Book Chat Issue #27

Arctic foxes and hot scones

Hello readers and eaters

In my last newsletter I talked about trying to read more ‘proper’ books instead of my usual light and fluffy fare, so I thought I’d give you an update on how that’s going.

But first, let me try to explain what I mean by proper books.

They are the ones that I’m glad I read. It’s a good sign when I can remember the plot for more than a few weeks, or when the characters or setting move me deeply. Good writers seem to be able to combine all these elements so that you want to know what happens next, but you are also invested in the main characters and care about what happens to them.

This week’s book is a good example. It’s about a woman who defies convention in order to really experience the natural world.

What kind of books do you like reading? Plot driven or character driven?

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This week’s book

I was chatting with my friend Valorie about books (naturally), and she recommended a memoir called A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter. It’s about an Austrian artist who in 1933, spent a year living with her researcher husband and another trapper on the remote island of Spitsbergen, about 400 miles off the coast of Norway. Valorie wrote an excellent blog post about this book which you can read here.

Although the book sounded fabulous, I was unable to find it in my local library, but I did find another book called Cold Coast, by Australian writer Robyn Mundy. Her book tells the fictionalised story of Wanny Woldstad, the first woman trapper to travel to the same area (Spitsbergen) in 1932.

What amazing women they both must have been. They were roughly the same age: Wanny was born in 1893 and Christiane in 1897, and both were eager to challenge the ideas of the time and prove themselves in a male domain.

When Wanny (pronounced Vonny) finally convinces Anders Saeterdal (the Chief, as she calls him) to let her accompany him on his next trip, another trapper takes it upon himself to buy all the gear she needs (at her expense) including a very costly and perhaps unnecessary, wolf skin coat.

There’s a passage near the end of the book where she writes about refusing to wear the coat for the entirety of her journey, despite its obvious warmth.

She has not worn the wolf coat once. Why? The collarless style is not the reason. Nor is the cost. She is as deserving as anyone to own a costly garment.

She knows the reason why. It is because a man, once again, sees it as his entitlement to determine what’s best for her, without her consultation or agreement. A brand of benevolence to wield control.

If she were to explain the subtlety to the Chief, he would think her petulant. Cutting off her nose to spite her face. Even another woman would likely deem her ungrateful and ungracious. At twenty years of age she would have been too well-behaved to challenge a man’s word. At forty, her life reshaped and fit, she has earned the right to contempt.

As a woman who has frequently been told that she is cutting off her nose to spite her face - one of my grandmother’s favourite sayings - I especially loved the way she sees her refusal to wear the coat as a sign of her growing independence.

This is a lovely read and well worth seeking out at your local library or bookstore.

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Nice article

I loved this article by Shirley Barrett, screenwriter, film director and novelist.

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What I’ve been eating

Hubby made these lovely lemonade scones while I was out doing the grocery shopping. If you’ve never tried them, give it a go. They are pretty easy and very moist. Here’s a recipe.

They were a nice treat thanks love.

That’s all for now!

Happy reading and look after yourself.

Marg xxx