Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel

So, I’ve gone over to the dark side. I’ve checked out The Tudors, the steamy Showtime series with Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII and wives draped all over the promos in extremely unlikely lowcut gowns. And I’m going to be fast-forwarding past Henry and the wives to look for the bits with Thomas Cromwell. Thomas Cromwell. This guy:

Even his mentor, Cardinal Wolsey, affectionately refers to him as “rather like one of those square-shaped fighting dogs that low men tow about on ropes.”

Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel is responsible for my unlikely crush on a bulldog-faced Tudor bureaucrat. Wolf Hall follows the events of 1527-1535, when King Henry is harrying lawyers, churchmen, ambassadors, fellow rulers, and the Pope for an annulment of his first marriage and a do-over with Anne Boleyn. Cromwell is our viewpoint character. He comes out of nowhere, a blacksmith’s son with a dodgy past that he rarely talks about, and he builds a reputation as a man who gets things done until he’s King Henry’s right-hand man. And the things that Henry wants done involve moving church and state.

There’s a certain satisfaction in reading about talented people going competently about their jobs, and Cromwell is an admirable multitasker who “can draft a contract, train a falcon, draw a map, stop a street fight, furnish a house and fix a jury,” while safeguarding the futures of his extended household of foundlings and foster children. I can’t speak to the historical veracity of Mantel’s portrayal, except to note that like Josephine Tey’s Daughter of Time, the novel sympathetically rehabilitates a figure frequently depicted as a villain. The character will appeal to readers who enjoyed Dunnett’s House of Niccolo series, about another low-born youth who schemes his way to power.

Prepare to spend some time with this book. It’s long, detailed, subtle, and sometimes has the pacing of a chess game. The prose is clean, the language unadorned, the conversations lifelike and convivial (the law may have changed since the 1500s, but lawyer jokes have not).

All of the characters are well-drawn, from the rival Boleyn siblings to the enigmatic martyr Thomas More. If you like to put faces with names, court painter Hans Holbein sketched or painted many of them. Between his paintings and Mantel’s words, a panorama of long-dead people briefly come to life again.

Check the WRL catalog for Wolf Hall.

Check out the Holbein paintings, too.

P.S. I naively thought Wolf Hall would take us through the life of Thomas Cromwell, or at least to the death of Anne Boleyn, but no! We won’t get Cromwell’s full story until a second volume, The Mirror and the Light, is published some time next year.

Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice, Book 1), by Joseph Delaney

Finally, we finish out the Circulation Services Division week with an exciting and eerie bit of junior fiction from Melissa Simpson. Just the thing for a cold winter’s night.

One of our library users raved about “The Last Apprentice” series by Joseph Delaney. She was checking it out in audiobook and said the reader, Christopher Evan Welch, was very good. When I asked what the story was like, she said it was like Harry Potter, but darker. That sold it – I had to listen for myself!

The story begins with Thomas’ dad looking for an apprenticeship for his youngest son.  He has lined up a meeting with Old Gregory to take on Thomas. Old Gregory is a Spook, a protector from bogarts, witches, ghasts, and “all manner of wicked beasties.”

Thomas is happy to leave the farm but is a little apprehensive about becoming a Spook.  All his life he’s been aware of things moving in the shadows.  His oldest brother even jokes about him still sleeping with a candle lit.  His mother assures Thomas that this is his destiny. As the seventh son of a seventh son, it will be his job to keep people safe when Old Gregory is no longer able.

So Thomas and the Spook set off on a one-month trial apprenticeship. Before they go too far, Thomas has to pass a test – he has to spend the night alone in a haunted house. It’s creepy, and there is definitely something in the house besides Thomas. But Thomas manages to keep his wits and survives the test, which has a surprising ending.

