The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

The Painted Girls is a novel written in first person through the eyes of two sisters, Marie and Antoinette.  This is a character study based upon paintings by Degas who studied and copied the appearances of ballerinas in his art studio in Paris.   The author has a vivid imagination, did research the  times and the lives of persons who lived  in the time of Degas, and created her own fantasy tale in this bleak look at the lives of the ballerinas who studied to become stars at the Opera.

An aside here...years ago when I was teaching English in California, I had the good fortune to have a short story called Bimbo in our literature book.  Bimbo was based upon a dog found in Pompeii with a cookie in his mouth.  An imaginative author wrote a short story based simply upon this discovery of this dog with the cookie.  This is what The Painted Girls makes me remember...Bimbo.  This creative author has done the same with the use of her characters Marie and Antoinette, with whom she tells their story of their lives in Paris.

 Antoinette is the older of three sisters who live with a widowed mother who is a washerwoman.  The mother has lost her husband, and her income to support the girls.  So Antoinette and Marie who are the older girls must find ways to bring in moneys to pay the rent, since Mother is also addicted to absinth and is usually so tipsy as not to be able to stay awake when at home. She does continue to hold her job as a washerwoman.  But through Marie and Antoinette, we learn how each one of them adapts to these harsh circumstances as they try to earn enough money to keep food in the tummy and a roof over their heads. Charlotte is the youngest sister who is also studying for the ballet.

It seems to me that Cathy Buchanan has studied the girls who Degas actually painted, and tried to bring them to life in this novel.  She succeeds very well in developing her story through the eyes of both sisters.  She paints a picture of lives so dreary that the only hope that they have is through dance, the ballet, and through working at neighborhood shops, baking bread, or if need by, finding a sponsor if talented enough who will pay their way through ballet lessons.

This book is a fascinating study in contrasts.  She introduces us to two men who are exciting to Antoinette who has given up on her chance to be in the opera but who has found a man who seems to give her attention, affection, and comfort.  Antoinette is forever annoying to me in that this man who she likes so much is the only man she has ever known to show any attention to her so that she commits to him so totally that it is emotionally shattering.  In the meantime, Marie cannot stand Emilie Abadie who is always using Antoinette for his own ends. But he rewards her with money enough to pay for the food and the rent of the hovel where they live, so she hangs on to him for dear life. Unfortunately, he is a bad one who is going to turn her life upside down.

The harshness of the impoverished girls is contrasted to that of the patrons of the ballerinas who are very rich and prominent.  Eventually, Marie becomes a model for Degas who rewards her financially as well.  Her mother's attitude about her modeling is most fascinating.  Incredulous to me.

Buchanan makes us feel the impoverished state so well that it is heartbreaking to live through these girls  needs.  Too well we understand why it is that Antoinette needs and defends Emilie Abadie so much, and why it is that Marie turns to Degas to model for him.

The plot thickens as Emilie and his friend are accused of murder, and Antoinette is taken to a house of prostitution where she learns how the really rich live in Paris.  The study of the house of prostitution is a fascinating and intriguing one.  It is a wonder that anyone saved their virtue in Paris when a house is run and operated so well as this one.

In this novel, we even are taken into the worst of prisons. Antoinette  has to go visit Emilie when he is accused of murdering a former female friend.   The description of the guards, the interior of the prison, and the hours of waiting to see her man are exceptionally well written.  Her sincere belief in Emilie's innocence gives us a glimpse of hope in this harsh environment, but the jurors who listen to the defense and the prosecution are not quite so enamored with either young men.  Evidence appears to convict them despite Antoinette's certainty that Emilie is an innocent.

 I am so impressed with Buchanan's research into the lot of Parisian women, and especially the lot of the impoverished.  Naturally, as in most European nations in that age, a strong belief in a faith is ever present but also ever challenged.  This novel is one of the most challenging looks at life in a city soiled by excesses.  For all its so called glamor, Paris is a tawdry place in which to dwell at this time in its history.

While not a pageturner, the novel is satisfying in many ways.  One learns about the art of ballet, the role of modeling for an artist, and the changing history of Paris.  I recommend it highly.





Highly recommend.

Review of The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan

The Other Woman is a modern contemporary novel which is politically based.  A deep penetrating look at the modern day political entity is made in this mystery novel about a female investigative reporter who is following the career of a powerful political candidate.  Jane Ryland has been a broadcast journalist who because of her integrity and decency regarding a source of information has lost her job at  Channel 11, a t.v. studio in Boston.  She won't tell her source's identity and therefore, in a court suit, has lost a case which leaves her with egg on her face.  Despite the fact that she has told the truth about the defendant on trial, the juror does not buy into her story, and so she is forced out of her television job to become a print reporter for a friend who believes in her despite her career failure.  She is then positioned to investigate the candidate's wife, who confides in her since she believes she is a trustworthy reporter so that she becomes very involved in the personal lives of the candidate and his family.  In the meantime, bodies of young women are being found near a bridge in Boston which is under investigation by a young bright sharpie of a detective who Jane finds attractive and friendly.  However, since our reporter is full of courage and integrity, she and the detective practice high ethical standards while being drawn deeper and deeper into emotional attraction and dependency.

Adultery in politics is a common household phrase now so that in this novel, Hank refers to Monica Lewinsky, John Edwards and Elizabeth, and several contemporary politicians whose lives have been that of the adulterer.  Ryan makes statements about politics and morality through the use of her characters so that finally in this particular book, our candidate does become somewhat tainted through hearsay but eventually triumphs over the rumors and hearsay evidence about his own personal life.

The murders are connected to the politics but in a twisted and unusual sense...therefore, Jane and her detective friend are thrown together many times while he tries to find the murderer, and she tries to discover the truth about women in pursuit of the candidate.

This is a very fast-paced novel which keeps one in suspense, but entertained all the time.  Hank Phillippi Ryan is an excellent  observer of human nature, has a wry wit, and a discerning mind.  This novel delights in fooling the reader...to the end.  The character of Jane Ryland remains professional and trustworthy despite all the temptations that assail her.  It is an interesting study of modern day American politics in many ways...I encourage anyone who is interested in a modern day woman fighting to save her own career to read this excellent novel.

Figuring out the Kentucky Derby

I am going to write this blog today which is exactly one week before post positions are selected to know which horse will be at the most advantageous spot to win. What does really matter when trying to figure out who will win the battle for the roses?

I will share my information for making my decisions with the few lucky people who will read my blogspot.  I am trying my best to figure out how to win this one at the lowest possible price also. I know many people try to buy a win.  It can be done.

But for the record, I am using information from several sources: handicappers, websites, and a set of stats provided by those who are willing to share and pool their knowledge.  So first of all, I sat down and read and studied the pace parameters for the 2013 Kentucky Derby which is available at a  website called chef-de-race.  From that I gleaned the four top contenders  who rank the highest in the stats department on their  actual race day performance.  I came up with eight horses, and the first four were pretty much favorites already since they have won so much and have such good performances.  Verrazano is number 1, and should by all rights, if everything went perfect, be the winner of the Derby this year.  But since nothing ever does go right, why not realize right away that he will either win it hands down or be a key horse in an exacta, trifecta, superfecta, or high five if they have a high five. I doubt that his jockey will try to cost him the race if he does not win...One often wonders if jockeys  perceive that they are going to lose that they just don't bother to try any further...one wonders.

 Overall since 1998, the Derby winner has been among the top five .  Ten times in 10f, 10fTT, 8 times in 3Fr, and 10fLQ and five times in %E.  Why keep stats? Now we know why.  It is convincing me to use this data.  This is a direct quote from the chef-de-race page.   So I went to work and studied the results to find the top five or ten...They are listed below.  Lord, let us hope that one of them is the Winner.

Strangely enough, the second favorite Orb did not fare well in this parameters thing so unless something is wrong with this piece of data, he ranks below the top 8.

The top horses are Verrazano, Vyjack, Normandy Invasion, Revolutionary, Golden Cents, Governor Charlie, It's My Lucky Day, and Java's War.    Black Onyx, MyLute, and Palace Malice rank just below these...Orb still does not come in to play in this scenario of the winner comes from this group...Maybe he will be the one time horse that pulls a surprise but most often the winners come from the horses listed above for their actual performances according to these set of stats.

My next set of data came from Horse Racing Nation which listed the fact that front runners fare badly but closers and pressers fare well at Churchill Downs. The stats on this are incredible and downright scarey.

This is where  I wonder at why it is that there are so many longshot high odds in the second, third, and fourth positions...The favorites do not even fare well here.

The year Giacomo won is the most astounding for the odds were that a horse going off 50 to 1 won but the horse that came in second was 71 to 1...The exacta alone was unbelievable, but the trifecta did include a 9-2 favorite

In order, and I will rank the winners odds for those consecutive years...but more importantly to me is what about those who came in second, third, and fourth, and even fifth...where are all the favorites?

Odds from Horseracing Nation story:  Win column: 13-1, 4-1, 50-1, 6-1, 5-1, 5-2, 50-1, 8-1, 21-1, and 19-1.    Why should I feel confident in a favorite when the odds are so prohibitive?  Can Verrazano or Orb who are already the two favorites beat these odds?  I wonder.

Now look at place columns: 5-2, 5-1, 71-1, 30-1,10-1,12-1,6-1, 11-1, 8-1, and 4-1.

Now look at show columns: 6-1, 11-1, 9-2, 9-2, 5-1, 27-1, 20-1, 12-1, 9-1, and 12-1.

Fourth position for superfecta: 9-1, 42-1, 42-1, 29-1, 29-1, 27-1, 12-1, 30-1, 23-1, and 30-1.

