Marie Benedict has written a fascinating story about the Albert Einstein and his first wife, Mileva “Mitza” Marić. So much of history has not been recorded and so Benedict has taken liberties with the few simple facts she does have at her disposal and embellished them to create a wonderful love story, that slowly shows the true personalities of these two genius characters.
Using her imagination she develops the relationship that could have brought Mileva and Albert together and also been the reason it could not succeed. There is factual evidence of the type of society they were living in. So the idea that a woman of such intelligence could not be successful on her own, or that she could not have it all, a family, a marriage and a career is frustrating to a reader in present day. I definitely sided with Mileva and wanted her to have everything she dreamed about.
I was angry with Einstein for taking credit for her work and for not learning how to make their marriage work. So though Albert Einstein is a legend in our time, this story leaves some doubt in my mind that he could have been as successful as he was without his wife's assistance. I have lost some of the awe I had of him. This novel paints Einstein as a smart, successful but not always pleasant human being.
Mileva begins the novel coming to Zurich to study. She has forgone personal pleasures, including friends and parties to get ahead with her studies. When she meet Einstein, she tries to avoid falling for his charms. She knows that success comes at a price. When she begins getting involved emotionally, she fears that she will lose herself in the relationship. Einstein reassures her, "No, Miss Maric. Surely bohemians such as ourselves - separate and apart from others with our vision and all our cultural and personal differences - can have both." When she tries to put some distance between them, Einstein tells her he will wait for her as long as it takes. "Never before have I been so certain of someone or something as I am of you . I will wait, Miss Maric. Until you are ready."
though this starts as a wonderful love story and I was routing for the success of their love story, it ends quickly when I think Einstein is threatened by Mileva's intellect. She possibly could have been more successful than Einstein if times were different and women could show their ability. If she had been a stronger person, maybe with a different husband she could have been the name we remember today, along with Marie Curie.
Though women today have found more of a voice in business, and they can show their inteligence and make a name for themselves...there is still a debate over whether a woman can have it all, career, marriage and family and be happy.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Dinner with Edward
Dinner with Edward is a true story of the relationship that develops between Edward, a nonagenarian, who has recently lost his wife and the author, Isabel, who is going through the end of her unhappy marriage. A short sweet story about the nourishment of both body and the soul.
Isabel Vincent, a newspaper journalist, writes beautifully about her dinner dates with Edward. Each menu is presented at the head of the chapter. The two of them talk about life and food. Edward gives explanations of the recipes, that Isabel sometimes tries to recreate at home. Edward takes great care even with the cocktails shared.
Every week after being introduced by Isabel's friend, Edward's daughter, the two share a meal cooked by Edward. Edward is a charismatic, refined gentleman. He was married for over 60 years to Paula. They were madly in love and when she first died, Edward wanted to die also. Isabel was a foreign war correspondent, where she met her husband, a Serbian war photographer. They have a daughter and have tried to settle down in the city, then moved to Roosevelt Island for a more peaceful lifestyle. Though they have tried everything, Isabel's marriage is still falling apart. Her weekly dinners with Edward start to save the Isabel who has been getting lost inside her melancholy. Then the dinners start to save Edward also.
What a beautiful story of intergenerational commitment and friendship. How we can always learn something new. How important having a friend who bolsters up your ego and self worth can be. And, probably the most important how being needed and having a purpose to get up in the morning are to keep us wanting to live for another day.
Isabel Vincent, a newspaper journalist, writes beautifully about her dinner dates with Edward. Each menu is presented at the head of the chapter. The two of them talk about life and food. Edward gives explanations of the recipes, that Isabel sometimes tries to recreate at home. Edward takes great care even with the cocktails shared.
