Book Review: With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin

Lt. Mellie Blake is looking forward to beginning her training as a flight nurse. She is not looking forward to writing a letter to a man she's never met- even if it is anonymous and part of a morale-building program. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer stationed in North Africa, welcomes the idea of an anonymous correspondence-he's been trying to escape his infamous name for years.  As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other's true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face-to-face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage by their pasts?

The reason I picked this book up in the first place was because Mellie was a flight nurse. Nursing is one of my favorite things to read about and my favorite Cherry Ames was the one in which she is a flight nurse. That being the case, I was elated to find a “deeper” book in the same setting. Nursing is still my favorite part of the story, yet as I read I grew to like it for more reasons than that. First, I loved the Christian element Mrs. Sundin put in, but still without being preachy as it flows so naturally in the letters between the pen-pals. Mellie has trouble with being shy and reserved, which I can relate to. Her shyness puts me in mind of another heroine who is shy, but who does not deal with it in such a satisfactory way (Valancy, I'm looking at you ;)). For one thing, Valancy runs away and Mellie deals with it right where she is. Another thing I enjoyed was the way Mrs. Sundin crafted the story with so many parallels between Tom and Mellie's story, etc. The romance was also well balanced with deeper themes. This book also made me “think” more than many books I have read. I picked up this book with high expectations and I am happy to say it did not disappoint!

Around the World in 365 Days: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Italy.

Movie Spotlight: Yankee Buccaneer (1952)

Thanks to Hamlette for hosting this blog-a-thon and so inspiring me to write this review in the first place! Let us give her three cheers!

For most of my life Pirates did not attract me in the least. I would have liked to have liked them as I love the ocean, and the exotic places which were their legendary lurking places have always fascinated me, but I have never been attracted to the swashbuckling, mustache-swirling type—and be it true or be it false that is what I thought they all were. I did not seek them out and the only place we ever crossed paths was most often when I happened to see something in stores connected to “Pirates of the Caribbean”. And there for a time the matter rested.

However, the tide makes many changes and when in my surfing of the blogging world I ran across a review of "Double of Crossbones" I was caught. A classic with Donald O'Conner as the main character?  Pirate or no, this I must see and so we did and we (especially Arwen and I) loved it...(but that is truly its own story). Suffice to say, Arwen got a DVD collection including “Double Crossbones” and with it came an obscure film called “Yankee Buccaneer”. I read that the costumes were not good and the story was only fine...and I decided without any other thought that it was not worth watching. Lesson One: Do not believe everything you read on the internet. For had not time overcome my scruples, I shudder to think what I would have missed. One thing I have found, is that I tend to like the Bloodthirsty Dave order of pirates, or at least the ones who are not particularly swashbuckling and the Captain especially (in Yankee Buccaneer) is not exactly that.

Still, the statements were in part true: the sailors outfits could have been more realistic and the plot a little more tightly woven. Yet what I read missed one thing—the characters: Farragut, the Countess, even *cough* that irritating Link, but above all...The Captain! But I shall maintain calm and not get ahead of my story.

One of the most comical bits about this story is how the ship's crew is masquerading as pirates, hence they are supposed to be picture perfect specimens and the sight of the no-nonsense captain in such a costume is highly diverting. Also, the sight of Farragut striding about in his purple magenta pants is unforgettable. As for the red and blue Spanish uniforms, however, they are equally unforgettable—but in quite a different way.

Farragut: I have not quite been able to decide whether he or the Captain is the main character. Farragut goes though a great deal of maturing in the film as we see him go from new recruit (making some rather foolish mistakes) to—well—the man he is at the end of the film. I didn't like him at all the first time I watched it, mainly for a reason I will not mention (and no, it is not because of his purple pants), however, I have forgiven him his offense and on this third (or fourth?) viewing I decided I quite like him.

The Countess Margarita La Raguna is brave and clever and lovely. She has a wardrobe to match and I am still trying to see how I could pull off her taffeta skirt, tapestry sash, and blouse look.

And now...Captain Porter.

When thinking of someone to compare him with, Jean Valjean always comes to mind. But he is so much more as he is very much the commander and man of action. Strict with his men, he demands nothing of them that he would not do himself. Besides which, he is also the king of cutting-edge lines. I will not spill any secrets here, but I must say that the ending is incredible and chair-gripping terrific—with certain people galloping around the jungle and fencing. And (though it might seem silly) the first time we watched it I was nearly in tears because “the Captain was just like Jean Valjean and I knew they were going to kill him!” But now I love it and to see Arwen and I watching it is quite the sight as we sit in our chairs—bouncing and shrieking periodically throughout the entire last fifteen minutes of the film. Writing of the Captain, a line of my brother's comes to mind that he once said about Will Kane in “High Noon” and—interestingly enough—could also I think describe this (one of my other favorite heroes): “He is a tough guy that doesn’t need to prove it to anyone.”

