Family RelationshipsTag Archives

The Forrests by Emily Perkins

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Reason for Reading:
  • It looked interesting – and what a great title.

I recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Dorothy Forrest is immersed in the sensory world around her; she lives in the flickering moment. From the age of seven, when her odd, disenfranchised family moves from New York City to the wide skies of Auckland, to the very end of her life, this is her great gift and possible misfortune. Through the wilderness of a commune, to falling in love, to early marriage and motherhood, from the glorious anguish of parenting to the loss of everything worked for and the unexpected return of love, Dorothy is swept along by time. Her family looms and recedes; revelations come to light; death changes everything, but somehow life remains as potent as it ever was, and the joy in just being won’t let her go.

My Review:

When I picked up The Forrests I prepared myself for a “literary treat.” I’d gathered from the descriptions on the back that I was in store for beautiful writing – and with a setting in New Zealand, I could not wait to get started.

As I read The Forrests the literary scholar in me warred with the reader who just wanted to enjoy a good book. I fought with myself, admiring the deft descriptions and the way every scene came to life – but the reader in me wanted a story that I could follow. Not an easy story, mind you – but one that I could at least figure out by page 50 or so.

Now, I’ve read Booker Prize winners, I’ve read classics – in fact, I just this year learned to appreciate and enjoy some of the most difficult literature I’ve ever read (To the Lighthouse people.. Virginia Woolf is not for the distracted reader!). But I could not get into this book. And it’s not because there’s a lack of action – some of my favorite books involve quiet stories about every day life. No, it was the muddled confusion that I felt while reading sentences that seemed… well grammatically incorrect. It was the lack of clarification on who was who leaving me to mentally wave the white flag and try to just push my way through the book.

And that’s what I did. I mechanically turned the pages, and instead of enjoying a story about Dorothy, I enjoyed beautifully turned phrases and snippets here and there of what broke through to me.

I’m really disappointed that this book did not connect with me – and maybe the next time I pick it up to try again it’ll work. But this time, especially with a scheduled review of it on the horizon, it did not work for me at all.

About the Author

For more reviews on The The Forrests by Emily Perkins, please follow the book tour.

INTERESTED IN READING THE FORRESTS BY EMILY PERKINS?

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Lydia
10 August, 2012
Contemporary, Literary Fiction, reviews
4 comments
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Broken Harbor by Tana French

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Reason for Reading:
  • I’m a huge fan of Tana French.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

“Scorcher” Kennedy, the brash cop from Tana French’s bestsellingFaithful Place, plays by the book and plays hard. That’s what’s made him the Murder squad’s top detective—and that’s what puts the biggest case of the year into his hands.
On one of the half-built, half-abandoned “luxury” developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children are dead. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care.
At first, Scorcher and his rookie partner, Richie, think it’s going to be an easy solve. But too many small things can’t be explained. The half dozen baby monitors, their cameras pointing at holes smashed in the Spains’ walls. The files erased from the Spains’ computer. The story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder who was slipping past all the locks.
And Broken Harbor holds memories for Scorcher. Seeing the case on the news sends his sister Dina off the rails again, and she’s resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family one summer at Broken Harbor, back when they were children.

My Review:

Tana French is my go-to gal for mystery, suspense, solid characters, and fantastic story-telling. In Broken Harbor she returns, once again, to tell a gritty, hard story and this time she’s focused on “Scorcher” Kennedy and his rookie partner, Richie.

Scorcher made an appearance in French’s last book, Faithful Place, but you are not required to read her previous books to jump into this one – which is one of the strengths of this series. Each book focuses on a character that is thoroughly explored … but not only is that character development happening, a murder is being investigated as well.

Broken Harbor deals with a particularly brutal case. A family of four was targeted and Scorcher and Richie have their work cut out for them. I got what I’ve come to expect from Tana French, twisting and turning, terse dialogue, unexpected developments, and … something very strange. What I love most about French is that she doesn’t feel the need to answer every question – she understands that some things the imagination should be free to do with as it will, and mine is still running in circles around some of the developments of the case Scorcher was up against.

In a world where we are inundated with books by “big names” churning out a book every 3 months or so (it seems), it’s refreshing to pick up a book like this and know that there will be a quality story inside. And coming from me – someone who really doesn’t read a lot of mystery any longer, that’s big praise.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

The Windy Pages | Because I Love to Hear Myself Type | Cool Books

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Lydia
31 July, 2012
Favorites, Mystery, reviews, Suspense/Thriller
1 comment
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The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

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Reason for Reading:
  • Cecelia Ahern has been my go-to guilty pleasure author for a while.

I  recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Tamara Goodwin has always got everything she’s ever wanted. Born into a family of wealth, she grew up in a mansion with its own private beach, a wardrobe full of designer clothes and all that a girl could ever wish for. She’s always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow. But then suddenly her dad is gone and life for Tamara and her mother changes forever. Left with a mountain of debt, they have no choice but to sell everything they own and move to the country. Nestled next to Kilsaney Castle, their gatehouse is a world away from Tamara’s childhood. With her mother shut away with grief, and her aunt busy tending to her, Tamara is lonely and bored and longs to return to Dublin.When a travelling library passes through Kilsaney Demesne, Tamara is intrigued. Her eyes rest on a mysterious large leather bound tome locked with a gold clasp and padlock. What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its core.

My Review:

When offered the chance to read and review The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern, I’m not going to lie – I squealed a little bit. You see, Cecelia Ahern is one of my guilty pleasure authors. I read her books when I want to cry a little bit and she became my go-to gal when I outgrew Nicholas Sparks.

That’s what makes this review so hard to write.

I’m going to go a little off-topic, but stick with me – it’ll make sense soon. When I was a kid, I remember getting on a ride at DisneyWorld – the people mover one. You know – the one that you just ride around in an open monorail type thing and listen to facts about the park? Well, I thought that was just the beginning of the ride and it would end up top where those rockets were because I really wanted to ride those rockets (I never got to ride those rockets. I don’t think I would fit in them now.) But instead, we just twisted and turned and moved slowly and instead of listening to what was being said and enjoying the view and the rest for my feet, I twisted my hands and wiggled and whined and complained and then… the ride was over and it was time to go stand in another 2 hour line. You see, I was so caught up in the anticipation of something happening, something I expected to happen, that I didn’t enjoy the breeze, or the view, or the time with my family. I wanted more, I craved more… but I never got it.

That’s what The Book of Tomorrow reminded me of. I read, and then I read some more, and then I read more and I was teased and given glimpses of those fantastic rockets and I (metaphorically) wiggled and twisted in anticipation but… I never got what I wanted. However, unlike DisneyWorld and my parents (who never told me the rockets were at the end, it was my imagination that betrayed me), I expected more from Cecelia Ahern because in her previous books – she gave me more.

So that is why I was disappointed in The Book of Tomorrow. I expected a character that would seduce me, but instead I got Tamara Goodwin, a snarky, bratty, horrible girl who had me wanting to smack her down more than a few dozen times. Her mother, her aunt, and her uncle were.. quirky and strange, sure – but I never cared two bits about them because, frankly, I was teased and teased but never given anything to help me understand. Instead, like those rockets, they lingered out of reach and never materialized in front of me.

Then there was the “mystery” and “gothic” nature of the book. It didn’t work for me. The ruins sounded well.. dirty and not mysterious. I don’t know if they weren’t described well enough or there wasn’t enough background given on the characters, or what the deal was but the story there felt unfinished and haphazard.

The only thing I liked about this book was seeing the end, because then I took my huge dose of reality, closed the book, swallowed the bitterness and sat down to write this review.

So do I stick with Cecelia Ahern? I’ll give her next book a shot, because one sour book isn’t enough to put me off. But I think she needs to stick with what she knows best – relationships and character-building… leave the fantasy and gothic stories to people who invest themselves well in them.

About the Author

For more reviews on The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern, please follow the book tour.

 

 

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Lydia
24 July, 2012
Coming of Age, Fantasy, reviews, Young Adult
2 comments
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Americans in Space by Mary E. Mitchell

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Reason for Reading:
  • This is one of the books for my 2012 TBR Reading Challenge

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Life is a challenge for 36-year-old Kate Cavanaugh, high school guidance counselor to a motley group of at-risk students. Two years after finding her young husband dead in bed beside her, Kate’s storybook life has vanished, and she and her two children are still reeling. Her daughter Charlotte, once a sweet girl, has morphed into an angry, tattooed, tongue-studded teen; and Hunter, Kate’s four-year-old, keeps his feelings sealed tight inside and an empty ketchup bottle clasped to his heart. When a tragedy occurs at the Alan B. Shepard High School, it’s Kate who finds herself in need of counsel and guidance. What she does next catapults her and her family down an unfamiliar road, on a trajectory into space—toward understanding, forgiveness and healing.

My Review:

I have had Americans in Space on my TBR pile for over two years now. When culling through some of my selections from that time I decided, on a whim, to keep this one because the title fascinated me. No other reason- I just liked the title. So, when picking books for a TBR yearly challenge for the blog I put this one on the list – again, because I liked the name.

I’ve read quite a few books on loss and grief and recovery. I consider myself to be a fairly good judge of when a book is getting it right, because I get this feeling in my gut – you know, the one that feels like you’ve just been kicked? Well.. my gut is bruised from reading this book.

I don’t know which characters story affected me more, but I’m telling you right now: mother-daughter tension – check; mother-son confusion – check. This book has just about everything, from dependencies to rebellion to recovery and learning to live life again.

So what kept me from making it one of my all-time favorite books? My issue isn’t with the characters, the writing, or the story – it’s that the book was released with several glaring issues in editing. There are words that… well aren’t words, and phrases that don’t end correctly. I found one sentence that looked like it stopped mid-sentence and another latter half of a different sentence was pieced on to its end. That made me feel discouraged – that these things could crop up and mar my enjoyment. And frankly, for a professional book (Editor and all) they should not have been there.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Genre Go Round | Musings at a Picnic | BlogCritics

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Lydia
21 July, 2012
Coming of Age, Contemporary, reviews, Social Issues
0 comments
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The Innocents by Francesca Segal

(Just a note to say that my Favorite Fictional Character is being featured today on Wordsmithonia’s blog !  I want to invite you to stop by and reminisce with me.  Now back to the scheduled review.)
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Reason for Reading:
  • I saw this on a list of literary books modeled after classics.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Newly engaged and unthinkingly self-satisfied, twenty-eight-year-old Adam Newman is the prize catch of Temple Fortune, a small, tight-knit Jewish suburb of London. He has been dating Rachel Gilbert since they were both sixteen and now, to the relief and happiness of the entire Gilbert family, they are finally to marry. To Adam, Rachel embodies the highest values of Temple Fortune; she is innocent, conventional, and entirely secure in her community—a place in which everyone still knows the whereabouts of their nursery school classmates. Marrying Rachel will cement Adam’s role in a warm, inclusive family he loves.
But as the vast machinery of the wedding gathers momentum, Adam feels the first faint touches of claustrophobia, and when Rachel’s younger cousin Ellie Schneider moves home from New York, she unsettles Adam more than he’d care to admit. Ellie—beautiful, vulnerable, and fiercely independent—offers a liberation that he hadn’t known existed: a freedom from the loving interference and frustrating parochialism of North West London. Adam finds himself questioning everything, suddenly torn between security and exhilaration, tradition and independence. What might he be missing by staying close to home?

My Review:

I’ve read so many good books in the last few weeks, and I like to think it’s because I’m finally improving in my selections. The Innocents by Francesca Segal is another notch in that thought-process belt, because this is one story that packed a punch for me, subtle as it was.

I hadn’t heard of this title until it cropped up on a list of modern day adaptations of novels that should be read. The cover of this one caught my eye, and although I haven’t read Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, the idea of a modern-day story which calls to mind Jane Austen appealed to me. Then, of course, there’s my own Jewish family routes, and my desire to read anything and everything I can about what my grandfather’s life must have been like.

