Carl Deuker -- Books, Movies, TV

"The first qualification of a soldier is fortitude. . . . Courage is only the second." Conquers cities of present day Germany. Spandau, Berlin, etc. Shortage of men in France . . . Russians next, but his mind is on Britain. He wants to use trade sanctions to force Britain to its knees, but this doesn't work either. French (and others in empire) need to trade with Brits. Smuggling results.  Also, unintended consequences crop up. Example is shoes:  Napoleon requires 200,000 pairs of shoes from Hamburg.  Hamburg can't supply these to Napoleon, so they buy what they can't produce from Brits. So much for the sanctions!  British are supplying uniforms and shoes for Napoleon, and making $$$. . . . Continues after the Russians in December 1806. . . has to withdraw, 40% of his army out of commission.  Horrible battle with Russians, thousands killed. Napoleon in tears . . . dire moment, Napoleon orders full out cavalry attack . . . Eylau a massacre without any result . ...

"It is not peace that is important but the conditions of peace." N. Awareness of the fact that he can't control any part of the sea is a constant thorn. Underestimating of British.  "With 9,000 men I would defeat 30,000 British troops." Austerlitz victory is immensely profitable for France.  75 million francs of revenue . . . "war must pay for war . . ." 1806--error of statesmanship when he appoints his brother the king of Naples . . . ideas and beliefs in meritocracy forgotten . . . brother(s) are poor leaders . . . dividing up the spoils of victory sows future problems . . . French/English negotiations for peace .  . . enlightened, for his time, in treatment of Jews . . . proclaimed Judaism as one of three official religions of France . . . in other countries, Jews had to pay extra tax and were not official citizens . . . 170,000 Jews in France and extended French empire . . . Napoleon calls Jews "rapacious" and "pitiless moneylen...

Plans to invade Britain is put on hold because Europe erupts. . . Napoleon's genius as a general on land . . . England still dominates the seas . . . total victory at Austerlitz . . . Right after the first major land victory of the campaign for N., Admiral Nelson obliterates the French fleet at Trafalgar.  22 French and Spanish ships lost--1 ship lost by Great Britain . . . the idea of invading Britain still festered in N.  He foolishly spent money planning an invasion that would never take place and would have had no chance . . . Underestimated Great Britain; held personal animosity toward  Brits .  . . Napoleon's blind spot

Plans to invade England . . . so many things have to be right . . . calm seas for flat bottom boats . . . eight hours of total darkness . . . favorable wind . . . luring English navy away from coast (highly unlikely)  N. hopes Irish will help French . . . while all this is going on, N. is reading scientific papers by physicists on heat conservation and writing letters to scientists . . . Invasion plan is a bad one . . . once in England, how would he reinforce his troops or supply them. Admiral Nelson would cut him off from France:  Line about Napoleon, "master of Europe, and a prisoner in Europe" because of English maritime strength . . . plots against N. life . . . N. orders executions that are very unpopular throughout Europe . . . proclaimed Emperor . . . French who don't like the idea of an emperor do like the idea of France being an empire, so they go along with it. . . Napoleon puts the crown on his own head--daring, over-reaching probably, causes an uproar . . . b...

"Ambassadors are essentially spies with titles."  Napoleon President of Italy . . . Peace treaty with England (Amiens) in March 1802, with Turkey in June 1802 . . . flawed peace treaty with England because there was no opening up of France for trade with England, infuriating the English who thought peace would mean trade. . . tourism, though--Brits come to Paris and admire Napoleon . . . British liberals enamored . . . Napoleon "consul for life" . . . lots of unsettled territories, Switzerland being the largest . . . Industrialization much greater in England than France . . . France in 1802 is about the same as England in 1780 as a manufacturing center . . . Napoleon is basically Anglophobic, complaining of any art work that celebrates English victories being shown in Louvre . . . peace unraveling . . . by 1803 . . .  War May 18, 1803! . . . Louisiana Territory sold, advantageous to both parties.  France gets money; USA gets land.  France avoids possible war with ...

"Everything passes rapidly on earth, with the exception of the mark we leave on history." Ends war with Austria and "quasi war" with America. . . . numerous assassination attempts . . . Letter from the would be Louis XVIII asking for restoration.  Napoleon's reply is polite, but a firm no. . . . Talleyrand uses inside knowledge to enrich himself . . . Tsar Paul 1 assassinated . . . Alexander I in his place--a mystery to N. Will he be pro-British? . . . Peace between England and France, at last, brings about exultation in England . . . peace favorable to France, Napoleon as excellent bargainer . . . Napoleon and Josephine start to dress like royalty making some wonder why the French had gone to the bother of decapitating Louis XVI . . . Haiti--rebellion by L'Overture . . . French troops struggle to put it down (N.'s racist ideas on display--he assumes Haitians can't fight.) L'Ouverture, "a black freeman who had owned slaves, imposed a const...

"I must give the people their full right in religion.  Philosophers will laugh, but the nation will bless me. " "What nothing will destroy, what will live for ever, is my Civil Code." French Revolution is anti-clerical, but Napoleon recognizes the power of the pulpit--useful to have the church as an ally.  Concordat signed, bringing church and state into alliance of sorts . . . the bureaucracy of the church used as a method to get out his messages to the people . . . called "Restorer of Religion," though it was purely pragmatic . . . Napoleon always skeptical of Jesus wondering, for example, if he even existed . . . Following the religious Concordat, he turned to the Civil Code, combining 42 codes into a single system--most enlightened system in the world.  Rule of law is the same over large area (or at least close to the same.) Major weaknesses . . . extremely respectful of property rights as opposed to labor rights . . . sexist--women subordinate to ...

9. Brumaire--Fortune smiles on N. The existing government (The Directory) is terrible upon his return; change inevitable. He is ready to assume role of savior. During this period, as he planned the coup, he wrote no letters.  At other times he averaged 15 letters per day. Talleyrand as opportunist. Hyperinflation in Paris. . . The coup takes place in November 1799; it is hardly flawless, and owed much to stagecraft. The Elders are deferential, but the Five Hundred (lower house) don't behave.  They surround N., shout at him, calling him Tyrant and Cromwell.  Tough moment.  Napoleon beats a hasty retreat out of the assembly hall. . . . The army enters the hall and the deputies flee . . . There is a story of a dagger being thrust at N. that is probably apocryphal.  N.'s brother swears he will kill N. if he isn't true to democratic principles of the revolution--all staged.  Both houses dissolved; N. in power. 10. Consul--Napoleon presents himself as "completin...

Napoleon genuinely enjoyed being with his soldiers. He was modern in that he used praise to motivate. "Severe to officers, kindly to men" was his mantra. Tremendous memory--story of asking a minor minister how his two children were doing . . . he had met the minister once, ten years earlier.  . . Admiration for Andrea Doria even though his star had fallen . . . Josephine "psychotic extravagence."   Bona fide intellectual . . . the attack on Egypt included scientists, geologists, poets.  It resulted in a 20 volume scholarly work on all things Egypt "Denon's Description l'Egypte (last remaining handwritten copy burned in the the Arab Spring uprising in December of 2011, along with 192,000 other books in a Cairo library) . . . In Malta, Napoleon immediately reformed the government, freed political prisoners, installed street lights, postal service, hospitals . . . generally well received by intellectuals as a liberator, hated by religious conservatives and...

Ability to compartmentalize:  sections of life like cupboard drawers, he pulls them open when that's what he's involved in, shuts them when he moves on.  Sleep = closing all the drawers. Warmonger?  War was declared on him far more often than he declared it on others. Poor reputation today is partially based on Hitler's admiration of Napoleon and the fact that both were involved in disastrous Russian campaigns.  Comparison not apt. N. as great reader with particular interest in Roman/Greek (war) history Native language is Corsican. Always spoke French with heavy accent. Learned French at 10, but his education in France made him FRENCH through and through. Corsica was basically a protectorate of France. Nickname is "Straw up the nose."  Clearly intellectually superior at school. Never a true Christian as he never believed that Jesus was God Believer in Roman equality before the law; not so much for freedom of press, parliamentarianism, human rights. ...

800 pages! Started on the long project. Roberts decries the Hitler-Napoleon equation that was used by the British in WWII.  Napoleon no champion of freedom of the press, yet in some ways he completes and codifies the French Revolution.  Inspiring leader, brilliant general (Caesar, Alexander). Corsica a French protectorate, so he learns French and distinguishes himself at French military academies. Much more coming!

Lily has two guests from her college days to visit.  Lily has been in a non-dating, virginal netherworld she doesn't like.  Her guests are married.  They are also fighting--the woman is having an affair, the man is crushed by it.  Description of love gone wrong is very good--the woman is repelled by her husband.  Nice scene where he dives and is attractive again.  They all drink some wine.  The man asks Lily:  Does she still love me?  Lily, quiet at first, finally says no.  (The wife is sitting right there.) The couple leaves the next day.  The friendship of the three is clearly at an end -- did Lily overstep her bounds? Yes.  Did the wife want her to?  Probably.  Now they have someone to blame.  Lily, the gorgeous, brilliant poet, is once again alone with her literary prizes but no prospects for love in her own life. Nice story.  It had an autobiographical ring to me.  The couple visiting to confirm...

Trip #5 Frazier makes this one alone.  It is shorter, less perilous, but he still has to rely on his own Russian. Pretty impressive.  Oil as future wealth for Russia--book was published in 2010, so probably written before the impact of fracking on the world oil market was clear . . . Aeroflot--no smoking, cleaner (no lawn chairs for seats) . . . jets named after writers (Pushkin, Dostoevsky--very Russian.  Our Alaska A has football teams.)  Novosibirsk Regional Museum with a mummy exhibit where the mummies are replicas, maybe, of real mummies, or then again just might be "mummies" created for the exhibit. . . . Small boy singing Jingle Bells while waiting for his mother--no accent at all . . .  Pages 463-64 All the contradictions of Russia . . . Stalin as the third most greatest (!) man in Russian History. . .  . Russia losing population.  Around 144 million -- 150 million mastodons buried in Siberia! Pollution . . . methane gas escaping as permafros...

No one would ever accuse Eskins of sentimentality. Let's see:  Desi is a two-timer, but so is Ianna.  Drago is a merciless killer.  Alexander (our hero and eyes throughout the book) turns out to be a corrupt cop who runs away with corrupt Ianna who is fleeing from corrupt Desi.  Alexander (not all bad, or even mostly bad)  has a moment of remorse when he sees Ianna smile at the video showing a murder--a video she plans on using to blackmail Wayne Garland so she can live on easy street forever.  Alexander can't smile at a murder--see, he's a good/bad guy.  When he tells Ianna he doesn't want to run away with her, he pays the ultimate price.  Ianna, too, pays the price, as does Drago.  Max, Alexander's brother, arrives at the end to clean up the mess. he sits alone with a glass of whiskey, having altered the evidence to protect his brother's reputation, but knowing the truth. I like the "go for the jugular" plot and the straight-forward style...

Lively, interesting plot. Death on boat of executive involved in Black Ops for US govt.  Probably killed by partner for $$$$.  Prostitutes on boat intended for blackmail scheme, but murder trumps that.  Serbian hit man (his parents brutalized in Serbia; he becomes killer in response) kills the prostitutes . . . but, one of the prostitutes is actually a 17 year old who has borrowed the name of a friend to get a job in a club that is required  by law to have "employees" (strippers) who are 18 and older. The Serb comes to town to clean up the mess. His plan--get a flash drive that shows the murder of the executive on the boat and kill everyone left.  The 17 year old has become a respected Iowa mom. She tells Alexander (our detective) the truth, little knowing that the Serb wants to kill her and that Alexander--if he solves the case--would by necessity expose her. Jericho Pope pretends to be James Putnam.  Michella Holla pretends to be Hillary.  The ...

