Minnie's Room by Mollie Panter-Downes

I had my husband buy me a copy of Minnie's Room by Mollie Panter-Downes on one of his trips across the pond because I love, love, loved Good Evening, Mrs. Craven. It's one of my all-time favorite short story collections for the way the author was able to plunk you in the midst of wartime England (WWII) and reveal what everyday life was like. So, I had high hopes for Minnie's Room, her collection of postwar short stories.

While the stories themselves could be a little ho-hum, not much to see here (everyday life after the war apparently interests me a lot less than during), Panter-Downes' writing style absolutely blows me away. She had a phenomenal ability to place the reader in a scene, making the characters and their surroundings so vivid that you can practically see the "miniature Gobi" brought in from the seaside, feel the wind, smell the cooking or the wine or the musty dampness.

The title story is actually the only story I fully recall off the top of my head. "Minnie's Room" is about a woman who works in an upper class home but has decided it's time for her to retire and get a small place of her own. What you see in the brief interaction between Minnie and her employer of many years and the family's quiet mumblings is what we now call a sense of entitlement. Minnie has been important to the running of their household, she'll probably be impossible to replace, and they think she should stay. The family feels a bit wounded by her announcement. But, Minnie has a mind of her own. "Minnie's Room" is really kind of a bland story and yet it's also very revealing in a fly-on-the-wall kind of way, like you're eavesdropping on the boss and his wife and daughter.

Recommended but not a favorite - Brilliant writing but possibly not the right book for the moment. While Minnie's Room will not end up in my favorite short story collections, I liked the stories for the author's stunning ability to choose the perfect descriptor and it seems likely that I'll give it a second reading in the future.



©2020 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Mini reviews - They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple, Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler, and Her Other Secret by Helenkay Dimon

They Were Sisters is my first read by Dorothy Whipple, although I have several of her books because they come so highly recommended.

Just as it sounds, They Were Sisters is the story of three sisters, how their lives are shaped by the choices they make (particularly the choice of a spouse), and how the eldest is always the stabilizing force.

I don't know what I expected from a book by Dorothy Whipple but I confess I was a little surprised to find that the book was a bit of a soap opera and yet, in spite of the ups and downs of the characters, there was also something immensely soothing about the fact that Lucy's steadiness, her husband's sense of humor and the fact that they're so perfect for each other, and their idyllic cottage on a larger estate serves as a wonderful anchor for not only the characters but the story itself.

I also found it quite interesting that the males in the family are barely even mentioned. It's a story about women and the men in their immediate circle but Whipple isn't diverted by the larger family unit so much as they are satellites that orbit the women; the women are always at the forefront. In fact, you get the impression that travel was such a hardship at the time it was written that you could say goodbye to a brother who went off to seek his fortune and never see him again, at all, so why mention them once they're out of the picture?

Highly recommended - A fascinating story of the lives of three sisters, how their choices in marriage and childbearing affect their lives in both the short and long term, and the sister who is always there for the other two women and their offspring, whenever they need her. Loved it!

Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler is the story of a woman who has zipped up the proverbial ladder at an advertising agency and now, still young, has got a shot at becoming a partner in the Boston firm. But, she has competition and the one thing her boss has noted that she lacks is Christmas spirit. In order to secure the important account that will clinch her partnership, Haley needs that Christmas spirit. Otherwise, her boss says, it's very unlikely that whatever ad campaign she comes up with will succeed with the company she's targeting.

The fellow she's competing with has buckets of Christmas spirit and Haley tries, but she's just too bent on business. Christmas doesn't even interest her. The boss is firm. She needs to develop some Christmas spirit and he's going to make sure of it by sending her to Christmas Camp, where she'll do normal, Christmasy things and learn about the real joy of the season. Haley is horrified but she wants that partnership, so off she goes. What she finds is a lovely house run by a widower and his handsome son Jeff, who also happens to live in Boston and who is trying to convince his father to sell the house and move near him.

Haley and Jeff get off to a rocky start but there's clearly a spark between Haley and Jeff and they have a good bit in common. Will Haley be able to stick out the entire week of camp or will she get ants in her pants and hustle back to Boston? Will she discover the joy of Christmas? And, if she does, will she come up with the perfect advertising campaign and win the job she desires?

