The Book of Magic, by Alice Hoffman

 

The Book of Magic, Alice Hoffman's conclusion to the Owens family saga, is populated with the family members we know and look forward to meeting again, in another fascinating adventure.

We witness Franny and Jet's last day together, which reads like an emotional tribute to their past lives, and all that they've shared. Meanwhile, the lives of Sally and Gillian, the nieces they've raised, are examined and contrasted. Finally, we get a look into the lives of Franny and Jet's granddaughters, Antonia and Kylie. And yes, Vincent makes another appearance.

In the early part of this book, Kylie's story is the most prominent, because she is in love--and afraid of the family curse, which her mother Sally will not talk to her about. Actually, Sally has hidden everything to do with magic from her daughter. 

It is Kylie's actions that set the main plot moving, and I thought this took a bit too long. When she starts to explore the origins of the curse in England, the action does become more intense, though it is periodically interrupted with her sister Antonia's life, which to me seemed to be a tangent that slowed down the story's pace.

The most engaging part of this novel is when Kylie's concerned family track her down in England. This is an adventure that unites Franny, Vincent, Sally, and Gillian.  In my opinion, this is the essence of what is enjoyable about these books: the interaction between these family members, the way they solve problems, and their loyalty to one another. The family history is also captivating.

Along the way, there are many backstories. They are enjoyable reads, but sometimes they are too wordy, when there is, after all, an urgent crisis at hand. That said, some backstory is needed, especially in the case of Sally's new love interest, since this becomes part of the plot as well. 

The ending, which is protracted, put me in mind of a fairy tale in which everyone is beautiful, falls in love at first sight, and lives happily ever after. 

Overall, this was a charming read. I'd recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the other books in this series. 

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this fun experience!

Lemons in the Garden of Love, by Ames Sheldon

 Note: This book has been left out! I read this novel back in February, and forgot to include it in my Netgalley  reviews. So, here it is.

This story is set in the late 1970's and is the story of how Cassie Lyman, a graduate student, navigates a critical time in her life. She is developing a research subject for her doctoral thesis in women's history, when she comes across a fascinating amount of information at Smith College about Kate Easton, a woman who founded the Birth Control League of Massachusetts in 1916. Cassie also discovers that she is actually related to Kate Easton.

At this point, Cassie has been living in Minnesota, but she has returned to her childhood stomping grounds for the wedding of her sister. So, in the foreground of this story is Cassie's current family drama surrounding the wedding and-- other later developments. Meanwhile, Cassie is obsessed with reading Kate Easton's journal entries and letters. As time goes on, Cassie finds parallels between her life and her great grand aunt's, and is thankful for and awed by the work and strength exhibited by her predecessor.

I enjoyed the historical background of this story-- Kate Easton's writing was the best part of this historical novel. She seemed real. Unfortunately, Cassie did not come off the page for me, and I thought that she seemed too young. For example, the petulance she feels towards her mother's bossiness before and during a family wedding was surprisingly immature. Then, she is absent during most of her sister's wedding reception because she can't resist going up to her room to read Kate's letters. This seemed both rude and childishly self-absorbed. Also, the way she avoids her husband during the event, which he has had to fit around his schedule, seems unfair.

One part of Cassie's life that is never developed is how she came to be married to Martin, in the first place. Their marriage is an important part of Cassie's life, and so should have been drawn with more detail.

In contrast to the dearth of background on Cassie's marital situation, there is a lot of dialogue, much of which I found awkward and sometimes unlikely.

In the end, I thought her life came together easily, with her problems solved in predictable ways. This is a light, pleasant read, but not overly compelling. The history about Massachusett's Birth Control League was intriguing.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this opportunity

Nives, by Sacha Naspini

 

This is the first audiobook I've ever listened to and it was a wonderful discovery. We meet Nives, a Tuscan woman who has just been widowed, but feels an absence of emotion. After the funeral, after her daughter and grandchildren have left, though, she realizes that she is lonely.

