People argue about the Great American Novel. Some folks say it was Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn since it captures the assets and liabilities in our national character. Others suggest it is an epic of exploration like Lonesome Dove or (since we are a restless people, obsessed with reinvention) The Great Gatsby. To me, the question is open because these and others are all brilliant, beloved works but I’m sure about one thing: Gatsby is a Great American Summer Novel. As a nation, we honor the summer months. It’s the only season charted by three national holidays: Memorial Day opens the season, July 4th is near its mid-point and Labor Day waves summer good-bye. Three times in (roughly) 90 days people traditionally take off work, recreate in the great outdoors, and, with luck, remember the sacrifices of others that gave us these freedoms. Because we started as a rural nation, children missed school during the summer months, when they’re needed the most on farms and that three month break is still a big part of our culture. To us, summer is a season of work that’s balanced by freedom. It’s also the season of Gatsby. Take a look at your old…
It’s started getting warmer here. Oh, my poor sister is still in the land of ice and snow but I saw my first bumblebee yesterday, hovering around the forsythia and ready to go into business. It’s time to start thinking of sandals and sunscreen, vacations and fireworks. It’s time to start thinking about summer and books to read at the beach. Beach Lit is, from what I’ve seen , a well-known but under-appreciated genre. Yes, the book must be light enough in tone and weight to fit with life by the surf and it needs to be entertaining but, most of all, it needs to remind the reader why life and living are precious. There should be some lessons learned, some perspectives changed and, to be perfect, it should have something to do with the natural world. Do you want to stretch out on your towel and imagine yourself in the stock exchange? Of course not! At any rate, a novel is coming out next month that will fit perfectly into this category. If you are looking for a new take on some traditional escapist fare, tuck a copy of Karen White’s The Sound of Glass into your beach tote,…