Mimi Malloy, At Last!
by Julia MacDonnell
Mimi Malloy At Last (2/21/2014)
Julia MacDonnell's novel was entertaining enough to finish as she writes quite well, but I found the characters to be predictable, boring, and generally unlikeable, especially Mimi's daughter Cassandra. The plot and dialogue might be better suited to a TV sit-com. The publisher labels it a coming-of-age novel, but I would have been really disappointed if I'd purchased the book expecting to read a story that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood. I'm giving it two thumbs up for humor.
Under the Wide and Starry Sky
by Nancy Horan
Under The Wide and Starry Sky (11/5/2013)
Nancy Horan understands the irresistible charm of the independent woman and once again has captured the essence of a fascinating personality, a woman loved by a younger man, adored by her native Samoan neighbors, and scorned by Victorian contemporaries who hadn't the foresight to appreciate her Bohemian spirit.
Fanny Stevenson summarized her life as "a wild ride on the crest of a wave that rolls and never breaks." Her wild ride begins as she leaves her unfaithful husband and ferries her three children off to France with the intent of enriching their lives and hers through art. By the end of the first chapter, you know that she is a "woman who could run the world if she chose to" (as Louis Stevenson's uncle George describes her later in the novel). During her sojourn in Paris she meets Stevenson, a struggling sickly writer, eleven years her junior, and thus a remarkable love story begins. From France to the United States, Scotland, England, and the South Pacific, readers ride the crest of the wave that was Fanny and Louis Stevenson's loving, sometimes troubling relationship.
Under the Wide and Starry Sky will appeal to those who enjoyed Loving Frank and other recent biographical novels about remarkable women who lived under the shadow of famous men. Writers, I believe, will especially enjoy eavesdropping on the everyday routine of two artists, who strive to balance family needs with the demands of their literary lives.
The Aviator's Wife
by Melanie Benjamin
The Aviator's Wife (12/10/2012)
Until I read Melanie Benjamin's exquisitely crafted novel, Anne Morrow Lindburgh seemed to be, as the title suggests, simply the aviator's wife. How wrong I was. Her remarkable life far outshines that of her famous spouse. She was his co-pilot around the globe (a fact I did not know until I read the novel) and the first American woman to earn a glider pilot's license; she was the single parent of the couple's six children – not just the mother of one son whose young life ended so tragically; she became a bestselling author. Most important of all, she was a woman who wasn't afraid to step out of the shadows of her husband's fame to seek personal fulfillment and happiness.
I thought the way Benjamin jogged between 1974 and 1927 as she told the couple's complicated story through Anne's voice was especially effective in demonstrating the steadfastness of her loyalty to a man who throughout their marriage offered numerous chances for her to abandon the relationship.
I highly recommend this book, but don't stray too far from the Kleenex box as you read. If you loved The Paris Wife and Loving Frank (especially) I expect that you'll enjoy Anne Lindburgh's story.
The Forgetting Tree: A Novel
by Tatjana Soli
The Forgetting Tree (8/23/2012)
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Tatjana Soli’s debut novel, "The Lotus Eaters," I waited with baited breath for my copy of "The Forgetting Tree," an intriguing and complex tale of unlikely soulmates, serendipitously brought together at a failing family citrus ranch in California. As in "Lotus," Soli enriches a complex plot with page-turning prose and dramatic detail, some of which is historic and enlightening.
This is not light reading. "The Forgetting Tree" paints an intriguing picture of a symbiotic relationship nourished by personal tragedy and the instinct to survive. The ending may leave you, as it did me, with unanswered questions, but sometimes that’s just the way life is.
The Queen's Lover: A Novel
by Francine du Plessix Gray
The Queen's Lover (5/17/2012)
As I read and very much enjoyed the story of Marie Antoinette’s Swedish lover, Count Axel von Fersen, I kept wanting to label the genre of the book as Creative or Narrative Non-Fiction, rather than Historical Fiction. The author has done exhaustive research to bring to life the details of the French Revolution, the tragedy of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, the role von Fersen played in their lives, and his own ironic fate in Sweden where a similar revolution took place.
The Queen’s Lover is very well written and paints a detailed picture of events that have been shoddily addressed by other authors. I came away with a much better understanding of the political climate surrounding the French Revolution. My only critique of the novel is that the author seems to do more “telling” than “showing”, but that by no means detracted from the brilliant portrayal as seen through the point of view of Axel von Fersen and his sister, Sophie. Highly recommended for lovers of late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth century European history.
The Face Thief: A Novel
by Eli Gottlieb
The Face Thief (12/28/2011)
An engaging opening introduces the main female character. Her story is intriguing, but the author then mixes in the tales of the other characters, all at once it seems, and I kept trying to figure out how they all related to each other. I struggled to keep the characters straight until about a third of the way through the book, when I figured out where the story might be heading. There were moments when I was reminded of the con artists in Sideways or Dirty Rotten Scoundrels although the plot of The Face Thief is not at all like either of those movies. Very engaging and well-written story, right to the end. Younger readers and mystery novel hounds especially, I expect, would love the book.
The Paris Wife: A Novel
by Paula McLain
The Paris Wife (12/22/2010)
This beautifully written account of Hadley Richardson’s marriage to Hemingway starts a bit slowly, but stay with it and you’ll be rewarded. By the end of the book I was completely caught up in the saga of a fascinating though difficult relationship. I highly recommend this book to Hemingway fans or those who would like to understand his personality. At the end of the book, I came away with a real appreciation for Hadley and what their relationship meant to both of them. It was a can’t-live-with-him-can’t-live-without-him seesaw they shared and eventually the can’t-live-with-him side triumphed. I would also recommend reading The Garden of Eden. It’s not one of his best-known novels, but I believe it echoes–from his point of view–the story of this marriage.
Lima Nights
by Marie Arana
Lima Nights (12/14/2008)
Arana’s latest book is a delicious read, the kind you might devour while sipping your afternoon tea or a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. Chocked full of sensual description and poetic metaphors, she leads the reader into the bizarre world of two disparate characters each clinging to a dream of what their life could be. I can imagine my daughters and their friends as well as my own circle of 60-something readers enjoying this page-turner.
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