JOTS & JAUNTS

BOOKS AND READING

Navy Wife on Tiny Italian Island:  The Half Life by Rachel Beanland

In the early 1970s, Eileen O’Malley is still mourning the death of her brother in the Vietnam War when she marries Naval officer Paul Archer.  He works in radiological control on submarines and soon, they are posted to tiny La Maddalena, off the coast of Sardinia.  Here, Eileen must adjust to the protocols and behavior expected of navy wives and to living in a culture where she doesn’t understand or speak the language.  When locals and scientists raise concerns about possible nuclear contamination, and there are protests, Eileen is unsure whom to believe.  Along the way, she becomes friendly with an Italian journalist, and relations between her and husband Paul are strained.  

From the opening chapter, it is clear that Eileen is relating the story of her life in Italy to someone, but it is not clear until the very end who that someone is.  The result is that the novel includes both very intimate details about her marriage as well as technical information about the submarines and what’s involved in monitoring and maintaining them along that coast.  It’s a jarring mix at times with emotions up against what almost reads like a technical treatise.  

For me, this was an interesting novel, but not a great one.  I was curious how Eileen would resolve the issues in her life but put off by some of the submarine details.  The latter drove down the narrative arc and made the book feel longer than it needed to be.  Overall, a historical novel that perhaps tries too hard.  

As a footnote, I should add that Beanland’s father was stationed in La Maddalena when she was a young child, hence her rationale for the setting and the submarines. (~JWFarrington)

Juliet Books (Downtown Cary) 

In a small white frame building with a pink door and pink shutters, Juliet Books beckons one inside.  It’s a smallish space done up with charming book-themed wallpaper, tables and shelves of books in all genres, a case with cold drinks for purchase, and in the side room, a café table where one can sit and sip, chat with a friend, or just sit with a book.  A few inviting chairs are also just outside.

I found new books and bestsellers, nonfiction, a young adult section, a romance section (this is Juliet’s place, after all), and placed throughout, racks with appealing and different greeting cards and notecards.  Upstairs, which I haven’t yet visited, is a loft with a children’s book area.

When I was in Maine this summer, I spied Love & Other Monsters by Emily Franklin, a historical novel about Mary Shelley and her stepsister Claire Clarmont.  Rather than buy it then, I made a note and last week happily purchased a copy at Juliet Books.  The stock at Juliet is wide-ranging, but there are not necessarily multiple copies on the shelf.  Staff will gladly order titles not in stock.

Given the store’s location on a short lane across the street from La Farm Bakery (a favorite stop), I will be visiting often.  Founded and owned by Marcie Montague, the store name harkens back to Shakespeare’s Juliet and the owner’s name.   

WATCHING: CRIME IN BRISTOL ENGLAND

Gone (Britbox)

When Sarah Polly, wife of the headmaster of a prestigious private school goes missing, her husband is the initial suspect.  Sarah is also a teacher at the school as is their daughter, Alana.  Michael Polly is a tight-lipped man, who runs a well-ordered school and coaches the rugby team.  Annie Cassidy, a detective assigned to the case with festering issues in her own life, probes Michael to help determine if he is responsible for the crime or not.  

Unfolding over six episodes, this is a chilling and slowly simmering psychological tale of tangled alliances and secret affairs.  If you want lots of action, this is not the series for you.  If you are fascinated by complex characters—Annie being as much so as several of the others—then this is prime viewing.  Highly recommended!

ART: BAYEUX TAPESTRY

As many of you probably know, the Bayeux Tapestry, about William, the Duke of Normandy’s conquest of England in 1066, is currently on display in London.  Lines are very long and tickets hard to obtain.  In October 2022, the Chief Penguin and I were in France, first in Giverny, then the Normandy Battlefields, and then on to Bayeux.  

We had the pleasure of viewing this hand embroidered piece of art in a quiet museum with no line (very few people around in fact) and an excellent audio guide explaining what was happening in each section. In its entirety, the tapestry is almost 230 feet long.  Section 48 above is near the end of the battle.  It was a memorable experience.

Paired with the famous tapestry was David Hockney’s own long mural, A Year in Normandy. Made up of multiple images, it depicts the changing seasons from spring and summer through fall to winter.  And as one would expect from Hockney, the colors are bright and bold.  

Note: Unattributed photo by JWFarrington.