Other Women's Stories: What I'm reading this week (3/12/18)

Last week I finished:

I'm not a huge Star Wars fan. I've seen the first three movies (which I have trouble thinking of as IV, V, and VI instead of 1, 2, and 3), and that was enough for me. Years and years ago I read a book or two by Carrie Fisher, and though the material was a bit beyond my experience or comfort zone, I remember thinking the writing was quirky and good. So when I saw the Kindle copy of The Princess Diarist on sale for $1.99 (it might still be), I downloaded it, and I read it in three days without really meaning to. I guess it was just what I needed when I needed it. I feel foolish admitting it, but I didn't really know what this book was about, and if you don't either, and you don't want your feelings about a certain dashing Star Wars star to take a big hit, maybe you should stop reading right here. You've been warned. In essence, this is the story of filming Star Wars, but it's also a vehicle for revealing the fact that Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford had an affair while filming the movie. She was 19 and drunk; he was 33 and the married father of two. She developed feelings for him, he barely had a word to say to her (what was there to talk about, after all, when the relationship could not continue?). In her diaries kept at the time of the filming, Fisher writes: "Why have I become casually involved with someone who, if I am totally honest with myself, I don't care for and who doesn't care for me? And is married." It's kind of a sad, pitiful story. But thankfully, it doesn't go into detail. The next portion of the book is excerpts from her diaries from this period, which were excruciatingly vague and impersonal, and yet, really well-written for a girl of her age. The last portion of the book is about how Fisher deals with her fans. She writes out long, funny examples of one-sided fans' dialogues with her. You know those awkward sci-fi types. I guess judging by the speed with which I made it through the book, I enjoyed it, but the fact that it was a way to reveal the affair (and why? why reveal it 40 years later?), and Fisher's sad passing a month after its publishing (and her mother's passing the day after hers), makes this a particularly sad note to end on. If you're a Star Wars fan, you've likely already read this one, and if you're not interested, you probably won't ever pick it up. It was at times charming, at times bewildering, and it contained much humor and profanity. My rating: 3 stars.

I am now officially a big fan of Alice McDermott. I'm not sure you can make such a claim about an author until you've read at least three books by them, so I've officially reached the threshold of fandom. I read her latest, The Ninth Hour, in December (my review here), and I loved it so much I immediately bough three more of her books. Someone is the book that came out prior to The Ninth Hour. Someone is very similar to The Ninth Hour, and I liked it almost as much. McDermott wrote both books as first person narratives; both are quiet books with a somber feel. Someone is the story of Marie Commeford's life in Brooklyn, coming of age around World War II. It's not a book of compelling plot, but is a more contemplative narration of Marie's childhood, marriage, and present-day widowhood, which is what McDermott excels at. And, like most/all of her work, there's also a great deal of Catholicism involved. Marie is a spunky young woman who has a mind of her own, and in some ways that means she'll always be a little lonely. While I preferred the plot of The Ninth Hour, and especially the plot twist at the end, this was a very satisfying character study. I recommend both books highly. My rating: 4 stars.

I tend to ignore books about ailments and diseases, but every now and then a book comes along that looks like a lot of fun in spite of it being part of the malady genre. Born on a Blue Day was one of those. This is the memoir of a man who is an autistic savant, much like the character in Rain Man, but on the higher functioning end of the autism scale. Daniel Tammet has been through a lot. He's dealt with Asperger's, epilepsy, and homosexuality. He's worked hard to learn to understand human emotions and how to react to them. He's pushed himself to travel and meet folks who want to know more about him and his brain. He has learned many languages--including Icelandic in one week. He has set a world record by reciting 22,514 digits of pi in five hours and nine minutes. He tells his story simply and with candor. I enjoyed hearing about Daniel's story from Daniel himself, but I feel that I would have been just fine without having experienced this book. It sort of felt flat to me, not great or bad, just average. My rating: 3 stars.

Last week I abandoned: