"God and Guinness" - A Strange Combination?

The Search for God and Guinness

Stephen Mansfield

ISBN: 1595552693

NOTE: Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of the book to review.

Christians and the alcohol industry certainly have a checkered past together. From the Women’s Christian Temperance Union through the Prohibition all the way to today’s anti-alcohol Christian ministries, the two have often been portrayed as the strongest of enemies. Imagine my surprise, then, to begin reading Mansfield’s book and discover that Arthur Guinness - the famed founder of the Guinness company - was a man of great faith, a man whose faith was influenced by an acquaintance with John Wesley.

From this opening, Mansfield traces the history of Guinness - both the family and the brew. Along the way, he uncovers a trend of social concern that weaves its way from the earliest days of Guinness all the way through its history. The book also includes myriad anecdotes and general history of beer as a beverage and the role it has played in history.

In God and Guinness, Stephen Mansfield writes well. Characters and events come alive through Mansfield’s natural storytelling ability. While there is much information in each chapter, it rarely becomes tedious. At times, it does feel as though Mansfield is excessively interested in defending the practice of enjoying an occasional pint of beer, but those moments are fleeting and nowhere does Mansfield become polemical.

All in all, a good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone interested either in history or in learning how a corporation can practice social responsibility. God and Guinness - not a strange combination at all.

No reading?

Believe it or not, the reason I haven't posted on this blog at all recently is that I haven't been doing much reading of value. About six weeks ago now, I committed to God that I was going to stop buying new books until after Easter. Little did I know that decision would lead me to a period of "silence" when it came to books. Oh, I'm still reading, but had not been reading much worthy of talking about or worthy of reviewing. It was almost like I was "sulking" about not being able to buy new books.

I think, though, that I am beginning to see the other side of this period of silence. Just this week I started reading two books that I hope to review in the next week or so - unChristian by Dave Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons; and The Politics of God and the Politics of Man by Jacques Ellul.

Before I continue reviews, though, I have to confess that this prolonged period of silence has been good for me - I pray that it continues to break me of my "need" to use books as an escape from my own life.

I'm reading now, and I'll be back on track soon!

Peace,

Joe

Pillars of Great Reading

Pillars of the Earth

Ken Follett

0451166892

In the interest of full disclosure, I should confess at the outset of this review that this is the fourth time I've read this novel, and that it is in my all-time top five of fiction books I've ever read and in the top ten of all books.

That said, Pillars is a monumental piece of literature.  That's literature, as opposed to mere mindless thriller fiction.  Ken Follett, known for his taught WWII thrillers, stepped way outside of his box with the writing of Pillars.  Set in the 1100s, the book's plot centers around two monumental figures.  The first is a monk named Philip - a pious but somewhat naive servant of God who disciplines wayward monks and seeks constantly to improve the monastic devotion.  The second monument is the massive cathedral Philip seeks to build for the town and for his monastery.

Filled with intrigue, treachery, love and lust, the storyline twists and turns in so many unexpected ways that a reader is hard-pressed to keep up.  The characters are incredibly well-developed and the interplay between personalities is authentic and real.  All in all, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone at anytime.  It's long, but you don't notice it because, after the first few pages, you are so engrossed in the tale of Philip and Tom Builder and others that you just can't put it down!

The Art of Stealing Art

The Art Thief

Noah Charney

1416550313

I picked up this book on a lark while at Waldenbooks the other day, intrigued by the title and by the plot description on the back cover.

As its title suggests, The Art Thief is about, well, the theft of art.  The plot ranges from London to Rome and places in between.  The human characters are interesting, if somewhat forgettable.  Where Charney's effort excels, though, is in the inclusion of many "art characters" - paintings that are brought to life through the brilliant descriptions employed by Charney.  Of course, this is to be expected from Charney, who is himself an art historian and the founder of an international thinktank on the topic of art theft.

It is, however, this same expertise that proves to be The Art Thief's downfall.  In many chapters, Charney delves so deeply into the esoterica of the art world that he risks losing the interest of all but the most intellectual readers.  These educational excursions frequently come across as just that, academic lectures that would be more at home in the classrooms of any major university.

Beyond the somewhat obtuse forays into the technical side of the art world, Charney's use of two foreign languages - French and Italian - provides another obstacle to a reader's thorough enjoyment of the tale.  While adding to the authentic feel of the plot, Charney's frequent uses of these languages frequently leave the reader wondering whether he or she should drop everything and get a translation of the conversation in question or risk missing out on some intricate part of the plot.

The overall verdict on The Art Thief?  If you're interested in art and understand the foibles Charney brings to the book, it can be quite entertaining.  In the interview with the author that is included at the end of the book, Charney reveals that he has two upcoming nonfiction releases.  I suspect that Charney's extreme expertise and ability to make the technical at least somewhat approachable will make both of these must reads.  For the time being, though, Charney's fiction comes across as average to slightly above average.

Appalachian Mischief

A Walk in the Woods

Bill Bryson

0767902521

It has been a little bit over a week since my last review, which means I am getting behind my goal of one per week.  I will do better at this in the coming weeks...

