my catalogue and have to make my choices next Monday- I will post reviews here after the films- I am not sure how many I will see this year as I still have some fatigue from my July pneumonia. But this is always a fun 10 days for me. I don't see celebrities but try to get good seats in the theatres.

>168 torontoc: Good luck with your tickets and looking forward to your reviews.

Thanks!

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo. This novel was terrific- the author tells the story of a young 10 year old girl-Darling - who is living in the new Zimbabwe. Her family had gone from a comfortable existence with university educated parents to subsistence living in a hut with perhaps a grandmother and mother- the father had gone to South Africa. Darling and her friends don't go to school as the teachers all left the area and they spend their time stealing guavas from a wealthy area and making up games that could be dangerous. The contrast when Darling is sent to the United States to be with her aunt in Michigan is striking. Yet Bulawayo regrets the exodus from her native land and the life that she once led. The descriptions of life both in Zimbabwe and the United States shows how this group of refugees or really, survivors exist. The never ending work in the United States and the striving for university education for the young generation is told with sensitivity. I thought that the ending was a little abrupt ( maybe the author will write a sequel) but enjoyed the writing and story.

>170 torontoc: Nice review of We Need New Names, Cyrel. I enjoyed its first half, set in Zimbabwe, but the second half of it fell flat for me, and the ending was even more of a disappointment. I would be willing to read a sequel of this book if she decides to write one.

Thanks!

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes. I thought that this novel about three incidents in the life of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich was excellent.Also I did read the article by music scholar Richard Taruskin in the New York Times. Taruskin finds fault with the portrayal of the composer as a victim and doesn't like the two main sources of information on Shostakovich's life that Barnes uses. I must admit that after reading the book I thought that the criticisms were not really fair. Barnes portrays the composer as someone who understands the humiliations that he has gone through in order to survive and knows that he also prospered by doing so. The attack on Stravinsky in New York, and the forced joining of the Communist party were accompanied by thoughts in this book on how these actions would be seen by a larger audience. However the doubts and anxiety of living in the Soviet Union are important themes to me in this novel. The language in this work is excellent.

>172 torontoc: I've been very interested in this one so I'm glad to hear it's so good. I enjoyed both the other Julian Barnes books I've read.

>172 torontoc: This one is already on my wish list. Sound like the music scholar is using the wrong criteria for a novel and expected total historical accuracy. It's fiction, even if it is based in part on biography.

I really enjoyed the book and I agree with you!

Alexandrian Summer by Yitzhak Gormezano Goren I enjoyed the idea of this novel as opposed to the actual work itself. Let me explain. The introduction by Andre Aciman places the story in Egypt in the early 1950's just before the majority of the Jewish population had to leave the country. Aciman talks about his own experience and that of the author. The lifestyle of this Jewish community would never be the same again. The longing and memories of the community are best described to me in Lucette Lagnado's memoir The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit.
This story really doesn't touch on the tensions that led the most Jews to leave although two of the brothers in one family have moved to Israel and the round about way that they send letters to their family is described. The story is about a number of families that board in a residence in Alexandria for the summer- there is the daughter who refuses the proposal of the handsome young jockey. We meet the many elderly women who speak a variety of languages- Ladino, French and Greek- and the young boys who indulge in forbidden activities. In fact the reader doesn't learn enough about some of the characters as the author moves on to another person and their partial story. I would suggest other authors if there is an interest in the life of Egyptian Jews in the 20th century.

Caspian Rain by Gina B. Nahai This novel was so well written and so sad. The narrator is a young girl living in Tehran at the time of the Shah,Yaas. Yaas tells the reader about her parents- Behar and Omid. Behar is 16 years old when she meets Omid. Behar's family are poor Jews who have a son who is an opera singer who doesn't sing and an abused married daughter who does not complain. Behar is an impressionable school girl who does fall for Omid, a wealthy young man who has just been left by his fiancé. Omid is determined to marry Behar although his wealthy parents object. The resulting marriage is not happy as Behar is not able in that society to continue school. She is isolated in a house in a not so good area of Tehran and ignored by her new in-laws, their friends and Omid himself. He becomes obsessed with a beautiful Muslim woman who is the lover of a wealthy man. The daughter Yaas has a disability that is hidden by her mother and the result is tragedy. Omid himself abandons his wife and daughter to leave Iran with his mistress. The humiliations suffered by the women in this novel probably reflect the norms of that society. Today the reader will recognize that the suffering in this work still take place in some societies. I wasn't prepared for the ending but I was drawn into the story.

Well here is the first of my film reports- I am very tired- have been seeing films and eating well at some of the restaurants downtown. One word on my first day of films yesterday- some directors need to edit! a lot!

I Am Not Madame Bovary
Directed by Feng Xiaogang
China

Lian is a peasant woman who is trying to get her divorce annulled. Her now ex husband had planned with her to have a " fake" divorce in order to get an apartment and house. However , she found out that the husband remarried someone else, The film shows Lian trying without success to bring an action against her husband and then every government official who does not help her. The process takes years. In fact many of the officials lose their jobs when they don't help her. The tenacious behaviour of Lain seems comical at first but she is fighting for her reputation as well- her ex had called her a " Madame Bovary"- a term that many used to describe an adulteress. The camera work is quite wonderful- the director uses a round frame for the scenes in the province and a square frame when Lian goes to Beijing. The ending reveals a more emotional reason for her insistence on pursuing her case. The director was at the screening and said that the issue of bureaucracy and rule of law would mean more to a Chinese audience than a Western one. The film could use a little more editing but it was really interesting to watch.The director said that the film was adapted from a novel written by a friend of his.

