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Nancy Pearl Book Reviews for 4/7/2008

04/07/2008

You can certainly find miracles and impossible feats in books. Characters are at their most compelling when the struggles of their day to day lives keep you riveted. Nancy Pearl reviews Maira Kalman's 'The Principles of Uncertainty' and Rachel Pastan's 'Lady of the Snakes.'

I've always enjoyed Maira Kalman's artistry, from her picture books (take a look at What Pete Ate from A to Z ) to her delightful illustrations in William Strunk and E. B. White's classic tome on grammar and language usage, The Elements of Style. But I was just totally wowed by her newest book, The Principles of Uncertainty (The Penguin Press) . Perhaps the best way to describe it – although this is a book that is far too idiosyncratic to be easily captured in words – is to say that it's an abundantly illustrated and totally unconventional journal of a year in the life of the author. Whether she's riffing on her passion for hats, considering the losses she's faced (most notably the deaths of her mother and husband), describing her lusts for embroidery and travel, letting us peek at her morning routine, or making us salivate over her candy collection, Kalman writes (and draws) from both her mind and her heart. In turns whimsical and poignant, this unique book, which you'll want to read again and again, feels like a gift that Kalman has given us: a guide to living (and loving) joyfully in this world, all the while knowing that death comes at the end.

In her second novel, Lady of the Snakes (Harcourt), Rachel Pastan combines elements of two genres: the literary detective novel (see Possession by A. S. Byatt for a good example) and what is sometimes called "mommy lit" (the chicks of "chick lit" are now married and mothers, confronting a new set of issues – Allison Pearson's novel I Don't Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother is the gold standard here, although Pastan's novel is, overall, a more serious take on the subject). After completing a PhD in 19th century Russian literature, specifically on the works of Grigory Karkov (in the process of which she becomes intrigued by his patient, self–effacing wife, Masha, and her influence on his work), Jane Levitsky, her lawyer husband, and their toddler daughter Maisie, move to Wisconsin where Jane gets a teaching position. Even as she juggles the demands of teaching and writing (the latter a necessity if she wants to get tenure) with being a good wife and mother, she sees evidence all around her that in the end, women have to choose one or the other – it seems that no one can really have (or at least do a good job at) it all. Complications mount when Jane finds evidence that Masha may have played a far more important role in her husband's writing career than was previously thought, her babysitter quits unexpectedly, and her easy–going husband, Billy, suddenly becomes a lot more demanding. Any young (or not so young) mother trying to traverse the mommy track will have many aha! moments while reading this consistently entertaining novel, plus it's a great choice for those looking for intelligent, nicely written, character–driven novels. Book clubs take note.