Don't Tell Me You're Afraid: A Novel
by Giuseppe Catozzella (author), Anne Milano Appel (translator)
Timely and beautiful book (8/4/2016)
This a heart-wrenching yet beautiful book; a fictionalized account of a true story that feels very timely given the upcoming Olympics and presidential elections. It is easy to get lost in this book and forget that it is not a memoir as the immediacy of the first-person narration pulls the reader in. It is a testament to Catozzella's writing and research that this book is so moving and that he (an adult Italian male) is capable of transporting readers around the world to a war-torn African country from the perspective of a young Somali girl. Lyrical and uplifting at times, and tragic at others, this book is one that is absorptive, all-consuming, and one that won't soon be forgotten.
The Secret Ingredient of Wishes
by Susan Bishop Crispell
Fun but predictable (7/6/2016)
Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will love this book reminiscent of Garden Spells, replete with magical powers and pies. It's a light-hearted and easy read with a touch of melancholy. While much of the plot is predictable and too much is given away in the first fifty pages, it's still a pleasant read with enjoyable characters and a charming Southern setting.
The Children
by Ann Leary
Disappointing as a Family Novel (5/9/2016)
As a native New Englander, I had been aware of Ann Leary for awhile in a peripheral manner, but somehow never read any of her books. I was excited to read her newest novel, set on a lake in Connecticut. At the outset, The Children appears to be a family novel about a non-traditional blue-blooded WASP family with eccentric ways. The beginning of the book is filled with dry humor depicting the frugal Yankee ways of this rich family and I enjoyed (and recognized) some of their habits; native New Englanders will appreciate these anecdotes which seem to reflect a dying breed of New Englanders.
Despite enjoying the beginning of the book, the narrator, Charlotte, never feels completely compelling or relatable. Despite her wariness of others in regards to a lack of honesty or integrity, she unapologetically writes (and is paid substantially for) a mommy blog despite being a single woman with social anxiety. Leary also introduces difficult topics through both Charlotte and her sister Sally but never explores them in a meaningful way - serious issues don't always feel sensitively handled or researched, and as such, their effects on the characters are shallow.
A bigger problem with the novel is the sudden tonal shift in the second half of the book. Rather than continuing to explore the characters, the book turns dark and twisty and feels like a somewhat predictable thriller towards the end. Unfortunately, Leary doesn't use any of the dark plot points to effect change in her characters, or to create increasingly complex characters. The characters feel rather two-dimensional in light of all of the drama in the book, and this contributed to my disappointment in the resolution of the novel.
Overall, this feels like a family novel that never fully explores the family at hand, but the setting of the novel is rich and believable, and readers who enjoy plot-driven fiction may enjoy the plot twists within.
Amour Provence
by Constance Leisure
Interesting Short Story/Novel Hybrid (3/10/2016)
Three and a half stars.
The setting of this book, in an area of Provence widely populated by vintners, is a major strength of this book. I appreciated that the descriptions in this novel went well beyond the pat and stereotypical musings on the fields of lavender and sunflowers that many books set in Provence never venture past. I felt the towns (mostly fictional, I believe) came to life and served as characters of their own. Since this is not a typical story of an American tourist traveling in Provence, the stories themselves are also more gritty than some readers might expect. Many stories involve tragedies or more unsavory aspects of life, though the book is not sad or depressing as a whole, and learning bits and pieces about the lives of vintners and the culture of Provence was fascinating.
The biggest fault of this book lies not with the story itself, but with the synopsis on the jacket, which is a bit misleading. The summary leads the reader to believe this is a novel following a group of friends. While this is somewhat true, the book reads more as a novel told in short stories. Many chapters pass without any of the main characters interacting in a meaningful way, and even by the end, some of the stories remain separate from one another, though they are all tied together by their shared setting of neighboring Provencal villages. While the individual stories have mostly satisfying resolutions, the book does not follow a typical structure with a beginning, middle, and end, and there is no climax to the novel as a whole. However, the glimpses into each character's life and home are enjoyable and well-written, and the characters themselves are unique, flawed, and interesting.
The separate nature of some of the stories may make it a difficult read for book clubs. Overall, though, this is a quiet and well-written book that lies somewhere between short stories and a novel.
[Editor's note: Kathy read an "advanced reading copy" of Amour Provence. ARCs are produced around 6 months ahead of publication, before the final round of editing has been done. It is not unusual for the synopsis on the book jacket to change between the ARC and the final version. Perhaps this will be the case with this book]
I'll See You in Paris
by Michelle Gable
Fast & fun read (12/28/2015)
I'll See You in Paris is a fast-paced novel following several intersecting storylines in different timelines. There is an element of mystery to the book, and the constantly shifting time periods and myriad characters will hold a reader's interest. The Duchess of Marlborough is an eccentric character based on a real historical figure who appears well-researched and, as such, she is intriguing and amusing.
Unfortunately the cost of having one larger than life character in a plot-driven novel is that many of the other characters suffer and feel a bit "flat." Francophiles may also be disappointed that the novel doesn't travel to Paris until the last quarter of the book.
Overall, a fun and fast read with a touch of a history lesson!
The Two-Family House
by Lynda Cohen Loigman
Fantastic Family Saga (11/11/2015)
The Two-Family House is a masterfully written novel of family, relationships, and the repercussions of life events on many individuals. In another author's hands, the plot of The Two-Family House could have felt convoluted or strained, but Loigman lays a strong groundwork with spare prose and complex characters that read like real people. The reader is quickly drawn in by how familiar the characters feel, and the shifting perspectives strengthen the novel and the themes, representing how one decision can affect many individuals in diverse ways. Also, while this is a historical novel set in the late 1940s to early 1970s, readers of contemporary fiction will still enjoy the richly drawn characters and their complicated family life. This is a wonderful debut novel - I hope that Loigman writes many more as I was sad to finish this one.
While the writing does not necessarily resemble Elizabeth Strout's, Loigman's ability to create believable characters and complex relationships resonates in a similar way to Olive Kitteridge.
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