Ok, so I realize I haven't posted here in about a month. That's because I was reading this sixth installment of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series - it's almost 1,500 pages long! Thank goodness I read it on my Nook, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to carry it on the train.
This is another great book from Gabaldon about Jamie and Clare Fraser and their family. As a reminder, Jamie is a Scotsman who came to the American colonies after being imprisoned by the British following the Jacobite rebellion, and Clare is his 20th century time-traveling wife. They've got their 20th century time-traveling daughter Brianna and her husband Roger (also a time traveler) with them too. The action in this book takes place in the 3 years leading up to the Revolutionary war, which Clare and Brianna have told Jamie all about, and he needs to decide when he will show that he's pro-rebellion.
As with all of Gabaldon's books, there is a LOT of detail about day-to-day life in 18th century North Carolina, really interesting supporting characters, and lots of historical action and adventure. We also run into some other time travelers, and get reacquainted with some villains from former books. This is a wonderful - if long - read and I highly recommend it.
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Daughters of Rome
I really enjoyed Kate Quinn's follow-up to Mistress of Rome, but I wish I had read this one first, since it takes place prior to Mistress. The daughters are the four Cornelias - Cornelia, Marcella, Lollia, and Diana - two patrician sisters (Cornelia and Marcella) and their cousins whose lives are entwined with and impacted by the changes that take place in Rome during the year of the four emperors, AD 69.
The novel is based on history, and many of the characters are real, including at least one of the Cornelias. The story is fast-paced and bloody, but also intriguing and fun. The girls couldn't be more different - Cornelia is a proper Roman wife, Marcella is an intellectual, Lollia is an oft-married party girl, and Diana is a beauty who's only interested in horse racing. But four emperors bring many changes, which challenge who the girls are and what they think of themselves and each other (and one of the girls gets a lot more than she bargained for in the end).
This is a fast-paced novel that I found riveting, maybe even more so than Quinn's first book. I'll definitely read more of her work.
Daughters of Rome
The novel is based on history, and many of the characters are real, including at least one of the Cornelias. The story is fast-paced and bloody, but also intriguing and fun. The girls couldn't be more different - Cornelia is a proper Roman wife, Marcella is an intellectual, Lollia is an oft-married party girl, and Diana is a beauty who's only interested in horse racing. But four emperors bring many changes, which challenge who the girls are and what they think of themselves and each other (and one of the girls gets a lot more than she bargained for in the end).
This is a fast-paced novel that I found riveting, maybe even more so than Quinn's first book. I'll definitely read more of her work.
Daughters of Rome
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Night of a Thousand Stars
This was a very enjoyable novel by Deanna Raybourn - one of those books that I just got deeper into the more that I read, and I flew through the last fifty or so pages because I HAD to know how it ended. It's the story of Poppy March Hammond, who in post-WWI London is about to marry into the aristocracy when she decides that is NOT the life she wants and, with the help of handsome curate Sebastian, goes out the window of the church and escapes to her father's home in the country. When Poppy decides a few days later she needs to thank Sebastian for his help, she returns to London to find him mysteriously gone - and also that he's not who he said he was.
So starts Poppy's adventure, aided by her ladie's maid Masterman and the dear old gentlemen who hires her to help write his memoirs, from London to Damascus, where she finds danger, romance, and eventually Sebastian. Poppy is a fun character, charming and endearing but not at all ditzy. She also seems to be the only character who isn't hiding something, and finding out who everyone is and how they're connected is an exciting read.
I'll definitely look for more of Ms. Raybourn's book in the future.
Night of a Thousand Stars
So starts Poppy's adventure, aided by her ladie's maid Masterman and the dear old gentlemen who hires her to help write his memoirs, from London to Damascus, where she finds danger, romance, and eventually Sebastian. Poppy is a fun character, charming and endearing but not at all ditzy. She also seems to be the only character who isn't hiding something, and finding out who everyone is and how they're connected is an exciting read.
I'll definitely look for more of Ms. Raybourn's book in the future.
Night of a Thousand Stars
Monday, October 20, 2014
The Fiery Cross
So, this is book, um, 5, I believe, of The Outlander series. It's another 900-plus pages of 18th century fun with Jamie and Claire Fraser, who have now been joined by their daughter Brianna and her husband Roger MacKenzie, and their son Jemmy.
The action in this novel takes place in 1771-1772ish, in the years prior to the Revolutionary War (which they know if coming since Claire, Brianna, and Roger are from the future). The fiery cross referred to in the title is the symbol used by the Scottish lairds to call the clansmen to war, and Jamie uses it to lead his band of government-established militiamen against the "regulators" who are causing trouble in the colony. Jamie and Claire are aware of the fine line he needs to walk, showing loyalty to the crown for now to protect his family and holdings, and figuring out the right time to declare his support for the revolution that's coming.
As with all of Gabaldon's work, the detail is amazing, and she is obviously a demon for research. I think this novel more so than the others shows just the sort of regular everyday life of 18th century colonists - raising crops, building homesteads, bartering what you had with other colonists who had other things, and getting everything you could from what you had. Since Claire's a trained physician with a scientific mind, she's also trying to create penicillin and prevent the medical practitioners of the time from harming rather than healing her family and friends.We also see a lot more of Brianna and Roger, who are interesting characters, and hear about some other time travelers who have come through the Carolinas at some point.
I need to take a little break before the next book in the series, but I'll be looking forward to reading that one in the not-too-distant future.
The Fiery Cross
The action in this novel takes place in 1771-1772ish, in the years prior to the Revolutionary War (which they know if coming since Claire, Brianna, and Roger are from the future). The fiery cross referred to in the title is the symbol used by the Scottish lairds to call the clansmen to war, and Jamie uses it to lead his band of government-established militiamen against the "regulators" who are causing trouble in the colony. Jamie and Claire are aware of the fine line he needs to walk, showing loyalty to the crown for now to protect his family and holdings, and figuring out the right time to declare his support for the revolution that's coming.
As with all of Gabaldon's work, the detail is amazing, and she is obviously a demon for research. I think this novel more so than the others shows just the sort of regular everyday life of 18th century colonists - raising crops, building homesteads, bartering what you had with other colonists who had other things, and getting everything you could from what you had. Since Claire's a trained physician with a scientific mind, she's also trying to create penicillin and prevent the medical practitioners of the time from harming rather than healing her family and friends.We also see a lot more of Brianna and Roger, who are interesting characters, and hear about some other time travelers who have come through the Carolinas at some point.
I need to take a little break before the next book in the series, but I'll be looking forward to reading that one in the not-too-distant future.
