Author Archive
I’m very close to my mother, so I’m usually drawn to novels with strong, happy mother/daughter relationships. Carolyn Wall’s Sweeping Up Glass doesn’t fit this description, at least not the happy part. Nonetheless, this is an engaging, albeit flawed, story about family, community and racism in rural Kentucky.
Narrator Olivia Harker Cross has lived in Pope County all her life. She recounts her seemingly-idyllic childhood where her best friends are Pap, her beloved father, and Love Alice, a child-bride of color. Olivia’s mother is in a mental hospital for much of Olivia’s early life. But, tranquil accounts can get boring, which is why Wall provides conflict just when things seem to be just a little too blissful.
Ida, Olivia’s mother, returns home from the mental institute and life for the young girl loses much of its carefree charm. This single event slowly instigates an avalanche of challenges. Mother and daughter have a hellish relationship that continues into Olivia’s adulthood.
The narrative moves from Olivia’s youth to her life as a grown woman, left to care for the mother she despises and for Will’m, the grandson she cherishes. The poverty Wall describes is tangible, as is the harsh winter weather. Less, this sound completely joyless, be assured there are moments of hope and happiness. There are also vivid images of hatred and bigotry. These play against a long-held secret that once revealed shatters everything Olivia thought she knew about herself and those she loves. The problem is that all the pieces don’t quite fit.
The few missteps raise questions that trip up an otherwise compelling tale.
Sweeping Up Glass
Almost Four Bookmarks
Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2009
319 pages
A physics background isn’t necessary to appreciate Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman. This terse, yet philosophical, novel offers poetic vignettes, the dreams, based on what Albert Einstein might have wrestled with in his subconscious while developing his theory of relativity.
Each dream examines an altered way of experiencing time. Some are nightmarish, some sweet, others poignant, but all are interesting possibilities that, perhaps, other people have also considered, but never articulated. For example, time standing still, literally; or the opportunity to replay time for different outcomes. A variety of perspectives toward time also fill the dreams: parents who have lost children, lovers who grow apart, a baker who grows weary of extending credit. These are fleeting moments that haunt Einstein in his waking hours.
The dreams are offset by several “interludes” in which Einstein is awake. He meets with a colleague, seemingly his only friend, from the Swiss patent office. Although there’s a sense that Einstein wants to share his dreams, he always holds back. What is most obvious in the conscious interims is Einstein’s unhappiness. He feels a sense of drowning in his job and marriage. His desire to understand time buoys him.
Lightman’s writing is imaginative yet concise. It’s easy to imagine the vivid dreams with specific street names and recurring characters. From the very first dream, which begins “Suppose time is a circle, bending back on itself. The world repeats itself, precisely, endlessly,” it’s clear the author will explore the rhythms, pain and joy that comprise life.
Einstein’s Dreams
Four Bookmarks
Vintage Contemporaries, 1993
140 pages
It’s always a good idea to wait (at least) a few weeks after a new restaurant opens to give it some time to iron out any wrinkles. I knew that Gertrude’s in Old Colorado City had closed and was going to be reincarnated as something else, but had no idea of the time frame. It turns out we wandered into Alchemy, formerly known as Gertrude’s, on its first night of business.
All that remains of the former occupant are a few wooden booths and memories. Alchemy represents a new direction: an upscale pub. The interior has been completely redone, literally right down to the brick beneath some lathe. The rumples included a slow kitchen and tentative, although friendly, servers. It was easy enough to respond gracefully; after all, it was opening night.
My husband is a Fish and Chips fan; me not so much. I decided on the Osso Bucco. I just didn’t expect it to take so long to arrive at our table – especially since once it did carrots and celery were al dente while the pork (yes pork not veal) was fork tender. Even with the missteps of crunchy vegies, the depth of flavor was augmented by a basil gremolata. Typically, parsley is the only herb, but the licorice-like hints in the basil were a nice variation. It was all served atop quinoa. The variations demonstrate confident and creative, albeit lengthy, execution by the staff.
The introduction occurred sooner than desired, but overall left a favorable first impression.
Alchemy
Four Plates
2625 W. Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Zink Kitchen+Bar is a well-kept secret. After all, who’d think to look in a Doubletree Hotel for an eclectic restaurant with a bold menu, good service and quality food? Half a dozen small plates are offered, any combination of which would make a complete meal. Our group opted for All Things Bacon as a starter. It was more than bacon, but somehow All Things Pork or even All Things Porcine doesn’t have the same ring. This indulgent plate successfully combined pork belly, maple bacon, pancetta and polenta in a mustard and dried fruit sauce.
