The Yellow Room

Author:  Mary Roberts Rinehart
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Mass Market Paperback
ISBN #:  9783942637589; 9780821722626
Zebra Publishing
351 Pages
Various Prices
1945

✮✮✮

The corpse - somewhat charred around the edges- had been discovered in the linen closet.  She was wearing a silver fox coat and not much else.  No one had any idea who she was or what she was doing in the Spencer's Main retreat.  Certainly not 24-year-old Carol Spencer, who had only just arrived to open up the house for the summer.

Unfortunately Carol seemed to be the prime suspect, judging from the questions the police were asking.  But Carol had one advantage over the police: she knew that she hadn't done it.  Which left her that much closer to tracking down the true killer...and that much closer to danger.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Carol Spencer's brother is temporarily home from World War II, being decorated in Washington, and will shortly be home for a brief respite before his wedding.  Carol's mother is insisting they open the family summer home in Maine, and after dutifully depositing her mother with her sister Elinor, she travels there.

Carol's fiancé was reported missing a year ago, and all - except his father - presumed him dead in the war.  Unfortunately, his father lives nearby, and she knows once she's home she'll have to listen to him go on about how Don will come back with them soon.

But when Carol arrives, accompanied by a trio of servants, all is not going to be well.  For one of the girls has gone up to the linen closet and come back hysterical.  It seems that there's the body of a young woman in the closet - or at least what is left of her.  There's been an attempt at burning her body, all her belongings are missing, and no one seems to know who she is.

But more than the police are interested in finding out about the dead woman: an injured solider named Major Dane is recuperating at another summer home, and he's more than intrigued by the situation.  But there's more than meets the eye:  an injured servant is in the hospital and being kept away by the police; Elinor arrives at Carol's request but is not only nervous, it's apparent she doesn't want to be there; and even Carol's brother Gregory arrives, to the surprise of everyone, including Major Dane.

But are any of the Spencers guilty, and if not who is?  Who was the young woman?  What connection does she have to the family?  And who is Major Dane and why is he so interested in this case?  These questions are answered, and more..

Mary Roberts Rinehart is a highly-respected mystery writer long gone but her books are still good.  However, they are yet a product of their time.  Every character - save the servants - smoke, and are constantly offering cigarettes to each other.  There is a war going on, and not only is food rationed, but gasoline and even camera film.  For those that enjoy historical fiction, Ms. Rinehart was quite prolific and her books are decent.

I did feel, unfortunately, that the beginning of the book started rather slow, and it was at first difficult to keep reading the book.  The action, as it were, didn't really become interesting until after the appearance of Gregory, which occurs at some point a little farther than midway into it.  Once his character appears, then questions are being answered quite quickly.

There are more than enough twists and turns throughout and quite a few surprises that I didn't see coming.  When the story ends it all comes together quite nicely, and one needs to remember that it is writers like Miss Rinehart who brought us some of the first mysteries. While these books aren't always as highly detailed as those today, one must remember that back then there were no such things as DNA testing, computers, etc., to help with the investigation.  It all had to be done slowly, and a lot of it by telephone or traveling to different areas, which made things slow going.  All in all, I will probably read another of this author's books.

https://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Room-Mary-Roberts-Rinehart/dp/082172262X/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2343814360

More on Mary Robert Rinehart's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/mary-roberts-rinehart/

Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart

Author:  Scott Eyman
Genre:  Biography/Film

Hardcover; Audio CD; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN #:  9781501102172; 9781681689623
Simon & Schuster Publishing (Highbridge Audio)
384 Pages
$18.90; $39.99; $14.99 Amazon
October 24, 2017

✮✮✮✮✮

Henry Fonda and James Stewart were two of the biggest stars in Hollywood for forty years.  They became friends and then roommates as stage actors in New York, and when they began making films in Hollywood, they roomed together again.  Between them they made such memorable films as The Grapes of Wrath, Mister Roberts, Twelve Angry Men, and On Golden Pond; and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Destry Rides Again, The Philadelphia Story, It's a Wonderful Life, Vertigo, and Rear Window.

They got along famously, with a shared interest in elaborate practical jokes and model airplanes, among other things.  Fonda was a liberal Democrat, Stewart a conservative Republican, but after one memorable blow-up over politics, they agreed never to discuss that subject again.  Fonda was a ladies' man who was married five times; Stewart remained married to the same woman for forty-five years.  Both men volunteered during World War II and were decorated for their service.  When Stewart returned home, still unmarried, he once again moved in with Fonda, his wife, and his two children, Jane and Peter, who knew him as Uncle Jimmy.

For Hank and Jim, biographer and film historian Scott Eyman spoke with Fonda's widow and children as well as three of Stewart's children, plus actors and directors who had worked with the men - in addition to doing extensive archival research to get the full details of their time together.  This is not another Hollywood story, but a fascinating portrait of an extraordinary friendship that lasted through war, marriages, children, careers, and everything else.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

If anyone knows classic films at all, then these two actors' names will be right up there with John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant.  While their films, for the most part, of all these actors were very different, their onscreen presence was palpable.  There was no mistaking that you were in the presence of a great actor when you sat down to watch.

I have always known that Fonda and Stewart were best friends - anyone who claims to be a classic film buff would know this.  And, I must say, I knew quite a bit about their professional lives, and their personal, as far as marriages.  I also knew that they both served in World War II, Fonda in the Navy and Stewart in the Army Air Corps.  However, Mr. Eyman has gone far deeper into their pasts.

He begins right where they do - from birth; and tells us of their very different upbringing in life.  He goes on from there to their early life on the stage, and their eventual move to Hollywood.  But their lives take very different turns.  Hank was married five times - he was wound too tightly most times to make a marriage stick; his emotions stayed beneath the surface and were rarely exposed; Jimmy was married once, when he was 41 - Gloria was the love of his life and the marriage was a happy one.

Their careers took different turns, also:  Hank preferred stage to screen; Jimmy stayed in Hollywood and made many memorable films (and a few he probably wished he hadn't).  But the films Hank made were, for the most part, memorable also, and I am sure everyone has that particular film of both of them that stays with you and you will watch over and over.  I love Hank's films The Mad Miss Manton, Mister Roberts, and The Rounders (not a spectacular film, but very funny).  For Jimmy's films, I love The Shop Around the Corner, Rear Window, and The Rare Breed.  

It is obvious that Mr. Eyman has done extensive research on his subjects.  The book is neither cloying nor filled with Hollywood gossip; it gives us an honest and well-written biography about two remarkable men, the like of which will never be seen again.

While I've read other biographies of Fonda and Stewart, I believe that Mr. Eyman's is the best by far.  While I am sure there are those who like only one or the other, I consider myself a true classic fan, and while I may not like an actor personally, I can watch their body of work and appreciate it for what it is.

While this book points out that Hank wasn't the best father in the world, he also changed as he got older, and his loyalty to his friends was always unwavering.  Perhaps because they never expected anything from him, knowing he didn't offer up as much of himself.  Jimmy, on the other hand, seems more open and giving to both family and friends.

They were there for each other through triumphs and tragedies; through good times and bad; and never allowed their personal politics or personal demons stand in the way of their enduring friendship.  One can only hope for a friendship in their life as strong as the one between these two.

I am grateful for this book, for giving us the insight into two remarkable men who became extraordinary actors and had an exceptional friendship.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Hank-Jim-Fifty-Year-Friendship-Stewart/dp/1501102176/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2135608274

More on Scott Eyman and His Books:  https://www.amazon.com/Scott-Eyman/e/B001H6N7F6

The Price of Valor: The Life of Audie Murphy, America's Most Decorated Hero of World War II

Author:  David A. Smith
Genre:  Biography/War/Film/History

Hardcover; Ebook; Audiobook; MP3 CD
Regenery Publishing
256 Pages; 258 Pages; 6 Hours
$21.32; $15.99; $24.99 Amazon
April 20, 2015

Five Stars

When he was seventeen years old, Audie Murphy falsified his birth records so he could enlist in the Army and help defeat the Nazis.  When he was nineteen, he single-handedly turned back the German Army at the Battle of Colmar Pocket by climbing on top of a tank with a machine gun, a moment immortalized in the classic film To Hell and Back, starring Audie himself.  In the first biography covering his entire life - including his severe PTSD and his tragic death at age 45 - the unusual story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated hero of WWII, is brought to life for a new generation.

********

Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier of World War II.  This in itself is worth mentioning; but worth mentioning even more is the fact that he was only nineteen years old when he left the Army.

I have always loved all and anything about Audie Murphy, from the first time I saw him on screen as an actor, watching him in an old Western on television.  I thought, and still do, that he was one highly attractive man, with a distinct Texas drawl, slow walk, and had a habit of looking down whenever he was speaking with a woman, but looking the men directly in the eyes.  It entranced me then and entrances me still today.  I suppose you could say I had quite a crush on this man.

I'd already known about his war record since I'm diligent about seeking information on subjects I'm interested in.  I thought, erroneously, that I'd known nearly everything about this man until I opened the pages of this book.  Mr. Smith gives us the full picture on Audie Murphy, and what a picture it is - both the good and the bad.

His upbringing was the humblest of humble:  he was born to a tenant farmer who could barely survive, and they were so poor there wasn't even electricity in any of their homes until he was around nine.  He learned to shoot - and hit his target on the first try - as a matter of survival.  In the words of Audie himself: "If I missed, we didn't eat."  This ability stood him well during the war.

His early years were some of the hardest I've ever read about, and it amazes me that he survived them without being bitter.  He tried at first to join the Marines as a sniper, but being small (5'5") they weren't interested.  Eventually he was accepted into the Army, but even that wasn't easy.  They didn't think he was cut out to be an infantryman, and wanted him to make another career, but Audie had more determination and grit than anyone knew and he refused.

He faced all major battles and received the highest honors possible including the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving his entire platoon.  This, my friends, is the stuff only Hollywood can dream up:  He climbed atop a German tank, manned the gun and took out the enemy with their own weapon.  It not only earned him that award, it earned him the notice of Hollywood itself.

The great actor James Cagney saw his picture and knew of his exploits and invited him to come to Hollywood.  While it never went anywhere with a partnership between them, he stayed and made movies anyway.  Not all great pictures, none of them Oscar-worthy.  But worth watching, in my opinion.  I dare anyone to see No Name on the Bullet and not see the type of person Audie was, in this, his best performance.  Yet he had a darker side - a temper he could never get rid of, a gambling habit, among others.  It was these things that kept him from becoming the star he could have been.

Because of the war and everything he had been put through he was never the same again.  He had what we now term as PTSD, and would wake up with night terrors on a regular basis.  He slept with a gun under his pillow.  He lived with the guilt of seeing many of his platoon die while he lived, and never got over that guilt.  He wrote an autobiography, To Hell and Back, about his experiences in the war, although he insisted the book was about everyone in his platoon, not himself.  This book was later made into a highly-regarded movie that broke records at the box office.  

Audie carried that guilt into his daily life and became a person who never shared with anyone.  He kept things 'close to the vest,' as it were, and it anyone shared his friendship, it was rare indeed.  He died at 45 in a plane crash in Virginia, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.  His casket was pulled by six black horses.  

Audie Murphy was a larger than life hero, although he would probably balk at my saying so.  He never considered himself as such.  I have always believed, and after reading this book that belief is only reinforced, that Audie was numbed to the world after he returned home from the war.  He had endured so much, pushed himself so hard, that he could never find a way to gain anything from life again that would make him feel content.  

In The Price of Valor, Mr. Smith informs us that it doesn't come easy, nor lightly.  Unfortunately, in Audie's case, it came at a cost that was too high to pay.  For all his small stature, he was a giant of a man and there will never be another like him.  Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Price-Valor-Murphy-Americas-Decorated/dp/1621573176/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1517374018

More on David A. Smith's books:  http://www.amazon.com/David-A.-Smith/e/B001JS2XKC/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

                                                 

Dance Floor Democracy: The Social Geography of Memory at the Hollywood Canteen

Author:  Sherrie Tucker
Genre:  Non-Fiction/History

Four Stars

Open from 1942 until 1945, the Hollywood Canteen was the most famous of the patriotic home front nightclubs where civilian hostesses jitterbugged with enlisted men of the Allied Nations. Since the opening night, when the crowds were so thick that Bette Davis had to enter through the bathroom window to give her welcome speech, the storied dance floor where movie stars danced with soldiers has been the subject of much U.S. nostalgia about the "Greatest Generation." Drawing from oral histories with civilian volunteers and military guests who danced at the wartime nightclub, Sherrie Tucker explores how jitterbugging swing culture has come to represent the war in U.S. national memory. Yet her interviewees' varied experiences and recollections belie the possibility of any singular historical narrative. Some recall racism, sexism, and inequality on the nightclub's dance floor and in Los Angeles neighborhoods, dynamics at odds with the U.S. democratic, egalitarian ideals associated with the Hollywood Canteen and the "Good War" in popular culture narratives. For Tucker, swing dancing's torque—bodies sharing weight, velocity, and turning power without guaranteed outcomes—is an apt metaphor for the jostling narratives, different perspectives, unsteady memories, and quotidian acts that comprise social history.

********

 

As an avid reader of all things history, especially American history, I was excited to read this book.  However, it was not as I expected it to be.  Let us not say I was disappointed, per se, but rather a slight tad disillusioned.  What I thought was going to be a history and description of the Hollywood Canteen (how it started, stories of the servicemen who visited, etc.), turned out to be something entirely different.

 

What it is is how there was a division between the African-Americans and whites at the canteen.  Please don't get me wrong: there is quite a few stories of the workers at the canteen, and several of the guests.  But there are questions asked of the workers:  Did you see a lot of colored soldiers?  Were there colored hostesses?  and other questions of the like.  The author touches upon the fact of Mexican-Americans and Asians, but basically sticks to the subject of why there was a division, why white workers were instructed to not dance with "coloreds" who might 'inadvertently' show up, why there was a lack of 'colored' hostesses/performers, when the answer is very simple:  It was the 1940's, and we, as a people, did not have the interaction that we do today.  Today, I am glad to say, clubs are open to all races.  But this era of American history cannot be changed; the best we can hope for is that it is understood.  It is worth noting that many members of Hollywood refused to accept racial discrimination in any form (Clark Gable and Mervyn LeRoy among them), but, unfortunately, they were in the minority.

 

I enjoyed the section on "jitterbugging," having learned quite a bit about that beforehand.  Let us say that it is not a dance for the timid, nor for the frail of body.  My own opinion is that the soldiers enjoyed dancing this way because it helped get rid of a lot of their emotions as to what they were facing in the future - going overseas and not knowing what was going to happen.  Expending a lot of energy ahead of time might have calmed them down somewhat and made them less anxious. 

 

Ms. Tucker touches upon the Communism scare which struck Hollywood - and came to fruition with the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s - the Zoot Suit riots (which is another story in itself), how female military personnel were treated differently; there was no Hollywood Canteen for them, although they were given time of their own as an afterthought.

 

While I cannot say that this book would be interesting to everyone - it is far too technical for that - it will be interesting to students of race relations, history, Hollywood during the war. etc.  It is more a specialized read, not one that is for the general public.  Still, I enjoyed the book and was impressed with the work that went into writing it.

 

I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review, but it in no way influenced my decision.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Floor-Democracy-Geography-Hollywood/dp/0822357429/

 

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1043643075

Grand Central

Author:  Various
Genre:  Fiction/Historical/War

Five Stars

A war bride awaits the arrival of her GI husband at the platform...

A Holocaust survivor works at the Oyster Bar, where a customer reminds him of his late mother...

A Hollywood hopeful anticipates her first screen test and a chance at stardom in the Kissing Room...

On any particular day, thousands upon thousands of people pass through New York City's Grand Central Terminal, through the whispering gallery, beneath the ceiling of stars, and past the information booth and its beckoning four-faced clock, to whatever destination is calling them. It is a place where people come to say hello and good-bye. And each person has a story to tell.

Now, ten bestselling authors inspired by this iconic landmark have created their own stories, set on the same day, just after the end of World War II, in a time of hope, uncertainty, change, and renewal....

Featuring stories from
   
Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife
Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
Amanda Hodgkinson, New York Times bestselling author of 22 Britannia Road
Pam Jenoff, bestselling author of The Ambassador's Daughter
Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter
Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of The Baker's Daughter

Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of The Pieces We Keep
Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Lost Wife
Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Call Me Zelda
Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of After the Rain

With an Introduction by
Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Home Front

********

This is an anthology of short stories that take place just after the close of World War II.  They are all connected to Grand Central Station, and much of the action takes place there.  The stories themselves are not all happy; many are filled with pain, fear, hope and love.  They all take place on or around the same day in September 1945.

Each story is separate unto itself, but many of the stories reference, ever so slightly, a character from the previous one.  It is in these pages that we are allowed to glimpse some of the fear of those traveling from overseas to America for the first time; their uneasiness and fright etched upon their very beings.  And yet they are understanding that America will be kind to them; that it is different from the world they have always known - that there will be no police to search them out, no one to as for their 'papers', no one to judge them.  Not all of the stories have to do with transplanted souls; there are a few that do center around Americans themselves, but even these show the horrors and aftermath of a terrible war.

I will admit, that as in all books, a couple of the stories I really didn't care for, as they left me feeling that I would have liked a conclusion of sorts; I do understand that there was not one because there was still a story to be told by these people; but as with anyone, you like to have some sort of resolution.  However, do not let this keep you from reading this wonderful book.

Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in history, World War II, or just a very good book.

http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Central-Original-Stories-Postwar-ebook/dp/B00G3L6N88/

Fleur de Lies

Author:  Maddy Hunter
Genre:  Mystery

Five Stars

When intrepid travel agency owner Emily Andrew-Miceli takes her band of tech-savvy seniors to France, they say “Bonjour” by cruising down the Seine River. Along for the ride are a colorful cast of cruise-goers, including four sales reps who are the crème de la crème of the cosmetic industry and a group of morticians looking for a little joie de vivre as they sort out business conflicts. But once a guest is found dead along Normandy’s famed Alabaster coast, Emily bids adieu to the hopes of a fatality-free trip. Was it a mishap? Or was murder the entrée du jour? Traveling from the medieval alleyways of Rouen to Monet’s famous water lily garden, Emily must untangle a web of lies that began a half-century ago, on the very eve of the D-Day invasion.

********

Emily Andrew-Miceli is back at it again.  She is a tour guide par excellence, ferrying her band of senior citizens all over the world.  This small and colorful group of people enjoy traveling, and even though Emily in her turn enjoys being with them, they are usually (okay, always) quite a handful to deal with.

This time out, the group is on a river cruise in France.  Not only are they discovering the country, but a few of them - along with other travelers - are rediscovering the France they knew during World War II.  At first all seems harmless enough, but when a "home visit" to a local family reunites one of Emily's charges with an old love, suddenly things begin to get sticky.  Not that that's anything unusual for this group - anyone who has read the previous books in this series knows that the unusual is the usual for the seniors, but the chance meeting starts a chain of events that not only involves Emily's charges, but other people on the tour as well.

And there are plenty - Emily's ex-husband-turned-transsexual Jackie is aboard, as a star representative for Mona Michelle cosmetics, along with the other three women who have pushed sales through the roof - Krystal, Dawna and Bobbi; the company's owner, Victor Martin and his wife Victoria; funeral home owner Woody Jolly, and his son/partner Cal, who are with a group of others in their profession.

So when one of the guests on the cruise is killed in what is at first thought to be accidental but eventually discovered to be murder (and we would expect no less, knowing that Emily could not be so lucky to have an accidental death on one of her tours), everyone on the ship is scrutinized, and while Emily is trying to control her group, she realizes that the murder is tied into something she discovered early on during their trip.

This book is funny when the seniors are running around; and you discover that Emily really doesn't have any control over them at all (although she likes to pretend that she does anyway).   You have Woody spouting funeral arrangements to anyone who will listen and his son Cal trying to get him to knock it off, while the female sales reps are as catty as you would expect them to be (except poor naive Jackie, who hasn't been a female long enough to really get it).  There are interesting tidbits about World War II scattered throughout the book, so any history buff should enjoy that; and the plot is woven in a tangle of knots and red herrings that even I was surprised when I found out the killer (and I'm usually pretty good at it, but this time she surprised even me).  I would recommend this and the rest of Ms. Hunter's books to anyone who enjoys a humorous read along with historical facts and 'armchair traveling'.  Purely delightful.

http://www.amazon.com/Fleur-Lies-Passport-Peril-Mystery/dp/0738737984/

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