Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Authors' Lives, Real or Imagined

A pair of recent novels focus on the imagined lives of well-known authors. But sometimes the truth makes just as good a story.

"The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" by Kelly O'Connor McNees is a novel about the author of "Little Women," set in 1855 in Walpole, N.H. The out-of-money Alcotts are offered a place to stay for the summer, so they take it. When family friend Ralph Waldo Emerson brings Louisa's father a copy of Walt Whitman's new book of poetry, "Leaves of Grass," Louisa reads it furtively, finding it fascinating and compelling. So does Joseph Singer, a young store clerk, who takes a shine to 22-year-old Louisa. But she has no wish to settle down. Her desire is to be independent or, as she puts it, "to secure for myself in the city of Boston a place apart and a room in which I might write my stories and sell them to the highest bidder." Her conviction is that, "Seen with a cold, practical eye, the state of marriage was nothing more than indentured servitude, legal dependence, a claiming of property." And she adds, "Why would God give a woman talent if he meant her to be confined to the kitchen and washtub?" She loves him, but can she have love as well as the freedom her soul demands?

The book has a good sense of place and natural dialogue. And the writing makes this just a lovely read: "Anna practiced compassion like an art form. She knew how to apply it with a delicate hand." It's very nicely done on several levels, as McNees brings to life a young woman trying to punch out a place for herself in the world. She expresses Louisa's sense of urgency to be at the task of writing, to get on with it. McNees captures the flavor of the era in quiet moments, and it seems to me that fans of Jane Austen will like this book for the subject matter and pacing. And, of course, if you loved "Little Women," you will feel right at home with the four sisters and "Marmee" and their warm love.

"Pearl of China" by Anchee Min is a novel about Pearl S. Buck, who grew up in China. Min has invented a lifelong best friend for her, through whose eyes the story is told. Willow is a young Chinese girl born in 1890 who grows up with Pearl. Pearl is the daughter of American Christian missionary Absalom Sydenstricker, whom many of the Chinese people think of as "a harmless fool." Pearl's mother wants desperately to go back to America. She "lives with a broken heart. As far as she is concerned, her life is as an exile." When the adult Pearl is caught in an unhappy marriage, says Willow, "As a way to escape her troubles, Pearl began to write. She found comfort in writing. She told me that her imagination was the only place where she could be herself and be free." Then Min imagines a love affair between Pearl and a famous poet. (In reality, Buck knew the young man, but it is questionable that this actually happened.)

The book reflects Buck's desire to express her love for China through her writing. But during the Cultural Revolution, Madame Mao "saw Pearl Buck as a personal threat and was determined to punish anyone with a connection to her." Willow's husband warns her: "Your friendship with Pearl Buck is seen as a threat to national security. Pearl's status in America and her public criticism of Mao and the Communist Party have categorized her as an enemy of China." Willow is arrested, and Madame Mao wants her to denounce Pearl and her writings. (As a girl in Maoist China, Min was ordered to denounce Pearl Buck. When she read Buck's work as an adult, she was moved by Buck's true love for the people of China and was led to write this book.) I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

If you want to read about Buck, you may as well go for her real life story, which is filled with its own drama. "Pearl Buck in China: Journey to 'The Good Earth'" by Hilary Spurling is a biography that is just as exciting as a fictional tale. Spurling breathes life into the images of Pearl's mother -- caught in an unhappy marriage, having lost three children to disease, having to live "in a country she already feared and was beginning to hate" -- and her father, driven by God but emotionally absent. Spurling writes, "The landscape of her childhood shone in her memory. ... She loved even the hot rainy season ... and the rice harvest in September when low autumn light made everything hazy and soft." Although her parents were brought up to believe non-white people were not quite human, Pearl thought of herself as one with the people of China. She had a Chinese tutor who "gave her a solid grounding in Confucian ethics and their contemporary implications, pausing often to fill in the historical context of whatever book they were reading and to explain ... the relationship of China's past to its present and its future."

People in America had accepted a demeaning stereotype of the Chinese people, but Buck's "The Good Earth" was a game-changer: "Pearl's book eroded the foundations of that wall of ignorance and prejudice," writes Spurling. In 1932, "The Good Earth" won Buck the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1938 Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature. But she made enemies of church missions in America by questioning the role of missionaries and decrying the treatment of non-white people in the United States.

I really like how the author wove in references and quotes from Buck's books to show how a plot point or character was based on something in her real life. Writes the author: "Buck is virtually forgotten today. She has no place in feminist mythology, and her novels have been effectively eliminated from the American literary map." But this author is no sycophant; at times, she is bluntly critical of Buck's work.

You may know by now that Buck is one of my favorite authors. I always recommend "The Good Earth," my favorite novel of all time, but another on the top of my list is Buck's "The Exile," which is about her mother. Another that has stayed on my list is "Imperial Woman." Buck offers unique insight into the world of pre-Communist China, the roles of women, racism and much more. She was an intellectual, but her style in "The Good Earth" is the simple, unembellished prose of the peasants. It's utter genius, and I'm disappointed that the modern world seems to have left her behind. I'm hoping that these two recent books about her will entice readers -- and book clubs -- to give her work a closer look.

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BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online
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Follow me on Twitter @One4TheBooks.
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Check out my blog on books, inspiration, fun and thought-provoking goodies! It’s called “Shine A Light!”

http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/

If you lose that link, go to www.recordpub.com. Click “Blogs” in the blue bar at the top of the page, and find “Shine A Light.”

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For best-seller lists and more book news, go to:
http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4856390

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Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns. More links are available on my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/one-for-the-books/

Memorable Characters -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4822150

True-Life Adventure for Dad -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4842039

Rainy Day Books for Children -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4835050

Questions of Identity -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4826618

Lives of Real Women -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4817982

A Bit of Southern Hospitality -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4813799

Marriage -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4805797

Politicians Behaving Badly -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4796121

A Vicarious Vacation in Ireland -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4786929

Sex, Drugs, and Rock ’n’ Roll -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4768003


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Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you’d like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266.

Thank you for being a loyal supporter of “One for the Books.”
--M.L.

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Home \| Back One for the Books: Authors' Lives, Real or Imagined Print Story \| Comments \| Mary Louise Ruehr July 9, 2010 A pair of recent novels focus on the imagined lives of well-known authors. But sometimes the truth makes just as good a story. "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" by Kelly O'Connor McNees is a novel about the author of "Little Women," set in 1855 in Walpole, N.H. The out-of-money Alcotts are offered a place to stay for the summer, so they take it. When family friend Ralph Waldo Emerson brings Louisa's father a copy of Walt Whitman's new book of poetry, "Leaves of Grass," Louisa reads it furtively, finding it fascinating and compelling. So does Joseph Singer, a young store clerk, who takes a shine to 22-year-old Louisa. But she has no wish to settle down. Her desire is to be independent or, as she puts it, "to secure for myself in the city of Boston a place apart and a room in which I might write my stories and sell them to the highest bidder." Her conviction is that, "Seen with a cold, practical eye, the state of marriage was nothing more than indentured servitude, legal dependence, a claiming of property." And she adds, "Why would God give a woman talent if he meant her to be confined to the kitchen and washtub?" She loves him, but can she have love as well as the freedom her soul demands? The book has a good sense of place and natural dialogue. And the writing makes this just a lovely read: "Anna practiced compassion like an art form. She knew how to apply it with a delicate hand." It's very nicely done on several levels, as McNees brings to life a young woman trying to punch out a place for herself in the world. She expresses Louisa's sense of urgency to be at the task of writing, to get on with it. McNees captures the flavor of the era in quiet moments, and it seems to me that fans of Jane Austen will like this book for the subject matter and pacing. And, of course, if you loved "Little Women," you will feel right at home with the four sisters and "Marmee" and their warm love. "Pearl of China" by Anchee Min is a novel about Pearl S. Buck, who grew up in China. Min has invented a lifelong best friend for her, through whose eyes the story is told. Willow is a young Chinese girl born in 1890 who grows up with Pearl. Pearl is the daughter of American Christian missionary Absalom Sydenstricker, whom many of the Chinese people think of as "a harmless fool." Pearl's mother wants desperately to go back to America. She "lives with a broken heart. As far as she is concerned, her life is as an exile." When the adult Pearl is caught in an unhappy marriage, says Willow, "As a way to escape her troubles, Pearl began to write. She found comfort in writing. She told me that her imagination was the only place where she could be herself and be free." Then Min imagines a love affair between Pearl and a famous poet. (In reality, Buck knew the young man, but it is questionable that this actually happened.) The book reflects Buck's desire to express her love for China through her writing. But during the Cultural Revolution, Madame Mao "saw Pearl Buck as a personal threat and was determined to punish anyone with a connection to her." Willow's husband warns her: "Your friendship with Pearl Buck is seen as a threat to national security. Pearl's status in America and her public criticism of Mao and the Communist Party have categorized her as an enemy of China." Willow is arrested, and Madame Mao wants her to denounce Pearl and her writings. (As a girl in Maoist China, Min was ordered to denounce Pearl Buck. When she read Buck's work as an adult, she was moved by Buck's true love for the people of China and was led to write this book.) I enjoyed the book and recommend it. If you want to read about Buck, you may as well go for her real life story, which is filled with its own drama. "Pearl Buck in China: Journey to 'The Good Earth'" by Hilary Spurling is a biography that is just as exciting as a fictional tale. Spurling breathes life into the images of Pearl's mother -- caught in an unhappy marriage, having lost three children to disease, having to live "in a country she already feared and was beginning to hate" -- and her father, driven by God but emotionally absent. Spurling writes, "The landscape of her childhood shone in her memory. ... She loved even the hot rainy season ... and the rice harvest in September when low autumn light made everything hazy and soft." Although her parents were brought up to believe non-white people were not quite human, Pearl thought of herself as one with the people of China. She had a Chinese tutor who "gave her a solid grounding in Confucian ethics and their contemporary implications, pausing often to fill in the historical context of whatever book they were reading and to explain ... the relationship of China's past to its present and its future." People in America had accepted a demeaning stereotype of the Chinese people, but Buck's "The Good Earth" was a game-changer: "Pearl's book eroded the foundations of that wall of ignorance and prejudice," writes Spurling. In 1932, "The Good Earth" won Buck the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1938 Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature. But she made enemies of church missions in America by questioning the role of missionaries and decrying the treatment of non-white people in the United States. I really like how the author wove in references and quotes from Buck's books to show how a plot point or character was based on something in her real life. Writes the author: "Buck is virtually forgotten today. She has no place in feminist mythology, and her novels have been effectively eliminated from the American literary map." But this author is no sycophant; at times, she is bluntly critical of Buck's work. You may know by now that Buck is one of my favorite authors. I always recommend "The Good Earth," my favorite novel of all time, but another on the top of my list is Buck's "The Exile," which is about her mother. Another that has stayed on my list is "Imperial Woman." Buck offers unique insight into the world of pre-Communist China, the roles of women, racism and much more. She was an intellectual, but her style in "The Good Earth" is the simple, unembellished prose of the peasants. It's utter genius, and I'm disappointed that the modern world seems to have left her behind. I'm hoping that these two recent books about her will entice readers -- and book clubs -- to give her work a closer look. Copyright © 2010 by Mary Louise Ruehr. ------ BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online ------ Follow me on Twitter @One4TheBooks. ------ Check out my blog on books, inspiration, fun and thought-provoking goodies! It’s called “Shine A Light!” http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/ If you lose that link, go to www.recordpub.com. Click “Blogs” in the blue bar at the top of the page, and find “Shine A Light.” ----- For best-seller lists and more book news, go to: http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4856390 ------ Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns. More links are available on my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/one-for-the-books/ Memorable Characters -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4822150 True-Life Adventure for Dad -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4842039 Rainy Day Books for Children -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4835050 Questions of Identity -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4826618 Lives of Real Women -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4817982 A Bit of Southern Hospitality -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4813799 Marriage -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4805797 Politicians Behaving Badly -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4796121 A Vicarious Vacation in Ireland -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4786929 Sex, Drugs, and Rock ’n’ Roll -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4768003 ------ Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you’d like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266. Thank you for being a loyal supporter of “One for the Books.” --M.L. Comments By Posting to this site, you agree to our Terms of Service Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed. Recordpub.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Login above or Register to comment. 0 Total Comments Home \| Back
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