Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution
by Molly Beer
Influential Early American Patriot (6/3/2025)
Molly Beer's nonfiction work is a depiction of the early years of the American colonies primarily through the perspective of Angelica Schuyler Church. Daughter of noted general and statesman Philip Schuyler of Albany, NY, Angelica was deeply interested in politics. Given the prominence of her family, she became acquainted with and ultimately friends with the likes of Lafayette, George Washington, and even Thomas Jefferson.
Through her sister's marriage to Alexander Hamilton, he too became both her friend and a confidant. Angelica was unusual for her time in that she lived abroad for a while in both Paris and London and was renowned as a gracious and influential hostess.
Beer draws on a treasure trove of letters to create this portrait of Angelica, a woman who never held any official position, and who of course, could not vote.
I found Beer's book fascinating both for its history of three early wars and for its setting in upstate New York, where I lived for some years. A list of the principal figures and their titles would have been helpful for this reader. Recommended especially for American history buffs and those interested in18th century women's history.
L.A. Women
by Ella Berman
Making it Big in 1970's Los Angeles (2/28/2025)
Set in the late 1960's and up to the mid 1970's, L. A. Women is a story of the intense, fractured friendship between two young women, Lane, a novelist, ultimately a wife and mother, and Gala, a party girl and sometime writer with an out-size personality. The men in their lives are Charlie, party master and closeted gay, and straightforward upright Scotty, who marries Lane. Lane's childhood was particularly dysfunctional while Gala's wasn't wonderful either. As so-called friends, these two women use and abuse and sometimes depend on each other. Competition and compassion are at war in this back-and-forth relationship.
The opening chapters are full of sex and drug-laden parties, and I didn't find any of the characters very appealing or ones I could identify with. When Gala disappears and no one seems to know where she has gone, Lane feels compelled, even driven, to try to locate her. This search fuels the novel as the chapters alternate in time between past events and present day 1975. Recommended for fans of Ella Berman and those looking for a graphic depiction of an earlier Hollywood/Los Angeles party scene.
Songs of Summer
by Jane L. Rosen
Finding your extended family midst an island wedding! (1/20/2025)
Songs of Summer is an enjoyable novel about tangled family relationships and love. It's set on Fire Island, off the shore of Long Island, and deals with adoption and finding one's birthmother at the age of 30. The extended family dynamics are complex, adding to the action. Riffing on the book title and the fact that Maggie, the main character owns a record store, each chapter is a track number (like on a record) and is titled with words from a popular song.
Music from the 1970's, 80's and later runs creatively throughout the story. Maggie, Bea, and Jason are well-rounded characters, while humor and a twist or two color the mostly predictable plot.
Some of the characters here appear in Rosen's earlier novel, On Fire Island, and for this reader were less well defined and harder to keep straight. It's a coming-into-your-own beach book and could be fun for a book group wanting something lighter.
The Little Italian Hotel: A Novel
by Phaedra Patrick
Delightful tale of re-discovering oneself! (4/3/2023)
Are you ready for a short stay in picturesque Italy? The premise of Patrick's latest novel is a familiar one. Wife Ginny anticipates celebrating a big anniversary with her husband Adrian, but they are not on the same page. Adrian is interested in divorce and a break, and Ginny is eager for the trip she planned to Italy. She hosts a radio advice program and ends up inviting four strangers to be her travel guests.
Their hotel is somewhat tired, but the setting is charming. Ginny's companions are a motley crew, each wrapped tightly in grief. Nonetheless, they muddle along, try activities together, and mostly come to like each other. A new locale and different people offer a fresh perspective and even some hope for the future.
This is a perfect summer book. Take it to the beach or mountains, suspend belief, and go with the warmth and caring these unrelated individuals show each other. It's a quick, fun read! I'd rate it four and a half stars.
Last House Before the Mountain
by Monika Helfer
Layers of Memory (2/18/2023)
How do you learn about the generations before you? In this autobiographical novel, the narrator delves into the lives of her grandmother Maria, her mother, Grete, her uncles, and her aunt in Austria during WWI. Maria's husband Josef is away fighting. The family has little food and virtually no interaction with the villagers. Maria's beauty is something of a curse, and Mayor Fink who has been deputized to look after her, feels its pull, as does a German stranger.
The novel moves forward in a winding pattern with the relation of wartime events punctuated by details about the future fate of Maria's siblings. Apart from the narrator, the most present character is Aunt Kathe, a wise woman and source of much of the family's trauma-filled history.
I didn't love this book, but I admired the way Helfer wove in single strands of memory or fact and then re-introduced these elements later, often fleshed out. Although short, this book deserves careful reading and might prompt readers to recall what they know and what they intuit about previous generations in their own family.
Margot: A Novel
by Wendell Steavenson
Coming of Age in the free-roaming 60's yet hobbled by her upbringing (12/7/2022)
I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I did like how Steavenson deftly captured the Harvard milieu (buildings and Cambridge streets) and the frenzied, overwrought 1960's fueled by lots of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Margot, albeit blessed with a financially rich childhood, is squelched by her mother's cruel belittling and, as a result, lacks self-esteem. Her mother's goal is that she marries a rich man and replenishes the family coffers. I enjoyed Margot's scientific zeal and her developing expertise in the laboratory and hoped that would translate to a better sense of self. It didn't really.
Overall, I was disappointed in Margot and thought one of her sexual encounters was gratuitous and not essential for the plot. The childhood sections were slow going, but I found the book flowed more smoothly once Margot was at Harvard. For me, the ending was sad, or perhaps open-ended enough to allow for a sequel. Descriptions are raw and messy at points. I think future readers will have strong feelings about whether they liked the novel or didn't like at all.
Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War
by Zhuqing Li
Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden (5/31/2022)
This is a heartfelt family saga of determination, dedication, and resilience. Sisters Jun and Hong, from a formerly wealthy Chinese family, end up on two sides of the political divide and physically separated by the waters between mainland China and the island of Jinmen (now Quemoy). Their career ambitions (medicine and teaching) and their personal lives are impacted by the civil war and later, the hardships of the Cultural Revolution. Through extensive family conversations and research, author Li has crafted a marvelous account of how these two very different women, her aunts, accommodated themselves to their respective political climates, raised children, and still managed to forge a path ahead. Li’s perceptive rendering of their different approaches to life provides added depth. I was immersed in this book from the moment I began reading!
Honor
by Thrity Umrigar
Two World Views: Cultured Journalist vs. Hindu Wife (9/16/2021)
I devoured this book and loved it! Umrigar presents several differing views of India and its social issues. American journalist Smita, back after 20 years, is often disgusted by and scornful of what she sees. Mohan, a professional man, loves Mumbai despite its complexities. Meena, a poor Hindu woman struggles under her brothers' rule yet challenges what is proper for a woman. This book would generate good discussion in a book group and would appeal to readers interested in cultural and religious issues as they play out in rural society. The ending might seem too neat for some, but I found it satisfying.
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