Review: 13, rue Thérèse: A Novel By Elena Mauli Shapiro

 
13, rue Thérèse: A Novel 
By Elena Mauli Shapiro

Product Details:

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books; 1 edition (February 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316083283
• ISBN-13: 978-0316083287

Description (From Good Reads)

Trevor Stratton is an American professor and translator, newly arrived at a Paris university. There, in his office, he discovers a box filled with letters, photographs, and antique objects—a beautiful pair of gloves, a rosary, a silk scarf. Whose life is preserved here? And who has left this mystery for him to find?

The artifacts tell the story of the box’s owner, Louise Brunet, who lived in Paris through both world wars. Trevor is captivated by her tale; her unruly love for a cousin who died in WWI, her comfortable marriage to a man who works for her father, and her passionate attraction to a neighbor in her building at 13, rue Thérèse. But the artifacts tell just a part of the story. Trevor almost deliriously envisions the rest, consumed by thoughts of Louise. Or is it Josianne, his alluring assistant, who rules his imagination?

Memory, passion, and the mysteries of time are entwined in this enthralling novel, a book that transports us not just to Paris but into the mysteries of the past. Elena Mauli Shapiro’s first novel is a masterly exploration, intimate and dramatic, of the stories we imagine about others’ lives and the truths those stories reveal about ourselves.

About the Author:

Elena Mauli Shapiro was born and raised in Paris, France, in an apartment below the real-life Louise Brunet’s. Shapiro found herself in possession of a box of Louise’s keepsakes after her neighbor died and no relatives arrived to claim them. These postcards, gloves, photographs, coins, letters, and other mementoes utterly captured her imagination. Shapiro has a BA in English and French from Stanford University, a master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Davis, and an MFA in Fiction Writing from Mills College. Visit her website at elenamaulishapiro.com

My Thoughts:

This amazing first novel is certainly like no other I've read before!  At times challenging, and yet always engaging, 13, rue Thérèse is a mesmerizing tale built upon a box of artifacts and ephemera strategically placed within the office of American Professor Trevor Stratton upon his arrival at the Paris University.  Upon his discovery of this simple box, the reader is swept away by the life of Louise Brunet as Trevor begins to translate and piece together the meaning of the contents.  But is this really Louise's life or Trevor's fantasies of her life?  And what does this say to us about Trevor Stratton? The two seem to be intertwined and the reader is challenged to seperate the two.  Filled with beautiful images throughout, this easily becomes a mystery to unfold!  Shapiro's writng is absolutely elegant!  Although this novel has a very French flavor to it, translations are provided making it easily readable. I loved this novel and find it one worth re-reading.  Demanding of further discussion, this novel would make an excellent book group endeavor!  Easily worthy of a Five star rating!

Book Review: Daughters of the Dust By Julie Dash

When choosing books to read for the Southern Literature Reading Challenge, I quickly thought of Daughters of the Dust by Julie Dash.  This is one of those very rare occurrences when the book was written following the movie by the same name.  Now, I have seen the movie on several occasions, and even used it once in the classroom when teaching college freshmen. ( For one semester, I chose to teach novels that presented the folk legend of the Flying Africans).  I should note, my students were not overly impressed with the movie (something about it being too slow) and I must admit, if you're not familiar with Gullah/Geechee Folklore, the beauty of the film may be lost.  But for now, let's talk about the book...

Synopsis:
During the height of Harlem's celebrated literary Renaissance, the young and aspiring college student, Amelia Varnes, leaves New York and returns to the isolated sea coast islands of South Carolina to trace her mother's family history.  Amelia's  growing friendship with her cousin Elizabeth puts into motion the discovery of the Peazant family origins and history, enriched with tradition and folklore, as well as stories of Africa, of slavery, and emancipation,.  Amelia's college research project quickly becomes a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment.

My Review:
I enjoyed reading this novel, and yet, in the end I felt just a bit disappointed.  Dash provided a wonderful abundance of  African folklore as well as Gullah history and culture which I found to be the most appealing aspects of the novel.  However, as a literary work,  I feel the overall development of characters was lacking, as though each character were merely a vehicle in which to convey various traditions, and the plot itself lacked a serious sense of direction and often times wandered.  For some readers, Dash's use of dialect may be troublesome.  Personally, I love reading dialect and find it to provide a greater sense of authenticity.  If you're not familiar with dialect, here's a brief sample from the novel:
De elders start to callin on de ol spirits, cryin out to Yemoja, Oshun, Elegba, Ogun! Don't let dis gal leave here! Now dem ol spirits, dey been waitin for de call.
Overall, Dash has provided a novel rich with history, folklore, and tradition, and on that basis alone I would  recommend Daughters of the Dust.
My rating: 4

Recommendations for further viewing/reading:

Video Interview with Julie Dash regarding the making of the film.
The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton (Children's Literature)
The Legacy of Ibo Landing: Gullah Roots of African American Culture by Marquetta L. Goodwine

* As a side note, I've been craving Gumbo since reading this novel!  Stop by tomorrow and I'll share my recipe with ya'll!

