Born in 1936, Judith Guest has written five novels and one book of non-fiction on family. Her first, the gut-wrenching Ordinary People, was a critical and commercial success. Published in 1976, it was adapted to the silver screen in 1980. It was Robert Redford’s first directorial effort, and he won an Oscar. The film was also named Best Picture, and Timothy Hutton was named Best Supporting Actor. I just finished her most recent effort, The Tarnished Eye, published in 2004. It is the story of the Sheriff of a rural Michigan area trying to solve a multiple homicide. It works both as a mystery and an examination of the man’s psyche, which has been damaged by a devastating personal loss similar to what the family in Ordinary People suffer. The prose and dialogue are solid and unpretentious, written with great care. The book’s 267 pages read more like 200. It is based on a crime that remains unsolved, but the author does not leave the reader unsatisfied in that regard. I wonder why Guest has written only six books. That seems rare these days when many writers bang out a book or two a year. I’ve been lucky in my last two mystery choices. Lawrence Sanders’ McNally’s Secret is clever light entertainment, and The Tarnished Eye is a serious examination of the most frightening aspect of human nature. On a scale of five, 3.75. It's transcends the genre.
Rand Paul, Republican from Kentucky, has garnered positive and negative reaction to his near 13-hour filibuster protesting the possible use of a drone strike against citizens on American soil. The gabfest delayed the appointment of the new CIA chief, John Brennan. I’m not sure how I feel about the issue. Suppose a terrorist group is holed up in a remote area and refuses to surrender? Wouldn’t a drone strike be preferable to a gun battle in which lawmen might be killed? And there’s only one thought I have regarding a politician speaking for more than a few minutes: Pass the hemlock. It is entertaining in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), where the filibuster runs for approximately 20 minutes of screen time and is interrupted by scenes that occur outside the Senate, but I’m certain I wouldn’t have watched had the entire marathon been represented, despite the noble intentions.
Mark Simone made an interesting point on his radio show this morning. Tired of the dire warnings about the sequester’s effects, he said that the cost of security for Obama’s round of golf with Tiger Woods was about the same as running the White House tours for an entire year. The priorities of politicians are, of course, far different than the public's.
It’s not a lot of snow, at least in Brooklyn, and it will melt quickly, but it is annoying. I hope the weekend forecast is correct. I need relief from the gloom, and I miss selling books on the street, even though it's frequently disappointing.
Visit Vic's sites:
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
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