Canada Day Books

This book touched me personally as I too, lost a young son to tragic circumstances. It evoked raw emotions and reminders of the long journey from blame and guilt to acceptance and forgiveness.

The pivotal character is multi-dimensional and complex - eliciting at times, compassion for his poor judgement and resulting consequences. It illustrates that people are not easily categorized as good or evil - but more often combinations of both.

A definite page-turner and thought-provoking read.

This is one of the most interesting novels I have read in a long time. It doesn't fit into a set mold which is what makes it such an enjoyable read. It was hard to put the book down because you wanted to see how the characters were connected and how the story ended. By the end of the story you feel like you have know the characters for a long time and can relate to how they came to be where they are now. It was also very thought provoking, making you wonder what you would do if you found yourself in the same position as one of the main characters. I can't wait until Mr Alexander's next novel.

I picked up this book because Craig Holden, one the finest crime and suspense writers around, gave it a thumbs up on the back cover. For the first few pages I thought that I was in all-too- predictable territory and even considered putting it down and moving on. But by page 50 or so I was sitting up straight and this guy had my attention. This is a story that reads and burns along pretty simply on the surface. It's the stuff going on beneath and all that isn't written that makes this novel a real blast. The story -- without blolwing the lid off the thing -- is about one hard luck family and their likeable but drunken, idiotic father and the dirty fingerprints he leaves on his two sons. It's also about a typical middle class husband (who is a rookie cop) and wife who are fighting to overcome the grief and anger over losing their young son in an accident. These two stories are closely connected, intertwined and make for a heart wrenching, heavy duty story spooned out in some vivid and economical writing. Philip David Alexander reminds me of Pete Dexter, Richard Price or Russell Banks. Don't get me wrong, this is a first novel and there are some typical first novel hiccups here and there, the dialogue gets away from him occasionally and he seems to reel it back in, and there are a couple of throw-away characters that could've been cut, but overall this guy is the real deal. He digs right into the characters and, love them or hate them, he leaves you feeling that their pain and sharing in their fight to right some wrongs. There's also some dark but funny TV talk show stuff going on that I thought was completely cool. He ends the story by showing some light at the end of the tunnel, which wasn't necessary but was a nice way to wrap it all up. A great book. Tightly wound, compelling and the guy really spins a geat tale out of something very simple.

The Next Rainy Day is a gripping and powerful read. The author tells two interconnecting stories without ever suggesting what the reader should think -- who's side to take or who is wrong or right. The book flows smoothly and the author uses some nice touches in the form of internal monologue to fill the back story. If you enjoy a gritty character study when you read fiction, and if you prefer realistic and thoughtful independent films over Hollywood shoot 'em ups, this first novel will not disappoint. I look forward to Philip Davis Alexander's next book.

There are some unhappy people in Canada and most of them apparently reside in the province of British Columbia. B.C. voluntarily joined the Canadian Confederation some 135yrs ago and the uncompromising fact is now they want out. Well that's what the father and son team of John and Michael Haskett would like us to consider in this promising piece of fiction.

You see, after years of living under the dictums of the Government of Canada, based in Ottawa, B.C. has had enough of the folks in the East making decisions that primarily benefit the province of Quebec, like the farce of bilingualism.

With the help of many politicians the authors have set the stage for what all entities who consider it would strive for - a peaceful and successful secession. Using behind the scenes action as it base of operations, John and Michael craftily put forth the many steps that would need to be considered for a province, such as B.C., to become a republic.

Using a mix of the real and fictionalized we understand how such an action by B.C. would effect the other provinces of Canada and their friendly neighbors to the south, the U.S. With equal parts cunning, manipulation, and humor the characters who are orchestrating the secession leave no stone unturned. Designing new currency, putting together a police force(think army), and refurbishing the current pension plan to benefit the future citizens of the Republic of Britcol, a result is obtained that all countries would be envious of.

Regardless of where you live THE DAY B.C. QUIT CANADA is an interesting and compelling look at how specific areas are effected by decisions supposedly made for the good of all.

Canada has experienced separation crises before. October 1970 saw the prime minister invoke the War Measures Act, with Canadian military deployed to the streets of the province of Quebec. Weapons had been stockpiled, kidnappings had occurred, and people had been murdered--all in an attempt to bring about a separation from Canada. I was living in New York the morning it happened, and friends told me the news (as they interpreted it): civil war had broken out in Canada!

This book took me, in my imagination, to the other end of the country, to another province with grievances against the federal system. It is a fact that many in western Canada are at least open to the idea of separation. The province of British Columbia is larger than California, Oregon and Washington combined. Economically, separation is probably a workable possibility.

Here's a novel that takes us to an interesting scenario of how it could come about, mostly from the viewpoint of the premier himself (equivalent to an American governor). The secret planning in the months leading up to the act. The hidden arrangements made with the U.S. president for recognition. Events of the day itself. The response of the federal government. Repercussions over the next few years.

Told with some tongue-in-cheek humor, this story held my attention throughout. It was a good read, and it made me think.

J & M Haskets pull no punches in this humorous, but totally possible scenario. I have witnessed less developed places than B.C. become countries and flourish economically. Definitely food for thought for western Canadians.--Doug Setter, former U.N. Peacekeeper, author of One Less Victim

I throughly enjoyed this book. Gates does an excellent job in going into enough detail to make the book interesting but not heavy and boring. Having been an Alaska resident for 11 years and answering people's questions about that great state I was surprised in my knowledge gap concerning the gold rush. They still mine gold in Alaska today but not like they did then. It was dangerous just to get to where the gold was not to mention getting it out of the ground and trying to survive the harsh winters. This book is an educational, informative piece of work. It covers all aspects of a miner's life and several colorful characters from the gold rush. A great, fun to read book. If Alaska and the Yukon spark you interest and daydreams, this book, both paperback and hardcover, are well worth the asking price. This book will be one of the gems of your library. J.Grimes

Michael Gates' book is an excellent history of gold exploration in the Yukon region prior to the Klondike gold rush stampede of 1897-98. Gates points out very well how important transportation and communciations were at the time, as well as the logistical difficulties of food supplies, and the role of poor diet to the miners' health. He also shows how little it took to create a stampede even among experienced prospectors, the development and role of the trading companies, the code of behavior among the early-day prospectors, and the personalities of the miners.

Gary Christenson

I've been working in the western Yukon off and on over the last several years and made a point of learning as much about the area as I can. To say the least, there have been a few books written about the history of the gold rush- just try an Amazon search!

Where Gates' book has its strength is that it starts before the goldrush with the early Russian explorers, and move into the early prospectors that plied the hills of the Fortymile country which were responsible for the Klondike discovery. In contrast to many of the Klondike books, Gates' is well-researched and referenced, and reads well. If you're looking for a starting point on the history of the Upper Yukon and perhaps looking for a book on the area to plan a trip, this is the one.

There have been several books written by Canadian authors which include detailed accounts of the Canadian effort at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944. And, almost without exception, they raise the incident at Abbaye d'Ardenne on June 7 when 23 Canadians, taken prisoner by the 12th SS, were summarily executed. This one is no different as author Barris relates the tale of Bert Thistle, one of a few who escaped execution thanks to a literally last-second intervention of a senior German officer.

All the accounts also mention the arrest, after the war, of Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, the SS commander, his trial and death sentence, followed by commutation and a relatively brief imprisonment and then release, some lamenting the lenient treatment for so heinous a crime perpetrated under his watch by his troops.

But none that I have found have ever mentioned an incident that took place the day before, during the height of the opening engagements, one that Cornelius Ryan related in his epic account of the historic invasion - The Longest Day. Says Ryan "Able Seaman Edward Ashworth, off an LCT which had brought troops and tanks in to the Courselles beach, saw Canadian soldiers march six German prisoners behind a dune some distance away. Ashworth thought that this was his chance to get a German helmet for a souvenir. He ran up the beach and in the dunes discovered the Germans "all lying crunched up." Ashorth bent over one of the bodies, still determined to get a helmet. But he found "the man's throat was cut - every one of them had had his throat cut," and Asworth "turned away, sick as a parrot. I didn't get my tin hat."

Now, if THAT account was blatantly untrue in so famous a book, there would have been denials from every quarter in Canada. But not only have I never seen a denial, I have never seen it even remotely referred to anywhere else. Nor was the episode part of the film that followed the book.

So, assuming it's true then, I have often wondered if word had not somehow reached the German reserves rushing to the front, including the 12th SS, that the Canadians were not taking prisoners. The murder of those six soldiers may have been seen by other German troops, perhaps prisoners themselves who later escaped in the mass confusion of the day [many did - on both sides].

This is certainly not meant to excuse the actions of the SS - they needed little provocation to commit crimes - but with emotions running high in the heat of battle could the murder of the six prisoners have somehow sealed the fate of some of the first Canadians taken prisoner the following day? Unfortunately author Barris, while mentioning the Abbaye d'Ardenne incident and some other similar SS crimes, makes no reference to that opening day Canadian crime.

But what he does do is provide some fascinating insight into the men [and women] who took part in that monumental effort at Juno Beach both directly and indirectly - infantrymen, artillery and anti-tank gunners, tankers, bomber, glider, and fighter pilots, airborne troops, naval personnel, journalists who landed with the troops, and nurses.

Amidst 22 pages of photographs, you discover how Canadian journalists and film makers "scooped the world" - how Canadian troops made the farthest inland advance, and their interactions with French citizens, especially by those from the French-Canadian regiments involved. I just wish Mr. Barris had either refuted the Ryan account mentioned above, or acknowledged it in some way if only to show that atrocities were not confined to the other side.

There is a growing and very popular segment of history books that are "People's Histories", wherein the author interviews or culls the diaries of the men (and, if applicable, women) involved in an historic event. The gathering of these stories, either by chronology or by type (one chapter for the navy, one for the army, etc.) in a coherent and enjoyable fashion is then the primary focus of the author. Perhaps the most popular author of this type (especially of WWII material) is the American Stephen Ambrose. Luckily for Canadians, Ted Barris has stepped up to fill the gap with this memorable and eminently readable people's history of the Canadian efforts on D-Day.

Barris groups his stories by type - as mentioned by another reviewer, there are interesting chapters on much-neglected members of the war effort - the service corps and the journalists. There are also, of course, ample numbers of stories from paratroopers, naval gunners, and the average grunt thrust onto the beaches and into withering Nazi firepower. No Canadian D-Day commentary would be complete without a chapter devoted to Dieppe, and some of the most interesting (to me) passages are actually about that failed raid. Another impressive aspect of this book is the sheer number of primary interviews that Barris conducted - this is like the primary literature for Canadian D-Day soldiers. Finally, the section on the creation and dedication of the Juno Beach D-Day centre was interesting and informative, and is likely not well-known even to Canadians (unlike the enormous WWI monolithic memorials at Vimy Ridge and Ypres).

Although Barris concetrates on the stories, like any good Canadian author he emphasises the size of the Canadian commitment to D-Day: Juno Beach was attacked almost solely by Canadians, there was a large Canadian naval presence, and Canadian paratroopers attached to the British 6th Airborne. Unfortunately, he completely ignores the Free Polish Brigade and the British Commandoes attached to the Juno Beach task force. While the number of Canadians as a percentage of the Allied effort would fall precipitously is the months that followed, it was because Canada sent ashore numbers of troops well in excess of its proportionate population on D-Day.

Unfortunately, if the author emphasises the efforts of the common soldier, it is to the detriment of a cohesive overall picture of the battle and the war. Unlike the classic book on D-Day, "The Longest Day," there is no detail on the German forces opposing the Canadians at Juno. Similarly, the stories are almost all from enlisted men, non-coms, and very junior officers. Where is the information about the generals? Or even the majors? Granted - Barris would be unlikely to find living D-Day generals, but surely they left behind diaries and dispatches. For a more strategic (and a really good) read about D-Day and Juno Beach, I would recommend John Keegan's "Six Armies in Normandy," which has a large section on the Juno Beach attack, written in a more analytical and coherent way. There is certainly a market for books like Barris's, and I enjoyed this one, but I prefer a more traditional approach rather than the people's history approach.

