Author Archive
I’ve written once before about giving myself permission not to finish a book. I usually make the decision within the first 50 pages. I just stopped after 360 pages of Eleanor Catton’s 830 page tome, The Luminaries. The strange thing is, I will probably finish. Someday. Not now though; I have too many other books on my nightstand, and the library copy I’m reading is already overdue.
I can’t say it took me more than 300 pages to get into the 2013 Man Booker Prize winner, but it was no easy trek to make it that far, which is not even halfway.
The tale begins in January 1866 when Walter Moody arrives in a New Zealand mining town seeking his fortune. His first night in town finds him among 12 men ready to discuss a series of events to which they are all directly or tenuously connected. Catton pays meticulous attention to detail. Each character is exhaustively described from appearances, mannerisms, likes, dislikes, self-perceptions and reputation. Moody and company aren’t the novel’s only characters: a few women of mystery and ill-repute and several men who have either died or gone missing are also fastidiously introduced. Yet.
The relationships through business, friendship and happenstance actually do make for an interesting story. Hidden gold, lost fortunes, prejudices and the association of the characters is a maze. while easy to follow from one possible explanation only to be thwarted by another, is eventually, and finally, enthralling. I just hate to have library fines.
The Luminaries
Undecided on Bookmarks
Little, Brown and Co., 2013
360 pages of 830
A bistro is most often associated with Europe. It’s typically a small, neighborhood eatery emphasizing good food in a casual atmosphere. Except for the first part of the definition, Union An American Bistro in Castle Rock fits the bill, but the effort is strained – and it’s difficult to explain why. The service is great, the menu vast, and the beautiful wood floors and brick walls create a contemporary, albeit noisy, ambiance. Yet, Union lacks a sense of natural ease with itself. Maybe it’s the menu.
There’s Thai, Mexican, Italian; there’s blackened, sticky, grilled, roasted; there’s flatbread, salads, sandwiches, entrees. And, there’s too much cleverness: salmon tots, poke tuna nachos, jalapeno bratwurst burger. In the end, the more traditional fare is what we found appealing: a Bacon Cheeseburger, the Cobb Blackened Chicken Salad, Chicken Salad Club Sandwich and Salmon with Risotto.
Again, the service was exemplary: attentive and no trace of judgment in our request for substitutions or alterations to our decisions. Further, we never felt rushed to order or to eat even though there was a wait for tables.
The flakey salmon was the perfect vehicle for the velvety dill sauce augmented by fresh ground pepper. The risotto was creamy and the bits of smoked applewood bacon provide texture – and, well, you can’t go wrong with bacon.
I usually drive past Castle Rock to or from Denver. Although I may not return to Union, it made me realize the town offers more than the fast food places visible from the interstate.
Union An American Bistro
Three plates
3 Wilcox St.
Castle Rock, CO
It may not be quite fair to draw attention to the Manitou Brewing Co.’s limited food menu: only six items. However, neither would it be quite right to dismiss the dishes altogether. In its defense, MBC is focusing on the brew part of its name; four beers are brewed on site and a dozen others are “guest beers.” In fact, more extensive food offerings should be available in early April.
MBC has been open since early March after months of preparation. The décor features corrugated tin ceilings, seat backs made from old barrels, and trim work from Waldo Canyon Fire-burned trees. Midday early in the week the place is ghost-like, but it’s unlikely to stay that way for long.
The five sandwiches and Hummus of the Day skillfully reflect the kitchen’s potential. The Bacon Brisket Sandwich is a festival of flavors. Anything with bacon is bound to be a winner, but add caramelized onions and it’s the jackpot. The addition of cheese is interesting and perhaps unnecessary. The brisket itself was not as tender as what’s found in true barbecue joints, but it was possible to overlook thanks to the vinegary zest of the house beer BBQ sauce.
Caramelized onions and mushrooms ruled the Mushroom, Onion and Swiss Panini. This was essentially a grilled cheese sandwich elevated far beyond its lunch standard status.
The menu states that the limited items may change or even disappear as new plates emerge. If anyone from MBC is reading: please keep what you have!
Manitou Brewing Co.
Four Plates
725 Manitou Ave.
Manitou Springs, CO
Child 44 begins in such a predictable manner, with a vignette from the past, it belies the true suspense of Tom Rob Smith’s novel. However, as the tale unfolds each twist and turn is a complete surprise.
In Stalin-era Russia, Leo Demidov is with the State Security Force. In the midst of investigating a possible traitor, he’s ordered to address the death of a colleague’s young son. The family is convinced the boy was murdered but as Leo notes, “If left unchecked, the groundless chatter about murder could grow like a weed, spreading through the community … making them question one of the fundamental pillars of their new society: there is no crime.” The family’s concerns are dismissed.
