The Bellini Card -- Jason Goodwin

O.K., this is the third book of a series: the investigator Yashim series. The series focuses on Istanbul in the late 1830’s, as the Ottoman Empire is declining and a new sultan takes power. Yashim, as a well-educated Eunuch, is a trusted and tactful personage in the palace. He has no specific role, but higher-ups call on him to solve mysteries that don’t fall into the normal responsibilities of governance.

For any author, the bar is always higher with each new murder mystery in a genre series like this one. Goodwin has deftly dealt with his readership’s lust for more and better, by introducing a second city, Venice, to contrast, compare, and develop similarities with Istanbul. As he points out, the two cities are both ancient, only four degrees of latitude apart, and only a few days boat ride away from each other.

Goodwin also beefs up the role of sidekick through development of the Polish diplomat, Stanislaw Palewski. This enhanced role is a good indication of Jason Goodwin’s maturing into authoring murder mystery novels. He has plopped in the classic, and recognizable, device of Arthur Conan Doyle’s periodic disguised appearance of Sherlock Holmes as a beggar in rags, totally surprising Watson, who has been sent off to stir up the natives.

In my opinion, this is the perfect way to teach: history, geography, cooking, sociology, art, and language. At the simpliest level, there is the plot line of a murder mystery. From this level, the writing is lyrical and pleasantly descriptive. In “The Bellini Card,” for the first time in the series, Yashim the Investigator, fights for his life several times, and turns out to be marvelously adept at the martial arts. This will be great for the movie version. Of course, even though he is a eunuch, his love-making dazzles a beautiful woman in each episode.

For the more curious reader, each page is a jumping off point for further personal research, investigation, and cogitation. It is fascinating for me to dig back with WikiPedia or Google to look more deeply at that period, especially with its merry-go-round changes in country names. I was a stamp collector last mid-century and Goodwin brings to my mind all those long forgotten country names.

I am no chef, but I am tempted to pull together all the recipes for what are simple country dishes, into Yashim’s cookbook, but I’m sure Jason has already sold the rights to that little goldmine . They sound delicious because of all the spices and herbs, but mostly because of the manual care in preparation that he describes.

The author, Jason Goodwin, appears to be an authentic renaissance man; a man who can carry on about the arts and culture of his chosen period as well as grasping past triggers for why things turned out as they did. As an author of genre novels, Goodwin treats his most curious readership to an after dinner trolley full of stimulating language usage, sprinkled with just the right amount of other Indo-European language phrases.

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts -- Neil White

I’ll leave it to someone else this month to identify the sub-genre here. I’d love to moan anecdotally about having to wash my hands after every reading session.
Between Wikipedia and Google, there’s more than enough factual information available on Hansen’s Disease to satisfy all but those who might find prurient interest in these subjects.

I will limit myself to simply digging into the vast, muddy morass of a lost soul; a sociopath driven by greed, pride, and envy, who never lets go of his sinful ways. He hangs onto his bigotry and his lust for wealth and fame. He is the antithesis of a Christian, repentant soul.
Reading a man’s own boastful words about his debauchery was the only redeeming rationale for finishing this book.

Halfway through I began waiting for the epiphany; the metamorphesis from total rogue to a man of Christian temperance. Two-thirds of the way through I was rooting for him to contract the disease, then dedicating the rest of his miserable life to writing for the bimonthly magazine, The Star. Alas, his just desserts would have to wait for his release.

Remember Doc’s adage, “Don’t believe anyone in here. They’re all criminals” And while keeping that thought in mind, this book needs to be read with a skeptical mind, reading between the lines, and noting what is not said, as well as what is on the page. Our protagonist in this fictional memoir is a con man, pure and simple: a reasonably good con man and a reasonably successful con man; nonetheless, a con man in jail. The best con men believe in their pitch. There’s another ubiquitous adage that I’ll steal from The Shawshank Redemption, “There ain’t no guilty prisoner’s at Shawshank; we’re all innocent.” From my experience, there’s no better con man than an ex-con.

