Thoreau's Walking and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

This is my second year I'm teaching American literature to high school sophomores and juniors at a homeschool co-op in Atlanta. We started with Puritan poetry and moved into Transcendentalism, focused on Emerson and Thoreau. Instead of having them read "Walden," to cover Thoreau I chose another essay to read and discuss in class: "Walking."

On the day of our class discussion we took a walk through the community garden outside the community center where our classes are held and had a pretty good discussion about how to enjoy solitude in nature amidst the urban sprawl of Metro Atlanta. 

At the same time the book I was reading for fun was The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. I didn't choose to read the two at the same time on purpose but I liked that it happened that way.

In Joyce's book, Harold Fry is a retired man living in a small town in the southwest corner of England. He and his wife are going through a bit of a tough time in their marriage and Harold is searching for new purpose for his life. Then, a postcard arrives from a former coworker from two decades before. Queenie is in her final days of a battle with cancer and writes Harold to tell him goodbye. Harold struggles to write her back an adequate letter, dashes something off and leaves the house to go mail it. Except he doesn't mail it. He decides to hand-deliver the letter 600 miles away and starts walking.

On his journey Harold meets memorable characters who want to share in the journey with him, receives the support he desires from his wife who's still waiting for him back at home and sorts out things from his past that have been bothering him.

It tied in nicely with Thoreau's ideas that walking to experience nature is how you sort through the tough things in life and figure out how to live your life as an individual. 

Book Review: The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin

The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin (The American Heiress)

Published by: St. Martin's Press

Published on: July 29, 2014

Page Count: 480

Genre: Historical fiction

My Reading Format: ARC provided by NetGalley on behalf of publisher

Available Formats: Hardback, paperback, audiobook, Audible, Kindle ebook

My Review: 

Empress Elizabeth "Sisi" of Austria, in need of a change of scenery and some space from her husband Emperor Franz Joseph, travels to the English countryside to engage in fox hunting with her English royal counterparts. Here she is provided with Bay Middleton, a hunting guide and accomplished horseman who is without a fortune. Bay is engaged to Charlotte Baird, a noblewoman who is bossed around by her older brother and his fiance Augusta. Charlotte looks forward to starting her life with Bay but he is sidetracked by his employ by Sisi, who is older but beautiful. The attraction between Sisi and Bay is mutual, and Bay is torn between the potential for an exciting affair with the Empress or a comfortable life with Charlotte. 

I've long had a fascination with the British royal family, and since my trip to Austria last year, I've now added to that my obsession with Austrian-Hungarian royalty. This book, a marriage of the two, seemed like a perfect to-read for me. Therefore, I liked the book on the whole just for that reason. I also liked learning more about a traditional English hunting expedition. From a technical standpoint, I like Goodwin's writing style. She uses description beautifully and told the story in a way that was enjoyable to me as a reader.

I had trouble with a couple things with regard to character development. Charlotte is a well-rounded character, and I really felt for the tough spot she was in. Bay, however, made his choice very quickly right at the end of the book, which felt forced to me. Sisi was an interesting character, but I would have liked to know more about her inner struggle between her attraction to Bay and her loyalty to her husband and family. Overall I thought this was a fun read, even though I felt the plot was resolved abruptly. I'd love to do more reading about Sisi.

Three out of five stars

If you liked this book, you’ll like The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin, Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen, Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall, A Nervous Splendor by Frederic Morton and Becoming Queen Victoria by Kate Williams.

Book Review: Shadow on the Crown by Patricia Bracewell

Shadow on the Crown by Patricia Bracewell

Published by: Penguin

Published on: February 7, 2013

Page Count: 416

Genre: Historical fiction

My Reading Format: Paperback provided by the publisher

Available Formats: Hardcover, paperback and Kindle book

 My Review:

The story starts in 1002. Aethelred, the king of England, is seeking a second wife after the death of the queen, who produced for him many children. Fifteen year-old Emma from Normandy has been selected, even though Emma believes her older sister is a better choice. With a handful of familiar Norman faces, Emma makes the journey to England to meet her husband. She quickly realizes that hers won't be a marriage of love, but put in place for one reason: to produce an heir to the throne. Aethelred already has several sons of age to assume the throne if Emma doesn't produce a son quickly enough. One of the problems is Emma is tempted by one of her husband's sons. As a result, she must use her best judgment and cunning to make sure she keeps her position as the queen of England. Elgiva, a member of the court, has her eyes on the king, so Emma has a delicate balance to maintain.

I really liked some aspects of this book but had a hard time with others. The story is paced very well, and I kept the pages turning to see what was going to happen with the characters as the plot progressed. The author wrote several scenes from the perspective of more than just one character present, so I liked that you got to know what more than one character was thinking. What I struggled with as a modern-day reader is the misogyny in this book. It was frustrating at places in the story to know that the female characters were pawns in a male game. Since this book is the first of a trilogy and I have good faith that Elgiva and Emma are worth their salt, I would be interested to see how the series turns out in hopes that the two win in the end. 

Three out of five stars

If you liked Shadow on the Crown, you’ll like anything by Philippa Gregory.