Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces
by Dawn Davies
Pieces of a Life (9/8/2017)
"Mothers of Sparta A Memoir in Pieces" by Dawn Davies is a remarkable work. Davies is a tough woman with a tender underside who paints a picture of her life through a series of self portraits, or essays. The early essays portray a great love and appreciation for the natural word around her juxtaposed with the heartbreak of frequent family uprooting. In later essays, she lays bare some of her most difficult times in beautifully written prose. She exposes small glimpses of childhood, marriage, motherhood, divorce, and debilitating illness with honesty and quiet humor. Davies is a memoirist with a remarkable voice.
The Resurrection of Joan Ashby
by Cherise Wolas
A Story Within a Story (5/25/2017)
"The Resurrection of Joan Ashby" by Cherise Wolas is amazing. It follows the life of acclaimed young writer, Joan Ashby as she falls in love, marries, and raises two sons, all the while struggling to find a space in her busy life for her writing, the lifeblood of her existence. But the story isn't as straightforward as it sounds. Wolas executes such clever plotting. Much like Russian nesting dolls, she packs stories within stories within stories. I was completely intrigued and found it very hard to put down. "The Resurrection of Joan Ashby " is remarkable, and despite its length (531 pages), it kept me engrossed until the very end. Indeed, I wanted more. I wanted to follow these characters into their next stories.
Extraordinary Adventures
by Daniel Wallace
Coming of Age (2/3/2017)
The main character of "Extraordinary Adventures" is Edsel Bronfman and I loved this man! In our present day world of electronics and fast paced dating apps, Bronfman is a throwback, as his name Edsel implies, to a simpler time. At thirty four, Bronfman hasn't had a date with a woman in almost twenty years. We follow him as he tries, in tiny increments, to understand the complexities of women and maybe get a girlfriend. The sweetest parts of the story for me are Bronfman's interactions with his mother, who at age seventy is still a pistol despite increasing dementia. This is a character driven novel, and what a strange and wonderful character Daniel Wallace has created in Edgar Bronfman.
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
by Kathleen Rooney
A Walk Down Memory Lane (9/17/2016)
The book, "Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk" by Kathleen Rooney takes place on New Year's Eve, 1984, and follows octogenarian Lillian Boxfish as she takes a walk around New York City, musing about her long and storied life. In effect, the novel is a love letter to "her" city. It is filled with bits of history, manners, and even rap music: from the iconic Delmonico's Restaurant to the building of the World Trade Center, from calling cards to the demise of written correspondence, and from the joys of being a mother to the bitter depths of depression. Lillian is fierce, intelligent, and funny. She is a career woman ahead of her time and a published poet who is smooth, polished, and not afraid to speak her mind. This novel is definitely character driven and by a character who will resonate with me for a long time. I want to be Lillian when I grow up.
North of Crazy: A Memoir
by Neltje
True North (5/26/2016)
This memoir of Neltje Doubleday, a member of a totally dysfunctional high society family found me wishing for more while I was also wishing for less. The journey of this very accomplished woman to find her "true north" away from the demands of family and society was inspirational to my feminist soul. But I could have done with far less of the nasty mother, alcoholic father, and selfish brother as well as the countless dinners, parties, and business meetings full of one important person after another. I loved the second half of this book when Neltje moves to Montana. It is here that I think her writing is vivid and dynamic. On balance, I think it is a well written, interesting story.
The Railwayman's Wife
by Ashley Hay
Memory and Loss (2/3/2016)
This lyrical post World War II novel, set on the coast of Australia, is a feast for the senses. We feel the steady pounding of the waves against the shore and the roaring beat as each train passes. We taste the salt on new bride Anil Lachlan's skin as she exits the ocean for the first time, and smell the soot and smoke of her husband Mac's trains as they pull into the station. and then there is the warmth of the sun on the hardwood floors. And through it all we hear the beautiful poetry of life. In many ways it is a love story, but it is also a story of the ironies of life, of taking chances, and of rebuilding one's life after disaster. There are beautifully written passages that took my breath away. I loved it!
The Language of Secrets
by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Page Turner (10/30/2015)
"The Language of Secrets" by Ausma Zehanat Khan was a fascinating read for me. I learned much about Muslim culture, although not in a didactic way. The Muslim poetry, especially, was a lyrical way to appreciate the traditions of this religion. Khan was able to seamlessly weave the cultural points with a police procedural aimed at thwarting a terrorist attack in Toronto on New Year's Eve. The main character, Esau Khattack , is tasked with investigating the murder of an undercover agent, while trying to protect his family and his partner from discovery by the terrorist cell. This was a real page turner for me.
The Good Neighbor
by Amy Sue Nathan
A Neighbor in Need (8/8/2015)
When I began reading Amy Sue Nathan's "The Good Neighbor", I had just finished reading a string of heavy literary fiction. My first impression was that this was clearly lightweight. But as I continued, I realized that there was a hidden depth to this story and it rang true. The main character, Izzy Lane, has told a little white lie about a nonexistent boyfriend, and she told this lie in her blog. As the story rolls along, Izzy tells more lies to cover up the first one. She lies to her best friends, her work mates and her employer. The only one she tells the truth to is her next door neighbor and surrogate mother, Mrs. Feldman, who despite hidden troubles of her own, never fails to ask the right questions and steer Izzy in the right direction. Izzy is like a lot of us who feel our lives are dull and boring and that we don't quite measure up to those around us. And we embroider around the edges of our lives a bit to make them seem more interesting. When Izzy finally tells the truth, she risks losing everything she values and prepares to transform her life. This was quite a satisfying read.
Circling the Sun: A Novel
by Paula McLain
Out of Africa (5/14/2015)
Paula McLain has done it again, crafting a dynamic fictional account of an historical woman. From the very beginning of Beryl Markham's story of her childhood years in Africa, I was hooked. I cared about her life and could easily envision the wonderful hills and grasslands surrounding her ranch home. McClain has done an outstanding job of describing in detail things like the tangible feel of the horses as they trotted and raced, the smells of the paddocks, the rain, and even the taste of the salt flats. I found the portrayal of life in the 1920's Kenya to be fascinating, especially the vast divide between the European settlers and the indigenous people. After reading "Circling the Sun", I want to read Markham's own biography, "West With the Night" and predict many others will as well. This was a home run for McLain..
Three Many Cooks: One Mom, Two Daughters: Their Shared Stories of Food, Faith & Family
by Pam Anderson, Maggy Keet & Sharon Damelio
Three Many Essays (2/13/2015)
There is much about this book that is appealing. Told in a series of essay, we learn about this mother, her two daughters, and their extended families. These women are smart, funny, and are the kind of women one might want as a friend. They discuss their relationships with each other, with food, their husbands, and their Christian faith. The format of this book, however, was a problem for me. The essays skip back and forth from woman to woman and sometimes out of chronological order. I found this very confusing, especially in the beginning when I was trying to learn about each individual woman. The addition of recipes that accompany each essay was appreciated, and there are several that I might try. This was, all in all, a very interesting read.
The Last Good Paradise
by Tatjana Soli
Paradise Found (11/4/2014)
Who among us doesn't dream of running away to a deserted island, leaving behind our problems, big and small? When Ann, an intelligent attorney, and her husband Richard, a talented chef, run away from their financial woes to the South Pacific, they encounter a cast of memorable characters. Indeed, "The Last Good Paradise" by Tatjana Soli is a character driven novel with an aging rock star, his beautiful young girlfriend, and a reclusive island owner, among others. Although at first glance, some of the characters seem to be stereotypes and/or caricatures, Soli manages to inject multi-faceted and, at times, unexpected dimensions to their personalities. A contrived, political plot twist more than halfway through delivered the only hiccup in an otherwise immensely readable book.