The story centers are Adam and Rachel and Ellie. Adam and Rachel have been a couple for 12 years and they have just become engaged (they started dating as young teenagers – so don’t go tsking at Adam!). One week into their engagement, the wayward cousin Ellie shows up and… things get interesting. While certain things about The Innocents are highly predictable, what I found I appreciated most was the change in lens on how Adam viewed those around him. It was the gradual growth and decline of relationships that makes this book shine, and as much as I loved certain characters at the beginning I, like Adam, found myself disenchanted with them as the book drew to a close.

That, friends, takes skill. I’ve read quite a few books and I admit to being stubborn when it comes to taking sides when I find a character I like – and frankly, I didn’t like Adam at all. So for me to be convinced to side with him against characters I thoroughly enjoyed … well, color me impressed.

I don’t recommend this book lightly, with all that said. You have to be prepared to settle down for a quiet, calm sort of story. There’s no big drama, no cat fights, no worrying about what might be around the next page. Instead, this is a civilized look at life in the modern day, at community, at family relationships, and most of all it’s a lesson that should be taken to heart by each and every one of us – a lesson which says simply to appreciate what you have, who you are surrounded by, and know that life is short – so make the most of it.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

GirlGuidesCanBlog | Sweet Tidbits| Geeky Bloggers Book Blog

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Lydia
18 July, 2012
Contemporary, Literary Fiction, reviews
0 comments
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One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf

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Reason for Reading:
  • I’d read The Weight of Silence and was interested to see how this one held up.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

In her most emotionally charged novel to date, “New York Times” bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and how the fragile normalcy of our everyday life is so easily shattered. In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town’s children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

My Review:

It’s been a while since a good suspense novel kept me up until the wee hours of the morning (suspense in the last few years just hasn’t been my thing) – but One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf did the trick last night.

I’m always worried when I begin a book and I’m tossed from perspective to perspective, especially at the beginning when the strange names keep appearing at the top of each chapter and I have no way of knowing how many there will be. So let me just tell you so you are saved the worry I had, there are five. Five people through which this story is told, and each with their own unique twists on it all.

The summary states that this is a book about a gunman in a school – but it’s more than that as well. It’s also a story about relationships, particularly examining those between parents and their children. What’s unfortunate is that, due to the high suspense and need to keep the story moving, there’s very little resolution in that area, and the resolution that is there is a bit choppy and uneven.

However, the books main purpose is to put us, the readers, into the shoes of those living through one of the most horrifying things imaginable. Children held at gunpoint – and we’re told this from the perspective of one of the children, a teacher, a police officer, a grandfather, and a mother.

I remember reading The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf a few years ago and how deeply it affected me, and while it was good, I think One Breath Away tugged at me even more so. Maybe it was my Iowa roots being affected, or maybe it was the lateness of the night/earlyness of the morning – but one thing is undeniable: I couldn’t put this one down.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Leswammes’ Blog | Proud Book Nerd | Lucybird’s Book Blog

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Lydia
17 July, 2012
Contemporary, reviews, Suspense/Thriller
2 comments
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Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

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Reason for Reading:
  • The cover caught my eye, the ratings on GoodReads sealed the deal.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.

At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.

My Review:

Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a quiet little book with a message that should be shouting to be heard. Hidden behind a story of a big issue (AIDS) is a story about the complicated relationships between uncles and nieces, sisters and brothers, sisters and sisters, and children and parents. Add into the mix an unknown entity and memories and pain and you get a story that has a heartbeat that is impossible to ignore.

In Tell the Wolves I’m Home, we’re told a story from the perspective of young, 14 year old June. Every Sunday she, her sister, and her mother make their way to her mother’s brother’s house where he is painting a portrait of the sisters. He’s dying, you see, and June is so very close to him and feels his soon-to-be-absence keenly.

