This is a handy pocket-sized edition art book that is very nicely done, at about 150 pages. There are many examples of his art (the glossy pages, highThis is a handy pocket-sized edition art book that is very nicely done, at about 150 pages. There are many examples of his art (the glossy pages, high resolution, and accurate coloring make them very enjoyable to view) placed alongside a running narrative that is well written, with enough detail to actually make it useful. For such a small book it really packs in the relevant information, organized helpfully along a timeline. Its size makes it feel unintimidating. It invites the reader to pick it up. It is easy to hold, and with all the pictures and colors it is enjoyable to browse even if you don’t read straight through. I kept this nearby (with a big coffee table art book) as I read his letters and it definitely helped me pull information and images together for a bigger view and a better understanding of Van Gogh’s life and work....more
There are days that call for fairytales, and on those days, this is one of the best to reach for - with the very best “fairy godmother” of them all! IThere are days that call for fairytales, and on those days, this is one of the best to reach for - with the very best “fairy godmother” of them all! I sunk down into this one fast and deep and almost finished it in a day. But it’s one to return to and learn from, over and over.
I read my first MacDonald in high school, and then revisited some of his works with my kids, but it has been awhile. I had forgotten how much I simply enjoy reading these stories! Macdonald is a master and I could sit at his feet and learn for ages, but I think he’d be most pleased if we’d all just curl up and lose ourselves for awhile in one of his wonderful-full worlds. There is something about visiting a fairy world that helps to reorient us in this one, no matter how old we are!...more
I heard about this novella from Cindy Rollins who said “It is simply one of the best WWII stories I have ever read. It is so short and easy to read, II heard about this novella from Cindy Rollins who said “It is simply one of the best WWII stories I have ever read. It is so short and easy to read, I do not understand why it is not introduced to high school students… it illustrates so well the unthinkable rise of fascism.”
One looming question that seems to hover over and haunt all of us today, in one way or another, is: “How did Hitler happen?” Mountains of books, fiction and nonfiction, try to answer this in their own way, from their own angles, but I agree with Cindy that this slim book is one of the best. (Just for the record, I also think that Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts is another book that does more than tell a story - it tells THE story of “how it happened,” for those who are still asking the question.) This book may be short, but it has so much to say. And when you close the book, you’ll start thinking about all that it didn’t say…
“From outside our magic circle came rumors of political unrest, but the storm-center was far away - in Berlin, whence clashes were reported between Nazis and Communists. Stuttgart seemed to be as quiet and reasonable as ever. It is true that there were occasional minor incidents. Swastikas appeared on walls, a Jewish citizen was molested, a few Communists were beaten up, but life in general went on as usual. The Hohenrestaurants, the Opera and the open-air cafes were packed. The weather was hot, the vineyards were full of grapes, and the apple trees began to bend under the weight of ripening fruit. People talked about where they were going for their holidays - my parents mentioned Switzerland, and Konradin told me he would be joining his father and mother in Sicily. There seemed to be nothing to worry about. Politics were the business of grownup people; we had our own problems to solve. And of these we thought the most urgent was to learn how to make the best use of life - quite apart from discovering the purpose, if any, life had and what the human condition would be in this frightening and immeasurable cosmos. These were real questions of real and eternal significance, far more important to us than the existence of such ephemeral and ridiculous figures as Hitler and Mussolini. Then something happened…”
In the whole book, Hitler’s name is barely mentioned. Instead, we feel the atmosphere; how it seeps in from far away influences to affect the families and friendships of small communities, and their small businesses and schools that seemed safely out of reach from the center of contagion… the threat growing and breaking out until finally there is nothing left of them but a lot of rubble, and memories of what it used to be. This little book does a beautiful job of describing a particular place and time in such a way that you can feel how much it was loved, and why its loss is important, as all such losses always are.
In this little book we are confronted with the big and the small: What is the significance of a young, devoted friendship in comparison to entire countries at war? Is the loss of one unique particular city, town, or community an appropriate price to pay for recovering a national glory? Does a world war curse a lost friendship as meaningless? Or could even a brief, young friendship carve some meaning from a worldwide war? Dare we to hope…? Or should we try to avoid asking the questions…? In this quiet, unrushed story we get to read how Hans Schwartz saw it, how he lived through it, and what he learned in the end.
Contrary to popular opinion, we do not actually live in “unprecedented times.” Everybody should read this book.
Any study of history reveals the surprContrary to popular opinion, we do not actually live in “unprecedented times.” Everybody should read this book.
Any study of history reveals the surprising trajectories of actions and their consequences. They’re almost always contrary to the intentions, it seems. We almost ricochet through time, making decisions and plans as we hurtle headlong into who-knows-what future. At our best we aspire to integrity… but everything is fraught and contingent and we are limited beings. (At our worst we give no thought or consideration to integrity or the future at all, I guess…)
A good writer uses the everyday reality of these things to advantage, and Larsen is skilled at finding ways “in” to our familiar histories in order to engage and surprise us. He makes history accessible (and relatable) to a current generation, which I appreciate.
I think this was one of his best books. It was very thought-provoking, but also entertaining. I don’t think those two things need to be separated; in fact, I think it’s a powerful way to communicate the things we should remember but tend to (or want to) forget.
At the least I am walking away with strong impressions of who/what I want to be like and who/what I do not want to be like; at the most I am reminded that there are always good reasons to hope, even in the darkest of times.
I picked this up because it was mentioned to me as a helpful resource when studying the Sermon on the Mount, and I need all the help I can round up onI picked this up because it was mentioned to me as a helpful resource when studying the Sermon on the Mount, and I need all the help I can round up on that one. There ARE some helpful things in it, and he has some interesting takes that are worth considering, but sometimes it veered into weird territory and sometimes I couldn’t follow his train of thought. I kinda skimmed the last quarter of the book (roughly) because it became almost programmatic, and I’m not in any position to be running any discipleship program. The most helpful and interesting parts (to me) were those having to do with the Beatitudes, with their attached verses.
I did not agree 100% with all of the theological underpinnings but I did benefit from reading this at a slow pace, along with other trustworthy sources. The subject is one that any Christian disciple could study for a lifetime and never come to the end of it. I appreciated the help seeing some old truths from different angles. ...more
This is a classic example of buying a book for its cover (okay, borrowing a book… from the library…). It is summer and the book cover was bright and fThis is a classic example of buying a book for its cover (okay, borrowing a book… from the library…). It is summer and the book cover was bright and fun and I found it hard to resist!
I liked the book, and was interested enough to finish it, but here is what I wish I had realized (and should have, based on the title alone): This is a story about a supper club. There is a family who owns and runs it, and another family that is tangentially related and also owns a restaurant business, but the story is not really about those characters. The story is about the supper club itself.
The reason I wish I had realized this from the beginning is that I spent a lot of time trying to keep track of the generations, their storylines and their details… I kept thinking that we’d get back to that story after we jumped back and forth to and from the others (I don’t love the way that so many books like to change viewpoints and/or timelines “these days”, but that is a personal preference so I’m not complaining about that choice) but what I didn’t understand is that those details weren’t really the point, which is why many of the stories weren’t finished for us. A lot of details about the characters’ lives were not fleshed out, so I was left with a lot of questions as the story continued on, which confused me enough to leave a little distracted hum going in the back of my mind. This means it was not what I call a “restful” book for me. (*to be clear: this is not a criticism of the book so much as a description of what happens when you read a book the wrong way!)
As I closed the book, though, I realized that what I read about - the story that WAS laid out for me, birth to death - was the story of Betty and Floyd’s Supper Club. It had a life of its own, and that was the point, I think. I was curious about the people who lived in and around it, but the image remains a poignant one of how there are a few things in the world that are so slow to change that they outlive some of us. And also: predictability and stability are wonderful while they last, but when change has to come, it can also be good.
There was a lot of attention to detail when it came to the location and setting, and I could feel the affection the author had for that place. In short, the family saga ultimately felt unsatisfactory to me, but the book’s strengths were felt in the geographical setting and a profound sense of place.
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