My collection of books about women’s rage is large. It’s not quite as large (yet) as my collection of books about women’s failure to be adequately cared for by health care systems. I suspect one category has something to do with the other- but let’s not dwell on that. Doing Harm by Maya Dusenbery fits completely into the latter category, but she doesn’t ignore the former.
Five Days Gone by Laura Cumming: Not a winner for me! A book entitled “Five Days Gone: The Mystery of my Mother’s Disappearance as a Child” almost inevitably gives you psychological thriller vibes. Or at least criminal mystery vibes. Or vibes bordering on ‘this could be intriguing’. Having now read the book, I regret to say that this subtitle is perhaps … misleading at best. It could have been called “Five Days Gone: The Days I Won’t get Back from Reading this Book.” I will not tell you what happens except to say it is not a psychological thriller. Nor is there a humorous British detective who will make an appearance. It’s actually all rather mundane.
Cumming spends about 300 pages writing what is essentially her mother’s memoir, interspersed with some commentary on art, which I didn’t really follow. (I don’t really care for art in a technical way, so could explain it). It is a family story – all true, sort of – based on the author’s mother’s five day disappearance when she (the mother) was three years old. I was anticipating some kind of criminal drama. In actuality, Cumming is exploring her own family’s history and asking questions about who did what and when.
In case you missed it in my tone above – I did not enjoy this book. It felt a lot like a waste of time. The author spends a long time hating on her various family members who she has determined have done bad things – despite repeatedly acknowledging she doesn’t have any facts. Then, at the very end when she does have facts, she becomes somewhat introspective and dwells on the time she spent misjudging her family.
The fact that this woman managed to write this ‘story’ into a 300-page book, have it published and sold, and then reviewed by the UK Sunday Times (who, for the record, called it ‘a masterpiece’) is really a testament that anyone can write a book.
The bitterness that the author carries through the book – with no evidence to support that emotion – is exhausting. She repeatedly reminds the reader how little she knows, and yet presses on with her judgments regardless.
The seemingly random additions of art commentary do not fit to me with the book at all. Other than her parents being artists, the commentary did not add anything to the memoir, and if anything, drew me out of the mother’s story. More interesting would have been some additional stories told of women in the area who had similar experiences to her mother’s. I won’t tell you what those experiences are – you can waste five days reading the book also to find out the anticlimactic ending.
I recently read Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan, and that was a much better (still British) read if you’re in the mood.
A very iffy three stars on this one. Honestly, I would give it two stars. But the writing was very nice and there was nothing glaring or unpleasant about the book.
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The importance of the book is not for me in the friendship – which I think is where lots of others get hooked – but in the express wishes of Tully, and in turn Jimmy, to have his death be something of which he could be proud.
Hidden behind tall walls and the formal entrance to an art gallery is Munich’s secret garden. Munich is a super expensive city to visit. Hotels are notoriously costly, museums charge, and restaurants hike up prices. Finding free things to do isn’t tricky exactly, but you do have to do your homework.
Grand Pré is a rural community one hour from Halifax. It is famous for being the site of the beginnings of the deportation of the Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755. It is a great little area to use as a base for further exploring. But there is also plenty to do within the community!
If you’ve ever been to Kingston, Ontario, you’ve probably looked across the harbour to Wolfe Island. Wolfe Island is the largest of the 1000 Islands, and located in Lake Ontario, Canada. It’s quaint and cute and easily accessible from city hub of Kingston. Kingston itself has lots going on, but if it’s a sunny day, hop on the free Wolfe Island Ferry (aptly named the Wolfe Islander III) and check out the island.
Germany is certainly not lacking in history and castles. A quick search for ‘Germany castles’ will bring up many of the top hits – the classic palaces that Disney films were based off. For me though, the whole journey up to this spot from the walk to the open air, was just such a unique experience, it trumped my visit to Augustusburg Palace!
When you’ve tired of double decker buses and crowded London streets, head to Topsham for some seaside respite in England.
There is so much to see and do on Cape Breton but it’s hard to fit it all in to one weekend! This itinerary is great for history, culture and music.