During her soliloquies, we learn that Nives has a tough exterior, a woman strong in both spirit and limb, one who has helped run a farm, raise a daughter, and run a household. In her loneliness, she becomes attached to one of her hens, the one she has named Giacomina. This hen has a complacent manner, despite struggling with a bad foot, and Nives finds her endearing. Her sudden loneliness has caused Nives to examine her life, and this new habit of spending time in a company of a hen has Nives worried about herself, wondering why this hen is enough company to replace her husband. One evening, when Nives is watching TV with her avian pet beside her, she notices that Giacomina has been put in a trance. Or something like that. She cannot wake this bird up. Panicked, she feels that she has no choice but to make a late night call to the town's vet. At first, their conversation is comic. Loriano Bottai, the vet, has the attitude that perhaps Nives has lost her mind a little, calling him at night over a possibly hypnotized hen, and he tries to end the call, but never finds a graceful way of doing so. Meanwhile, the conversation has moved away from Giacomina, to things that happened long ago in their town, and then to them. I got the feeling that their Tuscany was a small village where everyone knew everyone, and fascinated that in the beginning of this conversation, I would never have guessed how well Nives and the vet had known each other. In fact, they share a secret. During this phone call that spans almost all of this novel, Nives dives into the past, sharing all her pain, her unrequited love and her anger. This a riveting conversation with several twists, as Nives shares some startling facts. On the death of her husband, Nives is looking back on her life with him, pondering the meaning of that life, what it's all been about. In the end, this venting has been so cathartic that Nives feels suddenly blessed and happy for the first time in her life. And sometime during all this chatter, Giacomina has woken up, gotten off the couch, and gone searching for food. (I loved that metaphor). This was an profound story, beautifully narrated by Lesa Lockford. Many thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media, LLC for this rich experience.

Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Jonathan Doerr

There is an ancient, mysterious Greek tale, written by Antonius Diogenes. Mysterious, because it was lost, and then some of it has been obliterated with damage and time. Five people, in three different time periods separated by centuries, read and bring their own meanings to this tale.

This novel leads us into the lives of Anna, Omeir, Zeno, Seymour, and Konstance, who each have compelling stories of their own. The way the narrative switches back and forth between stories, letting the reader notice the connections, is brilliant and compelling. This ancient tale captures attention and imagination, allowing people to just enjoy it, to live in the moment. 

The themes that run through these stories are beautiful, too. To need hope, to need other people, is to be human. And we are all in this together, and can't give up. 

There are so many wonderful details in these stories! Jonathan Doerr writes magically, so that time disappeared while I was reading this. For a time, it was all I needed. 

Thank you, Netgalley and Scribner, for gifting me with the opportunity to experience this new book!

Oh, William! By Elizabeth Strout

 I confess that this is merely my third Elizabeth Strout book, but I will certainly go back and read the rest of them. The lack of knowledge about Lucy Barton did not hamper me, though, since the author included all the information I needed to thoroughly enjoy this story. Stories, really.

Elizabeth Strout has a splendidly strong voice. In 𝐎𝐡, 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦!, the narrator is Lucy Barton, a writer who is telling us about her  ex-husband, William Gerhardt. Of course, to tell us about William is to tell us about the people in William's life, including herself and especially his mother, Catherine Cole. 

In the beginning, I did not like William at all. He seemed cold, distant, and self-absorbed. It did make me wonder, at first, why Lucy was still so friendly with him, but then, I thought, they did have two daughters together. 

However, it's more than that. When a couple of startling things happen to William, and Lucy heeds his call for help, she begins to deeply ponder what it is about William that attracted her, all those years ago. Then, they take a trip to research a revelation about William's family, and it becomes clear that his mother had a past that neither of them would've imagined or believed. It turns out, the person they knew as Catherine Cole was much more complex than the woman they thought they'd known. 

William is also a complex character, very flawed and damaged, but, it turns out, not unlikeable. Lucy is able to pinpoint what it was that attracted her, and concludes that she sized him up incorrectly, too. 

𝑇𝒉𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝒉𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒: 𝑡𝒉𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑡𝒉𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒.

Lucy is aware that she does not know herself, either. For instance, all her life,  Lucy felt the sensation of being both invisible and having a spotlight on her head, proclaiming that she knew nothing.  Many people will identify with that! I am in awe of how profound her thoughts are, and how easily she seems to express them. 

If it's impossible, or unimaginable, to proclaim what we are feeling to others, then everyone on this planet is feeling a sense of loneliness and a lack of awareness about themselves and others. That sounds like a morose theme, and yet, I found this novel to be hopeful. Perhaps that's because I sense a new beginning for Lucy Barton. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with the chance to read this lovely book!

Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead

 This is a historical fiction novel which is part family saga, part gangster story, taking place in the early 1960's. The protagonist is Ray Carney, a man who is smart in every sense of the word. He's got common sense, street smarts, and a business degree. He's a man who is struggling to make a life for himself and for his family, and does not want to follow in his father's footsteps. Big Mike, as they called him, was part of Harlem's criminal underworld. And yet, this world has its hooks in Ray. He pays both a cop and a gangster protection money, and this is a dance that many step to, and keeps a part of the city's hierarchy intact.

Sure, Ray Carney is a bit crooked. He was raised on ill-gotten money and goods, and the seed money for his furniture business came from his father. And he does some fencing, as in not checking the provenance of certain items that he sells. But, he's keeping a low profile, just staying on the outskirts of all the craziness. Until, that is, his cousin Freddie gets in on a dangerous scheme, and drops Ray's name. Whether Ray likes it or not, he's involved in a certain heist.

As children, Freddie and Ray were very close, growing up like brothers, and Freddie always had a knack for getting them both in trouble. Unfortunately, he's at it again, but this time, it's serious, life-threatening trouble. 

Part of the historical backdrop of this story was the Harlem race riots of 1964, when a black teenager was senselessly shot and killed by an off-duty police officer. The adults in Ray Carney's world are older, and have different viewpoints and attitudes about what is going on around them. The protesting is mostly younger people, believing in and fighting for change.  During these years, a lot of change takes place in Ray's life and in the city's life, too. 

The different sides of New York City in this novel were intriguing. One person's Harlem is not another person's, like one of those optical illusion pictures that can be viewed as different objects, depending on how one looks. Also, the characters that populate these different worlds are colorful and interesting. There was also the humor! Even when Ray is in a deadly situation, he might have home furnishings on his mind, for example, noticing that these crooks are standing on a certain brand of carpet that will prevent stains. Convenient.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest novel by Colson Whitehead, and many thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday books for this wonderful opportunity.

8/2021

The Eternal Audience of One, by Rémy Ngamije

 Rémy Ngamije has written an intriguing and painful coming of age story about an intelligent and unusually insightful young man. His name is Séraphin, born in Rwanda to educated, prosperous parents who were forced to flee their country, along with their three sons. Séraphin has memories of living in different places, before settling in Windhoek, Namibia.

Everywhere his family has lived, they have been treated with diminished respect for being immigrants, sometimes called refugees, which in some places has a derogatory implication.Séraphin, always atune to his surroundings, is very sensitive and easily angered by this unfairness. Additionally, he is verbally talented and able to interpret and articulate what he sees.

During most of this novel,  Séraphin is attending law school in Cape Town, South Africa, and dreaming of remaining there. As we follow Seraphin's adventures with his group of friends, we see a South Africa in which Apartheid has ended, but racism is still very much apparent. 
 
Rémy Ngamije's writing style is beautiful, I love the inner dialogue Séraphin has with himself, and the characters of his friends are well developed and interesting. Their conversations are sometimes hilarious and usually philosophical. We are in brilliant company. 

Also, I love the way we are let into the stories of the adults in Séraphin's life, especially each one of his parents. They, too, were bright young people, working hard to achieve their dreams. And suffering in similar ways.

This is an extraordinary coming of age story. There may be some instances when Séraphin might be immature and not totally likeable, but then, just like any other person his age, he must do his own growing up. In Séraphin's case, growing into himself is full of a number of mean, grievous  obstacles, but he is up to the challenge. 

I highly recommend this. It is both thought provoking and beautiful. For me, it was an educational peek into another culture, as well. 

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read a magnificent book I might not have discovered, otherwise.

Sorrowland, by Rivers Soloman

 

Vern has grown up in a commune, one that is organized by a religious cult. As a bright child, she begins to question the beliefs of the adults raising her and chafes at the rules imposed on her. At the age of fifteen, she has already been married off to the cult leader and is pregnant. Desperately unhappy and with no one she can relate to, she escapes into the surrounding woods.

Rivers Solomon has drawn Vern's character in a well-written, intelligent manner. Vern is a young woman who is torn between some of the teachings of Cainites and what her intelligence perceives to be her truth. It is important to the story that the Cainites are African-Americans who separate themselves from the surrounding economy, especially white culture. The members of this community have sought to live together and help one another without persecution and mistreatment.  However, as Vern slowly realizes, the Cainites are still victims. There is an atrocity happening here, and it's told as an unfolding mystery. 

Vern's life in the woods is filled with birthing and raising twins, survivalist skills, and finding herself. She is a complex character who is damaged and confused by her childhood, angry with the adults in her life, especially her mother, and trying her hardest to be a better mother to her children. It is during this time in the woods that this novel begins to seem like science fiction--the way Vern is changing and her superhuman skills and strength alert us that something has been done to her.

Without giving away too much of the story, Vern does eventually become involved with other people and is able to confront her past as well as her present. 

The events I'm leaving out in this review are quite fascinating. The action is well-paced, the characters come off the page, and it's a pleasure to read about such strong female characters.  This is a thought-provoking, good read.

Thank you to Netgalley for this opportunity!

Takakush, by Raine Reiter

 

𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒌𝒖𝒔𝒉 is a paranormal fantasy that mostly focuses on Elena Lukas, a young professor, who has just returned to her childhood home and family B&B business in Olympia, Washington, after a painful romantic breakup. She is to start a job at a local university in the fall.

Elena's family has the fate of serving a powerful Lithuanian goddess. At first, she is not ready to accept this, but when she is contacted by a local wildlife ranger for help in dealing with some strange animal attacks, she naturally calls on the goddess's powers. 

I chose to read this because fantasy is a genre that appeals to me, and I enjoyed the premise of this tale. Once the story gets moving, I found that the mood was expertly set, the details of The Capitol Forest were well-written, and the mood was fittingly eerie. There is a mythical creature stalking the forest, a mutant-looking bear, using a kind of black magic on its prey. And now, it's after Elena. 

A later part of the story involves Gabby, Elena's younger sister, a high school freshman. One night, she goes missing. It is during Gabby's encounter with her attacker that we are finally introduced to Takakush. At this point, I must confess, I became somewhat confused about the relationship between these two creatures-- I'm not sure if I missed something, or if there is to be a sequel. 


I enjoyed the characters in Elena's family, and the backstory about the family B&B, complete with her mother Mina's struggle to please the over-the top eccentric travel column critic.  Elena's romance with Boone, the Capitol Forest ranger, escalated quickly, but then, this is a fantasy--I'm personally not bothered by that. Also, Elena's grandmother was a treat. And, of course, Boone's dog Ohto. Ohto was great. I did think that some of the dialogue seemed unlikely, but it didn't really detract much from the storyline. 

One critical note I would add is really just a formatting issue: the book is not only separated by chapters, but by subtitles, informing the reader of the point of view and location that follows. This is really not necessary, and I felt it hindered the flow of my reading. It's possible that these subtitles (if that is what I should call them) are not present in the final draft of the book.

Overall, this was an interesting read for those who enjoy an exotic fantasy. Many thanks to Netgalley for this pleasant opportunity!

Lemons in the Garden of Love, by Ames Sheldon

 This story is set in the late 1970's and is the story of how Cassie Lyman, a graduate student, navigates a critical time in her life. She is developing a research subject for her doctoral thesis in women's history, when she comes across a fascinating amount of information at Smith College about Kate Easton, a woman who founded the Birth Control League of Massachusetts in 1916. Cassie also discovers that she is actually related to Kate Easton.

At this point, Cassie has been living in Minnesota, but she has returned to her childhood stomping grounds for the wedding of her sister. So, in the foreground of this story is Cassie's current family drama surrounding the wedding and-- other later developments. Meanwhile,  Cassie is obsessed with reading Kate Easton's journal entries and letters. As time goes on, Cassie finds parallels between her life and her great grand aunt's, and is thankful for and awed by the work and strength exhibited by her predecessor. 

I enjoyed the historical background of this story-- Kate Easton's writing was the best part of this historical novel. She seemed real.  Unfortunately, Cassie did not come off the page for me, and I thought that she seemed too young. For example, the petulance she feels towards her mother's bossiness before and during a family wedding was surprisingly immature. Then, she is absent during most of her sister's wedding reception because she can't resist  going up to her room and read Kate's letters. This seemed both rude and childishly self-absorbed. Also, the way she avoids her husband during the event, which he has had to fit around his schedule, seems unfair. 

One part of Cassie's life that is never developed is how she came to be married to Martin, in the first place. Their marriage is an important part of Cassie's life, and so should have been drawn with more detail. 

In contrast to the dearth of background on Cassie's marital situation, there is a lot of dialogue, much of which I found awkward and sometimes unlikely. 

In the end, I thought her life came together easily,  with her problems solved in  predictable ways. This is a light, pleasant read, but not overly compelling. The history about Massachusett's Birth Control League was intriguing.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this opportunity.

