I bought this book over two and half years ago while visiting the Dublin Writers Museum because of course I had to leave with at least one book by an Irish author, and Joyce is scary (I also participated in a Literary Pub Crawl of Dublin during that vacation though I think I preferred the one I did in Edinburgh). Anyway, for some reason I never quite got around to reading any of the books I bought on that trip, and I’m trying to both […]
Jen K’s Review #8: The Secret Keeper
This is the fourth novel available by Kate Morton, and as far as I’m tracking, I’m now completely caught up on her writing. While this novel displayed many of the same engaging plot twists, and secrets buried in the past, I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as some of her previous efforts, though it was still an enjoyable and engaging read – especially towards the end. Full review.
Jen K’s Review #7: The Rhythm of Memory
Given how much I enjoyed Richman’s novel The Lost Wife, there really was no way I was going to pass this up when I found it for $3.99 in a bargain bin. Like her other novel, she plays with timelines, basically using the novel’s modern day of 1998 to frame the story. However, she starts the novel with a teaser, Salome’s release from prison in 1974 where she has been held to punish her husband for speaking out against Pinochet’s regime in Chile. Full review.
The Players and the Played
Morality Play is another jewelbox novel – sparse, elegant, compact. There is a simplicity and a brevity to the story – it takes place over two weeks – that could feel insufficient, but doesn’t. This could be a longer book, but the sketchbook quality of it fits the time and story. The story is that of a young medieval priest, not without sin, and fairly self-aware. He’s a wanderer, restless and hungry, who stumbles upon a scene of death. A band of players in the […]
Anotterchaos #2: Dollars to Duchesses
Supposedly the book that inspired Julian Fellowes to create the character of Cora, Countess of Grantham, this book explores the late 19th/early 20th century phenomenon of American women taking their fortunes to England to husband-hunt. An interesting, if not riveting, read.
The Servant Problem at Historic House Museums
In an attempt to get back to the full cannonball this year, I am including books I read for work. With that, I bring you Interpreting Servants’ Lives at Historic House Museums by Jennifer Pustz. This book grew out of Ms. Pustz’s dissertation and seeks to understand when, why and how domestic staff and servants are being interpreted in the Historic House museum field, and how museum professionals can expand their current offerings to offer a wider, and hopefully more accurate, view of the lives […]