The Whalebone Theatre

Finished June 30

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

This story start in World War I and continues past World War II. The central character is Cristabel Seagrave, a child as the book begins. Cristabel's mother died giving birth to her, and her father pushed her away in his grief. He is now remarried and hoping his new young wife can give him the son and heir he wants. Cristabel is a child that is curious and imaginative. She exists on the edges of her world, a daughter of the Chilcombe estate, but one often ignored. She is befriended by one of the younger members of staff, Maudie, who answers her questions if she can. She also waits eagerly for the letters from her uncle who is an officer in the army and tells tales of faraway places and interesting events. 

She eventually does get the long-awaited brother, Digby, after first a sister Flossie, and longs for the formal education that Digby gets, as opposed to the French governess that she and Flossie are educated by. In 1928, before Digby gets sent away to school, a whale washes up on the beach bordering the estate. Cristabel is one of the first on the scene and she claims the beast for the family. Around the same time, an interesting group of artistic people are visiting the area, and Cristabel manages, through her unorthodox manner to befriend the artist at the center of the group, and convince him to help her stage a play. This event leads to regular events and new connections, and gradually the three children grow up. 

As World War II begins, Digby is determined to sign-up, but not as an officer as his father wishes, and he sneaks away to enlist. Cristabel is also keen to help the war effort in some way and ventures off to London to offer her services. Flossie stays at the estate, but soon finds herself contributing in her own way. As the three begin their adult lives, the point of view takes turns between them, giving us insight into each experience. 

The main actions of the book take place in 1928 and during World War II, but pre-1928 also gives us a lot of background to the characters and the situation of Cristabel. 

I enjoyed the personalities of these three characters, and how each had their own strengths that carried them through the troubles they encountered. The story took a while to grab me, but once it did I was hooked. This book has mystery, romance, and suspense, and the Chilcombe estate is brought to life through the descriptions and events around it. 

Beautiful Whale

Finished June 2
Beautiful Whale by Bryant Austin, foreword by Sylvia A. Earle

This book contains amazing photographs of whales. Humpback whales in Tonga. Sperm whales in the Caribbean. Dwarf minke whales at the Great Barrier Reef. Following a close encounter with a whale Austin was driven to pursue the goal of taking life-size composite portraits of whales. So very few humans get to have an encounter with a whale that we don't get to see their beauty and intelligence and thus disregard how our actions affect their environment. To take these photographs Austin has to be very close to the whales, remaining as still as possible while they slowly moved past him. As he describes his experiences, you realize the gentleness and curiosity of these large creatures.
Austin sold his vehicles, house, and camera equipment to finance this project when fund-raising didn't provide enough. The exhibitions he was able to mount drew responses better than he had hoped and brought increased attention to these little known animals.

Sunday, January 28th

Finished today

Grayson by Lynne Cox
This short memoir of a specific morning in Lynne's life is a touching one.
She was out for a swimming exercise in the ocean near Santa Catalina island early one morning and experienced a deep unheaval in the ocean, causing other marine life to behave erratically. She discovered that she was being followed by a baby gray whale that had been separated from its mother. While other boaters searched for the mother, she stayed with the baby and experienced a wonder of sea life and connectedness with the young whale.
It was a very moving experience for her that she still looks back on with wonder.

Through the Children's Gate: A Home in New York by Adam Gopnik
Journalist Adam Gopnik reflects over a period of a few years on his return to New York from Paris with his young children. The reflections cover his personal life, cultural trends, and the changes to the city.
His children experience imaginary friends, chess, Yu-Gi-Oh!, baseball, heelies, fantasy games, goldfish, and IM. He tells of his good friend Kirk as he declines with cancer, and yet coaches a flag football team of young boys as well as giving a series of lectures on modern art.
He touches on experiences with specific New York City places and experiences such as psychoanalysis, Central Park, Times Square, The Listening Post, switch hotels, noise, and the reaction to 9/11.
He also brings in more general cultural trends like the decline of department stores and independent specialty stores in favour of chain boutiques like The Gap, Victoria's Secret, and Starbucks. He touches on the way parents get involved in their children's school activities like plays; on the exercise trends: running for men and yoga for women; and on the adult's social interaction through a game called Mafia.
I enjoyed all aspects of this book, and even though I have only visited New York and never lived there, I appreciate both its uniqueness and its similarity to other places.
Highly recommended.