Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.
Melissa Francis’ brave memoir, Dairy of a Stage Mother’s Daughter, laid bare her childhood years when she was appearing on the popular family drama, Little House on the Prairie, while dealing with a controlling and, at times, abusive mother. (See our interview.) Melissa’s book resonated with readers, many of whom remembered the series, the brainchild of Michael Landon, who not only directed the episodes, but also played the family patriarch, Charles Ingalls. Others saw in her revelations inspiration to confront and deal with their own personal demons.
Now, in Lessons from the Prairie, Melissa goes back to those early days on the set where, at a very young age, she profited from Landon’s no-nonsense approach to work, an attitude that continues to guide her today. Melissa made the decision to quit acting and left California to attend Harvard where she studied economics. Determined to craft a career in TV news, she made her own opportunities, hopping from one TV affiliate to another until she finally landed a prestigious anchor role, first at CNBC and then at the Fox Business Network.
In Boston, she met her husband, Wray, but starting a family came with enormous challenges. Diagnosed with a hereditary condition known as Factor V Leiden, Melissa nearly died each time she gave birth to her two sons, Thompson and Greyson. After being told another pregnancy might kill her, Melissa and Wray made the decision to have another child, their daughter, Gemma, via surrogacy.
Despite her enormous success, Melissa keeps everything in perspective. She can laugh at herself, sharing stories about not being recognized at her children’s school without her TV hair and makeup. She also admonishes those who pressure women to “lean in,” in order to be successful. “Don’t lean in. In fact, sit down and take a load off.”
Megyn Kelly, who recently left Fox for NBC, is one of Melissa’s friends, but perhaps because of the lessons learned long ago from Landon, the TV actress turned anchor comes across as someone we all would like to have as a friend. Here, Melissa answers questions from Charlene Giannetti about her career, family life, and her new book.
What was the reaction to your previous book, Diary of a Stage Mother’s Daughter? Can you break it down in terms of family, friends, co-workers, and fans?
I was so touched by the outpouring of support by email, letter, tweet, you name it! I really put myself out there. I laid my soul bare and that was a huge risk. The reward though was truly overwhelming. Friends, co-workers, and fans of the show were all so supportive and empathetic, sharing their stories with me as well. The experience taught me a great lesson about sharing my whole, honest self. Not only did I feel accepted rather than rejected, I also connected with so many people who had overcome their own challenges. Open up. It’s worth it!
What was left unsaid in that book that prompted you to write this one?
I tried to spend the majority of this book making fun of myself and making the reader laugh out loud at all the times I’ve taken a pie to the face and then licked the whipped cream off for dessert. Through all those hilariously humiliating stumbles, I’ve come up with the Foolproof Four Step Plan to Turn Disaster into Golden Opportunity. I’m not kidding. It works every time! And while I’m at it, I also want to tear down the icons of fake perfection in social media and culture at large and demonstrate for everyone I’m not close to perfect and neither is anyone else! So don’t beat yourself up if your thighs are fat or your hair is frizzy or your kids are too loud! Because while you’re leaning in and berating yourself for not being Fortune 500 CEO, you might be missing the joy that’s right in front of you in your current life! I really believe this.
So much of your first book centered on your mother yet she’s only mentioned in passing in this one and in some instances portrayed in a positive light. Why the change?
In the first book, I told my whole story and left it where it was. That was largely the point. To unload my baggage and then leave it at the curb for pick up. I’ve had therapy about it, I wrote a whole book about it, I’m done with it! Now I’ve moved on to trying to parent my own herd of children, which occupies most of my mindshare when I’m not at work. I don’t have time for much else!
You were only eight when you landed the Little House role, yet your stories about the show and Michael Landon in particular are very detailed. Why are your memories do vivid?
Good question! I remember scenes from childhood vividly like they are right in front of me. For example, when I described what it looked like to stare out from inside my crib as a baby, my dad didn’t really believe me because you aren’t supposed to remember that, except my description is dead on. So I asked my therapist if this is really possible or am I kidding myself? I know there are doubters out there. He said I have a visual memory which isn’t very common but is very real, and very specific. I remember what things looked like at exactly moments in time and I’m also great at visualizing patterns rather than details… for example I can punch in an ATM code or a phone number based on the pattern but I couldn’t tell you necessarily what the numbers are, so if you moved the buttons I’d be lost. I know that’s more than you wanted to know, but that’s the deal.
The good girl/bad girl interaction between your character and Nancy, the adopted daughter of the Oleson’s played by Allison Balson, sounded intense. How did the two of you relate off the set? Looking back, do you see that relationship placed bullying front and center within a TV show? Landon’s instincts?
Off the set we were friends, which was probably bad for our acting. We should have gone more method. Bullying wasn’t a trigger word like it is now, they just needed drama on the show and besides the elements which were always threatening Walnut Grove, this was another way to go. The Nancy character was written in such a vicious way though, I’m shocked by the actions she took even now.
Balson is now a singer and Jason Bateman, of course, a very busy actor. Do you keep in touch with either of them? If so, do you ever trade stories about those days?
No! I wish! Melissa Gilbert [who played the Laura Ingalls Wilder] was wonderful when my last book came out and we’ve been in touch. She’s a very generous person. Alison Arngrim [who played Nellie Oleson] as well. They were both so supportive of the first book. I was really touched.
Balson went to Princeton; you to Harvard. And the other child actors on the show have all led remarkably successful lives. You talk about Landon’s influence. What can parents do to find Landons for their own children, mentors and adult role models who can have a positive impact on a young person’s life?
Melissa Gilbert and I talked about the fact that none of our co-stars ended up in jail or rehab, and we both had identical memories of the way Michael ran the set, concluding his approach held the key. He was such a workhorse – the first great Hollywood entrepreneur in my mind. He made a mint in his own cottage industry, writing, producing, directing, and starring in the show. He watched every dime that came in and every one that went out. He ran the production like well oiled, highly efficient machine. He wasn’t a diva and didn’t suffer any divas either. He led by example and we all followed suit. But he was also a beaming ray of sunshine, a positive force of energy, and when you worked hard and did a good job he shown his bright light in your direction, inspiring you to do more. He wasn’t abusive, wasteful, or ungrateful. He expected us to work like adults since we made adult paychecks, but he always took a moment to make us laugh until we cried. His approach was so effective and infectious, it had a huge impact on the way I look at work, take pride in a job well done, and strive to always be a part of a happy, productive team.
Melissa with her co-anchor Davis Asman on “After The Bell” on Fox Business
You made it clear that many people are responsible for how you look on Fox once the cameras are running. Why did you feel it was so important to stress that fact?
Because women beat themselves up for their physical faults (and so do men, actually). We all do. I would hate for anyone to think my hair cooperates on its own. It doesn’t. And my skin is usually bright red. I want to thwack Giselle [Büchen] with the brush she supposedly doesn’t need. Women don’t need pressure to look perfect.
You mention your friendship with Megyn Kelly in the book. She was one of many women at Fox who complained about being sexually harassed by Roger Ailes. Did you ever talk with her about her experience with Ailes? Did you ever feel the atmosphere at Fox was hostile to women?
I did talk to her, but I’ll leave it at that. I can only talk about my own experience, and I guess the best way to describe it is that I was so wrapped in myself, my day, my worries, my kids, my errands, my to do list, you name it… that I wasn’t aware of what was going on around me. In retrospect, yes, all the signs were there. But initially I was as shocked as anyone.
Your descriptions of your child-bearing experiences were harrowing. Was it painful to relive those moments? How do you think your children will react years from now reading these sections of the book?
Thompson tried to read it and the description was too much for him. He’s not ready. When they are ready I will talk to all of them about it. There’s quite the happy ending, and all’s well that ends well.
Parental leave is a big topic now in our nation. What will it take for the U.S. to catch up to other nations in this area that is so important for families?
I’m a small government person. I don’t like people in Washington dictating anything. They seem to barely be capable of making decisions for themselves, much less for my family. So I reject the premise of this question. Companies should create the policies that result in the best outcome for the workers they want to attract.
I found myself wanting to read more about your experiences in TV news. Any plans for another book where you could flesh out those stories?
Amen sister! My editor thought I went heavy on the news stories, so emphasis is in the eye of beholder I guess!! I will write much more. Next up for me though is a TV pilot.
Top photo credit: Heidi Green Top photo: Wray, Greyson, Melissa, Gemma, and Thompson All photos courtesy of Melissa Francis
New Year’s Day is typically viewed as the start-over holiday. We make resolutions, promise to leave bad habits behind, and move forward with good intentions.
For me, Easter has always been the holiday of new beginnings. There’s a sense of joy on Easter, a sigh of relief that we made it through Lent, perhaps giving up something that we enjoyed or using those 40 days as a time to volunteer and reach out to others. And if we performed those acts of kindness without posting photos on Facebook, then just maybe we learned something about humility.
Growing up, we signaled that spiritual rebirth with our new Easter clothes – a spring coat (a topper now all but obsolete), white shoes to mark the onset of spring, and, of course, an Easter bonnet, a rare sight except for the traditional Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue.
I’ll still wear something colorful, but not new, on Easter. Old habits die hard. But what I truly value these days are my relationships with family and friends, reaching out with a phone call or email. Yet I still find many I care about holding onto hurts from years even decades ago. I visualize these grievances as huge burdens, weighing down body and soul. These negative feelings become a vortex, sucking in others around us, thus damaging their future relationships and inadvertently continuing years of misery for all involved.
Forgiveness is never easy. But we have the best possible example ever to follow on Easter. If we forgive others, then maybe, just maybe, we will be forgiven, too.
Lydia Diamond’s Smart People deals with all the “isms” – racism, careerism, chauvinism, conformism, conservatism, elitism, materialism, multiculturalism, etc. All those “isms” affect our attitudes and beliefs. The play, needless to say, is thought-provoking, causing the actors and, of course, audience members to think, react, and, yes, squirm a little as what unfolds on stage provokes self-examination. “There is a lot of anxiety in the country and the city right now,” says Sue Jin Song, who plays a psychologist, Ginny Yang. “I think this play is topical and can inspire great debate and, hopefully, introspection. We need to find a way to dialogue about these issues to move forward as a country.”
While the “smart” in the title refers to the intellect of the four main characters – besides a psychologist, they include an actress, a doctor, and a neurobiologist – these professionals at times come across as pretentious. “They are smart, as in bright, but definitely have shades of arrogance,” says Lorene Chesley, who plays the actress, Valerie. Sue Jin observes that each person is accustomed to being the smartest person in the room. “So what happens when you are met with another person who is just as smart and opinionated?” she asks.
Sue Jin Song
Spirited conversations happen, even fireworks, between the four who are friends, even lovers. “I love that this play is funny, smart, and brave,” says Sue Jin. “I love that theater gives us a safe place to allow for difficult conversations.” Diamond set the play during the 2008 presidential election, but it will be presented at Arena Stage in the aftermath of the 2016 election. “People wanted to believe that with Barack Obama’s election we were now a post-racial country,” says Sue Jin. “Well, not so fast.”
Each actress connects with her character. “Valerie believes in her craft one thousand percent and she believes in herself, that she can do anything you throw her way,” says Lorene. The downside is that “she says reckless things and takes things way too personally at times.” Valerie believes her MFA from Harvard will jump start her career. “She gets pigeonholed in the roles she goes out for, and is not respected for her MFA training,” says Lorene. “I have experienced the same thing. When I first got out of grad school I just knew I could do anything, but I immediately got sent out for roles that are my `type.’ It’s like I have done all this training to widen and expand my horizons and then Bam! Back to playing whatever I classically look like. I know how to navigate and play the game now that I’ve been in the business for years.”
Lorene Chesley
Like Valerie, Ginny has worked hard to succeed in her profession. “Even her weaknesses or faults just make her more human and interesting to me,” Sue Jin says. “She is facing her life choices and the impact that those choices have on her clients and on her work. But the higher you climb, the further you have to fall.” Ginny is aware of being an Asian-American woman in an institution and country that is still dominated by white men. “She navigates that system, but at what cost?” asks Sue Jin. Like Lorene, Sue Jin says she has often found herself typecast. “As an Asian actress, I have turned down work and auditions for certain roles and projects,” she says.
Both women are fans of Lydia Diamond and also wanted to work with Seema Sueko, who directs. The production, they say, will not disappoint, involving the audience immediately in the action. “[It opens] with a bang!” says Sue Jin. “Hold on and grab your seatbelts.”
Adds Lorene: “With the political climate we’re in, race, love, all of these topics that are unveiled throughout this play, it’s imperative to open the line of communication so then we can move forward with real change.“ She hopes that Smart People will encourage people “to discuss these important topics… and to LISTEN to one another.”
