Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 is, at its heart, the biography of Lou Villars, a cross-dressing, javelin-thrower-turned-race-car-driver, Hitler revering, collaboratrice extraordinaire. In her first pages, Francine Prose, tells her readers that this is the story of a woman whose embrace of evil knows no bounds. Lou - Lou who professes to love nothing about sport, God, and France - is the very same who told the Germans exactly where the Maginot line ended, who cost countless Frenchmen their lives by her espionage and her treason.
What has driven her to do this? Lou loves France, but after France denies her her livelihood simply for preferring pants to skirts, she will stop at nothing to "fix" her country. Her relationship with a fellow race car driver, the German Inge Wallser, leads her into thrall with Hitler - and to the conclusion that Germany seeks only to aid France, a quest into which Lou throws herself body and soul.
Lovers at the Chameleon Club is also an ode to Paris. It begins in the 1920s, amid the decadence of the Roaring Twenties, when Americans and ex-pat artists of every nationality people the city (think A Moveable Feast), continues through the worst of the Great Depression and the build up to war with Germany, the drôle de guerre of 1940, and finishes in the midst of the German Occupation (à la Suite Française). Through the years, Paris is the star, and the lovers of Prose's novel as much in love with the city as with one another.
The most amazing thing about Lovers at the Chameleon Club is not the plot or the characters, but the book itself. Prose has written, essentially, the biography of a woman who never existed (Lou Villars) written by an author who never existed (Nathalie Dubois), the chapters of which are interspersed with chapters from the memoir of a heroine of the Resistance (Lily de Rossignol), the unpublished diary of another Resistance hero (Suzanne Dunois Tsenyi), famous works of an American writer and Hemingway contemporary (Lionel Maine), and letters to his parents penned by a Hungarian photographer (Gabor Tsenyi). There are also chapters devoted to the memories of the owner of the Chameleon Club (Eva "Yvonne" Nagy).
Their lives and stories, which are each told with a unique voice and perspective, intersect in intricate and meaningful ways. And let me say again: none of these people actually existed. Yet, Prose does this so convincingly that I actually Googled more than one of the characters early on thinking I had missed something and that this was historical fiction that drew heavily on actual people.
That she was able to accomplish all of this is a testament to Prose's skill as a writer - and her imagination. Lovers at the Chameleon Club is an experience unto itself, a fabulous, dizzying ride at the end of which the reader can't help but wish to have been there, Paris's lover, if only for a moment.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Monday, November 24, 2014
The Best American Travel Writing 2011
As I've said before, I'm a big fan of the Best American series. This volume contained many gems. My favorites:
Southern Culture on the Skids: NASCAR in a nutshell. Everything you've ever thought about the north-south and red-blue divide is contained in these pages.
Venance Lafrance Is Not Dead: American expats move to Haiti. Venance Lafrance is the young teenager they attempt to help while they live there. Also, they experience a devastating earthquake.
Stuck: Keith Gessen makes the case that Moscow's traffic is the worst in the world. Gessen posits that Russian drivers are jerks. A traffic engineer puts it more gently, "Russian drivers lack foresight." Either way, "don't block the box" is not a concept in Moscow. (Perhaps not coincidentally, I once sat in St. Petersburg traffic where the fast car on the road was the one being pushed by a half dozen men.)
Southern Culture on the Skids: NASCAR in a nutshell. Everything you've ever thought about the north-south and red-blue divide is contained in these pages.
Venance Lafrance Is Not Dead: American expats move to Haiti. Venance Lafrance is the young teenager they attempt to help while they live there. Also, they experience a devastating earthquake.
Stuck: Keith Gessen makes the case that Moscow's traffic is the worst in the world. Gessen posits that Russian drivers are jerks. A traffic engineer puts it more gently, "Russian drivers lack foresight." Either way, "don't block the box" is not a concept in Moscow. (Perhaps not coincidentally, I once sat in St. Petersburg traffic where the fast car on the road was the one being pushed by a half dozen men.)
Sunday, November 23, 2014
The Summer Wind
A few months ago, I read Mary Alice Monroe's The Summer Girls, the first of a three-part trilogy, and decided I wasn't a fan. Or rather, I was a fan until the end when it all fell apart. However, in my quest to stay awake for every moment of a 14-hour flight (helps with the jetlag), I needed a few "beach reads" and I remembered Mary Alice.
To recap: Dora, Carson, and Harper are half-sisters who have not seen one another for the better part of a decade until their grandmother summons them to her lowcountry house, Sea Breeze, to celebrate her 80th birthday. On her birthday, she insists they remain the entire summer, or forfeit their soon-to-be (considerable) inheritance.
Dora, the oldest, is in the midst of a divorce and uncertain, at best, how to handle her autistic son. Carson has recently broken up with her boyfriend, lost her job, and is a borderline alcoholic, while Harper is spinning her wheels as her ice-queen-mother's personal assistant at a New York City publishing house. Different mothers, different lives, and now way too much togetherness.
The Summer Wind picks up where Summer Girls leaves off. The absurd dolphin story line that so got my dander up continues, but with less prominence and is, therefore, less annoying. Also less annoying: the central character of this book is Dora, who is far more relatable than Carson. Some scenes are definitely a bit dramatic for my taste, but I knew what I was getting into before I read the first page.
To recap: Dora, Carson, and Harper are half-sisters who have not seen one another for the better part of a decade until their grandmother summons them to her lowcountry house, Sea Breeze, to celebrate her 80th birthday. On her birthday, she insists they remain the entire summer, or forfeit their soon-to-be (considerable) inheritance.
Dora, the oldest, is in the midst of a divorce and uncertain, at best, how to handle her autistic son. Carson has recently broken up with her boyfriend, lost her job, and is a borderline alcoholic, while Harper is spinning her wheels as her ice-queen-mother's personal assistant at a New York City publishing house. Different mothers, different lives, and now way too much togetherness.
The Summer Wind picks up where Summer Girls leaves off. The absurd dolphin story line that so got my dander up continues, but with less prominence and is, therefore, less annoying. Also less annoying: the central character of this book is Dora, who is far more relatable than Carson. Some scenes are definitely a bit dramatic for my taste, but I knew what I was getting into before I read the first page.
Friday, November 21, 2014
The Hangman
As with Death of a Dentist, I brought Louise Penny's The Hangman on a long flight recently because I knew I could count on Penny to keep me turning the pages.
The Hangman is actually a novella. At a scant 55 pages, I read the whole book in less time than it took the flight attendants to serve dinner (it was a big plane). In any event, Armand Gamache investigates the death of a Three Pines visitor who is found hanging in a nearby forest by a jogger one morning. Although the signs point to suicide, Gamache is not convinced and begins asking questions.
A great, short read. Louise Penny continues to be one of my new favorites.
The Hangman is actually a novella. At a scant 55 pages, I read the whole book in less time than it took the flight attendants to serve dinner (it was a big plane). In any event, Armand Gamache investigates the death of a Three Pines visitor who is found hanging in a nearby forest by a jogger one morning. Although the signs point to suicide, Gamache is not convinced and begins asking questions.
A great, short read. Louise Penny continues to be one of my new favorites.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Death of a Dentist
I needed a few quick reads for a long flight recently and M.C. Beaton never disappoints in that regards.
Death of a Dentist is a standard Beaton mystery. Hamish Macbeth, whose body count rivals that of Hercule Poirot, begins investigating a theft but soon finds himself with another murder on his hands when the roundly-despised Dr. Gilchrist is discovered dead in his own dentist chair. Hamish is convinced the two crimes are connected and begins connecting the dots.
This book is exactly what I was hoping for: a well-constructed mystery that moves along and kept me turning the pages long after I should have turned out the lights. (Except that the whole point was to stay awake from take-off to touchdown.)