Zacma- Blindness
Directed by Ryszard Bugajski
Poland

This film was hard to watch. A woman, Julia, with a disturbing past- she was a colonel who interrogated prisoners and tortured them during a repressive time in Poland's post war history- travels to a convent that cares for blind children. She is trying to see the top Cardinal of Poland who will be there. A nun that Julia deals with has been trying to set up the appointment without much success. Julia stays overnight at the convent and seems to relive her past in flashbacks.It is not a very nice one . In fact the viewer will have trouble having any sympathy for this woman as we see her present rich lifestyle- in fact she has done very well and seems to have many names-the viewers are not sure who she is. Does Julia have guilt for what she done- she is looking for some sort of forgiveness although she does not know how to ask or have respect for those who might help her. This film could have used some editing.The actress who played Julia was excellent.

A United Kingdom
Directed by Amma Asante
United Kingdom

It is really good to hear the director talk about the film- she said that she became involved when David Oyelowo insisted that she read the script and book about the man who became the first president of Botswana and who was also initially in line to become King ( past name Bechuanaland.) The story is about two people- Seretse Khama and the woman he married Ruth Williams. This was an interracial marriage in 1947 that upset not only the British government but also Khama's uncle. Both tried to prevent Khama from taking power. The story of this couple's fight to remain together and live in Khama's native country would take a number of years as they fought exile, family and governments. This was a wonderful story and film.

>177 torontoc: That last one sounds really good.

It was - with really good actors.

The Women's Balcony
Directed by Emil Ben Sharon
Israel

The director spoke at the film presentation. He modelled the religious community at the center of the film on the one that he knew as a child. In Jerusalem a modern orthodox community was celebrating a Bar Mitzvah when the women's balcony collapsed sending the elderly Rabbi's wife to the hospital. The Rabbi becomes confused and cannot lead the congregation. The small community has set up temporarily in a loaned small space when they meet a young Rabbi - Rabbi David- who is the principal of a nearby school. He seems to take over- getting the synagogue repaired. He also tries to change the habits of this group- asking the women to cover their heads and really dividing the community between the very angry women and the more accommodating men. The focus of the women's anger is the balcony - they raised the money to repair but Rabbi David has other plans for the money. The women protest but the solution comes from an unexpected source. There is a romance, and a sense of the friendships that are torn part by the new Rabbi. The ending is happy with the synagogue restored and the original community strengthened. It is a lovely film - why is the theme a big deal? I think that this story is important because it shows the moderates winning- and the religious right not getting their way.

Queen of Katwe
Directed by Mira Nair
South Africa/Uganda

This was a very uplifting film. It is based on a true story-in fact at the end the cast was introduced along with the real person that they played. A young girl, Phiona, lives with her mother and brothers in a shantytown of Katwe in Kampala , Uganda. Phiona does not go to school as her mother can't afford the fees. However, Phiona and her brother start attending a chess club run by a man who is a missionary and former soccer player ( played by David Oyelowo) The story is about the development of Phiona as a remarkable chess player who wins at local and international tournaments. In fact one main point that the introductions of the real people at the end of the film shows how the skill in chess transformed the lives of the children who were part of this club. This is actually a good film for children and young adults to see.

I enjoy experiencing the Toronto Film Festival through your comments and reviews!

I've seen previews for Queen of Katwe--looked good.

thank you - it is fun and tiring.

Hint- there is a film that has had two more screenings added- look out for Lion about a young man from India who is adopted by an Australian couple- 25 years later he locates his home town on Google- I couldn't add it to my list but it should come out in the cinemas I think.

In Between or Bar Bahr
Directed by Maysaloun Hamoud
Israel/France

The director shows the viewer the complex relationships of three Arab Israeil women living in Tel Aviv. Lalia is a lawyer who spends her nights in clubs. Her roommate, Salma is a DJ and bartender who embraces an alternate lifestyle that her family in a village in Northern Israel does not comprehend. These women share an apartment and are surprised by the arrival of Nur, a very religious young woman who is a cousin of their third roommate and has been promised a stay in order to study for her exams. Nur has a very domineering fiancé who does not like her roommates and pressures her to move to Jaffa or back home. Each women experiences a crisis in their relationships. Lalia fall in love with a man who she believes shares her liberal ideas. She is shaken to find out that he has no intention of becoming serious with her. Salma keeps on giving her family excuses for rejecting the suitors that they find for her. She crosses the line with them when she comes home with a girlfriend and is given an ultimatum that she cannot agree to. Nur is abused brutally by her fiancé. Both Laiia and Salma come to her rescue with a dubious but effective plan. Nur is able to break off her engagement and still have the respect and love of her family. The film is really good!

Denial
Directed by Mick Jackson
USA/United Kingdom

I seem to be seeing many films that are based on true stories. This film is about lawsuit that Holocaust denier David Irving brought against Professor Deborah Lipstadt Of Emery University. Irving sued Dr.Lipstadt as she had called him a denier in a book that she wrote. Irving brought the lawsuit against the scholar in England. As a result, the defendant had to prove that the Holocaust did happen and Irving intentionally lied about the facts he presented. The main part of the film is set in the courtroom. And here is where I believe Tom Wilkinson as the barrister, Richard Rampton, is superb. The strategy by Lipstadt's team ( solicitor Anthony Julius was played by Andrew Scott) was to keep the scholar off the witness stand ( as well as any survivors) and focus on Irving's lies. This was a difficult decision that did work. The cast was excellent- Rachel Weisz played Dr. Lipstadt and Timothy Spall played David Irving. Definitely worth seeing!

>182 torontoc: 'Denial' sounds fascinating. Great cast, too.

Enjoying the film reviews.

Thanks!

