Weekend Cooking (5): A holiday to honor, eat and read

Growing up, Memorial Day meant watching our small-town parade honoring those who served our country, followed by a picnic in the backyard.  The food was always the same:  grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and my mom's trio of deviled eggs, three-bean salad and potato salad.  As a kid, I would not touch the first two, but I loved the potato salad.  Mom's secret ingredient was juice from the Heinz dill pickle jar that was a fixture on our condiment shelf in the refrigerator.  Dessert was watermelon, and if we were lucky, my mom's version of strawberry shortcake made with ladyfingers, fresh whipped cream (Cool Whip was blasphemy in our house), and sliced strawberries.

Because my father refused to endure the holiday traffic to the beach, I would set up a lawn chair in the backyard under the shade of a large apple tree.  While my favorite place to read has always been the ocean, that backyard lawn chair was a pretty good substitute.

Now that the first weekend of summer is upon us, the lists of "beach books" have started to appear in various publications.  For me, a book I bring to the beach is not necessarily different than one I would read at any other time of the year.  To be sure, you probably won't find me reading Christmas-themed books at the ocean, or for that matter, books set at Thanksgiving or Halloween.  Other than that, however, all I really require of my vacation books is that they let me experience the sheer pleasure of reading.  I got that and more with A Conflict of Interest.

A CONFLICT OF INTEREST by Adam Mitzner
My rating:  4.5 of  5 stars

Alex Miller is a partner in a prominent Manhattan law firm, with a wife and young daughter, whose life is upended when an old family friend, Michael Ohlig, is charged with bilking investors out of millions of dollars. Miller agrees to represent Ohlig, an enigmatic figure who vehemently denies his guilt. In preparing Ohlig’s case, Miller finds himself increasingly attracted to a female colleague up for partnership consideration, thereby endangering his already tenuous marriage. On the eve of trial, Miller’s mother is found dead, and everything he thought he knew about his family becomes subject to question. Following the jury’s verdict in the securities prosecution, Miller’s life takes a dramatic turn, and the real thrill ride begins.

Years ago, I went through a period where I read a lot of legal-centered novels:  those authored by John Grisham, of course, as well as Scott Turow, Richard North Patterson, and Mark Gimenez, to name a few. A Conflict of Interest represents the best of this genre.  The legal component is fascinating and authentic.  The characters are interesting and painfully familiar in that at times they behave in ways we all do and wish we would not.  Finally, the plot contains the requisite twists that make you say “oh“ while furiously reading on.

If I had to quantify it, I would say that Mitzner’s first effort falls somewhere in the middle on the Grisham - Turow spectrum. A Conflict of Interest  has the fast paced plot machinations of the better Grisham books, complemented at times with the introspective, reflective quality that defines Turow’s work. What is the conflict of interest referenced in the title? Is it a less than zealous representation of one’s client?  The conflict inherent in the betrayal of someone you love or the betrayal of one’s self?  Or is it something else? No spoilers here. Just grab the book and your suntan lotion, head to the beach or the park, and read on.

I received a hardcover edition of A Conflict of Interest from the publisher, Gallery Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. A Conflict of Interest was released in May of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts.  Drop by and see what's cooking this week!

Prepare to be entertained

THE REVENGE OF THE RADIOACTIVE LADY by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

My rating:  4 of 5 stars

When I started this book, I was not sure what to expect.  Both the title and the cover intrigued me, and the synopsis promised something out of the ordinary.  Well, the synopsis delivered in a big way; this is one unusual book.  A well-written dark comedy, with wacky, irritating, and at times even lovable characters, The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady kept me entertained right up until the last page.

The radioactive lady of the title is Marylou Ahearn, a woman in her 70's who is hell bent on murdering Dr. Wilson Spriggs, the man she believes is responsible for the death of her 8-year-old daughter from bone cancer.  In the 1950's Spriggs headed up a government funded research study on the effects of radiation.  In the course of the study hundreds of pregnant women, including Ahearn, were unknowingly administered a radioactive "cocktail."  When Ahearn learns of Sprigg's complicity, she tracks him down, moves to Florida, changes her name, and sets her murderous plan in motion.  At the time Ahearn catches up with him, Spriggs is a somewhat pathetic figure, in the early stages of Alzheimer's but Ahearn is intent on carrying out her revenge.  Convinced that the best way to make Spriggs suffer is by creating havoc in the lives of his family, with whom he lives, Ahearn finagles her way into the affections of Spriggs' granddaughter Suzi.  What Ahearn fails to take into account is the love that she soon develops for Suzi and the crimp it will put into her plans to avenge her daughter's death.

At first I was going to say that the best thing about this novel is, hands down, the cast of characters.  Suzi's older siblings, brother Otis and sister Ava, both have Asperger's syndrome.  Otis is a brilliant scientist, who is attempting to build a nuclear breeder reactor in their backyard, while Ava, a beautiful girl, is obsessed with all things Elvis Presley.  The demands of their condition suck up all of their mother Caroline's energy and attention, leaving Suzi to be the ultimate good girl whom everyone ignores.  For her part, Caroline is in the midst of severe midlife doldrums, and spends much of her time being a miserable, eccentric wretch.  Suzi's father Vic is so bored with his life as an educational testing professional that he spends all his free time watching The Weather Channel hoping that a massive hurricane with strike their town so that he can at least have some excitement; that is, when he is not indulging his convoluted formula for having an affair with a colleague while not really cheating on his wife.  As if the Spriggs family were not sufficiently entertaining, we also get to meet Ahearn's neighbors, the Coffey family:  Buffington ("Buff"), a pedophile minister, his oblivious wife Paula, and their long-suffering Goth daughter, Rusty.  The genius in all the characters is that, without exception each is kooky (some more than others), but none of them are so out there as to seem anything other than real.

Yet equally stellar is the way the author weaves her story.  There are several plot lines going on at once, and yet, they all seem to flow together seamlessly.  I found myself veering back and forth between the pathos of Marylou's grief and the absurdity of the various doings of the Spriggs family.  The novel's wild culmination, when Vic finally gets his hurricane and Otis succeeds with his reactor, makes for a surreal ending that somehow makes perfect sense.  Without revealing too much, I will say that there were two parts of the story, one involving Ava, and one involving Buff's criminal sexual behavior, that left me feeling somewhat uncomfortable, but overall they did not detract unduly from my enjoyment of the book.

If you are looking for something different, that is both outlandish and all too real at the same time, then give this one a go.  I guarantee you won't be bored.

I received an advance reader's edition of this book from the publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.  The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady was released in February of 2011.

The woman behind the mask

MADAME TUSSAUD by Michelle Moran

My rating:  3.5 of 5 stars

One of the pluses about reading historical fiction is that when it is well-written, you learn while being entertained.  Before reading this book, I, like most sentient beings, knew that Madam Tussaud was a famous modeler whose name adorns wax museums to this day.  What I did not know about was the pivotal role that she played during the French Revolution and the five year Reign of Terror that followed the fall of the monarchy. 

In 1780's Paris, Marie Grosholtz and her family operated the Salon de Cire wherein wax models of prominent Parisians, including the royals, were displayed in elaborate tableaux.  After King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette visit the exhibition, Marie is invited to tutor the King's sister, Madame Elizabeth, in the art of wax modeling, and thereafter Marie divides her time between the court and her home. As the citizenry begins to blame the King for ever deepening poverty and deprivation, political figures, including Robespierre, Marat, Danton and the Marquis de Lafayette plot against the monarchy in discussions at the Salon and elsewhere.  The Salon's tableaux begin to have political implications as models of the royal family are slowly replaced with those fomenting rebellion.  Soon the displays in the Salon become a barometer for the current political climate, changing daily to reflect the ever shifting tides of fortune.

The Grosholtz family straddles the line between royalists and revolutionaries as long as they can.  Marie's uncle and mentor joins Lafayette's National Guard while Marie continues to have allegiance to the monarchy whom she believes has been unjustly demonized.  Eventually, however, when it becomes clear that the monarchy will fall, the family is compelled to do the bidding of Robespierre and his minions as anarchy descends over Paris.  In the ensuing savagery that marks the Reign of Terror in which the Church was outlawed and tens of thousands of French citizens were guillotined, Marie is asked by the leaders of the revolution to fashion waxen death masks using the recently severed heads of  those executed as traitors to the "patrie."  In fear for her family, Marie agrees,and she embarks on a period of horror-filled days and nights consumed by the never ending macabre work.  When she is asked to create a cast for the head of Madame Elizabeth, she finally refuses, and she is imprisoned.  There, she meets Francois Tussaud, her future husband  and father of her three children. 

This is the first book I have read by Michelle Moran, and I very much enjoyed her writing style, finding myself quite caught up in her words.  An additional plus for me was that there was little "romance" in the narrative.  There is a love story of sorts involving Henri Jacques, a scientist who frequented the Salon, but it is very much a subsidiary storyline, as Marie's ambitions prevent her from fully committing to Henri.

Parts of the novel I felt went on a bit too long:  in particular the section detailing the events of the Reign of Terror.  Moran spares no detail in her descriptions of the atrocities committed by the mob against those associated with the King, and her relentless recounting of Marie's toils among the dead became a bit much at times.  For most of the book, it is Marie's story that is prominent, and the history is the background/context.  In my mind, that is the correct structure for historical fiction; if I wanted the history prominent, I would read a non-fiction account.  In the Reign of Terror section, however, the history takes over the narrative somewhat.

A fascinating story no doubt.  It is almost incomprehensible what Marie endured during her life in Paris.  Because the reader knows before beginning the book that Marie survives, the ending is somewhat anticlimactic, although there is a small twist.  All told, this is a highly engrossing read, albeit not one for the faint of heart.

I received an advance reader's edition of Madame Tussaud from Crown Publishers.  Madame Tussaud was released in February of 2011.

Losing it all (Re-post)

(This post was originally published on May 12, 2011, but was lost due to the Blogger outage. I have manually re-posted this. If you commented previously, I would appreciate you doing so again. Thanks.)

ORDINARY THUNDERSTORMS by William Boyd

My rating:  4.5 of 5 stars

Mention the term "thriller" to me and I am more likely to think Michael Jackson album than a particular novelist's work. After my experience with Ordinary Thunderstorms I believe that will change. I can no longer say I am not a fan of thrillers -- on the contrary, I will be telling everyone I know about this book, while at the same time seeking out more of William Boyd's offerings.

Adam Kindred, a climatologist, is in London for a job interview when he encounters Dr. Philip Wang, an immunologist for a large pharmaceutical company, in a restaurant near the Thames. After dinner, Kindred notices that Wang has left behind a file. He tracks Wang down and agrees to bring the file to Wang's apartment. Arriving at Wang's place, Kindred discovers Wang in a pool of blood, a knife protruding from his stomach. Wang begs him to pull out the knife, and Kindred acquiesces. As he does so, Wang makes reference to the file, but he dies before Kindred can ask any questions. Hearing someone re-entering Wang's apartment, Kindred grabs the file and runs. Only then does he realize that he has left his fingerprints behind on the murder weapon, as well as his name and address in the lobby register. Within hours, Kindred is fingered as the murderer, and he must decide whether he will turn himself in or flee. Opting for the latter, Kindred disappears into London's underground. He sheds all his possessions, lives on the street, and shuns technological contact with the world: no internet communication, no cell phone, and no ATM or other financial transactions.

Meanwhile, those in power at the company that employed Wang to conduct clinical trials for a breakthrough asthma drug are anxiously seeking Kindred and the file. Prior to his death, Wang had warned the company that there was a serious problem with the medication and was murdered for his efforts. Those same people will now pursue Kindred before he can disclose the file's damaging contents. How long he can hide, and at what cost are only the first of many questions to be raised in this cerebral suspense novel.

If I had to sum up this book in ten words or less, it would be "a thriller that makes you think." Apart from the basic plot line juxtaposing the actions of those out to find Kindred with Kindred's attempts to avoid detection, there are deep ethical and societal issues broached here. What would you do if, in the face of seemingly irrefutable evidence, you were about to be prosecuted for a crime you did not commit ? Kindred believes he is choosing to remain "free" but in his life on the margins is he really free?

At one point in the book, the author makes the observation that there are hundreds of people that go missing in large cities every day. Through Kindred's struggles to survive on the mean streets of London, the reader is invited to reflect how many "invisible" people he or she may have encountered on any given day, the missing that are right there in plain sight. Through a series of circumstances, Kindred is able to assume a new identity, and gradually re-enters the world and all that implies: a job, a home and a credit card. What he does when he recovers societal standing provides further food for thought: has life on the street changed him in some fundamental way, and if so, is that a reason to excuse otherwise morally questionable behavior?

