The first book I read after just moving back to Hawaii is East Wind, Rain by Caroline Paul. This is a wonderful novel that takes place on the Hawaiian Island of Niihau. This is historic fiction based on the little known event of a Japanese fighter pilot crash landing on Niihau on Dec. 7th 194, after attacking Pearl Harbor. The Niihauans were completely unaware of the war, and this is a portrait of how this event changed their way of life…
The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier is an in depth character study of Joy Harkness, a Henry James scholar and professor at Columbia who moves from NYC to Amherst Massachusets, buys an old house that needs a lot of work, and finds herself becoming part of a community, against her better judgement. We are taken on Joy’s journey with her as she learns to slowly open herself up to the people around her and let them in- to her life,…
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown is a wonderful and witty and truly unique novel. It follows the lives of three sisters who have moved back home at ages 27-33, all for different reasons. Their father is a Shakespearean scholar who speaks almost entirely in verse. This could have been a silly ploy, but in Brown’s deft hands the result is nothing short of brilliant. I loved all the characters and didn’t want this book to end. This is about a family…
Finally, a book I can really sink my teeth into! Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain is a wonderful novel. It is historical fiction based on the life of naturalist Eleanor Glanville in the late 17th century. She was accused of being insane at the time for her interest in the natural world and her preoccupation with butterflies. These were acceptable things for a man, but not a woman. This is the story of a remarkable woman who defied…
Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch is a quick, mostly forgettable book. It is well written, and drew me in for sure, I just never really cared that much about the characters, and nothing much happened. Hannah, a 35 year old woman who drinks too much and has made a mess of her marriage, returns home to the South to look for her missing father who disappeared 20 years ago. The book centers on her search for questions that have been unanswered…
I am new to Anne Tyler and this novel, Back When We Were Grownups certainly didn’t impress me. Rebecca, the 53 year old protagonist seems to be going through a mid-life crises. There are just too many characters in the book that are all undeveloped and I didn’t even particularly like Rebecca. I kept waiting for something to draw me in, but by that time the book had ended. Everyone recommends reading Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by the same author, so…
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See is the much awaited follow up to Shanghai Girls. This is the kind of historical fiction that I love. However, with such high expectaions for this book, based on how much I loved See’s earlier novels, I was a little disappointed. We continue the story of sisters Pearl and May that we met in Shanghai Girls. Now their daughter/niece Joy has run away to China during Mao’s Great Leap Forward, and Pearl, who is…
The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley is a mildly fascinating novel about the Chinese princess Eastern Jewel. I think I would have enjoyed the novel more if it hadn’t been billed as historical fiction. Although Easten Jewel is an historical figure, most of this story seems to be made up. Her life story is nonetheless intriguing. She was a strong woman of Chinese birth, cousin of the last Emperor, raised in Japan, sent to Mongolia, and later became…
I picked up Under the Mercy Trees by Heather Newton in the library, not knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised by this debut novel. This is a character driven novel, centering on the siblings of a missing man in rural North Carolina. When Leon Owenby is discovered missing, his brother Martin returns from a depressing life in NYC to a rather depressing life back in his hometown, to help look for him. This could have been a grim novel,…
The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt attracted me first by its title. Then I came to enjoy it for its fresh writing and poetic narrative. Poet Mia Fredricksen is fresh out of the hospital after a breakdown caused by the departure of her husband of 30 years for a younger woman, referred to as “The Pause.” She spends the summer back in her hometown with her mother and 5 elderly women, as well a a group of 7 young…