North Dakota Senior

The Simpering, North Dakota Literary Society

Description

Historical fiction - humor: Card shark and ex-nun Farika Zingarella wins the greatest poker game in history. The prize? The town of Simpering, North Dakota. Gathering five like-minded geniuses, the women of The Mighty Five build an empire that could fend off the world - and that is exactly what they do. There wasn't much to laugh about in 1919. World War I had ended, fascism was on the rise overseas and American women stood tall on the suffrage question. Then, along came The Simpering, North Dakota Literary Society - you've never lived in a town like this!

Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-07-18
Summary: "A fictional feminine undercurrent is added to the power structure of U.S. history"

What is G.F. Skipworth's "The Simpering, North Dakota Literary Society?" Its founder is Farika Zingarella, a nun who was kicked out of the convent for the hefty sum she won in a 1862 poker game since "a deck of cards was a Stradivarius in her hands."

She didn't just invest her winnings, she amassed the wealth of a small nation. In order to manage the funds, a "literary society" (a name that does not give off "the odor of greed and ungodliness") was formed in the tiny community of Simpering, North Dakota.

Its female stockholders are known as "The Mighty Five." They are brazen enough to hold a world economic summit in North Dakota (without inviting the United States) and travel the globe in order to further pad their portfolios. They are:

1. Edielou Zingarella - think Katherine Hepburn. Daughter of Farika. Leader of the pack. Too rational for romance. Supreme organizer whose main goal is to continually increase the society's net worth. Doggedly pursued by the romantic sensibilities of a passionate Italian financier, who yearns to protect her. The subject of Lady Astor's cruise ship entertainment. Targeted by the evil machinations of Fascists determined to prevent her from buying what remains of post-WWI Europe through a kidnapping plot, gunfire, car chases, etc.

2. Mary Beth Tomes - think Harry Potter's Mrs. Weasley. A simple housewife with a heart of gold. A devoted schoolteacher. Takes Europe by storm with her recipe for cherry pie. Missing a toe on her left foot. Full of good old country sense. Goes toe-to-toe with the sophisticated verbal repartee of a corrupt French official. Teams up with her rifle-toting, frontiersman husband to rescue Edielou from imminent danger.

3. Priscilla Thistlewaite - picture a more eccentric version of Emma Thompson. A complete Anglophile. Enamored with the British theatre. Would love to inhabit the life of a fictional character rather than her own. Referred to as "Her Ladyship." Saved a child in Simpering from a runaway carnival bear. An upturned nose is her most distinguishing feature. Known for her self-produced monologues.

4. Gillian Bolzner - think Marilyn Monroe. The daughter of a world-famous variety act. A beauty queen. The object of men's desires. A soldier's pin-up girl. A blond songstress whose theme is "Sunny Is As Sunny Does." Loved by all. Knows nothing but show business. Wishes to leave the limelight behind. Attracted to a man who has no idea who she is.

5. Ida Bolzner - picture an older version of Wednesday Addams. The twin sister of Gillian, but her polar opposite. Gothic, dark, gloomy, brooding. A feared seer - her second sight is always on target, when she chooses to divulge what she knows. Loves rainy days. Favors Transylvania and the remote parts of Russia during her European tour. Jealous of Gillian. Meets her soul mate along the way.

Skipworth's writing style reads like a script taken from the annals of the Ziegfeld Follies or a current broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keilor. The narrator is present in the story making comments and offering advice. At times, the asides veer the narrative off course, for example the background on Simpering's oldest soldier, but overall one can easily imagine the narrator laughing along with the reader at the characters' antics.

Overall, a fictional feminine undercurrent is added to the power structure of U.S. history.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-05-16
Summary: "author introduction"

Where this story came from, I will never know - but I've seldom had so much fun writing. I grew up in a family where tongue-in-cheek humor was rampant. Combined with an interest in the American Edwardian period, this "improbably rural farce" somehow emerged.
Along the way, however, I had to do some research, and was startled by the results. For example, many of us think of the Suffrage Movement as a debate which eventually passed Congress - not true. Many of the women involved in that struggle came to serious harm, and some did not survive. As another example, the Japanese Emperor who fathered Hirohito was a most interesting historical figure, as was the Prime Minister of Italy, who gave way to Mussolini's fascist state. And yet, one of the most interesting people I ran across was Annie Oakley, who will be the subject of a forthcoming book. Apparently, she really was that good! There wasn't much to laugh about in 1919, but with this group of female geniuses, an island of humor was found amidst the conflict.
The reader should take time - proceed slowly. The dialect in which I write is, by intention, slightly wordy and flowery, both qualities intended to reflect the formality and social norms of that day. What I hope will be read as humorous turns of phrase are not based in shock or harshness. Look for the subtle and elegant (which is what I hope you will find).
Finally, I see much potential for further stories revolving around some of these characters. I am always open to readers' views on which characters worked, and which didn't. Is there anyone you would like to see more of, or less of? Or, is the thing just so weird that I shouldn't ever go there again - believe me, I've considered it. Regardless, a wonderful summer to all fellow authors and readers - enjoy. - G.F. Skipworth