Life After Life by Jill McCorkle, has the same name and came out around the same time as the novel by Kate Atkinson, but these two novels have nothing else in common. McCorkle writes from the point of view of many different characters living in or around a retirement home in the South. From 12 year old Abby to 85 year old Sadie, McCorkle writes in each of their voices. The novel works for the most part and paints an…
The Golem and the Jinni is the debut novel by Helene Wecker. I loved this book. It’s an example of really great story telling, which I don’t find often enough in current fiction. Set in 1899 in New York City, two mysterious creatures come to life and discover each other living among the cities immigrant populations. The writing and the details were so wonderful, I felt transported to that time and place. I fully bought into the story, caring deeply…
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson is one of the most original novels I have ever read. The protagonist, Ursula Todd is born in England on a snowy February day in 1910. She dies many times, including once at childbirth, and yet is always reborn, though she has only the faintest memories of these other lives. The story culminates during WWII and the Blitz. In an incredible feat of storytelling, Atkinson interweaves Ursula’s many seperate lives into one cohesive story….
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty is a page turner that will keep you up late at night. Set in Australia, the lives of three families intersect as a shocking secret from the past comes to light. I won’t say much more, as I don’t want to spoil anything. Moriarty places her characters in impossible situations, and then we get to see what happens. Suspenseful and compelling. I was hooked from the beginning. A great read!
Beautiful Day is the latest by Elin Hildebrand. It is a novel set on Nantucket that takes place over one weekend during a family wedding. Jenna, the bride, is using The Notebook, left to her by her deceased mother, to guide all her preparations for the wedding. Her mother wrote it when she knew she was dying and wouldn’t be able to be there for her daughters wedding. The problems that occur over the weekend are usual family problems. Nothing…
Hyperbole and a Half is the new graphic novel by Allie Brosh based on her blog of the same name. I loved this book. It is incredible how expressive her drawings are considering they are composed of just a few lines. Brosh tackles depression and other unfortunate situations in this book, and it is at times depressing. But it is also highly insightful and extremely funny. I laughed out loud through most of it and wanted more at the end….
Benjamin Franklin’s Bastard by Sally Cabot is historical fiction based the lives of Benjamin Franklin and his son William Franklin. As little is known about the true identity of William’s mother, Cabot has created a possible story based on lots of research. It is an interesting and entertaining read, giving us a glimpse inside the family life of one of the founding fathers of our nation. Those who like historical fiction will enjoy this book.
The Fountain of St.James Court; or Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman by Sena Jeter Naslund, is a novel inside a novel, switching from present day Kentucky, to the past, during the life of French painter Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755–1842). In the present, we have Kathryn Callaghan, who has just completed her novel, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman. Naslund’s novel takes place over the course of one day in Kathryn’s life as she leaves her novel…
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler is a novel about a secret relationship between a young white girl and a black boy, deeply in love in 1930’s Kentucky. This is the story of their forbidden relationship and its lifelong consequences. Kibler writes in present day and the past, speaking from the voices of two women, young and old, each struggling with their own demons, traveling on a road trip together to a funeral. The characters and the story are both…
Archangel is the new collection of short stories by Andrea Barrett. I am not usually a fan of short stories, as they seem to always leave me wanting more, and I much prefer the novel. However, Barrett is a master, and I was sold from the very first story. Her writing is filled with scientific discovery, mostly in the early 20th century. Some of it is based on fact and some of the stories have overlapping characters. Barrett is one…