The Last Russian Doll
by Kristen Loesch
Enthralling historical fiction (10/18/2022)
A thoroughly engaging work of historical fiction that blends characters in two different time periods in Russia. In 1991, Rosie (Raisa), who is of Russian heritage, becomes a research assistant to a famous dissident writer, Alexey Ivanov. His "research" involves Russia, so Rosie accompanies him to find answers and face demons related to her childhood. Concurrently, Loesch spins a tale of Antonina (Tonya) and Valentin as they experience life, love, upheaval, and betrayal during the turbulent period of Russia's history (1916-1943). While it may appear that the characters in their respective time periods are discrete, Loesch uses a combination of fact, fiction, and fairy tale to weave a thread that unites their stories in a meaningful and intriguing way. I found this book exciting because of its Russian history, dimensionality of its characters and the mystery associated with the relationships between all the characters.
Jackie & Me
by Louis Bayard
Interesting read on Jackie Bouvier (pre Kennedy) (6/23/2022)
A well written and engaging book about the relationship between Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings (the best friend of John F. Kennedy) and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, before she became the iconic First Lady. Bayard writes in the voice of Lem who developed a friendship with Jack Kennedy when they were students at Choate. They bonded by their mutual dislike of Choate's rules and headmasters. Bayard portrays Jackie Bouvier (before she became a Kennedy) as "The scrapping career girl with homemade clothes and ladders in her stockings…who doubted herself at every move." Jack Kennedy initiated the friendship between Lem and Jackie since he was so focused on his political career that he didn't have the time for a proper courtship. Bayard uses a combination of fact and fiction to describe the friendship between Lem and Jackie which appeared as a "vetting process" to determine Jackie's suitability as a politician's wife and addition to the Kennedy clan. Lem became a confidante to this "other" Jackie- a young woman who was more naïve and vulnerable to the handsome, charismatic then Congressman from Massachusetts and his high-profile powerful family. This read is an interesting insight into one of the most famous of relationships that garnered interest by both the public and the press.
Some of It Was Real
by Nan Fischer
A real page turner that you wouldn't predict (3/27/2022)
Sylvie Young is a psychic-medium who uses glitzy performances before packed audiences to demonstrate her abilities. Her success is burgeoning, and she is aiming for stardom.
Thomas Holmes, a reporter for the L.A. times, is determined to write a front-page expose about Sylvie to prove she is a hoax. However, he has insufficient evidence to support his claim.
Thomas and Sylvie make a commitment to travel together to her next "gig" in Oregon, but each have stipulations. Thomas is figuratively going to "co join" with Sylvie by sharing a single train compartment and confiscating her electronic devices so she cannot cheat by getting advance background information on her audience. Sylvie agrees to a detour to visit her foster parents so Thomas can interview them about her childhood.
This trip is transformational for both as they deal with issues involving relationships, families, Sylvie's spontaneous predictions to strangers, haunting dreams, and family secrets.
The author masterfully crafted this story because her chapters switch between Sylvie and Thomas and the reader feels invested in their journey. Her language is artful. Her descriptions are evocative. She uses words and phrases that are subtly predictive.
All the twists and turns in the story make it totally engrossing and what will happen next is unpredictable. This book is excellent for a book club since it presents so many discussion points.
The author states that the reader's "take away" is "a belief that anything is possible." Only the reader can decide.
Activities of Daily Living: A Novel
by Lisa Hsiao Chen
Challenging book with some narrative including impressive literary and artistic references (1/19/2022)
In this book, Ms. Chen takes the reader on a thought provoking journey into diverse paths which involve how two different people - one factual and one fictional - use their lives to illustrate the concepts of life and time.
Her main character, Alice, creates a project (term used in the book) to immerse herself in the actual performance art of Tehching Hsieh (referred to as the Artist) whose art consists of a series of year long performances where he is the only actor in a series of unusual activities (which I thought bizarre) where he totally disengages himself from any distractions or activities and faces total isolation. His "Cage Piece" involved him building a cage in his apartment outfitted with only a bed and slop bucket. It is devoid of any distractions like TV, radio, etc. and he engages in no activities. His friend provides him with daily sustenance and empties his slop bucket. No conversation is exchanged and his friend takes random photographs of the Artist during this caged period.
