The Professor's Commencement by Willa Cather: A Short Story #WCSSP2023

👨‍🎓 First of all, I had to google "commencement" before realizing the meaning of this academic term. It's good to have learned at least one word from a story, even if I didn't really enjoy it.

👨‍🎓 It is about Professor Emerson's last day of teaching in a high school before his retirement from thirty years of service. His sister, a widowed Agatha, laments his lack of ambition. The Professor himself is often disconcerted by massive industrialization of their society, which muted academic passions of his pupils.

👨‍🎓 On the night there is a retirement party, and the Professor, as a tradition, must give a speech. He decided, upon Agatha's advice, to read something which he had blundered years ago. Maybe this time, this last time, he could make up for his past humiliation?

👨‍🎓 No, he couldn't. He blundered again, but his sister consoled him, saying that "it's all right". Now the Professor is dejected and hopeless. He feels that he had achieved nothing. But had he?

👨‍🎓 Poor Professor Emerson is having a mid-life crisis. I pity him, not because he achieved nothing, but because even at his age (fifty), he still cannot accept himself as it is; he hasn't made peace with himself. So what if he's "just" a high school professor for thirty years, if he had given his best every day of it, and enjoying it all the while? A failure is he who possess much but does nothing; while a successful one is he who does all he could with what God has blessed him with.

👨‍🎓 All in all, though I felt this story rather boring (my least favorite of the year so far), at least it serves as a remembrance to always accept oneself as it is; make peace with one self; and be happy!

Rating: 3 / 5

 

Judging Book by Its Cover: The Professor's House (Willa Cather)

Judging Book by Its Cover is a blog feature where I analyze book cover art, compare it with its content, as well as with covers from few other editions.

Book summary:
"Professor Godfrey St. Peter is a man in his fifties who has devoted his life to his work, his wife, his garden, and his daughters, and achieved success with all of them. But when St. Peter is called on to move to a new, more comfortable house, something in him rebels. And although at first that rebellion consists of nothing more than mild resistance to his family's wishes, it imperceptibly comes to encompass the entire order of his life. The Professor's House combines a delightful grasp of the social and domestic rituals of a Midwestern university town in the 1920s with profound spiritual and psychological introspection." - Amazon

My own review

My copy is a Vintage Classics edition of 1990

While I love flowers, including flowers in cover arts, I don't think these four flower stalks in the cover do any justice to the book at all. It feels like the designers were run out of idea and just threw four flowers to fill the otherwise blank spot. Esthetically it's not really pretty, and it has no meaning whatsoever. I hate it when publishers/designers do this!


Now, let's pick three more cover arts from different editions.

The Kindle edition, published by Open Road Media in 2021

This one is really interesting. There is two images instead of one, and it looks like two layers of wallpaper on the wall. The outer layer's is that of a study (with the wooden desk and chair, and books on the shelves). A professor's study would look like this. Then someone tore it open, revealing another one with unrelated picture of a cliff city.

This cover art truly represents the book; with the story of Tom Outland and the ancient remains of a cliff city he'd found in the Blue Messa. In term of relevance, we can tick it off. But from the aesthetic point of view, I don't think it looks appealing on a book. It's rather ambiguous, instead.

The Virago edition, 2006

I like the simplicity of this cover. The bareness of the room and the very uncomfortable wooden chair reflected Professor St. Peter's old house, from which he's supposed to move out. There's also the sense of emptiness of abandoned room, and loneliness too. It's very relevant with the tone of the story. However, as cover art, it makes the book seems too depressing, that I don't think I would ever pick it if I've found it on display at a bookstore.

The alternate edition from Vintage Classics, 1990

I have saved the best for last. This is my cover art champion! I love the faded brush strokes effect that gives the sense of dreaminess which retired people often feels of their world - like their influences in the world is receding. I love also the stretch of landscape view from the window.

