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Review Date: 8/18/2015
Helpful Score: 1
This fictional mystery brought out the modern day brutality and savagery of the Civil War/insurgencies in Sri Lanka. The overall plot tracing the work of a forensic anthropologist held my attention until the end, although the end was a little murky. I chose this book because I really enjoyed two other of the Ondaatje's works.
Review Date: 7/21/2015
Blessings is a beautifully written book about two characters whose lives become intertwined by the abandonment of a newborn. The book addresses issues of class and can people really change the economic class into which they are born. One main character is a miserly older woman who feels "the world has lost its compass." Throughout the book, she becomes melancholic and evaluates her life or rather not living her life due to societal demands. Towards the end, she observes "what a soft patina the passage of time gives." It is only with the passage of time, is she able to figure out some of the secrets of her upbringing and come to grips with family ties. The other main character is a young man who wants to improve his circumstances and do the right thing in spite of an impoverished, dysfunctional background. The novel is short at only 226 pages. It is a great read without being overtly philosophical, it compels one to think about the meaning of life and relationships.
Review Date: 8/18/2015
Echo Maker was a very intriguing read. The story has an interesting plot with well-developed, realistic characters which made me want to read to the last page. The setting of Nebraska and the migration of cranes was woven into the background but the thrust of the book was examining how our brains work. Initially, Mark, is in a near fatal accident and his only sibling quits her job to be his caretaker. She is devastated as she realizes not only will his condition be long term but that he is positive his sister is an imposter due to having Capgras syndrome post-accident. About halfway through the book. I wondered if the author had invented this medical condition so I turned to the internet for research. Capgras syndrome (delusion) is indeed real and quite bizarre. A well known neuro-scientist is called in on the case who gets pulled into Mark's case while suffering from various crisis himself. The book really made me wonder about perceptions and realities as well as if enough people have the same perceptions, does that make it a reality? The novel gets a bit heavy at times with medical explanations so about 7/8s through the book, I just wanted to know the ending but I find that true of many novels. Do authors feel they have to write a certain number of pages? Powers just reinforces what a complicated organ the brain is and how little we know about it.
Review Date: 8/18/2015
By the end of chapter 1, I was in love with this book and the author. It is the magnificent vocabulary and combination of words to form eloquent sentences. So much can happen in seconds. One minute a person is dangling off the end of a rope from a hot air balloon and the next minute, he lies dead on the ground. And that all happens in chapter 1 so no spoilers!
Then there is food for thought such as : what events are swirling around us right now that will affect our future?
The book unfolds after an innocent picnic which pulls readers into the lives of Joe and Clarissa. Joe becomes stalked by a man obsessed with him. At first the relationship seemed puzzling but then soon turned downright creepy. Finally, I was beginning to wonder if Joe was pulling a Russell Crowe as in "A Beautiful Mind." It seemed as if Joe was turning into the crazy one instead of a stalker if there was even a stalker.
All is revealed about two thirds of the way through the book.
Then there is food for thought such as : what events are swirling around us right now that will affect our future?
The book unfolds after an innocent picnic which pulls readers into the lives of Joe and Clarissa. Joe becomes stalked by a man obsessed with him. At first the relationship seemed puzzling but then soon turned downright creepy. Finally, I was beginning to wonder if Joe was pulling a Russell Crowe as in "A Beautiful Mind." It seemed as if Joe was turning into the crazy one instead of a stalker if there was even a stalker.
All is revealed about two thirds of the way through the book.
Review Date: 8/15/2015
I chose to read this novella having visited northern Nigeria and having lived next door (Niger) for three years. The author was born in the USA but raised in Nigeria so he is bicultural as is the narrator of the book. I kept checking to see if this work was categorized as fiction as it reads as a cultural analysis/travel memoir of the author rather than fiction. Whatever it is, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. At times, I chuckled, smiled, and felt moments of pity, sadness, and anger. The narrator would endure a hellish experience and then turn around and witness the human spirit rising above tragedy. And so Nigerian unfolded. The issue of corruption was dealt with before the narrator even left New York as he had to "grease the palms" of those in the Nigerian consulate before leaving the USA. Regarding this topic and many others, the author shows us what it means to try to navigate two cultures.
Review Date: 3/3/2015
The stalker (Mr. Hilditch) patiently and slyly entrapped his prey. It was just a matter of when and where; not if. The novel Felicia's Journey is a fascinating look into the mind of an outwardly seemingly normal man who adeptly covered up inner demons. Set in pre-birth control days, Felicia was thrust into the painful situation of being a pregnant teenager. With few clues regarding the whereabouts of the father of her baby, she left her homeland of Ireland and fled to England. Her story unravels as the reader becomes more and more interested in Felicia's fate after being befriended by Mr. Hilditch.
Review Date: 3/3/2015
The author's target audience is young teens/adults. As a retired high school teacher, she worked with this age group and I feel she knew her audience well. My only question is does this group read novels in our electronic age? The main character is trapped in a loveless marriage with a baby and she is trying to figure out how to make something of her life and do what is best for the baby. Throughout it all, she is a victim and target of a crime spree which thrusts her into the role of a heroine. This would be a great book for high school teachers to use as a springboard for class discussions regarding teen issues such as: how do you know true love, how do you recognize betrayal and how do you deal with it, how much input do/should family members have regarding who you marry, should a pregnancy force people to marry, should pregnancy come early in a marriage, how are alcohol and marijuana viewed by society.
Review Date: 12/15/2018
If you are reading this novel for a book club, whatever you do, do NOT try to start it the night before the event! This is a book to be read slowly. Each paragraph, each page is to be savored just as Count Rostov reveled in each moment, each sip of carefully chosen wine, each carefully prepared meal, and each relationship even though he was banished to be in exile in the Metropol Hotel for life. Count Rostov's approach to life reminded me of the Buddhist practice of "mindfulness" throughout decades of life in a hotel. After reading a few pages, I started over with a notebook in hand to record the various Russian characters as the author correctly pointed out that we are prone to trip over tricky Russian names. I will definitely reread this book as there are many pearls of wisdom in this book full of life's lessons.
Review Date: 4/25/2016
"Go Set a Watchman" was a very easy novel for me to get into and to want to keep reading. I fell in love with the main character of Jean Louise as she was a bit of an anti-establishmentarian long before the 60s. After returning to her small, southern town from living in New York for a few years, she continued to "clash" with her elders, questioned the stereotypical role of marriage and being a wife, and refused to be the demure southern belle. So, for the first half of the book, I was amused by Jean Louise's reactions to returning home keeping in mind the historical context of the novel.
The second half of the novel was equally interesting but took on a more serious tone. Jean Louise's rose colored glassed were shattered. She had become more worldly through her New York experiences and she had become an adult. Therefore, her lenses became painfully more realistic. Heroes fell off of pedestals and childhood relationships were severed.
As in some other novels, I felt the author trailed off and really did not quite know how to end the story. All in all, much food for thought considering our nation is still struggling with a racial divide.
The second half of the novel was equally interesting but took on a more serious tone. Jean Louise's rose colored glassed were shattered. She had become more worldly through her New York experiences and she had become an adult. Therefore, her lenses became painfully more realistic. Heroes fell off of pedestals and childhood relationships were severed.
As in some other novels, I felt the author trailed off and really did not quite know how to end the story. All in all, much food for thought considering our nation is still struggling with a racial divide.
Review Date: 5/14/2016
A very engaging read even if it was 623 pages! It might be so long because the infamous Inspector Lynley and his team do not appear until the second third of the book as the crime victims try for the longest time to not involve the police. I chose this novel for a roundtrip transoceanic flight to take my mind off of an aching knee. It did the trick. I was very motivated to keep reading the novel to find out the "whodunnit."
Review Date: 4/25/2016
Helpful Score: 1
The characters in this novel are very engaging: so engaging that I sat up until 2 am to finish their life stories. The setting is San Francisco which includes an interesting mix of characters of various ages and cultural backgrounds. The main characters reveal hidden secrets throughout their relationships which are neatly tied up together by the end of the book. Their stories cause one to contemplate the huge impact societal norms have on our behaviors and make one to stop and think "what if......"
Review Date: 3/3/2015
This was my first book to read by Donna Leon but I am delighted to know that it is the 14th in a series of detective stories starring Commissario Guido Brunetti. Set in Italy, there are many references to the Venetian setting and a few Italian phrases thrown in which adds to the bella flavor of the book. This mystery reads like a good old fashioned "whodunnit" set in modern times as evidenced by the use of computer data to help solve the mystery. Commissario Brunetti is methodical in his detective methods and takes his time to reflect on all the clues. His frustration with the Italian system of justice is evident throughout the novel and probably is a true reflection of honest real-life detectives working in modern Italy. At 237 pages, it is a quick read especially since one wants to keep reading to the end to discover the culprit.
Review Date: 3/1/2016
Very riveting book. It was all I could do to refrain myself from reading the ending long before I reached the final pages. I knew that it would spoil the unread pages for me so I continuously devoured the last third of the book to find out the fate of the main characters. When our book club chose this book, I inwardly groaned and thought "not another WWII book." But I am so glad the book club selected this historical novel. It added to my knowledge of leading up to WWII and during the war, especially in the area of Poland. There are discussion questions at the back of the book but don't read them until you finish the book as at least one question contains a spoiler.
Review Date: 4/25/2016
Helpful Score: 1
Loved this book. Stayed up until 1:00 am to finish the mystery. Fought the urge to skip to the end as I knew the threads of the story needed to be woven together by reading each word. Set in England and jumps between the current time and WWII but is not a war story at all. The jumps in time are easy to manage. The crux of this book is that as children (even through adulthood), we rarely think of our parents in terms of anything but our parents - from the beginning of time. Many know little of our parents' lives before we came on the scene. Part of this is due to the chosen silence of "the greatest generation" not "baring their souls and struggles and mistakes." As the mother in "The Secret Keeper" nears death, her oldest daughter sets out to uncover her mother's past before marriage to their father hence the setting of WWII. As one cousin told us, "the answers lie with the living." So, the main character unlocks the mysteries of her mother through interviews, the internet, and research. Facinating.
Update: enjoyed reading this book a second time for a book club selection. Needed to refresh my memory. Usually, I do not read a book twice but I was caught up in the plot and details as much the second time as the first.
Update: enjoyed reading this book a second time for a book club selection. Needed to refresh my memory. Usually, I do not read a book twice but I was caught up in the plot and details as much the second time as the first.
Review Date: 4/16/2016
Helpful Score: 2
I love biographical historical fiction, especially when I feel the author has tried to stay as close to truth and reality as possible. I feel Nancy Horan, the author, did this through an incredible amount of research into the lives of Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne and Robert Louis Stevenson. Fanny and Robert each were quirky, artistic, moody, adventurous people so this account of their relationship is magnified at least times two. Of course, along with those qualities comes some "medicinal drug use," complicated relationships, and mental breakdowns. As individuals and as a couple, they thought out of the box. defied societal norms, and embarked on amazing adventures without the security of things such as a stable income. I was mesmerized by the last part of the book when Fanny and Robert decided to sail the South Seas and move their extended family to Samoa, not knowing anything or anyone in the region. Remember, this all took place in the late 1800s!
Review Date: 3/3/2015
Rebecca is a lost soul in a lost world - the world of South Africa transitioning from an apartheid regime to uncharted waters for the nation. An early event in the book shapes Rebecca's life more than she realizes. The author gives us an idea through the unfolding of Rebecca's life of what South Africa was like for discontent white people feeling very uncomfortable living within a rigid regime of racism. The sense of the government trying to "keep a lid" on the situation is portrayed through the lens of Jewish and other activist characters. Everyone sensed change would come but nobody knew exactly what the needed change would bring. On a personal level, Rebecca kept trying to make sense of the meaning of life while the society that surrounded her made no sense and while she suffered many losses. An excellent read which I read in one sitting.
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