I freely admit that the reason I love this film is because of Captain Porter—but there are other lovely and exciting bits, too—so altogether I like it very, very much indeed!

Book Review: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

 Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in a sailor’s world—Salem in the early days, when tall-masted ships from foreign ports crowded the wharves. But Nat didn’t promise to have the makings of a sailor; he was too physically small. Nat may have been slight of build, but no one guessed that he had the persistence and determination to master sea navigation in the days when men sailed only by “log, lead, and lookout.” Nat’s long hours of study and observation, collected in his famous work, The American Practical Navigator (also known as the “Sailors’ Bible”), stunned the sailing community and made him a New England hero.

You know those books from young childhood. The ones where you remember the feel of the cover and the pages between your fingers and most of all the vividness of the story upon your young mind. And you love the memory of it yet you sometimes wonder, “Is it really as good as I thought it was?” Then perhaps you find it again and pick it up, wondering all the time and also a little worried that it might not be as good as you thought. You read half of the book in one sitting. You take notes because the book has just so much information! The seed the story left in your imagination and heart through all those years grows even deeper and you find even more. So it was with this story of a young man who 'sailing by the ash breeze' refused to be daunted by any setback, and who learned and studied everywhere he went. A man who after the age of twelve never received any official tutoring and who ended up receiving an honorary degree from Harvard. A man who saw his dreams smashed and pluckily rose up to greater ones. The story and writing are easy to read and simple to grasp as I found it a decade ago, but it is now also inspiring and convicting...and still as memorable. 

Book Review: Lost Horizon by James Hilton

“In sight of Karakal misgivings faded, and qualms about his three companions were lost in an uncanny acceptance of the new world that lay so far beyond their guesses. There came a time, he realized, when the strangeness of everything made it increasingly difficult to realize the strangeness of anything; when one took things for granted merely because astonishment would have been as tedious for oneself as for others.”                       

                                                                                                                                                                    -  from Lost Horizon  

   First introduced to the stories of James Hilton through the classic film “Random Harvest” with Greer Garson and Ronald Coleman (there is genius right there!) and having read a fair amount about “Lost Horizon” itself, I was prepared for the book...or so I thought. However, what I was not expecting was the crystalline sharpness of the prose as it echoed the frigid and withdrawn beauty of the Himalayas. Indeed the entire skill of the author in keeping every point of the story remote and on a higher–nigh fantastic plain was incredible. He even practically ignores the verdant valley of Shangri-La rather focusing on the higher clarity of the mountains above. Really, the quotation above describes the entire storyline of “Lost Horizon” itself as it follows the stories of four travelers and languidly hints at the life of the monks and people of the mountain valley as they pursue their lives, free from the horror of war and the wild rush of civilization.

Hence, (perhaps not very surprisingly) I found myself linking it in my mind to quite another story - “Brigadoon”. Both show the innocence and beauty the world was fast forgetting in the new enlightenment of technology. Both show general disillusionment. And both tell of villages (or in the case of “LH”, a monastery) set apart from time and the rest of the world. Brigadoon has its Dominie; Shangri-la its High Lama. So in some ways the stories do address the same problems the world faces. Yet several of the key points are quite different. Brigadoon's “Blissen” is directly from God. Shangri-La's is a remote state based on the eating of a special herb and the unique air of the valley resulting in a high state of mental clarification. Shangri-La's peace and contentment is from its training of the mind and body into a state of perfect moderation. Brigadoon's is quite the opposite as the entire story is a vibrant romance with dance and laughter and love as it swirls with the pulse of village life. One of my favorite differences is that while Shrangi-La has to replenish its inhabitants through any means they can–even kidnapping–and once there they must stay, whether they will or no. Brigadoon is surprised–a very emotion of which the High Lama would not have approved–at the sight of strangers and the only way to stay there is if–as the Dominie tells Tommy Albright–they love not Brigadoon itself, but someone there. It is at this point that the order of Shangri-La would have died as one man–from horror at such extravagance of feeling; that is if shock itself was not too fiery an emotion.

In the end, they are both unique stories, each having strong points; both could trigger different reactions in different personalities. One of the good points “Lost Horizon” raises is the hearty futility and foolishness of war, however the whole basis of Shangri-La turns on the idea of moderation. Or in other words, a state of being lukewarm–and that I cannot approve. According to the apostle Paul, it is one of the worst states to be in! We are to love laughter and light, and the more I ponder the idea of a perfectly moderated existence, the less it appeals to me. I like adventures and spirited horses and cats that behave like excitable kittens. At the same time, however, we are to strive for perfection in all our doings and those cool, remote, crystalline drinks of creation caught in mountains and meadows and libraries and in all the quiet pathways of God's world do fill our hearts with another part of life. So keep “Lost Horizon” for those times–and enjoy the sip. 