Our server recommended the entrée items from the Wood Stone Oven: BBQ Pork Mac ‘n Cheese, Smoked Chicken Enchiladas, Vietnamese Chicken Clay Pot and Artisan Flatbread Pizza topped with sausage and red pepper. It was a culinary version of the U.N.
The Mac ‘n Cheese was thick, rich and creamy. The tangy barbecue-sauced ribs provided much needed balance. The enchiladas featured a white sauce augmented with Hatch green chile. It had a trace of a kick which allowed the chicken filling to take center stage. The sweet corn relish was a nice addition, but the side salad was superfluous. My Vietnamese Chicken wasn’t really in a clay pot. Still, it was quite good: an Asian version of chicken soup thick with Shitake mushrooms, bok choy, crispy pieces of chicken and Jasmine rice.
Zink taught me a lesson about good restaurants hiding near hotel lobbies. I won’t be so dismissive of them in the future.
Zink Kitchen+Bar Four Plates
Doubletree Denver Tech
7801 E. Orchard Rd.
Greenwood Village, Colo.
The more I read Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs, the more I wondered if it’s been a BBC or Masterpiece Theatre series. It’s familiar in the same way as Downton Abbey and Miss Marple: easy-to-like characters, strong spirit of place and impeccable English sensibilities.
A friend recommended Maisie Dobbs several months ago. I am thrilled that, unlike past initial encounters with mystery (in this case mystery-lite) writers, I was steered to the first in the series. Winspear’s Maisie is an exceptionally intelligent, caring young woman. Although I am sure subsequent books will provide the necessary backstory, I enjoyed meeting Maisie in the inaugural. Maisie is a private investigator in post-war London. Thanks to a benefactor, a mentor and her own gifts of curiosity and intellect, Maisie is given the opportunity to leave a life of service and pursue her education. She is out of her league on the social ladder, but is several rungs higher than most others she encounters in areas that truly matter.
Winspear begins with a small case for Maisie to investigate, which leads to a much larger issue that has the potential to impact her benefactor. Yes, it’s a fluke, but, as the author writes, “Coincidence was a messenger sent by truth.”
The distinction between classes, as indicated through the use of cockney dialect, is distracting. Winspear could easily rely on her descriptive talents to show the differences. Nonetheless, I look forward to the next adventure of Maisie Dobbs – and looking for it as a masterpiece classic.
Maisie Dobbs
Four Bookmarks
Soho Press, 2003
292 pages
Jorge’s Old Colorado City restaurant is like a younger sibling tentatively venturing out on his own while relying on the family name. The results are mixed. For years, Jorge’s Sombrero and Jorge’s Mercado have been mainstays in Pueblo for Mexican food. My dining companion, a longtime fan of the Pueblo restaurants, was pleased with upstart in Colorado Springs. I was less impressed.
When Jorge’s opened a few years ago in the old Henri’s location, it was hard to find anyone who had anything positive to say. After undergoing several months of renovation, it seemed as if the new restaurant was on track; I was ready to check it out. Perhaps if I’d had a margarita or two, I’d have enjoyed my meal more.
The menu is pretty standard: enchiladas, tacos, burritos. One especially nice feature is the ability to specify quantity. I ordered two cheese enchiladas with green sauce. The sauce was thick with chunks of pork and green chile. Unfortunately, the cheese was a solidified glob inside corn tortillas. Melted cheese should pull away like threads not bubble gum. The Avocado and Pork Burritos in green sauce were very good, just missing my benchmark: those made at El Taco Rey.
Service was slow, even on a quiet weekday. The dining rooms are dark, but the most dismal aspect was the fact that chips and salsa are not complimentary. If this is part of Jorge’s family lore, it may be time to establish some new traditions in Old Colorado City.
(Barely) Three Plates
2427 W. Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, Colo
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward is one of those books that once it comes in the front door, makes itself right at home. At first, I was reluctant to let it in. The cover isn’t intriguing and I don’t always appreciate the same books as the friend who recommended this one. Ward’s book, however, is a winning guest. Literally: it’s the 2011 National Book Award Winner.
Fifteen-year-old Esch, her three brothers and frequently-drunk father live in rural coastal Mississippi. The story follows the 12 days leading up to, and including, Hurricane Katrina’s arrival. Despite what appears to be laissez faire parenting, Esch’s father is increasingly concerned about a possible powerful storm making land. In between drinking binges, he tries to ready the family’s ramshackle home.
