#56 - "Death Comes for the Archbishop" by Willa Cather

How quickly some books seem to go, whilst others drag out forever.  Happily, this was one of the quick ones, my 56th book from Time's list; Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather.  Sure it isn't the longest book at 297 pages, but I'm always a little weary of books from the 1920's.  I find they can be quite dated and as a result, my attention often wanes.

Jean Marie Latour is a French Bishop heading from Ohio to the newly acquired territory of New Mexico, to re-establish the Roman Catholic church in the area after years of neglect and corruption.  He lives in the area for several decades, not only helping the church but also establishing himself as an honored, respected member of the community.

Reading this book, I found myself enjoying it all the way through, as it was both well written and interesting.  However, I found myself a little confused at times, unsure of what was happening.  By the time I had reached the halfway mark it had become apparent what was going on.  Each chapter of this book was its own distinct story, unconnected to the others.  Characters I would meet at one point, would never be heard from again, almost as if the book was only a collection of short stories featuring this French Bishop, instead of a novel following his journey through this new and exotic land.

A little bit of follow-up reading shows this may be the case.  Ms. Cather said she intended the book to read like a Native American legend, duplicating the oral history so prevalent in 19th century New Mexico.  If that is the case, I must say mission accomplished.  Looking back at the book, it almost reads like a transcript from a wake, where people share their favorite stories of the deceased, but don't at any point try to chronicle his life.

It may seem that a book like this would risk being quite boring, or not really having any point.  As I recall, Del Griffith always had a series of 'amusing annecdotes' to tell, but I'd be hesitant to pick up any book he might have penned.  But I suppose through excellent writing and an interesting set of characters, the book never wanes.  It was an enjoyable read, a pleasant diversion if you will, and one that while not over the moon about, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anybody.

Notes:
With this book, Willa Cather joins several other authors who have won Pulitzer Prizes, but had a different book selected for this list.  But unlike the others, her winning-novel, One of Ours was written before 1923 and hence ineligible for inclusion.

While I never would have considered it to be a 'western' in the classic sense, others seem to, as it was named the 7th best 'Western Novel' of the 20th century by the Western Writers of America.  I suppose that means, although unintentionally, it was a fitting read for the week leading up to the Calgary Stampede.


Next up will be Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.  Chock up another one for books and authors I know nothing about.

And you're right, if there was a Del Griffith book, I'd probably be first in line to pick up a copy.  But you know what I mean!    

Your mystery, your mystery: nay, dispatch.

Before I started reading All the King's Men, I didn't really know much about it.  I knew it had won the Pulitzer Prize, I knew the movie won Best Picture, and I knew it was loosely based on Huey Long, former Governor of Louisiana.  Even someone with my limited knowleddge of the book is aware of these things, so the fact the book takes place in Louisiana isn't a mystery.  However, it seems with every page, author Robert Penn Warren is trying to avoid admitting the fact, book takes place in Louisiana.

I'm not sure why this would be the case.  There are no shortage of novels based on real people, that are not set in fictional lands.  Robert Graves did not set I, Claudius in 'a footwear-shaped country on Europe's Southern coast,' he set it in Rome.  Perhaps he thought by admitting it took place in Louisiana, he'd be admitting it was based on Huey Long.  Long would have been dead at the time of this book's publication (he was assassinated in 1935), so I don't think he would have needed to be worried in that regard.  But he tries to hide it nonetheless. 

Throughout the first two-thirds of the book, Louisiana hasn't been mentioned once.  The book's narrator, Jack Burden, attended "State University," he refers to the state's largest city simply as 'the big city' and to the State's capitol as 'the Capitol'; never mentioning either by name.  When he referred to the Governor's position, Burden has said 'he's Governor of my home state.' A more general statement, one cannot make.

I suppose it doesn't really matter, in fact I know it doesn't matter, I just find it a little odd.  So often I feel like Warren is being purposely vague, for no apparent reason.  Perhaps it just sounds odd to ears that grew up in a city crossed by two rivers in one of the ten Provinces.  Of course this is all irrelevant to the book.  It's an excellent read, and one I must get back to right now.

#36 - "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Muriel Spark

I finished my 36th book from The List, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in just over a week.  Not bad I suppose, but it's one I probably could have finished in a day or two if I had put my mind to it.  While reading Gone with the Wind, my previous book, there was a sense of duty.  I had to read so many pages each day, or I'd never reach the end.  But with this book, at a mere 171 pages, there wasn't any urgency in my reading habits.  I would sort of think to myself, 'if I don't read anything today, it's okay, as I can easily make up for it tomorrow.'  And before long, a week had passed.  I actually read the last 100 or so pages in one day.  Something I could have done a week ago.  Oh well.

I found this to be a little bit of a different read.  Spark tends to get to the point, which is probably why the book is so short.  In a way, the style reminds me a little bit of Hemingway.  Miss Jean Brodie is a teacher at a girl's school in Edinburgh, in the early 1930's.  She proclaims to be in 'her prime' and feels she can teach her students more than just the three R's.  Hand-picking six students, who go on to be known as 'the Brodie set,' she thrives on making these girls 'la creme de la creme.'  She takes the girls to many extra curricular activities, like the theatre, art shows and golfing.  Slowly, a deep bond forms between teacher and students.

But through a series of prolepsis (a new word I learned meaning flash-forward), we learn that eventually, Miss Brodie will not only be dismissed from the school, but that it was one of the girls from her set that would betray her.

My first reaction to this book upon finishing it, was admittedly, that it was nothing special.  A short little story about some girls in Scotland.  It was an alright read, but nothing more.  But the more and more I've thought about it, the more I've come to appreciate how clever the story is and how complex the characters are.  Jean Brodie herself, at first seems to be nothing more than a rather confident young teacher, with a more liberal attitude than would be expected at the time.  But as her betrayal unfolds, we realize that she is really quite 'a ridiculous woman' and perhaps not a very good teacher either.  She manipulates and exploits her students for her personal and professional gain.

The students themselves also appear to be nothing more than typical ten year old children.  But we learn about their growth and how Miss Brodie's unconventional teachings shape them as young woman.  As they become more self aware, they begin to see things a little clearer.  They slowly realize that Miss Brodie was not all she made herself out to be, and one even sets out to bring her down.  In reality, it is Miss Brodie who brings about her own betrayal, but like the loud, obnoxious person at the office, who never understands why they always eat lunch alone, Miss Brodie seems genuinely confused as to who from her set would do such a thing to her, or why they would do it.



You can read TIME's original review from January 19, 1962 here.


I have started Richard Ford's 1986 novel, The Sportswriter.  While there are a few Pulitzer Prize-winning novels from this list (9 to be exact), The Sportswriter shares a more unique distinction.  Along with John Updike's Rabbit, Run, they are both books from The List, whose sequels were awarded the Pulitzer Prize.  Updike won for both Rabbit at Rest and Rabbit is Rich, while Richard Ford won for his follow up novel, Independence Day.