Review: The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

The Burgess Boys
Author: Elizabeth Strout
Published: March 26, 2013
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 336 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home. Her lonely teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble, and Susan desperately needs their help. And so the Burgess brothers return to the landscape of their childhood, where the long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed their relationship begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever.

My Thoughts: I have hears so many people rave about Elizabeth Strout's work that when I heard that this book was being released, I decided that I would have to give her a try. The description of the book intrigued me and had me pulled in before I even read the first chapter. The book is a study in the relationship of siblings and how events that occur during childhood shapes each sibling differently. There is Jim, the oldest and most outspoken of the bunch, definitely the leader of the group. Then there are the twins, Bob and Susan. Bob has followed his older brother in the field of law, although working far below his potential (at least as Jim sees it) by working at Legal Aid. Then there is Susan, who has remained in their hometown of Shirley Falls raising her son, Zach, after her husband divorced her and moved to Sweden. There are a host of issues that the siblings deal with (I won't get into here), but when Zach commits a hate crime, all of the siblings are brought together in Shirley Falls to help and reconnect for the first time in years.

Each character in this book is a unique individual and Strout really takes the time to craft each one. Each has a distinct personality and you feel like you understand each one over the course of the book, which is hard for any author to do. Jim is definitely the bossiest and the leader, but I think that he is the one who is explored the least. There is a shocking revelation from him about two-thirds of the way through the book, but you still don't entirely understand him or his motivations. He is mean and rude to his brother Bob, who has loved him since childhood and always looked up to him. You can understand why Susan turned into the person that she did when you learn about her interactions with her mother, and Bob is pretty easy to get from the get-go of the story. But each grows as the novel continues and Strout always keeps it interesting.

For me, this was a bit of a letdown, but it wasn't a bad novel. Strout is a great writer and an excellent crafter of characters, but this novel was just a bit of a drag for me. I felt like there was more that could be done, but Strout held back just a little too much. I will look into her other works in the future, but if you haven't read her work before, then this might not be the novel to start with.

Review: The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

The Middlesteins
Author: Jami Attenberg
Published: October 23, 2012
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 273 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): For more than thirty years, Edie and Richard Middlestein shared a solid family life together in the suburbs of Chicago. But now things are splintering apart, for one reason, it seems: Edie's enormous girth. She's obsessed with food--thinking about it, eating it--and if she doesn't stop, she won't have much longer to live. 

When Richard abandons his wife, it is up to the next generation to take control. Robin, their schoolteacher daughter, is determined that her father pay for leaving Edie. Benny, an easy-going, pot-smoking family man, just wants to smooth things over. And Rachelle-- a whippet thin perfectionist-- is intent on saving her mother-in-law's life, but this task proves even bigger than planning her twin children's spectacular b'nai mitzvah party. Through it all, they wonder: do Edie's devastating choices rest on her shoulders alone, or are others at fault, too?

My Thoughts: I have been anxious to read this book, wondering if it would live up to the expectations that I had for it after reading several rave reviews and falling in love with the synopsis. It had all the makings for a great book, so when I finally stumbled across a copy at the library, I snatched it up, eager to get home and start it. I was a bit surprised because the book isn's very long (only 273 pages), so I wondered if maybe it was overhyped. But, just like everyone else, this book turned out to be a fantastic piece of literature. Jami Attenberg shines as a writer in this book, using her prose to craft a story of a typical American family, living in the suburbs, trying to live the American dream. Part of that American dream, unfortunately, is overeating, which manifests itself in Edie. She was always large, growing up in a home where her mother never stopped her from eating and was amazed at her daughter's appetite. The book alternates in chapters from Edie's past, chronicling her weight at a certain stage in her life. It's almost as if the weight defines who she is as a person in that moment, which really hits home. The other chapters are set in the present day and are told from various family members points of view, whether it be Richard, Edie's soon-to-be ex-husband, her children, even her grandchildren. It's amazing how one person's weight can affect so many people.

The characters in this story are what really made it for me. With Edie's chapters showing what it was like for her at certain points in her life, with her highs and lows in terms of weight, and the present day, you are able to understand why this family is the way that it is, and why Edie is the woman that she is. While I don't support her unhealthy eating habits, Attenberg shows what it is like growing up in the average American home, where food is emphasized as a means of expressing yourself. Edie eats when she's happy, sad, frustrated, and goes on and on at one point in the book about how eating is feeling. I was amazed at how perfectly Attenberg hit this on the head, describing our country's main issue with food. She didn't make it patronizing in anyway, just described why eating is so important to Edie. Her family all plays a role in her obesity and her disease also shapes them as individuals. Robin, her daughter, is the one most affected by her mother, for while she was an overweight child, she has a turning point where she changes her life and only eats what she needs to, realizing the role that food has played in her mother's life.

I could go on and on about this novel, discussing how Edie's relationship with food affects not only herself, but her family as well. This is a book that will certainly hit home with American today because I'm sure that everyone knows at least one person who is overweight or obese. This novel will resonate with you on so many levels that you will be sure to find yourself in at least one of the characters inside these pages. This is a book for modern America, a book that shows us what we are. Jami Attenberg really hit it out of the park with this one, giving us a glimpse into the average American family and their relationship with food. This is such a short read that I will recommend it to anyone, because even if you don't tend to like books like this, you will rush through it quickly. Seriously, just go get yourself a copy!

Review: The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

The Art Forger
Author: B.A. Shapiro
Published: October 23, 2012
Genre: fiction
eBook: approx. 368 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): On March 18, 1990, thirteen works of art today worth over $500 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It remains the largest unsolved art heist in history, and Claire Roth, a struggling young artist, is about to discover that there’s more to this crime than meets the eye.

Making a living reproducing famous artworks for a popular online retailer and desperate to improve her situation, Claire is lured into a Faustian bargain with Aiden Markel, a powerful gallery owner. She agrees to forge a painting—a Degas masterpiece stolen from the Gardner Museum—in exchange for a one-woman show in his renowned gallery. But when that very same long-missing Degas painting is delivered to Claire’s studio, she begins to suspect that it may itself be a forgery. Her desperate search for the truth leads Claire into a labyrinth of deceit where secrets hidden since the late nineteenth century may be the only evidence that can now save her life.

My Thoughts: I saw this book when it first came out and thought it looked interesting but I passed on it. Whenever I read a book that's set in the art world, I always end up not liking it as much because of the amount of detail it goes into about art history. After reading a blogger's review of this book, though (and I can't remember where I read the review at, so I apologize if it was you who wrote the review that inspired me to read the book!), I decided to give it a try. They gushed about how wonderful it was and hard to put down, so I figured that I would take a stab at it. The first 30 pages or so I thought, "Here we go, another lame art book that I'm going to end up not liking." But then things started to get interesting. You have the story of the present day going on, with Claire painting a Degas to sell; Claire's story from three years ago, when she became the joke of the art world; and then going all the way back in time to Isabella Stewart Gardner's correspondence with her niece, detailing her adventures abroad with artists of the day.

While it may seem like that's a lot to be going on in one book, it's never too much. B.A. Shapiro writes in way that pulls you in, inch by inch, into the story. It's never a full blown thrill until about the last 60 pages or so (that's when it became impossible for me to put down), and then she has you on the edge of your seat with anticipation. Going between the present day and the stories of the past, she creates this multilayered story that gives you all the information you need without weighing down the plot and making you lose interest or be overwhelmed with the historical details that pertain to the story.

The characters in this novel are interesting (they are part of the art world, after all), but Claire, the main character, is perhaps the most complex. Even when the story ends, you are a bit unsure why she does the things that she does. In terms of painting this "stolen" Degas, you understand that she wants the money. But she continues with it even though she feels such guilt over having it. With her backstory, you wonder why she would paint a painting for someone else and let him take all the credit for so long. She's hard to read and it can be frustrating at times. But that also makes me like her even more. She's not predictable, she's a real character. Some of her motivations are easy to understand, while others require you to sit and think.

Overall, this was a fascinating read and one that made me want to get up and go to the art museum to look at some of these paintings! It's thrilling, engaging, and not something that we've come to expect from novels that are set in the art world. I will definitely be checking out more of Shapiro's work in the future.

Review: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

The 19th Wife
Author: David Ebershoff
Published: August 5, 2008
Genre: fiction
eBook: approx. 514 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Sweeping and lyrical, spellbinding and unforgettable, David Ebershoff’sThe 19th Wife combines epic historical fiction with a modern murder mystery to create a brilliant novel of literary suspense. It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of a family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how a young woman became a plural wife.

Soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father’s death. And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love and faith.

My Thoughts: I've been wanting to read this book for sometime, interested in how an author could combine two books, two different stories into one, and create a cohesive and interesting read. David Ebershoff opens his book with a young man who was kicked out of his home as a teenager for holding hands with a girl. While this may not seem radical to you, the young man, named Jordan, lives in a compound of the First Latter-Day Saints, the people who still practice polygamy out in the desert of Utah. There are so many rules that govern this group of people that it's hard for an outsider to understand and difficult for an insider to explain. Ebershoff attempts to do so in this book by giving you a history of how the FLDS came to be. They are associated with the Mormon church, but few people understand how it came to be. What follows is a long history of how the church was founded, their pilgrammage across the country to settle in current-day Salt Lake City, and the book written by Brigham Young's 19th wife (Young was the second prophet for the church and grew the church in a number of ways). 

This is a hard book to categorize because it defies many genres and writing styles. It's a mystery in terms of Jordan trying to help his mother, who is in jail for allegedly killing her husband. There is Jordan's struggle with the church and the prophet and the people who allow them to continue this religion. There is the back story of the Mormon church, with chapters alternating between present day and the past, then the chapters told from Ann Eliza Young's point of view. There's a lot going on in this novel and it can be hard to keep up with, but it is riveting to read about. Ebershoff could have used a bot of editing in this book because it was so long and there were some parts that I felt didn't really add to Jordan's story or the storyline of the Mormon church.

I don't know if I would ever want to read another novel by Eberhoff, but this novel was very interesting to read. Ann Eliza Young was a revolutionary in her day in her attempt to outlaw polygamy in the United States and doing her lecture circuit to spread her story. While this book is a work of fiction, it was still amazing to read about the founding of the church and the early years of it's existence.

Review: News From Heaven by Jennifer Haigh

News From Heaven
Author: Jennifer Haigh
Published: January 29, 2013
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 224 pages
Source: received a copy from the publisher

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): When her iconic novel Baker Towers was published in 2005, it was hailed as a modern classic--"compassionate and powerful . . . a song of praise for a too-little-praised part of America, for the working families whose toils and constancy have done so much to make the country great" (Chicago Tribune). Its young author, Jennifer Haigh, was "an expert natural storyteller with an acute sense of her characters' humanity" (New York Times).

Now, in this collection of interconnected short stories, Jennifer Haigh returns to the vividly imagined world of Bakerton, Pennsylvania, a coal-mining town rocked by decades of painful transition. From its heyday during two world wars through its slow decline, Bakerton is a town that refuses to give up gracefully, binding--sometimes cruelly--succeeding generations to the place that made them. A young woman glimpses a world both strange and familiar when she becomes a live-in maid for a Jewish family in New York City. A long-absent brother makes a sudden and tragic homecoming. A solitary middle-aged woman tastes unexpected love when a young man returns to town. With a revolving cast of characters--many familiar to fans of Baker Towers--these stories explore how our roots, the families and places in which we are raised, shape the people we eventually become.

My Thoughts: This collection of short stories has Jennifer Haigh revisiting the town of Bakerton, site of her wonderful novel, Baker Towers (which I read a few years ago). I loved the novel and how well Haigh wrote about small town life in a company town. While this collection of stories is based upon that novel, it is in no way necessary to read that one before picking up this book. In fact, I remembered the basic point of Baker Towers, but not much else, and was able to pick up this book and get lost with these character and their stories.

 

Since this is a collection of short stories, each chapter is devoted to one person, with all of them being linked together in some way (it becomes apparent in each chapter how they relate to other people in the book). While the times that these chapters take place in varies (some following WWII, some into the present day), there is one theme that shapes this novel: how where we come from defines us as a person. Reading about each of these individuals and the paths that they have chosen in their life, it's easy to see that our hometown can shape our view of the world, our friends, even our families. It is something that defines how we see things and respond to them, and it's not something that people realize all the time. As I read each chapter, I couldn't help but marvel at Haigh's ability to keep on hitting this theme home, making you realize how different these characters are, but how their small mining town defines them as a person.

 

Haigh is a wonderful writer and it is showcased, yet again, in this wonderful book. If I have a complaint about this book, it's that it was too short! I could have used a few more stories following the people of Bakerton, seeing how their lives played out. If you haven't read any of Jennifer Haigh's work, I insist that you do so. She is a modern author who has a way with words, never being too overextended in how she approaches subjects, yet pulling you in and making you think about things in ways that you hadn't thought of before. While this collection might not be the place to start, she has many other wonderful novels to choose from.

** This novel is participating in a TLC Book Tour. I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Please make sure to check out TLC Book Tours to see others who are hosting this book.**

Review: Calico Joe by John Grisham

Calico Joe
Author: John Grisham
Published: April 10, 2012
Genre: fiction
eBook: approx. 198 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): In the summer of 1973 Joe Castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen.  The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas dazzled Cub fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records.
 
Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever…

My Thoughts: Do you ever pick up a book and you have no idea why you want to read it? The premise of the book doesn't really seem like something you would read, but you are drawn to this book from some unknown reason? Well, that's what happened to me with this book. I don't like baseball, so why I felt compelled to read this book was beyond me. All I know is that I'm glad that I did. Following the fast rise of a man from the minor league's into the Chicago Cubs team, John Grisham tells a story of childhood, where you idolize those people who can do the unthinkable and, sometimes, the scariest people are the ones that you share a house with. Paul Tracey was a young boy when Calico Joe became a big star, but his father was a pitcher with the New York Mets. His father is a drunk and someone who believes himself to be better than he actually is.

For such a short story (only 198 pages), Grisham packs a lot into the story. There is the tale of childhood, of the long summers and playing with friends and having fun. There is also the story of a broken family, of a young boy who comes to grips with the fact that his father is a bad person and not worth the time or energy. It's sad to read about Paul's relationship with his father, but you know that he is justified in those feelings. Then, there is the fateful game, where Calico Joe plays the New York Mets. It's a game that changes Paul's life and Calico Joe's, along with his fathers. They are all changed by one play. It's a gripping scene and one that has you holding your breathe, anxious to know how everything turns out, even when you already know.

I don't read a lot of Grisham, but reading a book like this reminds me of what a great storyteller he is. In 198 pages, he tells a compelling tale of childhood and baseball, yet makes it a story that transcends the sport. If you are looking for a quick read, then I would highly recommend this book.

Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Author: Rachel Joyce
Published: July 24, 2012
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 336 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.

Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut. Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live.

Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside. Along the way he meets one fascinating character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit and sense of promise. Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him—allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets. As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years. And then there is the unfinished business with Queenie Hennessy.

My Thoughts: After hearing so many great things about this novel, I decided that I needed to give it a shot and get my hands on copy. When I was finally able to get one through the library, I was quickly enthralled with Harold and his journey across England up to Scotland, all to say good-bye to a woman that he used to work with. Harold is a retiree, trying to figure out what to do with all of his time while living with his wife, whom he has lost connection to. They both live in the same house but have no relationship to speak of, leaving both of them feeling alone and wondering what the other one thinks about them. When Harold receives a letter that an old co-worker, Queenie Hennessey, is dying from cancer, he pens a reply and sets out to mail it, but ends up walking over 600 miles to see her in person.

The plot in this novel is unique in that it almost meanders along, just like Harold on his walk. Rachel Joyce, the first time novelist, follows Harold on his walk, but fills in his backstory along the way. She never makes it into a flashback scene, but instead weaves it into Harold's journey along the road. It takes some time for the story to develop, but it's nice that the story is never rushed. There are times when I was questioning, "What made Maureen and Harold fall in love?" I knew that Joyce would lay the answer out in time and that she really took her time to build the story.

The characters in this novel are also so well-crafted and each serves a purpose in the story. There is Harold, our main character and hero, trying to complete a simple task by simple means. There is Maureen, who must come to grips with her life and her relationship with Harold. There is Queenie, who serves as inspiration to Harold and many others, encouraging them to keep going. The girl in the garage gives Harold the encouragement he needs to complete this journey, providing him with the inspiration to start his walk. There is the young man, who shows Harold that other people are interested in his journey and that youth is great, but also proves a but shaky. They all add to the story without ever overwhelming you.

Joyce has written a great first novel and I cannot wait to see what she produces in the future. I hope that her books in the future are a bit faster paced, which was my only real complaint about the novel. If you enjoyed Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, then I think that you would also really enjoy this novel.

Review: One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper

One Last Thing Before I Go
Author: Jonathan Tropper
Published: August 21, 2012
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 324 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Silver has begun to accept that life isn't going to turn out as he expected. The exwife he's remained friends with is about to marry a terrific guy Silver can't quite bring himself to hate. And his Princeton-bound teenage daughter has just confided in him that she's pregnant—because he's the one she cares least about letting down. As the wedding looms and the pregnancy sinks in, this broken family struggles, bonds, and wrestles with each member's individual anxieties. Lives begin anew, change radically, or, in Silver's case—as he discovers that he could die at any moment without an operation he refuses to have—may be about to end in an instant. One Last Thing Before I Go demonstrates yet again Tropper's deft touch with the darkest of materials and his ability to make readers laugh out loud in one paragraph and move them to tears in the next.

My Thoughts: I'd heard a lot of good things about Jonathan Tropper's work, but I somehow never came across one of his novels in all of my wanderings through my library. Then, I stumbled upon this one. His latest work, telling the story of an old pop star who finds out that there is a tear in his aorta. Instead of having the operation to save him, he decides that he would rather just die than continue to live out his days the way that he has been doing for the past seven years. I mean, reading the description of this book just sounds depressing and made me wonder if I should try something a little lighter. But I decided to go for it and read this one, and it turned out to surpass my expectations for this novel.

As I said before, the synopsis of the book makes it sound very dark and bleak, as if there is no hope left in Silver's life at all. But Tropper never goes to that dark place. Instead, he shows you a man who realizes that he does not have a great, fulfilling life. And that man makes a decision to just live out the remainder of his days, trying to find the happiness that has alluded him for years now. Tropper created Silver, the main character, as someone who is flawed and makes it easy for you to see all of the flaws. Silver isn't someone who you would normally root for, but you are on his side, seeing that his life isn't much and that maybe this is the best decision for him. In all of his encounters those few days after he receives his diagnosis, Silver tries to make amends in his life, mostly with his daughter and ex-wife, who is about to remarry. Seeing Silver try (but not always knowing how to reconnect with people) really connected with me as the reader, and that's more than I can say for most main characters. Instead of having him be some overachiever in his last days, Tropper just lets Silver live. He doesn't make it a noble quest to rediscover his loved ones or search out the meaning of life. Instead, Silver just stumbles along, trying to think of the right things to say to people.

This was my first Tropper novel, but it won't be my last. In this novel, he tackled such hard topics with such a light-hearted way that it endeared me to him as an author. If you are looking for something with substance but not a slog to get through, then you need to read this novel! It has substance, but Tropper writes in such an effortless way that you are never overwhelmed.

Review: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters

Beautiful Ruins
Author: Jess Walters
Published: June 12, 2012
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 337 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying.

And the story begins again today, half a world away, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio's back lot--searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier.

What unfolds is a dazzling, yet deeply human, roller coaster of a novel, spanning fifty years and nearly as many lives. From the lavish set of "Cleopatra" to the shabby revelry of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Walter introduces us to the tangled lives of a dozen unforgettable characters: the starstruck Italian innkeeper and his long-lost love; the heroically preserved producer who once brought them together and his idealistic young assistant; the army veteran turned fledgling novelist and the rakish Richard Burton himself, whose appetites set the whole story in motion--along with the husbands and wives, lovers and dreamers, superstars and losers, who populate their world in the decades that follow. Gloriously inventive, constantly surprising, "Beautiful Ruins" is a story of flawed yet fascinating people, navigating the rocky shores of their lives while clinging to their improbable dreams.

My Thoughts: I won't lie, I was mostly attracted to this book because of the cover (seriously, it's gorgeous!) After I read the synopsis, I figured I would give it a try, but it would probably end up in the pile of DNFs where the books that I choose only for their pretty cover end up. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and by it's author, Jesse Walters. Spanning several decades and encompassing a cast of characters who are all searching for what will make them whole, Walters tells the tale of love lost, passions ignored, and people and circumstances falling together and bringing total strangers closer than they thought possible. I won't give a recap of the story (I think my synopsis above sums it up pretty well), I can tell you that this book is more than the Italian coastline and Hollywood, more about love and loss, more than any of the mundane things that we find in novels now. Walters as constructed a novel which causes you to think and examine the path that your own life as taken.

 

While I tend to stay away from putting quotes into my reviews (I worry that something might be a spoiler for someone), there is no way that I can review this book and not list at least one piece of beautiful prose that Walters has written down:

 

"Sometimes what we want to do and what we must do are not the same. Pasquo, the smaller the space between your desire and what is right, the happier you will be."

 

I have never thought how true that is until I stumbled upon that quote in the book. I just had to close it and sit there for a few minutes, really contemplating what that means to me in my life. There are so many of those quotes throughout the novel that I could go on and on, listing all of the wonderful quotes that I found.

 

If there was a downside for this novel for me, it's that it took so long to read. It's one of those books that makes you think so much, that it's hard to bust through it in two to four days. But it was definitely worth it and I would consider this one of the best books of the year. If you are looking for something literary to finish out your year, I would highly recommend this book. It's a wonderful story and one that I feel like would resonate in some way with every person that read it.

Review: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

The Time Keeper
Author: Mitch Albom
Published: August 28, 2012
Genre: fiction, inspirational
Hardcover: 224 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is.

My Thoughts: I've always enjoy Mitch Albom's books for a few reasons: number one, they are easy to read; two, they are relatable; three, they are completely unassuming. Albom maintains that same style in his newest work of fiction, focusing on the human obsession with time. Dor lives in time before time is measured. He loves to count things and develops ways to track the days. God decides to punish him by banishing him to a cave for eternity and listening to everyone's pleas for time. Dor becomes Father Time. He is introduced to Sarah Lemon, a teenager dealing with a serious crush, and Victor Delamonte, an old man on death's doorstep. He must make each of them realize that they must cherish time and not wish it to work for them.

Albom's writing is sparse, almost like Hemingway's. There isn't much description or elaboration. Albom gets straight to the point. I typically don't like writing like this, but with Albom, it works. His subjects are so real and fragile that burdening them with more words might break them (or your image of them). Albom definitely takes you on a journey, but he leaves it up to you to craft what everything looks like. This is a great short story, something that takes about a day to read. While I didn't feel like this was as strong as his other books, it is still a moving story making you think about our concept of time. 

Review: Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick

Heading Out to Wonderful
Author: Robert Goolrick
Published: June 12, 2012
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 304 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): It is the summer of 1948 when a handsome, charismatic stranger, Charlie Beale, recently back from the war in Europe, shows up in the town of Brownsburg, a sleepy village of a few hundred people, nestled in the Valley of Virginia. All he has with him are two suitcases: one contains his few possessions, including a fine set of butcher knives; the other is full of money. A lot of money.Finding work at the local butcher shop, Charlie befriends the owner and his family, including the owner's son, Sam, who he is soon treating as though he were his own flesh and blood. And it is through the shop that Charlie gradually meets all the townsfolk, including Boaty Glass, Brownsburg's wealthiest citizen, and most significantly, Boaty's beautiful teenage bride, Sylvan.This last encounter sets in motion the events that give Goolrick's powerful tale the stark, emotional impact that thrilled fans of his previous novel, A Reliable Wife. Charlie's attraction to Sylvan Glass turns first to lust and then to a need to possess her, a need so basic it becomes an all-consuming passion that threatens to destroy everything and everyone in its path. Told through the eyes of Sam, now an old man looking back on the events that changed his world forever, Heading Out to Wonderful is a suspenseful masterpiece, a haunting, heart-stopping novel of obsession and love gone terribly wrong in a place where once upon a time such things could happen.

My Thoughts: A few years ago, I read Robert Goolrick's A Reliable Wife and fell in love with his writing. It was such a good story, layered and deep, that I couldn't wait to read his next novel. I had to wait a few years, but the wait was definitely worth it. In his latest novel, Goolrick takes us to rural Virginia a few years after World War II. This is sleepy little area, where the people who have lived there have lived there for generations. Few people leave and even fewer people move in. A man named Charlie Beale moves to this town, looking for someplace different than where he's been. He moves in and gets a job with the town butcher. Charlie is taken in by the butcher's family, and the son becomes like Charlie's own boy. Charlie falls in love with a woman, Sylvan, but there's one issue: she's married to the wealthiest man in town. A passionate affair takes place between the two, resulting in despair. Goolricks slowly weaves his tale, leading you into the twisted world of these two lovers.

I liked the character of Charlie. He seems like an everyman, someone who you might know. I do wish that there was more background on him, such as what his life was like before that made him want to move to the middle of nowhere. I thought Goolrick might give me a little bit, but there was nothing. In fact, until his brother shows up all of a sudden, there is no mention of Charlie's family! I didn't particulary like Sylvan, but if there had been a bit more about her included in the story, I might have felt differently. The cast of characters in this story is rich and diverse, with everyone contributing something to the story of Charlie Beale. 

Robert Goolrick is a great writer, introducing us to worlds and characters that I find few authors exploring today. If you are looking for something different, something that you that isn't like most books out there today, then give Goolrick a try. He's a great writer and an even better storyteller.