There is very little black and white in this novel. Indeed, one of the most fascinating things to me about Kindred is that the author has managed to make him sympathetic and at the same time somewhat discomfiting. While he is certainly the victim of bad timing, he is in London at all because he had to resign his position with an American university after having betrayed his wife with one of his students. Even the hired assassin pursuing Kindred has shades to his character, demonstrated in his service to his country in every war since the Falklands, and his care and concern for his young dog.

Given the psychological depth to this read, it is no surprise that the author opted not to tie things up neatly in some climatic, definitive ending. The brilliance of the book's resolution is that it allows the reader to imagine for him or her self what the ultimate ending will be. A book that makes you think right up to the end and beyond. That's my kind of book.

I received a copy of the finished book for review from the publisher, Harper Perennial, through TLC Book Tours.

 For other stops on the tour, click here.

 

Weekend Cooking (4): Book Review

RADIO SHANGRI-LA by Lisa Napoli

My rating:  3.5 of 5 stars

Emadatse is a dish eaten three times a day by many of the locals in Bhutan. It is a stew featuring a combination of melted yak cheese, red-hot chilis and pink rice.

Not only had I never heard of emadatse before reading Radio Shangri-La, but I must confess that I would have been hard pressed to locate Bhutan on a map. I had a vague idea that it was an Asian kingdom somewhere near the Himalayas, but that is about as far as my knowledge went. Lisa Napoli’s memoir of her experiences in this land that has only recently been made more accessible to the outside world is as entertaining as it is informative, and is a book I am pleased to recommend.

At the age of 43 Napoli found herself disillusioned with her journalism career and questioning her various life choices, including her lack of a long-term relationship.  Napoli was longing for deeper human connections and a greater sense of purpose when a serendipitous meeting with a friend leads to an offer from the government of Bhutan to act as an advisor to a new public radio station established by the King. The station, known as Kuzoo FM, is to be for the youth of Bhutan, and is staffed by a number of twenty-something Bhutanese. Sensing that this just might be the chance to emerge from her funk, Napoli seized the opportunity.

At the time Napoli took off for Bhutan, the country was on the cusp of change. This last Buddhist kingdom, long isolated due in part to its geographic location, as well as the $200/day tourist tax and lone airline, was slowly opening up to the internet and television.  Democracy was on the horizon as the King was pushing the country toward a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary elections. It was into this climate, with the idea that the media was to help facilitate a smooth transition, that Napoli first arrived in Bhutan.

Memoirs are not a genre I read that often, and thus I was somewhat surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.  Napoli is quite candid about her experiences during her stay, as well as the personal history that led her to grab at this once in a lifetime opportunity. The conversational tone of the book appealed to me, and I particularly appreciated that she did not take herself too seriously, a trap to which mid-life angst memoirs can often fall prey. Napoli is content to let things happen and then see where life takes her, rather than spend endless hours (and pages) contemplating what her life plan should be.

The people that animate this book are engaging, from the young deejays who work at the station as they navigate their way between the old and new worlds of the kingdom, to the extortionate Buddhist monk with the latest RZR cell phone secreted under his robes. Napoli develops a special relationship with one of the female deejays, Ngawang, and at the end of Napoli’s second stay, she agrees to help Ngawang secure a visa to visit the United States. That portion of the story in which we get to see America through Ngawang’s eyes is quite compelling.

Of course, Bhutan itself is a main character in Napoli’s story. I found myself caught up in the fate of this land dubbed “the happiest place on earth” as it wrestled with the implications of opening itself to the world. Would the modernizations destroy the kingdom’s fundamental character; would a culture of acquisitiveness signal the end of its Buddhist underpinnings?  Only time will tell.

As Napoli returns to Bhutan over the years, she realizes that she has all that she needs within herself to find happiness. Upon resuming her “real life” in the States, she knows that she feels differently, but she is content to wait and see what effect this new realization will have on her life. On her third trip to Bhutan, the idea of helping fatherless children takes shape, and when the chance to support a fledgling monastery orphanage for boys presents itself, she knows she has found her answer.

I could not help but think as I finished this book, that Napoli comes across as both an everywoman in her midlife ruminations, and a most remarkable woman in her willingness to take a huge leap of faith and change her life. Perhaps that is why, though I know I won’t be going to the Himalayas anytime soon, I found her story one to which I could fully relate, and, in the process, so thoroughly enjoy.

I received an advance copy of Radio Shangri-La from Crown Publishers. Radio Shangri-La was released in February of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Drop by and see what's cooking this week!