After reading A Gentleman in Moscow by novelist Amor Towles, I wondered how long it would be before I found another book which would make such an impression on me. It didn't take long as next up on my nightstand was What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon. All eight of my great grandparents hailed from Ireland with many of them coming to America in the mid 1800s along with so many others during the great wave of Irish emigration. As a child, I would be amused when hearing that my paternal great great grandparents had arrived after the night of the Big Wind in 1839. Little did I understand the significance of that phrase. The night of the big wind in Ireland preceded the great famine. If you have never heard of this devastating storm, you may read about it here or here. Three hundred people were killed, homes were destroyed, and crops were ruined. My great great grandparents came to America with three sons, two of whom by the time of the Civil War were old enough to join the Union forces; my great grandfather was too young.
So, I have in recent years become more interested in the land of my ancestors. There is so much tragic history about which to learn. Frank Delaney's novel, Tipperary, gives a good overview of the troubles and is very readable.
What the Wind Knows is also a very good read if you indulge in "a willing suspension of disbelief." The protagonist, Anne Gallagher, grew up hearing the stories of Ireland told by her grandfather. After his death, she visits Ireland to scatter his ashes and is somehow transported back to the Ireland of 1921. I won't say more than that other than the reader will be drawn in to this period as well. I enjoyed it, and I think you will, too.
In the spring, Juliette Fay came to speak about her new novel, City Of Flickering Lights, at the Tufts Library in Weymouth. I heard this author speak after the publication of her previous novel, The Tumbling Turner Sisters. That novel focused on a family of girls traveling the vaudeville circuit. Her new novel deals with the early days of Hollywood and motion pictures.
I always enjoy hearing about the research that authors do. Among other things, she spoke about the enormous power of women both in front and behind the camera in those early days. Indeed, one of the highest paid members of the film industry was a woman and not an actress. If you are a silent film fan or a movie fan in general, you will find this novel interesting.
Finally, a week ago today I had surgery done on both of my ears at Mass Eye and Ear to helpfully correct a chronic problem with my hearing. I'm only telling you this because I was instructed to do nothing for four days after this day surgery. Four days of doing nothing??? For me, that meant stretching out on the sofa on my sun porch with a cold drink and a stack of books. Since the pain was do-able, it wasn't a bad way to spend a few days. :-)
One of the books I read during this period was Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. It was a very light, very pleasant read. The opening inscription is a quote from Princess Grace of Monaco. . .
The idea of my life as a fairy tale is itself a fairy tale.
The main characters are Sophie Duval a young perfumer who is struggling to keep her family's tradition and business alive, and James Henderson, a British photographer assigned to cover what was then the wedding of the century.
Side note: After reading the novel, I checked youtube and found a newsreel showing Grace Kelly's arrival in Monacco which is fun to view.
Here are the latest shots of our new Tufts Library taken on August 5, 2019. It's going up quickly and is still on target for a June 2020 opening.
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