Top photo by Tony Powell Left to right: Lorene Chesley as Valerie Johnston, Gregory Perri as Brian White, Jaysen Wright as Jackson Moore and Sue Jin Song as Ginny Yang
Smart People Written by Lydia Diamond Directed by Seema Sueko Arena Stage 1101 Sixth Street SW 202-554-9066 April 14 through May 21, 2017
Ted Wallace (Roger Allam) is a famous poet who hasn’t written a poem in decades. When he isn’t getting to the bottom of a whiskey bottle, he’s reviewing plays for a newspaper. Attending a performance of Titus Andronicus where the muscle-bound actors look like they came from Thunder Down Under, he loudly voices his disapproval, prompting one of the actors to dive into the audience. Wallace delivers a knock out punch and knocks himself out of a job.
He receives a surprise visit from Jane, the daughter of an ex-girlfriend, wanting to pay him a large sum – 100,000 pounds – to investigate goings-on at Swafford Hall, the estate of her uncle, Michael Logan (Matthew Modine). Jane (played by a radiant Emily Berrington), was diagnosed with leukemia and given three months to live. After visiting Swafford, she is now cancer-free. Without giving Wallace any more information, she wants him to visit the estate and find out the miracle behind her cure.
John Standing and Tommy Knight
A skeptic by nature, Wallace is inclined to turn down her proposal. But her earnest approach (and, of course, the money), convince him to make the trip. Michael’s son, David (Tommy Knight), is Wallace’s godson. Although he hasn’t seen David in years, paying him a visit seems like a good cover story.
Arriving at Swafford, Wallace receives a mixed reception. While David is thrilled to see his godfather, Michael is outwardly hostile. Michael’s wife, Anne (Fiona Shaw), is more welcoming, confiding in Wallace that she’s worried about David and believes that a visit from his godfather may help. Since David has also begun writing poetry, Anne hopes Wallace will find another way to get close to his godson. (That tactic proves futile once Wallace hears some of the young man’s writings and deems them abominable.)
Wallace soon understands that it’s David he’s there to study. The young man is being credited with saving his mother’s life when she had a serious asthma attack. After Anne collapsed, David’s older brother, Simon (David Ridge), began CPR, but when David placed hands on his mother, she recovered. Wallace finds himself witnessing firsthand another of David’s “miracles.” One of the estate’s horses, Lilac, falls ill, and David’s healing touch is credited with saving the animal’s life. David’s grandfather also performed miracles, so Michael believes his son has inherited the “gift.”
Tim McInnerny, Roger Allam, and Lyne Renee
Others visiting Swafford Hall are eager to jump onto the miracle bandwagon. Valerie (Lyne Renee), a French socialite, hopes that David can turn her plain daughter, Clara (Emma Curtis), into a beauty. A flamboyant theater director, Oliver (Tim McInnerny), gets caught up in the drama, causing him to espouse at length over dinner, miracle (really lurid) moments from his own past.
Wallace keeps in touch with Jane via Skype, but even after hearing about David’s supposed miracles, he cannot offer her any reassurance that her healing is real or lasting. Wallace is not one to believe in miracles, even where his own writing is concerned. Yet after the events at Swafford, he suddenly finds himself writing again, two poems literally spilling out of him. A miracle?
Based on Stephen Fry’s 1994 novel and directed by John Jencks, The Hippopotamus provides the perfect vehicle for Roger Allam as Wallace. Fans of the PBS series Endeavor will recognize Allam as Detective Inspector Fred Thursday, forced to put up with an impossible chief superintendent. Here, Allam as Wallace doesn’t suffer fools. While we never hear any of Wallace’s poetry, his witty and, at times, cutting speeches (aimed at individuals or recited as voice-overs), hint at his literary prowess. Allam makes the most of these moments, delivering them with relish. His performance, as well as all that romping around a gorgeous English estate, makes The Hippopotamus an enjoyable film.
When the National Portrait Gallery scheduled an extensive renovation of the museum’s “America’s Presidents,” the exhibition briefly closed from February 26 through March 23. A temporary exhibition has now been installed in the west gallery on the second floor and will remain on view until September 4. The newly restored gallery space will reopen on September 22, 2017.
