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Outside the Red Rocker Inn, Black Mountain NC. The Four Sisters Bakery is in the same building around the back.
Showing posts with label Patti Callahan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patti Callahan. Show all posts

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Another Patti Callahan book!

 My latest read...

BERJAYA

An enjoyable audio book, which focused on two time periods intertwined throughout the book, the 1830s and the 2000s. The early dates were about a sinking of a ship going from Savannah to Baltimore, off the coast of North Carolina. The later dates were when a museum in Savannah held an exhibit of the artifacts and how that exhibit was researched by three of the main characters.

I always enjoy historic novels...and this one did not disappoint. Callahan is an author I recently discovered in her two works about C. S. Lewis and his family. I wondered how she would work with this very different subject matter.

I have no way to critique the historic aspects of the story, which all seem quite realistic for the period, while slavery was still alive in the south, but soon to be outlawed. The extreme wealth as a result of slave labor that wasn't paid was obvious in the artifacts which were found from the recent discovery of the wreck of the ship in 100 feet of water off North Carolina's coast.

Calahan had already started to research the wreck and the families of Savannah when that discovery of the wreck occurred. In her author's notes following the narrative, she mentioned how that was an extra incentive factor. Much of the book is a discussion by the various characters, modern and ancient, in the questions of fate, luck, and major life changes that happen by catastrophic events.

The question of surviving the survival was a new one to me...that not just returning to one's old life happened, but that each person had major changes, including one young man who went from being a heroic caring person to becoming a slave trader known as the Red Devil.

Today's quote:

Sometimes you can't see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others. -Ellen DeGeneres, comedian, TV host, actor, and writer (b. 26 Jan 1958)

Monday, September 5, 2022

Reading these books

 

I was glad to learn of author Patti Callahan. My first book of hers that I read was 

BERJAYA

"Once Upon a Wardrobe" was about a young woman who interviewed C. S. Lewis to find out how he thought up Narnia, as published in "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." Though it was fiction, it related many things that Lewis probably said. I listened to the audio recording of the book, and enjoyed it immensely.

So I was glad to get the second book from the library next, also audio. 

BERJAYA

"Becoming Mrs. Lewis" was a longer book, and at times I got a bit bored with the supposed romance happening, but the ending did make up for those many hours of waiting. Again it was fiction, but Callahan had real people to work with, and pointed out how a talented author who became the wife of a famous author was (like many wives of famous men) not given much mention for herself in her husband's history. The boring part for me was the thoughts of spiritual meanings of love between the characters, which seemed to be hashed over and over...with the Greek four kinds of love being set as the definition that was to be used in their lives. I wonder if that was Callahan talking, or if she had any basis for their continued discussions on those definitions...as well as the many Christian teachings and faith questions. Apparently this book came about after finding some writings of the real Joy Davidman, who became Mrs. Lewis.

Our library system just has two more of Callahan's books, and I'm waiting to check them out whenever  available.

Today's quote:

Every age is fed on illusions, lest men should renounce life early and the human race come to an end. 

-Joseph Conrad, novelist (3 Dec 1857-1924)