The Awakening

By Kate Chopin

This was a pivotal novel for women and the feminist movement. First published in 1899 it was very unorthdox for the times and there was quite an uproar against the book and its young author.  The Awakening is the story of a young woman who decides that her conventional life isn't good enough for her anymore.

The story opens on Grand Isle, a vacation spot located off of the coast of Louisiana; the resort is popular with the prosperous Creole middle class.  Edna Pontellier is there with her husband Léonce and their two children. She quickly becomes fast friends with Robert Lebrun whose mother manages the resort.

Edna and Robert start developing feelings for each other and Edna begins to realize that her conventional life is not satisfying; she wants to be with Robert and be free to do whatever she wants rather than follow society's conventions.

Adéle Ratignolle is Edna's friend and the personification of the feminine ideal for the time.  She is sweet and kind and places the happiness of her husband and children over her own.  Adéle warns Robert not to play with Edna's feelings because she may well have serious emotions toward Robert.  Even though Robert is well known on the island for flirting outrageously with a married woman every summer he protests that he is serious about Edna. Adéle suspects that there is something between the two but says nothing.

"She was moved by a kind of commiseration for Madame Ratignolle- a pity for that colorless existence…in which she would never have the taste of life’s delirium."

But summer must end and with it goes Robert, overcome with his love for Edna and knowing that she is married and therefore unavailable by society's definition, he runs away to Mexico.  Edna must return to her home in New Orleans with her husband and children.

 “Robert’s going had some way taken the brightness, the color, the meaning out of everything… her whole existence was dulled..."

Edna's husband leaves for New York and her children visit their grandmother leaving Edna alone in a house filled with reminders of her husband and the world that she no longer wishes to live in. She meets Alcée Arobin, a young man who would gladly take Robert's place in Edna's affections.

Edna must soon make a decision about her life, especially when Robert returns and she discovers he still loves her...

This is a short novel, my version was 221 pages and the chapters are short. Throughout the first half of the story I was ambivalent about Edna but after she returns to New Orleans I decided I didn't like her. I felt like she placed her own happiness over common sense. I know that the point of her "awakening" is to learn to consider herself over giving everything up for someone who she may not even like, let alone love.

But, I felt like she could have acted in a way so that the story would not have ended the way it did.  Overall, I would recommend reading the book if just for a glimpse into the mindset of a woman frustrated with her lot.

A Race To Splendor
By Ciji Ware

It is 1906 and the dawning of a new century for women. Amelia Hunter Bradshaw is apprenticed to the first woman ever to be licensed and trained as an architect, Julia Morgan. Amelia has trained in Paris and returns to San Francisco to claim her inheritance: the grand Bay View Hotel. But upon Amelia's arrival she discovers that her drunkard of a father has lost the deed to the hotel in a poker match with J.D. Thayer, a well-known cardsharp. Amelia even takes Thayer to court to try and reclaim her hotel but she has been thoroughly swindled. She returns to her job at Julia Morgan's firm and tries to put all thoughts of the Bay View and its new owner out of her mind.  

But 1906 is also the year of the devastating earthquake that destroys the city.

"An Act of God brought this city to its knees..."

The Bay View has been destroyed and its new owner almost killed in the destruction. Amelia's father is also killed in the earthquake and Amelia finds herself feeling utterly alone. But J.D. Thayer doesn't give up easily, he hires Amelia to rebuild the Bay View.  Julia Morgan has also been employed to rebuild the Fairmont, a more lavish and elegant hotel only a few blocks away from the Bay View. Together, the two women plan to rebuild San Francisco and show the world that the city will rise again.

But it is the Gilded Age, a time known for corruption, rampant greed, and racial prejudices. Soon, Amelia finds herself racing Julia for the honor of rebuilding San Francisco's most prominent buildings. Many factors work against Amelia and J.D.: corrupt politicians and business partners, union control, a lack of funds, and of course their growing attraction for each other.

The story also touches on the large Chinese population in San Francisco and the prejudices they faced. Union workers refuse menial labor but then grow angry when Chinese are hired to do the job. Many Chinese women are kidnapped and sold into prostitution. We meet the very real Donaldina Cameron, a Presbyterian missionary who rescued Chinese girls and children from their imprisonments in brothels and opium dens. 

The story was very good. Amelia, while not quite as three dimensional a character as J.D. Thayer, is ambitious and determined and I wanted her to succeed in making a name for herself. J.D. is more complex, he is the prodigal son who strives for his father's approval but is determined to make his own way especially since he cannot respect his father. We learn about his real reason for coveting the Bay View and why he is so determined to surmount all odds and reopen the hotel. You can achieve an excellent grasp of the social situation in San Francisco during the time period, the book is rich in detail and historical fact.    

Ciji Ware has written several other historical fiction novels and some nonfiction books. You can find her at www.cijiware.com

Bad Teacher

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch

Rating: R for sexual content, nudity, language, drug use

Score: 2.75/4

This is probably how some teachers wish they could act with their students, Cameron Diaz may get away with it but I doubt someone in the real world could.

We first meet Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) as she prepares to quit teaching forever because she's going to marry her wealthy fiancè. Unfortunately, the fiancè's mother sees Elizabeth for what she is: a gold digger.

So, Elizabeth is forced back into teaching but soon concocts a new plan. The new substitute teacher, Scott Delacorte (Timberlake) happens to be filthy rich and cute. Elizabeth sets her sights on him hoping to buy her ticket out of teaching, her goal is to earn enough money for breast implants; she is convinced that is the only way to snag Scott. Unfortunately, Elizabeth has a rival. Amy Squirrel (Punch) is the overeager teacher across the hall from Elizabeth, she has her sighs set on Scott as well.  Russell Gettis (Segal) is the goofy gym teacher with a big crush on Elizabeth, unfortunately she only has eyes for Scott.

By far my favorite characters were Lynn Davies (Phyllis Smith), an awkward teacher, and Kirk (Eric Stonestreet), Elizabeth's oddball roommate. They both added the comedic one liners that really made the movie cute. Timberlake's dreamy Scott was also funny; at times goofy and at others distant you can't take him too seriously and neither are you meant to.

There are of course the raunchy jokes and sexual innuendos, along with a strange and fully clothed sex scene, expected in this kind of movie but I found myself laughing. All in all I enjoyed this a lot more than Bridesmaids.

The Mozart Conspiracy
By Scott Mariani

Despite what the title implies, the story is less about Mozart and more about a secret society trying to hide a conspiracy in the modern day.

Oliver Llewellyn was a concert pianist who played across Europe. One night while performing at a private party at a mansion in Austria Oliver walks into something he should never have seen and dies mysteriously; but not before sending his life's work to his sister, the famous opera singer Leigh Llewellyn.
After Oliver's funeral Leigh calls up a former love, ex-SAS agent Ben Hope. Despite their history they both sit down and examine Oliver's work and what they find is startling.
Oliver was researching Mozart and his possible involvement with an underground society called the Order of Ra. Unfortunately, the group still exists in Europe and they don't want outsiders investigating their secrets. Leigh and Ben find themselves in great danger and racing across Europe to escape the bad guys.

It sounds cheesy but it was actually very good. I expected it to be over the top with conspiracy theories and James Bond plots but it wasn't. The characters are likable, the book is focused more on the current day then a cheesy background, and the twist at the end will leave the reader shocked.