Dreamers and the late Friday Shuffle

Dreamers of the Day: Mary Doria Russell: Have you ever read a book and become so immersed in that world that when you finish, it's hard to pick up another book? That's the case with me right now. I was so thrilled when I heard this book was coming out -- I could barely wait for it. The Sparrow, Children of God, and A Thread of Grace are three of my favorite books. Then it turned out I didn't have to wait; I got an advance reader copy when I was at ALA. Then I was nervous about it -- what if I didn't like it as much as the other three? After all, the subject matter was something I knew nothing about -- the Cairo Peace Conference that established Iraq as a country. While Dreamers did not turn out to be my favorite Russell novel, it was still brilliant. She has a way of creating characters and making them memorable. Here, Agnes Shanklin is a woman who has always followed her mother's wishes for her and believed the things her mother has said about her -- she's mousy and uninteresting. When her family dies in the 1918 influenza epidemic, Agnes is left alone with money and the opportunity to redefine herself out of her mother's shadow. Her decision to follow her sister's footsteps and take a trip to Egypt is fateful for both her and for us. In Egypt she meets her sister's friend, T. E. Lawrence -- that Lawrence -- Lawrence of Arabia. In doing so, she falls into a social circle with Gertrude Bell and a youngish Winston Churchill and becomes privy to the events and arguments that end in the creation of Iraq. In the hands of Russell, these huge historic figures become human -- Lawrence, with his giggle, and Gertrude Bell, with her disdain for other women, and finally Winston Churchill, charging about the Middle East, annoying his bodyguard. All of this history takes place around Agnes' more everyday romance with a man she meets at her hotel. Agnes tells us we cannot understand our current story unless we understand her history, and she is right. Her story, taking place on the periphery of historic events, helped me understand more about some of the current tensions in the Middle East than any history book could have. Like I still miss Emilio Sandoz, I will miss Agnes as well. This is a novel that stays with you. It is also the only novel where I saw the sense of humor that Russell displayed in her speech at ALA; there are some genuinely funny sections in this book.

Friday Shuffle

1. Thread: k.d. lang from Watershed
2. Square One: Coldplay from X & Y
3. International Echo: Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello from The River in Reverse
4. Little Bird: Emmylou Harris from Stumble into Grace
5. Foolin' Around: Patsy Cline from The Patsy Cline Story
6. Cross My Fingers: John Hiatt from Perfectly Good Guitar
7. Lubbock or Leave It: The Dixie Chicks from Taking the Long Way
8. I Really Hope: The Cranberries from Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
9. Last Good Time in Town: The Eagles from Long Road Out of Eden
10. From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea) : The Decemberists from Picaresque