Book Review- Frieda Hughes' George: A Magpie Memoir

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me a physical arc of Frieda Hughes’ George: A Magpie Memoir.

When poet and artist Frieda Hughes found an injured magpie chick in her garden, she had no idea that he would change her life. She took him into her home and named him George, documenting his antics and recovery in her journal. She was quickly captivated by this little bird, who was full of curiosity, intelligence, and mischief.

I enjoy nature writing and anything with animals, but I was quite unprepared for the amount of delight that I would feel from George. Hughes’ writing is beautiful and compelling, as are her illustrations that are sprinkled through the book.

Inevitably, George and Hughes’ must part ways, as George is a wild animal who must be set free. This was incredibly emotionally, as Hughes’ has a dueling conflict of wanting him to stay, but knowing that he must go. She developed a deep bond with George. Her time with George also coincided with the decline of her marriage, adding to the tension.

The way Hughes interacts with George, and subsequently other animals in her care, including birds of prey, causes her to lose some friendships. Admittedly, I was quite surprised with how she casually lets the animals roam around her kitchen, especially since birds do not have the function of bladder control. It got messy! In a sense, she became the stereotype of the “crazy cat lady,” but with birds and many friends did not understand. On the flip side, as fellow animal lover, I can completely understand her devotion to those in her care and I can understand her ways of interacting with them.

George: A Magpie Memoir is lovely and a book that is sure to delight many animal lovers, especially those fond of birds. I highly recommend it! Also, in case you are wondering, Hughes’s is the daughter of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, but she makes it clear that she doesn't want her lineage to dominate the conversation. She is a very accomplished writer and artist in her own right.

Book Review-Heather Gay's Bad Mormon

Thank you to Libro FM for an audio arc of Heather Gay’s memoir, Bad Mormon.

Prior to starting this book, I had heard of the Real Housewives franchise ( I don’t live under a rock), but I had not watched any episodes and I did not know about Heather Gay or that she is a cast member on the Salt Lake City series. I chose the book due to its shocking title.

I am not Mormon, but my paternal grandparents were, and I spent school holidays attending services and events at their church. I made friends from their ward and although they are not close friends, I am still in touch via social media and would want to see them if we were traveling to their parts of the country. I have many fond childhood memories of my time with them. This said, I also have a fraught relationship with the Church of the Latter Day Saints and some of its teachings, specifically its interference during some family trauma. I’m not going into detail here, but suffice it to say, as an outsider, I’m curious about some of the more mysterious aspects of the religion.

Gay does not hold back. Raised in the church and faithful for much of her life, she is no longer a practicing Mormon and in Bad Mormon, she shares details about temple life and ceremonies that are otherwise not shared with those outside of the faith. She explains the underwear! I’m sure she faced backlash, as this information is sacred to many, but I was fascinated. It actually served to better help me understand my grandparents and some of the ways they treated me as their only grandchild. Specifically, Gay speaks to the need to always be perfect and good, this was a huge part of how I was raised, mostly with how my grandparents expected me to act. It was extreme and as a child, I had a hard time understanding it, especially in balance with the rest of my family, who are not Mormon.

This idea of what it means to be good is at the center of Bad Mormon. Gay had always pushed back against the way she was raised, but in small ways, ways that most people would not really consider to be “bad”, but ways that were against her upbringing, such as her inappropriate humor or being a bit loud. As an adult, she tried to hold together a dysfunctional marriage and tried to be good in the ways of her faith, but the dam finally broke. On the show, Gay was herself, not feeling that it was bad to dress a little more revealing and have a cocktail. When she was cast on Real Housewives, Gay decided to let her personality shine. Her charisma makes her a popular cast member and outside of the show, she is a successful business woman and single mom.

I still haven’t watched an episode of the Real Housewives, but I enjoyed meeting Gay through her memoir. Her writing style is punchy and funny; she is someone that I’d like to meet at a party. She’s refreshing. I also appreciated the religious insight that brought clarity to my own family dynamics.

Book Review- Prince Harry's Spare

Thank you to Libro FM for providing me with an audio arc of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare.

At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I’ve married a Brit ( who always likes to make it clear that he now has dual-citizenship) and it has made me quite interested in all things English, including the royal family. I’m the one begging to visit all of the castles on our trips to England and I’ve been reading all of the royal bios, so of course, I had to read Spare. To be transparent, I also love a bit of scandal!

After listening to the audio book, narrated by Prince Harry, I was just left feeling sad for his entire situation. I watched the Harry and Meghan Netflix documentary and the book didn’t seem to provide new information on the situation, or what was new, was revealed in spoilers pre-publication. So I guess, I didn’t feel that I heard anything so shocking that hadn’t already been shared.

However, as with the Netflix documentary, I felt empathy for Harry and Meghan’s situation. I also felt empathy for the other members of the royal family, who seem caught up in this system that impacts their interpersonal relationships. I kept thinking that this book isn’t going to help the strained family dynamics and it seems that this is true, as the book was published months ago, and it doesn’t seem like things have improved. I don’t think Harry was actually trying to resolve things with his father and brother.

Beyond all of the really sad family problems, Harry does share some interesting aspects of his life, especially his charity work in Africa. I read that this was the first in a four book deal and I really have no idea how he will manage to continue to have content to keep readers engaged, but perhaps he will focus one of the books on his time in Africa.

My delay in writing this review ( I listened to the audio book in the first week it was published) has brought another issue to light. Harry’s reveals of drug usage, particularly on US soil, might impact his ability to remain in the United States. From a writing perspective this is both intriguing and problematic. In memoir, we expect people to be candid, especially in a celebrity tell-all, however, now he may face consequences for sharing these details. As a writer, I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’m interested to see how it will play out.

Overall, I enjoyed Spare and I thought Prince Harry did a solid job with the narration on the audio book. This is a memoir for people who already have an interest in the royal family, specifically in hearing Harry’s side of the story. I found his side to be quite compelling, however, I always bore in mind that there are two sides to every story.