Drinking with Dead Drunks by Elaine Ambrose & A.K. Turner

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Author

Read: November 26, 2012

Essays on drinking with some of the most notorious drunk writers in literary history, including Ernest Hemingway, Dylan Thomas, Tennessee Williams, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Chandler, Truman Capote, John Cheever, James Joyce, William Faulkner, Frederick Exley, O. Henry, Charles Bukowski, Jack London and Edgar Allan Poe. This is the second book in the Drinking with Dead Writers Series. Authors Elaine Ambrose and AK Turner embark on a fictional romp through literary history, indulging in excessive libations along the way.

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Edgar's True Love by Alex Eckman-Lawn

Used with Permission of the Artist

The second round is on me! Okay, not really. Elaine Ambrose and AK Turner have once again picked up the tab, inviting readers to spend happy hour with some of the most talented alcoholics ever published in Drinking With Dead Drunks, book two of the Drinking With Dead Writers series.

I absolutely loved Drinking With Dead Women Writers and was thrilled when I learned the authors were going to release a sequel. Like the first book, Drinking With Dead Drunks is a collection of humorous mock interviews with famous writers, but where our first pub crawl was dedicated to the ladies, our second belongs strictly to the men.

What bibliophile wouldn't jump and the chance to meet with Tennessee Williams at the Carousel Bar or sit in Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon with Jack London? Admit it, you want to watch The Raven with Edgar Allan Poe, question Hemingway about how his war time experiences inspired A Farewell to Arms, and even the suggestion of discussing Holly Golightly with Truman Capote thrills you from head to toe. 

My favorite aspect of these books is that Ambrose and Turner supplied very little of the dialogue for their interviewees. Instead they lifted lines from their works or personal quotes, essentially characterizing each subject through his own words. It is a fantastically creative approach that when combined with Ambrose and Turner's keen sense of humor creates a wonderfully witty and unique fiction that can't fail to entertain. 

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“Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.” 

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The Siren of Paris by David LeRoy

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: December 2, 2012

Born in Paris and raised in the United States, 21-year-old Marc Tolbert enjoys the advantages of being born to a wealthy, well-connected family.. Reaching a turning point in his life, he decides to abandon his plans of going to medical school and study art in Paris. In 1939, he boards a ship and heads to France, blissfully unaware that Europe -- along with the rest of the world -- is on the brink of an especially devastating war. When he arrives at l'École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, more ominous signs surface. There are windows covered with tape, sandbags shielding the fronts of important buildings, whispers of Parisian children leaving the city, and gas masks being distributed. Distracted by a blossoming love affair, Marc isn't too worried about his future, and he certainly doesn't expect a Nazi invasion of France. Marc has a long journey ahead of him. He witnesses, first-hand, the fall of Paris and the departure of the French government. Employed by an ambassador, he visits heads of state, including the horribly obese gray-haired Mussolini and the charismatic Hitler. He witnesses the effects of the tightening vise of occupation, first-hand, as he tries to escape the country. He also participates in the French resistance, spends time in prison camps, and sees the liberation of the concentration camps. During his struggles, he is reunited with the woman he loves, Marie, who speaks passionately of working with the resistance. Is she working for freedom, or is she not to be trusted?

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Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1983-077-14A / Licht / CC-BY-SA

I have very mixed feelings regarding David LeRoy's The Siren of Paris. I think the premise is great, but as I reader I found it a challenging piece to complete.

I'm gonna be upfront here, I had to reread several pages. I kept feeling as if I was missing something. I'm willing to admit I am somewhat distracted by the holiday season, the hustle and bustle of the festivities, but this was more than that. Though I am loath to admit it, I had genuine trouble following the plot over the intermittent timeline. It was an artistic approach, but confusing just the same. At least where this reader is concerned.

Another problem I had was the brevity in which the supporting cast appeared. Nigel and Dora for example, or even Sylvia. I wanted to see more of these individuals. LeRoy has a gift for creating believable cast members. I guess what I'm getting at is sour grapes in that I felt many of these characters were taken from me too soon.

On the other hand, I liked the material that LeRoy incorporated into the story. There is a lot here, particularly when it came to life in occupied France and the perpetual fear and danger in which the members of the resistance lived. I've seen plenty of movies and documentaries, but this is really the first fiction I've come across to incorporate these topics and I must say I was impressed by LeRoy's efforts.

