Sunday Salon: All the Light We Cannot See; Bernardine's Shanghai Salon

 Sneak preview of Episode 1 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Early this month, I got an invitation from Goodreads and access from Netflix to watch on Sept. 10 the first episode of AllTheLightWeCannotSee, which is a screen adaptation of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize winning book.

Episode 1 on Netflix, in my opinion, was completely fabulous - the actors, the setting, costumes, everything... in spite of some negative reviews posted by critics. I'm looking forward to watching all of it in November.

The light we cannot see evidently refers to radio waves, communication that was made over wireless radio to pass on Allied information during WWII in France. The picture above shows Marie-Laure, a blind girl who nevertheless is able to help the war effort in St. Malo. She is on the radio in the picture.

I will have to reread the book to see if or just how much the film has changed the novel. The Netflix 4-episode series starts airing Nov. 2.

My very brief review of All the Light We Cannot See (2015) is here

Currently reading

Bernardine's Shanghai Salon: The Story of the Doyenne of Old China by Susan Blumberg-Kasoff

Publication: November 7, 2023; Post Hill Press, NetGalley

Genre: biography, Shanghai, historical

I've read several historical novels and books about Shanghai just before and during WWII, before and after the Japanese bombed and invaded the city. In Shanghai, Europeans and other Westerners lived cocooned and safe in the International Settlement, an enclave restricted to Europeans. This is another book that describes the social life and variety of people in Shanghai, including White Russian refugees escaping Communism and European Jews escaping Hitler's persecution.

I've just started the book, following Bernardine as she arrives in Manchuria and Shanghai to get married to Chester Fritz, a long time resident of the city.

Publisher's description:

Meet the Jewish salon host in 1930s Shanghai who brought together Chinese and expats around the arts as civil war erupted and World War II loomed on the horizon.

Bernardine Szold Fritz arrived in Shanghai in 1929 to marry her fourth husband. Only thirty-three years old, she found herself in a time and place like no other. Political intrigue and scandal lurked on every street corner. Art Deco cinemas showed the latest Hollywood flicks, while dancehall owners and jazz musicians turned Shanghai into Asia’s top nightlife destination. She introduced Emily Hahn, the charismatic opium-smoking writer for The New Yorker, to the flamboyant hotelier Sir Victor Sassoon and legendary poet Sinmay Zau. And when Hollywood stars Anna May Wong, Charlie Chaplin, and Claudette Colbert passed through Shanghai, Bernardine organized gatherings to introduce them to their Shanghai contemporaries.

She started a salon in her home, drawing famous names from the world of politics, the arts, and the intelligentsia. As civil war brewed and World War II soon followed, Bernardine’s devotion to the arts and the people of Shanghai brought joy to the city just before it would change forever.

What's on your reading schedule this week and/or the rest of the month?injuly202

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday.