Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Our book club decided to choose a "re-read a book you loved as a child." Our pick was Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. I've never read it, so it was fun to dive into. 

The story centers around the Tuck family, who have drunk a magic elixir and now are fated to live forever, and a little girl named Winnie, who discovers their secret.

The book details the lengths to which the Tucks will go to keep word from getting out. Although it's a child's book, some of the adventures could give a child nightmares. 

Although it's set in the late 1800s, it soon became clear to me that the book had a more modern origin. Sure enough, it was written in 1975. That made sense. That's a time when books were full of children with voices sounding very much like adults. Winnie is precocious and thinks and speaks and reasons in a way her adult author imagines a child might. But she actually reveals an adult's ruminations on deep questions. 

The book was an easy read. Not exactly satisfying. It's not supposed to "end well" according to the author. Some questions and simply beyond our purview and offer no easy answers. Tuck raises questions but doesn't answer them in a way that feels satisfactory.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Part of my never-ending endeavor to educate myself involves reading the classics. The latest is The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. 

I actually may have read this book before. It felt very familiar.

The basic plot revolves around an anonymous English hero rescuing French aristocrats from the guillotine during the French Revolution. His name is a problem. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" refers to a small red, star-shaped flower the hero has chosen as his signature. Call him the Red Rose or the Burgundy Blossom. I simply cannot abide the word "Pimpernel." Call it my own bias.

That aside, once the story begins, it tells of masterful disguises and daring deception. But like a murder mystery with only one suspect, the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel becomes clear very early on (Or I had already read the book.) 

His evil pursuer is Cheuvelin, a member of the Committee of Publicc Safety. Everything about him screams "villain." Our heroine, Lady Blakeney, is the most beautiful, charismatic, and intelligent woman to be found in either France or England. Her husband is the dull-witted, rich, and lazy playboy Lord Percy Blackeney. All other characters are supporting characters.

Between the stereotypes and silly language (Lots of "La!," and "Odd's fish".) the book is a breeze to read. It's silly and predictable, but certainly not a waste of time.

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

I'm developing a new-found respect for the theological seriousness of the Puritans. So when our book club proposed The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, I was excited to re-read it. (I think I read it as a kid.)

Although an allegory with names specifically designed to inform the reader of its allegorical qualities (Mr. Worldly-Wise, Ignorance, Christian), the story elucidates real, deep theological discussions. 

Christian has come to realize that his city is set for destruction and only by traveling to the Celestial City can he hope to be saved. Evangelist tells him the way to the path. In the end, it is a path he must travel alone, although he has companions at times. On the journey he meets all the classical temptations a Christian faces: Despair, Pleasure, Sloth.

Just when all seems lost, Christian is reminded of his journey and the good that awaits him. Ironically, just as he crosses the river into the Celestial City he experiences such deep doubt that he almost sinks. 

Bunyan is writing the story from prison. I suspect much of Christian's story is autobiographical. Perhaps Bunyan, close to death at times, experienced his own sinking doubt. 

The story is not an easy read, but well-worth reading. It can cause common obstacles in the life of a Christian to come alive.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

My friend Mary recommended Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, and if Mary recommends it, I'm reading it.

This book is a delight. 

Will it change your life? Probably not. But the highly improbably story of a widow in a small town befriending an octopus sucked me in. 

The story is sweet. 

It offers a glimpse into the lives of the people in a small town. It vividly demonstrates the fact that everyone has their own story and that story is always bittersweet.

The story begins with "Day 1,299 of My Captivity." The first entry is from the octopus, Marcellus, point of view. Obviously this captures the readers attention and begs explanation. 

Next on the list of characters is Tova Sullivan. She is widowed and her only son drowned just after graduating high school. 

She is lonely. Enter Marcellus. And others. The book is populated by interesting people all trying to figure out life.

I definitely recommend it. Sweet and charming read.

Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

Summer reading means jumping into some classic books I've not yet read. This summer it was Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. 

It was published in 1881, apparently at a time when authors were trying to dive deeply into what it meant to be human and what limitations that included.

The book is the story of a young American woman, Isabel Archer, who has lost both parents. Her aunt, who has married rich in England, brings her to that island nation as a sort of project. While there, Isabel's rich uncle dies, leaving her a fortune. The set-up for this strains credulity, as she hardly knows him, but it is apparently a necessary plot fixture for James' own project.

At this point, as Isabel is so incredibly charismatic and attractive (on the inside), no man can resist her charms, and she has money to boot, the world is her oyster. She can literally choose any life she desires. Initially desiring to see the world unencumbered by a love interest. she and a female friend launch into a European tour. 

Despite having any pick of any man, and despite making it quite clear to all who ask that she is not suited nor desirous of marriage, she chooses to marry an older widower with a teenage daughter who delights in seeing the world through jaded eyes. She could have had the delightful, rich, and young Lord Warburton, the charming and devoted (also rich) American businessman, Casper Goodwood, or her sweet, adoring, and sickly cousin, Ralph Touchett. Why she chooses Gilbert Osmond is anyone's guess. 

Literally.

It's not exactly clear when or why she did choose him. The reader is just informed of it three years later. 

It doesn't end well. Slowly Osmond begins to turn his cynicism on his wife and she feels that she can never live up to his expectations. That's because she can't. He's so jaded about everything, except his daughter, that nothing can meet his standards. 

And then there's the enigmatic Madame Merle always hovering in the background. She seems to have orchestrated the marriage between Isabel and Gilbert, but her motivation is not clear. Why she doesn't marry him herself is left an open question. They'd be perfect for each other.

The end. 

Seriously, the book ends with an unhappy marriage. Secrets are revealed. The cousin dies. Most everyone is disappointed. And that's it.

I had to read up on why this book is a "classic." Apparently James was making the point that humans, given every advantage, will still choose badly. We are simply incapable of making good decisions despite our best intentions. Isabel is repeatedly praised for her intelligence, yet this is nothing but a trap. It's her attraction to Osmond's brains and wit that leads her astray. James seems to imply that people end up happy by luck alone. We are a deceiving and deceived thing.

I suppose there is something to that. But it doesn't mean I agree with James. He's as cynical as Osmond. Humans have agency. Our intentions and choices matter. We are not destined to the roll of the dice. While luck plays a role, we play a greater role in our destinies than James would seem to think we do. 

On a side note, I really hate the way authors, male and female, will paint a female protagonist in broad terms and "tell" rather than "show." At no point, other than from the descriptive words about Isabel and her own description of herself, do I catch a glimpse of a charming and intelligent young lady, attractive to all who enter her sphere. She simply IS charming and attractive. It's like women cannot be full-formed characters about whom the reader can make her own judgment. Personally, I found Isabel boring and insipid. She's arrogant in the way only the young and ignorant know how to be. For all her worldly wisdom, she has no actual wisdom. She might say and think deep thoughts but they are never revealed to the reader. We must take James's word for it.

Maybe if I re-read the book with James' point in mind, I would see more value in the book. But I'm not sure what the point of a book is that tells the reader all your choices are an illusion. Maybe it's James who is deceived.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Serman Alexie

Our book club read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Serman Alexie as part of our "Novel with a Native American as a main character" genre. My proposal was Last of the Mohicans. 

The short take on the book was that it was a YA novel about a boy growing up on an Indian reservation who makes the decision to go to the nearby "white" school. I had to sigh when I read that. I mean, the book writes itself: Boy feels like an outsider in both places. He's bullied. He's stereotyped. He aims for a girl way out of his league. He finally settles into some kind of stasis in which he comes to believe he is who he is. Others will not define him. 

And that's the book. Literally. I wasn't exactly disappointed. I just got exactly what I expected. Junior is too smart for the rez, so a teacher urges him to attend the closest public school outside the reservation. Upon discovering his plan, his best friend beats him up. The white students at his new school, where strangely enough a beautiful girl sits in front of him and after a brief introduction ignores him, make fun of him and seem to threaten violence. Plot twist, he eventually kinda gets the girl when he discovers her secret: She, too, feels pressure to perform and conform. Junior eventually develops a level of respect from both communities and realizes he will have to live permanently in both worlds.

Junior's running commentary about the reservation is interesting and had the book sought to dive deeper into those seemingly intractable issues, it would have been more interesting. If Junior would have had to examine himself more deeply for his own blind spots and vices, it would have made for better literature. Instead it's another one of countless, "I never really felt like I belonged" navel-gazing novels. It's Catcher in the Rye for Native Americans. The difference is no one likes Holden Caulfield, while Junior is certainly lovable. I just want to hug him. It's a "let me tell you my story of the particular way in which I discovered that, although I didn't fit in, I had to learn to love myself the way I am." It's actually everyone's story and interesting in its specifics. 

We are so far from literature exposing us to real human foibles and the concomitant search for virtue. My classical teacher self is on full display in that sentence. 

The book is fun. It's dessert. It isn't something you will read twice. 
 

Emma by Jane Austen

I found the beautiful copy of Emma by Jane Austen in our neighborhood "Little Library." What a treasure!

I cannot help but compare it to Pride and Prejudice. 

Apparently, at some point in the past, Emma notices that Mr. Watson would be perfect for her tutor, Miss. Taylor. The book opens with their marriage and Emma believes herself highly prescient. 

But needing a new person to work her magic upon, she alights on the new girl in the local boarding school, Miss Smith. With no knowledge of her parentage, she provides a blank slate which Emma can work to improve. Initially, she thinks Mr. Weston, the local cleric is a terrific fit. Even though her friend and neighbor Mr. Knightley declares Mr. Weston far too aware of his ability to marry "up," Emma continues to push Miss. Smith away from a local farmer and towards the young parson. 

Mr. Knightly is right and Miss Smith is devastated. Emma swears off matchmaking. 

When Mr. Weston's adult son, Frank Churchill, finally deigns to visit and meet his new step-mother, Emma's antennae go up. Even after putting all thoughts of making matches behind her, she cannot help but dive into neighborhood gossip. Miss Smith is still available, and she even finds herself coming under his sway. Despite Mr. Knightley's attempts to reign in the brattier parts of Emma, she continues to gossip and speculate. In one particularly painful moment, she is cruel to a local, poor spinster. Mr. Knightley rather harshly holds her to account.

Having to beg Miss Bates for forgiveness and seeing all the damage she has done to Miss Smith finally causes Emma to face up to her own terrible lack of virtue. Despite it all, Mr. Knightley declares his love for her and proposes. He's even willing to move into her home so that her father will not have to part with her. Could he be more perfect?

What I liked about this book is Emma's sheer brattiness. She's proud, gossipy, arrogant, and sees the world as needing her tending. But she's also at heart kind and able to see her own faults. She's a better Elizabeth Bennet than Elizabeth Bennet. We come to love her because she's such a mess.

Mr. Knightley, on the other hand, is no Darcy. Yes he's rich and proud, but he's practically perfect. It seems he loves Emma because she's the only woman of equal standing available to him. He does see her heart and knows her to be kind, but mostly she just seems silly and very young to his age and wisdom. She is his project.

Emma's father, Mr. Woodhouse, is a hypochondriac that we are supposed to love for his little idiosyncrasies. But I don't. He imposes his will upon all around him and is completely unwilling to bend or shift his opinion on any matter. He's no lovable curmudgeon Mr. Bennet. 

Like any Austen, we see the full panoply of human existence. She's an amazing observer of the human condition and bring us characters we swear we know!