Although he’s guilty of cold-heartedly dealing with those who denounce Mother Russia through actual or perceived actions, Leo has a soft side. Smith establishes a tangible fear and mistrust that permeate the Russian culture. Leo has kicked in more than his share of doors and had citizens banished, or worse, but the tide changes and he becomes a hapless victim when he refuses to condemn his wife, Raisa.
Consequently, Leo is assigned menial tasks with small town police force, but a girl’s murder captures his attention by its similarity to the death he had previously scorned. Thus begins a secret investigation, cross-country pursuit, and unraveling of long-held secrets.
This is a rapid-heart rate page turner. However, one fault lies in Leo’s nemesis: Vasili, a one-dimensional character in an otherwise realistic, albeit frightening, world.
Child 44
Four and a half Bookmarks
Grand Central Publishing, 2008
436 pages
The menu at McGinty’s Wood Oven Pub identifies the restaurant as “A Touch of Ireland in Colorado!” This is no delicate light-handed touch, though. It’s as if every day was meant to celebrate St. Paddy. The odd thing is that it works.
Nearly every menu item is a spin on something Irish: from appetizers heavy on cheese, the color green and stout to the entrees, including the pizzas, also known as “Patty Cakes.” But first, back to the appetizers. We ordered the Brick Oven Brie served warm, but not gooey, so it spread easily over pieces of flatbread, slices of pears and apple. The star of the plate was the fig jam which complemented the smooth, creamy brie. We were amused, but not tempted, by the Hun Lee O’Connor: egg rolls filled with corned beef and cabbage.
Since it was lunch I didn’t want anything very heavy, the Fields of Anthenry Salad seemed a nice fit. The large plate of field greens was difficult to eat; and maybe having a second dish with brie was not the best choice, but the honey mustard vinaigrette provided a nice zip. The salad was an impressive combination of flavors and textures.
The menu also features an array of sandwiches, several soups, the aforementioned pizza, as well as pizza pot pies.
Although we weren’t there on St. Patrick’s Day, it was close enough so we ordered Guinness with Chambord. The combination, while sublime, transported us, but not necessarily to the Emerald Isle.
McGinty’s Wood Oven Pub
Three-and-a-half Plates
11115 W. Highway 24
Divide, CO
Bread & Butter is bound to appeal to foodies. Author Michelle Wildgen combines her talents as a writer with her past restaurant experience to tell the story of three brothers with two competing eateries in their hometown.
Leo and Britt have been running Winesap, their fashionable restaurant for more than a decade. When their younger brother, Harry, returns home they find it difficult to be enthusiastic about his plans to open another upscale establishment in a weak economy. Yet, it’s not just the competition that has the older two apprehensive. Harry has bounced around from educational pursuits to various jobs in the years since he’s been gone. Leo and Britt are certain Harry lacks the stamina, knowledge and commitment to run a successful business. They see him as a neophyte, and Harry, who wants their support, is driven to prove them wrong.
Wildgen has created likeable, sometimes exasperating, characters whose voices and situations ring true. Eventually, Britt signs on as Harry’s partner while maintaining his front-of-house role at Winesap. Tensions mount as expectations, many unfounded, lead to several surprises when Harry’s place opens for business.
Descriptions of food, prepping for dinner service and the relationships among the employees (and owners) are vivid and realistic.
Ultimately, the siblings have credible culinary chops; they also have difficulty relinquishing family issues precipitated by birth order. This tends to bog things down a bit. Wildgen emphasizes that sometimes family members are often seen as what we want them to be, rather than who they truly are.
Bread & Butter
Three-and-a-half Bookmarks
Doubleday, 2014
314 pages
As I stood in line reading the menu boards, I couldn’t help asking myself why I’d never visited Smiley’s Bakery and Café before. While enjoying my breakfast, that question re-surfaced. In the past few weeks several friends have mentioned Smiley’s; up ’til then it wasn’t on my radar. I understand why some may have been keeping it a secret but am grateful I know about it now.
Although the menu features traditional breakfast fare such pancakes, eggs, French toast, and freshly-baked goods, it doesn’t stop there. Specials include Shrimp and Sausage Grits, Buttermilk Biscuits with Gravy, and Crawfish and Andoulle Sausage Etoufee. Even the standard items get special attention. Consider Spinach Walnut Pesto with Scrambled Eggs or the Cajun Crabcake Omelette, which evoked effusive – and loud – praise from the man at the next table.