I read a blurb for this book which referred to the story as thought-provoking while praising its examination of revenge versus forgiveness. The Siren of Paris wasn't the easiest of books to read, but it certainly met my expectations in terms of concept as set forth in that description. It is a toss up really, though I recommend the title, I can't say it is for every reader.  

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"You should have left Paris, Marc, and never returned," she said before the charges were read to him by the Gestapo officer. Marc groaned under the weight of this most painful moment, feeling a mixture of regret and shame. The light of his soul turned dark as obsidian and the clock began to run. 

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Guest Post: When a Horse is Not a Horse by David LeRoy

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Author David LeRoy

“Sometimes David, a white horse is just a white horse,” she said to him at the break during the workshop. 

“Maybe you let a white horse go to waste, but I don’t,” he quipped back with a  smirk.  

In the crowd I hang around with, it is fashionable to write stories or novels that explore only the physical layer of existence.  This can also include the emotional and mental layers, since both are a part of physical existence.  However, the spiritual layer is often off limits today, because it is considered sentimental or even superstitious.  

This is ironic because so many of our movies absolutely dive into this playground of meaning.  Hollywood knows our inner drive to understand what we do not fully comprehend, and it works hard to craft stories that both entertain the viewer and cast a fog of mystery.  

Another current trend in symbolism is explaining the meaning up front instead of allowing readers to project their own interpretations.   

Readers are sentimental and superstitious, even if they say it is not true.  Our minds are hard wired to see patterns.  The conscious mind may dismiss the pattern, but the subconscious absorbs it.  

One dimensional symbols have only one meaning; for instance, the American flag  is the symbol of a nation.  Take the flag and fold it into a triangle; it is given to a widow of war and later held by a son who never saw or met his father.  Now it is transformed beyond just the symbol of a nation.  It becomes a symbol for the unseen father. It may drive a character to join the military to be spiritually closer to the father that he never knew in life.  Put the character in a circumstance where he has to choose between saving the flag or saving his own life, and now the flag becomes a burden, and its destruction is a doorway for the character to achieve freedom from the past.  

The Tree of ….( what are you thinking?)
The Four horses of the ( where does your mind go to?)
The Garden of….(what comes to mind first?)

All the phrases above are strongly associated with religious symbolism in our culture today, even for people who are not religious.  

By carefully incorporating symbols into a story, weaving them together, giving each physical element multiple possible meanings on a psychological and spiritual level, you create a richer story.  Upon finishing the story, the reader was not only entertained; he knows, on a subconscious level, that there is more here than can be gleaned through one reading.  He may talk to others who have read the story, look up reviews and see what others had to say, or read the story again.  In today’s time-crunched world, that is magic .  

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About the Author: A native of California, David received a BA in Philosophy and Religion at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. After returning from a European arts study program, he became interested in the history behind the French Resistance during World War Two. Writing fiction has become his latest way to explore philosophical, moral and emotional issues of life. The Siren of Paris is his first novel. You can visit him at website.

About the Book: Born in Paris and raised in the United States, 21-year-old Marc Tolbert enjoys the advantages of being born to a wealthy, well-connected family.. Reaching a turning point in his life, he decides to abandon his plans of going to medical school and study art in Paris. In 1939, he boards a ship and heads to France, blissfully unaware that Europe -- along with the rest of the world -- is on the brink of an especially devastating war. When he arrives at l'École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, more ominous signs surface. There are windows covered with tape, sandbags shielding the fronts of important buildings, whispers of Parisian children leaving the city, and gas masks being distributed. Distracted by a blossoming love affair, Marc isn't too worried about his future, and he certainly doesn't expect a Nazi invasion of France. Marc has a long journey ahead of him. He witnesses, first-hand, the fall of Paris and the departure of the French government. Employed by an ambassador, he visits heads of state, including the horribly obese gray-haired Mussolini and the charismatic Hitler. He witnesses the effects of the tightening vise of occupation, first-hand, as he tries to escape the country. He also participates in the French resistance, spends time in prison camps, and sees the liberation of the concentration camps. During his struggles, he is reunited with the woman he loves, Marie, who speaks passionately of working with the resistance. Is she working for freedom, or is she not to be trusted?