Maudie
Directed by Aisling Walsh
Canada/Ireland

This film is about the life of Maud Lewis a Canadian painter who has been called " Canada's Grandma Moses". This film dramatizes the life of Maud- a woman who was afflicted with juvenile arthritis. Maud was living with an unsympathetic aunt in Digby when she answered an ad placed by fish peddler Everett Lewis-he wanted a woman to do house keeping and make his meals in exchange for room and board- the tiny house was in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia and barely big enough for one person. The story of Maud and Everett's relationship is touching at times but he was a rough person who eventually was more helpful to Maud- they both led tough lives. Maud painted all the walls and furniture in the house with beautiful naive designs. She painted on cards and boards that she sold at the side of the road. The two lead actors was amazing- Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. this was a lovely movie.

>185 torontoc: Ooh, I want to see that one!

You can view the walls of the house ( 12 feet x 12 feet) in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax- the paintings are wonderful! and of course I bought the catalogue of Maud's work in an exhibit in Halifax and her life story.

Past Life
Directed by Avi Nesher
Israel

This is another film based on a true story( a theme for me this year) In fact the composer whose story was the basis for the film was at the screening. In 1977 a young woman, Sephi, who was part of an Israeli choir on a visit to Berlin, was introduced to a German composer and his mother. The mother, when hearing Sephi's last name screamed that her father was a murderer. Shaken, Sephi tells the story to her older sister, Nana. Nana lives in Tel Aviv and does not have good relations with their authoritarian father. The father had never told his daughters about his life during the Holocaust. After confronting him with questions , Nana and Sephi are told that he will write out what happened as he hid with others in a cellar. At the same time, Sephi is trying to combine studies in composing and well as choir work at her music school. Nana becomes very ill as well. The mysteries are solved and the sisters do clear their father's name. The German composer's mother still is bitter about the circumstances of the war and afterward. The film shows how Sephi develops as a musician as well. Nice film

Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer
Directed by Joseph Cedar
USA/Israel

I really like when the director talks about the film- and this one was also where I saw the first ( and probably only) celebrity, Richard Gere. Cedar tells the story of a " fixer" - a person who trades on knowledge that organizations , rich people and politicians want. In this case Richard Gere plays Norman, a fixer in New York who at one point befriends a visiting deputy minister, Eshel, from Israel and buys him a very expensive pari of shoes. Norman tries to persuade the deputy minister to attend a very exclusive dinner and does guarantee his presence to a very powerful man. The viewer sees the humiliation that Norman suffers when he cannot produce the deputy. Three years pass and Eshel is now the Prime Minister of Israel. When Norman meets him at a conference in Washington, Eshel greets him warmly and in the eyes of everyone else, Norman is seen as an important player in Israeli/ American politics. ( need I say that this film is a broad satire) Norman tries to balance a number of deals with promises that have no basis, In fact the viewer wonders about Norman- he is always on the streets of New York with his cell phone answering calls. We never see his home. Richard Gere gives a great performance as Norman. The house of cards that Norman tries to balance seems to come down- the director gives the viewer an opportunity to believe in the positive or perhaps the good scenario is only in Norman's imagination- a very intriguing film.

Enjoying your movie reviews. The Nytimes had a note on Lion recently. Apparently it's going to be nominated for some awards, or there is talk along those lines.

thanks- I have enjoyed what I picked although there were so many more films that I couldn't fit into my schedule!

Sand Storm
Directed by Elite Zexer
Israel

The director was at the screening and she explained how she got the idea for this film - which about a Bedouin family. The director's mother is a photographer who spent a lot of time taking photos of Bedouins and eventually she was taking photos of two Bedouin weddings a week. The director and the rest of her family spent much time with Bedouin groups.She heard a story about one Bedouin girl and resolved to make a film about this story. Elite Zexer took three years to write her script and did consult with many Bedouins to make sure that she got the culture right. The filming took place in a Bedouin village with many playing background roles. The film is about maintaining tradition and what happens to those who try to break with the customs. The eldest daughter in a family goes to university and she has met a boy from another village. This happens at a particularly stressful time for her mother- her father is marrying his second wife. The tensions that occur and threaten to break up the whole family with devastating consequences for many prove to be a problem that only the daughter can solve. A very interesting film! It won prizes at Sundance and the Berlin Film Festival this year.

The Salesman
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Iran/France

This film has just won prizes for Best Screenplay and Best Actor at Cannes. The story is suspenseful and dramatic. A couple has to move from their apartment because the building is collapsing. At the same time they are both acting in a the play Death of a Salesman with their amateur acting group. A member of the cast finds them a place that has been recently vacated by an unreliable woman who has left her belongings in the apartment. Someone who thinks that the old tenant is still there attacks the wife Rana. We don;t know exactly what happened but the husband, Emad becomes obsessed with finding the culprit. The drama between husband and wife on stage and in their everyday lives threatens to dissolve their relationship- does Emad takes things too far? Does Rana not explain directly what happened? The director leaves the audience with questions after a very dramatic response to the events.

Austerlitz
Directed by Sergei Loznitza
Germany

I knew that I was in trouble when the person introducing the film described herself as a curator of the film series. ( everyone else introduces themselves as a member of the programming section) This was one of the only films where people did leave. The director films tourists ( in black and white) visiting the Sacksenhausen Concentration Camp in Germany. The shots show crowds of people walking through buildings and the spectator hears the sound of their feet on gravel. We don't see what the tourists are looking at -we just see people going back and forth. In the last half of the film we hear the talks given by various guides who explain about the buildings and what happened during the war. The expressions of the tourists are serious. The grounds look like a park at first until you see the entrance sign of Arbeit Macht Frei in the gate. I must admit that the writeup in the film catalogue was very interesting and explaining more about the implications of the film-however to me this was not shown by the film's images. ( and I did stay for the whole hour and a half)

Love sharing TIFF through your posts. I read Queen of Katwe last year and enjoyed it a lot. Sounds like the movie was a good portrayal. I'll watch out for Maudie, it sounds like a movie I'd like. And, congratulations for sitting through Austerlitz. Hard to write an honest review of part of a movie (or book).

Great movie reviews, Cyrel. I can see why you're tired! I was pooped yesterday after seeing three plays, going to two museums, and meeting five LTers for four meals in London in the previous three days.

>191 VivienneR: Thank you- Maudie is coming out in Canada in the spring of 2017
>192 kidzdoc: Wow! Yes -this is the time of year that is very hectic!

Nocturnal Animals
Directed by Tom Ford
USA/United Kingdom

Wow! I had this feeling of astonishment and also understanding of the revenge orchestrated by one of the film's characters. This is an amazing film . I'll try to give a brief synopsis of the plot without revealing some of the twists that make this work really good ( you really have to see it ) A very rich art gallery owner in Los Angeles, Susan, seems unsettled by her life- her husband is remote and has left for a business trip. Susan receives a manuscript for a upcoming book in the mail. The book has been written by her first husband, Tony and is dedicated to her. As Susan reads the manuscript, she also reflects on her past and and why she left Tony in a particularly terrible way. The viewers sees the story in the novel- a very brutal plot about a man traveling with his wife and daughter at night in Texas. The husband is played by the same actor who plays Tony- Jake Gyllenhaal.The viewer realizes that the horrible acts of violence in the book do mirror a little of the incidents in Susan's past with Tony. Tony was a struggling writer when he and Susan were married. Susan had rejected Tony's work and left him because he seemed to her to have a lack of ambition. Nineteen years later, He has written a very good novel. The larger implications of Susan's life and Tony's ambitions stay with the viewer at the end of the film. Beautifully photographed as well.

i am a sucker for historical fiction-books and films -and I saw three films that would qualify. All three had excellent visuals and really good acting. But.... some thing was missing for me. Friends who saw two of the films loved them. I was thinking about what I was missing and had an answer after I saw Nocturnal Animals- the " wow" factor was missing.
so here they are

The Exception
Directed by David Leveaux
United Kingdom

Any film with Christopher Plummer can't be all that bad. He does shine in the role of Kaiser Wilhelm in the last year of his life-1941- as he lives in exile in Holland. Wilhelm hopes that Hitler will return him to Germany and perhaps as King again. However the main focus of this story is on the relationship between Wilhem's new head of security and a new maid ( who is really a spy for the British). The Kaiser and his wife hope that a visit from Himmler will result in the end of exile. There is a catch and the plot rushes towards a satisfactory end. If anything see the film for Christopher Plummer.

The Secret Scripture
Directed by Jim Sheridan
Ireland

The film is shot so well by the director. The leads are excellent- Vanessa Redgrave as the older Roseanne and Rooney Mara as Rose in her younger years. The story is so sad as the audience follows a psychiatrist who is trying to find out the story of why Rose has been in a mental institution for over 50 years. Rose has written some fragments of a diary in a bible. We see flashbacks to Rose as a young woman who is - what we would call today -stalked by a priest. in 1942 Ireland. Rose rescues a pilot who is in the British armed forces although the rest of the town that she is living in are very anti British. The horrible things done to Rose at the instigation of the priest certainly provoke the audience (or me) to anger. Although there is a sense of a happy ending I was left with a problem with the priest getting away with the actions that changed a young woman's life unjustly. So - this story was not satisfactory for me ( although some of my friends really liked this film.)

and the last historical fiction

Planetarium
Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski
France /Belgium

This is another very beautifully filmed story. Natalie Portman and Lilly-Rose Depp play American sisters, Laura and Kate, working in France as mediums in the 1930's. A film producer requests a private seance and believes he has experienced a visitation of someone from the past. This producer, takes over the sisters' lives- moving them into his mansion, giving the older sister Laura the lead role in a film and working with the younger sister on more seances. The scenes of parties and filming are stunning. However , the producer has problems with his backers who don't agree with his fascination with the spirit world. The downfall of the producer almost mirrors some of the events in France in the 1930's. A puzzling film.

I have one more film to review but so far
I have seen many more female directors at TIFF this year.

I read The Secret Scripture quite a few years ago when it first came out. Will have to re-read my review.

A number of the films that I saw at TIFF were based on novels- I will have to find them this year!

and the last film

City of Tony Lights
Directed by Pete Travis
United Kingdom

This is a wonderful detective story- the main character, Tommy Akhtar ( played by Riz Ahmed) is a private investigator in London. A new client, a prostitute, wants Tommy to find her flatmate, Natasha, who didn't come home after a "date'. Tommy is also dealing with his relationship with his father and a friend from his past. Tommy does find Natasha's late date- dead-in hotel room. The quest to find Natasha leads to old friends involved in complex building projects, a renegade iman and his followers and some heartbreak from an incident from Tonmmy's past. More bodies pile up and Tommy does find the killer- Great atmosphere as most of the action happens at night.

So- 18 films- too much standing in line- great Q and A sessions with many directors and much sleep to catch up on this week.
I always enjoy the film festival as I see some works that don't make it to the mainstream cinemas.

Conspiracy by S.J. Parris This adventure is the latest in the series featuring Giordano Bruno. Bruno is now in France having left England. He had to leave because he was no longer welcome by the new French ambassador to England. In this very complex story Bruno is asked to find the killer of a priest who in turn was part of a group that hated the present King of France. Henri, the king also was interested in finding the killers as popular sentiment viewed him as the reason why this priest was murdered. However, Bruno becomes involved in the solving of two more murders that directly threatened the French Royal Family. At the same time he was looking for Sophia, a young woman who he had helped in England but who in turn betrayed him. Add to this the request by Walsingham to keep an eye on some suspicious people in the English embassy and.. there is a complicated set of plots that Bruno does solve. In this adventure, Bruno does make some mistakes that land him in trouble but I still like the series.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles Sometimes I come across a narrative that is so easy to read and understand. This novel is one where I was immediately interested in the life of Katie Kontent, a young woman working in New York City in 1938. Katie and her friend Eve meet a young man who seems to be one of the upper class New Yorkers with friends and money that give access to the right clubs and homes. Tinker and Eve eventually get together as a result of a bad car crash and travel to Europe. Katie was a secretary in a big legal firm but she leaves and gets a job as an assistant for a fashionable magazine. The story is about the truths that Katie learns as she has a series of relationships with men of upper social classes. In a way two of these men change their destiny by leaving the society that they grew up in and make decisions that give a them for better or worse a sense of contributing to mainstream society. Katie is helped by some of the people that she believes live better lives than she ever could but she realizes how much she has changed by her association with them. a good book

>198 torontoc: My book club will be reading Rules of Civility next spring. I wasn't sure I was going to participate in that read, but you've made me reconsider.

It was a very interesting book-

I don't know the next author but she is a colleague of a friend of mine. They were teaching at the same high school.
Kay's Lucky Coin Variety by Ann Y. K. Choi This novel is set in Toronto. Mary is a first generation Korean Canadian- her parents own a variety store and the family ( her parents and brother) live in an apartment above the store. Mary's life consists of school and helping her parents run the store. She wants to be a writer and is resentful at her treatment by her mother who has her own ideas about Mary's future. Mary is a bit of a rebel, surviving an attack in the store and charting her own relationships with her friends. Mary does learn about her mother's past after a trip to Korea. She also becomes involved with a boy who her parents would like her to marry. There are several traumatic events that involve Mary, her family and friends that lead her to find her own future.This is a really nice coming of age story complicated by Mary's feelings and discoveries about her family's past.

What a wonderful TIFF. Some year I really will get there, but in the meantime, your reviews were great.

In line with your historical fiction/films penchant, while I was away, I managed to see Anthropoid, about the assassination of Heydrich.

The Maud Lewis house restoration is fascinating. The art gallery has managed to do an amazing job on a house that had been abandoned and was in danger of total collapse.. Unfortunately, she seems to be an industry at present, which makes me worry about the staying power of the display once the interest has peaked. I hope that as a provincial gallery with an artist from the province, they will maintain it.

thank you- it was fun to see all of the films in a short time period.
I did love the Maud Lewis house when I saw it in Halifax

The Edge of the World How the North Sea Made Us Who We Are by Michael Pye. This history outlines how the people who lived in towns centred around the North Sea were responsible for practices that have influenced civilization today. Pye believes that there were a number of accomplishments developed during the so-called Dark Ages that are an essential part of modern society. The author looks at the role of women, the Hansa traders, the development of a stable currency and the development of trade and investment markets. He covers the role of the Vikings and merchants in Flanders, England, Norway and Iceland. I found that this book covered areas of history that I was not aware of including how the plague changed later working conditions and traveling customs for tradesmen and peasants. This was a very compelling read for me.

The Old Gringo by Carlos FuentesThis novel imagines the fate of the real American writer Ambrose Bierce- who disappeared in Mexico during their civil war. He is personified as the " Old Gringo" a man who travels to Mexico to die. He finds one of the rebel groups although not that of Pancho Villa and travels and fights with them. The Old Gringo meets a woman who is with this band of fighters because she had travelled to Mexico to become a teacher with a wealthy family. The family fled leaving her at their estate. Harriet Winslow has her own secrets and becomes involved with both the Old Gringo and the Mexican fighter General Arroyo. The story is told in a very poetic kind of prose as the author relates the stories of the Mexican peasants and what made them revolt. The reader hears about the histories of all the main characters and the inevitable end of the Old Gringo is described. This very interesting book is composed like a sort of epic poem.

Fracture Life and Culture in the West , 1918-1938 by Philipp Blom This book is a social history of the years between the two world wars. Blom covers an amazing range of topics- from dance to jazz to film to science and art. He also gives a brief description of the major historical events in Germany, Spain, Russia, Italy and the United States. Blom writes about the range of political events, the economics of the period and the contrast of innovation and despair that describes the time.This book gives a very good overview of the culture and politics of Europe and the United States during the 1918-1938 time period.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson.This novel won the 2007 Impact International Dublin Award- I had heard of it and had the book in my book pile. Having read it, I was so impressed with the creation of characters, the description of the isolated woods where most of the action takes place and the story. The reader learns about the life of an elderly man ( not so old really), Trond, as he establishes himself in an isolated cabin in the far east of Norway. He is alone after the death of his wife although we learn that he has almost abandoned his daughters and their families. He reminisces about his summer in 1948 as a fifteen year old living with his father in a cabin also isolated but close to the border with Sweden. We learn about a number of traumatic acts that take place that summer and the role of Trond's father in the resistance to the Germans during World War Two. Really, one of the major themes in this novel is abandonment and the effects on the younger generation. The effect that Trond's father's actions during that summer certainly shape this young man and his later actions as an older person. a very worthwhile read for me.

>206 torontoc: That one has been on the shelf for years. Time to pull it out!

>206 torontoc: I've had that on Mnt TBR for years too. Maybe this winter.

I am finding some real good books in the pile! ( and some -maybe I'll donate or put in a Little Free Library- ones as well)

Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing by Tomson Highway This play was written in 1989 by a noted Indigenous playwright in Canada. The author had previously written another play The Rez Sisters about women living on a reserve in Ontario and Dry Lips is considered a companion piece - with the men on the reserve as the main focus. The story covers the rivalries for love and more in this expressionistic view of life on the reserve. The women- never seen except for one character who is both goddess and specific women- have formed a hockey team. The audience follows the action from the viewpoint of the men. The concerns are tragic and funny at different points in the story. Highway uses a combination of music, mime and dance to explore the concerns of indigenous people who live on the reservation in the late 1980's. I must find and read The Rez Sisters now.

>209 torontoc: I'm not a fan of reading plays, but I read Tomson Highway's only novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen and loved it. In fact, it's one of my favourite books of all time. Like you say, tragic and funny at different points in the story.

