The Lacuna

Lacuna is a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus (from http://dictionary.reference.com)


The Lacuna is a book by Barbara Kingsolver which I just finished. Is was a powerful read. But that is just my opinion as the reviews I read are mixed. This historical novel covers the period from 1929 to 1959 following the life of Harrison Shepard (fictional character) from his early years in Mexico through to his time in Asheville, NC then back to Mexico. The "historical" part is based on his relationship with and employment by real-life artists, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and Lev Trotsky, one of the leaders of the Russian Revolution. This relationship lands him before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Enough of the story line. 


I found it powerful and engaging since a lot of the book could just as well be referring to our current political environment. Maybe not to the same degree as the time period in the book, but there is still some commonality. For example, if it is in the paper (and now on the TV and the Internet) it must be accurate regardless of the facts. Guilt by association - again regardless of facts. Discrimination based on a label assigned to a person; then Communist, Black, or Gay; now Muslim, Immigrant and still race and sexual orientation to some extent. 


I guess the book spoke to my own liberal biases, whether it was Mrs. Kingsolver's intent or not.


I liked the book and would highly recommend it to others.


That is just my 2 cents in this normally non-political blog. And trust me, the blog will stay that way.

Bologna

Bologna has been on my mind a lot this past week. Bologna, as in the lovely city in Italy, in the Emila-Romagna region not the deli meat by the same name, which we call baloney. As an aside, if you haven't tried the Italian version, Mortadella, you are missing some of the best bologna there is. Just my 2 cents. So back to the city of Bologna which I last visited in 20008 and covered in my blog, Simpson Italy 08. Bologna is famous for its food, including the ever controversial multiple versions of ragu bolognese, wonderful light lasagna verde, and tortelinni en brodo (in broth). The Bolognesi are passionate about their food and one of the nicknames for the city is "la grassa", the fat, although they are not fat. It is also known for the University of Bologna, one of the oldest in the world and a city of free thought, hence another nickname, "la dotta", the learned. The third nickname for Bologna is "la rossa", the red, for the left leaning politics of the city. During my visit I had the pleasure of sampling many of the outstanding dishes of the area. I also walked the halls of the University, if not the same halls as Dante, then at least the same street, Via Zamboni. Neat, I say. 


There is a two-fold reason for thinking about Bologna. First the recently made and consumed Lamb Ragu. Second, the current book club choice, The Broker, by John Grisham in which a significant portion of the story is based in Bologna. I found the story captivating, probably more so for me due to the locale and the occasional Italian language. It was fast-paced and easy-to-read as is typical with Grisham. The book brought back many memories of my visit.

Time to leave Bologna. Next stop? Who knows, but stay tuned. I am sure there will be another trip or a fond memory somewhere in the near future.


That's all I'm Saying

Olive Kitteridge

I recently finished the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. It is a collection of 13 stories based in a small coastal town in Maine, all tied together by the title character, Olive. She is a retired mathematics teacher, hence my attraction to the book. But that is as far as the math got. Unlike most of the reviewers, and the Pulitzer committee, I was not wowed by the book. It was a nice, pleasant read, and had a lot to say about human character, but I did not like Olive, which makes it hard to like the book overall. I thought she was highly opinionated and pushy and held herself above most of the people in the town. Hey, that is just my opinion. For a different take on the book, read the review from eNotes (<-- click link)

The Great Gatsby

Our book club meets this coming Friday and I just finished "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Yes, I actually finished early, which for me is an accomplishment. This was a quick read and a good slice-of-life story about the lives of the wealthy in the 1920's.

The Sweet Life

I just finished "The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City" by David Lebovitz. It is a really fun read and is filled with recipes. David worked a Chez Panisse in California for many years. He has settled in Paris and the book is about his experience living there. I highly recommend it. 


I have added a link to his website on the right sidebar under My Blog List.

One Week Later

    It has been a week since my last post, and I must say I am  feeling much better. I spent four days at work this week, so that is a good indication of my return to normalcy, or at least what passes as such in my life.

I had a busy weekend, so it was good that my energy levels have returned. Friday night found me in Seminole, on the intracoastal waterway, for another meeting of the book club. Dorothy and Joe hosted the event, and Sue prepared dinner which was a lovely rijsttafel with curried chicken and assorted sides or toppings.

The book was The Family Man by Elinor Lipman. It was a fun read, at least the first half, which was all I could accomplish in the week I had to book in my possession. Yes, I read slowly. I am never sure if we are a book club with an eating problem, or an eating club with a reading problem. But either way, we always have a good time, with good food and good conversation.
     On Saturday evening, Frank and I were invited to Pat and Paul's to enjoy their Christmas decoration, before heading to Restaurant BT in Hyde Park. Click the link for a sample of the French Vietnamese cuisine. (Well, not really a sample, or a taste, but maybe enough to entice you to eat there one day.) It was a nice evening so we sat outside enjoying a very good bottle of wine (doh!, do ask the vintner; but I do remember it was recommended by the bartender and was a pinot noir - granche blend). I had a wonderful bouillabaisse with calamari, shrimp, mussels, salmon, and grouper in a flavorful lemongrass and basil broth with baby bok choy. We returned to Pat and Paul's for one of Paul's homemade desserts, a Black Russian bundt cake. It was excellent, and had just a touch of kahula and vodka in the cake. Yummy !.
     Today, Sunday, Frank and I ventured to his Mom's to put up her Christmas tree and to feast on her "famous" (in my mind), Swiss steak in tomato sauce (oh so good). This is comfort food at its best.
     This evening, thanks to our friend and my co-worker, Rhonda, we attended the Christmas program at Idlewild Baptist Church. I think I felt the earth tremble as I walked in the church. Rhonda plays in the church orchestra. The program was very good. Thank you Rhonda.


That's all I'm saying.

The Monster

How about something other than food: I stayed up last night until 1:30 just to finish a book,  The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi. The book is based on the authors' investigation into a serial murderer in the Florence, Italy area, and how they became a part of the story. Preston is a mystery writer, so used that background to weave an intriguing tale of true events. Spezi is an Italian journalist who became an "expert" in all things related to the "Monster" Both authors ended up under investigation, and Spezi was jailed for a period of time. I highly recommend this book.