Three Mini-Reviews: South to America by Imani Perry, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, The Promise by Damon Galgut

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation

by Imani Perry, narrated by the author

Ecco, January 2022

410 pages

source: library ebook, audible audiobook

This is a hard book to categorize, rate, and review. It reads like a combination memoir/travelogue with plenty of history for background and context. Perry, a black woman raised in Alabama, travels around the south to re-experience its culture, food, and arts. Along the way, she meets with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Perry examines each area's history in an attempt to help the reader better understand the region as a whole and how it has shaped the American identity. 

Perry's writing is beautiful, the histories are informative, and and several of the deep dives were fascinating. However, it just didn't come together as I'd hoped and I had a hard time following through to the big picture.

My rating:

 

Book Lovers

by Emily Henry

Berkley, May 2022

398 pages

source: ebook borrowed from the library

I loved this book! I rarely read romance, but was immediately engaged and even laughing out loud by the end of the first chapter. 

The plot follows an enemies-to-lovers trope and involves a cutthroat NYC literary agent, a handsome brooding editor, a struggling bookstore in a bucolic small town, and a lovely relationship between sisters. I don't want to say much more, but this story is fun, cozy, and very funny. I think it's Henry's best book yet, so be sure to tuck it into your beach bag this summer!

My rating:

The Promise by Damon Galgut

Europa Editions, 2021

269 pages

audiobook narrated by Peter Noble

9 hours and 37 minutes

source: purchased hardcover, audio borrowed from library via hoopla

The Promise, set in post-Apartheid South Africa, documents the downfall of a white family living on a farm outside of Pretoria. The promise in question was allegedly made by the father to the mother on her deathbed and is overheard by their youngest daughter. The dying woman wanted her black servant, who has been with the family for years, to be given the small house on the farm property in which she resides. This promise is not immediately kept. There are three subsequent chapters, each occurring at roughly ten year intervals and chronicling another family death and funeral.

The Promise  won the 2021 Booker Prize and is the most literary novel I've read in a while. Though the overall mood is depressing, the structure is effective and engaging, and the writing is excellent. The story offers an interesting look at race relations in South Africa during this turbulent period, as well as the relationships within one specific family. If you're up for a more sobering read, I definitely recommend this book. I'd like to read more by Damon Galgut.

My rating: 

Book Brief: The Past by Tessa Hadley

The Past 
by Tessa Hadley
320 pages
Harper, 2016

source: borrowed from the library

Motivation for reading: 
I've never read Hadley and wanted to try her current novel (Late in the Day) but the hold list was very long. A blogging friend (thank you, Judith!) suggested this one while I wait.

Publisher's summary:
Three sisters, a brother, and their children assemble at their country house one last time before it is sold. The house is filled with memories of their shared past, yet beneath the idyllic surface, hidden passions, devastating secrets, and dangerous hostilities threaten to consume them. Sophisticated and sleek, Roland's new wife arouses his sister's jealousies. Passion erupts where it's least expected, shattering the quiet self-possession of Harriet, the eldest sister. Over the course of this summer holiday, the family's stories and silences intertwine, small disturbances build into familial crises, and a way of life - bourgeois, literate, ritualized, Anglican - winds down to its inevitable end.

Notable quotes:

"...the sisters stood hesitating on the brink of the interior for a moment, preparing themselves, recognising what they had forgotten while they were away from it -- the under-earth smell of imprisoned air, something plaintive in the thin light of the hall with its grey and white tiled floor and thin old rugs faded to red-mud colour. There was always a moment of adjustment as the shabby, needy actuality of the place settled over their too-hopeful idea of it." 

"... the past of the place enfolded them as soon as they arrived, they fell back inside its patterns and repetitions, absorbed into what had been done there before." 

"Both sisters managed to be offended. They sulked for five minutes and couldn't forgive each other, until they forgot about it and went back to their gossip, which circled eternally. All the siblings felt sometimes, as the days of their holiday passed, the sheer irritation and perplexity of family coexistence: how it fretted away at the love and attachment which were nonetheless intense and enduring when they were apart. They knew one another so well, all too well, and yet they were all continually surprised by the forgotten difficult twists and turns of one another's personalities, so familiar as soon as they appeared." 

"But part of the oddity of marriage, she thought, was in how unwise it was to attend too intently to the other person. This was the opposite to what she had naively imagined, as a girl. To the unmarried, it seemed that a couple must be intimately, perpetually exposed to each other - but actually, that wasn't bearable. In order for love to survive, you had to close yourself off to a certain extent."

My thoughts:

The first thing to know about The Past  is that it's slow-moving. Reading it seemed to take forever... but looking back, the more I think about it, the more I like it. Plot development is leisurely and it takes a long time to get to know the characters. Hadley is obviously in no hurry here.

Second, the writing is beautiful... evocative of time and place. Character development is thorough and Hadley delves deeply into family dynamics. She also chooses to use dashes instead of quotation marks. (Why do so many writers eschew quotation marks?)

Finally, everything happens in the third section. BUT...  all you've come to understand in first two sections makes the climax and resolution sheer perfection.

The patient reader is richly rewarded!

My rating:

Book Brief: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

My Sister, the Serial Killer
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
narrated by Adepero Oduye
Random House Audio, 2018
4 hours and 19 minutes

Source: library download

Publisher's summary:
When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...

Opening lines:

Ayoola summons me with these words - Korede, I killed him.
I had hoped I would never hear those words again.

My thoughts:

I was going to skip this book, but circumstances aligned to alter my plans. First, My Sister, the Serial Killer  won the Morning News Tournament of Books, then several trusted bloggers rated it highly, and finally, the audio version was immediately available from my library. The fact that it's so short helped, too!

My Sister, the Serial Killer  is unusual, engaging, and slightly disturbing. It's billed as darkly comic, but I found it more satirical than humorous. The writing is economical and sharp. I enjoyed the exploration of Ayoola and Korede's sibling relationship, loyalty gone awry, and family dysfunction, as well as the commentary on social media.

The audio edition is very well done, with Adepero Oduye's Nigerian accent enriching the overall experience. Listening was definitely the right choice for me.

If you're at all curious, I urge you to give this short novel a try.

My rating:

Book Brief: Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

Free Food for Millionaires

by Min Jin Lee

Grand Central Publishing, 2007

577 pages 

audiobook

narrated by Shelly Frasier

Tantor Audio, 2007

19 hours and 56 minutes 

Motivation for reading: 
I loved Pachinko and was curious about the author's earlier work.

Source:
ebook, purchased as a kindle daily deal
audio, downloaded from the library via hoopla

Publisher's summary:

Free Food for Millionaires, the debut novel from Min Jin Lee, takes on daunting themes of love, money, race, and belief systems in this mostly satisfying tale. Casey Han is a Princeton grad, class of '93, and it is her conflicts, relationships, and temperament that inform the novel. She is the child of immigrant Korean parents who work in the same laundry in Queens where they have always worked and are trying hard to hang on to their culture. Casey has catapulted out of that life on scholarships but now that college is over, she hasn't the same opportunities as her white friends, even though she has acquired all of their expensive habits.

The concept of free food for millionaires is the perfect irony that describes much of what Casey faces. Walter, one of her bosses, says, when a huge buffet lunch is delivered to the floor: "It's free food for millionaires... In the International Equities Department--that is, Asia, Europe, and Japan Sales--the group you're interviewing for--whichever desk that sells a deal buys lunch for everyone in the department."

Opening paragraph:

1

OPTIONS  

Competence can be a curse.
As a capable young woman, Casey Hahn felt compelled to choose respectability and success. But it was glamour and insight that she craved. A Korean immigrant who'd grown up in a dim, blue-collar neighborhood in Queens, she'd hoped for a bright, glittering life beyond the workhorse struggles of her parents, who managed a Manhattan dry cleaner. 

My thoughts:

Free Food for Millionaires  is a big, exciting novel about... well, almost everything! Money and power, race and culture, love and sex, class, education, privilege, identity, and even fashion. It focuses on a Korean-American community in New York City in the 1990s, and I simply couldn't put it down.

This book is so good, yet so different from Lee's more recent novel, Pachinko (my thoughts) and, in the words of my 80-something mother, a lot "racier" too. Set in 1990s NYC, this fast-paced novel with multiple characters and plot lines will keep you turning its nearly 600 pages.

The audiobook, narrated by Shelly Frasier, was very well done. I enjoyed switching back and forth between print and audio... listening on my morning walks and reading in the evenings. That has become my preferred reading method these days.

An interesting aside, this novel was edited by Bill Clegg, author of Did You Ever Have a Family - a personal favorite from 2015.

My rating:

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Book Brief: The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

The Perfect Couple

By Elin Hilderbrand

Little, Brown and Company, 2018

466 pages

Motivation for reading: It's summer... and there's a new Elin Hilderbrand novel!

Source: hardcover book, borrowed from library

Publisher's summary:
It's Nantucket wedding season, also known as summer-the sight of a bride racing down Main Street is as common as the sun setting at Madaket Beach. The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate.

But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony-and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, the groom, the groom's famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield-and no couple is perfect.

Opening paragraph:

A phone call before six on a Saturday morning is never a good thing, although it's not unheard of on a holiday weekend. Chief Ed Kapenash of the Nantucket Police Department has seen the Fourth of July go sideways. The most common accident is a person blowing off a finger while lighting fireworks. Sometimes things are more serious. One year, they lost a swimmer to the riptide; another year, a man drank ten shots of Patrón Añejo and then did a backflip off the Allserve building and hit the water in such a way that his neck snapped. There are generally enough drunk-and-disorderlies to fill a sightseeing bus, as well as a dozen fistfights, a handful of which are so serious the police have to get involved.

My thoughts:

After reading Educated: A Memoir (my review), I was craving something lighter, less violent, and fun. This library hold came in at exactly the right moment!

I've read a few of Hilderbrand's novels and The Perfect Couple seems like a bit of a departure. Sure it's beachy and set on Nantucket, but it's also a murder mystery. On the morning of a big society wedding, the maid of honor turns up dead. Floating in the water behind the groom's family estate, her body is discovered by the bride. This was a quick read, filled with family secrets and deceptions. It kept me guessing until the end - very entertaining!

My rating:

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Book Brief: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

A Spool of Blue Thread

by Anne Tyler

Knopf, 2015

358 pages

Random House Audio, 2015

narrated by Kimberly Farr

13 hours and 23 minutes

Motivation for reading: A book blogger's recent review prompted me to click over to my library's website and discover both the ebook and audiobook were available. Sure wish I could remember whose review it was. Might it have been yours?

Source: ebook and digital audio borrowed from the library

Publisher's summary:
"It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon." This is how Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she fell in love with Red that day in July 1959. The Whitshanks are one of those families that radiate togetherness: an indefinable, enviable kind of specialness. But they are also like all families, in that the stories they tell themselves reveal only part of the picture. Abby and Red and their four grown children have accumulated not only tender moments, laughter, and celebrations, but also jealousies, disappointments, and carefully guarded secrets. from Red's father and mother, newly-arrived in Baltimore in the 1920s, to Abby and Red's grandchildren carrying the family legacy boisterously into the twenty-first century, here are four generations of Whitshanks, their lives unfolding in and around the sprawling, lovingly worn Baltimore house that has always been their anchor.

Brimming with all the insight, humour, and generosity of spirit that are the hallmarks of Anne Tyler's work, A Spool of Blue Thread  tells a poignant yet unsentimental story in praise of family in all its emotional complexity. It is a novel to cherish.

Opening paragraph:

PART ONE

Can't Leave Till the Dog Dies 

1

Late one July evening in 1994, Red and Abby Whitshank had a phone call from their son Denny. They were getting ready for bed at the time. Abby was standing at the bureau in her slip, drawing hairpins one by one from her scattery sand-colored topknot. Red, a dark, gaunt man in striped pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt, had just sat down on the edge of the bed to take his socks off; so when the phone rang on the nightstand beside him, he was the one who answered. "Whitshank residence," he said.

My thoughts:

I've been reading Anne Tyler for decades... starting back in the 1980s with An Accidental Tourist, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, and Saint Maybe. In the mid 90s, our playgroup morphed into a book club (the kids started school, but the moms wanted to keep meeting) and Ladder of Years  was our first selection.

Several years later, I discovered audiobooks. Tyler became my first "audio author" as I listened to The Amateur Marriage, Back When We Were Grownups, and, my favorite, Digging to America.

After joining the book blogging community in 2008, I started reading more classics and nonfiction, and somehow never got around to Anne Tyler's next new novel. Or the one after that, and maybe even another. I really meant to read A Spool of Blue Thread  when it was released in 2015, especially after it was nominated for several awards. Now here we are, midway through 2018, and Tyler has written two more  novels.

So I finally picked up A Spool of Blue Thread  and found myself back in familiar Tyler territory... Baltimore. I found familiar themes and wonderfully complex relationships.
I still love Tyler's description of families, her character development, and they way she delves deep into relationship dynamics. Why did I wait so long?

A note on the audio production: Kimberly Farr's narration was, as always, excellent. Her pacing and tone were just right, and I especially appreciated how she conveyed Nora's (annoyingly) calm, placid demeanor. I was happy to learn she narrated Clock Dance, too.

Bottom line: A Spool of Blue Thread  is a wonderful novel. If, like me, you've been away from Anne Tyler for a while, it's time to go back. Pick up A Spool of Blue Thread  now. I'll bet you'll want to read her new novel, Clock Dance  right away, too.  If you've never read Tyler, this is a great place to start!

My rating:

Book Brief: The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

The Ten-Year Nap

by Meg Wolitzer

Riverhead, 2008

351 pages

Blackstone audio, 2008

narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan

13 hours and 43 minutes

Motivation for reading: Personal project - I've decided to read my way through Meg Wolitzer's backlist.

Source: hardcover and digital audio borrowed from the library

Publisher's summary:
For a group of four New York friends, the past decade has been largely defined by marriage and motherhood. Educated and reared to believe that they would conquer the world, they then left jobs as corporate lawyers, investment bankers, and film scouts to stay home with their babies. What was meant to be a temporary leave of absence has lasted a decade. Now, at age forty, with the halcyon days of young motherhood behind them and without professions to define them, Amy, Jill, Roberta, and Karen face a life that is not what they were brought up to expect but seems to be the one they have chosen.

But when Amy gets to know a charismatic and successful working mother of three who appears to have fulfilled the classic women's dream of having it all-work, love, family-without having to give anything up, a lifetime's worth of concerns, both practical and existential, opens up. As Amy's obsession with this woman's bustling life grows, it forces the four friends to confront the choices they've made in opting out of their careers-until a series of startling events shatters the peace and, for some of them, changes the landscape entirely.

Opening paragraph:

All around the country, the women were waking up. Their alarm clocks bleated one by one, making soothing or grating sounds or the stirrings of a favorite song. There were hums and beeps and a random burst of radio. There were wind chimes and roaring surf, and the electronic approximation of birdsong and other gentle animal noises. All of it accompanied the passage of time, sliding forward in liquid crystal. Almost everything in these women's homes required a plug. Voltage stuttered through the curls of wire, and if you put your ear to one of these complicated clocks in any of the bedrooms, you could hear the burble of industry deep inside its cavity. Something was quietly happening.

My thoughts:

I'm beginning to think Meg Wolitzer can do no wrong.

The Ten-Year Nap takes an intimate look at the lives of  four Manhattan friends. While they're taking a break to stay home with young children, some long for their old careers, while others dream of forging a new path. Relationship dynamics - with spouses, children, friends - as well as internal conflicts and struggles fill the pages of this novel.

Meg Wolitzer understands women's lives and she's able to infuse her novels with an authentic NYC vibe. Reading her books is enjoyable and rewarding... every time.

This was a read/listen combination for me. The audio production was fine, though unremarkable. There's nothing to especially recommend it, nor any reason to dissuade you from going that route.

I'll read The Wife  next, hopefully before the movie is released next month.

My rating:

Book Brief: Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

by J. Ryan Stradal 

Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, 2015

310 pages

Motivation for reading: After an especially persuasive negative review, I vowed never to read this book. But Care  loved it... and because she is so persistent and has such awesome taste in books, I promised her I'd at least give it a try.

Source: ebook, purchased as a kindle daily deal

Publisher's summary:

When Lars Thorvald's wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine--and a dashing sommelier--he's left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He's determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter--starting with puréed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva's journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that's a testament to her spirit and resilience.

Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal's startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity. By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life--its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises. It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent.

Opening lines:

Lars Thorvald loved two women. That was it, he though in passing while he sat on the cold concrete steps of his apartment building. Perhaps he would've loved more than two, but it just didn't seem like things were going to work out like that.

My thoughts:

What a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to like this book, but the first pages grabbed me (they practically turned themselves) and before I knew it, I'd read the first chapter.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest  is primarily a novel about Eva, yet she is not always front and center. Many chapters focus on other characters as they move in and out of her life.  In some, Eva makes only a cameo appearance.

The chapters don't necessarily flow one into the next and, at times, I wondered if this could actually be a collection of connected stores. Taken together, they paint a portrait of Eva's life... an aspect reminded me of Olive Kitteridge  by Elizabeth Strout.

Food, of course, is a key component throughout. One particular dish is central to each chapter and recipes are included. The ending left this reader completely satisfied. Overall, a very enjoyable book. Thanks for the push, Care!

My rating:

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Year-end Book Briefs: Fiction Edition

As 2016 winds down there are still several books I'd like to talk about, but precious little time for blogging.  Here are the novels I read in December... each dropping a rung on the ladder of "fine literature", but all enjoyable reads.

Commonwealth 

by Ann Patchett

Harper, 2016

322 pages

source: purchased

(goodreads summary)

I've been reading Ann Patchett since the 1990s and over the years she has become one of my favorite authors. Her latest novel, Commonwealth, is a masterfully crafted work. The writing is fabulous, her many characters are well-defined and unique, and the story about a blended family kept me happily turning the pages. I paused several times to reflect on various quotes or passages. Overall, a very satisfying read and a 2016 favorite.
My rating:

Inheriting Edith

by Zoe Fishman

William Morrow Paperbacks. 2016

320 pages

source: ebook borrowed from the library

One sentence summary:
A single mother inherits a beautiful beach house in Sag Harbor, but there is a catch—she must take care of the elderly woman, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, who lives in it.

I love a quick, entertaining read, especially one that provides a little fodder for discussion, and Inheriting Edith  was all of that. A perfect travel day read, it made our two flights and long layover pass quickly. I didn't note any quotes or passages, but thoroughly enjoyed the story and have already recommended the book to several friends.
My rating:

Winter Street

by Elin Hilderbrand

Little, Brown and Company, 2014

256 pages

source: ebook borrowed from library 

One sentence summary (from goodreads);
In bestseller Elin Hilderbrand's first Christmas novel, a family gathers on Nantucket for a holiday filled with surprises.

After two weeks of not being able to focus on several different novels, I decided to try something lighter. I rarely read women's fiction, but Winter Street  was exactly what I needed during the busy holiday season. A fast-paced family story - relationships beginning and ending, unexpected pregnancy, sibling rivalry, white-collar crime - set in a cozy inn on Nantucket at Christmas. I devoured it in two sittings. The first of a trilogy, this book ends with a major cliff-hanger. No quotes to share and not much discussion value, but the second book, Winter Stroll, just became available from my library via Overdrive. I think I'll start it this afternoon. Literary fiction can wait a few more days...
My rating:

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The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud

The Emperor's Children
by Claire Messud
Borzoi/Knopf, 2006
431 pages
source: borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads):
The Emperor’s Children is a dazzling, masterful novel about the intersections in the lives of three friends, now on the cusp of their thirties, making their way—and not—in New York City.

There is beautiful, sophisticated Marina Thwaite—an “It” girl finishing her first book; the daughter of Murray Thwaite, celebrated intellectual and journalist—and her two closest friends from Brown, Danielle, a quietly appealing television producer, and Julius, a cash-strapped freelance critic. The delicious complications that arise among them become dangerous when Murray’s nephew, Frederick “Bootie” Tubb, an idealistic college dropout determined to make his mark, comes to town. As the skies darken, it is Bootie’s unexpected decisions—and their stunning, heartbreaking outcome—that will change each of their lives forever.

A richly drawn, brilliantly observed novel of fate and fortune—of innocence and experience, seduction and self-invention; of ambition, including literary ambition; of glamour, disaster, and promise—The Emperor’s Children is a tour de force that brings to life a city, a generation, and the way we live in this moment.

My thoughts:

“The apartment was entirely, was only, for her: a wall of books, both read and unread, all of them dear to her not only in themselves, their tender spines, but in the moments or periods they evoked."

I didn't know what to expect going into this novel. Opinions vary widely, to say the least, but I loved it. Messud's writing, as always, is excellent - smart and incisive (though on the flip side, it's also been described as "over-stylized" and "old fashioned.")  As in The Woman Upstairs, the characters are not particularly likable, but they are endlessly interesting. Messud gets the settings right, too. I love her depiction of pre-9/11 New York City and she positively nailed the bleakness of Watertown, NY,  in upstate's "north country".

Sometimes you just know when a book is going to work for you, and that happened here within ten pages. In addition to the wonderful writing, Messud's story drew me in immediately and then held me for the entire 400 pages.

For me, this book was reminiscent of Meg Wolitzer's 2013 novel The Interestings, another personal favorite with somewhat mixed reviews. Now I can't help but wonder if Wolitzer was influenced by this novel. I think it's safe to say if you loved The Interestings, you'll love The Emperor's Children.

Bottom line: This is one of the best novels I've read in a  long time and my favorite book of 2016.

My rating:

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

Amsterdam
by Ian McEwan
Nan A. Talese, 1999
193 pages
source: my shelves

Publisher's summary:

On a chilly February day, two old friends meet in the throng outside a crematorium to pay their last respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers in the days before they reached their current eminence. Clive is Britain's most successful modern composer; Vernon is editor of the quality broadsheet "The Judge." Gorgeous, feisty Molly had other lovers, too, notably Julian Garmony, Foreign Secretary, a notorious right-winger tipped to be the next prime minister. In the days that follow Molly's funeral, Clive and Vernon will make a pact with consequences neither has foreseen. Each will make a disastrous moral decision, their friendship will be tested to its limits, and Julian Garmony will be fighting for his political life.A contemporary morality tale that is as profound as it is witty, this short novel is perhaps the most purely enjoyable fiction Ian McEwan has ever written. And why Amsterdam? What happens there to Clive and Vernon is the most delicious shock in a novel brimming with surprises.


My thoughts:

Ian McEwan's novels, though relatively short, are not quick reads. Between his often controversial or uncomfortable subject matter, perfectly constructed sentences that beg to be reread, and the contemplative mood his stories tend to induce, it took me over a week to finish Amsterdam, a novel of under 200 pages.

Unfortunately, Amsterdam did not turn out to be a satisfying read. I didn't care for the story and positively hated the ending. I did not find it to be the "delicious shock" promised in the summary.

That's not to say there was nothing to enjoy in this novel. Clive's meditations on music and composition were fascinating, and I enjoyed reading about his ramble through Lake District. The description of the trail and the countryside made me long for a similar day of hiking.

McEwan's prose is beautiful, as always. In fact, it was the writing that kept me reading. Here are a couple of passages I highlighted:

We knew so little about each other. We lay mostly submerged, like ice floes, with our visible selves projecting only cool and white. Here was a rare sight below the waves...  

But Clive stared ahead at the empty seat opposite, lost to the self-punishing convolutions of his fervent social accounting, unknowingly bending and colouring the past through the prism of his unhappiness. 

(I smiled when I noticed the second quote appeared in Brona's post, too.)

I now understand why some readers describe McEwan's work as uneven. After enjoying Atonement, In the Company of Strangers, On Chesil Beach, and The Children Act, I was somewhat disappointed by Amsterdam. It is, by far, my least favorite McEwan novel. However, this experience will not deter me from reading the rest of the author's work.

My rating:

Thank you Care and Brona for reading with me.

Four Reasons to Read Dear Committee Members

Just before our recent train trip upstate from NYC, I was perusing my overdrive wish list... specifically, books the library listed as available now. Occasionally, I like to choose one on a whim. Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher was such a choice, and it turned out to be a winner.

Here are four reasons why:

1. Academic setting.  A big plus for me, possibly dating back to my childhood obsession with The Secret Language. This novel is set at Payne University, a small liberal arts college in the midwest.
2. Epistolary format.  Even more appealing than usual thanks to the blurb description, putting the "pissed" back into "epistolary". Our letter writer here is Jason Fitger, a professor of creative writing and literature. 
3. Humor.  The novel is very funny... in a passive-aggressive kind of way.
4. It's short.  Under 200 pages, which turns out to be the perfect length for this type of humor. 

If you decide to give Dear Committee Members a try, I guarantee it will change the way you think about Letters of Recommendation.

My rating:

They May Not Mean To , But They Do by Cathleen Schine

They May Not Mean To, But They Do
by Cathleen Schine
Sarah Crichton Books, 2016
304 pages
source: borrowed from the library

Summary (from Goodreads):
From one of America’s greatest comic novelists, a hilarious new novel about aging, family, loneliness, and love

The Bergman clan has always stuck together, growing as it incorporated in-laws, ex-in-laws, and same-sex spouses. But families don’t just grow, they grow old, and the clan’s matriarch, Joy, is not slipping into old age with the quiet grace her children, Molly and Daniel, would have wished. When Joy’s beloved husband dies, Molly and Daniel have no shortage of solutions for their mother’s loneliness and despair, but there is one challenge they did not count on: the reappearance of an ardent suitor from Joy’s college days. And they didn’t count on Joy herself, a mother suddenly as willful and rebellious as their own kids.

My thoughts:

If you pick up this book, as I did,  looking for a fun summer romp like Schine's previous novel, The Three Weissmanns of Westport, you're going to be surprised. Instead you will find a true-to-life story (maybe too true for some) about the relationship between adult children and their aging parents. And while there are plenty of novels dealing with that subject, this one struck me as unique in that I was able to understand and sympathize with everyone - the daughter in LA making periodic trips to NYC to help her parents, the son living just downtown juggling the demands of his own family and career, and the parents trying to preserve their independence and dignity. There were no overbearing, demanding parents or selfish, uncaring children in this novel.

Obviously Schine has been there. She is able to convey, with great tenderness, the vastly different needs, desires, and expectations of all concerned. They May Not Mean To, But They Do turned out to be an unexpectedly beautiful and poignant novel.

A few quotes:

"She was a useless, selfish daughter, dragging her father out into the cold against his will so that she could get some fresh air, so that she could breathe, so that she could escape when she knew he could never escape what was happening to him, not if she made him stumble behind his red walker as far as the North Pole."

"It was hard for her [Daniel's sister], being so far away. It was hard for him [Daniel], too, being so close."