So glad you liked Out Stealing Horses. Blom's book on the world between the wars appeals.

I liked Out Stealing Horses too.

I was so glad that I took outOut Stealing Horses from my book pile!

Bloomsbury Ballerina by Judith Mackrell Hmm the touchstone has the author name spelled incorrectly in the book heading..
This biography relates the history of a very interesting woman- Lydia Lopokova- a Russian ballet dancer who danced with the Ballet Russes directed by Diaghilev and who later married John Maynard Keynes-the noted economist and member of the " Bloomsbury" group of writers and artists. The author shows how Lopokova worked with many of the early ballet great names- Massine and Nijinsky- and later was instrumental in establishing a ballet group that was the forerunner of the great British ballet companies. Lopokova travelled and lived in the United States after she left the Ballet Russes and later lived in England for the rest of her life. This is a very interesting history that covers early 20th century ballet history as well as the biography of JohnMaynard Keynes and Lydia Lopokova.

>213 torontoc: That one sounds good.

It was a good read-

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart. This was a nice book to read. The author lives in Paris and he rediscovered his passion for pianos and playing music. Carhart was always curious about a piano repair shop in the area where he lived. However, it was either closed or he was rebuffed in his attempts to see the pianos. Carhart learned that he needed an introduction from a former client to gain entrance to the shop. After he got one from a friend, Carhart was able to start a friendship with the owner, Luc. The reader also learns about the history of piano making, the various qualities of the different manufacturers past and present of pianos, and Carhart's own purchase of a piano and new work in learning how to play after many years away from lessons. Some of the sections in the book seem a little choppy as the actual science of the piano is explained along with some past history of Carhart's piano lessons. I did enjoy the book.

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber This novel has a science fiction theme but the ideas and characters are more -hmm- universal? Peter is a minister who is travels to a planet many light years away from earth. The natives have requested a priest who can continue the religious work that was started by a previous pastor. Peter's wife, Bea plays an important role in this story as she writes to Peter about the disintegration of Earth and her feelings about their relationship. A corporation had established a base on the planet and were dependent on the natives or Oasans for food products. Peter is revealed to be a very directed person as he concentrates on building a church for the Oasans and translating the bible for them. He has a religious intensity that governs his actions. The Oasans do not give up their secrets- all the reader knows is that many are intense believers in Christianity and that they have a need for the drugs that the people from Earth can provide. Peter neglects his own health and the reader learns how important Bea is to him- emotionally and practically. There are many mysteries in the story- what happened to the first minister and what exactly is the purpose of the base. How have the disasters on Earth impacted on the mission to this planet. Peter has a choice to make and at the end the reader is left with the unknown-the same as Peter . This was a very interesting book-it was long- 500 pages but the story worked for me.

Lesson of the Masters by George Steiner ( touchstone doesn't work this morning) I read this book as part of the monthly Non-Fiction Challenge for November. Have you ever been to a lecture or read a book ( this book ) where you don't understand 70% of the references and have a hard time following the argument? However what I did retain is fascinating. Steiner wrote and lectured on this topic as part of the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University in 2001-2. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the topic. Steiner explores the very nature of teaching and begins with the Greek scholars. He talks about the ability to impart great ideas and the intense relationship between what he calls Master and disciple. Steiner covers the idea of rebelling or surpassing the Master and knowing when to leave. The references cover such a wide group -Abelard and Heloise, Faust, ( I did know this reference well having seen many operas) Virgil and Dante, Socrates and Alcibiades, the gifted piano teacher and master- Nadia Boulanger, Saul Bellow and the Baal Shem Tov Rabbi and his disciples. There are many more. Steiner really examines the nature of teaching and the importance of oral discourse in addition to the written word. This is a volume that I can return to again.

Granta 109 Work edited by John Freeman I am catching up on some old issues of Granta. The theme of work is demonstrated by memoires of life in Africa, stories of life working in a factory and a friendship with one employee, and an interview with an inventor of robots. This are many more authors writing about personal experiences of work and life in many diverse countries.
Why am I able to read this book in a day- I am at home literally watching paint dry- I have painters working on the hall and kitchen ceilings.

>218 torontoc: Watching paint dry... the perfect time to catch up on Grantas. I love reading those older ones.

Thoroughly enjoyed your film reviews. I loved Out Stealing Horses when I read it earlier this year.

Thank you! I haven't seen many films lately- maybe at the end of Nov.

My Promised Land by Ari Shavit I read this book because it will be reviewed by my book club this month. Shavit has just got himself into trouble recently with claims of harassment by female journalists in Israel. Not that present behaviour made a difference in my understanding of this book. Shavit gives the reader a highly personalized history of Israel. He interviews people he considers key in certain events that took place that he believes shaped the country. He starts with the visit of his great grandfather, Herbert Bentwich to Palestine in 1897. Shavit looks at the beginnings of Jewish settlements, the effects on neighbouring Arab villages and the resultant events that shaped the country. He writes about the various wars, the development of the nuclear reactor at Dimona and the rise of the Sepharidic Orthodox right wing party Shas . Shavit assigns blame to all groups for the past and present conflicts- right and left, Arabs and Jewish settlers. In a way he provides for and doesn't give answers to some of the contemporary issues that plague the region. A troubling but well worth reading of the issues.

I saw the film Dr. Strange" just the thing for last week- a superhero ( in 3D-actually more 3D than necessary) who saves the world from evil! and a great cape.
I went to a lecture this week about the problems in translation-the speaker was biblical scholar and translator- Robert Alter- he was terrific! and I read

Guilt About the Past by Bernhard Schlink I also pulled this book out of the TBR pile for the November Non-Fiction challenge. Each chapter covers a different aspect of coming to terms with the past- in this case, mainly, the Holocaust and collective responsibility. All six chapters were based on the Weidenfeld Lectures delivered at Oxford University by the author. Bernhard Schlink has a legal background and his arguments are based on close definitions of past guilt and the effects on present and future generations.I must admit that I found it easier to follow the author's reasoning when he used examples as opposed to talking in theory only.

