Flora and Nan have returned to their quaint
seaside town in England to care for their father, Gil, after he took a bad fall
- turns out he is much more ill than they had imagined. Gil, a literary icon
has never truly recovered from his wife’s disappearance twelve years earlier. Ingrid
had been a loving mother and adoring wife but her inner demons and long held
secrets emerge in a series of letters Gil finds hidden in his massive book
collection. The story alternates the present day with letters describing the
past and the real story of Ingrid and Gil. Young beautiful student enamored by
older successful professor – becomes pregnant – enters shaky marriage and
sacrifices her future. Ingrid has no support, no family. She craves love and
attention. Their bohemian lifestyle and her dependence on him is suffocating his
creative genius. When 12 years later he imagines seeing her through the
bookstore window, the daughters, though skeptical, want to believe their mother
loved them enough to return. I recommend this book purely for the captivating
writing and style in which it is presented. I loved the manner in which the letters
told the story. I was slightly bored at times through the repetitive
swimming/ocean/beach descriptions. It is slow paced and little actually happens
but the characters were interesting and it easily held me until the end. I
guess I’m on the fence with this one but I would most certainly read this
author again.
Sunday, April 30, 2017
The Lost History of Stars
In October 1899, the Dutch
Afrikaner settlers in South Africa are brutally removed from their homes, their
farms are burned to the ground and the women and children are placed in
concentration camps. The men have gone off to fight the British whose interest
in the lucrative gold mines and control of the region have driven thousands of
soldiers to war. What is known as the Boer War lasted for three long harsh years.
Through the eyes of 14 yr old Lettie, The Lost History of Stars narrates their
unimaginable quarantine living in sparse tents with little food, water or
medicine. Lettie forms an unlikely friendship with a young British soldier guarding
the camp. He gives her a book by Dickens. Lettie’s love of reading and dreams
of writing fill her with the strength she needs to help her mother and siblings
through the daily battle of living. It
is through the hopeful eyes of this young girl on the cusp of womanhood we
learn the brutality of mankind against mankind. Her innocence and disbelief is
so raw and honest that the pain is palpable. More than 100 years later, this
history I knew little or nothing about is brought to life by this beautifully written
work of historical fiction. As I read each chapter I fell deeper into the heart
of Lettie’s sorrow, and her determination to remain hopeful. We are all looking
up at the sky, the same stars - but cannot manage to peacefully share the same
planet. It was happening then and it is happening now. Highly recommend this impassioned
novel, you will learn from and love these characters long after the end.
Monday, April 17, 2017
The Fall of Lisa Bellow
Meredith Oliver is a very average middle school girl. She and her two best friends keep to to themselves and try not to be embarrassingly singled out in the cafeteria by the popular crowd. Especially Lisa Bellow. Although when they were much younger they had their friendship moments, Lisa is now at the tippy top of the totem pole. Pretty and already experienced with the older boys, she has a way of making everyone outside her inner circle uncomfortable. One day Meredith is waiting behind Lisa at the deli on her way home from school. What feels like a typical boring day turns upside down when the door opens and in walks a masked man. After lying on the floor terrified, the man asks Lisa to get up. And then she is gone. And so begins Meredith’s second life, the one after the fall of Lisa Bellow. Suddenly Meredith is getting an incredible amount of attention, wanted or not, this is her new reality. How Meredith deals with the aftermath only adds to the dynamics of her own presently tumultuous family. I thought this was an interesting take on a unfathomable situation. The writer’s interpretation of these young girls was so accurate, it was spooky. More a thinking story than action - so not necessarily suspenseful. Highly recommend this unique, well written and thought provoking novel. Looking forward to more from author Susan Perabo.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
The Woman in the Photo
On Memorial Day 1889, the South Fork Dam
broke and the great Johnstown Flood occurred. Over 2200 people died. The entire
town was destroyed and countless homes and families never recovered. This is the
story of Elizabeth Haberlin whose wealthy Pittsburgh family had spent all their
summers at an exclusive resort along the Little Conemaugh River, directly above
Johnstown. Elizabeth is a young precocious woman who is on the brink of making
her debutante entrance to society. Her physician father and high society mother
obsess with making a match while Elizabeth questions her lavish lifestyle and the
many restrictions placed on women of her time. The coming of this event changes
her world forever. Fast forward to present day Lee Parker’s life in sunny
California. At 18, when she expected her life to be taking off, it is stalled
by her father’s disappearance, mothers financial struggle and her personal
search for information regarding her birth mother. Each chapter presents the
world from the perspective of these dynamic women who have more in common than
one would imagine. Highly recommend this fabulous work of historical fiction by
author Mary Hogan. A little bit long drawn at the end but overall a great book
club selection with an interesting discussion and bit of American history
learned.
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