Cover to Cover

Reviewed in this issue:

• Rebecca Wentworth's Distraction by Robert Begiebing '77G
• The Darkest Jungle by Todd Balf '83

Vincent F. Luti '52

Mark Elbroch '00

Charlie Bevis '75

Heidi IllingWorth Boyd '88

Debra Coles Lauman '90

Tom Osenton '76

Thomas D. Nadeau '93

Tom Eslick '69G



Rebecca Wentworth's Distraction:

By Robert Begiebing
University Press of New England, 2003

See at amazon.com


A writer renowned for his evocation of early New England, Robert Begiebing '77G has admitted that the 18th century had always left his imagination "a little cold." His first two novels, The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin (1991) and The Adventures of Allegra Fullerton (1999) were set in the 17th and 19th centuries, respectively. But a local lecture series sparked a fascination with the people of 18th-century Portsmouth, N.H., and Begiebing began to see how a third novel could tie all three together. The result is Rebecca Wentworth's Distraction, the most seasoned and complex story of the trilogy.

The story is told from the perspective of Daniel Sanborn, a young portrait painter recently arrived in Portsmouth from England. His first commission is to paint 12-year-old Rebecca Browne, a member of one of the wealthier families in the area, and Sanborn senses that "his life [is] about to turn."



And so it is, but in ways that the ambitious young portraitist cannot foresee. During her first sitting, Rebecca, mature beyond her years, reveals that she, also, "daub[s] a paper or board now and then." What Sanborn finds in her renderings destabilizes his understanding of art, and, eventually, his life. Rebecca's work is both "wonderfully curious" and "a little frightening." She paints conventional subjects but makes them shockingly honest and unique. Sanborn believes she is a genius.

But neither Rebecca's family nor her community share Sanborn's appreciation. They see Rebecca's "daubings" as a "distraction," or form of madness, and she is sent to live with relatives on the frontier, the timber plantations 30 to 40 miles west of Portsmouth. Sanborn must figure out a way to help her, and as their relationship grows, they each decide how to best accommodate their art with the expectations of their culture.

With this novel, Begiebing continues the themes of his earlier work: the position of women and the role of the artist in American culture, the nature of spirituality, and the ways in which class shapes identity. At times, he is reminiscent of Hawthorne, who knew something about writing historical fiction. Like Hawthorne, Begiebing has mastered the art of transforming a tale richly saturated with a specific time into a story that is timeless.

The Darkest Jungle: The True Story of the Darien Expedition and American's Ill-Fated Race to Connect the Seas


By Todd Balf '83
Crown Publishers, 2003

See at amazon.com


There are many cruel ironies embedded in the story of American explorer Isaac Strain's 1854 expedition to the Isthmus of Darien, not the least of which is the disappearance of the journals he and his men kept and preserved for posterity. Without primary source material, Balf acknowledges, "most sensible writers would have stopped right there." But using portions of the journals that were published in 1855 and a variety of other sources, Balf pieced together this tale of the first major government exploration in search of a canal route to connect the seas. You'll be glad he did.

The book is as much a tale of a certain type of person as it is a story of an expedition. Balf illuminates a time in American history when brave young men felt a calling to traverse every corner of the globe, the more unknown, the better.



For Isaac Strain, from Roxbury, Penn., it was the jungle that held the most allure, and in the 1840s he spent years traveling the major South American river systems and mapping the uncharted interior. When the Navy offered him the opportunity to map the 40-mile isthmus (located in present-day Panama) with an eye to constructing an "interoceanic" ship canal, he jumped at it.

Explorers had tried to map Darien before. Columbus had looked for el estrecho secreto (the secret strait) to no avail. William Paterson, a Scot, had attempted to establish a colony there in the late 1600s, but plagued by disease, it lasted less than a year. Many thought the land was cursed.

As Strain and his men were to find out, the reality was much worse than the myth. They set out with brave spirits, hopeful hearts and provisions for 10 days. Seventy days later, 20 members of the party were finally rescued after having endured what can only be described as a hellish experience; seven men had died from a combination of starvation, fever and infection.

Balf recreates this amazing journey, delving into the personalities of the many adventurers looking to make a name for themselves in Darien and illuminating the politics of exploration in the 19th century. This is an adventure that you won't want to miss, and won't soon forget, a heart-wrenching drama masterfully told by a writer who understands the impulse for adventure. ~




Also of Note...
Mallet & Chisel: Gravestone Carvers of Newport, Rhode Island, in the 18th Century by Vincent F. Luti '52, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002. See at Amazon.com This fascinating study reflects 20 years of research and will appeal to anyone interested in colonial life. Using probate inven-tories, account books and court documents, Luti examines the lives and work of nine gravestone carvers from Newport, and specifically the work that came out of the Stevens Shop, a family business that thrives to this day. Mammal Tracks & Signs: A Guide to North American Species by Mark Elbroch '00, Stackpole Books, 2003 See at Amazon.com Both science and imagination are at work in this amazing reference book, the most comprehensive study of tracks and signs published to date. Along with track and trail illustrations, range maps and photographs , the book contains essays and anecdotes from the author's work as a tracker. Sunday Baseball: The Major Leagues' Struggle to Play Baseball on the Lord's Day, 1876-1934 by Charlie Bevis '75, McFarland & Co., 2003 See at Amazon.com In this engaging book, the author chronicles the story of how Sunday baseball went from being illegal in most places in 1876 to a common event by 1934. Bevis recounts often bizarre stories of the legal battles that plagued baseball teams that played ball on Sunday. Fariy Crafts: 23 Enchanting Toys, Gits, Costumes and Party Decorations by Heidi Illingworth Boyd '88, F+W Publications, 2003 See at Amazon.com This is a very creative and beautifully illustrated how-to book that includes instructions for making fairy baskets, costumes, dress-up fairy dolls and more.		I. Joseph Kellerman by Debra Coles Lauman '90, Gardenia Press, 2003 See at Amazon.com Kellerman is a psychiatrist who leads two separate lives: the day-to-day routine of seeing patients, and the life of his memory, a traumatic place whose pull threatens his sanity. In this powerful and imaginative first novel, the present is besieged by the past, and the possibility of redemption is embodied in a character aptly named Constance Fairhart. The Death of Demand: Finding Growth in a Saturated Global Economy by Tom Osenton '76, Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2004 See at Amazon.com "We are oversized, over- entertained, over-informed, and definitely over-consumed," the author argues. Osenton, a best-selling author, columnist, speaker and business strategist, analyzes the historical trends that have led us to a saturated economy, and offers strategies for corporate survival. MPLS Network Management: MIBs, Tools, and Techniques by Thomas D. Nadeau '93, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2003 See at Amazon.com In this comprehensive text are techniques for monitoring, de-bugging and optimizing Multi-Protocol Label Switching- enabled networks. Deadly Kin: A White Mountains Mystery by Tom Eslick '69G, Viking, 2003 See at Amazon.com Prep school teacher Will Buchanan has a knack for attracting trouble. He agrees to serve as a trail guide to his girlfriend's niece, and when the brother is killed in a mysterious fall, Buchanan finds himself in the middle of a family mystery and tracking a killer who's as trail-savvy as he is. Eslick's third novel featuring Will Buchanan is a real page-turner and will be familiar terrain to those who hike in the White Mountains.