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Fiji: A Novel by Lance & James Morcan

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: July 5, 2012

Fiji is a spellbinding novel of adventure, cultural misunderstandings, religious conflict and sexual tension set in one of the most exotic and isolated places on earth. As the pharaohs of ancient Egypt build their mighty pyramids, and Chinese civilization evolves under the Shang Dynasty, adventurous seafarers from South East Asia begin to settle the far-flung islands of the South Pacific. The exotic archipelago of Fiji is one of the last island groups to be discovered and will remain hidden from the outside world for many centuries to come. By the mid-1800's, Fiji has become a melting pot of cannibals, warring native tribes, sailors, traders, prostitutes, escaped convicts and all manner of foreign undesirables. It's in this hostile environment an innocent young Englishwoman and a worldly American adventurer find themselves. Susannah Drake, a missionary, questions her calling to spread God’s Word as she’s torn between her spiritual and sexual selves. As her forbidden desires intensify, she turns to the scriptures and prayer to quash the sinful thoughts – without success. Nathan Johnson arrives to trade muskets to the Fijians and immediately finds himself at odds with Susannah. She despises him for introducing the white man’s weapons to the very people she is trying to convert and he pities her for her naivety. Despite their differences, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them. When their lives are suddenly endangered by marauding cannibals, Susannah and Nathan are forced to rely on each other for their very survival. Written by father-and-son writing team Lance & James Morcan (authors of The Ninth Orphan), Fiji is an historical adventure-romance published by Sterling Gate Books. A feature film adaptation of Fiji is currently being developed.

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Sunset at Nananu-i-Ra, Fiji © Hermann Luyken
(CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL), via Wikimedia Commons

Lance and James Morcan's Fiji presents me with a lot of challenges as a reviewer. The content is there, but the finished product could benefit from some fine tuning.  

Not being in any way familiar with Fiji or its history, I found the book both fascinating and bewildering. The Morcans offer up tons of great material, but I couldn't help wondering how much of it was fact and how much was fiction. My questions could have been alleviated by the inclusion of a historic note at the end of the novel, but alas, Fiji lacks any attribution to source material. Not only am I still in the dark as to what research went into the book, I am also at a loss on where to begin my own search for information. As a fan of historic fiction I find this fairly frustrating. 

Now, I beg forgiveness, but I wasn't aware I was venturing into bodice ripper territory when I began reading Fiji. "Susannah knew she was in danger of being overwhelmed by the intensity of her sexual fantasies. Her forbidden desires were like demons she couldn't exorcise..." I have nothing against the genre, it isn't my favorite, but that is beside the point. Anyone remember my review of or unpleasant kerfuffle with the author of Beloved Pilgrim? I don't like getting blindsided. The blurb led to me to believed this would be a historic piece and while it does incorporate a lot of fascinating period components, I felt they were in competition with the romance elements of the book. The result left me confused and not particularly satisfied one way or the other. 

Finally, the descriptions are wordy, significantly so. I appreciate the desire to create a believable setting and developed cast members, but sometimes what you don't say, the things you leave to the imagination are more compelling and significant than the things you do. Beginning to end I found myself wishing the narrative didn't include quite so much embellishment. 

The final line of blurb is an interesting promotional tool. I personally found it very interesting that Fiji is being adapted for film and after a little digging, discovered the project has been taken on by Morcan Motion Pictures. That's right, this father son team work in multiple mediums. This of course has no affect on my review of their book, though it may explain some of mechanical problems I identified in my reading. Film allows an artist expression through physical nuance and visualizations that are almost, if not impossible to replicate on paper. It is merely an observation, but it is entirely possible that my comments and criticisms might stem from the fact that the Morcans may have more of a familiarity with storytelling as applied to film rather than traditional print publications. 

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Life and death are nothing to these people, so I'm damned if I am going to risk my life to help them. 

