The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht
The Song of Names is the story of two young boys who are brought together in England shortly before the beginning of World War II. One boy, Martin, is the son of Mortimer Simmonds, a very successful owner of a music store and talent agency. The other boy, David, is a young violin prodigy from Warsaw who has come to stay with the Simmonds so that he can study with a famous violinist residing in England. The Simmonds serve as David’s surrogate family, his own family remaining in Poland. Soon, however, David’s family becomes trapped in Warsaw as the war escalates.
David and Martin become fast friends. Martin, however, is the follower and David is the leader. The relationship is decidedly one-sided, with Martin worshipping his friend.
As the boys become men, David becomes adventurous and explores London, tasting its seamier side ~ gambling and prostitution. His music, however, continues to consume his being.
At the age of 21, Mortimer Simmonds arranges for David to make his big musical debut at the famous Albert Hall. David’s name is changed, for purposes of publicizing the concert to Eli, which seems somewhat less “semitic” to the British public. The day of the big, and highly publicized concert arrives. David disappears.
Book begins in the early 1990s, when Martin is in his 60s. After David’s disappearance, all the life seemed to drain from Martin. He becomes obsessed with his friend’s disappearance and settles into the mediocre life of taking over his father’s music business. Martin’s interest in the business is not all consuming, and he has barely managed to keep the music company afloat.
One day, while in northern England, he is judging a music competition. One of the contestants used a particular musical style that convinced Martin that David must have been his teacher. He tracks down the teacher and is, indeed, confronted with his old friend, who has now become a Talmudic scholar living in an ultra-orthodox community.
The Song of Names is a first novel by music critic Norman Lebrecht. This book combines music with the complex psychology of a young boy losing his family to the Holocaust, as well as the interrelationship between two friends. A lovely book.
Read: January 21 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Books Set in Turkey
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak (2007)
The Bastard of Istanbul is the first book that I have read that addresses the Turkish massacre of Armenians in 1915 vis-à-vis Turkey. The Turkish government calls the event “relocations”, and makes it a crime to speak out against the murders of a million Armenians. Indeed, author Elif Shafak faced trial in Turkey for writing this novel which deemed the sympathetic depiction of the (fictional) Armenian characters to be “insulting” to Turkey.
This novel focuses on two families whose lives ultimately intersect. The novel begins when 19-year old Zeliha contemplates having an abortion. She is a wild, modern, unmarried, young Turkish teenager living in Istanbul, who has found herself pregnant. Ultimately, she does not proceed with the abortion, giving birth to Asya. Her family seems to take her pregnancy in stride. Zeliha lives with her mother and three eccentric sisters. The story then jumps 19 years to the young Asya, now a rebellious teen.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, Rose married and divorced an Armenian man and gave birth to Armanoush. Shortly after her divorce, she meets the Turkish Mustafa, brother to Zeliha. Partly to provoke her former Armenian in-laws, she marries him and, together they raise Armanoush, who is now caught between the worlds of being an American Armenian and an American Turk.
To find her Armenian roots, Armanoush, unbeknownst to her parents, secretly travels to Istanbul to stay with her stepfather’s family. Armanoush’s great-grandfather, Hovhannes Stamboulian, an Amenian written and intellectual, was kidnapped and killed by the Ottoman Turkish authorities near the beginning of the massacre. Armanoush seeks to learn more about this missing chapter of her family’s past.
Mustafa left Istanbul years ago and has not visited his family in years. He has a dark secret that is too troublesome for him to acknowledge. When he learns that his step-daughter is visiting and living with his family, he is forced to return to Istanbul and face his demons.
When all is revealed, the ending is somewhat unsatisfying. Still, this book will inform readers of the troubling chapter in Turkish history. The novel stresses, however, that the Armenian massacres occurred before the establishment of modern Turkey in 1923. Can history so blithely be dismissed?
Read: January 14, 2010
The Bastard of Istanbul is the first book that I have read that addresses the Turkish massacre of Armenians in 1915 vis-à-vis Turkey. The Turkish government calls the event “relocations”, and makes it a crime to speak out against the murders of a million Armenians. Indeed, author Elif Shafak faced trial in Turkey for writing this novel which deemed the sympathetic depiction of the (fictional) Armenian characters to be “insulting” to Turkey.
