Book Review: Becoming Bonnie

Author: Jenni L. Walsh

Publication Date: May 9, 2017

Publisher: Forge Books

From debut historical novelist Jenni L. Walsh--and just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Oscar award-winning film, Bonnie and Clyde--Becoming Bonnie is the untold story of how wholesome Bonnelyn Parker became half of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde duo!

The summer of 1927 might be the height of the Roaring Twenties, but Bonnelyn Parker is more likely to belt out a church hymn than sling drinks at an illicit juice joint. She’s a sharp girl with plans to overcome her family's poverty, provide for herself, and maybe someday marry her boyfriend, Roy Thornton. But when Roy springs a proposal on her, and financial woes jeopardize her ambitions, Bonnelyn finds salvation in an unlikely place: Dallas's newest speakeasy, Doc's.

Living the life of a moll at night, Bonnie remains a wholesome girl by day, engaged to Roy, attending school, and working toward a steady future. When Roy discovers her secret life, he embraces it―perhaps too much, especially when it comes to booze and gambling―she tries to make the pieces fit. Maybe she can have it all: the American Dream, the husband, and the intoxicating allure of jazz music. But her life―like her country―is headed for a crash.

Bonnie Parker is about to meet Clyde Barrow.

“Bonnelyn,” he repeats. “Well, that name ain’t pretty enough for the likes of you. I reckon Bonnie suits you better.”

But I also swallow, nervous ‘bout two things: basically telling Clyde he’s free to run amok, and how my ma will react to me bringing home a convicted felon – on a Sunday, no less.

I take a step forward, stop. I know getting myself arrested will do neither of us any good. I need to be strong for Clyde – for myself – to give us a chance. So I raise my chin and say, “I ain’t going anywhere.”

I have always been intrigued by the lives of the infamous duo of Bonnie and Clyde. This novel was such a fun tromp back in time to get a look at the life of Bonnie Parker before and after she meets Clyde Barrow. The story focuses more on Bonnie and her life growing up, marrying Roy Thornton, working in a speakeasy, and after much anticipation meeting Clyde Barrow. The story will suck you in from the days of Bonnie’s naïve and innocent, church going all the way up until she is trying to avoid Clyde’s boyish charms. The story is set in the 1920’s and Walsh, the author, does a phenomenal job of making readers feel as if they are right in the middle of the speakeasy, sharing a drink and listening to Bonnie belt out a song on the stage. I could imagine everything that was being described all around me. Bonnie was a fabulous character and really embodied all that it meant to sacrifice for family. She was a truly motivational character.

The only issue that I had with the book was not really an issue and was explained by the author in the author’s note. It took forever for Bonnie and Clyde to actually meet, but after reading and having time to ponder this, I am now glad that Walsh wrote the book the way she did. It was necessary to see Bonnie in her younger days and see the development that her character went through as her experiences changed her. I loved the relationship between her and her best friend, Blanche, who ended up with Clyde’s brother, Buck. These four are also known in history as the Barrow Gang. These characters all help readers get a feel for Bonnie’s life and the type of person she was before and after she met Clyde. I also had a strong dislike for Roy Thornton, Bonnie’s husband. To my understanding, he was not a really great guy and treated Bonnie very poorly. All the more reason to love a scoundrel like Clyde who treated Bonnie like a Queen!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Forge Books in exchange for my honest review***

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Theatre review - I Know You by Sam Moore

Title: I Know You

Writer: Sam Moore

Directors: Rosie Richards, Georgia Reddington

Performed by: Magpie Productions

Seen at: the Burton Taylor Studio

Cast: Sammy Breen, Benjamin Ashton, Joshua Cathcart

Review: Two men stand on a street corner. One remarks that the other looks nice. The other replies that that’s not what he’s looking for. They return home and sleep together. Afterwards, they discuss other men and how similar they actually are and how well one knows the other.

This new writing by Sam Moore is described by directors Rosie Richards and Georgia Reddington as Pinter-esque, postmodern, and about “stigma, repression, mental health, and intimacy.”   We see characters  who have sex with and share lives with each other, but in other ways are detached. As an audience, we may watch characters having sex and panic attacks and we listen to them tell some of the most private stories about their lives, but we don’t ever learn their real names. 

There were apprehensions from the cast about taking on roles so different to what they are used to, with backgrounds in musical theatre, and a lack of experience playing older characters. However, Sammy Breen (Kid),  Benjamin Ashton (John), and Joshua Cathcart (Pumpkin) all embody the characters – the youngish sex worker who’s seen it all, the reserved, shy older man, the ex who comes back and tries to care as best as he can – really well. Learning about the characters is intriguing, and information is   A week of characterisation workshops, the freedom to adapt and develop the script on their own and with Moore, the ability to put in as much of their own personality as they wished, and the challenge to not put too much of themselves into the play, have worked well to bring these characters to life. And how they did that in the full performance. Especially Breen in the breakdown scenes, and in the scenes when both John and Pumpkin are absent. It’s also in the smaller parts, like the transition scenes, as the way the characters look at each other tells you a lot about the relationship between them at the time.  

The writing is clever. In the scenes I saw for the preview, the words "I know you" were said, questioned, and disbelieved many times, with different contexts and meanings each time, and tracks the ways the characters reflect on themselves and each other. But will we ever really know them? Non-verbal language and implications, even from the first few seconds of the play, are also vital to the communication of and between characters. There’s a fair bit of humour, sometimes dirty, sometimes based on jokes, sometimes physical, always feeling appropriate to the situation. It’s an open-ended play, which isn’t really to my taste, but it does as the directors intended in showing how life goes on no matter what, and also shows again, how little we might know someone.  The different experiences of depression were frank, nuanced, and hard hitting in places.

Cathcart calls the play “voyeuristic”; I would totally agree. It sometimes felt too  intimate to watch, especially when it was just me in the audience. This is not because of the sexual content, but because we see the characters in their everyday lives, including at their most vulnerable. The set represents both the street corner and the bedroom, emphasising both the public and private in the play, and transitions are very well executed. The lighting is mostly realistic, apart from some marine club lighting  in some parts, which worked well, especially when it just faded to the naturalistic white light at the end, as real life just carries on. The depiction of mental illness, both the characters experiencing it but even more so the reaction from outsiders, is realistic.  Overall, the cast and crew have developed a piece of theatre that feels incredibly close and genuine. 

Another version of this review might appear in the Cherwell,

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Book Review: Forks, Knives, and Spoons

Author: Leah DeCesare

Publication Date: April 18, 2017

Publisher: SparkPress

There are three kinds of guys: forks, knives, and spoons. That is the final lesson that Amy York s father sends her off to college with, never suspecting just how far his daughter will take it. Clinging to the Utensil Classification System as her guide, Amy tries to convince her skeptical roommate, Veronica Warren, of its usefulness as they navigate the heartbreaks and soul mates of college and beyond. Beginning in 1988, their freshman year at Syracuse University, Amy and Veronica meet an assortment of guys from slotted spoons and shrimp forks to butter knives and sporks all while trying to learn if the UCS holds true. On the quest to find their perfect steak knives, they learn to believe in themselves and not to settle in love or life.

“She’s collecting a whole place setting.”

“He’s sweet, smart, and confident, too. See? Knife!”

“And remember, Amy, every guy is thinking about getting a girl into the napkin!”

This charming little read follows Amy York and her best friend Veronica Warren as they tackle their freshmen year at Syracuse University. Amy introduces her new friend to the Utensil Classification System that was taught to her by her fun-loving father. This system classified guys into several categories based on their actions, characteristics, and overall demeanor: forks, knives, and spoons. But what every girl really wanted was the perfect steak knife. Veronica, at first, thinks this is ridiculous, but when she finds out the guy she has been dating for so long is not the perfect Prince Charming she thinks he is, she and Amy navigate a series of broken relationships, bad dates, and some unspeakable things together just like best friends should. This book follows the two girls into adulthood as they mature and take on all life’s ups and downs.

These characters are phenomenal and are truly relatable and loveable. I couldn’t possibly choose which girl I loved more; I enjoyed following both of them as they grew up and entered into new relationships, ventured into new careers, and learned things about themselves through the relationships they now have. I think that friendships are very important to the experiences we have in life and these girls have a relationship that is very realistic. They complement each other’s flaws and are there for each other’s disappointments. We need more books like this in world today – books that allow women to realize they are not alone in classifying men and hoping and praying for the perfect one that meets all of their expectations, but in the end learning that finding someone to go through life with that you are sure is never going to leave your side ends up being just the right kind of partner we each need.

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for my honest review***

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