Archive for June, 2010

Fans of David Mitchell’s books know all too well the anticipated pleasure of revisiting a past character or the reworking of a familiar theme from his previous works. It gives the reader a sense of being part of privileged group-one who is knowledgeable of the Mitchell family of characters.  So it was when I began his latest novel, a history/love story set in a Dutch trading post off the coast of Nagasaki in the late 18th century. What I found to my surprise was the not the usual pyrotechnics of intersecting plots and the leaping forward and back in time. Instead Mitchell has given us a straightforward historically accurate narrative, told in the third person about a group of characters who are so realistically drawn the reader feels transported to that time and place. The place is Deshima, a man-made island that housed the Dutch traders as they were not allowed to mix with their Japanese  counterparts. Jacob de Zoet, a bookkeeper for the Dutch East Indies Trading Company, is assigned the task of uncovering the rampant corruption that was occurring for years. During his stay he befriends the many Japanese/Dutch interpreters, the resident physician (an irreverent and brilliant character) and the hired hands. It is his forbidden attraction to Orito, a Japanese midwife, which leads him to discover a debauched practice at a monastery involving murder and sexual abuse. What impressed me most about this novel is the rich historical detail (it’s evidently well researched) and his aptitude for writing “real-sounding” dialogue with the obvious differences in dialect. Ultimately it’s Mitchell’s storytelling ability that shines in this novel, and is sure to impress his loyal followers and first-time readers alike.  ~Carol Santoro

In 1941 John Gilbert Winant took his place as American ambassador to Britain. Edward R. Murrow was already living and reporting the blitz from London over CBS radio. Averell Harriman joined them to direct and coordinate the lend-lease program. All three of these men worked to improve the relationship between America and Britain. They urged the American people and President Roosevelt to send as much aid as possible to the British people and military, and ultimately to join the war. This is the story of that time, before America entered the war, when Britain endured and stood fast against the pounding of the German air force, the destruction of the shipping life line by u-boats, and the seeming unconcern of the isolationist American public. It is also the story of the difficult relationship between American and British military command structures once the United States did enter the war, and the relentless efforts of men like Winant and Eisenhower to promote cooperation, and ease the tensions between these allies. Olson also explores life in London during the war: the loosening of societal controls, the changing roles of women, and the relationship between civilians and the military. The tension between Americans who had more and better everything, food, uniforms, vehicles, and the shabbiness of British society that has suffered years of deprivation, hunger and rationing kept men like Winant constantly at work promoting understanding and controlling outbreaks of conflict. At the same time, there is tension between these Americans over their respective roles and access to Roosevelt and Churchill. A fascinating and informative read with a slightly different perspective on a “special relationship” that has been much written about. ~Marla Vandewater

Major Pettigrew is as English as it is possible to be.  At sixty-eight, a widower and the eldest son living in the ancestral home in the village of Edgecombe St. Mary, he believes in honor, duty, and family.  Stunned by the news of his brother’s death, he opens his door wearing his wife’s old robe and collapses into the arms of Mrs. Ali, the widowed Pakistani owner of the local mini-mart come to collect for his daily newspaper. Over a restorative pot of tea, their conversation sparks the beginning of a friendship that will set the entire village on end.  As his attempts to understand his financier son, Roger, merge with his desire to reunite the pair of Churchill hunting guns split at the deathbed of his father, and gets further mixed up with golf club festivities and an annual shoot at the estate of the local lord, Major Pettigrew finds himself at the center of a local whirlwind.  Mrs. Ali’s independence puts her at odds with her traditional family.  Economic and social factors are changing British life.   Major Pettigrew is trying to hold on to the past and move into the future with dignity intact.  Major Pettigrew’s good heart and level head win out over his British reserve and the tsking of his neighbors.  At times funny, sweet and exasperating, with an unforgettable cast of characters, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a wonderful read. ~Marla Vandewater