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Show FICTION Updike's latest: a flawed portrait BY SANDY Mv DONALD In a modern variation on the epistolary narrative, John Updike has crafted an interlocutory novel with Seek My Face , his 20th fictional endeavor (out of some d books to datej. The narrative, spanning a full life remembered and examined, is interview with telescoped into a Hope Ouderkirk McCoy d Holloway C.hafet, the muse of two artists (thinly veiled glosses on Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, if you can imagine the latter as husband and father) and a collector who she suspects may have collected her. lope herself is a painter and views the world like one: The strongest aspect of this not entirely successful experiment, presented purely from her perspective, is her sharp observation of the physical setting, her studio in Vermont at the onset of spring, lor instance, she opens the door onto the live wet breath of the rain, the sound and stir of it in the dark its thin vertical rods sparkling with reflections, its towering presence stretching up out of sight into the darkness from which it falls. less rewarding arc passages meant to conjure heated debates on the purpose and meaning of art. These dead-ai- r exegeses read as if cadged from a textbook, and I 'pdike who attended art school fresh out of college, in 1954 in fact credits a couple in a brief foreword. If one has the patience to plow through often Taulknerian passages, a tangle of Hopes personal and professional memories, there are plentiful pleasures to be gleaned here including her cranky observations regarding modern life. She doesnt understand why suddenly everybody in the new millennium has to have a private bottle of water: what has become of the public drinking fountains, the ones that used to be everywhere, spurting thrillmgly on your teeth? Such tactile details show Updike at his best advantage as a writer, rather than synthesizer. I his book.offputting as it often is (a weird antisemiticsemierotic subtext clings to Kathryn, Hopes interviewer), clearly conveys Updikes brilliance. lowever, one can t help wishing that he didnt succumb so readily to the temptation to subjugate his gifts as observer to his salient need to impress. Sandy Mai Donald is a writer bawl in Cambridge and Nantucket, Massachusetts. 50-od- day-lon- g much-marrie- 1 ... 1 HISTORY Winning the peace after WWII BOOK CLUBS New paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups A Cook's Tour: Global Adventure in Extreme Cuisines By best-sellin- Marie Antoinette: The Journey By Antonia Fraser Famous for her personal indulgences, as well as her vanity, Frances controversial queen gets a break in g Frasers biography. Clearing up some misconceptions about a woman who was, in reality, surprisingly compassionate, Fraser paints a compelling portrait of an unwilling monarch trapped in a loveless marriage and to handle matters of state. Married at the age of 14 to Louis XVT an act of diplomacy between Austria and France rather than a matter of the heart Marie Antoinette entered into a life at court marked by scandal, tragedy and violence, as political upheaval swept through France. With unforgettable incidents, some of which have become the stuff of myth, this is the surprising story of a queen capable of pity and remorse, whose heart went out to her suffering subjects. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.anchorbooks.com. best-sellin- Carter Beats the Devil By BY IK HU R MSIIOI In I lie Conquerors, presidential historian Michael Beschloss delivers a fascinating exploration of how the Allies decided to deal with the threat posed by Germany after World War II. As he shows in the book, Franklin Delano Roosevelt fervently believed that it would not be enough to defeat the Nazis militarily. It was also imperative that the Allies lay the foundation for democracy in postwar Germany. Without that, history indicated it was likely that Germany would initiate another war in the decades ahead. Despite sharp policy difference with Winston ( luirchill and Joseph Stalin, not to mention division within his own cabinet, I DRs broad vision prevailed. I his piece of wartime statecraft, says Beschloss, was one of Americas great 20th century international achievements. In exploring the complexity of FDRs leadership and demonstrating that the politician who "anted to keep his options open, who was flexible and duplicitous, was also able to win the acceptance of such positions as Germanys unconditional surrender, Beschloss drawing on previously unseen documents Irom the I BI, Russia and private archives tells an absorbing story, one thats carefully researched and written. Among FDRs major flaws was his refusal to publicly condemn what we know as the Holocaust until 1944, although he had learned of it much earlier. Also, in what Beschloss describes as one of the great mistakes of modern diplomacy, neither FDR nor his negotiators raised the ivsue of U.S. or British access to Berlin because it might make the Russians suspicious. In 1945, GeneraT Dwight Eisenhower said the success of the Allied occupation of Germany could only be judged in 50 years. If the Germans at that time have a stable, prosperous democracy, then we shall have succeeded. This important book is a cogent reminder from the relatively recent past that it is often not enough to achieve military victory. Winning the peace is also crucially important. W Roger Bishop is a Nashville bookseller and regular contributor to BookPage. 18 BOOKPAGE DECEMBER 2002 ly Anthony Bourdain The intrepid chef follows up his g book Kitchen Confidential with a narrative that blends travelogue, history and roughneck humor into a recipe for success. Journeying to exotic locales in search of the ideal meal, the globetrotting author makes stops in Japan, Portugal and Vietnam, among other places, risking life and limb along the way for the sake of sampling indigenous cuisines. In the name of gastronomic inquiry, Bourdain braves all, eating the heart of a live cobra and snacking on Fugu, a poisonous fish only licensed cooks can serve. The stories surrounding these acts of culinary daring are filled with all the humor, irony and reporterly expertise readers have come to expect from the king of cuisine. A reading group guide is available at www.harpercollins.com. Clen David Cold This mesmerizing debut novel from Gold (who is the husband of author Alice Scbold) recounts the non-sto- p adventures of real-lif- e magician Charles Carter. Set in the 1920s and 30s, when Carter outperformed every illusionist in America, including the great Houdini, the novel follows his rise to international fame during a career marked by risk and romance, sacrifice and danger. Filled with historical figures, including President Warren G. Harding and inventor Philo Farnsworth, as well as an unforgettable cast of crooks, bootleggers and glitzy dames, the novel conjures up the spirit of the Roaring Twenties through jazzy banter and action. Gold writes with the expertise of an old pro. Recently optioned by Paramount for Tom Cruises production company, Carter is an act of magic from a literary whiz. A reading group guide is available at www.hyperionbooks.com. fast-pac- Roscoe By William Kennedy The Pulitzer Kennedy returns with entry in his classic Albany series. Set in 1945, this boisterous period piece is the story of Roscoe Conway, an energetic New York lawyer and politician. After nearly 15 years of using his influence to ensure the dominance of the Democratic party in Albany, Roscoe whos connected to everyone in town, from the police to the mob, from socialites to call girls is ready to retire. But when a series of mysterious deaths occurs, including the murder of his friend Elisha, he decides to stick around a little longer. Passion, scandal and suspense follow for the d political boss, including encounters with Veronica, his lifetime flame, who just happens to be the widow of Elisha. Kennedy is in top form in this national bestseller. K Prize-winni- another first-rat- e good-hearte- JULIE HALE |