"Her children lived in some other world, one that she could see but had left behind, like the wake of a ship. Their lives foamed and splashed while she hurtled forward, away from them, but toward nothing. Well, toward something, and they all knew what that something was."

"It wasn't that Joy expected her daughter, and certainly not her son, to come live with her. They had their own lives, just as she had once had her own life. She did expect something from them, though, something they were not providing, she couldn't put her finger on it. Danny was coming once a week for dinner now, Molly planned a trip to New York in the near future, and Joy waited eagerly for their visits. But visits predicted their own end, and an end to a visit meant she would be alone again."

My rating:

Book Brief: Drop What You're Doing and Read SHELTER!

Shelter
by Jung Yun
Picador, March 2016
336 pages
source: borrowed from the library

Summary (from Goodreads):
Kyung Cho is a young father burdened by a house he can’t afford. For years, he and his wife, Gillian, have lived beyond their means. Now their debts and bad decisions are catching up with them, and Kyung is anxious for his family’s future.

A few miles away, his parents, Jin and Mae, live in the town’s most exclusive neighborhood, surrounded by the material comforts that Kyung desires for his wife and son. Growing up, they gave him every possible advantage—private tutors, expensive hobbies—but they never showed him kindness. Kyung can hardly bear to see them now, much less ask for their help. Yet when an act of violence leaves Jin and Mae unable to live on their own, the dynamic suddenly changes, and he’s compelled to take them in. For the first time in years, the Chos find themselves living under the same roof. Tensions quickly mount as Kyung’s proximity to his parents forces old feelings of guilt and anger to the surface, along with a terrible and persistent question: how can he ever be a good husband, father, and son when he never knew affection as a child?

As Shelter  veers swiftly toward its startling conclusion, Jung Yun leads us through dark and violent territory, where, unexpectedly, the Chos discover hope. Shelter is a masterfully crafted debut novel that asks what it means to provide for one's family and, in answer, delivers a story as riveting as it is profound.

Quick thoughts:

Definitely on the dark side! Domestic abuse, a violent crime, family dysfunction, and culture clash... this book was a real page-turner that surprised me several times. I especially loved the ending. Recently long-listed for the 2016 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, I hope it wins.

My rating:

Book Brief: The Children Act by Ian McEwan

The Children Act
by Ian McEwan
Vintage Digital, 2014
224 pages
source: ebook borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads):
Fiona Maye is a leading High Court judge who presides over cases in the family division. She is renowned for her fierce intelligence, exactitude, and sensitivity. But her professional success belies private sorrow and domestic strife. There is the lingering regret of her childlessness, and now her marriage of thirty years is in crisis.
       At the same time, she is called on to try an urgent case: Adam, a beautiful seventeen-year-old boy, is refusing for religious reasons the medical treatment that could save his life, and his devout parents echo his wishes. Time is running out. Should the secular court overrule sincerely expressed faith? In the course of reaching a decision, Fiona visits Adam in the hospital—an encounter that stirs long-buried feelings in her and powerful new emotions in the boy. Her judgment has momentous consequences for them both.

Three-sentence review:

Beautifully written, as I've come to expect from McEwan. A controversial court case and the 59-year-old female judge's crumbling marriage are the driving forces behind this relatively quiet, but thought-provoking novel. This will be on my mind for some time...

My rating:

I wavered between 4 and 5 stars, but decided to go with five because the novel is so discussion-worthy... and it's McEwan.

Book Brief: Summer House with Swimming Pool

Summer House with Swimming Pool
by Herman Koch
Hogarth, 2014
387 pages
source: ebook borrowed from library

Summary (from Goodreads):
When a medical procedure goes horribly wrong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers. After all, reputation is everything in this business. Personally, he's not exactly upset that Ralph is gone, but as a high profile doctor to the stars, Marc can't hide from the truth forever.

It all started the previous summer. Marc, his wife, and their two beautiful teenage daughters agreed to spend a week at the Meiers' extravagant summer home on the Mediterranean. Joined by Ralph and his striking wife Judith, her mother, and film director Stanley Forbes and his much younger girlfriend, the large group settles in for days of sunshine, wine tasting, and trips to the beach. But when a violent incident disrupts the idyll, darker motivations are revealed, and suddenly no one can be trusted. As the ultimate holiday soon turns into a nightmare, the circumstances surrounding Ralph's later death begin to reveal the disturbing reality behind that summer's tragedy.

My thoughts:

So dark and full of tension, Herman Koch knows how to make his readers squirm! This novel features a creepy, unreliable narrator, many unlikable characters with questionable moral values, and a gripping, twisted story. I was pulled in right away and read the book in two sittings.

I'm looking forward to his new book, Dear Mr. M: A Novel coming in September.