Around the World in 365 Days Challenge: Tibet

Waiting On Wednesday #1: God's Will

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Two stubborn hearts with no common ground must work together when the Great Depression ravages the nation. Kathy Andrews is good at goodbyes. Her mother is sent to a sanatorium, her sister, left behind in Chicago, and her father, forced to roam looking for work. So she holds close the only person she has left, her brother, Danny. When the two go to live with the Marshalls in the sleepy town of Brighton, she doesn't let anyone past hello. Elliot Russell frowns at his aunt and uncle's generosity--even though he and his sister are on the receiving end. He frowns, too, at the uppity city girl with a chip on her shoulder whom he can't get out of his head.

When a tragedy rips apart when tenuous existence they manage to forge, will they find the sweetest place to be is in God's will--or will they turn their backs on faith that fails to protect against pain?

Why I am looking forward to it...

Megan (from Just As I Am) recently announced that this (her debut novel) is shortly going to be published and I can hardly wait to read  it! The story synopsis is so interesting and the cover has a neat vintage-y feel.

Book Review: Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

'”Elinor, starting back with a look of horror at the sight of him, obeyed the first impulse of her heart in turning instantly to quit the room, and her hand was already on the lock, when its action was suspended by his hastily advancing, and saying, in a voice rather of command than supplication:

  'Miss Dashwood, for half an hour–for ten minutes–I entreat you to stay... My business is with you, and only with you.'

  'With me!'–in the utmost amazement–'well, sir–be quick–and if you can–less violent.'

   'Sit down, and I will be both.'

   She hesitated, she knew not what to do... After a moment's recollection... concluding that prudence required dispatch, and that her acquiescence would best promote it, she walked silently toward the table and sat down.”

                                                                                                                                                            -from Sense & Sensibility

Sense & Sensibility is surely the classic romance encapsulated: contrasting pairs of sisters, mysterious suitors, dastardly suitors, secrets, and (though it is only spoken of) even a duel between a hero and villain. Perfection indeed. Yet, though it has so much of what could be excitement and even scandal in that which takes place, it is all written in an elegance of style and tone–with a delicate handling of dialogue and description that tells so little and says so much. Clever writing, indeed, as such a tactic keeps you happily coming back for more! That and the characters are so straightforward and everyday-like and yet have an aura of romance around them, too.

I feel as though I grew up on the story, yet on each concentrated rereading I experience something new. For instance, I have always had a hearty dislike for Willoughby–nothing extremely personal, but he divides Colonel Brandon from Marianne and for that I could not forgive him. On this reading, however, I found myself catapulting along with Elinor’s thoughts upon the subject. (Note: I said Elinor not Marianne. M goes a little to far with her feelings.) I almost wish W and M could have been united...but not quite. Willoughby's character and actions are at all times utterly selfish while on the other hand Colonel Brandon truly deserves and loves her. I regret nothing. Another thing noted was that Marianne did not become ill with love for Willoughby, but from shock at his true character, actions, and what his designs upon her might have been. Very slight difference, but adds a great deal to her character.

At the end of this reading I came away with my feelings once more cemented. Though I love the rest of Miss Austen's stories as well, Sense & Sensibility is and always will be my favorite.

Note: This is my third review for the Jane Austen Review Challenge.

Book Review: "The Lady of the Lake" by Sir Walter Scott

“Harp of the North! that mouldering long hast hung

On the witch-elm that shades Saint Fillan's spring,”

Thus begins one of the loveliest poems composed by man. I have never been a great reader of poetry as I find it tends to make me too introspective and musing and generally overly romantic, yet poetry can live and breathe in such magical ways and I have always dreamed of finding that poetry which would swirl, the way people describe its behavior in books. No doubt you wonder why I give these details? Because all of the above describes “The Lady of the Lake”. It is whimsical and romantic yet it pounds with adventure and battle tension, the poetry going from sylvan to warlike with startling swiftness. One moment you are enjoying mountain vistas and then with a sudden whirl about you are in the midst of scenes of war, dashing you in hopeless delight and heart-stopping power along with it. The poetry mingles things borrowed from history with the things of legend so that the one does not leave before the other begins. Scott based the poem in places he knew well and his love shines through the words. Perhaps he did make the place a little more romantic than it truly was, but he did it so perfectly that in his story and writing he created a flawless world of his own. I was not expecting to be swept away by this poem, but I found myself caught into this work that weaves the richness of countries discovered with that of fairytales.

“The wild rose, eglantine, and broom

Wasted around their rich perfume;

The birch-trees wept in fragrant balm;

The aspens slept beneath the calm;

The silver light, with quivering glance,

Played on the water's still expanse -

Wild were the heart whose passion's sway

Could rage beneath the sober ray! “

- Canto I: XXXV