>223 torontoc: That all sounds interesting!

Dr. Strange was fun. I spent a lot of time reading Alter's translations. I would love to hear him speak. I might even ask a question ... if he offers to take them.

We saw Dr. Strange too -- mostly for Benedict Cumberbatch -- fun with great special effects.

>225 dchaikin: Not only did Robert Alter give a great talk- he answered questions as well- the lecture was sponsored by the University of Toronto- so graduate students were there as part of their coursework- ( and the public is always invited to these special programmes)

My Mother's Sabbath Days a memoir by Chaim Grade This book was translated from the Yiddish. Grade writes from the viewpoint of his mother, Vella, living in poverty in Vilna before the Second World War and then from his experiences fleeing from the Nazi invasion to Soviet Russia. The language is so inspiring-the reader experiences the fervent religious feeling of Vella as she celebrates the Sabbath after backbreaking work as a poor seller of fruits and vegetables outside a gate in the city. Vella lives in one room in a Smithy- her husband died and the relatives were not generous to her. Her husband was married before and the complex number of step children were grown up and living in different cities. The story follows the tradespeople and the problems and uncertainty that they faced in Vilna. Vella's only son- Chaim was a Torah scholar before he decided to stop studying and become a writer. The reader learns of Chaim's marriage to a nurse Frumme-Liebche and the actions that they take when the Germans invade. Both Chaim's mother and wife believe that only Chaim is in danger- they thought that women and children were safe from the invaders. Chaim flees to Russian and we learn about the hardships faced by the many refugees and their fate in Russia. The last part of the book has Chaim coming back to Vilna after the war and trying to find out what happened to Vella and Frumme- Liebche. Chaim's despair, guilt and mourning provide the reader with the enormous sense of the tragedy of loss. A beautifully written book and very sad story.

What Went Wrong The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East by Bernard Lewis. This slim volume offers a description of the differences between Western and Muslim governments and resulting civilizations. Lewis was trying to look at the differences in cultures. He looks at the time when Islam was the power in science, discovery and military achievement and the West was considered more primitive. Lewis described the shift when the West became dominant and the Islamic civilization was no longer the leader in the areas of military dominance in the world and intellectual discovery. A very interesting examination-

>229 torontoc: this appeals. My library seems to have it under a different subtitle. I requested it.

The Hidden Keys by Andre Alexis. Alexis was last year's Giller Prize winner but this new book is not in the same category as Fifteen Dogs-although the writer does use his characters to talk about quality of life. This book is about a mystery and a puzzle. Tancredi Palmieri is a talented thief who carries on his " trade" in Toronto. He meets a heroin addict, Willow Azarian. Willow is very rich and is obsessed with the gifts that her late father gave to each of his children. Willow is sure that the various objects have clues that will lead to a significant treasure. She asks Tancredi to steal the objects and help her figure out the puzzle. Tancredi agrees and his actions lead him to a number of adventures-sometimes aided or hindered by a nasty drug dealer and his psychopath friend, a mysterious taxidermist and a policeman friend. The book was fun to read-but the plot was easy to figure out.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. This young adult story has a Holocaust theme and I have mixed feelings about it. Bruno is a young boy who moves with his family from Berlin to a house in the middle of many fields and fences. ( the reader finds out later that the place is Auschwitz). He is unhappy until he meets a young boy named Shmuel behind a fence. They become friends and Bruno learns a little about the camp that his father is in charge of-and the ending of the story is very sad. I figured out what was going to happen very early in the story. Was the writer exploiting the facts of the Holocaust for his novel? Are the memoirs of survivors more powerful than made up fictions about the events of the war? Do we need fictions rather than history to remind us of what happened? I don't have the answers but have to think about these queries after reading this novel.

These are really good questions. I like to think writers go through them and take them very seriously and work to find respectful ways to handle this stuff, rather than simply exploit it. But, of course, the writers have their own priorities...not mine.

I talked with a friend of mine who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and she has some strong opinions on fiction that takes on the subject of the Holocaust-there are many issues to consider.
There is the whole area of exploitation, the past behaviour of people who were lucky enough to come to North America before the world wars and how present fiction can educate a new generation.

Swan Lake by Mark Helprin and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg This book has beautiful and very traditional illustrations. The book is the author's take on rewriting the ballet Swan Lake and creating a new story. The story is really not for children and is very adult. There are all of people dying( spoiler) with a little bit of hope at the end. The Swans are integrated into this work in a very satisfying way. I am not sure whether the author was trying to use the idea of fairytales that are not all "Disney happy". An interesting reread.

and

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood The author has rewritten and interpreted Shakespeare's play The Tempest. The story of revenge takes on a new meaning when the main character, Felix Phillips presents a new version of the play in the Fletcher County Correctional Institute. Felix used to be the artistic director of the famed Makeshiweg Theatre Festival but was pushed out of his job by his assistant. He had been living in an exile for a number of years before he gets a job teaching theatre and specifically Shakespeare in the prison. Like Prospero, Felix plans his revenge carefully. His students in the prison take on plays and present new versions using video. Eventually Felix is able to confront his enemies and reach a very satisfactory conclusion. For most of his life in exile Felix has been haunted by the spirit of his daughter Miranda-who died at a very young age- she seems to help him through the worst of his own exile until he achieves stability. The plot also involves the characters giving the reader new interpretations of good and evil and the life of The Tempest after the end of the play. I found a lot to think about. I also liked the author's tribute to the late Robin Phillips- the long time artistic director of the Stratford Shakespearean Festival.