Horseracing Nation article did not supply stats for fifth place, but notice that the favorites are clearly out of the top four spots except twice to win...if 4 -1 is a favorite which at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby it is.

So what the heck.  How do we find the winner?

For sure, it most likely will be one of the aforementioned horses that I listed from the chef-de-race stats about parameters as that gave me I'll Have Another last year so that I trust it to do the same this year.

Can Doug O'Neill win back to back?  Can  Kevin Krigger carry the horse to the finish line?  He sounds as though he would try to do it if he could...Nobody will every say that he is not more than wanting to win this game....

One horse to consider that is not included is Lines of Battle since he is the real outside horse that is listed in Chef-de-Race but has no meaningful figures.  He could be trained well enough to prove that he could take it but it is highly unlikely.  But his speed ratings are good and no doubt his trainer is one of the very best.

So I am weighing all these facts, and deciding how to play this game.  I am sharing this only with facebook and my blog followers who frankly have no interest in it anyway...but I want to have it in writing so that when I win or lose I can see why.

My favorite is still Verrazano but I am also realistic enough to know that he must have a good post, confidence, and a desire to win. In my opinion, and this is where my years of study come into play, I can almost always pick the winner by watching him in the paddock or post parade. The horse always seems to know. And as Churchill Downs reminds me of a farm in Ohio with which I am long familiar, I have a partiality to it so that I maintain he likes the track wins the race.  The horse in the end decides the entire race, not the jockey, or the trainer.  But a good trainer will at least let his horse become "at home" for  a short time to get the feel of the place.

Churchill Downs is midwestern, is a family oriented track, and lacks much of the sophistication of the Florida tracks, but has a warm and friendly feeling to it.  California tracks are notorious for their laidback attitudes,  but Churchill Downs has history, midwestern values, and that is why the horse that feels that and adapts to it wins the race.  Nothing else...It is bluegrass Kentucky after all.

Good luck to any who do play this game and who read this blog.  I love Vyjack but feel that he is too small a horse to compete with some of the larger horses...a bit like Jackson Bend years ago who was also a small horse with a lot of heart.

Long tall legs make a lot of difference when racing down the stretch...I look at the legs...and yes, happy horses are a great sign of a confident horse...tails swishing are a good sign...but ears up, head at attention, and calm tell the story of a horse who is sure of himself...the horses that always look straight as an arrow are concentrating heavily...don't overlook body language...and believe me, the best horse will win no matter what.

Verrazano workout Churchill Downs 4.21

Boston Bombing

On April 15, the Boston Marathon was interrupted by two bomb explosions.  Since then, all mayhem has broken loose but two suspects have been spotted in photographs taken by individuals as well as surveillance cameras.  One young man whose legs were blown off stared the carrier of one of the backpacks that contained the explosives in the eyes when he placed the bag down in front of him. He was able to describe him so that the FBI could find photographs of him. At this writing, another person who had taken a photograph that day had also captured one of the carriers so that his photo is now being distributed for someone to come forward to identify and perhaps get some kind of reward for his recognition of the men.**

In the photograph where the man is seen walking calmly away through the crowds, it appears that he is not one bit frightened or panicked as everyone else is.  In other words, he looks as though he knows very well what it was that he had been carrying.**

Now I am going to rush to conclusions just on the basis of all that I have seen so far. I do think that both men were in it together, that both men knew what they were doing, and that both men are a part of a conspiracy.**

I do not know how they will be found, but I am hoping that they will be discovered soon so that this search will end.  But had I been either of those men, as soon as I had left that area I would have gotten out of Boston as quickly as possible, and probably likely as not, they are both somewhere in that region in plain sight.  Their apparent calm and lack of concern amidst all this excitement is very troubling to me.  I hope they are caught soon.

mystery of lights

I know that each one of us is a bit too trusting.  Gullible is an understatement.  CNN tonight tried to derail several lies being told in the social media. I just got caught up in a story a bout strange lights in Iran.  It turns out that it is in Japan.

Strange Events tonight

Before Its News came up with a video which purported to be an earthquake in Iran. However, it turned out that the original video is from a volcanic eruption in Japan. Anyone can tell that it is a volcanic eruption but a strange light is seen at the foot of the volcano at a great distance but near to where this camera is recording the action. The white light pulsates, throbs, and sends little white rays out from its placement. Little white dots litter the sky above, and the Japanese video that I saw circles some of these white dots and calls them ufo's. What the strange light is has me guessing. It comes on suddenly and disappears just as quickly But notice all the other lighting effects around it It is not just a white orb as one video tries to say. There are several of these videos on youtube and it is the one which has the Rapture in its title which has comments explaining that this is an old video from Japan. Nobody does ever explain the pulsating light or the white dots. However, in a video on the side there is a volcano in Mexico with a ufo appearing to dive directly into the volcano. This is all quite fascinating.