The Pensive Reader by Mary Cassatt, c. 1894

Reading

The Salzburg Connection by Helen MacInness (1968)

I read this years ago and enjoyed it & it’s just as good second time around. Bill Matheson, a lawyer working for a publishing company in the USA, is sent to Austria about a supposed contract for a photography book on Austrian lakes. Richard Bryant had written to the company wanting to know when his book would be published but there was no record of a contract. Bryant had received a cheque for $300 as an advance payment for his book but the publishing company had no idea who he was. What’s more, they only published science books. This story is a good page turner written and published during the Cold War. Espionage, Nazi secrets hidden in Austrian lakes, double agents and ordinary people in the wrong place at the wrong time find themselves caught in a web of deceit and uncertainty. The Saltzburg Connection was an international best seller when it was published.

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

A gentle and moving story told from the point of view of an elderly woman looking back on her life. Hannah Coulter remembers her childhood during the Depression years, her first marriage and the loss of her husband during the Second World War. Widowed with a young child to bring up, she lives with her in-laws and later remarries Nathan Coulter, a farmer and they have two sons.

“This is the story of my life, that while I lived it weighed upon me and pressed against me and filled all my senses to overflowing and now is like a dream dreamed.”

Hannah and Nathan’s lives are indelibly linked with the land and their community. Nathan is devastated when his sons aren’t interested in farming and leave home to pursue further education.

Some find this story depressing. It’s realistic and deals with aging, suffering, loss, past memories and disappointment. It’s an older woman looking back on her life and took in the death of two husbands and the effects of a world war. Nathan had served in Okinawa during the war and Hannah knew he had hidden pain. It wasn’t something he talked about. Their children moving away from home was difficult for them, especially because they were so tied to the land. While I wouldn’t say I ”enjoyed” the story, I can say that I appreciated how it was written. It was reflective and deep. There was a phrase that was repeated throughout the story whenever hardship, disappointment or loss came into their lives…

“I’m going to live right on.”

Penhallow by Georgette Heyer (1942)

Many readers hate this book. I decided to read it when I saw a copy in our library. It isn’t one of Heyer’s better books – the characters are mostly all awful and it’s hard to sympathise with most of them. Adam Penhallow is the tyrannical head of the Penhallow family. Tyrannical, that is, if you didn’t stand up to him. He reminds me of people I’ve known that only respect those who stand up to them. The withering personality gets trampled and Penhallow’s second wife is that sort of person. Penhallow was,

“…a mountainous ruin of a man, with a hawk-nose jutting between bloated cheeks; fierce, malicious eyes staring beneath brows that were still jet-black and bushy; and an arrogant, intemperate mouth.”

Penhallow is discovered dead and his death was caused by poison. The person who thought they were doing everyone a favour by getting rid of him discovers that his death unleashes forces and outcomes that bring harm to others. I thought it was very well-written, but the ending was unresolved. If you’ve ever read Elizabeth von Arnim’s book, Vera, it had a similar abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion.

Listening

*I hop around the Podcast circuit a fair bit, listening to what piques my interest. I’m sharing some I’ve enjoyed here but I don’t always agree or endorse everything the individual podcasters present.*

Battleground – this used to concentrate on Ukraine but has branched out to include the latest conflict in Gaza. They are also doing a series on 1944: The Battle of Berlin & The Siege of Leningrad. Presented by military historians and authors Patrick Bishop and Saul David with the occasional guest. I’ve found them to be balanced, nuanced and fair-minded.

An interview with Magatte Wade, an entrepreneur, author and business leader focussed on economic development in Africa, and on correcting the various misconceptions about the state of the continent, its history, and its future potential. She is the Director of the Center for African Prosperity at Atlas Network, the leading organisation of African free-market think tanks.

A reading group I meet with a few times a year chose this interview with Jamie Winship to discuss when we next get together. This is the only podcast I’ve listened to from this space, and I liked the emphasis on God working through your everyday life or profession and thought it was very encouraging:

After a distinguished career in law enforcement, Jamie earned an MA in English, founded Identity Exchange and developed a unique method called the Identity Method. For decades he has helped bring peaceful solutions to high conflict areas. In this conversation, Jamie shares incredible insight into how the Lord has speaks to us about every area of our life through his stories of how the Lord has shown him to solve the most challenging conflict and controversy.

John Mark Comer – I listened to a couple of his podcasts at the beginning of the year. I think it was this one that I found the most helpful. They’re all pretty good.