Hi all. Considering the week in news, it might be time for some more happy dog photos … or wait, maybe a yellow goldfinch sitting at the feeder. This lone goldfinch (at left) with his spouse came to visit us over the weekend during a major rainstorm on Friday and Saturday where we were projected to get anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of rain. I think at least 4 inches fell and it hovered round 40 degrees, all the while others around North America were having a heat wave. It happened on the anniversary of the 2013 flood (June 20) to these parts, so that was a bit eerie.
Alas the goldfinch and his partner graced us with their continued support during the storm. I know many of you see goldfinches all the time down south, but we don’t get them here that often. Though apparently the north is the birds’ breeding grounds. So it was a treat to see the bright yellow male bird and his paler yellow spouse here. And they are back again today, enjoying some food before new travels.
Meanwhile you might have heard that it was the 50th anniversary on Friday of the movie Jaws, which came out June 20, 1975. Oh yeah. I hadn’t turned 10 yet that year, but I recall seeing the movie (it was controversially PG at the time) … and at some point I also read the book by Peter Benchley. The movie in the theater back in 1975 was pretty terrifying, lol, and the first scene with the lady swimmer at night and the music sent me pretty low into my seat with my hands over my eyes. After all we went to the beach often growing up in Southern Cal and it sent my imagination into high drive thereafter.
There’s so many memorable scenes and lines in the film as well as great actors with Robert Shaw as Quint, Roy Scheider as Brody, and Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper. I’ve seen it dozens of times over the decades and it still will stop me if I come upon across it on the TV today. It was a great film and it surely made a big impact on Hollywood. What do you remember about seeing it for the first time? Do you remember where you were when you saw the movie?
And now I’ll leave you with a book review of what I finished lately.
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante / Europa / 480 pages / 2012
My read of this modern classic was a buddy read with Tina at the blog Turn the Page, which took me from May to June to finish. It’s Book 2 of Elena Ferrante’s four-book Neapolitan series, and you might recall we read Book 1, My Brilliant Friend last year. Of course, we were curious to continue on to see what would happen in the lives of the two close friends, Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo, who grow up in a poor neighborhood of Naples, Italy, in the 1950s.
This novel takes place in Italy over the 1960s and covers the girls years from ages 16 to 23. It’s quite an epic saga in which the girls’ friendship sees a roller coaster of ups and downs and their well-being over time seems to change hands. From Book 1 we find that Lila has taken the marriage route at age 16 (!) to Stefano, the profitable grocer who gives her a nice house and things, and invests in her family’s shoe business. But she soon comes to believe (early in Book 2) he’s deceived her into marriage — entering too into a partnership with the despised rich Solaras family — and that he’s a brute who beats her. While her status rises, Lila soon becomes very unhappy.
“The condition of wife had enclosed her in a sort of glass container, like a sailboat sailing with sails unfurled in an inaccessible place, without the sea.”
Meanwhile her childhood friend Elena is also not in a good place as the novel begins. Elena feels waves of unhappiness that “everything is against her”: with her boyfriend Antonio, her school grades slipping, and her loss of Lila to marriage. Later though Elena begins studying after school at Lila’s house and realizes her troubles are nonsense compared to the bruises she sees on her friend. Lila buys Elena her schoolbooks and Elena invites Lila to a party at a teacher’s house, only to find herself and the experience mocked by Lila afterwards, which leads to the first separation between the two friends for a while.
But then after a miscarriage, Lila invites Elena to the beach for several weeks in the summer, where a doctor says Lila should gain strength by swimming. This seems a turning point as Lila learns to swim and they hang out more freely with Lila’s sister-in-law and two university students, who includes Nino Salvatore, the boy Elena has long had a major crush on. It’s a notable summer but ends up having repercussions for all.
