The Diary of an American Au Pair by Marjorie Leet Ford

 I was drawn to this book on one of our trips to the Hope Chest, the Catholic's thrift store near us. I always like to check the used books, and this one, of course, caught my eye! Being a former au pair, and all. The first few pages did not excite me, but I decided I should give it a little more time. Since I needed to have something good to help me recover from my second meniscus tear surgery, this seemed like a good candidate. I'm so glad I did! It turned out to be very unpredictable, very interesting, very cultural--about a culture--British--that I love, and of course, it had fascinating characters. It's not a great book or a great story, but very entertaining and perceptive.

I really liked Melissa's (the au pair) reading about her relationship with the three children in the story. The parents were interesting too, but her relationship with the children showed her in the best light. Her commitment to helping the deaf daughter learn language was educational and reminded me of my linguistics training. The parents were drawn pretty true, I think. The love/hate with the mother can easily happen when you live in such close proximity. I loved the visits to the grandparents in Scotland. Another part I enjoyed was just learning about the way the "old moneyed" British live and vacation and raise their children. 

One theme that interested me was Melissa's determination to eat her way to fatness for her American boyfriend in San Francisco. As that relationship declined, and her relationship with Londoner Simon ascended, it was fascinating to read how her thoughts about food and her body changed. And her body thoughts were often those I could relate to, especially at the end when she went through deprivation before settling on health. I think she described well the power that I feel when I'm being true to my health. 

One very fun sidelight is a parlor game Melissa and the children play. You just answer five questions:

1. You're out walking. You come upon a house. Describe the house.

2. Inside, there's a table. There are three objects on the table. What are the objects?

3. Outside, you see a bear. What do you do with the bear?

4. You find a cup. Describe the cup.

5. What do you do with the cup?

After answering these questions, these are the interpretations:

1. The house is yourself.

2. The three objects on the table are the things you do best.

3. The bear is a problem, and what you do with the bear is what you do with a problem.

4. The cup is your love.

5. What you do with the cup is what you do with your love. 

The way the children and the parents answer and interpret their answers is fun to read, and has some surprising as well as some predictable insights. I did this with Leonard and we had a really fruitful discussion about both of our answers. When I did it myself, what was most fascinating to me was how long, and I'm talking perhaps 20 minutes or more, it took me to decide on a house that I wanted to come upon! I mean, I went through the whole gamut of possibilities! I couldn't commit to one for the longest time. Does this mean I don't know myself? Or that I don't want to commit? Or that we've been looking at so many houses over the past few years that the possibilities are just overwhelming? And I took the walk literally, too, like, do I want to be walking in the woods and come upon a cottage? But what about the sunlight I love? Or is it a house on a hill in a meadow? Or is it a modern, urban condominium? My mind just flooded! Fascinating. Probably I would have a different answer depending on my mood.

My objects were a book, walking shoes, and swim goggles!

Leonard, on the other hand, immediately thought of a narrow Victorian. He didn't even hesitate! He saw a doily on the table, kind of an Irene setting. Aren't we so different?

Maria von Trapp - Beyond The Sound of Music by Candice F. Ransom

 Leonard surprised me by ordering this hardbound, school book from 2002 complete with clear black and white photographs from Maria's life. It was written as a kind of easy reader, I think. I read it a couple of hours and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am so familiar with the movie and play versions of the story that it was fascinating to read about what REALLY went on Maria's life. She was a hard worker with an undying energy for family unity and family success. There were obstacles all along the way...

It was fun to imagine this large blended family surmounting so many trials after they emigrated to America and began touring. I imagine there must be a lot of people still alive who saw them or who went to their Vermont music camp back in the 1950's. It was also interesting to read about how Mary Martin's husband convinced Maria that letting her book become a Broadway play would earn the family much needed money. Maria attended opening night in 1959, and although the critics found it to be "too sweet," audiences loved it and it ran for four and a half years!

Next, Hollywood made a film version of her life that opened in 1965 starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. I remember seeing it not long after it came out and probably strengthened my interest in all things German. I loved the story and the music and we Kublers memorized the soundtrack. What I didn't know is that Maria herself, and her daughter Rosmarie, and her granddaughter Barbara can be seen strolling in the background during Julie Andrews's "I Have Confidence" song. 

This new interest in getting the book was spurred by Len buying us tickets to see a performance of the show LIVE in Cedar City, UT, at this summer's Shakespeare Festival. We enjoyed it but were puzzled about the casting of a black Maria. She had a beautiful voice but her "soulful" movements were awkward from a supposedly Austrian character. I'm not comfortable admitting this. But it's history and it stood out to me. True, all the white performers probably stand out to black audiences, so I am willing to say I could be small minded about this.