A Fun Movie...and a good book, A Memory of Violets

"In writing A Memory of Violets, I was constantly struck by the cruel contradictions of the lives of the flower sellers. Here were some of the poorest women and children in society, living the harshest of existences, and yet every day they were surrounded by the beauty of the flower markets. Black -and-white images and shaky newsreel footage taken during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries give a fascinating glimpse into market life in London, but it is difficult for us to imagine what these scenes would have looked like in full color. Oddly beautiful, perhaps."



-Hazel Gaynor, author of A Memory of Violets and four other novels
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This afternoon I finished reading this novel by Gaynor, a sweet story that I think will encourage your heart as it tells the story of some incredibly strong characters who endured hard times in England beginning in the year 1876. The central character is Tilly, a young woman who leaves her home in Grasmere in the the Lake District to become a sort of "dorm mother" to girls in a special school in the city of London. The school is the Training Home for Watercress and Flower Girls, a place where blind and crippled girls can live under close supervision as they learn how to make beautiful artificial flowers of all kinds to be sold. When twenty-one-year-old Tilly settles into her new room in the home for the flower girls, she soon finds a box with some curious items in it as well as a notebook that was written by someone named Florie. She begins to read the notebook and thus she unravels a story from the past that intrigued her. The girl who wrote the journal, Florie, wrote a lot about her little sister that she lost while trying to sell flowers in a crowded part of London. The two girls were utterly alone, so they had no one to ask for help. The younger sister, Rosie, ended up being adopted by a wealthy couple who learned to love her deeply. When they first found her they didn't know that she was almost completely blind, but after years of surgeries and treatments, her vision returned. Nevertheless, after the day that the girls were accidentally separated, they never saw each other alive again.

Meanwhile, Tilly, the main character, begins to love her new home. She becomes close with the twelve girl under her guidance, and they begin to form a close relationship. Tilly keeps reading the journal and eventually is able to solve the mystery of what happened to the two orphan girls who were once considered to be filthy street urchins. It does have a happy ending but, of course, I won't reveal it here. I think you'll enjoy this story of love, relationships, and perseverance. Gaynor has a lovely way with words, so it's easy reading that won't take you long to finish. I read it in about a week. Again, this book falls into my recent favorite category of historical fiction, a story based in a time of English history when there were many, many impoverished children living on the streets of London. Gaynor researched extensively before she began the book. She discovered some information by Henry Mayhew, a social researcher, who had interviewed many of the London street sellers. She also read the book London Labour and the London Poor and realized that it was the story of the flower sellers that she wanted to tell. So she began to write. I have been to Grasmere and London, two of the settings that are used in the book, so reading this book was especially interesting to me. It seems like I've been reading a lot of books set in WW II in Europe, but this one varies in that it doesn't focus on war between countries. Instead, it is about poor children in London who find a way to have a happy and productive life.

Alright...now on to the topic of MOVIES. Every ow and then I talk about a good movie that I've seen so this is definitely a good movie: "Florence Foster Jenkins," the new movie starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. We went to see it last weekend and we were not disappointed. Anything with Meryl Streep in it is going to be good, so this one is a winner as well. Streep plays the role of Florence Foster Jenkins, a lover of music who lives in New York and owns a music club. She is a wealthy woman who is married to St. Clair, the character played by Grant, a man who is completely devoted to her in every way. St. Clair does everything he can to make Florence believe that she is a great opera singer although she is TERRIBLE at singing. Everyone laughs at her while her husband makes excuses for their rude behavior. He pays her pianist (played by Simon Helberg from "Big Bang Theory") very handsomely to act as if he believes Florence's music is beautiful. He also pays her singing coach to encourage her in her quest to become an opera singer. It's a funny story and I admit that I actually laughed out loud at times, but it's also very sweet. It's sweet because Florence's husband is so devoted to her and wants, more than anything, to make her happy as she strives to make her dream come true. You see, since the age of 18 she suffered from syphilis and it affected her life for the rest of her days. This caused St. Claire to feel all the more devoted and sympathetic to her. So, it's true that Florence was clueless as to how to hit the right notes, but she was a very lovable character who was kind to others and just wanted to be able to enjoy her music to the fullest.

 

I hope you're having a good week. A penny for your thoughts...or should I say a sixpence for your thoughts??

-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
E.S.L. Teacher
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com

France and World War II

"It is not tolerable, it is not possible, that from so much death, so much sacrifice and ruin, so much heroism, a greater and better humanity shall not emerge."

-Charles de Gaulle, as quoted on azquotes.com. Charles de Gaulle was a French military general and statesman. He was the leader of Free France (1940-1944) and the head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (1944-1946).

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Irene Nemirovsky, author of Suite Francaise, who died at Auschwitz at the age of 39.

 Yesterday I finished a good historical novel that I came upon while browsing at Costco. I was at the store for another reason, but I decided just to look at the books to see if there was anything that interested me. Well, I found a true gem, and I didn't even realize the full extent of the importance of it until I read about the author when I was near the end of the book. Irene Nemirovsky was a novelist of Ukrainian Jewish birth who spent more than half of her life in France. She was denied citizenship but considered herself to be French. Her experiences did, no doubt, shape this novel about how France was affected by the Germans during WW II. She and her husband were forced to wear the yellow star, and soon thereafter they were taken to Auschwitz at separate times. Nemirovsky's husband was immediately taken to the gas chambers but she lived in the camp for a month before she died of typhous. Their two daughters managed to hide and to live on thanks to the help of many people who kept them safe. Nemirovsky's novel was hidden and unknown for sixty-four years, and it depicts the troubled times during the Nazi occupation in the 1940s when the German soldiers and Frenchmen had to coexist during a time when all of Europe was at war. The fact that this novel was hidden for so many years reminds me of Harper Lee's first novel, Go Set a Watchman, the first novel that she submitted to her publisher in the mid-1950s. Supposedly this novel was not discovered until 2014, so although it was submitted first, it was published many years after To Kill a Mockingbird and near the time of Harper Lee's death. 

You may have noticed that in the past couple of years I've had an interest in France and World War II. Perhaps it's because I visited France for the first time just four years ago and I saw the monument in honor of all of the Jews of France who perished during WW II.  This monument is near the front entrance to Notre Dame, and there is a light for every Jew who died. You cannot visit this monument and wonder about how the war affected so many innocent people all across Europe. As I chase a rabbit, this also reminds me of the monument in Edinburgh, Scotland that is a tribute to all of the Scots who died in the American Civil War. There is a large statue of Abraham Lincoln at this monument, and it made me realize that many of the soldiers in our own war were immigrants from places like Scotland. Experiences like these remind us that we do not live in a bubble; we are not the only ones affected by wars and other troubled times.

Nemirovsky experienced much of the WW II turmoil first-hand, and so this is the back-drop for her novel, Suite Francaise, translated by Sandra Smith. In this book we meet people such as the Pericand family, the Michauds, Charles Langelet, the Angelliers, Bruno, and others. The Germans move in and occupy France, and the French are forced to allow soldiers to sleep in their homes.So they must watch their every move so that they don't anger the Germans, and they count their possessions to make sure they don't steal anything. While some of the German soldiers were kind to their hosts, many were not and tore up the French homes. While the French did not like to have a soldier billeting in their homes, some of the soldiers would give small gifts to the family. They were always desperate for enough food and other necessities.  But there was always great tension as the two groups had to learn to get along. The soldiers claimed that they were only following orders, so they had to stay where they were assigned. In the end, the soldiers in the small town receive their orders that they are going to Russia, so the townspeople are, for the most part, happy that their enemies have left.

I bought another book at Costco last night, although I generally do not buy books. I had a "weak moment" and bought  book by Hazel Gaynor called A Memory of Violets. It's set in London, so I'm following the tendencies to read books set in Europe. I look forward to starting this book soon.

I finished listening to two books in the car recently. I read What On Earth Have I Done? by Robert Fulghum and Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler. Fulghum's book is a collection of essays and Tyler's book is about a 60-year old single man named Liam who tries to redefine himself after he is laid off from his teaching job. Fulghum's book was enjoyable to listen to because of the personal stories and anecdotes, and I would say the story line of Noah's Compass  is unremarkable yet somewhat unpredictable. Next time I'll share my thoughts about a movie that I plan to see, Meryl Streep's new film, "Florence Foster Jenkins." I plan to see it this weekend. It sounds like a fun story, and I can't pass up the chance to see a movie by the great Meryl Streep.

