Book Review: The Women of Brewster Place

"The rattling moving van crept up Brewster like a huge green slug. It was flanked by a battered gypsy cab that also drove respectfully over the hidden patches of ice under the day old snow. It began to snow again, just as the small caravan reached the last building on the block." pg 7

The Women of Brewster Place, in one word is beautiful. The book is about 7 different women living in Brewster Place, a New York City housing project. Gloria Naylor crafts each woman's life as a short story and weaves the women's lives together through Brewster Place.

As a woman and a New Yorker I was touched by each woman's plight. Their very existence as a community is a struggle peppered with small successes. It is evident that Ms. Naylor grew up in New York City because she tastefully illustrates the hum, buzz, pace, and rhythm of the city. Their were moments where I felt like I too was a resident fighting, crying, and laughing along side these women in Brewster Place. This is their home for better and for worse, the place where they live, the women of Brewster Place.

This blog was created as part of the National Book Award Challenge. The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor was a 1983 National Book Award recipient.

National Book Awards Challenge

In honor of the National Book Foundation's 60th Anniversary Amanda and I will be participating in the National Book Award Challenge. (I plan on reading The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, and In America by Susan Sontag.)The National Book Foundation has celebrated more than 60 fictional books and authors. If you are interested in participating join the National Book Award Challenge you can join by following the link. It should be a fun time!





National Book Awards List


1950 The Man with the Golden Arm - Nelson Algren
1951 The Collected Stories of William Faulkner - William Faulkner
1952 From Here to Eternity - James Jones
1953 Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
1954 The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow
1955 A Fable - William Faulkner
1956 Ten North Frederick - John O'Hara
1957 The Field of Vision - Wright Morris
1958 The Wapshot Chronicle - John Cheever
1959 The Magic Barrel - Bernard Malamud

1960 Goodbye Columbus - Philip Roth
1961 The Waters of Kronos - Conrad Richter
1962 The Moviegoer - Walker Percy
1963 Morte D'Urban - J.F. Powers
1964 The Centaur - John Updike
1965 Herzog - Saul Bellow Herzog
1966 The Collected Stories - Katherine Anne Porter
1967 The Fixer - Bernard Malamud
1968 The Eighth Day - Thornton Wilder
1969 Jerzy Kosinski - Steps

1970 Them - Joyce Carol Oates
1971 Mr. Sammler's Planet - Saul Bellow
1972 The Complete Storie - Flannery O'Connor
1973 Chimera - John Barth
1973 Augustus - John Williams
1974 Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon
1974 Crown of Feathers and Other Stories - Isaac Bashevis Singer
1975 Dog Soldiers - Robert Stone
1975 The Hair of Harold Roux - Thomas Williams
1976 JR - William Gaddis
1977 The Spectator Bird - Wallace Stegner
1977 Master Tung's Western Chamber Romance - Li Li Chen
1978 Blood Tie - Mary Lee Settle
1979 Going After Cacciato - Tim O'Brien

1980 The World According to Garp - John Irving
1980 Sophie's Choice - William Styron
1981 Plains Song - Wright Morris Plains Song
1982 Rabbit is Rich - John Updike
1983 The Women of Brewster Place - Gloria Naylor
1983 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
1984 Victory Over Japan - Ellen Gilchrist
1985 White Noise - Don DeLillo
1986 World's Fair - E.L. Doctorow
1986 Arctic Dreams - Barry Lopez
1987 Paco's Story - Larry Heinemann
1988 Paris Trout - Pete Dexter
1989 Spartina - John Casey

1990 Middle Passage - Charles Johnson
1991 Mating - Norman Rush
1992 All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy
1993 The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
1994 A Frolic of His Own - William Gaddis
1995 Sabbath's Theater - Philip Roth Sabbath's
1996 Ship Fever and Other Stories - Andrea Barrett
1997 Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier
1998 Charming Billy - Alice McDermott
1999 Waiting - Ha Jin

2000 In America - Susan Sontag
2001 The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen
2002 Three Junes - Julia Glass
2003 The Great Fire - Shirley Hazzard
2004 The News From Paraguay - Lily Tuck
2005 Europe Central - William T. Vollmann
2006 The Echo Maker - Richard Powers
2007 Tree of Smoke - Denis Johnson
2008 Shadow Country - Peter Matthiessen

Tinkers

While I was down in the Village my husband and I happened upon McNally Jackson Bookstore. What a wonderful independent bookstore! When you walk in you feel like you are home. My favorite feature were the staff picks displayed around the 2 levels of the store. This is where I picked up Jessica's pick "Tinkers".

What initially drew me to the book was it's simple book cover with a recommendation from Marilynne Robinson, award winning author of "Gilead" and "Home". I have enjoyed Ms. Robinson's poignant stories about the everyman. Her recommendation for Paul Harding's book "Tinkers" peaked my interest. If his writing proved to be even half as enjoyable as Ms. Robinson's I knew I would be in for a treat.

I was not disappointed. The story centers around 3 generations of a New England family's men and their struggles with mental health, disease, family, and their inter-relationship to each other. Mr. Harding's writing is absolutely beautiful and creates poetic motion where life can sometimes seem still to the unobservant eye. Each man's life was interconnected with his son's through the things he tinkered with.

I actually would like to sit down and reread this book to immerse myself in Mr. Harding's artistic nuances. (I rarely want to do this with a book I have just finished.) I guess the only word of warning I might have for this book is that it is not written like anything I have read before. Which in my opinion is not a bad thing but it may catch the unsuspecting reader off guard. If you get a chance I highly recommend "Tinkers" by Paul Harding!

Alice in Wonderland

You're Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!

by Lewis Carroll

After stumbling down the wrong turn in life, you've had your mind
opened to a number of strange and curious things. As life grows curiouser and curiouser,
you have to ask yourself what's real and what's the picture of illusion. Little is coming
to your aid in discerning fantasy from fact, but the line between them is so blurry that
it's starting not to matter. Be careful around rabbit holes and those who smile to much,
and just avoid hat shops altogether.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

This quiz is strange but true! Wow!

BEA

First off, I have to say thanks to Amanda from The Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker for encouraging me to attend BEA (the Book Expo of America) this past Saturday with her. I'm not sure I would have had the courage to attend by myself. This event was eye opening to say the least! There were so many interesting people, booksellers, publishers, book bloggers, authors, etc. in the book industry there.

During registration I was handed a BEA program book which, no kidding, was the size of the yearly installment of the Entertainment Coupon books. A little overwhelmed, Amanda and I decided to plunge into the heart of the Expo's booth extravaganza. Timidly we wandered the halls taking in the global book contigency; publishing heavy weights; academic presses; independent publishers; non-profit book foundations; author signings; etc.

Around 1pm my stomach started to rumble and we made a mad dash to the Javitz Conference Center's food center. It was a nice break before the 2pm Blogger Workshop downstairs. It was great to hear from more experienced book bloggers about how book blogs can help the industry with reviews of books or bookstores, how they came to book blogging, and various tips on communicating within the book blogging community. If you are interested in hearing the panelists discussion check Book Club Girl's site out tonight at 6pm. Each of the panelists are listed below and have their own (more in depth) insights on BEA:

The Book Blogger Panelists

Stephanie Coleman-Chan from Stephanie's Written Word.

Candace Levy from Beth Fish Reads.

Natasha Maw from Maw Books Blog.

Julie Peterson from Booking Mama.

Dawn Rennert from She is Too Fond of Books.

Amy Riley from My Friend Amy.

Following the workshop Amanda made the rounds to familiar book bloggers in the audience. It was really exciting to meet these people in person. (A special thank-you to Stephanie from Stephanie's Written Word from both Amanda and I!) Then we headed back to the booth mayhem. Not quite so whelmed this time we had the opportunity to chat with some great people in the book industry. I made sure to say hello to the National Book Foundation whom I saw at the Brooklyn Book festival back in the fall, MIT Press my husband's favorite publisher, and AEG my Dad's book publisher. 5pm came too quickly but I was really glad that Amanda and I were able to take in what we could on a Saturday in New York!

MIT Press Bookstore

For the first time in my relationship with my husband, I was the one being dragged to the bookstore. My husband is studying Music Technology at the graduate level with an emphasis on microtonal music and mathematics. As you can imagine this is a highly specialized field with only a few people exploring its realms.

In his studies he noticed that most of the research books he was using had one common denominator, their publisher, the MIT press. As luck would have it we were in Boston for Memorial Day weekend and the main thing my husband was interested in seeing was the MIT Press bookstore (http://web.mit.edu/bookstore/www/index.html). Surprisingly it was open on Saturday from 10am-6pm regardless of the holidays.

I really wasn't sure what i would be able to find anything personally interesting in the depths of this specialized bookstore. I was pleasantly surprised and found books on theology (the essential reinhold niebuhr) , religion & economics, writing during the information age, and universal education and its effects. Chris of course found all of the specialized books he was looking for inclduing: "Microsound" by Curtis Roads, and "Musimathics Vol 1 & 2" by Gareth Loy.

It's pretty amazing to pick up a book from the publisher's store that you might not be able to find anywhere else. It is an easy walk from the Kendel T-Stop in Cambridge. The staff was unassuming and quite knowledgable. (We managed to sneak in a conversation about where printed media... books, music, etc. are headed.) So if you are in Boston I highly recommend taking an hour or two out of your trip to visit the MIT Press bookstore. In the mean time check out their website and browse their recent books: http://mitpress.mit.edu/main/home/default.asp.

The Last Mrs. Astor

As a New Yorker I have to admit that my historical knowledge of the city is somewhat limited to what I learned in American History, tours with extended family, and chance tidbits from friends. My father-in-law once asked what the name of a ship was in the South Street Seaport and I sadly shrugged my shoulders in dismay. (I now know that it is the Ambrose.)

When I saw this book in the library I thought it would be an interesting way to foray into NYC's socal history. I knew that the Astor name had some importance because of Astor place, Astoria, and let's not forget the famous Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue. I also knew that they were wealthy because places do not get named after people unless there is money involved. But that's where my historical sleuthing ended.

Who was this "Last Mrs. Astor"? It turns out her name was Brooke. "Roberta" Brooke Russell the daughter of a military man, John Henry Russell, and her mother, Mabel Russell, an estute social climber. Brooke grew up in China returning to the States as a teen when her father received new orders. Her mother, at the age of 17, encouraged Brooke's first marriage to John Dryden Kruse in 1919. This marriage was an unhappy one but resulted in Brooke's only child Tony Dryden.

Two years after Brooke's divorce from John Dryden in 1930 she married Charles Marshall, the senior partner at Butler, Herrick, and Marshall. Charles Marshall, was described as the love of Brooke's life. Her son Tony changed his last name to Marshall in 1942 prior to his service in the military. During this period of her life Brooke worked as an editor of Home and Garden's, using her husband's social clout and her know how to revive the magazine. Charles Marshall passed away in Brooke's arms in 1952.

In 1953, 11 months following Charles Marshall's death, Brooke remarried for the third and final time, Vincent Astor. Vincent was famous for his wealth and also infamous for his difficult personality. His wealth and family name gave Brooke a boost in New York City social circles. Vincent's health was touch and go and 1959 Brooke became a widow for the second time. After some familial dispute about Vincent's will, Brooke became the primary hieress of Vincent Astor's estate and the president of the Vincent Astor Foundation.