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God Save the King by Laura Purcell

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read:  November 14, 2012 

London, 1788. The calm order of Queen Charlotte’s court is shattered by screams. Her beloved husband, England’s King, has gone mad. Left alone with thirteen children and a country at war, Charlotte must fight to hold her husband’s throne in a time of revolutionary fever. But it is not just the guillotine that Charlotte fears: it is the King himself. Her six daughters are desperate to escape their palace asylum. Their only chance lies in a good marriage, but no Prince wants the daughter of a madman. They are forced to take love wherever they can find it – with devastating consequences. The moving true story of George III’s madness and the women whose lives it destroyed.

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Rococo by Nikelena
Used With Permission of the Artist

Stateside we really don't learn a lot about George III. If anything he is a vague shadowy figure from our high school history books, the king who lost America, though to be completely honest I'm not sure too many people could tell you even that much off the cuff. Personally I've read histories of the American Revolution and have dim recollections of the 1994 film starring Nigel Hawthorne and Helen Mirren, but such shoddy and shallow background material could hardly be considered adequate preparation for the story that unfolded under Purcell's pen in Gad Save the King.

Generally speaking, I really liked this piece. The exploration of George's condition and how it stigmatized his family both publicly and privately made quite the emotional backdrop for the story of three tenacious women, each struggling to grasp a fragile vestige of love and affection in a world literally gone mad. Not to negate the trials of her daughters, but Charlotte's experiences in particular struck a chord with me. Often overlooked by history, you cannot help but wonder at this woman; how she dealt with the mental deterioration of her spouse, the premature deaths of several of her loved ones, how she navigated the tangled relationships of those family members that survived and how she balanced all of this against her duties as Queen of England.  

If I rated on content alone, I'd be all in, five stars, two thumbs way way up, the whole deal, but I don't. I'm one of those nitpicky readers who has a lot of trouble accepting the mechanics of a book. For example, I love alternating points of view, just not here. God Save the King is told from the varied perspectives of Queen Charlotte, Princess Charlotte (known as Royal to limit confusion) and Princess Sophia. Usually I have no problem with this format, but I found the beginning of the book focused heavily on Charlotte and Royal which, for me, made it difficult to accept Sophia later on. Additionally I felt at times the three voices struck the same note and began to run together. Ideally I would have liked to see more distinction between narrators as well as a more even distribution of face time with the reader. 

Do I recommend the piece? Yes, wholeheartedly. Purcell is a promising new author who has channeled her obvious love for the Georgian era and the Hanoverians into a compelling piece of fiction. A few hiccups here and there, but nothing time and experience can't remedy. Will definitely be on the lookout for her work in the future. 

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There is no chance the King will consent to his daughter marrying into such lineage. For Augusta and the rest of them, the never ending waltz between Kew, London, and Windsor will continue. Their lives will keep their feet trained to the same continuous cycle...

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#BookReview: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

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Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. A compelling and compassionate view of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society, Les Misérables is a novel on an epic scale, moving inexorably from the eve of the battle of Waterloo to the July Revolution of 1830.

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Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★   |   Obtained from: Personal Library   |   Read: Multiple Occasions

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Eponine: Happiness I've Never Known
© ThreshTheSky, Used with Artist's Permission

How does one review Victor Hugo's Les Misérables with any measure of justice? Perhaps the better question is can one do the book justice at all? I sincerely doubt I possess the aptitude for such an undertaking though with the impending release of the newest film adaptation, I admit the novel is often on my mind. A staple of my personal library, the story has ranked among my all-time favorites for more than a decade and I could resist the temptation to revisit it.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to say I read the abridged version three times before attempting the unabridged version and I really can't recommend one over the other. The story itself holds a special place in my heart, but I have absolutely nothing against this period of French history and loved every minute I spent with the original. I suppose which version you read depends on personal taste, how far you're willing to deviate from the central story line to explore period politics and themes, but if the question is to read or not to read, the answer is most definitely to read.

Les Misérables is one of those rare stories that truly withstands the test of time. I know that sounds pompous, but that doesn't make it any less true. First published in 1862 Hugo’s representation of the human condition is as relevant today as it was when it was penned. Valjean's compassionate nature, Fantine's intense maternal devotion and Javert's ardent dedication and strict sense of duty are moving are moving and intensely relatable. Even in their most desperate moments, readers can recognize something of themselves in Hugo's cast.