It's fitting that I write this review on June 6, 60 years to the day after one of the greatest invasions of our, or any other, time. June 6 is, of course, D-Day, the day where the Allies put 130,000 troops onto the shores of Normandy against the withering fire of a firmly entrenched German army. No one who wasn't there can truly imagine the horrors of that day, the courage involved or the determination that resulted in the final Allied victory, the first of many to come before Hitler's war machine was finally destroyed for good. Five beaches were stormed that day: Omaha and Utah beach by the Americans, Sword and Gold beach by the British, and Juno beach by the Canadians. Often, the Canadians are bunched together with the British, and thus do not get the recognition that they so deserved. Roughly 15,000 Canadians put ashore that day. Almost 1,000 were casualties by the end of the day. Juno: Canadians at D-Day, by Ted Barris, is their story, finally out in the open.

We were not there, so we cannot imagine the terror or the will to get past that terror as bullets ricochet around us. Ted Barris does the next best thing, however. He talks to the people who were there. Juno: Canadians at D-Day is nothing but remembrances either given to the author by those who were there, or culled from their diaries. Each chapter is divided into sections where the events are told by one man or another, time-stamped to give the reader an idea of when these events took place. This technique does give the book a scattershot feel that isn't always the easiest to follow, as Barris jumps around both in time and space, from 6:00 am that morning to 12:00 am the night before, from the beach to the villages where the paratroopers dropped, and even back to England where we get the air crews' stories. Barris covers everything, from some French villagers to the crew of minesweepers responsible for clearing a path through the minefields and onto the beach. Yes, it is disjointed, but it also adds to the personal feel of reminiscence that the book gives. Normally, I don't like disjointed narratives, but this was an exception. It kept me captivated, and each section was brief enough that it didn't wear out its welcome before moving on to something else. Barris returns periodically to some of the men, so the book does not gloss over their stories. It just tells them in its own way, like veterans passing war stories around the table.

Given the way the Canadian story is often glossed over, the book shares many facts that aren't necessarily common knowledge. The Canadian troops were responsible for the deepest penetration by the end of the first day ashore. A company of Canadian paratroopers dropped with the British and were responsible for destroying every bridge that they had set out to destroy, in order to slow down any German counterattack. And one of the most famous pieces of newsreel footage from the invasion was shot by a Canadian, Sergeant Bill Grant. He had his camera rolling as the landing ramp crashed down and the troops jumped into the water. It was shown in movie houses in Britain, Canada and the United States, though sadly in the US it was never stated that these were Canadian troops being shown. Barris has provided quite a service by highlighting a part of this day that never makes it into the spotlight.

This is not to say that the book doesn't have its faults, however. Barris spends a bit too much time talking about the journalists involved, bringing the story back home. While their role was important, I think Barris gives them more time to the detriment of other stories that could have been told. He even quotes one journalist complaining about how other journalists make too much of the story about themselves, how much hardship they had to go through to get the story, instead of giving the story of the troops on the line. I wish Barris would have taken that a little more to heart.

There are two things included in the book that really make me sing its praises, however. The first is an entire section from the point of view of the "service guys." These are the men who were responsible for logistics, for keeping the army moving as efficiently as possible. While they were never on the front lines (they did occasionally get shelled, however), they did their job with aplomb. It's nice to see some recognition for the little guys.

Secondly, the final chapter tells the story of the Juno memorial, dedicated on June 6, 2003. A lot of time and effort was made by both veterans and their families to get this memorial built on land donated by the village of Courseulles-sur-Mer, which is right behind Juno. Commemorative bricks were sold to raise money as the cost swiftly rose from several hundred thousand dollars to $11 million. They succeeded, and Barris details not only their efforts, but the results of those efforts. The commemoration ceremony on that day was very touching, and I have to admit that I had tears in my eyes as I finally laid the book down. Barris has succeeded in his aim to personalize the Canadian story of D-Day. Even if you think you're familiar with what happened on that fateful day, you owe it to yourself to pick this book up.

David Roy

I recently purchased Teach Yourself One-Day Italian before a trip to Venice, Italy. I purchased the CD as a supplement to a 16 lessons set of Pimsleur Italian I had purchased and Michel Thomas' Deluxe Italian 8 CD set. I was very impressed with Elisabeth Smith's format and presentation. Far superior to any one CD language lesson I have come across and listened to. The CD provides exactly what it offers - 50 important words and a few sentences to help you on vacation. The format was very entertaining and instructive. It was easy and fun to listen to the CD over and over again as reinforcement of the learning process. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who wants to learn a few basic words and sentences before a trip. I was so impressed that I purchased all of Elisabeth Smith's other Teach Yourself One-Day CDs (French, German, Spanish and Greek). They all follow the same format. I always appreciate knowing a few basic words of the language of the country I am visiting. Typically, I use Pimsleur Level 1 CDs to get a basic grasp of a language and learn how to correctly pronounce the words. However, Pimsleur is costly. For those interested in just learning a few words at a great cost, you can't go wrong purchasing any of the Teach Yourself One-Day language CDs. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because she made me want to learn another 50 words right away. I would immediately purchase any CD Ms. Smith would put out that offered to teach me 100 to 300 basic words and sentences using a similar learning format. Thank you for a great product. I only hope others will purchase these little gems to keep them in circulation.

Teach Yourself One-Day French is a very easy way to learn several key phrases that seem quite useful in every day conversation. If you are looking for something to play in your car while commuting, this is it. The cd promises to teach 50 words and it delivers. Many sentences can be made from these key words to get you around town, order food at a restaraunt, ask for prices and help you find a bus. You won't get verb conjugation or anything difficult, but for the money and for some helpful sentences, you'll enjoy this cd.

I am trying to teach myself French for my vacation getaways to Montreal and the Caribbean. This is an unintimidating audio CD with an excellent choice of words and phrases. I am listening to it in my car and find it easy to repeat segments that I want to hear again (and again, and again, and again). The audio is clear, the pronunciations are distinct. Thanks for the 8-page booklet that let's me check the phrases I am learning! I tried a few phrases in a restaurant in NYC and was understood without being corrected (whew!). There are a number of audio CDs available to learn French, and I intend to listen to them, but this single CD has enough key phrases to make me believe it is a great place to start. I find the CD's fictional framework of learning a language on a flight to France from person in the next seat to be a little unnecessary, but the pacing is excellent and self-effacing humor of the tourist is harmless. I wonder if there are enough idiomatic differences in Quebecois French to warrant a Canadian version. I am encouraged to see what other titles are available in this series based on the value I am getting from this one.

Having lived in Calgary for close to 10 years I thought I knew all there was to do in the Calgary region. 'Day Trips From Calgary' opened my eyes to many more adventures within a 2 hour drive from Calgary, away from the well beaten paths to Banff and Kananaskis Country. It also provides some insight to the suprisingly long and colorful history of the area.
You don't have to spend a fortune to have a great time around Calgary!

This easy to use guide is an asset to anyone living or traveling to the Calgary area. The directions are easy to follow. The descriptions of the destinations are accurate and very interesting. He has put a lot of thought into the book and includes many less travelled and yet very beautiful sites. Especially recommened for famillies with young children who are not up for the long car rides but sill want to visit new and fun places.

I think this book is a very useful guide for US stamps. The only thing that I was a little unhappy about with this book is I thought this would be the spiral bound copy like you see in the stores, but it is not. Otherwise this book is great! I use it to identify US stamps. It is much easier to use than a Scott Catalogue because under the picture of each stamp is a list of possible Scott numbers that the design corresponds with.

Great quick reference book (and cheaper than Scotts Catalogue)...but the spiral version has two big advantages in my mind

1) You can tear out the pages that you don't need to make the book smaller and easier to use. For example I remove the United Nations, 1st day cover, famous autographs, duck stamps, Canadian trust terrritory and postal stationary sections.

2) It is easier to use the book balanced on your knee while checking eBay or folded in half next to your Stamp Album.

Excellent account of the most impressive effort of D-Day. Enough of this Omaha Beach chatter! Here is the real story of D-Day, told in detail heretofore unseen.

Juno is a highly detailed account of the Normandy invasion, on all three fronts, air, land, and sea. Its focus is on the Canadian participation of units and their actions on June 6th. Normally, Canadian participation in this pivotal World War 2 battle is usually glossed over by other historians, if mentioned at all.

Leading up to the invasion, there are chapters on how different units trained and prepared, from the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and its role with the British 6th Airborne Division, to the minesweepers that swept lanes into the beaches for the assault craft, to the fighter and bomber units that blasted the beach defences on Juno beach.

By the mid-point of the book, units of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division are steaming for the beaches. The battle for all 5 sectors of the beach are pretty interesting and filled with moments of courage and bravado, as men struggle up the sand and rush machinegun nests and bunkers.

There are several sections detailing German response and the opinions of the commanders of the 716th Infantry, the 21st Panzer, and other units facing the Canadians. These were interesting but I would have liked more detail.

There are also interviews with veterans who actually fought there as well as information from government archives. The only thing I found lacking in this book that I had enjoyed in Zuehlke's Ortona book was the anecdotes and quirky little stories that punctuated that volume.

It should be noted that this book only details the events leading up to and the day of June 6th. The following battles for Caen and the Falaise Gap are not part of this book. All in all, it kept me interested and I found it hard to put down.

If you are going to Italy and you don't know any Italian - get this CD and listen to it before you go.

I listened to it in my car on the way to work for several days before my recent trip to Italy and it was great. 50 very useful words and excellent pronunciation. It was great learning by listening and Elisabeth Smith has a great demeanor on the audio tracks that keeps you interested in learning the language.

The words she taught I used every day I was in Italy. They helped me give a very good impression to the Italians I dealt with in train stations, bakeries, restaurants and hotels and even on the street. Just by saying a few words in Italian generated immediate empathy for me as a traveler by the Italians I met and they would then go out of their way to help me. This CD made my trip to Italy much more enjoyable.

Elisabeth did a good job pacing the teaching so it built your confidence in speaking the new Italian words. She stuck to what was practical and usable.

I highly recommend this CD to anyone traveling to Italy.

I just bought her One-Day German CD for my daughter who will be studying in Berlin in a few weeks so she can pick up a little traveler's German. I was delighted when I found Elisabeth had produced a German CD. My daughter specifically asked if she had because I had let my daughter use the One-Day Italian CD by Elisabeth and she loved it, too. And my daughter has taken 6 years of French and is much better at languages than I am.

So go out and get this CD, you'll be glad you did.

I recently purchased Teach Yourself One-Day Italian before a trip to Venice, Italy. I purchased the CD as a supplement to a 16 lessons set of Pimsleur Italian I had purchased and Michel Thomas' Deluxe Italian 8 CD set. I was very impressed with Elisabeth Smith's format and presentation. Far superior to any one CD language lesson I have come across and listened to. The CD provides exactly what it offers - 50 important words and a few sentences to help you on vacation. The format was very entertaining and instructive. It was easy and fun to listen to the CD over and over again as reinforcement of the learning process. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who wants to learn a few basic words and sentences before a trip. I was so impressed that I purchased all of Elisabeth Smith's other Teach Yourself One-Day CDs (French, German, Spanish and Greek). They all follow the same format. I always appreciate knowing a few basic words of the language of the country I am visiting. Typically, I use Pimsleur Level 1 CDs to get a basic grasp of a language and learn how to correctly pronounce the words. However, Pimsleur is costly. For those interested in just learning a few words at a great cost, you can't go wrong purchasing any of the Teach Yourself One-Day language CDs. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because she made me want to learn another 50 words right away. I would immediately purchase any CD Ms. Smith would put out that offered to teach me 100 to 300 basic words and sentences using a similar learning format. Thank you for a great product. I only hope others will purchase these little gems to keep them in circulation.

Anyone who claims this novel to be "too deep" or "hard to follow" is obviously delusional, and does not recognize a work of art when he or she sees it. Never in my life have I had the pleasure of reading such a novel that created a world so meaningful, and so ornamented with layer upon layer of tremendous passion.

To top that off, the author's interwoven use of Whitman's poetry is exceptional. Once again, Cunningham proves that he is a literary genius worthy of immense praise. I cannot wait for his next work to be released.

I have to preface this review by saying this is the first Michael Cunningham novel I have read -- I'm not familiar with "The Hours" nor the movie of the same name (although I do have the Philip Glass soundtrack). With that in mind, read on:

I have just finished "Specimen Days - A Novel" by Michael Cunningham. The book is set in three parts, whereas the first takes place approximately a hundred years in the past, the second in the near present or near future, and the third in the distant future. The three parts are linked by characters which despite sharing names do not share the same attributes; a certain inanimate object; and the poetry of Walt Whitman.

For those who might not know, "Specimen Days" is also the title of a prose-poetry book by Whitman described as "autobiographic"... but it is much more than that; everyone needs to read both "Specimen Days" back to back to appreciate what Cunningham has wrought.

Of the three sections, the first is the most compelling. I can't say much without revealing plot, so I'll generalize by saying the imagery and symbolism are most vivid in the first section, perhaps because the author is trying to recreate a world already gone before we were born. The second section, depicting the world we live in now, seems wan in comparison; the effect is similar to placing a black and white photograph beside an impressionist's painting -- the riot of color in the painting makes the black and white photograph seem two-dimensional and less substantial. The third section takes place about four centuries in the future and is still less vivid than the first section, but does have more imagery than the second section. A key scene in the park, a chase scene, and a swimming scene stand out in my recollection of the final section.

My intuition tells me that the author sees more than the obvious connection between the three sections of this novel. There are themes: the first that comes to mind is Whitman and his life-celebrating "Leaves of Grass." The second theme is a juxtaposition of the beauty of inanimate things with the often-banal daily existence of living things (or maybe the point I missed is the fragility of all things, living and inanimate, and how this fragility binds us together as we all seek to survive). A third theme is the question of what constitutes a life. A fourth could be related to the color green (even the dust jacket and spine are green), although I'm struggling to remember any reference to it in the second section... creative choice or oversight? There's also death, and renewal -- children figure prominently in all three sections. The setting of Gotham/New York City is an obvious thread. Loss and longing are common threads, and the desire to survive. Movement from the familiar into the unknown also binds the sections together.

At the end of the novel I'm left with each of these themes (and perhaps more, subconsciously) as my mind seeks to join the three events together. Its a clever device, similar to placing three seemingly unrelated photographs side by side and leaving them for everyone who follows to attempt to decipher not only the underlying story that connects them but also the artist's intent for choosing those particular photos and placing them in that particular sequence. The unfinished nature of each section leaves them hovering in the mind's eye like landscapes glimpsed through the window of a speeding train, joined only by the rails and the relativity of the traveler. This would be an excellent book club novel, as it contains so much that is open to interpretation and each reader is going to synthesize the connections differently.

I will say that as a stand-alone opening of a science fiction novel the third section was fantastic, and I would have enjoyed a book length treatment of the issues brought up in the last section to see where the author would take them. Michael Cunningham, if you're reading this, change the ending of the third section and make it the opening third of a novel and answer the questions you honed in "Specimen Days." Actually, each of these sections could have been expanded into deeply insightful and probing novels, which might explain why I've come away from this book feeling as if I've dined at the table but I'm not sated.

Perhaps, if we're very lucky, the author will publish a sequel with three more sections equally intertwined whereby we pick up the stories of these carefully crafted characters and delve even more deeply into the themes outlined above while learning where their destinies take them. Having tasted the power of what was offered, I would leap at the chance to enjoy more.

Thank you Michael Cunningham!

