Lost Gospels

Lost Gospels / Lorri Neilsen Glenn
London, ON: Brick Books, c2010.
112 p.


I received this volume of poetry from the publisher, Brick Books (thanks, BB!) What a treat it was. I hadn't heard of this poet previously, too bad for me, as this was a wonderful read.

Lorri Neilsen Glenn has one attribute that automatically made me want to read her work. She is from the Prairies. ;) And, something that will interest many of you, in her day job she researches literacy. She was the Poet Laureate of Halifax (where she lives now) from 2005-2009.

All this to say that this is a marvellous collection well worth anyone's reading time. It is divided into sections, each containing a few poems, or a longer cycle. The central section is called "Songs for Simone" and is addressed to French philosopher Simone Weil. It is a fascinating approach. Each of the poems takes a moment or a physical object -- lilies, history, war, trees, cemeteries, a dress -- and makes it into a deep, meaning-filled image. I found them all moving, in different ways. Glenn's facility with language and with all the other poems, songs, philosophies she refers to in her work make each piece resound with deep currents of meaning. The title of the whole work, Lost Gospels, reflects the intersection of history, nature and philosophy as Glenn reveals the divinity in human life and our natural world. Looking back at her childhood and at images of both numinous beauty and existential despair, as well as her interplay with the words of the mystic Simone Weil, show an interest in the place of God, of spirituality itself, in our lives and human existence itself.

I read this volume bit by bit, one section at a time, and went back to reread them out of sequence once I'd read the entire book. I can't explain why it gripped me so intensely, but I do know that I felt all these poems, understood and was moved by the images and the language. The natural world plays a large part in this work, and perhaps that is what resonated deeply with me. I will share one of the poems from the section entitled "Just So You Know" (by permission of the author & publisher) -- I loved this one so much that I have copied it out to pin up above my desk. So here is "Dusk", by Lorri Neilsen Glenn, from the highly recommended collection Lost Gospels.

Dusk

is such a ragged time. The shirred day loosened from the line we strung
across the reach of morning, when a bird called out its signature, its signature,
and we opened to the hours ahead, settling in to carve again a pure
clear shape around each thought and plan, an offering, a duty done,
a passage read, or one more step or image caught or lesson learned or heart
set right, but sundown pulls along its arc the last descending string of light,
leaves us with minutes in our hands, frayed recollections, wild release,
the folly of ambitious plans we trade for rest and abject peace.

A Reckless Moon

A Reckless Moon / Dianne Warren

Vancouver: Raincoast, c2002.

237 p.

This is the final book I read for the Canadian Book Challenge, and it just squeaked in under the wire for inclusion this year! It is a collection of short stories by the author of one of my favourite books so far this year, Cool Water.

It was an excellent read, with seven stories that are all distinct. I enjoy Warren's writing, the way she exhibits traits of each individual, and the way the stories aren't 'about' something, the way they aren't neatly tied up at the conclusion into some kind of lesson. They are open ended and yet endlessly intriguing.

I can't go into each story or this review would run into hundreds of words... so I'll just talk a little about my favourites.

The Bone Garden is a story of two teenagers, disaffected and parted when the girl Carmen, has to go to Saskatoon with her family for her brother's soccer tournament. Moe, her boyfriend, feels compelled to see her and ends up stealing a car belonging to Daisy, a social worker, who tracks him down. These three characters intersect and we learn more about each of their lives, even while poor Carmen is left alone in the hotel and goes for a walk. She experiences a very strange hotel, full of a garden with a stream and a revolving restaurant and a tearoom. (this hotel has shades of one I know of in Saskatoon so it isn't all that far fetched, just a little exaggerated perhaps!) Carmen finds that she isn't necessarily the troublemaker in all situations, and the surreal nature of the hotel makes the events of the story perfectly plausible. Moe and Daisy both appear in the end, having tracked her down, right after she has jumped into the pool fully dressed. There is no judgement given, just the thoughts of Daisy and of Carmen's mother as they see what is happening. When I first started the story I wasn't too taken by it, and skipped it to go back to later. But I couldn't get the characters out of my mind, and I ended up really liking it.

The title story reminds me of Cool Water in a way -- there are horses and family disagreements involved. Warren's characters draw you in even if they aren't obviously appealing. They are drawn so fully that each feels real, even those who aren't the main focus of the story. I love the background she adds in so gradually, and the twists at the endings of her stories. Perhaps I enjoyed this one particularly as they pass through my hometown on their road trip, and the roads they are travelling were all too familiar.

