Book Review: All the Flowers in Paris

This book is reminiscent of Sarah's Key (by Tatiana de Rosnay). It progresses with parallel plot lines, following a modern American woman in Paris teasing out the story of a Parisian Jew during WWII. In All the Flowers in Paris we meet Caroline, racing away from a Paris cafe on her bicycle, head full of indignation at a man seeking her forgiveness. When she swerves to miss pedestrians and plows into an oncoming truck, the hook intensifies as she wakens with amnesia. They can only piece together the bare minimum. She returns to her ornate apartment on the Rue Cler almost paralyzed by questions. How had she come to live there? Why is there an untouched room within the apartment? Why had she led such a sad, isolated life before her accident? As Caroline uncovers more of who she is, she also unearths the story of an earlier tenant, Celine, who ran a flower shop with her father during wartime. Celine and her young daughter, Cosette, bravely faced the atrocities of war. Fans of Sarah's Key and The Nightingale will enjoy this novel.

My Downton Abbey Movie Review

Photo by Greg Willson on Unsplash

I had such high hopes for my return to the Downton Abbey splendor. Perhaps, my too-recent immersion in the six season television show dampened my movie-going experience. From the outset, it felt off. I understand that the actors have moved on and lived many years now off the Downton Abbey set. Nonetheless, the portrayal of the characters felt stiff and stilted, as if they had difficulty plunging back into their past personas. The lines that used to zing and crackle, now fell flat. There were a few moments when Violet and Isobel returned to their typical sparring modes, but it wasn't a seamless jump from the television version to the big screen.

The story line lacked intrigue and substance, as well. It seemed they tried to cram the two-hour movie with at least ten minutes devoted to each character, but at the cost of plotting. Yes, the king and queen's arrival, with the inevitable scramble to impress, caused wrinkles. But the wrinkles were minor and not significant enough to make me care or even get excited.

While I loved the costumes, they didn't appear to be any more special than the ones from the six-season show. It was grand to see the aerial shots of the castle again and John Lunn's music still tugged at my emotional heart for Downton. Mostly, I thrilled in the story line that provided Tom Branson with a suitable match (my greatest hope from the movie). While not truly from the servant class, she wasn't from the privileged upbringing of a peer's family either. She met the criteria well. The romance developed too quickly for my taste, in the space of a few frames. Still, she seemed a wise choice to settle my heart's desire for a love interest for the widower.

All in all, the movie disappointed. I'm not sure what would have saved it. Better writing? Better acting? A longer script (the two-hour romp felt like an over-large body crammed into a shrunken garment)? I certainly won't anticipate another Downton Abbey movie with equal vigor. It is clear, any future episode will not include Dame Maggie Smith (and even her lines did not carry their usual intensity). Lady Edith and Lady Mary have secured the truce I assumed I wanted, but I missed the spark and intrigue of their barbed relationship. How would they all go forward? They obviously need new characters and new challenges. I will bid Downton Abbey adieu. It was nice while it lasted, but the attempt to rekindle the old flame seemed more like a Bic lighter than a blazing bonfire. So sad!

Book Review: The Road Back to You

I come late to many parties. I resist joining the crowd in following a particular movement. This was true for Downton Abbey. I heard the buzz and even considered, given it was British and Masterpiece Theater, that I would probably enjoy it, yet I resisted mightily. Once I gave in, I was hooked. I binge watched the whole six-season show not once, but twice. I immersed myself in Downton Abbey books and anxiously awaited the release of the movie.

The same is true about Enneagram theories. Loads of people were talking about Enneagrams, referencing it in cute little add-ons to their Facebook posts, proclaiming where they fall on the Enneagram scale. Oh, how I resisted. Until ... a new friend mentioned a Christian book outlining the nine personality types on the Enneagram scale and recommended it to help improve some of my fractured relationships. She suggested it couldn't hurt to see where the other individual is coming from, what makes them behave the way they do, and how I might respond in a way that brings out their best instead of their worst. If nothing else, I could identify my own perspectives with more clarity and understand what makes me tick.

The Road Back to You, by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile, outlines nine personality types. It identifies what each one looks like when healthy, average, and unhealthy. Moreover, the book identifies the fear that drives each type. I really enjoyed the close of each chapter, where the authors presented ten strategies for individuals who identify with that personality type.

I loved the author's funny illustrations and analogies. For example, when describing his mother: "is so spry and mentally acute you'd think nicotine and inactivity were the keys to a long and happy life." When outlining his own mistakes, he wrote "I made more missteps than a guy running through a minefield wearing clown shoes." His descriptions are colorful and clear. The book is well-structured and accessible. Surely, you will see yourself in one or two of the personality types.