Audiobook Review: Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

Big Stone Gap
Author: Adriana Trigiani
Narrator: Grace Bennett
Published: January 1, 2000
Genre: fiction
Audiobook: 10 CDs (10 hours)
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the tiny town of Big Stone Gap is home to some of the most charming eccentrics in the state. Ave Maria Mulligan is the town's self-proclaimed spinster, a thirty-five year old pharmacist with a "mountain girl's body and a flat behind." She lives an amiable life with good friends and lots of hobbies until the fateful day in 1978 when she suddenly discovers that she's not who she always thought she was. Before she can blink, Ave's fielding marriage proposals, fighting off greedy family members, organizing a celebration for visiting celebrities, and planning the trip of a lifetime—a trip that could change her view of the world and her own place in it forever. Brimming with humor and wise notions of small-town life, Big Stone Gap is a gem of a book with a giant heart. . . .


My Thoughts: I discovered Adriana Trigiani's work a few months ago and fell in love with it. She is a gifted writer and has a way of pulling her readers into her character's lives. I had high hopes for this novel but they fell far short of what I have come to expect from a Trigiani novel. Now, I'm not sure if this is because it was in audiobook form, but there was something that just didn't flow with this book. It felt a bit disjointed at times, like we were jumping around with no real direction. I did enjoy parts of the story and I liked the character of Ave Maria, but there was something that was just off.


For me, part of the problem with this novel was the narrator. I don't think I've ever had an issue with a narrator before, or one who I thought ruined the entire audiobook experience, but I felt that way with this story. Grace Bennett narrated this story and her pacing was awful! There were long pauses, as if a new chapter was beginning. Instead, Bennett would take a pause in the middle of a conversation with two characters. It was awful and made for a poor listening experience. It really upset me, and I have never felt that way about a narrator before.


This is the first book in the series, and I debated for a few days whether I should continue with it or not. I decided that I would give it a try based on how much I've enjoyed Trigiani's other books but decided to do the print version instead of the audiobook. Have you read this series? What are your thoughts on it?

Review: More Than You Know by Penny Vincenzi

More Than You Know
Author: Penny Vincenzi
Published: April 3, 2012
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 608 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 4.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): A privileged girl from a privileged class, Eliza has a dazzling career in the magazine world of the 1960s. But when she falls deeply in love with Matt, an edgy working-class boy, she gives up her ritzy, fast-paced lifestyle to get married.
     
By the end of the decade, however, their marriage has suffered a harrowing breakdown, culminating in divorce and a dramatic courtroom custody battle over their little girl. Also at risk is Eliza's gorgeous family home, a pawn in the game, which she can't bear to give up.
     
True to form, Penny Vincenzi introduces a devious cast of characters seemingly plucked from the pages of sixties- and seventies-era magazines, as she deftly maneuvers between the glamorous, moneyed worlds of fashion and advertising, and a heart-wrenching custody battle going on in the courtroom where the social mores of the time are on full display.

My Thoughts: I have never heard of Penny Vincenzi before I found this book while wandering around my library a few weeks ago. I read the description and decided to add it to my pile of books. A few days later, I sat to read it and became a bit disheartened when I opened it up and it had a list of all the characters in the novel (I always hate that in a book and tend to dismiss the book immediately). However, a few pages in, and I was hooked by the story (and the large cast of characters). I found myself rushing home to read this book and was staying up much later than I should have in an attempt to finish it. The story is so well written, starting with a few paragraphs that are told from Eliza, one of the main characters, narrating, wondering whether or not she should continue to work and lose custody of her daughter to quit her job, lose her identity, all so she can keep her. So with this foreshadowing, the novel begins with Eliza's debutante season. It follows her throughout her youth and into young adulthood as she gets her first job working in a magazine. You also get glimpses into Matt's life (he marries Eliza and they have a daughter). Vincenzi weaves a huge web with these characters and you are not easily extracted from it.

I loved how Vincenzi decided to write the novel. Most parts are told from Eliza's point of view, but parts are told from Matt's, or her parents, or godparents. It really gives you a great perspective on what is going on. And it doesn't always make sense at the time, but later in the novel, you realize why Vincenzi fed you that bit of information when she did. And as the novel progressed and you are witnessing the downward spiral of Eliza and Matt's relationship, you are sitting there, holding your breath. You know what's going to happen, but you don't want either of them to make a misstep and ruin it. It had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put the novel down.