“America’s Presidents,” the nation’s only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House, is the museum’s most popular exhibition, so a seven-month closure was ruled out. “We don’t want to get letters from school groups saying they are disappointed that they didn’t get to see the presidents,” said David C. Ward, senior historian and director of scholarly programs, National Portrait Gallery. The temporary home for the nation’s 44 presidential images offers visitors a special treat: two woodburytype portraits of former President Barack Obama by Chuck Close. (Obama’s official portrait for the museum has yet to be commissioned.)
Also on display in the space is “Hindsight Is Always 20/20” by contemporary artist Luke DuBois. Working with the state of the union addresses of 41 presidents, ending with George W. Bush, DuBois created “word clouds,” pulling words and phrases from these speeches and arranging them like an optician’s eye chart. The result is a snapshot of what major issues occupied each president as he addressed the nation.
Refurbishing the permanent exhibition, as well as setting up its temporary home, is “an enormous undertaking,” according to Ward. “We’ve been open for ten years, and there’s been a desire to redo the exhibition, from the lights to the historical context,” he said. Besides the 44 paintings, the show also includes a priceless bust of George Washington, housed in a glass case that requires proper security precautions. Still, Ward said the museum’s staff was up to the challenge. “You don’t want to get bored as curators,” he said.
David C. Ward
Ward, who is a walking encyclopedia on presidential history, led a press tour through the temporary exhibition on March 23 before it opened to the public. Besides sharing insights and anecdotes about each president, Ward explained the complexities involved with structuring and maintaining such a popular exhibition. Each president, for example, has his portrait in the exhibition, no matter his place in history. “Franklin Pierce, a mediocre president, is given equal stature to Lincoln,” Ward said. “James Buchanan, considered the worst president, sat in office in the winter of 1860-1861, when the south seceded.” Although Lincoln was elected in November, he was not inaugurated until March, making Buchanan “the lamest of lame ducks.”
The passage of time often changes the public’s opinion of a president. Harry Truman, for example, was not well liked while he was in office. “Truman now gets high marks,” Ward said. “He is seen as a progressive Democrat who was also a straight shooter.” On the flip side, Andrew Jackson, popular while in office, is now vilified for his “belligerent masculinity,” and deplored as an “Indian killer.”
Theodore Roosevelt, who was governor of New York, was distrusted by the party leadership who wanted him out of the state. “They made him vice president for William McKinley,” said Ward. Of course, after McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt became the nation’s 26th president. “You think history is orderly, but often it is based on caprice and contingency,” Ward noted.
While many of the portraits in the exhibition are part of the museum’s collection, others are borrowed from other institutions or on loan from private collectors. Sometimes the right portrait of a president just isn’t available. After the museum received a letter objecting to Dwight Eisenhower’s portrait that showed him in a military uniform, the museum had to search for a replacement. The one now on display came from Susan Eisenhower, a granddaughter, and shows the former president in a blue business suit.
The White House selected Robert Anderson, one of George W. Bush’s Yale classmates, to create the portrait of the 43rd president. The painting shows Bush in an open neck blue shirt relaxing at Camp David. Not all presidents are pleased with the results of the artist’s efforts. Lyndon B. Johnson called his portrait by Peter Hurd “the ugliest thing I ever saw.” That painting, meant to be Johnson’s official White House likeness, now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.
And not all artists like their subjects. That was the case with Norman Rockwell who was charged with painting Richard Nixon. According to Ward, Rockwell limited the time he had to spend with Nixon by substituting a friend’s hand for that of the 37th president.
Brandon Fortune
When “America’s Presidents” reopens on September 22, Gilbert Stuart’s “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington will be back on view, according to Brandon Fortune, chief curator, National Portrait Gallery. In the temporary space, another Stuart portrait of Washington is on view, showing the first president in the black velvet suit he wore on formal public occasions. Fortune said the portrait shows Washington “at his most human.” She also singled out Abraham Lincoln’s portrait by George Peter Alexander Healy which depicts the 16th president in a contemplative pose.
When the newly refurbished gallery opens on September 22, the space will boast improved graphics and lighting. Interactive touch screens will allow visitors to explore each presidency. There will also be a new website and a new edition of the museum’s book of presidential imagery.
Chances are the museum’s most popular exhibition will be even more popular come September.
We earthlings are obsessed with finding signs of life on other planets. Why? Are we afraid of being alone in the cosmos? Do we hope that alien beings know things we don’t know and can solve our serious problems, like global warming or acne? In Daniel Espinosa’s Life, six astronauts on the Mars Pilgrim 7 Mission discover a blob, and they can hardly contain their excitement.
