Review: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Summary: Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin reads as a series of interconnected short stories that take place in New York City. The intersecting point is an August 1974 morning when a man walked a tightrope between the Twin Towers. The stunt occurred just days before Nixon resigned and months before the fall of Saigon. Here is part of the publisher's summary:

Elegantly weaving together . . . seemingly disparate lives, McCann's powerful allegory comes alive in the unforgettable voices of the city's people, unexpectedly drawn together by hope, beauty, and the artistic crime of the century. A sweeping and radical social novel, Let the Great World Spin captures the spirit of America in a time of transition, extraordinary promise, and, in hindsight, heartbreaking innocence. Hailed as "a fiercely original talent" (San Francisco Chronicle), award-winning novelist McCann has delivered a triumphantly American masterpiece that awakens in us a sense of what the novel can achieve, confront, and even heal.

Why I Abandoned the Book: I read almost half the book before I called it quits. There were several reasons I stopped reading, but one stands out. In the first ninety-seven pages I found four factual errors and that ruined the book for me. Instead of reading the fourth chapter for the story of two artists, I treated the text as if it were a literary treasure hunt: Did Pontiac really make a car in 1927? When was Max's popular in New York? Did Nixon really resign just days after the tightrope stunt? And when I didn't find an error, instead of relaxing, I started thinking that I hadn't read the story carefully enough. Time for this editor to put the novel down and move on.

I should note that I even tried the audio edition read by Colum McCann. McCann's narration was wonderful, but it didn't save the novel for me.

Here are the errors:

• Alencon lace is a needlelace, it is not tatted. (And I won't question the probability that someone owned handmade Alencon lace curtains.)
• Petunias do not have "gorgeous green stalks neatly clipped at the bottom" and really cannot be cut for putting in a vase. (They have floppy stems and tend to fall over.)
• The thirty-six saints were really thirty-six righteous men from Jewish folklore from before the formation of the Catholic Church. In fact, at one point the church attempted to hunt down and kill the righteous men because they thought the Jews were no longer the chosen people.
• Plastic bags were seen in the streets, but they were not in use until the late 1970s to early 1980s (caught by Dawn from She Is Too Fond of Books).

A Quick Look at Reviews: Do not listen to me. Let the Great World Spin won a National Book Award and has received high praise. Sandy, from You've Gotta Read This, says: "Have I convinced you that life will not be complete unless you read this book? Can anyone explain to m[e] why this did not win the Pulitzer? (no offense to the winner of course). This is by far the best book I've read this year, bar none." Amy, from My Friend Amy, wrote: "There were moments of sheer beauty in the writing . . . not beauty in the lyrical way, but rather in the way truth reaches out and grabs you while you read, almost leaving you breathless." Make up your own mind, the errors did me in.

Let the Great World Spin at an Indie

Let the Great World Spin at Powell's
These links lead to affiliate programs

Published by Random House, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780812973990
Challenges: New Author, Support Your Library, Audiobook, 100+
YTD: 42
Source: Review & Borrowed (see review policy)
Rating: DNF
Note: I received a copy of this book from TLC Tours for review and also borrowed the audiobook from the library.

Click for more

The Pure and the Impure by Colette

Today I'm supposed to post my review of Colette's The Pure and the Impure as part of the Spotlight Series. This month, participating bloggers are shedding light on books published by New York Review of Books classics. This morning, I set my alarm for 4:00 A.M., thinking I could race through and finish the book and then write a quick review, meeting my obligation. After a half hour of reading, I realized that I was ruining The Pure and the Impure for myself so I could meet a blogging deadline.

I took a deep breath and stopped. I love Colette, but I wasn't going to love The Pure and Impure because I was starting to skim the words and had thoughts only of finishing, not of savoring. Then I thought about the work deadlines I have this week and wondered why I was giving up my sleep to read for my blog. Not a smart move. I will be starting this slim volume over again and will have a review some time very soon.

Here's the publisher's summary:

Colette herself considered The Pure and the Impure her best book, “the nearest I shall ever come to writing an autobiography.” This guided tour of the erotic netherworld with which Colette was so intimately acquainted begins in the darkness and languor of a fashionable opium den. It continues as a series of unforgettable encounters with men and, especially, women whose lives have been improbably and yet permanently transfigured by the strange power of desire. Lucid and lyrical, The Pure and the Impure stands out as one of modern literature’s subtlest reckonings not only with the varieties of sexual experience, but with the always unlikely nature of love.

The Pure and the Impure at an Indie

The Pure and the Impure at Powell's
These links lead to affiliate programs

Published by New York Review of Books, 2000
ISBN-13: 9780940322486

I will be reading The Pure and the Impure as part of the Spotlight Series, developed to "help . . . spread the word on quality books published by small press publishers." For more information and to join future spotlight projects, visit the series's blog.

Click for more

Digital Discoveries; or What's in the Virtual TBR Pile

I love digital media for books, and I have a variety of mp3 players and an eReader. One of the worst and one of the best things about digital media is that the TBR pile is not visible. As a result, I sometimes forget what I own.

I am determined to keep an up-to-date list, and thought I'd share some of the books I'm particularly looking forward to listening to or reading. Here are some titles, in no particular order.

