Master of Hestviken

The Master of Hestviken by Sigrid Undset, 994 pages

By right, Olav Audunson inherits the estate of Hestviken when he is still a boy, although he is an orphan living far from the home of his ancestors.  By the time he is able to take possession of it, decades have passed and he has already experienced love, hatred, loss, exile, betrayal, and mortal sin.  His struggle with this last defines his life, a grim life full of tragedy illuminated only by intermittent flashes of grace.

The Master of Hestviken is a series made up of four novels, The Axe, The Snake Pit, In the Wilderness, and The Son Avenger, set in 13th century Norway.  Although there is a bit of action and bloodshed, and quite a bit of romance, it is fundamentally a social, familial, psychological, and theological drama.  It is slow-moving and complex, but also compelling, heartbreaking, and surprising.  

Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse

Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse by Andrea di Robilant 368 pages

When I learned that PBS was airing a new documentary a new Ken Burns/Lynn Novick about Nobel Prize in Literature writer and all around man’s man, Ernest Hemingway, I pulled this book off my shelf, where it’s been sitting, patiently, since 2018.

I won’t say that I am a huge fan of Hemingway’s. I don’t enjoy his writing style. It’s too sparse and the action moves to slow…ironic for a man who constantly craved action. Well, there is the exception of The Old Man and The Sea. That I loved. I had hoped that the book would help me understand more about the man before the documentary aired…and it did.

It starts in the fall of 1948 when Papa and his fourth, and last, wife, Mary visit Venice for the first time. There the fifty-year-old Ernest meets Adriana Ivancich, an eighteen-year-old woman, girl really, who had just graduated from a convent school.  He fell head over heels in love. The documentary didn’t delve too far below the surface of their relationship, which was rather disturbing. He called her “Daughter,” and she called him “Papa.”

From what I’ve read, in this book and others, Hemingway loved to be in love. It stoked his creative juices, caused him to dig deeper to find the words that gave the world classics like A Farewell to Arms, The Sun Also Rises and many others.

Author di Robilant does a remarkable job in only 368 pages. He manages to give readers a full biography of the man while maintaining his focus on Adriana. The couple didn’t seem to have a physical relationship, but more of a visceral one. He craved her youth, her vitality, her beauty.

Before Ernest met Adriana, his career seemed washed over. He was not writing and publishing as he had in his younger days. I can’t help but wonder if she was his motivation for rising every morning to go to his writing room and write.

As the years rolled by, Adriana was always in his heart, soul and mind. Even as his life began to spiral out of control due to a family history of mental illness, several traumatic brain injuries/concussions and alcoholism, she seemed to be the one where his sight landed.

Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse is a wonderful read and really gives the reader insights into the man. I was sometimes lost in the first few chapters as Ernest and Mary traveled through Italy and France---I didn’t recognize any of the town names. Therefore, Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Same Beach, Next Year

Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank Audio book 10 hours Book 374 pages

The Stanley family, Adam, Eliza and their twin boys Max and Luke, are the picture of familial perfection. Every year they go to the Isle of Palms and have a great time at their condo. One year a new family is introduced into their lives. Eve who is a former flame of Mr. Stanley and her husband and daughter. Well, where there are former flames there is usually trouble and this story is no different. Is the romance between Adam and Eve still there? Can the families' friendship withstand it if it is?

I enjoyed this book, the characters were believable and enjoyable. I usually don't like the trope of elderly people who say crazy things, but Cookie, Eve's mother did make me laugh with her outrageous lack of tact and discretion. This book went by really fast in a time flies when you're having fun kind of way. The dialogue flowed well and there was only 1 plot left dangling that I can think of, but it was a small one so it didn't ruin the story. Overall for people who like family fiction with lots of love and friendship I would recommend this book.

A Paris Affair

A Paris Affair by Tatiana De Rosnay
114 Pages

"What takes place in Paris when husbands and wives tangle with infidelity? In this compulsively readable collection, Tatiana de Rosnay paints a portrait of forbidden loves in many shades - sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous, sometimes heartfelt, always with a dry wit and unflinching authenticity. A PARIS AFFAIR will take you on a vacation overseas, into the hidden lives of husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, where illicit desire wars with duty, and where a French take on romance will surprise you every time."

A short series of vignettes that leaves you wondering who peed on the author's Wheaties.   Women and men cheating on each other in Paris could be the subtitle.   Not recommended.

The Girl On the Train

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
323 Pages

This is one of those books that critics feel obliged to call the next Gone Girl novel.  I hate when they do that because then when you are reading the book you are already judging the book with preconceived  ideas and the joy of discovering and enjoying the book on its own merit is dampened.  So put Gone Girl out of your mind, the only thing that is similar is the narrative style of the book.

Rachel commutes on the train every day and as she does so she sees a couple in a house near the tracks and makes up a life for them in her head.  As the book progresses, we find out more details of this couple and about Rachael and when someone goes missing, the reader is pulled into a mystery.  Very popular, lots of holds and a good recommendation for someone looking for a strong mystery book, (even though we file it under fiction).