Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Sophie wrote: "...Listen to her standing up for the classics, she is wonderful..."

Wow, I had no idea that Natalie Haynes has had a BBC podcast about mythology/classics since 2016! Thanks Sophie!

James wrote: "Sophie wrote: "...Listen to her standing up for the classics, she is wonderful..."

Wow, I had no idea that Natalie Haynes has had a BBC podcast about mythology..."

you´re welcome

Sophie wrote: Listen to her standing up for the classics, she is wonderful

Thanks for the link, Sophie !

Sophie, what a gift! Thanks for the link to this podcast. I'm listening to the one about Athena presently.

14- ...OLOGY --- Any field of study that ends in the suffix ology. For example: psychology, sociology, archology, cardiology, dermatology, zoology, ecology, oceanology, biology, zoology etc.
Can be non fiction or a fictional character that is involved in that field.

While i thought my selection, Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age--Kathleen Sheppard would be about archeology, instead i would further classify it as one about Egyptology.

While this was not the book i thought i would be reading, i appreciated what i learned in this selection. My presumption was that the book would be about early digs in Egypt, in the late 1800s, forward. While most of the women mentioned in the book did, in fact, work on sites in the land, the bulk of their work was in their homeland, spreading the word about the wonders, history and facts of the digs.

It is a worthy topic, which i feel could also be used as a model for exploring other special areas of archeology, as well, such as the work presently going on in Peru. To my mind, Sheppard illustrated how the people who created support funds for digs in Egypt, taught classes to train other archeologists, and promoted interest in the Public Arena, contributing to the popularity of the discovers. She focuses on the females, but mentions other primarily home-bound men who also contributed.

The book also served as a good introduction to archeology in Egypt, which basically began with Napoleon's conquest of the area. There are bits about many early leaders in the uncovering of ancient sites, as well as descriptions of how they lived while there. Last year i read Come, Tell Me How You Live, a description of Agatha Christie Mallowan's life with her husband while on Egyptian digs. It was interesting to me to learn that plenty of what she experienced was shared by many female archeologists, including becoming a nurse for both workers & scientists, being given detail work listing finds, and household chores.

I guess i'm dilly-dallying around the idea that this work was necessary but not particularly terrific reading. Nonetheless, i found their stories kept my interest, as i learned more about the digs themselves, the systems created to share the relics with the public, and the characters who shared in the lives of the eleven women highlighted.

The range was from one of the first women to dig, through the heiresses who financed expeditions, to those who careful catalogued items for museums, writing publicity, pamphlets and books about exhibitions. These help readers see the unheralded "support cast" of any archeological discoveries. Personally, i hadn't give much thought to this aspect. However, in such a new arena as Egypt was, publicity and sharing of information was vital to keep funding digs.

One thing which truly amazed me was that one woman, Margaret Alice Murray, was tasked in 1898, by the primary archeologist of her dig, to return to the University College London, to teach students how to work on sites. She had no training herself, outside what she learned on her first dig, yet went on to train future archeologists for the next 40 years! Between times, she wrote papers about her own work, as well as findings uncovered in later years in the same general area.

Another example would be Caroline Ransom Williams, who spent important years at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC, helping to create exhibits, write about them and figure out how to preserve many of the items sent to her from the dig sites.

Mention was made of the poor wages, tedious work and, of course, the dedication of the women. Williams, for example, was physically stressed by her work, asking her immediate employer for some help. He couldn't do it, although he didn't tell her this, because he could get by with paying her so much less than a male would "need" to assist her. Such unequal distribution was echoed in the fact that seldom were the women mentioned in the "Big Publications" which fleshed out the details of recovered materials. It's not a surprise to learn that many of the earlier women joined in the suffragist movement either after their work or while they were still preserving the materials.

