General Chat

Greaders please post your reviews of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen.

Also Of London by Edward Rutherford

And any other books that you read.

London:

I am halfway through this one. I started it before I went on holiday, it is so big that I couldn't carry it with me so have now picked it up again. I will review it when I finish it. (could be a while!)

Review Mennonite in a little black dress by Rhoda Janzen

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one and even after starting to read (On the Kindle so I didn't have a book jacket to refer to), I wasn't sure at first if it was fact or fiction.

I soon realised it was actually a memoir of Rhoda's life in a Mennonite family. I have to admit here that I had not heard of Mennonites at all. I now realise that they were the forerunners of the Amish and I know a fair bit about them.

It is a very well written, sometimes very funny, sometimes sad (as with Nick's bipolar) and down to earth book. I learned a lot about their way of life. Of all the characters in the book I loved Rhoda's mother the most. Yes, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about Mennonites

Sending this one up to see if any Greaders are awake!

Didn't do much good putting this up early then?

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

What did I know about Mennonites or Amish ... well I knew the Amish could put up a building rather quickly as per "Witness" starring Harrison Ford, and I have a National Geographic with an article about the Amish, and it also has them putting up a building.
Mennonites... women dressed in blue with little bonnets everyone
solemn etc,however, thank goodness for the guide at the back of the book.
Rhoda is anything but solemn, she is quirky with an ex-husband who was bi-polar and suffered from a bit too much mentioning in the book. Her mother comes out with some strange ideas (well so did my mother)and she has a lovely sister. A father that even blesses his chicken nuggets, and her relationship with her brothers isn't exactly close .. but that happens in families everywhere. I am not sure I would have dated that chap she went out with... the relationship seemed a strange way to go, but then I am not her. I think this book would draw out very mixed reviews depending on your perspective towards life... if you had been her husband or brothers would you have liked this publicity.. her humour could be quite cutting for some as could her choice of language. I needed a dictionary to comprehend some of it, she can certainly come up with words that I have not heard of.. she should maybe have a bit more affinity with her readers in that not everyone that will try and read
it is an academic like herself. Despite all that I liked it and I liked her mother, but I would not like to be Rhoda's friend, in case she wrote something derogatory about me. LOL

:-) You moved it just as I was about to type.

I too have only got a small way into London, what a large book, and I have a hardcover version from the Library - review to come at a later date.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress - Okay I got somewhat confused as to whether or not I was reading non-fiction or fiction to begin with, it hadn't helped that even though it was marked at non-fiction in the library I had found the book filed in the fiction shelves, the author did make a comment in the notes at the end that one of her friends thought Rhoda's story sounded more like fiction that non-fiction. I was a aware a little bit of the Mennonite relgion, though I certainly learnt a lot more from this book, I did not know that the Armish had been a breakaway from the Mennonites.

Like Anne I thought Rhoda's mother was the best/funniest character in the book - and who's mother hasn't embarassed them at some point.

London by Edward Rutherfurd

I was so glad there was a family tree that came with this book or otherwise I would have had to put my own up on GR... (wonder how many people would have thought they had relatives and ask to see my tree).... What a fantastic book interweaving historical fact with the Ducket/Dogget family and a name that Hyacinth would have been proud of de Quette, the notorious Silversleeves interwoven with the odd good bloke in their family history and the Bulls and the Barnikels and then the Carpenters, Flemings and Merediths. The touch of the prince and the pauper within the Doggets. The miserly Silas had his generous moments - did he get this name from the Silas Marner character? Gideon...his name is on the bibles in drawers of bedside tables all over the world. All the small stories within the greater picture and the ways that they link up... and all the time in the back of my mind is what happened to the stolen coins and when would they turn up... Would Silas dredge them up... and then Charlie Dogget (Ducket) finds them during the blitz with one of those damned Silversleeves watching him only for the crater to be bombed again and the rest of the coins covered up till.....? (perhaps the gold coins were ducats).
Rutherfurd touched on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and I think Boccaccio's Decameron also got a mention ... two books that I loved. I think Rutherfurd emulates them with these tales, but takes them a step further and gives us common threads throughout. Yes it was a long read but definitely a good one. Anything I didn't like yes... I wasn't happy when young David was swiftly despatched.

Just seen this thread. Managed to read both "London" and "Mennonite in a Little Black Dress",
will be back later with reviews.

Tess

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

I found this book really amusing as well as touching. I liked the way Rhoda poked gentle, affectionate fun at the Mennonite way of life. I thought she was very clever by starting the story with her husband leaving her for a man met online so we felt sympathetic from the beginning. It was only as the story of her marriage progressed through Nick's bipolar problems, bisexuality etc. you began to wonder why on earth did she marry him in the first place? The progress of her recovery from what basically seemed like an abusive marriage, helped by the memories and idiosyncrasies of her Mennonite heritage was heart warming. I too loved her mother and her inconsequential remarks.

London

A real epic of a book. I agree with Persephone, thank goodness for the family tree. I loved the way he linked important historical events with their lives as well as the background information on the way people lived in the past. Some of my ancestors came from London and I found myself wondering if they thought the same way as some of the characters in the book about life. I think I will have to reread it sometime in the future and concentrate on the historical side rather than the story.

London, well I agree, without the family tree that I was going back to every other chapter, I would of been very confused. There seemed to be a lot more name changes in this book than in Saram but I still enjoyed it nearly as much. Its no wonder we have problems finding our own ancestors :)
I kept waiting for the pot of gold to be discovered and could then see where the saying that the streets of London are lined in gold was being linked, a nice touch :)

I think this is a book that needs a couple of reads to get to grips with the characters and events .

I am on the move around the end of December and will be busy up til then plus will then be getting new home ready and might not be able to join in with the group until Feb / March but in those famous words-- I will be back :)

xx Jill

I actually read 23 books while in Tenerife for four weeks, I did put up a thread with all the titles.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.
I still know nothing about Mennonites and I’m not sure what this story was about, but I saw a young woman who had to accept that ‘the other woman’ was actually a man and there was nothing she could do about it. I felt sorry for her but admired that she was able to get on with her life. Other than that, there didn’t seem to be anything in the story.

London
I waited for two weeks for my book delivery, so I’m still reading this one – and I’m struggling with it. I thought I would enjoy it because I have been there and know all the famous landmarks and how they are situated from each other, streets, etc. However, I find that the mixture of fact and fiction doesn’t impress me. I will keep going with it, but I am not enjoying it. I feel that I will need to read it again sometime in the future, to get the full impact of it.

Berona, I feel that London would have been better in two volumes. Because it is so big it has to move fast. Also it is hard to remember that we are reading a fiction novel when there are so many obviously factual pieces. I am enjoying it, but slowly :-)

thank you everybody for posting so promptly this time without me having to jog memories, it does make a difference for me.

"London": what a big book! I have only just finished ploughing through it.

I have to say I did skip a few pages but, on the whole, I enjoyed the stories. The bits I liked best were the explanations for names of streets and the different areas of london and which immigrant groups lived where and when (I know London fairly well.) It was also interesting seeing the family names emerging through the generations. In fact I think I will read it again and take notes!

Because "London" took me so long to read I haven't finished "Mennonite" yet but so far I agree with everyone's comments. Rhoda's mother is hilarious and the tales of the camping trip had my laughing my socks off! I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book. And I'd better hurry up because the library want it back!

Review -
London Edward Rutherfurd.

My main concern about the book is that I borrowed it from the library, and will therefore have to take it back
I really must get a copy to keep. I had read it before and stupidly gave it away, euther that or I have put it in the attic with other books too good to hand on.

One of my interests in researching my family tree is the additional information I gather re general history. This book does this = = =
An ideal book to dip in and out of (after reading the whole), helped by the family trees at the front with the corresponding era/chapter headings.
Although I don't usually make notes in my books, it would have been useful to do so in this case, to jog my memory. For instance, this week in UK the WDYTYR (Len Goodman) spoke about being a member of a Guild in London. This book spoke about it at length.
The maps were also useful.
A great book of social, religious, political and economic history, linked by the stories of a few families. So history in the raw - @real@ stories, instead of just a list of dates to remember.
What a marvellous way to learn history - an interesting, and at times gripping story, with people who seemed real and earned my sympathy, admiration or dislike.
I like d the fact that it depicted real events.

Will be putting Edwars Rutherfuds paperback books on my Christmas list!

Seems like it is only me not finished it. I am sure I would have done had I not been away for 4 weeks. I shall read on, I am over halfway through.

Re what Tess has said about London...

Would be a good book for additional reading when studying London's History.
It is so steeped in History and like others I have ancestry from there though as far as I know not that far back .. my Gr grandfather came over to NZ (on my avatar) and he was born in Shoreditch, baptized at All Hallows.. but the rest of the ancestry in his line is from Kent. Also have some on my other side from London.

I would have never have read it if it had not been for Greaders. I have to admit I finished the last 60 pages earlier in the day here before I had to do the review... was cutting it fine. Was a great read. So thanks whoever suggested it...

Persie :-)

I have his book Dublin sitting on my shelf but don't know when I will geta round to reading it. Have no knowledge of Dublin at all.

Review
Mennonite in A Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

I was amused by the tales about Rhoda's parents and enlightened about the Mennonites, as I hadn't previously known about them.

The author has a light touch when talking about her parents, and often made me chuckle.
I enjoyed the book on the whole.

However, I would have felt more comfortable with it if it had been fiction.
I felt a bit uneasy about what she said about her husband. He didn't have a right to reply in this book.
I couldn't make up my mind if she kept repeating that her husband had left her for a man he met on gay.com because she was still bitter about it, or if she kept repeating this phrase because she felt that she would be introduced (on the sly) as " the woman whose husband left her for a man he met on gay.com

The Mennonites were spoken of in her early years as very strict and ridgid. Which was part of the reason she fled from them.
However, when things in her life fell apart, she found them to be caring, accepting and sympathic.
I wonder if it was her perceptions had changed, or had the older generation mellowed somewhat in the intervening years.

I agree that she used some words that I didn't understand, and quite frankly, I couldn't be bothered to check in the dictionary, which was in the other room.

Pleased that this book was on the list, otherwise I wouldn't have read it. Not sure though if I would read anything else by this author.

Tess