The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

This is one of those books that, you look at the description and think, "that sounds interesting, but I'm not sure I'm up for that." But I picked it up anyway (on my Nook, on Sunday morning, online!) and I am glad I did.

Set in 1980's Chicago and Portland (OR), this is the story of Rachel, a young girl of mixed race who is the sole survivor of a horrible tragedy. Rachel's mother is Danish and her father is African-American, and after the accident she goes to live with her father's family in Portland, where she experiences the black community for the first time. There she learns that, to other people, she is not just a girl - she is a black girl who isn't "black" enough.

The novel is written from varying first-person perspectives - Rachel's mostly, but also her father's, her mother's, and most touchingly, the young boy who saw the accident happen and was deeply affected by it. If you like Toni Morrison I think you will find Durrow's work to be similar, and equally provocative. I am glad I didn't pass this one by.

Heidi W. Durrow'sThe Girl Who Fell from the Sky [Hardcover](2010)

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

I picked up this novel because it was the first library book I saw that was available for my Nook. Yes, I have a Nook now - it was a gift. It's really sweet, and I no longer have to shlep all the way across the street to the library - I can find books online and download them. Cool, huh?

Anyway, this book was quite good. It isn't the happiest of novels, being that it is the story of Rachel and her family trying to make a life for themselves in the Badlands, just after the turn of the 20th century. There's drought and death and no end of hard work, all with no running water or electricity - not my idea of fun. But Rachel is a really well-written character, and I finished the novel with a great deal of respect for her strength.

Now I'm going to go check out the library web site to see what I want to read next.

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree: A Novel

Last Night at Chateau Marmont

Lauren Weisberger (of The Devil Wears Prada fame) does this sort of "fish out of water" genre better than just about anybody, and her newest novel does not disappoint. Brook and Julian Alter are a happy New York couple - he's a singer/songwriter, she's a nutritionist. She works 2 jobs to support his musical career, but she loves him and doesn't begrudge him a thing. Then Sony gives him a record deal, his first album debuts at number 4 on the charts, and they are instantly thrown into a life for which they are utterly unprepared.

What I love about this novel is that I feel like Weisberger is giving me the inside scoop on "celebrity" and all that goes with it. The preparation instructions for Brook just to attend the Grammies are priceless, as is the hours long primping and dressing just to walk down the red carpet. And the supporting character - the managers and PR people - all have a believable sliminess and hardness. And I love that Brook tells her friend that all of the celebrities look, "thinner, and invariably older" in person.

This novel is an entertaining peek into a world I will never be part of, and that's what makes it enjoyable. And I can totally see a movie being made, with Amy Adams playing Brook... not sure who would play Julian though.

Last Night at Chateau Marmont: A Novel

The Outer Banks House

This novel, about a young lady coming of age in post-Civil War North Carolina, is much deeper than it appears on the surface. Abigail Sinclair is the oldest daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, but things haven't been going to great since the war ended three years ago. Abby's daddy has built a house right on the beach in Nags Head, one of the first, and the family heads there for the summer to relax.

While in Nags Head, Abby begins to tutor local boy Ben, and soon develops feelings for him. But Ben and Abby really are from two entirely different worlds, and both have a lot still to learn about the world. When they get mixed up with the local freedman's community, and Abby's father's Klan activities, the tragedy that strikes could rip them apart.

I was expecting a sweet little novel about a girl falling in love with an unsuitable boy while on summer vacation - let's face it, who hasn't that happened to? But what I got was a much deeper story about figuring out what's really important in life, and learning to stand up for the things that really matter. It was a really good book.

The Outer Banks House: A Novel

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

This is a really sweet and touching novel about Rose, a girl who can taste people's emotions in the food they make. It's a little reminiscent of Like Water for Chocolate, but not quite as mystical.

Rose is a really great character - interesting, warm, funny, touching. She starts tasting her mother's emotions in food - baked goods are the most intense - when she is 8 years old. Over time she can identify where the oranges and eggs and chickens come from, and whether the farmer who provides them is happy in his work or would rather be doing something else. Initially she is not sure about sharing her extra sense with others, but she eventually learns to accept it and to live with it, and even to use it when it suits her.

Her brother is much less social than she is, and his extra sense is much stranger. I actually found Rose's sense to be much more believable than her brother's, whose sense didn't really seem to be related to hers. I'm not going to say what it is because that would give away a big part of the book.

If you are a fan of mystical realism this is a great book. If you aren't, then this probably isn't a book you would care to read. But I thought it was a lovely story.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel