Treasure Island!!!

Treasure Island!!! by Sara Levine

Published:  2012 by Tonga Books (Europa Editions)

Source:  Purchased

  This novel has a very interesting premise -- a young woman (unnamed), recently graduated from college and rolling through a succession of dead-end jobs reads the classic novel Treasure Island and decides to use it as the manual to re-invent her life, using the novel's Core Values:  Boldness, Resolution, Independence, and Horn-Blowing.  As I am always interested in stories that might inspire me to embark on my own life-changing adventure, I read with a notebook at my side; ready to write down any nuggets of wisdom I would come across.

  Alas. 

   It's not that the protagonist does not pursue adventure.  There's plenty of it, though mostly of the unintentional kind.  And she is certainly motivated by those Core Values.  But to me the motivation didn't lead to anything concrete and positive; and perhaps it's because I'm older and (ahem) more mature that I just became more and more frustrated with her and wanted to just yell GROW UP ALREADY.   My attention quickly re-focused to the much more entertaining supporting cast of characters:  her parents, older sister, her former boss, her best friend, her ex-boyfriend; many of them seemed to exemplify the qualities the main character was pursuing.

  At least the book was fairly short (172 pages), and the writing incredibly witty, otherwise I probably would have given up on this book once my impression of the main character turned negative.  Maybe I'm just not in the right age group to properly appreciate the heroine's efforts.

Madame Proust and the Kosher Kitchen -- review and giveaway

Madame Proust and the Kosher Kitchen by Kate Taylor

Published:  2003 by Anchor Canada

Source:  Purchased

    My favorite book of 2012.  Yes, it's early to make that call, but I just loved loved loved this book.

    Madame Proust and the Kosher Kitchen is a novel with three related narratives:  that of Madame Proust of the title - Jeanne, mother of Marcel; of Marie Prevost, translator of Madame Proust's (fictionalized) diaries; and Sarah Bensimon, a Jewish girl who escaped Nazi-occupied Paris to a safe haven in Toronto.  Aside from Jeanne and Marie's obvious connection, it is difficult at first to see how the women's stories relate to one another, but they do tie together not only with the stories, but with the themes of memory, the French language (and its use with and against English -- especially in Montreal where part of Marie's story takes place), Jewish identity, and maternal love and expectations. 

   Marie in fact refers to Marcel Proust as "a comrade in pursuit of memory" and begins her translation of Madame Proust's diaries as a result of her affection for In Search of Lost Time.  In the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, her work on the diaries is intertwined with memories of her childhood in Paris, her first encounters with Jewish people, and of memories of Max Segal, a man who could not return the love she felt for him.  Her thoughts on discovering a fellow student in her Parisian school I found especially interesting and vivid:

... in these Parisian days, I know few Jews personally, and David's blond hair and happy manner are utterly unlike the other Jews I do know, the ones in the pictures they show us at school.  They are emaciated, living skeletons in striped pyjamas, indistinguishable one from the other.

and on learning about those "skeletons" in school:

These suffering skeletons in their striped pyjamas seem to me as noble and as distant as the bleeding Christ and weeping Virgin whose image hangs on the wall of the small classroom where we dully receive instruction on our catechism every Wednesday afternoon.

Such a lovely (yet at the same time haunting) description of Holocaust victims that I never have seen.

  Sarah Bensimon's story is not as directly tied to the other two, but it is no less interesting.  Living in Toronto with a Jewish foster family, she is brought up as "normally" as possible given her circumstances, though as a young woman and then as a wife and mother she seems to become a timid and insecure person who is not at all sure of her place in the world.  To comply with her more observant husband's religious traditions, but to keep the culinary traditions of her homeland, she turns her attention to cooking and finding a way to combine the two.  It is hard to say if this helps her at all or if it is only to please the others in her life, but to me it seems that this is the one of the few things she truly enjoys.

  And of course, being set partially in Canada, winter plays a part in the story and I just loved some of the descriptions of the season, especially this declaration Max makes to Marie as they leave a party in the dark of night during a snowfall:

"Snow, it's like falling in love.  Makes you see the whole world differently."

 I loved this sentence especially since as I was reading it six inches of snow was falling on us in Chicagoland and as I looked out the window I could see everything look prettier and calmer. 