Death of a Dentist is a standard Beaton mystery. Hamish Macbeth, whose body count rivals that of Hercule Poirot, begins investigating a theft but soon finds himself with another murder on his hands when the roundly-despised Dr. Gilchrist is discovered dead in his own dentist chair. Hamish is convinced the two crimes are connected and begins connecting the dots.
This book is exactly what I was hoping for: a well-constructed mystery that moves along and kept me turning the pages long after I should have turned out the lights. (Except that the whole point was to stay awake from take-off to touchdown.)
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris
Of course I couldn't resist a real life murder mystery that rocked Paris six centuries ago.
Eric Jager's Blood Royal recounts the assassination of Louis, Duke of Orleans, in November 1407. Among other attributes, Louis was a gambler, a philanderer, and a profligate spender. He was widely hated for the regularity with which he levied taxes to fund his pleasures. Not insignificantly, he was also the de fact ruler of France for long and frequent stretches when his brother, King Charles VI, was incapacitated by bouts of madness.
Still, his murder - led in to a trap and then attacked with axes and knives, then left in a muddy gutter - shocked Paris. With truly old-fashioned detective work, the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, solved the crime, in the process setting France on a course to civil war and prolonging the already long and bloody struggle with the English.
Jager's book was excellent as he recounted the murder, detailed the various personalities involved (evidently Louis liked to play at being a monk when he grew bored of being a prince), examined potential motives (a cuckolded husband seemed most likely), and created a picture of life in medieval Paris (not pretty - the gutter was most definitely not the place to wind up!). de Tignonville's investigation makes for great reading, as does the escape of the murdered.
I have to admit that I wish the book had ended here. Once the murder was solved and the country descended bit-by-bit into chaos and war, the factions fighting for control, I became much less interested. The later focus on the battles with the English, most importantly Agincourt, felt a bit disconnected from Louis's murder. That is, I understand how one led to another, but they still felt like different stories.
Eric Jager's Blood Royal recounts the assassination of Louis, Duke of Orleans, in November 1407. Among other attributes, Louis was a gambler, a philanderer, and a profligate spender. He was widely hated for the regularity with which he levied taxes to fund his pleasures. Not insignificantly, he was also the de fact ruler of France for long and frequent stretches when his brother, King Charles VI, was incapacitated by bouts of madness.
Still, his murder - led in to a trap and then attacked with axes and knives, then left in a muddy gutter - shocked Paris. With truly old-fashioned detective work, the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, solved the crime, in the process setting France on a course to civil war and prolonging the already long and bloody struggle with the English.
Jager's book was excellent as he recounted the murder, detailed the various personalities involved (evidently Louis liked to play at being a monk when he grew bored of being a prince), examined potential motives (a cuckolded husband seemed most likely), and created a picture of life in medieval Paris (not pretty - the gutter was most definitely not the place to wind up!). de Tignonville's investigation makes for great reading, as does the escape of the murdered.
I have to admit that I wish the book had ended here. Once the murder was solved and the country descended bit-by-bit into chaos and war, the factions fighting for control, I became much less interested. The later focus on the battles with the English, most importantly Agincourt, felt a bit disconnected from Louis's murder. That is, I understand how one led to another, but they still felt like different stories.
Monday, November 10, 2014
In the Presence of Mine Enemies: The Civil War in the Heart of America, 1859-1864 (Valley of the Shadow Project)
If I wanted to describe Edward L. Ayers's In the Presence of Mine Enemies in one word, that word would be tedious. The premise is quite interesting: comparing and contrasting the experiences of the people living in the border counties on the eve, and during the first years, of the American Civil War.
To that end, he has selected Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and Augusta County, Virginia. Ayers has then painstakingly reconstructed the events and times from original sources: newspapers, letters, legal documents, diaries, and other public and private records.
The first section of the book is devoted to showing how similar the people and places are. Ayers does this, if anything, too well. Until half the men went off to fight in blue and the other half in gray, I could not keep the counties straight. He switches between them frequently and I often had to reread entire pages to make sure I knew which county was the focus of a particular episode.
These early chapters are also dry. The political arguments - whether recounted in newspapers or personal letters - simply do not make for compelling reading. There is little new material about John Brown's raid or the abolitionists' growing impatience, or the presidential election of 1860. I had determined to read this book months ago, though, and I had paid good money for the privilege (which I rarely do!), so I was determined to slog on.
Ultimately, I made the correct decision, as the firsthand accounts of war and the homefront do save the latter parts of In the Presence of Mine Enemies. In the end, though, this is a book for those who are interested in the original source material, and not simply a primer on the big early battles.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War
As much about the immigrant experience circa 1910 as it is about World War I, David Laskin's The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War offers a unique perspective - or perspectives - on World War I.
Laskin has painstakingly reconstructed the histories of a dozen young, fresh immigrants to the United States, all of whom - by choice or by chance - return to the "Old Country" as soldiers in their adopted country's army to face the horrors of World War I. The men come from Italy and Ireland, Poland and the Pale of Settlement, and from places that have long ceased to exist (Kaszubia, anyone?). They are driven to the U.S. for all the usual reasons, of course, which generally amounts to seeking an escape from bone crushing poverty. Their experiences here are different - from mining in Montana, gardening in Massachusetts, and of course eking out a living on the Lower East Side (population density 1,000 per square block).
Their roles in war vary as well. Sam Goldberg patrolled the desert southwest as part of the cavalry in the aftermath of the Zimmerman Telegram. Most go to Europe, though, where they are deployed along the Western Front to break a four-year-old stalemate. Here Laskin delves into the politics of fighting war: arranging troops, ordering advances, coordinating positions among men who do not speak the same language. All of this, of course, at a time when messages traveled no faster than a good horse and the messenger might be shot en route. (As a sidenote, I remain fascinated by the fact that the All American Division was comprised of men who spoke 43 languages, but frequently almost no English.)
In Europe some men barely see war, but others become heroes. Michael Valente received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions. And some do not come home.
In many ways, given the U.S.'s late entry into the war, The Long Way Home is a bookend to The Guns of August (still one of the finest World War I histories I've read). It is fast paced and, honestly, fascinating, offering insights on the immigrant's experience as well as the soldier's. All told, The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War is an excellent read.
Laskin has painstakingly reconstructed the histories of a dozen young, fresh immigrants to the United States, all of whom - by choice or by chance - return to the "Old Country" as soldiers in their adopted country's army to face the horrors of World War I. The men come from Italy and Ireland, Poland and the Pale of Settlement, and from places that have long ceased to exist (Kaszubia, anyone?). They are driven to the U.S. for all the usual reasons, of course, which generally amounts to seeking an escape from bone crushing poverty. Their experiences here are different - from mining in Montana, gardening in Massachusetts, and of course eking out a living on the Lower East Side (population density 1,000 per square block).
Their roles in war vary as well. Sam Goldberg patrolled the desert southwest as part of the cavalry in the aftermath of the Zimmerman Telegram. Most go to Europe, though, where they are deployed along the Western Front to break a four-year-old stalemate. Here Laskin delves into the politics of fighting war: arranging troops, ordering advances, coordinating positions among men who do not speak the same language. All of this, of course, at a time when messages traveled no faster than a good horse and the messenger might be shot en route. (As a sidenote, I remain fascinated by the fact that the All American Division was comprised of men who spoke 43 languages, but frequently almost no English.)
In Europe some men barely see war, but others become heroes. Michael Valente received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions. And some do not come home.
In many ways, given the U.S.'s late entry into the war, The Long Way Home is a bookend to The Guns of August (still one of the finest World War I histories I've read). It is fast paced and, honestly, fascinating, offering insights on the immigrant's experience as well as the soldier's. All told, The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War is an excellent read.
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