This novel focuses on two families whose lives ultimately intersect. The novel begins when 19-year old Zeliha contemplates having an abortion. She is a wild, modern, unmarried, young Turkish teenager living in Istanbul, who has found herself pregnant. Ultimately, she does not proceed with the abortion, giving birth to Asya. Her family seems to take her pregnancy in stride. Zeliha lives with her mother and three eccentric sisters. The story then jumps 19 years to the young Asya, now a rebellious teen.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, Rose married and divorced an Armenian man and gave birth to Armanoush. Shortly after her divorce, she meets the Turkish Mustafa, brother to Zeliha. Partly to provoke her former Armenian in-laws, she marries him and, together they raise Armanoush, who is now caught between the worlds of being an American Armenian and an American Turk.
To find her Armenian roots, Armanoush, unbeknownst to her parents, secretly travels to Istanbul to stay with her stepfather’s family. Armanoush’s great-grandfather, Hovhannes Stamboulian, an Amenian written and intellectual, was kidnapped and killed by the Ottoman Turkish authorities near the beginning of the massacre. Armanoush seeks to learn more about this missing chapter of her family’s past.
Mustafa left Istanbul years ago and has not visited his family in years. He has a dark secret that is too troublesome for him to acknowledge. When he learns that his step-daughter is visiting and living with his family, he is forced to return to Istanbul and face his demons.
When all is revealed, the ending is somewhat unsatisfying. Still, this book will inform readers of the troubling chapter in Turkish history. The novel stresses, however, that the Armenian massacres occurred before the establishment of modern Turkey in 1923. Can history so blithely be dismissed?
Read: January 14, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Books Set in Iran
Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith by Gina B. Nahai
Once again, Gina Nahai has written a beautifully mystical story of the lives of a family of strong Jewish women living under the constraints imposed on Jews in Iran. The story, which takes place shortly before the Iranian revolution in 1979, is narrated by Lili, a young girl whose mother, Roxanna, mysteriously leaves in the middle of the night when Lili is 5 years old. Lili desperately searches for her mother and wonders why she was abandoned at such a young age.
Roxanna the Angel was born under a bad omen in the Jewish ghetto of Tehran. The bad-luck omen has haunted at least one woman in the family for generations. Almost from her birth, her family tried to rid itself of her. Although she marries, the omen haunts her as well and one evening she seems to fly from the balcony of her house on the Avenue of Faith.
The novel uses magical realism to follow Roxanna life, after she leaves her pampered life in Iran, and learns to survive by becoming a prostitute in Istanbul, before escaping to Los Angeles.
Nahai has a gift for combining the turbulent history of Iran with magical women, which has become her signature in several of her novels. Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith delineates the difficulties the Jews of Iran faced during World War II and the Nazi regime, through the difficulties faced during the Shah’s regime, through the days following the Khomeini regime. I am a big fan of Nahai, and this book strengthens my respect for her writing in which she so seamlessly blends fact and fiction and creates unforgettable characters.
Read: January 6, 2010
Once again, Gina Nahai has written a beautifully mystical story of the lives of a family of strong Jewish women living under the constraints imposed on Jews in Iran. The story, which takes place shortly before the Iranian revolution in 1979, is narrated by Lili, a young girl whose mother, Roxanna, mysteriously leaves in the middle of the night when Lili is 5 years old. Lili desperately searches for her mother and wonders why she was abandoned at such a young age.
Roxanna the Angel was born under a bad omen in the Jewish ghetto of Tehran. The bad-luck omen has haunted at least one woman in the family for generations. Almost from her birth, her family tried to rid itself of her. Although she marries, the omen haunts her as well and one evening she seems to fly from the balcony of her house on the Avenue of Faith.
The novel uses magical realism to follow Roxanna life, after she leaves her pampered life in Iran, and learns to survive by becoming a prostitute in Istanbul, before escaping to Los Angeles.
Nahai has a gift for combining the turbulent history of Iran with magical women, which has become her signature in several of her novels. Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith delineates the difficulties the Jews of Iran faced during World War II and the Nazi regime, through the difficulties faced during the Shah’s regime, through the days following the Khomeini regime. I am a big fan of Nahai, and this book strengthens my respect for her writing in which she so seamlessly blends fact and fiction and creates unforgettable characters.
Read: January 6, 2010
Books Set in Latin America: Fictional Country
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (2001)
Bel Canto takes place in an unnamed, fictional Latin/South American country. The story takes place in the Vice President's home, who is hosting a party. Guests include Mr. Hosokawa, a Japanese industrialist whom the government is trying to woo to invest in the country, and Roxanne Coss, a great opera star. Mr. Hosokawa was in attendance only because he wanted to meet Roxanne, his operatic idol. He has his translator, Gen, with him. Other guests include various diplomats, as well as a young opera-loving priest who was invited, but confined to listen in the kitchen.
Suddenly, after Roxanne sings, the lights go out and an army of rebels burst into the room. The band of rebels are a motley group of young, teenaged poor men from villages in the jungles. There is very little leadership amongst the rebels, thereby leading to a hostage situation that lasts for several months. A Red Cross negotiator manages to get all the women and the sick release, leaving Roxanne as the lone female captive amongst several of the more important male diplomats in the house.
Gen, Mr. Hosokawa's translator, actually knows several languages. He finds himself becoming the central figure translating between hostages and captor, as many of the captives are from around the world and do not speak Spanish. After several days, the hostages come to realize that two of their captors are actually young women. One of the women, Carmen, slowly builds a friendship with Gen. She asks him to teach her English as well as to learn to read and write. The two secretly begin meeting in a kitchen closet every night.
At the same time, a budding romance is building between Roxanne and Mr. Hosokawa. Carmen helps them to secretly meet in Roxanne's room each night.
Although this is a work of fiction, it was based on a real-life hostage situation. In December 1996, a group of Marxist rebels in Peru crashed the home of the Japanese ambassador during a party. A four-month hostage situation ensued, until governmental forces finally entered the enclosure killing all the rebels and freeing the hostages.
Ann Patchett is a wonderful writer. I look forward to reading more of her works.
Read: January 1, 2010
Bel Canto takes place in an unnamed, fictional Latin/South American country. The story takes place in the Vice President's home, who is hosting a party. Guests include Mr. Hosokawa, a Japanese industrialist whom the government is trying to woo to invest in the country, and Roxanne Coss, a great opera star. Mr. Hosokawa was in attendance only because he wanted to meet Roxanne, his operatic idol. He has his translator, Gen, with him. Other guests include various diplomats, as well as a young opera-loving priest who was invited, but confined to listen in the kitchen.
Suddenly, after Roxanne sings, the lights go out and an army of rebels burst into the room. The band of rebels are a motley group of young, teenaged poor men from villages in the jungles. There is very little leadership amongst the rebels, thereby leading to a hostage situation that lasts for several months. A Red Cross negotiator manages to get all the women and the sick release, leaving Roxanne as the lone female captive amongst several of the more important male diplomats in the house.
Gen, Mr. Hosokawa's translator, actually knows several languages. He finds himself becoming the central figure translating between hostages and captor, as many of the captives are from around the world and do not speak Spanish. After several days, the hostages come to realize that two of their captors are actually young women. One of the women, Carmen, slowly builds a friendship with Gen. She asks him to teach her English as well as to learn to read and write. The two secretly begin meeting in a kitchen closet every night.
At the same time, a budding romance is building between Roxanne and Mr. Hosokawa. Carmen helps them to secretly meet in Roxanne's room each night.
Although this is a work of fiction, it was based on a real-life hostage situation. In December 1996, a group of Marxist rebels in Peru crashed the home of the Japanese ambassador during a party. A four-month hostage situation ensued, until governmental forces finally entered the enclosure killing all the rebels and freeing the hostages.
Ann Patchett is a wonderful writer. I look forward to reading more of her works.
Read: January 1, 2010
Books Set in the United States: Chicago
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (2003)
In 1893, Chicago hosted the Columbian World's Exposition celebrating the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the "New World." Chicago was at the time a city struggling to find itself. When it was awarded the honor of hosting the event, it had numerous challenges to overcome. The architectural firm of Burnham and Root had the task of creating the exhibition grounds. Early on in the planning, however, Root, who was the creative partner, died. Burnham enlisted the aid of numerous other well known architects to assist in the project, including Frederick Law Olmstead, of New York's Central Park fame, and Louis Sullivan. The end result was the beautiful "White City" of the exposition grounds.
At the same time Dr. Henry H. Holmes arrived in Chicago and built his own version of the "World's Fair Hotel" adjacent to the exposition grounds. His building, which he was able to create by firing workers after a few days, included random hallways, soundproof rooms, dissection tables, gas chambers and a 3,000 crematorium. Holmes was a psychopath with an uncanny ability to lie his way through any difficulty. He also had an ability to lure young women, who were beginning to leave their farms and come to the city to find work, to stay at his hotel, where he would torture and kill them. He was ultimately captured and incarcerated on insurance fraud charges. The murders came to light when a detective with the Pinkerton Agency began probing into the disappearance of three children and their deaths were linked to him.
This was a marvelous book, well written, and brought the end of the 19th century to life. The Columbian Exhibition helped Chicago become the city it is today, and had many visitors, including Buffalo Bill, Susan B. Anthony, and Theodore Dreiser.
Read: December 27, 2009
In 1893, Chicago hosted the Columbian World's Exposition celebrating the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the "New World." Chicago was at the time a city struggling to find itself. When it was awarded the honor of hosting the event, it had numerous challenges to overcome. The architectural firm of Burnham and Root had the task of creating the exhibition grounds. Early on in the planning, however, Root, who was the creative partner, died. Burnham enlisted the aid of numerous other well known architects to assist in the project, including Frederick Law Olmstead, of New York's Central Park fame, and Louis Sullivan. The end result was the beautiful "White City" of the exposition grounds.
At the same time Dr. Henry H. Holmes arrived in Chicago and built his own version of the "World's Fair Hotel" adjacent to the exposition grounds. His building, which he was able to create by firing workers after a few days, included random hallways, soundproof rooms, dissection tables, gas chambers and a 3,000 crematorium. Holmes was a psychopath with an uncanny ability to lie his way through any difficulty. He also had an ability to lure young women, who were beginning to leave their farms and come to the city to find work, to stay at his hotel, where he would torture and kill them. He was ultimately captured and incarcerated on insurance fraud charges. The murders came to light when a detective with the Pinkerton Agency began probing into the disappearance of three children and their deaths were linked to him.
This was a marvelous book, well written, and brought the end of the 19th century to life. The Columbian Exhibition helped Chicago become the city it is today, and had many visitors, including Buffalo Bill, Susan B. Anthony, and Theodore Dreiser.
Read: December 27, 2009
Books Set in the United States: The Dakotas
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich (2008)
The Plague of Doves begins with the murder of a family in 1911 by an unknown assailant. Only a baby survives. The farm in which the family lived abutted the Ojibwe land, in North Dakota. Some of the whites in the area sought to avenge the murder and lynched several Native Americans, including a young boy known at Holy Track, due to the crosses he wore in his shoes.
The novel moves back and forth throughout the present day and the time of the murder. It also moves from the lives and interactions of Native Americans and the neighboring white community. Each chapter is also told in various voices. Eveline Harp is the primary narrator. We first meet her when she is a young girl. She knows nothing of the murder that took place years before her birth. Her Native American grandfather, Mooshum, tells her the story of the crime and subsequent lynching.
The story started out with a bang, but fell apart at the end, which was I found unsatisfying.
Read: December 23, 2009
The Plague of Doves begins with the murder of a family in 1911 by an unknown assailant. Only a baby survives. The farm in which the family lived abutted the Ojibwe land, in North Dakota. Some of the whites in the area sought to avenge the murder and lynched several Native Americans, including a young boy known at Holy Track, due to the crosses he wore in his shoes.
The novel moves back and forth throughout the present day and the time of the murder. It also moves from the lives and interactions of Native Americans and the neighboring white community. Each chapter is also told in various voices. Eveline Harp is the primary narrator. We first meet her when she is a young girl. She knows nothing of the murder that took place years before her birth. Her Native American grandfather, Mooshum, tells her the story of the crime and subsequent lynching.
The story started out with a bang, but fell apart at the end, which was I found unsatisfying.
Read: December 23, 2009
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