Oh, how I recognized myself in the list of "What it feels like to be a #9, Peacemaker." I will, indeed, do almost anything to avoid conflict. I procrastinate, have trouble being decisive, and numb myself to life's pain by avoidance. I choose the path of least resistance and avoid ruffling feathers, downplaying my true feelings about things. "I'm a 'what you see is what you get' person." Although, I don't find the outdoors soothing and I rarely worry about being selfish while doing what I want to do. Still, several sentences hit me square between the eyes: "harbor resentments going back to childhood," "drop their healthy boundaries," and "will cling to relationships long past their expiration dates."

The application section for Nines was quite helpful, beginning with the suggestion to journal "What is my calling? and Am I pursuing it or postponing it to keep the peace?" I might benefit from an app to keep me on task and productive. I need to recognize the numbing strategies used to avoid having to deal with life and resist passive-aggressive behaviors like procrastination and avoidance. When angry, I need to be honest and open (oh, that's a hard one for me). A normal disagreement might feel/seem like intense, terrible conflict. When paralyzed, I need to find someone who can help me tease out what I want to do.

Then, I reached the chapter about Ones, Perfectionists, and it was my husband personified. He is, indeed, critical and judgmental, beats himself up for mistakes, cannot relax because so much needs doing, relishes detail, clings to resentment, is very self-disciplined, careful and thoughtful with money, sees things as either right or wrong, rigidly follows routine, resents when he has to redo someone else's work (i.e. re-clean a room someone else hasn't tidied to his standards). Thankfully, our years of counseling had already opened my eyes to the way he sees and experiences the world. Indeed, they opened his eyes, as well, and he is much better at attacking his perfectionism than he ever was before (however, there are still areas where he demands so much and sees things in such black and white ways that I struggle).

The great thing about studying the Enneagram patterns of personality is that it gives you a chance to see how your own perspectives and life history could cause you to have a distorted view of reality. Others see things differently and experience situations from their own life lens. I believe I greatly benefited from understanding what drives the various individuals who approach life from a different perspective and frame of mind than my own. Hopefully, I will use that understanding to build bridges. Indeed, I hope I will work on some of my own distorted views and strive to be my best self.

=======

Addendum: Heresy can be so subtle. I was swept in. This podcast opened my eyes to the New Age aspects of "Christian" Enneagram theories. This is a must watch video:

2019 - Third Quarterly Review

To assist my blog readers, I've decided to summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, the page count, and a grading scale (5 thumbs up - Highly Recommend, 4 thumbs up - Enjoyed, 3 thumbs up - Good, but not as satisfying as I'd hoped, 2 thumbs up - Meh, and 1 thumb down - Regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I might also document the mention of agents in the acknowledgement section - this is primarily for my own purposes, since it benefits a writer to know what agents represented similar works.

I read the following books during the third quarter of 2019 (for my full review, click on title):


How to Forget by Kate Mulgrew - Well-written memoir about the deaths of Mulgrew's father to cancer and mother to Alzheimer's. - 334 pages, 👍👍👍

The Fast Diet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting by Dr. Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer - A 5:2 plan (5 days normal eating, 2 days restricted calorie eating) that seems reasonably easy to follow, but probably not the best book available on intermittent fasting. - 250 pages, 👍👍

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts - The story of Maud Gage Baum, wife of the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and her intersection with the actress Judy Garland as she played the role of Dorothy in the movie version of Baum's book. - 340 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda - Told in reverse chronological order, this unique thriller lays groundwork for two missing girls, a decade apart, and slowly reveals the solution to the mystery. - 368 pages, 👍👍👍

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris - Lale Sokolov endures the terrors of the Nazi concentration camp because of his budding love for Gita.  More historical romance than historical expose. - 288 pages (I listened on audio, 6 CDs, 7.5 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane - Forty-year-old May Attaway lives with her father and her cat and works in the university gardens. A sudden allotment of time off prompts her to visit four old friends from her past. What follows is deep reflection on friendship in this modern age. With each visit she tends the garden of her soul. - 289, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford - Ernest, a twelve-year-old Asian boy, is raffled off at the 1909 Seattle World's Fair and won by a madam in a brothel. Weaving back and forth between two Seattle fairs, Ernest's life is full of conflict and intrigue. - 320 pages (I listened on audio, 9 CDs, 11-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene - Memoir of Greene's grief journey after losing his toddler daughter, Greta, in a freak accident. - 256 pages, 👍👍👍

