The Glass Castle

I just finished The Glass Castle and was thoroughly impressed. Throughout the book though, I couldn't help but wonder how much of the truth was stretched to make for good writing. One of Oprah's final episodes featured a second interview with author James Frey years after controversy over his book, "A Million Little Pieces." Not sure how much you heard about this- but he came out with a book that was marketed as a memoir about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. After Oprah added it to her book club list, it got a lot of attention- not all positive. People brought into question how much of the details were exaggerated. More specifically, former addicts argued that he would not be able to remember the details and the recovery process he depicted was far from accurate. He eventually admitted that there were fabricated elements in the piece and dealt with lots of negative press and countless lawsuits as a result. Do authors have an obligation to tell the absolute truth when writing memoirs/autobiographies? Personally, I think that every book in this category has some elements of fiction. I mean- I imagine that even the most exciting life has its dull moments.

One of my favorite parts of her writing style was that she wrote the various stories of her childhood with the naivete that she would have had at the time. But she gives us enough information that we can draw conclusions about what the problems actually are. Very carefully crafted.

I found all of the characters with the exception of the mother to be endearing. I absolutely despised her and found her to be completely self-centered. I can accept that some people want to focus on themselves. And those are exactly the people that should not have children. Every little detail about this woman irked me....one thing that comes to mind is the tidbit that she was divulging on Hershey chocolate bars while her children were rummaging through the garbage at school for anything to eat.

Overall though, whether or not it is 100% truth, found it to be a very humbling and inspirational read. Would definitely recommend (although I betting we have a few madwomen who have already finished this one).

Ferris Beach - More Than Just Beach Reading

I've been having trouble settling into a book lately. Everything I pick up looks good on the shelf, but once I get home and try to get into it, I rapidly lose interest. Fortunately, Miss Havisham came to visit recently, bringing along some literary gifts, the best of which was Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle. I expected it to be a lazy, casual afternoon read, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was so much more.
Although the cover reads like Judy Blume's Summer Sisters (in fact, a very enjoyable summer read, but definitely fluff) the characters are much more developed. And maybe I was just in a nostalgic mood, but the main character really did speak to a universal adolescent experience. She was real, she was funny, she reminded me of me 20 years ago or so. Some of the family situations border on melodramatic, but although elements of the plot are sometimes unrealistic, the writing never is. A big two thumbs up for anyone looking for a beach read, or a trip down memory lane...

Towner Whitney - Certifiable Madwoman!

Now that I have wrapped up my very last final of my master's program, I am celebrating the luxury of free time - by starting my summer reading, of course! Over the past few months I have collected a grand total of 7 book recommendations, and I'm hoping to get through all of them before the stresses of the 9-5 life start for me. I'm especially looking forward to getting through a book or two on the beach, if only the weather would permit!

The first book on my summer reading list is The Lace Reader, which was recommended to me by another madwomen. It's a true seaside read, as it takes place in the seaside towns of Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts. For the first 75 pages or so, this tidbit was about the only reason I was interested in the story. I found the protagonist, Towner Whitney, annoying and the storyline slow. I am slightly more than half way through now, and I am MUCH more entertained. The family history is finally beginning to make sense, and is at times horrifying, at times nostalgic and endearing, and overall enthralling! There is a mystery to the plot that isn't too cheesy or predictable, and I have even found myself beginning to cheer for the main character (even though I still don't even like her that much!). She certainly fits the eccentric madwoman characteristics though - she even spends time in McLean Psychiatric facility for a time. This tidbit excited me as well, since I have quite a few classmates who have been working there this year!

Unless the ending totally bombs, I definitely recommend this charming beach read to the other madwomen, but caution them that the beginning fifth of the book is a little hard to get through. I'm looking forward to passing it on to anyone who might be interested!

Miss Havisham

Francophile Literature

I am currently reading a collection of short stories called Paris Was Our. A bunch of writers came together to make the collection, which are various stories about their experiences living in Paris. I was really excited when I picked it up, hopeful to relive a romanticized version of my 4 months in France. I have been somewhat disappointed in the stories, but there are a few that have brought the memories rushing back. Mostly, it has made me miss my time abroad even more. Besides the delicious food, what I miss most is the sense of adventure - feeling like anything was possible, and feeling that I was finally living my life out of my comfort zone.

I know at least 2 other Madwomen have spent some time in France. Is there anything in particular you miss or remember especially fondly?

