SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd, 2002.

This Southern novel has been on my to-read list for a long time, and as soon as I began reading it, I was pulled in. Kidd is a fine writer who knows how to tell a story, is super with her characterizations and dialogue, and really puts some feeling into it.
   Set in South Carolina during the first part of 1964, President Johnson has just signed the Civil Rights Act. Shortly after that event, 14 year old Lily Owens, unhappy with who she is and her treatment by her unlovable father, T. Ray (who blames Lily for her mother's early death), goes into town with Rosaleen, the kind black woman who has raised her. Rosaleen intends to register to vote, but on the way she insults three of the town's racists, and the two females are thrown into jail. Once freed, Lily springs Rosaleen, and the pair take off for Tiburon, S.C., a place known to Lily only from the back of a picture of a black Madonna that Lily found among her mother's things and kept in a box in her room. Once they reach Tiburon, they are taken in by three black beekeeping sisters, May, August, and June. Lily, anxious to discover the connection between her mother and the town, manages to insinuate herself into their lives in the hopes of sticking around a while. The kind, rather eccentric sisters protect the two refugees and provide a temporary haven from their troubles.
   August takes the teenager under her wing, and Lily learns about beekeeping and making honey, about relationships and memories and stories and living the life you are given. She and Rosaleen soon fit right into the ladies' routine; they are even invited to the sisters' somewhat unorthodox religious services surrounding the figurehead of a ship, which they call the "Black Mary," and meet other community members who attend their services. As stories are told and old secrets emerge, bits and pieces of information fall into place and the full story is revealed gradually to Lily, who realizes just how important these women are to her life. When the mystery of her mother's connection with these black women becomes clear, it means everything in the world to Lily and her future.
   Kidd has created a beautifully told story, with an interesting plotline, great descriptions of beekeeping practices and honey making, and colorful characters that the reader can care about. I found it enjoyable and homey and comfortable, a good read.

LAST TIME I SAW YOU by Elizabeth Berg, 2010.

  This contemporary novel concerns a group of people who are attending their 40th (and final) high school class reunion. Her cast of characters pretty much includes all the usual stereotypes: jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, etc., each of whom have reasons for attending this last reunion. Divorced Dorothy wants a chance at the class heartthrob, Pete Decker, who is desperately trying to win back his estranged wife Nora; Mary Alice Mayhew, an independent sort usually ignored by her classmates at Whitley High, comes hoping to see a certain someone again; Lester Hessenpfeffer, a nerdy widowed veterinarian, who realizes the person he longed most to see was not who he actually wanted; Candy Armstrong, the blonde beauty who has a painful secret and needs a true friend. It's all about missed opportunities, paths not taken, choices made, and seeking to right wrongs done decades earlier. As these characters and others converge during the reunion weekend and as their old secrets and hidden motives and long simmering desires are revealed and new bonds forged, they learn things about each other and themselves in unexpected and at times surprising ways.
  Berg writes in the easy, breezy style she does so well, providing an entertaining story with characters who are at once familiar and recognizable and thus the reader can connect with them. In their late fifties, Berg's characters have issues with aging, marriage, love, death, a sense of belonging, of being connected with those from their past, and of being understood by those they shared their school experiences with. She has the dialogue down pat; she provides a fine reunion background, complete with decorations and drinks and bathroom chats and all the greetings and the "who is that?" and "whatever happened to...?" types of comments that are prevalent at such an event. Although there's not much depth involved, Berg does tell a good story and offers up some moments of true emotional insight between several of the characters.
   Does all come right in the end? Not necessarily, but for most of the people in this novel, changes do occur, and they are the better for them. An entertaining and at times thought-provoking story, I enjoyed it as a casual light read.

TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis, c1968.
  I remember my grandfather reading this novel when it was first released; at the time it didn't interest me, as I was never a big fan of western stories. I believe I watched the older movie version of the novel that starred John Wayne once or twice on TV and enjoyed it; only recently I viewed it again and then saw the recent remake of the film and realized that the original was actually the more satisfying of the two films for me, even though the newer film hewed closer to the book.
  When a colleague chose the book for our library book discussion group, I decided I'd read it also, but my wife snatched the book and read it first; when I finally got it, it really took hold of me. It's a wonderfully written story that has it all: the wild landscape of the 1870s West, nasty villains, brave lawmen, lots of violence, and a precocious teenage heroine out for justice. Such entertainment! After reading it, I wondered why I hadn't before now.
  The story is relatively straightforward: feisty 14 year old Mattie Ross comes to Fort Smith from near Dardanelles, Arkansas, to avenge the death of her father, Frank, who was shot by a drunken Tom Chaney, who has since fled into the lawless Indian Territory. She hires Rooster Cogburn, one of the local Federal marshals to assist her, because she was told he has "true grit." They are joined by a Texas Ranger, LaBeouf (called LaBeef), who has been tracking Chaney (aka Chelmsford) for murdering a Texas senator. Mattie wants revenge, plain and simple, and she insists she will ride with them, even though they try mightily to dissuade her; she determinedly plunges ahead and manages to hold her own as they travel through Indian Territory searching for clues to locate Chaney, who they discover has likely joined the vicious Ned Pepper's gang. On their journey, they meet an assortment of characters good and bad (including thieves and murderers) and make use of their survival skills to combat weather, rivers, and injuries. After they get too close to their quarry, Mattie accidentally runs into Chaney at the river and is taken captive by him, which leads to the final showdown between Mattie and Chaney, as well as one between Cogburn and Ned Pepper.
  Portis writes with a huge sense of humor and deceptively simple language that rings believably true, his characters are human and vibrantly portrayed, with my two favorites, Rooster Cogburn larger than life in his personality and Mattie a determined, plucky teenager who can give as good as she takes, real standouts among his characters. The narrative flows swiftly and effortlessly, and I found myself involved, totally caught up in their adventure, hoping that Chaney would be caught and justice served. I think Portis was smart to have Mattie tell the story looking back over the years, and while the book's ending was not as satisfying to me as the original film version's ending, it was still well done and effectively tied up the strands of the plot. I would happily recommend it for anyone who enjoys stories of the West, coming of age stories, or a good adventure yarn.

KINGS OF THE EARTH by Jon Clinch, 2010.

Clinch's novel is a stark narrative of life, death, and family in a remote agricultural area of New York State.
   In 1990, three aged brothers, Vernon, Audie, and Creed Proctor live on their family's crumbling dairy farm in the middle of nowhere. It is their family home, they and their sister were raised by their parents on the land, and they still work the farm in the ways their father, Lester, taught them back in the previous decades, but the place is a decaying wreck, the house and barn hardly fit for habitation. Vernon, the eldest, is in charge; Audie, the middle son, is somewhat simple, and Creed, having been to Korea, has his own ideas about things. Their sister, Donna, the youngest child and only girl, has managed to escape the farm by attending school and becoming a nurse, and then marrying a man who had escaped his own father's "muddy onion farm." Donna visits her brothers regularly and tries to help them out, but their pride keeps them in their current situation, milking their cows, raising turkeys in an old school bus, making do with old machinery. It is a bleak and unrewarding life, but they know no other; even Creed, who has seen something of the world during his military service is drawn back to the farm. Donna's son, Tom, bonds somewhat with his mother's brothers, but he ends up using them to further his own business plans in growing marijuana on their place. Tom's father, discovering the marijuana and recognizing a good business opportunity, jumps in to help his son, and unknowingly sets in motion events that lead to tragedy.
   When Vernon, the eldest brother, is found dead in the bed they all shared and the police suspect murder, attention becomes focused on the Proctors and their land. Preston and Margaret Hatch, the men's lifelong neighbors, are sympathetic and supportive of the brothers, even though they don't understand them. When Creed and Audie are actually brought up for questioning by the police, Preston tries to help them, and Donna and her family are drawn in as well. As the story moves back and forth in time, the reader gets a sense of how these three men were raised, how they matured,  why they became the people they are in the present, and the interconnected events that envelope all the characters.
   Overall, it's a story of family ties, and of the bonds that can exist between unrelated folk, told in spare and often harsh language, with stark scenes and realistic characters who have weathered hard times with very little love or emotional warmth. Clinch's descriptions are such that reader can feel the chilling air coming through the farmhouse's cracks in winter, hear the howling winds, and smell the wildflowers in the fields of the countryside. Clinch's uncluttered prose is unflinchingly honest, and provides the reader with a gritty look at a family that even though it suffers and tears at itself from within, the bond of blood between its members remains unbroken. While I can't say I really enjoyed this novel, it's definitely a thought-provoking and challenging story.

SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller, 2012.

Miller provides an absorbing retelling of the story concerning the ancient Greek hero Achilles in her new novel: the story is told through the eyes of Patroclus, Achilles' best friend and constant companion from childhood. Using Homer's work as her basis, she pretty much adheres to the usual version of events, but places her own stamp on them by focusing on the relationship of the two men, with each other and with others in their orbit.
  Becoming acquainted as mere boys when the young prince Patroclus is exiled from his father's tiny kingdom for accidentally killing another boy, Achilles and Patroclus over time become the best of friends. When Achilles' father, King Peleus, sends Achilles to the aged centaur Chiron for his education, Patroclus ends up following and being accepted as a pupil as well. As they grow into young adulthood in the mountainous retreat, learning about warfare and healing and survival, their emotional bond grows as well, leading later to a physical relationship. Achilles' mother, the goddess Thetis, a totally cold and unemotional character who wants to keep her son at a superior level to be worthy of being Aristos Achaion--"best of the Greeks"--has ever had it in for Patroclus and continually tries to come between the two, even resorting to attempted murder of her son's only friend.
   The story turns more familiar when the beautiful Helen is kidnapped from Menelaus in Sparta and taken to Troy, war is declared by Agamemnon, the High King of Greece, and all who are allied must go to fight. Odysseus and Diomedes search for Achilles, as it is known that Troy will not fall without his help. Mother Thetis, knowing all the dark prophecies about her son's life, has hidden him in King Lycomedes' court, dressed as a woman, hoping that he can avoid his destiny, but he is discovered, and he and Patroclus join the war. Achilles leaves behind a son, Pyrrhus, who will later play out his own destiny at Troy.
   While the centuries-old saga of the Trojan War may be familiar to many, Miller adds new dimensions to the cast of characters, and brings forth those who have often remained in the background: the beautiful but hard Thetis, the captive maiden Briseis (who captures Patroclus' heart), the physician Machaon, the kindly and wise centaur Chiron, Achilles' charioteer Automedon, and others are here portrayed in proper context. Some of the more famous appear only briefly: Helen, Paris, Andromache, Priam, etc. I found it refreshing to read the story with the focus on less familiar characters who also took part in the conflict. Of course, at the center of the novel is Achilles, the golden hero, half human, half god, whom all believed was chosen to lead them to victory at Troy and who came to realize after his first battle that "this is what I was born for"; and Patroclus, generous and tender-hearted and un-soldierlike, who loved and supported his comrade, and who with his own actions ultimately found his place in history as well.
   I found Miller's storytelling skills superb; her writing is spare and simple, yet elegant, conveying a wonderful sense of time and place; her characters are full blooded and real; the historical details are meticulously researched. The reader experiences the changing relationship of two young boys that comes to fruition during a horrendous war, the values of friendship and loyalty and honesty, the screams of dying men and horses on the blood-and-gore soaked plains of Troy, the terrific misuse of absolute power, and the violence and brutality of a long ago age. While the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus may be off-putting to some readers, I felt the author handled it in an understated and quite inoffensive way. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the Trojan War and who would enjoy a well-told story from a different point of view. I found it a very beautiful rendering of a very old story.

We watched the Coen Brothers' "True Grit" (2010) over this past weekend, and although we enjoyed it, I personally think the older version from 1969 was more emotionally satisfying as a film. Although the Coens' attempt was very successful, and in actuality is said to be closer to the original book (which I haven't read), I had several problems with it, enough that I still like the original version better. The story (taken from Charles Portis' 1968 novel) is basically this: young Mattie Ross' father is shot to death, she comes to town to find the killer,Tom Chaney, and take revenge, and she hires Cogburn to help her. The Texas Ranger LaBeouf joins them and the three journey into Indian territory to track down Chaney, and discover they must deal with other criminals, the elements, and rattlesnakes.
   My major issue with this film is that, even though Jeff Bridges was actually surprisingly good in the role, he can't hold a candle to John Wayne's portrayal of Rooster Cogburn. No way, no how. Wayne took that part and made it his own and is well remembered for it. I know Bridges won an award for his acting in this picture, but I still prefer John Wayne's acting in this over his, and Wayne won his only Oscar for this role. Wayne was the very image of Cogburn, and he magnificently created a larger than life portrayal of the character, with all his foibles and strengths and colorful language. Another problem for me was the ending: it just wasn't as satisfying to me as in the older version. I have read that the Coen film is much closer to the book, and that's commendable, I just believe the older movie has a more satisfying conclusion concerning the three main characters of Cogburn, Mattie Ross, and LaBeouf. This film's ending left me feeling kind of cold and unsatisfied or like a promise went unfulfilled.
  Still, I found it a worthwhile film and I'm glad I watched it. I will say that Hailee Stanfeld's performance as young Mattie was excellent, and she deserves all the accolades she received for her work. She was wonderful to watch on screen, and her interaction with Bridges, Matt Damon (LaBoeuf) and Josh Brolin (Tom Chaney) was believable, interesting, and entertaining. The movie was beautifully filmed, mostly on location, and the Coen Brothers evidently paid great attention to detail. On the whole, an enjoyably diverting film, but for those of us who remember the original movie with a certain fondness, this version just doesn't quite measure up.

THE FOREST LAIRD: A TALE OF WILLIAM WALLACE by Jack Whyte, 2010.

I picked this up solely by the cover art and author recognition, read the flap and was hooked. Whyte is a noted author of historical fiction, and this novel is part of a new trilogy he's writing, "The Guardians," which will concern the Scottish wars for freedom from England. This book concerns the life of William Wallace, known to many from the "Braveheart" film made some years ago.

   Whyte's book shows he has done his research. Not much of fact is known about William Wallace, but Whyte makes use of what is known and other historical detail about Scotland and its affairs in the 1290s to create his portrait of Will and without bogging down the pace of the story. The novel is told from the point of view of Wallace's cousin, Jamie Wallace, who becomes the cleric librarian/priest Father James. When the two cousins are young boys, English attack the Wallace homestead, killing Wallace's parents and sister, Will and Jamie are abused by the English, and then manage to flee and are taken in by the archer Ewan Scrymgeour, who nurtures and helps guide their futures. Eventually, they are reunited with family, educated at a local monastery, and years later they separate to fulfill their destinies: Jamie to be a priest/librarian, and Will to be an archer of uncommon talents. By the time they are young adults, Scotland is in crisis: the Scots king dies leaving a young heiress named the Maid of Norway who is drowned on her way to take the throne; Edward I of England is invited into Scotland to help settle the dispute between the claimants John Balliol and Robert Bruce; even after John is named King of Scots, the English presence remains and creates mayhem and havoc; and there begins a grassroots surge of folk who wish to drive the English out of Scotland and reclaim their freedom. But without a strong leader, there are multiple factions who don't cooperate and thus create more confusion and misery for all the populace. Wallace, meanwhile marries the love of his life, and begins to lead the life of an outlaw and fugitive on the border, his hatred of the English nurtured by such as Bishop Robert Wishart, but determined to remain apart from the fighting as long it stays away from his door and until a strong leader emerges to engage the English. Jamie moves in and out of his life, supportive of Will and his family, but knowing that eventually the chaos that exists in Scotland will have to be resolved and Wallace must help. And then the terrible day arrives with horrific and heartrending force...and Jamie and Will are forced into action.
   Whyte does a wonderful job of making medieval Scotland come alive as a place of great beauty and harshness, with its volatile politics concerning France and England, its powerful lairds and barons, its rising middle class and the poverty ridden peasants. His characters are colorful, vibrant, and realistically portrayed: his hero Will is conflicted, high minded and compassionate, yet also savage, unforgiving, and violent. Highly readable, with excellent pacing and great storytelling, filled with action and savage violence, gross injustice, love and patriotism, this is a hugely entertaining saga of an enormously talented and strong leader of the Scots people who over time became almost a myth and somewhat neglected by historians but who evidently still lives in Scottish memory as a national hero.