Every week after being introduced by Isabel's friend, Edward's daughter, the two share a meal cooked by Edward. Edward is a charismatic, refined gentleman. He was married for over 60 years to Paula. They were madly in love and when she first died, Edward wanted to die also. Isabel was a foreign war correspondent, where she met her husband, a Serbian war photographer. They have a daughter and have tried to settle down in the city, then moved to Roosevelt Island for a more peaceful lifestyle. Though they have tried everything, Isabel's marriage is still falling apart. Her weekly dinners with Edward start to save the Isabel who has been getting lost inside her melancholy. Then the dinners start to save Edward also.
What a beautiful story of intergenerational commitment and friendship. How we can always learn something new. How important having a friend who bolsters up your ego and self worth can be. And, probably the most important how being needed and having a purpose to get up in the morning are to keep us wanting to live for another day.
This Is Just A Test
Madalyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang have come together to write, This Is Just A Test, combining religious and cultural customs to show that we are all more alike than different.
A middle school novel that brought tears to my eyes as I read about David Da-Wai Horowitz learning some very grown up concepts about compromise, getting along and standing up for what is right. There are quite a few lessons that the reader can learn right along with David, his friends and even his adult family members.
David Da-Wai Horowitz is the product of a Chinese mother and a Jewish American father. He lives together with his sister and parents. His Grandmother Wai Po and her small dog, Bao Bao, having recently been evicted from her apartment come to live in their house.
Granny M feeling left out of the family finds a way to move into the neighborhood also.
Granny Wai Po is feeling on the outside as the family prepares for the Bar Mitzvah with David learning Hebrew, not Chinese and the food plans for Jewish foods, not Chinese foods.
There is also a school wide, Trivia Contest taking place that involves him and his best friend, Hector and their new friend and teammate, Scott. David also learns through this experience to negotiate when one friend wants to exclude another from the group.
Interspersed in this story of conflict and resolution is the story of the Cold War during the 1980s. Ronald Reagan is president and there are talks between the Unites States and the Soviet Union. Reagan is calling the Soviets the Evil Empire. David's English class will be reading George Orwell's book, 1984, in 1984. The movie, The Day After, has just been released and the kids at school are all talking about it. David gets to watch it and now is concerned about the future. Will there be a war? Will someone just push the button? These were the major concerns of Americans during the 80s.
David's father tries to explain that in every generation there is some concern, "...the future was scary. The thing was: That future was right now and now was scary too. My dad told me we had no idea what living in a scary world was really like. 'Try hiding under your desk and pretending that it will save you if there's a bomb. That's what your mother and I did. Or what about the Cuban Missile Crisis? Did you learn about that yet?" Reading to day with the current political climate in the United States it is another reminder that every president has been dealing with some unrest on the world stage. That this country has been through turmoil before and we have come through. Hopefully this will all work out for the best, and our children and grandchildren will read about 2017 in their history books and write literature that talks about the fear and outrage we are living with now.
This book is cleverly written to cover so many topics, world history, family dynamics, and the personal growing pains of learning about making and keeping friends and girls. There is a common thread that works in all these categories. There is also a sweetness about David and how all these dilemmas work out that made me cry at the end. I think parents and pre-teens will love this book.
A middle school novel that brought tears to my eyes as I read about David Da-Wai Horowitz learning some very grown up concepts about compromise, getting along and standing up for what is right. There are quite a few lessons that the reader can learn right along with David, his friends and even his adult family members.
David Da-Wai Horowitz is the product of a Chinese mother and a Jewish American father. He lives together with his sister and parents. His Grandmother Wai Po and her small dog, Bao Bao, having recently been evicted from her apartment come to live in their house.
Granny M feeling left out of the family finds a way to move into the neighborhood also.
Granny Wai Po is feeling on the outside as the family prepares for the Bar Mitzvah with David learning Hebrew, not Chinese and the food plans for Jewish foods, not Chinese foods.
There is also a school wide, Trivia Contest taking place that involves him and his best friend, Hector and their new friend and teammate, Scott. David also learns through this experience to negotiate when one friend wants to exclude another from the group.
Interspersed in this story of conflict and resolution is the story of the Cold War during the 1980s. Ronald Reagan is president and there are talks between the Unites States and the Soviet Union. Reagan is calling the Soviets the Evil Empire. David's English class will be reading George Orwell's book, 1984, in 1984. The movie, The Day After, has just been released and the kids at school are all talking about it. David gets to watch it and now is concerned about the future. Will there be a war? Will someone just push the button? These were the major concerns of Americans during the 80s.
David's father tries to explain that in every generation there is some concern, "...the future was scary. The thing was: That future was right now and now was scary too. My dad told me we had no idea what living in a scary world was really like. 'Try hiding under your desk and pretending that it will save you if there's a bomb. That's what your mother and I did. Or what about the Cuban Missile Crisis? Did you learn about that yet?" Reading to day with the current political climate in the United States it is another reminder that every president has been dealing with some unrest on the world stage. That this country has been through turmoil before and we have come through. Hopefully this will all work out for the best, and our children and grandchildren will read about 2017 in their history books and write literature that talks about the fear and outrage we are living with now.
This book is cleverly written to cover so many topics, world history, family dynamics, and the personal growing pains of learning about making and keeping friends and girls. There is a common thread that works in all these categories. There is also a sweetness about David and how all these dilemmas work out that made me cry at the end. I think parents and pre-teens will love this book.
Monday, July 17, 2017
The Shadow Land
The Shadow Land is the newest novel written by Elizabeth Kostova. She is also the author of The Historian, which I loved and The Swan Thieves which I will have to make a point to go back and read.
Kostova talks about having married a Bulgarian and traveling between the United States and Bulgaria. She became interested in the history of the country. As a reader I am glad so glad she did. This novel is fascinating and as I read I learned about a history I had never known before. Though the work camps in Bulgaria were not the same as the concentration and extermination camps of Germany and Poland during WWII, the descriptions of what went on at these rehabilitation prison camps is horrific.
Capturing the readers imagination and presenting the terrible history of the country mixed into a romantic story of intrigue, Kostova, has the reader on the edge of your chair trying to stay at least in step with the characters of this novel.
Alexandra Boyd, a young American, running from her own memories and personal pain, comes to Bulgaria to teach. As she helps an elderly couple and their son trying to get into a taxi cab, she accidentally ends up with one of their bags in her possession. She and her cab driver, Bobby, try to return the bag returning to the hotel where they all intersected. Then they go to the local police station to try and get help in locating the couple and their son. This is the beginning of a mystery of who these three travelers are, the contents of their bag which turns out to be the human ashes of Stoyan Lazarov, a violinist. Alexandra and Bobby travel around Bulgaria meeting people whose lives have been touched by this talented musician. Alexandra gets a view of the country she would never have had as a tourist or teacher. Bobby gives her an education in the horrors of a century in the history of the country that is fascinating for the reader.
The shadows of what was really happening hidden from most of the citizens of the country. The shadows of the men who were taken off to the prison camps. The idea of people who have died creating shades and shadows of the people they were. Standing in the shadow of a person, really seeing them or not. The men coming home from the camps, being like a skeleton, a shadow of their former selves. This is a book of suspense, strength and love. Kostova writes beautifully about how love can be found in the aftermath of loss.
Kostova talks about having married a Bulgarian and traveling between the United States and Bulgaria. She became interested in the history of the country. As a reader I am glad so glad she did. This novel is fascinating and as I read I learned about a history I had never known before. Though the work camps in Bulgaria were not the same as the concentration and extermination camps of Germany and Poland during WWII, the descriptions of what went on at these rehabilitation prison camps is horrific.
Capturing the readers imagination and presenting the terrible history of the country mixed into a romantic story of intrigue, Kostova, has the reader on the edge of your chair trying to stay at least in step with the characters of this novel.
Alexandra Boyd, a young American, running from her own memories and personal pain, comes to Bulgaria to teach. As she helps an elderly couple and their son trying to get into a taxi cab, she accidentally ends up with one of their bags in her possession. She and her cab driver, Bobby, try to return the bag returning to the hotel where they all intersected. Then they go to the local police station to try and get help in locating the couple and their son. This is the beginning of a mystery of who these three travelers are, the contents of their bag which turns out to be the human ashes of Stoyan Lazarov, a violinist. Alexandra and Bobby travel around Bulgaria meeting people whose lives have been touched by this talented musician. Alexandra gets a view of the country she would never have had as a tourist or teacher. Bobby gives her an education in the horrors of a century in the history of the country that is fascinating for the reader.
The shadows of what was really happening hidden from most of the citizens of the country. The shadows of the men who were taken off to the prison camps. The idea of people who have died creating shades and shadows of the people they were. Standing in the shadow of a person, really seeing them or not. The men coming home from the camps, being like a skeleton, a shadow of their former selves. This is a book of suspense, strength and love. Kostova writes beautifully about how love can be found in the aftermath of loss.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Our Short History
Lauren Grodstein captures the poignant, yet sad thoughts of a woman at the end of her life. Having friends and relatives who have faced the same, I think what must be horrific, reality that your dying of cancer, I cannot imagine what that is like. What thoughts go through your mind as you are living with a time bomb in your own body. Grodstein attempts to put down in writing the thoughts and needs of a cancer patient who is dying way too young.
Karen Neulander is a 40 something mother and career woman. She has worked since her teens and now has a well established business set up with her partner Chuck running election campaigns. She has candidate, Ace Reynolds, whose re-election campaign looks like a shoo in. During her thirties she met the love of her life, Dave Kersey, a one term Democratic congressman from New Jersey. When she gets pregnant Dave says he is not interested in having children. Karen leaves and gives birth and brings up her son, Jacob, without ever telling Dave. Now seven years later she is dying from ovarian cancer and her son who she wants to leave in the custody of her sister, wants to meet his father.
This book is Karen's thoughts and feelings about her life, career and messages she wants to leave her son. She writes about the present thinking that her son will read this when he is an adult. When he has no siblings or parents to reminisce with about childhood memories, and he wonders what his mother was like. She also is examining her feelings about leaving her son at such a young age. Interestingly through it all she is determined to keep working. She ignores pain and possible signs that she should go to her doctor, to keep working and spending time with her son. She also wants to give Jacob everything she can before she cannot. So when he asks to meet his Dad, she goes against her personal wishes and introduces them to each other.
This is a story about love, sacrifice, parenthood and ultimately life itself.
Karen Neulander is a 40 something mother and career woman. She has worked since her teens and now has a well established business set up with her partner Chuck running election campaigns. She has candidate, Ace Reynolds, whose re-election campaign looks like a shoo in. During her thirties she met the love of her life, Dave Kersey, a one term Democratic congressman from New Jersey. When she gets pregnant Dave says he is not interested in having children. Karen leaves and gives birth and brings up her son, Jacob, without ever telling Dave. Now seven years later she is dying from ovarian cancer and her son who she wants to leave in the custody of her sister, wants to meet his father.
This book is Karen's thoughts and feelings about her life, career and messages she wants to leave her son. She writes about the present thinking that her son will read this when he is an adult. When he has no siblings or parents to reminisce with about childhood memories, and he wonders what his mother was like. She also is examining her feelings about leaving her son at such a young age. Interestingly through it all she is determined to keep working. She ignores pain and possible signs that she should go to her doctor, to keep working and spending time with her son. She also wants to give Jacob everything she can before she cannot. So when he asks to meet his Dad, she goes against her personal wishes and introduces them to each other.
This is a story about love, sacrifice, parenthood and ultimately life itself.
Sunday, July 9, 2017
In The Great Green Room
It is always interesting to read about someone famous. We take a voyeuristic enjoyment in reading about people's personal lives. Reading the biography of Margaret Wise Brown is fascinating. There is so much more to this seemingly quiet woman's life than I could ever have imagined.
