The IMPROBABILITY of LOVE-The Heartless Art Infused Game by Hannah Rothschild

Hannah Rothschild (b. Britain 1952) knows about aristocracy, art and philanthropy.  Born with a silver spoon in her mouth as the eldest child of Baron Rothschild IV,  she has made a name for herself as a writer, doc filmmaker and as Chair of the London Nat'l Art Gallery.  Her pedigree adds to the hilarity of the high end art world and all its alchemy.  As a flippant retort to the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The GOLDFINCH, Rothschild lascivious look at the escapades in the art world, especially high end art  auctions and its incumbent, eccentric players.  This novel is a hidden treasure; albeit a guilty pleasure.  Many a true thing is said in jest and whose to say what constitutes the best.  Serious contemplation of art's transformative power put aside, ("how does one value a work of art?")  The novel is a pure joyride mixed with intrigue.  Who will capture the crown jewel on the auction block?  An embellished element of surprise & delight is the inanimate, animate painting as a  central character.  Who knew objects were endowed with the power of communication, observation and pretension.  As Lumiere in Beauty & the Beast would say, "be our guest, this is never 2nd best.  Don't believe me?  Ask the dishes."

Irish Author Colum McCann's "Thirteen Ways of Looking"

Colum McCann (b. Ireland 1965) won the Nat'l Bk Award for "Let the Great World Spin."  In his newest work "Thirteen Ways of Looking," this masterful Irish writer chose NYC for the location of 2 of the 4 stories in this collection.  Surprisingly and quite cunningly, "13 Ways…" is written from the vantage of an elderly, widowed Jewish man living on the UES.  (This story sounded more like Philip Roth.)  The title story from this collection is the most intriguing.  McCann captures the ravages of aging along with the contemplative reflections on one's life & legacy. "The years don't so much arrive, they gatecrash, they breeze through the door and leave their devastation."  Before the story becomes complacent with the ramblings of an old curmudgeon, the novel takes a swift spin into a fractious family drama & a baffling murder mystery.   Ominous & solemn poetic stanzas eerily preface each chapter."  McCann's writing is in a class with Joyce and Updike.  He utilizes the happenstance of individuals from vastly different backgrounds colliding with one another.  McCann has received critical acclaim & numerous literary honors.  In "13 Ways…" he captures convincingly a broad spectrum of characters that evoke strong response from the reader.  McCann muses "We probably remember things as more beautiful than they actually were."  McCann is an exceptionally gifted writer who knows how to spin a great yarn.  "The past emerges and re-emerges.  It builds its random nest in the oddest places."

Pulitzer Prize Author Elizabeth Stout's Novel "My Name Is Lucy Barton"

Stout (b. Amer 1956) is a skillful Pulitzer winning writer (Olive Kitteridge '08.)  "My Name is Lucy Barton" is a deceptively insightful novel.  In a fleeting, ephemeral form, we envelop the life of Lucy Barton.  She is born into a poor, rural family who are stingy with effusive, demonstrative shows of emotions & affections.  Lucy rises above her impoverished midwest upbringing through her studies, scholarships and diligence to become a successful writer living in NYC with her husband & 2 daughters.  "Who would have guessed me living in NYC," marvels Lucy at her fortuitous situation.  Distance from her family does not entirely sever her familial bonds, nor does she desire to dissolve these ties.  While in college, Lucy lands a wealthy husband.  At the wedding, her mother-in-law thoughtlessly tells a guest "Lucy comes from nothing."  No offense is taken by Lucy who understands  "No one in this world comes from nothing."  Stout's sly story about a small town girl rising above her station in life is deceptively a master class in writing and a poignant grasp on the value & precariousness of every individual's life.  Stout's lofty writing is miraculous.  Her character absorbs the beauty that surrounds her "the land is still available to the eye with such softness…the sky lingering, lingering, then finally dark.  As though the soul can be quiet for those moments.  All life amazes me."

Canadian Author Frances Itani's novel DEAFENING

Frances Itani is a Member of the Order of Canada (b. Canada 1942.)  She is a novelist, poet, essayist and has been awarded the Int'l IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize.  The title DEAFENING refers to the young heroine, Graina, who is rendered deaf resulting from scarlett fever.  Graina is born into an Irish-Canadian family at the turn of the 20th C.  This thoughtful & expansive novel contemplates in a pensive manner, the isolation borne in a world without sound.  We discover how Graina breaks through the silence & how others broach her world.  Graina's story is entwined with that of her sister Tress.  The two share an immense bond of love that is profound & inspiring.  Tess is Graina's liaison & champion.  When Graina is taunted or pitied Tress explains "There's nothing wrong with my sister.  She's my sister, that's all."  There are other heartwarming relationships between friends & family.  DEAFENING is an ambitious & admirable novel that spans Graina's life from her childhood home, to boarding school for the deaf and as a young newlywed whose husband is sent overseas in WWI.  The book encompasses the atrocities of war & the calamitous fallouts on loved ones.  Itani paints a vivid portrait of life in a quaint, bucolic Canadian town.  There is much to recommend in this expansive novel although it moves slowly & becomes redundant.  Its greatest strengths came from the relationship between the sisters.  They "created a language of their own.  It arose as naturaly as the love between them."

Hungarian Author Magda Szabo's THE DOOR

Magda Szabo (b. Hungary 1917-2007) is a world renown novelist, poet & essayist whose works have been translated into more than 40 countries.  Her prolific work has earned her the French Prix Fremina Estranger Prize ('03) and the Baumgarten Prize (1949) for her political views. THE DOOR deserves a Pulitzer & Nobel Prize for her immensely gifted writing and piercing social commentary.  This is a fascinating story about the relationship between a female writer, Magda, and her elderly housekeeper Esmerence.  Once Esmerence deems Magda & her husband acceptable people to work for, she ingratiates herself & becomes indispensable in their lives.  Furthermore, Esmerence, ("her eminence") is a reliable, permanent fixture in the small town in which they reside.  Esmerence appears endowed with supreme physical attributes & sagaciousness.  She dispenses both rewards & punishment liberally as she determines appropriate.  Magda, discerns her feelings for Esmerence have become imbedded in love and dependency.  The details of Esmerence life as a young girl during the Russian Revolution & WWI are both fascinating & horrifying.  For the most part, the mysteries of her life are kept locked away until she chooses to dole out any information. Esmerence keeps her small home hermetically sealed behind a closed door that she very rarely permits anyone access.  This moving story of an enigmatic & irrepressible woman touches on theology, human dignity, 20th C history, compassion & cruelty.  While Esmerence has many admirable qualities, including strong convictions, she can be excessively harsh & vindictive.  "Love is a commitment of endless concessions and is irrational.  But life is not worth living without having love to give and receive."  This brilliant novel questions religious faith & seeks to make sense of our world.  THE DOOR is a must read that leaves you with many ideas to contemplate & discuss.

The CHILDREN'S HOME by British Author Charles Lambert

The CHILDREN's HOME begins with intrigue & mystery but takes a nasty turn.  Charles Lambert (b. Britain 1976) is a prolific writer and recipient of the O'Henry Prize ('08) for his short story collection.  Lambert is a gifted writer but his story becomes muddled and bizarre.  Morgan is the main character who lives as a hermit life in his massie mansion.  The reason for his self-imposed isolation resulted from an accident leaving his face grotesquely disfigured and blind in one eye.  I felt sympathetic towards Morgan.  His monstrous face belies a kind & gentle man who is racked with loneliness.  The accident & his personal history are a mystery until he divulges in a Dr. who came to adminster to the children & befriended Paul.  A steadfast housekeeper, Engle, is the only other adult with whom he interacts.  Engle cooks, cleans & cares for Morgan & the children.  Shortly after her arrival, the 1st of numerous children turn up at the estate where they are well cared for and loved. The relationships between Morgan, the Dr. & the children had me under their spell.  One child, David, is especially precocious & enchanting.  Unfortunately, the plot curdles into a twisted, creepy incredulous series of regrettable events.  David morphs into a leader that is part E.T., prophet & "child of the corn."  The CHILDREN'S HOME began as a gift of love & revelation.  Sadly, the nightmarish & philosophical ending made this a story not worth beginning.

The MATHEMATICIAN'S SHIVA by Stuart Rojstaczer Is Deathly Dull

The premise & formula for this novel resulted in a frigid story with little warmth & stiff characters.  Set on the wintry college campus of Madison, WI, a weeklong memorial is being held for the world renown, mathematician, Prof. Rachel Karnokovitch (RK.)  Born in Poland, RK & her father made every effort to survive in an Arctic Circle work camp where he was sentenced to hard labor for being an enemy of the people.  Their survival & escape & immigration to the U.S. was compelling.  I gained  an interesting perspective into the hard driven & brilliant woman.  The novel is a fractured account of 20th C Eastern European history, Judaism, assimilation, family dysfunction and the mysticism of mathematics.  Rojstaczer, (b. Milwaukee) was himself a student at UW-Madison.  The MATHMETICIAN'S SHIVA received the Jewish Book Award in '14.  Rojstaczer reveres academic intellectuals, "leaders in the intellectual field are celebrated & envied like rock stars."  This theory proves faulty and the quest to solve an elusive, enigmatic math problem is excruciatingly tedious. This esoteric book was a bore.  It left me out in the cold.  Time spent reading this novel felt like detention.