Russka: The Novel of Russia

 

Russka: The Novel of Russia – by Edward Rutherford

If you miss the late great James Michener, I would argue that Edward Rutherford is a worthy successor.  Is he as good as Michener?  Well, I’m not sure, but that really shouldn’t be the point.  In fact, this is only my second book I’ve read by Rutherford.  I enjoyed the first (‘London’) but I enjoyed this one so much more. ‘London’, I felt, had a tad too much history and not enough story.  This one I felt, was the opposite.  Since I don’t really read novels for history, though, I would argue that this was actually a good thing.  True, Michener seemed to do the best job when it came to balancing both history and story, but I prefer to grade this book on what it is as opposed to what it is not.   And what this is, is simply a great story.

Like the majority of James Michener books that are named after a geographical location, this book takes place over 1800 years.  The locations are the same, but the characters obviously are new in each chapter.  The majority of the players are descendants of early characters from earlier chapters, and it could be a bit challenging to remember who was related to whom.  It’s always helpful when the author includes a family tree in the front of the book (which Rutherford does) but one still gets a bit lost after a while.  I simply didn’t really care, though, as the vast majority of these stories were so wonderfully told. Although many of the chapters (or ‘sections’ might be a better description) are named after a well-known Russian leader (Ivan, Peter, Catherine), all of these well-known figures make cameos in the book at best.  The sections of the book are devoted to the time and period of the leader, not the leader themself.  So throughout the massive history of Russia, we learn a lot about the geography, the weather (very cold), and about such figures as Tatars and Cossacks.

Truth be told though, I felt like the majority of these stories could have taken place anywhere in the globe. Although to be fair, I don’t really know much about the history of Russia pre-20^th century, so it’s really hard for me to discern how much of the place of Russia really determined the fates and actions of the key players.  Again, I felt such a warm connection to the characters in each of the stories, though, that I really didn’t care that much.

In fact, the only major negative thing I can say about this book was that the last major section (titled ‘Revolution’) tried to cram too much into too short of a space. I’ve often praised a ‘long’ book by stating that I wish it could have been longer.  In this case, though, I really mean it.  Once we get to the late 1800s, I almost wish that Edward Rutherford would have ended this book and then continued the story in an entirely different volume.  By the time we get to actual Revolution, we simply speed past the years too quickly.  I seem to recall that the entire First World War only last for about five pages.  I’m guessing Rutherford was trying hard to keep the overall book at a manageable length, but I simply wanted more.  Plus, it’s during this last section that all of the families that we’ve read about throughout the story all converge, so to speak.  After all, we have to find out the destiny of all the families that we keep reading about. I really felt that more pages were needed so the last part of the story could have breathed a bit more.

Another minor complaint is that there are many instances of relatives and relations over the centuries that are named after one another.  This caused me to get lost a few times.  I seem to recall there were at least three ‘Arinas’.  After reading about Arina after Arina, I simply had trouble remembering the characteristics of each one and that was a tad of a detriment.  This happened several times throughout the book.  It doesn’t seem like it should be that difficult to have different first names for different people, but maybe there was some reason the author chose this approach that I am unaware.

I read a lot of books, and this is one of the best fiction books that I have read as of late.  If you’re used to authors like Stephen King or John Grisham, you should be aware that a book like this isn’t something that you can quickly read over a weekend.   This book, like the others of the author’s works, are quite lengthy.   I felt it was well worth it, however. Plus, you learn a bit about history, which is never a bad thing.

Ball Four

 

Ball Four – by Jim Bouton

One of the many things that the 1939 classic film ‘Gone With the Wind’ is known for was that it was the first major film to feature a swear word. Apparently when Rhett Butler muttered “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, it was so scandalous that it caused little old ladies in their theater seats to reach for their smelling salts.  That seems almost unbelievable when 50 years later, you almost needed a mainframe computer to keep track of all of the “F” words in a typical Martin Scorsese movie.  Times definitely change.

I mention this analogy because I basically felt the same way reading this “controversial, scandalous” book 50 years after it was written.  This non-fiction book written by baseball player Jim Bouton ruffled so many feathers when written, that the then commissioner Bowie Kuhn threatened (then pleaded) Bouton to state that the book was actually fiction and Bouton made the whole thing up.  Bouton, of course, refused.  Reading this book so many years later, it really is hard to see what all the fuss was about.  This thing now seems relatively tame.  Especially if one has read the scores of recent books by the many colorful athletes such as Jose Canseco, David Wells, and Lenny Dykstra.  Modern day readers of this book expecting to be “shocked” are likely to be disappointed instead.

This book chronicles a year of baseball player Jim Bouton, and essentially serves as a diary and an observation of one year of his baseball life.  Jim Bouton had his best years in the early 1960s.  This book details his 1969 season, when his best years were obviously behind him.  It also doesn’t make things any more interesting when Bouton played for the expansion Seattle Pilots that year.  For those who don’t know, the Pilots lasted an entire one year in Seattle before they became the Milwaukee Brewers.  By then, Bouton was long gone.  Then we look at his role on the team.  In 1969, Bouton was relegated to the bullpen as mostly a mop up/ long relief pitcher, which is usually reserved for the least effective pitchers on the squad.  So when such a mediocre individual dictates the year of a mediocre team, you’re likely to come away feeling quite bored throughout much of the book.  We constantly read about Bouton working on his knuckleball in the bullpen and whining to his coaches for more playing time.  This whining of his goes on for most of the whole season.  It gets old quick.