My break from Travels in Siberia.  Man injured; woman killed in act of adultery when their car (don't ask) crosses barrier and smashes into Porsche.  Driver of Porsche (James Putnam) is dead.  But wait, the driver of the Porsche has stolen the identity of another man, so he isn't who he is.  Investigating all this is Alexander Rupert, a cop in trouble because his partner on the vice squad stole from the bad guys. Max Rupert, his older brother, is trying to keep him out of trouble. Setting: Minneapolis and Brooklyn Other plots:  Alexander's wife Desi seems to be two-timing him; marriage on the rocks for sure Dead man Jericho Pope's girlfriend Ianna is a hot number, encouraging Alexander to look at nude pictures of her as part of his investigation of Jericho's computer files Jericho Pope supposedly died at sea along with the CEO of a firm based on the private firms that made a fortune in Iraq.  Blackwater?  Halliburton?  Can't remember. Pope i...

Wonderful final few chapters.  First a discussion of Stalin and the contradictions.  Responsible for killing more than even Hitler, he remains respected in Russia, though it was primarily Russians that he killed. Frazier visits a Gulag and is appalled by the sense of absence.  It's just there.  No list of the dead, no list of the years it was functioning, no nothing.  Not torn down, not commemorated--as if the Russians are still waiting to figure out what to make of it. Section four ends with a burst of "Russian Love" from Frazier.  He attends a ballet in St. Petersburg, is overwhelmed by the crowd in all its Russianness--the woman in dyed furs, leather, strange printed dresses (Who Killed Roger Rabbit printed over and over) and by the complete rapture with which the Russians--dancing across space in their own huge country--watch the ballet. Frazier is a fantastic writer.  Break for awhile, then back to finish section five. One of the best travel b...

Wild ride on dangerous "highway" with 1000 foot drop offs. . . Stay profilaktorii--a place for workers to sleep and relax . . . author loves it .. . Second railroad an amazing accomplishment, young Soviets come from all around to build it, last enthusiasm for communism . . . Ridiculed on bus by older Russian woman who calls him a "fat American" and accuses him of stealing her space and jostling her . . . everyone laughs . . . moment when he loses all his Russian language skills from stress, exhaustion . . . visit to "lager" prison . . . tales of prisoners of Nazis wishing they could be held by Hitler again, because Russian camps are worse . . . wishing they could be slaves in America . . . eat grease thinking it might be butter . . . discovery by workers of ancient frozen stream complete with frozen salamanders . . . scientists can't investigate salamanders because prisoners ate them!

Amazing glass beach in Vladivostok--Eastern side of Siberia.  "Drinking" beach, bottles thrown down, waves work their magic, gorgeous . . . flight out never takes off . . . no refund, no reschedule . . . driving across Lake Baikal . . . "driving up from the lake into the regular streets of a city was an abrupt, peculiar experience." Page 380-81  Strange story of two flamingos falling from the sky into Siberia . . . rescued by boys and then given to strange Winter Garden . . . Yakutsk, at the latitude of Nome (p. 3500) has over 200,000 residents.  Wendell Wilkie visited (!) and said it reminded him of Elwood, Indiana . . . Today Yakutsk has The Gap, 31 Flavors, and many more American chains while Elwood, Indiana (a dying, manufacturing town) has NONE.

I'm very glad I took the chance and reread. I'm also very glad I listened to about half of this on an audiobook narrated by James Franco.  Before Franco, I couldn't get the right "voice" going in my head.  My narrator was too smart-alecky.  Franco's narrator is resigned/depressed, not a smart alec.  Franco is right.      The plot of the book--jumping in time with absurd elements--fits perfectly with the theme of the book -- that war (and perhaps life) is absurd. That's what I remembered.  What I didn't remember was how moving many sections of the book are.  The Dresden scenes . . . the scenes of loneliness and failure to connect even with close relations, children and spouses.  The simple facts are also moving -- more dead in Dresden than in Hiroshima. A pointless attack. Certain things irritated me, particularly the "so it goes," refrain, but there's so much to admire. Death train to prison camp. . . Out of prison camp to Dresden . ....