In all, i'm satisfied with this book & what it covered. Sheppard has found her niche. I learned she has written several books about these women, as well as other aspects. I'm hoping to find her Tea on the terrace: Hotels and Egyptologists' social networks, 1885-1925, which is more about life off the dig sites.

madrano wrote: would be about archeology, instead i would further classify it as one about Egyptology.

Wonderful review, deb. Well done on the prompt !

I like that the book also focused on women. ( Margaret Alice Murray & Margaret Alice Murray) As John Adams wife had to remind her husband, Remember the women! ) Sadly history often doesn't.

I had no idea there were so many "ology" fields.

madrano wrote: "14- ...OLOGY --- Any field of study that ends in the suffix ology. For example: psychology, sociology, archology, cardiology, dermatology, zoology, ecology, oceanology, biology, zoology etc.
Can be..."

Wow - what a find! Great that the efforts of these women has been highlighted!

I agree with both of you. The contributions listed for each woman helped me understand that much of what we know about civilizations are really through the eyes of those who did little of the physical digging. And there probably would have been fewer uncovered sites had it not been for the fundraising.

Amelia B. Edwards was a popular author* prior to going to Egypt, so had funding for herself. Upon her return, she wrote A Thousand Miles up the Nile: A Journey Through Ancient Egypt and Its Timeless Wonders, which fostered interest in the archeological world. Later, she founded & helped to subsidize the extant Egypt Exploration Fund (EEF), which spread around the world, including chapters in the US. These were a boost to excavation projects.

John, the book began with a mention of Lucie Duff-Gordon, whose poor health led her to live in Egypt for years, despite leaving her husband & children behind. After her death, her mother had published Letters from Egypt, one of the earliest books to tell about modern day Egypt, which had just begun to be frequented by the British. As a result, women in the first few chapters cited her accessible book as the impetus to travel there.

Frankly, it doesn't call to me, but i thought i'd mention it to you, given your interest in travel literature.



*My Brother's Wife
Hand and Glove: A Novel
Barbara's History: A Novel

madrano wrote: "I agree with both of you. The contributions listed for each woman helped me understand that much of what we know about civilizations are really through the eyes of those who did little of the physi..."

Thanks for the info!

madrano wrote:

"While i thought my selection, Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age--Kathleen Sheppard would be about archeology, instead i would further classify it as one about Egyptology.

deb, the book I'm reading, The Lost Art of Silence, mentions the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. Have you been there?

Wiki


Museum

ðŸ·ß

2- Takes place during a holiday or about a holiday. Any holiday.

I began reading The Children of Green Knowe--Lucy M. Boston just because i'd heard about it & was intrigued. Little did i know that half of it is about Christmas.

Set in post WWII England, 7-year-old Toseland, known as Tolly, is sent to live with his great-grandmother. His widowed father has remarried & is taking his wife on his new assignment. It may take years before they return.

Great-grandmother, Mrs. Oldknow, seems pixie-ish but a solid caretaker. With a mixture of biblical stories, tales of Norman life (when the house was built) and people who lived in the home centuries ago, Tolly learns about his own family tree.

As the story begins, it sounds as though the area was experiencing a flood, although i wasn't sure this was unique or a seasonal event. Everyone seemed to know how to cope with it & what to do. Once Tolly is in the old home, full of family relics, he is somewhat uncomfortable, but the toys in his room, albeit older ones, give him a sense of ease. As he falls asleep, the shadows on the walls move, grow larger and basically, frighten the boy, even though he understands what they are.

As the days progress, the shadows he sees in his bedroom become apparitions of three children, Toby, Alexander and Linnet. While he only gets a sense of them, his g-grandmother shares information about the other children who lived in the home, particularly the three named, who died in the Plague.

I felt the book worked as a ghost story, a way for children who are spooked to become acquainted with the notion of NOT fearing the shadows. Are the "Children" of the title spirits of children who lived there centuries before, or may just be the memory of them, living on in the stories of the grandmother? Regardless, i liked the way the author handled the Tolly's apprehension. It's easy to see why this is a British favorite.