2/2020

The Streel, by Mary Logue

The Streel tells the story of a very young woman named Brigid Reardon, born in Gallway, Ireland, who immigrates to the United States, along with her brother Seamus, to escape famine and extreme poverty. Her story begins in 1877. This novel appealed to me because I like both mysteries and historical novels for the intrigue and information to be learned about different cultures and time periods.

 Brigid's adventures begin during her passage across the ocean, when she and Seamus meet a couple of guys named Paddy and Billy, and bond with them. Actually, there is a scene in which the three young men must physically protect Brigid that seems to be a foreshadowing about the ferocity of one of the characters. Mostly, though, the story focuses on Brigid. 

After arriving in the states, Brigid does what many young ladies do--she becomes a servant, in the employ of wealthy families. Eventually, when she begins to attract the attention of Charlie Hunt, the son of the wealthy people she is working for, she decides to make another arduous trek west to join Seamus, where he, Paddy, and Billy have joined the gold rush and own a promising claim. 

Upon arriving, Brigid immediately meets Lily, her brother's love interest, and slowly realizes that she is a streel--which is an Irish term for prostitute.  So far, this has been a historical novel, but the very next morning, the first Brigid has in this new environment, she discovers Lily's body. And so begins the mystery.

When local law enforcement immediately blames Seamus, Brigid is pushed into duty as a detective, trying to clear her brother's name. Without giving anything away, I'd simply say that some of this is predictable. In the end, one of the character's actions did puzzle me, seeming to betray what I'd expected of him. 

The pacing is good and the plot is engaging. There are a few societal messages that are pleasing, as well. Since this is a shorter novel, it cannot be densely written, so the character development and level of detail were not quite to my liking, but I enjoyed it. 

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this entertaining book!

The Ship of Dreams, by Gareth Russell

The Ship of Dreams is a lovingly written and researched volume that centers on the sinking of the Titanic, but also encompasses the history of the society that invented her.

 Gareth Russell focuses on just a few of the passengers, and lets us look into their lives and family histories. The author delved into these surrounding histories with a completeness that  I must admit surprised me. It wasn't at all the book I was expecting.

 One of the passengers Russell introduces us to is The Countess of Rothes,  or Lucy-Noelle Martha Leslie, who was traveling with a companion and her maid. Her life history was educational for its depiction of the aristocracy in England during  the Edwardian Era. She was also remarkably kind and generous, the type of person I would expect to be lauded in a history such as this.

Russell also illustrates the story of Ida and Isidor Straus, an older American couple who did not survive. As the lifeboats filled with women and children first, Ida and Isidor refused to be separated, and decided to go down with the ship, together. He was the co-owner of Macy's department store and had also served as a member of US House of Representatives. He came from a family of Jewish immigrants, and had known hardship and prejudice. 

Thomas Andrews, managing director of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, also went down with the ship, while gallantly trying to save as many passengers and crew as possible. There are few people like him.

There was also teenaged Jack Thayer, son of John B. Thayer, second vice present of the Pennsylvania Railroad, who, after seeing his mother off on one of the lifeboats, jumped into the ocean just before the ship went down, and miraculously made it through the freezing night. He lost his father and was forever haunted;  decades later, he would be one of the ten survivors to end his own life.

And then there was Dorothy Gibson, and actress, who in contrast, comes across as extremely shallow. Her life continued to be--interesting. 

J. Bruce Ismay, a man who found a place in one of the lifeboats, was tormented forever afterwards with public disgrace, perceived as a coward for not giving up his space for another. He wasn't the only man shamed in this manner, an attitude that seems shocking, now. 

There were only about 713 survivors, out of about 2229 on board The Titanic, and on that tragic night, some people were subjected to a test of character few ever have to face. There were enough lifeboats to save just a third of the the humans suffering that night, a situation that never should have happened. The Titanic's legacy is improved safety, and a mandatory lifeboat drill before every cruise. These days, everyone knows where to find a life vest, and everyone knows where to report, in the event of a disaster.

The bottom line is, the Titanic's sinking was caused by excessive speed. More caution should have been taken while navigating icebergs. And sadly, when catastrophe struck, no one was prepared--not the crew, who did not realize how much time was needed to deploy the lifeboats, or the passengers, who did not know where their life vests were, or where to report. 

This was the first history I've read about The Titanic. I found it fascinating and would recommend it highly. 

Thank you, Atria Books and Netgalley for an experience that I would not have otherwise had!

Reviewed 11/2019