American pow as "inferior" to British pows who keep up form better . . . Jesus as a "bum" who turned out to be "well-connected."  Message of Christianity--don't mess with us . . . America simultaneously richest country on earth yet filled with poor people who are taught to hate themselves . . . Dresden as a city that will never be bombed because it produces no munitions . . . Some moving sections, some very funny sections, some sections that just don't work.

I'm doing what is becoming my normal read/listen method.  This time, it has been very interesting.  I started reading and found myself supplying the author with a snarky, know-it-all voice that I didn't particularly like.  After reading the first 20% of the book, I listened in the car as I drove out to the golf course.  What a revelation--the audible reader (James Franco) has a much better interpretation of the voice than I had.  In his reading, the tone is somber--mostly--and snarky only occasionally. Some really great scenes:  the backwards bombing (reminiscent of Time's Arrow by Martin Amis . . . which came first?)  The jumping about in time--which our minds do all the time--is handled deftly for the most part.  I'm not keen on the UFO capture stuff. I started this book fearful that (after 40 years) I'd hate it.  Hasn't happened, and I don't think it will.

Again, witty, informative, bizarre at times. Frazier wrote a New Yorker story in which Wile E. Coyote sues Acme for defective products.  It's very funny (at least to this Roadrunner cartoon lover) and that dry sense of humor comes out frequently. I also like that Frazier admits to falling into foul moods for no particular reason.  His description of sitting on a train and willing it to start on its journey is right on target. Many times on an airplane I've sat in dread as the plane sits, and then felt pure joy when it pulled back from the jetway.   We are going! This section ends with Frazier reaching the Pacific Ocean--success.  He gets on the satellite phone to call his wife and sees an email message from her:   We're safe.   Confused, he calls.  It is September 12, 2001. He lives in New Jersey, and his wife describes on the phone the destruction of the World Trade Center. Frazier hangs up; the Russians have just heard the news as well. They bri...

Wry sense of humor along with wonderful descriptions of people and nature. A few examples:  Tailpipe falls off: Sergei finds another in the weeds . . . Van, tired of its normal failures, bursts into flames . . . neighboring campers destroy and burn bench--policeman shows up and slaps them around . . . Lake Baikal almost tropical, stones reflected in moonlight . . . Long passages on the Decembrist revolt against the Czar in the 19th century, with contrast to American Revolutionaries . . . Frazier's take--the Americans believed themselves the equal of King George; the Decembrists never quite believed they were the equal of the Czar . . . Russian women's beauty--Frazier thinks it is probably a sign of the "marriage" trade whereby American and European men buy Russian wives . . . One economist thinks that Russian women are second only to Russian oil in bringing in foreign currency.  Should finish this section tomorrow . . . Will read Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse Five ne...

Frazier returns to Russia, this time determined to follow in the steps of Kennan (sort of) and make a car trip clear across Siberia.  He hires a Russian guide to help him along.  Very funny section at times; very moving at others.   S The humorous--the car his Russian guide buys to make the trip of 5000 miles over tough terrain is a Renault. Starter fails; generator light comes on, etc., all in the first few days. Russian guides unconcerned; Frazier panicked. The moving:   Siberia as a place of exile during Czar's time and then later during Stalin's time.  Incredible cruelty, bravery. An Alice in Wonderland world where the crime and the punishment often make no sense.  Romanov's slaughter. 

I read part of this and listened via whispersync to the other part.  The reader was excellent, but . . . this was the first book in a long time that I felt the "audible" version was simply too difficult to follow.  Every section I read I enjoyed more than any section where I only listened.  Baldwin builds his sentences and paragraphs, and I just couldn't be a good enough listener for the density of the prose. I will reread soon, but just the text. Observations: 1) The experience of the Black church--singing, ecstasy--makes religion physically real. 2) Strong sense of sin comes with puberty. 3) John feels the power of his intellect as something that separates him from others. 4) Black woman as strong presence, realistic, often in spite of the men they marry. 5) The North as a place that promises the possibility of more, but that frequently doesn't deliver. 6) After his "conversion," young John notices, "lean cat with yellow eyes," a "g...