The story is a tragedy, but unlike Shakespeare's work, Hugo's epic is hauntingly beautiful. Like it or not, the human experience can't be packaged in a decadently wrapping box and neatly given to anyone. Injustice, class conflict, the struggle for basic rights, heartbreak... these are powerful concepts, uncomfortable, but powerful and no one brings them to life quite like Hugo.

I'll grant it's intimidating, but Les Misérables is more than worth the effort. An absolute must read.

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The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only.

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Fever: A Novel by Mary Beth Keane

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: November 19, 2012 

Mary Mallon was a courageous, headstrong Irish immigrant woman who bravely came to America alone, fought hard to climb up from the lowest rung of the domestic service ladder, and discovered in herself an uncanny, and coveted, talent for cooking. Working in the kitchens of the upper class, she left a trail of disease in her wake, until one enterprising and ruthless “medical engineer” proposed the inconceivable notion of the “asymptomatic carrier”—and from then on Mary Mallon was a hunted woman. In order to keep New York’s citizens safe from Mallon, the Department of Health sent her to North Brother Island where she was kept in isolation from 1907-1910. She was released under the condition that she never work as a cook again. Yet for Mary—spoiled by her status and income and genuinely passionate about cooking—most domestic and factory jobs were heinous. She defied the edict. Bringing early twentieth-century New York alive—the neighborhoods, the bars, the park being carved out of upper Manhattan, the emerging skyscrapers, the boat traffic—Fever is as fiercely compelling as Typhoid Mary herself, an ambitious retelling of a forgotten life. In the hands of Mary Beth Keane, Mary Mallon becomes an extraordinarily dramatic, vexing, sympathetic, uncompromising, and unforgettable character.

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Illustration that appeared in 1909 in The New York American

It wasn't my intention to start in on New York history, but it appears I'm on a little bit of a kick. Between Ellen Horan's 31 Bond Street and now Mary Beth Keane's Fever, I am getting quite the education. The latter is of course the topic of this review and fair warning, I'm going to analyze content here so if that is going to bother you, abandon this review while you can. 

The Big Apple really comes alive under Keane's pen. Through Mary she illustrates the lives of the working class, the clamoring streets they walked every day and the crowded tenements in which they lived. She recreates the flawed and inequitable justice system and reveals the growing pains of a medical field still in its infancy. Its a rather refreshing change of pace considering the multitude of novels that focus on shady business deals or passionate affairs.   

Though I really appreciated Keane's re-imagining of turn of the century New York, I can't say the storytelling was entirely to my taste. Molly spends twenty-seven months a North Brother Island before going to her first hearing and not once in that period does she give thought to the theories that landed her in quarantine, the people who had died, or the doctors who were keeping her a virtual prisoner. She doesn't even wallow in loneliness, self-doubt or boredom. Nope. For twenty-seven months all she does is think of and exchange letters with Alfred. Pleasant "How are you? I'll be home soon." type letters. It isn't until chapter eight, nearly a third into the book, when Mary is listening to the court proceedings that the reader begins to get to know her and her story. All things considered I have to wonder at Keane's decision to illustrate Mary's initial stay at North Brother Island as she doesn't utilize it as a platform for character or plot development. From this reader's perspective the entire section is seemingly unnecessary. 

I admit that last bit sounds harsh and it comes off much more critical than I want it to, but at the end of the day it is how I feel. Please don't take my comments for more than they are. Keane really comes through in the latter two thirds of the book and I would hate to think my commentary steered anyone away from this title. The piece is a slow starter, I don't understand why the author went the route she did, it didn't exactly work for me, and that is all I am trying to say here.

Generally speaking I liked this book. Yes, I felt there was a hiccup, but beyond that I enjoyed what Keane did here. Typhoid Mary is a name many of us are familiar with, a name we associate with an infectious disease and death. Too often we overlook that she was born Mary Mallon; an immigrant who came to America looking for a start, a woman whose life and freedom were taken from her even as she realized her dreams. Keane understands this and through her work, fiction though it is, she has given this poor woman's memory a measure humanity.   

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They can't lock up everyone who carries the fever. The best alternative right now is to let you go on condition that you will never cook for hire again. You are no harm to anyone unless you are cooking. 

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