My rating:

Book Brief: The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

The Nest
by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Ecco, 2016
373 pages
source: ebook borrowed from the library

My thoughts:

The Nest is a classic "rich people behaving badly" story. Four adult siblings live their lives expecting an inheritance (referred to as "the nest") when the youngest turns forty. As that date approaches, distribution of the nest is in jeopardy. I tend to gravitate toward this kind of story, but what makes The Nest even more intriguing is that it's written by a debut novelist... in her mid 50s. Additionally, it instigated a bidding war and ultimately netted Sweeney a seven-figure advance.

I was already on a long waiting list at my home library, but happened to click on the Florida library's website one Friday afternoon. The timing couldn't have been better because they'd added The Nest to their digital offerings just moments earlier. I checked it out immediately.

It was easy to get involved in the book. The writing, charters, and storyline pulled me in right away and kept me turning the pages. But now, a few weeks later, I find I don't have much to say about it.

Bottom line:
The Nest  was an enjoyable beach/vacation read and I whole-heartedly recommend it for a weekend diversion.

My rating:

The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

The Days of Abandonment
by  Elena Ferrante
narrated by Hillary Huber
Blackstone Audio, 2015
7 hours and 36 minutes
source: purchased (audible daily deal)

Publisher's summary:
An IndiBound best seller, The Days of Abandonment shocked and captivated its Italian public when first published. It is the gripping story of a woman's descent into devastating emptiness after being abandoned by her husband, with two young children to care for. When she finds herself literally trapped within the four walls of their high-rise apartment, she is forced to confront her ghosts, the potential loss of her own identity, and the possibility that life may never return to normal.

My thoughts:

The Days of Abandonment  is a short, beautifully written novel, arguably even more raw and intimate that Ferrante's famed Neopolitan novels. However, it was not a particularly enjoyable reading experience. Though the story is fascinating, it was like watching the proverbial train wreck. I could not bring myself to turn away.

Certainly, Ferrante's objective is to make the reader squirm. Mission accomplished!

Hillary Huber's narration is controlled, deliberate, and perfectly suited to the story. I chose to listen to most of the novel at 1.25x speed.

After reading six Ferrante novels in fourteen months, I'm finally ready for a break.

Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen

Miller's Valley
by Anna Quindlen
Random House, 2016
272 pages
source: publisher, via NetGalley

Publisher's summary:

For generations the Millers have lived in Miller’s Valley. Mimi Miller tells about her life with intimacy and honesty. As Mimi eavesdrops on her parents and quietly observes the people around her, she discovers more and more about the toxicity of family secrets, the dangers of gossip, the flaws of marriage, the inequalities of friendship and the risks of passion, loyalty, and love. Home, as Mimi begins to realize, can be “a place where it’s just as easy to feel lost as it is to feel content.”

Miller’s Valley is a masterly study of family, memory, loss, and, ultimately, discovery, of finding true identity and a new vision of home. As Mimi says, “No one ever leaves the town where they grew up, even if they go.” Miller’s Valley  reminds us that the place where you grew up can disappear, and the people in it too, but all will live on in your heart forever.

My thoughts:

Anna Quindlen and I go way back, probably to her 1980s New York Times columns, and I remember being pretty excited when she decided to try her hand at fiction in the 90s. Object Lessons  was one of the first selections of my fledgling book club (still in existence today) and I loved One True Thing.  But as wonderful as her fiction is, I've always felt that nonfiction is Quindlen's real strength. Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake  is an all-time favorite and the only book I've ever purchased both a hardcover and audio edition on the same day.

Still, I'm always eager to read a novel by Anna Quindlen and jumped at opportunity to review  Miller's Valley. The book was a total pleasure to read from the opening paragraph of the prologue:

It was a put-up job, and we all knew it by then. The government people had hearings all spring to solicit the views of residents on their plans. That's what they called it, soliciting views, but every last person in Miller's Valley knew that just meant standing behind the microphones set up in the aisle of the middle school, and then finding out afterward that the government people would do what they planned to do anyhow. Everybody was just going through the motions. That's what people do. They decide what they want and then try to make you believe you want it, too.

... to the final sentences of the epilogue.

Quindlen's story-telling skills are mesmerizing and, as always, the writing is top-notch. Her main character, Mimi Miller, is likable, intelligent, and insightful. Add in a rich a cast of supporting characters (a case could even be made for including the rural Pennsylvania landscape here), a couple of long-buried family secrets, and a central environmental issue, and you've got one heck of a novel.

Miller's Valley, in my opinion, is a completely satisfying novel and Quindlen's best in twenty years. Don't miss it!

My rating: