BUTTERFLY'S CHILD * BIUTIFUL

Butterfly's Child by Angela Davis-Gardner - This is the story of what happened to the players in the story M. Butterfly, after the geisha, Butterfly, kills herself at the end of the story. She leaves a letter asking the boy's American father and the father's new wife to take the little boy and give him a good life in America. The boy, Benji, is brought to a farm in Illinois, and raised as an American, but he harbors a dream to return to Japan to find his mother's family. I loved this book. It's wonderfully written, and is a good snapshot of a time and place in middle America at the turn of the 20th century. I've loved the newer fiction written about the old far east, and this story spins around that genre. Rather than a female character in the small world of the geisha house, we've got a male character in the larger world of America and it works beautifully. At the end of the book, I recognized the name of a friend, also a noted author, Christina Askounis in the author credits, and realized that it was Christina's recommendation (ages ago on her Facebook page) to read Butterfly's Child. Thank you Christina, and thank you Angela, for writing a story in which a reader can lose herself. Those are the very best ones.

Biutiful - I wasn't sure what to expect with Biutiful, since I'd skimmed the reviews ages ago, and saw that it was highly praised and recommended. I thought I was getting something if not cheerful, then at least bright, but instead, there is much darkness in this story. It's about a guy living on the fringes in Barcelona. Javier Bardem is an amazing actor, and he plays a man who has a great need to save people. He's a complicated person with a complicated life, all the more so because he's trying to hold together other complicated lives as well. Although the story is about Uxbal, there are many other stories going on at the same time. I didn't like it at first, but as the stories developed and I became comfortable with the characters, it grew on me to the point where I'm going to read more about it today.

COME TO THE EDGE * AMERICAN GIRL * MANHATTAN, WHEN I WAS YOUNG

Come To The Edge by Christina Haag - Christina was John F. Kennedy's girlfriend for 5 years when they were in their 20s. She writes about their relationship, and gives an insight to what he was like (adventuresome, physical, happy, confident, loving, thoughtful) and how they got along. She was accepted by his family, having gone to school with him for years, and there must be something open and sweet about her that comes through when you know her. She's an actress, and she shields her reader from other personal information about herself, which makes this an interesting read on a whole other level.

American Girl by Mary Cantwell - When I was reading Glamour and Mademoiselle magazines in my mid teens to mid twenties, I'd read a column in Mademoiselle by Mary Cantwell, who would write about food and thoughts, and usually include a recipe. I didn't know anything about her, just that her writing appealed to me. Then recently, while reading What Remains, Carole Radziwill mentioned that there was a wonderful book called Manhattan, When I was Young by Mary Cantwell. A library search revealed that Mary Cantwell had written 4 books, 3 of them memoirs. American Girl is the first of those memoirs, about her life growing up in a close-knit quirky family in Bristol, Rhode Island. Her family, the town, the shops, the churches, the harbor, her house, her friends, the roads, her schools...all made an impression on Mary Lee, and those memories, constantly swirling around in her head, made her herself. Since I am so much like this, I got it, and loved it, and have the other three books ready to go.

Manhattan, When I Was Young by Mary Cantwell - Mary's father died when she was 20. He had been a great presence in her life, a rock, and someone from whom she'd take guidance. Then she met the man who was to be her husband, and he willingly took over the role. They graduated from college, married, got jobs in the city, and moved to Greenwich Village. Mary writes a lot about what it was like to work at Mademoiselle in the 1950s and 60s, and what it was like to be a young working wife and mother. Somehow, as honest as she is, there is still something missing, more details that I want to know about what it was like then. Mary lets you wonder, because she is so open, and you know that if you asked her, she'd tell you. There is just so much to know!

THE KING'S SPEECH

The King's Speech - I don't know who doesn't know the story of The King's Speech, but in case you don't, here is the synopsis from The King's Speech website:

"After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle."

I enjoyed the movie and all the performances. It's a true story, and a good one, and it's fun to realize that one of the little princesses in the movie grew up to be Queen Elizabeth. Also interesting is to have the story of Edward and Wallace as secondary to the subject of how Bertie managed to become kingly. Colin Firth plays the squares so well, but we really like Bertie, and we cannot help but like his teacher, Logue. Once one knows the story, the only thing that remains is to enjoy the nuances that were not part of the hype.

WHAT REMAINS

What Remains by Carole Radziwill - Carole was married to Anthony Radziwill, and this memoir is about their brief life together. Anthony was a close cousin to John F. Kennedy, Jr., and Carole was best friends with John's wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Their story features in this book, which is written with a straightforward honesty that is blunt, yet caring. Although Carole's writing is thoughtful, she doesn't give too much away. She has accomplished this book and the telling of her story while retaining a great deal of privacy for most of the people about whom she writes. I respect that, and there isn't anything more I'd want or need to know. It's all enough, and it's the type of story you only want to read once....it's a fairy tale and it's about what was, and for Carole, what remains.

THE KITCHEN HOUSE

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grisson -The kitchen house was a separate building on grounds of a southern plantation, set far enough away so that if there was a fire in the kitchen, it wouldn't reach the big house. In this story, the kitchen house is the center of the lives of Belle and Lavinia, who narrate the novel. This is the best book I've read in years, and as I finished it this morning, I turned back to the beginning and started to read it again! Then I went back to the end and read the final chapters with reverence and appreciation for where Kathleen Grisson had taken me these past few days. I never never wanted this book to end. And to that end, I hope that the author will give us at least one more installation of this story in a future book. If it is written with even half the heart and beauty of The Kitchen House, I will be a most happy reader. I recommend this book with all my heart.

ROOM

Room by Emma Donoghue - This is one of those books you want to read in one go. It's a very different story, and without giving it away, I'll say that it's about a young woman and her son who live in Room. The boy tells the story, and it's very visceral as well as very visual. Once you've gotten into it a bit, go online to the Room website, where you'll see Room as it's meant to be laid out. I didn't do this until after I'd read the book, and my visualization of Room was slightly different than that of actual Room. All at once Room is safe and dangerous, and it can boggle the mind to understand how and why this is so, which is what makes this such a fascinating read.