As his apprenticeship continues, Thomas learns much about bogarts, witches, and girls with pointy shoes. And he has a lot of questions about what happened to the apprentices that came before him.  Left alone for a short time, Thomas gets tricked into letting loose the dangerous witch, Old Mother Malkin.  But instead of waiting for someone to bail him out of danger, he figures out a way to defeat her on his own.  His troubles aren’t over, however. When he heads back home for a brief break, Thomas discovers Old Mother Malkin’s spirit has followed him and he has to protect his family from her evil possession.

The audiobook is excellent. Welch captures the tone of the story and the voices of the characters very well. But be sure to also check out the book. Illustrations by Patrick Arrasmith enhance the spooky tale. And included in the back of the book are Thomas’ Journal and a map of the area.

School Library Journal suggests this book for grades 5-8.

The story isn’t graphic, but just creepy enough to make you look over your shoulder or leave the lights on when you’re home alone.  I can’t wait to read what adventures Thomas has next.

Check the WRL catalog for Revenge of the Witch

Check the WRL catalog for the audiobook of Revenge of the Witch

Nightwatching, by Peter Greenaway

Today, Mandy Malone gives us her thoughts on the film Nightwatching by Peter Greenaway.

When I learned that the library was adding Nightwatching to its DVD collection, I was excited about the possibility of reviewing it for BFGB. I’ve long admired the films of British director Peter Greenaway, and when I heard that his latest film, Nightwatching, would explore the Dutch artist Rembrandt and the creation of his painting “The Night Watch,” my curiosity was piqued. Then I realized that I really wanted to analyze Nightwatching, not review it, and almost chose something else to review. As much as I enjoyed the film, it doesn’t lend itself to an easy review, but I thought I would try by commenting on the film’s plot and some of its stylistic elements. I should  preface my remarks by saying that while the conspiracies at the heart of Nightwatching are completely fictitious, I think it would be inaccurate to simply characterize the film as a historical biography with wildly speculative elements.

Early in the film, Rembrandt’s (Martin Freeman) wife Saskia (Eva Birthistle) becomes pregnant; and he accepts a commission to paint the Amsterdam Musketeer Militia. As work on the painting progresses, Rembrandt uncovers a host of secrets lurking among the members of the group, and when a murder occurs, he seizes on the commission as an opportunity to reveal the group’s dark deeds. Greenaway thus posits that “The Night Watch” was Rembrandt’s “J’Accuse,” a clever allegory exposing the multi-layered conspiracy. Once the painting is unveiled, the militia is outraged, but rather than destroy the painting outright the members plot to destroy Rembrandt’s life and career, and the fallout from the painting forms the final act of the film.

While the painting of “The Night Watch” and the conspiracy theory behind it provides the primary narrative framework for the movie, Greenaway weaves in elements of Rembrandt’s personal life, particularly his relationships with Saskia, and, following her death, his servants Geertje (Jodhi May) and Hendrickje (Emily Holmes). Greenaway’s vision of Rembrandt is that of a bawdy, lusty, driven artist, and Martin Freeman turns in a solid performance, conveying this vision without veering into caricature. Birthistle, May and Holmes are also quite good. Rembrandt’s relationships are pivotal to the story, and the actresses are effective in showing how the women in his life were not only the sources of his inspiration and redemption, but also the agents of his destruction.

Peter Greenaway’s films are unique in their cinematic style and unconventional approach to storytelling, and Nightwatching is no exception. The film is highly stylized, with each frame resembling a Dutch painting. The dialogue is rather dense, which is typical for a Greenaway film, and there are several images which are repeated throughout the film, giving the narrative an elliptical structure.

While Nightwatching may not be a film for everyone, it should appeal to Greenaway fans and the accessible nature of the subject matter could make it a good starting place for those interested in his films.

Check the WRL catalog for Nightwatching

Oklahoma, by Trevor Nunn

Today, John Livecchi takes a look at a revival of the classic Broadway show, Oklahoma.

One advantage in working for WRL is gaining exposure to materials I may never have considered borrowing. Almost every day something turns up in the return bin that I haven’t read, heard, or seen, and I either check it out right then or make a mental note to do so soon.  The other day someone returned a DVD of Trevor Nunn’s 1998 London Production of Oklahoma!, and I happened to be on check in. What luck! Who knew such a thing even existed? I had seen the New York version of this production in 2002, but with a different actor in the lead role and had always wondered if Hugh Jackman of X-Man, Wolverine, and Australia fame had really been as good a “Curly” as the critics stated. The surprise is that Jackman’s even better and the entire production is so good, it’s like seeing a classic for the first time.

Still “doin’ fine” sixty-six years later, this Rodgers and Hammerstein landmark musical is now reborn in a haunting and richly human interpretation. Directed in 1998 by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Susan Stroman, this new production set box office records during its runs in London and Broadway, captivating critics and audiences alike with by its fresh new take on a venerable classic. Luckily for television audiences, the magic of the original London cast is captured in this deluxe film adaptation which includes Hugh Jackman’s sensational, star-making performance as Curly. Also featured are original cast members Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Maureen Lipman of The Pianist as Aunt Eller, and 2002 Best Supporting Actor Tony winner Shuler Hensley as the ominous yet movingly sympathetic Jud Fry. In addition to the cast members already listed, the film includes impressive performances by Vicki Simon as Ado Annie, Peter Polycarpou as Ali Hakim and Jimmy Johnston as Will Parker.

One factor that makes this production so fresh was Nunn’s desire to replace the Agnes de Mille choreography—so intrinsic to the original musical—with the work of a contemporary choreographer. The Rodgers and Hammerstein organization consented, and wholeheartedly approved Nunn’s choice: two-time Tony winner Susan Stroman, later dubbed by one critic as “the de Mille of the Nineties.” Stroman’s inventive approach obliged her and Trevor Nunn look at this revered classic as a “new work.”

From its first note, sung off-stage while we watch Aunt Eller peacefully greeting the new day, to its rousing conclusion, everything about the production is innovative. The exchange between Curly and Laurey in act one is suddenly not simple flirtation, but an ongoing skirmish in the battle of the sexes. Laurey is not a coquette and Curly no hayseed. There’s something deep and real between them that only someone as wise as Aunt Eller can sense—and guide. We can feel the danger that lies in wait for them when Laurey impetuously includes Jud Fry in the equation. Later, even when we hate what Jud has in mind for the pair, we find ourselves sympathizing with his desperate loneliness.

The Ado Annie, Will Parker, Ali Hakim love triangle often portrayed as merely a comic counterpoint to the serious main story has a more somber tone here. More than just flighty, Ado shows a darker recklessness in her flirtations. Will may not be a deep thinker, but his affections are genuine, and the consequences more desperate for Annie if things don’t turn out as we all hope. Only Aunt Eller, of all the characters, seems to comprehend Ali Hakim’s sinister mixture of salesmanship and lust. Another major change Nunn and Stroman introduced was a re-interpretation of Laurey’s dream sequence. In all prior productions, the stage directions called for the real Laurey to observe the “dream Laurey” as her dance with a “dream Curly” was suddenly interrupted by the “dream Jud.”  Here the real Laurey and Curly dance and Laurey’s dream ominously foreshadows the play’s conclusion.

Act one was so exciting; I could hardly wait to see what was in store for the act two’s famous auction scene.  Nunn’s vision was to place it in a barn raising—so the scene opens with feuding cowboys and farmers building something together, but not necessarily in harmony. The action gives new meaning to Aunt Eller’s line from the well-known song: “I ain’t sayin’ I’m better than anybody else, but I’ll be danged if I ain’t just as good.” In an interview Nunn gave to the British press he said, “Revolutions have been launched over statements like that.” Act two’s highlight, of course, is the rousing interpretation of the show’s title song and its reprise once the menacing final conflict is resolved. Does the resolution please us all? We find ourselves pulled at the end—happy that things work out and deeply sad for all the suffering. Laurey grows up at play’s end and gains a little of Aunt Eller’s wisdom. Curly, too, stands upon the beginning of a new chapter—like the territory itself, hopeful, unbroken, but not without regrets.

The film takes place on the actual stage settings, but often cuts to close-ups and travel shots so that the overall feel of the piece is smooth and unified. The lighting and staging are as one would experience them in a live production. Nunn really works at combining the experience of watching live theater with film’s fluidity. A few people might object to the shots of the audience from the stage, especially when the audience applauds a particular number, but I found those cuts enhanced the show’s theatricality rather than diminish its impact. In addition to the filmed version of the whole play is a “behind the scenes” extra disc that is fascinating. The disc traces the history of the production and has insightful interviews with Nunn and Stroman as well as the major performers. It’s fun hearing the actors’ English accents after enjoying their “spot on” Oklahoma twang. This DVD set is a gem I’m thrilled to have happened upon in WRL’s collection and I highly recommend it for anyone hankering for a great “Broadway” experience. As Mary Rodgers, the author’s daughter said to the London Evening Standard on the play’s opening night, “It’s better than the original.” She ought to know having seen them both.

Check the WRL catalog for Trevor Nunn’s Oklahoma

Check the WRL catalog for the 1955 version of Oklahoma

Three Nonfiction Titles by David McCullough

Today, Alan Bernstein looks at three excellent pieces of nonfiction writing by historian David McCullough.

In recent years, the popular historian David McCullough has garnered both praise and popularity for his biographies of  Harry Truman and John Adams and for his study of the first year of the American Revolution, 1776.  However,  he first obtained critical acclaim and readership for a trio of very different books, each of which in different ways dealt  with water, engineering, and the human element and the drama inherent when all these disparate threads combined  and interacted.

Always interested in people and the challenges and adversities they face and overcome, these books are as much about  the human spirit as they are about the events they chronicle.  Today’s post looks at The Johnstown Flood, published in 1968; The Great Bridge, published in 1972; and The Path Between the Seas, published in  1977.

The first book, most modest in scale and intent, only because it recounts one discrete event, is The Johnstown Flood. Here, McCullough gives an  account of the dam burst on May 31, 1889 that sent a wall of water thundering down a mountain and smashing through  the town of Johnstown, PA, killing more than 2,000 of its inhabitants. Thoroughly researched (as are all his works), the  book vividly recounts the chain of events leading up to the tragedy, and then unfolds the story of the flood itself  and its aftermath.

The next book was McCullough’s first major one in scope and scale. The Great Bridge is a history of the building of the  Brooklyn Bridge between 1869 and 1883.  The bridge is still considered an epic engineering accomplishment as well as one of the most  beautiful bridges in the world. McCullough’s book is as much a tribute to the 3 family members who were responsible for the  success of the project, as it is a history of the construction process. John Roebling designed the bridge, his son Washington translated his father’s plans into iron and steel, and Washington’s wife, Emily, nursed her disabled husband  when he succumbed to the bends and saw that his orders were faithfully executed.

The last of the trio is The Path Between the Seas, a history of the nearly 45- year attempt to construct a canal that  would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and revolutionize commercial oceanic transport. From initial French  failure to eventual successful American completion, the project was one of the largest peaceful human undertakings of  all times, involving tens of thousands of people who battled all sorts of human and natural obstacles.

McCullough is a good storyteller in the best sense of the word, for each book is a story about grand and interesting  events, and the people who shaped and were shaped and affected by these events.  There are technical details in each  book, especially in the last two, that deal with construction issues, but they do not impede the narrative flow.  These are  “life and time” books that place the reader in the midst of the events and in close proximity to the people involved   in them.

Check the WRL catalog for The Johnstown Flood
Check the WRL catalog for The Great Bridge
Check the WRL catalog for The Path Between the Seas

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson

This week we are pleased to welcome back staff from the WRL Circulation Services Division to BFGB. Today’s review comes from Mandy Malone, who opens the week with an exciting and thought-provoking thriller.

Upon finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I set the book aside, shook my head, and muttered my frustration with Stieg Larsson. Not because I was unhappy with the book, far from it. Rather, I was caught off guard by how much the novel engaged me on an intellectual level, and how reaching the last page filled me with an unexpected sense of loss and despair – a reaction I don‘t typically have when I read a book. I could only react with bemused frustration towards the author who evoked such emotions.

Set in Larsson’s native Sweden, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo begins with a premise that seems simple enough, at least on the surface. For more than 40 years, an octogenarian industrialist named Henrik Vanger has been haunted by the disappearance of his beloved great-niece Harriet. Vanger is convinced that Harriet was murdered and he wants to make one last effort to solve the mystery. He asks Mikael Blomkvist, an outspoken journalist recently convicted of libel, to reexamine the case and, hopefully, find the solution. Blomkvist is skeptical about the case, but in addition to a handsome fee, the bait Vanger dangles before him makes the offer too good to pass up. Vanger has information that will enable Blomkvist to clear himself in the libel case. As Blomkvist’s investigation proceeds, he crosses paths with Lisbeth Salander, whose backstory forms the other part of the narrative. Salander, who may be one of the most compelling anti-heroines of contemporary literature, is a 24-year-old pierced and tattooed genius computer hacker who works as a researcher for a security company. She’s also sullen and almost pathologically antisocial and has been under court ordered guardianship since she was a teenager. The character is frequently compared to a disturbing Pippi Longstocking. Together, Blomkvist and Salander uncover a legacy of dark family secrets with links to a series of unsolved murders, untangle a complicated web of financial corruption, and forge a unique personal connection.

Aside from Larsson’s complex plot and characters, what I found myself contemplating long after I finished the book were its themes of free will and personal responsibility, particularly when it comes to criminal activity. Larsson’s villains commit horrific acts, and Blomkvist and Salander are often at odds as to whether or not an offender’s behavior is shaped by their background. Blomkvist believes that criminal behavior is largely influenced by societal forces and/or upbringing; Salander vehemently disagrees, believing that wrongdoing is a matter of choice regardless of the offender‘s background. “It’s as if we no longer believe anyone has a will of their own,” she says at one point. While Salander herself exacts revenge on certain characters in the novel, she only targets those who commit evil acts. I like it when a book offers themes I can really sink my teeth into, and I was pleasantly surprised I found it with this book.

Larsson died after completing this book and two sequels, The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest (due out in June 2010).

Check the WRL catalog for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Clue

Clue could possibly be my favorite movie of all time. It’s at least in the top 10. Excluding the original Star Wars trilogy, it is certainly the movie I’ve seen the most times, and it was one of my first VHS tapes (back when they cost an arm and a leg). A news reporter happened to mention that her daughter loved watching Clue at sleepovers and my mom thought I might like it. When it comes to board games, we’ve always been a Clue-playing family. The movie industry isn’t particularly known for movies based on board games, but this movie transcends the game, and is wonderful in ways that have nothing to do with Colonel Mustard in the Hall with the Revolver. It is very entertaining and the actors’ performances will keep you laughing throughout, particularly those by Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn.

The movie follows the basic premise of the game. Mr. Body winds up dead at a dinner party attended by all the usual color-coded suspects. So, whodunit? It could be any of our six main characters, or the maid, cook, butler, or any of the passers-by that seem to keep ringing the mansion’s doorbell. As Wadsworth the butler puts it, “We all had the opportunity, we all had a motive.” Everyone proclaims their innocence, and when they split up to search the house for someone else who could have done it, more bodies begin to pile up. The movie really takes off when Wadsworth proclaims, “Very well, I know who did it. And furthermore I’m going to tell you how it was all done.” From there the movie becomes a hilarious high speed re-creation of the events of the evening leading up to the capture and arrest of the murderer or murderers. When originally released, movie theaters received one of three possible endings, all of which are included on the DVD.

Check the WRL catalog for Clue.

The Falcon’s Malteser, by Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz may be best known in the book world for his Alex Rider adventures. I, however, first became aware of him through his Diamond Brothers Mystery series. Set in London, the books are narrated by Nick Diamond, kid brother to “detective” Tim Diamond. I put detective in quotes because he is rarely able to actually detect anything. His real name is Herbert Timothy Simple, and he was fired from the police force before becoming a private eye. Although Nick is the younger brother, he is the real brains of the operation.

Their first story is The Falcon’s Malteser, an obvious play on the Maltese Falcon. It is the story of a box of Maltesers, or malted milk balls, that once belonged to a criminal by the name of The Falcon. See what Horowitz did there? The box is left in the care of Tim, but when the man who pays him to look after it turns up dead, Tim is suddenly a suspect. Nick must take over the case to prove Tim’s innocence, protect the box of Maltesers from all of the shady characters after it, and discover why The Falcon prized a box of candy so much. It is an update on a classic noir, with mystery, suspense, and humor.

Check the WRL catalog for The Falcon’s Malteser.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

There is something a bit meta about blogging about a DVD about blogging, but I’m doing it anyway. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was originally released as a series of three 15 minute webisodes created by Joss Whedon (of Buffy-fame) during the writers’ strike. It has now been released as a DVD and is definitely worth checking out. It features the acting and singing talents of Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, an aspiring super villain. He blogs (and sings) about his efforts to become a member of the Evil League of Evil, his nemesis Captain Hammer, played by Firefly’s Nathan Fillion, and his love for fellow laundromat user Penny.

Dr. Horrible’s current attempt to join the Evil League includes the creation of a Freeze Ray (“It’s not a Death Ray or an Ice Beam, that’s all Johnny Snow”) that will freeze time. When things don’t go quite as planned, word comes down from the Evil League that his application will be denied unless he kills someone.

Dr. Horrible is unbelievably funny, touching, heart-wrenching, and has catchy songs, too. The DVD features a sing-along commentary track and fan-created Evil League of Evil video applications which are, in some cases, just as funny as the blog they were inspired by.  Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned from Dr. Horrible’s blog is to be careful what you say on your video blog, since both your nemesis and the police could be watching!

Check the WRL catalog for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

Meridian by Amber Kizer

Strange things happen to Meridian Sozu. Her biggest problem does not come from boys, homework, or an unhappy family life. Her biggest problem is the fact that animals tend to drop dead around her. She believes she is causing their deaths, but in truth they just seem to find her when it is their time. Her problem was limited to animals until her sixteenth birthday. On her way home from the bus stop, a car crash occurs that kills many of her classmates. She is uninjured, but has a painful physical reaction to the event. As the strange pains send her to the brink of unconsciousness, Meridian is swept up by her parents and rushed to the bus station. This is not exactly a typical parental reaction, and it becomes clear that her mom and dad have not been entirely honest with her. They send her to live under the care of her aunt, saying that they love her, but that they will probably never see her again. Not the happiest of birthdays. But this significant birthday is the key to her new life. She is beginning to come into her powers as a Fenestra.

Your next question is bound to be the same one Meridian posed when she first heard the term…what is a Fenestra? A Fenestra is a half-angel, half-human hybrid, whose job it is to help souls cross over for the Creator. She must learn how to control her ability, or the pain she felt after the car crash will eventually kill her. Her aunt, who also happens to be a Fenestra, will train her with the assistance of a young man named Tens, who has been somehow cosmically chosen to be Meridian’s protector.

In their efforts to train Meridian, her aunt and Tens are up against a few deadlines. In addition to avoiding her own death, Meridian must learn to wield her new powers quickly to fight a new threat that is looming in town. If there are angels around to help souls cross for the Creator, there are also those whose job it is to send souls to the Destroyer, called Aternocti. They are hoping to destroy Meridian before she can fully control her powers.

A battle is looming between the Fenestra and Aternocti, and Meridian is caught in the middle. Author Amber Kizer has clearly spent much time developing the story of Meridian’s world. Meridian and the reader both learn about her abilities and the history of the Fenestra together as the story unfolds. Look for a sequel in 2011.

Check the WRL catalog for Meridian.