In Progress: Welty & Maxwells' 'Your heart down on paper'

One of the great joys of reading the letters of great writers is seeing the delight they have as readers. All spring and so far this summer I've been savoring What There is to Say We Have Said, a sampling of the letters Eudora Welty and William and Emmy Maxwell wrote to each other for more than 50 years. The friendship began when the Maxwells met Welty one New York evening, loved her storytelling, and Maxwell helped bring her short stories to The New Yorker.

Here are three snippets that give an idea about the way these loving, warm-hearted people wrote to each other over the years (in between much talk of food, roses and when they would see each other):

It's as if you'd put your heart down on paper. ...as if I was sitting up to a peat fire & listening to the voice of a master storyteller. I could hear your voice all the way through and at the same time all the characters' voices were their own.
-- Emily Maxwell to Eudora Welty on May 15, 1970, about the novel Losing Battles

I'm so glad her rose (Maxwell daughter Brookie) bloomed. ... I think that's what your stories do, too -- coax the flower. Their gentleness is a form of concentration, and their strength comes out of what was intuitive always, -- in the end they stand unprotected -- that's the bloom.
-- Eudora Welty to William Maxwell on Jan. 14, 1972

When you analyze one of his stories there is a faint double exposure: I see you seeing him. And it is doubly moving.
-- William Maxwell to Eudora Welty on Sept. 17, 1977, on an essay she wrote about Chekhov

And this after they have been writing to each other for more than 30 years. It's a balm to read such lovely things that they say to each other, and makes me wish I could drop everything else and spend the rest of the summer not in studies for work, but in the writings of Welty and Maxwell. But some day ...

The Europa Challenge is on!

The Europa Challenge logo to the right signals an exciting opportunity to explore the ficiton of one of my favorite imprints. Begun by two book people I respect and adore, Marie of Boston Bibliophile and the one and only Miss Liberty, the Europa Challenge Blog has a variety of challenges and will be a celebration of individual titles and the entire catalog of the imprint.

The way that the name of Europa Editions came to my attention symbolizes exactly what I treasure about it: I realized that the same publisher was the source of both dark, well-written crime fiction that had been translated into English, and one of the most fascinating, satisfying novels I've ever read: Jane Gardam's Old Filth.

Review: 'The Ranger'

THE RANGER
By Ace Atkins
Crime fiction
June 2011
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 978-0-399157486

Quinn Colson hasn't been to his rural Mississippi home in years. And by the time this visit is over, every reason he had to stay away presents itself.

The initial reason for his return is his uncle's funeral. Uncle Hamp not only was the county sheriff, he was the one who walked into the woods to find a young Quinn who was lost in them for two weeks. It isn't until after the funeral that Quinn learns his uncle killed himself. The new law, an old high school buddy of Quinn's, is ready to settle for that, but Quinn isn't. Neither is tomboy-turned-deputy Lillie.

Review: 'Tigerlily's Orchids'

TIGERLILY'S ORCHIDS
By Ruth Rendell
Crime fiction
June 2011
Scribner
ISBN: 978-1439150344

A quiet little corner of London may look like the kind of place where nothing ever happens. But Ruth Rendell knows better in her latest stand-alone novel, Tigerlily's Orchids. Not much is as it seems, other things are what they seem, only more so, and it never pays to make assumptions.

Review: 'The Reservoir'

THE RESERVOIR
By John Milliken Thompson
Historical fiction
June 2011
Other Press
ISBN: 978-1590514443

Although it's a well-known axiom to not judge a book by its cover, in this case it is all right. John Milliken Thompson's debut novel, The Reservoir, has as its cover a gorgeous, sprawling tree that hasn't leafed out, with an amber wash that harkens back to another time. It is desolate and nearly devoid of life. The cover is based on something that exists, yet has been turned into something else.

That's an accurate description of the novel. It's based on a true story, but Thompson, a nonfiction and short story writer, has taken the bare bones of what was known and turned it into a stark, sad story that is steeped in old-timey feel.

Review: 'The Dark Enquiry'

THE DARK ENQUIRY                                                        
By Deanna Raybourn
Historical crime fiction
June 2011
Mira Books
ISBN: 978-0-7783-1237
Lady Julia Grey thinks she has settled well into married life with the dashing, enigmatic and brilliant Nicholas Brisbane. She blows out windows in his consulting roms experimenting with explosives while he tries to protect her by not revealing what cases he's working on. She insists on playing a greater role as helpmeet. He plans outings for her in the country to help her brother Plum, Brisbane's latest apprentice, find some missing jewels.

There's a lot of protecting and going behind each other's backs in displays of love and competitiveness. It's bound to come to a head.

Review: 'Jane Austen: A Life Revealed'

JANE AUSTEN: A LIFE REVEALED
By Catherine Reef
YA biography
June 2011
Clarion Books
ISBN: 978-0547370217

Young adult readers can be especially passionate about their favorites, as has been seen when Harry Potter and Twilight took off in popularity. Transferring that loyalty to other books that are at least a bit similar has not always been successful, although the vampire subgenre remains healthy for both YA and adult paranormal romance genres. Those who hope interest in a great romance could lead to young readers discovering Jane Austen don't often meet with success. In addition to the language barrier, there are the slower plots and, let's face it, no broken headboards.