In a Golden Year for Book and TV Content, Some Real Gems

reviews by Sharon L. Shervington –

The Honorable Woman is a story of big business, family, and international espionage, set primarily in London, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. The action concerns a brother and sister whose larger-than-life father, an emigre with a Midas touch, is killed in front of them when they are children. This event is the first scene in the series and it sets the tone of violence and deception for the eight one-hour episodes that follow.

Hugo Blick produces, writes, and directs. He also coaxes fine performances from an exceptional cast led by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Stephen Rea. Every part has been lovingly cast and every detail of The Honorable Woman has been carefully considered.

Vanessa Stein, known as Nessa, is a woman who has done well by doing good, her dream is peace between Israel, her father’s home country, and its troubled neighbor. Shifting between the present day and a shattering catastrophe several years before, each episode reveals more and more secrets and scraps of information about how the past has influenced the present.

This is not for the faint of heart, and certainly not for children. The meshing of espionage; family rivalries; international politics and big business is so well done that spoiling that would be a real shame. Another thing that is just delightful is being able to see the work of an auteur who loves women, as Mr. Blick clearly does. Unlike standard Hollywood fare, women of a certain age have a beauty that matches that of their younger counterparts. The costuming for the women further adds to their allure. Each woman is stunningly dressed in clothes that reflect her power, personality, and place in the world.

The Honorable Woman is the best series I’ve viewed this year. It is rife with murder, kidnappings, good old-fashioned spy craft, and plenty of modern technology. (BBC Worldwide)

Death Comes to Pemberley is based on the popular novel by P.D. James, which itself is a continuation of Jane Austen’s beloved classic Pride and Prejudice. This is a solid entry in the Masterpiece Mystery series, and features the ever-brooding Matthew Rhys as Darcy, and Anna Maxwell Martin as Elizabeth. It is six years since the two wed and they have a young son. Poised to give a grand ball, an officer and family friend is found dead near their magnificent estate.

Now, if you are a fan of Jane Austen you may have wondered from time to time what happened to nasty, fluff-headed sister Lydia after she eloped with a rather sketch gentleman, Mr. Wickham, Darcy’s half brother. He is charged with murder in a climate made up of lifelong rivalries, a secret baby and a backward justice system.

Oh, and let’s not forget the class prejudices, the murder and subsequent trial and scandal that put lives and reputations on the line, and the marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth, which is not going so well. A mix of mystery, legal thriller and period drama will keep viewers intrigued and entertained in three one-hour episodes. (PBS Direct)

Back on the page, I recommend another thought provoking historical piece. In The Miniaturist, Johnnes Brandt and Nella Oortmann enter into a marriage of convenience in 17th century Amsterdam. He is a wealthy and talented, if aloof, merchant. She is the penniless 18-year-old daughter of a fine old family. But the opulent home that she enters after leaving her family’s small country home is anything but welcoming, or ordinary. It is run by his eccentric sister Marin, and Johannes is away a lot. She slowly becomes aware that both brother and sister harbor dangerous secrets, the kinds that can mean a death sentence in a closed society that exalts both God and money.

Nella is lonely and Johannes buys her an extraordinary cabinet-sized replica of their townhouse. (The original, a real piece of art, is photographed in this book.) He gives her carte blanche to furnish it and she finds an elusive miniaturist, with whom she communicates only by letter, to take on the job. That in turn sets in motion a series of events that challenge the city’s taboos and put the household in grave danger. As each new item arrives, Nella becomes aware of events in the house of which she knew nothing.

Layered and magnetic, the characters include a black servant, Otto, and housemaid Cornelia, both of them taken in by Johannes when they were in time of need. The descriptions of the city and canals are well done as are the portraits of the guilds and the pervasive, yet hypocritical, piety. But first of all it is about a woman coming in to her own in dangerous times. This is a finely-wrought, well-paced gem. (Harper; written by Jessie Burton; 400 pages; $26.99)

Top Picks in Nonfiction

A must read for those who are concerned about the environment is This Changes Everything, by Naomi Klein. If you’ve read her previous books, such as The Shock Doctrine, you’ll find another look into the dark underside of capitalism. All of her work rests on the solid platform of her journalistic skills. A good deal of her most surprising revelations can be found in the public record. But most of those who should be looking aren’t.

Ms. Klein herself really does look to connect the dots, and here she shows not only how business and government, but also conservation groups have compromised environmental missions by taking cash and other assets from moneyed interests. (Simon and Schuster; $30; 566 pages)

For those who crave adventure, In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette, is world class, ranking with the best kind of man against nature narratives. There was extraordinary preparation for the trip, many thousands of tons of provisions and a hand-picked captain and crew. But the ship became stuck in the Artic ice for over a year in their search for the “Open Polar Sea,” which they learned tragically, never existed.

Siberian treks, rescue missions, a look at the displaced local inhabitants, and the discovery of new islands are the ingredients that make for a ripping good yarn. It also provides an in-depth portrait of newspaper owner James Gordon Bennett Jr., who used his passions for news and showmanship to shape the world. (Doubleday; written by Hampton Sides; $28.95; 454 pages)