The Jewel Box by Anna Davis Sunday, Sep 13 2009

The Jewel Box by Anna Davis

Yes, I finally finished a book! After reading her The Shoe Queen I knew, sort of, what to expect. I liked her style in The Shoe Queen, and I liked the world where the events took place. Where The Shoe Queen was set in the bohemian Paris of the 20’s, The Jewel Box took across the canal to the roaming London in the third decade of the 20th century.

Davis paints a picture of London in the 20’s to us with a vivid brush. The flapper world is present in this even more than it was in the previous book. The one problem I had with The Shoe Queen, the almost too elaborate details of the outfits, were corrected for this book. The story was painted for the reader but the details were not revelled in too much. The picture was complete, or maybe my knowledge of the era was more developed, but more trusting to the reader to see for themselves.

The story’s that of Grace, the original flapper, who is fighting for the rights of the women in her own way, while never really feeling up to task with her suffragette mother still at home, actively supporting the cause. Beautiful, fascinating and bold, Grace goes about town, dancing, drinking and dashing, only to write about the flapper life in her column at the Herald under the pen name Diamond Sharp.

The story of Grace takes place in pairs. Just like there’s two earrings in a jewel box, you need two people to dance the Charleston, and it takes two to a love affair. While we’re following Grace, we’re also introduced to her sister, Nancy. Equal in beauty, but nice to Grace’s naughty. There are two men, John and O’Connell, who both capture the attention, and attraction, of Grace. There are two stories, one taking place in the 1927, one for the years preceding that. Through these twosomes Davis spins before us a story about love, honesty, strength and gin. Especially gin.

But like in a jewel box, there’s always the mismatched. The earring whose pair is missing, the broken necklace or the brooch with a clasp that no longer works. These odd things show up for Grace as well, and to all those in her life, creating unbalance, breaking the symmetry. It is how the characters react to those asymmetries that keep us reading on, page after page.

Unfortunately, Davis chickens out at the end. The symmetry is restored, the broken pin tossed away. Only pairs are allowed in this jewel box.

Shame. It’s usually the mismatched that keep things interesting.

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Some updating, both you and me Thursday, Jul 9 2009

Okay, so I’ve been away. On the Boat Week. Which was amazingly fun, thank you for asking. I managed to avoid burning, mostly by layering SPF50-billion and long sleeved clothes. I did get some sun, so now I’m all freckled again. Which is all good and well, I like them. BF is all tanned and gorgeous, which really isn’t fair. He was having a blast, and got along great with everyone, btw. I have to admit I was a bit worried. Not because I didn’t trust him getting along with my friends, he’s one of those annoying people who get along with everyone! But because we have a very tight group, we’re mostly known each other since we were 6, so it’s really hard for someone new to come into the mix. Especially someone who doesn’t speak French. But he’s learning!

I took a beating in our Scrabble game, by the way. My French vocabulary is diminishing, it seems. Need to pick up some books in French from now on, as well as fashion magazines.

Speaking of fashion, my Boat Week was cut by a very welcome interruption. I’m currently writing this at my own desk, back in Paris, after taking in some of the Couture shows for fall. Once again, I walked out of Jean Paul Gaultier show with a long list of “I want that!” We’ll have to see. There were a few changes I’d like, and stuff, but… I love his stuff, everyone knows that! You can always trust JP to make something that’s at the same time “wow” and somehow so very “me”.

I’ve been streamlining my closet this past spring and early summer. Seriously. I’ve noticed that what with all the house-hopping, being in Finland, France, couple of places in States, I’ve reverted to the American style of wardrobe. And that’s no good. Most importantly, that’s not me. So, streamlining. Which is something I must remember when checking out the fall shows, and deciding what, if any, I’m getting this fall. (I didn’t make it to the Chanel show, but luckily I’m able to catch up with what they had later today.)

It’s time for me to return to my roots, and to the cornerstones of my wardrobe. Having, using, and buying only things I can honestly say I love with a passion. Things I can say I’ll wear 5 years from now. Because that’s always been my thing. I just got lost, together with everyone else, to this buying frenzy of funny little things and chic little pick-me-ups. (Okay, the lace-and-tulle over-the-knee lace-up stiletto heel boots by Sergio Rossi were a justified buy. If for no other reason, than how much BF loves those!)

But that’s all about fashion. Maybe I’ll make a more detailed post later on about it, should anyone care. There was something else I though about… Wonder what it was…

Oh, yes! In my current “I’m loving the Armed Forces” thing, that was started by the HBO mini series Generation Kill, and carried further by the actual book Generation Kill by Evan Wright, I have been immersing myself to the culture of military. It’s really quite fascinating! The bonds that are formed and the comrade that’s evident is quite special. Also, the philosophical yet practical approach these guys have towards things like life and death, war and love and family, is truly intriguing. I’ll write more about my feelings regarding Generation Kill in my review-of-sorts, once I get there, but for now, let’s just say you should all read it. Seriously. Another thing that’s been interesting to see is the way these more recent wars, like Iraq, Afghanistan and to an extent Vietnam, are treated so differently as stories from WWII and other earlier wars. It’s hard to believe that war’s any different, regardless of the time, and yet the image that gets portrayed makes it seem like the actual battle has changed considerably. But then again, what do I know, I’ve never been in any war, I’ve never served in military. Which in turns makes it an even more interesting read.

I was recommended a book called Of Arms and Men by Robert L O’Connell, about how the development of guns and technology has changed not only the wars we fight in but the society. It seems really interesting, so I might have to check that out.

The Boat Week managed to get me back to books again. I was, once again, in a bit of a reading funk, but all that lounging on the deck made me pick up a book and get lost in a story. After all, it’s not like I was going to swim! So… I’m back! Interestingly, I’ve been feeling my old interest to philosophy return, which is great. I’ve missed that. Also, after an embarrassingly long spout of “I can’t really be bothered”, I’m into contemporary issues again. Politics, culture, society. I want to know. And with that, always comes my thirst for history. Which in turn might have been flared up also by the military things I’ve read, as there’s always references to history when you’re talking about war. So all in all, I’m feeling like actually activating my brain again, after a long period of “handbag shopping counts as a sociopolitical and cultural statement, right?”. In the words of J, “the Brain is back”. This should be fun.

Now I have to go, I have an appointment before lunch.

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Books, at last! Saturday, Jun 20 2009

I’m finally getting around to updating my book lists and challenges. I’ve been in a reading funk for quite some time now, and am only just getting back into the rhythm. So… stay tuned!

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Things I learned today… Thursday, May 14 2009

… when walking around town.

1) Black tights (we’re talking less than 40den here) don’t hide the fact that you haven’t shaved your legs since December office Christmas party.

2) The talent of smelling rain half a day in advance is creepy. (I can.)

3) I cannot be trusted to go into a yarn store “just to look”. But I can come out of one without any new yarn. I was proud of myself. Ski Guy, not so.

4) That I can be simultaneously fascinated, disgusted, horrified, amazed and broke-hearted about one thing. (I’m reading about Katrina and New Orleans, you see.)

Just to name a few.

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Two books in one go Wednesday, Mar 11 2009

My fluff-read The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn

Blurb: At the age of ten, Miss Miranda Cheever showed no signs of ever becoming a Great Beauty. Her hair was lamentably brown, her eyes the same muddy colour, and her legs, which were uncommonly long, refused to learn anything which might remotely be called grace.

Only, in 1811, the nineteen-year-old Viscount Turner – eldest brother of Miranda’s closest friend – had kissed the hand of an awkward ten-year-old girl and promised her that one day she’d be as beautiful as she was clever.

Now, eight years later, Miranda is a grown woman, and Turner an embittered widower. But she has never forgotten his kindness. Indeed it is only in her diary that she confides the truth: she has never stopped loving Turner, and she has never stopped hoping that one day he will see her as more than a naïve girl.

Opinion: Okay, so this is a) complete fluff, b) highly predictable and c) not even remotely realistic given the time it’s set in. But, and here’s the kicker, it’s funny! The ugly duckling angle was detached and sort of glued-on, totally unnecessary. The ending was mushy to a degree of making me need some insulin. You could see the twists and turns of the story miles away. But, all that can be forgiven. It’s chick-lit, it’s fluff, after all. The crucial thing is, is it funny? And Quinn does funny. Very well! So, while I knew how the story would end, while I read this like I’d read it before, it kept me up till 4am. Because I wanted to see what line would make me laugh next. Qinn’s characters are modern (more room for jokes, you see?) and slightly one-dimensional, but in a good way. I wanted to know the story of Olivia, Miranda’s best friend and later sister-in-law (come on! I’m not really giving away a plot development you didn’t see coming, now am I??? Exactly!), which to me is always a good sign.

