Mary Morris: The Jazz Palace, 9780385539739, Nan Talese, Doubleday

During a visit to Chicago this summer, I came across ‘Mary Morris: The Jazz Palace’ in a book shop, I was immediately attracted to the novel  as it is set in Chicago during the beginning of the Jazz Age starting in 1915.  I have been coming to Chicago on a fairly regular base since 1989; one of my dearest friends lives in the windy city. The city has grown on me with each visit; I love the colorful neighborhoods, bars, restaurants, the amazing architecture, and the music scene, the high rises by Mies van der Rohe, the Art Institute and the Lake in particular. 

I read Morris “Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Travelling Alone” many years ago, loved it and was happy to find this book by an author I admired on a subject that really interested me.  As if by serendipity I had just visited an exhibition on Archibald Motley, a black painter and Jazz Age Modernist who portrayed this era exquisitely in his paintings.

So I started the novel with great curiosity but despite the wonderful quotes by such famous authors as Jodi Picoult and other readers on the back cover, I just never really warmed to the book however much I wanted to.  I cannot really put my finger on the why but I always felt the story was lacking something, perhaps because it is ultimately such a sad tale with only a touch of happiness at the end.  The story is well crafted; Morris is an accomplished author, it took her two decades to finish this novel.  The lives of the main characters and their families, Pearl Chimbrova who runs the Jazz Palace, Napoleon, the black trumpet player and Benny Lehmann, the magical Jewish piano player who has no interest in the family business, are all tragically linked together. The milieu of Chicago in the Twenties is very well portrayed with gangsters like Al Capone ruling the clubs and the police, the impoverished Jewish and Black neighborhoods, the European immigrants forking out a meager existence in factories in the even harsher Chicago winter, Jazz musicians going from gig to gig living hand to mouth being virtually owned by the gangsters, these are the most interesting, vivid and colorful descriptions in the book, Morris does a great job characterizing Chicago during that time drawing from actual facts. 

I love the cover of the book , a painting called "J Mood" by Romare Bearden owned by the Wynton Marsales and Romare Bearden Foundation.

Arturo Perez-Reverte: Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Dame, Insel, 9783458360827. € 9,99

Die Romane von  Arturo Perez-Reverte, einer der erfolgreichsten spanischen Gegenwartsautoren,  verfolge ich schon seit einigen Jahren,  sein Weltbestseller „Der Club Dumas“, wurde sogar von Roman Polanski mit Johnny Depp verfilmt – ein brillantes Meisterwerk, dass einen bis zum Schluss gefangen hält.  Sein letztes Buch  „Dreimal im Leben“ , ein atmosphärischer Roman, der im Tango Milieu zwischen Buenos Aires &  Nizza  spielt, schildert die schicksalhaften, erotischen  Verstrickungen  zwischen Mecha und Max, einem brillanten Eintänzer auf einem Ozeandampfer und einer verheirateten reichen Schönheit, die 1928 beginnen und viel später wieder ihren Lauf nehmen.   Ein Roman, den ich mit großem Vergnügen gelesen habe.

Perez Reverte ist ein Meister der Verstrickungen, all seine Bücher liegen Irrungen und Wirrungen und meisterhaft konstruierte Handlungen zugrunde, literarische Krimis, die bis zum Schluss auf ihre Auflösung warten und meistens erst sehr spät zu erahnen sind.  Seine verschachtelten Satzstrukturen, die bildhafte Sprache erinnern mich an die der Klassiker oder auch an  Gabriel Garcia Marquez .  

„Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Dame“ bildet keine Ausnahme, bis zum Schluss wartet man gespannt wie die Sache ausgeht.  Es ist extrem hilfreich,  wenn man bei der Lektüre dieses Buches etwas von Schach versteht, was bei mir nicht der Fall ist.  Deshalb habe ich mich zeitweise etwas schwer mit diesem Buch getan, ein diabolisches Schachspiel spielt eine Schlüsselrolle in diesem Roman und in sofern waren die langen Beschreibungen von Schachzügen sehr langatmig für mich.  Die Restauratorin Julia arbeitet an einem flämischen Meisterwerk des Malers Pieter Van Huys aus dem 15. Jahrhundert.  Ein in die Schachpartie versunkener Ritter, eine edle  Dame in schwarzem Samtkleid und vermutlich ihr Gemahl sind bei einem Schachspiel auf diesem Bild dargestellt.  Als Julia bei der Restaurierung die verborgene Inschrift „Wer tötet den Ritter?“ freilegt und ihr Exfreund, dem sie sich anvertraut, bald darauf  ermordet aufgefunden wird, macht sie  sich mit Hilfe des Schachmeisters Munoz und Cesar, ihrem väterlichen Freund, daran, das Geheimnis des Gemäldes zu entschlüsseln.  Sehr bald wird klar, dass ein gerissener Schachspieler im Hintergrund die Fäden zieht und es nicht bei einem einzigen Mord bleiben wird.  Julia’s und das Leben aller an diesem Fall Beteiligten scheint bedroht, was durch einen weiteren Anschlag bestärkt wird.

Ich fand das Buch teilweise sehr langatmig, vor allem die Schachpartien haben mich überfordert, wie schon erwähnt.  Die sehr clever aufgebaute Handlung bis zum Ende zu verfolgen, war dennoch spannend. Wie in fast allen Büchern von Perez-Reverte, nimmt das Ganze zum Ende eine überraschende Wende.   

Paula McLain: Circling the Sun, Ballantine US, 9780812999327

I really enjoyed Paula McLain’s previous book “The Paris Wife”  and had been wondering what this great storyteller was up to next.  When I read that her new book “Circling the Sun” was about Beryl Markham’s life in East Africa, I could not wait to get my hands on a copy. This has to be my favorite book of the summer, I read it while on vacation in Italy when it was too hot to do anything and I just could not put it down.

When I had saved enough money to go to Kenya on safari in 1977, I remember stepping of the plane sniffing Kenyan air for the first time and feeling enchanted.  I fell in love with the place, the beautiful countryside, the animals and the amazing stories that had been told about the early European and American settlers living side by side with the East African tribes. 

Since then I have read my fair share of books set in Africa, Beryl Markham’s autobiography “West with the Night” being one of the most interesting ones.  This very extraordinary woman lived a most unusual  life even by East African standards  of the early 20^th century, where everything  seemed possible , the crazy Happy Valley set,  Lord and Lady Delamere, Baron and Tania Blixen’s  setting standards  to name just a few unconventional eccentric  characters .  Beryl became one of the first female horse breeders /horse trainers and the first female air pilot soloing in 1931. She always led a very independent life, often hitting rock bottom having to start all over from scratch. She was  famous for the many lovers she took and a difficult marriage following in a disastrous divorce.  But Beryl found her true love and soulmate in Denys Finch Hatton whom we all know as the famous lover of Tania Blixen in “Out of Africa”, spelling heartbreak and complications from the start. Paula McLain follows Beryl Markham’s real life very closely in this historical fictionalized memoir and she does this brilliantly retelling her incredible life.  

  

Brian Benson: Going somewhere, 9780142180648, Plume, Penguin Random House USA, paperback

Brian Benson’s “Going somewhere” had been sitting on my proof reading pile for over a year. I guess the reason I picked it up originally was that it always amazes me how people survive riding a bike, and I do not mean a motor bike,  for almost 2500 miles in 2 months because this is what Brian did with his girlfriend Rachel, from Wisconsin to Portland/Oregon, USA. 

I myself have been on many bike trips and am about to embark on another one but these were mostly organized with a good meal, a shower and a bed the end of a sometimes hard biking day. My longest ride was 100 miles some time ago, so when Brian describes his many 100 plus miles rides battling crosswinds, hilly climbs with luggage, horrible weather conditions,  broken down bike, I can imagine what this felt like. He and Rachel have my true admiration. Their meager meals and pitching up a tent wherever they happen to be at the end of a day spells freedom.  When they are lucky, they can enjoy the comforts of a free bed provided by the many hosts they encounter during their rides, usually friends of friends.  The kindness of strangers, the hospitality they experience, people offering them a free meal and a bed for one night or sometimes more is one of the very positive experiences of this trip  and reminded me a little of the encounters John Steinbeck describes in “Travels with Charlie", one of my all-time favorite books. Benson is terribly honest in describing his own internal frustrations with his slower riding girlfriend - I could have slapped him a few times when he describes this, grow up kid, I wanted to tell him.  Anyone having been on a week’s bike trip or more with their beloved can easily relate to the squabbling that goes on during bike rides. The battle with the elements, exhaustion, taking wrong turns and different levels of fitness can really provide a perfect ground for getting pissed off at each other. He is candid, reflective and funny at times. Rachel is by far the more mature, self-assured person and the more likable one to me, but towards the end of the trip Brian has matured and is more self- critical. He is no longer as indecisive as he was at the beginning of the ride, the experience has changed him and I actually really started to like him.  

Really enjoyed biking with them across America in spirit and even recognized some stretches I have biked myself in Montana.  A travel book of a special kind. 

Edwidge Danticat: Claire of the Sea Light /   9780307472274, 15, 00 $, Vintage Contemporaries, Penguin Random House US, paperback 

I have been a fan of Edwidge Danticat’s from the very beginning when “Breath, Eyes, Memory” was first published. Danticat is an award winning author and a masterful storyteller, her voice is like no other, her sentences clipped and short but poetic at the same time.  She paints pictures with her sentences.  Capturing the magic and sorrow of her native country Haiti, Danticats calm voice describes human misery and happiness.  As one reviewer said “she has a way of making small lives tell big stories” (Public books).  I couldn’t agree more and would put her writing on the same level as that of Toni Morrison.

“Claire of the Sea Light” is a true masterpiece and resonates with you long after you finished the book.  This heartbreakingly tender story begins on the eve of Claire Limye Lanme Faustin’s seventh birthday  when her fishermen father Nozias reaches a fateful decision, whether to raise her in poverty but with his love or to  give her away to the wealthy, widowed  fabric owner Gaelle who would  offer her a better life.  Soon the whole community of Ville Rose is searching for this beloved little girl whose mother died during her birth.  By giving separate voices to the characters that play a key part in the novel and with Claire’s own voice in the final chapter, Danticat paints a colorful, emotional picture of life in Ville Rose. Unfolding  the bonds that tie everyone together gradually , be it parents and children, lovers and friends, teachers and students,  she tells of their hopes and disappointments, their  sorrows and loves .  

Definitely on my shelf of favorite books and one of the best books I have read this year! 

Martin Davies: Havana Sleeping, Hodder, 9780340980477, paperback 2015

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I seem to be in the mood for historical thrillers, the perfect combination of capturing entertainment and historical education thrown in for free , this is my second book set in Cuba I read this summer both with very different historical dates.  

Martin Davies: Havana Sleeping, Hodder, 9780340980477, paperback 2015 does just that.  I have always felt very attracted to Cuba as long as I can remember no idea why really, but for me the image of exotic, sensual and vibrant energy was always associated with the island combined with beautiful countryside set in the Caribbean. That was enough to intrigue me for many years.  Hemingway and many others felt similarly & when I visited Cuba some 12 years ago, I fell in love with the people and the island.  The music of Buena Vista Social Club did the rest to cement the feeling. No wonder „Havana Sleeping “stirred my interest when I stumbled across it.

The novel is based on historical facts and takes place between 1853-1855 when the Americans, Spanish and British interests on the island clashed heavily.  Plantation owners relied entirely on slaves for their sugar cane business; the Brits had pressured Spain against the abolition of the slave trade having abolished slave trade themselves in the West Indies.  The American interest in retaining slave trading was obvious and private armies were formed in the US planning to invade Cuba.  England had established a mixed commission which was to control illegal slave trading but proved to be a completely ineffective tool.  Enter George Backhouse, the new judge of the Mixed Commission who is seen as an easy puppet by the officials back in London and Cuba who all have their hands in the tinderbox that is Havana. He and his young wife Grace come ill prepared for the steaming political climate in Cuba. Several other colorful characters complete this tightly woven story:  Leonora, an enigmatic beautiful courtesan, the American Jepson, one of the first spymasters of the US, Thomas Staveley and John Jerusalem both pulling strings behind the scenes from London, fabricating a true spider web and Joseph Crawford the corrupt British Consul in Havana.  James Dalrymple who is supposed to support Backhouse in his duties but with an agenda of his own and Lavender also play a vital role in “Havana Sleeping”  which opens  with the murder of an elderly night watchman and a theft at the British Consulate in Havana. I will leave you to discover the rest as anything more will be spoiling the fun of reading  Havana Sleeping – this is a complex, atmospheric and tightly knit story with many surprises as the story unfolds, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.