Now, I loved this novel. In fact, half way through, I was already looking into what other books Vincenzi has published and if I could get them at my local library. The thing that ruined the novel for me was the ending. I just felt like the book could have been wrapped up sooner than it was and the ending that was published just ruined it a little bit for me. I still loved the novel as a whole and would recommend it to anyone who loves to get completely wrapped up in a story. I cannot wait to read more of Vincenzi's work in the future.

Review: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Marriage Plot
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Published: October 11, 2011
Genre: fiction
Hardcover: 406 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 4 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): It's the early 1980s—the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels. As Madeleine tries to understand why “it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth-century France,” real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead—charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy—suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old “friend” Mitchell Grammaticus—who’s been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange—resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate. Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology Laboratory on Cape Cod, but can’t escape the secret responsible for Leonard’s seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love. Are the great love stories of the nineteenth century dead? Or can there be a new story, written for today and alive to the realities of feminism, sexual freedom, prenups, and divorce? With devastating wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters, Jeffrey Eugenides revives the motivating energies of the Novel, while creating a story so contemporary and fresh that it reads like the intimate journal of our own lives.


My Thoughts: I haven't read any of Jeffrey Eugenides' other works, but when I read the description for this book a few months ago, I knew that I needed to start reading his books. And let me say, The Marriage Plot did not disappoint. As I was reading the book, I realized what so many other people have discovered about this amazing author (who happens to have a Pulitzer): his work is accessible but still literary, delving into themes that are relateable across the generations. In this novel, Eugenides explores human relationships, specifically those intimate relationships that might lead to marriage. The protagonist, Madeleine Hanna, is someone who adores the work of Jane Austen and wonders why it isn't as simple as it was back then: girl sees boy, some witty banter between them, then a marriage proposal. Can this be found in today's world, or have we progressed that point?


Eugenides' explores this topic without hitting you over the head with the plot. He does leave you wondering what all has changed from Austen's time to today. Why have we complicated relationships, feelings, and emotions? Why can't it be as simple as it was back then? I also liked how Eugenides explored the topic of dependency. We see it when Leonard depends on Madeleine and tries to learn if she can save someone else. Also, Mitchell's dependency on religion was something that I didn't appreciate until the end. While Mitchell longs for a relationship with Madeleine, he depends upon religion, researching and exploring a variety of faiths through his college courses and his travels abroad.


There are a variety of themes that Eugenides touches upon in this novel, but I won't talk about it too much. Yes, it's a literary work, but don't let that scare you away. The characters are real and multi-faceted. The plot is interesting and engaging. If you thought you might want to read the book but haven't yet, I encourage you to go and pick it up. Believe me, it won't disappoint.

Review: The Taker by Alma Katsu

The Taker
Author: Alma Katsu
Published: September 6, 2011
Genre: ficton/paranormal
Hardcover: 438 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 4 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae--Lanny--walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated. Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town's founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep--an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.


My Thoughts: I typically stay away from paranormal/supernatural novels, but for some reason, the synopsis of this book intrigued me enough to want to give it a try, and boy, am I glad I did! Following Lanny from her upbringing in rural Maine in the early 1800s to the present day, Alma Katsu takes her reader on a ride through the world of alchemy and history. I don't want to give too much away (mostly because that would make this one huge, long post), but it's a beautifully told story of how immortality can become a great burden instead of a release from worrying about how much time you have left on earth.


The characters are engaging and multi-faceted. Luke is man who is going through a rough time, moving back to the place where he grew up to try and sort things out after his parents' deaths. Lanny is someone who was raised with a clear definition of right and wrong, who progresses to someone trying to become an adult, to a person who knows the burden of this gift that she has been given. The characters grow throughout the story and it makes the story even richer.


For me, the best part of this whole novel was the ending. It was perfectly crafted and shows that you can't always go home. For Lanny, Luke, and Jonathan, they all realize that the home that they knew is no longer the place that it is today. Even Adair comes to see this when he looks for his family. It's a recurring theme in this book, the fact that you can't ever go home again. Katsu makes sure that the there resonates in all of her characters, even those who are not main characters. The other thing that I loved about this novel? The cover! I know, how shallow is that, but seriously, I couldn't think of a better cover for this book. It was perfect for the story without giving anything away. If you aren't a big fan of the paranormal, I would recommend this book. It's engaging enough to make you forget that you are reading about the supernatural. I hope that Alma Katsu writes more novels in the future, because after reading her first one, I can't wait to sit and devour another one.