Willing isn't in this book, a mystery thriller that came out in 1974. But the heroine, manager of a charity antique shop, is an interesting protagonist. She works with―in the words of the jacket copy―"Rebecca, who had the gentle self-effacing manner of a Nazi storm trooper." Really the Godwining is uncalled for, since in the book she's just an abrasive waif who's seen a lot of movies from the forties.
This copy is from the library's stacks and it's been through the wars. There are all sorts of pen and pencil doodles and scribbles on the pages. But hey, the text is still legible, so it works.
2 comments:
I've never read any Helen McCloy books but I see from Wikipedia she had a pretty long and successful career. It looks as though Through a Glass Darkly may be one of the better Dr. Willing stories that, with a little luck, I might be able to find. Of course, some of the others sound interesting enough that I'd be happy to come across any one of them
I agree the references to Nazis as well as Hitler have been very overworked since wwii, and even more so recently in consideration of a certain Russian leader - never mind where the real Nazis can be found.
One of my favorite Golden Age authors was Dorothy L. Sayers. Her characters, Lord Peter Wimsey and the woman who he eventually married, Harriet Vane, appear similar in some ways to Dr. Willing and his wife. I have to say, though, that my second real favorite in the Wimsey novels was Bunter, Lord Peter's valet and assistant. I didn't enjoy the stories nearly so much when he kind of faded away.
Speaking of notes, underlines, and scribbles in books that have seen some use, one of the oddest I've noticed was in an old paperback edition of Stout's Too Many Cooks. Somebody had taken it upon themself to ink out every reference to black people that could be found offensive - sometimes many paragraphs were damaged, never mind the ink had often soaked through to the page beneath. It was a good thing we also had a copy of the book in an anthology.
Huh. I did a little digging to see if Through a Glass Darkly was one that I had read. Pretty sure it's not. So you might wind up beating me to that one. The little of the description I allowed myself to read does make it sound interesting.
The actual Hitler seems to have gotten us addicted to having a Hitler. When he killed himself and his country was defeated America remembered that it didn't like Stalin, and honestly he deserved the hostility. Since he died it's been a merry-go-round, and very often you can't tell how much of what they say is true.
I've enjoyed the Wimsey I've read. Great name, among other things. I remember reading a quote by Dorothy L. Sayers saying basically that she had created a wealthy member of the landed gentry as her detective as a means of escapism because she herself was dirt poor. She said it better, but I commend her for her self-awareness either way. It's too bad Bunter was phased out. Wonder what was behind that.
That sounds like a truly bizarre case of book vandalism. What I remember about Too Many Cooks is that Wolfe is willing and able to talk to the cooks as equals, something they don't expect from any white man. The book deliberately explores racial tensions. Smudging out the racism would be like taking out Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and inking out all the candy and punishment.
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