Several items caught my eye, but I couldn’t resist the Sweet Potato Pancakes. I ordered a single because most plate-size cakes are more than I can eat in one sitting. Smiley’s pancake was certainly filling, and I would have been sorely tempted to eat more thanks to the flavor depth of the sweet potato with its whisper of nutmeg. A side of bacon created the right balance of sweet with savory. The homefries on my husband’s plate were inconsistently cooked: some crunchy with no soft middle and some perfectly executed. His was otherwise satisfied with his meal of eggs and sausage.
While I have no excuse for the past, I plan on returning to Smiley’s to make up for missed meals.
Smiley’s Bakery and Café
Four+ Plates
323 N. Tejon St.
Colorado Springs, CO
A Doctor’s Journey by Lois Gayle Chance, in collaboration with Anna Kowal, is the true story of Alexander Kowal’s arduous trek from farm boy to physician during World Wars I and II. The book is subtitled From Czarist Russia to Communist Poland.
This independently published work incorporates Alexander’s written accounts, family memories, and, as the author notes in her preface, “the imagination of the writer.” The result is an engaging account of a remarkable man in a historic period. With a few missteps here and there, it, nonetheless, deserves praise for Chance’s ability to set credible scenes and smooth dialogue (which is where, she admits, she took creative license).
The story begins in 1907 when Alexander’s aspirations of becoming a teacher are thwarted; as the oldest son he’s destined to inherit the family land, which has been handed down for generations. Nonetheless, a teacher encourages him apply to become a doctor, and Alexander is awarded a scholarship to study medicine. After ultimately receiving his father’s blessing, Alexander begins his journey.
Chance is weakest in her repeated foreshadowing of the obvious. She writes, “Once home, his family gathered around and he showed them this precious possession, his medical diploma. He never dreamed that nearly a century later it would be cherished by a daughter who hung it proudly in her office …” Of course not! Who can, let alone would, imagine such things?
Alexander’s story, driven by his determination, is filled with aspects of ordinary life, except it occurs in an extraordinary era.
A Doctor’s Journey
Three Bookmarks
Outskirts Press, 2013
271 pages
Part Harry Potter, part Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman compels the reader’s imagination to relinquish, among other things, fear of the unknown. It’s worth the little effort needed to suspend belief, but Gaiman makes it very easy through his sensitive story telling that mixes memories, nightmares, and hope into one gripping tale.
The story begins as the narrator returns to his hometown for a funeral. He recalls how 40+ years earlier as a shy, reclusive seven-year-old he is befriended by Lettie Hempstock, who lives with her mother and grandmother. The boy has no friends, but Lettie, who is four years his senior, draws him out of himself. It’s Lettie who believes the pond on her family farm is an ocean.
At the same time, a nanny, Ursula Monkton, arrives in the boy’s home. It will come as no surprise that Ursula isn’t what she appears to be. In fact, she appears as many things. Lettie becomes a protector who in the process of caring for her young charge takes on numerous risks – dangers the young boy would never face on his own, but who willingly approaches them with Lettie.
Gaiman blends magic, mystery and the passage of time into a single cauldron where dreams, recollections and reality are hard to distinguish. The now-grown man finds himself at the Hempstock farm with whom he initially believes is Lettie’s mother since it’s unlikely, in his mind, that Grannie Hempstock is still alive. Yet.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Four Bookmarks
William Morrow, 2013
181 pages
It should come as no surprise from the title of Hannah Kent’s debut novel, Burial Rites, that death plays a major role since it overshadows the entire plot. It is also obvious from the onset who will die and why. What is less clear is the unexpected empathy that develops for the condemned.
Kent creates an unlikely protagonist in Agnes Magnusdottir, charged with the brutal murder of her former lover. While awaiting her execution, Agnes is sent to live with a farmer’s family apprehensive of have a murderess in their home. Like the harsh, cold Icelandic setting in which the story occurs, warmth toward to Agnes is slow to kindle.
The beauty of Kent’s writing lies in her ability to develop an emotional response in readers in much the same way the host family members relinquish their reluctance, revulsion and fear of having Agnes in their midst. The transformation is hard won.
Told in part from Agnes’s perspective, a few official letters, and an omniscient narrator, each character is skillfully portrayed through personality quirks, physical descriptions, and overt reactions. It’s easy to envision the pompous, narrow-minded District Commissioner who inflicts his will. Kent is equally successful in developing Toti, the young assistant reverend Agnes has requested as her spiritual advisor. This uncertain young man, and his faith, evolves as Agnes grows more comfortable sharing details of her life.
The novel, a fictional account of actual events, demonstrates hardened hearts can be softened by honesty, profound interaction, and a good storyteller.
Burial Rites
Four-and-half Bookmarks
Little, Brown and Company, 2013
322 pages