But the episodes of the book that made this thing so memorable, though, wasn’t his own struggles, yet his R-rated observations of the ballplayers that he played with and played against.  So yes, we read about players taking “broads” back to their hotel rooms and popping “greenies” (amphetamines) before the games, but it all seems quite tame 50 years later.  Much of the verbiage, jargon, and anecdotes that the author shares really haven’t aged that well either and most of his funny stories really aren’t that funny.  It’s also quite difficult keeping track of the multitude of players and coaches on the team. Part of this is because 90% of the players from 1969 aren’t really well known to most modern fans of the game. Today most fans can’t recollect people like Tommy Harper, Mike Marshall, and Doug Rader.  These guys weren’t that bad back then, but history has a way of erasing most of the ‘good’ players from fans’ memories, and we tend to only remember the ‘greats’.

It was quite interesting, though, and a bit sad to see how much the game really has changed.  In particular, these players were a far cry from ‘wealthy’.  This book was written before the free agency boon came into play a few years later. This finally dictated that ball players should actually be payed what they’re worth.  So in 1969, the best of the best of the best of ball players were majorly taken advantage of by their greedy owners.   It seems quite ridiculous hearing Bouton negotiating to be paid $19,000 per year when his team won’t budge over $17,000.   True, $17,000 per year went a lot further in 1969 than it does now, but when compared to eight-figure salaries that ballplayers nowadays make, you can’t help but feel such an amount is nothing more than worthless chump change.

So a lot of complaining about money, a lot of whining about not getting enough pitching time, and the general skullduggery of ballplayers sneaking out past curfew after night games, don’t really hold up that well when we read about such shenanigans over an entire baseball season.  In fact, the most interesting parts of Bouton’s reflections of the 1969 season deal with when he’s briefly sent to the minors early in the season, and when he’s traded to the Houston Astros late in the year.  The Astros (unlike the hapless Pilots) actually had a slim chance of making the playoffs, so the day by day accounts were a bit more interesting.  Really, though, the only reason why these episodes are more interesting is because they somehow breakup the monotony of Bouton’s entire lifeless season.

I should also put out that the author ‘re-released’ this book 10, 20 and 30 years after the 1969 season.  Each of these releases feature a new chapter from the author with his reflections on the last ten years since he last “talked” to us.  Sadly, though, these additions really aren’t that interesting.  Sometimes he’ll make reflections on how the game has changed, and these are fun to read.  Unfortunately, though, he mostly peppers these later chapters with personal information that simply didn’t interest me.  Nothing personal, but I really didn’t want to read about his sour marital relations nor his various business ventures.  Had there been more baseball, I might have enjoyed these sections more, but overall it was a chore to read.

Still, though, when I review the book, I really need to be fair and try to imagine how it must felt reading this thing in the year 1970 instead of 2020.  History tells us that it was a revelation at the time, so I can’t let my modern tastes be too cruel to the experience.   I would advise modern fans to read other books by their current day heroes first.  Then, go back and give this one a try and see how it compares against some of the latter day works.   For me, this thing simply hasn’t aged that well.

Battleground

 

Battleground – W.E.B. Griffin

The multiple W.E.B. Griffin series of books are a bit odd.  What I mean by that is that I mostly enjoy them yet I really can’t put my finger on exactly why.  This particular book is Book 4 of a 10 book series titled “The Corps”.  I’ve also read a 9 book series by the author titled “The Brotherhood of War”.  By the titles, you would be correct in assuming these are military books, yet there really is very little “war” in these books. Nor is there really much of a story.  You would think that military books that don’t have much of a story nor battle action wouldn’t hold much appeal. Strangely though, these books tend to hold the reader’s interest.

This series of books revolve around several soldiers in the Marine Corps during World War II.  This particular book takes place before and during the battle of Guadalcanal.  Again, though, very little fighting or descriptions of the actual battle are included.  Instead, author W.E.B. Griffin focuses on the intricacies and politics that exist in the American armed services.  We learn an awful lot about how soldiers interact and the expectations around military protocol and just what all is involved when one is in the Marine Corps during the World War.  We read telexes, top secret documents, and are privy to conversations with Secretary Knox and General MacArthur among others, and get a strong feel of what life is like in between the battles.

This book (which picks up where Book 3 leaves off) leads up to Guadalcanal.  The U.S. Military is still licking its wounds from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the political brass is scrambling to decide the next plan of action.  Again, not much about Guadalcanal itself, yet we do get to meet several soldiers that somehow will play a role in the conflict. Some soldiers we’ve met in earlier books, some we’re meeting for the first time.  Sadly, I have a hard time keeping track of who is who from the past books, yet Griffin does a good job reminding his readers of the necessary background so we can keep up.

Of course, when you’re telling a story about soldiers a long way from home, there’s an awful lot of sex in these books as well.  An awful lot.  I mean – really an awful lot.  This is actually a strike against the series for me.  It seems a bit far-fetched that every time a nurse, a secretary, a WAC, or someone’s sister is introduced in the story, it’s only a matter of a few pages before she’s in bed with one of the soldiers with a torqued up libido. Perhaps I’m naïve from watching too many old movies that were heavily into censoring what respectable young women are supposed to be like, but according to Griffin, every woman in his books will eventually be buried in a Y-shaped coffin.  It’s a bit much. I guess you could make the argument that such encounters are more fun to read about than a detailed military strategy of an amphibious landing of a small island in the Pacific. As I said, I DID enjoy the book, so go figure.

Critics argue that these books by Griffin are more of a military soap opera than they are a good, realistic story, and those critics have a fair point.  Like many others, though, I actually find a lot in these books to enjoy.  So give the author credit for a unique idea.  I really don’t know any author that is so successful at these type of adventures where such little adventure actually happens.  Outside the bedroom that is.