Edithsbookpicks: Daniel Silva: The Black Widow, Harper Collins,9780...

Edithsbookpicks: Daniel Silva: The Black Widow, Harper Collins,9780...: Daniel Silva: The Black Widow, Harper Collins, 9780007552368, 12, 99, C format Trade Paperback, German edition not yet published (probably ...

Daniel Silva: The Black Widow, Harper Collins, 9780007552368, 12, 99, C format Trade Paperback, German edition not yet published (probably 2017, they normally run one year behind)

Daniel Silva’s mastery of writing extremely well researched spy novels has been well documented with his former novels such as his latest, “The English Spy”, “The English Girl” or “Fallen Angel”. But what really gave me the chills is the precision with which he predicted the ISIS attacks in Europe in his newest book “The Black Widow”.  His story differs only slightly as his settings are in Paris, Amsterdam and Washington DC. He completed the work on this novel before ISIS struck with their atrocious attacks on Paris and Brussels.  Daniel Silva writes in his “Foreword” that he almost set aside the typescript for the novel when the attacks actually happened but then decided against it. His author’s notes and acknowledgements always provide terrific insight into facts gathered for his novels. Do read them!

"The Black Widow" must be backed by some incredible research; a 528 page strong book which I feel could have been edited to make it more compact, there are some lenghty parts that repeat  but all in all, a chilling page turner one is unable to put down. I cannot help wishing that secret service agents of the likes of Gabriel Allon hopefully exist fighting and infiltrating ISIS evil network far from our public knowledge.  Silva is one of the very best spy novel writers in the market without a doubt. 

As to the story, I will not reveal too much as it would spill the beans. Gabriel Allon is about to become the chief of Israel’s secret intelligence service when ISIS detonate massive bombs in the Marais district of Paris.  The terrorist mastermind behind this attack is soon identified by the French and Israel intelligence services as an Iraqi intelligence officer from one of Saddam Hussein’s infamous nightmare prisons, his prophetic nom de guerre is Saladin, the man who conquered Jerusalem back from the Christians in the 12th Century.  The French request Israel’s help as one of the places struck was the Weinberg Centre.  Hannah Weinberg, a close friend of Gabriel’s  and founder of the Center for  Anti-Semitism,  was one of many killed during the terrorist attack, Gabriel feels obliged to eliminate the man responsible for their death and to stop ISIS before

more atrocious attacks are executed.  

If this operation is to be successful, Israel’s, French, British and American intelligence have to forgo what is usually not their strongest suit, sharing secret service information and working hand in hand.  Gabriel has no doubt that key to the success of avoiding future attacks can only be achieved by infiltrating ISIS’s network. As Saladin seems to have employed the help of so-called “Black Widows”, the wives of ISIS martyrs, Gabriel recruits a young female multi-linguistic Jerusalem doctor called Natalie Mizrahi. Her task is to gain Saladin’s trust and to become part of a future mission. The next 350 pages keep you very uncomfortably on edge.  I really do not even want to think about the realistic possibility behind this fictive plot, particularly when it comes to ISIS attacks on American soil. 

Alan Serota: The Wonderful Adventures of Hearthorse and Heartman, children’s book, self-published, to be ordered via Alan Serota:   Alan@spicewoodpottery.com, www.spicewoodpotteryfineart.com

It is rare for me to review a book without even an ISBN but I have to make an exception with his delightful picture book combining abstract art, a fairytale and a spiritual, moral lesson for children.   Alan Serota who wrote and illustrated the book,  is the husband of a dear friend back in Texas,  his wife Barbara is one of the best yoga teachers I have ever met  and they both are very gifted potters and artists,  living and working  in one of the most spiritual, beautiful spots in the Hill Country near Austin/Texas.  This little gem was given to me as a present, it is not only for children but also for adults who enjoy a mystical story.

“The wonderful adventures of Hearthorse and Heartman” tells the story of Kentucky farmer Elwood Collins who raises crickets for a living, much to the dismay of his neighbor Mr. Snelds, a tobacco farmer. He wants the crickets to disappear as they love to eat his crop. Little does he care that his tobacco is making people sick. In great need of advice Elwood prays to all the divine beings and consults his friend HeartMan.  HeartMan promises to ride out into the universe with his friend HeartHorse trying to find an answer to this dilemma.  The divine being interrupts his busy work creating universes and tells HeartMan to visit the sea creatures for their wisdom. And it is the blue whales that come up with the answer for a crop everyone loves – Sea Kelp. And this is how Kentucky went from farming tobacco to cultivating sea kelp.

The book is spiral bound, on firm paper, illustrated with Alan’s bright, vivid and expressive abstract art. Go check it out and visit their website: 

www.spicewoodpotteryfineart.com

Sue Roe: The private lives of the impressionists, 

Harper Perennial, now out of print, only the hardback edition is available,  

German Edition:  Sue Roe: Das private Leben der Impressionisten,  Parthas Berlin

“The private lives of the Impressionists” has been sitting on my book pile for quite some time.  I bought it at the Chicago Art Institute’s bookshop during one my  visits a few years ago; the paperback was issued in 2007. My work then demanded reading many other manuscripts and books and therefore this copy sat unread until this summer. Meanwhile this paperback edition I purchased can only be found in second hand bookstores but the bound edition seems to be still available.  A German edition is also available.

Everyone who knows me is aware of my passion for Art; the Impressionists without a doubt have produced some of the most breathtaking paintings and sketches the world has ever seen.  Their biographies vividly described reads like fiction.  Sue Roe’s incredibly detailed research into the lives of Manet, Monet, Pisaaro, Cezanne, Caillebotte, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt makes this book an entertaining,  fascinating read, digging deeply into  their personal history and that as a group.

The artistic struggles and poverty most of them had to endure in order to pursue their vision of painting sits in stark contrast to the prices their work fetches in auctions today. Their mistresses and wives hardly knew how to feed their families most of the time,  making moving outside of Paris a necessity because rent could no longer be paid for Parisian apartments and studios, a bizarre situation considering the riches people accumulate today with their paintings. 

Some came from more wealthy backgrounds like Mary Cassatt (the only US artist in the group) , Manet or Caillebotte who often supported their more poverty stricken fellow painters such as Cezanne or Monet in buying their work or lending money unconditionally. The artistic ridicule they had to face when presenting their paintings before the French public is inconceivable today. Cezanne in particular was considered talentless!  Had it not been for the art dealer Durand-Ruel who was later responsible for arranging the first impressionist show in the US and succeeding in securing higher prices in Europe for their work, many would have had to abandon painting or starved to death. Durand-Ruel narrowly escaped his own financial ruin several times but continued to believe in the artists and extend loans for work that had yet to be sold guaranteeing painters like Monet that they could feed their families and carry on painting.

I knew already quite a bit about the Impressionists but I feel so much more informed now about the private backgrounds of these fascinating individuals and also about French history of the 19^th century that I had simply forgotten.