The Fiery Cross
Monday, September 22, 2014
An Abundance of Katherines
This is the second Young Adult novel I've read by John Green, the first being The Fault in our Stars. It's completely different but just as enjoyable (in a different way). Green is probably the best of his generation at capturing young adult idiosyncrasies (sort of like John Hughes was with his movies), and he writes characters that are interesting while not being sort of traditionally attractive.
Colin Singleton is a nerdy prodigy who, upon graduating from high school in Chicago, is dumped by his 19th girlfriend named Katherine. Yes, always Katherine, always spelled that way. His friend Hassan decides that the only thing to pull Colin out of his funk is a road trip, so they hit the road with no particular destination in mind. When they see a sign advertising the tomb of Franz Ferdinand -- in Gutshot, Tennessee of all places -- the boys have to check it out. They wind up making friends with Lindsey, who's mother owns the textile factory in town, and get offered jobs and a place to stay.
The writing is witty, the characters are interesting, and the story is really well told. My only real problem with it is I felt that it ended very abruptly. I would have liked to have had a few more things worked out before the end. But it was a really great read.
An Abundance of Katherines
Colin Singleton is a nerdy prodigy who, upon graduating from high school in Chicago, is dumped by his 19th girlfriend named Katherine. Yes, always Katherine, always spelled that way. His friend Hassan decides that the only thing to pull Colin out of his funk is a road trip, so they hit the road with no particular destination in mind. When they see a sign advertising the tomb of Franz Ferdinand -- in Gutshot, Tennessee of all places -- the boys have to check it out. They wind up making friends with Lindsey, who's mother owns the textile factory in town, and get offered jobs and a place to stay.
The writing is witty, the characters are interesting, and the story is really well told. My only real problem with it is I felt that it ended very abruptly. I would have liked to have had a few more things worked out before the end. But it was a really great read.
An Abundance of Katherines
Monday, September 15, 2014
Drums of Autumn
Okay, so this is the fourth book in the Outlander series, and it is awesome! Claire is hanging out with Jamie in pre-Revolutionary War North Carolina, while daughter Brianna is living in the present day (of late 1960's) Boston, attending college and falling in love with Roger McKenzie Wakefield. But then Brianna learns something that makes her decide to go back in time to see her parents... and off to Scotland she goes, to go through the stone circle.
Okay, you really need to start with Outlander and read the books in order, otherwise you're going to be pretty lost, because author Diana Gabaldon refers to events that took place in previous books. And they are all really long books, like 1,000 pages almost. But so worth it! The research she has done is just incredible, and she tells her story with humor and passion. These books are true page-turners, almost impossible to put down. And you find yourself chomping at the bit for the next one (which I started this morning - thanks to my mother-in-law for the birthday present!).
They've made a cable TV series based on the books, it's on Starz. I've watched the first few episodes and it's pretty good (of course they haven't even gotten half way through the first book yet). But the books are still way better.
Drums of Autumn
Okay, you really need to start with Outlander and read the books in order, otherwise you're going to be pretty lost, because author Diana Gabaldon refers to events that took place in previous books. And they are all really long books, like 1,000 pages almost. But so worth it! The research she has done is just incredible, and she tells her story with humor and passion. These books are true page-turners, almost impossible to put down. And you find yourself chomping at the bit for the next one (which I started this morning - thanks to my mother-in-law for the birthday present!).
They've made a cable TV series based on the books, it's on Starz. I've watched the first few episodes and it's pretty good (of course they haven't even gotten half way through the first book yet). But the books are still way better.
Drums of Autumn
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Undomestic Goddess
So here is another fun & frothy read from Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella. Samantha Sweeting is on the fast track to partnership at a prestigious London law firm when she makes a horrible mistake, a mistake that could cost her everything. So she walks out the door, hops on a train going anywhere, and winds up in a lovely little town in the Cotswolds. Knocking on the door of a private home in hopes of getting a glass of water, she meets Trish Geiger, who thinks she's come to apply for the housekeeper position. Samantha is so distraught and confused that she doesn't dispute the idea, and soon finds herself in a blue maids uniform in a kitchen full of state-of-the-art equipment - none of which she knows how to use.
The Geigers are rich but not that smart, and the handsome gardener, Nathaniel, has a mother who's willing to teach Samantha how to cook and clean. So begins Samantha's new life, one she comes to appreciate and even like - until she realizes that maybe she didn't make a big mistake after all, maybe someone at the law firm used her for his own nefarious purposes.
As with all of Kinsella's novels that I've read, the characters are great - I can totally see Trish and Eddie Geiger, and Samantha and Nathaniel are extremely likeable. Yes, there's a bit of farce to it, but it's fun and entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Undomestic Goddess
The Geigers are rich but not that smart, and the handsome gardener, Nathaniel, has a mother who's willing to teach Samantha how to cook and clean. So begins Samantha's new life, one she comes to appreciate and even like - until she realizes that maybe she didn't make a big mistake after all, maybe someone at the law firm used her for his own nefarious purposes.
As with all of Kinsella's novels that I've read, the characters are great - I can totally see Trish and Eddie Geiger, and Samantha and Nathaniel are extremely likeable. Yes, there's a bit of farce to it, but it's fun and entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Undomestic Goddess
Friday, August 15, 2014
Mistress of Rome
So I'll admit I had a little difficulty getting into this novel about ancient (1st century AD) Rome, but after about 2 chapters I was TOTALLY hooked! It's an exciting story with vivid characters - some fictional, some historical - and I am going online in a few minutes to reserve the sequel!
Thea is a Judean slave girl purchased as the ladies maid for spoiled rich girl Lepida. When Thea catches the eye, and heart, of the gladiator Arius, whom Lepida lusts after, she is sold into a life of prostitution a hundred miles from Rome. That Thea is able to survive, even thrive, is remarkable. That she eventually catches the eye of the twisted Emperor Domitian is just another reason for Lepida to hate her, and set out to destroy her.
This is one of those novels that, while having elements of romance, is also historical (and I think pretty accurate as far as that goes). There's also enough fighting, blood, and nastiness to make it a book that both women and men would enjoy. I just loved, and I highly recommend it.
Mistress of Rome
Thea is a Judean slave girl purchased as the ladies maid for spoiled rich girl Lepida. When Thea catches the eye, and heart, of the gladiator Arius, whom Lepida lusts after, she is sold into a life of prostitution a hundred miles from Rome. That Thea is able to survive, even thrive, is remarkable. That she eventually catches the eye of the twisted Emperor Domitian is just another reason for Lepida to hate her, and set out to destroy her.
This is one of those novels that, while having elements of romance, is also historical (and I think pretty accurate as far as that goes). There's also enough fighting, blood, and nastiness to make it a book that both women and men would enjoy. I just loved, and I highly recommend it.
Mistress of Rome
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope
Hello all you Austenites out there - you have to read this book! I know, some of you probably think it's a travesty for modern day authors to update Jane's classic novels, but it's been happening for years - do you remember Clueless? And we can't forget Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, can we? So when a talented author like Joanna Trollope takes the lovely Dashwood sisters and brings them into the 21st century, how can we resist?
Elinor and Marianne - and all of the other characters - are basically the same people. They just have Facebook and Twitter and email accounts. Oh, and they've gone to school, and Elinor has trained as an architect (a much more useful skill than just drawing, don't you think?) and gets a job to help support the family. The best modernization has to do with Robert Ferrars, but I won't give that one away.
I think Trollope does a lovely job of keeping to Austen's story but rewriting it from a modern viewpoint. I think her update can bring a whole new group of readers to appreciate the great Jane Austen, and maybe even encourage them to have a read of the original source material. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Sense and Sensibility
Elinor and Marianne - and all of the other characters - are basically the same people. They just have Facebook and Twitter and email accounts. Oh, and they've gone to school, and Elinor has trained as an architect (a much more useful skill than just drawing, don't you think?) and gets a job to help support the family. The best modernization has to do with Robert Ferrars, but I won't give that one away.
I think Trollope does a lovely job of keeping to Austen's story but rewriting it from a modern viewpoint. I think her update can bring a whole new group of readers to appreciate the great Jane Austen, and maybe even encourage them to have a read of the original source material. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Sense and Sensibility
Monday, July 28, 2014
Sister
WOW! This is one of the best novels I've read in a while - I couldn't put it down, I needed to know how it ended. The novel opens when older sister Beatrice, engaged and living well in NYC, is called home to London because younger sister Tess, a 21-year-old free spirit art student, goes missing. When Tess' body is found and police rule her death a suicide, Beatrice is certain they're wrong, and sets out to prove it.
Rosamund Lupton has written the story as an open letter from Beatrice to Tess, with Beatrice writing the chronology of events as she's providing them to the prosecuting attorney on the case, supposedly after the murderer has been found and sent to jail. This format lends an intimacy to the story that drew me in, and beautifully portrayed the closeness between Tess and Beatrice. It also had me guessing right up until the end as to who the murderer actually was, and the end really caught me by surprise.
If you liked Gone Girl you will like Sister too. It's got great twists and turns and wonderful, rich characters.
Sister
Rosamund Lupton has written the story as an open letter from Beatrice to Tess, with Beatrice writing the chronology of events as she's providing them to the prosecuting attorney on the case, supposedly after the murderer has been found and sent to jail. This format lends an intimacy to the story that drew me in, and beautifully portrayed the closeness between Tess and Beatrice. It also had me guessing right up until the end as to who the murderer actually was, and the end really caught me by surprise.
If you liked Gone Girl you will like Sister too. It's got great twists and turns and wonderful, rich characters.
Sister
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Wedding Night
If you liked the Shopaholic novels, you'll love Wedding Night, which is by the same author, Sophie Kinsella. Madcap rom-coms are sort of her thing, and I can definitely see a movie coming out of this novel, maybe with Keira Knightly as Lottie.
Lottie is at lunch with her long-time boyfriend Richard, and she's sure he's going to propose. When he doesn't, she walks out on him, brokenhearted. Then her old love interest Ben calls, who she was madly in love with 15-years-ago when she was 18 and living in a guesthouse on the island of Ikanos, but whom she hasn't seen since. They have a fabulous dinner after which they decide to get married, but to not have sex until their wedding night.
Enter Lottie's older sister Fliss (you gotta love these names), who's going through a difficult divorce and doesn't want to see her sister ruin her life by marrying the wrong guy. So she decides to do everything in her power to prevent Lottie and Ben from consummating their wedding, so that Lottie can have the marriage annulled when she comes to her senses. Add Ben's friend Lorcan, Lottie's ex Richard, and Fliss' precocious son Noah to the mix and the story flies right on by.
I've read a number of Kinsella's books, and I really love her characters, they are likeable and imperfect and very real. The story became a bit trying at times (the measures taken by the resort staff at Fliss' request are a bit unbelievable), but it moves right along and is lots of fun. This is a really great beach read.
Wedding Night
Lottie is at lunch with her long-time boyfriend Richard, and she's sure he's going to propose. When he doesn't, she walks out on him, brokenhearted. Then her old love interest Ben calls, who she was madly in love with 15-years-ago when she was 18 and living in a guesthouse on the island of Ikanos, but whom she hasn't seen since. They have a fabulous dinner after which they decide to get married, but to not have sex until their wedding night.
Enter Lottie's older sister Fliss (you gotta love these names), who's going through a difficult divorce and doesn't want to see her sister ruin her life by marrying the wrong guy. So she decides to do everything in her power to prevent Lottie and Ben from consummating their wedding, so that Lottie can have the marriage annulled when she comes to her senses. Add Ben's friend Lorcan, Lottie's ex Richard, and Fliss' precocious son Noah to the mix and the story flies right on by.
I've read a number of Kinsella's books, and I really love her characters, they are likeable and imperfect and very real. The story became a bit trying at times (the measures taken by the resort staff at Fliss' request are a bit unbelievable), but it moves right along and is lots of fun. This is a really great beach read.
Wedding Night
Monday, July 14, 2014
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
What a lovely story! Thanks to Rita for the recommendation. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is a moving story about the power of love, and explores ideas about what love truly is, and how it is expressed. It starts in present day Burma, where New Yorker Julia Win has gone in search of her father, a very successful lawyer who left for work one day four years earlier and disappeared. An old letter found among his things, addressed to a woman named Mi Mi in a tiny village in Burma, send her in search of his past.
Once she arrives in the remote village of Kalaw she meets U Ba, who says he knows her father and will tell her his story, helping her to find him. U Ba proceeds to tell the story of Tin Win, whose mother abandoned him as a child because an astrologer told her he was cursed. Tin Win went blind, and was educated by the monks, and there he met Mi Mi, a young girl who cannot walk. Mi Mi and Tin Win become fast friends, and more, before Tin Win's uncle in Rangoon changes Tin Win's life forever.
This is just a beautifully written story, filled with mysticism and superstitions, but also emotional maturity and depth. It was just really heart-warming.
