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.

Waiting on Wednesday (5-8-13)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm looking forward to The Violet Hour by Katherine Hill (release date: July 16, 2013).

Synopsis (from Amazon): 

Life hasn't always been perfect, but for Abe and Cassandra Green, an afternoon on the San Francisco Bay might be as good as it gets. He's a rheumatologist, piloting his coveted new sailboat. She's a sculptor, finally gaining modest attention for her art. Their beautiful daughter Elizabeth is heading to Harvard in the fall. Somehow, they've made life work. But then, out of nowhere, they plunge into a terrible fight. Cassandra has been unfaithful. In a fit of fury, Abe throws himself off the boat.

A love story that begins with the end of a marriage, The Violet Hour follows a modern family through past and present, from the San Francisco public health clinic where Abe first sees Cassandra to the funeral home in the Washington suburbs where Cassandra and her siblings grew up. As Cassandra, Abe, and Elizabeth navigate the passage of time—the expectations of youth, the concessions of middle age, the headiness of desire, the bitterness of loss—they must come to terms with the fragility of their intimacy, the strange legacies they inherit from their parents, and the kind of people they themselves want to be. Exquisitely written, The Violet Hour is the deeply moving story of a family suddenly ripped apart, but then possibly—just possibly—reborn.

This sounds like an intriguing read and something that I might enjoy later in the summer. So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday (5-7-13)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's 

topic is:

Books When You Need Something Light and Fun

1) The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella - this is one of the funniest books that I've ever read (well, listened to). I was laughing throughout the novel and it was the perfect light and airy book to listen to while driving in my car.

2) Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Phillips is a romance writer, but this is a great novel because it's so easy to pick up and put down, but just as easy to get lost in. Very light, fun, and perfect for summer!

3) Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling - a humorous memoir of Kaling's childhood and getting into show business. I was cracking up laughing during this one! Not too heavy, definitely worth the read!

4) Always Something There to Remind Me by Beth Harbison - I read this one after reading a rave review from another blogger, and I am so glad that I did! All about a woman contemplating her first love, and what woman hasn't been there?!?

5) Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris - I love Sedaris because his writing is so silly and irreverent that you can't help but be in a good mood when you read it! Also, how can you make a light and fun list without including him?!?

6) If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster - this was Lancaster's first foray into fiction and it was a hilarious gamble that paid off for her! I was laughing out loud at so many points during this book that I just had to read it in the privacy of my own home, when no one else was around (it's just weird if you keep on cracking up while reading).

7) The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger - this was a great novel, one that was pure chick lit, which makes it the perfect light and fun book to read! And who doesn't love reading about someone who is worse than their own boss? Makes you realize how easy you have it!

8) The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen - I don't know if I would classify this as fun, but this was a sweet, moving little story about a small town in the south. Nice and light, an easy read.

9) Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella - another Kinsella novel! She is the queen of light and fun and this was one of the best audiobooks that I've ever listened to! Seriously, if you are looking for something light and fun, then this is the perfect book for you!

I could only think of nine this week! So, what books made your top ten? Let me know!

Audiobook Review: Hope In a Jar by Beth Harbison

Hope In a Jar
Author: Beth Harbison
Narrator: Orlagh Cassidy
Published: July 7, 2009
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 8 discs (approx. 9 hours)
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Twenty years ago, Allie Denty was the pretty one and her best friend Olivia Pelham was the smart one. Throughout high school, they were inseparable…until a vicious rumor about Olivia— a rumor too close to the truth—ended their friendship. Now, on the eve of their twentieth high school reunion, Allie, a temp worker, finds herself suddenly single, a little chubby, and feeling old. Olivia, a cool and successful magazine beauty editor in New York, realizes she’s lonely, and is finally ready to face her demons.

Sometimes hope lives in the future; sometimes it comes from the past; and sometimes, when every stupid thing goes wrong, it comes from a prettily packaged jar filled with scented cream and promises.

My Thoughts: I was wary to try another Beth Harbison novel after her last one was so disastrous for me, but I decided to give her another shot, and I am glad that I did. Following two women who were best friends in high school but had a falling out, Harbison shows you where the women are twenty years later at their high school reunion. The novel starts by showing you the women in the present, which is nice because you can't judge their adolescent selves for anything stupid that they might say or do (which I always do in flashbacks). The chapters alternate between the past and the present, showing you how close the two were before the "incident" occurred and how they are becoming close again, twenty years after the fact.

For me, there was just something slightly off about this novel. The big incident that destroyed Ally and Olivia's friendship back in high school is made to be a bit trivial, but you are wondering what would destroy the bond between two girls who are so close. And when it's finally revealed what happened, Harbison makes it a bit of a throw-away moment, giving no importance to what was just revealed. I was shocked by what had happened (don't worry, I'm not giving anything away!), but Harbison treats it as if there was a minor storm that just rolled through quickly. It was frustrating for me because I wanted to know what had driven these two best friends apart, but she treated it with little fanfare or importance.

