Go Set a #Watchman, A Book #Review @lsfabre #MFRWAuthor

After all the hype and speculation about this “sequel” to To Kill a Mockingbird, I decided not to read it neither a sequel nor prequel, but as a standalone novel by a debut author. This freed me from making comparisons or having any expectations confirmed or crushed by the work.

This book is very much a literary piece, taking place over only a few days into Jean Louise’s (Scout’s) annual two-week visit to her hometown of Maycomb, Alabama. Currently twenty-six years old, she lives in New York City and returns each summer for two weeks to visit her family. Her father, Atticus, is getting old and has severe arthritis. His sister Alexandra lives with him and keeps house. Calpurnia, the African-American woman who had been the housekeeper when Scout was growing up had long ago retired. Atticus’s eccentric brother, a physician, also lives in Maycomb and has spent so much time reading Victorian literature, he appears to have lost touch with reality and what century he lives in. She also has a love interest, Henry, her father’s young law partner, who seems to be waiting for her to return and marry him.

The first third of the book provides her reflections on her life growing up in the small Alabama town, her relationship with her father and others in her life, and her assessment of race relationships in the South. At the third-way mark, she is confronted with an event that shakes her belief system to her very core, and the rest of the book involves her coming to terms with this reality.

@lsfabre #Review of #LeavingTime by @JodiPicoult #mfrworg

Before Christmas, I had the opportunity to attend a special reading and discussion by Jodi Picoult of her novel Leaving Time. In the book, Jenna Metcalf searches for her mother, who disappeared after a terrible accident involving the death of a caretaker at an elephant preserve. She is convinced her mother is still alive and her search comes to a head when she enlists the help of a washed-out psychic and an alcoholic private investigator. Like many of her books, the characters are on a search for truth - what truly happened the night Alice Metcalf (the mother) disappeared, and why would she leave her daughter behind? In this particular story, the elephants come to represent the themes of memory and grief that thread through the tale.

As fascinating as the book is, and there's a twist that is one of the best I've come across (well done, Jodi!), the history and research Ms. Picoult completed for the book is just as intriguing. She visited elephant preserves in the US and Africa, spoke to researchers in their behavior, and collected stories about different beasts. As she noted in her discussion, the stories concerning the elephants are true, only the names were changed to protect the pachyderms. If you are moved by the stories of the incredible intelligence and severe danger these animals are experiencing, she lists a number of organizations accepting donations for their continued protection in an afterward.

@lsfabre #SherlockHolmes' Country Squire Ancestry #mfrworg

I recently completed a manuscript about Sherlock Holmes at age 13. For those not familiar with the world's most famous consulting dectective, Doyle gave very few clues to his character's upbringing. In the short story “The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter,” Sherlock Holmes tells Dr. Watson that his ancestors were “country squires,” and his grandmother was the sister of the French portraitist Vernet. 

While this leaves an author open to speculate about how Sherlock developed his skills, knowing his background involved country squires provides insights into Holmes’ social level and certain expectations common to those of that rank. A country squire would have owned enough land to rent to tenants and have lived in a manor house. While the squire’s position was below a nobleman or large landowner, (1) he still ranked high in the local social structure.