Jane Fonda: The Private Life of a Public Woman Patricia Bosworth-

Jane Fonda: The Private Life of a Public Woman


Patricia Bosworth

Houghton, Mifflin and Harcourt, Aug 30 2011, $30.00

ISBN: 9780547152578



This is a deep biography that uses all types of reference material including Jane Fonda’s FBI file, her suicide mother’s psychiatric records, her relationship with her demanding dad the icon actor Henry and interviews to get inside the changing public images to the soul of Ms. Fonda. The book is divided into a prologue, five distinct eras, and an epilogue. Ms. Bosworth openly admits she and her subject have been friends since they met as students at New York Actors Studio in the early 1960s, but this does not prevent the biographer from writing about the good, the bad and the ugly. Perhaps the most fascinating theme is a need to find a father figure who cared about her. Ms. Fonda’s transition as reflected in the five periods of her life starts with being Henry’s “Daughter” (Tall Story) seeking his approval. In her early twenties having given up on achieving her dad’s okay, Ms. Fonda turns to becoming the consummate “Actress” (Cat Ballou). In the 1960s, Ms. Fonda is recognized as a “Movie Star/Sex Symbol” married to director Roger Vadim (Barbarella). Over the next two decades she becomes a “Political Activist” (Coming Home) speaking out against the Viet Nam War and ridiculed as Hanoi Jane. while married to Tom Hayden. Finally in the 1990s she becomes the “Workout Guru/Tycoon Wife” married to Ted Turner and running a multimillion dollar workout video company. Ms. Bosworth enables readers to get inside “The Private Life of a Public Woman” in a wonderful biography.



Harriet Klausner

Under the Skin-Vicki Lane

Under the Skin


Vicki Lane

Bantam, Oct 18 2011, $15.00

ISBN: 9780345533654



In the Great Smoky Mountains, Elizabeth and Phillip are planning their marriage. However, her high maintenance sister Gloria calls from Florida informing Elizabeth she is coming to rusticate and hide on her sibling’s Full Circle Farm. An exacerbated Elizabeth believes Glory is delusional; nothing new in her mind, when she claims her third spouse Jerry is trying to kill her.



Her sister’s arrival has Elizabeth unhappy as she wants to plan her upcoming wedding to Phillip instead of serving her affluent sibling. However, a side effect of the arrival of “Princess” Glory is Elizabeth begins to question what she knows about her fiancé. As the two siblings turn to one another for the first time in years, each wonders who the man is tentatively in their respective lives.



Although the climax seems off kilter, Under the Skin is a fascinating tale of two sisters, opposites in every way, finally bonding after all these years. Character driven, including by the rural Appalachia setting, readers will enjoy Vicki Lane’s entertaining thriller as the Goodweather siblings need to find one another to survive an ordeal that tests their sisterhood.



Harriet Klausner

The Cat's Table-Michael Ondaatje

The Cat's Table


Michael Ondaatje

Kopf, Oct 7 2011, $26.00

OSBN: 9780307700117



Eleven year old Michael is leaving his home in Ceylon for the first time to join his divorced mother living in England. Michael is traveling alone though a first class passenger promised his uncles and aunts to keep an eye on him. The lad is taken aback when he sees the multistoried castle he will sail on lying majestically large in Colombo Harbor. His bunk on the Oronsay is under the waves so he has no porthole.



He is assigned Table 76 for his meals. There are nine people at 76 including two boys (extroverted Cassius who he knows from school and pensive Ramadhin) his age. Another table 76 occupant Miss Laqueri explains they eat at the Cat’s Table, which is to keep the dregs the furthest from the exclusive Captain’s Table. The lads run amuck getting into one stormy escapade after another while traveling the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea while being fascinated by the mystery of the chained prisoner. Meanwhile Michael is attracted to his older vivacious cousin Emily as she is kind to him, places deaf Asuntha under her protective wing and gallivants with a performer.



Award winning author Michael Ondaatje provides a strong coming of age thriller that contains a metaphysical undercurrent for those who know the background of the writer. Michael’s journey is filled with youthful adventures but also metaphorically symbolizes the journey of life as the adult is the child without the innocence. The Cat's Table is an excellent character driven drama, which, unlike Paradise Lost can become Paradise Regained, though innocence lost is gone forever.



Harriet Klausner

The English Patient-Michael Ondaatje

The English Patient


Michael Ondaatje

Everyman’s Library, Oct 4 2011, $24.99

ISBN: 9780307700872



Hana the Canadian nurse has cared for the English Patient for four months. She knows his body as well as a lover would, but knows very little about who he really is. The Bedouin found him in the Sahara when he ejected from his crashing blazing airplane. They put out the fire engulfing his body, wrapped him carefully and brought him to the Italian villa where the allies set up a hospital amidst undetonated Nazi bombs. Now the others have left except for the maniacal nurse and her English Patient.



Hana is not concerned with who her English Patient is and what he might have done or even if he is married; as he has given her a reason to live. Still grieving the death of her father, Hana feels that the unknown burn victim is her family. However, her idyllic parasite is invaded by thieving spy Caravaggio who was tortured and maimed by the enemy, and Kip the Sikh from India working as a sapper mine detonation expert for the British army in North Africa. The newcomers feel as displaced by the war as do the Canadian and her patient.



This is reprint of one of the most haunting classic war stories ever written. The story line focuses on displacement of four people who had diverse roles in WWII. Each character is fully developed coming from different cultures though all are part of the sun setting on the British Empire as the war closes. All’s quiet on the African front, but the aftermath of war remains as volatile as the unexploded ordinance; symbolized by these protagonists who come together over the mystery of whom is the English Patient.



Harriet Klausner

Nanjing Requiem-Ha Jin

Nanjing Requiem


Ha Jin

Pantheon, Oct 18 2011, $26.95

ISBN: 9780307379764



In 1937, the Japanese occupation force takes control of Nanjing with a brutal violence to insure the suppressed population could not rebel. American missionary dean of Jinling Women's College Minnie Vautrin is horrified with what she witnesses and what she hears as the Japanese army terrorizes civilians with mass slaughter and rape. She and her assistant Anling Gao open the college as a shelter to the homeless. While the Japanese threaten to destroy her school and her, Minnie continues to act as the "Goddess of Mercy" to over ten thousand battle fatigued women and children.



Anling bears her own demon in secret. Her daughter in law is Japanese so though she desperately wants to welcome her son’s wife and worse her grandchild as her kin, she cannot acknowledge them if she does not want to become a pariah in her community and ineffective in assisting Minnie. She takes solace with her work helping the Goddess of Mercy perform miracles by risking their lives. Still both women feel tormented by those they could not save from the horrific murdering and raping of Nanking.



With a nod to Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanjing, Ha Jin provides a powerful cautionary historical thriller with a focus on the real life missionary who the author makes a strong case deserves international legendary status for what she did at a sacrifice to herself. Reading somewhat like a biographical fiction, Anling tells the tale of her boss’ efforts and sacrifice to rescue the beleaguered unprotected civilians from a reign of terror.



Harriet Klausner

The Wedding Quilt-Jennifer Chiaverini

The Wedding Quilt


Jennifer Chiaverini

Dutton, Nov 1 2011, $24.95

ISBN 9780525952428



In 2028 Sarah McClure owns Elm Creek Manor where her daughter Caroline is getting married. Attending the wedding on the bride’s side besides her friends and family is the Elm Creek Quilters.



Sarah looks back to when Caroline and her twin James were born to her and Matt. Inheriting the manor, Sarah saved the Elm Creek Quilt Camp from insolvency. She recalls the Quilters being there for her during her pregnancy but Matt was away much of the time helping his father with his business. Musing about some of her cherished Quilters and their quilts, Sarah is caught by surprise when her bookworm daughter decides to create a special wedding quilt since Caroline never was passionate about quilting like her mom is. Sarah wants to help her daughter’s dream come true as she never made a wedding quilt, but is unaware that her historian loving son is secretly seeing Gina.



The latest Elm Creek Quilts drama is for die hard fans only as the story line consists of a series of flashback vignettes from previous novels. The cast is as always is solid and references to the “Founding Mother” Sylvia add to the tale. However, there is little conflict amongst the party; as The Wedding Quilt mostly summarizes much of the major episodic events from previous novels.



Harriet Klausner

Reality Jane-Shannon Nering

Reality Jane


Shannon Nering

Bancroft, Oct 31 2011, $15.95

ISBN: 9781610880282



The self help reality guru of media Ricky Dean hires Canadian journalist Jane Kaufman as a television producer. She travels to Hollywood where she is almost famous while on call 24/7. She became a caffeine addict with her daily coffee seemingly matching her age of twenty-eight; and learning the ropes of reality TV means throwing the innocent lambs like the obese seven child to the wolves dressed as fans.



After growing up in a loyal caring Canadian prairie family, Jane struggles with backstabbers and dealing with maniacal guests and their rapacious retinue. Her fill in when she can have a personal life limited to no sleep has faithful Grant as her boyfriend, but sexy Alex owns her fantasy libido. However, it is that seven year old fat girl whose hysteria is a wake up call to Reality Jane as she ponders how future generations looking back at her accomplishments would react.



Reality Jane is an entertaining satire on the survival of the nastiest in Hollywood’s reality shows written by an insider. Jane is terrific as she realizes who has her back and who is stabbing her back. With an is that all there is theme, Shannon Nering provides an intriguing portrait of a woman who enjoys the reality media concept, but loathes the belief that the attendees want blood from the participants; who are unwitting volunteer Christians facing lions inside the Roman Coliseum.



Harriet Klausner