A RARE TITANIC FAMILY : THE CALDWELL STORY OF SURVIVAL
by Julie Hedgepeth Williams

Albert and Sylvia Caldwell were two young, very idealistic Presbyterian missionaries hailing from Missouri. They had met one another at Park College which was a school to train students to do Christian work. The two of them knew that they wanted to teach and when a job opened up in Bangkok, they went for it. On September 1, 1909 (the day of their wedding), they started off on their trip to Siam (now, Thailand).
For a while, they loved Bangkok and thought it was enchanting. Then, Sylvia became pregnant and her health deteriorated. The heat of the tropics made everything worse. Sylvia went to a doctor who determined that she had neurasthenia of which the diagnosis is unknown today. The symptoms were muscle weakness, fatigue, numbness in extremities, headaches, mental breakdown. She had to stop teaching. When the baby, Alden, arrived, she couldn't even hold him. Sylvia did not get better and they knew that it was best for them to go back to America. The Foreign Missions Board did not believe that Sylvia was really ill and thought that she and Albert were trying to get out of their contract. Eventually, though, they were allowed to leave. They were supposed to go to Italy for a rest cure, but there had been a cholera epidemic the year before so that was nixed. The Caldwells ended up traveling around Europe taking different ocean liners with Sylvia constantly being seasick. When they landed in London, they bought second class tickets for the Titanic to bring them back to America.
There have been so many books written about the Titanic and most of them have not been very good. The authors list tons of statistical information about what was brought over on the big ship, too many names, the amount of money that was spent to build this huge vessel and after a while, the prose becomes deadening. Not so with A Rare Titanic Family. Julie Hedgepeth Williams is the great-niece of Albert Caldwell and she was able to use family artifacts such as scrapbooks, playbills, photos, letters, tapes, and written speeches. She is an excellent writer and she is certainly no slouch with research. The story about the Caldwell family living in Bankok is just as interesting as their Titanic adventure, so it's as if you get two unique stories for the price of one. It's definitely a fascinating read.
Highly recommended.

A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION : VICTORIA, ALBERT, AND THE DEATH THAT CHANGED THE BRITISH MONARCHY
by Helen Rappaport

Queen Victoria was married to Prince Albert for twenty years. They had nine children which is truly amazing since the the Queen didn't really like children and mostly ignored them. The Prince was never made a king even though he performed all of the functions. His title was Prince Consort. Albert was considered a foreigner (German) and was not well-liked. Ironically, Victoria had German relatives herself but that was never discussed. Their marriage was secure and happy. Victoria loved Albert with such fierce devotion and as the years went by, she depended on him much more to make decisions for the sovereignty while she was content to recede into the background.
In the late 1850s, Albert started to not feel so good having major stomach problems. He was stressed to the max with doing speeches, making policy decisions, attending public functions, writing tons of letters, going to meetings, etc. Victoria didn't think much of his complaints (he was sickly as a child) and shrugged it off. In fact, she was pretty much in denial the four years that he was ill. When Albert finally died in December 1861, Victoria was plunged into such grief that she never recovered from it and wore black until the end of her reign. Prince Albert was criticized as he lived, but in death the people realized what he had done for them and the country and he finally was recognized as the true ruler of Britain.
Helen Rappaport certainly knows how to write a superb book. Her previous work The Last Days of the Romanovs was just as good (reviewed in this blog). Rappaport used unpublished sources such as letters, diaries, and memoirs, plus archival materials to define the relationship between Victoria and Albert, his death, the invisibility of the Queen, the fumbling inefficiencies of the four Royal doctors, the interaction of the people around Victoria who tried to guide her but were afraid of stepping on her toes.
Victoria had three obsessions: Albert, mourning his death and afterwards for the next forty years, and the building of structures and sculptures that commemorated his role in her life.
Not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.

THE LIVING END : A MEMOIR OF FORGETTING AND FORGIVING
by Robert Leleux

JoAnn Wilson was a true Southern belle with an acid tongue. She didn't put up with any nonsense and was devoted to her grandson, Robert. He lived with his grandparents, on and off, and thought the world of them. His mother, Jessica (nee Kathleen), never got along with JoAnn and always felt unloved. She had her own issues.
When JoAnn began exhibiting signs of Alzheimer's, Robert was there for her. JoAnn's personality changed and all of her harshness disappeared. Jessica got her mother back but it became a role reversal. What began as a very dysfunctional family was unified as the disease progressed.
Robert Leleux is one very talented writer. His previous book Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy certainly kept me laughing. The Living End has some funny moments but the way he writes is definitely thought provoking. Leleux so loved his grandmother and this book is a great tribute to her. His prose is beautiful.
Recommended.

THE LONGEST WINTER : SCOTT'S OTHER HEROES
by Meredith Hooper

When Captain Robert Falcon Scott set off for his infamous British Antarctic Expedition in November 1910 from New Zealand, fifty-nine people were with him on his ship. Thirty-one of the men were part of the shore party which was then separated into two divisions: Eastern and Western.
There were six members of the Eastern party and their objective was to explore and do science: geology, meteorology, etc. Scott's aim was to reach the South Pole. When the six men (three officers and three seamen) said their good-byes to Scott, they had no idea that they would never see him again. They survived but he didn't.
There's been tons of books written about Scott with both accolades and severe criticism. Having read most of them, I never knew about the other expedition until now. What these six men went through existing together first in a hut, then tents, and then a man-made ice-cave (which they dug) is truly remarkable. Although one man, Campbell, was the leader, they all learned to support one another and the lines of authority dissolved. Their suffering united them.
They are the true heroes.
Meredith Hooper has written an outstanding story based on diaries, journals, and letters of the men on the expedition. She actually visited the locations where the men were. Hooper is quite an authority on the Antarctic having lived and worked there for fifteen years.
A tremendous read.
Highly recommended.

SISTER QUEENS : THE NOBLE, TRAGIC LIVES OF KATHERINE OF ARAGON AND JUANA, QUEEN OF CASTILE
by Julia Fox

When Ferdinand and Isabella, of Spain, got married, it was considered a convenient match. Ferdinand was from Aragon and Isabella from Castile. If they could join their lands together, the mutual support would be tremendous. Queen Isabella was extremely devout (they were both known as the Catholic Monarchs) and she was committed to serving Spain and to God. These ideals would be instilled within their daughters Katherine and Juana. As the girls grew up, their parents would negotiate their marriages. As France was the enemy of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella selected the appropriate husbands for them. England was Spain's ally so Katherine would marry Prince Arthur, the elder son of King Henry VII and then she, herself, would become queen. Juana would marry Philip of Burgundy, a country that made France uneasy. So, the two sisters became political pawns just to further Spain's interests. One month after Katherine's marriage, Arthur died but his brother Henry took his place and it was a passionate, loving relationship between the two of them. But as Katherine did not bear a son, who would be an heir, only a daughter, Mary I, the love that Henry III lavished on his wife soon evaporated and he wanted a divorce. Katherine fought him hoping that he would change his mind. Of course, Henry had affairs while married, one of which produced an illegitimate son. When Anne Boleyn appeared at court, Henry went after her. She refused to become his mistress and only wanted to be his wife. Anne promised him a son. While Anne was pursued, Katherine was discarded by Henry. Only her deep faith and fortitude kept her above water.
Juana had no trouble in the procreation department. She bore six children two of which were sons. This marriage was also strong in the beginning but then Philip wanted to govern her lands and didn't think she was capable because she was female and, he thought, eccentric. He took away all of her rights and she became a prisoner. Then, Philip died and Juana's father, Ferdinand, took over as her jailor. When Ferdinand died, her son, Charles V, continued her imprisonment. Her own family were her opponents and they propagated the myth that Juana could never rule because she was insane.
Sister Queens is a terrific story of treachery, deceit, and cruelty that were thrown upon two women all because they weren't up to the standards that the men around them wanted.
Author Julia Fox presents everything in such wonderful prose that if you weren't that interested in history, you are now. The book is quite absorbing and even though there's plenty of detail, what you read is absolutely fascinating. Katherine and Juana put up with plenty of crap and yet rose above all of their hardships. Previous books have portrayed these two women as scorned and weak but the opposite is true as Fox reveals them to be resilient, gracious, and strong.
Highly recommended.

THE ICE BALLOON : S. A. ANDREE AND THE HEROIC AGE OF ARCTIC EXPLORATION
by Alec Wilkinson

For some reason, the North Pole has always been an enigma for explorers. Why anyone would want to venture to a place that is made up of solid ice, freeze in below zero temperatures, worry about whether you're going to survive or not (many died) doesn't sound so tempting to me.
Between the fifteenth century and the nineteenth century, 135 expeditions (mostly from Europe) went to the Arctic. They all thought that they would see what nobody else had seen.
S. A. Andree was a Swedish aeronaut who, in 1897, decided to do something completely different from the other adventurers. His idea was to fly to the North Pole in a hydrogen balloon. The planning would take two years. He would be accompanied by two young men. Newspapers all over the world wrote about his departure.
Andree figured that he would arrive at the pole in forty-three hours. Wishful thinking.
In The Ice Balloon Alec Wilkinson not only delves into what made Andree tick and his whole background but also writes about other Arctic explorations. These accounts give you an idea of why these men dared to go in the first place.
Wilkinson's prose is lovely. One chapter, in particular, just talked about all of the different names for types of ice. Some examples: Ice attached to the shore was land ice. Ice that didn't move with the tides was an ice foot. New ice was called young ice.
Throughout the book are black-and-white photographs of Andree, his balloon, the men who accompanied him and other explorations.
This is a great story by a terrific writer.
Recommended.

TOLSTOY : A RUSSIAN LIFE
by Rosamund Bartlett

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy lived many Russian lives for eighty-two years. He was not only considered to be one of the world's greatest writers, but he also influenced the people of Russia with his unconventional ideas about literature, art, education, religion, society, and government.
Tolstoy was born into the privileged class, had foreign tutors and was waited on by serfs. At nineteen, he became a wealthy landowner and then squandered his inheritance. Whole villages had to be sold to pay off his debts. Then Tolstoy went into the army and that is where his writing began to surface. At first, he was embraced by fellow colleagues but when Tolstoy refused to join any kind of literary organization, they avoided him. Soon enough, he aligned himself with the intelligentsia and then began to feel guilty with his previous superiority over the peasants. One way he felt that he could help them was through education. Tolstoy started many schools to teach the children how to read and write. He would become the spokesperson for the impoverished peasants and dress as one himself.
His next venture was to become an apostle of Christian teaching (he read all of the original sources and then basically rewrote them with his own beliefs). He would castigate the Russian Orthodox Church (they would excommunicate him) and then the monarchy. They were powerless in their efforts to stop him.
Tolstoy had quite a following and he was revered by thousands. But, even though he tried to lead a life of piety, he was a contradiction. His family was less than enthralled with all of his doings. Tolstoy had thirteen children with his wife, Sofya (also called Sonya). His daughters were devoted to him but the sons did the opposite of what he preached. Sonya bore the brunt of everything and Tolstoy treated her pretty badly. (He didn't think highly of women.) When he wrote War and Peace, their marriage was the happiest. Anna Karenina took him thirty years to write and the marriage deteriorated. His ego always got in the way yet to those outside of the family, he could do no wrong.
What a masterful biography! Rosamund Bartlett has written quite an in-depth portrait of a huge subject. The amount of information that is packed into this heavy book (454 pages) is astounding. She is very familiar with the material and knows how to create text that is immensely readable. Bartlett is an authority on Russian cultural history (she also wrote a biography on Chekhov) and is working on a translation of Anna Karenina.
If you love Russian history and know nothing about Tolstoy, this is the definitive book to read.
Highly recommended.