Book Number Ten

Losing serious momentum coming into the summer. 52 books is a long ways off but I remain realistically optimistic that my goal shall be achieved.

I picked up this book for a penny (or so) at the Barnes and Noble sale rack. I have read many, if not all, of Tracy Chevalier's novels thus far. Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Lady and the Unicorn, Falling Angels, etc. Chevalier's characterization did not disappoint. By the story's end, I felt a part of Georgian England and the Piddle Valley. I especially loved the character of Maggie. She was the perfect ratio of vulnerability and rough edge for my taste. The references to Blake and Songs of Innocence were lost on me. Completely. Another BNoble reviewer suggests that Blake is by far the most aloof, vaguely written about character in a novel. I concur.

The ending also left me unhinged. It took 200 or so pages for me to fall in love with this novel and the last twenty pages felt like an afterthought for me. I don't enjoy when all the loose ends are tied up in a pretty little bow but Chevalier's ending this time around just felt lazy.

There are moments in this book that will stay with me. When the kids find themselves lost in Bedlam after following William Blake's funeral procession, the hysteria surrounding the French Revolution and the declaration of loyalty to King George AND when Maggie blows her nose and residue from the mustard and vinegar factory become quite apparent. And YET, I'm left with just moments and not a novel that changed me. And isn't that the novel we are all looking for?

Book Number Nine

This is the book that got wet. I was absolutely distraught when my entire Sigg bottle of water dumped on the new hardcover by one of my favorite people I have yet to meet. I have loved Mary Pipher since the day she published Reviving Ophelia. That book was the reason I entered the profession of school counseling and became so interested in young women's issues. I may never get to meet Mary Pipher and let her know the impact her writing has had on my life (Letters to a Young Therapist, Another Country etc.) Knowing her through this book was the next best thing.

After the surprising success of Reviving Ophelia, Pipher was overwhelmed by the attention and demands on her time. In 2002, after a personal crisis, Pipher realized that success and fame were harming her, and she began working to find a quieter, more meditative life that would carry her toward self-acceptance and joy. Her book explores all these issues. I love her chapter titles: The Glad Game, Avalanche of Roses, A Bigger Container and Stopping for Joshua Bell. When she writes about her sixtieth birthday party and the creative presents she received from family, I wanted to sign up as her daughter right then and there. I'm not sure I want to move to Nebraska but her life is one I want to lead: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Pipher could easily be a carbon copy of myself. Pipher describes her scattered nature perfectly as "going meta." "While my laid back, slow talking husband finishes a sentence, my mind jogs three laps around town and gerenates a dozen new observations and plans." After reading her self descriptions in the preface, I just knew the entire autobiography would be about ME.

My reading of this book was less than optimal. It traveled with me to San Diego Marine Camp and then endured the aforementioned flood. I will try to re-visit the book again down the road as I know Pipher's quest for peace and embracing of meditation could be quite meaningful in my life. This is a deeply personal, courageously honest, and ultimately very inspiring book.