LILIES: A PERIOD PIECE OF PURE MAGIC

"Lilies" (released in the U.S., September 11, 2007) is a British period drama that follows the lives of the Moss family, led by Nelson "Dadda", comprised of son William (Billy) and daughters Iris, May, and Ruby. Mrs. Mary Moss has been dead approximately 15 years and Iris, the eldest, has become the lady of the house. Dadda works as an amateur veterinarian and herbalist. Iris creates confections and sells them to a local sweets store. May is in service to the nouveau-riche Mr. and Mrs. Brazendale. Ruby, William's twin and the youngest, just starts into peddling women's corsets at the beginning of the series.

The Mosses are Liverpool natives of the 1920s, and their lives reflect the zeitgeist of the age. The influx of jazz music and the popularity of the silent films persist throughout; the beginnings of social change through contraception and women's suffrage figure into it as well. Religious differences and class distinction also play large roles. Dadda, an Ulsterman, is vigorously Protestant, and his sons were raised in his church--elder son Walter having perished in action in World War I. The Moss daughters were raised in their mother's Roman Catholic faith. On more than one occasion the division of churches causes issues within the family. Young Rev. Malachi Melia, the pastor of the girls' parish, plays a large role in many episodes.

The daughters are the central figures in this series, given its title from a toast made by Dadda honoring his female progeny while they were small children. Iris is common-sensical but harbors a yearning for her own marriage and motherhood. Gentleman caller Domingo appears the perfect match--until a secret dismantles Iris' hopes and dreams. May, who initially seems as sensible as her elder sister, ends up in the midst of high drama with her employer. Ruby, the feistiest of the trio, becomes entranced by the social movements of women's liberation and embraces vegetarianism, even as her own dreams of swimming for the British Olympic team are dashed early on in the storyline. Billy is a sad soul, having witnessed Naval action at the Battle of Jutland, only to be sent home, a victim of post-traumatic stress disorder. Dadda is a man desperate to keep his family together, although his own violent temperment makes for some of the clan's worst problems.

"Lilies" covers the vast panorama of the human condition-- its struggles, tragedies, and, ultimately, victories--with great empathy and verve, and leaves the viewer slightly exasperated that the BBC refrained from producing a second series...

ASRP Comments

5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes by Carrie E. Holcomb – Great and simple recipes
Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts – Good book, although not as well written as her previous book.
March by Geraldine Brooks – Backstory of the father in Alcott’s Little Women. Very engaging. Brooks is a wonderful writer.
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips – Was entertaining and I’m glad I stuck it out through the first three chapters. It got much better.
Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber – The author is great! Keeps it moving.
Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson - Thought the heroine was an idiot moving a body, but it got interested in the book and enjoyed the cooking sequences.
Alchemist’s Daughter by Katharine McMahon – Reminded me of the Pearl Earring. A well written historical fiction.
Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd – Good book if you like unhappy endings.
Value Investing for Dummies by Peter Sander – Everybody should read.
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz – Charming sequel. Koontz is a master of this genre.
Pentagon’s New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas P.M. Barnett – Could it be?! The Bush Administration has a plan for a new world order?
Dead Room by Heather Graham – Really interesting and intriguing. Kept me reading!
Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Weddings by Joshua Piven – Great book! Great ideas!

BOOK REVIEW: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee, published March 3, 2008

I am tremendously fond of what Americans generally accept as Chinese food. I have long heard that what Americans refer to as Chinese food is alien and unknown to residents of China (that fortune cookies aren't Chinese in origin I had known--but not that they had a direct ancestor that was popular in Japan). Jennifer 8 Lee's "Fortune Cookie Chronicles" recounts the history of Chinese food in American culture in mouth-watering detail.

I was intrigued about the voyage she made to General Tso's birthplace, only to find no Chinese there had ever heard of the famous (American-born) chicken dish named in his honor. The Kikkoman / La Choy argument of exactly what constitutes soy sauce ["There's no soy in La Choy"] was fascinating. A key hint I gleaned about evaluating the worthiness of a Chinese eatery: see if Chinese themselves patronize it. Also enlightening was the chapter that revealed the popular practice of Chinese immigrants who arrive on U.S. soil explicitly to labor in Chinese restaurants. I've often pondered that, unlike any other ethnic establishment, there always seem to be Chinese owning and operating eateries that concentrate on that cuisine. After all, one would hardly expect the local Italian place to feature Italian-American only staff, or the neighborhood Mexican restaurant to have only Mexican-American workers. The plight of one particular Chinese family, in their attempt to run a successful Chinese establishment, was particularly heartbreaking, with multiple generations divided across continents because the parents could not handle raising three offspring while investing 15 to 18 hours of each day in operating the business.

Jennifer Lee is a voice of authority on this material despite having been born to immigrant Chinese who did not themselves run a restaurant. The miles she logged across the globe for her research are significant, as is her breezily informative writing style which gets various points across (i.e., Chinese immigrants, especially the restaurant-working bound, lead exceedingly harsh lives) without dipping into preachiness. I enjoyed "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" immensely and recommend anyone who enjoys American Chinese cuisine (which, as it turns out, has its own representative restaurants worldwide [and in some of the least likely places--like the island of Mauritius!]--despite its "inauthentic" nature!) should pick this volume up and learn more about it.

MUSIC REVIEW:

THE RISE AND FALL OF RUBY WOO
by the Puppini Sisters
Released in the United States: February 12, 2008, on the Verve label

I only recently heard of the Puppini Sisters, but already consider myself a loyal fan of their music. While I did like their first effort (Betcha Bottom Dollar), they truly take off with The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo (apparently the reference is to a particular shade of lipstick favored by the glam gal singers of yesteryear after whom they fashion themselves [read = Andrews Sisters], and which the three current ladies wear in homage to them.)

Marcella Puppini, Stephanie O'Brien, and Kate Mullins (not real sisters, clearly--they took Puppini's name for the band because the original concept was hers) revisit old favorites, like "It Don't Mean A Thing [If It Ain't Got That Swing]", and "Old Cape Cod". They also fiddle with established tunes, on which they place their distinctive mark ("Spooky", "Walk Like An Egyptian" --which is brilliantly rendered--and "Could It Be Magic".) But the trio really makes a splash with their original work on Ruby Woo. The peppy, delightfully dance-worthy "Soho Nights" stands out as a wonderful example of how the neo-swing sound has been captured by these songstresses. "I Can't Believe I'm Not A Millionaire" slides back to the early days of blues (Billie Holiday could easily have done it sixty years ago). "And She Sang" incorporates their mellifluous harmonization to great effect, while "It's Not Over (Death or the Toy Piano)" has a unique sound all its own, with the selfsame toy piano actually employed in the tune.

I am an ardent fan of the neo-swing revival that burst into life in the late 1990s, its advent brought on by the film "Swingers", and such musical greats as the Cherry-Poppin' Daddies, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, and the everlasting glory that was the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Curiously, no girl group emerged at that time in emulation of the Andrews Sisters, the Boswell Sisters, and their ilk: but the Puppini Sisters fills this gap beautifully. I am looking forward to further divine sounds produced by them!

Stop in on Monday to pick up your entry forms and start reading! Once again we will be publishing some of the comments here - always my favorite part of the program.