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale Sings (9/16/2014)
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is easily the best book I have read in a very long time. Hannah crafts a character driven story about two sisters: Isabelle Rossignol and Vian Rossignol Mauriac, young women who live both in Paris as well as in a small country town in central France. The story begins in August, 1939, as France realizes it must arm itself against the very real Nazi threat, and continues until the end of the war in 1945. These women are transformed, each in her own way, from ordinary French girls into fierce warriors. Vian uses every ounce of her being to keep safe her child and the children she teaches. Isabelle emerges as a cornerstone of the French Resistance movement. From the start, I was into these two lives and found it difficult to set the book down. I became a woman in occupied France and steeled myself as each new horrible circumstance confronted me. I read the last fifty pages or so with eyes full of tears. Do not miss this thoughtful and compelling story of two very courageous women and the lives they changed forever.
Mating for Life
by Marissa Stapley
Mating for Life (3/17/2014)
Mating for Life by Marissa Stanley has a lot going for it. We follow three sisters and their mother as they navigate their way through broken marriages, short-lived flings, and new loves. Early on, I became attached to these women and, at times, they felt like my friends. I loved their feistiness and their courage as they struggled with their relationships. At times I wanted to slap some common sense into them, while at other times I cheered for them as they came to an important decision.
There is something here for everyone, including family secrets, passionate affairs, sweet romance a rustic cottage on the lake, and a family matriarch who is always addressed as "Helen", never "Mom" or "Mother". I didn't want the book to end. I wanted to know what the future holds for these strong women.
Glitter and Glue: A Memoir
by Kelly Corrigan
Glitter and Glue (12/12/2013)
"Glitter and Glue" by Kelly Corrigan caught me by surprise. As I began reading it, I thought it would be a travelogue/memoir: two twenty something women off to discover Australia, complete with Ayres Rock, coastal surfing, and snorkeling. Although there was a bit of that, the story took a right turn when Corrigan took a job as a nanny for two small motherless children. The further Corrigan took the story, the more she layered insightful musings about the links between mothers and their children as well as what it means to be a mother. I found myself at times pausing my reading to think about my own relationships with both my mother and my children. I enjoyed this thoughtful memoir.
Soy Sauce for Beginners
by Kirstin Chen
Authenticity (10/4/2013)
"Soy Sauce for Beginners" by Kirstin Chen is, at its root, a story about authenticity. Gretchen Lin, the main character, is on a journey to discover who she really is. Is she the San Francisco resident studying for an advanced degree in music who is fleeing a marriage gone wrong? Or is she the Singapore native, born into a wealthy family of soy sauce merchants? The other main character of the novel is the soy sauce itself, produced for many years in the same painstaking way, culminating in deep resonant flavor. Should Gretchen remain in Singapore to work for the family business? Or should she return to San Francisco to try and rebuild her marriage? Should manufacturing of the soy sauce be altered to speed up the process, bringing increased profits to the family? And, with faster production, would the soy sauce still be authentic? Gretchen and her family struggle with these questions in an easy to read story. "Soy Sauce for Beginners" is recommended for all who like a good family story as well as for foodies who are interested in reading about traditional, authentic food.
The Mouse-Proof Kitchen
by Saira Shah
Split Personality (6/24/2013)
"The Mouse-Proof Kitchen" by Saira Shah is a book with a split personality. On the one hand is a gripping story of how the birth of a severely disabled child affects a marriage as well as family relations and personal friendships. The other hand holds a very different story. Think "A Year in Provence" type tale where a young couple buys a big old run-down house on the top of a hill and seeks to convert it to a restaurant and/or cooking school. As individual plots, these two stories would work quite well. Combined, they require a suspension of belief on the reader's part. What young parents, faced with a newborn who is critically ill, sell everything they own, leave behind work, friends, and their entire support systems and move to a far distant peak in another country, to a rattle-trap building with no heat or running water and where the nearest health care is two hours away? Add to this mix a rather strange mother who telephones at all hours with bizarre requests of her daughter, a mentally ill young woman who is squatting on their land in an outbuilding, and a supporting cast of odd and unusual town residents. My attention was continually bouncing from one plot line to the other. It was an interesting read.
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