7/10, as I can’t really overlook the poor plot and so on.

The Collection by Gioia Diliberto

Blurb: Isabelle Varlet, charming and naïve, comes from a long line of seamstresses in a small town in France. A series of unfortunate events and her prodigious sartorial talent carry her to Paris, which in the wake of World War I is electric with new life. When Isabelle takes a job in the atelier of Coco Chanel, she finds herself in the heart of a glamorous and ruthless world filled with arrogant designers, handsome men, beautiful women, and fashion thieves who prowl Paris hoping to steal designs before they hit the runways. As Isabelle brings an exquisite dress to life for Chanel’s fall collection, she navigates the tempestuous moods of the couturière, the cutthroat antics of her fellow workers, and her own search for love.

Opinion: I read this before the Quinn-fluff. And it’s really quite the opposite. I didn’t like the style of writing on this one, it failed to engage me. I didn’t feel for the characters, I didn’t feel I was there. But the story itself was good. And of course, there’s Coco. It was fun reading this, and remembering all those stories I’d heard from grand-mère about her. It was a credible story, it was interesting, it was fluent. The writing, however, was a major turn-off, and only the good bones of the story kept me form tossing the book early. I was disappointed, I have to tell y’a.

6/10 (do note that the criteria is different than for the book above!)

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L’éducation d’une fée by Didier van Cauwelaert Thursday, Mar 5 2009

L’éducation d’une fée by Didier van Cauwelaert

I finished this story as I was coming off a reading funk I’ve been in lately. It seems French literature is just the thing for those situations… Go figure. I’m really really happy H gave me this, though.

L’éducation d’une fée is a beautiful story about love and the pain of loving someone. And of fairies. Fairies that can be trained to make your wishes come true. Van Cauwelaert has a eloquent yet raw style and makes the most mundane seems beautiful in its imperfections. He draws you in with precise yet lyrical story-telling where you at the same time think you know where the story’s heading, yet don’t really know for sure. Kind of like in life. You know where you’re heading, but have no clue whether you ever get there or if you end up someplace completely different. Love is not perfect. Nor is life. It doesn’t make it any less beautiful, according to van Cauwelaert.

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Richistan by Robert Frank Wednesday, Jan 28 2009

Richistan; A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich by Robert Frank.

It was interesting and funny. I loved how Frank didn’t take a condemning stance and go “why should all these people have all this money when there’s so much suffering and poverty” while still highlighting the gap between the rich and, well, really, everybody else. Frank covered the issue and the lives of the rich from several angles, focusing on the fast way to both make and lose the money, on the problem of “keeping up” with your peers, the difficulties of managing that money, on philanthropy and political involvement, on the next generation. The one focus I felt was left between the lines was the Old vs. New Money, but that was more my own issue than Frank’s, as the book was about the New Money, really.

While it was always funny, it was at times sad reading. I didn’t know whether to feel sorry for the people or laugh at them, to agree with them or applaud them. I felt their pain, and yet wondered about their actions. It was a conflicting read for me personally, as I’m not really one of them, yet face the same issues. The real reason to read this book is the beauty of Frank’s writing. Richistan was sharp and poignant, but never judgemental.

10/10

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The Dressmaker by Elizabeth Birkelund Oberbeck Wednesday, Jan 28 2009

Finished The Dressmaker by Elizabeth Birkelund Oberbeck earlier tonight…

Blurb: Monsieur Claude Reynaud is known throughout France for making fabulous clothes. The most elegant women in Paris regularly undertake the pilgrimage to the cobbled village of Senlis to be charmed by the tailor in his cluttered studio by the century-old apple tree. Claude can take a measurement at a glance, stores everything in his head and fashions each dress by hand. And, despite his ex-wife’s protests, he refuses to be lured by the promise of the Parisian fashion industry. He is too old to change and certainly too old to fall in love: his only passion is his studio.