This week's book is considered by some to be a classic of travel writing, that genre of odd experiences on the road and the hilarity that ensues.  In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson chronicles his attempt to take on the Appalachian Trail, some 2000+ miles of hiking up mountains, down mountains and everywhere in between.  His companion for the trip is a man by the name of Stephen Katz - who Bryson had the (mis)fortune of traveling with some years earlier and who Bryson could barely tolerate.

One can hardly even imagine the riotous comedy that would result from both the odd couple of Bryson and Katz and from their task.  Starting with Bryson's trip to buy equipment and continuing through Katz' decision to throw out half the food one day into the trip and the obnoxious fellow hiker who latches on to the two of them for some time, A Walk in the Woods brings to its readers both humor and poignancy.

When reading this book, one feels as if he or she is travelling alongside Bryson and Katz, experiencing what they experience and feeling what they feel - such is the quality of writing.  To be sure, readers should beware that Bryson is occasionally, shall we say, a wee bit excessive in his choice of language...but even in those cases a reader begins to feel as if it were totally appropriate.

From my perspective, A Walk in the Woods, written over 10 years ago, is a fantastic read for people who don't understand the contemporary cry to protect our environment and our natural treasures.  Even if you don't appreciate that, though, you should pick this up and read it just for the laughs and for the opportunity to experience, albeit vicariously, a uniquely American trek.

Monte Cristo Redux

A Prisoner of Birth

Jeffrey Archer

0312944094

Jeffrey Archer's Prisoner of Birth is anything but your run of the mill thriller.  In a typical thriller, action scenes overshadow the characters, who are often flat and somewhat underdeveloped.  By contrast, thrilling though it is, Prisoner lacks the action scenes - it's thrills are exclusively the product of some of the deepest, most well-rounded characters you will find in a fiction book.

Prisoner is a modern day re-telling of Alexander Dumas' phenomenal epic, The Count of Monte Cristo.  Usually such rewrites fail to achieve their lofty goal - imitation without duplication.  Doubtless, Prisoner accomplishes just that, updating the classic tale of revenge for a whole new generation of readers.

What most recommends Prisoner, though, is its vivid portrayal of human emotions and motivations.  The lines between good and evil, right and wrong are blurred as Danny Cartwright - the story's Edmond Dantes'-like protagonist - bends rules and laws in an effort to seek vengeance on those who robbed him of his freedom.  Even more poignant is the contrast between Cartwright and the other protagonists, especially his fiancee Beth Wilson.  While Cartwright works outside the law and is willing to go to all ends to accomplish his revenge, Wilson is a paragon of innocence, clinging to her claim of Danny's innocence and fighting within the law to clear his name.

In my last review, I commented that the book in question was not likely to be read in high school English classes.  A Prisoner of Birth, on the other hand, could very well make its way into some classrooms.  The truth is, though no rewriting of a classic like The Count of Monte Cristo can ever completely live up to the original, Prisoner does an admirable job - and is more than capable of standing on its own as a quality work of literature.

A Swashbuckling Good Time

Arctic Drift

Clive Cussler

0399155295

I have been reading Clive Cussler books for many years now.  Cussler qualifies as one of those rare fiction authors whose books are automatic buys for me.  Most, though not all, of Cussler's books feature the same main character - Dirk Pitt - who is an interesting mix of Captain Jack Sparrow, James Bond and Superman.  

In each book, Pitt and his buddies find themselves in some sort of deadly battle against a megalomaniacal evil genius whose plans, often unintentionally, will destroy the world.  Arctic Drift is no different.  Set in 2011, the villain is a venture capitalist who is trying to profit off of the need for emission controls.  The action, as the title indicates, occurs mostly in the Arctic circle, though there is a healthy dose of Washington DC and other locales as well.

I'm not going to recommend this book based on its literary qualities, because there is no chance of anyone mistaking Cussler for Tolstoy or Arctic Drift for War and Peace.  To be honest, many of the characters are a little wooden and offer little variation or deepening from book to book.  The reader is never in doubt that Pitt and his cronies, no matter how bleak it looks, will win in the end.  Moreover, there is never a question as to whether or not the evil genius or the even more evil henchman will survive the battle.

In spite of all of that, there are several reasons why this book is a worthy read - as long as you know what you're getting into.  The chief reason is its author.  Clive Cussler is a renowned discoverer of lost ships at sea (it was Cussler and his team who first uncovered the wreckage of the Hunley, a confederate submarine from the Civil war, off the coast of Charleston, SC).  In part because of his encyclopedic knowledge of shipwrecks, Cussler's books are always filled with detailed accounts of shipwrecks, and the adventure of discovering the shipwreck is usually integral to the plot of the book.  Shipwrecks, though, are not Cussler's only forte.  He also owns a fleet of classic cars from the 20s-40s and always seems to feature one in his books.

Finally, there is the anticipation of finding Cussler himself in the book.  Every Dirk Pitt book (there are now 20 of them) has a minor character who comes to Pitt's aid at a critical juncture...and who always introduces himself as Clive Cussler.

Look, your kids aren't going to be reading Arctic Drift in English classes and you won't see it win a Pulitzer Prize.  But if you're looking to spend a little time in a world where things always go the way they should and the good never fails to win out in the end, you could do a lot worse than Cussler and his Arctic Drift.