Most of the story is set in the lead up days to Christmas. There is snow, plenty of it, giving Tolly his first real images of the three dead children and how they interact with the wildlife on the grounds. The grounds, incidentally, are full of topiary "animals", which seem alive to Tolly at times.

G-grandmother & Tolly plan holiday treats for the three "ghosts" and the wildlife, as well as for one another. The description of the church, to which they walk on Christmas Eve was well portrayed-- was it a dream or the building's own memories of past holidays.

Author Boston owned the Norman house upon which she set her series, built in 1100 AD. There are 5 other books set there, but i don't intend to read further. The story is based on British history & that house, which is now a real museum, as you may see here.

madrano wrote: "2- Takes place during a holiday or about a holiday. Any holiday.

I began reading The Children of Green Knowe--Lucy M. Boston just because i'd heard about it & was i..."

What a nice surprise that the book ticks off the holiday prompt !

Thanks for the museum link. That would be lovely to visit.

I agree. I also must admit, however, that even now it wouldn't be a big priority for me. Some Reader! ;-)

Wow - what a story! I couldn't imagine living in a building neatly that old. Agreed the circumstances must have been devised to make a larger point, staying with family back home while parents overseas is common in British literature during the Empire.

This is true, John. It's a way to avoid the tragic loss of dead parents, yet still have a child "alone", with strangers/family. We don't seem to see this written about much in the US.

I loved the idea of living in a building/home that large. In this book, i appreciated the fact the author had both great-grandmother & Tolly talk about that fact & how they didn't stray far from the fire when the snow storm lingered. Even with the purported tapestries on the walls, which old castles are supposed to have had, in order to keep the cold out, they are still cold!

1952 published book--The End of the Affair--Graham Greene. In too many ways this reminded me of the Romance novels i hold in disdain. All That Angst!

However, this is Graham Greene authoring the slender book. I've read two of his novels (Travels with My Aunt & The Power and the Glory) and plan on reading two others this year, as the '50s were a prolific period of writing for him, it seems. (Intended--The Third Man and The Quiet American.)

While i like his style and the stories he relates, when his characters dwell on religion, particularly Catholicism, i'm bogged down. They are just so dramatic about it, that i'm somehow distracted by wondering if others really emote similarly when coming to understand their beliefs.

Ostensibly, this is the story of an author, Maurice Bendrix, our narrator, who has an affair with a married woman, during WWII. He is unable to serve, due to a life-long leg injury. During a specific bomb wave over London, his flat, where they met that night, is hit & the author is struck by a door. His lover, Sarah Miles, sees his apparently dead body under the door & promises to end the affair, if only Maurice survives. He does, she ends it.

This is the first part of the story. Next, comes the questions of whether the promise a non-believer, such as Sarah is, truly must keep the promise she made. Unfortunately, Maurice is unaware why she ended the affair, so makes things difficult for her.

Eventually, he hires an investigator, who manages to take Sarah's diary, giving it to her former love. The middle of the book has her as narrator, in a way, as these are where she puzzles out the answers to her own beliefs. She still loves Maurice & would willingly give up her husband for him, except for that pesky promise, which, she believes, saved his life.

The story covers those she meets to help her resolve her issues, as well as the investigator. All this is an interesting story, to my mind. However, all the religious issues discussed, including whether there is a God, in which none of the main characters believe.

Well written and a good story, i am glad i read it. There are some memorable lines in there, as they question faith & what it means. In passing, references to two other British authors i enjoy reading are lightly discussed, E M Forster and Somerset Maugham. While i link these three together in my mind, the other two were really finished with their novel writing by the '50s, unlike Greene. Of the three, GG is my least favorite, but he does write exciting stuff.

Thanks for the review. I hear about this book all the time. It does not sound like my wheelhouse. I have read The Quiet American which I liked and Our Man in Havana which was ok. It had a character as you described bogged down in Catholicism...actually now I think about it, she is very similar to a character in War and Peace. I believe they re both Mary. Hmmmm.

Enjoy Quiet American.

madrano wrote: "1952 published book--The End of the Affair--Graham Greene. In too many ways this reminded me of the Romance novels i hold in disdain. All That Angst!

However, this is Gr..."

Perfect example of Do Not Start Here! for an author.

Here's my review of his The Captain and the Enemy ...


/review/show...

madrano wrote: "1952 published book--The End of the Affair--Graham Greene. In too many ways this reminded me of the Romance novels i hold in disdain. All That Angst!

However, this is Gr..."

Well done on on another book published in the 50s deb. You are on quite a roll.

I'll be very interested in your thoughts on The Quiet American by Graham Greene

I don't think I ever read anything by him. However, if I do, this would be the one I would select. Thanks!

Denise wrote: "Thanks for the review. I hear about this book all the time. It does not sound like my wheelhouse. I have read The Quiet American which I liked and Our Man in Havana which was ok. ..."

I feel as though i've read Havana but, if so, i failed to mark it on my Books Read list. Nonetheless, it's good to know Quiet is better. :-)

Curious about the name coincidence.

John wrote: "madrano wrote: "1952 published book--The End of the Affair--Graham Greene. In too many ways this reminded me of the Romance novels i hold in disdain. All That Angst!

How..."

Thanks for the new-to-me title, John. Usually when i run across one of his titles, i realize it's been in the back of my mind all along, but not in this case.

Alias Reader wrote: "Well done on on another book published in the 50s deb. You are on quite a roll.

I'll be very interested in your thoughts on The Quiet American by Graham Greene

I don't think I ever read anything by him. ..."

Several of his titles call to me, which is why i'm glad i read this one. Whether i like him, dare i admit that i still don't know? Hmm.

madrano wrote: "This is true, John. It's a way to avoid the tragic loss of dead parents, yet still have a child "alone", with strangers/family. We don't seem to see this written about much in the US.

I loved the..."

Children being sent into the country or left alone there with no relations - or horrible ones. It is a special British Topic Baa Baa, Black Sheep as this short autobiographic book by Kipling shows it is a British reality from the 19 th century until the end WW II

C. S. Lewis and Edith Nesbit use it as well. Also Virgina Woolfs The Waves. In France children are being sent to the south on their own for summer holidays, in huge crowds of children. In Germany the children were sent away for health reasons until the nineties, but always into big institutions, similar to Charlotte Brontes School in Jane Eyre. Nations have their special ways to treat their off spring.

madrano wrote: "John wrote: "madrano wrote: "1952 published book--The End of the Affair--Graham Greene. In too many ways this reminded me of the Romance novels i hold in disdain. All Tha..."

It's so obscure I had to ask the Seattle Public Library to buy a copy a few years ago.

John wrote: "madrano wrote: "John wrote: "madrano wrote: "1952 published book--The End of the Affair--Graham Greene. In too many ways this reminded me of the Romance novels i hold in ..."

excelent

Sophie wrote: "Children being sent into the country or left alone there with no relations - or horrible ones. It is a special British Topic Baa Baa, Black Sheep as this short autobiographic book by Kipling shows it is a British reality from the 19 th century until the end WW II..."

I wasn't aware of the situation outside what i've read in books, so i thank you, Sophie.

Here in the US, sometimes a child or two were sent to family members on farms, where it was believed they would thrive. And i know there were Orphan Trains, wherein "orphans" were sent on a train, heading west. At stops, those in charge would tell locals, who were short on farm labor, about the children. There were loose steps taken to give the children to foster homes, but the exchanges weren't legal.


This is different, to my mind, from sending children away for their own protection, particularly during anticipated combat, however. Of course, wealthy families could send their offspring away for "better education", etc. That continues today.

John wrote: "It's so obscure I had to ask the Seattle Public Library to buy a copy a few years ago ..."

How nice that they would do that, John. Sometimes it feels that's a good way to get less known books of well-known authors. I'm okay with that!

madrano wrote: "Sophie wrote: "Children being sent into the country or left alone there with no relations - or horrible ones. It is a special British Topic Baa Baa, Black Sheep as this short autobiographic book by..."

I loved The Chaperone, featuring an orphan train main character (as an adult).

John wrote: "madrano wrote: "Sophie wrote: "Children being sent into the country or left alone there with no relations - or horrible ones. It is a special British Topic Baa Baa, Black Sheep as this short autobi..."

thanks for the book - did you know little red riding hood is chaperon rouge in French? Just got lots of Rotkäppchen - in German its the fairy tale and a mushroom

Thank you, John. It sounds appealing, as well. When we lived in the Dakotas, we met a long-timer, whose grandfather was brought West on an Orphan Train. He (& his descendants) were very grateful.

Sophie wrote: "thanks for the book - did you know little red riding hood is chaperon rouge in French? Just got lots of Rotkäppchen - in German its the fairy tale and a mushroom..."

I had no idea! I rather like that. Several years ago, i learned about a red capped, polka-dotted mushroom associated with the Santa Claus myth. Here's a fun look at it.

However, i must note that the Wiki page, says the Sami people disagree with the connection.

I noted also, because this is where my mind wanders, that drinking the urine of a person who has consumed A. muscaria mushrooms is a safer way to consume the psychoactive elements of the 'room, without most of the side effects. Be My Guest!

I became most fascinated with them, thanks to reading Suzanne Simard's book about her discovery of the importance of fungi to forests, Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest. My respect of them increased dramatically.

madrano wrote: "Post #82
I had no idea! ..I noted also, because this is where my mind wanders, that drinking the urine of a person who has consumed A. muscaria mushrooms is a safer way to consume the psychoactive elements of the 'room, without most of the side effects. Be My Guest!."

LOL! Yes. Who thinks of doing that? I mean, who was the first to say, "Hey, let's drink her urine!"?????

9- A book involving the Arts or character involved in the Arts
(dance, music, painter, theater, drawing, architecture, film, photography)
Michelangelo, God's Architect: The Story of His Final Years and Greatest Masterpiece--William E. Wallace.

This was a very mixed bag accounting of the final 20 or so years in the life of Michelangelo. Apparently, Wallace decided he disagreed with those who think the first half of the artist's life was the best & most productive, artistically. Sure, there's the Pieta (actually, he create 4, two in the last 20 years, although far from perfection) and the Sistine Chapel, but who's counting?

Seriously, the author believes that Michelangelo's greater legacy is the number of buildings he began in the last 20 years. First and foremost, St. Peter's Basilica. This, despite the fact that none, NONE, of the buildings he began that late were completed by the time he died. His premise is that Michelangelo contributed so very much to the plans, designs and actual set-up for the work, that he gets the credit.

Generally speaking, the world agrees, btw. Once his name was assigned as architect, it ever after became "his" work, regardless of how far along he progressed in each assignment. Looking at the most important, St. Pete's, it's amazing to realize that he took over the project when he was in his 70s, had to dismantle plenty of his predecessor's work and actually only 12% of the finished product was finished while he lived. However, that 12% included creating the dome and it's framework, so that the plans, when completed, were pretty much his work, even if he wasn't on site.

The down part of the book was what i considered padding. We walk day-by-day for one week, several times in the book. It seemed like padding--he stopped at a bar; he walked by a work he began; he took off his boots and slid into at-home shoes.

Flip side, a reader got an excellent sense of all the tasks an architect must consider. Four pages of details, such as making sure the donkeys are fed, fresh water for the workers, pay for each class of worker, plans for equipment, etc. etc. etc. But, there were many things i wouldn't have considered, so there we are.

I really appreciated the details of how some parts of the cathedral were created. Particularly fascinating was using internal helical ramps, which had a gradual incline, permitting donkeys to transport building materials to the uppermost reaches of the construction. And lunch delivery for workers, as well. LOL

So, the book was worthwhile, particularly given my pleasure in reading about architecture. But it was padded, imo. Still, i learned plenty about the man himself, his reliance on his household, his friends and his old age.

Well done on the prompt, Deb.

Learning about the mundane day to day would actually be interesting to me. LOL Go figure.

madrano wrote: "9- A book involving the Arts or character involved in the Arts
(dance, music, painter, theater, drawing, architecture, film, photography)
[book:Michelangelo, God's Architect: The Story of His Final..."

Great review. Thanks.

Alias Reader wrote: "Well done on the prompt, Deb.

Learning about the mundane day to day would actually be interesting to me. LOL Go figure."

There is a lot to be said for mundane days. I think a lot of people would be happier if they realized that life is a series of mundane days broken up by some hobbies and adventures...and quite frankly mundane days make life easy.

I too am interested in peoples' day to day lives, not just the adventures. That's why I loved Milkman, it is not a history of The Troubles, it is about how people live their day to day lives under them

What a great choice! I would have been frustrated if I'd sensed padding going on. I'm willing to cut some slack on ascribing the projects to him, figuring he had ideas on how to complete them ... possibly leaked?

madrano wrote: "Ok, i had fun with this selection for prompt #8- A book that was nominated for a prize or won a book award prize. (any year, any prize), The Chrysalids--John Wyndham. T..."

I read The Chrysalids when I was in high school and it stayed with me all these years. A couple of years ago when planning a unit on Dystopian Fiction and Fantasy, I was excited to teach it to my students. Definitely has room for improvement but I loved the concept!

Denise wrote: "There is a lot to be said for mundane days. I think a lot of people would be happier if they realized that life is a series of mundane days broken up by some hobbies and adventures...and quite frankly mundane days make life easy.

I too am interested in peoples' day to day lives, not just the adventures. ."

I agree Denise!
I tend to enjoy books that get into the detail of day-to-day life (especially if it's one new to me), rather than books about grand adventures. Though there's a place for both.

What a perfect book for the prompt Deb!

madrano wrote: "I completed a book from my '50s list, this one from 1953, Life Among the Savages--Shirley Jackson. This will end my Jackson books from these years. Ostensibly, this is ..."

I remember car seats that were intended for children between about 8 mo and 3 yrs that hooked over the front seat next to the driver and had no belts whatsoever. They had pretend steering wheels and a button in the center that beeped like a horn. Nobody died, but them people were driving a lot less and a lot slower back then.

Denise wrote: "I too am interested in peoples' day to day lives, not just the adventures. That's why I loved Milkman, it is not a history of The Troubles, it is about how people live their day to day lives under them.."

I remember that you mentioned something along this line, Denise, when writing about the book. I agree, it's what i look for in films, too, the home setting, the small things the actors do that inform viewers. Naturally, given the times Michelangelo lived, there were so many things which needed pointing out to today's reader. Darkness, for instance, and how that curtailed work hours...and...returning to a dark home where one cannot just flip a switch. Wallace did this nicely, i thought.

John wrote: "What a great choice! I would have been frustrated if I'd sensed padding going on. I'm willing to cut some slack on ascribing the projects to him, figuring he had ideas on how to complete them ... possibly leaked?..."

Thanks, John. The author made a point that in many cases, but particularly with St. Peter's, Michelangelo made decisions and planned construction so thoroughly, that he pretty much forced those who followed to pursue his intentions. Clever.

Which isn't to say that changes weren't made. More like elaborations, rather than changes. The irony is that one of the first things Michelangelo did when he took over building St. P's was to undo the part of the the building which would have supported a less elaborate dome. There was plenty of grumbling over that, from the worker's whose decade long work was undone, to the Church financiers, who had to pay.

To give more credit to Wallace, he had M take a walk around Rome, so we could learn of some of his & other projects, understanding the length of time taken to complete buildings. Again, illuminating for this novice.

Heather wrote: "I read The Chrysalids when I was in high school and it stayed with me all these years. A couple of years ago when planning a unit on Dystopian Fiction and Fantasy, I was excited to teach it to my students. Definitely has room for improvement but I loved the concept!..."

I couldn't agree more, Heather. It was a brilliant concept but truly too much time was spent in the set up, imo. But the overall idea, particularly, must have felt quite fresh when first published.

How lucky for your students that you exposed them to his work. I've liked what i've read by him.

Michele wrote: "They had pretend steering wheels and a button in the center that beeped like a horn. Nobody died, but them people were driving a lot less and a lot slower back then...."

I'd forgotten about those, Michele. I guess the idea was to distract the kids, so the driver could concentrate. How far we've come.

7- A book published in 2025 7- Three Days in June--Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler is my favorite contemporary novelist, so this was a Pure Pleasure book. In it, divorced couple Gail & Max must share her Maryland home over the weekend of their daughter's wedding. As usual, weddings are full of memories, so Gail, our narrator, shares with readers her private thoughts on her own past, including their marriage. That's it, one woman looks over her life. And it is such a wonderful book, for a fan, such as myself.

Tyler & i were born 9 years apart, same day. Maybe this helps me identify very well with the main female characters about whom she writes. To give two examples, i share these quotes. From Chapter 2, “I wondered why it was that I had so many irritating people in my life.� and Chapter 3's, "Someday I’d like to be given credit for all the times I have not said something that I could have said.�.

Yup, Tyler has me down cold.

Her books are one reason i try to never recommend books to others. She sings to me, but when other's i know try my suggestion, they are not at all moved, let alone thrilled.

I finished another from my decades list. In 1955, The Quiet American--Graham Greene was published. This was the third book in 5 years from him. (Other two are The Third Man and the recently read The End of the Affair.

This one is set in Vietnam, after WWII. Older British war reporter, nightly opium user, Thomas Fowler meets U.S. young, idealist man, Alden Pyle. Fowler's lover Phoung is a local young woman, whom Pyle wants to marry. Fowler is in VN to cover the French War with Vietnamese troops, while Pyle is present with a medical group, which is mysterious. (view spoiler)[No real surprise, he works with the CIA, but it's never directly stated. (hide spoiler)]. Phoung wants something permanent, so when Pyle presents marriage to her, a return to his hometown of Boston, people are surprised she refuses.

The love story is truly background to the book's main point, depicting a long, losing war the French are waging with Northern locals. Why, after reading this book, the US committed to resuming the war once France ceased is beyond me. He precisely tells readers why a western military can't defeat the Vietnamese, as well as why there is fighting where it is. As readers today know, he made the correct calls. And Fowler knows, as we do now, the "domino effect" was as silly a reason as any excuse for treating any nation they way wars do.

It's all there. His descriptions of the few northern trips he made are solid. Readers get a taste of a gentler nation with spiritual strength, as well as curfews and what happens when one fails to follow them.

It's Graham, so it's well written. It's Graham so, there are mentions of the folly and following of Catholicism. It's Graham, probably at his best. Or maybe only US citizens can appreciate the tocsin?

madrano wrote: "I finished another from my decades list. In 1955, The Quiet American--Graham Greene was published. This was the third book in 5 years from him.

Thank you for your excellent review, madrano -- it makes me want to re-read The Quiet American and The Third Man, as well!

madrano wrote: "7- A book published in 2025 7- Three Days in June--Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler is my favorite contemporary novelist, so this was a Pure Pleasure book. In it, divorced coupl..."

I'm glad to see you were able to fill the prompt early in the year and with an author you enjoy. Nice!