WHAT ROSE FORGOT by Nevada Barr

WHAT ROSE FORGOT

by

Nevada Barr

            As I am a huge fan of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, I was intrigued by the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader copy of Barr’s newest novel, What Rose Forgot. I did have some trepidation as I began the book, as it is unrelated to Anna Pigeon, but I was pleasantly surprised.

            Rose Dennis is a sixty-eight year old woman who awakens, outside, and has no idea where she is, how she got there, why she is in a hospital gown, etc. In What Rose Forgot, we journey with Rose as she fills in the missing pieces.

            Although part of the impetus behind my agreeing to review Barr’s book is that I love and miss Anna Pigeon, I knew there would be no Anna. To my amazement, I found Anna in What Rose Forgot. Of course, Anna Pigeon is not in the book – after all, Rose is an artist, not a park ranger – but there are similarities. Rose, like Anna, is intelligent, resourceful, tenacious, and wholly underestimated by others. The two characters are not so similar that one would accuse Barr of simply recreating Anna with a new name; however, I can definitely imagine Rose standing next to Anna at the bra burning rally.

            What Rose Forgot raises some very interesting questions. In addition to the question of “who is elderly?” – it is difficult to believe that the spunky Rose is “elderly” at 68 – the more frightening questions for me concern dementia. Barr shows us how, once one has been given the label of having dementia, no one will believe even a rational, logical argument posited by that person. Everything stated by that person can be discounted – especially if that person is already considered to be “eccentric” like Rose.

            What Rose Forgot is very well done. A wonderful reading experience!

THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean

THE LIBRARY BOOK

by

Susan Orlean

            The genesis of The Library Book, by New Yorker reporter Susan Orlean, is the fire at the Los Angeles Public Library on April 29, 1986. However, the book is about so much more than this one library fire or the Los Angeles Public Library itself.

            We do learn a great deal about the 1986 fire and its primary suspect, Harry Peak. But, we also learn about book burning and some other library fires – including the Library of Alexandria – as well as the history of the Los Angeles Public Library. Naturally, Ray Bradbury and Fahrenheit 451 (much of which was written at a library in Los Angeles) are included. Orlean also discusses the multitudinous roles filled by the library as an institution. After all, the library is not just for collecting and/or lending books.

            In addition to being highly informative, The Library Book is well written and enjoyable to read. One of my favorite parts is the chapter wherein Orlean relates her experiment burning a book (in fire prone California). Orlean deftly describes my feelings about books as she explains her dilemma in selecting a book to burn.

Also, each chapter begins with card catalog entries. I began looking forward to them as much as the material in the chapters themselves. At some point, I would like to go back and read the materials referenced in those entries.

            Orlean’s latest book is informative, interesting, and unique. Quite simply, The Library Book is an amazing reading experience.