Here's the thing. I don't write reviews all that often and they often feel tardy to me. But, I also like to write what I (humbly) think are strong reviews. I want them to be of use to potential readers (or folks curious about other folks' thoughts in the after). I like them to help good writers too...I've been honored to hear from a few...and believe quite strongly that positive reviews are meaningless in the absence of the opposite. So, this time, no apologies.
And clearing my queue a little bit by admitting there are a few books about which I have little to say. They are getting quick reviews on Goodreads but not here.
- Tony's Wife by Adriana Trigiana
I can't pass up advance copies of Trigiana's work. A few have disappointed but others soared. This fell someplace in between.
Chi Chi and Saverio meet on the Jersey shore in the late 1930s. They share music and Italian blood, coursing through their veins in equal measure. Chi Chi is part of the big stereotypical Italian family, scraping by but never alone, and with big dreams . Sav has begun following his own but lost some of his past along the way. They fall in live...but with each other or the dream?
This isn't a typical love story (despite some blurbs, although therite is a deep love tying the leads together. Really, it is actually about becoming more than loving...becoming who we grow into and, most importantly, who directs that story.
If you want a typical romance, look elsewhere. But this is a good read about characters and choices. There is plot and story, but characters and setting stand out more. For me, it didn't soar like Shoemaker's Wife...I enjoyed visiting the world in its pages but was ready to leave too (and it could have benefited from a sharper editorial knife).
Trying to sum it up, I'll call it a good summer read...ideally on the Jersey shore with music playing...put it down, dance, come back. Chi Chi would approve
3.5 to 4 stars.
3.5 to 4 stars.
- Labyrinth of Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafron
This is the fourth book in a....well....unset set. Instead of being sequential, the author intends for a reader to be able to dive in at any point or even read just one book....they are meant to be able to standalone or to wrap themselves into one another so that no book comes first...though this does, nonetheless, bring the story to something of a close.
For most of this book, the Sempre family and honorary member (and comic relief) Fermin - a crew who were a focal point of two of the other novels - take a back seat to Alicia Gris. With lots of metaphorical baggage...though very few belongings unless you include the physical scars and pain from a childhood incident we witness early on...Alicia has served as something of an unofficial detective. Her boss is tied in with government in the vast machine of Franco's Spain but they are usually called in to answer the stickiest of questions. This time, it is the disappearance of Valls, who featured prominently in at least one of the other novels from his days running a notorious prison where it wasn't unusual for a perceived political enemy of Franco's rising regime to go in and never come out. Now, Valls is a toasted political heavyweight w a very ill wife and a treasured daughter who disappears following a big party at his estate.
I've read two of the other books in the cycle, one I cherished (the title location, the Cemetary of Forgotten Books, is memorable and among the most tempting of fictional spots) and the other was a bit of a letdown. Having a poor memory and a bit of time having passed since then, I refreshed my recollection by reading a plot summary of each. I do think you'd be fine reading this as a standalone...you wouldn't know some backstories but probably wouldn't know to miss them.
I enjoyed revisiting the Sempe clan and the always-lovable Fermin, but appreciated the new star. Alicia is a fascinating character...though not always likable so if you need to like (or relate to) your protagonist, look elsewhere. The story is complex...as all the other books are...and tough to follow at times. It required attention but the thoroughness of the world it creates provides a reward. Still, I think it could have done with a good 50 page trim.
4 stars. For a literature-minded reader willing to concentrate who likes feeling immersed in a book's world. Not as notable, IMHO, as Cemetary, but still an accomplishment. Review based on a copy provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
For most of this book, the Sempre family and honorary member (and comic relief) Fermin - a crew who were a focal point of two of the other novels - take a back seat to Alicia Gris. With lots of metaphorical baggage...though very few belongings unless you include the physical scars and pain from a childhood incident we witness early on...Alicia has served as something of an unofficial detective. Her boss is tied in with government in the vast machine of Franco's Spain but they are usually called in to answer the stickiest of questions. This time, it is the disappearance of Valls, who featured prominently in at least one of the other novels from his days running a notorious prison where it wasn't unusual for a perceived political enemy of Franco's rising regime to go in and never come out. Now, Valls is a toasted political heavyweight w a very ill wife and a treasured daughter who disappears following a big party at his estate.
I've read two of the other books in the cycle, one I cherished (the title location, the Cemetary of Forgotten Books, is memorable and among the most tempting of fictional spots) and the other was a bit of a letdown. Having a poor memory and a bit of time having passed since then, I refreshed my recollection by reading a plot summary of each. I do think you'd be fine reading this as a standalone...you wouldn't know some backstories but probably wouldn't know to miss them.
I enjoyed revisiting the Sempe clan and the always-lovable Fermin, but appreciated the new star. Alicia is a fascinating character...though not always likable so if you need to like (or relate to) your protagonist, look elsewhere. The story is complex...as all the other books are...and tough to follow at times. It required attention but the thoroughness of the world it creates provides a reward. Still, I think it could have done with a good 50 page trim.
4 stars. For a literature-minded reader willing to concentrate who likes feeling immersed in a book's world. Not as notable, IMHO, as Cemetary, but still an accomplishment. Review based on a copy provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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