After my closing today I'll add some additional photos of my trip to Helen Keller's home and the hometown of Harper Lee. Summer break is soon to come to an end for me, but I think I'm ready for it. Next Friday, August 19, is the first teacher workday for our district. The first day for students is Monday, August 29. Then after one week of teaching we will get our Labor Day weekend! Try to stay cool and let me know your thoughts on the books I'm reading.

-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com

Monroeville, Alabama, hometown of Harper Lee

Gardens of Helen Keller's home, Ivy Green, in Tuscumbia, Alabama

A braille typewriter used by Helen Keller

Two Books and Bad Moms

"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all." 

-Abraham Lincoln

(as quoted by www.skipprichard.com; photo taken by Scottish photographer, Alexander Gardner (1821-1882), as shared at www.commons.m.wikimedia.org)

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 I think Abraham Lincoln had a good point...is there anything that is really original anymore? I can find out almost anything by googling these days. It reminds me that many other people have already thought about my question and have tried to find a good answer. They've mulled over the topic and used their own resourcefulness to find an answer. But nothing is really "original" these days. Still, I can try to write, draw, dance, think, perform, read, and watch as I so choose, because it's very unlikely that there is anyone else who has done these things EXACTLY like I have done them.

I listened to two books in the car recently and I enjoyed them. The first one is a book by Dave Eggers, Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

This is a strange little book about a young man who kidnaps the people in his life who he feels have wronged him in various ways. It's his tenuous attempt to make sense of his life, a life that he feels has been imbalanced and broken. He kidnaps an astronaut, a teacher,  his mother, a police officer, and a young woman.  He locks them in individual rooms in a large empty building complex near the ocean. He questions each one to try to understand why they did such mean things to him in the past. He is clearly angry at each one of them, and he takes the opportunity to tell them how they have wronged him. Each person reminds Kevin that the authorities will find him and put him jail for what he has done to him/her, but he doesn't seem to care. He continues to question each one because he wants to make sense of his life. This book is a little too weird for me, but the sentiment behind it is understandable. I think every human longs to live a life that "makes sense" and is at peace, but in order to do this we would have to live in a perfect world. How many of us have never looked back into our past and asked, "Why did __________ do that? Why did ________ make me feel bad?"

The second book that I listened to recently is What On Earth Have I Done? by Robert Fulghum. You may remember that Fulghum is the author of the popular book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. What On Earth Have I Done? is a collection of essays in which Fulghum discusses all sorts of topics. He shares his likes and dislikes, the interesting people that he has met, and more. He calls himself a "storyteller," someone who enjoys writing about his experiences and thoughts. He relates many of his experiences from the years that he spent on an island in Greece.  Of course, he met a lot of interesting people there and he learned a lot from them. If you'd like to read something that is thoughtful and enjoyable, you will enjoy this book of essays.

I'm currently listening to an Anne Tyler book, Noah's Compass. It's about a man who is beaten and robbed during the night, but he has no memory of the attack. So far it's a pretty interesting story but I'll write more next time. Apparently I read this book in 2010, so this is my second time around, but I'm enjoying it. I've read three books by Anne Tyler so far.

Now about "bad moms." I'm sure you've heard about the new movie, "Bad Moms," starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and others. I went to see this movie one discount day at Wynnsong because I thought it would be funny. Granted, it did have a lot of funny parts, but it was pretty vulgar as well. It's a Rated R movie for a reason, so if you don't like bad language, etc., just stay home. But it does bring up some good points about motherhood, the fact that we may often feel unappreciated and just plain tired. Yet we trod onward out of unconditional love for our families. The moms depicted in the movie are far from perfect, but what parent really is? We do the best that we can and put others ahead of ourselves. The three main characters in "Bad Moms" hit rock bottom and said, "NO MORE! We will no longer do everything for our families. We will take time for ourselves!" As you can imagine, there are many funny scenes, but it is pretty raunchy so think before you run out and see this flick. This movie makes me glad that the P.T.A. president doesn't really have this much power! In the movie, she abuses her power and controls everything that goes on at the school. It makes for a pretty funny series of events.

I'll close with some additional pictures of my recent trip to Alabama where I visited the home of Helen Keller and the hometown of Harper Lee. Have a great weekend!

-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com 

I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird in Monroeville, Alabama.

 

Ivy Green, home of Helen Keller, in Tuscumbia, Alabama

The cottage where Anne Sullivan and Helen once lived and worked.