In any case, each of the stories in this book stand alone as a separate reading experience. My least favourite was Tuxedo, a story of a girl whose best friend's father (a doctor)has been charged with sexual improprieties. She knows only too well that he is guilty, but can not say anything. Although I say this was my least favourite, it is just a matter of degrees, as I found every story in this collection well done and satisfying reading.

Definitely worth reading if you are in the mood for some good short stories. And don't forget Cool Water if you are in the mood for a wonderful novel.

Jocelyn's Folly

Folly / Marthe Jocelyn
Toronto: Tundra, c2010.
256 p.

Folly, the latest teen novel by local-to-me author Marthe Jocelyn, is an historical novel set in late Victorian England. It is inspired by Jocelyn's family history: her grandfather, known to the family as an orphan, turned out to be a foundling -- upon research, she discovered the name and family situation of her great-grandmother. This inspired a tale of a young woman caught up in circumstances which end up forcing her to give up her young infant son to Coram's Foundling Home, and then about what happened to him there.

I'm not a huge reader of historical novels, so was pleased to find this an absorbing and atmospheric read. I like Jocelyn's style (other favourites of hers are Earthly Astonishments and Mable Riley) and so was sure that this book would be a great read, and was very correct in that guess.

The style is straightforward; we meet young Mary early on, and her voice as a young girl being sent out to service is blunt and believable. She is a young teen when her mother dies and she takes over caring for her siblings. Her father decides to marry again, however, and the stepmother is not overly fond of Mary. From a loving childhood she moves into a cold and difficult adolescence and then is expected to go out to work.We see how she could have easily fallen victim to the blandishments of a handsome young man, and have ended up with a son whom she loved but could not care for. Her story is told in the first person, and her speaking voice is captivating.

Her chapters are interspersed with third person chapters focused on her unusually clever son who is growing up in Coram's foundling home. These chapters paint a clear picture of what these children went through; being nursed in foster homes until the age of 6 when they were ripped away from what they thought of as their families and sent back to the home for schooling. The essential loneliness of such a life comes through, but James is a survivor and finds what he needs through a steady love for his distant foster mother and an attachment to Oliver, a kindly young schoolmaster.

There are also brief chapters throughout (in third person as well) from the perspectives of Oliver and of Eliza, a maid Mary works with who is jealous of her charms and their appeal to the man Eliza has her eye on, a situation which leads to Mary's eventual troubles.

Both stories come together near the end when a new nurse with a kindly eye for young James appears at the school. She and Oliver are James' supports as he struggles to make a life for himself, and there is a hint of potential romance between these two adults. However, the story does not lazily conclude with the easy, sentimental scenario which it very well could have. It recognizes the complexity of love and of family feeling, and the social conditions within which all the characters move, and concludes with a satisfying, believable and hopeful situation.
I don't want to say too much for fear of ruining the plot and the reading experience. I will say it is an engaging read which I sped through, and the setting and voice of each of the characters is clear and individual. Historical novel fans will love it.

If you want to learn more about Coram's Foundling Hospital, try reading A Home for Foundlings, also written by Marthe Jocelyn.

Other opinions:

Passionate Booklover calls it "a gripping tale that left me longing for more".

Lavender Lines says "I stayed entranced with her story. Love, lust, longing, deceit, envy. This book has it all."

Emily at Emily's Reading Room states "Marthe Jocelyn has created a masterpiece of historical fiction that I will not soon forget."

José Saramago, 1922-2010

News today that José Saramago, renowned Portuguese author, has died at 87. His work was acknowledged with a richly deserved Nobel Prize in 1998.

I am greatly saddened by this news. I loved his books; they were such immersive reading experiences that I can remember my exact surroundings as I read each one. I recall that I read Baltasar & Blimunda in a small paperback (my first Saramago) while on a long-distance bus trip. When I think about it I can even recall the scenery that I saw as I looked up from the book. I remember The Cave (a favourite) as I read late into the night, despite having to work in the morning. And, I suppose fortunately, I haven't read all of Saramago's earlier work so I have something to pick up now, in memory of the great writer who has left the world a legacy of deep, original thought, told beautifully.

Healing Spaces

Healing Spaces / Esther Sternberg
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, c2009.
352 p.

This was a fascinating and informative read, one that I really enjoyed. I've been in the mood for nonfiction over the past few weeks, and have found some wonderful books. This was the first one in my winning streak of enthralling nonfiction.

This book explores various facets of what makes a space more comfortable, more healing. Sternberg begins with a look at architecture itself, referencing a classic study which showed patients in hospital rooms with a view of nature healed more quickly than those who had no outside view. She doesn't stop at a discussion of architecture, however; she goes on to discuss all our senses and how our surrounding affect each. There are wonderful tidbits in each chapter, such as the fact that identical twins have the same scent (sniffer dogs can't tell them apart).

There is also a chapter on mazes and labyrinths, a particular interest of mine, and a reason this book caught my eye in the first place. She discusses the health benefits involved in walking a labyrinth, and shows that this is an accepted belief in the medical world by virtue of the fact that major medical centres have created labyrinths for their staff and patients to walk.

The final chapters cover topics such as healing thought and prayer, the design of hospitals, cities, and gardens, and the interplay of healing and hormones. Very intriguing facts, stories and interviews complete the book, illuminating many areas of the healing potential of our surroundings.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. There was a lot of really fascinating information, and the subject is explored fully. However, it wasn't perfect; the discussion did feel a bit dry and wandering at times, and there isn't a sense of a reasoned argument and conclusion in favour of a particular kind of 'space' being more healing than another. Also, a simple tic of the author's began to drive me nuts about halfway through -- for some reason, every time she introduced a person who she'd interviewed or who was expert in the area she was discussing, Sternberg would describe their physical appearance before anything else. A few too many "tall woman with short curly blond hair and a ready smile" kind of statements and I was skipping most of those descriptions. But, quite a minor complaint for a book I found illuminating, and useful in discussions of everyday things like how to arrange the living room, or what kind of public space would be most beneficial for, say, a new library.

If you are up for a bit of an academic read with many rewards for sticking with it, try this book. If nothing else, you will discover lots of fun facts with which to dazzle people in conversation!

20 Under 40 or 10 over 80?

The New York Times has recently released its "20 under 40" list of hot young writers. I looked at the list, and I like many of the authors they've chosen. However, the whole idea of a list like this bothers me; it feels like once again celebrating youth, new things, and the idea of celebrity rather than years of hard work and the evidence of an oeuvre of excellent novels created by career authors.


In response, Ward Six has created a list of "10 over 80". On that list there are many excellent authors who I can certainly see as writers to celebrate. (hurrah for Beverly Cleary & Ralph S. Mouse!) It made me think, you could really create any kind of list of this type, couldn't you? 20 over 50, 10 under 100, really endless possibilities here, not even getting into gender or ethnicity -- that could cause an exponential growth in your pool of choices!


Anyhow, I enjoyed the "10 over 80" list but it missed out some of my own faves, so I'm going to share my own list (with a variation to suit me) -- so here is my own list of favourites...

15 Over 75

1. Penelope Lively (b. March 17, 1933)

English author of 16 novels for adults, numerous nonfiction, short stories and children's books. I love her work!

2. José Saramago (b. Nov. 16, 1922)

Portuguese genius who has written 28 books (at least half translated into English) plus he's kept a blog recently.

3. Alice Munro (b. July 10, 1931)

Canadian master of the short story. Necessary reading for all.

4. Ray Bradbury (b. Aug 22, 1920)

American short story, science fiction, Fahrenheit 451 -- how can you not love him? He is my superhero of writing.

5. Barbara Mertz/Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels (b. Sept. 29, 1927)

American writer who has tons of fabulous non-fiction, mysteries, and romantic suspense.

6. Virgil Burnett (b. 1928)

A personal friend who is best known as an artist, sculptor and illustrator. He has written short story collections and novels (including my favourite, Towers at the Edge of a World.) He's also penned a memoir. (American born but Canadian by residence.)

7. Maya Angelou (b. April 4, 1928)

American poet, author of inspirational work and children's books -- amazing woman.

8. Mavis Gallant (b. Aug. 11, 1922)

Canadian novelist and short story writer who has lived in France for many, many years. She is such a strong writer and a strong woman.

9. Edna O'Brien (b. Dec. 15, 1930)

Irish writer of novels, plays, and biographies. Still going strong with her latest, a biography of Lord Byron.

10. Gabriel Garcia Marquez (b. March 6, 1927)

Colombian author and master of magic realism. I loved One Hundred Years of Solitude.

11. Joan Clark (b. Oct. 12, 1934)

Canadian writer from Atlantic Canada. Has written children's books and a few adult novels as well. I loved her adult novel Latitudes of Melt.

12. Don Coles (b. Apr. 12, 1928)

Fabulous Canadian poet who has at least 10 collections, he wrote one novel called Dr. Bloom's Story which I loved!

13. Antonine Maillet (b. May 10, 1929)

Acadian (French Canadian from Atlantic Canada) writer of plays, novels and academic writing. Very unique reading!

14. Josef Skvorecky (b. Sept. 27, 1924)

Czech writer who has lived most of his life in Canada, he's written novels and mysteries, most of which are available in English.

15. Thomas Keneally (b. Oct. 7, 1935)

Australian author of many, many novels; best known for Schindler's Ark but I read and really enjoyed Victim of the Aurora.