Not Just Another Grouchy Grammarian

Review: Tevye the Milkman, by Sholem Aleichem

Tevye the Milkman made me angry.

Like everyone else who saw the play (I saw it with three different Tevyes) or the movie, I missed so much. And I didn’t know how much until I listened to this audiobook.

We learn from the film and the musical that Tevye is a good man, even as he is bewildered by the changes of the times he lived in. Neither shows us his “dark side:” the arrogance, the self-pity, the arrant meanness of how he treats his wife and children because they “are only women.” In fact, Tevye has contempt for pretty much everyone he interacts with — including those he supposedly calls friends.

Neither musical nor film has him forgiving Chava, for example, even though she has — we find in the final Tevye story — left her husband to go into exile with the rest of her family. Instead, in the story — we see Tevye rant on and on about the “trick he played on him.” (She did not, btw, play a trick on him – she and Fyedka tried to talk to him and, only when that failed, did she ask the priest to intervene). I was actually yelling at the audiobook during his last rant about why God is always giving him problems — as if he’s the only person who undergoes the things he has.

His constant bragging about how he was Tevye and wasn’t weak or impatient like a woman really got under my skin, too. He does nothing but put down the women in his life and — in fact — only asks Golde for advice once, then tears her down for not preventing what he sees as Chava’s defection.

I am angry at this series of stories, and I do not see the anger abating. It feels like I have been lied to for decades about the essential character of Tevye. I do not fault Mr. Aleichem for this, btw, but the entertainment industry which seems to have decided that the public could not handle the stories as written.

Sorry folks, but thanks to the entertainment industry, I really feel cheated on this one, and I am very sorry it took me this long to find it out. If, however, you are ready for a very different version of Tevye than has been popularized, this is definitely a book for you.

Updated Review: Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

(2020): Eh.

(2022): It’s very rare for me to change my mind about a book. However, I was moved to pick up Yann Martel’s Life of Pi as an audiobook, and it made a huge difference. Found layers to the story that I had missed the first time around, and found a richness to the story behind the story (so to speak). The young Pi’s search for a religion that could help him express his love for God, for one, is something I missed entirely the first time I read this.

If you have read this before, but been disappointed, please give it another shot. You may find yourself glad you did.

Review: Whispers of the Heart, by Aoi Hiiragi

<i>Whispers of the Heart</i> is the prequel, in some ways to <i>Baron: The Cat Returns</i>, even though there is not a lot of character bleed-through (although we do see the Baron and Muta — well-worth the price of admission).

Again, this is a YA coming-of-age/rom-com kind of graphic novel. The story is lovely – without spoiling it, I can say that it’s about two junior high students with dreams, who learn about the prep work for those dreams, and how it will affect their lives at the same time they are falling for each other.

Again, in addition to the graphic novel, I watched the English-language version of the 1995 film, so I would not miss any nuances. Although not as “star-studded” as <i>Baron: The Cat Returns</i>, it does feature Brittany Snow as Shizuko, with Jean Smart and James Sikking voicing Shizuku’s parents. Again, it tells its love stories (Shizuko and Seiji, Seiya and Asako, the Baronn and Louise, and Nishi and Louise) clearly, with each couple representing different aspects of relationships. This works out very well, storywise, since no one couple has to do all the heavy lifting.

Again, both graphic novels are definitely worth pursuing, and not only because they will be entertaining, but will not take big chunks out of your day.

Further, I cannot really wait to see what other treasures from Studio Ghibli will manage to surprise me along my path. As always, if you have any suggestions along these lines, I’d be happy to hear them.

Review: Baron: The Cat Returns, by Aoi Hiiragi

Sigh. This is the second time Goodreads has eaten a review I was working on. Let me try to reconstruct it.

I found Aoi Hiiragi’s wonderful YA graphic novel, Baron: The Cat Returns after seeing the English film version, with its stellar cast: Anne Hathaway as Haru, Tim Curry as the Cat King, Cary Elwes as the Baron, Peter Boyle as Muta, Elliott Gould as Toto, Rene Auberjonois as Natori, Andy Richter as Natori, and Judy Greer as Yuki.

It is a charming tale, of course, but it also is about the importance of being who you are, and not worrying about “fitting in.”

The book follows from an earlier work of Hiiragi’s: Whisper of the Heart, which I will be looking for next. Honestly, if works like these keep finding me, I can see a big obsession with Studio Ghibli and manga coming down the pike. Details, of course, as development happens. And, although I have no idea if he reads this blog, a huge thank you to my old college buddy, Joe Sullivan, who keeps encouraging me to dip my toes into the manga pool.

Review: Night Thoughts, by Wallace Shawn

Night Thoughts is an interesting, if very slim, volume that gives us a glimpse into the thought processes of Wallace Shawn. Shawn for those of you who are not movie or theater buffs, is the actor that brought Vizzini to life in The Princess Bride and co-wrote and performed in My Dinner with Andre, which was pretty popular with the art film crowd when it opened back in the day.

Now, I do not agree with all of Mr. Shawn’s thoughts, by any means, but it is refreshing to see someone in this day and age of shooting one’s mouth off “from the hip,” so to speak, put some actual thinking behind his views.

I don’t think this book is for everyone…Shawn has some shocking and discomfiting ideas behind a lot of his views. However, if you have an open mind, and are patient, you might just enjoy this as much as I did.

Review: The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenberger

Note: I came to this book because it was the first book listed in Sara Nisha Adams’ The Reading List and it turns out to b the key to the whole story there. So I felt I had t read it.

Second, this is actually an unabridged version of The Time Traveler’s Wife according to the information the actual library had on it.

Third, this is a deliciously complex book, in that due to the genetic “quirk” of one of the protagonists, the story cannot be told as a simple, chronological tale.

Still, the characters are interesting, with one of the minor characters (Kimmie) actually turning into the most unforgettable one of the book. Further, the time travel, while demanding some suspension of disbelief on my part was done a hell of a lot better than the time travel in most romances (and even some sf/fantasy). As a writer myself, I can tell you that this is no small accomplishment.

One flaw I noticed is that – in some ways – Clare is a very stereotypical “girl in love at first sight.” This made her character seem more saccharine than necessary in spots but is not the worst crime in a debut novel.

Also, this had a strong flavor of “chick lit” around it, which is a shame, because there are riches there for everyone. Again, this is not the worst flaw you find in a debut novel, so I’m inclined to cut Ms. Niffenberger a good bit of slack.

I definitely think this is worth reading, and — having read it — understand why it was such a key point in The Reading List. If you have the time, definitely give this one a shot.

Review: Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

If there is one thing you can count on Neil Gaiman for, it’s a fun, solid story with a few surreal twists. Coraline is no exception to this. From a little girl who is totally frustrated at the adults around her’s inability to use her right name (something I can identify very strongly with given the beatings my last name has taken over the years) to said little girl’s wish for some attention and her intelligence and curiosity (which is what gets her into trouble, this is one of these books I wish had been around when I was a youngling to keep my Pippi Longstocking books company.

Coraline was a fun listen, especially since Neil Gaiman was the reader. I’ve heard Neil read before, and he is always fun to listen to. So, this is definitely a must if you have kids that like creepy stuff (as many kids do), or if YOU like creepy stuff. Especially if that creepy stuff is based around real fears and issues kids have.