Notes from the Chore Girl

I spent the entire afternoon cleaning out my nests. There are so many of them! One in my kitchen office, two in the living room (one on either side of my chair), one in my bedroom, and that is just one level of this house. I am my mother's daughter; she makes nests too, but hers are small, organized, neat and they make sense. Mine are chaotic and disgusting.Today's dig was downright nasty: I found pieces of cat treats mixed in with crumbs of candy and other snacks I've enjoyed in each of these locations, and almost popped some Fancy Feast into my mouth at one point. I know, gag. My Waterloo is baskets: I have many and have recently acquired more. They are just dandy for carrying things around - at night (or so I planned when I got my last batch) I'd take a basket to my bedroom, like Dorothy with Toto, all tricked out with my glasses, my journal, a good pen, my Kindle, a glue stick, my inhaler, a small flashlight, a bookmark, a pick comb and my cell phone. What do you suppose I encountered today in said basket? Newspaper clippings, backings from strips of Velcro, candy wrappers, innards of pens, a Chinese takeout menu, capless markers, a pencil with gum stuck to it, expired coupons for LubePros (which no longer exists), RegisterStar rubber bands, random pieces of My Twinn white ribbon (you collectors know what I'm talking about), Beauregard's rabies shot certificate, a floppy disc (we have NO computers in this house that use floppy discs) and a tape cassette. A TAPE CASSETTE! This is recent, too. And we won't even talk about all the AARP magazines and catalogs that accumulate to be read "one of these days."

Take heart, Paul Dale Anderson - at least I found my TGI Fridays November and December Deals coupons. I think. Right now, I only see one.

Gone Girl, Part 2

I finished rereading Gone Girl and reviewed it for Goodreads. It gave me a lot to think about. I'm sure I missed the point, but what I got out of it was the fact that the quest for self-identity is still painful for me, and it became corrupt for Amy. Again - a superb read by a talented author.

Elizabeth Flygare's review

Oct 17, 14  ·  edit

5 of 5 stars

Read from September 30 to October 17, 2014

Warning: Spoilers.
So glad I reread it. I saw the movie and absolutely had to revisit the book. I found myself having much more sympathy for Amy in the book - in the movie she is depicted as so evil and twisted that there is nothing redeemable about her. In the book, I thought about what it would be like to be the only child of academics who created a book series starring their idealized version of me, and what it might do to my self-identity. Amy was able to assume different personas, and I know that I'm able to do that as well - certainly not to the extent that Amy did, and certainly not with her motives. But even as a "senior citizen," I find myself pausing to wonder who the real Elizabeth is. I will add here that I realize how tiresome it is to listen to someone go on and on about "who am I." But if Jean Valjean did it, so can I.

Currently I've branded myself as a 64-year-old selective extrovert who writes incessantly, is in love with a horror writer whose career is taking off big time, collects lifelike dolls, seeks serenity and does not drink alcohol. I go places and am told that I present as a "party girl;" other times, I seem unapproachable and even snobbish. Some people find me elitist; some see me as down to earth. I see myself as rather vain and self-centered, obsessed with having long hair that hasn't yet turned gray, and intellectual. I've added "artist" recently to my profile. I can remember in the recent past when I thought of myself as melancholy, angry, and frightened.

I walked through that book with Amy - it was very interesting how the loss of her money was her turning point with regard to returning home. I liked the way the pregnancy twist was done in the movie better than the book's version. No, I didn't hate Amy. Was I supposed to? The movie certainly said we were supposed to, but I think the book lets you make up your own mind. Jury is still out, but the last thing Nick says to Amy, at the end, will always haunt me. He says, "I feel sorry for you..because you every morning you have to wake up and be you." That is powerful stuff. Five stars.

Gone Girl: Not Amazed by Amy

Warning: Spoilers!

Last Tuesday, Paul and I saw the much-anticipated movie Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. It was essentially a disturbing yet brilliant neo-noir portrayal of the very dysfunctional marriage of Amy and Nick Dunne, opening with Amy’s disappearance on their fifth wedding anniversary. We learn the backstories of both characters - Amy’s angst is revealed via journal entries; Nick’s tale seems to introduce a somewhat well-meaning guy. We get into Amy’s head; alternately, we learn that Nick is admittedly clueless about Amy; he doesn’t know her blood type; in fact he had no idea who her friends are. It’s obvious that he’s going to be framed for her abduction and murder, although the state of Nick’s house when he returns to find Amy gone is obviously staged. If you’ve read the book, you know that Amy has faked her own disappearance; the movie doesn’t spell out her motives as clearly as the book does.