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
Once she arrives in the remote village of Kalaw she meets U Ba, who says he knows her father and will tell her his story, helping her to find him. U Ba proceeds to tell the story of Tin Win, whose mother abandoned him as a child because an astrologer told her he was cursed. Tin Win went blind, and was educated by the monks, and there he met Mi Mi, a young girl who cannot walk. Mi Mi and Tin Win become fast friends, and more, before Tin Win's uncle in Rangoon changes Tin Win's life forever.
This is just a beautifully written story, filled with mysticism and superstitions, but also emotional maturity and depth. It was just really heart-warming.
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
Friday, July 4, 2014
The 100-Year-Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared
I just loved this book - thanks to Shari for the recommendation! It's a funny, fast-paced, enjoyable read.
Allan Karlsson is the 100-year-old in question - in fact, it's his birthday today, and the old folks home where he lives has a party planned with the Mayor coming and everything. But Allan wants no parts of it, so he climbs out the window. So begins on of the greatest adventures of his life. Not that Allan's life has been without adventure - the format of the novel is one chapter in the present day followed by a chapter on all the preceding years, starting when Allan was a child. In a nod to Forrest Gump, he's had some involvement in many of the important chapters - and with many of the important people - of the past hundred years (though his involvement was of much more import than teaching Elvis how to dance).
Allan is of course not alone in his current adventure, and the company he takes up with is as quirky and interesting as he is. There's a petty crook, a hot-dog-stand proprietor, a farm owner with a pet elephant, and some others. Everyone brings something unique to the story and helps Allan enjoy his final (he hopes) adventure.
The author, Jonas Jonasson, is Swedish, so I'm guessing the book is a translation. I'm not sure if that's the reason for the sort of story-telling tone of the language, or if the tone is intended to influence the reader's understanding of Allan's character (I think it's the latter). Either way, this is just a wonderful, warm, enjoyable book.
The 100-Year-Old Man
Allan Karlsson is the 100-year-old in question - in fact, it's his birthday today, and the old folks home where he lives has a party planned with the Mayor coming and everything. But Allan wants no parts of it, so he climbs out the window. So begins on of the greatest adventures of his life. Not that Allan's life has been without adventure - the format of the novel is one chapter in the present day followed by a chapter on all the preceding years, starting when Allan was a child. In a nod to Forrest Gump, he's had some involvement in many of the important chapters - and with many of the important people - of the past hundred years (though his involvement was of much more import than teaching Elvis how to dance).
Allan is of course not alone in his current adventure, and the company he takes up with is as quirky and interesting as he is. There's a petty crook, a hot-dog-stand proprietor, a farm owner with a pet elephant, and some others. Everyone brings something unique to the story and helps Allan enjoy his final (he hopes) adventure.
The author, Jonas Jonasson, is Swedish, so I'm guessing the book is a translation. I'm not sure if that's the reason for the sort of story-telling tone of the language, or if the tone is intended to influence the reader's understanding of Allan's character (I think it's the latter). Either way, this is just a wonderful, warm, enjoyable book.
The 100-Year-Old Man
Friday, June 27, 2014
The Chaperone
I didn't know this when I started reading the book, but it's another (fictional) story about a child who traveled west from NYC on the Orphan Train. But it's not at all similar to the novel of that title, though it was just as enjoyable to read.
Cora Carlisle is a respected wife and mother in Wichita, Kansas in 1920. When her neighbor Myra Brooks is looking for a chaperone for her 15-year-old daughter Louise (yes, that Louise Brooks) to travel to NYC to dance school, Cora volunteers to go, in the hope of finding out something about her past. Over the course of their few weeks together, both Cora's and Louise's lives change forever.
What I liked most about this story is what follows Cora's experience as Louise's chaperone. She is fundamentally changed, and takes that change back to Wichita with her, and it impacts all she does and everyone she is involved with for the rest of her life. The story had some neat surprises and dealt with the many issues of the times, and it was just a really enjoyable read.
The Chaperone
Cora Carlisle is a respected wife and mother in Wichita, Kansas in 1920. When her neighbor Myra Brooks is looking for a chaperone for her 15-year-old daughter Louise (yes, that Louise Brooks) to travel to NYC to dance school, Cora volunteers to go, in the hope of finding out something about her past. Over the course of their few weeks together, both Cora's and Louise's lives change forever.
What I liked most about this story is what follows Cora's experience as Louise's chaperone. She is fundamentally changed, and takes that change back to Wichita with her, and it impacts all she does and everyone she is involved with for the rest of her life. The story had some neat surprises and dealt with the many issues of the times, and it was just a really enjoyable read.
The Chaperone
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Orphan Train
Thank you to Rita for lending me this book. I just loved it! It's a wonderful, heartwarming story about resilience, love, and family, and it's based on actual historical events.
Molly Ayer is a 17-year-old foster child in present-day Maine.Vivian Daly is the 91-year-old wealthy widow whose attic Molly helps clean out for community service. To think that these two young women have anything in common is a stretch, but it turns out they do. Vivian started out her life as Niamh Power, an Irish girl whose family immigrates to New York City, who is sent west on an Orphan Train after the rest of her family die in a fire. Niamh winds up in Minnesota where she becomes Dorothy, then Vivian, and where she has a series of homes and families before finding the one that is right for her. And through Vivian, Molly learns about being strong, finding your way, and becoming who you were meant to be.
The Orphan Trains were real - they took thousands of children from the streets of East Coast cities to the Midwest where they were adopted - if they were lucky - or contracted as laborers if they weren't young or pretty enough. The author, Christina Baker Kline, obviously did a lot of research. But more importantly, she has written a moving and thoughtful story about a couple of very strong female characters, two women with great inner strength, but also humor and warmth. I'm so glad I read this book.
Orphan Train
Molly Ayer is a 17-year-old foster child in present-day Maine.Vivian Daly is the 91-year-old wealthy widow whose attic Molly helps clean out for community service. To think that these two young women have anything in common is a stretch, but it turns out they do. Vivian started out her life as Niamh Power, an Irish girl whose family immigrates to New York City, who is sent west on an Orphan Train after the rest of her family die in a fire. Niamh winds up in Minnesota where she becomes Dorothy, then Vivian, and where she has a series of homes and families before finding the one that is right for her. And through Vivian, Molly learns about being strong, finding your way, and becoming who you were meant to be.
The Orphan Trains were real - they took thousands of children from the streets of East Coast cities to the Midwest where they were adopted - if they were lucky - or contracted as laborers if they weren't young or pretty enough. The author, Christina Baker Kline, obviously did a lot of research. But more importantly, she has written a moving and thoughtful story about a couple of very strong female characters, two women with great inner strength, but also humor and warmth. I'm so glad I read this book.
