Beth Fish Reads

04 November 2010

Review: And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman

I first heard about Maira Kalman when she wrote and illustrated a month-long blog for the New York Times five or more years ago. I love her perspective on life, her artwork, and her humor. Her new book, And the Pursuit of Happiness, is a piece of heaven.

In her illustrated collection of essays, Kalman examines people, places, and concepts that influenced and were influenced by the self-evident truth (and promise) Thomas Jefferson wrote about a new nation: " . . . and the pursuit of Happiness."

This is not a philosophy book, though it is full of ideas; it is not a travelogue, but it takes us on a journey. Kalman writes a love song to Lincoln that will leave you breathless, takes a walk across the country that might change your diet, and shows you the Capitol building in a way that leaves you smiling. There is really nothing more to say, except find this book, buy it, read it, and treasure it.

Here are two pages I scanned from And the Pursuit of Happiness. The first is about Sir Thomas More and the second is about how Mt. Vernon (George Washington's estate) was saved for future generations (click to enlarge).

Maria Kalman has a website, where you can learn about her work. And the Pursuit of Happiness is an Indie Next pick for November 2010.

And the Pursuit of Happiness at an Indie

And the Pursuit of Happiness at Powell's

And the Pursuit of Happiness at Book Depository
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Published by Penguin Press, October 2010
ISBN-13: 9781594202674
YTD: 98
Source: Review (see review policy)
Rating: A+
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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03 November 2010

Wordless Wednesday 102

Milking Room (Round Barn), October 2010

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here. (For more information about the round barn, see first comment here.)

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02 November 2010

Today's Read: Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Teaser Tuesdays. Here's how it works: Grab your current read; let the book fall open to a random page; and share 2 “teaser” sentences from that page. For more teasers, click on through to MizB's blog.

Here's mine:

Dew hung heavy on the grass where the dark woods began to open into the meadows, and it scattered in a silver shower when a young hare streaked for cover. A morning mist lay on the lake and trailed from the trees crowning the islands. It blended the seen and the unseen worlds seamlessly, and a family of swans disappeared into it without a sound as we approached. (p. 15)

—From Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley (Sourcebooks, November 2010)

Child of the Northern Spring at an Indie

Child of the Northern Spring at Powell's

Child of the Northern Spring at Book Depository
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01 November 2010

Review: One True Theory of Love by Laura Fitzgerald

When Meg Clark married her high school sweetheart and the only guy she ever loved, she was sure she would have a happily ever after. When that same man left her on the day she told him she was pregnant, she woke from her dream. Ten years later, Meg is content in her routine of teaching kindergarten and raising her son, Henry--that is until she meets Ahmed Bourhani. Will Meg let herself take a second chance on love?

One True Theory of Love by Laura Fitzgerald is romantic women's fiction, a genre I rarely read because I often fail to lose myself in the story. This novel has, unfortunately, not changed my mind.

Although Meg had to face several realities and personal issues during the course of the novel, the ultimate ending comes as no particular surprise. At some points, it was difficult to believe that an intelligent, self-supporting, single parent could be as naive as Meg seemed to be. But she is a likable woman, and we are inclined to give her a bit of a break.

Most of Fitzgerald's principal characters were fairly well developed, but several main players were not easy to envision. In addition, some of the secondary story lines were a bit weak and hard to buy into.

On the other hand, one of the strengths of the novel is the relatively realistic pace at which Meg and Ahmed's romance moves. Meg never sacrifices her responsibilities to and love for her son in order to pursue a man. Fans of this genre will likely enjoy the novel and will find a variety of themes to hold their interest, including fidelity, trust, truthfulness, expectations, and obligations in a variety of relationships.

If you like light women's fiction, I encourage you to read the reviews at S. Krishna's Books, Books on the Brain, and Care's Online Book Club. All three of these well-read, smart women had good things to say about One True Theory of Love. Please do take the time to see another viewpoint.

I listened to the unabridged audio edition (Brilliance) read by Julia Whelan. I found her enthusiastic narration to be a good match for the children in the novel but somewhat too dramatic for my tastes. My full audio review will be available on AudioFile magazine's website within the next few weeks.