“The Handmaid’s Tale”

There have been a lot of references made to this novel in recent months. So, I decided I had to find out for myself, why.

If I had to describe Atwood’s “tale” in one word, it would be DISTURBING. A world destroyed. Patriarchy. Loss. Re-populate. Trapped.

At times I found it extremely difficult to continue. It wasn’t graphic. It was more jaw-dropping. A lot of…what? Are you kidding me? How does that work? How could you so devalue human life? When do the ends justify the means? How do the goals of the few negate the lives of the many? Where and when did society lose its moral compass? When and where did we veer off path?

I don’t like to think of this as a cautionary tale…but over the past year some of these same ideologies have crept into our society. My takeaway? Hope. Hope for a future engineered by all of us, for all of us.

The Mistletoe Mystery

 

It’s a novella…so an abbreviated review seems only fitting!

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Secrets. Challenges. Love. Happily-ever-after.

“The Mystery Guest”

I’ll keep this short and sweet…

Back at the Regency Grand Hotel. Quirky, Molly Gray, head maid. Murder. Deception. Details. Memories. Love. Friendship. Respect. Aside from the death of “beloved” author Grimthorpe, what a great romp. Finding value in the talents of others. Recognizing said talents. Searching for the happily-ever-after ending.

“Comfort and Joy”

 

Okay, okay, you had me hooked from the very beginning. Cruising along, heading toward the “happily-ever-after” ending, when suddenly there is a HUGE TWIST.

How can any of us be sure that the lives we are living are real? How can we be sure that our day to day lives are not being played out on some cosmic reality show? What about our dreams? Magic? Our mental health.

When do we decide to reach for happiness? To throw away what we know to be real and safe, for a chance. What if that chance threatens our mental stability? Who might question your reality? Who will believe you?

What about following our dreams? The course our lives take. What is in our control and what isn’t? Which path do we choose? Something safe? Or, something more esoteric? How might a little Christmas magic play into our perceived reality?

Will our characters get the “happily-ever-after” ending they deserve? Or will it all have been a dream?

“The Widening Stain”

Dead. Not one, but two dead academics. (Oops, spoiler alert) 1940s. University. Money. Greed. Professional jealousy. Love.

When a crime is committed, in this case murder, there is a widening stain…a pebble in a pond effect. Those rings reach further than murderer and victim. No one in the tight academic community is left unaffected.

The love interest. Gilda Gorham. Hot blooded female. Femme fatale? Professional. Working girl. Smoker. Passionate. 

Point of view is always skewed to our present time and place. It’s difficult at times to be one with the characters of the 1940s, when our own life experiences are so different. Social status. Gender roles. Motivation. All are time dependent.

Crime solved. However, the widening stain will always be present in the lives of the characters. Not so much for me.

Disturbing Thoughts: Election 2024

 

My mind is reeling. I am heartbroken. Worried about our future. 

Below is a small collection of quotes that played havoc with my thoughts this election cycle. 

Some are from a book I was reading, others are from brief encounters with other texts while volunteering at the library. All these thoughts continue to swirl in my mind, I feel I am trying to put a puzzle together without all the pieces. To make sense of it all. 

From Mother Daughter Traitor Spy by Susan Ella McNeal

“True love of country is a regard for all people of one’s country…We’re all in this American experiment together.” (109)

“There was a dazzle of danger in his gaze, the hypnotic promise of power. It was exhilarating. Narcotic. And terrifying. Fuhrer Kontakt, it was called with Hitler - an intense magnetism that could make people believe, in that moment, they were the only one in the room, the center of the universe. It made them willing to follow him anywhere.” (258)

“It could never happen here -  and it not only could have, but almost did. And there’s every reason to believe it could happen again in the future.” (302)

From: 1984 by George Orwell

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims…but accomplices.” (Introduction)

“Before we can study the central issues of life today, we must destroy the prejudices and fallacies born of previous centuries.” - Leo Tolstoy (Introduction)

“Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to be free, 

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

-Emma Lazarus, inscription on the Statue of LIberty (Introduction)

From: Final campaign speech of 1940

“We Americans…are characters in this living book of democracy. But we are also its author.  It falls upon us now to say whether the chapters that are to come will tell a story of retreat or a story of continued advance.” - President Franklin D. Roosevelt

I think what bothers me the most is I am feeling a tad bit cynical. Believing only selfishness motivates people. I am going to move in a positive direction. Hope, not hatred and ugliness. Kindness. Empathy. Love.

“God Save the Mark”

“There is a sucker born every minute.” - P.T. Barnum

I had a hard time placing when this story occurred…from some of the language, I would guess 1930s. However, telephone booths sprinkled throughout NYC threw me off. 1950s? ‘60s?

Either way Fred Fitch has to be the most gullible human being on the planet. I was frustrated with him. Worried about him. And down right done with him about half way through the novel. To call this a romp, would be accurate. Paranoia. So called friends. The long con. Money. Greed.

I like to tell you there was a “happily-ever-after.” but I don’t want to spoil it for you. Let’s just say that Fred got what he deserved and leave it at that.

Mother Daughter Traitor Spy

 

Historical Fiction. 1940. 

This book hit me hard. So many times I wanted to walk away, but like a car crash on the highway, I just couldn’t look away. The election results of 2024 collided with the hate and blame running rampant in this book. Why this book? Why now? It had been in my “to be read” pile for over a year. 

The quotes that grabbed me by the throat will become part of a separate blog post, but for now here they are…

“True love of country is a regard for all people of one’s country…We’re all in this American experiment together.” (109)

“There was a dazzle of danger in his gaze, the hypnotic promise of power. It was exhilarating. Narcotic. And terrifying. Fuhrer Kontakt, it was called with Hitler - an intense magnetism that could make people believe, in that moment, they were the only one in the room, the center of the universe. It made them willing to follow him anywhere.” (258)

“It could never happen here -  and it not only could have, but almost did. And there’s every reason to believe it could happen again in the future.” (302)

Hope for the future is what I continue to hold onto. Hope.