  Kate Taylor touches on heavy topics in this novel, but it is by no means a heavy read.  Each narrative was well-told and woven into one another seamlessly; and as evidenced by the few quotes I've cited above, her use of words to paint a picture is perfect.

   I highly highly recommend this novel, but it is a bit tricky to find.  I picked it up on a visit to Toronto last week, and the only online source of it that I could find is Canada's bookstore chain Indigo.  But I really really want you to read this book, so for one lucky commenter (internationally!) I would like to order the book on their behalf.  Leave an e-mail address with your comment and on Sunday, January 29 I will randomly select a winner.





  

   

TLC Book Tour -- The Ruins of Us

The Ruins of Us by Keija Parssinen

Published:  2012 by Harper Perennial

Source:  Received from publisher for review

  I'm a curious person and love to read about different countries and cultures, so I've always been drawn to novels set in exotic locales that provide a glimpse into the true life of its residents.  When given the opportunity to participate in the tour for The Ruins of Us, I couldn't resist. 

  Set in Saudi Arabia, the novel is about Rosalie, an American who spent part of her childhood there and who returned to the country after marrying a Saudi man she met in college.  As we meet Rosalie, she is shopping with her teenage daughter when she receives surprising news from the unlikeliest of sources - a merchant in the market:  her husband has taken a second wife and in fact they have been married for two years.  Since she is still considered an outsider to many in her husband's family and his associates, this news has humiliated her and she is angry, though unsure of what to do.  While this is happening, Rosalie and Abdullah's teenage son, Faisal, is coming under the influence of a Muslim teacher/cleric and as he becomes more religious he becomes more confrontational with his parents and also with Dan, a friend of theirs from college now working in Saudi Arabia.  

  I think the major problem I had with this story is that for me it started in the middle, when Rosalie found out about the second wife (it's not a spoiler, this information is revealed on the jacket copy).  Aside from the obvious issues of it being a second wife and that it had been kept a secret, why did this upset Rosalie so much?  What was their marriage like in the happy, earlier days?  Why did this news cause her to want to distance herself from the culture that she went to so many lengths to become part of?  The few flashbacks into Rosalie and Abdullah's courtship did not provide any insight to me.  As well, Faisal's storyline seemed to be a stereotype, though I don't know if that is because of my preconceived notions (I can't explain this too much without a spoiler).  And, again, because I felt I was dropped in mid-story, I have questions about why Faisal was moving in the direction he chose. 

  There are some lovely descriptions of the Saudi landscape (not all desert) and frequent use of Arabic terms, which gave me a sensory experience of the novel's setting (though I wish there was a glossary of the terms included), but the story itself was for me not worthy of it. 

  For other perspectives on this novel, please visit the other stops on this tour.

 

 
 

Reading Challenge Quickie Review: Postcards from a Dead Girl

Postcards from a Dead Girl by Kirk Farber

Published:  2010 by Harper Perennial

Source:  Purchased

Reading Challenges:  2012 TBR Pile Challenge, A-Z Book Challenge

  Sid sells travel packages via telephone.  He is not much of a traveller.  But when he starts getting postcards from various international destinations without any signatures and with relatively old postmarks, he sets out on a mini-quest to track down the origin of the postcards, thinking it my be his ex-girlfriend, Zoe, who is sending them. 

  The story isn't as simple as that, of course.  His dead mother talks to him through a bottle of wine in the basement.  The smell of lilac overcomes him on occasion without warning.  He obviously has issues that he is not willing to face and he is letting everything else in his life slip by.

  I initially picked up this book because of the back cover's description of a "solo European jaunt" (ok, it doesn't take much for me to pick up a book) and though that was only a small part of this story, I still enjoyed the book anyway.  It's a bit hard to explain without spoiling anything, but there's a little bit of adventure, a little dark comedy, a little family drama, a little sadness and a little romance that all seems to come together and work for me.  Sid is a quirky guy who I both liked and disliked and I want to see him solve his postcard mystery.  Does it get solved?  Well, you will have to read the book.

 

 



Cutting for Stone

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Published:   2010 by Vintage

Source:  Purchased

  Readers who selected this for the October "What Should I Read Next" poll:  THANK YOU.  