But Finn, her uncle, has his secrets as well, and June is faced with them after he passes away. It’s how June deals with these secrets and her family where the book begins to speak loudly. I read this story through tears – and I’m not often moved by contemporary stories. It tore at my heartstrings and I raged at the injustice shown by the characters while realizing that those same injustices happen every day here in life. Carol Rifka Brunt has taken on a difficult subject and tackled it strongly, clearly, and with an extraordinary amount of empathy and I closed this book reluctantly – unwilling to say goodbye to its characters.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Mostly Books | Stargazerpuj’s Book Blog | Forever Young Adult

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Lydia
14 July, 2012
Coming of Age, Contemporary, reviews, Social Issues
2 comments
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To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

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Reason for Reading:
  • Required reading for my British Literature course

I also recommend:

  • Dubliners by James Joyce

Summary from GoodReads:

The novel that established Virginia Woolf as a leading writer of the twentieth century, To the Lighthouse is made up of three powerfully charged visions into the life of one family living in a summer house off the rocky coast of Scotland. As time winds its way through their lives, the Ramsays face, alone and simultaneously, the greatest of human challenges and it greatest triumph–the human capacity for change. A moving portrait in miniature of family life, it also has profoundly universal implications, giving language to the silent space that separates people and the space that they transgress to reach each other.

There are very few exceptional and miraculous novels that have the power to change their readers forever. To the Lighthouse is one of them.

My Review:

This book has been on my bucket list of books to read for years. Last year I attempted to read it, but ended up putting it down after a mere 20 pages in, admitting defeat. Then, when I looked at the syllabus for my British Literature course this last semester I noted with both glee and dismay that, at the end of the semester, we’d all be reading it together.

Now that I’ve come through the reading and discussing of To the Lighthouse, let me be the first to say .. I wish I could experience it all again for the first time. This book changed me. It gave me a sense of satisfaction for finishing it – but more so it opened my mind to a completely different way and style of storytelling. Before I’d always gravitated toward the big stories (although, I also appreciated the emotional, more intimate stories as well). But Virginia Woolf writes these nuanced relationships and thought patterns with such skill that even the slightest thought becomes one of those “big story” moments … and that is what changed me.

It’d be hard to pick one scene out of this book that’s a favorite, but if pressed I think I would choose the scene where the family and their guests are seated at the dining room table. There is such complex writing in that scene that I imagined a little thought-fairy, tripping happily from mind to mind, allowing the most private, innermost thoughts there own time and space to emerge and cry out for help, for love, for hope.

This is a book that anyone who considers themselves to be an avid reader should read. It’s tough, I’m not going to lie and say it’s not, so sit down with a pencil, draw connections visually, have a piece of paper to write notes, actively engage with the text. Trust me, once you do that the rewards are bountiful.

 

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

The Blue Bookcase | Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog | Ela’s Book Blog


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Lydia
2 June, 2012
Classics, Historical, Literary Fiction, reviews
2 comments
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Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman

Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • The book blogger community got me interested in checking this one out.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned thirty-five, he’d have everything going for him. Fame. Fortune. A beautiful wife. A satisfying career as a successful novelist. A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day.

The reality, though, is far different. He’s got a wife, but their problems are bigger than he can even imagine. And he’s written a novel, but the manuscript he’s slaved over for years is currently hidden in his desk drawer while his father, an actual famous writer, just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His career, such that it is, involves mind-numbing corporate buzzwords, his pretentious archnemesis Gregory, and a hopeless, completely inappropriate crush on his favorite coworker. Oh . . . and his dog, according to the vet, is suffering from acute anxiety.

Tom’s life is crushing his soul, but he’s decided to do something about it. 

 

My Review:

Another smart, witty comedy by a male author – I am on a roll this year and loving it.  I fully admit to being one of those readers who is lured by pretty, magical covers and I dodged around this book numerous times in the bookstore because it just didn’t grab me – but then I started seeing reviews.. and those reviews spoke really, really well of this book.

So … I gave it a shot.

I am so glad I did.  Once again, I am reminded never to judge a book by its cover.  This story had me in tears, it had me groaning with pity, it had me just completely entertained for hours and hours.  I savored the story, enjoying how well-crafted it was and I felt like I was reading a book that didn’t pull its punches.  When I finally read the final page I felt as if I was saying goodbye to friends, and that, folks, is story-telling.  I connected with these characters and I wanted more.

I’ll definitely be looking for more stories from Mr. Norman – which I hope is soon, because I do not necessarily want to be reading his book on developing web applications!

Check this one out if you enjoy smart contemporary stories.

Check out these reviews!

Feeding My Book Addiction

S. Krishna’s Books

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Lydia
16 November, 2011
Comedy, Contemporary, reviews
2 comments
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