Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen
by Mary Norris
Greek to Me (4/4/2019)
The author, Mary Norris, is an unabashed devotee of Greece-- its language, culture, history. ancient remains. Her enthusiasm comes through in this memoir, written with love and humor. Greece, here I come!
Meet Me at the Museum
by Anne Youngson
Meet me at the Museum (5/13/2018)
I enjoyed this quiet, contemplative book, a correspondence between Tina Hapgood in Bury St. Edmonds, England, and Kristian Larsen, curator of Silkeborg Museum in Denmark, where Tollund Man, a 2,000 year-old preserved and found in a Danish Bog, resudes, Tina attended a lecture as a child, given by the former curator, who has since died. Her fascination has held through the years, and her letter to the former curator is answered by Kristian. Neither of them expect an extended correspondence, but they discovered, being about the same age and questioning their lives, much in common. Tina is in an unhappy marriage and Kristian is a widower. They have sadness in their lives, which they share with each other. The correspondence moves. from a somewhat detached mode to a dependence on being able to confide and not be censored or judged. The closings move from "Sincerely yours" to "Love." Is there a chance that they can join in person instead of their words on paper? A doubt is introduced, and the question is unanswered for the reader, who is left wondering and hoping that these two unhappy, intelligent, perceptive correspondents can have a happy, real relationship.
A Piece of the World: A Novel
by Christina Baker Kline
A Piece of the World (1/3/2017)
This biographical novel deserves a 6 rating, for excellent. "Very good" is an understatement. The subject of the novel is Christina Olson, the woman in the foreground of Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World." Christina is reaching for her home, and pulling herself through a field of grass towards the old, gray-white, wood-framed house up a slope from her.Wyeth was a meticulous painter, mainly in tempura; each blade of grass rendered individually. I feel that Kline pays as much attention to rendering Christina's life from girlhood to adulthood. Wyeth used an upstairs room in her home when he was visiting in Maine. The writing is exquisite--each word considered, each vision portrayed with care. Even if the reader doesn't know about Wyeth, Christina's matter-of-fact story about her life on the farm, her one love, her struggles with the polio that crippled her and the stoicism in reaction to it, is well worth reading.
News of the World
by Paulette Jiles
News of the World (9/15/2016)
I like this novel a lot. It's the story a 400-mile journey through a lawless Texas in the 1870s, by horseback, a well-used wagon, and on foot. Retired Army Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, who is 70 years old and feeling his age, is offered a $50 gold piece to take a 10-year-old orphan who was abducted by Kiowa Indians when she was 6, after seeing her mother and sister killed, to relatives in San Antonio. She is member of the tribe, but the Kiowas no longer want her. It's reasonable for Kidd to take Johanna with him as he earns his keep by reading entertaining newspapers in various towns. Similarly, Paulette tells the story, not as a narrator, but as a reporter, with details of the terrain; the towns; the people, many of whom hate Indians; of Kidd's efforts to try to reteach Johanna some of the culture she is supposed to reenter.
One of the most enjoyable facets of Jiles' writing is in its cinematic quality. This is a Western, albeit unconventional. What is it like to have to immerse yourself in a culture completely alien to what you are used to? A bond grows between two people who are unlikely to care for each other; how does that happen? I didn't want to see the novel end, the story of Judd and Johanna cries for more. I highly recommend this book, and will seek out other works by Paulette Jiles.
The Secret Language of Stones: A Daughters of La Lune Novel
by M. J. Rose
The Secret Language of Stones by M.J. Rose (5/29/2016)
Mysticism, magic, emotion, intrigue, poetic language, suspense, romance--this novel has it all. It takes place during World I in Paris, with a foray into England, and the heroine is Opaline. Her name suits the story--opals are intriguing stones with swirls of color and fire under the surface. Highly imaginative and original, and highly recommended.
Girl Waits with Gun
by Amy Stewart
Girl Waits with Gun (7/14/2015)
This historical novel, set in New Jersey in 1914, about one of the nation's first female deputy sheriffs is great fun. The Kopp sisters, orphans, hold onto their farm, despite the attempts to persuade them that they need a man around the house. A gangster dares to challenge their claim for payment of repair debts for their buggy, but they are persistent, and this persistence gets them into trouble, conquered by bravery, smarts, and stubbornness. I.d call this a yarn, a long true, with embellishment, story, drawn from newspaper accounts. The writing is bright and crisp, conversational. I am looking for a sequel. A woman like Constance will surely have more adventures as a deputy sheriff.
Circling the Sun: A Novel
by Paula McLain
Circling the Sun (6/7/2015)
Beryl Markham lived remarkably and fully. Her childhood was idyllic, if you like horses, the outdoors, nature, and the freedom to do anything, despite the urgings of female teachers and a school to become "a lady." She spent most of her life in colonial Kenya, before and after its independence. Before she became a pilot, she was a horse trainer and breeder, well known in those circles for her determination and skill in winning races. In the prologue, she refers to flying;'The instincts for flying are in my hands....I'm meant...to stitch my name on the sky with this propeller, these lacquered line wings...." Paula McLain, writing this historical novel in first person, takes us into Kenya, in language that evokes mood and takes the reader into Beryl's mind and emotions. Beryl wrote her own autobiography, West with the Night; she was integral part of Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa, being part of a triangle with Dinesen and adventurer Denys Finch Hatton. McLain's book is an excellent read, invoking a time we'll not see again and a character worth admiration.