  I initially picked up Cutting for Stone last year, but got about 120 pages in and decided that it just wasn't the book for me at the time (read my post about that here).  So it went back on to Mount TBR, patiently waiting for the right moment.  I guess my mind must have been ready for it when I added it to the poll, because this time I didn't want to stop reading it and a few times found myself staying up past my bedtime to read just a little bit more.

  The novel begins with the surprising and traumatic birth of twins, Marian and Shiva Stone, at a hospital near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where their mother - a nun - worked closely with their father - the surgeon at the  facility.  Since it happens early in the book I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that upon their arrival they are abandoned by both of their parents in different ways, and are left to be raised by the remaining staff of the hospital compound, primarily doctors Hema and Ghosh.

  Told from Marian's perspective, the novel is the story of the twins' upbringing in Ethiopia, amongst the morally questionable officials and the beautifully described landscape (Verghese's descriptions of Ethiopia are so much in contrast to the only images I've seen of the country - depicting desolation and misery).  As twins, Marian and Shiva are very much in sync with each other, but they also have their own personalities and interests; as with any other sibling relationship, this creates some conflicts, especially in the area of women; specifically, Genet, the daughter of one of their household's servants who has grown up together with the boys.

  After some political turmoil in the country, the adult Marian - now a medical school graduate -  is forced to flee Ethiopia and finds his way to New York, where he takes on internship/residency at a hospital that closely resembles the hospital he called home in Ethiopia.  It is here that his past catches up to his present, and where his future is also at stake. 

  I won't say any more, because you just have to read the book.  It's not a short book -- over 600 pages -- but well worth the time and effort.  And the ending -- well, when you've finished it for yourself I'd love to talk about it; suffice to say that I had not expected what happened and was emotionally affected.

  Highly highly recommended. 

The Submission by Amy Waldman

The Submission by Amy Waldman

Published:  2011 by Farrar, Strauss and Giroux

Source:  Purchased (e-book)

  Few historical events have had the widespread impact of the attacks on September 11, 2001.  It seems everyone's life changed to some extent - from the minor inconveniences of airport security searches (my opinion:  they aren't a problem if you have nothing to hide) to the much greater effects of "average" Muslims being persecuted and the loss of family members and friends.  And it became an event that caused division and conflict, which Amy Waldman so wonderfully portrays in her novel, The Submission. 

  I loved this book.

  The book opens about two years after the attacks, where a jury of artists and political appointees are reviewing blind submissions for a memorial to the attack that will be built in New York City.  One of the members of the jury - Claire Burwell, widowed due to the attacks and the only family member on the jury - aggressively fights for one of the entries, a garden design.  Eventually, the jury agrees with her and votes for the garden, but when the name of the winning designer is revealed, all are shocked to find out that he is Mohammed Khan, American born and raised, but Muslim.

 

  So begins the conflict arising from this choice.  Although the jury is sworn to secrecy until they decide what to do about this issue, the name is leaked and Khan becomes a public figure to be denounced by anti-Muslim and 9/11 family groups and to be lauded by Muslim activists.  Mohammed (Mo, to his friends)  and Claire not only are the center of attention in this controversy, they are also conflicted within themselves, wavering between maintaining support for the garden or giving up and bow to the detractors. 

  Through the novel we see the issue from three other perspectives:  Sean Gallagher, the ne'er do well brother of a firefighter killed on 9/11 and who is now trying to do right by him; Asma Anwar, an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant whose husband - a custodian at the World Trade Center - was killed and who wants recognition of her loss; and Alyssa Spier, a journalist trying to establish her career on this story.  What I found so engaging about the novel is that Waldman weaves everyone's narratives together; so that even though you may be reading one perspective at a time, you also see one or more of the other characters and gain insight into their opinion as well.

  As I read this book, I was at times happy, sad and angry.  The whole issue of what constitutes a proper memorial and who has the right to create it becomes polarizing rather than unifying.  One reviewer mentioned that she wavered back and forth on who she supported, and while I didn't do that I can completely understand that feeling.  The novel does not provide answers,  but it does show that ugliness can reveal itself anywhere. 

  Highly highly recommended (and it would be perfect for book group discussions)



Practical Jean by Trevor Cole

Practical Jean by Trevor Cole

Published:  2010 by McClelland & Stewart

Source:  Purchased

  Jean Horemarsh is the kind of woman you wouldn't normally notice.  She lives a quiet life in Kotemee, the town in which she was born and raised; with her husband Milt and a group of close female friends, many of whom she has known virtually her entire life.

  After spending three months caring for her mother in the last stages of cancer, though, Jean has an epiphany: 

Death didn't have to be slow and agonizing and bleak.  Suffering was not a given.  A person could have a last poem.  And it wasn't something that had to come by chance.  That was the revelation.  It could be guaranteed. 

With that, Jean takes on a project that she hopes will ensure her friends will not endure the same painful end as her mother.  Describing the plot any further I think would spoil the pleasures of this novel for a reader, but I think this quote from the prologue should give an indication of where this story will take you:

And here in Kotemee, all anyone can now say is, "Thank God I was never a good friend of Jean Vale Horemarsh."

  Jean's intentions are certainly admirable, but they are unorthodox, and I think for that reason this book might not be everyone's cup of tea.  Practical Jean is a dark novel, yet humorous; and it made me think about death in a different way. 

Recommended.

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

Published:  2007 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

Source:  Purchased

  This is a great book to read when you want or need a little laugh and a some philosophizing at the same time.

  After the tragic death of his parents, Otto Ringling must head to his hometown in North Dakota to settle their affairs.  Planning to take the trip with his off-beat sister Cecelia who is afraid of flying, he drives from his home in suburban New York pick her up at her place in New Jersey; only when he arrives she lets him know that she is not going but her spiritual guru, Volya Rinpoche, will accompany him and would Otto mind showing him some of the United States along the way?

  It's a bizarre pair of travelling companions, and the metaphorical journey they take is predictable (I thought it was, anyways) but that didn't make the story any less entertaining.  I loved this story and how Otto learned from Rinpoche, and Rinpoche learned from Otto; and the adventures that they had on the road. 

  This is one of my books selected for the 2011 TBR Pile Challenge.  I picked it up two or three years ago at The Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vermont, essentially just to purchase something.  I wish I would have taken it off my shelf before now, because it is a wonderfully enjoyable book to read.

Recommended.

  



A Man in Uniform

A Man in Uniform by Kate Taylor

Published:  2010 by Crown Publishers

Source:  Borrowed from the library



  Francois Dubon is a relatively successful lawyer in Paris, has a wife with the "right" social connections, and a mistress on the side.  One day, a woman in widow's mourning comes into his office and, acting on behalf of a "friend", asks him to prove the innocence of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a French military officer (who is Jewish) convicted and imprisoned for espionage.

  The Dreyfus Affair, as it is known, is one of the most scandalous events in France's history.  Mixing real-life personalities with her characters, Kate Taylor has created a suspenseful novel about events in the latter stage of this period; so that even though we know how events really turn out, the reader isn't always quite sure if Dreyfus will be exonerated.

  Once again I loved the descriptions of Paris -- this time of the late 1800s -- and enjoyed learning more about this period of France's history and how it affected life and society during that time.

Recommended.

The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Published:  2011 by Ballantine Books

Source:  Advance Copy received from the publisher

  First of all, a confession:  I have never thought I would like Ernest Hemingway.  I think I read one or two of his books long ago but I didn't get anything out of them; and he has always struck me as a macho guy without anything to say that would be relevant to me.

  That might still be true, but after reading The Paris Wife, I am willing to try him again.  This novel is not about Hemingway himself so much as it is about his first wife, Hadley.  The two met in Chicago in 1920 and after their marriage, they moved to Paris where Hemingway struggled with his writing and Hadley gave him the time and space he needed.  Their marriage was by no means ideal and who knows if it would have fared any different if they remained in the United States, but this novel portrays Hadley for the most part as a woman standing by her man through thick and thin, despite the effects on her own aspirations and well-being.  That is not to say she was a weak woman; despite her love and loyalty to Hemingway she did very well standing up to him.

  Of course, as a francophile I also loved the descriptions of 1920s Paris, and the atmosphere of that era really came through.  And the description of Hemingway's writing process - especially the genesis of the novel The Sun Also Rises has made me want to read this book and see if my attitude toward his writing has changed.

