The Engineer's Wife

This evening, my Books & Beer Club will be discussing The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood whether I am there or not! Hoping that I am there to participate. I was very interested in reading this book once I saw that this was their selection. I'm a sucker for books about Brooklyn. About the Brooklyn Bridge? Even better!

I love the Brooklyn Bridge. I grew up riding across it, looking at it from afar. I made up stories in my head about the bricked-in arches on the approaches to the bridge. I read and love David McCullough's The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I went to the fireworks celebrating the bridge's centennial in May 1983, not realizing there was a similar celebration 100 years earlier for the opening of the bridge.

At dusk, the bridge was cleared, and a stunning fireworks display exploded from the towers, the center of the bridge, and from boats on the river. The colorful extravaganza could be seen for miles across the newly united cities.

Surprisingly, I didn't walk across the Brooklyn Bridge until the summer of 2008, but I've since walked across it several more times. While reading this novel, I wanted to zip myself up to New York and walk across the bridge once more.

Possibly the last walk across the bridge,
in the rain, June 2015

First walk across the bridge,
August 2008

   

 

I wish I could remember more about what I learned in the David McCullough book. I knew that Roebling had gone to RPI, the same institute of higher learning that my husband at the time had attended. And I thought I knew that Roebling died before the opening of the bridge and that's why his wife had to take over. Not sure where that thought came from!

The Engineer's Wife is the story of Emily Warrens Roebling, wife of Washington Roebling, son of John Roebling, the inspiration behind the idea of a bridge spanning the East River to connect New York (city) and Brooklyn, then its own city. John dies before ground was broken for the bridge and Washington takes over. Wash suffers from caisson's disease, also called decompression sickness which happens when a person comes from below the surface of the water to above too quickly from his many trips down to the support of the Brooklyn side of the bridge. 

Emily was never your average late 19th century woman. She walked to the beat of her own drummer and strongly believed that women were capable and equal to men. When Wash gets too sick to go to the job site regularly (or at all), Emily first becomes his messenger and then his de facto representative. She studies engineering on her own, running the business side and learns to make engineering decisions on her own or with the input from others on the job.

Besides being at Emily "on the job," it's also about the emotional aspects of being a woman in the second half of the 19th century. She's got excellent role models in her mother and her mother's friends. Her marriage is untraditional and has many challenges of its own.

Some of the book got a little too technical for  me but those parts really were important to the telling of Emily's story. There were some Civil War references that I found interesting. I didn't love how the author would jump ahead quickly with no real transitions and at times her writing was a bit too cumbersome for me. But she captured the essence of the time and the place. Plus this was an easy book to sail through.

Reading this also made me think about Harriet and Isabella, an historical fiction novel about Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe. He was mentioned in passing in this book a couple of times.

More photos... just because.

The Seven Day Switch

After reading The Bluest Eye, I decided that I needed something much, much lighter. I went thru my Kindle library, spotted this title that I'd gotten as an Amazon Prime First Read that sounded pretty light. I mean, a book that is likened to Freaky Friday, that sounds pretty light, right?

I was afraid this novel would be a light romp about the "mommy wars." It's about new-to-the-neighborhood, Celeste, the uber stay-at-home mom of 3, and workaholic Wendy, mother of 2 who are polar opposites and unwilling to give the other the benefit of the doubt. Sparks fly whenever they're together.

At a kids sports program potluck fundraiser, both Celeste and Wendy bring their own versions of sangria. Competitive much? Wendy's was the typical type that the sports parents always request but Celeste's was a pink version made with some artisanal obscure vodka. Of course, Wendy tasted Celeste's on the sly. Of  course. Both women drank a little bit too much so weren't surprised when they woke up hungover the next morning. What did surprise them, though, was that they woke up in each other's beds, in each other's bodies, next to each other's husbands.

You know the phrase, Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes? That's basically what this novel was about. In other words, don't make a judgement about how another woman might mother since you really don't know what goes on in her house behind closed doors.

That's only true until you switch bodies with someone. Then you have a right to judge. Sort of. Well, at least until understanding sets in.

I remember thinking when I downloaded this e-book that in my 60s I'm probably too old for storylines like this one. And maybe I am. Had I read this book when I was in my 30s or 40s, it probably would have hit a little too close to home. At my age, I was able to read it both for enjoyment and for it to spark some recollections.

I thought about being the married mother of three who might as well have been a single parent for all the help with childrearing and household things I got from my former husband. While I was still married, I worked part-time as a travel agent. This brought back memories of not fitting in with the full-time working moms nor with the stay-at-home moms. The full-time working moms considered my job a hobby and the stay-at-home moms wondered why I bothered working just to cover the cost of childcare. I then thought about determining what my choices might be once I was truly a single mother. Would my work as an independent contractor travel agent and trainer of travel agents be enough to provide for my family's needs? Child support was a help but it wasn't enough. I realized that I enjoyed the training part of my work much more than the booking of trips. (Although I will also love researching for trip planning. That is now a hobby.) At the same time, I realized that I truly enjoyed volunteering in the classrooms of my children. That's what made me consider going back to school to become an elementary school teacher. YES! I thought about all this as I was reading The Seven Day Switch.

I did have one kind of funny memory pop up while I was reading, too. When the kids were little, we belonged to our local Jewish Community Center. We probably spent nearly as many waking hours at the JCC as we did at our house. We'd frequently see this mom and her two kids at the JCC. The mom had some impressive career in her family's business. She was always neatly dressed, in full makeup. The kids were always well behaved. In the snack bar while my kids were eating chicken nuggets, her kids were eating hummus and carrots. They never seemed rushed. The dad would often show up as well. That's how they got dubbed as "the perfect family." I'd talk to a good friend of mine who didn't live near me and she'd hear all about "the perfect family" to the point that she'd ask about them if I didn't bring them up in conversation. I had not thought about "the perfect family" in quite some time. Now I really wonder what life was like behind their closed doors. Who am I kidding? They were probably perfect behind closed doors. Ha ha.

Quick entertaining book to pick up if any of what I've written about strikes your fancy.

 

The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison has been on my "to be read" list for years. Since my daughter worked on the play back when she was working in theater. Shortly after I first read Beloved. I finally picked it up now because one of my book clubs is discussing banned books in October. We're all reading George by Alex Gino and then in addition, we're each supposed to pick another banned book that we've never read before. Perfect opportunity for me to read The Bluest Eye.

I found this a book that was disturbing to read. I keep debating in my head whether The Bluest Eye or Beloved tells the more horrific story. The experience of reading both was the same. I'd pick up the book. Read a little bit. Then need to put it down.

The Bluest Eye is the story of Pecola Breedlove, an 11-year old girl in Ohio who comes from a family devoid of love, where ugliness and violence seem to rule. Spoiler alert: Pecola gets raped by her father. Pecola thinks if only she had blue eyes, her life would be perfect.The story told in an interesting way, with different sections of the book focusing on one character or another with whom Pecola interacts.

While I don't think any book should be banned, I can see what might be objectionable to some readers. There are many teachable moments in any controversial book. In this case, there can be discussions about race. Why were there no dolls of color until recently making white, blond, blue-eyed dolls a standard of beauty? What does lack of parenting do to a person? What about poverty? If a person objects to the language and sexual explicitness of the novel, then don't pick it up to read on your own. There are so many books. On your own time, for your own pleasure, pick your own book. There is much to be learned by reading The Bluest Eye. Life isn't all Shirley Temple dolls and happy moments. Nor are the stories that can be told.

The craft of the novel is something to talk about, too. Why did she choose to present the material in the manner that she did? There were messages imbedded within the rich language.

Pecola's story is based in Ohio. But parts of the story goes to the South in the early 20th century so we get a little taste of that setting as well. 

This is a story about  a lonely, vulnerable girl.

I gave The Bluest Eye only 3 stars on goodreads because of how disturbingly difficult it was to read. I know that if I were reading it for a book club where we had all read The Bluest Eye, my opinion of the book would change because there is so much powerful material to discuss. On second thought, I'm going to revise my rating to 4 stars because this is a novel that is going to stick with me and I'm sure it will come up in conversation with some of my more readerly friends.

 

Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen

 

I decided that I needed a little bit of a break, wanted to read something that would be quick and easy, so I looked for a middle grade chapter book. Not sure how I found Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen on the library website but it seemed like it would fit the bill. It's also a epistolary novel, which you must know that I like a lot.

As a former fifth grade teacher, when I read a middle grade chapter book I read it as an adult reader, but I also think about how a fifth grader might read this book. Normally, I either like a book or dislike a book. In this case, I found Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen interesting but I'm not sure that it would hold the attention of most fifth graders.

Vivy Cohen is an 11-year old Jewish girl who loves baseball, just like her dad and her older brother. She met a pitcher when she was 8-years old who gave her tips on how to pitch a knuckleball. She has practiced and now she can pitch a knuckleball. (I'm not even sure if that's the correct terminology - pitch a knuckleball or throw a knuckleball?)

Vivy is also on the autistic spectrum. As part of her social skills group, she's asked to write a letter to someone. She writes to the baseball pitcher, now an MLB player, that she'd met three years earlier, never expecting him to write back. After the first letter, she continues writing. She's very surprised after a few of her letters, she finally receives a letter back from the pitcher, VJ. (Both Vivy and the pitcher have the initials VJC which I thought was kind of cute.) At about the same time, Vivi is invited to be on a Little League team. She's the first girl she knows to play baseball and not softball.

Vivy is able to express herself in writing to VJ far better than she can express herself orally to anyone else so he becomes her sounding board. She often asks for his advice and then rejects it. She's dealing with being on a team for the first time, facing a bully on the team, a brother who is increasingly distant, along with everything else an autistic sixth grader might be dealing with.

As an adult, I found it interesting, especially if how Vivy describes her feelings are actually those that a child on the spectrum would feel. I didn't find her at all engaging or even particularly likeable. Her character was well developed on many levels where I found the character of VJ extremely flat. Yes, I realize this was a book about baseball, but sometimes there was just too much baseball. I just didn't care about that. We eventually find out why Vivy's brother is distancing himself and I found that whole storyline unnecessary. It was more a mention than a storyline so why bother.

I  learned some new things but this isn't a book I would recommend.

A Good Neighborhood

 

A Good Neighborhood, by Therese Anne Fowler, is a very timely, quite thought-provoking novel that addresses the issues of what makes a good neighborhood and what makes a good neighbor. It factors in age, profession, women's roles, race, religion, environmental issues just to name a few. 

The narrator of the novel are "the neighbors," collectively. As if they are sitting down to tell you a story about something that happened in their neighborhood. It tells the tale of Xavier Alston-Holt and his mother, Valerie and their new neighbors, the Whitmans. The two families have absolutely nothing in common. 

Brad Whitman is a real blow-hard, new money, and a local celebrity because he's personable and does his own commercials for his HVAC business. His wife, Julia, just wants to fit in. Brad and Julia have two daughters, Juniper and Lily.

Valerie Alston-Holt is a single mom to graduating senior, Brad. They are both well-liked in the neighborhood.

Valerie doesn't like Brad, and Brad isn't crazy about Valerie, even though Julia so wants to have Valerie as a friend. It's a dying oak tree in the Alston-Holt's backyard that starts the serious friction between the two neighbors. At the same time that trouble is brewing between the adult members of the families, Xavier and Juniper are becoming friends.

The book was incredibly authentic and many of the story lines are along the lines of things that are pretty current in the news, although the book was written before these stories hit the news. It's just that timely. There's no reason that anything in this story could not possibly happen, especially not in the current climate of our country. The setting of the story is Oak Knoll, North Carolina, a southern small city. As a transplanted New Yorker living in the part of Florida that more closely associates with the south, it reminded me of just how southern the thoughts of many people who live here are. I was able to make a few uncomfortable connections.