Margaret Wise Brown much too young. She missed out on so many wonderful life experiences. But also she missed out on knowing how famous her children's book, Goodnight Moon would eventually become. Reading about her life and career that was my one feeling of regret on her behalf. IF she could only know how much of an impact her books have had on children for so many, many years.
Margaret was a woman who liked to live life to the fullest. She was full of passion with an incredible yearning for adventure. She loved nature, both picking flowers and going on rabbit hunts with the Buckram Beagles.
She was a beautiful woman. Though she was insecure in her ability to have a successful relationship, she had a few love affairs, with both men and women. She had a long time affair with Bill Gaston, who never divorced his wife, and with the ex-wife of John Barrymore, who went by the stage name, Michael Strange.
Margaret studied young children and found out what made them enjoy stories, what kept their interest and what did not. She wrote stories about the world from the perspective of a child. She worked with the newly opened, Bank Street School, to shape their curriculum and start their children's book publishing business. She wrote for Walt Disney studios and she was at the forefront of Golden Books publishing, with a ongoing contract with them for four manuscripts a year. She was a prolific writer and a savvy business woman. She wrote poetry, songs and many unpublished manuscripts. Her dream of becoming an author of adult novels was never realized, but she has gone down in history has someone who helped form the children's literature we still read today, taking the genre beyond the traditional Grimm's style fairy tales.
Author, Amy Gary has brought Margaret Wise Brown to life in this wonderful biography.
Margaret Wise Brown much too young. She missed out on so many wonderful life experiences. But also she missed out on knowing how famous her children's book, Goodnight Moon would eventually become. Reading about her life and career that was my one feeling of regret on her behalf. IF she could only know how much of an impact her books have had on children for so many, many years.
Margaret was a woman who liked to live life to the fullest. She was full of passion with an incredible yearning for adventure. She loved nature, both picking flowers and going on rabbit hunts with the Buckram Beagles.
She was a beautiful woman. Though she was insecure in her ability to have a successful relationship, she had a few love affairs, with both men and women. She had a long time affair with Bill Gaston, who never divorced his wife, and with the ex-wife of John Barrymore, who went by the stage name, Michael Strange.
Margaret studied young children and found out what made them enjoy stories, what kept their interest and what did not. She wrote stories about the world from the perspective of a child. She worked with the newly opened, Bank Street School, to shape their curriculum and start their children's book publishing business. She wrote for Walt Disney studios and she was at the forefront of Golden Books publishing, with a ongoing contract with them for four manuscripts a year. She was a prolific writer and a savvy business woman. She wrote poetry, songs and many unpublished manuscripts. Her dream of becoming an author of adult novels was never realized, but she has gone down in history has someone who helped form the children's literature we still read today, taking the genre beyond the traditional Grimm's style fairy tales.
Author, Amy Gary has brought Margaret Wise Brown to life in this wonderful biography.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Three Day Weekends Are Murder
Whenever you need a break a fun light mystery novel is the way to relax. No exception, Three Day Weekends Are Murder, written by Rayna Morgan is a fun, light murder mystery that keeps the reader trying to guess who the murderer is and gives a satisfying result in the end.
This novel is part of the Sister Sleuths series. What a different idea to have two sisters working along side the handsome police detective solving crimes. Three Day Weekends ...is not their first murder. The sisters have solved crimes before. Their father was a police detective. Sister, Maddy is dating the handsome detective, Tom in a sleepy beach community. Her sister Lea is married to Tom's best friend.
In this novel, Lea finds out a antique diamond and ruby necklace has gone missing from the local mansion museum, where it is supposed to be on display. Then a woman is found murdered in Maddy's ex-husband's hotel room during a company retreat. Could these two crimes be connected or are we looking for two different crooks. The ladies start asking questions and snooping around.
This novel is part of the Sister Sleuths series. What a different idea to have two sisters working along side the handsome police detective solving crimes. Three Day Weekends ...is not their first murder. The sisters have solved crimes before. Their father was a police detective. Sister, Maddy is dating the handsome detective, Tom in a sleepy beach community. Her sister Lea is married to Tom's best friend.
In this novel, Lea finds out a antique diamond and ruby necklace has gone missing from the local mansion museum, where it is supposed to be on display. Then a woman is found murdered in Maddy's ex-husband's hotel room during a company retreat. Could these two crimes be connected or are we looking for two different crooks. The ladies start asking questions and snooping around.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Crimes Against A Book Club
What a fun summer beach read! So many of us have been or still are members of a book club. We meet monthly to discuss the book of choice. It is not only about the books, it is about socializing and feeling that camaraderie of being apart of the group. Social standing means so much to people. It is about self esteem and wanting to be popular. We all have the face we show the world, like a outfit we have picked out to present the image we want people to see, and the body underneath, that we are protecting from being bruised, that we feel vulnerable about.
Kathy Cooperman has written a light fun novel about the women who live in the wealthy community of La Jolla, California. She has illustrated a look inside the neighborhoods and lifestyles of the families who live in here, similarly to the way Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus wrote about the life of the rich and famous of New York City, in the their book, The Nanny Diaries.
Annie Baker, her husband and three children have just relocated to Carmel Valley, not quite the picturesque, millionaire community of La Jolla. She is invited to the neighborhood book club meeting hoping to find some new friends. There she is reminded of her college days, not fitting in socially with the beautiful girls, being much more of a nerd. Thinking about her best friend Sarah Sloane, who was the college sweetheart, tall, beautiful red hair and winning personality, she hatches a plan. Annie and Sarah are both suffering from personal problems. Annie has three children, but her youngest son has just been diagnosed with autism. Sarah is desperate to have a child and is going for infertility treatments. These are both costly procedures. Looking for some quick money they put together Annie's science expertise and Sarah's good looks and charisma and decide to take advantage of the insecurities of the wealthy vain ladies of the book club.
Though this is written as a funny story about families, their money and social standing the community, it can be read on a deeper level with an important moral to the story about human nature. How gullible we are when it comes to a scheme to make us feels more popular, beautiful, younger and more successful. How much we see ourselves through the reflection of others. Each of the women in the book club seem to Annie so shallow and self absorbed. Sarah begins to get to know them on a more personal level as she sells them their special anti-aging product. She sees that each of these women has a personal story that goes deeper than the face they show to the world.
Kathy Cooperman has written a light fun novel about the women who live in the wealthy community of La Jolla, California. She has illustrated a look inside the neighborhoods and lifestyles of the families who live in here, similarly to the way Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus wrote about the life of the rich and famous of New York City, in the their book, The Nanny Diaries.
Annie Baker, her husband and three children have just relocated to Carmel Valley, not quite the picturesque, millionaire community of La Jolla. She is invited to the neighborhood book club meeting hoping to find some new friends. There she is reminded of her college days, not fitting in socially with the beautiful girls, being much more of a nerd. Thinking about her best friend Sarah Sloane, who was the college sweetheart, tall, beautiful red hair and winning personality, she hatches a plan. Annie and Sarah are both suffering from personal problems. Annie has three children, but her youngest son has just been diagnosed with autism. Sarah is desperate to have a child and is going for infertility treatments. These are both costly procedures. Looking for some quick money they put together Annie's science expertise and Sarah's good looks and charisma and decide to take advantage of the insecurities of the wealthy vain ladies of the book club.
Though this is written as a funny story about families, their money and social standing the community, it can be read on a deeper level with an important moral to the story about human nature. How gullible we are when it comes to a scheme to make us feels more popular, beautiful, younger and more successful. How much we see ourselves through the reflection of others. Each of the women in the book club seem to Annie so shallow and self absorbed. Sarah begins to get to know them on a more personal level as she sells them their special anti-aging product. She sees that each of these women has a personal story that goes deeper than the face they show to the world.
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