Hiding in the Spotlight by Greg Dawson

"Father is next to me on the road, he is placing his coat over my shoulders, he is whispering to me. 'I don't care what you do---just live!'"
                  -Zhanna, as quoted in the book

Last year my husband and I heard Greg Dawson speak about the writing of this book and were intrigued by the story and from that time I had wanted to read the book. While perusing the list of titles available at our public library as Book Bundles (multiple copies), I discovered there were 6 copies of Hiding in the Spotlight so I could choose it for our book club's May book. What better way for me to read it, than with friends! It turned out to be an excellent choice for more than one reason.

The subtitle of the book is A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival, 1941-1946. The author's mother, Zhanna Arshanskaya, is the prodigy, an amazing pianist, recognized for her talents at age six. When the German army advances through the village where Zhanna's family lives in Eastern Ukraine, they are in grave danger because they are Jews. Though Zhanna's parents and grandparents are killed along with thousands of other Ukrainian Jews, Zhanna and her sister, Frina, are able to escape. With the help of some non-Jews, they change their identities and use their musical talents to survive. They eventually end up playing for audiences of German soldiers (NOT their choice), cruelly ironic in that some of these same people may have murdered their family. This occurrence gives rise to the title, Hiding in the Spotlight. At war's end, the two girls meet Lt. Larry Dawson, head of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration camp at Funk Kaserne. Tremendously impressed by their talent, Dawson takes them under his wing and manages to get them to America. Upon Dawson's return to the states, he arranges an audition at Julliard and the girls are accepted. "After going through hell in Ukraine and purgatory in Berlin"...I am thinking Zhanna's and Frina's lives in America were paradise!

Zhanna's story reminded me of another Holocaust survivor I heard speak a few years ago. He was a Jewish house painter and because of the need for his skill, he was allowed to live and work for the Nazis.

On a much different note, my husband and I were on a cruise last month, where we were privileged to hear two young Ukrainian women play, one the violin and the other, piano. They were so very talented we returned again and again to hear them. Their repertoire was extensive---from classical to Broadway and popular music. The violinist told us she started to play at age 5, similar to Zhanna.

The story of Hiding in the Spotlight is fascinating and inspiring! Only two things bothered me about the book. One it seemed to me there was a good bit of repetition, for example, explanations of the significance of the sheet music Zhanna carried with her. It was almost as if the author wasn't sure the reader could remember certain details and so repeated them. The sequence bothered me at times also, like the sisters' meeting with Larry Dawson and then back to Larry's time in West Palm. I guess that could be considered a  flashback but somehow seemed disjointed to me. I would rate the book a 4 and I am very glad I read it!
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A few days before our book club was to meet to discuss the book, my husband suggested I should invite the author to come. After all he lives in Orlando. I was finally able to find an email address and sent the invitation. Mr. Dawson replied quickly and said he would be delighted. What a unique and delightful meeting we had! We didn't have questions specific to the book, as we usually do, but spent the time sharing our reactions to the book and questioning him about characters and occurrences in the book. We did not rate the book, as is our habit, not wanting to put Mr. Dawson on the spot in any way. Most members did later email their rating for Hiding in the Spotlight and the average was 4.3 out of 5. Now you can better see why this was a good choice for our Page Turners group. He spoke a bit about his second book, Judgment Before Nuremberg, and several of us plan to read it, as well.

The book website is http://www.hidinginthespotlight.com. There are wonderful photos there of the author and family. Enjoy!

Miss Julia's Marvelous Makeover by Ann B. Ross

"The reverend, he tell us that the Lord answers ev'ry prayer what's put up---it'll be either yes, no, or wait a while. But it lookin' like this be one of them no times."
                                    -Miss Lillian, from the novel

 Well, Miss Julia has taken me on another entertaining ride! This is the latest in Ms. Ross's series and she continues to amaze and amuse me with the predicaments she can get Miss Julia into. I simply love the series! According to the book jacket I have another to look forward to this year, one starring Miss Julia's friend, Etta Mae Wiggins.

In this novel, Miss Julia's husband, Sam, decides to run for office and then has health issues that cause Julia to reluctantly step into the campaign arena.  About the same time she receives a surprise guest who is in need of a "marvelous makeover." When the surprise guest brings home a male friend who has designs on some of Julia's property, the stage is set for another exciting and crazy plot.

You will not be surprised I'm giving this book a rating of 5. I've never read a Miss Julia novel that I didn't like!

Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble by Ann B. Ross

"It's my firm conviction that whatever convenience the Lord makes available, it's incumbent on us to be grateful for it and use it. I see no virtue in doing things the hard way merely for the sake of doing them the hard way. Just get on with it, is my attitude."
                       -Miss Julia, from the novel

What a refreshing read this was after dragging myself through Great Expectations! I believe I have read all 13 of the Miss Julia series and I love, love, love them! A rating of 5 for sure!

Julia Murdoch is a 60-ish lady who lives in a fictional small town in North Carolina. She often "stirs up trouble" but always in her efforts to right a wrong or solve a mystery or help a loved one. Julia is always the main character but I adore her housekeeper, Lillian, and many other characters who are so well-developed they've almost become part of my family---Sam, Hazel Marie and Lloyd, to name a few.

This novel doesn't have quite as much action as some others but it does have all the humor. I cannot read a Miss Julia book without laughing out loud or at least giggling to myself repeatedly. Her antics are sometimes hilarious!

Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble is unique in that it includes many recipes, often with a story behind them and humorous comments from Miss Julia. As Hazel Marie, known partly by her inability to cook, becomes overwhelmed with caring for her twin babies and added stressors at the beginning of the story, Julia decides to enlist the help of several friends and neighbors to give her cooking lessons and submit recipes for a cookbook for her. Some of the recipes sound so tasty and simple, I hate to return the book to the library without trying some out. Maybe I will have to purchase this one!

Lest you think it is only a cookbook, let me assure you there are at least a few other plots woven into this delightful novel.  I am so excited I can now start the newest in the series which I recently received from the library: Miss Julia's Marvelous Makeover!

I highly recommend this series, especially if you are a lady of the South and age 50 plus. If you have never read any of the series, start with Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, the first one, that sets up many future plots. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

“Pip, dear old chap, life is made of ever so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man’s a blacksmith, and one’s a whitesmith, and one’s a goldsmith, and one’s a coppersmith. Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come.”

                   -spoken by Joe, in the novel

 

What made me choose this classic for our book club to read? At the time, my husband and I had tickets to see the play "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" about which we were very excited and which turned out to be a wonderful production at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Also the Orlando Public Library declared a 2014 theme of "What the Dickens?" featuring many special activities centered around the work of Dickens. I chose three of his shorter works and the group voted for Great Expectations. Unfortunately it was not well-received!

 

When we met to discuss it, only five members were in attendance. Of course, a few had read the book and just couldn't make it but many admitted it was not their cup of tea. Of those of us who met, three had finished the book and really liked it, one had not read it at all but wanted to hear the discussion, and yours truly had finished only half. I had to confess it was the first book I had not completed reading before the meeting since the Page Turners start-up in 2008! And I also admitted I HAD read the Sparknotes! My biggest mistake was not starting the novel soon enough. The language is challenging when you have had a steady reading diet of current fiction and though Great Expectations is one of Dicken's shorter works, it is still quite lengthy! As the participants talked about the plot and characters, I found myself wanting to finish the book, which I did about a week later. In the discussion they brought up some of the humor and intriguing details that had not come out in the Sparknotes. I decided on a rating of 3 because I felt myself trudging through it and yet there were parts I truly appreciated. The group average was 4, though that is based on only 7 members voting. One person who gave it a 2 said it was "too many words to say so little."

 

The protagonist and narrator is Pip, an orphan being raised by his mean and nasty sister and her kind-hearted husband, Joe. At a young age, near the beginning of the novel, Pip meets Estella who changes his life and makes him aspire to become a gentleman in order to win her. After some time, a mysterious benefactor provides Pip what he believes will fulfill his "great expectations." The plot is intricate with many twists and turns. The characters are numerous, well-developed and mostly eccentric, especially Miss Havisham and Wemmick. Joe, Biddy and Herbert are the most likeable ones, and also Pip, after he begins to learn what is truly important in life.

 

Dickens does know how to turn a phrase, for example in describing Mr. Wemmick, "He had glittering eyes---small, keen, and black---and thin wide mottled lips. He had had them, to the best of my belief, from forty or fifty years." Much later in trying to hide someone, Pip describes two women in his service "...an inflammatory old female, assisted by an animated rag-bag whom she called her niece; and to keep a room secret from them would be to invite curiosity and exaggeration. They both had weak eyes, which I had long attributed to their chronically looking in at keyholes, and they were always at hand when not wanted; indeed that was their only reliable quality besides larceny." These and many other descriptions I found very amusing.

 

I happened to be at the library when "Charles Dickens" was a guest speaker. It was very interesting to hear him speak of his life and read aloud some of his work. One of these days, I would love to tackle Nicholas Nickleby but it will be a while!