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Reviews by Cathryn Conroy

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The Red Garden
by Alice Hoffman

Looking for a Literary Treat You Won't Be Able to Stop Reading? Indulge in This Enchanting Novel! (4/14/2023)

This is a rich literary gem. The story, a gentle blend of magic and realism, is so so so good that you'll keep reading long after you should.

Written by Alice Hoffman, this is the intriguing story of people who lived in a very small town in the Berkshires in Massachusetts— …more

Bring Up the Bodies: Wolf Hall Trilogy #2
by Hilary Mantel

Intriguing, Seductive, and Sophisticated: This Book Transports Readers to King Henry VIII's Court (4/14/2023)

Oh, this book! Wow!

That said, it's not for everyone. You will appreciate it and understand it far better if you have a basic knowledge of Tudor history—and by that, I mean more than being able to list the names of all six wives of Henry VIII.

This, the second in the Booker …more Prize-winning Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel, continues the story of the life of Thomas Cromwell, who is arguably the most misunderstood and wrongly disparaged personage from this time period. (And, yes, you need to read the books in order, so begin with "Wolf Hall: A Novel.") Mantel brilliantly tells the events of a single year—summer of 1535 to the summer of 1536—entirely from Cromwell's point of view.

And what a year that was. Focusing on the rapid downfall and beheading of Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife, the story is told afresh because it is all portrayed from how Cromwell viewed it, including his own masterful manipulations to do the king's bidding: Get rid of Anne so he could marry Jane Seymour. Even though we all know how the story ends, this book presents the tragic plot in a whole new way and shows not only the conniving Cromwell, but also the loving, generous side of the man that the history books tend to ignore.

The best and most brilliant part of this book is the writing. It is absolutely exquisite with an exceptional eye for detail that will seemingly deposit the reader into the middle of the sixteenth century and right into the volatile court of King Henry VIII. Think intriguing, seductive, and sophisticated—all in one. Descriptions of sounds, flavors, odors, sights, and even touch are so vivid, so perfect that it seems as if you can really hear, taste, smell, see, and feel them.

Bonus: If you're reading this on the Kindle, the X-ray feature is incredibly useful in that it clearly and succinctly defines each character's role and title. This is an excellent tool for keeping straight the varied and large cast of characters. It's especially helpful when someone is called by his title and not his name, such as the Duke of Norfolk. Click on X-ray, and you'll be told the Duke of Norfolk is Thomas Howard, uncle to the queen, ferocious senior peer, and an enemy of Cromwell. (There is also a Cast of Characters at the front of the book with the same information for those reading the paper version, but for Kindle readers it is much easier to click on X-Ray than "flip" back to that.) (less)

Oh William!: Amgash Series #3
by Elizabeth Strout

A Subtle but Viscerally Insightful Look at One Woman's Innermost Thoughts (4/14/2023)

This is the rarest of books. I felt myself becoming the main character. The writing is so perfect, so brilliant, so masterful that I, the reader, became Lucy Barton. It was weird. I could feel it happening.

Oh yes, there is a reason Elizabeth Strout is one of my top three …more

Matrix
by Lauren Groff

A Literary Gift! This Is a Masterpiece of Historical Fiction (4/14/2023)

This is a book about female empowerment set during a time when women were considered property and had no voice, no say, and most of all no power. Women were nothing. But in the hands of spectacular author Lauren Groff, these women—nuns in the Middle Ages—come alive with a …more

America Is Not the Heart
by Elaine Castillo

An Imaginative, Emotionally Searing Story, but It's Difficult to Read and Boring in Parts (4/14/2023)

This is a difficult book to read on several levels. Not only is the subject matter disturbing in the important story it has to tell, but also the many (many!) words and phrases written in Tagalog, Ilocano, and Pangasinan with no translation can just make it confounding to …more

My Father's Tears
by John Updike

Storytelling at Its Finest: Magnificent Look at the World Past and Present (4/14/2023)

Published in 2009 just a few months after John Updike's death at age 76, this collection of 18 short stories is a magnificent look at the world past and present. The keen observations—from the quotidian details of life during the Great Depression to doomed love affairs—are …more

Ask Again, Yes
by Mary Beth Keane

This Is a Powerful Book About Forgiveness—And You Won't Be Able to Stop Reading Once You Start (4/14/2023)

This is a novel about many things, but most of all it's about the power of forgiveness. The kind of deep-seated, soul-searing forgiveness that heals deep-seated, soul-searing hurts.

