Obituary Note: Judith Krantz
Judith Krantz http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41052207>,
"who almost single-handedly turned the sex-and-shopping genre of fiction
into the stuff of high commerce, making her one of the world's bestselling
novelists if not one of the most critically acclaimed," died June 22, the
New York Times reported. She was 91. Although she did not publish her first
book until she was 50, Krantz's 10 novels--beginning with Scruples in 1978 and
ending with The Jewels of Tessa Kent in 1998--have together sold more than 85
million copies in more than 50 languages.
Most of her books also became TV movies or mini-series,
often produced by her husband, Steve Krantz. Her other works include the novels
Mistral's Daughter (1982), I'll Take Manhattan (1986), Dazzle (1990), Scruples
Two (1992) and a memoir, Sex and Shopping: Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl
(2000).
The formula Krantz "honed to glittering
perfection" involved "fevered horizontal activities combined with
fevered vertical ones--the former taking place in sumptuously appointed
bedrooms and five-star hotels, the latter anywhere with a cash register and
astronomical price tags," the Times wrote, adding that a "hallmark of
the formula was that it embraced sex and shopping in almost equal measure, with
each recounted in modifier-laden detail."
In response to critics of her style, Krantz told the Los
Angeles Times in 1990: "I write the best books that I know how; I can't
write any better than this. People think that because I had a good education,
I'm not writing on the level that I should. They think I'm harboring some slim
little intellectual volume, that I am really Isaac Bashevis Singer in
disguise."
Krantz "was renowned for her discipline and rigor http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41052208,"
the L.A. Times reported, "writing 10,000 words per week and spending
countless hours researching the historical eras in which her books were set.
Her books often featured working women and themes of empowerment and
achievement, complex characters and intricate plots."
Because of her love for reading and writing http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41052209,
Krantz was an enthusiastic supporter of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles
and an active member of the Council of the Library Foundation, the Hollywood
Reporter noted. In 2014, she received the Light of Learning Award from the
LFLA. In recognition of her many years of support, the Los Angeles Public
Library named the Judith Krantz Fiction Collection in her honor.
I used to watch All Creatures Great and Small with my family, and later with an elderly woman I took care of during my grad school days. I'd read all the books, as had my mother, and my brother Phil. Though I loved the original TV series, I am excited to see the Masterpiece reboot, and I hope that they do it justice.
PBS Masterpiece will co-produce All Creatures Great and
Small http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41082097,
a new adaptation of the bestselling books by James Alfred Wight, published
under the pen name James Herriot. The project will shoot on location in
Yorkshire, England, and is timed for release in 2020, the 50th anniversary of
the original publication of the much-loved books, which have never been out of
print and sold 60 million copies internationally.
The six-part series, plus a Christmas special, will be
produced by Richard Burrell (New Tricks, Silent Witness). Executive producers
are Colin Callender and Melissa Gallant for Playground, Hugo Heppell for Screen
Yorkshire and Rebecca Eaton for Masterpiece. Ben Vanstone (The Last Kingdom) is
lead writer and executive producer, while Brian Percival (Downton Abbey) is
lead director.
"Revisiting James Herriot's beloved stories is an
immense privilege and we are honored that Alf Wight's family have entrusted us
with his legacy. It is a responsibility we take very seriously," said
Callender. "At a time when the country feels more divided than ever,
Herriot's glorious books remind us how to connect and belong again. The series
will embrace the fun and the nostalgia of revisiting the England of the past,
while celebrating Herriot's values that, despite all our current upheaval,
still underpin British life today."
Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of Masterpiece, added:
"When it originally aired on public broadcasting, All Creatures Great and
Small captured the hearts of millions of television viewers. We promise that
the new series will have all the wit, warmth, and quirky charm of the
original--and of course, lots of irresistible animals."
Wight's children, Jim Wight and Rosie Page, commented:
"The books of James Herriot have enchanted millions of readers worldwide
for almost half a century. We are delighted that our father's work will be
brought to life once again for a new generation of viewers Great and
Small."
The Lost Letters of William Woolf by Helen Cullen is a fussy, talky novel that I really wanted to love, but just couldn't. I am a huge fan of epistolary novels (they tell at least part of the story via letters or emails) and I am also a fan of well wrought European/British/Irish Lit, so when I read that this was a novel that contained both, I assumed it would be full of dry wit and lean, elegant prose with a decisive plot. Sadly, the prose is full of every single thought of the protagonists, William and his flighty wife Clare, even if they're redundant, boring and have little use in moving the draggy plot forward. I could care less what these people had for lunch, or their guilty conscience over every stray thought, or their malaise and self loathing. What I did want to know was more about Winter and her "Great Love" and her life, which seemed vastly more interesting, and I wanted to read more of the dead letter office's letters (William works at the dead letter office in his area of London). So even from an epistolary viewpoint the book was disappointing. There was also the tendency, which I often see in European authors, to whinge on and on about their crappy parents, their low self esteem and their inability to decide what they want from life or a partner. Anyway, here's the blurb: Lost letters have only one hope for survival...
Inside the walls of the Dead Letters Depot, letter detectives work to solve mysteries. They study missing zip codes, illegible handwriting, rain-smudged ink, lost address labels, torn packages, forgotten street names—all the many twists of fate behind missed birthdays, broken hearts, unheard confessions, pointless accusations, unpaid bills, unanswered prayers. Their mission is to unite lost mail with its intended recipients.
But when letters arrive addressed simply to “My Great Love,” longtime letter detective William Woolf faces his greatest mystery to date. Written by a woman to the soulmate she hasn’t met yet, the missives capture William’s heart in ways he didn’t know possible. Soon, he finds himself torn between the realities of his own marriage and his world of letters, and his quest to follow the clues becomes a life-changing journey of love, hope, and courage.
From Irish author Helen Cullen, The Lost Letters of William Woolf is an enchanting novel about the resilience of the human heart and the complex ideas we hold about love—and a passionate ode to the art of letter writing.
Inside the walls of the Dead Letters Depot, letter detectives work to solve mysteries. They study missing zip codes, illegible handwriting, rain-smudged ink, lost address labels, torn packages, forgotten street names—all the many twists of fate behind missed birthdays, broken hearts, unheard confessions, pointless accusations, unpaid bills, unanswered prayers. Their mission is to unite lost mail with its intended recipients.
But when letters arrive addressed simply to “My Great Love,” longtime letter detective William Woolf faces his greatest mystery to date. Written by a woman to the soulmate she hasn’t met yet, the missives capture William’s heart in ways he didn’t know possible. Soon, he finds himself torn between the realities of his own marriage and his world of letters, and his quest to follow the clues becomes a life-changing journey of love, hope, and courage.
From Irish author Helen Cullen, The Lost Letters of William Woolf is an enchanting novel about the resilience of the human heart and the complex ideas we hold about love—and a passionate ode to the art of letter writing.
I don't know why no one told this author that you need to "Show" not "Tell" too much when writing a novel, but honestly I kept having to put the book down because it was boring me to sleep. And when I wasn't bored, I was annoyed with William for being a secretive jerk, and at Clare for being stupid and having an affair just for the "experience" of pretending to be someone else. How anyone with a brain could have thought that was a good idea is beyond me. I detest characters who are too stupid to live, and it bothers me more when its a sexist portrayal of a woman and a man. I can't give this book any better grade than a C, and I'd only recommend it to those who like books that rummage around in the heads of not very bright characters.
Mrs Everything by Jennifer Weiner was another book that I longed to love. Weiner's first big hit was a book called "Good in Bed," and it was a true delight. I read 4 of her other books, and found them less and less delightful, until I read about this one, and I assumed Weiner had back to her roots and written another fun and sexy novel. Sadly, this book contains the story of a Michigan Jewish family during the 50s and beyond, focusing on the sisters, Jo and Bethie, who are not great women. They come off as petty and vindictive and downright stupid, for the most part. I wanted to throttle the both of them, not only for their blindness to their own faults but for the way that they blamed each other for their lot in life, when both women needed to take responsibility for their choices. There is only so much you can attribute to crappy parents and siblings. Here's the blurb: Do we change or does the world change us?
Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.
Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.
But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?
In her most ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?
Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.
Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.
But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?
In her most ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?
The answer to that question is definitely NOT the way that Jo or Bethie are "in the world" because they both spend a majority of their lives screwing up. Jo is a lesbian who becomes "too tired" to fight to be who she is, so she marries a con man, has three children and only after said con man rips her off, and moves in with her best friend (after having a long term affair with her) does she finally get her sh*t together and find her true love and go to live with her, and, inevitably, Jo gets breast cancer so she's not able to enjoy too much time with her beloved because I guess Weiner didn't think she'd suffered enough with a life in the closet married to a scumbag? And Bethie, who blames her skeevy perv Uncle's childhood molestation of her on her sister Jo (and her mother), can't seem to live without a man and drugs, so she spends a lot of the book in a drug induced haze, only finally coming around when she's raped, becomes pregnant and the drug dealer boyfriend dumps her. Enter Jo, who forgoes a trip around the world to pay for her sister's abortion, and when Bethie ends up traveling all over instead of her sister, she suddenly doesn't mind? Really?
Bethie joins a women's commune, and in a stunning bit of stereotyping (this book does that a lot) ends up monetizing all the jams and jellies and spa products, like soap and lotion that they make, and builds a homemade/commune made empire. Because of course a Jewish girl is going to have a head for business, even if she's only been a strung out junkie mere chapters before. Insert eye rolling here. Jo's youngest is similar to her auntie in her love of drugs and her inability to do anything that resembles getting her life together and having a career. Of course Lila finally does get it together, but only after her mother has died and we're at the tail end of the book. I don't like books where I can't really empathize with or admire any of the protagonists, and unfortunately, there wasn't much to like about any of the women in this novel. Jo's other two daughters are terrible people, one of whom supports her rapist/sexual harasser boss, even against her own sister's experience of sexual harassment. Weiner's prose was decent, but her plot labyrinthine and not worth the effort, in the end. Again, I can't give the book more than a C, and I'd only recommend it to people who like messy stories with unlikable characters.
Wool by Hugh Howey is a dystopian fantasy that is surprisingly engrossing and fascinating. It's the story of an underground silo in the far future, where humanity have had to live and work for generations, without the outside world which is barren and riddled with chemical/acid storms that literally disintegrate a human being after about a half hour or so. Here's the blurb: For suspense-filled, post-apocalyptic thrillers, Wool is more than a self-published ebook phenomenon―it’s the new standard in classic science fiction.
In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.
His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising.
This book was more exciting than the Hunger Games trilogy, and with a better plot and characters than the Divergent series. The prose was taut and lean, and the plot brilliant. After the first 100 pages, I couldn't put it down. I loved Jules/Juliette, who was an amazing, strong and intelligent woman. Her ability to figure out solutions in the most difficult situations made my heart sing. I also liked the mayor (the original, not the evil IT guy Bernard) and the original sheriff, though I found the guys ability to want to die once their wife was dead to be a bit melodramatic. I look forward to the next book in the series, and the third book as well. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in thoughtful dystopian fiction.
Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle is a beautifully rendered graphic novel done in black, while, gray and blue tones, which lends it an air of noir. This is a background/ origin story for Selina Kyle, the Catwoman we've watched as a teenager on TV's Gotham and as an adult, played by Michelle Pfieffer in the movies and by Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar on the Batman TV show in the 60s/70s. It's not an easy story to read, as there's a great deal of abuse and neglect, but Catgirl eventually finds her own family and embarks on a life of crime and friendship. Here's the blurb: When fifteen-year-old Selina Kyle, aka the future Catwoman, becomes homeless, she must confront questions of who she is and who she will become.
She rejects human cruelty, but sometimes it seems as though brute force is the only way to "win." And if Selina is to survive on the streets, she must be tough. Can she find her humanity and reconcile toughness with her desire for community ... and love?
School Library Journal: Fourteen-year-old Selina Kyle's life is in the litter box. Her mother's latest in a string of boyfriends, Dernell, is short-tempered and vindictive. Selina is frustrated by her superficial friendships at school, despite her unflinching loyalty, and dreamy Bruce Wayne barely notices her. Selina rescues a tiny kitten by a dumpster, finding joy and purpose in caring for the creature. But when Dernell locks Selina in a closet and kills the kitten, she runs off, reeling from guilt and anguish, and begins a solitary life on the street. Another runaway, Ojo, teaches her parkour and invites her to join his gang in their latest heist: stealing a rare book from the private library of a local billionaire.
This look at Catwoman's backstory is dense with plot, emotion, and action. Myracle offers a fresh take on the frequently sexualized portrayals of this character, creating a strong, sympathetic, but no less flawed Selina. Like teenagers and cats alike, she is a compelling set of contradictions; scrappy and vulnerable; quick to protect but slow to trust. Goodhart's illustrations are similarly nuanced, beautifully depicting both dynamic action and subtle emotion. His monochrome blues and purples evoke the titular moonlight and underscore Selina's nocturnal destiny. He displays a particular talent for illustrating hair; Selina's glossy black mane shines and bounces. Myracle doesn't shy away from the grisly circumstances of a runaway teen. There is mature language throughout, grisly domestic violence, and self-harm. VERDICT A sensitive origin story of a beloved antihero.—Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn .
I fell in love with this scrappy, abused but feisty version of Catwoman, and I loved the portrayal of Bruce Wayne as an awkward child but a protective teen friend to Selina. I always feel that good books are too short, and this graphic novel was no exception. I wanted more at the end because it was so good. I'd give it an A and recommend it to anyone who wonders about how Selina came to be the beautiful criminal Catwoman, who steals Batman's heart.
Bethie joins a women's commune, and in a stunning bit of stereotyping (this book does that a lot) ends up monetizing all the jams and jellies and spa products, like soap and lotion that they make, and builds a homemade/commune made empire. Because of course a Jewish girl is going to have a head for business, even if she's only been a strung out junkie mere chapters before. Insert eye rolling here. Jo's youngest is similar to her auntie in her love of drugs and her inability to do anything that resembles getting her life together and having a career. Of course Lila finally does get it together, but only after her mother has died and we're at the tail end of the book. I don't like books where I can't really empathize with or admire any of the protagonists, and unfortunately, there wasn't much to like about any of the women in this novel. Jo's other two daughters are terrible people, one of whom supports her rapist/sexual harasser boss, even against her own sister's experience of sexual harassment. Weiner's prose was decent, but her plot labyrinthine and not worth the effort, in the end. Again, I can't give the book more than a C, and I'd only recommend it to people who like messy stories with unlikable characters.
Wool by Hugh Howey is a dystopian fantasy that is surprisingly engrossing and fascinating. It's the story of an underground silo in the far future, where humanity have had to live and work for generations, without the outside world which is barren and riddled with chemical/acid storms that literally disintegrate a human being after about a half hour or so. Here's the blurb: For suspense-filled, post-apocalyptic thrillers, Wool is more than a self-published ebook phenomenon―it’s the new standard in classic science fiction.
In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.
His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising.
This book was more exciting than the Hunger Games trilogy, and with a better plot and characters than the Divergent series. The prose was taut and lean, and the plot brilliant. After the first 100 pages, I couldn't put it down. I loved Jules/Juliette, who was an amazing, strong and intelligent woman. Her ability to figure out solutions in the most difficult situations made my heart sing. I also liked the mayor (the original, not the evil IT guy Bernard) and the original sheriff, though I found the guys ability to want to die once their wife was dead to be a bit melodramatic. I look forward to the next book in the series, and the third book as well. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in thoughtful dystopian fiction.
Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle is a beautifully rendered graphic novel done in black, while, gray and blue tones, which lends it an air of noir. This is a background/ origin story for Selina Kyle, the Catwoman we've watched as a teenager on TV's Gotham and as an adult, played by Michelle Pfieffer in the movies and by Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar on the Batman TV show in the 60s/70s. It's not an easy story to read, as there's a great deal of abuse and neglect, but Catgirl eventually finds her own family and embarks on a life of crime and friendship. Here's the blurb: When fifteen-year-old Selina Kyle, aka the future Catwoman, becomes homeless, she must confront questions of who she is and who she will become.
She rejects human cruelty, but sometimes it seems as though brute force is the only way to "win." And if Selina is to survive on the streets, she must be tough. Can she find her humanity and reconcile toughness with her desire for community ... and love?
School Library Journal: Fourteen-year-old Selina Kyle's life is in the litter box. Her mother's latest in a string of boyfriends, Dernell, is short-tempered and vindictive. Selina is frustrated by her superficial friendships at school, despite her unflinching loyalty, and dreamy Bruce Wayne barely notices her. Selina rescues a tiny kitten by a dumpster, finding joy and purpose in caring for the creature. But when Dernell locks Selina in a closet and kills the kitten, she runs off, reeling from guilt and anguish, and begins a solitary life on the street. Another runaway, Ojo, teaches her parkour and invites her to join his gang in their latest heist: stealing a rare book from the private library of a local billionaire.
This look at Catwoman's backstory is dense with plot, emotion, and action. Myracle offers a fresh take on the frequently sexualized portrayals of this character, creating a strong, sympathetic, but no less flawed Selina. Like teenagers and cats alike, she is a compelling set of contradictions; scrappy and vulnerable; quick to protect but slow to trust. Goodhart's illustrations are similarly nuanced, beautifully depicting both dynamic action and subtle emotion. His monochrome blues and purples evoke the titular moonlight and underscore Selina's nocturnal destiny. He displays a particular talent for illustrating hair; Selina's glossy black mane shines and bounces. Myracle doesn't shy away from the grisly circumstances of a runaway teen. There is mature language throughout, grisly domestic violence, and self-harm. VERDICT A sensitive origin story of a beloved antihero.—Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn .
I fell in love with this scrappy, abused but feisty version of Catwoman, and I loved the portrayal of Bruce Wayne as an awkward child but a protective teen friend to Selina. I always feel that good books are too short, and this graphic novel was no exception. I wanted more at the end because it was so good. I'd give it an A and recommend it to anyone who wonders about how Selina came to be the beautiful criminal Catwoman, who steals Batman's heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment