This is the time of summer reading, beach books, the annual proliferation of articles by the great and the good telling us what they will be taking to the beach and this is where the Heavies and the Tabloids are split down the middle with the Guardianistas and Independentanistas trying to have us believe that yes, they really will be sitting down with the Factor 30 and Swann's Way or the latest Salman Rushdie while they dispose themselves on their sun lounger. Those of us less pretentious and sensible know full well that there is no way we are going to do any serious reading on hols and choose books which are a Good Read. All the book shops are full of 3 for 2 and tables of books to pack in the suitcase and, while I once used to turn up my youthful sniffy nose at this sort of thing, I don't any more as I have learned that book snobbism is a pretty pathetic thing.
So when two books arrived from HarperCollins this week, I did not take one look and curl a lip as I might have done in years gone by at two titles that fall into this genre, but sat down and read them. I wasn't on a beach, but the sun was shining, birds were singing and the sky was blue so curled up on the sofa with cool drink to hand I read the following:
While my Sister sleeps by Barbara Delinsky has a tag line 'Fans of Jodi Picoult will love this' which nearly put me off as I have an irrational dislike of Ms Picoult's books and when I tell you that I have not read a single one, you will see just how irrational this is. I feel a resistance to an author who has, on many occasions, blanketed Waterstones or Borders and others with hundreds of copies of her books, which we know the publicists pay for. There are a couple of other authors who fall into this category as well so my irrationality is widely spread.
Anyway, back to the story. Robin Snow, a world class runner, collapses during a training run, suffers a heart attack and by the time she is found and taken to hospital, has suffered irreversible brain damage and is on life support. The family is then left with this terrible choice of when to turn off the machine and cope with the fact that Robin is brain dead and is lost to them forever. The family gather round: Kathryn, her mother, refusing to face up to reality; Chris, the brother always avoiding confrontations and making decisions; Charlie, his father whose quietness of demeanour has left his family with the impression that he is a passive observer and, finally,the younger sister Molly, quiet and taken for granted by her parents and siblings. As we learn more about Robin and a secret within the family, it is Molly who has to step forward and take charge and emerge from her sister's shadow.
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells. This author also wrote the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood which I found unreadable so my initial reaction to this was, O My God, but I have learned not to give up so easily nowadays and so cleared my mind of prejudice and sat and read this straight through instead of watching Andy Murray in the semi-final of Wimbledon (and in case you are wondering why I turned the TV off, I knew Roddick would beat him and have said so all along and as soon as the match started my fears were confirmed. So why put myself through the shredder?)
This is the story of Calla Lily Ponder who was born in Louisiana. Her mother is a hairdresser and beautician who brings her daughter up to appreciate beauty and truth and who maintains that there is more to hairdressing than just a wash and dry. M'Dear (as Calla rather whimsically calls her mother) has healing hands and can bring serenity to her stressed customers. Calla has an idyllic childhood, exploring life and friendship with Sukey and Renee and meeting the love of her life, Tucker LeBlank, when they are both children. Of course, this is the South so it is not all sunshine and mint juleps - racism rears its ugly head and a close friend of Calla's is beaten up by the local redneck sheriff. When sadness and tragedy come into Calla's life, she leaves her home town, moves to the big city and starts to expand her horizons and finds maturity and happiness.
I enjoyed both these books though I will freely admit I was not sure if I was going to. Both of them have the central theme of coping with what life throws at you, how you can emerge stronger and wiser from adversity. This may sound simplistic but it is the basis for many stories and while I tired slightly of the wise, homespun philosophy that was rife in the Wells book, there is no gainsaying that it was all true. Both these books are set in America, where authors are not so reticent as us Brits in saying what they feel without any worry that they will be sneered at or dismissed as being 'cheesy'. I, therefore, put my stiff upper lip to one side when reading.
It struck me while sitting having a ponder on this post and what I was going to write, that the only difference between these two books and the two Joyce Dennys that I have read recently, is the location, time and language. OK you might say that is a lot of difference to deal with and yes, you are right, but the basic perseverance of the human spirit, the determination to cope with adversity features in the war time books as well as these contemporary novels. Whether you weep or wail or just grit your teeth, these stories reflect how ordinary families, when faced with tragedy, just get on with it and cope.
A Good Read indeed. Pop them both in your suitcase and enjoy.
