Blog Archives

Piers’ Desire by Marianne Ackerman

Pre-Order from The Book Depository

Short Summary:

Set in Avignon France, Piers’ Desire is a literary thriller. A 44-year-old failed monk from Montreal is living in exile, writing pulp thrillers under a penname (Piers Le Gris), when his landlady’s luscious young niece moves in, shattering their quiet routines. Magali’s youthful sensuality and her tormented affair with a young Arab poet sets in motion events which expose hidden secrets, driving both Piers and Nelly (who is 70) to surprising actions.

My Review:

I struggled with this book. I kept pushing myself through the story reasoning that it was short, that I could do it. I’m now regretting that resolve.

The only thing positive I took from this story and the experience I’ve had reading it is the feeling of satisfaction once I put it down, knowing that I made it, that I actually finished the book.

This is a story that, from what I can tell, is about hopeless love. The style in which the story is told reminds me of looking through a piece of fractured glass. It’s a bit blurry, kind of crazy and, if you look long enough, will give you a doozy of a headache.

I think the author intended to be abstract, smart, stylized in her writing. Instead I got confused, frustrated and bored. I’m really disappointed by it as I thought the premise of the story was interesting. It reminded me of the old Hitchcock movies from the description.

I can’t honestly say I’d recommend this book to anyone. But, as always, these reviews are my opinion and you are welcome to take them or leave them as you see fit.

View all my reviews

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

Buy from The Book Depository

Short Summary:

Meet Matt Prior. He’s about to lose his job, his wife, his house, maybe his mind. Unless . . .

In the winning and utterly original novels Citizen Vince and The Zero, Jess Walter (“a ridiculously talented writer”—New York Times) painted an America all his own: a land of real, flawed, and deeply human characters coping with the anxieties of their times. Now, in his warmest, funniest, and best novel yet, Walter offers a story as real as our own lives: a tale of overstretched accounts, misbegotten schemes, and domestic dreams deferred.

My Review:

Don’t you love it when you find yourself really enjoying a book that you know you normally would not like?

THE FINANCIAL LIVES OF THE POETS is that book for me. There are so many things about the book that should make up the recipe for being a book on Lydia’s did-not-enjoy list. Instead I found myself enjoying the story immensely (although, admittedly, I did have some pretty nasty dreams because it was a little too real and bleak).

Jess Walter does a fantastic job of mixing comedy (straight up laugh out loud lines as well as a self-deprecating main character) with real life topics such as the economy and financial crisis. The first chapter had me laughing out loud to the point where I was wiping away tears by the end of it.

So what all did this book have that would make me not want to pick it up?

- Poetry

- Financial misery

- An extraordinary amount of swear words

- Drug use

Those four things normally add up to me tossing the book away in disgust and moving on. Instead I found myself wrapped up in the story and feeling the narrators pain. It was all so.. real.

Very solid book, very entertaining and I’m loving that it took me way out of my comfort zone and reminded me to keep an open mind about things. You never know when something might surprise you.

View all my reviews

About the Author

Jess Walter is the author of five novels and one nonfiction book. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages and his essays, short fiction, criticism and journalism have been widely published, in Details, Playboy, Newsweek, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe among many others.

His books:
–THE FINANCIAL LIVES OF THE POETS, 2009.
–THE ZERO, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award, the 2007 PEN Center Literary Award and the 2007 LA Times Book Prize and winner of the 2007 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award.
–CITIZEN VINCE, winner of the 2005 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel and a finalist for the ITW Thriller of the Year award.
–LAND OF THE BLIND (2003)
–OVER TUMBLED GRAVES, a 2001 New York Times notable book
–EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW (rereleased as RUBY RIDGE), a finalist for the PEN USA literary nonfiction award in 1996.

Walter also writes screenplays and was the co-author of Christopher Darden’s 1996 bestseller In Contempt. He lives with his wife Anne and children, Brooklyn, Ava and Alec in his childhood home of Spokane, Washington.

To learn more please visit Jess Walter’s website.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Finny by Justin Kramon

Buy on Amazon

Short Summary:

We meet Finny Short as an observant, defiant fourteen-year-old who can’t make sense of her family’s unusual habits: Her mother offers guidance appropriate for a forty-year-old socialite; her father quotes Nietzsche over pancakes. Finny figures she’s stuck with this lonely lot until she meets Earl Henckel, a boy who comes from an even stranger place than she does. Unhappy with Finny’s budding romance with Earl, her parents ship her off to Thorndon boarding school. But mischief follows Finny as she befriends New York heiress Judith Turngate, a girl whose charm belies a disquieting reckless streak.

My Review:

FINNY is the story of Finny Short – an unfortunate name for a girl who has quite the unfortunate life, all told.

At first I thought this was going to be a coming-of-age story. The first section of the book had all of the markings of it. Young girl in a strange family, boy next door (who I got the impression was some kind of a dwarf? but he wasn’t or something – still confused on that). Each family member had their own little quirks, their ways of being different.