I found the book a real page turner and think it would make a great book club book. Will definitely recommend it to my book club this afternoon.

The Warsaw Orphan

The Warsaw Orphan was a difficult book for  me to read because the descriptions of the horrors of the Holocaust jumped off the page and into my gut. This is the story of Elzbieta, an orphan herself, who is adopted by a couple in Warsaw. Because of her past, she's changed her name and lives more or less in hiding. She defies her adopted parents' orders and befriends Sara, a nurse, living in the apartment next door.  Through Sara, Elzbieta learns a little bit more about what is going on behind the wall that separates the middle class neighborhood where Elzbieta lives from the Warsaw Ghetto.

Roman is the other main character. He is the son of a Jewish mother and a Catholic father who was being raised as a Catholic. His father has died and when his mother and stepfather are moved into the ghetto, Roman moves with them. Keeping the family together is the most important thing for Roman.

Both Elzbieta and Roman had already seen more horrors than any person should ever see when their worlds collide. After a rough start, they forge a friendship and they give each other strength through the Ghetto uprising, the Warsaw uprising and then the Soviet occupation.

Rimmer did extensive  research for this novel which is, in part, based on the story of Irena Sendler. I knew a little bit about Irena Sendler, but did not make the connection until I finished reading The Warsaw Orphan. 

Besides vivid descriptions, the character development of both the major and minor characters in The Warsaw Orphan was exceptional. There's hardship and survival, but there's also hope.

I thought I'd read The Things We Cannot Say, an historical fiction novel by Kelly Rimmer that had gotten much buzz when it came out  a few years ago. Now that I've finished reading The Warsaw Orphan, her follow-up novel, I can say with certainty that I hadn't read the first  book. That's neither here nor there, although I do think I'll try to read The Things We Cannot Say at a later date. 

Golden Girl

I've read some Elin Hilderbrand but not much. All her books are set on Nantucket - and boy do I want to go to Nantucket right now. But this novel, Golden Girl, was different from the usual as while it was contemporary fiction, it had a big fantasy component.

Golden Girl is a story about divorced mother of 3 young adults, Vivi. Early on in the novel, she's killed in a hit and run accident. Yet Vivi in the great beyond is an active character in the book. She's got "a person" named Martha who was kind of like Clarence in the movie It's A Wonderful Life. I loved the chapters with deceased Vivi and Martha.

The novel is a bit of a mystery. It touches on coming of age issues for both Vivi and her children. Divorce is a theme. Novel writing is a theme. Friendship is a big huge theme. There's some romance. I'm sure there are themes that I'm missing. All the characters are extremely well developed. This was a very pleasant book to read.

I'm ignoring the whole Anne Frank controversy since I read the e-book after the publisher made some changes. I'm not even exactly sure where the changes might have occurred. 

That Summer

Another book where I hadn't really paid close attention to the blurb before reading the book! While I normally try hard to not include any sort of spoilers, I'm not sure if I can do that in the case of Jennifer Weiner's latest, That Summer. 

Just two or three books ago, I read Know My Name, memoir of Chanel Miller, the victim in the Brock Turner sexual assault. I wouldn't say that That Summer is the fictionalized version of Know My Name, but it also deals with a sexual assault and the ramifications for the victim and the guilty and the loved ones of the victim. I think having read Know My Name first, I had a different appreciation for That Summer than I might have otherwise. Both references directly deal with the #metoo movement which brings up certain memories of my own.

Because timing is everything, it made me absorb the news that Bill Cosby, found guilty of sexual assault, had his sentence vacated on the day I finished reading That Summer. My first thought was to wonder what horrible impact this must be having on the victims. They must all be wondering why they bothered coming forward. Once again, for  whatever the reasons, justice was not served.

In this novel, one of the main characters, Daisy, lost her best friend to cancer and feels the hole in her life left behind. Each time she missed Hannah, I found myself missing my cousin, my best friend, who passed away 5 years ago. The heartache is still there.

That Summer is about friendships, secrets, surviving our pasts, and forging our futures.