I also saw the film "Manchester by the Sea"- it is long but the characters hold up a sad story of coping after tragedy and how to move on- it is an excellent film

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett The author has created a fractured family of step brothers and sisters that begins when Bert Cousins goes uninvited to a christening party and kisses the mother of the child. The split leads to six children who live alternately in California and Virginia. A tragedy separates the families and the reader learns about the lives of the parents and children over many decades. The structure of the novel is skillfully organized by the author. There is another key plot device-Franny the grownup child whose christening party set off the series of events that changed the lives of the families- has a long affair with a famous author. He takes the story of her family and turns it into his comeback novel. This book also sets off a reaction that helps some members of the family examine their conduct in the face of tragedy. A very complex and interesting novel.

The Wonder by Emma DonoghueThe last three books that I have read were really good! Donoghue has taken stories of " the Fasting Girls"- women who survived without food- and she has created a story that shows the best and worst of the excesses of blind faith and redemption of the soul. Lib is a nurse who was with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea. She has taken a brief leave from her post at a hospital in England and travelled to Ireland. Lib, along with a nun with nursing experience, will observe a young girl who has refused food for four months. The job is to see if Anna, the eleven year old, is really existing on a few teaspoons of water a day. The church, the village and Anna's parents believe that this miracle is true but a committee of village elders wants to validate this , perhaps , miracle. Lib finds a family that is very religious and believing of their daughter's sacrifice. Anna's health deteriorates at an alarming rate. Lib is skeptical and tries to find out why Anna wants to take on this act and what the sins of her recently deceased brother have to do with her decision. What Lib finds out is shocking and she is helped by a visiting journalist who has been trying to see Anna. The novel looks at the issues of sin and blind faith that led a young girl to feel that she must give herself up to this dangerous act. A really good story!

I just saw the film " Arrival"- it was amazing with a plot that had the viewer figure out a major theme in the story ( with a gasp). The acting of Amy Adams was superb.

and my 100th book read this year-

Nutshell by Ian McEwan A number of authors have taken on the challenge of using a Shakespearean play as the starting point for a new story. McEwan uses the story of Hamlet to create a new story and what a story. The narrator is an unborn baby in the womb of Trudy- a woman who is having a torrid affair with her husband's brother, Claude. Claude and Trudy are plotting to get rid of the father-John- and sell his valuable but crumbling house. John is a poet and author who has moved out of this same family house to give Trudy some space. The plot to kill John is horrible- and the narrator-the baby- sees and hears all the details but is helpless to do anything. There are some complications set in place by John. The plot is both funny and horrifying at the same time. This is a fast paced story and well written take on the Hamlet plot. I enjoyed it very much.

This has been a very good reading year for me- a few bad or mediocre reads but some great fiction and non-fiction works.

>237 torontoc: I really enjoyed this one, too!

I just can't get my head around the storyline of Nutshell. I usually like McEwan but that one doesn't interest me, despite the two of you saying it's good.

It's a lot of fun, Joyce. You should give it a try. The only McEwan I REALLY didn't like was Sweet Tooth.

>240 Cariola: I thought Sweet Tooth was a bit meh. The one I really didn't like was Black Dogs. I also didn't understand A Child in Time. I've passed along the first of those, and kept the last two to try again some day.

I liked Sweet Tooth- not as much as some of the author's other books
I saw the latest Star Wars movie- Rogue One- you can see it without having seen the other films - it is a "stand alone" but there is a vital clue that does fit in neatly with the other films -if you are a Star Wars follower.
I didn't see it in 3D- that would be too much-
'

I saw La La Land. It was a good movie- the concept was interesting( a tribute to the old Hollywood movies) and structure was really good- especially the near the end montage-. Was it a fabulous film- no- it was a good film that could use a little more editing. I loved the opening scene and the way the director showed " real" and diverse people in the big group scenes.
All the reviews in the Toronto newspapers raved about the film- I guess I was expecting a little more.

Berlin in Lights The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler ( 1918-1937) This is the second volume of the diaries. I read Kessler's first set last year and this book focuses on the author's political participation right after World War One. Kessler was at one point the Ambassador to Poland right after the war. He was very involved in promoting the concept of a League of Nations and did take part in some negotiations regarding Germany's reparations. Similar to the first volume , Kessler seemed to know everybody from the sculptor Maillol to the most important writers and playwrights in Germany, France and England. He was the owner of the Cranach Press and produced beautiful volumes illustrated by some of the most noted artists of the time. He wrote about the disintegration of the political system in German and the rise of Hitler. in fact in 1933 he was advised to leave Germany because of his political views. Kessler died in 1937. His diaries invoke the lost world of the late 19th century. A very good read.

Adolfo Kaminsky A Forger's Life by Sarah Kaminsky This is a very interesting memoir/biography written by the subject's daughter. Sarah Kaminsky learned slowly about her father's exploits during the Second World War. She knew that she had a step-sister and brother that were 30 years older than her. But for most of her early upbringing she had parents who had jobs and raised her and her brothers like an ordinary family in Paris. She asked her father if she could write about his life story as more details were made known to her. He agreed and this story was written and has been translated from the French into many languages. The author writes as if she were her father ( who is alive and in his nineties) as she was not happy with writing about him in the third person. Adolfo was trained as a dyer and learned about chemistry on his own. During the Second World War he joined the French Resistance and forged all kinds of identity papers. After the war, he did work as a photographer but helped many groups with forged papers- and never asked for money. The list is amazing. Adolfo Kaminsky forged documents for groups from all over the world- and did so until 1971. He sacrificed his own personal life in order to save many people with his work. The book is well written and if the reader wants to hear from the author- google "Sarah Kaminsky" and listen to her 2010 Ted talk in Paris about her father.The talk is , like the book, very inspirational.

I saw the film Fences- it was adapted from the play and the viewer could see that by the directions. Everyone in this film was fabulous! Great acting!
And that ends my 2016 film and book thread- see you in 2017