Then there's the mannequin bust - which looks misplaced in a Professor's room, but actually in accordance with the story. I love how the mannequin bust (or the form, as Professor St. Peter and Augusta the sewing woman call it) seems to be an integral part of the study, instead of accessory, so that if you don't pay minute attention of it, you won't notice anything wrong. And that's how one should do a cover art - beautiful, yet relevant to the story.


What do you think? If you have read the book, which cover art do you think truly represents the story? And if you haven't, which one appeal to you most?

The Professor's House by Willa Cather: A Review

🏠 The Professor's House is a frame story (story within a story). Professor Godfrey St. Peter and his wife is moving out to a new, more comfortable house - no doubt after their two daughters married.

🏠 But St. Peter couldn't be apart from his old house yet. He now realizes how uncomfortable his old house has been; yet, he loved it. Especially his study in the attic room - a room where Augusta, the sewing lady used to sew dresses for the ladies of the house. He even loved the "form" (mannequin bust) where Augusta put his daughters' pretty dresses. He didn't think it weird; on the contrary, he accepted it as an integral part of his study. Moreover, he enjoyed Augusta's silent company while they were doing their works.

🏠 The Professor feels acutely the loneliness which old age often brings. He feels mentally farther away from his family. Lilian, his wife, was jealous of his relationship with his pupil Tom Outland, whose arrival to the St. Peter's would change their entire life, even long after he died in the war.

🏠 The Professor's reminiscences of Tom Outland is the frame story I was talking about. And what a remarkable story! Together with his friend Rodney "Roddy" Brake, he found a hidden cliff city of an Indian tribe in the Blue Mesa of New Mexico. It was of a fine civilization that they found, which Tom treated as a solemn object. On the other hand, Roddy treated it as mere intrinsic object. He sold the remnants in good price without consulting Tom. This enraged Tom and resulted to their quarrel and separation.

🏠 Studying under St. Peter's direction, Tom excelled in science. He invented a vacuum system, which he patented right before he served in the Gulf War, and never came back. In his will, he bequeathed the money from the patent to Rosamond St. Peter, to whom he was engaged before leaving for the war.

🏠 So, this story, which at first I thought as easy and straightforward, turned out to be a complex and thought provoking one. There are few things that left me pondering hard. One of these is why or what made St. Peter felt isolated from his family and peers - besides mid life crisis? I think Tom Outland and the values which he stands for had a huge influence over him. That explains also Lilian's jealousy of Tom; it's him who pulled St. Peter away from her.

🏠 St. Peter and Tom Outland valued history and heritage higher than money. Lilian, the daughters, the son-in-laws didn't understand why St. Peter was annoyed when Marsellus (Rosamond's husband) proudly announced that they would named their new house (bought from Outland's patent) "Outland" (while realizing that it's from his wife's ex fiance's money). The same thing must have been felt by Roddy on Tom's annoyance over the selling of the curios from the cliff city.

🏠 I think this was Cather's silent critic of modern civilization's high praise of money and wealth. St. Peter and Tom Outland both belonged to the old world, where a house is more than a building to protect you, and a lost civilization is more than its charming remnants. These old objects became an identity, it's what had made one who one is today. And that's why they are precious.

🏠 I was surprised at how deep this reading has brought me reflecting, and am grateful to have read another of Cather's remarkable works. I can't say this as a fun read (it's more confusing than fun when I was at it), but I realized its meaning after much reflection. This is one proof of the importance of reviewing or blogging of classics; I often realize the true value/impact of a book while trying to write a review/post. This has really been an unexpected read.

Rating: 4 / 5

 

10 Books of Summer (but not really summer) 2023

Since a few years ago I've been longing to participate in an annual event: 20 Books of Summer hosted by Cathy @ 746 Books. But I know I would never be able to read twenty books in three months. We don't have summer here in Indonesia - only dry and wet (monsoon) seasons - and therefore, no holiday for me during June to August; life goes on as usual. June and July are always my favorite months of year, in term of weather. They are usually the coolest months of the year; while August is the windy one. However, holiday or not, I think 20 books in 3 months is more than I can chew. But this year is different, Cathy is very generous to slack down the bar to 15 or even 10 books, yay! And so, here's my first: 

10 Books of Summer (not really summer) 2023

Summer by Edith Wharton

I've read somewhere that this was Wharton's favorite, and it seems a perfect title to kick off this challenge, ain't it?

The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgetald

This is the only Fitzgerald's novel I haven't read, and also his last and unfinished novel (published posthumously in 1941). Hollywood, here I come!

The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings by Sy Montgomery

I'm a bird-lover, and have been longing to read books about birds. I found an audiobook of this book the other day, and can't wait to listen to Sy Montgomery herself narrating her own story!

Reading the Meow 2023 

Mallika @ Literary Potpourri is hosting a cat-themed reading week on 12 - 18 June 2023, and after some serious pondering, I've decided to read:

The Cat Saw Murder by Dolores Hitchens

A murder mystery after few classics is always welcomed. I have never read Hitchens too, so I'm pretty exciting!

Aunts Aren't Gentlemen by P.G. Wodehouse

Recently I seem to need a Wodehouse every now and then. How about a Wodehouse with a cat, then? Perfercto! 👌🏼


Alternative:
Art Heists and Hairballs by Bailey Booth
A cozy mystery, of which I've just found a free e-book at Google Playbooks. It's a novella, so I believe I'd be able to squeeze it in for the week!

Paris in July?

I've been crossing my fingers for Paris in July to return this year! As a Francophile, there's the joy of reading anything French. My pick this year are two books by French authors (alternately I will pick books about France by foreigners the next year):

The Elegance of Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

So excited to get to listen to the audiobook!

Letters from My Windmill by Alphonse Daudet

I was impressed by my first encounter with Daudet in this Christmas anthology, and happened to find this e-book for free the other day. It seems interesting!


Alternative:
The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain
If I still have time, I would love to read this humorous book!

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

Can't wait to listen to David Suchet's narrating a Christie's!

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Do you remember how I was raving about a cozy mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto few weeks ago? Before that book, which has been creating quite a buzz, she wrote a hilarious romcom-murder-mystery mashup that I can't wait to read!

My last of the ten books is still uncertain. I'd see which book would suit my mood then. It rather depends also on whether or not #AustenInAugust would return. That event would encourage me to plunge into Austen universe, but if not... I don't know. Let's just see!

The Girl, the Dog, and the Writer in Lucerne by Katrina Nannestad

OR

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Will you also participate in this event? What books do you plan to read?

 

Blogger-Inspired Wishlist Ep. 5: Seven Books from Four Ladies

Blogger-Inspired Wishlist is a feature where I post recent additions to my wish list, which had been inspired by reviews from my fellow bloggers. It includes some synopsis, as well as some excerpts of the review which have intrigued me, complete with a link to the blogger's original post.

In this edition, four ladies have inspired me to add seven more interesting books to my ever-growing wishlist.

Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest by W.H. Hudson

Inspired by Gypsi Reads

Synopsis:
First published in 1904 and a bestseller after its reissue a dozen years later, Green Mansions offers its readers a poignant meditation on the loss of wilderness, the dream of a return to nature, and the bitter reality of the encounter between savage and civilized man.

Gypsi's post

Murder by Request by Beverley Nichols

Inspired by: Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings 

No synopsis available.

From Kaggsy's review:
"As a mystery, “Murder by Request” was actually very enjoyable. The plot was quite ingenious, though, the characters entertaining and well drawn, and the solution a satisfying one as far as I was concerned."

When a Man Marries by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Inspired by Gypsi Reads 

Synopsis:
It began with Jimmy Wilson and a conspiracy was helped on by a foot-square piece of yellow paper and a Japanese butler and it enmeshed and mixed up generally ten respectable members of society and a policeman.

From Gypsi's review:
"A laugh-out-loud misadventure that is well-written, engaging and completely entertaining. Rinehart, known for her popular mysteries, has a wonderful knack for writing conversation and ridiculous situations, both of which made When a Man Marries such fun."

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

Inspired by: Lark Writes...onbooks and life 

Synopsis:
Inspired by a short story written by Emile Zola, Belle Epoque is set at the height of bohemian Paris, when the city was at the peak of decadence, men and women were at their most beautiful, and morality was at its most depraved.

From Lark's review:
"Elizabeth Ross drew inspiration for her novel from the short story "Les Repoussoirs" by Emile Zola, and she does a masterful job. Belle Epoque definitely lives up to its name--this is a beautifully told story of friendship, and beauty, and truth."

Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Inspired by Pam @ Read! Bake! Create! 

Synopsis:
Laugh-out-loud funny, at times heartbreaking, and written in a pitch-perfect voice, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a spirited Southern tale that explores the intricate frailties and strengths of female relationships while illuminating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother but finds many others.

Pam's post

The Fly on the Wheel by Katherine Cecil Thurston

Inspired by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings 

Synopsis:
With a nod to the works of Tolstoy and the Brontës, The Fly on the Wheel is a poignant portrait of the moral and psychological restrictions imposed on young women at the turn of the twentieth century. Illicit love, toxic relationships and feminist desires determine the course of Isabel’s introduction to Waterford society, with dramatic and tragic consequences.

From Kaggsy's review:
"This is a beautifully written and very powerful story. Thurston writes elegantly, and captures quite brilliantly Waterford and its denizens and its layers of society. As well as painting a vivid picture of Waterford’s people, Thurston also captures the local landscape very evocatively; the countryside around the place comes alive and the book really does transport you back in time and in place."

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

Inspired by Lark Writes.. on booksand life 

Synopsis:
When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend's struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn't easy. Bell River's literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat.

From Lark's review:
"What I loved about this novel:
Maggie learning to love books and reading...even a few of the classics.
The banter between Maggie and Malcolm, the Bell Society's 'spy', and their slowburn friendship. (Their 'dates' are very entertaining.)
The clever mashup events Maggie hosts with local authors who turn Moby Dick into a romance and The Great Gatsby into science fiction.
Maggie's exuberance and ability to connect with so many people in town.
The humor and the happy ending."


Have you own/read these books? Or have I make you add more to your WL/TBR? 😉

 

Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang: A Cozy Mystery

🐷 Even before I googled about J.A. Lang, I have known right after finishing the book, that she must be a fan of Agatha Christie, or in particular, Hercule Poirot.

🐷 Chef Maurice Manchot, our amateur sleuth, is a mustachioed French boisterous chef who own a bistro called La Cochon Rouge in Beakley, a little village in Cotswold countryside. His 'Hastings' is Arthur Wordington-Smythe, a food critic, who is often seen with Horace, his great Dane, the laziest dog in the world.

🐷 One day Chef Maurice was annoyed because their mushroom supplier, wild food importer and local foragers, Ollie Meadows, failed to deliver their order. So, Maurice went to Ollie's house, helped himself in through the back door, and found... nobody. Inside the fridge, however, he found a bag of truffle. An exceptional quality of white English truffle, in fact.

🐷 Suspecting that Ollie might have found a patch of truffle nearby, Maurice adopted a micro pig whom he trained as a truffle-hunter. Well, he'd prefer a dog actually, but little Hamilton (the pig's name) reacted perfectly to the smell of truffle, so... Off they went one day to nearby woods - Maurice, Arthur, and Hamilton. Then after a few miles, lo and behold… Hamilton ran and squeaked excitedly over there. Did he find it? Yes, he did! Not truffle, though, but Ollie's dead body.

🐷 The murder was investigated by the lovely PC Lucy Gaviston, their local constable. The case consisted of two break-ins to Ollie's house - though the one thing that missing is only an old map over the desk with Ollie's marks. What was it? And why anybody thought it worth enough to kill someone?

🐷 Then Hamilton was kidnapped when he was in a visit with Maurice and Arthur. Followed then by a threat to stop meddling something which isn't Maurice business, or else... (the kidnapper sent a chuck of bacon with the letter to highlight it!). The police didn't think this pignaping as something serious, no doubt their priority was Ollie's murder. Therefore, Chef Maurice must solve the mystery by himself, or otherwise the police won't find his Hamilton!

🐷 But Hamilton wasn't as weak as you might think. When his owner didn't come and save him for days, he must rescue himself. And he did! Chef Maurice found him on the road one day. I was wondering how he escaped, and rather annoyed that this part was never properly explained.

🐷 Anyway, Chef Maurice invited everyone we've met in the story (practically all the suspects) in a welcoming dinner party for Hamilton. It was a proper party, with delicious fancy foods and wine. The guest of honor even had his own fancy dishes! But that's not the main agenda. Chef Maurice was revealing the murderer, while channelling his inner Poirot - complete with the classic red herring (you'd thought he would accuse A, but then A isn't the murderer, but the very unexpected B).

🐷 All in all, this is an entertaining cozy mystery. Very hilarious, especially with the lazy Horace and little Hamilton. The story actually opens with a prologue about Hamilton. First, you'd think he's a guy, then probably a dog, but through the story you finally realized he's a micro pig. How cute!

🐷 As a murder mystery, there isn't much there. It clearly showed that it's a debut from the writer. It's made pretty sweet with a love story developing between PC Lucy and Patrick, Chef Maurice's sous-chef, and has cute cover with Hamilton in it. And with the delicious foods Maurice cooked, you'll find yourself a nice light and fun book, perfect for a holiday read!

Rating: 3,5 / 5

1st Impression on The Professor's House by Willa Cather

What it’s about

After completing his masterwork and garnering a great deal of money for it, history professor Godfrey St. Paul has purchased a new house. But when the time comes to move, he cannot bring himself to do so. Sitting in his comfortable study in his current house near the shore of Lake Michigan—and on the verge of a midlife crisis—he reflects on his past.

At fifty-two, he has dedicated himself to his work, his garden, and his wife and two daughters, but despite all of his successes, he is unhappy with the course of his future. He retreats into his memories—his career and fond recollections of Tom Outland, his most outstanding student and once his son-in-law-to-be, who was lost in the Great War. He also thinks of his present and the daunting mystery of what lies ahead. And soon the introspection takes over...  - Goodreads


First lines:

"The moving was over and done. Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career, and brought up his two daughters."

My 1st impression:

I sympathize with the middle-aging Professor Godfrey St. Peter. The older we grow, the more we need stability. I realized this after watching how terrified my parents (my father especially) were when I suggested to sell our house and move into an apartment about seven years ago. Our thirty-years-old house was dilapidated at that time and in need of massive renovation (which we couldn't afford). Surely to sell the house and use the money to buy a smaller apartment was the most sensible choice. But my father was adamant, with many excuses. My mother and I need about a year to persuade him, that he finally relented. But that was that. To move to even a better place, to leave the old one with so many memories, to be separated from old habits, is hard and uncomfortable.

And that's what the Professor must have felt when the family move to a new house. Uprooted - that's the most appropriate term. He realized of so many imperfections of the old house, but he had accustomed to them. The old house had become, to St. Peter, a beloved entity. When you love someone, you're aware of their flaws, yet you still love them for what they are. You learn to accept the flaws with affection, and soon the flaws are mere unique personalities to you, and you'll be sad to be without it. And that's what the old house is for St. Peter.

So far the story is quite promising. I got to know Mrs. St. Peter, Lilian, who is jealous of St. Peter's deceased beloved pupil: Tom Outland. Then there are the daughters and sons-in-law. The elder is Rosamond, who was engaged to Tom Outland when he's alive, but now married a Marselus. Outland bequeathed his patented invention to Rosamond, and now its revenues enriched the Marseluses, and they even named their new house: Outland. I guess this will soon create problems.


Keep or Stop Reading?

Definitely I'll keep reading. I am curious about the secretive Tom Outland's background. I don’t know him, but I begins to like him. One character which I want to see more is Augusta, the sewer woman, who has become like a friend to St. Peter.


Have you read this book? Did you like it?