And what a book it is! This novel just grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go. I devoured it.

…more

A Woman Is No Man: A Novel
by Etaf Rum

A Hard, but Profound, Book to Read: A Story About Women Who Are Discarded, Invisible, and Abused (4/14/2023)

Reading is magical. It transports us to places we can't visit on our own and drops us smack into cultures and lifestyles we would never otherwise experience. Reading can be a little like eavesdropping—being that proverbial fly on the wall. That is exactly what it felt like …more to me reading this book by Etaf Rum in which we readers become part of a conservative Arab-American family living in New York City.

That said, this is a sad book. Very, very sad. And the sadness never lets up. Just know that before you start reading.

Forget the melting pot. Khaled and Fareeda Ra'ad have been displaced from their homeland of Palestine, and even though the United States is a safe haven from the refugee camps, they are doing everything they can to keep their children from becoming Americans. Traditional Arab culture is king of this house, which means the men rule the women and the women submit, which means regular beatings and physical abuse by fathers and husbands.

It's 1990. Isra is 17 and living in Palestine when she marries Khaled and Fareeda's eldest son, Adam, in an arranged marriage and the next day leaves all she has ever known to live with Adam in the nearly windowless basement of his parents' row house in Brooklyn. Isra has one purpose: bear sons. Her domineering mother-in-law, Fareeda, makes her life miserable, while Adam's father and brothers ignore her. Only Adam's sister, Sarah, pays her any attention. But Isra fails. She only has daughters. Four of them. And she suffers greatly for this, both physically and emotionally as she lives a life shrouded in silence, violence, and fear. Isra's tragic, horrific story alternates in time with that of her daughter, Deya, a senior in high school who is being pushed by Fareeda into an arranged marriage against her will, as well as Fareeda's devastating, gruesome backstory. But secrets—awful, horrifying, unspeakable—secrets lurk beneath the surface and eventually bubble up. There is a little hope: Deya does something truly daring and that could change the trajectory of her life's planned path.

Note: The ending gave me chills, but it only makes sense if you recall the events that occur on pages 218-220.

This is a story about women who are discarded, women who are little more than the day's trash, women who are daily abused, women who are invisible, women who have no life beyond serving men who are ungrateful and brutal in return. This makes it a hard, albeit profound, book to read because it just never lets up. It is absolutely relentless.

According to the Etaf Rum (and do read the excellent interview with her at the end of the book), this is all real. She confesses to feeling "constantly swallowed by fear" for breaking the code of silence. This is a novel, but it's based on her life; she calls the book semi autobiographical. It is a true depiction of how women are actually treated in conservative Arab-American communities. And that makes this book even more dreadful and shocking.

There is one bright light: The book is also a love letter to books and the power or reading. (less)

The Women in Black
by Madeleine St John

A Delightful, Tender Novel About Finding Love, Hope, and Happiness (4/14/2023)

On the cover of this charming book by Madeleine St John, there is this quote by Hilary Mantel (author of the acclaimed "Wolf Hall" series about Thomas Cromwell, so really serious stuff!): "The book I most often give as a gift to cheer people up." Well, that's enough for me! …more

Issac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
by Erik Larson

Magical Writing! History Comes Alive, and You'll Feel as If You're in the Middle of the Hurricane (4/14/2023)

We humans have a fascination for the majestic, violent, and sometimes deadly power of Mother Nature. And while we take for granted 21st century meteorologists' ability to warn us of storms in our path, that wasn't always the case.

Isaac Monroe Cline was the head of the …more

The House at Riverton: A Novel
by Kate Morton

Escape Into Another Era! This Ingeniously Plotted Book Will Simply Take You Away (4/14/2023)

There should be an official fiction genre called "escape novels." These are books in which the story, place, and characters all conspire to sweep the reader away from current reality, current problems, current worries. And this book would lead the way.

Written by Kate Morton, …more

The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty
by G.J. Meyer

If You Enjoy Novels About the Tudors, This Highly Readable History Book Is a Must-Read! (4/14/2023)

Beginning with Henry VII and ending with Queen Elizabeth I, this fascinating and highly readable history book on the three generations of Tudors, is a deep dive into one of the most interesting and tumultuous periods of England's royal rulers.

Written by G.J. Meyer, the …more

Just Like You
by Nick Hornby

I Was Enchanted! This Is a Delightful Love Story with an Imaginative Plot and Snappy Dialogue (4/14/2023)

What a fun love story! The plot is imaginative, the dialogue snappy, and the characters feel like real people. It isn't profound. It isn't great literature. But it is a delight to read.

Written by Nick Hornby and taking place in London in 2016, this is the classic boy-meets- …more

Winter: A Novel (Seasonal Quartet)
by Ali Smith

A Weird, Odd, Strange Book That Is So Compellingly Good, I Couldn't Put It Down! (4/14/2023)

This book is weird. Odd. Strange. But the weirdest, oddest, strangest part of all is this: It's really, really GOOD. I just couldn't stop reading it.

This is the second in the seasonal quartet by Scottish author Ali Smith. The series begins with "Autumn" (it was shortlisted …more

The Buddha in the Attic: A Novel
by Julie Otsuka

Brilliant, Eloquent Writing: This Is One of the Most Powerful and Poignant Books I Have Ever Read (4/14/2023)

This very short novel—really, more a novella—is one of the most powerful and poignant books I have ever read. It is the story of the Japanese "picture brides" who were sent to the United States in the early 20th century to marry Japanese men, who mostly needed another set …more

My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
by Kate Russell

A Difficult, Brutal Novel to Read, But I Dare You to Stop Once You Finish the First Chapter (4/14/2023)

This is a difficult book to read. It's also difficult to stop reading.

It's difficult to read because of the subject matter—a 42-year-old high school English teacher grooms a 15-year-old student for sex—and it's difficult to stop reading because it's written with such …more psychological compassion, emotional depth, and intelligent insight into the human condition.

Here is the crux of the plot: He is a pedophile. But she thinks it's love.

Vanessa Wye is the one who never fit in. She is going into 9th grade and earns a scholarship to Browick, a prestigious boarding school in Maine. The novel begins at the start of Vanessa's sophomore year when she is taking an American literature class taught by Jacob Strane, a 42-year-old who has never married. He makes overtures to Vanessa, but she is so innocent and naïve she doesn't immediately figure out what is happening. When she does, she is thrilled. Strane tells her how special she is, so smart and talented. A rare gem. It doesn't take long for Strane to dress her up in little-girl pajamas and take her to bed. The affair continues for months until something truly devastating happens to Vanessa. And then come the years ahead as Vanessa tries to parse what occurred. Was she a victim? Did Strane really rape her if she was willing? He truly loved her, right? (Right?) The bulk of the book is about what happens to Vanessa after her affair with Strane ends, as she grapples with these questions that consume her so totally that her life is mostly in shambles.

This brilliant novel by Kate Elizabeth Russell is so much more than a lurid tale about a creepy pedophile grossly manipulating a child. (Although, it is that, too.) It's an important and vivid exploration of the meaning and effect of sexual abuse—a deep dive into the psychological horrors inflicted on Vanessa as she valiantly tries to cope while the adults in her life look the other way.

The thing that struck me over and over again was the sheer honesty with which the story is told. It would have been so easy for the author to fall back on platitudes and oversimplifications to neatly tie up the loose ends and make a sweet ending about a hundred pages earlier. But that doesn't happen. As such, it's almost brutal to read. But I dare you to stop! (less)

Beartown
by Fredrik Backman

Treat Yourself to a Trip to Beartown! This Book Has Heart, Soul, and a Page-Turning Narrative (4/14/2023)

This is a book about teen boys playing hockey. Well, kind of. I mean, yes, it is about teen boys playing hockey in a small town in Sweden. But it's SO SO SO much more than that. And if you barely know a puck from a stick (count me in that category), you will still love this …more

These Precious Days: Essays
by Ann Patchett

I Want to Hug This Book! Brilliantly Written with Keen Insight These Essays Are a Treasure (4/14/2023)

This is a 10-star book in a five-star world.

If you're an Ann Patchett fan, this is a must-read. If you've never heard of Ann Patchett, you still need to read this, but first treat yourself to one or two of her novels. I highly recommend "The Dutch House" and "Bel Canto."

…more Each of these essays is a sparkling little gem, a valuable lesson in life, lessons in living and in dying. It could just be an astute observation or it could be a pithy little sentence that makes you go, "Yes! That's it!"

I adored every single one of the essays, but just to whet your appetite, here is a sampling:

• "Three Fathers": Ann Patchett had three fathers because her mother had three marriages, two of which ended in divorce. At her sister's wedding, Ann realized all three of the men, who were never together for obvious reasons, would be in the same place at the same time. So she had her photo taken with them. One of the dads astutely observed to the other two, "You know what she's going to do, don't you? She's going to wait until the three of us are dead and then she's going to write about us. This is the picture that will run with the piece." He was right.

• "The First Thanksgiving": When Ann was a freshman at Sarah Lawrence College in New York City she couldn't go home to Nashville, Tennessee for Thanksgiving. Because she didn't know any one well enough to be invited home for the long weekend, she stayed in the dorm. What happened next is both hilarious and heartbreaking.

• "How to Practice": A wise admonition to men and women of a certain age to get your house in order—clear the clutter, get your papers organized—long before you die so your children don't have to do it for you.

• "Cover Stories": A fascinating explanation of how book covers are created, specifically Ann Patchett's book covers.

The best one, and that's really saying a lot because they could all be considered "the best one," is the title story, "These Precious Days," in which Ann recounts her unlikely friendship with Tom Hanks's personal assistant, Sooki. Have a box of tissues handy when you read this one.

Brilliantly written with keen insight these essays are, quite simply, a treasure. When you close the book on the last page, you will feel like Ann Patchett is your friend because you will know that much about her.

Bonus: I read this book, as I read every book, on my Kindle. But if you read the hardcover version (it's not available in paperback yet), you get a double cover. The front and back covers are different. I had to Google it to see the back cover. Why? Read the essay "Cover Stories" to find out! (P.S. I just bought the hardcover version for just this reason.) (less)

Plainsong
by Kent Haruf

An Exquisite Work of Literature That Is Also a Compelling, Can't-Put-It-Down Read (4/14/2023)

I hadn't even read half the book when I realized that this would likely be one of my favorite novels of all time. It is brilliant. A masterpiece. Monumental. All overused words in book reviews, but totally apt descriptors for this brilliant, monumental masterpiece by Kent …more Haruf.

Taking place in the fictional rural setting of Holt, Colorado, this is the story of several people who have one thing in common: They are all emotionally damaged, but through their interactions with each other they achieve a level of healing.
--High school history teacher Tom Guthrie is the father of two boys, Ike and Bobby who are 10 and 9 years old respectively. His wife, Ella, has retreated to the guest room where she sleeps all day and all night and eventually leaves the family entirely.
--Victoria Roubideaux is 17 and pregnant by a young man she met the previous summer. She has no idea where he is now. And things get complicated very quickly when her mother kicks her out of their house.
--Raymond and Harold McPheron are elderly brothers who live 17 miles out of town on a cattle ranch. Orphaned at a young age, the two have always lived together and neither ever married.
--Maggie Jones is a high school teacher who has a knack for helping others just when they need it most. But will she ever find happiness of her own?

The astonishingly spare and sparse prose in which the novel is written reflects the spare and sparse landscape of Holt. It's almost as if the writing style allows the reader to vicariously become a part of the setting. But at the same time, the writing is incredibly descriptive from an old screen door to the sight of oncoming headlights to the look of faded wallpaper. Brilliant. Monumental. A masterpiece.

This exquisite work of literature is also a compelling story with a finely rendered plot and characters that simply pop off the page they are so real and vivid. In many ways, this may be the Great American Novel—or at least in the top 10.

Just an afterthought: "Plainsong" was a finalist in 1999 for the National Book Award. Only a finalist? When I realized this, I immediately Googled to find out that year's winner. It was "Waiting" by Ha Jin, which I have read. Here are the opening lines of my review of "Waiting": On the one hand, this is a literary masterpiece, a political allegory, and a love story that won the 1999 National Book Award for Fiction, the 2000 PEN/Faulkner Award, and was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize. On the other hand, the title is quite apt. The reader will be kept waiting…and waiting…and waiting for something to happen. It doesn't. This is a relatively short book that feels quite long.

"Plainsong" is better, in my opinion. Much, much better.

Bonus: This is the first in a three-part series, so the story doesn't end here. Yay! (less)

The Last Romantics
by Tara Conklin

Witty, Wise, and Tender: A Powerful Book That I Found Heartbreaking and Healing (4/14/2023)

I felt like I was looking in a mirror when I read this book. It is spookily close to my life story. Because of that resonance I found it to be powerful, heartbreaking, and healing, but I can't begin to fathom if this would be something most readers would also experience.

…more

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