The Housekeeper and the Professor, Yoko Ogawa

"This is one of those books written in such lucid, unpretentious language that reading it is like looking into a deep pool of clear water. But even in the clearest waters can lurk currents you don’t see until you are in them."
-from the New York Times review

When I read a book like this I am so frustrated by my inability to adequately describe why I loved it. This book was beautiful and thought provoking and tender. One of the reasons I shy away from contemporary fiction is that so often what starts out as a promising story is hiding something really disgusting or graphic that I just don't want to read. This book was not like that.

I loved the relationships that the Professor forms with the Housekeeper and Root and I also loved reading about the math. I loved when Root said he felt smarter in the Professor's study- the reviewer in the NY Times mentioned that we would all be smarter if we had had a teacher like the Professor. I can't help but agree.

"The Professor never really seemed to care whether we figured out the right answer to a problem. He preferred our wild, desperate guesses to silence, and he was even more delighted when those guesses led to new problems that took us beyond the original one. He had a special feeling for what he called the "correct miscalculation," for he believed that mistakes were often as revealing as the right answers. This gave us confidence even when our best efforts came to nothing." (p.2)

"But the Professor didn't always insist on being the teacher. He had enormous respect for matters about which he had no knowledge, and he was as humble in such cases as the square root of negative one itself." (p.3)

"His tone was kind and full of expectation, and it didn't seem as though he were testing me. On the contrary, he made me feel as though I were on an important mission, that I was the only one who could lead us out of this puzzle and find the correct answer." (p.18)

"Only a few people know the mystery concealed in this formula, and the rest of us go to our graves without even suspecting there is a secret to be revealed. But by some whim of fate, I had found it, and now knocked at the door, asking to be let in. Though I had never suspected it, from the moment I'd been dispatched by the Akebono Housekeeping Agency, I had been on a mission toward that door..."(p.52)

"I wondered why ordinary words seemed so exotic when they were used in relation to numbers. Amicable numbers or twin primes had a precise quality about them, and yet they sounded as though they'd been taken out of a poem. In my mind, the twins had matching outfits and stood holding hands as they waited in the number line." (p.63)

"Among the many things that made the Professor an excellent teacher was the fact that he wasn't afraid to say "we don't know." For the Professor, there was no shame in admitting you didn't have the answer, it was a necessary step toward the truth. It was as important to teach us about the unknown or the unknowable as it was to teach us what had already been safely proven." (p.63)

"There is nothing more shameful for a housekeeper than to rummage through her employer's personal property." (p.82)

"Every time I see the Professor writing a note with that little pencil, I feel like crying," Root said.
"Why?"
"Because it's sad!" he said. He was almost angry now." (p.85)

"I remembered something the Professor had said: "The mathematical order is beautiful precisely because it has no effect on the real world. Life isn't going to be easier, nor is anyone going to make a fortune, just because they know something about prime numbers. Of course, lots of mathematical discoveries have practical applications, no matter how esoteric they may seem... The only goal is to discover the truth." (p.115)

"All I knew for sure was that they were math books. As I looked at them, their contents seemed beyond the comprehension of human beings. The pages and pages of complex, impenetrable calculations might have contained the secrets of the universe, copied out of God's notebook." (p.124)

"The mathematics stacks were as silent and empty as ever- apparently no one suspected the riches hidden there." (p.127)

"He treated Root exactly how he treated prime numbers. For him, primes were the base on which all other natural numbers relied; and children were the foundation of everything in the adult world." (p.130)

Goldengrove, Francine Prose

MÁRGARÉT, áre you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?

It was interesting to read this book so soon after reading A Map of the Known World. It felt a little like doing a school report comparing and contrasting such similarly themed stories, especially when one is so much stronger than the other (hint: Goldengrove, you win!).

I had a lot of issues with Map and feel like it is a text book example of an unrealistic voice for a young narrator. Francine Prose's portrayal of Nico is the complete opposite of Cora's character. Nico is completely unique but still realistic. This is the book that A Map of the Known World was hoping to be.

