PERIOD PIECE by Gwen Raverat

          I've been sorting out my book-shelves recently and - horror -

'Period Piece, Gwen Raverat

throwing some away. Part of this job, of course, is sitting down on the floor with a book you've just rediscovered, and reading it for three hours, while others step over you.

          One rediscovered book, which distracted me for more than three hours, was PERIOD PIECE: A CAMBRIDGE CHILDHOOD, by Gwen Raverat, my copy of which is an old Faber paperback from the 1960s, pale pink, with a black stripe down the opening edge.   Its original price was '6s 6d, net.'

Gwen Raverat

            Now Gwen Raverat was one of Charles Darwin's granddaughters, (though he died before she was born.) The eccentric Darwin family certainly gave her plenty of material, but it's not the Darwin gossip, nor even the vivid, child's-eye view of life in a wealthy family of the late nineteeth and early twentieth centuries that make this book a treasure.  The book's immense charm, which doesn't diminish with re-reading (even when sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of a bookcase), is entirely due to the personality of its writer.  Reading the book is like visiting a much-loved friend, and listening to her tell stories of her childhood with warmth, affection, perception, great humour, and even, yes, wisdom.  And just as, if you're lucky enough to have a friend like that, you go back again and again, so you return to this book.

 

Gwen Raverat: self-portrait

           As Raverat says herself, in her preface, '..it does not matter which chapter is read first or last.'  Some chapter titles are: Theories, Propriety, Aunt Etty, Ghosts and Horrors, Religion...I find it hard to choose a favourite.

            'Theories' is not about anything like the Theory of Evolution, but her mother's theories about how children should be raised : 'Iwas...born into the trying position of being the eldest of the family, so that the full force of my mother's theories about education were brought to bear upon me; and it fell to me to blaze a path to freedom for my juniors, through the forest of her good intentions.' As an eldest child - though from quite a different kind of family - I can identify with that.

             For those who may have theories and children of their own, Raverat has these soothing words: 'Dear Reader, you may take it from me, that however hard you try – or don't try; whatever you do – or don't do; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; every way and every day:

THE PARENT IS ALWAYS WRONG.

So it is no good bothering about it.  When the little pests grow up they will certainly tell you exactly what you did wrong in their case.  But never mind; they will be just as wrong themselves in their turn.  So take things easily; and above all, eschew good intentions.'

Illustration: Gwen Raverat

            In 'Propriety' she dissects the odd notions of good behaviour which held sway during her childhood, and which she seems to have found odd even then; and tells us of some things which actually did shock her.  '...I once saw, through the banisters at Down, one of my Darwin uncles give a friendly conjugal kiss to... his wife.  I rushed away in absolute horror from this unprecedented orgy...  And then there was 'Charley's Aunt'.  This was the first real play we ever saw.  It did not seem to me at all funny, only tremendous and exciting and, at one point, most dangerously improper...  [One] of the young men dressed up as Charley's Aunt, and ran across the stage, lifting up his petticoats, and showing his trousers underneath.  Nothing since then has ever shocked me so much.'

            The chapter on Aunt Etty was, I think, worth the 6s 6d alone, and Aunt Etty in full cry after the stinkhorns has made me laugh out loud, as has the short, illustrated passage on 'The Habitat of the British Tiger', and its sad suffering from 'canopy cramp'.  (The tiger is shown lurking on top of a bed's tiny canopy, the better to eat the child within the bed.) The tiger comes in another chapter, Ghosts and Horrors, some of which is genuinely disturbing.

            'Religion' opens, 'The first religious experience I can remember is getting under the nursery table to pray that the dancing class mistress might be dead before we got to Dancing Class.'  A little later she describes God for us: '[He] had a smooth oval face, with no hair and no beard and no ears.  I imagine that He was not descended, as most Gods are, from Father Christmas, but rather from the Sun Insurance Office sign.  Even now this hairless, earless, eggshaped face... gives me a sort of holy feeling in my stomach.'

            It's a hard book to sum up.  It's a lively, vivid memoir of a particular time and place, and a wonderful recreation of the way a child sees and thinks about the world.  Since Raverat ends the book as a young woman, it could be called 'a coming of age story.'  She closes the book with the words: 'When I look back on those years when I was neither fish nor flesh, between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two, I remember them as an uncomfortable time, and sometimes a very unhappy one.  Now I have certainly attained the status of Good Red Herring, I may at last be allowed to say: Oh dear, how horrid it was being young, and how nice it is being old and not having to mind what people think.'

            However it might be classified, it's a book I would never willingly part with, and I value it for its humour, its charm, its perception and wisdom - all expressed with great elegance.

Another example of Gwen Raverat's work. She was one of the first women to be trained at the Slade.

 

          I thought 'Period Piece' would be available on Kindle, but it isn't. However, here is the copy that I own, and here is a newer edition, with many rave reviews.

THIS MORNING I WOKE UP DEAD!

Things are seemingly perfect for Hadley Christensen and Dominic Morris. They’re engaged, both of them have promising careers in the medical field, and they’re happier and more fulfilled than they have ever been. When Hadley heads off to work one morning, she realizes things aren't as they seem. While staring into the headlights of a fast approaching oncoming vehicle, life as she knows it is forever altered. Her last breath on Earth is only the beginning. 

She isn't about to die. 

She is already dead. 

No one else knows but they are all dead too. 

This powerful realization forces Hadley to leave Dominic behind and exist in another realm. Neither soul handles the painful separation well, nor can their bond be broken. Even in death. Hadley is given the rare privilege to make contact from the other side, desperately hoping to convince her beloved of his true state and ensure they be together once more. 

This Morning I Woke Up Dead takes you on a journey of discovery as two souls fight against their undeniably difficult situation of being tormented and separated by different realms of existence, proving that those who are destined to be together will not be kept apart by a beating heart.

Author: Mindy Larson

Book Title: This Morning I woke Up Dead.

Publish Date: March 14, 2013

Links to Purchase: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Reviewer: Megan

My Review: I Liked It!!

Have you ever wondered about deja vu or why you simply feel drawn to some people, even those you've just met?

"Whenever I had a deja vu, I immediately tried to understand why and what I was remembering exactly.

When I read the synopsis for this book I was immediately intrigued. I am one of those people that likes to understand the meaning behind weird, unexplainable things. For instance, a deja vu, or why when you meet certain people, you just simply feel drawn to them. Or have you ever looked at the clock at the same time everyday and gone crazy trying to understand it's significance in your life? I have...(mine is 11:17) and that was what Mindy Larson's "This Morning I Woke Up Dead" dealt with. 

"Georgette's memories will slowly fade little by little as she begins to speak again as an infant. Learn a word. Lose a memory. As time passes, some begin to remember things with a feeling of deja vu or through dreams. Memories are forever cemented to your soul." 

I really enjoyed the concept behind the book and the author creates an interesting tier of realms that we all have the pleasure of enjoying at some point in our life cycles. "You will start a new life cycle...then you die...then earth...this realm." 

I was fascinated by her differentiation between "soul mates" and "soul twins," I was drawn to the characters, could relate to the love that they shared and felt bad that their lives were ripped apart before it even had a chance to begin. I sympathized as Dominic attempted to get on with his life, and could even relate to those feelings of guilt you feel when someone close to you dies. Moving on is never easy... but what if all you had to do to be with that person was to admit to yourself and truly believe that in your life on earth, you were already dead? Seems simple enough, except being dead but believing you are alive is still living to some degree right? After all, if you accept that you are dead, as Hadley does, you loss everything.  It really makes you think about how you live your life, how you treat others, and how you spend your time, which is why I loved Mindy's explanation for what happens to all of the  "bad" people when they begin a new life cycle. 

Throughout the whole story I continued to think, huh, I always wondered about that... what a neat spin or WOW, that's a really fascinating explanation...what if? I love books that make us take a step back and think outside the box. The spirituality that Mindy brought forth was deep and touching to say the least. I can honestly say I walked away from this book thought provoked and curious and as you can see, there were several parts where I could not help myself but to bookmark some of beautiful wording. 

The reason I rated this book as a 4-star "I liked it" was because there were too many coincidences between the character connections, which I supposed were written that way from a spiritual, soul mate (soul family) perspective. However, the loss both Dominic and Emerson experienced, followed by all of the loss Dominic suffered thereafter just felt like too much. I would have liked to see him realize his true destiny without being so pushed to the brink...Unless, maybe it is only in our most desperate moments that we are  willing to face the truth... 

A fascinating read that I recommend to anyone who believes in soul mates and the ideal that some love is boundless, even in death! 

"I am gray colored yarn. Dominic is chocolate brown. Harper is light blue. My mother us emerald. My father is sapphire. Together, we make a beautiful tapestry. Apart we are loose ends, waiting, hoping to be woven together again." 

**Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of "This Morning I Woke Up Dead" in exchange for an honest review. 

Congratulations Mindy!! I look forward to reading "Thirteen Choices" 

The Brothers Grimm and the Internet

          This was sent to me recently, as one of those email jokes which are forever being circulated: -

          Everyone of you will laugh at this!  I said so.....

                             On the first day, God created the dog and

said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."
              The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"
             And God saw it was good.
             On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."
            The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"
           And God, again saw it was good.
           On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."
           The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"
          And God agreed it was good.
          On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."
         But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"
         "Okay," said God, "You asked for it."
          So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
         Life has now been explained to you.
         There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service. If you are looking for me I will be on the front porch.

          Over twenty years ago, I wrote this, in my book Ghost Song: -

Ghost Song

Kuzma said to him, 'Syngva, listen. I shall tell you a story:-

          In the beginning the Shaman who made the world called all his creatures before him, and he gave to them all thirty years of life.

          'But,' said the donkey to him, 'my life is to be spent bending my back under heavy loads. I am to be kicked and beaten to make me go fast when the load on my back makes me go slow. If that is to be my life, so be it - but thirty years is too long, Grandfather.'

          The Shaman pulled his beard thoughtfully, and saw that the donkey was right. So he took eighteen years of life from the donkey, and left him only twelve. The donkey was grateful.

          Next came the dog. 'Grandfather,' said the dog, 'my life is all running and biting and barking, and it is a good life. But how shall I live it for thirty years? Long before then my legs will be weak and lame, my teeth will be broken and worn, my bark will be unheard. Spare me this life without life.'

         So the Shaman was kind, and he took twelve years of life from the dog.

         Then came the monkey, and the monkey said, 'Don't make me live thirty years, Grandfather. I am only liked when I am funny. How can I be funny for thirty years? And though it pleases people to laugh at me, it is no pleasure to me to be jeered at and called fool. Take some of these years from me.'

        So the Shaman took ten years of life from the monkey.

        Then came man and woman, and they said, 'Grandfather, how long are we to live?'

        'Thirty years,' said the Shaman.

        'Oh, Grandfather,' said man and woman, 'at the end of thirty years, we shall have come to our full strength, we shall have built ourselves a house, we shall have planted a field, and we shall have children. Are we to die then, and leave all that? Thirty years, Grandfather - it's not long enough. Give us some more years.'

        The Shaman was pleased that one of his creatures wanted more of the life he had created. Gladly, he gave man and woman the eighteen years he had taken from the donkey.

        'Give us more, Grandfather.'

        So the Shaman gave them the twelve years he had taken from the dog.

        'Give us more, Grandfather.' The Shaman gave them the ten years he had taken from the monkey.

        And so men and women live seventy years in this world.

        And now you see, Syngva, what human life is. For the first thirty years, men and women live as the Shaman intended men and women to live. But then they must endure the eighteen years meant for the donkey: eighteen years of hard labour, of drudgery, of heavy loads. Then come the twelve years taken from the dog: twelve years lived weak and lame, toothless and aching, snapping and snarling. And, at the end, come the ten years from the monkey: ten years chattering and gibbering to themselves, while others point, and laugh and mock.

        ‘Syngva; is this what you choose?'

       '[My father] is in his dog-years,' Ambrosi said. 'I am still living as the Shaman intended men to live. It would be wicked to leave him now. Even when he's an old monkey, I shall try not to make fun of him. And when he is dead, I shall come with you.'

       'You must choose now,' Kuzma said. 'Three hundred years of life as a shaman, and power, and rebirth. Or thirty years of human life, followed by the years the donkey, the dog and the monkey are too proud to endure. Now choose, choose! Once and for all!'

      'Grandfather,' Ambrosi said, 'I can make no choice until my father dies.'

       Kuzma reached out his hand, and touched Ambrosi over his heart. From Ambrosi's shirt he drew a long, white thread. He said, 'You think that all these years I have been tormenting you.' Again his hand reached out and drew from Ambrosi's shirt a long, long black thread. 'You think that if you never saw me again, in dreams or awake, you would be at peace.' A third time Kuzma reached out, and drew from Ambrosi's shirt a thread of bright scarlet. 'But I have been protecting you, Syngva, from the spirits who marked you for a shaman, and who will not allow you to refuse.' He reached out and pushed Ambrosi backwards, so he fell back into the snow. 'Go and live the life you choose.'

          And Ambrosi fell out of his dream and into sleep on the floor of the tent, and from that sleep he awoke mad.'

          I invented Ambrosi and Kuzma, but I didn’t invent the story Kuzma tells. I adapted it from one of the Grimm Brothers’ less well-known stories. It had stuck in my head when I read it, and it suited my purpose (although, of course, in Grimm, the god of the story is the Christian god.)

         The Grimm Brothers first published their collection in 1812, over two hundred years ago. They collected their stories from the people around them, so presumably these stories were commonly known then. At a rough estimate, the story was probably a hundred years old when the brothers wrote it down.

         So a 300 year old folk-story is circulating as an internet joke.

          I would assume that some other reader of Grimm, like myself, had turned it into the email - except that my uncle once told me a story about how a cat pulled a loaded barge along a canal (he came from a bargee-family.) I later came across that story in a foot-note to a Ben Jonson play, explaining an obscure reference in the text. I am pretty sure my uncle had no interest in Ben Jonson's plays.
           I love the way these old stories circle the world like currents in the ocean - sometimes sinking down deep, sometimes rising to the surface.
          You may think that's a rare gem of philisophy you've just found in some forgotten book unearthed from a junk-shop and unread for a hundred years - but someone, somewhere, is sitting in a bar and telling the same story as a joke.

          Stories. Harder to kill than dandelions.

Picture credits: Collie dog, Canada Hky, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Ghost World Sequence can be found here. 

REASON TO BREATHE & BARELY BREATHING

"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?"

In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection while pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises - not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth - but at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide. 

Reason to Breathe is an electrifying page turner from start to finish, a unique tale of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl’s fragile grasp of hope.

___________________________________________________

Emma’s struggle with an abusive home life came to a heart pounding conclusion in the final chapters of Reason to Breathe. Now everyone in Weslyn knows Emma’s secret, but Carol can’t hurt Emma anymore. Some are still haunted by the horror of that night, and some must face the repercussions of their choices. Fans of Rebecca Donovan’s debut novel will discover there’s still much to learn about Emma’s life. 

Author: Rebecca Donovan 
Book Title: Reason to Breathe (Book #1) & Barely Breathing (Book #2)
Publish Date: May 9, 2011/April 30, 2012
Reviewer: Megan

My Review: I Absolutely Loved it!!
This was a phenomenal read that I could not put down!!!

I had this book in my nook library for months and every time I went to read it something else came up. However, over the holidays I was laid up from surgery and decided it was time to finally read this book... Once I started, I COULD NOT STOP!! My eyes couldn't read the words fast enough as I became more and more entangled in the story. The ending scared me, angered me, and left me hanging on for dear life! I was thankful when I turned the page and saw there was a second book already out, and thought maybe this was instinctively why I had waited to read this book.

I am not one for patience and to be left hanging with an ending like that, would have KILLED me. I quickly downloaded Barely Breathing and again was enthralled in the world of Emma. 

I finished both books in a day and a half, letting everything else fall away while I was immersed in Reason to Breathe and Barely Breathing. I loved how Barely breathing ended... a semi-cliffhanger, with a glimpse of Evan's anguish. Perfect!!

I think one of the things that I loved was seeing a similar story line to my own novel Harvest Moon. It was the first time I saw the protagonist keep such dangerous secrets since writing about Lexie's abuse. I finally felt like Lexie could find a place in the literary world, just like Emma had. 

I cannot wait for the third book in this series... I have been eagerly awaiting it since reading the last line of barely Breathing. 

So much to come...

In less than a week my TBR/Review has begun to grow and this excites me! I am really looking forward to bringing more reviews in the coming weeks and sharing  my love of books with you all!

Currently, I am reading Mindy Larson's "This Morning I Woke Up Dead" and I am about 35% through and loving it! What an interesting concept so far and you cannot help but feel for Hadley and Dominic. I am reading each page, anticipating Hadley's next move... I can hardly wait to see what happens next!!

Stay tuned for my complete review of Mindy Larson's "This Morning I Woke Up Dead" coming soon!!