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse - Newbery-winning book about a teen living during the Depression in the Dust Bowl. - 227 pages (I listened on audio, 2 CDs, 2-1/4 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk - Award-winning historical fiction about a young abandoned baby raised by strangers on the Elizabeth Islands, near a leper colony on Penikese Island. - 283 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Orphaned and on the run, Emily Wiggins makes her way by stagecoach to her new home with her aunt Hilda. - 160 pages (I listened on audio, 2 CDs, 2-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck - Davy Bowman navigates the tricky waters of the World War II homefront. - 160 pages (I listened on audio, 3 CDs, 3-1/4 hours), 👍👍👍

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper - Andrew works as a public servant seeking clues of kin for those who die alone, but his life is built upon the lie that he goes home to a loving family. When he begins to take an interest in his co-worker, Peggy, he must find a way to come clean without losing everything. - 321 pages, 👍👍👍👍

A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer - Danny Cartwright is framed for the murder of his best friend but by a quirk of fate he is able to seek rectification and revenge. An intricate, twisty cat-and-mouse game! - (Found this confusing: Amazon lists the hardback as 512 pages and the audio as 16-1/2 hours, yet my library audio version was only 5 CDs, 6 hours??? doesn't say abridged), 👍👍👍👍-1/2

The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer - In 1348, brothers John and William are given a rare choice to either spend their final six days of life with their family (possibly passing along the plague) or cross time to spend the days with one day in ninety-nine year increments until their final day in 1942. As they travel across time, they encounter the many changes and attempt to do good or earn salvation. - 383 pages, 👍👍

When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd - Insight into spiritual times of waiting and seeking God's direction for life. - 205 pages, 👍👍👍

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley - How did a severed finger turn up in Flavia's sister Ophelia's wedding cake? Could someone truly believe the finger holds the power to impart the musical prowess of the dead? If so, I could do with a drink from the dust of Dickens, ha! - 352 pages, (I listened on audio, 7 CD's, 9 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

The Wit and Wisdom of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes - A compilation of favorite lines from the popular PBS show about the upstairs and downstairs life in an Edwardian English estate. - 128 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Cross Gardener by Jason F. Wright - John Bevan is having difficulty managing his grief until he strikes up a friendship with a heaven-sent individual who calls himself "the cross gardener," and comforts with the proclamation that "no one dies alone." - 304 pages, 👍👍-1/2

A Risk Worth Taking by Robin Pilcher - Dan Porter's world is falling apart after the loss of his job. Can a trip to Scotland save him? - 304 pages (I listened on audio, 3 CD's, 3-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍

Book Review: A Risk Worth Taking

Back when my mother was a reader, she loved Rosamunde Pilcher's books. I attempted a short story collection, Flowers in the Rain & Other Stories, but struggled with endless distractions from my boys. I still plan to try September. When I recognized the Pilcher name, this time her son Robin, I gave this audio book a chance. I think the storytelling was good, the characters genuine, and the pacing sound.

In A Risk Worth Taking, Dan Porter is seeking direction in life after losing his job. His marriage is suffering and his teenaged children are distant. Then he reads an article about a clothing company in Scotland planning to sell. Although he is too late to buy the company, the owner's husband offers him a temporary job. Joined by his son, Dan forges a new path and takes a risk to redefine his existence.

It was easy to become engrossed in the tale. My only complaint is that it seemed to wink at infidelity. But, it held my attention and presented believable characters and dilemmas. I would venture forth with another book by this author. I shall have to see if my library has any more audio books by Robin Pilcher.

Book Review: The Cross Gardener

After listening to Lincoln Hoppe narrate a recent middle grade read, I sought another audio book from his narration. When I noticed this title, The Cross Gardener, I recognized an author I've attempted and moderately appreciated before, Jason F. Wright (author of The Wednesday Letters and The Seventeen-Second Miracle). Given his other titles, I knew to expect an inspirational read. However, I found this one somewhat hokey and often irritating.

John Bevan lives a life of almost constant loss (one individual hammered by so much tragedy felt like a stretch). The tale opens with the story of his birth, on the side of the road, to an unwed mother who dies in an accident. Despite the good fortune of adoption, his life continues to spiral in grief when his teen brother drowns, his grandfather dies, and his adoptive father dies of lung cancer. After marrying his childhood sweetheart, he welcomes a daughter, Lulu. But, tragedy assaults again.

Reeling from grief, he meets a young man on the side of the road where yet another auto accident has torn his life apart. This messenger calls himself "the cross gardener," and feels a singular mission to teach John Bevan the foremost lesson that "no one dies alone." I'm sure readers struggling with grief will find these words comforting, but so much of the explanation veered away from my own personal beliefs.

The presented ideas conflict with a Christian perspective and offer a fluffy feel-good mentality of dead individuals returning to help the living cross over into eternity. Moreover, several of the author's concepts disturb me, especially the dead garnering eternal life for the lost (despite their lifelong rejection of God). According to the Bible, we each will stand before the judgment seat to receive what is due us for the things done while in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10). I cannot reject God, yet gain heaven by someone else's petition on my behalf. Salvation is a free gift, by grace through faith in the atoning work of Christ's death on the cross, not something earned through the efforts of others.

Even the emphasis on the crosses erected at grave-sites in this story perplexes me. Why would someone who does not believe in the validity of Christ's act on the cross, memorialize the dead with a cross? I Corinthians 1:18 says the preaching of the cross is foolishness to many people. This author seems to imply that we can gain salvation/eternal life through the activities and efforts/prayers of others. As a Christian, I believe that eternal life is a free gift through belief, by grace, not works. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Not only does the story require a herculean suspension of disbelief, it presents heretical thought in a pretty consolatory package meant to comfort the grieving. I agree our pain has purpose. I agree God holds a higher perspective over it all (like Wright's hot-air balloon example). Yet, I disagree with so many of the foundational arguments in this book that I cannot recommend it, even to comfort a grieving friend.

My Commendations and Criticisms of Downton Abbey

Photo by Greg Willson on Unsplash

The Downton Abbey movie officially opens in U.S. theaters today. For years, the buzz pushed me away. I knew it was an addictive Masterpiece Theater series. Several friends raved about it on Facebook. Many aspects should have enticed me: it was a lengthy British, historical drama - just my thing.

Years ago, I gave it a shot and only completed the first episode before setting the Season One DVD rental aside. This time around, I determined to push through my hesitations and, by episode three, the characters hooked me with the masses. Yet, I'm torn in my assessment. While I love the show and admit my addiction (I watched all six seasons twice to prepare for the movie), in other ways, I find it ridiculous - a high-heeled soap opera.

Commendations:

1) As noted in my earlier book review, I LOVE the dialogue and witty banter between characters, first and foremost. I cannot get enough of the caustic exchanges between the Dowager Countess and Mrs. Crawley. I love Mrs. Patmore's retorts. Mary's acerbic tongue spears her sister and others with direct blows. So many times, various characters come back with responses I might only dream up after much cogitation and indignation-fueled fury (like O'Brien's quick response to Anna's derisive tone, "Get back in the knife box, Mrs. Sharp!").

2) My favorite beloved characters. Who wouldn't fall for Matthew Crawley? Handsome, humble, honorable. I'd have taken him in a minute-flat - middle-class or not. Or could anyone not root for Lady Sybil? She is free from societal restraints and sees to the genuine heart of things. She lives and loves outside the box. What a blow her childbirth episode delivered! The show paints the chauffeur, Tom Branson, in such generous colors. Even when tasked with swimming upstream, he keeps viewers on his side. I almost gave up on him when he succumbed to the crafty exploits of Edna, but that smile wooed me back as soon as he realized the error of his ways. His was a hard walk, and he managed it with grace. I also loved the two primary masters of the downstairs staff - Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. They both exhibited compassion balanced with grit. I enjoyed loving the lovely and despising the despicable. But, even I cried when a broken Thomas softened and a prickly Mrs. O'Brien regretted the action she couldn't erase.

3) The history, setting and dress. What fun to immerse myself in the post-Edwardian aristocracy's world. From the inciting incident of the Titanic's sinking, the series offers a faithful portrayal of many historical details: the suffrage movement, war-time with grand homes morphing into hospitals, post-war losses from the Spanish Flu, politics in England and abroad, the narrowing chasm between the landed elite and their domestic staff, and the threat of death taxes. Even though my personal love is for Victorian England, the grandness of Downton Abbey and the elaborate costumes of the family swept me away. I imagined what it would be like to live on that glorious estate, to have such a library (swoon), and to dress in spectacular outfits and finery. Would I even endure the corset if it meant I'd stun like Lady Mary, Lady Sybil, or Lady Rose?

4) The music. My heart swelled with the hammered notes of the introductory theme song. I loved how, at the end of certain sadder episodes, the theme muted or switched to more subdued tones. In scenes of romance, particular strains repeated. It was evocative and rich and enhanced the feelings of the moment. Kudos to Scottish composer John Lunn!

5) Increasing conflict is essential to a story! Every episode seemed to offer a new avenue of distress or wrinkle in the tale. I'm sure much of the addictive tendency goes back to the excellent plot pacing. Each character presented problems anew and the dynamics between individuals created enough friction to carry the story.

But some positives flip to negatives.

Criticisms:

1) The plotting waxed absurd. It was as if the author drew up a comprehensive list of scandals and included each one. The characters experience an array of appalling offenses. Downton Abbey is the hotbed of sin and sordidness. Lives are fraught with sexual promiscuity, infidelity, prostitution, blackmail, rape, murder, gambling, divorce, death in childbirth, class violations, and racial tensions. Jilting at the altar? Check. Upstairs individuals cavorting with downstairs individuals. Check. Illegitimate offspring? Check. Child ripped from her adoptive home? Check.

2) Many aspects were unbelievable. Would the decent, upright Matthew Crawley feel attracted to the calculating, cold Lady Mary? How could Mary pursue someone whose career involved the very thing that killed her first husband? After turning down Matthew because he might not be rich, why would she later settle on Henry who ends up as a car salesman? I saw no impetus for that relationship at all and detected only the blandest level of love between them. Threat to expose Mary's indiscretions occurs not once, but twice. Lady Edith, billed as the homeliest and least appealing daughter, enjoys countless relationships (the married farmer; the amnesiac, intended heir; the milk-toast, jilting Lord; the marriage-bound editor; ...) and secures the marriage with the highest ranking. I'm surprised Mary didn't swoop in to steal that prize (after all, she needs to secure Downton's future). Lord Grantham's dalliance with Jane was unbelievable. What caused that attraction? Every time you turn around you meet a new relationship and an impending wedding (be it upstairs or downstairs). Apart from Daisy, it seems there's someone for everyone.

3) They hammered some plot-lines to death. The whole Bates saga went on forever. Will they or won't they convict him, hang him, or absolve him? Plus, what a conflicted character! He had to be tough enough for the viewer to believe him capable of the accused atrocities and yet tender enough to woo the gentle Anna. He was violent enough to seek revenge, to twist his wife's arm and call her a foul name, yet honorable enough to go to prison for her crime and to stay silent when Lord Grantham considers his behavior dishonorable. In prison he attacks his roommate, yet later uses his forgery skills to secure funding for the proud Mr. Moseley and, later still, to save the day retrieving the purloined letter. Quite a mixed bag. Then, as if Bates hasn't suffered enough, the legal trial of his wife hounds him further, prompting him to once again take the fall. At least Mrs. Bates catches a break when permitted to give birth in the fine furnishings of Lady Mary's room.

4) They dropped other story elements quickly. Beloved characters died before viewers took a breath. I'm not sure I understood the point of including Lady Grantham's American brother and his flirtations with the young girl (apart from emphasizing the ever-present scramble to align with the wealthy) or the plot line of Rose's stolen letter (loyalty to the monarchy). Two servants seek to elevate their station yet two ignore marriage proposals that would pull them out of their servant subsistence. Mr. Carson's ex-stage partner enters and exits his life in sputters, along with news of his earlier love interest.

5) I know I'm squeamish, but I struggled with several scenes: the operation to extract fluid from around the heart; Lady Grantham's bout with Spanish flu; Livinia's death; Lady Sybil's childbirth and post-childbirth scenes; the rape scene; Lord Grantham's graphic response to illness; and Matthew's demise on the wings of such elation. Granted, life is full of ups and downs, easy days and difficult, but some harder scenes were shattering.

Overall, I'm still a Downton Abbey fan. I have high hopes for the movie. The grandeur will increase because they are hosting the King and Queen. I cannot wait to see the costuming. I hope the witty banter persists. It is thrilling to know Dame Maggie Smith is returning for the movie, despite her protestations that her character would be ancient by then. Bring on more daggers from the Dowager Countess. What scandal remains to explore? I'd love to see Lady Mary and Lady Edith call a truce and rely on, instead of repel, each other. Is that even possible? Although I criticized the overabundance of romantic relationships, I still desire love for Tom Branson. May he find a satisfactory place and a suitable partner.

At some point, I wish to walk the grounds of Highclere Castle. While I doubt I'll win the Viking River Cruises sweepstakes (a cruise with a day-trip to the film location of Downton Abbey), perhaps I will one day find my way back to Britain. The characters became such a part of my daily life while binge-watching these past months. Approaching the location will equal walking into a moment of history or re-opening a favored book.

Are you a Downton Abbey fan? What are your likes and dislikes about the show? What are your hopes for the movie and the future? Should they offer even more Downton by pursuing a second movie? I doubt the Dowager would return, and that might be like french fries without salt.