Goldengrove is one of those books that I didn't really didn't want to end. The characters were so real and the writing was clear, beautiful, and to hammer it home- believable. I think this kept popping into my head because I was so used to not believing anything about Cora and both books had the same younger sibling dealing with the death of older sibling theme going on. I kept marking passages to remember and revisit. This book is sad and amazing. I definitely plan to buy my own copy.

"I hated it when my mother talked about her parents. It depressed me that she still missed them. It was worse now, because it made me realize that missing someone could last an entire lifetime." (p.73)

Here was the quote that made me sit up and really notice the difference between the writing in Goldengrove and A Map of the Known World. I believe Nico would actually have said the following quote unlike that twaddle Cora was spouting about breath leading us through life.

"I looked like Jean Seburg in Joan of Arc, lit so that the heavenly radiance shone on her upturned forehead even as her cheeks were shadowed by the silhouettes of the flames dancing up to kill her." (p.74)

I love this quote about Nico's 4th grade teacher. That is exactly how I feel about myself on my bad days- like a teacher doll with no outside life or feelings other than keeping a classroom of babies happy.

"I'd liked Mrs. Atkins, though to me she was just another teacher doll that wound itself up when school began and ran down at three...I'd never imagined her having a mother, let alone one who could die. I'd never dreamed she could have been grieving even as she'd ordered us to play." (p.79)

"Margaret had been born too late. She'd meant too late for the jazz standards, the screwball comedies, the satin gowns. But she'd been off by the centuries. Too late for the lifeguard saint." (p.98)

"Nico, how are you? Really."
I said, "I'm okay. Not great."
"Great would be bizarre," she said. "No one's expecting great. Getting out of bed is the new great. Which you seem to be doing." (p.127)

"It used to be my studio," he said. "When I was pretending to paint."
"And now?"
"Now it's where I bake little children into gingerbread." (p.139)

"...the crisp Bach preludes that made me think of prairie dogs popping in and out of their burrows." (p.169)

Interview with Francine Prose at Book Page


Terry Teachout on Goldengrove

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, Deb Caletti

With my 2009 fixation on Young Adult books it seemed fitting to get this book after reading the first lines of this review: "If you like YA girl books, then holy crap, read this book." Simple enough since I do like YA girl books.

This book was a slow starter for me but I loved it once it got into the part with the Casserole Queens book club (senior citizen book club) rescuing a fellow book club member from a nursing home (I kept thinking of Sophia Petrillo's deadly fear of being returned to Shady Pines on Golden Girls) and taking her on a road trip down the Oregon coast to reunite with a lost love. It was not what I was expecting in a teenage girl falls for the bad rich boy story. It exceeded my expectations in many ways.

And the Casserole Queens had lots of lovely words of wisdom like this:

"There's nothing intrinsically wrong with longing," Anna Bee said. "Longing has led to lots of great things. Every great discovery and accomplishment has its base in longing. It's only when you look to someone else to fill that longing that there are problems." (p.137)

I have many more pages of this book dog eared with quotes and descriptions I liked. I'm excited to see that Deb Caletti has several other books for me to read next.

Ten Cents a Dance, Christine Fletcher

Rodgers & Hart's "Ten Cents a Dance" has been in my cabaret repertoire for years without me really thinking about the lyrics or connecting that it was about a taxi dancer. So when I saw this book I instantly wanted to read it.

The book is incredibly detailed and real feeling for historical fiction without being pedantic (no characters pause to explain slang or pop culture references of the times, thank goodness). It reminded me in slight ways of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn with the vivid descriptions of poverty in early 20th century big city slums. It's interesting to compare the fates of the two heroines- one saved by education and meeting a respectable boy to fall in love with and another slipping into a highly shady career by falling for the wrong kind of boy.

I also love the author's website; it has so much fascinating information on her research.
I definitely plan to read her other book, Tallulah Falls. And to reread A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, Maggie Stiefvater

After being so let down by the fairies with an e in Wondrous Strange I was hesitant to start reading this one with a big e right on the cover. But it came in the same giant amazon.com box as Wondrous Strange and I already paid for it so I was going to read it or be mad at myself.

I loved this book! It was addictive and magical without being dorky or feeling watered down for 11 year olds (but it didn't freak me out either, it was perfect). I cared about these characters and stayed up way too late being scared for them. I eventually had to go to bed (today was the first day back at school after spring break, sigh) but I kept thinking about this story and how it was going to end during my long day with the first grade babies.

It was exactly the kind of escapist book I want to read right now. Entertaining but not insulting and still something new to think about. I finished it as soon as I got home from school and though the ending did make me sad it was fitting for the story.

I am really excited for the sequel which comes out in October but bummed out that there is no mention of Luke in the blurb for it. I don't want to believe that he is really gone. And I am planning on reading the author's other book that comes out later this year. Now I just have to wait!

Maggie Stiefvater's Live Journal

Lady into Fox, David Garnett

I was happy to find another one of Stuck in a Book's recommendations through the interlibrary loan. This was a fascinating, brief fantasy about a man whose wife suddenly transforms into a fox. Mr. Tebrick still loves his wife and is almost driven mad as she becomes more and more savage in her behavior.

"We know her husband was always trying to bring her back to be a woman, or at any rate to get her to act like one, may she not have been hoping to get him to be like a beast himself or act like one?" (p.39)

Eventually Mrs. Tebrick can no longer abide wearing clothing, eating cooked meat, playing piquet, and sleeping in the same bed as her husband. She wants to be free and because of his love for her Mr. Tebrick lets her go.

"You would not do this if you were not in anguish, poor beast, you want your freedom. I cannot keep you, I cannot hold you to vows made when you were a woman. Why, you have forgotten who I am."
The tears then began running down his cheeks, he sobbed, and said to her:
"Go-I shall not keep you. Poor beast, poor beast, I love you, I love you. Go if you want to. But if you remember me come back. I shall never keep you against your will. Go-go. But kiss me now." (p.56)

Mrs. Tebrick does run wild but eventually returns with 5 fox cubs. Mr. Tebrick accepts these cubs, even baptising them and calling himself their godfather. He visits them everyday and plays with them in the woods but you just know that this tenuous arrangement can't last long.

"this all proceeded one may say from a passion, and a true conjugal fidelity, that it would be hard to find matched in this world. And though we may think him a fool, almost a madman, we must, when we look closer, find much to respect in his extraordinary devotion." (p.63)

Miss Hargreaves, Frank Baker

I have been searching for a copy of Miss Hargreaves to read ever since I came across this Stuck in a Book entry extolling its wonders. Finally I found a copy through the inter-library loan. Hooray!

I knew I had to read this story when I read descriptions of Norman's habit of spontaneously lying to strangers. I can honestly say I have let go of this habit at this point but it is one I shared with Norman for a long time. There is just something so irresistable in telling people who you will never see again (or maybe just sit by for one semester in French class) that you recently left a convent before professing your final vows (because in a situation similar to Maria von Trapp your true calling was in fact a life governing small children).

If I hadn't stopped lying on the spur of the moment reading Miss Hargreaves would have scared me straight. Norman's initially innocent story of an old lady with a pet cockatoo, hip bath, harp, & volume of her own published poetry becomes increasingly frighteningly when Miss Hargreaves appears in the flesh.

"There she was, prowling up and down, tapping the pavement tiles critically with her stick. You immediately felt they were second-rate tiles; you would have said that she had always been used to walking on the best Roman tiles." (p.124)

"Where should I be- where should I be?- without the life you put into me." (p.134)

"Hats, remarked Miss Hargreaves, "were getting so abysmally dull. I felt a gesture had to be made to the world." (p.148)

"They were wretched days for me. When you make something, make it well as I had, endow it with a title, and send it out into the best society, do you sleep easily in your bed when it spurns you and treats you like dust? Do you? If you do, you're a stronger man than I am." (p.206)

"Creative thought creates," I muttered over and over again to myself. I went to sleep with those words on my mind. At three o'clock I woke in a sweat from a nightmare. I won't tell you the nightmare because other people's dreams are always boring and, if it terrified me, I can't expect it to terrify anyone else. The point is, when I woke out of that 'mare, I found myself muttering three words over and over again. And those words were "Destructive thought destroys." (p.225)

"I had from the depths of my misguided compassion for her, silently willed strength into her mysterious being." (p.243)

How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff

Another book mentioned on MentalMultivitamin (who has yet to lead me astray recommendation wise). This book took me by surprise. I love the blurb on the back cover and it is much more eloquent than I can be:

"That rare, rare thing, a first novel with a sustained, magical and utterly faultless voice. After five pages, I knew she could persuade me to believe anything." -Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I also loved realizing that Meg Rosoff is the author of one of my favorite picture books to read aloud to my students, Meet Wild Boars. It was a very random discovery and made me all the more impressed with her writing to see her versatility.

One of many quotable statements from Daisy, the narrator:

“It would be much easier to tell this story if it were all about a chaste and perfect love between Two Children Against the World at an Extreme Time in History but let’s face it that would be a load of crap.”

I also loved the jacket illustration by Istvan Banyai, especially the back cover which I couldn’t find a picture of online. This is definitely a book to add to the Purchase List.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart

This is the young adult novel that I wish I had written: suspenseful in a happy, positive way, lots of funny wordplay, Wodehouse references all over the place, and sentences like,

“She grew into her angular face, filled out her figure, and transformed from a homely child into a loaded potato- all while sitting quietly in a suburban hammock, reading the short stories of Dorothy Parker and drinking lemonade.” p.5

I want to be a loaded potato or at least be able to take credit for the expression.

Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson

My next young adult selection from the library was Speak. This is a book that has stayed with me. It is book #2 on the 2009 Books Worth Buying list. I have found myself thinking about it at the most random moments. Most of all my thoughts have centered around how much high school sucks. It’s just a fact, plain and simple.

My high school experience was by no means as terrible as Melinda’s was but in so many ways I related to the aftermath of her trauma. Being ignored, hated, or gossiped about by people who used to be your friends and by many you have never met is something you just don’t forget easily. You don’t forget the overwhelming desire to just fade into the scenery either; to find somewhere that no one can see you. For Melinda this place is the abandoned janitor’s closet on campus. I was lucky to have a mother who helped me get away from school as much as possible. Mercifully the school year ended and I never went back. But it was jarring to me to feel that way again even for a moment 12 years later. I wonder what I would have done if I hadn’t had an escape route through my mom.

So much in this book resonanted with me. It was like reading quotes from a more articulate version of my fifteen year old self’s journal. Like this one referring to her former best friend:

“This was the girl who suffered through Brownies with me, who taught me how to swim, who understood about my parents, who didn’t make fun of my bedroom. If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened, it’s Rachel. My throat burns. Her eyes meet mine for a second. “I hate you,” she mouths silently. She turns her back to me and laughs with her friends. I bite my lip. I am not going to think about it. It was ugly, but it’s over, and I’m not going to think about it. My lip bleeds a little. It tastes like metal. I need to sit down.” pg.5

The scenes with Melinda’s teachers also stirred up memories for me. All but one of her teachers chose to willfully misunderstand her plight and in many situations made things worse (yes, Ms. Hunnell I’m looking at you). I could keep this side by side sadness comparison going for quite awhile so I’ll stop myself now. This book is excellent, well written, realistic, and heart breaking. It made me sad for Melinda, sad for myself, and sad for teenage girls everywhere.

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, Nicholas Drayson

This is the first book that I read in 2009 that is on my purchase list (and is not embarrassing to bring up at a dinner party). I had to wait quite a while for my turn on the library reserve list but during my checkout period Mom and Linda both read it as well.

The book is well written, interesting, funny, and suspenseful all without being overwhelming. One reviewer on the back cover blurb compared it to Wodehouse which I agree with in part. There is so much less of the absurd in this book than in the typical Wodehouse title. There are several similar elements: old public school friends with the requisite ridiculous and inexplicable nicknames, evenings spent at a club, bets taken with all the seriousness of legal proceedings, and obscure hobbies (at least to me. Bird watching?). The biggest difference to me was the inclusion of real life problems: political assassinations, people dying of AIDS, crime, etc. whereas Wodehouse’s characters exist in a relatively safe world (as Waugh put it, “For Mr. Wodehouse there has been no fall of Man…His characters have never tasted the forbidden fruit. They are still in Eden. The gardens of Blandings Castle are that original garden from which we are all exiled.”)

I have been recommending it to so many people. It was just what I needed to read; something gentle but of substance with an interesting story with plot twists and suspense but a happy ending all around.