A simple lifestyle is so often simple because other people are taking care of all the complicated things like food production! Are we maybe supposed to *notice* that Hemingway is not noticing that they're all doing Marie Antoinette stuff? Maybe not. And I suppose the real Murphys actually hung out with all these famous people but it seems to me that a grieving ten year old could have a normal summer in France and that would be plenty without all the celebrities who IRL were probably too busy drinking to give lessons to ten year olds, but evidently I am also fun police.
I wonder if journalists automatically fall back on 'we never thought it could happen here' cliches even when everybody knew it could, just because...humans and shock and how humans deal with shock. I'm so sorry you all had to go through that.
Our plan this year is to watch the Halloween episodes of MacGyver in between doorbell rings. Hope yours is good!
I thought about that possibility, but I really don't think so? The kids are reading a book about Marie Antoinette and they tell Hemingway that they wish they could eat some cool fancy food like that, and that's when he gets all SIMPLE FOOD IS THE BEST FOOD, LET'S GO CATCH SOME FISH, ME HEARTIES. It felt to me like he was trying to support the parents in their APPRECIATE THE MAGIC OF SMALL THINGS mission, but I dunno, man, most of the time they are extremely not eating food that they've caught and cooked themselves over a campfire.
I am not a grieving ten year old, and I'd be way into a celebrity-free summer in France, heh. And I'm always overjoyed to have a fun police pal, but you already know that.
Yeah, probably it's a better journalistic hook to go with the pathos of WE NEVER THOUGHT IT COULD HAPPEN HERE than with the more depressing I MEAN HALF OF MY FAMILY ARE TEACHERS AND I WORK IN A BUILDING THAT IS DESIGNED TO BE SUPER OPEN AND WELCOMING TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, NO, THIS IS NOT HUGELY SURPRISING TO ME. (Awful and horrific and heartbreaking, YES. Surprising, NO.)
Halloween is our wedding anniversary, so I took the day off—we never get trick-or-treaters, which allows us to buy extra candy and eat it all ourselves. I did a comfort rewatch of S1E1 of Star Trek: TNG last night and GOD HELP ME I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN HOOKED AGAIN. (Josh maintains that he is NOT rewatching the early seasons, but I'm going to try to wear him down because it's just SO MUCH MORE FUN to watch while he complains, hahahaha.)
Your wedding anniversary is Halloween?!? That is awesome!! Happy anniversary! It is also, ahem, my birthday. I will be 50 tomorrow. o.O We live in trick-or-treating central, which is a lot of fun.
I vote we all spend next summer in France without Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds! 50% of this mission is very easy to accomplish!
Happy birthday!! Josh turned 50 this year as well—I've got a few more to go. Are you feeling weird about it? He didn't seem TOO fazed, though I think he had his moments, and the whole half-century thing can be a little bit of a brainbender. (I'm bouncing that off of my realization that next year is our 20th wedding anniversary, and I keep having these OMG 20 YEARS IS A LONG TIME moments, and it seems like birthdays result in similar reactions?)
I am mostly okay, but it is weird to say half a century! The anniversary thing is something else as well. Husband and I have now been together for nearly 3/5 of our lives which is very strange indeed. How is that even possible?
Glad to hear the horror is confined mainly to movies for you right now.
Alice Atherton's Grand Tour looks like a darling book, the sort of book which needs full-color illustrations so you can see all the European stuff historically (have you yet read Dan Santat's book - all those lovely sketches!) but the conceit is a lot like Forrest Gump for me... though, at least nothing "historical" seems to happen while Alice is around. .. although Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald top my list of Toxic, Narcissistic People I Wouldn't Allow Around My Kids. Yikes.
I read an eARC, so obviously grain of salt, but I didn't see anything about illustrations—you're so right, that would be a gorgeous addition. I'll snag the Santat ASAP—it wasn't even on my radar, so thank you for that!
According to the backmatter, the Murphys did know all those people (and more, including Dorothy Parker), but I hear you on the Forrest Gump of it all. The *difficulty* of the Fitzgeralds is dealt with quite well—Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are divided about them, and at one point the Fitzgeralds go TOO FAR and Mr. Murphy kicks them out.
BUUUUT then it becomes a lesson about distinguishing 'character' from 'behavior' (which is not really something I, personally, get behind bc I rather think our actions have a lot to do with our character (OBVIOUSLY there are some caveats there)) and about giving loved ones second and third chances (which I have VERY mixed feelings about bc if there is a pattern of behavior that isn't changing, that MEANS something, especially if it's a behavior that hurts people), but I chalked it up to the (1920s well-meaning rich white lady) source.
(I was WAY late on the Santat book, too - Betsy Bird made the offhand SLJ comment that it was basically over-PR'd everywhere, and wasn't it a good thing that it was such a good book to match the hype, and I was like, "...???" and picked it up.)
I LOVE that they had to kick the Fitzgerald's out, because historically their behavior was beyond outré and I genuinely wouldn't like to have kids around them. But, oh, WOW, do I disagree with the character v. behavior thing - I mean, to paraphrase an actual Bible verse, 'a tree is known known by its fruit.' I don't know exactly how a child is meant to perceive a difference between how a kid acts towards them vs. what said child's alleged character is meant to be... this sounds like those parents who tell their kids they can't say someone IS dumb, only that they're ACTING dumb.. which I get, it never helps to call names, however it also comes across very annoyingly as a "very fine people on both sides" type of comment. Hm. It'll be interesting to hear the discussion surrounding this as people read it.
Yeah, that conversation, in particular, made me twitchy. Again, eARC, but here's Mrs. Murphy:
"Scott and Zelda can indeed be reckless. They can be rude, and they can be self -destructive. They’re famous around the world for that kind of behavior. But one of the reasons they will always, but always, be welcome in our home is because of the part of them that you saw today: the sweetness, the tenderness, the devoted imaginativeness. No one is more loyal.
“I am not good with words, like some of our guests,” she went on. “But I’ll try to explain my lesson. Actually, there are two of them. Firstly, to urge each of you to learn how to distinguish behavior from character. Scott and Zelda can behave badly, but inside, they have beautiful characters.
“Secondly”— and here Mrs. Murphy looked meaningfully at Mr. Murphy—“ I knew they’d give us a lesson about the importance of giving people second chances. Or third chances. Especially when you know they have beautiful characters. Because none of us are perfect, and we will all, one day, need someone to have the magnanimity to forgive us for something we have done. Does this make sense?"
Like, I get what the character is GOING for, but there are a MILLION caveats that I'd throw in—and unfortunately, as is, it comes off like, "Well, I know your friend hauls off and kicks you in the shins periodically, but they always give you such a thoughtful birthday card, so you know that REALLY they care about you, so you should let that shin-kicking thing go."
Picasso and the Ballet Russes sections were both quite lovely, I had quibbles with Hemingway, but I think it'll be the Fitzgeralds that'll make for the most CONVERSATION.
That's actually why I keep several of my friends around and encourage friends towards philandering partners. To remind us of how important it is to give those beautiful characters second and third chances.
My backbrain was so focused on the economic weirdness that I hadn't really engaged with this angle until now—although I highlighted this entire passage, so clearly it was making me itch in some way—and woo boy, now that I'm thinking more about it, I am doing the thing where I pull my hood way up over my head and hide in it.
A simple lifestyle is so often simple because other people are taking care of all the complicated things like food production! Are we maybe supposed to *notice* that Hemingway is not noticing that they're all doing Marie Antoinette stuff? Maybe not. And I suppose the real Murphys actually hung out with all these famous people but it seems to me that a grieving ten year old could have a normal summer in France and that would be plenty without all the celebrities who IRL were probably too busy drinking to give lessons to ten year olds, but evidently I am also fun police.
I wonder if journalists automatically fall back on 'we never thought it could happen here' cliches even when everybody knew it could, just because...humans and shock and how humans deal with shock. I'm so sorry you all had to go through that.
Our plan this year is to watch the Halloween episodes of MacGyver in between doorbell rings. Hope yours is good!
I thought about that possibility, but I really don't think so? The kids are reading a book about Marie Antoinette and they tell Hemingway that they wish they could eat some cool fancy food like that, and that's when he gets all SIMPLE FOOD IS THE BEST FOOD, LET'S GO CATCH SOME FISH, ME HEARTIES. It felt to me like he was trying to support the parents in their APPRECIATE THE MAGIC OF SMALL THINGS mission, but I dunno, man, most of the time they are extremely not eating food that they've caught and cooked themselves over a campfire.
I am not a grieving ten year old, and I'd be way into a celebrity-free summer in France, heh. And I'm always overjoyed to have a fun police pal, but you already know that.
Yeah, probably it's a better journalistic hook to go with the pathos of WE NEVER THOUGHT IT COULD HAPPEN HERE than with the more depressing I MEAN HALF OF MY FAMILY ARE TEACHERS AND I WORK IN A BUILDING THAT IS DESIGNED TO BE SUPER OPEN AND WELCOMING TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, NO, THIS IS NOT HUGELY SURPRISING TO ME. (Awful and horrific and heartbreaking, YES. Surprising, NO.)
Halloween is our wedding anniversary, so I took the day off—we never get trick-or-treaters, which allows us to buy extra candy and eat it all ourselves. I did a comfort rewatch of S1E1 of Star Trek: TNG last night and GOD HELP ME I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN HOOKED AGAIN. (Josh maintains that he is NOT rewatching the early seasons, but I'm going to try to wear him down because it's just SO MUCH MORE FUN to watch while he complains, hahahaha.)
Your wedding anniversary is Halloween?!? That is awesome!! Happy anniversary! It is also, ahem, my birthday. I will be 50 tomorrow. o.O We live in trick-or-treating central, which is a lot of fun.
I vote we all spend next summer in France without Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds! 50% of this mission is very easy to accomplish!
Happy birthday!! Josh turned 50 this year as well—I've got a few more to go. Are you feeling weird about it? He didn't seem TOO fazed, though I think he had his moments, and the whole half-century thing can be a little bit of a brainbender. (I'm bouncing that off of my realization that next year is our 20th wedding anniversary, and I keep having these OMG 20 YEARS IS A LONG TIME moments, and it seems like birthdays result in similar reactions?)
IT'S A PLAN, WE'LL SUMMER IN FRANCE!
I am mostly okay, but it is weird to say half a century! The anniversary thing is something else as well. Husband and I have now been together for nearly 3/5 of our lives which is very strange indeed. How is that even possible?
Wooo, French summer! No Hemingways allowed!
Glad to hear the horror is confined mainly to movies for you right now.
Alice Atherton's Grand Tour looks like a darling book, the sort of book which needs full-color illustrations so you can see all the European stuff historically (have you yet read Dan Santat's book - all those lovely sketches!) but the conceit is a lot like Forrest Gump for me... though, at least nothing "historical" seems to happen while Alice is around. .. although Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald top my list of Toxic, Narcissistic People I Wouldn't Allow Around My Kids. Yikes.
I read an eARC, so obviously grain of salt, but I didn't see anything about illustrations—you're so right, that would be a gorgeous addition. I'll snag the Santat ASAP—it wasn't even on my radar, so thank you for that!
According to the backmatter, the Murphys did know all those people (and more, including Dorothy Parker), but I hear you on the Forrest Gump of it all. The *difficulty* of the Fitzgeralds is dealt with quite well—Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are divided about them, and at one point the Fitzgeralds go TOO FAR and Mr. Murphy kicks them out.
BUUUUT then it becomes a lesson about distinguishing 'character' from 'behavior' (which is not really something I, personally, get behind bc I rather think our actions have a lot to do with our character (OBVIOUSLY there are some caveats there)) and about giving loved ones second and third chances (which I have VERY mixed feelings about bc if there is a pattern of behavior that isn't changing, that MEANS something, especially if it's a behavior that hurts people), but I chalked it up to the (1920s well-meaning rich white lady) source.
(I was WAY late on the Santat book, too - Betsy Bird made the offhand SLJ comment that it was basically over-PR'd everywhere, and wasn't it a good thing that it was such a good book to match the hype, and I was like, "...???" and picked it up.)
I LOVE that they had to kick the Fitzgerald's out, because historically their behavior was beyond outré and I genuinely wouldn't like to have kids around them. But, oh, WOW, do I disagree with the character v. behavior thing - I mean, to paraphrase an actual Bible verse, 'a tree is known known by its fruit.' I don't know exactly how a child is meant to perceive a difference between how a kid acts towards them vs. what said child's alleged character is meant to be... this sounds like those parents who tell their kids they can't say someone IS dumb, only that they're ACTING dumb.. which I get, it never helps to call names, however it also comes across very annoyingly as a "very fine people on both sides" type of comment. Hm. It'll be interesting to hear the discussion surrounding this as people read it.
Yeah, that conversation, in particular, made me twitchy. Again, eARC, but here's Mrs. Murphy:
"Scott and Zelda can indeed be reckless. They can be rude, and they can be self -destructive. They’re famous around the world for that kind of behavior. But one of the reasons they will always, but always, be welcome in our home is because of the part of them that you saw today: the sweetness, the tenderness, the devoted imaginativeness. No one is more loyal.
“I am not good with words, like some of our guests,” she went on. “But I’ll try to explain my lesson. Actually, there are two of them. Firstly, to urge each of you to learn how to distinguish behavior from character. Scott and Zelda can behave badly, but inside, they have beautiful characters.
“Secondly”— and here Mrs. Murphy looked meaningfully at Mr. Murphy—“ I knew they’d give us a lesson about the importance of giving people second chances. Or third chances. Especially when you know they have beautiful characters. Because none of us are perfect, and we will all, one day, need someone to have the magnanimity to forgive us for something we have done. Does this make sense?"
Like, I get what the character is GOING for, but there are a MILLION caveats that I'd throw in—and unfortunately, as is, it comes off like, "Well, I know your friend hauls off and kicks you in the shins periodically, but they always give you such a thoughtful birthday card, so you know that REALLY they care about you, so you should let that shin-kicking thing go."
Picasso and the Ballet Russes sections were both quite lovely, I had quibbles with Hemingway, but I think it'll be the Fitzgeralds that'll make for the most CONVERSATION.
WUT.
`\(>.<)/`
That's actually why I keep several of my friends around and encourage friends towards philandering partners. To remind us of how important it is to give those beautiful characters second and third chances.
Yeah, that's not going to confuse anyone.
My backbrain was so focused on the economic weirdness that I hadn't really engaged with this angle until now—although I highlighted this entire passage, so clearly it was making me itch in some way—and woo boy, now that I'm thinking more about it, I am doing the thing where I pull my hood way up over my head and hide in it.
I will join you in your WUT:
୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭ !!!