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Barb's Bookshelf:
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Gruen and Monroe
by BARB MOORE
“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
Jacob Jankowski is 93 years old, winding down his days at a retirement home, and reminiscing of long ago. Jacob was a veterinary student getting ready to sit for final exams during the first days of the Depression. He undergoes a personal family trauma, withdraws from Cornell University, and joins the circus!
This story is about his adventures, and WOW, did he have adventures. We follow him through his first days on the train, going from town to town, trying to make a few dollars, and trying to fit into his new lifestyle. We meet all the players with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The fact that these adventures took place during such struggling times really enlivens this tale. And, this was also during Prohibition, remember. Sara Gruen's meticulous research gives us so many fine details into circus life: caring for the animals, practicing for the big show, and even the personal relationships between the performers. It's a fascinating account of what life was like, mostly with the circus, but also how individuals dealt with the pervading poverty across the country in those dark days.
“Time is a River” by Mary Alice Monroe
Mia Landon is recovering from breast cancer. Her sister coerces her into a weekend retreat into North Carolina. This retreat is for breast cancer survivors, and is led by Belle Carson, who instructs the group in the art of fly-fishing. Returning to her home in Charleston a day early, her finds her husband in bed with another woman. She flees back to North Carolina, only to find all the women scattered to their own homes. Belle is still there, however, and offers her the small fishing cabin for the summer which was left to her by her grandmother, Kate Watkins. Kate was a famous journalist in the 20's, and is also a just as famous fly fisher. But in nearby Watkins Mill, rumor has it that Kate murdered her lover at that cabin. As Mia gets to know the townspeople and tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Kate Watkins, she also learns to look forward towards the future and the new lease on life that she has been granted. As she mends her wounds and practices the delicate art of fly fishing in the nearby river, Mia also learns about the woman Kate Watkins, through her and her father's fishing diaries, and through Kate's personal diary. Mia found these on the bookshelf in the cabin and over Belle's objections, she delves into the past and speaks frankly to the remaining few folks in the community who knew Kate.
I found this book, as with all Mary Alice Monroe's stories, cuts to the heart of emotions and the complex relationships that we share with our families, communities, and the world around us. Monroe always takes us away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to the calming, quiet back country down South, to refresh and prioritorize our goals in life. This story was especially poignant to me as we are coming upon Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Mia brings front and center all the emotions one goes through in dealing with breast cancer: the good and the bad. I don't know of anyone who has not been touched in some way by this disease, and this tale will certainly heighten our awareness of all it encompasses.
Barb Moore is the assistant manager at Franklin Memorial Library.
Jacob Jankowski is 93 years old, winding down his days at a retirement home, and reminiscing of long ago. Jacob was a veterinary student getting ready to sit for final exams during the first days of the Depression. He undergoes a personal family trauma, withdraws from Cornell University, and joins the circus!
This story is about his adventures, and WOW, did he have adventures. We follow him through his first days on the train, going from town to town, trying to make a few dollars, and trying to fit into his new lifestyle. We meet all the players with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The fact that these adventures took place during such struggling times really enlivens this tale. And, this was also during Prohibition, remember. Sara Gruen's meticulous research gives us so many fine details into circus life: caring for the animals, practicing for the big show, and even the personal relationships between the performers. It's a fascinating account of what life was like, mostly with the circus, but also how individuals dealt with the pervading poverty across the country in those dark days.
“Time is a River” by Mary Alice Monroe
Mia Landon is recovering from breast cancer. Her sister coerces her into a weekend retreat into North Carolina. This retreat is for breast cancer survivors, and is led by Belle Carson, who instructs the group in the art of fly-fishing. Returning to her home in Charleston a day early, her finds her husband in bed with another woman. She flees back to North Carolina, only to find all the women scattered to their own homes. Belle is still there, however, and offers her the small fishing cabin for the summer which was left to her by her grandmother, Kate Watkins. Kate was a famous journalist in the 20's, and is also a just as famous fly fisher. But in nearby Watkins Mill, rumor has it that Kate murdered her lover at that cabin. As Mia gets to know the townspeople and tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Kate Watkins, she also learns to look forward towards the future and the new lease on life that she has been granted. As she mends her wounds and practices the delicate art of fly fishing in the nearby river, Mia also learns about the woman Kate Watkins, through her and her father's fishing diaries, and through Kate's personal diary. Mia found these on the bookshelf in the cabin and over Belle's objections, she delves into the past and speaks frankly to the remaining few folks in the community who knew Kate.
I found this book, as with all Mary Alice Monroe's stories, cuts to the heart of emotions and the complex relationships that we share with our families, communities, and the world around us. Monroe always takes us away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to the calming, quiet back country down South, to refresh and prioritorize our goals in life. This story was especially poignant to me as we are coming upon Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Mia brings front and center all the emotions one goes through in dealing with breast cancer: the good and the bad. I don't know of anyone who has not been touched in some way by this disease, and this tale will certainly heighten our awareness of all it encompasses.
Barb Moore is the assistant manager at Franklin Memorial Library.
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