Told from Esch’s point of view, Ward has crafted a beautifully poetic, heartbreaking story of family love, loyalty and misdirected affection. Esch is an intelligent young woman, but she lives without benefit of another woman’s perspective; her mother died seven years earlier. The only other female around is her brother Skeetah’s pit bull, China.
The impending hurricane and Skeetah’s concern for China are told as parallel accounts. China, bred for fighting, has just given birth to her first litter. Despite their father’s appeals for help to make the house secure, the kids go about their lives as usual: basketball, swimming and hanging out with friends. Even without the storm’s threat, it becomes quickly evident that all is not as carefree as it appears.
Salvage the Bones
Four Bookmarks
Bloomsbury, 2011
258 pages
It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes there is nothing I want more than a good burger. One pink in the middle and so juicy I have to wipe my mouth after every bite. I’d heard that hamburgers at Larkburger were cooked to order, but I wasn’t sure about the messiness potential. I needn’t have worried.
Made with 100 percent all natural Black Angus beef, the burgers come in two sizes: the Little Lark, which is slightly larger than a slider, and the 1/3 pound Larkburger. Lettuce, tomato and red onion are standard; other toppings include bacon and three cheese options.
No burger joint is worth its salt without fries. Of course, Larkburger serves French fries, but it also offers what can only be described as a gourmet variation. Truffle and Parmesan Fries, fried in truffle oil and dusted with Parmesan cheese and parsley, are even better than they sound. They’re downright addictive.
The menu provides plenty of variety including a vegetarian sandwich, BLT and Turkey Burger, among others. Three salads are also available.
One thing that caught my eye was The Five Dollar Shake; that’s not just how much it costs, but also what it’s called. I couldn’t bring myself to indulge this time, but such forthrightness suggests it might just worth the five bucks. Prices are on the high side, but quality does come at a cost, as does supporting a company’s efforts to be green.
My Little Lark was a three-napkin burger: every bite was a dripping mess.
Larkburger
Four Plates
1904 Southgate Road
Colorado Springs, Colo.
http://larkburger.com/
The Redbreast is the third of the Harry Hole series by Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo. It’s also the fifth one I’ve read. Clearly, I haven’t read them in order. Initially, it was difficult to find translations of Nesbo’s books, so I savored them as I found them. He is apparently so in vogue now, that all ten, including a newly released novel, are readily available. At this point, I don’t mind the leap frogging. Nesbo has always provided enough backstory that I never felt I missed anything. However, what’s particularly appealing about The Redbreast is the introduction of the love of his life: Rakel, and her son, Oleg. Both figure significantly in the later books. But I’m jumping ahead of myself, literally.
Unlike others in the Hole series, The Redbreast is slow to build momentum. Initially, it was like being a passenger on a local train, with lots of stops, before finally getting on the express.
Nesbo’s story travels effortlessly between modern-day Oslo and World War II. The latter sets the stage for the underlying threat of neo-Nazism, which becomes the focus of an investigation Hole pursues. His efforts to discover how, and why, a rare sniper rifle was brought into the country lead him to several men who were Nazi sympathizers during the war.
Several parallel love stories emerge, as does a particularly sad one about friendship. All demonstrate Nesbo’s ability to evoke emotion while wanting to make sure all the doors in the house are securely locked.
The Redbreast
Four Bookmarks
Harper, 2000
520 pages
On Oct. 31, La Creperie will officially end its 35-year reign as the crepe queen of downtown Colorado Springs. Although, I suspect the crown has been slipping a bit in recent years. A friend asked that we celebrate his birthday with lunch at the bistro. We both admitted that it had been years since either of us had dined there. We’d had no official falling out, nor could we explain why we’d allowed so much time to elapse between meals there. It made sense to enjoy a swan song repast before La Creperie’s doors closed for good. 
I would have fared better to have let the restaurant fade away in my memory. My recollections overshadowed the quality of the food served, so I was disappointed. The highlight of the meal was the Gratin De Pommes De Terre. The tender slices of potatoes were decadently rich thanks to béchamel sauce and cheese in which they were baked. I had to exercise extreme self-control not to eat the entire serving on my friend’s plate. 
The chicken with mushrooms and almonds crepe was topped with Hollandaise sauce. The filling, when mixed with the sauce, was satisfactory, but not exceptional. The real disappointment was the crepe itself, which was dense and bland. I picked my way through the filling leaving a shambles of the crepe’s former identity on my plate. My companion did the same. I’m opting not to rate the meal since La Creperie will only be open a few weeks longer.
La Creperie
204 N. Tejon St. Colorado Springs, CO
