WOVFAB

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Devil in the White City

According to Aldous Huxley, "The horror no less than the charm of real life consists precisely in the recurrent actualization of the inconceivable ".

The story of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair as told in Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City" proves this beyond doubt. It is the story of two architects, Daniel Burnham and Dr. H.H. Holmes. The former was a partner in the noted architectural firm Burnham and Root, builder of some of the most distinctive buildings in Chicago. Their technical innovations pushed buildings to literally new heights. Holmes, a trained medical doctor, was also an innovative builder. His hotel contained sound proof rooms, a gas chamber and a crematorium.

It was Daniel Burnham's vision that brought the World's Fair to Chicago. In his seemingly impossible bid to outshine the Paris World Fair and its noted Eiffel Tour, Burnham used his considerable powers of persuasion to marshall the forces of the most noted American architects. Together, they built a some of the largest and most dramatic buildings yet known, all in white and all in the same style. People came from around the world to see African tribesmen, an entire Algerian village (citizens included), and the world's largest cheese. It introduced to the world to belly dancing, Edison's kinetograph, AC electricity, Cracker Jacks, Juicy Fruit gum, Pabst beer, and shredded wheat. The world's first elevated train and the very first Ferris Wheel were here too. By its end, nearly 28 million people visited the fair, at it's peak 700,000 in a single day.

Some of those visitors had the great misfortune of staying the the hotel designed the Dr. H.H. Holmes. As many as 200 of his mainly female guests were never heard from again. A man almost universally acclaimed for his charm, he convinced a number of women to marry him and part with their fortunes. Many of them also parted with their lives. A master manipulator with multiple aliases, Holmes was able to swindle creditors and partners, defraud insurance companies, build a hotel without paying for labour or materials, and convince desperate families that their missing daughters were abroad.

Larson tells these two stories in alternating chapters, bringing to vivid life the excitement and marvels of the fair and the horror of Holmes' crimes.

A Late Submission

Claire has asked that we add The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a "frighteningly good book":

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/books/reviews/5434/the-road-by-cormac-mccarthy/

Since I'm the only one to have voted, I'll delete the old poll. Please vote here instead:

Our next vote

Surprisingly, I think we all liked Devil in the White City. I tried to write a synopsis of our discussion and will post it shortly. Please feel free to comment or correct the florid prose. Also check out the publisher's website for great pictures of the fair, including the Ferris Wheel.

http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/devilinthewhitecity/home.html

We are planning our next meeting for Wednesday September 26th. The book suggestions, in order presented are:

The Omnivore's Dilema by Michael Pollan:
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-5007021-6571900?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Omnivore%27s+Dilema&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
http://www.amazon.com/Fountainhead-Centennial-Hardcover-Ayn-Rand/dp/0452286751/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-5007021-6571900?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187906207&sr=8-1

Storming the Court by Brandt Goldsteinhttp://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/104-5007021-6571900?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Storming+the+Court&Go.x=14&Go.y=11&Go=Go

Deadline for voting is Wednesday August 29th, 5pm.

Friday, July 6, 2007

The Summer Read

The three suggestions for our summer read are listed below. Please vote via the blog. Voting closes Thursday July 12, 5pm. Let's schedule our next meeting for Thursday August 23rd.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
http://www.amazon.com/Stardust-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0061142026/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1568824-9454249?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183748975&sr=1-1

Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Years-Flamingo-Modern-Classics/dp/0006550924/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1568824-9454249?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183749059&sr=1-1

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
http://www.amazon.com/Devil-White-City-Madness-Changed/dp/0375725601/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1568824-9454249?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183749119&sr=1-1

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

OK, so not many of us read the book. We're blaming the Berkeley Public Library for that. A few did manage to get a copy.

Animal Dreams is the story of Codi Noline, a failed medical student, who returns home to care for her ailing father and ends up coming to terms with a seemingly unhappy childhood. Mix in a little bit of environmental catastophe and a civil war just for flavour. Did we like it? I suppose consensus was that the book was a pleasant story, nicely written. The plot was in many ways predictable and the "tall, dark, handsome hero" was just a little bit "too perfect". Really now, what man gives up the his favourite pastime when his girlfriend says "eeewww, icky"? And what woman spends that much time obsessing about the ugly shoes she wore as a child? Does this really qualify as introspection? self-examination? personal growth? It must, if only to qualify for such a happily-ever-after ending.

So, Animal Dreams is a pleasant summer read. Those who have read other Barbara Kingsolver novels suggested we might appreciate her other books more, Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer in particular.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Run-off Election

I think that those of us who finished "The Shadow of the Wind" really liked it. It was a mystery with no big suprises, and a made for movie ending....one that many of us were disappointed in. An climax we've seen so many times on the screen doesn't belong in a novel driven by the charaters' clear love of books. Perhaps the disappointment was due to the fact that the lives of Julian and Daniel paralleled one another so closely. The latter's happily-ever-after ending seemed anti-climactic after Julian's prolonged suffering.

Many of the male characters were intriguing, but the women were ultimately cardboard cut-outs. They seemed simply targets of Daniel's teen-aged hormones, mother-figures, or simply vehicles to progress the plot.

So, with these complaints, why did we keep reading? Because there was a mystery? a romance? some really wonderful writing? I'd love to see your comments posted to this page.

What will we read next? Since we're going to need a run-off, let's plan on finishing the first round by Friday, 5pm and the second Monday at 5pm. The nominees, in no particular order are:

Plainsong by Kent Haruf
http://www.amazon.com/Plainsong-Kent-Haruf/dp/0375705856/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179427925&sr=8-2

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer
http://www.amazon.com/Drinking-Coffee-Elsewhere-ZZ-Packer/dp/1841955566/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179427965&sr=1-1

Remainder by Tom McCarthy
http://www.amazon.com/Remainder-Tom-Mccarthy/dp/0307278352/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179427994&sr=1-1

Good News: A Novel by Edward Abbey
http://www.amazon.com/Good-News-Novel-Edward-Abbey/dp/0452265657/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179428022&sr=1-3

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
http://www.amazon.com/Prodigal-Summer-Novel-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/0060959037/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179428059&sr=1-1

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Dreams-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/1568496923/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179428104&sr=1-1

Hullabalo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-3211001-0607323?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=guava+orchard&amp;Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-3211001-0607323?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=guava+orchard&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-3211001-0607323?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=guava+orchard&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Monday, April 9, 2007

Vote for April's Read

We didn't get too many suggestions for our next book. So far, our choices are

Fiction:
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
http://amazon.com/o/ASIN/0143034901/ref=s9_asin_image_1/102-3211001-0607323?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=14AS0J4HH2M9S4WH41SM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=278240301&pf_rd_i=507846

Non Fiction:
Stiff by Mary Roach
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0141007451/sr=1-1/qid=1176146257/ref=olp_product_details/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&qid=1176146257&sr=1-1&seller=

Any other ideas? Let me know and we'll add them to the list. Otherwise, polls close Wednesday at noon.