Month: June 2008

Book Review: “Rhett Butler’s People”

Let me preface this by saying that my normal rating system doesn’t really apply here. I am a huge fan of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind,” both book and movie, as well as a fan of the sequel, “Scarlett,” by Alexandra Ripley (book only, the miniseries was awful!), so I knew that I would be buying the second prequel/sequel (“Rhett Butler’s People” by Donald McCaig) no matter what. So, the day it came out, I packed up the children and went to Borders, with my Borders Rewards coupon in hand (40% off! woo hoo!) and bought the book for better or for worse. So, when I give it a rating, just ignore the parts about whether or not I’d buy it, get it from the library again, etc., because no matter the actual content, I knew I needed the book to sit on my shelf with “Gone with the Wind” and “Scarlett.”

Anyway, it’s obviously been a while since I read it. I think it came out last November-ish, and I read it that week, so my memory is a little fuzzy on specifics, but I remember enough of it to know what I didn’t like about it.

The idea for this book was really cool–a look at a young Rhett Butler pre-“Gone with the Wind,” and then a continuation of his story through the same time period occupied by “Gone with the Wind.” It was also written by someone who is supposed to be an excellent historical, Civil War era author (although I had not previously read anything by him–I’m more of a John Jakes, “North and South” trilogy kind of gal), so I was very excited to get started.

On it’s own, I suppose this would be a pretty good book. It’s an interesting story, and I liked reading more about one man’s view of Rhett Butler’s history, motivations, etc. I had two problems with the book, however, and the first one is a biggie. I can’t stand how there was no continuity between this book and “Scarlett.” Now, I understand that “Scarlett” wasn’t written by Mitchell, and I know a lot of people are highly critical of the first sequel to “Gone with the Wind.” That being said, the estate of Mitchell did approve both books, and I just don’t get why they would allow two books to stand as “sequels” to a classic like “Gone with the Wind” when they don’t share many, if any, commonalities.

Both books are good at staying true to “Gone with the Wind,” but anything that is not specifically mentioned in that book is apparently fair game. Names of extended family members are different between Scarlett and Rhett Butler’s People, and some family member exist only in one book or the other (particularly Rhett’s siblings). It is my opinion that because “Scarlett” was written first, McCaig should have been held to upholding the characters that were introduced in that story (it could be that I am just biased because I liked “Scarlett” almost as much as the original, and felt that Ripley really understood the characters, and wrote a sequel in keeping with how the characters would actually act). The estate should have been firm in that there must be continuity between the two stories; otherwise, there is no way they can both stand as sequels.

The other thing that really bothered me was McCaig’s portrayal of Melanie Wilkes. In his book, she was more cynical–she was suspicious of Scarlett; aware of her and Ashley’s relationship, and almost devious in her endeavors to keep her sister-in-law and husband apart. This is nothing like the Melanie we come to know and love in “Gone with the Wind”: a woman who could not even conceive of dishonor in the people she loved, a woman who had been so sheltered that she was unaware of evil in her world. McCaig did a disservice to the original by writing such a poor character portrayal, and of a main character no less!

This book gets three stars from me, even though I did buy it. It was an OK story; I had no problem finishing it. Had it been the same book, about different characters, it might have even gotten a four star rating. I enjoyed the setting, and I do love Civil War era anything, so in that respect, it was a good book for me. As it is, I’m guessing I’m not going to add it to my traditional summer reading rotation, where I read “Scarlett” and “Gone with the Wind” every year (and in that order for some odd reason–what can I say? I’m weird that way!), but it does look nice on the shelf next to the other two books. And who knows, in a few years, I may come back to it and give it another chance.

Book Review: “The Potluck Club”

This review will focus not only on the book “The Potluck Club,” but on the whole three book series of the same name, all written by the duo of Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson. The other two books are “The Potluck Club: Trouble’s Brewing” and “The Potluck Club Takes the Cake.”