  Recommended

  

Something Missing

Something Missing:A Novel by Matthew Dicks

Published:  2009 by Broadway Books

Source:  Borrowed from the library

  If it wasn't for the fact that we lived in different states, I could almost swear that I was a client of Martin Railsback.  Martin is not your ordinary thief - he is extremely selective in whom he chooses as clients to keep their "business" he avoids smashing and grabbing and going for the high-ticket items like flat-screen TVs that would obviously be noticed if missing; rather he takes things that would not be immediately missed (if at all) - a few pounds of meat from the overstocked freezer, some aspirin from the Costco-sized bottle, a few cups of Liquid Plum'r - and leaves the house in the exact condition it was in when he arrived.

 

  Martin has a method to his chosen work (ok, he is obsessive/compulsive, and a bit of a loner), and it has served him well for a number of years, until an incident at the home of one of his clients causes him to take a few risks in order to protect them.  His valor continues with other clients, and Martin becomes more involved with people than he ever thought he'd be comfortable with.

  This is a light read but at times also a page-turner as the author creates some great suspense.  And although technically a criminal in the eyes of the law, Martin is someone you just can't help but liking.  The ending I felt left things wide open for a sequel and I hope Matthew Dicks has one in the works because I will definitely read it.

  Highly recommended.

Five Quarters of the Orange

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris

Published:  2007 by Harper Perennial

Source:  Purchased

  Framboise Simon returns to the village of her childhood to live in her family's farm and with the recipes of her mother is able to create a successful restaurant.  What the residents don't know is Framboise's link to the town and she would like to keep it that way.

  The story is told at two different periods -- in the present, where Framboise works to keep to herself while her nephew and his wife attempt to coerce her into giving them the recipes Framboise's mother passed on to her for use in their own restaurant; and during the war, where Framboise continually battles with her mother and makes friends with a German soldier in the area.  The narrative seems rather seamless and to me shows once again how much the past has an effect on the present.

  And although I didn't really get a true feeling for most of the characters, I both loved and hated Framboise.  As a child, she really was rather cruel to her mother -- triggering her migraines so that she could take off to the town with her older siblings, for example -- but at the same time as an adult she was strong and feisty and stood up to her nephew's efforts to ruin her business.

  For someone like me who is interested in both World War II and in French history/culture I enjoyed this book very much. 

  I have read this book for the "book with a number in the title" selection of the What's in a Name 4 Reading Challenge.
 

The Fates Will Find Their Way

The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard

Published:  2011 by ecco, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

Source:  Galley received from publisher

  One Halloween, sixteen year-old Nora Lindell goes missing and is never heard from again.  But she is still talked about in the community where she grew up, especially it seems among the boys in her neighborhood not only when she disappeared but into their adulthood as well.

   It is one of these boys - unnamed - who acts as the narrator of The Fates Will Find Their Way.  He speaks on behalf of his group -- boys who appear to have grown up together and now raise their families in the same community.  Many of them saw Nora the evening she disappeared, and while I thought their cohesiveness would lead to something to explain Nora's absence, I found the narration superficial and unemotional; and perhaps that was the author's intent - to represent how young men react to such an event close to their own lives.

 Mixed into the narrative is Nora's story -- what may or may not have happened to her.  Several alternatives arise -- from violent to sad to heartwarming -- but it is never clear if any of these are the true version of events.  In none of the alternatives are any reason given for her disappearance, and in the novel there is no emphasis at all given to any investigation.  Again, is this because the author wants to show only the boys' perspective?

  As I started reading this novel, I was reminded a little bit of The Lovely Bones for its description of the story's main plot point right at the beginning.  But that is where the similarities ended -- the tragedy of the disappearance became less important as the novel went on and to me became more like a local legend than a possible crime; the novel then became about the young men as a group and their progression through life with this event linking them forever.

  For me, the writing seemed distant and unemotional and where I think I should have felt something for what happened to Nora and to some of the other characters, I could not.  If there was an underlying message to this novel, I did not pick up on it. 

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

  I have heard very mixed reviews about The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.  I had it on my nook wishlist, but when I saw it available at the library I thought I'd save the few bucks and read the old-fashioned (!) hardcover copy.

  The initial premise seemed interesting enough:  young Rose Edelstein discovers that she can taste the feelings of the person who prepares what she eats after tasting sadness in a lemon cake her mother baked for her.  Her family can only be described as dysfunctional at best, and the sensations become so strong that she cannot eat anything but highly processed junk food to prevent her from becoming overwhelmed. 

  And then it just gets weird. 

  Rose's story seems to take a backseat to that of her older brother Joseph, a very intelligent kid but very much a loner and with his own quirks (some reviews I have read have diagnosed him with a form of autism).  It seems that for him the greatest thing about going to college is moving into his own place, and well before he's finished high school he starts packing his things.  Even though Rose is the narrator of the entire novel, the last half of the book is more about Joseph; and to me this part made absolutely no sense.

  Maybe someone more intelligent than me can appreciate what (if anything) this book is trying to say.  I just plain did not get it.  I'm glad I did not shell out good money for this one.

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

Dear Ms. Weiner,

  Ever since I picked up a copy of your first novel, Good in Bed, I have been a fan.  Your real portrayals of women along with your ability to write with wit and compassion are so different from other writers of the so-called chick-lit genre that I eagerly anticipate the release of your new books and purchase them immediately - in hardcover.

  I'm sad to say, though, that Fly Away Home is not your best piece of work.  The premise -- a loyal senator's wife humiliated by her husband's admission of an extra-marital affair, the lives of their two polar-opposite daughters, Diana and Lizzie, and the attempt at reconciliation -- seemed like it was "ripped from the headlines", especially with the references to similar real-life scandals.  I found none of the characters - not even Milo, Diana's son -- particularly likeable, and I found some of the situations your characters faced in the context of the story (an unexpected pregnancy, for one) far-fetched.

  I still adore your work, and am marking this down as a one-time only blip.  Bring back the real characters and tell a story that we can relate to, and don't fall into the trap about writing about the hot scandal.

Best,

Suzanne

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

  We Need to Talk About Kevin is not a book I would have picked up on my own -- why would I want to read a novel about a kid who commits mass murder in his school when there is sadly too much of that in reality?  However, seeing it recommended by two bloggers whose opinions I respect and generally agree with - Becky at Page Turners and Boof at The Book Whisperer - I felt that I needed to give it a go.

  Eva, Kevin's mother, is writing letters to Kevin's father, Franklin, in the aftermath of the tragedy that Kevin has created.  In these letters, she is brutally honest in a way that she couldn't or wouldn't be in face to face conversations; she explains how she was quite happy with her lifestyle as a travel-guide writer/publisher, jetting off to research locations for months at a time, yet being happy to arrive home to Franklin.  The decision to have a child put a hold on this for her, and with the arrival of Kevin, you immediately sense that Eva regrets his birth and the sacrifices she will be forced to make.  She tells Franklin of all the incidents in Kevin's childhood that indicated he was not a well-adjusted boy; incidents that at the time Franklin accuses her of fabricating just to make Kevin look like an evil child. 

  She explains the day -- Thursday as she refers to it -- when Kevin locks nine people in the school gymnasium and massacres them.  She talks of her visits to Kevin in the juvenile detention center -- visits that neither of them care for.  And tells Franklin about the effect Kevin's actions have had on her personally.

  Eva is not a likeable person -- I found her vain and shallow -- but then I think about what she has endured and I wonder how I would act in the same situation.  Who can even imagine what that would be like?

  I didn't love this book, but it was an interesting, if disturbing read.  I agree with Boof that it is an excellent choice for book group discussions; it would be fascinating to hear what parents have to say about it.

 

 

Promises to Keep by Jane Green

  I have read and enjoyed several of Jane Green's previous novels -- Jemima J especially, but also The Other Woman and Bookends -- but I haven't read any of her more recent books.  When I saw her most recent book, Promises to Keep, on the new releases shelf at the library I thought I'd give it a try.  I've been reading a lot of books lately with heavier subject material, so I thought a lighter read would be just the thing to cleanse the ol' reader's palate, as it were.

 

  I certainly did not expect to be crying my eyes out 15 minutes after closing the book when the message of the book hit me.  Not that it is a completely sad story - which I don't want to describe too much at the risk of giving it away - but it is a personal one for Jane Green and I think she did a wonderful job.

  The story is centered around two sisters - Callie and Steffi.  Callie is the almost-stereotypical suburban woman -- taking care of her kids and her workaholic husband while running a photography business from her home.  Steffi is 33 but to her family still hasn't grown up and settled down.  It seemed to be a typical "chick lit" (and I admittedly do not like that term) plot, but then something happens that impacts the lives of the sisters and those closest to them -- Callie's husband and two young children; the sisters' divorced parents, Walter and Honor; and Callie's best friend Lila.  It is here that the story takes an bittersweet turn and I literally could not put the book down until I reached the last page (thank goodness for lazy Saturday mornings). 

 

  As I put the book down and started to think about it, I was overwhelmed by the amount of emotion Jane Green put into these characters.  And though it had me tearing up, sadness is not what it's all about;  there is a good sprinkling of humor throughout as well, along with some really tempting recipes (Steffi is a chef, and there is a recipe at the end of each chapter for a particular dish described in the narrative).

  I highly recommend this novel.  I haven't read Jane Green for a few years, but she's back on my must-read list.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

  Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson is a story of love at any age and that you can very well teach an old dog some new tricks.

  Major Ernest Pettigrew, a retired Army officer, lives in the town of Edgecombe St. Mary, in the home that originally belonged to his parents.  A classic Englishman of the "stiff upper lip" variety, he is caught in a vulnerable position when he hears some tragic news and answers the door to the town shopkeeper, Mrs. Jasmina Ali, who assists him in his time of need as any good neighbor would.  Thus begins a relationship that surprises them both - as well as their families and the rest of the town - and lays open everyone's prejudices and attitudes for introspection and shows that anyone can find it in their heart to change for the better.
 
  There are many ups and downs in this novel -- some terribly funny, some awfully sad -- but the author put the story together so well that I found it very difficult to put the book down without reading one (or two) more chapters.  The characters were absolutely delightful -- even the not-so-nice ones -- and I felt like I wanted to sit with Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali and discuss literature with them over a nice cup of tea.

I highly recommend this novel.  It is one of my favorites of the year thus far. 

This novel also fulfills the "Title in the Title" choice for the What's in a Name Challenge.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - thoughts

Let me just say this -- Lisbeth Salander is not a likeable person, but I so want to be her.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the third installment in Stieg Larsson's trilogy featuring this amazing character, is another exciting read from start to finish.  I don't want to reveal too much about the book in case anyone hasn't read the first two books (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Girl Who Played with Fire) - and I think you do need to read them before starting on the third - so I'll just say that the story picked up quite seamlessly from the end of the second book.  In this novel, the focus wasn't so much on Mikael Blomqvist, the quirky journalist; but rather on Salander and several other very strong female characters:  Erika Berger, Blomqvist's colleague; Annika Giannini, Blomqvist's sister and Salander's attorney; Monica Figuerola, a police officer aiding in the investigation; and Susanne Linder, an employee with the security firm for which Salander did some consulting work.

But it is Salander who just makes the book for me.  She has been through so much - well, CRAP - in her life so her reluctance to speak to anyone in authority is well justified; but it is the way she finds ways to stick it to those who have wronged her that just make me wish that I could have her strength and assertiveness (and her computer smarts) even for a little while.

It is unfortunate that Larsson passed away before he was able to bask in the amazing success of this series.  I would love to see where he may have taken these characters, and what other stories he had to tell.

A Week in December - thoughts

A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks is an interesting novel.  Set in present-day London, it is about the loosely and not-so-loosely connected lives of a number of the city's residents -- among them a financier who can't make enough money, his wife, their teenage son, an impoverished solicitor, a Tube driver, a young Muslim man and his parents, and an extremely cynical book reviewer.  The novel is a bit of a send-up of modern life: greed, social interactions, reality television and even terrorism. 

I enjoyed reading this book, not so much for the characters - none of whom I found particulary likeable - but for the way Faulks altered my perceptions of who and what is good or evil.  What looks one way at the beginning of the novel doesn't always seem so clearly defined at the end.

The only other novel I've read by Faulks is Birdsong, the story of which is very different from this recent book.  I'm impressed with his ability to write so well of such different periods.