THE 19th WIFE * THE CLASS * AWAY WE GO * LOITERING WITH INTENT

If you're familiar with any of the above titles, then you know why I haven't been very inspired lately! Reading has been less than so-so, and movies have been somewhat blah as well. It's a good thing TV is great this season. Curb Your Enthusiasm is at a whole new level, and the others are keeping me engaged as well. I'm reading Oprah's latest recommendation which is a collection of short stories about life in Africa, so things are looking up.
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff is a story and a history about two 19th wives. You've guessed now that this is about plural marriage and fundamental mormanism. The modern day story is a murder mystery, narrated by the son of a 19th wife. He was left by the side of the road outside his compound when he was 12 years old. The elders in charge didn't need any boys to compete for the girls. In plural marriage, it's necessary for the women to outnumber the men. Every other chapter is a history chapter, outlining the origins of mormonism and the visions that became the doctrines that encouraged plural marriage. They evolve into the story of Ann Eliza Young, 19th wife of Brigham Young, (who may have had more than 50 "wives"). I wish I had read this book before watching Big Love, because it's all so clear now. Read it or not. It's much better than Under the Banner of Heaven which I reviewed a few weeks ago.
The Class - This was a subtitled French Movie which had the best reviews of a group of DVDs that no one in the movie group had seen. It's about a middle school on the outskirts of Paris, in particular a French Class with a group of average students and a teacher who respects them. Many of them are children of immigrants who have escaped their native countries' political regimes. It's tough out there for the first generation. A good classroom drama.
Away We Go - I liked this quirky movie about a couple who are expecting a baby. They travel to different cities to decide where they want to settle down to raise their child. It's sweet and thoughtful, and their parents and friends are all very nutty and funny and deep. There are many recognizable faces giving wonderful performances. See it as a surprise to yourself. It's a treat.
Loitering With Intent by Muriel Spark - I was halfway through this book when I realized that I wasn't enjoying it, hadn't cared to read it in the mornings, and only kept reading because the author knows how to turn a phrase. It takes place in England and is about a poor but happy writer living in a bedsit after the war. She goes to work for an eccentric older man and then she writes a book fictionalizing the man and his friends who gather to write their autobiographies. I skipped to the end, and skipped through the chapters to figure out whether said older man was blackmailing the friends, but it was difficult because of the funny colorful prose. Love the title, though.