Orphan Train
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Infidel
Has any well-informed person not heard of Ayaan Hirsi Ali? She is the scholar and activist who was to receive an honorary degree from Brandeis this year, but whose offer was rescinded after protests by student groups and CAIR.She's a brave and outspoken advocate for women's rights, particularly when it comes to female castration, honor killings, and forced marriages justified by Islam. Infidel is her story from war-torn Somalia to the American Enterprise Institute in DC, and it is amazing.
This is an amazing book by an amazing woman. As she says herself, how many girl babies born in Somalia in 1969 are even still alive, let alone living the life she has lived for the last 20 years? From Somalia to Saudi Arabia, to Kenya and finally The Netherlands and the United States, she survives all of the hardships in her path, and even thrives. Her dedication to her education and her refusal to be a victim make her a role model for all of us.
She first rose to prominence as a member of the Dutch Parliament, and gained terrible fame when movie maker Theo Van Gogh was brutally murdered - with a note stabbed into his chest indicating that she would be next. An outspoken and brave opponent of the evils of radical Islam, she lives her life seemingly without fear. As she writes in her book, during her childhood in Somalia and Saudi Arabia, anything could kill you - a germ, a flood, the police, even your father or brother. To live in fear is just not in her to do.
Her book is a revelation, and her life is an education to everyone, female or male. She is an amazing woman. I highly recommend her book.
Infidel
This is an amazing book by an amazing woman. As she says herself, how many girl babies born in Somalia in 1969 are even still alive, let alone living the life she has lived for the last 20 years? From Somalia to Saudi Arabia, to Kenya and finally The Netherlands and the United States, she survives all of the hardships in her path, and even thrives. Her dedication to her education and her refusal to be a victim make her a role model for all of us.
She first rose to prominence as a member of the Dutch Parliament, and gained terrible fame when movie maker Theo Van Gogh was brutally murdered - with a note stabbed into his chest indicating that she would be next. An outspoken and brave opponent of the evils of radical Islam, she lives her life seemingly without fear. As she writes in her book, during her childhood in Somalia and Saudi Arabia, anything could kill you - a germ, a flood, the police, even your father or brother. To live in fear is just not in her to do.
Her book is a revelation, and her life is an education to everyone, female or male. She is an amazing woman. I highly recommend her book.
Infidel
Monday, June 2, 2014
Admission
I had a hard time initially getting into this novel about Portia Nathan, a dedicated Princeton admissions officer who's life seems to be unraveling around her. I didn't really find Portia that likeable, and she spends way too much time in her own head. But the Korelitz paints of the Ivy League admissions process is interesting, and Portia does become a bit more likeable as she makes her way through her problems.
I don't see how this novel became the movie with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd... I didn't see the movie, I admit, but I didn't particularly see them in the characters. And I have to say the book made me very glad I'm not applying to colleges right now, it seems to much more competitive and crazy than it did when I was applying.
I liked the novel, but I admit to doing a lot of skimming through Portia's more tortured inner monologs.
Admission
I don't see how this novel became the movie with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd... I didn't see the movie, I admit, but I didn't particularly see them in the characters. And I have to say the book made me very glad I'm not applying to colleges right now, it seems to much more competitive and crazy than it did when I was applying.
I liked the novel, but I admit to doing a lot of skimming through Portia's more tortured inner monologs.
Admission
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Once Upon a Time There was You
This is a sweet novel about a divorced couple finding their way, and refining their relationship, after their daughter's traumatic experience. It was a quick read with very realistic situations and characters.
John and Irene got married late - they were 36-years-old - and both had doubts going in. Fast-forward 20 years, and they're divorced and living in separate cities, he in Minneapolis, she in San Francisco. The one thing they share is their beloved 18-year-old daughter Sadie. When Sadie runs into some trouble, John flies to San Francisco to be with Irene.
I really like John and Sadie, but found Irene kind of annoying (though I think that added to the believability of the books/characters). Elizabeth Berg is an author I read regularly, and this book was one of her best. Just a nice, enjoyable story.
Once Upon a Time There was You
John and Irene got married late - they were 36-years-old - and both had doubts going in. Fast-forward 20 years, and they're divorced and living in separate cities, he in Minneapolis, she in San Francisco. The one thing they share is their beloved 18-year-old daughter Sadie. When Sadie runs into some trouble, John flies to San Francisco to be with Irene.
I really like John and Sadie, but found Irene kind of annoying (though I think that added to the believability of the books/characters). Elizabeth Berg is an author I read regularly, and this book was one of her best. Just a nice, enjoyable story.
Once Upon a Time There was You
Monday, May 5, 2014
Shadow Spell
For the 3 of you who follow this blog, you know I have a love/hate relationship with Nora Roberts. She's like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. You know they're bad for you and you're going to regret having them moments after you scarf them down, but you just can't resist them. That's the way her books are for me, especially the trilogies, especially the mystical realism trilogies. So I scarfed down Shadow Spell in like two days, and I feel so guilty.
This is the second book in the Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy, where the Irish witches have to destroy the evil sorcerer Cabhan to fulfill their destiny. Of course they can't defeat him in this book, otherwise why have a third one? But in this book we focus on the relationship between long-time friends Connor and Meara, who find their relationship changing from friends to lovers.
I love the characters, I love the very "Irishness" of everything, and of course I'll be back for the third book to find out what happens with Branna and Fin and how they vanquish Cabhan. But I'll still be ashamed about it.
Shadow Spell
This is the second book in the Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy, where the Irish witches have to destroy the evil sorcerer Cabhan to fulfill their destiny. Of course they can't defeat him in this book, otherwise why have a third one? But in this book we focus on the relationship between long-time friends Connor and Meara, who find their relationship changing from friends to lovers.
I love the characters, I love the very "Irishness" of everything, and of course I'll be back for the third book to find out what happens with Branna and Fin and how they vanquish Cabhan. But I'll still be ashamed about it.
Shadow Spell
Monday, April 28, 2014
On Such a Full Sea
I've never read anything by Chang-Rae Lee before, but this book was highly-rated and looked interesting, so I got the ebook from the library. After having read the book, I'm honestly still not quite sure what I think about it.
The novel is set in a distant future where everyone either lives in "facilities," "charters," or "open counties." The facilities are specialized highly-regimented (but not horrible) working towns that provide high-end goods for the lucky wealthy who live in the charters. The open counties are wild areas where the government has pretty much given up and you pretty much take your life in your hands. The story focuses on Fan, a young woman who raises fish in the B-Mor facility, which was once Baltimore, and her boyfriend Reg, who raises plants there. When Reg suddenly disappears, Fan leaves the safety of B-Mor to take her chances in the counties, hoping to find him.
