The German Girl

I have myself, in the last couple of months, been wondering about my identity; how it was shaped by the culture I grew up in and how it will be influenced by the different culture I currently find myself in now. In The German Girl (Armando Lucas Correa) one aspect explored is not so much about losing one’s identity, but it being ripped away from you and how one survives, especially in a country which was supposed to be a refuge, but instead also turned its back on you. And this is what I love about books, how even though it explores an event in history which happened over 70 years ago, the themes are still relevant today and can and should be applied to what is happening in the world.

11 year old Hannah Rosenthal’s world has been turned upside down. Her beloved Berlin treats her like an outcast and she cannot figure out what she, and the people like her – her parents and her friend Leo, have done wrong to deserve this. She knows the Ogres, with their sinister red, white and black colours, are responsible. And while she tries to be brave, to avoid drawing attention to herself, she can see the toll the events of the outside world are taking on her parents. When her father is arrested, her mother is spurred into action procuring visas and passage aboard the St Louis, which will take them to Cuba, a stopover on their way to America.  The two week passage, filled with on-board adventures, sumptuous meals and extravagant balls, are the happiest Hannah ever was, and ever will be. For at their journey’s end, they are confronted with the awful truth: that no country will have them. Of the 937 passengers who embarked on this hopeful journey, only 28 are allowed to disembark. Hannah and her mother are amongst this small group, but her father and her beloved Leo, who made the journey with her, are to remain and make the fateful voyage back to Germany. Hannah and her mother must now try to make a new life for themselves, one filled with sorrow, but also with moments of joy.

Anna, a young girl living in New York in 2014, receives a package from a mysterious relative who raised her father in Havana when his own parents died in a plane crash. In the package is a series of photographs of unfamiliar faces aboard the St Louis. Anna, now fatherless herself, and in search of understanding who he was, as she had never known him, convinces her mother to visit this Aunt Hannah in Cuba. Their stories are intertwined, for these two young girls, though lifetimes apart, are both on a quest to discover their identities, who they truly are, by looking to the past for answers.

If you don’t have faith and are not willing to forgive, if you don’t believe in anything, there’s no way that your body and soul will leave together.

I had a few rough starts with this book as I realised the book would be heavy going considering the subject matter, but it is worth it. I like the different perspective that Correa took by showing us, through a young child’s eyes, the devastating effective that the Nazi party had on Jewish lives and how that echoes throughout generations. Yet while this is a catalyst for the events that unfold in the tale, it is also about searching for meaning and figuring out how one fits in the world.

The adventures of Anne Shirley (Books 4-5)

I wish I had come across these books when I was younger, for while I am enjoying them immensely, the sentimentality is getting to me a bit. I do enjoy Montgomery’s prosaic writing style and her unique descriptions, which are vivid and make me feel glad to be alive, but it is something which you definitely have to be in the mood for to read.

The tone of the fourth book in the series, Anne of Windy Poplars, is a bit different from the others, especially since not only is Anne is in her early 20s, but it is told through Anne’s letters to her fiancé, Gilbert Blythe. Gilbert is away at Medical School and Anne has taken up a position as principal of Summerside High School. Anne is much more subdued than when she was younger, yet still has the ability to draw kindred spirits to her. And during her three years at Windy Poplars, the large house which she rents from two elderly widows, she must navigate through her usual plethora of eventual happy accidents, including the tension filled relationship with the Pringle family, who bear a grudge against her, and a difficult work college.

In Anne’s House of Dreams,  Anne has finally become Mrs Blythe after the wedding at Green Gables, and to complete her happy picture, moves to Four Winds Point, close to a seaside village where Gilbert is to take over his uncle’s medical practice. They rent a house which Anne christens their ‘house of dreams’. Anne’s term of “kindred spirits” is replaced by the synonymous “the race that knows Joseph”, which includes her newly made friends Miss Cornelia Bryant (classified by many as a spinster) and Captain Jim (the lighthouse keeper, who use to be a sailor in his younger days). Initially, Anne’s neighbour, Leslie Moore, does not fall into this category, but events unfold which prove this to be untrue.  What is perhaps different from the previous books, is that Anne, as she gets older, is exposed to the tragedies and happiness of life, which her imagination cannot make any less sad or more exciting.

As always, it is entertaining to read of Anne’s adventures. She also becomes more of friend that you have known since childhood as the reader is allowed to go on her many life’s stages and journeys with her. While it is easy to devour the books one after another as you are curious to see where Anne is off to next, I think I’ll take a break from the books so that when I pick up the next book in the series, I’ll welcome Anne back into my life like the old friend she is whom I haven’t seen in a while.

the magic strings of Frankie Presto

I think some people may describe Mitch Albom’s writing as smulchy, and it is, thus making it not for everyone. However, I do find that he is a writer who has the ability to ‘hit the nail on head’ as it were. His writing is not only accessible, but throughout his stories numerous phrases pop up that makes you not only see the beauty in its truthfulness, but most of all makes you exclaim: That’s it! That’s what I’ve been feeling, but have been unable to explain.

There is a reason you glance up when you first hear a melody, or tap your foot to the sound of a drum. All humans are musical. Why else would the Lord give you a beating heart?

 

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto is a tale told by one of the talents bequeathed to humans on their birth. In this case, Music, who is also the narrator, regales us with the story about one of his most beloved disciples – Frankie Presto.  Orphaned as a baby during the Dictator Franco’s reign of terror in Spain, he is miraculously found by a lonely bachelor who, as the young Frankie grows up, recognises his musical talents and seeks to find him a music teacher. His search leads him to a man simply known as El Maestro, who not only teaches Frankie to play, but also to listen. It is under El Maestro’s tutelage that Frankie learns to play the guitar, as well as some valuable life lessons, and from whom he receives the six magic guitar strings which turn blue whenever Frankie alters the course of someone’s life though his playing. And so Frankie’s talent evolves, leading him across the world and becoming part of the legends from all musical genres, from Elvis and Duke Ellington, to The Beatles and Lyle Lovett. And as Frankie moves through life, entangled in love and suffering through loss, Music is interwoven in and witness to his life’s melody.

As I have said before, there are many quotable moments throughout this book, as well as being a quick and easy read. It is also interesting from a historical point of view due to all the references to many famous musicians, some who were known and unknown to me. The specific songs being spoken of makes you want to stop and go in search of these melodies, for as the narrator states: “Music is in the connection of human souls, speaking a language that needs no words”, adding another layer to this already beautiful song of a book.

Master and Commander

I am a devoted fan of C.S. Forester’s Hornblower series and was thus quite pleased when I discovered that the 2003 film ‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’ was based on another popular nautical adventure series by Patrick O’Brian. Hailed by The Times as ‘the greatest historical novelist of our time’, he wrote 22 books which would form part of the Aubrey & Maturin Series and of which Master and Commander is the first.

Set during the 1800s, when Nelson was pitted against Napoleon, the young Jack Aubrey has been promoted to Master and Commander of the HMS Sophie.  He asks his newly made friend, Stephen Maturin, to become his ship’s surgeon, and while Maturin – a physician and natural philosopher – is overqualified for the position, he readily agrees lured by Aubrey’s promise of adventure and salvation from destitution. The crew aboard the Sophie is a mix of old hands and pressed men, and with the help of his first lieutenant, James Dillion, Aubrey soon whips them into ship shape. The Sophie embarks on many adventures, taking prizes, battling the elements and of course, the French.

To be honest, I cannot tell you exactly what happens in this story.  While the book is exquisitely well researched, and subtly explains many nautical terms as well as capturing the zeitgeist aboard these ships during this period, the many technical manoeuvres and terminology used to describe the actions left me feeling utterly bewildered. Luckily, I have discovered that there are companions available (Patrick O’Brian’s Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey’s World by Richard O’Neill and A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O’Brian by Dean King) which I certainly will make use of as I work my way through this series.  Thus for those who are blessed with historical maritime curiosity, a sense of adventure, and those who are not a land lubber like myself, I would heartily recommend this book. If you do not wish to get caught up in technicalities and the pace of a story which echoes the rhythms of the ocean, then steer clear me ’earties, yo ho!

The adventures of Anne Shirley (Books 1-3)

While I was exposed to reading from a young age, I did not really enjoy it until I reached my early teens and have thus missed out on many stories which for others form a fundamental part of their childhood. I remember watching the 1979 Japanese anime adaptation of Anne of Green Gables and enjoying it enormously, but little did I know that it was based on a book. However, by the time I realised this I had become so thoroughly immersed in other stories that I did not really think of the Anne I had missed out on. What I love about adaptions is that they invariably arouse inquisitiveness about its original. This exactly what happened once I started watching Netflix’s Anne with an E (2017 – ) and had read a scathing review about this new retelling. An old interest long forgotten resurfaced and thus ensued a delightful time spent reading. I can now also personally say that I think young Anne would have been pleased with the ‘tragical’ elements inserted into Netflix’s adaptation and applauded the writer’s use of her imagination.

The first in L.M. Montgomery’s thrilling series is Anne of Green Gables and follows the young orphan, Anne Shirley, in her adventures on Prince Edward Island. The first adventure, and perhaps the most significant for more than one character, is her accidental adoption by brother and sister duo, Matthew and Mirilla Cuthbert. This talkative, spritely, sometimes overly dramatic, yet intelligent and imaginative 11 year old soon creeps into the hearts of everyone she meets.  She cements her friendships with many of the other young children at school and soon has an erstwhile wish fulfilled in having a bosom friend in Diana Barry. And while she first has enmity towards Gilbert Blythe, who dared to tease her by calling her pigtails carrots, they too become friends. Anne gets into many interesting situations over the years and while life at Green Gable is simple, it does not mean that the complexities of living pass her by. After having earned her teaching license at Queen’s Academy, tragedy strikes and 16 year old Anne must decide whether to pursue a B.A. degree at Redmond College or stay at Green Gables.

In Anne of Avonlea, the second book in the series, Anne is still the wildly imaginative person the reader has come to love albeit much older and believing to be much wiser. Her reputation for getting into scrapes has not deserted her as such occurrences do still occur. However, her responsibilities have increased for not only is she the new Avonlea school teacher, she also has to be a part of the education and upbringing of the two latest additions to Green Gables, namely the orphaned Keith twins, Davey and Dora. Anne still has not given up on her ambition to attend Redmond College, and during her two years schoolmarming she and Gilbert continue to study at home. As she says: “I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe that the best does”. And thus, through a serious of circumstances, some fortuitous, some tragic, Anne’s next bend in the road leads to her planning to attend Redmond.

Anne of the Island depicts Anne’s transformation during her four years at Redmond into a captivating and smart young woman. Anne deems her happiness is complete when she and a 3 friends rent a quaint little house named Patty’s Place during their second year. During her college years,  Anne receives a number of proposals (including one from Gilbert) of which most are very far removed from the romantic ideals she had as a young girl and making her question her own idea of what love is. And yet, the grown-up world looms ahead and Anne will feel both the joys and sorrows of life. At one point in the book she contemplates: “She … longed greatly to go back to those dear merry days when life was seen through a rosy mist of hope and illusion, and possessed an indefinable something that had passed away forever. Where was it now– the glory and the dream?” Yet Anne is not one to dwell on her troubles, and as promised in her youth, learns from her mistakes.

Montgomery’s prose will most certainly not be for all, but if you would like a beautiful, uncomplicated read filled with youthful adventure, enchanting descriptions of places and truthful depictions of human nature, then I’m sure you too will find that you and Anne are ‘kindred spirits’.

The Wolf

History sometimes unveils surprising stories in which the truth of its exploits is doubted and the victors are able to, and usually will, rewrite it to suit their purpose. One of the misplaced tales from WWI is the adventures of the German raider SMS Wolf and its 64, 000 mile journey across the world’s oceans.

The Wolf (Richard Guilliatt & Peter Hohnen) tells the remarkable tale of the commerce raider by the same name. Under the command of Kapitän Karl Nerger, the Wolf’s 350 strong crew – including two pilots to operate the seaplane Wolfchen, were tasked with laying mines at targeted seaports and disrupting the supplies of the Allies when opportunity arose and in so doing, was also part of the only direct attack on Australia and New Zealand during WW I. While they completed these tasks with typical German efficiency, what makes their journey more remarkable is that they not only avoided capture by the world’s best navies, but stayed at sea for 444 days, taking what supplies and fuel they needed from raiding other ships. Even more astounding is that they captured more than 400 prisoners, including woman and children, with hardly any loss of life. Many of the prisoners attested to their German captors gentlemanly conducted throughout this arduous journey and some unlikely friendships formed between the crew and prisoners. And while Nerger was described as the “loneliest man” aboard, he was able to earn admiration and respect even from those who disliked him.

It’s also no easy task bringing together various eye witness accounts, embellished autobiographies, censored naval reports, and the myths and legends surrounding an event that had a small part in history, and maintaining an objective view throughout, which this book achieves. And while some history books sometimes reach an information overload point, Guilliatt and Hohnen’s book is an easy, quick read and feels more like a well spun narrative than a cumbersome recounting of past events.

NEXT

I enjoy reading Crichton very much as his novels are not only easy to read, but engaging as well. While some may scoff at his work, deriding it for being popular fiction, I always come away from reading his books with the feeling that he has made me question human nature: whether it be what makes us human, or the destructive path that humanity seems hell bent to be on.

The driving force of NEXT (Michael Crichton) is the human genome – and how it can be harvested or genetically engineered to cure a plethora of maladies ranging from drug addition, isolating harmful cells before they become cancerous, or regrowing a limb. However, what if you could create a new species by combining chimp and human DNA or a series of bespoke transgenic pets? What if you can own someone else’s genes? And what if these genes have a genetic trait which could provide a cure for a number of diseases? Would the company who owns these genes have the right to extract them by any means necessary? Crichton explores these themes which presently might seem highly improbable, but may be highly possible in the future.

The plot is fragmented, told in a series of short narratives following various scientists, people and genetically modified animals, but is brought together in the penultimate chapters and provides enough scope for the readers own imagination to fill in the missing pieces. The events within the novel should be taken with a grain of salt and the author uses satire to its fullest throughout and, in doing so, not only tries to show us the possibilities of the positive outcomes of medical research, but also its uglier side. Some people may also get put off by all the medical and scientific terms, but I have also found his explanations easy to  comprehend for a layman such as myself and while I don’t understand all of it, I think I would get it even less if I had to read the actual books he used for his research.

Considering when it was written and what is happening right now, I think it is an excellent warning of the kind of future we could be looking at. And while Crichton is passing judgement, I think that what the book does very well is to get you thinking, and who knows, one day you’ll be prepared for when the inevitable comes.

Whether you see the world as emergent or, deteriorating. We have long known that some people favor innovation and look positively toward the future while others are frightened of change and want to halt innovation. ~ NEXT, Michael Crichton

Nora & Kettle

When J.M. Barrie first captured the words to describe the adventures of a flighty youth, he never could have imagined that over 100 years later his story would still inspire. The beloved tale of Peter Pan has echoed in our collective consciousness, and many writers today continue to use his tale to write their own story. Some do it through adaptation, some through re-tellings and others create a unique story by combining truth and fiction.

Nora & Kettle (Lauren Nicolle Taylor) is set in the early 1950s and is about two young and vastly different protagonists. Nora is a teenager from a wealthy family, whose father is a well-known civil rights lawyer. What is not known about him is that he is violent and abusive. When her mother has a fatal accident, Nora is left alone to defend herself, and her younger sister Frankie, from the man who should be protecting them. After a particularly brutal beating, Nora realises that she must escape or stay and die by her father’s hand.

Kettle and his ‘brother’ Kin are hiding from the law as they are haunted by the past and hunted from an early age because of the way they look. Both are survivors of the internment camps for Japanese Americans during WW II. Their grasp on freedom is tenuous, and their burden of responsibility substantial, as they are also the guardians of the Lost Boys, boys like them who have no one and nowhere else to go. Kettle and Kin earn a living by working at the docks unloading shipping containers, a dangerous job not only because of the physical labour and daring needed, but the permeating animosity towards ‘their kind’ follows them like a menacing shadow.

Nora and Kettle’s lives intertwine unexpectedly and this serendipitous meeting teaches Kettle to remember emotions long forgotten and Nora how to fly.

Taylor is successfully able to elicit a most uncomfortable feeling, raw with its realism, when describing Nora’s father’s abusive actions. Yet while she is able to lay bare the ugliness of life, she also shows the reader the beauty to be found in simple moments. There is also the discovery of various elements from Peter Pan (which brought a smile to my face) which are scattered throughout the story and there are plenty of little gems of sentences which pop up throughout the story that makes you stop to reread them for their unique expression. However, I am unsure if I will be reading the second book in this series for even though I enjoyed the book, it felt to me that I was an outsider, staring into their world through a window, realising that they will never truly let me.

Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain

There is always something wretched when beginning the final book in a trilogy. It’s the end. When enjoying a good book, readers know the euphoria from the discovery that there are two more and that you can continue to immerse yourself within the worlds of the characters you have come to love (or hate) as their story won’t end anytime soon. Until it does. The emotional turmoil is worse than having a single book with the wish that it would have a follow-up as you have invested so much of yourself within the pages of these three books.

Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain (Margaret Irwin) is the final book in the Elizabeth I series. Unlike the previous books, most of the narrative is told from Philip’s, the Prince of Spain, perspective – the uneasy relationship he has with his new sister-in-law and how other world powers view England’s place within the world at that time. As was established earlier within the story, Elizabeth views Philip as a worthy adversary – one equal to herself. The dialogue between the two characters clearly reflects this not only through their intriguing interactions, but Elizabeth’s knowledge that her life is in Philip’s hands and one wrong word on her part could lead to her demise. This problem is perpetuated when Philip makes it known that he is attracted to her and makes the proposition for Elizabeth to become his lover, then mistress, and eventual wife. However, two obstacles remain; the current Queen of England – Mary, utterly in love with her new husband, madly devoted to him and the prospect of bearing an heir to the throne, and Elizabeth’s Protestant faith. As if the intrigues at court were not enough, Mary has allowed Cardinal Reginald Pole to return to England. Not only was there once plans to marry Reginald and Mary, but he is the last Plantagenet (and could be viewed by an already fractured country as the true heir to the English throne). And through it all, young Bess must be sure to tread lightly, act the part of dutiful servant to the current Queen, and continue to hope and dream of freedom for herself and the people of England.

While readers may have favourites, Irwin does not pass judgement and makes sure that each character is portrayed in depth, motivated by their beliefs and what they think is right. The numerous complexities and well written dialogue between characters and the exposition of their thoughts will also one day entice me to re-read the trilogy. My only wish is that she had continued chronicling the life of one of England’s greatest monarchs and that there were more books to read in the Elizabeth I series.

Elizabeth, Captive Princess

Stories often have the ability to captivate our imagination. Sometimes, a beloved book may lure us back time and again to rediscover the secrets between its pages.  And stories, which have been told for generations, are part of the fuel for setting our imaginations alight. Some stories even have the ability to make us doubt the outcome of its ending, forcing us to ask questions we already know the answers to, yet leading us to doubt the knowledge of our own minds.

Elizabeth, Captive Princess (Margaret Irwin) is the second book in the Elizabeth Trilogy and centres around some of the major events that led to Elizabeth’s eventual succession to the throne. The death of Edward VI leads to a tumultuous time, echoing the threatening chaos of the War of the Roses. Young Lady Jane Grey, against her will, is thrust upon the throne by the Duke of Northumberland and the jubilant shouts of ‘Long live the Queen’ has not yet finished resounding through the realm before the ‘Nine Days Queen’ is replaced by Mary Tudor. Mary, regarded by others (and herself) as an old maid, surprise all by winning the hearts of the people – albeit for a short time – and enters London triumphant as the new monarch, ready to embrace and enforce the old religious views. Her past haunts her, influencing the choices she will make, particularly regarding her half-sister. While Elizabeth lives, her hold on the English crown is questionable and the whispers to secure it are growing ever louder. And so, until Mary has made up her mind, Elisabeth is sent to the Tower of London. Irwin depicts Elisabeth’s time in the Tower masterfully – her fear and hope, urging you to continue reading to find out whether the Princess will indeed make it out alive or if, like her mother, she will be lead to the executioners block. Prince Philip of Spain, Queen Mary’s intended, has also yet to set foot on English soil and all the while a rebellion is brewing – one which intends to usurp its new Queen and place the crown on ‘Old Harry’s Own’, a blazing, red haired, bastard daughter of twenty.

While, as with her first book, Irwin’s research secretly slips into this compelling tale in which truth and fiction become one, this second book seems a little short and various aspects could have been explored further. However, it is still an enjoyable read and entices the reader to immediately pick up the third novel in this series.