This is where I thought Brooke's life became very interesting. The last Mrs. Astor took it upon herself to learn the ins and outs of being a philanthropist for the city of New York. As the president of the foundation she proved to be a benevolent giver earning the Foundation a new level of respect in the non-profit world. This sudden acclaim for Brooke Astor came with its bumps and bruises but Brooke proved to be able to weather the storm. She made a point to deal with conflict outside of formal meetings and maitain a level of amicablity with most of her staff and board.

Although I did learn a bit more about who Mrs. Brooke Astor and the accomplishments of the foundation I was bit torn by the author's perspective. The author seemed to enjoy the bit of time she spent with the "Last Mrs. Astor" in interviews but maintained that Mrs. Astor was gaining in years and was increasingly confused from one visit to the next. Frances Kiernon did not seem to glean a new perspective from Mrs. Astor's personal writings nor truly respect the source.

Mrs. Astor was a strong woman who survived international moves, 3 marriages, and left a legacy through her work at the Vincent Astor Foundation. "The Last Mrs. Astor" is not a historical document but I enjoyed it for what was, a taste of the upper millius lifestyle.

Life of Pi

I am usually skeptical when all the book reviews for a particular book are glowing. But the Life of Pi deserves all the positive recognition it has received. Yan Martel effortlessly carries his readers along the waves of a story about man vs. nature through magical realism.

Pi, an Indian 15 year old boy is fascinated with religion, God, and nature. Raised as a zookeepers son he learns the habits of all the animals under his father's care. His father, a man of science, is careful to teach his children that wild animals regardless of their conditions can be dangerous to their keepers. Pi's family is befuddled when they learn that their son is practicing not 1 but 3 religions: Catholicism, Islam, and Hinduism. They gradually accept their son's decision to observe the 3 religious practices as a passing phase.

After some Indian political upraise Pi's family must move to North America. It takes the family about a year to make the necessary arrangements to close the zoo and travel across the ocean to their new home. Unfortunately the ship does not make the journey leaving only Pi surviving the demise of the sea craft. The narrative from Pi's perspective is simple and yet hard to set down. If you need a book that draws you in, I think this is it. In times of adversity humanity can do extraordinary things to survive.

Jacob's room

Recently I received a free book in the mail from Penguin Publisher's "Jacob's Room" by Virginia Woolf. The only catch is that I need to write a review on my personal web page. You also do not get to choose what book they send you. (A friend received a non-fiction book about 18th century history.) So if you've gotten this far brace yourself for the re-released brief review about Virginia Woolf's book "Jacob's Room". Virgina Woolf until recently has been a void in my classic literature readings. The movie "The Hours" released a few years back intrigued me and the encouragement of Virginia Woolf-heads led me first to "The Lighthouse".

I found the story interesting but could not wrap my head around her style of writing. When Penguin sent me "Jacob's Room" I was both excited and timid about the book choice. But being a good sport I wanted to give Virginia (and Penguin) a second chance."Jacob's Room" is centered around the main character Jacob Flanders. He is the apple of his mother's eye and the quinessential English Upper Middle Class Victorian. Ms. Woolf in each chapter uses a different narrator (through her detailed description of space, smells, and time) to describe what they see and feel about Jacob. I found this choice difficult to follow.

Jacob, his mother, and housemaid were compelling narrators but beyond them the other narrators were characters I generally found myself daydreaming through their perspectives and descriptions. The continuity in the story was lost and I found myself drifting through a sea of stream of conciousness. So despite my best effort to give Ms. Woolf a second chance I still have not been converted to being a Woolf-head. Maybe three time's the charm? I will let you know after I have read Mrs. Dalloway.

Mistress of the Revolution

Mistress of the Revolution allows a birds eye view of the French Revolution through Gabrielle Monseratte's eyes. Catherine Delors goes to great lengths to remain historically accurate while creating a riveting story. I was amazed and astounded by the literary portrayal of the sights, sounds, and smells of 17th century France. Gabrielle Monseratte not only overcomes all of her life's trials and tribulations but manages to do it with panache. If you are looking for a book with a strong female character leading the charge, this is definetly the book for you!