Rory Adams (Ryan Reynolds) with David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal)
Rory Adams (Ryan Reynolds) is the cowboy of this international group, donning a space suit to repair whatever goes wrong outside the station. David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a physician who has been in space for so long – nearly 500 days – that he can’t imagine being back on earth. Sho Murakami (Hiroyuki Sanada) becomes a father in space, talking his wife through the birthing process, then displaying to everyone a photo on his iPad of his new daughter. Ekaterina Golovkina (Olga Dihovichnaya) is the mission’s commander, while Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson) brings a much-needed calm to the entire operation.
Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare), a Brit and the lead scientist, is in charge of the discovery, isolated in the capsule’s lab as a safety precaution. The one-cell life form, placed in a petri dish, looks like those paramecia with cilia that undulate that we used to study in science. While Hugh’s upper body resembles that of an athlete, he’s paralyzed below the waist. Weightlessness in space allows him to move freely about the capsule, but he fantasizes that “Calvin,” the name given to the life form, might be a super stem cell, able to mend his injury.
Rory Adams (Ryan Reynolds)
Healing humans, however, is not on Calvin’s agenda. In a short period of time, Calvin is killing off the astronauts in gruesome ways and rapidly growing into a monster with a brain. Calvin has no respect for Hollywood royalty, so A-list stars like Reynolds and Gyllenhaal soon find themselves in danger, along with the rest of the crew.
In D.C., the press screening was held in an appropriate place, the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater in the National Air and Space Museum. The 75-foot screen receives images from a “dual 4k laser projection system with a 12 discrete channel sound system” providing audiences “with the sharpest, brightest, clearest, and most vivid digital images ever combined with a whole new level of immersive audio.” Translated that means this screening was an intense experience, for sure. The audience felt it was in that space capsule along with Reynolds and crew, scrambling to keep one step ahead of Calvin. (If you have the option, see the film at a theater offering IMAX.)
David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal)
Life will undoubtedly be compared to Alien where Sigourney Weaver fought a much scarier opponent. Calvin is not nearly as frightening (although it will probably be some time before you can eat octopus again), but Espinosa certainly heightens the tension. The claustrophobic setting in the space capsule adds to the suspense. There are only so many places the astronauts can hide, and Calvin seems to have the ability to squeeze through small spaces with ease. It’s a no-win situation.
Connecting with the crew, learning more about each member, brings a personal element into the story. We root for the astronauts, not only because the alien life form is so evil, but also because anyone who signs on for such a challenging mission to benefit mankind deserves our support and respect. Space travelers are heroes, risking everything to explore a new frontier, knowing they may not come back alive.
Perhaps it’s time to rethink all those missions to Mars.
Photos courtesy of Columbia Pictures Top photo: David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson)
The publishing industry and the movie industry are lemmings, following popular trends rather than thinking outside the box to come up with something exciting and different. When a new book or film does break out – The Hunger Games (first book, then film) – everyone rushes to replicate that success. So we have had a whole series of dystopian novels and films ad nauseam, none as great as the one which started the trend.
We can say the same about Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn’s psychological thriller which was a bestseller and went on to become a film starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins also became a film, this one with Emily Blunt. So we can imagine all those intrepid editors at publishing houses going through slush piles trying to find the next thriller featuring a slightly crazed female protagonist and coming up with A Simple Favor by first time novelist Darcey Bell.
Like its predecessors, A Simple Favor follows a similar pattern. The woman at the center of the plot is narcissistic and unbalanced, but, like so many people with these characteristics, she can skillfully manipulate others to play along with anything she cooks up. The problem with this set up is that the protagonist and everyone around her become unsympathetic and unlikeable. (That was certainly the case with Gone Girl. Did anyone like Affleck’s character, even though he was the victim?) And without someone to latch onto, root for, the characters become annoying and the plot frustrating.
In A Simple Favor, Emily is in the driver’s seat. She seems to have it all – good looks, an attractive husband, Sean, who is British and works in finance, an adorable son, Nicky, a gorgeous home in suburban Connecticut, and a high-profile job working for a famous fashion designer, Dennis Nylon. She also seems nice, befriending odd duck Stephanie, a widow with a son, Miles, who spends her time writing a mommy blog. Stephanie is so needy that when Emily throws her a lifeline she grabs it with a vengeance. Soon the two are inseparable, spending afternoons stretched out on Emily’s huge sofa, drinking white wine, while their two sons enjoy a playdate. When Emily asks that her friend pick up Nicky after school, Stephanie is only too happy to help. But then Emily disappears and Stephanie is frantic that something has happened to her friend.
Stephanie tells part of her story in her blog, part in straight narrative. While Bell nails the tone and substance of a mommy blog, these passages are irritating. The condescending, cheerful content begins to grate, although this might be intentional on Bell’s part. After Emily’s disappearance, Stephanie uses the blog to enlist support to help find her friend (since she says her readers come from all part of the country, this seems a stretch). When it appears Emily is dead, she continues to keep everyone updated on Sean and Nicky.
There are many revelations and Bell skillfully doles them out. Truth be told, Bell has produced a page turner, even though the characters – Emily, Stephanie, and Sean – continue to act in ways that are off-putting and exasperating. By the end of the book, not one of the trio is anyone a normal person would want to spend time with. But we will be spending more time with them. A Simple Favor will soon be a feature film from Fox.
Mystery writer Stephen Dobyns has staked out Saratoga Springs as his territory. That’s a great thing for mystery lovers, especially those, like me, who know Saratoga. We recognize the horse-centered culture, the various places where tourists, horse owners, stable hands, and locals hang out. And we also recognize the characters that become part of the landscape.
Charlie Bradshaw is one of those characters. A private investigator, Bradshaw has used his instincts and numerous contacts to deliver results for his clients. In Saratoga Payback, Bradshaw is settling into retirement, albeit not one of his own making. With his license and gun taken away, he can’t legally work as a P.I. That status, however, does not prevent him from investigating when a dead body shows up on his driveway.
Mickey Martin ran a small insurance and real estate business but really trafficked in “gossip, slander and scandal, as well as back biting and stabbing.” In other words, Mickey had a lot of enemies who might want him dead. Mickey’s throat was slashed and his tongue cut out. (Mickey was famously known for his urine-like breath, but that doesn’t explain his brutal murder.) Before Charlie unravels the mystery, several more victims will lose body parts to the killer.
Charlie’s assistance is not welcomed by the Saratoga police, particularly Lieutenant Frank Hutchins, who promises to throw Charlie in jail if he attempts to operate as a P.I. Charlie reacts to that threat by digging in and continuing to gather information. He also takes on a client, Fletcher Campbell, whose horse has been stolen and held for ransom. He wants Charlie to deliver the ransom money, but not to investigate. However, Charlie just can’t help himself and after handing over the cash to a man in a yellow cab, he memorizes the plate number, and after contacting the taxi company, traces the man to a hotel in Albany. The trail goes cold there, but Charlie knows that the Campbell horse-napping is just one in a string being carried out by a gang in Saratoga. Is Mickey’s demise somehow connected to this horse-napping ring? The clues keep piling up, as do the threats to Mickey, his family, and those he holds dear.
Dobyns produces an enjoyable read. HIs characters are not only colorful, they jump off the page and stay in our head. They feel “real,” like people you would expect to meet in a town like Saratoga. And his descriptions are priceless. For example: “Eddie hadn’t simply had hair; he’d had a glossy pompadour of black locks rising above his scalp like Godzilla over Manhattan.” Or this one: “Lizzie Whitaker…wore a gray turtleneck sweater, an ankle-length skirt of darker gray and a black leather belt. All she needed was an iron ring to make her look like a granite hitching post…”
Besides Charlie, several other characters stand out. Victor, who places his life on the line for his best friend, Charlie. Janey, Charlie’s girlfriend, tries her best to keep him in line, while her daughter Emma is only too happy to jump in and help the P.I. especially when being able to use her tech skills.
The final battle doesn’t disappoint. We know that Charlie will succeed but how and when is the question. It’s also humbling to find Charlie fighting, not only his adversaries, but his aging body. Not being able to run or react as quickly as he did in the past hampers his physical efforts but certainly not his mental abilities.
Truth be told, this is the first Charlie Bradshaw mystery I’ve read. I’m planning to go back to the beginning to encounter a younger Charlie and follow his many adventures in Saratoga.
Top Bigstock Photo: Saratoga Casino-Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York, as seen on Sep 24, 2016. The property has 1,700 video lottery games as well as live harness racing during the months of March to December.