I read the first book of the series back sometime last fall. I got it from the library, along with the book “She’s All That” from the Spa Girls trilogy by Kristin Billerbeck. I had not heard of either of the series before, and only vaguely heard of the authors, but they both popped up on a “if you like this book, you might like these” kind of recommendation from Amazon. I started the series with low expectations, partly because I was very disappointed with “She’s All That” (another review for another time), and partly because it didn’t take me long to realize that most of the main characters in the book were my mother’s age, if not older, and I wasn’t sure that I would find anything appealing about it, or that I would have anything in common with the characters. I didn’t have to read very far into the first book to realize that despite the age difference, I could really relate to, and laugh and cry with, the ladies of the Potluck Club.

The series takes place in and around the small town of Summit View, Colorado, and the scenes were written so well that I could almost see the mountains and breathe in the fresh air. I especially liked the winter scenes, (even a rather frightening avalanche!) because I could just see the majestic beauty of the snow-covered terrain.

What I liked most about these books was the way the authors dealt with hard, real-life issues, even amid the laughter and crazy antics of the club ladies. Topics such as pregnancy out of wedlock, infidelity, and even abortion, were dealt with, and given the proper amounts of suffering, as well as grace under the Gospel. Other hard topics, such as adoption, inter-racial marriage in a time that did not tolerate such things, loneliness and alcoholism were dealt with equally well. The characters did not have perfect lives, did not always make good choices, and, in fact, at least one of the main characters isn’t sure she’s really a Christian at all.

The whole trilogy takes place in a short amount of time–less than a year. So much happens in each of the books that it’s hard to believe that such a short period of time is covered. Each of the six main characters has her own story, some of which are intertwined with each other. Evie deals with a long-suffering, not-so-unrequited love, and a unexpectedly pregnant niece who arrives suddenly. Newcomer to town Lisa Leann schemes to take over the potluck club, ensuring that she’s not making too many friends along the way. Goldie, the high school coach’s wife realizes that she can’t live with the knowledge of her husband’s infidelity any longer. Donna deals with a her immense dislike of Evie, (who also happens to be best friend’s with Donna’s surrogate mother), while doing her job as a deputy and dealing with hard issues from her past. Vonnie has a secret so big that even her husband and best friend are unaware of it, and she finds out that even she didn’t know the whole truth. Lizzie is solid as a rock, even as she deals with family issues of her own.

The characters were all very real–not the phony, life is all sweetness and light, rainbows and butterflies that you find in a lot of Christian fiction. They experienced real emotions, both good and bad, and had very real relationships, also both good and bad, with each other and others in town. The fringe characters were also very likable, particularly newspaper reporter Clay; David, a stranger with secret; Leigh, Evie’s niece; and Jan, the beloved pastor’s wife who was battling cancer.

I loved these books, and give them a five star rating. Although I got the first book from the library, I knew that I would want them for my personal collection, and ended getting the whole trilogy as a Christmas gift, at which point, I dove in, and finally finished the series. It was a long wait in between the first and second books! The story didn’t end with book three, however–a new series, “The Potluck Catering Club”, is being written, and the first book, “The Secret’s in the Sauce,” is scheduled to come out September 1. Given that there were many loose ends left at the end of the first trilogy, there is plenty of material left to be covered in the new series, and I’m sure other story lines will also be introduced. I already have my copy pre-ordered on Amazon–I can’t wait to find out what the ladies of the club do next!

Bam!

Loving my new cookware! I’m very excited to have stainless steel–it’s so much prettier than non-stick, (not only is the stainless steel nice and shiny, but I also love the copper band) plus I don’t have to worry about poisoning my family with teflon flaking off! I also like the glass lids, which seem to be hard to find in a stainless set. The weight on the pans is also really nice. It took some getting used to because they’re so much heavier than I had before, but they feel sturdier. I still haven’t made anything too terribly interesting with it, but knowing the options I have for cooking things–I’ve never had cookware that could go under the broiler before!–opens up a whole bunch of recipes for me.

I know it seems kind of corny to go with the Emerilware. If I had the money, I might have gone for the good All Clad stuff. The Emerilware, however, does have the All Clad name on it (yes, I know, the Emerilware is made in China, where the real All Clad is made in the US), and actually got really good reviews, some even better than the All Clad. And, given that I’m cheap by nature, even if I had the money, I might not have spent it on the All Clad anyway, so I’m glad that there was a reasonable substitute to satisfy both my frugal nature, and my desire for a good brand!

From what I’ve experienced so far, they cook really well; much more evenly than my old non-stick Farberware. The bottoms of the pans are also nice and flat, as opposed to the warped bottoms on the old stuff, which made cooking some things a bit of a challenge. Clean up is tons easier than I expected–I had a fear of stainless steel based on my mom’s old set, as it was impossible to get clean. Now, I haven’t tried to scramble eggs in my pans, and I guess I haven’t made anything super sticky, but so far, they’ve cleaned with very little effort. I don’t even mind that I’m trying to keep them out of the dishwasher (even though they’re technically dishwasher safe).

I’m no gourmet chef, but these pots and pans are really working out for me, and the price was excellent. I love that Linens and Things and Bed Bath and Beyond take each others’ coupons, making it easier for me to purchase the individual pieces that I needed, without having to buy a whole set of stuff I’d never use. Right now, I have a one quart saucier, a three quart saucepan, a three quart saute pan, and an eight quart stockpot. In the future, I may want to get a chef’s pan and/or a frying pan, but for now, I have all I need for the type of cooking I like to do.

How Do You Do It?

I get asked this a lot. I guess having four children, and especially since the oldest is only five, kind of begs the question. I don’t mind when people I know inquire–I figure since they’ve seen how, um, *active* my children are, they’re probably wondering how it is that I haven’t been institutionalized or started drinking in the morning. It really irks me, though, when perfect strangers come up to me (Target seems to be a favorite location for this conversation) and ask how I manage, or comment on how many children I have, or let me know that I have my hands full (thanks for the news bulletin!).

I guess people are just naturally curious, but they really make me feel like some kind of circus side show–why do complete strangers feel the need to comment on my family, or ask personal questions that are none of their business? It’s getting to the point where my children are starting to notice the commentary and ask why people always say that–and I imagine they’re getting used to being stared at about as much as I am. (My personal favorite, though, was one day when I was at the hospital for the baby’s well child exam, and someone asked if they were all mine. Really, you think I’d drag four children through the very busy hospital because it’s so much fun? Does it look like some kind of game trying to make sure the double stroller and the two older children all make it into the elevator before the doors close? Some people need some kind of screening device between their brains and mouths!)

Anyway, as to how I do it…how do I not do it? Really, what choice do I have? The house and children need to be cared for, and as that is my responsibility, I just do it. I can’t even remember what it was like to have only one child; can barely remember only having two. Frankly, adding children three and four were much easier than adding child two, because by the time I had baby three, I knew what to expect, and knew how to divide my time more efficiently.

This question always reminds me of a conversation I had with my doctor after baby three arrived. I had a c-section, just I have with all my other deliveries, and I was talking to him about how I was going to care for my older two children once I got home from the hospital, because I knew I’d have even less help this time around than I did with the first two. I flat out told him that I knew I’d be lifting at least my 16 month old sometimes, if not the two and half year old as well. I said this knowing full well that is not what doctors advise following a section–they always tell you not to lift anything heavier than the baby. But my doctor just looked at me and said “you do what you have to do.” He understood. He didn’t try to make me feel guilty for breaking the “rules,” rather, he set me free to parent the way I knew I needed to do, and to do what I felt was best for me and my children.

That’s how I feel about having four so young and so close in age–I do what I have to do. Sure, there are some mornings when I can barely drag myself out of bed, and there are some nights when I fall back into it in exhaustion, and there are many, many days when I tire of mediating disputes over toys, books and games, but this is the job God has given me to do. No matter how difficult it may be at times, it is what I have always wanted, and I can’t imagine doing it any differently. I’m doing what I have to do, because it’s there for me to do, and it needs to be done, and done well.

Italian Beef

This is one of my very favorite recipes, and even my children love this dinner, so I thought I’d share!

3-4 lb. chuck roast

1 envelope Italian dressing mix

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 cup of beef broth, or 1 package beef aus jus prepared according to package

Place roast in crock-pot and add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. One hour before serving, shred beef and add back to liquid. Cook on high for remaining hour. Serve on sub style rolls.