Then young Finny gets sent off to boarding school because her prim and proper mother finds out she’s been kissing the boy next door. Here we kind of go into some murky waters, testing the whole lesbian thing and, I don’t know if it was intended, but I really was thinking that Judith and her roommate might be moving into some territory here that.. really did not give me the best of feelings, considering the background and the story up to this point.

Time moves on and Finny’s life continues through its ups and downs. Now.. there were parts of the book that I loved and hated at the same time. Justin Kramon wrote with this sort of detached emotion through the book; he matter-of-factly laid out details about Finny’s life and the lives of those around her. It was an odd feeling; feeling so outside of Finny’s world but being so close to Finny – because she really was that engaging and compelling of a character.

Was this book a worthwhile read? I’d say yes, and I’m very glad I was a last minute addition to this tour. I would never have picked up this book otherwise and, when all is said and done, there were moments that this book took me back to my own experiences in life through the emotions and struggles Finny had to deal with.

View all my reviews >>

About the Author

Justin Kramon is the author of the novel Finny(Random House 2010).

A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he has published stories in Glimmer Train, Story Quarterly, Boulevard, Fence, TriQuarterly, and others. He has received honors from the Michener-Copernicus Society of America, Best American Short Stories, the Hawthornden International Writers’ Fellowship, and the Bogliasco Foundation.

He teaches at Gotham Writers’ Workshop in New York City and at the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio.

He lives in Philadelphia.
To learn more please visit Justin Kramon’s website.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Last War: A Novel by Ana Menendez

Buy on Amazon

Summary:

A breathtaking novel of love, war, and betrayal

Flash, a photojournalist, chases conflicts around the globe with her war correspondent husband, Brando. Now Brando is in Iraq, awaiting her arrival. Yet instead of racing to join him, Flash idles in Istanbul, vaguely aware that her marriage is faltering.

Losing herself in a fog of memory and recrimination, Flash ponders her life with the ambitious and handsome husband she calls “Wonderboy.” Her malaise is compounded by the arrival of a mysterious letter informing her that Brando has been unfaithful to her in Baghdad. Devastated and unwilling to confront him over the phone, Flash spirals deeper into regret, anger, and indecision. Were she and Brando ever happy?

My Review:

I spent a good thirty minutes trying to think of ways to begin this review. The biggest challenge stems, as always, from my opinion of the book; an opinion that’s torn.

On one hand I can appreciate the story being told; the story of a broken marriage, a woman used to peering into the lives of others and having to, ultimately, examine herself with that lens. There’s a touch of mystery, did “Wonderboy” cheat or did he not cheat? Who wrote that damning letter? Did the letter actually affect the already strained relationship between “Flash” and “Wonderboy” or was it broken beyond repair before it appeared?

Then, on the other hand, I wanted to reach into the book and just slap some sense into the selfish bitch that was “Flash”. As a privileged American I took the rebukes of the author to heart; yes, I get that war and famine and death is happening around the world and I get that, honestly, it does not affect my daily life. Sure I can pray about it – but I am not different than the majority of Americans out there going to work and play without much thought spared toward the hardships of those around the globe. But “Flash” didn’t seem to learn any of this … in fact, I didn’t see that she learned much of anything at all except maybe not to judge without speaking to the individual first.

What it all boiled down to was that, for me, this was not a good read. I had to force myself through the last half of it and in fact enjoyed the “About the Author” more than I did the story itself. The Author wrote her “About me” section talking about the preparation of food and the comfort that simple alchemy can give. That I could relate to, more than anything she had written about “Flash”.

I’m not going to steer you away from this book; I don’t know enough about your lifestyle to know if it would help you or not. I’m just here to tell you that this was a book that evoked some strong reactions in me; some of which were not good.

View all my reviews >>

About the Author

Ana Menéndez was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Cuban exiles. She is the author of three books of fiction, In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd, which was a 2001 New York Times Notable book of the year and whose title story won a Pushcart Prize, Loving Che(2004) and The Last War (2009) chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the top 100 books of the year.

Since 1991 Ana has worked as a journalist in the United States and abroad, most recently as a prize-winning columnist for The Miami Herald. As a reporter, she has written about Cuba, Haiti, Kashmir, Afghanistan and India, where she was based for three years.

To learn more please visit Ana Menendez’s website.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

Buy on Amazon

Summary:

n this breathtaking and beautiful novel, the #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen creates an unforgettable portrait of a mother, a father, a family, and the explosive, violent consequences of what seem like inconsequential actions

My Review:

My first introduction to Anna Quindlen was four years ago when RISE AND SHINE was released. I have vague memories of the book (I wasn’t writing my reviews down at the time) and, although those memories didn’t put me off of reading more Quindlen, they didn’t inspire me to seek her out again.

Every Last One gives me somewhat of the same feeling – which is really odd because I got very emotionally wrapped up in this story. The thing I decided I didn’t like about the book was the thing that actually hooked me in, I realize that now as I look back on the experience.

The first half of Every Last One describes a mundane life, a life that we all are familiar with in some way or another. The happy marriage, the three children, each diverse and each carrying their own set of issues. Ruby, the 17 year old poet – sassy, independent but still.. just a child with fears of the unknown, of going away to college and of making the right choices. Alex, the sports jock and one of a set of fraternal twins. The kid that everyone knows will be okay, the one the parents have the most ease in relating to, and then there’s his twin, Max – the drummer, the quiet sort, the depressed. Max has no where to fit in, surrounded by his popular sister and sports brother.

Out of those three children a story begins to spin. About halfway through the book is the part that both hit me hard and the part that reminded me of why I never sought out Anna Quindlen again. I feel like I got punched in the chest. Everything I assumed about the story was shattered and it affected me deeply – so why the so-so review?

Because I am resentful. I feel as if the story turned and I was strung along merely for the “shock” of what happened. Anna Quindlen redeems herself by really working through the grief and horror of her characters but I can’t help but feel a little bit like the entire first half of the book was a set-up to lull me into complacency.

With that said, this was a good book. It had a powerful story and a powerful message to convey, just guard your heart or you may find yourself weeping for an hour like I did trying to get a grasp on what just happened. (This is what happens, also, when you do not read reviews or descriptions of the book before picking it up.)

View all my reviews >>

Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline

Buy on Amazon

Summary:

It was an accident. It was dark, it was raining, Alison had only had two drinks. And the other car ran the stop sign. But Alison finds herself trapped under the crushing weight of grief and guilt, feeling increasingly estranged from her husband…
Charlie, who has his own burdens. He’s in a job he doesn’t love so that Alison can stay at home with the kids (and why isn’t she more grateful for that?); he has a house in the suburbs and a long commute to and from the city. And the only thing he can focus on these days is his secret, sudden affair with…
Claire, Alison’s best friend. Bold where Alison is reserved, vibrant where Alison is cautious, Claire has just had her first novel published, a thinly veiled retelling of her childhood in North Carolina. But even in the whirlwind of publication, Claire can’t stop wondering if she should leave her husband…
Ben, an ambitious architect who is brilliant, kind, and meticulous. And who wants nothing more than a baby, or two — exactly the kind of life that Charlie and Alison seem to have…

My Review:

Claire and Ben. Alison and Charlie. Two marriages connected by two childhood friends, Alison and Claire.

Everything isn’t rainbows and roses for these four individuals however. Through a series of flashbacks, this novel (which actually I had a bit of a rough time following at first due to some bad editing that left the year out of one of the sections) explores the first meeting of all four of these people.

Disaster strikes Alison in the form of a car accident and things start to spiral down from there.

What I really appreciated about this book was how open and real it felt. It was depressing, I’m not going to sugar coat that. Bird in Hand is, after all, a book about the eventual corruption of two marriages and Christina Baker Kline doesn’t hesitate to show us the weakness and the self-serving nature of the two who cause that corruption to happen. But there’s two redeeming factors in the story in the characters of Ben and Alison. The ending was so refreshing and Christina’s treatment of those characters inspired respect from me and a grudging admittance that, while I felt anger for the actions of Claire and Charlie, their final actions were the best thing that could happen for Ben and Alison.

This book was an interesting look at friendship, at marriage, at commitment and at the obligations we all have when we decide to form a life with another person.

View all my reviews >>

About the Author:

Christina Baker Kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. In addition to Bird in Hand, her novels include The Way Life Should Be, Desire Lines and Sweet Water. She is Writer-in-Residence at Fordham University.

To learn more please visit Christina Baker Kline’s website.
Follow Christina Baker Kline on Facebook and Twitter.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Buy on Amazon

I’ve read several books centered around India over the past year and one thing I’ve learned from them is there is really no middle ground. It’s either an interesting story or not. Too much focus on the hopelessness can make it difficult to pick up the story and keep moving forward.

That’s not to say that I don’t understand that the slums in places like Mumbai are horrifying. I’ve read about them, watched them at the movies – I get it. But even famous stories like The Slumdog Millionaire take that hopeless situation and focus in on the relationships. Shilpi Somaya Gowda did much of the same in Secret Daughter.

There is such a contrast of lifestyles in this book. The story shifts between two mothers. One forced to give up her baby daughter and another unable to have children of her own and, as a result, adopting the little girl that had been given up. Each set of parents have their own issues, their own dysfunctional relationship but what really fascinated me was, despite their poor surroundings and the horrific acts of her husband, Kavita (the birth mother) has a more healthy, strong and enviable relationship with her husband in spite of their low status in life. Somer and her husband struggle with culture barriers, the strain of being unable to carry a baby to term and, eventually, the strain of watching their very independent daughter come into her own.

But it’s not a story of hopelessness. Gowda touches on the children and mothers living in the slums of India, but also portrays a beautiful Mumbai. Both sides portray love for their parents, respect for elders and ultimately, close family bonding.

View all my reviews >>