BRAZIL by John Updike

Refinished Mo 4/10/23

This is one of my ancient trade paperbacks that I first completed on Tu 4/18/95 at The Club.

"MAGICAL REALISM"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism

I cannot believe that this is the same author that wrote the Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom series. 'BRAZIL' is a kind of retelling the story of 'Tristan and Iseult 'which is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Based on a Celtic legend and possibly other sources, the tale is a tragedy about the illicit love between the Cornish knight Tristan and the Irish princess Iseult.

A black street kid meets a white girl at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's eternal love at first sight and the couple have trouble because they are from two different classes and two different racial groups, so they flee to the uncivilized interior of the country.

Brazil is a 1994 novel by the American author John Updike. It contains many elements of magical realism. It is a retelling of the ancient tale of Tristan and Isolde, the subject of many works in opera and ballet.

Tristão Raposo, a nineteen-year-old black child of the Rio de Janeiro slums, spies Isabel Leme, an eighteen-year-old upper-class white girl, across the hot sands of Copacabana Beach, and presents her with a ring stolen from an American tourist. Their flight into marriage takes them from urban banality to the farthest reaches of Brazil’s wild west, where magic still rules. Privation, violence, captivity and poverty afflict them; his mother curses them, her father strives to separate them, and neither lover is absolutely faithful. Eventually, ancient charms change him to white and her to black. Yet Tristão and Isabel hold on to the belief that each is the other’s fate for life, as they develop in ways they never thought possible.

The novel is compelling reading and the style is descriptive, but I prefer his beautiful work on the Rabbit Series. 

I will keep an eye out for 'THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK' and give that novel a shot. 

THE WINNER by David Baldacci

Refinished Tu 4/4/23

This is one of my ancient paperbacks that I first completed on Sa 3/28/09.

A poor young woman with a small child is offered the chance to win $100 million in the lottery. A man will take her winnings, invest it, and make an incredible return. Jackson (the man behind the scheme) uses chemicals on the pingpong balls that determine the numbers that will be picked. 

A wild ride of a novel and this was a taste of very early Baldacci.

'The Winner' is Baldacci's 3rd book; 1997. Now, he has published 47 novels. 

A review by a Kindle customer on Amazon:

"Almost everyone in Rikersville, Georgia, grew up poor and would remain poor, perpetuating a cycle of poverty from one generation to the next. Lu Ann Tyler was no exception. Like most other girls her age, she quit school in 7th grade in order to get a job. After her mother's death left her with no place to stay, she moved in with loser-with-a-capital "L" Duane Harvey, and barely out of her teens soon had a baby girl, Lisa. Lisa became Lu Ann's pride and joy and reason for living. However working as a waitress at a truck stop brought in little more than enough to pay the bills. Most women in Lu Ann's position would resign themselves to living their remaining years with little to look forward to. But Lu Ann had a few things most others did not: despite her 7th grade education, she had an above average intelligence; extraordinary attention to detail; a stubborn streak and iron will; and exquisite beauty.

Lu Ann received a telephone call for a job interview at a rented storefront in the local mall. The man on the phone said the pay would be $100 dollars per day for two weeks, maybe longer. With the $1,000 that she would make, Lu Ann was planning her getaway from Duane and Rikersville. However, at the interview Jackson, the man she had spoken to on the telephone, offered her a more enticing option: Guarantee of winning the lottery, no less than $50 million. Jackson did not tell her if she refused he would have her killed. Lu Ann knew if she accepted the money there would be conditions that went along with the payout. Nobody offers millions of dollars out of the goodness of their heart. But the thing that bothered her most of all was it would be no different than stealing, and Lu Ann was intrinsically an honest person.

Jackson had given Lu Ann a deadline, after which the offer would expire. Lu Ann had resigned herself to follow her honorable instincts when certain events unfolded leaving her with the desire to leave Rikersville sooner rather than later. Lacking enough money to go anywhere, Lu Ann accepted Jackson's offer with only minutes to spare. Romanello, the assassin hired by Jackson, was in position to kill Lu Ann and was called off by his employer in the nick of time. Sensing there was something far bigger going on, Romanello decided to follow Lu Ann. When Jackson discovered the trouble Lu Ann was in, he was not pleased. Pursued by the authorities and a lethal assassin, Jackson agreed to help her change her name and get her out of the country as soon as she collected her lottery winnings, with the caveat that Lu Ann never return to the United States. But her desire to give Lisa a somewhat normal life caused Lu Ann, after an extended period of time, to reconsider the deal she had struck with Jackson.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The pace was steady and picked up gradually until the very exciting conclusion. There was no cliff hanger as I expected the outcome that was presented, however the story was compelling enough to keep the pages turning. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to root for the underdogs in this world."

 

BROTHER ODD by Dean Koontz

Finished Fr 3/24/23

This is a paperback that Janny loaned me.

The story of 'Todd Thomas' (Odd Thomas) who was a young fry cook from a small California desert town who has the ability to see the dead and to know when disaster is going to strike. Brother Odd is able to see dark & sinister entities that he calls 'bodachs'. These beings signal that 'something evil' is about to occur.

The story of BROTHER ODD is set within a monastery located in the High Sierra Mountains of California and this book is the third in a series about this character.

The 'hook' is that a very rich scientist had renounced the world and entered the monastery, yet he continued his work. He developed a 'door' between our reality and this new 'evil' psychic area of consciousness. 

I think this novel would work much better as a graphic novel. It's so visual and the story is rudimentary and a good artist could have made this novel really pop. 

All Dean Koontz novels are worth a look, but all are not equal.   

TILL DEATH DO US PART by Vincent Bugliosi

 Finished Fr 3/17/23

This is one of my ancient hardbacks that I apparently had never read.

True Crime (non-fiction) written by the prosecutor at the trial of the Manson family. 

It's a great read and deep into the weeds about the art of how a top flight lawyer operates.

A man is found shot several times in his living room and part of the house is engulfed in flames. All of the man's important documents (will, insurance policies) are in a box near where he is found. His wife had a lover and the police immediately suspect they are behind the murder, but they can't prove it.

Many years later the lover's new wife is also murdered and the authorities have difficulty making their case. 

From the book's page at Amazon:

"On December 11, 1966, a mysterious assassin shot Henry Stockton to death, set his house on fire, and left the scene without a trace. A year later, when a woman was found brutally killed, shreds of evidence suggested a connection between the two murders.

In the Palliko-Stockton trial, prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi offered a brilliant summation that synthesized for the jury the many inferences and shades of meaning in the testimony, fitting all the pieces together in a mosaic of guilt. But will the jury be persuaded?"

From a reader's review at paperbackswap.com:

"Rooted in greed, seething with the fury of unleashed passions, this bizarre story of poolside living, pickups in singles bars and sudden violence begins with the Palliko-Stockton double murders. It ends when a sulky-faced playboy and his sultry blonde paramour are finally brought to trial in L.A. The prosecutor is Vincent Bugliosi, co-author of Helter Skelter, the man who put Mansion behind bars. There is a no smoking pistol, no physical evidence, no living eyewitness to prove the defendants guilt beyond the shadow of a doubt. It is up to Bugliosi to get the proof that will convict the two murderers."

 

THE TEMPLE OF GOLD by William Goldman

 Finished Sa 3/11/23

This is one of my ancient paperbacks that I had never read. This is Goldman's first published work (1958) that was released right after he graduated from college. William Goldman went on to a stellar career as a Hollywood screenwriter; 'MARATHON MAN, 'ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN', BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID', 'PRINCESS BRIDE'.

I suppose this was daring (possibly shocking) but now it comes across as almost bland. A young man has relationships with several different women. He didn't pick one woman, marry and settle down which was 'what everyone did' in the 50's. So, this guy was different and a worthy rival to 'CATCHER IN THE RYE' it is not (according to the book's page at Amazon). 

A customer review at Amazon:

"Raymond Euripides Trevitt is a young man who can't seem to "find the handle" as he reiterates throughout this autobiographical novel. He is the son of a renowned professor of philosophy and a mother, who is a model faculty wife. Raymond could be a lot of things but he chooses to be an annoyance. As a youngster he regularly retreats to his room. OK. But when he still does it at 20 one cannot help to sense Raymond is a head case. There is tragedy in the tale, but Raymond forges on predictably always taking the wrong path. I threatened to put the book down numerous times but like Raymond always took the wrong path. Snappy dialogue was one thing that kept me there. Probably a good book for someone hung up on what makes some people self-absorbed."

The novel is set in Athens, Illinois, but this town is on the shore of Lake Michigan and probably a little north of Evanston. 

THIRD DEGREE by Greg Iles

Finished Tu 3/7/23

The quintessential 'airport read'.

This is one of the hardback books that The Brandenburgs gave me for Xmas, 2022. Janny is a big fan of Greg Iles and so am I. I was expecting a courtroom drama, but this is a novel about a wild hostage situation coupled with medical malfeasance. I really liked it. 

From the book's page at GoodReads:

"Sometimes the gravest dangers -- and the darkest souls -- live right beside us....

In the span of twenty-four hours, every-thing Laurel Shields believes about her life and her marriage to a prominent doctor will be shattered -- if she survives a terrifying ordeal. The day begins with the jarring discovery that, soon after ending an affair, Laurel is pregnant. But when she returns home to find her husband ashen, unkempt, and on the brink of violence, a nightmare quickly unfolds. In the heart of an idyllic Mississippi town, behind the walls of her perfect house, Laurel finds herself locked in a volatile standoff with a husband she barely recognizes. Confronted with evidence of her betrayal, she must tread a deadly path between truth and deception while a ring of armed police prepares a dangerous rescue. But Laurel's greatest fear -- and her only hope -- lies with her former lover, a brave man whom fate has granted the power to save both Laurel and her children -- if she can protect his identity long enough...."

From 'Bookbrowse.com':

"Laurel Shields, thirty-five and mother of two, awakens to find that her husband, Warren, a prominent local physician, is not in bed with her. Creeping out to the kitchen of their palatial home, she sees him through the doorway of his study, wildly pulling books from the shelves. Two weeks earlier, Warren and his partner were informed by the IRS that their medical practice was being audited; since then the stress on Dr. Shields has steadily ratcheted up.

But Laurel has problems of her own. Quickly returning to the bedroom, she locks herself in the master bath, opens a home pregnancy testing kit, and fearfully tests herself. PREGNANT, announces the digital readout. Laurel closes her eyes as though absorbing news of a death, then quickly hides the evidence. She is not sure who the father is. Summoning all her strength, she walks into the kitchen to carry out the acting performance of her life.

Later that morning, Laurel returns home and is surprised to find her husband's car still parked in the driveway. The house has a strange stillness to it. In the den, she finds Warren sitting on the sofa in the same clothes he wore the previous day. His face is pale and unshaven, his eyes hollow with fear. Then, in come the children, innocent of it all....

So begins the most terrifying day in the history of a marriage, one that in less than five hours will make the Shields house the vortex of a nerve-wracking siege. While a nervous ring of armed men awaits its chance to storm the suburban home, inside the house the clock ticks down on exposure of Laurel's terrible secret. But she is not alone in her lies. Before the siege is through, this terrifying drama will pull in desperate characters from the town and drive Dr. Shields, his wife, and her lover to the very brink of sanity and survival."

EXPOSURE by Kathryn Harrison

 This is an ancient trad paperback that I first completed on We 12/21/94 "on break in Belleville at the 'HiHo'. When I typed this today I had no idea where this place was, but I ran the address through Google Maps and it came back to me although this was not a place that I used to go to regularly. It's now closed. 

Finished this time on Fr 3/3/23

The book is about a female wedding photographer, Ann Rogers who is diabetic and she also uses methamphetamines. She is married and successful, but along with her other addictions she is a compulsive shoplifter. Her husband has a secret agreement with many retail stores that if his wife is spotted stealing, they are to let her do it and he will compensate the store. This is costing him thousands of dollars in fees and charges.

Ann Rogers father was a famous photographer and was known for his naked and salacious photos of his daughter, Ann. When he committed suicide Ann was permanently damaged. 

A dark and transgressive novel and it was an enjoyable read.

From the book's page at Publishers Weekly:

"Harrison's second novel (after Thicker Than Water ) is a mesmerizing depiction of a woman on the edge of emotional disintegration. Ann Rogers is a beautiful, chic, financially comfortable New Yorker with a career as a videographer of weddings and society functions, and a loving husband who restores landmark buildings. But Ann is addicted to speed, a drug which holds especially dangerous consequences for her, since she is a diabetic. Moreover, every time she does crystal meth, she compulsively shoplifts at Bergdorf's and Saks. Flashing back to Ann's Texas upbringing, Harrison gradually discloses the source of her deep neuroses. Her cold, monstrously selfish father extracted a bizarre kind of vengeance for her mother's death in childbirth. Edgar Rogers became famous for his photographs of a prepubescent and adolescent Ann, naked and assuming deathly poses. He committed suicide in 1979; now a retrospective of his work, including photos of Ann engaged in acts the memory of which she has tried to repress, is imminent at the MoMA. Demonstrating impressive control of the novel's structure and pacing, Harrison steadily deepens her sophisticated psychological portrait of Ann while elevating suspense and the reader's emotional involvement. The shocking circumstances of Ann's life become clear: she survived traumatic events by pathologically retreating into herself, but her subconscious erupts now and then in suicidal behavior. This unsparing picture of a woman spinning out of control is conveyed in luminous and tensile prose. The novel's larger theme, an indictment of a society ``which encourages exploitation even as it punishes all who chronicle it,'' is eerily prescient, calling to mind the current controversy over photographer Sally Mann's nude pictures of her children. Harrowing but spellbinding, the novel has the impact of an unforgettably vivid image seared on the eye." 

From GoodRead's:

"'EXPOSURE' is an excellent read, made all the more poignant now that the reader also knows about Harrison's own relationship with her father, and how far a girl will go to gain the affection from an emotionally or physically absent father that she craves."