The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

Once again, I picked up another book from the library shelf because of its title.

This turned out to be a short novel about a widow who was determined to open a book store where it seemed impossible to thrive. The setting is London, in a seaside town in 1959.

Florence Green is losing sleep at night.  Is her decision to purchase an old decrepit property and turn it into a book shop keeping her awake at night?

Despite objections from the towns’ residents, she opens her bookstore.   Mrs. Gamart, the town patron wanted to purchase the building and make it an arts center.  She has friends in high places that could make this happen in spite of Florence having already purchased the property.

The trials that Florence faces, mostly from the neighbors and Mrs. Gamart, make you wonder if she will give up but she doesn’t give in to the pressure to move her store to another location.  She is the little engine that could. 

There is one townsperson on her side. Mr. Brundish, who is considered one of the eldest residents, confronts Mrs. Gamart to stop harassing Florence.  Unfortunately, he dies before he can visit the court himself to protest.

Florence is described at a small, wiry shaped woman who would not be noticed for anything grandeur but wearing the same coat every winter. She does her best until eventually she has to close the bookstore.  Another bookstore is opened in a neighboring town and they are bringing in more visitors in a day then her store in one week.   Even after selling the novel Lolita, she cannot keep the bookstore in the black. 

The author was in her 60’s before she published her first novel which was titled The Golden Child.   In 20 years she managed to publish nine novels.  She died at 84.  I did enjoy this tale.  Florence gives hope.

A Common Struggle by Patrick J. Kennedy

Patrick Kennedy talks about a time when he was taken out of rehab because his family thought they had a better recovery plan. They set him up in an apartment with a concierge recovery guide (life coach) to make sure he finished high school, did homework, and whatever else he was supposed to do.  Patrick remembers feeling comforted that there was someone there to talk to and keep him on target.  That makes me think isn’t that what parents are for?  His family thought it better for him to live with an outside person instead of mom and dad assuming their role as a parent. Hmm.

A Common Struggle is about the struggle people have with drug and substance addiction and mental health problems.  It is also about the struggle in health disparities that prevent help and the struggle to combat stigmatization.  No matter what your background is, the dilemmas are the same.  Individuals feel ashamed, embarrassed and stigmatized which is one reason why they won’t seek treatment. Then there is the problem that medical insurance is not helpful in covering certain treatments.  A person with a substance abuse problem should be given the same chance of care and treatment as a person who is having seizures.  Patrick Kennedy struggles through red tape to get these types of illnesses to be covered by the same medical coverage that would treat the common cold.  In his telling of this struggle it seems that mostly Republicans were the ones to veto these bills.

I won’t go into detail about the personal family issues (the stories we didn’t see in the news) surrounding the Kennedy family (read the book), just know that you really don’t know what goes on behind closed doors of other people’s household.

He admits that his father tried to sugar coat his son’s illness and also his own problem with alcohol.  His father Ted admits that he grew up in a family where they didn’t like to hear whining and complaining.  Patrick was also shunned by the family for talking openly and I am not surprised that this book was not published before his father died.

I found it interesting that the Kennedy's were very private about their lives, but it was okay to see psychiatrists where you were supposed to be truthful and open.

What I take away from this book is that people with power have the ability to get things done with the right motivation – a situation that is actually happening within their home.

The South by Colm Toibin

Set in Spain, Katherine Proctor left her husband and son in Ireland because she needed to get away. The year was 1950.  While she is in Spain, she has an affair, she has a child, she paints and she doesn’t return home until 5 years later. 

I selected this book for two reasons: 1. The author has a book titled “Brooklyn” and I have been wanting to read this for some time.  2. I saw an interview with the author and he was promoting a new book that seemed interesting to me, so I decided to read all of his books in the order written. This is his first novel.

At the end of “The South”, Toibin writes an Afterword.  Although this is fiction, the places that Katherine visited were places that he actually visited in his life.  Toibin also notes that some of the characters are built from certain people that he met.  I like that he gives us this history.

Katherine is torn between all the men in her life - her son, her husband, her lover and even a close friend that she meets in Spain (who just happens to also be from Ireland). Ironically, her mother left her father when Katherine was young.  She financed her own daughters’ trip when she said she had to get away.