The Four Million: Review

I've mentioned a few times here on the blog and elsewhere that I'm not really an Americanist. I consider myself a Brit Lit girl and my reading lists and tastes generally give proof of that.  But...I love O. Henry.  I've loved him since reading "The Gift of the Magi" in high school.  I just finished up his short story collection The Four Million and Other Stories and I still love him.  He has such a spare style--and yet he says absolutely everything he needs to say and even manages throw in a lovely little twist at the end of each one.  He is witty and uses puns and other wordplay in his stories.  And all in about 10 pages (or less).  He packs more human interest into his short stories than my last read did into 450 pages.  I'll try to give you a run-down of the 29 stories, but they're so short, it will be difficult to do without giving them away.

"Tobin's Palm": Poor Tobin is down-on-his luck.  His girl was supposed to arrive in America and she's nowhere to be found.  He and his go to Coney Island to cheer themselves up--but he gets in a fight and loses his money.  He pins all his hopes on the predictions of a fortune-teller who tells him good luck will come from a man with a crooked nose....

"The Gift of the Magi": Probably Henry's most celebrated story...about a poor couple who gives everything they can to make their partner's Christmas as special as possible.

"A Cosmopolite in a Cafe":The narrator thinks he's met a true child of the world.  Is he right?

"Between Rounds": Mr. & Mrs. McCaskey are fighting it out with the crockery....when an unexpected bell rings to end the round.  But is it the end of the bout?

"The Skylight Room": A young woman gets pleasure from her skylight view....and little else.

"A Service of Love": "When one loves one's Art no service seems too hard."

"The Coming-out of Maggie":  Some girls will go to any lengths to get a date....

"Man About Town": A man goes looking for the "man about town" and discovers that he's closer then he thinks.

"The Cop & the Anthem": All good things come to those who wait....but sometimes after they're no longer wanted.

"An Adjustment of Nature":  Sometimes nature needs a little help in adjusting...

"Memories of a Yellow Dog": When a dog's life isn't all it's cracked up to be...

"The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein": "Love" potions don't always work the way we plan.

"Mammon & the Archer": A millionaire teaches cupid a trick or two.

"Springtime a la Carte": Love is on the menu.

"The Green Door": Does the green door lead to adventure or romance....or neither?

"From the Cabby's Seat": Should the bride have to pay for her ride?

"An Unfinished Story": Dulcie turns down what seems to be the date of a lifetime.

"The Caliph, Cupid, & the Clock": The "Prince" of the park saves a romance.

"Sisters of the Golden Circle": About a unique bridal gift.

"The Romance of a Busy Broker": Just how busy can the broker be....especially when it comes to his own wedding?

"After Twenty Year": It pays to remember what old pals look like....

"Lost on Dress Parade": Cupid's arrow just misses the target.

"By Courier": A street-wise young man helps the course of "true love."  My favorite!  Love how the boy translates the pretty, high-falutin' speeches of the couple.

"The Furnished Room": This is the saddest of the stories.  I don't see how I can even give you a one-liner without telling you what it's about.  You'll just have to read it for yourself. Very well done.

"The Brief Debut of Tildy": A waitress overshadowed by her beautiful friend has her moment in the sun.

*"The Lotus & the Bottle"

*"The Admiral"

*"Shoes"

*"Ships"

*The last four stories are from the previous collection Cabbages & Kings.  They are all about Honduran characters.  I've found that I don't enjoy them near as much as the stories based in NYC.  O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) had a real feel for the New York of his times and wrote exquisite short stories about the City and its inhabitants.  Four stars.

Quotes:

'Tis easy to be a friend to the prosperous, for it pays; 'tis not hard to be a friend to the poor,f or ye get puffed up by gratitude and have your picture printed standing in front of a tenement with a scuttle of coal and an orphan in each hand. But it strains the art of friendship to be true friend to a born fool.  And that's what I'm doing. ["Tobin's Palm"]

...life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. ["The Gift of the Magi"]

Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. ["The Gift of the Magi"]

Spring was in its heyday, with hay fever  soon to follow. ["Between Rounds"]

 But the chief thing at Cypher's was Milly.  Milly was a waitress....She belonged, largely, to waiting. as Minerva did to the art of scrapping, or Venus to the science of serious flirtation. Pedestalled and in bronze she might have stood with the noblest of her heroic sisters as "Liver-and-Bacon Enlivening the World." ["An Adjustment of Nature"]

 As I said, you're a gentleman.  They say it takes three generations to make one. They're off. Money'll do it as slick as soap grease.  It's made you one. By hokey! it's almost made one of me. I'm nearly as impolite and disagreeable and ill-mannered as these two old knickerbocker gents on each side of me that can't sleep of nights because I bought in between 'em. ["Mammon & the Archer"]

Fancy--fluted and droned in a side street. Around the enchanted boundaries of the little park street cars spat and mewed and the stilted trains roared like tigers and lions prowling for a place to enter. ["The Caliph, Cupid, & the Clock"]

Saturday Snapshot: Memories of Lilies Past

Saturday Snapshot is a meme hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books. All you have to do is "post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mr. Linky on [her] blog. Photos can be old or new, and be of anything as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give is up to you." All she asks is that you don't just post random photos that you find online. (Click pictures for close-up).

 

 

These photos are from August of 2009.  A year when it actually rained enough to bring out the flowers.  My poor lilies got burned up this year...they valiantly tried to bloom, but just weren't up to the heat and dryness.

 

 

My Life in Literature 2012 (so far)

Adam over at Roof Beam Reader has posted a 2012 version of this meme (prompted by Jillian).  I can't resist doing these...so here's my life based on the books I've read so far in 2012.
 
Describe myself: Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
How do I feel: The Morning After Death by Nicholas Blake (headache!)
Describe where I currently live: The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholas
If I could go anywhere, where I would go: Imagined London: A Tour of the World's Greatest Fictional City by Anna Quindlen
My favorite form of transportation: The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö
My best friend(s) is/are: Such Friends Are Dangerous by Walter Tyrer
My friends and I are: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore (and gentlewomen)
What's the weather like: The Golden Scorpion by Sax Rohmer (stinging heat!)
Favorite Time of Day: The Ink Dark Moon trans by Jane Hirshfield w/Mariko Aratani
What is life to you: The Last Escape by E. C. R. Lorac
You fear: The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
What is the best advice you have to give: [Don't give your] Prayers to Broken Stones by Dan Simmons
Thought for the day: The Nine Wrong Answers by John Dickson Carr
How I would like to die: O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor
My soul's present condition: Timeless by Gail Carriger

Friday Memes

Book Beginnings on Friday is a bookish meme now sponsored by Rose City Reader (who originally inspired the meme). Here's what you do: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments section. Include the title and author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you are so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line and if you did or did not like that sentence. Link up each week at Gilion's place.

Here's mine from The Fifth Man by Manning Coles:

He came wavering down the lane in the gathering darkness; to the watchers in the shadow of the holly hedge he seemed to be not without his troubles, for his front light was flickering off and on and every time it failed him he wobbled violently.

Who is he?  Why is he wobbling?  Is he on a bike?

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme sponsored by Freda's Voice. It is really easy to participate. Just grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56. Find a sentence that grabs you and post it.

Here's mine from The Fifth Man by Manning Coles:

The imp in Colemore acclaimed this idea, suggesting that it was magnificent and so outrageous that it would certainly succeed.

I haven't really gotten started on this one yet...but the book of short stories didn't really lend itself to the memes.  I am definitely wondering about things, though.

Theme Thursday: Face

Hosted by Reading Between the Pages

Rules

• A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
• Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
• It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
  

*Link back to Reading Between the Pages

And this week's theme is Face [Features, etc].  Here's mine from "The Gift of the Magi" in The Four Million & Other Stories by O. Henry: 

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of a quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Challenge Complete: Getting Lost in a Comfortable Book

Last summer Gina at Book Dragon's Lair solicited our top five comfort reads--books that we love and could read over and over again. She gathered all those together to make up the Getting Lost in a Comfortable Book Challenge.

The rules were simple:
*Go to her site (click link above).
*Select five books from the list that you've never read before.
*Read them.
*If you like, post reviews about them. But if not, she'd like to hear about why you chose the books you did.

Here are the books I decided to read for the challenge:
1. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (7/18/12)
2. Venetia by Georgette Heyer (4/7/12)
3. The Cat Who Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun (5/22/12)
4. The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman (5/24/12)
5. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (5/4/12)

 

In short, here's what influenced my choices: the Gaskell book had been on my long TBR list for quite a while. I love Georgette Heyer's books (both Regency romance and mysteries) and Venetia is one I haven't gotten to yet.  I originally chose The Spy Wore Red  as my third book because it takes place during WWII, one of my favorite periods. But I had to change to a Lilian Jackson Braun book.  I could have sworn that The Spy Wore Red was available at my library when I made this list.  It is no longer.  The Lipman book just sounded good when I read the synopsis. And Anne of Green Gables was one of those books that it seems like everyone in the world has read but me--I decided to change that.

 

 

North & South: Review

North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell has been on my long Victorian TBR list for quite a while.  But my main reason for picking it up this year was the Getting Lost in a Comfortable Book Challenge hosted by Gina at Book Dragon's Lair.  Somebody (or more than one somebody) out there in Gina's circle considered this book to be one of their top five comfy reads.  A book that they return to again and again.  And since I hadn't read it yet and our directive was to pick five books off the list that we'd never read and give them a test drive...I promptly put it on my list.  I have to say: I just don't get it.  

Not the book.  I get that it's an important book about social concerns of the industrial revolution.  The differences between the mercantile/industrial North and the mixture of the intellectual and rural nature of the South.  The questions of authority and obedience.  But a comfortable book?  Not for me, I'm afraid. (And, I'm quite sure there are those who may not find my choices as cozy as I do...).  I think I'd read all 800 pages of Middlemarch again before tackling a North & South reread. 

I don't find anything comfortable about the class struggles between the mill owners and their workers.  The hardships that both sides face as they try to keep the mills running and keep their families together and fed are very real and very difficult.  I don't find comfort in the characters either.  Margaret Hale is an annoying heroine.  In a time period when women were supposed to be thinking about home and hearth and finding themselves a man, she is "offended" (her word) when two men of her acquaintance make her offers.  She is so shocked by the unexpected proposals that she is at best curt and at her worst rude.  She is stubborn and very self-satisfied in her opinions--and very prickly when Mr. Thornton doesn't agree with her.  Thornton is the more promising character.  He's willing to consider what Margaret says--even when she's being her most stubborn and rude.  And beyond Margaret and Mr. Thornton, the other characters are just kind of.....there.  Dickens is quoted on the back of the Penguin edition as saying: "An admirable story....full of character and power."  If full of character = lots of different characters, then I'm absolutely on board with that statement.  Otherwise, no, I don't think the characters are full of character.

I've seen a lot of comparisons between this book and Austen's Pride & Prejudice.  Austen is the better writer.  She approaches her subjects with humor and gives her characters a zest that is lacking in Gaskell.  Gaskell gives me the feeling of having an IMPORTANT MESSAGE and she doesn't want that to get lost in a lot of appealing characterization and interactions between the characters.  And we certainly wouldn't want any real romance to gum things up.  Thornton spends a great deal of time thinking about Margaret, a few excruciating moments proposing to her, and then there's a lot of frustrating nothing until the final pages.  The best part of the book for me was the first third or so--before the Hales get settled into Milton.  There was a lot of promise in those early chapters that I wish I could say had been fulfilled.

Three stars: for being an "important message book" (I get that, I do), for the promising early chapters, and for the few quotes that I gleaned (especially the "there's nothing like a book" reference).  I'm also making allowance for the fact that I had a preconceived notion that I was settling into a comfy book--and was disappointed.  It's possible that a straight read based on its Victorian classic status might have produced different results.

Quotes:

She had, however, of late settled upon her own health as a source of apprehension; she had a nervous little cough whenever she thought about it; and some complaisant doctor ordered her just what she desired--a winter in Italy. (p. 15)

Of course, as your feelings are so decided, and as the conversation has been so evidently unpleasant to you, it had better not be remembered. That's all very fine in theory, that plan of forgetting whatever is painful, but it will be somewhat difficult for me, at least, to carry it into execution. [Henry Lennox] (p. 31)

But the future must be met, however stern and iron it be. (p. 60)

I dare say, my remark came from the professional feeling of there being nothing like leather. [Mr. Hale--about books; reminding me of my statement that "there is nothing like holding a real book in your hands"] (p. 86)

That's what I call a fine girl....Who would have thought that little hand could have given such a squeeze? Bu the bones were well put together, and that gives immense power.  What a queen she is!...That girl's game to the back-bone. Another, who had gone that deadly colour, could never have come round without either fainting or hysterics. But she wouldn't do either--not she! And the very force of her will brought her round. Such a girl as that would win my heart, if I were thirty years younger. [Dr. Donaldson] (pp. 126-7)

It's Tuesday...Where Are You?

It's the third edition of the recently resurrected It's Tuesday, Where Are You meme sponsored by raidergirl3.  Every Tuesday we can share what we're reading by describing the setting. You can answer in the comments on the It's Tuesday, Where Are You post (click, click, click), you can make your own post on your blog, whatever you like!

This week, I'm visiting Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South of England.  We start out at the comfortable parsonage home of the Hales in Hampshire (the south) and follow them to the industrial town of Milton in the north.  Here is Margaret Hale describing her beloved home (wistfully, since they have had to move):

I loved the home we have left so dearly! I wish you could see it. I cannot tell you half its beauty. There are great trees standing all about it, with their branches stretching long and level, and making a deep shade of rest even at noonday. And yet, though every leaf may seem still there is a continual rushing sound of movement all around--not close at hand. Then sometimes the turf is as soft and fine as velvet; and sometimes quite lush with the perpetual moisture of a little, hidden, tinkling brook near at hand. And then in other parts there are billowy ferns--whole stretches of fern; some in green shadow; some with long streaks of golden sunlight on them--just like the sea.

Teaser Tuesdays

MizB of Should Be Reading hosts Teaser Tuesdays. Anyone can play along. Just do the following:

*Grab your current read.*Open to a random page.
*Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! You don't want to ruin the book for others.

*Share the title and author too, so other TT participants can add it to their TBR lists if they like your teaser.

Here's mine from North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell (p. 31):

Of course, as your feelings are so decided, and as the conversation has been so evidently unpleasant to you, it had better not be remembered. That's all very fine in theory, that plan of forgetting whatever is painful, but it will be somewhat difficult for me, at least, to carry it into execution.

High Summer Read-a-Thon: Starting Line

Michelle from The True Book Addict is hosting her seasonal read-a-thons and the summer one began today and runs through July 22nd.  Her read-a-thons a great because no pressure, no challenges and read as much as you want to.  If you want the details:  She has set up a separate blog for her seasonal read-a-thons so visit and sign up here.

Hoping you join me!!

Bev's Reading List:

1. North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell: begun 7/16 (finisehd 7/18/12) [451 pages]

2. The Four Million & Other Stories by O. Henry: begun 7/18 (finished 7/21/12) [189 pages]

3.The Fifth Man by Manning Coles: begun 7/21/12 (finished 7/21/12) [190 pages

4. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a bookish meme hosted by Book Journey. It's where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It's a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over via the link above and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading.

I'm still playing catch-up from not reading while on vacation.  I've also hit a bit of a slump so it's been up-hill work on every book I've picked up so far--no matter how much I'm liking it.

Books Read (click on titles for review):

File No. 113 by Emile Gaboriau
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
DeKok & Murder on the Menu by A. C. Baantjer
Compartment K by Helen Reilly

Currently Reading:

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell: North and South is a novel about rebellion. Moving from the industrial riots of discontented millworkers through to the unsought passions of a middle-class woman, and from religious crises of conscience to the ethics of naval mutiny, it poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Through the story of Margaret Hale, the middle-class southerner who moves to the northern industrial town of Milton, Gaskell skilfully explores issues of class and gender in the conflict between Margaret's ready sympathy with the workers and her growing attraction to the charismatic mill owner, John Thornton. (from Goodreads)

Books that spark my interest:

The Fifth Man by Manning Coles

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (will actually start this one in August the the Austen in August Reading Event)

Z for Zachariah by Robert C O'Brien

Murder at the Portland Variety by Miriam Zellnik

Crime Fiction Alphabet: Letter I

I have signed up for a second year of The Alphabet in Crime Fiction, a community meme sponsored by Mysteries in Paradise. Each week she'll be expecting participants to produce a post featuring a mystery/crime novel or novelist related to that week's letter. 

Chug, chug, chug, can you hear the wheels of the train as we continue our journey through the Crime Fiction Alphabet.  Next stop--the letter I.  If you are not already familiar with Elizabeth Ironside, then let me introduce you.  Ironside is the pen name of Lady Catherine Manning, wife of Britain's Ambassador to the U.S. (2003-2007).  She was awarded the John Creasey Award for Best First Mystery of 1985 for her debut novel, A Very Private Enterprise, and her fifth and last (till now) novel Death in the Garden was nominated for Britain's CWA Gold Dagger for Best Mystery of 1995.  In 2004, she told an interviewer with The Telegraph that, although she had begun work on a sixth novel, "I have given up on crime for now."  Her busy schedule was interfering with her writing.  That is a shame because I have thoroughly enjoyed both of the mysteries I have read by Ironside so far.  On the positive side, I have three more left--and perhaps she will take up the detective mantle again by the time I finish those.

Judging by the two books by Elizabeth Ironside that I have read so far, she is a very versatile author. The first one I read (last year), Death in the Garden, is a country house murder with a bit of twist.  The murder itself takes place in the 1920s, but the story is framed by the efforts of a great-niece to discover exactly what took place at her aunt's house during those turbulent years. The second novel, A Good Death, is less straight-forward  and set during the time of the French Resistance under Nazi rule.  It is also a bit darker than Garden and more emotionally charged.  In both stories one of the most striking features is the sense of place and time that Ironside evokes. And a major theme in Ironside's books seems to be betrayal--what constitutes betrayal and who is betraying whom?

 

Compartment K: Review

Compartment K by Helen Reilly was a bit of a disappointment to me. That happens when one has a preconceived notion that gets shot down.  The blurb (brief as it is) on the back makes it sound like it's Inspector McKee's investigation.  See?:

Inspector McKee's Mission began as a hunt for a suspect. Routine case--just a few questions. Nothing serious.  But among the small group of passengers he was watching on the luxury train, he was to discover that "routine" can so easily become a homicide case. After all, you can't question a dead man, and McKee had a corpse on his hands. And a dozen questions. And a dozen candidates for the title: Murderer.

McKee is Reilly's primary detective, after all, so one would naturally expect him to be right there on the spot for the entire book.  Except he isn't.  He's not on the train at all.  He's back in New York for most of the novel.  Detective Todhunter (who, if I've met him in one of the other McKee books, I don't remember at all) is on the train and follows the suspect/s into Canada.  Todhunter assists the Canadian police in all the investigations that go on.  Todhunter sends messages and talks on the phone with McKee. Todhunter doesn't really have a a forceful enough personality to take on the role as central detective.  Neither do the Canadian officers.  So, the investigation just sort of meanders its way along through most of the book.  And McKee then shows up live and in person for the last two chapters.  Just in time to put all the clues together and whip a solution out of them.

So...what have we got?  We've got Elizabeth Questing suddenly inviting her family and friends to her lodge up in Canada.  It is anticipated that she has some sort of announcement to make.  But what?  The group includes her estranged sister-in-law, Loretta Pilgrim, and her daughter Candy with husband Daniel; her cousin Rose O'Hara and her fiance Nils; and her friend Colonel Eden.  Also on the train are Elizabeth's man of business, Harry Belding and his wife Gertrude....and a surprise guest: Gil Davidson who also claims to be a distant cousin.   Shadowing all of them is Detective Todhunter whose job it is to see what connection, if any, they might have to the an unknown woman who had been killed in the vicinity of Mrs. Questing's New York home.  Before Todhunter can make much headway on that assignment, murder strikes aboard the train...with Davidson as the victim.  It isn't until the murderer strikes once more--up at the lodge--and many secrets are revealed that enough clues will be gathered to reveal the guilty party.  Stolen jewels, secret marriages, a bit of blackmail, and the fate of the Questing fortune will all play a part in the grand finale.

We also have Rose O'Hara playing the part of the standard heroine in danger.  Rose goes about covering up for her former fiance, Daniel; estranging herself from her current fiance, Nils; seeing motives everywhere and fearing everyone; working herself up into a general state of hysteria repeatedly.....and, quite frankly, being incredibly stupid.  I wanted to shake her several times and tell her to get a grip.  And, of course, she does have to do the "I just remembered something important" bit and then wander off and get herself clobbered.  But--being our central character--she escapes death and lives to help finally identify the culprit.

This was a rather pedestrian offering on the part of Reilly.  Perhaps it was the lack of McKee or perhaps it was the feeling that she had loaded the story with so many of the standard trappings: heroine in danger; surprise relatives; secret marriages; a bit of blackmail; and all that melodramatic suspense (generated by the heroine in danger)--I'm not certain.  But the book definitely felt a little flat and not up to Reilly's usual standard. Two and a half stars.

Austen In August!

Adam over at Roof Beam Reader is hosting a most auspicious event for Janeites everywhere: Austen in August!  Adam is urging us all to dive into those Austen novels we haven't touched yet or reread our favorites. You can even read Austen-related books and reimaginings.  If you sign up (click the link above) by July 31, you will also be eligible for prizes and what-not.  

I already had plans to read Sense & Sensibility this year, so I'm diving in for at least one book.  If I get a case of Jane-itis, then I may go for Mansfield Park as well.  So come and join us as we celebrate Austen next month!

Saturday Snapshot: Before Things Got Dry & Brown

Saturday Snapshot is a meme hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books. All you have to do is "post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mr. Linky on [her] blog. Photos can be old or new, and be of anything as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give is up to you." All she asks is that you don't just post random photos that you find online. (Click pictures for close-up).

 

No, I don't want to look at the camera.

Yeah, I meant it.  No publicity shots today

Here are a few pictures that I got of a blue jay hiding in the green leaves of our maple tree.  This is back before everything got so dry and brown from lack of rain.  Hopefully, the rain today (and all weekend, please!) will green things back up again.