With my skeptic’s eye, I objectively observe that almost no one really likes Neil White; outside, inside, prisoners, patients. Where are outside friends? Didn’t he have any real friends? Of course his mother loves him; that’s what mothers are for. And inside?: he’s pretty much alone. No one sticks with him; and before he leaves Carville, he bails on all his “associates,” thinking, as usual, just about himself and what he can gain or lose from an action, totally venal . This man is a reprobate : a con artist who ripped off people before, during, and after this particular period twenty years ago. I sincerely regret that the Sonoma County Foundation effectively passed some money his way, but I’ll content myself with believing that it went towards the education of “Little Neil” at Princeton.
I’m sure he did try and shop this book around as an expose in the mid-ninties. Even with Carville closing in 1998, no one bought it or him. And no one ever wants to hear about “My soft 18 months at a Federal tennis ranch.” So the manuscript languored around for fifteen years until the latest publishing fad; “memoirs”. Neil White added a “memoir” genre designation and found someone to publish it. No prizes for this one, but White finally cashed in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sociopath – a person who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience
Debauchery – Wickedness, corruption, dishonesty, decadence, lack of morality
(n.) Corruption of fidelity; seduction from virtue, duty, or allegiance.
Venal -- capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration :
purchasable; especially : open to corrupt influence and especially bribery
Reprobate -- n. 1. A morally unprincipled person. 2. One who is predestined to damnation

The Snake Stone -- Jason Goodwin

The initial question is, “Does the second book in the Investigator Yashim series live up to the brilliant promise of The Janissary Tree?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” For me, the author Jason Goodwin is just hitting his stride with this book. He is more comfortable the second time around; he has become a part of nineteenth century Istanbul and has adapted well to the format of fiction.

This second book in the series, The Snake Stone, establishes what we can expect in the future vis-à-vis Yashim’s personality, and his supporting cast of characters. Many devices of my favorite classic murder mysteries are incorporated: the suave detective with refined culinary skills, an extensive knowledge of art, history, and language. Even though he is a eunuch, he is tempted by beautiful women and teased by their kisses. This is one of life’s problems for Yashim. Of course, he gets beat up at times, like all detectives, and faces near-death situations. Others die around him, mysteriously, otherwise it wouldn’t be a detective story.

I think the period chosen by Goodwin, mid 19th-century, late thirties specifically was an ideal era. 1839 marks the beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire (ending with the Crimean War). Things were quiet in the English speaking world of the 30’s: Great Britain was consolidating its empire; the U.S. was likewise quietly consolidating under Jackson, then Van Buren, and then Tyler. Historically, it’s just a generation or two out of reach: recognisable, but quaint. Most important, though, is that these years were a wonderful vantage point from which to jump back in history, hundreds and hundreds of years; and Constantinople was still a major hub of political, commercial, and cultural activity. Constantinople was a pivot point for western history: Troy, Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul; each has had a significant impact on our western heritage and history.

It is with Yashim’s ruminations about previous empires and peoples, going back centuries where the reader experiences the magic ingredient that makes this series more than just another whodunit. Author Goodwin captures the flavour of the city and its peoples without sounding like a travelogue or page from WikiPedia. He stirs his blend with the artistic flair of a master chef, with a seasoned talent for evoking the sights, sounds, and smells of this great city.
Beneath the historian is a poet.

Sample post of a review by another ID

Yes you can do this

Selected Novels and Short Stories – Patricia Highsmith

WOW.
It’s so exhilarating to find a “new” voice from the forties that I’d never heard of before. Well, we know women were surpressed, including writers. But I’m surprised that Patricia Highsmith wasn’t a movie star (look at her beauty), as well as a first-rate author of novels, (and if had been allowed in those 40’s days, a screenwriter as well). Who “cleaned up” after her “Strangers on a Train” story, picked up by Alfred Hitchcock for a major movie ?; none other than Raymond Chandler, who let himself receive major credit for the story.
So, this book covers two of her famous novels: “Strangers of a Train” and “The Price of Salt.” A number of short stories are included as well to provide divertisment from the serious novels. She is certainly capable of diversion onto other plateaus of thought.



From Wkipedia
“The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1999 American psychological thriller written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella. It is an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith 1955 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed as Plein Soleil (Purple Noon, 1960).
The film stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood, Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, Cate Blanchett as Meredith Logue (a character created for the film.”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The other major story in this anthology is “The Price of Salt,” known as an erotic lesbian thriller. There was no movie made because lesbian relationships can’t end up happily in the Hollywood of the nineteen-fifties (book pub. 1952).
These 21st century days, maybe this could be a great counterculture screenplay and movie. It’s a solid story and others of her works (see above) have made good films.