The book gets the reader to side with Amy at first, which I think makes the plot twists much more interesting and the tension more effective. We feel sorry for her as we learn that her academic parents have created a children’s book series entitled Amazing Amy, starring an idealized version of their less-than perfect daughter. We feel her pain as she laments that she is unloved. In the movie, it’s Amy we hate from the get-go; she’s depicted as an arrogant New Yorker who considers it slumming to have to move to Missouri with her husband because of his elderly parents’ illnesses. In the movie, I would have liked to have seen more detail spelled out about Amy’s anger at being transplanted, as well as her ongoing distress, spilled into her diary, over how convinced she is that Nick no longer loves her. I also wish there had been more than just a quick cut to show the audience that Nick had an affair. Yes, these elements are there in the movie, but subtleties are easy to miss when you’re just starting to sort out the characters and pick up the rhythm of the cinematic style. Maybe I’m getting spacy and literal-minded in my old age, but if something major is happening, I want to have a clear sense of the hows and the whys.

The book is better. You don’t want to miss Gillian Flynn’s brilliant prose; it’s written in first person and even Paul, who loathes this POV, pronounces the writing spectacular. Flynn also wrote the screenplay for the movie, which is why I’m so confused by my mixed reactions. As I stated earlier, the film version emphasizes Amy’s vileness from the get go, with subtler references to Nick’s defects of character. The book lets us see what jerks they both are early on. With the exception of the female detective and Nick’s twin sister, Margo (nicknamed “Go”), the characters have no redeeming qualities. I liked the cat, of course, but at the end, I had a feeling that he, too, was in on the whole thing all along. I wonder why Gillian Flynn made this subtle alteration?

I've read articles online stating the percentage of women who, after seeing this film, turn completely against the whole idea of marriage. That just makes me shake my head – there is nothing of love in the marriage between Nick and Amy. I have no problem with the much-criticized ending; in my mind, they deserve each other. I want to see it again, because the opening credits scroll over a backdrop of stills that have relevance to the story.

Dad always used to tell us kids, “I get enough messages that work every day – when I go to a movie, I want to be entertained.” I’ve felt that way at times; however, unlike Dad, I do enjoy a good horror movie or psychological thriller and I don’t mind being shocked. Paul and I both concluded that Gone Girl definitely falls under the category of psychological horror. But this movie is insidious. It crawled inside my head and inside my body. I usually love the genre, but after seeing this twisted, dialogue-ridden film, we both felt almost hypnotized into darkness; it was a hard feeling to shake. We chose to indulge in cheesecake at TGI Friday’s - the perfect antidote to 149 minutes of ugly people doing ugly things.

Final note: Amy’s hair, in the beginning, is obviously a wig – and a bad one. She looks much better after her haircut; I’m sure that the new “do” was Rosamund Pike’s real hair.

.

Let's Talk about Books with Lizza

Book talk time! I am reading Ann Tatlock’s Promises to Keep, and I can't say enough about the eloquence of her writing, the plot, and the flawless flow of the story. Paul Anderson, my "significant other," got it as a free download and raved about the beautiful writing; I trust his opinions as he is a published author. We both got free downloads of the book.

Tatlock might be marketing her books as Christian fiction, a genre I normally avoid, but this book doesn't fit the stereotype. In my mind, it is true Christian fiction, unlike the current genre, which seems to be a juxtaposition of 19th century sentimental romance and born-again fundamentalist undertones.  The emphasis here is on racial equality. Langston Hughes, whose work was receiving awards at the time, is mentioned in this book, and there are conversations laced throughout that show the author's strong belief in social justice. The religious references reflect my own Protestant upbringing.  It certainly evokes my old stomping grounds; the book is set in a fictitious town in DuPage County called Mills River, which I sense is based on Wheaton, Illinois, where my family lived from 1964-1970. In addition, author Ann Tatlock is a graduate of Wheaton College.  The story has salience for me because there are so many references to familiar places. 

Here's Amazon's summary of the book and a link to the page: Promises to Keep

Eleven-year-old Roz (Rosalind) Anthony and her family have just moved to Mills River, Illinois, to escape an abusive situation. Only days after settling into their new home, they are surprised to find the previous owner, Tillie Monroe, on their front porch reading the newspaper. Though her sons have sold the house and sent her to a facility for the aged, she is determined to die in the place she lived her life, and somehow manages to find her way "home" day after day. Feeling sympathy for the elderly woman, Roz's mother allows Tillie to move back in. 

Mara Nightingale becomes Roz's first friend in Mills River. In spite of their many differences, the girls discover they have something in common that binds them together--both are hiding secrets. So they make a promise--"cross my heart and hope to die"--never to tell anyone else. 

When danger stalks the Anthonys, Tillie exhibits unimaginable courage and selfless love in her determination to protect the family she has adopted as her own.

And here are more of my comments:

The book is obviously set in the mid-1950s, as it mentions air raid drills. How I remember those from grade school! Roz and her family have moved to Illinois from Minnesota, a state I consider my "home" even though I've never lived there. My parents were born and raised in Minnesota and met at the U, and I have relatives still living in the area. The only thing in Promises to Keep so far that doesn't ring true is that sadly, ethnic prejudice is still rampant in Minnesota -- especially in the Twin Cities. A personal note: In the early 60s, African Americans were starting to move into Minneapolis near the 2800 block of Park Avenue, where my Grandma Arabelle Flygare lived. Grandma, who was born in 1897, had a bit of a time adjusting to the changes.  So it surprises me that eleven-year-old Roz is unfazed by Mara's being "colored." Perhaps, even then, little kids were innocent when it came to "differences."  

I love Tillie! With regard to faith, two of my favorite scenes in the book so far are (1) where 11-year old Roz asks Tillie how you know you're going to heaven, and she replies, "Well, now, that all depends on who your father is;" and (2) where Tillie teaches The Lord's Prayer to Roz's two-year-old sister Valerie, who hears the first line as "Our Father, it's hot in heaven."  I also feel a sense of kinship with Tillie as she uses the expression "Merciful heavens!" frequently. That phrase has floated around in my family for decades, usually uttered with a Swedish accent.

I'm at the part right now where Mara has disclosed to Roz the secret about her real father, and that Mara's first name is actually "Beatrice." Mara reveals to Roz that her older sister Celia is actually her mother, and that Roz is the offspring of an affair between Celia and William Remmick, a white man. Remmick is an English professor and a book-lover who has a late-night Chicago radio talk show. (I suspect the Remmick character is loosely based on Milt Rosenberg) Mara's family story is that that Celia is her sister--of course, her "parents" are actually her grandparents. Mara wants desperately to meet her real father, and her grandparents agree to take her to Chicago on the train to meet him. I'll leave the aftermath of that visit for anyone who decides to read the book.

I enjoy Roz's siblings: the older Wally and little Valerie. As the story advances, Wally, at age eighteen, decides to enlist in the Army. This doesn't go over too well for the family; at this point, we're into the Vietnam era. It is also heartening to see that Tillie's two older sons, Johnny and Paul, who put her in the nursing home, are ending to up to be decent guys. Tillie's third son, Lyle, is doing some type of missionary work in another country. He has yet to appear. (Note: Lyle is also a name from my family.)

Roz's mother, Janis, is dating a man named Tom Barrows. Roz and Mara can't stand him, and conjure up devious, hilarious means to stop the relationship.  Then - as I knew would happen, Roz's father resurfaces. Roz finds Sugar Daddy candy in her school desk--this creeps me out. He tries to entice Roz back in his good graces, and he's appearing more and more sinister to me. Tom Barrows is soon out of the picture, and not because of Roz and Mara's antics. "Daddy" has obviously made threats because he wants Janis and his family back.

So I think that Daddy Dearest is going to either threaten Roz or actually try to harm her. My guess is that Tillie will come to the rescue. I think Lyle will return to Mills River and Janis will marry him, making Tillie Roz's grandma, and that Tillie will live out her days in her beloved home.

I wish I had written it.

I want to meet the author, and I'm going to read her other books.  Knowing my mother would like Promises to Keep, I checked Amazon and it was back to $6.99. I called Mom and told her about it, and she sounded intrigued. I immediately bought it for her and had it sent to her Kindle.

Back to the concept of Christian fiction: Christy by Catherine Marshall was the book that inspired me to want to write a novel! So, from this former Presbyterian/current Episcopagan rebel, I have three remaining words about Promises to Keep: BUY THIS BOOK!