Whispering Shadows
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
Whispering Shadows (2/4/2015)
I found Whispering Shadows, which takes place in Hong Kong, to be a pretty good read, but not initially compelling It took many pages to become engaged, but it grabbed me as the protagonist, an expat journalist, Paul Liebovitz, in contemporary China, seeks to solve a murder case. The extent of corruption in China's booming economy was revealing. I liked the earnestness of the expat's police detective's friend, and the developing relationship between Paul, a fractured and fearful person, and Christine, whom he meets by chance. The descriptions of Hong Kong and the locales in China ring true. Whispering Shadows is a good read.
The Mouse-Proof Kitchen
by Saira Shah
Mouse-Proof Kitchen by Saira Shah (7/28/2013)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book with its intelligent, idiosyncratic characters, and its descriptions of Provence. The main character, it can be argued as the plot and characters revolve around her, is Freya, the infant daughter of Anna and Tobias. Freya is born severely disabled; she will be child-like the rest of her life and require constant care. Her mother, a gourmet cook, had other plans--perfect child, perfect home, every detail dovetailed with another. How will she cope? How will her husband respond? They go ahead with their plans and relocate to Provence to perhaps start a restaurant or cooking school. But, like the plans for her family, life doesn't follow Anna's prescription for it. This book poses questions for a reader--how would I respond? What would I do with a situation that will not go away and can't be denied?
Shah infuses her book with love, caring, humor, and humility for all her characters, Anna, Tobias, Freya, Anna's mother, and the miscellaneous idiosyncratic people they attract.
The Last Girl: A Maeve Kerrigan Novel
by Jane Casey
The Last Girl (5/13/2013)
This is a solid police procedural with an interesting cast of characters, the main one being London DC Maeve Kerrigan. I enjoyed the bits of humor, present in the conversations and reflections of the characters. It was easy to slip into the story as it was written in first person, and Maeve is a complete character, dealing with professional and personal relationships. The psychological dynamics of the family whose mother and daughter are murdered are thoughtfully presented. It's a all-at-one time read, highly recommended.
Where You Can Find Me: A Novel
by Sheri Joseph
Where you can find me (2/26/2013)
This novel would usually be something I avoid because it involves child abuse. That said, I found it to be thought-provoking in a way that I had not thought of before. How does a person find themselves after a mind-bending event? Caleb was kidnapped when he was eleven, and returned to his family three years later. He finds himself wondering who he really is, how should he behave--as the family would want him to be, or what? And his family has to figure out how to relate to him. It's about finding one's place, parallel to introducing captive animals to their natural habitat, another part of the novel. The story is multi-layered, with beautiful descriptions of the setting, Costa Rica, and intricate, complicated characters. An analogy might be digging among tree roots and figuring out how they intersect, how one part leads to another, how they are related to each other, how they go back to the trunk.
The Light Between Oceans: A Novel
by Margot L. Stedman
The light between oceans (8/15/2012)
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's literary fiction, taking place in Australia after WWI, with fully developed characters and poetic descriptions of physical and emotional aspects. It probes a moral question of whom a child belongs to--biological parents, or the parents who have mothered and fathered her since she was an infant. The use of location as metaphor is important--being isolated on an island to take care of a light house, and joining society by having a home leave every few years. Almost a read-at-one-sitting book.
The Secrets of Mary Bowser
by Lois Leveen
The Secrets of Mary Bowser (5/5/2012)
This is one of the best books I've read in recent years.
While it is fiction, based on a small bit of probable history, it reads like a true story, told by a participant in an amazing part of American History. You have to admire Mary Bowser, who follows her heart to do the right thing, despite life-threatening danger.
I enjoyed learning about the different layers of society among African-Americans in those years around and including the Civil War. It is revelatory.
I would recommend this book whole-heartedly to Book Clubs and individuals who want an absorbing, thought-provoking read.
Wayward Saints
by Suzzy Roche
Wayward Saints (12/3/2011)
I enjoyed Wayward Saints by Suzzy Roche, identifying with the daughter, Mary, who is trying to find her authentic voice, and her mother who is seeking to understand her daughter. Love is the thread that stitches the two together, in spite of their differences. A chain stitch, perhaps, that works for Mary and Jean, and the other relationships in the story. There is an obvious religious element in the story, not pontificating, but part of the personalities.
Perhaps someone with a firmer grounding than I would understand Jean, especially. That said Roche writes so that the reader can still feel how strongly Jean feels, and know that love is not judgmental.
Next to Love
by Ellen Feldman
For real--Next to Love (7/29/2011)
Another one-sitting book. Many writings have focused on the effects of war on the soldiers, but this is one that brings to the fore the battles of the women in the lives of those soldiers. I was taken by how true the characterizations were, without over sentimentality. It reads for real.
The Kitchen Daughter: A Novel
by Jael McHenry
In one sitting--The Kitchen Daughter (4/20/2011)
I meant to start this wonderful novel before going to bed, and finish later, but was compelled to finish--encouraged by the imagery and plot. The jacket note says it's about what is normal; but I think it's about whether "normal" is even desirable, and if being close-minded is an appropriate response. I found myself asking questions of myself: Using the senses of smell and taste, how would I describe something? We are generally most dependent on sight and sound.
Am I more understanding of Asperger's Syndrome? Like Ginny, I'd prefer not to paste a name on any personality, as if it were a disease, which carries with it an expectation of a cure. Kitchen's Daughter would be an excellent Book Club read.
The Stuff That Never Happened
by Maddie Dawson
The stuff that never happened (9/17/2010)
Maddie Dawson's "The Stuff that Never Happened" is first and foremost, an enjoyable read. The author can turn a phrase and encapsulate feelings in few words, often humorously. Because it is written in first person, and definitely from a woman's point of view, I think the audience will probably be limited to women--especially those who have tried to understand "love" in some of its permutations. And if the reader has been in a similar situation, the novel speaks with even more empathy.
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