CDs

David Sedaris, Live: This short CD was sent to me by Hachette when I mentioned that I had never read or listened to Sedaris. I am saving this to listen to in the car with Mr. BFR, because I think we'd both like it.

Joshua Ferris's The Unnamed has gotten good reviews and is part of the Reagan Arthur imprint, and so will count for the challenge hosted by Kathy and Julie (challenge information here).

I've read only one Anita Shreve (Testimony) and enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to listening to her A Change in Altitude.

Who can resist Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. I can't! This is going to make great summer listening.

Finally, I am a huge fan of Jane Smiley, and Private Life is going to be my next listen.

Sony eReader

I have two books by Maggie Anton: Rahsi's Daughter's Book 1: Joheved and Book 2: Miriam. This historical fiction series takes place in eleventh-century France, For those who don't know, Rashi was a famous talmudic scholar.

I bought Geraldine Brooks's Year of Wonders for the Newsweek 50 project organized by Amy. I do plan on reading it . . . soon. Really.

Another title I'm looking forward to is Jacquelyn Mitchard's No Time to Wave Goodbye. I've enjoyed Mitchard's other novels, so I'm sure this will be good too.

MP3 Players

I'd forgotten about A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz. I'm really excited about listening to this one. Look at the video at the end of this post and see if you aren't hooked too.

Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone has been reviewed many times on book blogs, I really need to see what all the fuss is about.

All Mortal Flesh is the fifth in Julia Spencer-Fleming's mystery series that takes place in upstate New York. I've reviewed two of the books in the series.

Here is one that I know nothing about. I don't even know how I heard of it: Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd. It's young adult and it takes place in Ireland. Perhaps I picked it up for Carrie's Ireland Challenge.

Charm City is the second in Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan series. I can't wait to get to it, and it counts for Trish's Lippman Challenge.

And now, the promised video:

I hope you see reviews of these books sooner than later, but I make no promises.

What have you discovered lately on your physical TBR pile or in one of your digital gadgets?

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: Maple Granola

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

_______

Whenever possible, I like to make my own foods rather than rely on store bought. Granola is so easy to make that I almost always take the time to bake up a big batch. The following recipe is one I've developed over the years. Hope you like it as much as we do.

This makes quite a lot of cereal, so you might want to make a half batch if you're not sure you'll like it.

Candace's Maple Granola

• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (sweetened is okay if that's all you can find)
• 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup sesame seeds
• ¾ cup vegetable oil (unflavored)
• ¾ cup 100% maple syrup (I use grade B)
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups dried fruit (I use a mix)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment (for easier cleanup).

In a large bowl mix together the wheat germ, coconut, oats, nuts, and seeds. Add the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix until the grains and seeds are evenly coated.

Spread the granola in the prepared pan in an even layer, about ½ inch thick. Bake about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown. Repeat for the remaining cereal. Place the warm cereal in a large bowl and let cool completely.

When the cereal has cooled, stir in the fruit and store in an air-tight container or plastic bags.

Click for more

Featuring . . . Where's My Wand? by Eric Poole

This Friday and every Friday for the next couple of months, I will be featuring a book that was published under the Amy Einhorn Books imprint. I am starting with the 2009 books and will spotlight them in alphabetical order by year.

This week I'm featuring Eric Poole's Where's My Wand?, a memoir with the telling subtitle of One Boy's Magical Triumph over Alienation and Shag Carpeting. The release date for the book is just days away--May 27.

The publisher introduces us to Poole by putting him in the same room with Augusten Burroughs, David Sedaris, and David Rakoff. Sounds promising, doesn't it? Here is the book summary:

Set in the Midwest of the 1970's, this memoir evokes that idyllic, old-school time before computers and cell phones, when people were horrible to one another face-to-face.

From an early age, Eric Poole was obsessed with Endora of TV's Bewitched. Just days after arriving at the family's new home in St. Louis, Missouri, eight-year-old Eric had staked out the basement as his special place: a spot where he could secretly perform magical incantations--draped in a tattered white bedspread he prayed his obsessive-compulsive mother wouldn't miss--as an antidote to his alienation.

This is a book for fans of Augusten Burroughs and TV's Malcolm in the Middle. Eric Poole's stories take readers on a hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking journey in which the magic in his life slowly morphs from childhood wonder to religious dogma to an understanding that the real, true magic is believing in yourself.

I've always had a soft spot for books that are set in my home territory. Although I didn't grow up in Missouri, I was raised in the Midwest, and I know how Midwesterners can be.

After I read the Kirkus review, I added this book to my must-read list: "The real charm of the book lies in the authenticity of the humor. There is not one forced moment in the book, nor is there a stitch of disingenuous manipulation to get a cheap laugh or manufacture a setup to a joke."

I also love Poole's biography (from Amazon): "Eric Poole is the secret love child of Fran Lebowitz and David Sedaris. But oddly taller. . . . Eric was once called "the best undiscovered writer I've ever met" by Tracey Ullman, an accolade he continues to live up to."

This book was featured as part of the Amy Einhorn Books Reading Challenge (click to join the fun). For information about the imprint, please read Amy Einhorn's open letter posted here on January 25, 2010.

Where's My Wand? at an Indie

Where's My Wand? at Powell's
These links lead to affiliate programs.

Published by Putnam/Amy Einhorn, May 27, 2010
ISBN-13: 9780399156557

Click for more