The Janissary Tree Jason Goodwin June 2011

Korea was fifty years ago. MASH was done with its third series of reruns twenty-five years ago. Korea is old news – grandparent’s news. Time to move forward with world events.
Strange as it may seem by calendar dates, “The Janissary Tree“ may be far more relevant to today’s reader: Ottoman Empire; Istanbul in 1836 (see earlier picture below); Muslim Sufi sects from Turkey to Egypt; and the legacies of the early nineteenth century French and USA revolutionary period. (See last month’s review of “Island Beneath the Sea.”
This Janissary book is also a much better device (fiction) for dispensing background facts and figures. This particular author is a master cradtsman at weaving interesting historical tidbits into a murder mystery story.
And there are tittalating factors which I only now bring up, such as the subtitle of the book, “Yashim, the Eunuch Series -- #1.” OK, wait a minute; we got the #1 bit and that’s good – it’s going to be a series which all of us readers love, but what’s this other bit about the Eunuch – is the author going to explore into the history, beginnings, feelings, emotions, and love-life of a Eunuch.?.

Well Yes.
Yashim is sort of a mix between Sherlock Holmes’s deductive powers; Sam Spade’s street smarts; and Spenser’s savoir-faire, but of course as a eunuch, he adds a touch not found in any other male hero character. He is able to walk freely within the harem, all segments of cultured Islamic society; and also within the endless variety of homosexual men living in metropolitan Istanbul.
The plotline isn’t as complicated as one might assume with all these characters. The Janissaries, who were Sufi-led soldier regiments, not unlike Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi army in Iraq, seem to be trying to become a political force again. Their sign is a series of bizarre murders. Yashim is called upon by what we’d call the Secretary of Defense to solve the murders and uncover any plot brewing. There are many sub-plots: relationships with Slavic ambassadors; Poles and Russians {the wife of one makes him tingle??(where); and friendship with the madam (male) of a boys dance troupe (erotic/exotic).
It’s always hard to get the frequency of foreign words just right in an historical novel like this: too many strange words becomes laborious and we set it aside; not enough and we feel that the proper research wasn’t done – the work’s not authentic. This author, Jason Goodwin, has hit a perfect balance. He has after all, penned a non-fiction history on the subject, “Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire.”
It’s like the difference between Patrón and Jose Cuervo tequila; Ottoman Empire or North Korea: smooth and easy versus hard and gritty. It’s your choice.

Nothing To Envy by Barbara Demick

Well here we go again.!.! Another magazine article, maybe a series in the Sunday supplement. We book club reader’s mostly crave literary fiction, not textbooks or magazine pieces.

{Literary fiction is a term that has come into common usage since around 1960, principally to distinguish serious fiction (that is, work with claims to literary merit) from the many types of genre fiction and popular fiction (i.e., paraliterature).}.
{{Paraliterature is an academic term for genre literature, such as science fiction, fantasy, mystery, pulp fiction and comic books, which is not generally considered literary fiction by mainstream literary
standards.}}

We rarely get any of this para-literature and we get way too many non-fiction works. I had to look up the “Samuel Johnson Prize.” Lo and behold, it’s not just a non-fiction prize, it’s a British journalism prize selected by fellow journalists. Actually almost all of the prior ten selections, 2000 to 2009 looked pretty good to me. They seemed to go off the deep end with this one, though. I’ll pass this “Samuel Johnson Prize” blurb around.
As a journalistic piece of writing, this is an excellent story: well researched; taught me a lot I never knew before; it even got us involved with some of the characters, whose names were changed to protect the innocent. I thought the opening picture of North Korea with its’ lights out at night, versus South Korea looking brighter than Las Vegas, was especially attention-grabbing.

However, this reading becomes boring by Chapter 4, and there are 16 more chapters to go. This is like a front cover article in a magazine that grabs your attention enough to get you to turn to page 16 for the first continuation, but when that in turn refers you to page 202, you realize that you’ve already absorbed 90% of what you are going to get from this piece. It’s time to move on.
Maybe it would work better as a textbook for a current events/Korean history class. At least then you could spread the chapters across a full semester, rather than take it all in within two weeks.
This story sets a 10-year low-water mark for depressing books selected for Brown Bag Book reading. Millions are killed through starvation and sheer idiocy; education is taken lower than any marker because it is lies that are taught in schools. By holding back on Western “gadgets,” like computers and cell phones, North Korea is half a century behind the South; and at this point, reunification would create havoc for several generations, if it’s at all possible.
The best outcome might be if China were to trump up a reason to cross the border and take over the North, to provide a two-decade buffer prior to Korean reunification.
Good Luck with that.