Book Review - "The Goldfinch"

Book Review

“The Goldfinch” - by Donna Tartt

771 pages -  Little, Brown & Co.

Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur

When you pack a ton of material between the covers of a novel, the sheer volume, and range of emotions can become noteworthy in itself.

Trouble is, in “The Goldfinch” what Donna Tartt tries to pass off as a ‘…who would have thought it…’ ending is one we have assumed for five hundred pages. The result is downright insulting to the reader.

This is as unforgivable as a Dave Letterman routine wherein he implies (in the comic’s authoritarian way) that he’s just said something extremely funny – and what’s the matter with us? Don’t we realize we should be laughing?

True, Tartt absolutely nails the essence of the narrator as a little boy … but the ‘kid’ in her protagonist still dominates when he’s an adult, exposing the author as rather one-dimensional … a literary ‘one trick pony.’

And the boy’s memorable friend (boy’s … youth’s … man’s) — a Russian – speaks satisfyingly in typical Slavic idioms some of the time … and sometimes not. Example: “I don’t know what happened to you. But I can say that what happened to me is at least five thousand times more.” is immediately followed by “This has been one for the books.”

Now, the latter sentence would have been pleasing but for inclusion of “the” — which should have been excised by any copy editor at Little Brown worth his salt.

It’s the sort of thing that occurs hundreds of times throughout the book … to the point of distraction.

I am not a fan of the impressionist style of writing (my word). For example: at one juncture successive paragraphs lead with the spare, “Black birds.” … “Act of rebellion.” … and … “Bottle of chilled white in the mini-bar.”

I usually conclude (maybe unfairly) that writers who employ this technique throughout a work are plain lazy.

But can the author of a book totaling (by my estimate) a quarter million words be termed a laggard?

Absolutely! Conciseness in writing requires far more industry than does any presumptuous piling-on of verbiage.

Donna Tartt apparently figures that if she empties her whole bag of goodies before us, we’re bound to find something valuable among the detritus of countless hard drug episodes and teenage angst.

I did. But one night’s investment would have given me the same return that seven did.

Award-winning Smithtown writer Jeb Ladouceur is the author of eight novels, and his book and theater reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In Ladouceur’s next thriller, “Harvest” due in late summer, an American doctor is forced to perform illegal surgeries for a gang of vital organ traffickers in The Balkans.

Smithtown Dish - Small Bites Of Foodie News

Smithtown Dish – small bites of foodie news

By Nancy Vallarella

Two Twists on Tuna Steak

Tuna with Beet Relish,Spiralized Zucchini with sauteed cherry tomatoesThe dog days of summer are upon us.  The last thing on anyone’s mind is turning on the oven. Here are a few quick and easy recipes that take you outdoors with minimal grill time.

Tuna steaks are quick and easy grilling. Individual serving sizes range from 6 – 8 oz. Pat tuna steaks dry with a paper towel. Rub each side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Arrange on hot grill, turn only once throughout 8 – 10 minutes or less to taste. Season with pepper after removing from grill.

Now this is where the magic happens…Finish tuna steaks with this relish or pesto. These recipes are bright and fresh, and are very complimentary to tuna. The amounts given are enough for four servings of tuna.

Beet Relish 

2 large cooked beets

½ lemon peeled with seeds removed

1 two – three inch piece of ginger peeled and sliced

½ cup of sugar

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

Boil or pressure cook beets until tender or use equivalent canned or jarred beets*.  In a food processor, combine lemon and ginger and process until finely chopped. Place mixture into a saucepan. Add beets to food processor and process until chopped coarsely and add to saucepan. Stir in sugar.

Cook mixture over medium heat for about 4 minutes and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thickened slightly. Transfer to a bowl to cool and then stir in parsley. Refrigerate until serving. This recipe can be made the night before.

*Plain beets are recommended. Do not use pickled or glazed beets. 

If beets are not your thing…

Macadamia Pesto

2 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup pickled ginger

½ cup cilantro leaves

¾ cup toasted macadamia nuts*

1Tbs. sesame oil

½ cup olive oil

2oz. Asiago cheese

Place peeled garlic in food processor. Rough chop garlic, then add ginger, cilantro and toasted macadamia nuts. Process until ingredients are blended. With motor running, gradually drizzle in the sesame oil and the olive oil, then the cheese. 

 Serve pesto on top of tuna steaks or place into a pastry bag and insert ¼ of the pesto inside of the cavities of each of the four tuna steaks. Follow tuna steak cooking directions above. Slice each steak and fan out onto serving plate and garnish with lime.

*To toast macadamia nuts: Place nuts in nonstick pan and heat on medium low heat shanking pan frequently until golden.

The easy way out… Serve tuna steaks with your favorite prepared salsa verde or sofrito.

Stay cool! 

Larissa Barnes - 2014 HSW Graduate And Girl Scouts' Gold Award Recipient

Larissa K. Barnes

“Girl Scout Gold Award recipients are part of an elite group of women who embody community leadership leaving behind a sustainable legacy.” Girl Scouts org.

Larissa K. Barnes, a resident of Smithtown and a 2014 graduate at Smithtown HSW, has received Girl Scouts highest recognition the Gold Award. 

To receive the Girl Scouts’ Gold Award a Girl Scout must complete a challenging project. The focus of a Girl Scouts’ Gold Award project is identifying and researching a community issue that the scout is passionate about, developing a plan to address it in cooperation with her team and community members, establishing a global connection with others and providing sustainability for the project. For her Gold Award project, Larissa set out to create awareness on the hunger problem that exists on Long Island. The first part of the project had Larissa working closely with the Island Harvest, which is the largest hunger relief organization on Long Island.

Larissa helped create an online food pantry directory that listed all the available resources in the geographic area. From the online version, she created a pamphlet that listed an individual area’s resources. The pamphlet included local food pantry addresses, nutritional information and recipes in English which were then translated into Spanish. The second part of the project was to create and maintain a sustainable large food producing garden. Due to hurricane Sandy, maintaining the garden was a challenge, but it still managed to produce some vegetables. The last part of the project was a food drive that Larissa organized in her community which yielded 328 pounds of nonperishable items as well as the produce that was harvested from the sustainable garden.

Of the skills learned through Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards, leadership, organization and critical thinking are the fundamentals of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Larissa has demonstrated exceptional commitment in taking action to make the world a better place through her community service.

This fall Larissa will be heading off to Johnson and Wales University in North Carolina where she will be majoring in Restaurant, Food and Beverage Management. When Larissa heads off to school at the end of August she will be leaving behind avery proud parents David and Tara and brother Alex and a Smithtown community that is a little bit better because of this young woman’s efforts.   

Kudos to Larissa Barnes!

Summer And Baseball - Commack North Little League Team Moves Into Finals

By Dana Klosner

The Commack North Little League Team has done it again. This team of 13 twelve and thirteen year olds has won the District 34 Williamsport Championship for the second year in a row. They have a 6-0 record beating Bayshore on July 7^th in the championship game. They are now in the Eastern Regional Finals, in which they made it to the semi-finals last year, losing to the eventual US Champion.  The Eastern Regional Finals will be played locally at Commack North’s Cedar Road Baseball Complex. They will be competing against 9 teams from Maryland to Massachusetts and all states in between. If they win the Eastern Regional Finals they will go on to California to represent the East Coast in a chance for the US title, where they will play teams from the Mid-West and the West. If they go on to win that they will be the US champions and go on to play in the Little League Baseball World Series. 

“The team is made of up 13 boys who love baseball for what it is,” said Team Manager Doug Silverman. “They just love to play the game. Last year we had 9 thirteen year olds and 4 twelve year olds. This year we have 10 twelve year olds and 3 thirteen years olds. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. They are confident and assured of themselves. This is a fun game regardless of how competitive this tournament can be. Of course they want to win, but they just love playing this game. They also love it that the community is behind them. Lots of people from the community come out and support them and they love the attention.” 

This is the first time the boys have been playing together as a team. They’ve only been practicing together since June.

“There’s lots of camaraderie among them,” Silverman said. “Each one plays his role. No one thinks they stand out. Their motto is thirteen for one. Everyone plays their own role and do the best they can. I have a lot of fun coaching these boys.”

The boys agree with Doug Silverman. It’s all about the game.

“I was six years old when I started playing,” said Nick DeCicco, now 13, who plays short stop and pitcher “My parents started me up with it. I got into it. You always push yourself to do better.”

“Getting to play is good,” he went one. “And the amount of fans that show up is great. I love the excitement of all of it. We’re all motivated to win. Everyone’s goal is to go to California.”

For Drew Silverman, Doug Silverman’s son, who plays pitcher and catcher, baseball is just fun.

“It’s a good time,” Drew said. “It’s fun, anything can happen. It’s a great time to hang out with the guys.”

Drew, who has been playing the game since he was three years old, is motivated by watching sports.

“I love watching them do really good.”

Drew’s advice to other kids: “It’s fun, it keeps you active, and it’s a good chance to hang out with your friends.” 

And what do the boys think their chances of winning are?

“I think we have a strong chance,” said Nick. “We have pitching depth, a great amount of hitting and our fielding is good.”

“We’re just as good as last year,” said Drew.  “Anything’s possible.”

Local And State Officials Meet With KP Bluff Advocate Pamela Schmidt

By Dana Klosner

(click on photos to enlarge)

Pamela SchmidtLooks like good news for those interested in restoring the Kings Park Bluff. Last Monday, representatives from the Town of Smithtown, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, State Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick and several community associations all met to discuss the remediation plans for the Kings Park Bluff. The meeting was called by community activist Pamela Mary Schmidt who recently started a web page called, “A Voice for the Bluff.” Schmidt and her web page advocate for federal and state funding to restore the Kings Park Bluff and prevent further erosion.

