Never thought I'd pick this one...
A look at a few favorite books from the past year.
The to-be-read list year-end report: stable. I read as many books as I added, and a few unexpected favorites emerged. Here I’ll note the ones I’ll remember and want to re-read. A couple were published just recently, while the others have been waiting a long time for me to find them.
A few years back, I had my first encounter with Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset. I couldn’t get past the first 50 pages, despite a friend’s recommendation. I concluded that a three-volume epic about Norwegians in the Middle Ages just wasn’t my cup of tea. What opened my eyes and imagination was my discovery of Tiina Nunnally’s translation. This time, Undset’s characters - especially the brilliantly-drawn Kristin - came to me vividly. Norway itself came to life. I can now open the book to any page, and immediately be immersed in a time and place that couldn’t be farther from my own. Surely, this is the unlikeliest favorite of the year.
Among the books I was offered for review last year, the real standout was World Between Worlds: a novel based on the early life of Caterina, the Mystic of Siena by Jenny duBay. This work of historical fiction about St. Catherine of Siena is firmly grounded in the saint’s real-life letters and Dialogues. Author duBay does her subject justice. This is an absorbing account of a true mystic devoted to God even while surrounded by a tumultuous society and skeptical neighbors.
Mount Washington, the highest of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, draws hikers and climbers even in bitterest weather. Not everyone makes it home. The Lions of Winter: Survival and Sacrifice on Mount Washington by Ty Gagne chronicles a four-day 1982 search-and-rescue mission (SAR) that took the life of SAR volunteer Albert Dow. Gagne offers a detailed account of the extensive network of volunteers who went into action during the incident, with special tribute to Dow. The two hikers whose situation led to the rescue mission might have been cast as fools or villains, but Gagne doesn’t settle for such a characterization. Instead, in writing about the hikers’ choices before and after they got lost, he conveys how any human being - even an experienced hiker - can get into a grievous predicament.
This one is probably unknown outside of New England, but anyone attentive to the natural world will appreciate it: Evolution of a Valley by Page Helm Jones. This short book published in 1975 was written with quiet devotion by someone for whom the Androscoggin River valley is a sacred place. This is also a valuable reference for anyone interested in the history of Maine and New Hampshire.
Graham Greene’s use of the English language always captivates me, even when he’s weaving a story that makes me uneasy. The Quiet American was no exception. It startled this baby boomer whose hazy ideas about Indochina were formed by news reports on the Vietnam War. Greene’s story is set in the 1950s in the midst of violent disruption in Southeast Asia, which is nudged along by shadowy powers of a colonial bent. His chief characters - a Vietnamese woman, the British journalist who narrates the tale, and the titular quiet American - are determined to do the “right” things by their lights, with painful results.
Honorable mention, with thanks to Matthew Long of Beyond the Bookshelf for the the year-long guided tour: The Iliad and The Odyssey. Finally, after several abortive attempts, I delved into Homer’s epics and didn’t feel like I was slogging through an assignment. Matthew’s thought-provoking essays and the responses from my fellow readers illuminated the text and brought these classics to life. As with Kristin Lavransdatter, the translation made a difference; Matthew recommended the one by Robert Fagles. I am indebted to translator and guide alike.
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