Benediction

 Kent Haruf is the author of the fiction book called Benediction. This is the third book he has written about the town in Colorado called Holt. I know I have read one of his other books about Holt but it was so long ago I can't remember anything about it. In this story the owner of the hardware store in town is dying from cancer. His wife and daughter are taking care of him with the help of a hospice nurse. The dying man is no longer on speaking terms with his son, Frank. Frank left town when he graduated from high school and has never returned. A friendly grandmother lives next door to the dying man. She is raising her granddaughter after her mother died. People in this town help each other with meals and friendly chats. This is a lovely story about families and friends.

 

 

The Patriots

 The Patriots is a l o n g book written by Sana Krasikov. This historical fiction novel is a tale about a mother and a son. Florence grew up in New York City. She attends Brooklyn College during the great depression. Capitalism doesn't seem to be working and, to Florence, socialism seems like a better idea. She lands a plum assignment in Moscow translating American press stories into Russian. Later we learn about her son, Julian, and her grandson, Lenny. Lenny is named after Florence's husband who was killed in prison. Ironically Lenny is now living in Moscow and has no plans to return to New York. The story is bleak and long. Florence is idealistic to the end. Because of his upbringing Julian is not idealistic. He was brought up in an orphanage during the seven years his mother was imprisoned after the death of his father. Still, I am glad I spend 9.5 hours reading this book.

 

 

Circus

The other day I went to the Learning Club at the city historical building. The topic was a circus that started in Wisconsin. At one point the state of Wisconsin had over 100 active circuses. The lady who did the research on the Orton circus decided to do so because of a trip she took to Durand, Wisconsin. Inside the Corral Bar And Riverside Grill is a private event room called the Orton room. Inside the Orton room is a lithograph advertising a circus performance. The advertising is 9 feet tall and 55 feet wide. She told us all about the Orton family circus. The circus consisted of a professional clown, a ring-leader, the Orton parents and their seven children. Over the years changes were made. Circuses were combined. Entertainers came and went. She told a very interesting story.

 

 

The Girl With The Louding Voice

 Abi Dare is the author of The Girl With The Louding Voice. Set in Nigeria, the story is about Adunni, a 14 year old girl who grew up in poverty. Her mother made a promise that Adunni would go to school. Her mother died when she was 13. Her father sold her to an older man who already had two wives. Her worth? Four goats, some chickens, two bags of rice and a television set. Adunni has had a tough life but her struggle to get an education continues. She knows English but is not fluent. I listened to an audio book of this story and I recommend it because I think it would be easier to hear it than read it. For example, Adunni uses off and on as verbs. Instead of saying, "He turned on the light," or "She flipped off the light," Adunni says, "He oned the light," or "She offed the light." This story, set in a third world country, reminded me of a female version of Le Miserabe. Great story.

 

 

Happy Longest Day of Sunlight Of The Year

 

Steamboat Days

Today is the end of a five day celebration here in Winona called steamboat days. There was a carnival a few blocks away on 2nd Street. Here on 3rd Street was a classic car show. Musicians performed at Levee Park. Food trucks were available. Princesses were elected.

This afternoon a parade was held on Broadway. I brought a chair and watched the performance. Here are the Clydesdale horses. My favorite are the marching bands. I saw high school bands from all over SE Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Richfield and Montevideo high school bands came too. Parades get a little crazy. Tiny children run into the street for tootsie rolls and starbursts while giant machines with big wheels go by. There was a pumpkin thrower from a rural Wisconsin town. Instead of pumpkins they loaded the explosive device with 2 inch plastic balls. The kids enjoyed catching the balls. Another refuse hauler had a t-shirt bazooka that threw blue company logo t-shirts into the crowd. I don't know why some of these events are so popular.

 

Whistler

 Whistler is Ann Patchett's newest novel. The story is about Daphne. Daphne and her husband are visiting the Museum Of Modern Art in New York City. An older, white haired man seems to be following them. The man turns out to be Daphne's stepfather who was married to her mother for a year when Daphne was nine years old. Daphne and her stepfather were involved in a car accident one winter night when she was nine. After the accident Daphne's mother divorced her step-father and she never saw him again. Daphne and her step-father were quite close. Her mother never explained why she divorced him. Once they met again at the art museum, nothing could keep them apart. Sometimes family fiction is the best.