Then one afternoon, in a cloud of spring blossom, Mademoiselle Valentine de Verlay arrives on Claude’s doorstep. She commissions him to create her wedding dress. But before the first stitch has even been made, Claude realises that for the first time in his life he has fallen passionately in love and, very quickly, the seams of both their lives begin to unravel…

My Opinion: I liked this. The style of writing was different, very selective and yet very exposing. The characters were stripped of their protective layers and presented to the reader in a raw, yet very lyrical way. As for the story, you expect this to turn into your ordinary love story, but you’ll be surprised. First off, it’s not really about two people falling in love. It’s about love. Period. And as you read on, you wonder if there is going to be a happy ending or if the story ends in tears. After you’ve finished the book, the story’s all wrapped up, you’re still left wondering. Not because there’s no ending, but because you can’t quite make up your mind whether it’s a happy or sad one.

Lyrically written story about love, that’ll make you gasp at the use of language, and cry for the characters.

9/10

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Vancouver 2010 Books Tuesday, Jan 13 2009

Okay, so maybe it seems like taking the really easy way out of an Olympic challenge, to do Winter Games instead of Summer, and not only that, but the host countries instead of the participants. But excuse me! the Vancouver Games are next year! And I have a life, you know! So, I’ll take the easy way out as you call it, and do the participant countries after Vancouver. And before the 2014 Games. How’s that? And as I prefer Winter Games above the Summer Games (hello! hockey! and Ski Guy, of course. One must always prefer Ski Guy to no Ski Guy. It’s like a law of nature.) , I’ll do the participant countries of Winter Games.

But that’s a post-Vancouver challenge. This is pre-Vancouver, and it’s about the Winter Games host countries. The list is as follows, with these books as the plan. I’ll list the finished titles that fit the criteria here too.

France: 3 (Chamonix, 1924; Grenoble, 1968; Albertville, 1992)

• L’éducation d’une fée by Didier van Cauwelaert
• Au bonheur des ogres by Daniel Pennac
• Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo

Switzerland: 2 (St. Moritz, 1928 and 1948 )

• Book 1
• Book 2

USA: 4 (Lake Placid, 1932 and 1980; Squaw Valley, 1960; Salt Lake City, 2003)

• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Book 2
• Book 3
• Book 4

Germany: 1 (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1936)

• Book 1

Norway: 2 (Oslo, 1952; Lillehammer, 1994)

• L by Erlend Loe (I’ve started and restarted this for ages, now I promised Ski Guy I’d read this)
• Book 2

Italy 2 (Cortina d’Ampezzo, 1956; Torino, 2006)

• Book 1
• Book 2

Austria: 2 (Innsbruck, 1964 and 1976)

• Book 1
• Book 2

Japan: 2 (Sapporo, 1972; Nagano, 1998 )

• The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa
• Book 2

Bosnia and Herzegovina: 1 (Sarajevo, 1984)

• Book 1

Canada: 2 (Calgary, 1988 and Vancouver, 2010)

• Book 1
• Book 2

Russia (Sochi) has been granted the 2014 Games. This is optional.

• Book 1

For added difficulty, I could try to find books from not only the host country but also from the year of the Olympic Games. Obviously that’d be impossible for Russia, and the second Canadian book would have to be left last, and there’d still be a hurry, but I guess those two could be the exceptions. I’ll try this, but I won’t consider myself tied to this additional rule. I think I’ll try to find some options to go with the years hosted -rule, but if I read something that fits, I’ll go with it. And if I later read something that actually fits the year rule too, I’ll just replace the earlier book.

Okay, so the year-rule is turning out really difficult, so I’ll just drop it.

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The List for Non-Fiction Challenge Tuesday, Jan 13 2009

Okay, so some of the books I’m (possibly) reading this year for my non-fiction challenge. As always, I might end up reading someting else. But this is a good guide, and all these books are in my TBR list, so… But it’s all up to my mood and interests.

• Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
• Richistan by Robert Frank thoughts here
• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
• The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
• Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
• 740 Park by Machael Gross
• Suomen naisen tie by Kaari Utrio
• Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee
• Breach of Faith by Jed Horne

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