Lee does a wonderfully detailed job creating his future world, and he uses an odd technique of having the story told by a nameless, faceless, but still interested third party, almost like a descendant of Fan's passing on a piece of family lore to the next generation (which makes for an interesting experience for the reader, because the narrator tells a lot of things that he doesn't actually witness). But the characters were disappointingly one-dimensional to me, and I never really felt a connection with Fan (and Reg was totally flat).
I have a sense that there is something larger here, that I need to think more about the story before forming my final opinion. There are a lot of layers, and different ways of reading things. This was definitely one of the most intriguing novels I've read in a while, and that's certainly worth something.
On Such a Full Sea
The novel is set in a distant future where everyone either lives in "facilities," "charters," or "open counties." The facilities are specialized highly-regimented (but not horrible) working towns that provide high-end goods for the lucky wealthy who live in the charters. The open counties are wild areas where the government has pretty much given up and you pretty much take your life in your hands. The story focuses on Fan, a young woman who raises fish in the B-Mor facility, which was once Baltimore, and her boyfriend Reg, who raises plants there. When Reg suddenly disappears, Fan leaves the safety of B-Mor to take her chances in the counties, hoping to find him.
Lee does a wonderfully detailed job creating his future world, and he uses an odd technique of having the story told by a nameless, faceless, but still interested third party, almost like a descendant of Fan's passing on a piece of family lore to the next generation (which makes for an interesting experience for the reader, because the narrator tells a lot of things that he doesn't actually witness). But the characters were disappointingly one-dimensional to me, and I never really felt a connection with Fan (and Reg was totally flat).
I have a sense that there is something larger here, that I need to think more about the story before forming my final opinion. There are a lot of layers, and different ways of reading things. This was definitely one of the most intriguing novels I've read in a while, and that's certainly worth something.
On Such a Full Sea
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Where Nobody Knows Your Name
This is John Feinstein's latest book, and it's a must-read if you're a baseball fan(atic). Feinstein basically spends one season in the Triple-A International League, chronicling the highs and lows of life as a player, manager, and umpire in the highest of the minor leagues of baseball.
This is one of those books that I kept marking passages in to read to my husband. Feinstein is a great storyteller who is given a lot of access, and he uses that combination to share some funny, amazing, and heart-wrenching real stories about people both whom you've heard of and of whom you will never hear. He focuses mostly on 3 or 4 teams and a dozen or so people who are either on their way up or on their way down (that's pretty much the way it is in AAA, nobody wants to stay there). But he also shares great stories of baseball lore, like what Tommy Lasorda had to say about Bobby Valentine when he managed him in the Dodgers farm system (the book is worth the read for that story alone).
I learned a lot of things from the book that I didn't know about all the movement in baseball if you're not a "hot prospect" or signed to a multiyear contract, and read some really great baseball stories. I highly recommend this book for any fan of the game.
Where Nobody Knows Your Name
This is one of those books that I kept marking passages in to read to my husband. Feinstein is a great storyteller who is given a lot of access, and he uses that combination to share some funny, amazing, and heart-wrenching real stories about people both whom you've heard of and of whom you will never hear. He focuses mostly on 3 or 4 teams and a dozen or so people who are either on their way up or on their way down (that's pretty much the way it is in AAA, nobody wants to stay there). But he also shares great stories of baseball lore, like what Tommy Lasorda had to say about Bobby Valentine when he managed him in the Dodgers farm system (the book is worth the read for that story alone).
I learned a lot of things from the book that I didn't know about all the movement in baseball if you're not a "hot prospect" or signed to a multiyear contract, and read some really great baseball stories. I highly recommend this book for any fan of the game.
Where Nobody Knows Your Name
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
TWO Books I just read!
So I just got back from Las Vegas, and in the course of my travels I read two novels. The first, That Part Was True by Deborah McKinlay, I finished on the plane ride there. The second, The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig, I started before I left and finished on the way home. Both books were great, different, but very enjoyable.
That Part Was True is the story of a correspondence that grows to be a friendship, between two people who don't actually meet during the course of the story. Jackson Cooper is a novelist living in the Hamptons, and Eve Petworth is a lonely, well-off British woman living in the English countryside. Eve enjoys one of Jack's novels so much that she decides to write him a letter, and so begins a correspondence that turns into a deep and caring friendship. I really like these characters, and their interactions through snail-mail and e-mail are interesting and engaging. This is just a really sweet book, and the end is just lovely.
The Ashford Affair is two connected stories in different times and places. In the early 20th century, Addie Gillecote is orphaned and goes to live with her aunt and uncle and cousins, and she and cousin Bea develop a special friendship. At the turn of the 21st century, Clementine Evans' Granny Addie dies at the age of 99, and a family secret finally comes to light. Alternating between Addie's point of view in the past, and Clemmie's point of view in the present, Willig presents an intriguing story of love, betrayal, and what it means to be family. This was a real page-turner.
That Part Was True
The Ashford Affair
That Part Was True is the story of a correspondence that grows to be a friendship, between two people who don't actually meet during the course of the story. Jackson Cooper is a novelist living in the Hamptons, and Eve Petworth is a lonely, well-off British woman living in the English countryside. Eve enjoys one of Jack's novels so much that she decides to write him a letter, and so begins a correspondence that turns into a deep and caring friendship. I really like these characters, and their interactions through snail-mail and e-mail are interesting and engaging. This is just a really sweet book, and the end is just lovely.
The Ashford Affair is two connected stories in different times and places. In the early 20th century, Addie Gillecote is orphaned and goes to live with her aunt and uncle and cousins, and she and cousin Bea develop a special friendship. At the turn of the 21st century, Clementine Evans' Granny Addie dies at the age of 99, and a family secret finally comes to light. Alternating between Addie's point of view in the past, and Clemmie's point of view in the present, Willig presents an intriguing story of love, betrayal, and what it means to be family. This was a real page-turner.
That Part Was True
The Ashford Affair
Monday, March 17, 2014
The Invention of Wings
I am a big Sue Monk Kidd fan (loved The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair) so I was very happy when the notice came from the library that my hold was finally in. I proceeded to gobble up this book in short order, and I was not disappointed. What I didn't know until I reached the end notes was that the main characters were actual people.
Kidd tells the story of Sarah and Angelina (Nina) Grimke, two Charleston sisters of the early 19th century who find slavery so abhorrent that they head north, become Quakers, and are two of the most outspoken abolitionists and feminists of the time. In order to personalize the story a bit, Kidd creates Handful/Hetty, the slave Sarah's parents give her on her 12th birthday to be her waiting maid. The novel alternates telling the story from Sarah's and Handful's point-of-view, and it's a very effective way of really sending the message about the evils of slavery, and also of showing the complexities of the relationships between slaveholders and their slaves.
This is a beautifully told story with rich, interesting characters and a message that resonates across the centuries. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Invention of Wings
Kidd tells the story of Sarah and Angelina (Nina) Grimke, two Charleston sisters of the early 19th century who find slavery so abhorrent that they head north, become Quakers, and are two of the most outspoken abolitionists and feminists of the time. In order to personalize the story a bit, Kidd creates Handful/Hetty, the slave Sarah's parents give her on her 12th birthday to be her waiting maid. The novel alternates telling the story from Sarah's and Handful's point-of-view, and it's a very effective way of really sending the message about the evils of slavery, and also of showing the complexities of the relationships between slaveholders and their slaves.
This is a beautifully told story with rich, interesting characters and a message that resonates across the centuries. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Invention of Wings
Monday, March 10, 2014
David and Goliath
I am a big Malcolm Gladwell fan, and his latest book does not disappoint. Gladwell has a way of thinking and looking at things that is quite different from the way I think and look at things, and that always makes me say, wow, that's really interesting.
In his latest book, Gladwell looks at how perceived advantages can sometimes be disadvantages, and vice versa. He uses examples of real people in real situations who have overcome something to do great things... or who didn't live up to their great expectations. He uses statistics and math, but in ways that are very approachable and understandable (and that had me going to Google again and again to find out more). And he just has this way of humanizing his subjects that's very readable and likeable.
This is a super easy, very interesting read. If you like this and haven't read any other Gladwell, I highly recommend The Tipping Point and Outliers.
David and Goliath
In his latest book, Gladwell looks at how perceived advantages can sometimes be disadvantages, and vice versa. He uses examples of real people in real situations who have overcome something to do great things... or who didn't live up to their great expectations. He uses statistics and math, but in ways that are very approachable and understandable (and that had me going to Google again and again to find out more). And he just has this way of humanizing his subjects that's very readable and likeable.
This is a super easy, very interesting read. If you like this and haven't read any other Gladwell, I highly recommend The Tipping Point and Outliers.
David and Goliath
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Lean In
I have been wondering what all the hype was about with this book, so I picked it up at the library. It's a nice read, and Sheryl Sandberg is a good storyteller, but there is really nothing profound here.
For those who don't know, Sandberg is the COO of Facebook - one of the few women to hold such a position (and probably one of Facebook's oldest employees). She previously worked at Google. She went to Harvard (twice), and interned for Larry Summers. The woman is privileged and connected. She also gives some good advice. I wish I had read it when I first entered the workforce in my early 20's rather than now, but it's good to read these sorts of books now and then.
But honestly, I believe I already practice much of what she discusses, as do most of the women I know.
Lean In
For those who don't know, Sandberg is the COO of Facebook - one of the few women to hold such a position (and probably one of Facebook's oldest employees). She previously worked at Google. She went to Harvard (twice), and interned for Larry Summers. The woman is privileged and connected. She also gives some good advice. I wish I had read it when I first entered the workforce in my early 20's rather than now, but it's good to read these sorts of books now and then.
But honestly, I believe I already practice much of what she discusses, as do most of the women I know.
Lean In
Monday, February 24, 2014
The Signature of All Things
If I was expecting Elizabeth Gilbert's fiction to be like her non-fiction, I would have been disappointed. But since I had read the reviews and knew that it was not like her non-fiction, I had no preconceived notions, so I was able to enjoy the book on its own merits.
The novel is about Alma Whittaker, born in 1800 to the richest man in Philadelphia. Alma's parents are a poor British boy who worked hard and became a wealthy and renowned botanist, and a very intelligent Dutch girl from a good family who leaves everything to come with him to America. Alma receives a wider and better education than most boys of the time, and is soon joined in her schoolroom by an adopted sister, Prudence, the daughter of a murdered prostitute.
Alma is the central figure of the story, and all of the other characters are seen in relation to her. She is a fabulous character - outspoken, brilliant, hard-working, with a keen sense of humor. The turns her life takes - from Philadelphia to Tahiti to Holland - are slow to come but great adventures when they do. It's a very detailed book - I admit to skimming some sections that got too heavily into botanical detail, and Liz must be a demon of a researcher - but it was a very satisfying book.
The Signature of All Things
The novel is about Alma Whittaker, born in 1800 to the richest man in Philadelphia. Alma's parents are a poor British boy who worked hard and became a wealthy and renowned botanist, and a very intelligent Dutch girl from a good family who leaves everything to come with him to America. Alma receives a wider and better education than most boys of the time, and is soon joined in her schoolroom by an adopted sister, Prudence, the daughter of a murdered prostitute.
Alma is the central figure of the story, and all of the other characters are seen in relation to her. She is a fabulous character - outspoken, brilliant, hard-working, with a keen sense of humor. The turns her life takes - from Philadelphia to Tahiti to Holland - are slow to come but great adventures when they do. It's a very detailed book - I admit to skimming some sections that got too heavily into botanical detail, and Liz must be a demon of a researcher - but it was a very satisfying book.
The Signature of All Things
Monday, February 10, 2014
The Little Way of Ruthie Leming
Okay, so I started this book with no idea what to expect. My friend Shari said it was a really nice book, and to be honest, I didn't know if it was fiction or non before I started reading. But Shari was right, it's a really nice book.
The author, Rod Dreher, tells the story of his sister Ruthie, and along the way he tells his own story too. Rod and Ruthie grew up in a very small town in Louisiana, a place where family and community are everything, and where hunting, fishing, and little league are the activities of choice. Ruthie loves small-town life, but Rod is a bookish boy who dreams of traveling the globe. Ruthie and Rod pretty much live their separate lives, until Ruthie is diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
I don't want to give too much of the book away, because a big part of it is how Ruthie and Rod live their lives, and how their lives are impacted by Ruthie's cancer. Rod's sharing of Ruthie's story is a way to tell his own story, of how he came to be the man he is, and how he has come to believe the things he believes. It's a sad story, yes, but it's also an uplifting and hopeful story. I definitely recommend it.
The Little Way of Ruthie Leming
The author, Rod Dreher, tells the story of his sister Ruthie, and along the way he tells his own story too. Rod and Ruthie grew up in a very small town in Louisiana, a place where family and community are everything, and where hunting, fishing, and little league are the activities of choice. Ruthie loves small-town life, but Rod is a bookish boy who dreams of traveling the globe. Ruthie and Rod pretty much live their separate lives, until Ruthie is diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
I don't want to give too much of the book away, because a big part of it is how Ruthie and Rod live their lives, and how their lives are impacted by Ruthie's cancer. Rod's sharing of Ruthie's story is a way to tell his own story, of how he came to be the man he is, and how he has come to believe the things he believes. It's a sad story, yes, but it's also an uplifting and hopeful story. I definitely recommend it.
The Little Way of Ruthie Leming
Monday, February 3, 2014
The Last Kingdom
This is the first book in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles, and if you like historical fiction you will not want to miss this one. Cornwell takes us to the mid-800's (yes, that's 800, not 1800) for the story of Uhtred, a young English boy who is taken hostage by a group of marauding Danes and adopted by them.
I wasn't sure I was going to like the book at first. It's very heavy on war and battle, which is not particularly my thing. But the characters just grabbed me, particularly Uhtred, who is a smart kid who seems to be able to handle what anyone throws at him, and Ragnor, the violent but good-hearted and principled Dane who changes his life forever. It's also a really compelling and true story about how the Dane's picked the kingdoms of the British Isles apart until only one - Wessex, ruled by Albert - is left standing. This is basically the beginning of the birth of modern-day England, and Albert has become known as Albert the Great.
History buffs, anglophiles, and battle-lovers will all enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next one!
The Last Kingdom
I wasn't sure I was going to like the book at first. It's very heavy on war and battle, which is not particularly my thing. But the characters just grabbed me, particularly Uhtred, who is a smart kid who seems to be able to handle what anyone throws at him, and Ragnor, the violent but good-hearted and principled Dane who changes his life forever. It's also a really compelling and true story about how the Dane's picked the kingdoms of the British Isles apart until only one - Wessex, ruled by Albert - is left standing. This is basically the beginning of the birth of modern-day England, and Albert has become known as Albert the Great.
History buffs, anglophiles, and battle-lovers will all enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next one!
The Last Kingdom
Thursday, January 16, 2014
A Short Guide to a Long Life
I saw Dr. David Agus on Fareed Zakaria GPS, and he made sense to me, so I picked up his Nook book for $9 on Barnes and Noble. It's a nice book, a very quick read with mostly common sense health recommendations. This is, I think, a great book for young people and obese people, but most healthy people probably are doing or at least know they should be doing the stuff he recommends.
Most of this stuff is a no brainer - drink lots of water, exercise, practice good hygiene, eat real food. Some of it is controversial, like avoiding vitamin supplements and taking preventative baby aspirin and statins. I honestly already do a lot of what he recommends, and I don't do most of what he says not to do. But I don't think my One-A-Day is going to kill me.
A Short Guide to a Long Life
Most of this stuff is a no brainer - drink lots of water, exercise, practice good hygiene, eat real food. Some of it is controversial, like avoiding vitamin supplements and taking preventative baby aspirin and statins. I honestly already do a lot of what he recommends, and I don't do most of what he says not to do. But I don't think my One-A-Day is going to kill me.
A Short Guide to a Long Life
Monday, January 13, 2014
A Spear of Summer Grass
This is an absolutely beautiful novel of 1920's Kenya, where the African savannah is almost as much a character as any human.
Delilah Drummond is a 20-something-socialite whose latest scandal has even her mother in a tizzy. So she ships Delilah off to her stepfather's Kenyan estates, Fairlight, to wait for things to die down and maybe grow up a little. Delilah and her cousin, Dora, find that Fairlight has been left to fall apart, and set about doing what they can to make the place livable and working with the natives to improve the living situation for everyone. They also find a community of British ex-pats who are all a little too involved in each other's lives, among them tracker/hunter/know-it-all Ryder White, who has an immediate attraction with Delilah.
Yes, there are similarities to Out of Africa, but those are superficial. Author Deanna Raybourn has created a wonderful heroine in Delilah - she's smart, beautiful, charming, loyal, and worldly. Ryder is the perfect foil for her, and they have fabulous chemistry. And the story just drives you right along - I really couldn't put it down. This is one of the best novels I've read in a while.
A Spear of Summer Grass
Delilah Drummond is a 20-something-socialite whose latest scandal has even her mother in a tizzy. So she ships Delilah off to her stepfather's Kenyan estates, Fairlight, to wait for things to die down and maybe grow up a little. Delilah and her cousin, Dora, find that Fairlight has been left to fall apart, and set about doing what they can to make the place livable and working with the natives to improve the living situation for everyone. They also find a community of British ex-pats who are all a little too involved in each other's lives, among them tracker/hunter/know-it-all Ryder White, who has an immediate attraction with Delilah.
Yes, there are similarities to Out of Africa, but those are superficial. Author Deanna Raybourn has created a wonderful heroine in Delilah - she's smart, beautiful, charming, loyal, and worldly. Ryder is the perfect foil for her, and they have fabulous chemistry. And the story just drives you right along - I really couldn't put it down. This is one of the best novels I've read in a while.
A Spear of Summer Grass
Monday, January 6, 2014
Someone
This latest novel by prize winner Alice McDermott is just a lovely little novel. It's actually sort of a study in novel writing, kind of like writing the way the brain works, if that makes any sense. The main character is Marie Commeford, a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the days between the World Wars. She's 7-years-old with thick glasses, and she's waiting for her dad to come home from the train. So begins an ordinary life told with extraordinary charm.
Marie tells her story through a series of vignettes, memories really, of the blind WWI vet who's the go-to umpire for the neighborhood stickball games; the girl down the street who dies from falling down the stairs; her brother Gabe's recitations after dinner, his attending seminar, and his abrupt departure from the priesthood for reasons unknown. And Marie remembers the important milestones in her own life: the death of her father; the first boy who loved her; and the birth of her first child. Ordinary moments that most of us experience, but told with such charm, and humor, and gentle wit, and in a seemingly haphazard pattern, that actually makes total sense.
This is just a lovely story about someone who worries she won't find someone to love, and who winds up beloved by so many.
Someone
Marie tells her story through a series of vignettes, memories really, of the blind WWI vet who's the go-to umpire for the neighborhood stickball games; the girl down the street who dies from falling down the stairs; her brother Gabe's recitations after dinner, his attending seminar, and his abrupt departure from the priesthood for reasons unknown. And Marie remembers the important milestones in her own life: the death of her father; the first boy who loved her; and the birth of her first child. Ordinary moments that most of us experience, but told with such charm, and humor, and gentle wit, and in a seemingly haphazard pattern, that actually makes total sense.
This is just a lovely story about someone who worries she won't find someone to love, and who winds up beloved by so many.
Someone
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