Still afterwards, Elena redirects herself back to her studies, gaining traction to graduate high school and go away to university, while Lila makes a break of sorts too after her son is born. The girls’ friendship ebbs and flows. It’s competitive at times and hurtful and sees long periods of separation, yet still they seem also to be joined at the hip … when the chips are down and out from their days growing up together in their poor neighborhood of Naples.
Much of the story is revealed from eight notebooks Lila gives to Elena during her marriage that describes her life and observations. Elena reads them intensely, but then throws them in the Arno river. You have to shake your head at the actions and petty feelings they have about one another at times. Still Ferrante’s details and the writing (quite easy to meander) make it all quite fabulous. You want to see how it unfolds and how the girls will fare in life. It’s a coming-of-age tale that seems to know no bounds. And after 480 pages, the novel all of a sudden comes to an abrupt ending. I was not ready for it then, but there’s always Books 3 & 4 to come. I will wait to read them at a later date … as this lengthy story took a lot out of me, but still I will give it 5 stars. I enjoyed it a bit more than Book 1 since the girls are older in this and become young women with all that entails.
just fyi — I’ve tried to be discreet and not give too much away in the review but still describe enough so I can remember the book for myself years from now. At least, that’s my objective with all these reviews.
That’s all for now. What about you have read this author — and if so, what did you think?
Your joint project to read the Elena Ferrante books reminds me that I’ve always meant to reread that gigantic series, which I read in 2016. But I never have mustered the courage to read it again. It’s fascinating that the author’s identity has been so successfully concealed, though I guess there are some respected guesses about it.
Hi Mae, yeah reading the full Ferrante series once in life is probably good and substantial enough. It is interesting to think the author has remained anonymous. I gather it’s quite an autobiographical story. I have liked reading about these two friends. Cheers.
I’m glad you liked this second book so. Based on your reviews, I would like to give this series a try sometime. Have a great reading week ahead!
Thanks Carmen, This novel took me over a month to complete as an ebook, lol. Ferrante follows their lives pretty closely and likes to write forever. I had no idea how much farther she’d go. The story did interest me but they aren’t that great to one another. I’m glad I tried her writing. See what you think sometime.
I hope you’re enjoying your books right now. So much to read. Have a good week.
Like Mae, I read this book back in 2016 and reviewed it on my blog then. (https://www.thenatureofthings.blog/2016/02/the-story-of-new-name-by-elena-ferrante.html) And like you, I gave it five stars. It truly is a masterful piece of writing.
Thanks Dorothy, I’m glad for the link to your review. I just read it over … and it seems you liked this one a bit better than the first one too. Ferrante follows their lives so closely and in such detail … it is quite masterful how she writes. I plan to get to Book 3 maybe in the winter, lol. Thx for your review — I’m still thinking over the story … so it’s good to see your thoughts too. Sometimes I think Ferrante could write forever at one clip …. ha.
I love Jaws. It’s scary but the summer feel of the movie, the Long Island town and the incredible actors and director Stephen Spielberg. What would have made it perfect for me would have been Quint surviving. But at least Brody and Hooper made it.
Hi Kathy, yeah you make good points …. the movie makes you have a feel for the town and the summer. And Robert Shaw is so good as Quint …. what a character! I did hate to lose him too. I have seen Jaws in full for a long while so it might be about time again. Have a great week.
Wow! You got a lot of rain. It rained here, too, but only about an inch, which we needed. With temps in the low 60s, that amount of rain is nice so I don’t have to water for a week or so. I love goldfinches, but they rarely ever show up here. We had dozens at our feeders in Nebraska.
I was 13 when Jaws came out and I remember seeing it with friends at our local theater (Solana Theater in Solana Beach). We lived in Del Mar at the time, so I was very freaked out about swimming in the ocean that summer. My favorite quote is probably, “You’re going to need a bigger boat.”
Glad you and Tina had fun reading the Ferrante books! They sound like quite an investment in time. 😉
Hi Lesley, you have good Jaws memories. It did make us freak about swimming in the ocean for many summers after, ha. I had to laugh about the quote you mention … the way Scheider says ‘You’re going to need a bigger boat’ is pretty priceless. That (fake) shark was huge. Scared me good.
We did get a lot of rain on Saturday — that storm was massive! It hasn’t rained like that for years. It surely made things green. Goldfinches seem a bit rare here too … But the bright yellow of the males is hard to miss.
Each time I read Ferrante — it takes me like a month, lol. She could write forever I think, ha. It’s definitely a time commitment but it isn’t hard reading, or the writing is easy enough to read. I plan to continue on with Book 3 maybe in the winter. I’m not sure the books are for everyone. People seem split over them.
Have a great week.
Hi Susan! First, thanks for coming by Marmelade Gypsy. It’s nice to “meet” you. I used to see goldfinches at my feeders (Michigan) but haven’t for a couple of years. I hope they’re having a lovely time visiting you — they’re very pretty! And “Jaws” — I love it! I’d heard about the anniversary but the other night was surfing about and it as on TV. I hadn’t seen it in years. At first, I was thinking “this might be fun for the kids.” But as it progressed I decided that was a really bad idea and I’d better wait a few years! (they are 7 and 8!). I don’t think they’d ever go swimming again after that!
Hi Jeanie, thanks for stopping by here. Ha. I had to laugh about your Jaws comments. Yeah kids ages 7 & 8 are definitely too young for a movie like that …. I’m not sure I swam much after I saw it as a kid for summers after. But man it’s 50 years on now …. that’s a long while.
Too bad you haven’t seen goldfinches in a while. They’re pretty rare here too. But seeing a bright yellow bird here this past weekend was certainly a perk.
I hope you have a great week and I’ll stop by your Gypsy blog again!
Love the goldfinch picture! Yes, I remember Jaws, but I don’t remember where I first saw it. Likely at the theater during that time. Remember it scared me a lot! Enjoyed your thoughts on the Elena Ferrante book. I read the whole quartet in 2018. Wrote reviews on my blog of the first two books, but just an update for the 3rd and 4th. The first book had been a book group selection that I wasn’t sure if I would read or like. I was surprised that I got so caught up in the story. I wrote in one of the reviews that I told my husband I was reading (actually I listened to the whole thing) an Italian soap opera. Ha! Hope you enjoy the next two books if you decide to read them. Don’t think they are ones that I would reread, but glad I read them. And definitely an investment in time. LOL
Hi Kay, thanks I’m still looking to get more goldfinch photos, though not sure if they’re gone now. And I’ll check for your Ferrante reviews on your blog. I’m still sort of thinking the book over. It is sort of a teenage soap opera … lol. But man it seems these girls had to grow up pretty quickly … if they wanted to get out of their neighborhood circumstances. You forget at times how young they really are. Married at 16, yikes! I might get to book 3 in the winter. They are a time commitment … the book took me a month! But like you, I’m glad I read it.
Have a great week.
I think once a few goldfinches discover you have feed you’ll start getting more returning. We had throngs of them at the old place and they decimated the seed in hours. Beautiful birds.
Fabulous review of the Ferrante book and it did keep us drawn in. I made time for it just to see where these relationships were going in spite of the seeminly endless packing up a house. I am looking forward to continuing the saga but also need a break from the story for now. Catching up on other books for a bit. If you are game for another buddy read in the future I’m in.
Jaws is 50?! Yikes.
Hi Tina, ha, if Jaws is 50 then what are we? Not sure where the decades went.
I will keep my eyes out for more goldfinch. Haven’t seen them today. They do seem to be hardy eaters at the feeder. They must have been hungry during the storm and then found our feeders. It was a treat to see them here.
And thanks for liking my Ferrante review. I don’t know how you had time to pack up and read Ferrante … that’s an amazing feat. Ferrante’s books always take me a a long, long while. They’re so detailed and long, but I really fell into the story and liked reading about their lives. I figure I might read the next one sometime in winter, Lol. I wouldn’t mind doing another buddy read sometime on something else. I actually thought I might get to Picnic at Hanging Rock. But I do have several other books going at the moment. Still I have it on ebook from a sale.
Enjoy your week at the new house. Cheers.
I read The Story of a New Name back in 2015 and HAD to continue with book 3 immediately afterwards! Both books 2 and 3 were 5-star reads. I also remember that it nearly killed me to wait several months for the release of book 4’s English translation. One day I’ll reread them all.
Love the goldfinch photo. I rarely saw them in central NY, but have seen them every summer along the CT coast.
Hi JoAnn, you were/are an avid Ferrante reader! Glad you liked them so much. It’s impressive you read them back-to-back. Holy smokes, there’s a lot to pack in there about the girls’ lives … and I don’t think I could read them all at once, but I understand *wanting* to know what happens to them. Book 2 stops quite abruptly and I thought “dang it, why did she do that to me.” Now I wonder about Elena on her book tour and seeing Nino there. Oh well, I’ll get to Book 3, sometime. I have copious notes to get back into it when the time comes.
And good to know the goldfinch are on the CT coast too. So fun seeing them. Have a great week.
It’s interesting to me that you liked this second book in the series more than the first book, and that others agree with your assessment. I read the first book and thought it was good, but, as I often do, did not feel strongly about reading any further. Well, maybe I should think about that again.
We have goldfinches in the winter, but they are drab when they are not in breeding plumage.
Hi Deb, interesting to hear about the goldfinches you get there and when. Their color really sets them off here … but we don’t see them too often.
The lengthy Ferrante books are quite a time investment … I think the books after book 1 are in the same vein as how she does the first book… as a very detailed rundown of their lives. It’s just that maybe the story as they age gets a bit more interesting. But if one is not too curious after book 1 … or wasnt thrilled by it then I dont think it’s paramount to continue on. I guess there’s something that makes it worthwhile for me. The writing … or Elena’s introspection a bit.
It has been a bad news week and it isn’t letting up. I am back to feeling numb.
How lovely to have a goldfinch visit you. We had bird feeders for many years, but gave them up when we started getting weeds (millet) which we are still pulling up every year, plus some pests. We still get some birds, especially hummingbirds during some parts of the year. But not the variety we saw when we had the bird feeders.
I remember seeing Jaws in the theater; I would have been 26. In Riverside, with my first husband, when we were at March AFB. The only thing I enjoyed about it then was being in a cold theater during the very hot Riverside summer. I found it scary and uncomfortable seeing it in the theater. It felt too real. I feel like I must have seen it since, because I remember so much about it, but I don’t know when.
Maybe someday I will read the books by Elena Ferrante. I don’t think so, but I have changed my mind about a lot of book-related things, so you never know.
Hi Tracy, interesting to hear where you were and when you saw Jaws. If you were in Riverside, I saw it in Redlands so it wasn’t too far away. It was pretty scary then, but you’re right the theater was cooler than outside.
I’m glad for your thoughts about having bird feeders once … sometimes I worry it attracts extra crows and magpies which we don’t need. Gosh the crows are a real nuisance here. Still we like seeing flickers and goldfinch among other smaller birds. So we’ll have to weigh the benefits.
I don’t think Ferrante is for everyone … and her novels are pretty long. She could talk one’s ear off I think. But I can handle one of hers per year … to see this story through. Hope you have a great week.
It’s always a fine balance between sharing too much in a review, and not sharing enough so that when you come back you remember the book!
Have a great week!
Hi Marg, yes I agree … it is a fine balance. I do want to remember the books for myself so I have to put enough about the story … but can’t spoil it for others. With some reviews I’m more successful in this regard than with other ones. Bahh. I’m glad you find this true as well. Thx and enjoy your week too.
Seeing the movie Jaws in 1975 (age 10) totally did a number on my psyche! I was so scared to go in the ocean after that, which was disaster for a kid growing up in a beach town. When we started doing ocean swims it took all the bravery I could muster to do them.
I haven’t seen it since but want to now!
Ha Helen, I can relate. Jaws really made swimming scary at the beach back then. We rented a beach cottage in Laguna in 1976 & ’77 … in the summer … and we went out on the boards pretty far. Good grief.
And wow you haven’t seen it since then? That’s wild. It used to be on TV all the time. I haven’t seen it recently. I think it still holds up.
Enjoy your week.
I’m glad the hungry finches enjoyed your snacks. I’m looking at a pair right now, flitting back and forth (north of Toronto) from the feeder. They’re such striking little creatures.
I’ve never finished the Ferrante series, but you’re reminding me that I wanted to get back to it. Are you planning to watch the series when you’re done reading? I’ve heard it’s excellent as well, bringing a fresh slant without straying from the original. Just what one hopes.
Hi BIP, that’s great you have the yellow goldfinches there … I love seeing their color but they don’t show up here too often. You must get a lot of various birds there and more gold finches!
And Yes I do hope to watch the Brilliant Friend series. Since I finished just the first two books it’s safe to watch Seasons 1 & 2 without spoiling books 3 & 4. I’ve also heard good things about the series. I’m glad you reminded me. We are in the midst of the series Fleishman Is in Trouble now …. have you seen it? It’s pretty entertaining. Thanks for stopping here!
We do occasionally get goldfinch here and I love the bright yellow color! I love seeing birds on our feeders, too. I was 5 yrs old when the movie came out (yep, I’m 55!) didn’t see it in the theater. I must’ve seen it on TV or rented the VHS at some point because I remember being terrified of even swimming in our pool! I would imagine that a shark could come up through the drain and eat us! I still don’t like swimming anywhere where I can’t see below and I don’t like swimming very far out in the ocean. PTSD, lol! Still, I loved the movie and would happily watch it again. Such a classic!
I also like to have enough in a review to spark my memory of the book when reading it down the line. Have a great week, Susan!
Hi Rachel, funny the effect Jaws had on everyone. You were even scared in a pool, lol. I still think of it when I’m at the beach, ha.
Glad that you get goldfinches there too. The male’s yellow color is so bright and cool to look at. We don’t see enough of them here.
I’m glad you see reviews similarly. It’s a bit of a balance — trying to say enough without spoiling the book for others. Enjoy your week too.
We do get a lot of goldfinches at our feeders, and I love how bright they get in their breeding plumage. So glad you had a couple visit for a while. I always feel special when something unusual stops by the yard for a snack.
I didn’t see Jaws in the movie theater but much later as an adult, but it still kinda freaked me out. The acting was great by all three heavy hitters. Such a 70’s disaster movie!
I’ve only read My Brilliant Friend. Much as I love reading about Italy, the characters just annoyed me and I haven’t felt like spending much time with them since. I know so many people who love the series, though.
Hopefully your rain has damped down some of the smoke, which I think is still ongoing.
Hope you have a great week. Happy Canada Day next Tuesday!
Hi Jane, thanks. Canada Day is always sort of nice here. And I’m sure your Canadian-mixed family agrees. We’ve had some pretty days now, and the fire threat is down a bit thanks to the rains of past weeks. July should be hot.
It’s nice you get many goldfinches there …. their color is so neat to see. We don’t get many here so it’s a delight when we do. It seems the birds have left now. We will keep our eye out for more.
Jaws was a doozy … you remind me that there were many good disaster films in the ’70s. Whether natural ones or on planes. Heston was there for quite a few.
And I think it’s okay not to like Ferrante’s series … From what I’ve heard many readers are split on the books, either disliking or enjoying. The characters aren’t too warm and can be off-putting. This second one was quite long and took me a good while. I think I will see the series through but need a big break for now.
Enjoy your reads & garden, Cheers.