An Evening of Ordinary Grace at Tom's

Dinner and Acknowledgments

Krueger's novel about a mid-century Minnesota town featured exactly three meals: Gus' improvised spam and eggs, the boys' recurring bologna and PB&J sandwiches, and Mrs. Drum's tasteless tuna casserole.  It also featured one dessert:  ice cream.  To our relief, last Monday Tom chose the latter for our dessert and ignored the former in favor of a classic American menu:  grilled cheeseburgers, homemade potato salad and baked beans, and a mixed green salad.  All of it was terrific. Well done, Tom!

Our meal was also *graced* by the presence of two MBC alums, Garth and Peter.  Both men have been busy and both have been missed.  We were genuinely grateful to have them with us for the evening.  

Our Review and Discussion of Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Set in the summer of 1961, Ordinary Grace is the story of the Drum family's tragic loss, as seen through the eyes of its 13-year old narrator, Frank Drum.  Priming the reader for the tragedy ahead, the novel opens with two unexpected deaths: a child is killed while playing on the train tracks, and an itinerant is found dead by the river.  As the town grapples with--and gossips about--these two events, Frank introduces us to the members of his family: his Methodist minister father; his beautiful but brittle mother; his stuttering younger brother; and his musical prodigy sister, who is headed to Juilliard in the fall.  When death is visited upon one of them, it's the unexpected grace of ordinary moments that helps the rest carry on.

Our reaction to the book was predictably positive.  Yes, the plot was a little derivative according to Doug (thanks for the email!), with echoes of other family saga / coming-of-age tales.  Larry called it "Richard Russo light" (Russo's Nobody's Fool still sits atop our rankings) and, with Glenn and Doug, likened it to To Kill a Mockingbird's expose of tragedy and animus in small town America.  However,  our naysayers found much to enjoy, even if the ending was telegraphed (Glenn) and at least one character's personal revelation was trite (thanks for calling in, George!).

So, why did we like it so much?  Well, who doesn't like a heroic boy who throws the town bully into a reservoir, ignores his dad's well-intentioned commands, and singlehandedly solves the mystery at the end of the novel?  OK, I'm over-simplifying, but Jack was so taken by the narrator's precociousness that he gave the book his first-ever 10.  And Dean, who grew up as the younger brother in his family, was charmed by Frank Drum's fearlessness.  Ultimately, however, what captivated all of us were the simple moments in the story that uplifted both character and reader simultaneously. Gus making dinner for the boys, the "bad cop" letting Gus out of jail, the "bad Indian" showing gratitude, the wife-beater returning to church, Jake's cathartic rendition of grace, and so on.  All of these were the novel's extra-ordinary moments.

Our Rating of Ordinary Grace

The blurb on the back of Krueger's affecting novel about mid-century America proclaims that Ordinary Grace won the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award.  If we categorized our fiction geographically, I have no doubt that Krueger would lead our midwest rankings.  But with only our 1-10 numerical ranking available to show our appreciation, we gladly gave Krueger a fulsome 8.0.

Next Up:  Marching Powder by Thomas McFadden

Jack gave us a list that included Revolutionary Road, Remains of the Day, Ohio, and Wenner's memoir, Like a Rolling Stone.  We turned them all down in favor of Marching Powder, the true story of a British man's incarceration in a Colombian prison for drug smuggling.  We'll see next month how closely McFadden's story parallels Stan's youthful escapades in South America.

Up River at Doug's

Dinner and Acknowledgments

Our dinner on Friday was typical Doug--excellent and understated.  From the blackened salmon to the root vegetables to the Ginger Stout Cake, Doug's meal was the perfect mid-winter accompaniment to our discussion.  

Note to Doug:  You didn't mention it, but I assure you no one failed to grasp the significance of the blackened fish.  

Note to MBC: Doug's Ginger Stout Cake recipe was courtesy of now-defunct The Marrow and its celebrity chef Harold Dieterle (winner of the first season of Top Chef).  

With us for dinner was one of MBC's two Nevada exiles, George, who came from Scottsdale by way of Reno.  George, you earn bonus points for your visit and for your unfailing ability to keep up with the reading.  Good to see you again in person!

Doug's hand-carved fish. RIP Wynn!

Our Discussion of The River by Peter Heller

Written by Peter Heller (author of a prior--and very fine!--MBC selection, The Dog Stars, and fellow Outside magazine contributor with Hampton Sides, who penned our October read, Hellhound on His Trail), The River tells the story of two Dartmouth students who take the fall quarter off and head to Canada for a canoe camping trip.  During their final two weeks there, Wynn and Jack simultaneously find themselves in the path of a rapidly approaching forest fire, carry out a badly injured woman, and fight with other men on the river. The story's climax is the death of one man and its denouement the crippling guilt of another.

