Book notes | Italian Shoes
Henning Mankell is a Swedish author most known for his Wallander detective stories. In Italian Shoes, Mankell tells the story of Fredrik Welin, a former physician who lives in self-exile on a small, remote island off the Swedish coast in the Stockholm archipelago. He lives there with an old dog and an old cat. There is an ant hill on a table in his living room that he allows to keep growing.
Every morning during the winter Fredrik lowers himself into the frigid Baltic Sea through a hole in the ice next to his dock. This, he says, is to make sure he is still alive.
There is an understandable reason why this once successful surgeon isolated himself on the island.
His life changes when a former lover whom he abandoned more than 30 years earlier shows up outside his cabin to confront him about their past. Harriet re-enters his life and takes him to meet their daughter, Louise, whom Fredrik was never told about. Soon, he finds that he cares about them both, and they become very important to him.
One day the now-changed Fredrik watches some ice-skating children jump up after they fall, and he finally admits to himself that he must not let the regrets of the past ruin his life. He decides to make amends for the tragic mistake he made during an operation by looking up the patient who was involved. Thus, Agnes becomes part of his life along with Harriet and Louise.
Where do the Italian shoes fit in?
Louise has an old shoemaker friend named Giaconelli who is a master craftsman well known for the beautiful shoes he makes. Louise has Fredrik fitted for a pair, and the shoes are finally delivered to Fredrik at the end of the book.
Although finding it initially depressing, UMRA Book Club members universally enjoyed this book. As the quirky characters who enter Fredrick’s life emerge, their actions engage the reader more deeply in the story.
Readers with Swedish heritage enjoyed the descriptions of the country. And many readers saw the story as one of redemption in that when Fredrik let people into his life he experienced personal growth.
—Pat Tollefson, UMRA Book Club member
Book Club to meet July 17
Fri, Jul 17 2020, 2pm
Pat Tollefson will lead the discussion of Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 17.
Our August book is The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee.
The UMRA Book Club currently has 16 members, a number that works well for our discussions. Contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected] for more information, including suggestions for starting a new book club.
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.