Now that I've discovered that this isn't the first book of three juxtaposed sections Mr. Cunningham has written, it becomes obvious that he's experimenting with the "collage as literary device" that he began in the other book. The difficulty of composing and coordinating three different interlocking works of fiction based upon the issues and writings of another writer (the fourth dimension) and spaced out across time (the fifth dimension) cannot be exaggerated. Writing in three dimensions overwhelms most aspiring writers. Writing fiction in five dimensions is a new art form, and I love it. If you want ordinary writers and novels, look elsewhere. If you want extraordinary writing and reading, choose Michael Cunningham.

All the time I was reading this, I was under the impression that SPECIMEN DAYS was an earlier work than Cunningham's Pultizer Prize novel, THE HOURS (1998). It has the same basic structure: three separate stories set in different time periods, linked by parallel characters and themes, and tied together by reference to a celebrated author. In SPECIMEN DAYS, that author is Walt Whitman, who appears as a minor character in one of the stories and is extensively quoted in the others. But apart from such links, the three tales here are separate novellas. You could see -- or I thought you could see -- Cunningham reaching towards the effortless synthesis of the interwoven tales that spread like ripples from the life of Virginia Woolf in THE HOURS. Although SPECIMEN DAYS does not fully work, I could honor it as the intriguing precursor to a masterpiece. But now I discover that this is the later book, written in 2005; so I have to ask why the author repeats himself to such reduced effect.

Considered on its own, however, SPECIMEN DAYS has much to recommend it. Much as David Mitchell had done in his CLOUD ATLAS, Cunningham writes each of his stories in a different genre, handling the shifts in style with effortless virtuosity. The first novella, "In the Machine," set in a ninteenth-century industrialized New York, is a kind of historical romance with supernatural overtones. When his elder brother Simon is killed in an industrial accident, his younger brother Lucas takes his job at the iron foundry. Lucas is a misshapen child with a head like a goblin, but also some kind of a savant who appears to have memorized large swaths of Whitman. He has a crush on Simon's former fiancée Catherine, who works as a seamstress in a sweat-shop, and tries to protect her when he becomes convinced that she is in danger. It is a touching story, full of period detail, and strengthened rather than weakened by the fact that the love interest is so unconventional and unequal.

The second novella, "The Children's Crusade," moves to post-9/11 New York, and borrows the genre of the police procedural. The female character, here called Cat, is in African American psychologist working for the NYPD fielding phone calls related to terrorist threats. In this story, her lover Simon is very much alive, though ultimately peripheral to the plot which brings her into contact once more with another precocious but deformed child, in a situation where Walt Whitman is quoted with much more sinister intent.

So far, Cunningham's juggling of different periods in the New York setting has reminded me of Pete Hamill's similar time travels in FOREVER. But in the final novella, "Like Beauty," Cunningham moves into quite different territory, that of post-apocalyptic science fiction. Space travel has been perfected and then abandoned; America now has a population of green-hued Nadians who do the work of cleaners and nannies. Catareen, the female figure here, is one of these, working in a New York that has been turned into a theme park where tourists may enjoy such thrills as being mugged by authentic-looking street people; Simon, the principal character, is one of the actors performing such services. It is a tribute to Cunningham's skill that he could keep me engrossed in a genre that normally leaves me cold, and make cogent comments about human nature, politics, and class relations along the way. But the ending was an anticlimax. All three stories leave the narrative hanging; in the first two this seemed appropriate, but here I expected something that would tie the three novellas together and make clear the essential unity of the whole. In this, I was disappointed.

This is a very interesting book if you can get past some of the science-fiction that he has in his version of the future. If you're expecting something like The Hours... then read The Hours again. This is an entirely different book. His juxtaposition of similar people and elements in the past, present, and future make it feel almost like you're reading a puzzle put together in three different ways, all, in my opinion, asking the same question: what does it take to be alive, and what does it mean? I loved it.

Wow.

What a weird and disappointing book!

I LOVED The Hours- but this is on par with The Mermaid's Chair, in terms of its failure to measure up. TMChair is no "Bees" and THIS is no "THours"!

If you enjoy historical fiction AND SciFi, you will like the way Cunningham bridges the two genre; otherwise: forget it.