Books & Bordeaux
Book Reviews, Discussion Guides, and Wine-Book Pairings
“Call no man happy until he is dead. Herodotus.” Mr. Nancy raised a white eyebrow, and he said, “I’m not dead yet, and, mostly because I’m not dead yet, I’m happy as a clamboy.” “The Herodotus thing. It doesn’t mean that the dead are happy,” said Shadow. “It means that you can’t judge the shape of someone’s life until it’s over and done.”
The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury: Exploring Constantinople
One night, at the urging of her friends, Alice Pendelbury consults a fortune teller who tells her that the most important man in her life was just walking right behind her…and before she can meet him, she must meet six other people. And so begins Alice’s journey…
While lacking in a satisfying romance, Alice Pendelbury delivers a rare view of Turkey in the 1950’s and the 1910’s.
The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury takes place in England and Turkey after WWII. After her neighbor, Mr. Darby, offers to fund her trip to Turkey (which was weird for the reader and for Alice), they embark. Mr. Darby makes some more questionable decisions with his money and Alice pursues her career as a “nose”, developing and sharing scents and techniques by meeting with local perfumers.
A Title Change That May Have Affected the Story
Largely, we felt the romantic relationship in Alice Pendelbury read like it was written at least twenty years ago—particularly the awkward and ostensibly charming way the Mr. Darby pursues Alice. At no point in the story was anyone of us rooting for the main characters to get together. And we wondered if this was because of the title… We learned after reading that the original publication (in French) was titled “The Strange Journey of Mr. Darby”. Given that title, you would make more assumptions about the outcome of his relationship with Alice—namely that he would end up with her. But because the English publication is titled “The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury” it actually felt like you were supposed to wonder who she was going to end up romantically partnered with?
This is part of what makes this story feel old: the author assumes that the reader assumes the most important man in her life is a romantic relationship. We were all waiting for a familial relationship to reveal itself. Perhaps this is another unintended side-effect from the title change…
How Old is Alice Pendelbury?
I remember reading her birthdate at one point late in book and started to do the math and then stopped when it wasn’t making any sense for her character. But the girls brought it up at book club and indeed–Alice Pendelbury is 39 years old during the events in this story. (!!) Levy has written her as though she was in her early twenties, including the way she and her friends interacted: passive-aggressively fighting for the affections of a male friend at a carnival outing?… I’m not saying relationships could never be complicated when you’re 39, but they also wouldn’t be so silly. It felt like he wanted to write about a younger woman and he just forced it to work for a different age so he could include certain world events in her timeline.
War-Torn Turkey & Armenian Genocide
Levy does a great job depicting a time and place I am unfamiliar with: early and mid- 1900’s Turkey. And also for bringing attention to horrifying events that occurred in Turkey during WWI.
Our book club’s timing with this book was accidentally in line with current events, because earlier this year, President Biden formally recognized the Armenian genocide, “which claimed more than a million lives during the tumult of World War I as Ottoman forces expelled or killed ethnic Armenians during the unraveling of the empire.” (Side note: I recommend getting a Washington Post membership: it’s very inexpensive for unlimited access to articles for the year. This is not sponsored, just my honest recommendation. Quality journalism is becoming more and more important!) Recognizing the Armenian Genocide is particularly important to Armenian diaspora living all over the world, including Europe, Russia, and around 1.5 Million people in the U.S.
Wine Selection & Tasting Notes
Elyse Nero Misto. Pleasantly dry, cherry, black currant, and something herby.
Discussion Questions for The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury
