The Original Daughter: A Novel
by Jemimah Wei
Grim and Surprisingly Relatable (3/6/2025)
The sansevieria plant is native to dry desert. The mother in The Original Daughter struggles to nurture and maintain her beloved sansevieria plant in the unbearably hot, humid, suppressive conditions of Singapore. This challenging effort parallels her relationship with her daughter Genevieve, the title child. By the same token, the sansevieria illustrates Gen's ever-growing belief that she was not where she belonged even though she was the original daughter.
Gen, her mother, father and paternal grandmother lived in a tiny one-bedroom flat in poverty-stricken Singapore. The atmosphere of hopelessness and lost autonomy is established early on when Gen tell us "There was no arguing with my grandmother, the apartment was hers." And it was ill-gotten at that...Gen found no inspiration in her family tree. Things only got more heated in the tiny apartment when Arin, an unknown granddaughter (child of a grandfather who was thought dead long ago) came to live with them. Arin's presence is the catalyst for the rest of the book.
The story is a character study of Gen as we live inside her thoughts, experiencing her impressions of her family members, and how she is mistreated by them. Her inability to forgive or accept imperfection and successes of those she wants to love is self-defeating and self-destroying. A sensitive reader will not escape unscathed.
Throughout the telling, descriptions of the environment and emotions are tactile and brilliant and bare. Its grim and relatable all at once.
In the Garden of Monsters: A Novel
by Crystal King
Too Big a "Chunk of Arils and Pith" (8/7/2024)
In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King was listed as historical fiction so I chose to review it. In the author's own notes, she refers to it as a Gothic novel and an ode to food, combining her fascination with Dali's art and personality, Greek and Roman mythology, and the culinary arts. Perhaps just too many ingredients for this tale which reads like a silly romance and is 50% fantasy.
It's 1945 and the lead female character is offered a thousand bucks to be muse to Dali for about a week, which in 2024 dollars is about $13,000 - a lot of cash to a want-to-be artist. She's whiny, inexperienced and insecure which made her a perfect doormat for the rest of the characters, and difficult for the reader to bond with. Her main enemy in the story are pomegranate seeds! She fears and evades them ad nauseum.
Some scenes describing menus items and costumes were imaginative and interesting and, at least in my opinion, a much-appreciated break to the convoluted "plot."
The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl
by Bart Yates
The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl Review (5/6/2024)
Issac's tale is an American life adventure highlighting 12 Days. It deserves a '4' for the energy and delightful detail in the first Day alone. By far the best chapter, maybe ever! While the title of the book had me prepared for a Gumpish story filled with famous characters, this is not the case. The book is very much a character study of 'ordinary' people; a very close-knit family/friendship that spans 96 years and counting, according to Issac in the last location of Napa Valley. Such a long life does, of course, involve some monumental events like an avalanche, the Dustbowl, and an earthquake but the people are without question the heart of the story. So, sentimentality rules...Issac cries a lot... but with a strong peppering of jokes and wisecracking throughout. The book also reveals Isaac's additional trials of being gay even while finding total love and acceptance within his family.
It is almost guaranteed that readers will be reflecting on their own life's 'moments' while reading. That was my experience and it made me wish I could coax more days' adventures from my dad who will be 100 in November!
P.S. I'm not crazy about the book's title. How about "No Such Thing as an Ordinary Life."
Thank you Book Browse and Kensington Publishing Corp. for this reading experience!
Leaving: A Novel
by Roxana Robinson
Ties Do Bind (11/23/2023)
Is there only one way to honor a marriage? Do sacrifices have limits, and who gets to decide what they are? What is weakness, what is strength? Can you expect to be given respect from those you deeply hurt, from yourself for the choices you make to survive?
The novel "Leaving" by Roxana Robinson weaves such ethical questions throughout. The characters' actions - flawed or noble - are sure to raise debates among book club members and more poignantly within yourself. Readers may find themselves aligning with one character and then urging others on in the next chapter with "why didn't you say this" or "you should have questioned her own ideas of love about that." So while I found it a frustrating read at times, the writing was seamless and kept moving the plot forward.
I do recommend this book and will champion it as a book club title for our group. The ending and what alternative possibilities were anticipated will also make for interesting discussion.
The Wren, the Wren: A Novel
by Anne Enright
Front Row Seat to Mostly Unexciting Family Drama (8/9/2023)
Let me put it this way, if these people were my acquaintances, I'd probably be busy when they called. This inside seat for endless family judgments on each other is not the way I'd choose to spend my reading time, but yes, there are some uniquely expressed nuggets within, which are something to jot down and tape to your computer screen for later; and the unusual inclusion of interspersed poetry I found an enjoyable, unexpected respite. The "Phil" chapter near the 3/4 mark in the book was beautifully atmospheric and poetic in itself which was Phil after all by label anyway. For example: "...and it was not a house to me so much as a creaking ship, a groaning night creature, ploughing the dark waves." So for those who enjoy reads that are slight on plot but heavy on character study and don't have enough family drama of their own, this might be for you. Anne Enright is a highly praised author.
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge
by Spencer Quinn
Light as a Feather (3/24/2023)
This is my first time to read this author. Being about the same age as the protagonist the predicament was of interest. That is, having your bank accounts cleaned out by heartless scammers. The set-up of her character, as being a somewhat savvy businesswoman/partner with her late husband, was both supported and betrayed throughout the story. There were endearing moments and cute "tags" to hang onto like her preoccupation with footwear, but overall, I think she was dumbed down a bit too much for my taste. I imagined the plot going in a different direction at about page 190, which would have introduced a more business-minded approach to her dilemma. But that, literally, is another story.
The book is a fast read and just for fun. I think some book clubs might enjoy discussion about handling a similar situation or commiserating about the dependent children aspect, for example. I rated it "good," because it's not at all bad.
The All-American: A Novel
by Joe Milan Jr.
Finding Self and Family the Hard Way (2/4/2023)
The lead character, Bucky, (and many more monikers as his experiences continued) takes the reader on a forced whirlwind trip to South Korea where he was born but knows not a word of Korean. He is a flawed young man who gains the reader's interest, if not sympathy, early on. He has a chip on his shoulder and limited life experience and finds himself deep in the kimchi barrel page after page after page. A good (4) coming of age story for older teens, young adults. The story dragged in places, especially once he was in the military and pages could be cut. This book wouldn't be my book club's cup of tea, which consists of retired women; but I will be telling them about how surprisingly easy it is for a young person to lose control once out of his own country as evidenced by some of his serious predicaments, which I think were fiction imitating life. There is sex, foul language, bawdy humor.
In the Time of Our History
by Susanne Pari
Like Listening to a Friend Over Tea (9/9/2022)
Defiant of her father's culturally sanctified heavy-handed ways and biology's edicts as well, Mitra designs her own life in San Francisco. This story of familial relationships is largely character driven, filled with conflict and love and beautifully told heartfelt drama. The personal tone makes it enjoyable time spent witnessing that interplay and the growth of the protagonist especially. This book might be for fans of Forty Autumns by Nina Willner, a more plot driven story of a large East German family struggling with defying their patriarch.
My only criticism of Susanne Pari's is that sometimes the writing imposed itself on the reading. Similes, while descriptive, sometimes did not fit the context. Too much description of items or use of their brand names became overdone. Overall, my rating is 3.5. Thank You!
Natural History: Stories
by Andrea Barrett
Am I too late to the party? (8/8/2022)
This stories collection is my first exposure to Andrea Barrett's writing. While on a personal level I had a connection with some of the stories, in that I have raised butterflies - love nature, and have taken a few flying lessons and in fact did a solo skydive in my youth. However, it was soon evident in the reading that I was hovering awkwardly over a tightly woven net of characters with backstories unknown to me.
I found that unlike short stories these were like journal entries about family which were interconnected by the characters, therefore seeming more like chapters of a sort. That being said, the one entitled The Accident stood most independently having memorable characters and being told in a fresh voice. A voice more energized than the other chapters/stories for sure. I also enjoyed the final entry Natural History as it flowed wonderfully revealing insights and offering digs in a dry humorous way.
The renowned writer I'm sure deserves the accolades. For this book, I feel certain those who have read her other books and are familiar with the "family tree" will gain more and appreciate this offering more than first timers such as myself.
The Lies I Tell: A Novel
by Julie Clark
Meaty Premise Vegan Delivery (4/5/2022)
Wanted to love this book. Revenge! Justice for the unjustified male bullies and opportunists! Well, while some of Meg's grifter shenanigans were well plotted, amusing, and quite interesting, the overall story seemed to lack the needed suspense. Her desired endgame was known from the very beginning. The format of switching chapters between Meg and Kat should have worked better but sometimes foreshadowing or sequencing seemed off between the two. Hard not to give examples without spoilers so I'll just say this book definitely has good points - sections of good writing - and is not a bad read by any means, but for me it just needed tightening up to be the suspenseful page turner I was expecting.
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