Two Halves are Better than One

Title: The Perfect Elizabeth : A Tale of Two Sisters

Author:  Libby Schmais

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffi

ISBN: 978-0312270803

Pages: 228

Liza and Bette are two sisters who seem to be opposites, but together they seem to be a Perfect Elizabeth. Bette is scholarly and driven to complete her PhD on food in the English Novel and Liza is unfocused and has a job she dislikes. Liza wants to write a book, but doesn’t have the confidence to move forward – which is true for her lack-luster love life with Gregor.  Bette, on the other hand, continues to be heartbroken over her divorce. But, Liz eventually becomes feed up with her job and quits without a plan, moving in with Gregor to save money.  Bette meets a man who sweeps her off to California and both sisters need to learn to live apart and build their own identities – though both struggle with this.  Without many prospects, Liz visits Bette in California and pitches her children’s book, which gets picked up as a cartoon. Things quickly change for both women and with more confidence, they embrace their new lives. 

This was definitely a beach read – fairly easy to read and not taxing.  At first I was a little annoyed with both characters as they seemed quite whiny – a bit like Bridget Jones’ Diary (which I did not like).  But, eventually, both woman recognizing their own agency and made some choices that helped them discover themselves.  

There is a short reading group guide at the end. 

Learning Something New

Title: Bobbed Hair and Bootleg Gin
Author:  Marion Meade
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books
ISBN-10: 0156030594

Much of the 21st century classic literature list in many high schools draw from the American writers of the 1920s - Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Thurber.  But more neglected are the women writers of the time - Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Edna Ferber.  I stumbled on this audiobook through my library and am very glad that I did.  It has given me a new perspective of these writers and my image of the Roaring Twenties.

Each of these woman resisted the traditional image of what women could do and be during the early part of the 20th century. Each of them earned their own money as a writer and made a lot of their own choices in where they lived, who they lived with and what assignments to take.  Parker was married, but was most often without her husband.  Zelda, often known as the wife of Scott, was a writer in her own right (at times, earning more than Scott) and pursued professional dancing later in life to prove that she could do it.  St. Vincent, as a young woman, was dynamic and irresistible to many men.   She flitted from man to man until she settled, a bit with one who became not just her husband, but her manager, secretary and nurse.  Ferber, author of Showboat and Cimarron, wrote fiction, non-fiction, articles and was both a serious journalist and a playwright. 

Like the famous men of the era, these women spent the Roaring Twenties roaring.  alcohol was the foundation of most social engagements and binge drinking was more the norm than unusual.   The literary circle in New York was fairly small - meeting at the Algonquin Hotel and using the same publishers and editors - and the circle greatly influenced each other. Many writers of the time also lived for extended time in Europe, and especially Paris, where Hemingway's influence became more pronounced.

However, what most surprised me was the portrayal of the 1920s.  It was difficult to imagine the setting with model T Fords, grainy sepia pictures and short flapper dresses rather than the modern New York of crowded streets, high fashion and business, and constant travel.    At times the story reads like a Kardashian reality show - with affairs, drugs, abortions, attempted suicides, nervous breakdowns, and rivalries.   Although I know the 1920s was an era of massive change - socially, politically and economically - my image has often been more like ancient history, rather than modern.  This books made me re-adjust how I think about the time period and has led me to re-discover these writers. 

The style of the book is chronological - each chapter is a year and the narrative switches between each of the authors and highlights important events or incidents during the year.  Therefore the book
is written a bit more like sound bites, rather than an authoritative biography.  Marion Meade has also written a more detailed biography of Dorothy Parker and there are many other biographies of the other women. But, when a book spawns further investigation into its subjects, I think that is a sign of a good book. 

Historical Fiction - not Biography

Title: The Paris Wife

Author: Paula McLain

Pages: 320

Publisher: Ballantine Books

ISBN: 0345521315

This is clearly a book club type book – written to generate discussion between women about the value of marriage, the importance of trust and respect in a relationship, and when to call it quits. 

I struggled at first to connect with the main character, Hadley Richardson, who became Ernest Hemingway's first wife, known as the Paris wife because that is where they lived for most of their marriage. This is not a biography of Hadley, but rather it is classified as a historical fiction. The author researched Hadley's life, read the letters between Hadley and Hemingway, and then imagined what their lives together might have been like. Hadley is portrayed as mousy, insecure and struggling to fine her own purpose in life. She is totally dedicated to Hemingway's career, but doesn't feel like she fits into his circle of friends. After losing Hemingway's packet of written stories, the bond between them is broken, as Hemingway no longer trusts Hadley, and the rest of the book is the slow moving train wreck of their marriage, as Hemingway has an affair with a mutual friend, who eventually becomes his second wife. 

 I guess people speculate about Hemingway's true feelings and regret about Hadley, because his last story before he died was in tribute to her. The story also explores the difficulties Hemingway had as revolutionary writer.There is a brief explanation from the author about why and how she wrote the book along with a list of book club questions.  In many ways, I found Hadley much like Bella (in the Twilight series - yes I read it, I'm a middle school teacher).  Both were in love with volatile men, didn't understand their effect on people, and didn't feel worthy of being with the men or included in their circles. (And both are whiny.)  However, from reading this book, I am more interested in learning about the real Hadley and hope to pick up some of the real biographies to see how close the historically documented one is to the fictional one.