Alice is concurrently acting as primary caregiver to her Taiwanese stepfather (referred to as Father) who is sinking into the abyss of dementia.
I found this a very difficult read. When discussing the Artist, Ms. Chen makes extensive references to various famous artists, authors and philosophers who were unfamiliar to me. I decided to research some of these people so that correlations/parallels to the Artist and Alice's experiences would become clearer. However, it increased my confusion, caused frustration and diverted my reading time. My research did garner my interest in these individuals, particularly the Artist himself.
Ms. Chen's writing style was also difficult since there wasn't any fluidity between chapters, characters were randomly included but not thoroughly introduced and she sporadically used different writing styles. There were elements of the novel that were well done like her experiences with her Father since they are relatable to anyone dealing with the aging process. She also exhibited significant knowledge of her references.
This is not a novel that I would intentionally choose. I think it is better suited to readers who are more familiar with art, particularly performance art, or who have an abstract or philosophical persuasion.
Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History
by Lea Ypi
Free-a memoir of growing up in Albania during a changing political landscape and impacts on ideological beliefs (12/5/2021)
This is a compelling novel in which the author recounts her childhood and maturity in Albania in the late 1980s and extending into the late 1990s when there was an extreme change in Albania's political landscape. The regime changed from communism under the leadership of politician, Enver Hoxha (referred to as Uncle Enver), to a parliamentary republic. It was during this period that the author experienced an ideological maturity about the concept of freedom.
Her story poignantly begins when she is a young girl clutching a decapitated statue of Stalin because she learned in school that he was the man who changed the world. She runs to this statue to seek refuge from protestors (her father called them hooligans) who are clamoring for freedom and democracy. That is what triggers her to question the concept of freedom. As the author states later in the novel: "That is the day that I lost my childhood innocence." Her family acts and describes their family history in terms of normalcy; however, she later learns they deceived her. The universities they attended were a ruse for prisons/deportation sites, curriculums were a variety of criminal offenses, and a degree of completion was the end of a prison sentence. The ultimate deception was that her family heritage included a Populist Part Prime Minister she detested.
Her teenage years were also tumultuous because Albania's road to democracy required multiple transitions- political, economic, social, and European integration. The environment was chaotic with violent protests, political corruption, pyramid schemes and widespread bankruptcies which sparked the Albanian Civil War of 1997. This period also resulted in significant ideological shifts in her parents and other Albanians.
This book is a beautifully written memoir reflecting not only the author's emotions but the formation of her strong political beliefs. It is well suited to someone knowledgeable in political science or who is interested in nonfiction with historical and philosophical depth. While I was unfamiliar with this topical area, it expanded my perspective on the impacts of changing political conditions on ideological beliefs. At the novel's conclusion, it caused me to contemplate - Is freedom a concept defined in the eye of the beholder?
The Fields: A Novel
by Erin Young
Review of "The Fields" (10/10/2021)
The setting for this novel is the rural state of Iowa with its landscape of prairies, rolling hills and farmland used for corn production, This is an enthralling crime thriller that morphs into a tale that includes multiple murders, past secrets, deceptions, sexual assault, dysfunctional family live and political scandal. One of the major influencers in these outcomes in the intrusion of a major seed production corporation which changes the livelihood of the individual farmer.
This is a lengthy novel that appeals to a reader who wants to become completely absorbed in the detailed complexities associated with the impacts of migration to large scale corn production on the individual farmers. It is like following an "umbilical chord" (phrase used by author ) since each chapter is a necessary artery to provide life to both the occurrences and multiple characters in this novel.
I found this novel completely enthralling and difficult to put down. The author creatively structured words/and/or phrases that supported both the physical and emotional effects on the rural community.
I felt part of an intriguing journey along with the characters and situations exposed and/or unearthed in this crime fiction novel. I think it is an outstanding novel and I look forward to Ms. Young's next foray into this genre.
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