The Bell

The Bell by Iris Murdoch  342 pp.

I selected this off a list of books published in my birth year. I haven't read too much of Murdoch's work and I admit I had a hard time getting into this one. Technically, the heroine of sorts, is a young woman named Dora who is married to Paul, who is quite frankly, a jerk. Dora is not a particularly likable person either. Most of the action takes place at a religious lay community known as Imber Court. There is quite a mixture of people living at the estate, some there for religious reasons while others have a different purpose. There is also an abbey on the property and one of the characters is planning to become a nun there. The bell of the title refers to both the new bell that has been ordered for the abbey and the old bell of legend that sunk in the lake and was never recovered. Both bells play a part in the story. There are various conflicts going on, besides the battles between Dora and Paul. The other main conflict involves Michael's feelings about his sexuality. The book is quite outdated in its treatment of homosexuality and the role of women in society. I was underwhelmed by the entire novel.

Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant  416 pp.

In spite of the title, this book has nothing to do with Botticelli masterpiece. However, it is a book about art and artists. Alessandra Cecchi is a headstrong teenager in 15th century Florence. Her wealthy merchant father brings a reclusive artist into the household to paint frescoes in the family chapel. Alessandra is an aspiring artist who desperately wants the young painter to teach her more than just art. Meanwhile, Florence is undergoing big changes with the death of Lorenzo de Medici and the increasing popularity of the fanatical monk, Savonarola. Alessandra agrees to an arranged married with an older man when she learns that he will not deny her books, education , and her painting. However, she sacrifices the hope of married love with Christoforo when she learns he loves another and has married only to protect himself by producing an heir. The fear of Savonarola's torture and his Bonfire of the Vanities alters their lives. The ending to the story contains a twist and is a bit disappointing. The story is intriguing but not as well done as the author's previous novel "In the Company of the Courtesan."

The Color of Heaven

The Color of Heaven by Kim Dong Hwa  320 pp.

This is book three in Kim's Color Trilogy. Ehwa is now 17 and lovesick over her young man, Duksam's departure at the end of the second book. Ehwa and her mother are spending their days waiting for the men in their lives to return. In the mean time, Ehwa's precocious best friend, Bongsoon, introduces her innocent friend to the facts of life. The arrival of both the traveling painter, and a young man carrying a message from Duksam lightens the women's moods. Eventually the first snow brings the arrival of Duksam who asks for Ehwa's hand in marriage. The hold a traditional Korean wedding with explanations of some of the more unusual traditions. Ehwa and Duksam leave to travel to their new home on his parent's farm. Ehwa's mother is left to ponder her new life as a woman alone when the painter returns and decides to give up his travels to stay with her. The arrival of the young lovers sparks a humorously renewed interest in romance between Duksam's parents as the young lovers are finally able to consummate their love.

The Color of Water

The Color of Water by Kim Dong Hwa  318 pp.

This is the second book in Kim's "color trilogy." In the first book we are introduced to Ehwa and her beautiful and wise mother. In this volume Ehwa is growing into a young woman. She has moved beyond her girlhood crushes on a young Buddhist monk and the orchard owner's son. A humorous, chance meeting with Duksam, a new young man in the area starts Ehwa on first experience with true love. While this is going on, her mother continues her relationship with the traveling painter and counsels her daughter on the ways of life and love. The young lovers experience heartbreak when Duksam's elderly master connives to buy Ehwa to be his own wife. The young lovers part in the end leaving the story open for the third book.

The Color of Earth

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa  319 pp.

I decided to read this book after reading this article from the CBLDF (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund). I wanted to find out what the fuss was about. I'm glad I did. This is a beautifully crafted graphic novel by a Korean author. It is the story of a girl's maturing and sexual awakening and her relationship with her widowed mother who finds love again in a traveling artist whose infrequent visits change their lives. Love is symbolized by different flowers that are featured in the story: gourd flowers for the mother's love of the artist, tiger lilies and hollyhocks for the girl's love for a young monk and the orchard owner's son. The topic of the girl's sexual maturation is handled with surprising gentleness, sensitivity, and honesty by the male author. The story is continued in two more books in the series.

The Technologists

The Technologists by Matthew Pearl  496 pp.

This is a combination historical fiction, thriller, and science geek novel. In 1868 the fledgling Massachusetts Institute of Technology is struggling to survive against those who want to see it shut down. The opposition includes many professors and students at Harvard who believe a "classical" education is the only "proper" college education and that one based on science and technology is not worthy of the name college. Others who oppose MIT are the unions who fear scientific innovations will take away their jobs, the upper class who resent the fact that working class charity students and a (gasp!) woman are allowed to attend the school, and those who fear science and technology as evil. This conflict takes a bit of a back seat to the more serious problem of who or what is causing odd disasters in Boston. First the compasses on all the vessels in Boston Harbor go haywire causing mass destruction as they crash into each other and the piers in the fog. Then, in the business district the truly strange occurs when all the glass in the buildings suddenly turns to liquid and oozes out of the windows causing injury and death to those engulfed by the molten silicon. A small group of MIT students dub themselves "The Technologists" and set about to solve the mystery and put a stop to the person causing the disasters. In the mean time, the police have consulted an anti-MIT Harvard professor named Agassiz to assist in their investigation. Agassiz would love nothing better than to wipe MIT off the map. What could have been a fast moving, nail biter gets bogged down in the back stories of the characters, the repeated battle of the classes and sexes, and unnecessary details. Pearl took a great idea and wrote it to death. 

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly  340 pp.

In 1899 Calpurnia Tate is not the least bit interested in learning all the "womanly" skills her mother thinks she should. She would much rather be exploring along the river with her naturalist, grandfather, learning about the local plants and animals and discovering that there is a whole world in a drop of water when you look at it through a microscope. Grandfather is a curmudgeonly old guy and the rest of the kids in the family are a bit afraid of him. Calpurnia is fascinated by the fact that he was a founding member of the National Geographic Society and once corresponded with Charles Darwin. When they discover what could be a new species of vetch, they send photos to the Smithsonian for verification. The long wait for an answer seems interminable. Mother, however, pulls Calpurnia from her wild rambles to inflict such tortures as piano lessons, knitting socks, and cooking lessons on the budding scientist. Since she is the only girl in a family full of boys, she is also being groomed for her future coming out into society in preparation for finding a husbund, a prospect that horrifies Calpurnia. This is an enjoyable look at a simpler time that wasn't all that simple.