Two (Very Different) Stories Rooted in Character and Place: Florence Adler Swims Forever (Beanland) and Final Cut (Watson)

Trying to catch up....or at least keep up...a bit. I think the mix of a longer review and one or two shorter ones is the way to go. (NB: Alright, in the end I seem to have written two reviews of similar length except the second lacks the plot summary included in the first. Maybe my next post will be a handful of shorter takes...).

• Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

Business first: I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. While the book was free, my review is my own and, as always, honest.

Most reviews hint at a tragedy that happens early in the book. A few name it, and I'll join them because it really does happen almost immediately and thus doesn't seem like a spoiler at all. Florence is home (Atlantic City, 1934) from college for the summer and training to swim the English Channel. She drowns during a solo practice session. Her family, mostly her mother, decide to keep this tragedy from Fannie, her older sister, who is pregnant and being carefully monitored in the hospital having suffered a late term miscarriage not long ago. Fannie's daughter, Gussie, a precocious eight-year-old, moves in with her grandparents rather than stay with her aloof father. She's moved from her usual spot at her grandparent's apartment because the grandfather has taken in Anna, a refuge from Germany and the daughter of a childhood friend who is hoping to attend college in the fall. The family is Jewish and the only main character who is not is Florence's swim coach, Stuart, who clearly always pined for the young woman he trained.

This is a book about characters, not action. After the initial tragedy, not a whole lot happens. If you've read even a handful of my reviews, you know I read for character so this is fine by me, but I know it is a turn off for some. The characters are developed in large measure by the author's decision to let most of them take turns as protagonists and sharing elements of their pasts. This isn't an unusual trick, but it can go wrong easily. 

I truly enjoyed this novel. Here, the author manages her chosen format with great skill, especially with so many different protagonists to manage and given that this is her first novel. I appreciate that the characters' religion is neither over- nor underemphasized...it is simply a part of their background and it factors into but does not wholly govern their actions. The characters aren't perfect...some are more flawed than others, but no one is flawless. Gussie rang the least true for me; she didn't quite feel like a child, let alone a fairly young one. I really liked the depth of the mother's character in particular. Fannie's husband is also well-drawn -- he's the closest thing to a "bad guy" that we see, but he's still very much human and he seems aware of his flaws including his limitations as a father (and as a son).  The author also kept me rooted in the time and place without overdoing the growing threat in Europe; after all, the characters know only the wrongs they've begun to see, but they don't know what's to come (too often authors seem to forget that, especially when they set novels in the pre-WWII timeframe).

Solid 4 stars. Great summer book -- not fluff, but relatively easy to read in a lounge chair whether by the beach or in one's own backyard. 

• Final Cut by S.J. Watson

While not my favorite genre, I can certainly enjoy a good thriller from time to time. There are elements of this one I liked, but each seems matched by one that didn't hold my interest. I enjoyed the looming questions about the events involving Daisy and Sadie, but couldn't come to care about the other missing girls (even after "meeting" the parents of one girl...their appearance seems to be intended to invest the reader in her story, but fell flat for me and I was rather bored by the plot line...). I was curious about what was going on with the two teen girls in the present, but couldn't care less about the main character's possible romance. I thought the author did a good job with the main character's limited memory and the ways it was triggered and how her past was revealed to her and to the reader. but the device of the film she's making about the town fell flat and it almost seemed like the author forgot it at times (more broadly, the setting was important but I never quite felt like I was taken to this small English village). I was ready to move on to another book well before actually finishing this one. I'm glad I stayed in it and saw some of the final twists, but even some elements of that (especially the role of a local woman in the plot) let me down.

Two and a half stars...I feel like rounding down is the more honest choice (in large part because it gives more weight to the times I've rounded three and a half down to three). I really don't like assigning less than three and a half, but also believe that the most useful reviews are honest and that being willing to assign a lower rating to one book makes it mean more when I give a higher rating). From certain glimpses of her ability to construct a story and build a character, I do think the author has a better book in her...it's just my take, but I think she needs to focus on her main idea and add fewer tangents. This review is based on a copy of the book supplied free of charge by the publisher in exchange for my (obviously) honest thoughts. 

Two Heart-Wrenching (Yet Very Different) Studies of Women: Thin Girls (Clarke) and A Woman Is No Man (Rum...a mini-review)

Quarantine has my "to be reviewed" pile growing quicker than my "to be read" pile... My job is always behind a keyboard. But while many people seem to be more closely tied to their devices and using them to connect, I'm even more of the "get me outta here" ilk than usual.

Still, I DO enjoy reviewing....I just need some discipline to do it...

• Thin Girls by Diana Clarke

I was very unsure about starting this one. I have a history of binge eating (only recognized as a distinct disorder in recent years DESPITE being oh so common...and very different from occasional overindulging or even comfort eating) and some degree of body dysmorphia. I wasn't sure this was a wise read...and, while it is an insightful and at time stunningly beautiful novel...I'm still not sure it was. I'm not one for a million trigger warnings...never frown on the ability to find out what one's getting into, but sometimes it goes too far...but this is tough territory (and includes a few "tips" of the pro-ana variety).

Anyway, twin sisters Rose and Lily are all but one. Lily is a bit more gregarious, but Rose follows closely and is always Lily's number one. Until. As it is wont to do, the girlworld social hierarchy rears its ugly head. And Rose finds a connection in her ability to perfect her anorexic tendencies. Which, sadly, propel her to the top of the pyramid. Lily, initially to "cover" for her sister, eats for two. The book peers back at these adolescent years from their twenties as Rose approaches a full year at an in-patient clinic and Lily dives into a painful-to-watch relationship in which she changes herself, including becoming an adherent to an eating disorder billed as a lifestyle group.

There's a LOT here. And the author either has firsthand experience or delved deep into her topic because so much of the girls' actions and thoughts (we are more privy to Rose's mind than Lily's, but their twinhood makes Rose privy to Lily's mind) ring real (said from some experience of my own and from talking about these issues with some amazing warrior women). True, as another reviewer noted, Rose is more self-aware than most, but she gets at a lot about the intersection of body, selfhood, and sexuality. If you want to get a sense of how someone can disappear down this rabbithole...move from casual dieting to something wholly other...this is a good place to start. The author is certainly a talented wordsmith and an insightful creative mind. I'd love to see another novel from her...and maybe I'd be able to evaluate that more clearly.

But, I can't way it enough, tread with care if you are at all vulnerable. There's a beauty in feeling understood, but if there's any chance it'll feel like validation, then steer clear. 

Rating is hard...3.5 simply b/c it is a default value for me. It probably deserves more....danger doesn't negate beauty, and it is deeply beautiful but also dangerous in the wrong head. Thank you to HarperCollins for the ARC.

And...

I'll catch up more soon...but I need to admit that a few books that won't get the full reviews they deserve. So I want to try and accompany more complete reviews with brief remarks on a book or two rather than leave them out entirely...The plot details are available elsewhere, just some short remarks...

• A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum - Strong four stars. Beautiful and heart-wrenching at times. But, I'd love to have seen a few counterexamples...not every Muslim woman is as controlled as some of these characters. Many thanks to Harper for the ARC.
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Two in the To-Be-Published Queue: Paris Library and Benediction

• The Paris Library

If you like literary fiction of a certain sort, then it's easy to get a sort of WWII fatigue.  It makes for a good setting...recent enough to be felt but far enough to be fictionalized, and certainly lots of fodder with the wrongs we can do to each other and the pain people can experience so clear, it almost feels fictionalized from the start (or maybe one simply wishes it was).

This book does manage, however, to hit on a unique sliver of history. It focuses on Paris from shortly before the war through Nazi occupation. That's a less common setting than most, but the unique element is a sharp focus on the efforts of library staff to keep the American Library in Paris open and supply books to all...even (especially) frowned upon distribution to French POWs and Jews.  We get a small glimpse of a soldier's story and that of French police, but it's a book about books and book lovers. Oh, and a small modern day thread tossed in.

It's a good little story. I enjoyed the lessons it has to teach...obviously fictionalized but well researched with roots in real people and real actions.  I couldn't not love Olide...a young woman trying to stretch her wings (much to her father's chagrin). Like many, I had less interest in the current day storyline...I saw some of the reason for it but feel like a coda would have handled those.

Well crafted setting. Decent characters...could have been a bit fleshier in some ways (the wrinkles were plot related...characters were round for the sake of plot, not simply for the sake of character)  but that's ok sometimes.  Sometimes you just need a good story to tuck into and this is that.

Notable but eventually dated element: I saw more than one parallel bw life amid a pandemic and life amid a very different "infestation."

Teetering between  3.5 ... that's my go-to rank for "good not great" and books that are more than mass market fodder (though some great books do indeed get deserved attention) but not quite "literature" in my eyes) ... and 4 stars.  Rounding up bc it did what I needed it to do and took me elsewhere for a bit. Not so immersive that I couldn't easily step out to go to sleep etc, but still looked forward to visiting Odile each night).

Thank you to Goodreads, the publisher, and the author. I won this in a giveaway but they never put any restraints on my reviews.

• Benediction by Kent Haruf 

This wasn't my favorite Haruf, I'm quite certain of that. But any Haruf is loads better than 95 percent of the books out there...and that's guessing low. And it still gets 5 stars without hesitation

As always, you can touch the characters in Benediction. Feel Dad's slackening skin, Alice's rough pigtails (a tad slick from sweat). It's not about plot, it's about plopping back down in Holt, smelling the scent of Willa and Ailene's home (after a certain point, mother and daughter look like sisters...the home smells only every so slightly of potpourri), hearing Reverend Lyle clear his throat. It's quite familiar to those who've been to town before, but also new because only small bits connect this novel to Plainsong and Eventide (those share much more...I'd read those two in order bug this can come before, between, or after the others even if they are a trilogy of a sort)

Quiet. Simple. Perfectly imperfect. Utterly beautiful.

Catching Up (b/c social distancing should mean tackling some to dos...and reviews are more fun than laundry...): The Astonishing Life of August March (Jackson) and A Good Marriage (McCreight)

I'm sitting here with awkward, semi-usable time on my hands. We, like much of the U.S. and much of the developed world, are working remotely amid concerns about COVID-19. I've told my team that I'm here, but have no current assignments ... ironically, in part because others are too busy to do what needs to happen before I can do my job (and I've offered to help with their duties too). I'd RATHER be working, in part b/c I want to demonstrate that I can work effectively on a fully remote basis and partly b/c I just feel like I should be. But after trying to do some relevant reading much of yesterday, my boss and I agreed I'd be actively on call. So I'm not necessarily doing work, but I'm ready to jump when called upon (and was once today)...

So, it's a good time to try to catch up with myself a bit...that is, for my reviews to keep pace with my bookshelf. Honestly, I simply don't have it in me most nights (maybe it is odd, but (for me) reviews do require energy). I'm going to start with two of my most recent reads from the kind folks at Harper -- the first was finished in the era when reading on the couch is suddenly good for humanity, I feel like I read the second in another world (which is to say, about a month ago). I'm hoping to go back and share at least some passing thoughts on other books on my "to review" list, including some I purchased or that came from the "anyone want this" table in the office pantry, but I may eventually decide to sweep off the self and start anew. Or compromise with a few super quick ones on Goodreads. I'd rather say nothing or keep it short than have a review that is less than genuine because my memory is less than accurate.  (Note: As I finished up the second review, work is coming my way. Which is very much a good thing and not just because I don't have to make that decision yet.).

• The Astonishing Life of August March by Aaron Jackson

August is a child of the theater. He quite literally grew up in one. His mom was an actress in post WWI London. She played her role, gave birth backstage, and made it to the curtain call. A seamstress found him and raised him...she loved him but her parenting style was freer than free range and she left him behind every night (see below re suspension of disbelief). His life carries him from the theater to the streets to a fancy prep school and beyond (I'll avoid going further than the blurb does). He finds a mentor and a woman does enter the scene eventually.

This was a fun read, albeit one that didn't go all that deep. At times, it seemed like the author was asking a bit much...I understand suspending disbelief, but it goes a bit farther afield than this reader could comfortably travel (at least for a book that wasn't of the fantasy or even magical realism genre). I didn't really develop an affinity for August, but I still found his story fun to "watch." I appreciated August's sense of loyalty...and his anger when he felt it wasn't being returned. I enjoyed August's childhood and his somewhat unconventional love story, but didn't care as much for the years (and the pages) in between. 

It would require some time travel, but I have this lovely mental image of a young Freddie Highmore (think Finding Neverland) as young August tucked away in a tiny forgotten nook and watching in awe as his mentor-to-be took the stage and made August truly fall in love with drama. I'm not quite sure I see Highmore in the adult role...he feels a bit too distinct to fit the bill...but I imagine the author already has someone in mind. 

3.5 stars. A solid read. Enjoyable escape but didn't envelop me enough to go beyond my "good not great" score. And I'm now thinking it might be a rare case where the film (screenplay by the author) could outshine the book. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying an advance copy in return for an honest review.

• A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

Lizzie is an unhappy big firm attorney (gosh, that sounds familiar) who left behind a career she loved as a prosecutor when her husband's drinking problem left them in dire need of more than her public service salary (to be clear, that part was NOT my story). She gets a call from an old friend from law school who may be technically in jail for a scuffle with a cop but is really there as a suspect in his wife's murder. The case leads Lizzie into the world of New York City's elite and the perfect couples that populate her client's world. We also follow the wife in the weeks leading up to her death, which we obviously see coming while she's preoccupied with continuing to play her part in a world that is wholly unfamiliar to a girl who grew up poor with a devil of a father.

Were there always this many twisty thrillers out there or did the genre explode after Gone Girl? Regardless, this fits into that world. Each character comes with doubts about the person they appear to be and the person they really are. Each person...and each marriage...has its secrets. The book mixes in the murder mystery with the legal and relationship drama. And there are more twists than a country road.

Ultimately, you get what you expect from the genre. The characters have dimensions because they have secrets, but there are almost too many storylines and too many secrets to keep track of them all without notes. It goes a bit too far. It is...and these books are supposed to be...fun, but I couldn't fully give myself over to it because keeping it all straight became too much work. I did enjoy picking it up and I did want to find out whodunit. Yes, no person and no marriage is exactly as it appears from outside...but I didn't need the point made quite so many times and the ending didn't really satisfy me (I did like the very last turn, but the main mystery reveal was both disappointing and overly complicated).

3.5 stars...my default "good but not great" rating. It'd keep you busy during an airplane ride, but you need to be willing to page back a bit now and then to catch up (and not just because the beverage service and your seat neighbor's bladder distracted you). Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Homes, Hearts, Hearths: Infinite Home (Alcott) and The Dutch House (Patchett)

I think that I need to catch up a bit and that means tempering my rambling tendencies...

Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott
In a sense, Edith has collected strays. An intellectually challenged man whose sister is rarely far, a beautiful recluse truly afraid of all, an artist (former) who has been altered by stroke, a comic. But as Edith's mind fails and her son sniffs around,  they fear losing apartments and, more truly homes

This is a beautiful work. Character driven but still with plot. I'm not sure that through ending satisfied me...not so much in its failure to provide answers as in those it chooses.  But the sheer beauty in the (to an outside eye)  mundane lives is magic.

4 stars.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

The house, central to the title and to the tale. Not long after moving to their father's dream...the big house, elaborate of the sort that makes it hard to sit in sitting rooms...their mother leaves. And it is merely time until Maeve and then Danny are dismissed by their new stepmother. We see them throughout their lives as scenes of adolescence and adulthood build on scenes of youth.

It's the type of tale were it would be easy to say too much. It traces how childhood, family, and place build adult lives. It looks at trapped pain and the (in)ability to learn certain skills. How one set of dreams can suffocate another. And who we cling to

It's often sad, despite triumphs, but Patchett never leads you astray...and w her prose, I wouldn't mind anyway.

Another 4 stars...above average (and my avg is skewed bc I'm picky. But I cant quite muster 5. I'll say 4.5 while I'm in control.  And thank the publisher for the advance copy.

Marley (Clinch) and The Last Time I Saw You (Constantine)

While the first of this pair wasn't finished all that long ago (though I can't say the same for the second) I now have an extra bias in the former's favor since I have a new (half-)nephew who bears the same name as the book. While the movie rarely outshines the book, even without meeting him I can guarantee that I love the boy more than I could ever love a book. And that, my dear friends,  is saying something 

• Marley by John Clinch

Business first - thank you to Goodreads,  the publisher, and the author for a free review copy. As always,  this review is honest and not influenced by the price...

Marley isn't dead. He's very much alive and shares the spotlight with Scrooge in this prequel/origin story. Marley is already a tad shady when he meets Scrooge who is newly arrived at the boys school. They remain connected into adulthood, building a business in which Scrooge manages the numbers...with the simple honesty of figures and arithmetic done right...and Marley brings in the money, often through nefarious means including ties to the slave trade.  They also overlap in love, with Marley interested in Scrooge's sister, Fan, and Scrooge in love w Fan's best friend

Having not read Clinch's previous work, for me the concept recalled Wicked (and a children's book about the Big Bad Wolf and his bad cold). It gives a different view of a famous character and explains how the character came to be the person we see as a villain (of sorts) in traditional telling. Here, this means Scrooge shares the spotlight even though Marley is the protagonist.

This is very well written and provides something for a wide range of readers. It is a character study, it has plot points (that is, things do happen...some dramatic, some quiet), and it has a sense of time and place. Impressively, Clinch handles all of this well. It has a definite literary feel...I'd recommend reading it in your favorite quiet chair rather than on the beach or a plane so you can focus and savor the details without interruption and choose when to break rather than be at the mercy of a seatmate or frolicking children. 

A solid 4 stars. Def for a literary crowd looking for a true novel rather than a mass market book (note: I appreciate the latter too, just need the right match to a moment).

• The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine 

Kate seems like one of the lucky ones. A privileged upbringing.  A handsome husband, a darling daughter, and top notch career. When her mother dies suddenly and mystery text-er begins sending threatening messages, it all begins to unravel. She questions everything. Her oldest friend,  putting aside years of estrangement to come to the funeral, takes on the new of lead investigator.  Blaire takes on the role of chief investigator,  uncovering secrets in the circles of high society that run from the distant to the terrifyingly close

Well, i suppose it's meant to be terrifying.  Honestly, this just didn't do much for me. I didn't see the entire ending coming but I saw parts. And the rest...I just wasn't invested and it dragged. 

Two stars because it wasn't awful....it just wasn't, in my humble opinion,  very good. You can find a better beach book or airplane ride fodder at the supermarket. 

I did, however,  appreciate the opportunity to read a free copy from the publisher in exchange for what is quite clearly an honest review!

The written version of the utter beauty in a storm at sea: Cygnet (Butler)

Cygnet by Seasons Butler

I finished this a while ago, but it lingers in my mind. The paperback version that I read as an ARC (with thanks to the publisher and the author for the copy in exchange for my honest review) came out this week so it semed an apt time to write this.

A very basic overview - We meet Kid on the verge of her eighteenth birthday. She had been discarded by her parents (who provided quite limited parenting) and left in the hands of her grandmother who lives and - before our story opens - dies on an isolated island that serves as a retirement community. Many of the residents oppose Kid's very presence (a blatant violation of the age minimums and standards for joining) even though most recognize she has nowhere to go. After all, using the self assigned moniker the Wrinkles, they came to the island (Swan) specifically to escape "the Bad Place" of modern life.

But is there escape to be had or is it a tad futile - esp for the sole cygnet (a baby swan for those who have not yet looked it up) with more years ahead than behind - as climate change chips away at the ground below their feet and takes feet of Kid's yard in moments?

And that's all setting...notable and unique,  but there's more. There's the boy with whom Kid dreams of escape (and while it doesn't bother me, readers who do mind should know there's sex). There's the adolescent rebellion pushing through in Kid's actions and her internal monologue (it is 1st person...always a special feat when done well), placing rough and tumble wit and rage amid the often lyrical prose. There's the story of a woman who hires Kid to digitally alter undesirable memories out of her photos....melancholy doesn't quite fit that story but it is stuck in my mind.  And there are also a few kind friends who keep a loose eye on Kid, including a particularly poignant relationship between Kid and a woman who has dementia - a relationship that deepens whom even as her partner fades further away and the woman's past becomes present with Kid assigned a role.

I felt this book. And that's high praise. Did I like all of Kid's actions? No...but few adolescents would merit that praise (and they'd either be dubbed unrealistic or be as boring as I was and thus not merit a novel!).

Oddly, in my mind this book was shorter than the 240pp listed here, but I thought it lighter in length, not depth. Maybe the poignancy just made it dense...like rich cake. It is by no means an easy read..."dystopian" is bandied about quite often. There is an acute sense of time and pressure building in Kid and Swan idle (maybe that added to the density). Still, I found spirit...particularly in a scene where Kid briefly becomes part of the cool kids club (come on, every place has them)...and hope.

In some ways, this novel is quiet and lovely. But stuff happens. Not all if it good.  And not all readers will approve of some elements (I found they all fit the text and never seemed gratuitous, but for those who avoid it there is harsh language and drug use in addition to the aforementioned sex). But this book is propelled by characters and setting - which blend deeply and irretrievably into each other - rather than action, even despite the constantly altering landscape.  The book stands much like the island, filled with beauty but with waves threatening the very ground below. Which may not matter for some who not see Swan's end, but pushes our cygnet to consider her place.

In some ways, this novel is quietness literary, and lovely. But stuff happens. Not all if it good and not all readers will approve of some elements (I found they all fit the text and never seemed gratuitous, but for those who avoid it there is harsh language and drug use in addition to the aforementioned sex). But this book is propelled by characters and setting - which blend deeply and irretrievably into each other - rather than action, even despite the constantly altering landscape.  The book stands much like the island, filled with beauty but with waves threatening the very ground below. Which may not matter for some who not see Swan's end, but pushes our cygnet to consider her place.

4 of 5 stars (one storyline in particular just didn't fit for me).

Gravity is the Thing (Moriarty) - A Fun, Rich, Unique Ride

Gravity is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty

Since she was a teenager...and beginning the same year her brother (less than a year younger) disappeared...Abi has gotten mysterious chapters from something named The Guidebook.  As the present day story opens, Abi has placed her son in his grandparents' care because an all expenses paid trip promises to reveal the truth about the book.  This excursion leads to several important relationships and a series of "formal" lessons....though I wont say what they are about. These chapters fit in with some from her past, including her brother's story, her romantic past, her son's arrival, and the creation of her coffeeshop.

This book is incredibly hard to describe.  There's a lot that seems silly...but that's self-acknowledged at all times. And that makes it more than just tolerable.  We're sharing the giggles with a fascinating cast. I'd have liked to know more about some of those secondary characters and yet I'm also ok with not knowing bc that's what life typically offers....a glimpse, a few details,  but not omniscience.

Ultimately,  this is a happy and heartwarming read. It is original in plot and form. It is quirky but it works.

I adored Abi...even if she frustrated me at times.  She is a far from perfect person, but I like my characters to be fleshy, to have hearts but also scars, strengths but imperfections.  She loves her son, but tries of him too. And she wants love, but is also wholly complete alone.

I can't really put a finger on the answer to what this books is about beyond simply being about life and about living it. Reaching and striving but feeling whole in one's self and at peace in one's surroundings.

4.5 stars. I'm not sure what's keeping it from a true 5, but will round up. Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy.

The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton

Maybe I'll catch up more quickly if I let myself post singles...esp when I finish a book and feel compelled to review it that week...

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• The Last Train to London  by Meg Waite Clayton 

Is it wrong to say that I sometimes feel like Holocaust fiction is overdone? It is obviously an important period that must not be forgotten, but... I guess sometimes it just feels too convenient to use as a dramatic backdrop.

And yet some books live up the challenge. Last Train focuses on the effort to save Jewish children who were in the path of evil, whose families were so afraid that they placed their children in the hands of strangers in the hope that it meant the children might survive...even if it seemed doubtful they'd ever see them again. As many books do, this novel relies on several protagonists including a woman instrumental in the effort (a fictionalized version of a real woman), a teenage Jewish who grew up in wealth and with love,  as teen girl whose mother is a true journalist,  another woman involved in the transport effort, and even Eichmann...an architect of death who sadly is better known than the architects of life.

This falls toward the literary end of the historical fiction spectrum but is by no means inaccessible (and, perhaps a bit snobby to say, I can't quite call it literature). It was a fast read and engaging. I wanted to know what happened to the characters and, more importantly (IMHO) I wanted to read at least a bit about the real Tante Truus who devoted her life to serving others well beyond the time of the transport (as if she hadn't done enough for the world!).

4 of 5 stars. Enjoyed Zofie very much, and her admiring young friend. 

Thank you to Harper for the advance readers copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.  And to Ms Clayton for her response to my Goodreads review (linked above)

The Snakes (Jones) and The Perfect Fraud (LaCorte): Two Very Different Books, Two Very Different Reviews

Two very different books...

• The Snakes by Sadie Jones

A road trip, a mini-break. That was the plan when young marrieds Bea (psychotherapist) and Dan (artist at heart, estate agent in every day) leave London for the countryside. The first stop, a crumbling old hotel being run by Bea's brother, Alex. Adding to the cast - and moving from a leisurely stroll w a touch of family drama to full-on trauma - Bea's parents arrive carrying the scent of wealth and secrets.

More would require spoiler tags. It shifts, even after mom and dad join the scene, from a slow study of characters to a study in class to a...well, busier? just more-er?...tale.

I liked the first half more than the second. But, throughout (well, the last pages...let's just forget those...) there's enough there to chew on for a reader who very much favors character over plot.

3.5 of 5. But rounded up because there's something that lurks beyond it. And a thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for an always honest review.

PS Yes, there are snakes. Real and metaphorical, both

•  The Perfect Fraud by Ellen LaCorte

Claire is not a psychic...though only the reader and her longtime boyfriend Cal are in on that secret. Since the gift runs through her family, her career path was...well, preordained...and she's working as a psychic in Sedona when a family emergency brings her back home, stepping away from an increasingly complex relationship with Cal and back into a complex relationship with her mom.

Claire crosses paths with Rena, a mother making her own crosscountry journey searching for answers. Rena's young daughter, Stephanie is very ill and Rena is running out of options. Knowing no one and with only the followers of her blog for company -- Rena's relationship with Stephanie's dad collapsed under the pressure, plus he needs to keep his east coast-based and the insurance that comes with it -- Rena moves Stephanie to Arizona, pinning her hopes on a specialist there.

I fully expected this to be closer to a beach read than a work of great literature. There's  nothing wrong with that and I can enjoy the mental equivalent of diner chow. But this just didn't do much for me.  I didn't really connect with any of the characters or feel invested in the story. I had to keep looking while I wrote this review to avoid mixing up the protagonists' names. And I didn't feel anything much in the way of suspense.  Two of five stars...because it isn't horribly written but I just didn't care.

And, regardless,  thank you to the publisher for the advance copy...after all, my good reviews are meaningless in the absence of the opposite to show that they truly don't dictate the "results" of my review!

Oh the Places You'll Go - Tony's Wife (Trigiana) and Labyrinth of Spirits (Ruiz Zafron)

Ok

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.

• 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.

Wherein the first review took most of my reviewing energy, so the second is short and simple: Unsheltered (Kingsolver) and Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars (Emerson)

Seriously, I spend so much time vowing to catch up...  But I use a computer all day at work -- staring at, changing, and rewriting words -- that i just struggle to plug back into one any other time. And I can't quite manage a review on my phone...

• Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

The awesome woman who ran my college bookstore (a true bookstore in addition to carrying class materials, assorted products with the school's name emblazoned thereon, and snacks) introduced me t Kingsolver in the mid-late 90s and I've been a fan ever since. Some of her books do miss the mark for me so I get a little nervous and try to tamp down excitement, but this one was a winner.

A house ties Thatcher's tale in the 1870s with that of the modern-day Willa Knox. Thatcher is a science teacher in a semi-utopian community and struggles with a desire to teach about Darwin and lead hands-on science classes while the community's leader forbids any mention of evolution and any sort of investigative exploration. He finds a kindred spirit in his neighbor, Mary Treat, a character that is fictionalized version of a real woman scientist who corresponded with man of the great minds of her time. Willa is also struggling. She "had it all" and suddenly lost it. She lost her job, her husband was denied tenure and has taken a less-than desirable position out of need, her father-in-law is ailing and mean, her daughter is a mystery to her, and her son faces an unexpected tragedy in the earl chapters that brings his infant child into Willa's home. She's living in a home she inherited. As it was when it Thacher's family occupied it (the primary connective tissue between the two tales), the house is in need of major renovations. The home is literally crumbing around both families, a physical manifestation of the world's they have known. Willa does eventually "meet" Thatcher and Mary when she investigates her home's history in the hopes of finding a way to save it.

Many of Kingsolver's books have a sociopolitical message, including a decidedly liberal slant, and this is no exception. The book strongly favors science and honors the natural world. It has an opinion about some types of organized religion, although I think it does allow room for religion to coexist with science. Immigration is front-and-center in Willa's tale as are issues about mental health, the high cost of both healthcare and education, and politics more generally (again, with a liberal POV). Decide if this is okay with you....if it isn't, that's fine. But sit this one out unless you are up for a challenge...

I read for character and I loved the people I met in this book. Mary and Thatcher are exquisite creations. We meet Mary through the eyes of the socially-conscious ladies in Thatcher's home before truly meeting her as they see her lying in the grass seemingly studying the ground in great detail. We later learn that she studies spiders...and sort of hides them in plain sight in her home in a version of miniature terrariums. I didn't like Willa's tale as much, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it...I just liked the older story better. And Willa's story does feel like it was stuffed with a few too many plot points to "get everything in." As a liberal myself, I appreciated the viewpoints advanced and was okay with the clear agenda and criticism of Trump-ism. But, I'll admit that some of Willa's story felt forced. Still, I liked how the two stories interwove in terms of theme, but also avoided being TOO similar to the point where it simply didn't feel real. As always, I loved Kingsolver's prose.

Four stars. I'd be torn b/w 4 and 4.5 if Goodreads and Amazon permitted half-star ratings. Notably, I put 4.5 and rounded to 5 in a placeholder review soon after reading it, but I do think 4 is the more honest review given that there were a few elements that I'd change. Know what you are getting into...it isn't for everyone, but it ranks among my favorite of Kingsolver's newer books (Animal Dreams and Bean Trees feel a world away). A big thank you to Harper for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Okay...I need to follow that with something simpler...

• Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emerson

Iolanthe Green is missing. The american actress seems to have disappeared while in London, and everyone wonders why.Anna Treadway, who worked as Green's dresser and assists her as she stars in a play. Anna's life is much simpler than Green's, she is relatively sheltered but certainly knows the value of every pound and understands working hard to support herself. Anna is frustrated by the lack of official effort in the search for Green so she undertakes her own search. She meets a motley cast of characters and sees a completely different London during the effort.

I don't have a whole lot to say about this one, which perhaps is enough itself to justify a three star rating. It is a mystery. The characters aren't under-developed but they also aren't fleshed out all to the point where they feel real. There's a nice sense of time and place and some interesting twists....one which may turn some readers away and which I'll let others choose to spoil. There's a lesson of sort about being on the outskirts of the accepted society, although not one that felt too strained. It is a perfectly good book, just not one that stood out for me and I was ready to put it down when it ended. Others seem to have enjoyed it more. I'd call it an airplane read..enough to keep the time moving and engage the reader, but one you can also put aside when the person next to you needs to get up or you need to switch planes. Thank you to Harper for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A peek into 1785 with a magical twist (Hermes Gower's The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock) and A modern detective tale with a fun twist (Horowitz's The Word is Murder)

I'd intended to catch up while on vacation...travel plus a few staycation days...but managed to get sick and needed as much rest as possible.   So...let's catch up on a couple...

• The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gower

It is 1785. Merchant Jonah Hancock is more than a bit shocked when a sailor returns with the news that he traded Mr. H's ship for a mermaid. The creature...which, while a stark contrast from the mermaid that the word brings to most minds, is largely an aside in this story that doesn't really qualify as magical realism...turns his well-settled life as a childless widower upside down. He is uncertain about how to proceed, though in time the mermaid does become the talk of the town.

Along the way, he meets Angelica. She is one of the other characters who shares the spotlight. Angelica is, in he latter half of her 20s, a courtesan past her prime. The woman who runs the upscale brothel where Angelica used to live takes the protagonist's spotlight in other chapters. We see the strict hand with which she governs and the way she works to develop her young protegees develop into courtesans catering to a certain class.

The prose was quite lovely. The author can draw some very vivid scenes and bring you into her setting. Not surprisingly, there is some sexual content and some that can only be crude (the madam urinating in a carriage pot)...if that bothers you, steer clear. I was surprised by how interesting I found the portions detailing the young women's training, which centers on giving them the education, musical talents, and manners to entertain clients (the latter part of their duties seem to be largely learned on the job...).

While I read for characters far more than plot, I kept waiting for more to happen. I wasn't invested in the characters enough to be pulled along on that alone. The ending was far from satisfying...I don't need things wrapped in a box and a bow, this book seemed to try to do that but somehow failed. I can't quite put my finger on why.

So, let's say 2.5-3 stars. The language is lyrical, some of the subplots fascinating (particularly the story of one of the young courtesans, but that felt somewhat like a short story tossed into the novel and it deserved more).  Man thanks to the publisher for the advance copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

• The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

I don't read a lot of detective fiction, but every once in a while one I feel the urge. The publisher offered me the opportunity to receive an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and this seemed like a good chance to scratch the itch.

Diana Cowper plans her own funeral. And is promptly murdered. Private detective Hawthorne is on the case. And following along is Anthony Horowitz (here it is worth glancing back at the name of the author) who has written some hit young adult books and consulted on television shows (why, yes, so has the book's author). While he should be focusing on a movie deal, Hawthorne has offered him the chance to tag along and eventually pen a novel about the world of detectives and murder (profits to be split, naturally). He gets pulled in, as does the reader, by the Cowper case which takes many an odd turn...a bit of a checkered past, a very famous son, involvement in elite charities and the characters that follow...and has many unexpected details. Lots of references to Sherlock Holmes (Horowitz, the real one, has been given the honor of penning a new Holmes tome) and Agatha Christie novels among my fellow reviewers. 

This was fun to read. And had to be a heck of a lot of fun to write. I didn't see the ending coming until quite late in the game and I'd be sorta curious to reread it now that I know where it is headed. A nice diversion, a great beach read style book -- I didn't read it on a beach, but often think of books in terms of where they are best read..some require the focus of my sunroom, others can handle the interruptions of an airplane, others fit the feel of vacation when you aren't looking for something serious but still want to be drawn in and travel into the tale. Enjoyed the London setting...unobtrusive, as befits the novel, but a good backdrop. 

4 stars. Great choice to satisfy my detective itch.

Growing Up is Hard to Do: Putney (Zinovief) and Whistle in the Dark (Healey)

I've been making slow progress through a long one lately, so I should take advantage of a little catch-up time!

• Putney by Sofka Zinovieff

I've seen a good bit of buzz around this soon-to-be released novel, so I'll start here (disclaimer received an Advance Readers Copy from the publisher). It is a bit of a cop-out to begin by calling it a Lolita tale for the MeToo world, but it can also serve as a warning for those who may not like the content...not that I can imagine many people truly LIKING the content...

In 1970s England, the Greenslays live a bit of a bohemian lifestyle....people come, people go, children often fend for themselves amid the varying guests (who are often enjoying some form of drugs...all of which allows plenty of room for the novel's key stories). Ralph, age 25, is one of many arrivals, come to work with the famous father in the clan. As a nine year old girl runs by, Ralph has to shuffle a bit to cover up the obvious effect she has on him. He befriends Daphne and, in a parlance that postdates the youth scenes, grooms her...becoming a friend, telling her he loves him but must keep it quiet, gradual building a physical relationship that leads to sex (aka rape) when she's 13.

In the present (both frames and interrupts the memory scenes), Ralph is very sick and dying. In an unrelated arc inspired by a piece of art that reflect on what she still sees as an idyllic childhood (that was followed by some rough years of addiction and a bad marriage that did produce a lovely daughter), Daphne's best friend, Jane -- Daphne, Jane, and Ralph all share narration duties -- opens her eyes to the truth of the relationship and how it connects with man of Daphne's struggles. And, of course, there are secrets, confrontation, and more.

In college, I was involved in a group that often talked about experiencing (and embracing, even seeking out) discomfort. This book does this. And it reminds me that discomfort is not always a bad thing. This book was far from emotionally easy, but the writing is lovely and the characters well-drawn, fully-fleshed people. Mental health, drugs, sex (obviously far from ideal sex), and issues of class run though it. The power of denial, of Daphne's belief that it was true, love and the ways even things we can't consciously process can effect our future, are well-rendered.

It isn't a easy read, but it isn't meant to be.  4.5 stars. I can't quite say a true 5...though I can't voice why, but will still round up. Rad a dozen or so reviews, but really curious to see what any of my friends think...

• Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey

Fifteen-year-old Lana is neither an easy child nor a happy one. When she takes a painting vacation (painting holiday sounds so much nicer, British English does offer some lovely turns of phrase!). she goes missing. Four days later, a farmer finds her in a field. Lana purports to remember nothing from the time he was gone. Her mom doesn't really believe it and becomes a bit obsessed with finding answers. Lana seems to enjoy the brief delay before she has to return to school. Her (a good bit) older sister is expecting her first baby which seems to get lost in he shuffle. And, honestly (b/c it say quite a lot), I finished it several weeks ago and have scant memories of Dad.

More than a mystery about a missing girl (although that does indeed run throughout), this is a look at being a family when one member is a troubled teen (so says this formerly troubled, read: depressed, teen). There were little moments that I enjoyed, but overall it fell a bit flat for me. I also felt pretty mixed on the ending...I appreciate some of Mom's final scenes. Others seem to enjoy it, so maybe it is me  2.5 stars...I gotta go with rounding down...

Regardless, thank you to the publisher for supplying the advance edition in exchange for an honest review). Even if it wasnt for me, I appreciate that I get to read a range of books that I might not on my own, especially those that don't fit into my typical genre. 

A Solid Summer Read: The Perfect Mother (Molloy)

I keep vowing to catch up, but alas....

So, here's a single review to keep you in the loop until I stop reading long enough to write :)

• The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Since I had, admittedly enjoyed Big Little Lies (book...haven't seen the show), I was intrigued by this one and scooped it up from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

The May Mothers met online while expecting and had a number of gatherings both before and after their spring babies arrived.  They decide that it is time for a baby-free frolic and gather for some fun at a bar. It is during this time that the unimaginable occurs and one baby vanishes from his crib. Both that story and the more general look at motherhood unfolds through the vantage point of a small subgroup of ladies who connect despite having quite different lives. And the reader peers in at different moments in the search for the missing child.

This is both a thriller and a look at motherhood today (for the record, I'm not a mom so can't fully gauge the authenticity  here). While the former is the headline plot (yes, I did just make that description up)...and I didn't see the ending coming there...it was the latter that kept me reading. From negotiating the working mom role to dealing with a harder baby and experiencing more than a little emotional turmoil, the different stories of the revolving narrators (a device that risks being overdone but also allows a writer to venture down several paths without making one character take too twisty a road) made me enjoy picking up this one.

Call it a beach read or something of that sort...not a hard read by any means and not in the "literary fiction" arena... and take it as that.  3.5 to 4 stars.

What We Carry: The Things (Property: Stories Between Two Novellas by Lionel Shriver) and Memories (The Lost Family by Jenna Blum)

• Property: Stories Between Two Novellas by Lionel Shriver

When I opted to read a free advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review of Property, I felt a bit conflicted. To the extent the words make sense, I enjoyed We Need to Talk About Kevin. I haven't, however, been a fan of the two other pieces by Shriver that I've read, even putting aside the diss on my alma matter (prep school star "So I tossed it. I didn't apply to Yale or Harvard, but Haverford.") in The New Republic. And I'm not usually a huge fan of short stories. Yet, something drew me to this one and, unlike with the last two attempts, I'm glad I did.

As the title hints, this collection has two longer short stories and a series of shorter ones sandwiched in between. They all revolve, in one way or another, around property...from a gift spurned to a home shared to mail undelivered. It could have felt like a gimmick, but it didn't because each story was unique and took a different approach. I greatly enjoyed The Standing Chandelier, which could sound like a trope itself with a friendship between a man and a woman threatened when the man falls in love with a woman, but managed not to feel like a story I'd heard before. I think one of the shortest tales, about a mail man who simply -- though strategically enough to avoid being caught -- stops delivering some of the mail, was among my favorites (the ending was the best part!).

An enjoyable collection for people who enjoy words and pondering the many ponderings they can inspire. 4 stars. 

• The Lost Family by Jenna Blum

The last review I wrote was a book I went into with a heavy dose of skepticism. In contrast, this one fell into my traditional wheelhouse. I've read a good deal of Holocaust-related (or -adjacent) fiction and I fall for characters more than story-lines. But, while it started strong, i came away from this one fairly disappointed.

Peter is a chef. When we meet him, he's working in his own fancy restaurant and he's about to meet a woman he'll fall in love with almost instantaneously. But, Peter is very much a man haunted by his past. His restaurant is named after his first wife, who perished along with their young twin girls in the Holocaust. Peter survived, a fate filled with irony since his wife was not Jewish but merely "guilty by association."

Peter goes on, in time, build a new family. But there is a void that they all feel, a void possibly enhanced by Peter's silence.  Other plotlines are too spoilery, though a brief mention of some biological family....called cousins but at least once removed and who lived in the U.S. during the war...is worthwhile.

I really enjoyed the early sections of the book, esp a notable scene from early in Peter's chef days (he was from a wealthy family and the career choice was not popular w his family...nor was the non-Jewish wife) and scenes of the family during the fearful build-up of Hitlervs power.  Sadly, the book really fell off track for me in the present day narrative, esp after a bit of a time jump. I dont need to love every character and I could see her motivations, but the protagonist of the latter section just didn't work for me. Nor did the somewhat predictable outcome for the youngest primary character.

3.5 stars. Interesting portrait of the ripples created by one person's trials on those around him. Just wish the narrative took a diff path...I liked that it focused on after vs the time Peter spent in the camps but maybe would have been better without the present day time jump.....

Based on a free advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review. Typed on my phone so apologies for typos.

Real characters, New settings: Magical Realism in Fine's What Should Be Wild (A GEM!) and Dystopian Fiction by Erdich with Future Home of the Living God

I won't even pretend I'm going to catch up, but I suppose the benefit of having a few books in my "to review" column is that I can actually present two with a genuine theme. Both of these books involve real characters amid an element of the unreal. In one case, the book would likely be labeled magical realism, while the other is more likely to find itself in the dystopian fiction category.

I'll lead with one that I consider a true gem.

• What Should Be Wild by Julia Fine

I can't say I'm typically a fan of the books folks categorize as magical realism, but this....this felt both real and was like magic in its ability to transport me into its little world.

Maise has never felt a kiss on her cheek, a warm hand in hers, skin-on-skin. With a simple touch, she can kill. Or, alternately, she can revive. There's a beautiful description of her toddling across a lawn, leaving a brown trail of dead grass behind her; they even had to coat the wood used to build their old home or else it would come alive with her touch. Maise's mother died while carrying her and her scientist father most certainly loves her but also treats her as more of a study subject than a daughter. The woman who serves as a housekeeper, nanny, grandmother, and more loves Maise too but also, as Maise learns, has a life outside her job too.

While this is mostly Maise's story - a coming-of-age tale about learning about the worlds and about herself - it is also the story of women who came before. For centuries, there have been women who simply vanished into the woods. We meet them too, women who never felt quite like they fit in the world and are now trapped in someplace other.

To say much more might be to say too much.  I might already have done so. But this book captured me. The language was lovely. The women were strong and powerful, but also flawed and uncertain of themselves. The love is flawed too, from the father-daughter relationship to the relationship with oneself. I can't easily voice (read: type) what it was about this book that captured me, but I was drawn into its world and wanted to know what happened to every character.

There were a few places/subplots that I didn't care for, but this still ranks as the best book I've read in some time. You need to be willing to suspend disbelief, but you'll be rewarded it you do. 4.5 stars, happily rounded up to 5 when that isn't allowed (but still 4.5 given the few pieces that didn't work for me). I can only return to where this review started, the book finds real (fleshy, full) characters and real internal struggles (loving, fearing, growing) in a world with a bit of magic.
(Review based on an advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

• Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdich

There's an undercurrent of a tale told before, a woman who loves the parents that raised her dearly seeks out her birth family, motivated to action in part by her own pregnancy. She is the teller of this tale, and she is telling it to her unborn child.

Then there's the twist that moves this woman's tale into the dystopian category -- not only has evolution halted, it seems to be moving backward. And humans do not seem to fit into nature's plan. Pregnancy rates seem to be falling, maternal and infant mortality rates are climbing, and many of the babies that are born seem to be something other. In an early review note, I wrote that it is "a society in which wombs have been a commodity." It is hard to decide whether the natural events or man's reaction to them (which includes registries and efforts to corral pregnant women) are more disturbing.

3.5 stars. I found the concept and, in particular, the portrayal of how society might react in response to the unexpected events quite interesting. It is without question disturbing, but it is well-crafted. Erdich is certainly a true talent. Still, a lot of parts dragged which feels odd to say after the plot summary. I tired of the book. Also, I am not someone who needs a neat and tidy ending, in fact I prefer books that leave shades of grey and where the characters journey on after my "visit" to their world. But this book left too much unresolved for my taste. Also, there is an element of Native American spiritualism, which I did like but which also sometimes felt like it was from a totally different story/book.
(Review based on an advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

The Ruined House (Namdar) and Fools and Mortals (Cornwell)

Two VERY different books...I won't even try to connect them....

• The Ruined House by Ruby Namdar

So, if you are anything like me, this book may send you searching for a quick primer on how to read ancient Jewish texts. The good news is there's lots of information online and it is actually kind of interesting. The bad news is it isn't always easy,

The main journey in this book is Andrew's. On the surface, he's a successful academic who manages to keep a positive relationship with his ex-wife, his daughters (one grown, one teen), and his young (former student) flame. However, his life starts to slowly dissolve when he finds himself beset by strange dreams - waking dreams or perhaps visions - an intense religious nature. Although he identifies as a Jewish man, he largely attends services on the high holidays and it is more of a cultural identity than a religious one, making these visions particularly perplexing. As these moments grow in intensity, other elements of his life seem to unravel from articles that just won't get written to confrontations in his personal life to an odd obsession with strangely pornographic websites. It's a midlife crisis, but not a typical one. And, to bring back in that first paragraph, the book is peppered with (fake) Talmud sections detailing and explaining elaborate rituals centered around Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year.

This is the kind of book that leaves me searching for the right words, both to fully describe the text itself and to describe my experience with it. I can't say I truly liked it...I definitely didn't like Andrew (I don't think the reader is expected to....and I can enjoy unlikable protagonists in the right hands) and he wore on me more and more as the book progressed. The sections that mimicked the Talmud fascinated me in the beginning but they also wore on my patience and part of me found the whole conceit a bit offensive (my honest reaction as something of a secular/cultural Jew myself, even if it is by a Jewish man who hails from Israel and originally wrote in Hebrew).

Two and a half stars..rounded up to three because there is some (often strangely) beautiful language here, but it generally left me perplexed. This review is based on an advance readers edition received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

• Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell

I must admit, when this ARC arrived from the publisher (provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review), I did a double-take and it took me a moment to remember that I had indeed asked for it. After all, Cornwell isn't my typical fare. I may like literary fiction set in another time, but true historical fiction is rarely my cup of tea, especially that surrounding war and kings and such. But, this is a bit of an atypical Cornwell novel.

The protagonist is Richard Shakespeare, William's fictional younger brother and a struggling actor. He's typically been relegated to playing women's roles and yearns for meatier (and manlier) dramatic fare (plus, there are younger men who are better suited to the female leads). Through most of the book, the troupe is rehearsing A Midsummer Night's Dream for a wedding presentation while Will puts the finishing touches on some play about two star-crossed lovers (truth: my least favorite WS play). Along the way, there's a love interest and some intrigue associated with a new competitor looking for plays to showcase in a new theater. 

This was a fairly quick read and generally a fun one. It did drag in places and there are parts of the story that just wrapped up a little too quickly (and off of the main stage, although we get glimpses of its resolution). Yes, the ending was somewhat predictable, but once you know whether you're enjoying a comedy or a tragedy, so is Shakespeare. The characters were fun and there were enough plot lines to keep the reader's interest while also avoiding becoming too many moving parts. I also enjoyed that Cornwell is clearly a researcher and I learned a good bit along the way, including from the author's note which addresses how theater really evolved in the early Elizabethan age (although I imagine it helps to have a basic handle on WS's works and times).

Four stars. Nothing too taxing, but definitely best for someone who enjoyed rather than loathed their own experiences with Shakespeare. 

Teen Angst, A Missing Child, A Motley Crew at Work...Three Books I Won't Even Try to Connect: Mirror, Mirror (Delevigne), The Child Finder (Denfeld), This Could Hurt (Medoff_

I'm making good on my promise to myself to make a dent in the book backlog. I love my job, but after sitting in front of a screen all day, I simply can't bring myself to engage with a screen beyond the tv (or the tablet posing as a tv).  But, I AM trying...I'm definitely prioritizing my Harper books since they deserve it for being patient, but I have actually read a handful of others including at least one semi-recent bestseller, a book I missed in the "middle grades" years, and a few random picks.

• Mirror, Mirror by Cara Delevigne

A brief note -- I'm not usually a reader of young adult novels, but I also know the category holds some of literature's very best from serious stories to jaunts that remind readers young and old that they are not alone. So I harbor no negative association with young adult novels, but they don't make up a very large share of my book collection.

I received this young adult book (def older young adults...I'd say 16+) from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The novel is narrated by Red, one of four high school students who went from being something of an outcast to a member of a much-loved, tight-knit band (one was popular...but, as is easy to see coming, misunderstood). A year or so after they formed, one of the girls suddenly goes missing. This story is about finding out what happened to her, and also about what happened to them...the story of the four kids becoming incredibly close and each kid's struggles with family, friends, and general teen-dom.

I saw several of the "surprises" coming, including the element that Red holds back from the reader for a good chunk of the book. There are a LOT of issues in here, though identifying them would pretty much mean revealing spoilers. I think this could be great fodder for discussion in the right forum...maybe some mix of older teens and parents or something...but it just wasn't quite for me. I certainly didn't despise it by any means, but I felt removed from it. I often read books where I can't relate directly to the plot or the characters, but here it almost felt more like I was watching a made-for-tv movie. I never really connected (admission: maybe I was jealous that I didn't find a little clique like this in HS).

Two-and-a-half to three stars. Liked the mixed formats (text conversations etc.), liked some of what the author had to say. But, it felt like too much tossed together and like other stories that try so hard to not paint cliched portraits that they become another sort of cliche. Oh, and I really liked Ash...the sister of the missing girl who is an unapologetic computer nerd and pretty darn cool (ok, you are probably supposed to think that...but I did....)

FYI -- If you're a parent or just someone who is bothered by such things, know that there is "foul language" and it does include depictions of sex, drug use, and violence (in a range of lights).

• The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld

Five-year-old Madison wonders off while her family is looking for a Christmas tree in rural Oregon. The bulk of the novel occurs three years later when Naomi, a private investigator known as The Child Finder joins the (stale) search. For Naomi, every lost child is a personal mission. She has only snippets of memories from when she fled from...someplace...and ran to a group of strangers and eventually found herself in the care of an incredibly loving foster mother who also cares for a young boy with his own troubled tale. The reader hears from Madison throughout the novel, so we know quickly that she didn't simply suffer the fate of many a lost hiker who succumbed to the cold. We know she is with a man who keeps her in a below-ground room and, well, "loves" her in ways no adult should love a child.

There's a lot more here. In fact, as with far too many books, there's too much. There are several different plotlines and cutting a few would have. I like complex, full characters, and Denfeld has a talent for creating them. I just wish there had been a bit of extra editing here.  A second missing child case would have made a better short story....or might have been fine here if other lines were trimmed.  The number of plot paths made this book more challenging for me. And I truly disliked portions of Naomi's present-day personal tale. Her romantic storyline failed completely for me.

Still, there were elements here to enjoy. Madison's chapters are a bit unusual, but they rang true to me as a child's effort to survive the unsurvivable. They carried a disturbing beauty that showcases Denfeld's talent. As noted above, I didn't like where Naomi's story went, but I did like the peeks at her past (put another way, her backstory was a positive for me, but her present-day personal life was not). Another positive for me was the mixture of emotions that the ending to Madison's tale presents...it carried the shades of grey that tend to make books ring true for me. Both this ending and the chapters about Madison's survival show that this is the same author who crafted The Enchanted.

Overall, the positives were muted by the negatives. I struggled to pick the book up because so much of the novel was a slog through mud, pushing through the parts I didn't care for to get to the moments that felt like gems. Three stars .


Readers should know there are a lot of disturbing elements here and be ready for that...

• This Could Hurt by Jillian Medoff

With organizational charts sprinkled throughout (and used as an epilogue), this book focuses on the members of the human resources team at a large, struggling services company.  We meet a full cast of characters (the charts helped me keep track of who was who!) at various staged of their careers and their personal lives. Some live to work, some work to live. They are all navigating the complex balance between the two and facing the reality that working in an office means working with each other.

There were several places in this book where I stopped and read aloud to my husband (who is mid-career and getting a master's in an HR-related field), usually because a particular passage was at once humorous and observant. I've been in a few workplaces myself, and even worked in recruiting so have an HR element of my own, and I could imagine these characters in the office (or cubicle) next-door.  

I can't say I like every character. I can't say they were all as full and round as I usually prefer. And a large part of the central plot didn't really ring real for me. There's a Weekend At Bernie's style plotline that serves to tie the rest of the book together and I didn't really care for it. But, while it was very much a central driving force, it was also largely a device to tie everything together -- so while I didn't necessarily buy into it, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. 

But that was okay. Some books are nourishment, some are mind candy. Some are literature, some are...well...just books. This was the latter, but sometimes "just books" are perfect for your mood. They have an important place on a complete bookshelf...at least for me...a "real" bookshelf versus one for show. It made me laugh and I enjoyed watching the relationships between the characters shift over time. This book was a fun diversion from a stressful time in my world (not work stress...though I can see this being particularly apt as a diversion from workplace drama).

4 stars. Review based on an ARC from the publisher provided in exchange for my honest thoughts.

P.S. Had to smile when I caught the HR chief struggling mightily with orders to rest and finding herself watching a tv movie called Hunger Point....since I group books by the same author together, this one will sit next to Medoff's novel, Hunger Point.

Portraits in words....The Reason You're Alive (Quick) and Rebellion (Patterson)

Okay...I've got a backlog to face, but I know I need to do it in little chunks...

• The Reason You're Alive by Matthew Quick

Having read a few of Quick's past works, I was excited by the opportunity to receive a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

This is David Granger's story. It opens just after he has had brain surgery and he is forced, very much against his will, to spend time with his son Henry and his granddaughter Ella. He dotes on Ella but has long-clashed with his son. David is a Vietnam Vet who still battles his memories of the war and the "bad stuff" he did during his tour of duty. He is as politically incorrect as they come (and quite foul-mouthed....if profanity bothers you, steer clear), a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, and at a loss when it comes to how to interact with his liberal art-dealer son. But, underneath the gruff exterior is a big heart who cares deeply about a wide-range of people regardless of race, sexuality, or creed. David is also clearly still mourning the wife he lost years ago, a woman he loved deeply who suffered from intense mental illness.

I enjoyed this novel. It was a quick read and in some ways I want to call it an easy read, but the multitude of issues it raises are far from simple. Through David, Quick makes his reader confront their own assumptions and biases, pushing the reader to see the beauty and the good in a man whom many would immediately dismiss as a "right wing nut" (I suspect Quick's base is more than a little bit liberal-leaning and will identify more with David's son than with the protagonist). The style pushes the reader along at a fast pace, but the content lingers as he raises issues including the trauma of war and the complexity of loving someone consumed by mental demons. 

A high 4 stars (of 5). 

• Rebellion by Molly Patterson

Rebellion (provided to me by the publisher is exchange for an honest review) takes the reader into the daily lives of women facing different worlds but calling upon the same inner strength to do their very best. Each begins at a moment of change, but carries through into the daily business of life. Louisa's tale begins in the late nineteenth century as she leaves her family home to live a hard life as a farmer's wife in rural Illinois. Her sister, Addie has also left home behind but for the very different role as a missionary's wife in China, plunged into a culture she doesn't understand where even her closest counterparts seem like they come from an entirely different world. Then there's Hazel, Louisa's daughter, whom we meet in the 1950s as she faces the sudden the loss of her husband and learns to manage both her responsibilities and her heart. There's also a recent college grad moving back from the city to her family's hotel in rural China in something close to the present day (why, yes, she is the one who held the least interest for me...). Not to mention a briefer portrait of Hazel's daughter, trying to balance a busy life in Chicago with helping her aging mother.

I feel out of breath just typing that. Once I got beyond the first 50 or so pages, I was able to cleanly separate out the various women's tales, which is sometimes hard for me. The book is divided into sections with several chapters on one woman before moving to another...each woman is heard from multiple times with each story stopping and starting to accommodate another. I grew to anticipate "hearing from" some of the women while feeling somewhat disappointed when others took their turn as protagonist. There are some big events that occur, but much of this novel is simply about what it takes to survive and thrive in daily life. Aside from the tie to the Boxer Rebellion, the rebellions of this novel are of the sort that let each woman assert herself and become herself in her world.

Patterson does a lovely job showing the reader two places at different time periods and the way her different protagonists navigate their worlds. She has definite talent. But there was just too much thrown together.  I think this would have been much more successful as two interconnected novels that allowed the reader to immerse herself more completely in the different settings and truly appreciate each,

Three stars. There's beauty in here, but there's too much crammed in to allow the reader to truly appreciate it...