The Webber Family Bookshelf is the blog of the Strange-Webber family, descendants of Dorinda Rebecca Strange and Myron David Webber. Shake the family tree and you will discover diversity in education, ethnicity, viewpoint and reading habits. Whatever family members are reading may be reviewed: fiction, history, theology, cookbooks, poetry, children’s books, etc. At least two reviews will be published each month. Reviews represent the viewpoint of the writers, not the family.
Cutting for Stone by
Abraham Verghese (Vintage; Reprint edition:January 26, 2010)
(NOVEL)
Reviewed by Lisa Proehl
Abraham Verghese is a physician and author. His two non-fiction
books are My Own Country, about his work
with AIDS patients in rural Tennessee, and The
Tennis Partner, a memoir of a difficult friendship. Cutting for Stone is his first novel.
The story is set in Ethiopia, where conjoined twins Marion and
Shiva Stone are born and immediately lose their mother, a nun, to the
complicated pregnancy. What follows is the story of their coming of age as
Ethiopia hovers close to revolution. The twins share a very strong connection
with each other, a fascination with medicine, and eventually a passion for the
same woman.
There are several plot twists which keep the reader engaged
throughout the novel. What resonated most deeply for me was the beautiful
expression of the power and beauty of doing healing work, as well as the
profound love and connection between the twin brothers.
The “Cadfael Chronicles,” twenty historical mysteries sent
during the English Civil War of the 1100s, by Ellis Peters (various publishers
and editions available). They were written between 1977 and 1994, in the
following order:
WM: I read all twenty of the
Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters (a pseudonym of British author, Edith
Pargeter). Did you also read all of them? If so, what did you
especially like about them?
TK: It was quite a while ago, but I
believe I read all that were available at the time. I enjoyed them very much
for several reasons—I enjoy mystery novels, I enjoy novels set in the Middle
Ages, and I enjoy novels that serve to open a window into life in monasteries. I
also appreciated Cadfael's perspective on life and events.
WM: The series was recommended to me during the month we spent
on the border between Wales and England. The main setting is the Benedictine Monastery
of St. Peter and St. Paul at Shrewsbury. I found one of the books in a store
and bought it. I think it was The Hermit of Eyton Forest. It was a
mistake not to begin with A Morbid Taste
for Bones, the first book in the series. If you don’t start with the first
book, you know something that gives away too much in an earlier volume. Thirteen
of the books were made into television shows (with Derek Jacobi playing Brother
Cadfael). I never understood why our public television station played the third
episode first. One of the suspicious characters in the second novel becomes a
regular, much-respected character in the later books. If you already know he is
a “good guy,” he won’t look like a villain in One Corpse Too Many. That reduces the suspense. I highly recommend
starting with the first volume of the series and working your way through in
order! Do you have a favorite?
TK: I don't remember
enough details to specify a favorite in terms of the story, but the one that I
am reminded about most often is Monk's Hood because it involved a poisoning using a toxic plant called Monkshood -
which has a beautiful hood-shaped purple bloom. After reading the book I
planted some Monkshood in our yard (just to look at - not to use as poison), and
think of the novel every time I see the plant.
WK: Maybe you could give me a cutting of Monkshood for my
garden! Your mention of that reminds me that Cadfael was an expert in herbs and
other plants. As a monk, Cadfael was in charge of the monastery herb garden,
which was grown primarily for medicinal purposes. Cadfael was called on when a
monk was ill, as well as when a body was found in the area around Shrewsbury. Cadfael
had been a soldier in the Crusades and had brought back herbs that were new to
English gardens.
TK: I’d be glad to
provide you a cutting! It spreads slowly
without being invasive and seems to be quite hardy and I’ve begun to plant
cuttings in various places in our yard.
Two interesting features of the books for me was that Cadfael was an
herbalist and that being a monk was a “second career” after having led a more worldly
life, including service in the Crusades.
That juxtaposition of two radically different life-styles and worldviews
is what I was referring to when I said I appreciated his perspective on life
and events.
WM: At one point, after the fourth or fifth of the series, I
thought the books were getting a bit redundant. I put the series aside for a
couple of months, and then went back to it. After that, I never found them
redundant or boring. Now I wonder if it was after that that some of the plots drew
on Cadfael’s life as a Crusader (and his time as a sailor), before he settled
down and became a monk. This back-story gave the author interesting material on
which to draw.
TK: Interesting. This
conversation is making me want to go back and read the Cadfael series
again. I think that I’d appreciate and
enjoy them even more than I did the first time. Do you have copies of most of
the books? It just occurred to me that while I spend a fair amount of time in
used bookstores and at used book sales, I seldom see Cadfael novels. I can only
remember running across one in the past several years. Have you had the same
experience?
WM: I have seen some of these books at The Frugal Muse in
Darien, Illinois, where I sometimes buy used books. To change the subject a bit, it seems to me
that these books could be used as a resource on which to base a series of
discussions of theological issues. Off hand, I can think of several: the use
of relics; a Christian view of sexuality; whether it is ever appropriate to
lie, etc. What do you think of this idea? Are there other issues you would
add to the list?
TK: I think using the Cadfael novels as
the basis of theological discussions is a great idea—and perhaps a way to
engage some folks who might not think they'd enjoy such discussions. I'd have
to re-read some of the novels to comment much more, but certainly issues of
faith and authority - as well as historical discussions of 12th Century
England.
WM: Yes, I should have thought of religious authority as a
discussion topic; Cadfael had some interesting conflicts with other members
of the monastery community, especially Prior Robert and the prior’s clerk!
TK: The issue of
religious authority is quite interesting.
Cadfael’s position as herbalist is certainly not a “power position”
within the monastery or Catholic hierarchy.
But to my mind his wide previous experience before joining the order
provided him more authority in terms of understanding of human nature and
society. I always enjoyed seeing how
he managed to maneuver in the hierarchical system.
WM: Another interesting topic for discussion would be the
relationship between the secular world and the sacred, a theme which occurs
regularly in this series. Grace, ethics, and the role of prayer are other
potential discussion topics which could be based on reading one or more of
the Cadfael series.
I learned some things about the history of Great Britain
while reading these books. The fact that the stories take place in historical
sequence is helpful from that perspective. I don’t recall ever having heard
of the struggle between Matilda (also called Maud) and Stephen for the throne
of England until I read these books. Did you find the books an enjoyable way
of picking up a little historical knowledge?
TK: They were very enjoyable! If you liked
the Cadfael novels you might also enjoy books by Sharon Kay Penman. She has at
least three mysteries out (example: The Queen's Man) - and if you enjoy "bigger" reads, her novel When
Christ and His Saint's Slept is a much
longer read about Matilda/Maud's struggle with her cousin Stephen for the
throne. For some reason I find this particular period of English history
fascinating—although I certainly wouldn't have wanted to live in England at
that time. Another novel set in that same period that I enjoyed very much is The
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. That
period of English history provides the grist for discussion on many, many
topics and aspects of “the human condition”—much as the U.S. Civil War does.
WM: I really enjoyed The
Pillars of the Earth also. You aren’t the first person to recommend Sharon
Penman’s books to me. I guess it is time for me to start reading them. And one
of these days, I’m going to reread all twenty of the Cadfael novels. Edith Pargeter
died in 1995, so there will not be any more books in the series.
Civil War 1-7. written
by Mark Millar and drawn by Steve McNiven
(New York: Marvel Comics, 2010).
Reviewed by Kevin Penrod
This is by far one of my favorite comic books. It’s about all our favorite
super heroes from Marvel getting split down the middle and going at it with
each other. It starts out with a reality show staring some semi-unknown trying
to get their ratings up so they go after a team of very powerful super
villains. In the battle there is a huge explosion which causes the death of a
lot of innocent civilians including a few children. In the aftermath the
government passes the super hero registration act which calls for all masked
heroes to make their identities known and register with the government. For
some this seems like a good idea, especially with Tony Stark (Iron Man) heading
the idea. When it is passed there are a few heroes who go underground because
they oppose it. Leading this team is Captain America who was against it from
the start. With constant action and a great story to go along with it, Civil War is a comic I recommend to any
Marvel fan.
In 1974, at the beginning of the Thatcher era, the Sellers
family moves to a home in Sheffield, across the street from the Glovers, a
family in crisis. Neither family is entirely “normal” (if there is such a
thing), but the Glovers are definitely dysfunctional. As the Sellers family is moving in, Malcolm
Glover has walked out on his family and his wife Katherine stomps her son Tim’s
pet snake to death on the sidewalk in a fit of anger.
The Northern Clemency
is an example of what is sometimes called a “sprawling novel.” The story takes
place over three decades. Most of the action occurs in Sheffield, an industrial
city, but Hensher takes some of his characters to London and Australia. As we
watch the daily struggles and interrelationships of the two families and their
neighbors and friends, the news seems to be playing in the background: we see
how some of them are impacted by the economic and political struggles of the
time (in particular, the coal miners’ strike of 1984).
The book is well-plotted and readable, but quite long. Had I
been reading the book instead of listening to the CDs, I suspect I would have
been annoyed by the surfeit of details and minor characters.
The Northern Clemency
was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, given each year to a novel published
in English, written by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or the Republic of
Ireland, and published in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, it got some
rather mediocre reviews.
Fall of Giants by
Ken Follett (New York: Dutton, 2010), 980 pages.
Available in hardback, paperback, Kindle, and audio
versions.
Reviewed by Chuck Dayton
This is the first book of a promised trilogy about the
prominent events of the 20th century. The book begins shortly before the turn of
the 20th century, and concludes during the period between the two
world wars. The next two promised books cover the rest of the century.
Ken Follett writes basically two kinds of books: thriller,
espionage stories (i.e.: Eye of the
Needle, Key to Rebecca, etc), and
detailed historical fictional accounts of some event or time period in history
(i.e.: Pillars of the Earth, followed
by a sequel, World without End). The
latter two books were an account of building a cathedral in England beginning
in the 11th century, and continuing through the middle ages in the
sequel. Fall of Giants fits this
historical fiction category. I enjoy his writing style and have read all of his
books.
Fall of Giants
follows in great detail the lives of fictional characters in Wales, England,
Germany, America, and Russia. Their lives become intertwined as the tale is
spun, almost to an unbelievable extent. This didn’t bother me as I read it, but
it is a criticism. The real life characters of the period were, according to
the forward, portrayed as they were written in history. There is enough
intrigue, love, dare I say sex, to keep any reader interested in the history of
the period. I learned a lot about the beginnings of WW I and the period through
the end of the war. If you have ever wondered just who Archduke Ferdinand
really was, this is your chance to learn in a fun way. I believe the fall of
the royal houses in Europe following the war, in Russia and the former
Austro-Hungarian Empire, were accurately portrayed. The book only gives a
glimpse into what is about to happen in Germany during the period between the
wars. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
The Greatest Show on Earth:The
Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins (Free Press, 2009, paperback
$16.99)
Reviewed by Laird
Addis, Jr.
The Greatest Show on
Earth by Richard Dawkins, subtitled The
Evidence for Evolution, is a wonderfully entertaining
description of the multiple kinds of facts that make up the basis for the
evolutionary account of life on earth. I
never tire of reading Dawkins’s books, for he is the best writer around on evolution
for the non-specialist. He uses examples
and pictures in a convincing way as he tells his story of how many kinds of
evidence—from DNA studies to carbon
dating to the fossil record to embryology (“How could complicated organisms
like humans have come from single-cell organisms? You did it yourself in only nine months.”) to direct observations of evolution in
laboratories and nature, and much more—all come together to ground the only
plausible account of how life developed from its origin more than three billion
years ago. Like Darwin, Dawkins does not
try to explain the origin itself, but only how life evolved once it did
exist. There are hundreds of books on
evolution, and I have read many of them, but this is possibly the best single
book one could find for anyone wanting to understand how scientists know of the
fact of evolution.
Randy Alcorn based this book on the screen play written by Alex and Stephen Kendrick. The story focuses around a group of men who are police officers and one who is having trouble with finding work. This book deals with their struggles as officers, husbands and fathers and keeping God at the center of their lives. They all have their own struggles throughout this book and somehow learn to overcome them.
I highly recommend this book. Is you are looking for a book that has everything: action, comedy, sadness, and a guest appearance from the Carpenter-King himself, this is the book for you. I recommend the book over the movie because there is a lot more to it. The book includes subplots, characters, and back story not in the movie. A very powerful inspirational read.