“It was a highly productive meeting,” Schmidt said. “It clarified that the Bluff is part of Sunken Meadow State Park, minus a ‘dead’ area that nobody owns, apparently. All who were present agreed to pursue identification of all agency stakeholders so that a view can be established to develop a comprehensive management plan for the mouth of the Nissequogue River.”

Kings Park Bluff photo submitted by P. SchmidtBut just because it’s been deemed part of Sunken Meadow Park doesn’t mean it is known exactly who is responsible for maintaining the Bluff.

“We have to look at the agreement with the Town of Smithtown,” said Wayne Horsley regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation. “There was an agreement with Smithtown that they would have responsibility. We don’t know what exactly those responsibilities are.”

The result of Monday’s meeting is yet another meeting that will be held in September. That meeting will involve Assemblyman Fitzpatrick, Senator Flanagan, the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife and all the different constituencies involved in maintaining the Bluff, Horsley said.

“We all care to restore the Bluff,” Horsley said. “Whatever decision is made, Russell Barnett (director of Smithtown’s Department of Environment and Waterways) said the public brought five or six ideas to him on how to maintain the Bluff and they are all very different.”

For Schmidt, the idea that everyone is working together to save the Bluff is very good news. 

“I’ve been going to the Bluff my whole life as many of us have that live in Kings Park,” she said. “We have so Erosion prevention methods include rocks and a cage like barrier to hold rocks in placemany memories that define our identity. We watched the erosion and attempts at restorations efforts. We saw the devastating effects [Superstorm] Sandy had on top of years of erosion. It’s not just the effects of Sandy. Sandy just put it over the edge. I wanted to try to do something to protect what we have left. That’s why I built my Facebook page which has been getting community support via organizations and individuals.”

For the last 11 years, Schmidt has been King Park Bluff Beach Captain for the International Coastal Cleanup day.

“I wanted to advocate for funding to preserve what we have left of the Bluff.”

There has been $7.5 million in federal funding allocated for coastal resiliency projects on Long Island, including $2.5 million for Sunken Meadow State Park, she said.

The funding comes from Sandy coastal resiliency grants program that’s administered by the US Department of the Interior – DOI. 

“My question is why can’t the Bluff get part of that,” she said. “I want the Bluff to get part of that funding.”

“We want to reduce our community’s vulnerability to increasing occurrence of coastal storms flooding and erosion,” she said. 

Schmidt questions decisions that have been made regarding the restoration of the Bluff in the past.

In June 2002 the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) agreed to approve a geotube to stabilize the Bluff, she said. A geotube is a hard structure as opposed to soft stabilization such as sand and planting. In 2003 a notice was given that a geotube would be excessive and not necessary. Later in December of 2003 a permit was granted for stabilization of the Bluff with no geotube, just soft attempts at remediation. Although the town was required to remove some boulders in order to receive the permit.

In March 2004 a grant of $112,000 was provided by the Empire State Development Corporation to regrade the slope, put plantings in and move the parking lot back.

But the erosion continued due to the fact that there was not enough hard structural remediation, plantings, some rocks and sand has not helped. All that washed away with Sandy, she said. 

“This is not just about money,” she said. “It’s about preserving memories of generations, past, present and future. “

The bluff project is not Schmidt’s only passion.

Schmidt is a Special Education and English teacher at Freeport High School. She also writes curriculum for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and the Center for Gifted Youth at Long Island University/C.W. Post College. 

Several years ago after writing curriculum for the Robert F. Kennedy Center she created a project called “The Voice of Potential.” It is an educational program that facilitates human rights education and art to promote self-sustainability between the collaboration of students in the US and children removed from exploitative labor in Nepal, Africa and Haiti.

photo courtesy of P. SchmidtShe’s been to Haiti 10 times in the last four years. This summer will be her 11^th trip to Zami-Beni Orphanage in Port Au Prince Haiti and the third trip to the Hamor Ghar Transit Home in Katmandu, Nepal with children recently removed from exploitative labor in the rug industry. 

“When I return from Africa I’m going to have them [her students] do the bracelet project in all three locations,” she said. 

In the bracelet project students raise awareness about the specific global issue and sell bracelets, each person who purchases a bracelet receive their name on a “drop” of water. Each drop represents one dollar. If bracelets are sold for 5 dollars each, then that person has their name written on 5 drops. The drops build a “wave” on a hallway in the school to represent Robert F. Kennedy’s “Ripple of Hope” quote stating that each individual coming together can make a difference in the world. 

The project has helped to fund a Hydroponic Fish Farm at the orphanage in Africa. In Haiti it helped build a bakery and in Nepal it went to children’s education.

Schmidt’s students at Freeport High School won Newsday’s Future Corps award for selling the bracelets. The money they raised went to children rescued from exploitative labor in Nepal and to the Interfaith Nutritional Network of Freeport. 

Schmidt has recently been accepted into the Doctorate program of Interdisciplinary Education at LIU/CW Post College.