“In our twenties, when there is still so much time ahead of us, time that seems ample for a hundred indecisions, for a hundred visions and revisions—we draw a card, and we must decide right then and there whether to keep that card and discard the next, or discard the first card and keep the second. And before we know it, the deck has been played out and the decisions we have just made will shape our lives for decades to come.” - Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
OKAY SO.
I'm not sure if I've gone off on a tangent yet about how much I love the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Have I? If not, please allow me a line or two. I love the writing, I love the stylistic elements that play off of (and betray!) characters, I love the time period in which it's set, I love the interplay... I love it all.
So when I grabbed Rules of Civility from the library, I was very pleased to see the cover was art deco in style, reminiscent of, well, the aforementioned literary classic. I was excited! And so off I went, taking the book with me to read back in Canada during the halcyon days of summer (yes, we do have lovely HOT summers there, believe it or not).
I was not disappointed.
I'm not sure if I've gone off on a tangent yet about how much I love the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Have I? If not, please allow me a line or two. I love the writing, I love the stylistic elements that play off of (and betray!) characters, I love the time period in which it's set, I love the interplay... I love it all.
So when I grabbed Rules of Civility from the library, I was very pleased to see the cover was art deco in style, reminiscent of, well, the aforementioned literary classic. I was excited! And so off I went, taking the book with me to read back in Canada during the halcyon days of summer (yes, we do have lovely HOT summers there, believe it or not).
I was not disappointed.
Katey Kontent (I know, right... don't even say it) tells us her story as an older woman looking back at her youth in late 30s Manhattan. It is a world of glitz, glamour, champagne and well, if you must know, a bit of intrigue and suspense. Born Katya, a daughter of a Russian immigrant, Katey lives the kind of life a girl like me frankly adores. Dinners out, drinks on the terrace sort-of-thing. In retrospect, I suppose I do tend to enjoy the finer things... on a teacher's budget... ahem. Anywho.
Katey's story centres around Tinker Grey, a young banker whose eyes catch Katey's attention - and also those of her roommate, Eve. Tinker ends up getting into a car crash with Katey and Eve in the vehicle, and while nobody is killed, Eve becomes disfigured and thus sets in motion a course of events that change the relationships - romantic and otherwise - of our protagonist and those she cares about. Tinker and Eve become a couple and Katey isn't the only one left wondering if this is out of guilt or real love; nothing is ever so simple, is it? As the novel progresses we find out that there is a grander force at work here, and Katey must steel herself for the truth... dun dun dunnnnnn!
This book was delicious. A very fun read which I think Mom would have enjoyed... moreso than the last few, I would hope. Yes, it borrows from some other books of a similar nature. But hey, I don't think that's a bad thing. It's far enough removed that it stands alone as an entertaining read. And what more can you ask for these days?
There wasn't too much in here that linked the content with Mom, which is fine. The point of the blog, after all, is to just have a read of things Mom had jotted down as worth a look, and see how I feel about them. I did liken a section of the book to Mom - one detailing a butterfly exhibit Katey was visiting. She discusses the colours of the wings presented, and the nature and purpose of some of the colours. Then, with some insight:
Katey's story centres around Tinker Grey, a young banker whose eyes catch Katey's attention - and also those of her roommate, Eve. Tinker ends up getting into a car crash with Katey and Eve in the vehicle, and while nobody is killed, Eve becomes disfigured and thus sets in motion a course of events that change the relationships - romantic and otherwise - of our protagonist and those she cares about. Tinker and Eve become a couple and Katey isn't the only one left wondering if this is out of guilt or real love; nothing is ever so simple, is it? As the novel progresses we find out that there is a grander force at work here, and Katey must steel herself for the truth... dun dun dunnnnnn!
This book was delicious. A very fun read which I think Mom would have enjoyed... moreso than the last few, I would hope. Yes, it borrows from some other books of a similar nature. But hey, I don't think that's a bad thing. It's far enough removed that it stands alone as an entertaining read. And what more can you ask for these days?
There wasn't too much in here that linked the content with Mom, which is fine. The point of the blog, after all, is to just have a read of things Mom had jotted down as worth a look, and see how I feel about them. I did liken a section of the book to Mom - one detailing a butterfly exhibit Katey was visiting. She discusses the colours of the wings presented, and the nature and purpose of some of the colours. Then, with some insight:
It's a bit of a cliché to refer to someone as a chameleon: a person who can change his colours from environment to environment [...] not one in a million can do that. But there are tens of thousands of butterflies: men and women like Eve with two dramatically different colourings - one which serves to attract and the other which serves to camouflage - and which can be switched at the distant with a flutter of wings.
That was Mom, and not necessarily in a bad way. Like most mothers, I suspect, they have an innate ability to hide their own pain and suffering from those they love so that they do not worry. There were plenty of times I'm sure Mom turned away to hide her struggles with cancer from my family; she would never want us to see like that. And then when she was well, she could turn it on just like THAT and be the life of the party. She switched it on and off to her advantage near the end, which, to be honest, was sometimes a bit manipulative, but I don't think she meant any real harm in it. She just wanted people to be near her and love her and I think being slightly more brash and out there than she had been before was her way of getting what she thought she needed. And hell, I can't blame her for that.
My dear readers, I must confess that I have recently undergone some serious life changes. All good, I promise. Very positive and with time, the hard bits shall pass. But the passage of this post's featured book below is particularly relevant to me right now, and I hope it may help you to question the choices you make and the way you live your life - for yourself.
Right from the first, I could see a calmness in you - that sort of inner tranquility that they write about in books, but that almost no one seems to possess. I was wondering to myself: How does she do that? And I figured it could only come from having no regrets - from having made choices with [...] such poise and purpose.
Right from the first, I could see a calmness in you - that sort of inner tranquility that they write about in books, but that almost no one seems to possess. I was wondering to myself: How does she do that? And I figured it could only come from having no regrets - from having made choices with [...] such poise and purpose.