Shaken & Stirred: Pretty Pretty

January 18, 2006

Pretty Pretty

So Gavin pointed me in the direction of these beautiful photos by Christa Parravani. Some of them (including the photo of Mabel Osborne at left) will be in a hopefully book-length series of Spoon River photos. Just as delightful as the photo browsing is the assertion that the photographer is often mistaken for Louise Brooks -- judge for yourself.

Posted at 06:04 AM in F-ing Genius | Permalink

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My grandfather's farm bordered on Mabel Osborne's farm when I was growing up. Mabel is now in an assisted living home with Alzheimer's in Florida, and her children are selling off the property bit by bit. By the time I get home, there will be no woods separating our farms any longer. I'm afraid I won't recognize a thing. Great pictures though. Gorgeous and eerie.

Posted by: Chris Barzak | January 18, 2006 at 07:55 AM

Well, she tries to look like Louise Brooks, and sorta succeeds. Sorta.

Posted by: pooks | January 18, 2006 at 02:11 PM

So sad, Chris. This reminds me of the guy here who owned the castle and the minute he died his kids began trying to turn it into a b & b (and the caretaker even set it on fire at one point, I believe).

Oh, I don't know, Pooks, I'd take that much looking like Louise Brooks. But I'm not picky.

Posted by: Gwenda | January 18, 2006 at 09:07 PM

Well, I am not an exact double for Louise Brooks, but I do have an identical twin sister. Odd thing is, I look more like Brooks than I do my own twin. Maybe it is just the hair but it could be the down-in-the-dumps eyes that are hard to see in that picture.

I am happy Gwenda that you like the Spoon River images, the work of poetry really moves me and I wanted these to be not specifically narrative based but fluid in a way that the meaning of the image changes the interpretation of the poem.

Posted by: Christa Parravani | January 19, 2006 at 07:45 AM

Chris, your comment is so sad. I know, I know, everything must pass - that doesn't upset me, more the fact that people have no sense of what's being lost.
And Christa, yes, you do, but I have to wonder, with the right hair and make-up, wouldn't we all? Just wait for my next author photo! Btw, stunning photographs.

Posted by: Kevin Wignall | January 19, 2006 at 05:23 PM

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Read Read

Kathi Appelt: The Underneath
Appelt's first novel is a beautiful, magical fantasy for younger readers that will instantly become a classic. Seriously. I can imagine this book being in classrooms right alongside Charlotte's Web in a hundred years. The writing is poetic in the good way, and there's a lamia. Children are going to absolutely fall in love with Appelt's equally kind and brutal universe, where love conquers most, and it can take millenia to come to your senses.
Jincy Willett: The Writing Class
With her second novel, Willett matches the perfect pitch and execution of her brilliant short stories. Every writer will want to read this novel--very little wincing is involved, but expect a great deal of laughter. C and I found ourselves reading pieces aloud, after howling provoked the "what's so funny?" question. As with any good writing workshop or class, the characters become more appealing as you get to know them, and ultimately what she has pulled off is a satisfying mystery, and a satisfying exploration of humanity. Amy Gallup is a character to remember.
Karen Joy Fowler: Wit's End
A new novel by Karen Fowler really is something to be excited about, unlike many of the writers for whom such praise gets bandied about. (If you're smirking because you think you know something about her work from the title--not the book--The Jane Austen Book Club, please go sit in the corner and read any of her novels. You're welcome.) This is an unmystery-like mystery, concerned not so much with dead bodies--though there are plenty--as with the mysteries of healing and the heart, politics and people. How is it that a writer gets a lens on the present that's as revealing as the one she employs in historical fiction? Now that's a mystery. Highly recommended.
Steve Erickson: Zeroville
Steve Erickson novels are often like dreams, or revelations, or discovered artifacts, or written just for you. Zeroville's no different, although it is perhaps the most readily graspable example of his work to date. The Rosetta Stone is there; the secret decoder ring is a film projector. The dizzying Hollywood confidential stylings will make your inner film geek happy, but the uncovering of a truly mythic cinematic story--since cinema has existed forever--of sacrifice and redemption is even more memorable. See also: this review.
Ursula Dubosarsky: The Red Shoe (Neal Porter Books)
Set in Sydney during WWII, this wonderful novel travels between the view from inside each of three sisters. Dubosarsky perfectly captures the differences that come from being the younger, older, or middle child. Perfectly conjuring the period, and yet creating a completely accessible story, the narrative contrasts chapters focusing on the family with interstitials from the Sydney newspapers of the time, stories of polio, the H-bomb, and a defecting Russian spy (who happens to be in hiding next door). Nothing here is heavy-handed. Everything is perfectly balanced. It's a beautiful, beautiful novel. See my full take here.
Kara Jesella: How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time
So, I'll tell you up front that this book delivers the goods. You will wallow in your Sassy forever-love, and feel as if you've just binged on a lot of especially great issues when you finish it. As the ladies say, this was a magazine about hope. Hope that there was something out there, some Great Beyond better than your teenagedom. And, lo and behold, that promise was kept, even though Sassy got murdered. Added bonus? An excellent portrait of the beginning of Third Wave feminism. See my full take here.