The good news is that the novel is engaging and funny. I looked forward to getting in my car and listening to it, and, since it's a shorter novel, it went by pretty quickly (I prefer short audiobooks to really long ones). This is your basic chick lit novel, so there's nothing really groundbreaking that occurs when you listen, but it's nice to just get swept up in the story for a little while. The friendship that Ally and Olivia share is great, and it's wonderful to see it rekindled after so much time has passed. I would have enjoyed it more if the story was a bit more complete (as mentioned above), but it was an overall easy listening experience. I will continue to listen to Harbison in audiobook form because they are the perfect book to just get lost in and enjoy the long commute to and from work.

Review: The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson

The Stuff That Never Happened
Author: Maddie Dawson
Published: July 28, 2010
Genre: chick lit
eBook: approx. 368 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Annabelle McKay knows she shouldn’t have any complaints. She’s been in a stable marriage that’s lasted almost three decades and has provided her with two wonderful children, thousands of family dinners around a sturdy oak table, and a husband so devoted that he schedules lovemaking into his calendar every Wednesday morning. Other wives envy the fact that Grant is not the type of man who would ever cheat on her or leave her for a younger woman. The trouble is Annabelle isn’t sure she wants to be married to Grant anymore. The trouble is she’s still in love with someone else.
 
In the early tumultuous years of her marriage, Annabelle carried on a clandestine affair with the one person whose betrayal would hurt her husband the most. When it ended, she and Grant found their way back together and made a pact that they would never speak of that time again. But now years later, with her children grown and gone, and an ominous distance opening between them, she can’t help but remember those glorious, passionate days and wonder if she chose the right man. Then, when called to New York City to help care for her pregnant daughter, Annabelle bumps into her old lover. Offered a second chance at an unforgettable love, she must decide between the man who possesses her heart and the husband who has stood squarely by her side.

My Thoughts: For quite sometime, I've been walking through my library and seen this book on display and the cover, for some inexplicable reason, just drew me towards it. Unfortunately, I usually had quite a few books already selected so I would put it back down and decide to check it out another day. Then, when it popped up on my library's OverDrive console as available, I jumped on it. Following a woman who cheated on her husband many decades ago but stuck with him after the affair ended, Maddie Dawson tells a story that spans decades and generations, and leaves you wondering when it is okay to cheat on someone and how many people you are capable of loving at once.

Annabelle is the narrator for this story and she has a very strong, clear voice. While I didn't always agree with her actions, I understood her reasoning behind them and why she was making the decision that she was making at the time. There were times when she appealled directly to the reader, but it wasn't frequently enough to make you comfortable with it. All of a sudden, two-thirds of the way through the book, she would ask you, the reader, a question directly, and it was a little off-putting because it was a bit out of place with what was going on in the novel. The other characters in the novel are secondary to Annabelle, and although they contribute to her story, it's her thoughts and actions that move the story along.

Overall, this was a nice little read. The cover doesn't necessarily describe the book, but it does fit with what happens with Annabelle (at least in the beginning of the novel). It does start out a bit slowly and you have to give it about 50 pages before it really pulls you in. Dawson alternates the chapters between the past and the present, so that you are able to fully understand Annabelle's affair and her actions and thoughts at the time. I would be interested in reading more of Dawson's work in the future and hope that she is able to continue writing with that clear voice that she gave Annabelle.

Book Blog Hop and Follow Friday (5-3-13)

Happy Friday everyone! Can you believe that May is here already?!? I'm still thinking that it should be March ... this year is just flying by too quickly! I have a big weekend ahead of me and I couldn't be more excited for it ... I'm running my first 5K tomorrow! I know, it's not very long or an incredible test of endurance, but I'm excited to go and run my first real event. Well, let's get onto the Friday fun ...

Coffee Addicted Writer asks:

What was the last book you read that was recommended by someone else?

Great question! The last book recommended by someone is actually the one that I am reading right now, Chocolate Chip Murder by Joanne Fluke. Someone mentioned how easy they were to read and yet really enjoyable, so I decided to give it a try. I'll let you know what I think of it after I finish!

Parajunkee asks:

Give us a sneak! What are you reading? Tell us about a fun or fail scene in your current read.

Well, continuing with my answer from above (haha!), I'm reading Chocolate Chip Murder right now. I'm only about 30 pages into it, so I guess the fun scene that I've encountered is what Hannah goes digging in the trash for a coffee cup that might be a piece of evidence in a murder investigation. She's a baker, not a detective, so it's a little odd, but still cool!

So, what's the last book recommendation you've received that you went ahead and read? What are you reading right now? Let me know and have a great weekend!

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2013

Well, another month has flown by! Seriously, where did April go?!? I feel like the month just started but then it was time to flip the calenders for May. I don't feel like April was my best reading month, and this whole year feels like I am constantly behind in my reading. I don't feel like I'm in a slump, but I'm definitely reading slower than I normally do. Hopefully, with summer right around the corner, I can pick up the pace and enjoy sitting outside and reading some more. Well, let's look at my month:

Number of Books Read This Month: 8

Books Read This Month:

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

The Villa by Nora Roberts (audiobook)

The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson

Hope In a Jar by Beth Harbison (audiobook)

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

Invisible by Carla Buckley

The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (audiobook)

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn

Favorite Book Read This Month: Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Least Favorite Book Read This Month: The Villa by Nora Roberts

It was a varied reading month for me, but no nonfiction. I need to change that ASAP. Anyone have any good biographies or memoirs that they have read lately?

Well, I hope that everyone had a great April, and here's looking forward to an even better May!