Miss. Havisham

Column Suggestion

With facebook and gmail blocked at work, I was perusing the internet for something mindless that I could use to pass the time during a slow Friday afternoon. After catching up on the latest royal wedding news on people, I decided to check the NY Times for something a little more substantial…. but still not quite productive reading. And I found it. Some of you may already read this column, but if not- I highly recommend the “Social Q’s” column by Philip Galanes. Some of the articles are definitely better than others- but for the most part I love his witty and to-the-point advice for some daily annoyances. If you haven’t seen this column, he has archived the articles on his website:

http://www.philipgalanes.com/ny_times_sundays.php

Philip has also posted his biography on the website. He seems like the perfect man- he has a home in the Hamptons and NYC, writes for the NY Times, works on the boards of private companies, practices law and has tons of pictures of him and his dog on his website. Don’t worry- I’m not delusional- no madwoman is in his future. Sadly.

C. Earnshaw

The Room!!!

I loved this book!!! I basically got through it in one weekend.

What was most striking to me about the first half of the book (pre-escape) was how the Mom created such order so that they would not go crazy. She created a strict schedule from meal times to the time that they would wash their clothes. I imagine that creating a schedule like that helped to pass the time. It was a way to mask the fact that they had an indefinite period confined in a Room. What concerned me about the way that she set up their life was that it seemed like Jack was developing OCD. He learned to be very concerned about germs. He became so comfortable with a routine and was very uneasy if any part of that routine was altered. He also seemed to count EVERYTHING.

I found myself constantly laughing out loud and smiling as I was reading the book (post escaping the Room). You not only get to see the world through a child, but through a child who thought that everything was only on TV. The observations that he makes are so simple, yet they often reveal things that we just don’t talk about or don’t like to think about. Like when he explains to the nurse that his Mom is “here but not really” or when he says “lots of the world seems to be a repeat.”

While the mother undeniably did everything for Jack’s sake, there are several large decisions that she made for him that I am still trying to decide whether they were the best things for him. The biggest one was brought up by {I am assuming} Oprah. Should she have told Nick to bring Jack to the hospital as soon as he was born? We don’t even know if Nick would have done that. For one, he seemed to think that he was doing her a favor by allowing her to have a child- maybe he saw this as a way to keep her quiet and obedient. He also seemed like a pretty paranoid person- would he have dropped the baby off and risked having someone find out about his crime? But if he did, would she have been able to do it? Would I have been able to do it? The second big thing for me was whether she should have lied to Jack about everything being TV? My initial thought is that it saved him from wanting things that he could not have (which is why I believe she did not allow him to watch commercials). However, she then very abruptly told him one day that those things actually were real. When I was reading, it did not feel like she had planned any of this- it just sort of came out when she was feeling frustrated with everything.

I absolutely loved the Grandma’s character. She did not allow Jack to let his fears consume him, and while she did tell him this in often blunt ways you can tell that she was doing so out of love for him. A lot of people would have tip-toed around Jack, seeing him as “damaged” and needing special attention. But she gave him just what he needed- a stern figure who showed him that he could be normal.

Catherine Earnshaw

Room

February 15th, 2011 is a big day in the world of the Madwomen. It's officially time to start the conversation about our second group read, Room, by Emma Donoghue!

Going into the reading with very little knowledge about the content of the book, I was happy with how well it held my interest. These days I judge books by whether on not they are a chore to read after a long day at my internship and an evening of doing readings for school. Room was actually something that I looked forward to reading at the end of each day. At the same time, it wasn't just trash that held my interest but had little substance. I found the book actually quite thought-provoking. Mostly, I debated how realistic Ma and Jack's behaviors were for two people held in captivity for years on end. Being that I am a trauma-snob, (after all, childhood trauma is the specialty I'm working in this year at my internship!), I may have held Emma Donoghue to a higher standard than the average reader in describing the affects of kidnapping, captivity, and repeated sexual abuse on Ma. I concluded that while Ma was believable, I think the psychological impact of her trauma would have been much more intense than it appeared in the book. Yes, she did try to commit suicide, and yes, that is a clear signal of intense psychological distress. But the suicide seemed thrown in and incongruous because she completely lacked the main symptoms of trauma. I felt that psychologically she went from baseline to suicidal to baseline in a very short amount of time, and without any real explanation.

Jack, on the other hand, was a character whom I adored. The sensory overload of entering the world for the first time at the age of five was humorous and creative on the part of Ms. Donoghue, and, in my opinion, completely accurate. I also found his complete lack of social skills incredibly endearing. You can just image how confused this little boy must have been to be thrust into a world where everything is unknown. Again, the validity of his resiliency is questionable, but his lovable personality won me from the start.

- Miss Havisham