What does it mean when everyone (ok, everyone but Roy) thinks the story is terrific but finds fault with one detail or another?  I'll catalog the faults; you can identify their proponents:

• The writing is a bit like a poor man's Hemingway
• Heller tries too hard to showcase his own expertise on the river
• Why would Wynn and Jack leave all their provisions behind with the bad guy?
• Bah! A Texas hat doesn't symbolize evil!
• The ending was rushed (3x)
• Impulsively taking the motorized canoe wasn't believable (2x)
• Simplistic in an "upper level Young Adult" way [Which is it, Terry? It's either YA or it's not YA.]

Much like our reaction to The Dog Stars, we appreciated Heller's skill in spinning a classic adventure tale.  He populates it with good guys and bad guys, he infuses it with a palpable sense of foreboding, and he deftly builds suspense towards an inevitably violent climax.  But he also distracts his reader with a few too many stray details to make it all work seamlessly.  

  

Our Rating of The River

Our 6.8 rating doesn't do justice to the quality of our conversation or our enjoyment of Heller's novel.  With the exception of Roy, this was a story that we all found engaging and well worth the time we gave it.  (Again, much like The Dog Stars!) Interestingly, The River was the all-time favorite selection of Doug's wife's book group--an all women's group!  

Next Up: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

We had a very eclectic list of titles to choose from (including memoirs from Matthew McConaughey and Mike Rowe, Coelho's The Alchemist, and Mason's Bad Muslim Discount).  We opted for Krueger's Ordinary Grace, a novel about murder and its effect on a small town.

Ski Weekend 2023!

After a 4-year hiatus (thanks first to drought, then to Covid + drought), we finally made it back to Tahoe earlier this month for our annual ski weekend.  Thanks to the historic storms in December and January, there was plenty of snow. In fact, our departure on Sunday was threatened by a classic Sierra storm that dumped 6 inches overnight.  The details are in the pictures below....

John strikes a pose in new boots and skis

Larry, Doug, and I skied Northstar on Friday, and the only distressing thing about the short lift lines, perfect weather, and abundant snow was the $166 advance ticket price! The next day, Doug paired up with John at Homewood so one of them could pose for a classic lake shot. Not everyone skied, of course.  Tom persuaded Dan to drive to his cabin near Sierra City so he could instruct Dan on the finer points of snow removal.  We understand it involved Tom directing and Dan shoveling. 

No ice on the deck...easy!

While they labored, Larry and I swam laps in the outdoor pool.  Despite the snow around the deck, the blue skies and warm water made for perfect conditions.  Perfect enough to justify a trip into Truckee for a Dark Horse special (and a search for just the right blender--thanks again, Paul!).  

Sun and snow

Apart from skiing and swimming, there was the obligatory hiking.  I promised everyone an arduous snowshoe trek...and no one was game.  Instead, we avoided the knee-deep snow and stuck to groomed trails.  

Tom's lasagna never disappoints!

With plenty of calories expended during the day, our evenings were focused on food (and drink).  Tom's world famous lasagna was served our first night, followed by Paul's butternut squash soup and my baked salmon the next night.  Dan reputedly made Manhattans (none was offered to me) and, of course, the finest varietals from San Marino Cellars were poured each night.

We left Sunday morning, but only after Paul and Dan dug out a track for our vehicles. Tom showed his management skills one more time by directing me on the installation of a new wine fridge.  Thanks to all of you for a fine weekend!

Captains All at Roy's

Dinner and Acknowledgments

Last Thursday evening, Roy's ocean-to-table commitment was evident from start to finish.  Inspired by the fishermen in Kipling's story, Roy's own fishing was the basis for our entire meal.  The appetizer table held plates of yellowtail and bluefin, along with smoked salmon, halibut, and ahi poke.  And the dinner table featured trays of roasted Dungeness crab, paired with side salads and bread.  A meal entirely of seafood and entirely from Roy's own catch.  Kudos to our captain!

Sushi, salmon, poke, and a cheese selection

Our Discussion of Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Better known for The Jungle Book, Kim, and short stories about colonial India, Rudyard Kipling wrote his novella, Captains Courageous, while living in Vermont.  The story is simple:  spoiled rich kid (Harvey) falls off an ocean liner bound for Europe and is rescued by a fishing boat crew.  The captain  refuses to return to port and instead puts Harvey to work.  In short order, Harvey drops his dandified ways, blends in with the crew, and when the boat returns to Gloucester, Harvey impresses his parents with his newfound maturity and work ethic.

If it weren't for the impenetrable writing, we might have given Kipling his due for churning out a passable coming-of-age story for young readers.  But Kipling's strange blend of nautical terms, sailors' argot, and Anglo-American elocution created one head-scratching paragraph after another.  Glenn was shocked how long it took to read all 107 pages; Stan and Dean simply gave up.  For some of us, the Horatio Alger parallels (Doug, me) were obvious, but less interesting than the insights on 19th century fishing practices (Larry, Roy) and the hardships of a fishing town like Gloucester, dependent on a single, high-mortality industry (Paul, Terry).  

Our Rating of Captains Courageous

Had we been asked to rate Paul's boyhood abridged version, we might have been more generous.  But the full-length Young Adult edition written in 1897 by an Indian-born expat Englishman in Vermont about a polyglot crew of American fishermen made for a trite and at times undigestible adventure story.  Rating:  5.5--our lowest in 5 years.

Next Up:  Ski Weekend in January

In January we'll decamp for the high Sierras and hope for deep powder.  With no book assigned for January, Doug proposed Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These as our collective holiday read.  Short, inspiring, and--yes!--well-written, too.   

A Hell of a Meal at Dean's

Dinner and Acknowledgments 

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s southern roots, last Tuesday Dean laid on an evening of southern-style cooking that rivaled any other meal he's prepared for us. After a starter of "Memphis treats" (courtesy of Dick Cohn), Dean served up pulled pork, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and corn bread, followed by an apple crumble dessert. The clamor for seconds was proof that Dean exceeded his already-high standards. If it weren't for Dean's vintage 30.06--the same model used to kill King--we might have walked out with all of his leftovers. [Ed. note:  a tasteless reference, to be sure, but see below graphic.]  We might also have absconded with Stan's classic 1934 roadster, since it was blocking Dean's driveway!

Dean sighting his Remington Gamemaster

Stan's 1934 Ford

Our Review and Discussion of Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides

While the focus of Sides' story is the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.--which, as Doug noted, occurs exactly at the midpoint of the book--the reader is treated to a split narrative leading up to that fateful moment.  In alternating chapters, we learn about King and his controversial arrival in Memphis and James Earl Ray's circuitous journey from "Jeff City" to the Lorraine Motel. After the shooting, the pace quickens as the nation's law enforcement apparatus (including, as Tom noted, 3,000 FBI agents!) spends the next two months identifying and tracking Ray while the country convulses and the civil rights movement grieves.

Despite the lack of conclusive answers to questions that still linger for the conspiracy-minded (Did Ray act alone? Was the FBI complicit?), we all enjoyed and felt enriched by Sides' meticulously-researched account of King's assassination and the ensuing manhunt, especially as so many details were new to us.  As I noted, most of us were too young to appreciate the events at the time yet too old for those events to find their way into our school curricula.  And others pointed out that Ray's actions were usually (and rightfully) a mere footnote in the broader history of King, the SCLC, and the civil rights struggles of the 1960's.

While the first half of the book came in for criticism (George called it choppy; Paul called it filler), the latter half vindicated our (and Sides') efforts.  Larry likened the story's arc to that of The Feather Thief, where after the climax the author entertains the reader with a well-researched thesis on how the crime was committed.  In this case, Sides convinced most of us that there was no conspiracy afoot and that, as Roy put it, a "total misfit loner" did indeed shoot King, while he was under constant police surveillance, and then eluded national and international authorities for months as he tried to make his way to Rhodesia.

Our Rating of Hellhound on His Trail

Sides doesn't simply tread old ground with his account of Ray's movements and motivations; he pulls gems from an exhaustive record to offer the reader more insight on an unlikely assassin.  From Ray's $200 nose job (Terry's favorite) to his prison escape in a bread box (Dean's) to his aborted jewelry store heist in London's Paddington neighborhood (a stone's throw from my old flat!), Sides shares vignettes that entertain and inform.  For that, he lands in our current Top Ten with an 8.2 rating.

Next Up:  Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Roy presented us with an unusually eclectic list of titles, including (gulp!) Homer's The Odyssey, Strayed's Wild, Martel's Life of Pi, Torday's Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and Kipling's Captains Courageous.  Kipling eked out a win over Torday, so in December we'll see if a 15-year old railroad scion stranded at sea piques our interest as much as King and Ray did this month.