Chopin's Funeral by Benita Eisler

Title: Chopin's Funeral
Author: Benita Eisler
Genre: Biography, nonfiction
Publisher: Vintage, 2004
Source: Library
Read for: Paris in July

A few of you may know that in a former life, I was a music major. I spent about four hours a day practicing the piano in high school. While I don't play nearly that much now, music is a huge part of my life. Frederic Chopin happens to be one of my favorite composers. I first read this book in high school, and the other day I found myself thinking of it and decided to read it again.

The book begins with Chopin's funeral -- the people who were there, the music that was played, the way his coffin looked, his final resting place in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. It then takes us back to his early life, his beginning fame as a performer and composer, and his troubled relationship with the infamous novelist George Sand. While Chopin had poor health throughout his brief adulthood, it was the ending of his romance with Sand that finally spiraled him down into decline and death.

Chopin and I at Pere Lachaise

This 240-page volume is sparse, even for Chopin's brief life. Eisler does not spend time on the minute details of Chopin's life, instead bringing to her narrative details that I found more interesting -- his relationships with women, family members, and friends; the types of pianos he had; the circumstances he was in when he wrote certain pieces of music. The book read like a novel instead of a listing of details (a trap I find many biographies fall into) and it was smooth and easy to read. Each event on which Benita Eisler focuses is relevant to the next, so that we see many of the events of Chopin's life in a cause and effect relationship. The details themselves of Chopin's life were also interesting -- he lead the life of a romantic artist in a romantic city, dying in the end of a romantic, Bohemian disease. Aside from his tumultuous relationship with Sand, he also had a woman back in Poland that he remembered with a bundle of faded letters bound up with a rose and labeled "My Sorrow."

Eisler's writing is fluid and evocative, adding to the romantic air of Chopin's life with her excellent descriptions of Paris and Chopin's music. There is nothing stiff in her portrayal of Chopin's life, and she writes with a sensitivity and care that indicates to me that she is also a lover of his music.

The one thing that I wish could have been added to this novel is a CD or interactive file of Chopin's music. Compositions are frequently referenced and I was not familiar with all of them. While at times I would search for them on the internet and listen, others I was not near a computer or headphones and wasn't able to connect with the music. I know interactive ebooks are a new "thing" and this book was written almost ten years ago, but this book would be a perfect candidate for a reimagining as an interactive ebook.

While some readers might not appreciate Eisler's minimalist, descriptive rendering of Chopin's life, for me as a reader and a musician it was deeply satisfying. Learning about the man behind the music made the musical legacy he leaves behind even more meaningful. Any lover of classical music and Chopin's music in particular will find Chopin's Funeral an evocative treat.

4 stars


Warnings: A few sordid affairs are alluded to.

YA Friday: The Academie by Susanne Dunlap

Title: The Academie
Author: Susanne Dunlap
Genre: Historical fiction, YA
Publisher: Bloomsbury 2012
Source: NetGalley
Read for: Review, Paris in July

Eliza Monroe, Hortense de Beauhernais, and Caroline Bonaparte all attend the fashionable Academie in Paris. However, their attention is on much more than classes -- they are all wrapped up in worlds of romance and political intrigue. Life begins to get complicated as the girls' lives intersect and they experience generosity, love, and betrayal.

I thought the premise of The Academie sounded fascinating. A school in Paris, full of real characters from history? What more could I ask? However, while The Academie was entertaining, it left something to be desired. The story lacked the meatiness that could have made it a truly compelling read.

I think the first issue was the abundance of central characters. The author switches back and forth from the perspectives of Eliza Monroe, Hortense de Beauhernais, and a mysterious actress named Madeline. All of the characters are interconnected, and all have romantic interests (at times, conflicting ones). While it wasn't difficult to keep the characters' narratives straight, it was difficult to connect with the characters when they were constantly changing perspective. I think if one girl had been chosen as the main focus and the rest of the story had been viewed through the lens of her experience, the story would have been more evocative and powerful. Instead, The Academie was a series of snapshots that gave us many angles on the situation but little depth.

I did enjoy the romantic intrigues -- everyone had a love interest, and some were lucky enough to have two. However, I think the romance would have been more palpable if one character had been emphasized and given the opportunity to really develop her relationships. I loved Armand, for example, with his willingness to jump into an awkward situation and help the girls, but I felt that I didn't really know him well enough to connect with him. Hortense, with her several awkward connections, also would have been more interesting if more developed.

My final issue was that the language was more "telling" rather than "showing." I didn't feel swept up or involved in the story. I was entertained by reading it, but felt it was being narrated to me rather than enfolding me, if that makes sense. The language was a bit simplistic and distant.

However, with all these complaints, I will say that it was an enjoyable. I didn't feel a strong connection to it, but it did hold my interest enough that I wanted to know the result of the book. The Academie definitely tells an interesting story, but left some things to be desired.

3 stars

Warnings: Some mild violence, possibly some brief profanity, allusions to affairs

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Take Place in Paris

This week for Top Ten Tuesday, The Broke and The Bookish are giving us a little freebie. In honor of Paris in July, I thought it would be a perfect time to discuss my top ten favorite books that take place in Paris (or France, because there are a few outside of Paris I also love). Some are books I've already read and loved, while others are books I am eager to get my hands on.

Books I've read:

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo -- Yes, I've been embroiled in this one for months and months, and it's not over yet. But it isn't because the book isn't amazing -- it is because it is demanding. And rewarding. I almost don't want to finish, because I am enjoying the experience so much.

2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo -- This one is right up there with Les Mis. I actually had the opportunity to read Hunchback while I was in Paris and it was an unbelievable experience. As I climbed the towers of Notre Dame there were inscriptions from the book every few flights of stairs. And the backstory of Hugo's novel saving the giant cathedral is both inspiring and romantic.

3. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald -- I love F. Scott madly. In fact, just a few days ago I had to give my husband a severe scolding when he told me that The Great Gatsby was boring and that he couldn't get through it. However, I think Tender is the Night is an even greater masterpiece, if not quite as universal. Taking place in the south of France, it is semi-autobiographical and about a psychiatrist, his troubled wife, and the other woman he meets there. It is wrenching and amazingly written, as per all of Mr. Fitzgerald's works.

4. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton -- Okay, if we are being honest here, hardly any of this book takes place in Paris. But the last scene, which does, brought me back to Paris more than any other book I have ever read. The descriptions were so evocative for me and brought back vivid memories. In addition, the end is the most wrenching, gut-punching ending ever (in a good way). So read it.

5. The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene -- If I'm being honest, I have to tell you that I didn't particularly love this book. However, if we are being Paris-philes, this book has fabulous descriptions of Paris itself and also brought back very vivid memories.

6. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly -- You've all heard me fan-girl about this one. Going between Andi, a troubled teen forced to spend a few weeks in Paris with her father, and Alexandrine, a girl in the court of the doomed Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the story builds into a sweeping adventure that I just couldn't get out of my mind once I had finished.

7. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran -- This was another gripping book taking place during the French Revolution. It was fascinating in its exploration of a commonly known pop culture symbol (Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum), but the history behind it is much more sinister.

Books I haven't read yet:


8. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway -- I have no excuse for not having read A Moveable Feast yet. My grandma gave me a gorgeous leather-bound hardcover last year and it has been waiting patiently for me ever since. I am planning on getting to it this summer.

9. French Milk by Lucy Knisley -- I've heard that this graphic novel is entertaining and fantastic. While my experiences with graphic novels are limited at this point, this is one I am definitely hoping to try soon.

10. Paris, My Love by Eloisa James -- I've seen this one floating around the blogosphere lately and I am very intrigued. I hope to read it soon!

Poetry Corner: "For My Old Self, at Notre Dame" by Marie Ponsot

For My Old Self, At Notre Dame:

Fluctuat nec mergitur

By Marie Ponsot

The dark madonna cut from a knot of wood

has robes whose folds make waves against the grain

and a touching face – noble in side view,

impish or childish seen head-on from above.

The wood has the rich stain of tannin, raised

to all-color lustre by the steep of time.

The mouths of her shadows are pursed by time

to suck sun-lit memories from the wood.

Freezing damp and candle-smut have raised

her eyebrows into wings flung up by the grain,

caught in the light of bulbs plugged high above.

She stands alert, as if hailed, with beasts in view.

Outside on the jeweled river-ship, I view

a girl’s back, walking off. Oh. Just in time

I shut up. She’d never hear me shout above

the tour-guides and ski-skate kids. How I would

have liked to see her face again, the grain

of beauty on her forehead, her chin raised

startled; her Who are you? wild, a question raised

by seeing me, an old woman, in plain view.

Time is a tree in me; in her it’s a grain

ready to plant. I go back in, taking my time

leafy among stone trunsk that soar in stone woods

where incense drifts, misty, lit pink from above.

She’s headed for her hotel room then above

Cluny’s garden. She’ll sit there then, feet raised

notebook on her knees, to write. Maybe she would

have heard, turned, known us both in a larger view

and caught my age in the freshness of its time.

She dreads clocks, she says. Such dry rot warps the grain.

They still say mass here. Wine and wheat-grain

digest to flesh in words that float above

six kneeling women, a man dressed outside time,

and the dark madonna, her baby raised

dangerously high to pull in our view.

Magic dame, cut knot, your ancient wood

would reach back to teach her if it could. Spring rain.

Through it I call to thank her, loud above

the joy she raised me for, this softfall. Sweet time.

Scenes of Paris: The Food

It's the last day of Paris in July! I wasn't able to do as many posts and reviews as I had hoped - many of my planned Paris in July reviews will actually be occurring in August. However, I have enjoyed this event immensely and will be participating again next year! I am closing with pictures of what for me was one of the best parts of Paris - the amazing food. Enjoy.

Gyros - our favorite Latin Quarter snack and something we returned to again and again. The restaurant worker hand-feeding us fries dipped in tzatziki sauce didn't hurt.

Une tarte framboise pour l'anniversaire de Lisa. :)

One Sunday, we stayed in Versailles for hours after church because one of our church leaders, President Uchtdorf, was coming to speak nearby. We packed a lot of snacks and got creative. These are oranges dipped in Nutella.

Millefeuille au chocolat from Paul, a chain that was everywhere and delicious.

Lisa found some ratatouille at a little corner shop and had to get it because of the Disney movie.

Beautiful macarons from Pierre Herme. My favorite were actually from Laduree, but I sadly didn't take any pictures there.

Gelato from my favorite gelaterie. I always got lychee and white chocolate.

The first of many paninis in Paris, but this was the best - olive oil and salmon.

Strawberry millefeuille from Paul - the first pastry we got. You can tell we are pretty excited.

We always split our pastries so we could try two different ones.

Gelato from everyone else's favorite gelaterie, another chain that was everywhere. While I liked my place best, this place did have style, sculpting the gelato into pretty flower cones.

A delicious raspberry treat from Angelina's. They are actually famous for their hot chocolate, but I couldn't choose cocoa over a pastry. This was delicious. I was actually really sick on this day, but I ate the pastry anyway. It was the only thing I ate all day!

Hope you aren't too hungry! I also wanted to make a small announcement - I am one of the guest bloggers today at Pepca's Bookie Blogger Brunch, so stop by and check out her question and the answers!

Book to Movie: Midnight in Paris

Okay, okay, it isn't really a book to movie. However, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is definitely for the bookish. An engaged writer, Gil, who is dissatisfied with his lucrative life writing comedy screenplays and wants to work on his novel, falls in love with Paris as he spends time there with his fiance's family, who have traveled to Paris on a business trip. After a night of walking and avoiding his fiance's didactic and pompous friend, who has taken to tourist-ing with them, Gil is swept away to the Lost Generation, where he meets Hemingway and Fitzgerald, has Gertrude Stein critique his book, hears Dali wax bizarre on painting, sees Picasso womanize away, hears Cole Porter perform live, and meets a lovely woman who shares his nostalgia for the past.

First of all, the real star of this film is Paris. My husband had to essentially clap his hand over my mouth because the first several minutes of the film were a montage of places I knew and loved and I was freaking out. I could sit and watch the movie with the sound turned off (okay, maybe not in the Cole Porter scenes) and still be happy.

The book also appealed to me with its inclusion of bookish characters (and others from that era). I love Fitzgerald and have been learning to love Hemingway (and can't help but love his character... especially the way his lines are written to sound just like him). Cole Porter is one of my favorite jazz composers. Shakespeare and Co. is one of my favorite spots in Paris. It was exciting to see each new character come on the screen and to see them expressed (and at times parodied).

The movie had two weak points for me. First, Rachel McAdams' character was so inexpressibly awful that I couldn't stand when she was on the screen. I know that I profess to really enjoy those love-to-hate characters, but she was such a witch that I wanted to plug my ears and sing until she went away. I usually love Rachel McAdams, but she did a little too well at playing a selfish upper class brat in this movie. Secondly, while everything came together neatly, the climax or "a-ha!" moment had a little too much cheese for me. The moral was a little blatant. This isn't a huge glaring flaw - I still enjoyed the movie. It just felt a little contrived. I am by no means a film critic - these are entirely my own opinions.

However, overall, this was a fun movie - definitely one I would buy if it were five dollars at Target. I might go see it again in the dollar theater. I certainly want to see those breath-taking scenes of Paris again.

Short Story Spotlight: The Wall by Jean-Paul Sartre

When I was first exposed to existentialism in high school, I thought it was the coldest, most horrifying philosophy I'd ever heard. This sentiment came on the heels of The Stranger by Albert Camus, a book that left me feeling dark and isolated and emotionless. Whenever I heard someone mention existentialism after that, I closed my ears instantaneously.

In a literature class my second year of college, however, we talked a little about Kierkegaard - not enough for me to be able to really say anything about his philosophies or main ideas, but enough to make me wonder if existentialism was as horrifically awful as I'd previously thought. So for my Paris in July themed Short Story Spotlight, I decided to reread a story by Sartre, "The Wall."

"The Wall" follows a group of soldiers through the night before their execution. The narrator, Pablo, becomes detached from his life with the knowledge that he will be killed in the morning. He perceives himself as dead, and believes that he can't go back to living now because he has the concept of himself as mortal, that all of life would simply be the waiting he experienced in the cell waiting for his death. He comes to the conclusion that life has no value - whether he dies or another dies, it makes no difference, because they will all die - nothing can change that simple fact. Oh, right, this is why I was horrified by the concept. I was seventeen and immortal when I read this story for the first time.

Sartre also explores the concept of the absurd in this story - the fact that certain events occur in life that have no meaning and are ridiculous. One must rise above them. I think this is best understood by reading Camus's piece "The Myth of Sisyphus," another piece that was appalling to me in my idealistic high school years.

I wish I had a better understanding of existentialism. Only very occasionally do I wish that I had taken more English and literary theory classes. I wish that I had a better knowledge base for interpreting works that are philosophical or more difficult (but only occasionally because I think too much analysis blocks out the beauty and the story, which, for me, is the main point of literature - experiencing beauty in another human experience).

Anyway, this story gave me the interesting chance to review a philosophy I had blocked out in high school and to revisit the reason it horrified me then and may have some merits now (don't get me wrong, I would never subscribe to it fully, but I can see the interesting elements in the bleakness now). "The Wall" is a good little introduction to Parisian existentialism.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Title: The Paris Wife

Author: Paula McLain

Genre: Historical fiction

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2011

Source: Personal Copy

First off, dear person in the seat next to me, did you have to choose this open seat out of all the other open seats on the bus? I now have to awkwardly squeeze my elbows in while I type to keep from awakening you from your post-workday commute slumber.

Anyway, this is the story of Hadley and Ernest Hemingway's life together, told from Hadley's point of view. I have not yet read A Moveable Feast, but I am guessing it follows many of the events. It starts when Hadley meets Ernest and ends when he takes his own life, years after their marriage disintegrated.

I was feeling rather excited for this book, I'll admit, for a few reasons. Firstly, it takes place in Paris, an obvious factor for anyone who knows me well. Secondly, I love "Lost Generation" writers (Fitzgerald is a favorite) and I've been reading a bit more Hemingway this year, so I was excited to learn more of his life story, even though it was fictionalized. This was further intensified by seeing the movie Midnight in Paris (in which no mention of Hadley was made). I had heard rave reviews from people I respect (non-book bloggers, which sometimes makes it sound even better to me - normal people like it, not just book-obsessed ones!). Maybe I hyped it to myself a little too much. Because while I liked it, it was by no means a stellar read for me.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed learning about Hadley and Hemingway's life. I enjoyed reading about Paris. I even enjoyed the writing, although at times it seemed to be too blatantly imitating Hemingway, which seemed a little gimmicky. Granted, I have never read other writings by Paula McLain - she may write like that all the time. However, the book lacked that essential spark, that moving quality that turns it into a "book-hugger." I felt like Hadley was telling me a long, detailed story about her life. I heard all about it, but it wasn't shown to me. I wanted to experience the story, not just hear about it. The instances that did spark emotion in me were mostly negative, reading about so many marriages dissolving. I have to rant about something, but don't want to spoiler-it for you, so highlight if you want to read. I was also so appalled that, firstly, Pauline went after Hemingway and secondly, that Hadley went along with it for so long. I cannot imagine any circumstance where that would be acceptable. I know that it was "the thing" in Paris among their friends, but to me it was just a sign of how completely Hadley had lost her identity to Hemingway's. Okay, for those of you tuning in post-spoiler, I just wrote something about how Hadley sacrifices her identity to Hemingway's ideals. I think this also was why I didn't fully identify with the story. Now, I don't consider myself a person that has to assert my desires and personality over all others. I am willing to make concessions, to give up some things that I want and maybe even some things that are important to me, for the good of another person. Part of the reason I changed my post-graduation plans to nursing was so that my husband could go to dental school and I could work less when I want to have children. However, it was hard to read about a person who stepped on her own desires and emotions over and over again out of the fear of her husband leaving her, diminishing in her personality until he was no longer attracted to her, even though he knew their relationship was very beneficial to him.

Im afraid that now I've come off sounding as if I hated the book, which isn't true at all. I didn't hate the book. I just didn't love it or really identify with it. I enjoyed the trip into the era of many of my favorite writers and learned a few things. I even highlighted a few lovely passages. However, my overall experience was lukewarm.

3 stars

Dear Mr. Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities (finished)

Dear Mr. Dickens,

I think that in reality, you thought I couldn't do it. You were silently laughing to yourself at my futile attempts to get through your acclaimed work, considering me to be too stupid, too naive to understand what my friend Sam called "his easiest novel," what I always heard described as "a lovely book," but what I could nevertheless not fathom.

However, I have defeated it. It took me months, and there were a few moments of tearing my hair, but I finished the book.

But don't feel too defeated, Mr. Dickens. In reality, this is a two-way victory. Because after I got through your soliloquies on the best and worst times, the unintelligible rantings of Jerry Cruncher, the overabundance of Jacques, and the over-explanation of some things, under-explanation of others, I found myself deeply connected and invested with your story.

Mr. Dickens, I even cried. On public transportation. I know that you don't have buses in your sphere of reality, but compare it to crying in a giant cab filled with over fifty people. I was that swept up.

I've told you the things I struggled with in a paragraph above, and if you are sufficiently humbled, I will build up your confidence once more and tell you the reasons it warmed my heart. It was a slow process, I'll admit. It took time for me to love your characters. However, they stole quietly into my heart. It was so moving to hear Lucie plead for Charles Darnay and to see the devotion she had for her father. She was a bit insipid as far as heroines go, but sweet in her way. And Darnay was obviously upstanding, although it seemed more in principle than in action. Yes, he gave up his position and was ostensibly a good person, but it was something I heard about rather than saw for myself.

But Sidney Carton - nice work, Mr. Dickens. I have never seen such an effective transformation of a character that was so believable. He is the best example I have ever seen of love overcoming all things. I don't want to say more - I don't want to ruin the story for anyone else who may happen to come across our correspondence in the future. But you took me from a bored reader just trying to overcome this beast of a book to a passionate player in the story, knowing exactly what will happen but spellbound anyway. I still wish you hadn't made it such a tough nut to crack, but this will forever be a book that I recommend now - with a grain of salt, mind you, but recommended all the time. It is a must read for everyone who wants to understand the human condition. Thank you.

The Story Girl

4 stars

Scenes of Paris: Signs

From the beginning of my stay in Paris, I was fascinated by the different signs everywhere. I think our advertisements and other signs really say something about our culture. Here is just a small sampling of what I saw in Paris.

"Lawns forbidden." In France, they forbid the grass entirely in parks or else rotate the areas where you can go on the grass. This was at Versailles.

This little tavern was described in my tour book as one of the meeting places of the Revolution. I didn't go inside, unfortunately, but had to take a picture.

All of Paris' street signs look like this. This street also happens to be the narrowest street in Paris. "Fishing Cat Street"

Metro sign.

The most welcome sight after being out all day. Free toilets!

These sexy Orangina ads were all over the place.

This was at the Eiffel Tower. Shortly after taking this picture, I took a picture of my roommate Lisa and I sticking our heads out of the fence. Immature, yes.

"Taking care of the baggies is your job. Therefore, preserve our living spaces."

Another lawn sign. This one says that the lawn is not authorized and shows it sleeping - one of the rotating lawn areas. This was at the Luxembourg Gardens

"In this house Vincent Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo from 1886-1888." I loved finding these little historical notes on buildings, especially when it was unexpected.

"The Green Fairy. The absinthe of Montmartre, at the Montmartre museum April 1 through June 30 2008 (Address)." I actually just took a picture of this because I thought the sign was pretty, but now having seen Moulin Rouge, I get what it is talking about.

Just in case you didn't get enough with the Orangina ads, here's one more for you.

Quotables: Music and Literature

"Music and Literature," William Michael Harnett

La musique a sept lettres, l'écriture a vingt-cinq notes.

Music has seven letters, writing has twenty-five notes.

Joseph Joubert

Scenes of Paris: Lovers

For Paris in July, I want to show some of my favorite pictures of Paris. However, we've all seen the big attractions - The Eiffel Tower, l'Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame. So instead, over the next four weeks I am going to show you all some pictures my roommate and I took while living in Paris of various more interesting things. The theme for today is lovers, and I will have you know that Lisa and I took great pains to sneak these pictures without being observed. So enjoy your little tour of romance in Paris. :)

The lovely train stop I got off at each day. This isn't technically Paris, but a suburb, Le Pecq.

My favorite lovers picture. I made up a whole story in my mind about how these two were eloping.

If I remember correctly, this is Luxembourg Gardens.

Stealth methods employed to capture this tender pair (hence the fluff of hair in the corner of the picture)

More stealth. We should be in the CIA.

I think these are my other favorites... so sweet.

The Seine was a prime spot for lover spotting.

More Seine.

Here is the most blatant PDA we saw in our lover-watching. In case you are curious, this is a man and a woman.

These two look like they are potentially not going to be lovers for long...

Touristy lovers.