Recommended when you're looking for a fun, romantic, seasonal read - Christmas Camp reads like a Hallmark movie and-- what do you know? --it actually is one. In fact, the movie apparently came first and then Schaler, a screenwriter, was hired to write the book. I was disappointed that I couldn't find the movie for streaming. I liked the book and I'm pretty sure I remember getting a little teary at one point. I'll keep my eye out for the movie and hope I get lucky, next Christmas season.

Her Other Secret by Helenkay Dimon was an unsolicited gift from Avon Books and it sounded intriguing, so I gave it a shot when nothing else was appealing to me. Tessa and Hansen live on Whitaker Island, an island off the coast of Washington (the state) where people go to get a fresh start or just hide out for a time. Tessa has fled a scandal; Hansen won't talk about why he's there.

Tessa and Hansen are on the beach when a mysterious stranger emerges from the water and walks into the woods . . . fully clothed. Tessa suspects something fishy is going on. And, when the man turns up dead and Hansen admits he knows him, Hansen becomes a suspect. What happened to drive Hansen to the island? Why was someone Hansen knows nearby? Who murdered the stranger? And, why can't Hansen and Tessa stay away from each other?

Well, huh, not sure what to say about his one. It didn't work for me but I don't even remember why, so I'm hesitant to give it even a verbal rating. I do remember that I found it overly wordy and confusing. In fact, I was very surprised to find that the author has so many books under her belt. Beyond that, I'm not sure what I disliked about it. I've got the follow-up book (again, sent unsolicited) and I'll give it a shot but I'm not going to stick it out if it doesn't work. However, I think the author deserves a second chance.


©2020 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Catch-up reviews: Zack Delacruz by Jeff Anderson, Three Days in the Country by Patrick Marbur, The Fortnight in Sept. by R. C. Sherriff

Those of you who read my blog regularly or have read it for a long time know that I always take time off during the holidays to be with family. There won't be as much family time, this year. We're not going anywhere and Huzzybuns has used up most of his vacation time. Eldest and his wife and child are bound by their odd work schedules, as is Kiddo, who has just gotten a new job and will only be home for a couple of days. But, I still plan to take a little time off. Till then, I'm going to ditch the usual posts and play catch-up, again. I'm still pondering my goals for 2016.


Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth by Jeff Anderson is a middle reader about a bullied boy who has only one close friend. He goes to an assembly on bullying and later stands up for someone else being bullied without thinking it through. This calls the teacher's attention to Zack and she puts him in charge of chocolate sales to pay for a dance. Then, a classmate who checked out a large amount of chocolate admits she doesn't have the money because she "had an accident" with the chocolate and didn't sell it.

Zack doesn't want to ask his father for money because his father is proud of him, for once, for being in a position of responsibility. When Zack realizes what really happened to the chocolate (highlight to see spoiler: she ate it all), he decides he needs to intervene. But, what can be done to earn the last of the money in time to save the dance?

When I began reading Zack Delacruz, I was overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of puns and didn't have high hopes for the book. However, the story won out in the end. I liked Zack's creativity and found that his voice sounded authentic to me. The author appears to have a pulse on the middle school vibe. It's also worth mentioning that I enjoyed puns at that age; it's only as I've gotten older that they've begun to annoy me, so it seems likely that Zack Delacruz will be a bigger hit with its intended audience than a jaded old thing like myself and I'm giving it a thumbs up.

Three Days in the Country by Patrick Marber (after Turgenev) is a play based loosely upon Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country (which I have not yet read - Turgenev is now on the wish list). We saw Three Days in the Country at the National Theatre in London during our vacation. Click the title to see a YouTube video entitled "Three Days in the Country: Turgenev, unrequited love and comedy" that shows the actors talking about the play. It was brilliantly acted and there were some very funny lines that we wanted to remember (Mark Gatiss mentions our favorite in the video) so we went back to the theatre bookstore to buy a copy of the play, a couple days later.

I read plays and screenplays, on occasion. Sometimes they are every bit as interesting to read as they are to see but there was something absolutely unique and magical about Three Days in the Country on stage that simply couldn't be gleaned from the reading, so I felt myself longing to see it acted out, again, while I was reading the book. The truth of the matter is that the acing was so brilliant that nothing could hold a candle to seeing it. And, yet, there's no doubt there are some wonderful lines:

Natalya:  What do you think of Bolshintsov?

Rakitin:  (thinks a moment) He's a dullard. Meeting him is the same as not meeting him. 

~ from p. 29 of Three Days in the Country

The verdict: I wish this play were available on DVD. But, the written play is definitely entertaining.

The Fortnight in September by R. C. Sherriff is a Persephone book I bought from the store (again, on vacation) and started reading on the flight home. The story of a family's annual trip to the seaside, The Fortnight in September was originally published in 1931 and inspired by the author's observations while he stayed at Bognor Regis, where the book is set.

The Fortnight in September is understated, charming, and intimate. The first 100 pages describe the family's preparation for and journey to the shore, the rest the vacation itself. Nothing major happens, and yet I found the book was very difficult to put down. I was both enthralled by the nuanced dialogue, the tiny tensions between members of the family and their own internal struggles, and amazed that something so entirely restrained could be, at the same time, oddly mesmerizing.

As startling as it is for the fact that one can find a character driven book in which so little of consequence occurs gripping, The Fortnight in September is also impressive for its descriptive passages and definitely is one of my favorite Persephone titles (so far).

Bottom line: Zack Delacruz starts out badly but becomes more interesting as the plot unfolds and its protagonist comes up with clever solutions to his problems. While not laugh-out-loud funny to this reader, I have a feeling it resonates with its target middle-school audience. Three Days in the Country is witty and entertaining but better seen than read. It was a short-run play with stellar actors (including Mark Gatiss, who plays Mycroft on Sherlock and John Simm, who played The Master in Dr. Who -- actually, there were 4 actors who had Dr. Who in their credits); unfortunately, it's also over. I believe we saw one of the final performances. The Fortnight in September is amazing for the fact that it is both understated and compelling at the same time. I may be more startled than some because I tend to prefer plot-driven books over those that are about characterization, but the bottom line is that I loved it.


©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

On the Other Side by Mathilde Wolff-Mönckeberg

On the Other Side: Letters to my Children from Germany 1940-46 
by Mathilde Wolff-Mönckeberg
Copyright 2007 - I think.  Originally publ'd in 1979; revised edition released in 2007
Persephone Books - nonfiction/personal letters
205 pp., incl. Preface, Family Tree and 2 Afterwords

Perhaps you cannot imagine what life is like for Jews.  Their ration cards are printed on the outside with a large red J, so that everybody knows at once that they are non-Aryan.  All women have to add the name Sarah to their first names, the men Israel.  They never get special rations, such as coffee, tea or chocolate, nor do they receive clothing coupons.  After 7.30 at night they are not allowed out into the street; their radios and telephones have been removed.  Practically every shop and restaurant has a notice saying 'Jews are not wanted here.'  It is so vile and mean that I can only blush with embarrassment while I write this.  But you and your children must know of this, that things like this are possible in Germany under our present régime. You will hardly credit all this, or the fact that we others have stood by and said nothing.  And there are much, much worse things. Many people have committed suicide because they could not bear this indignity.  Then, like vultures and hyenas, they [the Nazis] rush in and grab the belongings of the dead; honest names are smeared with filth, and decent Germans have been driven to emigrate by the thousand.

~ fr. pp. 12-13 of On the Other Side

I have my husband to thank for this incredible read.  He recently spent a little over a week on business in England and I sent him with a prioritized list of titles and instructions to dash over to Persephone Books if he could find the time.  He was in meetings or on the road all week but after the meetings closed he had a whopping two hours to shop on his last day and he went to Persephone's Bloomsbury home! I think I'll keep him.

On the Other Side is just what the subtitle says, letters written to the author's adult children during the years of WWII, but the letters Mathilde Wolff-Mönckeberg wrote to her children were never sent.  Instead, after the war ended, she stuffed them in a suitcase that wasn't discovered until 1974.  Mathilde, or "Tilli" had 5 living children at the beginning of the war and only one of them still lived in Germany.  When communication to other countries was cut off (first phone calls, then telegrams, then mail), she began writing letters to her children without attempting to mail them.

What I loved about On the Other Side:

Tilli's letters are beautifully written, chatty, intelligent, and shed light on the fact that even fairly early on, Germans experienced deprivations, rationing, bombing attacks and other hardships.  The author lived in Hamburg and was fortunate.  Although she experienced hunger, extreme cold, and lack of sleep due to bombings and rationing, her flat only received minor damage from incendiary bombs and she was able to evacuate to the countryside for a few weeks during the worst of the bombing.  While the letters occasionally speak of such difficulties, her optimism truly never flagged for long.  She knew she was fortunate and said so, frequently.

Fate has indeed been kind to me.  Now with renewed hope, hope of unspeakable beauty, I continue . . . 

~ p. 31

I think what really makes these compiled letters shine is the author's spirit.  She was scholarly, a lover of music and a skilled linguist.  When one of her children died and his memoirs were sent to her from "the Argentine" she taught herself how to translate Spanish in order to read them.  She was also utterly and completely devoted to her family, open-minded and a warm and caring friend.  She loved life and was never sucked in by Hitler and his allies.

"The baiting, persecution and expulsion of the Jews had inflamed all decent people with anger . . . "

"The Duce Mussolini, that inflated buffoon . . . "

"In truth this whole campaign had been planned long ago, the Führer's blind lust for conquest, his megalomania being the driving forces behind the deed."

What I disliked about On the Other Side:

It's unfortunate that occasionally the author did not go into detail about certain events, especially the daring escape of a woman she knew, apparently from a concentration camp.  I didn't mark the passage but I recall that she described the escape as worthy of any adventurous spy novel . . . or something to that effect.  However, the fact that she didn't elaborate was probably due to the lack of paper and ink and the fact that her intent was to talk about her own experiences and feelings.  Those occasional disappointments were not enough to keep me from giving the book a 5/5.  It's really quite an amazing and well-written account of life during war by a highly literate individual.

Highly recommended - Especially of interest to those who enjoy reading about WWII, history and memoirs, but also a fascinating look at what it was like to be a citizen who did not support war in the aggressor country during and after a war that is often looked at from the victor's side.  The aftermath was different than I expected.  I'd heard about deprivation as punishment, after WWII, but never read anything from the German side.  On the Other Side would probably make an excellent discussion book.

The other Persephone Books husband bought for me:

©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Operation Hearbreak by Duff Cooper

I figure you guys already know what a Persephone Book looks like, so I decided to share my personal favorite shot, Operation Heartbreak with cats! The kitties thought the book smelled excellent, in case you're interested. Here's a closer image of the bookmark (which is, of course, the same as the endpapers):

I snagged that image from dovegreyreader scribbles' review of Operation Heartbreak, a review that contains the spoilers I've avoided putting in my own. It's such an excellent review that any excuse to link up to it is a good one. The spoilery bit is carefully set apart, so no worries if you'd like to read a second opinion but avoid finding out about the ending to Operation Heartbreak.

Title: Operation Heartbreak by Duff Cooper

Copyright: 2004/Reprinted 2010; originally published in 1950

Published By: Persephone Books - Fiction

Length: 160 pp.

Reason for Reading: I love Persephone Books! And, this one touches on WWII, although it is not strictly a "WWII book".

A quote I thought was interesting and which seemed very much "of the time period":

He thought it a pity that girls should own cars and should drive them. Especially at night. What were taxis for, anyway? He said good night almost crossly when she left him at his flat.

Brief summary:

Willie Maryngton is orphaned, but his deceased parents have left him an income and, thus, a future. His guardian, the widow of his father's fellow soldier, kindly cares for Willie in spite of her circumstances. As a youngster, Willie desires to be a soldier and anxiously awaits his turn to go to the front, during WWI. But, within days of his deployment, the war ends. He remains a career soldier, oddly hoping that war will break out again so that he may have his turn in battle, but by the time WWII breaks out, he is deemed too old.

So it goes with Willie in love and war. Whatever he truly desires is always just out of reach. A popular fellow when young, he becomes jaded and sad with the passing years as love eludes him, he misses out once again on battle during the Second World War and his beloved horse guard is mechanized, leading him to eventually resign from the service. But, Willie's final chapter becomes a turning point beyond his imagination.

What I liked about Operation Heartbreak:

I liked the book but I loved the ending, a perfect wrap-up to Willie's story. He is a hapless character, unlucky in love and life, a friendly guy but an underachiever. In perusing favorite blogs, I discovered that what happens in the end actually occurred in WWII, but I can't say a thing about it without spoiling that perfect ending.

What I disliked about Operation Heartbreak:

It's such a sad story, since Willie's adulthood boils down to a lengthy run of bad luck. Occasionally, it seems like things might be looking up, but Willie's just not sharp enough to catch on when he needs to make a change and that leads to one heartbreak after another.

Recommendation:

4/5 - Clear writing in a compact story that is particularly redeemed by its terrific ending and excellent characterization. I'm glad I read it, if only for the ending. I think Persephone's books are distinguished by their clarity and charm. Although Willie's life is heartbreaking, hence the title, his story is interesting and I particularly love the dialogue between Willie and the young men he grew up with, who were as good as brothers to him. Willie doesn't know their younger sister as well, although she becomes important later in the book. Two of the key female characters were both unreliable and (in one case) a bit flighty; I did love the strength and caring of the woman who took Willie in.

Jenclair's blog, A Garden Carried in the Pocket, has a recent post through which I hopped via link to her review of a book about an operation in WWII that is obviously the basis for the ending of this book. I want to find out more about the real-life event that was fictionalized in Operation Heartbreak, so I'll definitely be adding that book to my wish list. If you're curious, here's Jenclair's review, but be advised that it's a complete spoiler, especially if you like a nice surprise in your reading.

When I went to Google Images to search for a cover image, I found this:

I thought that was a pretty awesome cover.

I've been roaming the yard, taking pictures of blooming things, today, so there should be a flower post coming up in the near future. But, I do need to knock out a few reviews, first, so I'll leave you with just one. We had such a mild winter that the lavender didn't freeze, this year, and it's blooming like crazy.

©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Good Evening, Mrs. Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes

Feeling pleasantly drowsy, Miss Ewing murmured, 'Miss Challoner thinks there's bound to be a revolution in Germany soon. She's always so well-informed. Pull the curtains right back when you've put the light out, Sparks. I like to hear the sea.'

It was a shock when, only a day or two later, things began to happen. One morning, before the old ladies had got their teeth in or their curled fronts adjusted or their stays laced for the day, the terrible noise started. The China tea slopped over in the trembling saucer as Miss Ewing listened, the windows in the Palm Court shivered as though gripped by an ague. At lunchtime nobody could eat, everyone was listening for the next heart-stopping rumble of gunfire. That night there were several muffled explosions that the headwaiter, not so attentive over the wine list as usual, thought might be depth charges out in the Channel.

--from "This Flower Safety" of Good Evening, Mrs. Craven, p. 38

I've let several books languish in my sidebar and Good Evening, Mrs. Craven is one of them. Hopefully, I'll be able to do it justice. Good Evening, Mrs. Craven is subtitled, "The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes". A collection of short stories, all take place in England during the WWII time period.

Panter-Downes wrote a column for The New Yorker called "Letters from London" for 50 years, but she only wrote a smattering of short stories. Pity. Panter-Downes' stories are witty and engaging. The stories in Good Evening, Mrs. Craven delve into the little mini-wars being fought on the home front, the tensions between people of different classes as they were forced to change their ways or mix social classes, the irrational fears of some and the over-confidence others had that things would blow over soon.

In one story, a servant bristles at her employer's sudden change from stiff upper class mistress of the home to happily chatting with the Canadian soldiers camped out on her property, dining casually in the kitchen and setting aside her fancier clothing. In another, a woman comes to the conclusion that she's had quite enough of those lower-class people invading her house and turns down a woman in desperate need of a place for herself and her child to live, just after another family has opted to leave her home. In "Mrs. Ramsey's War", a woman moves from one place to another, seeking safety but discovering that it's rather difficult to find a truly safe place to live when one's small island nation is threatened by an airborne and nautical enemy.

Panter-Downes' prose is delightful, but at the same time there's an economy of words that makes her stories really pack a punch. I absolutely loved this collection and never felt let-down. Each story feels complete to me; although, at the same time I do believe any of them would have been enjoyable if expanded to novel length.

Highly Recommended to lovers of short stories and those who are interested in WWII. Sharp writing, keenly observed and cleverly written. I do think Good Evening, Mrs. Craven was a bit of a learning experience, in some ways. It's always much more revealing to read work written at the time of an event, by its participants, as opposed to viewing history in hindsight.

Cover thoughts:

There's not much to those dove-gray Persephone covers, but there's something comforting about them and I do love the pretty interior papers.

I'm not sure where I got Good Evening, Mrs. Craven. It might be one of the books I purchased at Persephone Books in London or I might have ordered it. I should probably keep better track of such things. I have about 6 more Persephone titles to indulge in.

Current desktop background:

Ah, winter. I miss it. It's cool, now, but still not acting very wintery.

©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.