The Classics: The Bread Givers By Anzia Yezierska

As part of The Classics 2011 Reading Challenge, without hesitation, I quickly chose two novels by Anzia Yezierska.  During my graduate studies, I was introduced to Yezierska's collection of short stories, How I Found America, and was immediately captivated by this extraordinary author.  A young Jewish immigrant living on New York's Lower East Side, Yezierska managed to publish six books between 1920 and 1932.  As literary scholar, Alice Kessler-Harris so accurately explains in the introduction, Yezierska's constant themes are the dirt and congestion of the tenement, the struggle against poverty, family, and tradition, to break out of the ghetto, and then the searing recognition that her roots would always lie in the old world.  All of Yezierska's writings contain a sense of autobiograhpy but none more so than The Bread Givers.

Review:

The Bread Givers, immediately transports the reader back in time to the tenements of New York's Lower East Side during the early 1920's and the struggles of young Jewish immigrant, Sara Smolinsky. Caught between her old world values and her deep desire to become an "American", Sara's plight towards independence is heart-wrenching to say the least.  As Sara tries to break free from her dominating Rabbi father and Jewish traditions, she is soon faced with similar barriers in the form of greedy landlords, "sweat shop" bosses, as well as the prevailing prejudice against immigrants. During a period in American history when it was widely unacceptable to for a woman to be educated, Sara was convinced the only way to succeed and achieve the "American Dream" was through eduction.

I honestly cannot speak highly enough of this novel.  Yezierska provides us with so much more than a coming of age novel.  The pages are abundant with history, the plight of immigrants, and the struggles of women seeking equality and a sense of self-identity in a male-dominated society at the turn of the century.  Yezierska's writing was initially criticized for the use of "simple language" and Jewish dialect, and yet, it's these very characteristics that bring her writing to life.  A truly enjoyable read that I can easily give a 5!

Review: Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamtress By Dai Sijie

Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress
a semi-autobiographical novel written by Dai Sijie , first published in 2000 in French and then in English in 2001. Its original French title is Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise.


Synopsis:
At the height of Mao's infamous Cultural Revolution, two boys are among hundreds of thousands exiled to the countryside for "re-education." The narrator and his best friend, Luo, guilty of being the sons of doctors, find themselves in a remote village where, among the peasants of Phoenix mountain, they are made to cart buckets of excrement up and down precipitous winding paths. Their meager distractions include a violin---as well as, before long, the beautiful daughter of the local tailor.

But it is when the two discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation that their re-education takes its most surprising turn. While ingeniously concealing their forbidden treasure, the boys find transit to worlds they had thought lost forever. And after listening to their dangerously seductive retellings of Balzac, even the Little Seamstress will be forever transformed.

From within the hopelessness and terror of one of the darkest passages in human history, Dai Sijie has fashioned a beguiling and unexpected story about the resilience of the human spirit, the wonder of romantic awakening and the magical power of storytelling.

My Review: Power of the Written Word
Dai Sijie provides the reader with so much more than a delightful coming of age story. Set within the oppression imposed by Mao's Cultural Revolution, the reader is quickly swept away to a time and place when the pursuit of academics was completely forbidden and professionals were subjected to "re-education" that amounted to nothing less than an attempt to revert individuals to peasantry and manual labor.  However, education and knowledge cannot be erased. In this novel, Siejie brings to the forefront the transformative power that literature can have upon the human spirit and the hope that flourishes from within the written language. Although there are a few awkward translations from the original French version, these have very little, if any, effect on the overall impact of the story itself.

Overall Rating: 5
Very thought-provoking, and at times mesmerizing, this is a fairly short novel and a rather quick read... perfect for a cold, snowy afternoon. I highly recommend this novel and if you happen to read it, I would love to hear your thoughts as well!

Other books by Dai Sijie currently on my list to read:
Mr. Muo's Traveling Couch