The Monuments Men - Robert Edsel

"The reconstruction of Europe after World War II was one of the most complicated and comprehensive international efforts of modern times. The identity and infrastructure of the nations of Europe had to be rebuilt and the restitution of artwork was a vital component. To say the war was the greatest upheaval of cultural items in history would be a grave understatement. In the end, the Western Allies discovered more than one thousand repositories in southern Germany alone, containing millions of works of art and other cultural treasures, including church bells, stained glass, religious items, municipal records, manuscripts, books, libraries, wine, gold, diamonds, and even insect collections."

This book tells the little known story of the Monuments Men, experts in the art field tasked with locating, recovering, preserving and repatriating art looted by the Nazis. This small band of men faced an almost insurmountable task. The amount of irreplaceable art and artifacts taken by the Nazis was staggering and whole of the Monuments Men consisted of less than 400 people to look after the entire western half of Europe.

What I loved about this book was how these men came from ordinary backgrounds and accomplished extraordinary things. They were architects and scholars, working in museums and universities; some had little to no training in the preservation and transportation of precious artwork. The odds were against them from the start but it's their dedication and the fact that they were willing to put their lives at risk to save mankind's art history that make you root for them. They are the ultimate underdogs where they not only fought against the Nazis but against the clock. "What if we win the war, but lose the last five hundred years of our cultural history on our watch?" Much of the art was stored in mines to protect them from bombing but these places were not always suitable for storing fragile works of art for years at a time. They were prone to cave ins and flooding while the art was also susceptible to moisture and looters.

I really liked the chronological nature of the book. As the war unfolded, so did the search for the art. I was caught up as much as the Monuments Men were and I found myself filled with anxiety over certain works that were missing. I also got to follow various members of the group as they tramped around Europe, following troops, striking out on their own, stealing supplies, commandeering vehicles, men and the help of local civilians if needed.

There are also some great photos and maps to illustrate what Edsel is talking about. A main character crew list with photos and short bios is included in the beginning which puts faces to the men the reader follows. I wish the art photos hadn't been clustered together though but rather interspersed throughout. For example, whenever the Ghent Altarpiece was mentioned I had to keep flipping back to the photo to remind myself what it looked like as there's a wide variety of works mentioned and it's tough to keep everything straight.

Learning about these men and everything they went through, I shared in their triumphs and failures. I worried about them and feared for their safety. Edsel made me feel like I was there. It was exciting and nerve-wracking and hearbreaking, a great read! If you like art history and WWII then this book is for you.

Rating: 4/5

On a side note, George Clooney is apparently going to be co-writing, directing and starring in a movie based on this book. I look forward to this if it happens but I'm hesitant about whether it will be any good. Many war movies have romances shoved into the plot where they have no business being because "it will make the movie more commercially successful". I hope Clooney will stick to the source material though as the story is interesting enough without adding in some random peasant women for the MMS to moon over.

A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare

"The course of true love never did run smooth."

Theseus, King of Athens is getting married to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons and everyone's invited! This includes Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the fairies who are having some marital issues as well as a group of young lovers with their own twisted quadrangle: Hermia, Helen, Lysander and Demetrius. Things go awry when Oberon plays matchmaker and messes in the love lives of his wife and the quartet of mortals running around the woods.

Oberon and Titania are married gods who need to attend couples therapy. It is their argument that leads to all the strife in the story. If not for Oberon, Bottom wouldn't have been transformed and the lovebirds would most likely have sorted out their own issues without the confusion caused by a love potion. I saw Oberon as a selfish and cruel manipulator, despite directing Puck to help the mortals out. His meddling caused more problems than it solved and what he does to his own wife to "teach her a lesson" felt like a form of abuse. What I didn't understand was why he wasn't omnipotent. Yes Puck makes a honest mistake, using love potion on the wrong people but why does Oberon allow him to make the mistake in the first place?

I liked the idea of the play being set in Greece but combining Celtic and Greek mythology with Brits playing was a weird mashup.

I also wondered why Bill chose to have two Robins in the play. Usually stories don't contain characters with the same or similar sounding names to avoid confusing the reader but here Bill doesn't seem concerned. We have Robin Starveling and Robin Goodfellow, names which may reference Robert Dudley and Robert Deveraux, both favourites of Queen Elizabeth I, monarch at the time of Shakespeare.

When I read this play I enjoyed it but wasn't blown away with what I consider to be seond-tier Shakespeare. Looking closer though, there's a lot more going on than meets the eye. Bill manages to juggle four different storylines within a small space and all blend together seamlessly. Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding, the play within a play, Oberon and Titania and Bottom and the four lovers in the forest. And as always, Bill is a master wordsmith and plays the funnyman. Look at what he does with alliteration.

"Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade,
He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast."

Talk about a tongue twister!

My major complaint was I found it tough to keep track of who was enchanted and who was in love with who, a major plot problem. But as with all of Bill's plays, I suspect it works better on stage than on paper. There's something about the spoken word that glosses over all the archaic language and long-forgotten references. It was a solid read and I'd highly suggest it for those interested in Bill's comedy plays.

Review 3.5/5

How many Book Challenges have you failed?

I love signing up for book challenges. If reading wasn't involved I would call it an unhealthy addiction. My excuse is it encourages me to read outside my regular scope of books. But I must confess that I have an unbroken streak of five failed challenges. My intentions are good but I just seem to run out of time and then the challenge is over.

And that isn't even the worst part. I'm still signing up for them!

Over at Breadcrumb Reads I'm working on 'Reading Shakespeare: a play a month'. I'm doing well, I've finished "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and plan on watching the 1999 movie version to see it acted out.

I've also signed up for the Les Miserables Readalong at Kate's Library. I'm actually behind on this, not having even cracked open the book yet. At this point I'm four weeks behind but again, I've read the first couple hundred pages before so I think I'll be okay.

I've posted links to my other failed book challenges below. Am I crazy to keep signing up for these? How many challenges have you failed and why?

Classics Reading Challenge

The TBR Challenge

By the Decade Challenge

Chunkster Challenge

Everything Austen Challenge

Super 8 (2011)

”Stop talking about production value, the Air Force is going to kill us!”

A group of friends who make their own movies are shooting a zombie flick after midnight at the local train station. Things go sideways when they witness a pickup truck drive down the train tracks straight towards an oncoming train. The result is a spectacular crash that echoes the one from ”The Greatest Show on Earth”. After accounting for everyone they begin to explore the crash site only to find the driver of the pickup still alive. He warns them to never speak of what they saw here or their lives may be in danger. Before they can ask any more questions the military arrives and the kids have to scatter. The film is grounded by the story of our protagonist, Josh, who has just lost his mother to an industrial accident and whose father is attempting to cope. Their family bonding is interrupted when the army moves into town. Soon after strange things start happening and go seemingly unnoticed by ever adult in sight. It's up to these inquisitive filmmakers to find out what's really going on.

Both Josh (Joel Courtney) and Alice (Elle Fanning) are fantastic. They bring emotional depth one normally doesn't expect in child actors. They form a special bond over having lost a mother and as such, create conflict between Josh and his best bud Charles. There's one scene where Elle especially shines. The movie itself is a mix of ”Stand By Me” meets” ET”. It’s a group of friends who have clearly known each other for a long time, forced into dangerous circumstances because the adults are unwilling or unable to do anything. Their interactions and dialogue provide a sense of familiarity and most are clearly defined and fleshed out. The writing is smart but feels true to the ages of these characters. As well, the humour helped to leaven some of the more serious scenes and kept the movie family friendly.

The train crash was as spectacular as I expected. While there was CGI involved if you compare it to ”The Greatest Show on Earth” this one is far superior. The one thing I didn't like was the quick cut editing. It makes it difficult not only to see what's going on but also makes the flow of the scene more erratic. If JJ. Abrams had just held a beat longer on the many shots for the crash I think the viewer would be even more wowed about how destructive it was.

I also liked the slow reveal of what was going on. Clearly something strange is going on and we discover the mystery right along with the kids. The viewer is treated as intelligent and I found myself making up all sorts of scenarios as to what happened and why. As we come to the conclusion of events the reveal of what was in the train is awesome!

If you didn't live through the 70s I think this movie gives a pretty accurate representation. From the gorgeous sets to the costumes, to the pop culture references to how long it takes to process film (3 days is a rush job!). I truly felt as if I were nestled in that decade and the danger felt real throughout the town. I think this was mostly due to the fact that this was made to be a family movie rather than a kids movie. As well, the adults were forced to acknowledge something was wrong rather than laughing off the situation as sometimes happens in kids movies. There were some predictable cliché moments such as what happens to Fanning’s and holding hands at the end.

If you're a fan of sci-fi films than definitely check this one out.


Rating: 4/5

Galapagos Tortoise Species not Extinct!

I found this amazing article today that suggests a type of Galapagos tortoise may not be extinct after all. They may have just moved house and found comfort with another Galapagos species.

BBC Story

USA Today Story

And that made me remember this clip from the UK Gameshow QI (Quite Interesting), hosted by Stephen Fry. This is my favourite gameshow because it has the best of all worlds. Comedians, Stephen Fry, humour, knowledge and total weirdness. Below is a clip about Galapagos Tortoises and why they are so awesome, possibly to their detriment.

If you've never watched QI this clip is only a small portion of the mindblowingness that is this program and I highly recommend it. On a sidenote, why do the British make all the best tv shows? Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Misfits, Doctor Who, that Mitchell and Webb Look, Miss Marple, Monty Python, Rosemary and Thyme, etc.

The Killer Angels - Michael Shaara

”No need for hurry now, too tired to run, expecting to be hit at any moment. Over on the right no horse, Kemper was down, impossible to live up there. Armistead moved on, expecting to die, but was not hit. He moved closer to the wall up there, past mounds of bodies, no line any more, just men moving forward at different speeds, stopping to fire, stopping to die, drifting back like leaves blown from the fire ahead. Armistead though: we won’t make it. He lifted the sword again screaming, and moved on, closer, closer, but it was all coming apart; the whole world was dying.”

The Civil War has dragged on for three long years. General Stonewall Jackson is dead and there is no end in sight for the conflict that has ripped apart families and destroyed friendships. The Confederate Army has crossed into Pennsylvania and is on the brink of exhaustion. A chance encounter of Confederate scouts and Union cavalry bring the two armies rushing towards one another, to converge upon a little town called Gettysburg. The next three days bring fire and flesh together in what some call the decisive battle of the war, vanquishing the might of one side and raising up the other.

Growing up in Canada I knew only the very basics of the American Civil War and had only heard of Gettysburg and the blood that was spilled there. I always imagined it was on a promontory and that the Confederates were massacred to a man. I had assumed the issue of slavery was the entire cause of the war. I could not have been more wrong. What I didn’t know was many states had already seceded from the Union and that the Emancipation Proclamation was signed after the war started. I assumed the victory of the Union was an open and shut case. Instead I was surprised to see how close the South came to winning. And I was fascinated to see how one tiny detail could change so much about an event: If only Ewell had taken that hill; if only Stuart had showed up; if only Lee had listened to Longstreet.

Each chapter is from the pov of a character from the war. Shaara provides their thoughts and fears, their strong sense of duty and their opinion of others. He gives us both sides of the war and by allowing us into the minds of these men, we learn to identify and sympathize with both the Union and the Confederacy soldiers as we’re meant to. After all, they were simply men following orders. In fact, Shaara manages to increase the tension by alternating chapters between the North and South. The reader may know everything but the two armies only have half the information. While reading I even started to have favourites on both the North and South side: Lee, the Chamberlain brothers, Armistead, Burton, Longstreet; I willed them to live, worried about them and felt rather motherly towards these men whom I’d never met and who had lived and died in another century, far separated from my own.

You also really sense the passage of time throughout the book. The story only takes place over four days but you feel every hour, you experience the slow inevitable drawing together of these two armies, you wait for the battle just as they do. The world was more patient and slow moving in those days but Shaara has made the action immediate. You feel as if you’re right there with them, holding a rifle, hunkered down against a rock, trying not to get shot. And the language! This book is a feast. The lyric lines, the description, the images he creates and the profound thoughts and words by these men are sumptuous and a joy to read. I once claimed ”The Red Badge of Courage” was the most poetic book I’d read about war but ”Killer Angels” has taken its place. Shaara manages to keep the words from getting in the way of the story and what words they are!

Prior to this I’d never read anything about the Civil War and I’m not sure anything else will ever measure up. The book won a rightly-deserve Pulitzer Prize in 1975 and if you looking for a book about Gettysburg that focuses more on the people than the schematics, this is story is for you.

Rating: 5/5

Happy New Year!

While this year has been crazy with its ups and downs, both in my life and in the world I am looking forward to 2012. It's full of possibilities waiting to happen and one thing I am very much looking forward to is "The Hobbit". So I thought I'd end this year with a trailer I was very happy to see a few weeks ago. I read the book many years ago.

I was so excited when I first saw the casting because I am becoming more and more of a UK tv junkie. They have really amazing programming and I nearly died when I saw they had cast Martin Freeman as the lead. I love him! Now, this is only a recent infatuation and it's through a rather roundabout way. A Sherlock Holmes anthology Christmas present leads to the Guy Ritchie film, leads to "Sherlock" on BBC which has Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson. He is a perfect foil for Benedict Cumberbatch and brings well-needed balance to Holmes' life. He even tries to get the man to be reasonable once in a while. He seems like a perfectly wonderful chap; watched him win a BAFTA where he was quite chuffed (gotta love the Brits and their slang!) he seems bloody perfect for the role and some of the old gang is back. But, I guess since this took place before LOTR they're really not even the new gang. And I was so relieved that Howard Shore (one of ours!) was once again scoring the movie.

In any case, I can't wait, I wish you a Happy New Year and all the best in the year to come!