A Year by the Sea, Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman by Joan Anderson is a book about a year on Cape Cod away from husband and kids where the author goes to try to rediscover herself. It is reminiscent of Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, though not nearly as lyrical and beautifully written as that book. A slim little volume delving into the inner world of a woman who has been defined her whole life by her…
The Paying Guests is a brilliant novel by Sarah Waters about life in Post-War London, circa 1922. A widowed mother and daughter are forced to take in tenants and let the servants go, due to their changing circumstances. An unexpected friendship arises between the daughter and the young wife, both in their twenties, and the pace of the novel really picks up from there. Waters is a masterful storyteller, and her writing is refreshingly original, there were times I had…
Broken Wings by Carla Stewart is a sweet, but predictable novel. A friendship between an older woman, Mitzi, volunteering at a hospital in Tulsa and a young woman, Brooke, in an abusive relationship begins with a chance encounter. Recalling Mitzi’s time as a famous Jazz singer is a nice touch, and of course all ends well. I didn’t realize Stewart was a Christian writer when I picked up the book. It was filled with a bit too much prayer and…
Family Baggage by Monica McInerney is a novel about an Australian family that owns a travel agency. The two boys and one girl are joined by a foster sister when her parents tragically die in a car crash in Ireland. McInerney is a great storyteller, and as the story of the family unfolds, mysteries and long held secrets come to light that could shatter the bonds that hold the family together. Amidst this family drama is the hilarious tour through…
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner was our latest book club pick. I wanted to love this book, but I didn’t. Depression Era, two couples meet and become lifelong friends, one poor from the west, one wealthy and privileged from the East, all well educated. Although the writing was beautiful, I just didn’t care much about any of the characters and found the book emotionally quite empty and easily forgettable. Stegner is a beloved author by many, just not my…
How to be Both by Ali Smith is two novels in one that eventually converge and overlap. It’s written in a totally original style and voice, and once you allow yourself to be taken away by the book, it becomes a wonderful, playful journey. There is Francesco del Cossa, an Italian Renaissance painter, and George, a modern day teenage girl dealing with the loss of her Mother. Through questions of art, time, gender, etc, the two become linked. Smith…
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant is historical fiction set in a convent in 16th century Italy. Almost half of all noblewomen of the time were put into convents as their families could not afford to marry off more than one daughter. The novel takes place entirely within the walls of the convent and is populated only by women. What could have been a rather boring story is brought to life in the most fascinating way by Dunant. There is the…
The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri is an imaginative novel centering around an apartment building in Bombay, all the families that live there, and Vishnu the man who has lived for many years on the landing and now lies there dying. This provokes various responses from the tenants who have known Vishnu for years. Suri skillfully weaves Hindu Mythology in and out of the story and transports the reader on a wonderful journey. At times funny, at times sad,…
The Hatmaker’s Heart by Carla Stewart is a novel about a young English girl living in NYC in the 1920’s trying to make her way as a hatmaker and designer. Its a wonderful story, full of the fashion and jazz scene of the times, even taking the reader to England for a royal wedding. I was enjoying this book until the end when the author suddenly starting talking a lot about God. It seemed strange and out of place and…
The Children’s Crusade by Ann Packer is a novel about four kids growing up with an unhappy mother and a stable father south of San Francisco on a piece of property that would eventually become very valuable. We meet them first as kids, then later as adults when one wants to sell the house they grew up in. Although the title is misleading, it is an engrossing and well written family saga. Packer has a way of delving into family…