Reviews of Seldom Disappointed; Lady of the Snakes
Seldom Disappointed
Tony Hillerman
Harper Collins Publishers, 2001
I thought I had found a new book in our library and read nearly through it before discovering it was published in 2001. Never mind, though, Tony Hillerman's memoir, Seldom Disappointed, reads as fresh and new.
A writer's autobiography reveals much about the processes of preparation, research, composition and editing. Those of us with curiosity about or experience with what it takes to write will be fascinated with Hillerman's recollections and insights. One may discern how the whole of the author's life has fit together and has produced his convictions and his stories.
I have always been impressed with the sensitivity to religion and spirituality in Mr. Hillerman's tales of Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee. The author's route of discovery about American Indians is fascinating in itself. In addition, we are shown the author's own spiritual and moral tradition, which makes his exploration and respect and sympathy for the ways of Navajo, Hopi and other tribes all the more remarkable.
Two other major elements of Tony Hillerman's developing life stand out for me. He elaborates on childhood and adolescence and the impact of the Great Depression all tempered by family and friends. A portion of the book gives us insight into "the greatest generation" through his memories and interpretation of World War II. Thus we can gain appreciation for our parents or grandparents or great-grandparents and their strong, gutsy living.
The best books teach us about ourselves. The best authors, such as Tony Hillerman, produce those books.
Grumps
Lady of the Snakes
Rachel Pastan
Harcourt
Jane Levitsky teaches at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She is an expert in Russian literature, particularly the life of writer Grigory Karkov and his wife Masha Karkova. When Jane reads their book, Lady of the Snakes, what she finds out about this couple, which involves shocking secrets concerning both of them, sets in motion a chain of events that nearly costs Jane her job. Pastan knows teaching very well. She is a teacher at Swarthmore College, and the Bennington Writing Seminars. With her eye for detail and characterization, she describes university life very well.
Jane also has a daughter, Maisie, and a husband, Billy. Maisie was an unplanned child. Her parents love her very much, but trying to cope with a young daughter puts almost fatal strains on their marriage. That part of the plot deals with motherhood as a theme. Jane is a working mother by accident, and isn’t sure how she can cope. Motherhood competes with her job, and she finds herself torn over concentrating on motherhood and what she finds out about Karkov and Karkova.
Jane and Billy are a young couple, both struggling with themselves, their family, their jobs, and life in general, much the way any young couple would. Pastan writes about this situation in a very realistic way, with no melodrama or screaming fights, but many tears and a lot of talking. That realism, coupled with her knack for details, characterization, and a plot that makes the ordinary extraordinary adds up to a great book.
The ending wraps the two situations up neatly, with the characters well drawn, and the plot nicely constructed. It's a winner for anyone who wants a good book, a book with a light touch, but not lightweight. [www.rachelpastan.com]
Andrea Weiss