Book Reviews - Who is Maud Dixon? Alexandra Andrews - These Precious Days: Essays; Ann Patchett and Trust; Domenico Starnone

 

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Well we made it through a wonderful Thanksgiving gathering with family and everyone was healthy (we hope).  A few COVID scares in the granddaughter's classrooms but, they have each received their first booster and remain healthy - thank goodness.  For those of you who were able to be with family and friends - wasn't it special? It felt so good to be together, even the turkey seemed like one of my best (LOL).  We celebrated my son's birthday which always falls around Thanksgiving.

This weeks - Reading

I finished (3) books over the past week - all worth reading IMO.

Who is Maud Dixon?; Alexandra Andrews

Little Brown & Co - 2021

(library download - 9 hours 11 min)

Maud Dixon is a pen name for an author whose first book was a success but, just who is this very private author? 

Florence Darrow wants to be a novelist but, that dream seems unlikely especially after being let go from her job at a New York publishing house.  Suddenly, Florence seems to get the opportunity of a lifetime. She is hired as a writing assistant to "the Maud Dixon"...A.K.A.  Helen Wilcox.  Florence sees this as a chance to learn from real talent and Maud/Helen is only a few years older than Florence as well.

When Florence learns that the two of them will be traveling to Morocco she goes along with the idea, after all she is single and this seems like a dream opportunity.  From this point on the story that started out slow picks up speed and takes on a darker and sometimes even a comical turn. This was a wild read, both women were unlikeable characters but, I liked the unexpected twists and enjoyed the ride, even if I had to suspend belief from time to time. The audio read by Therese Plummer was excellent.

Rating - 4/5 stars

These Precious Days; Ann Patchett

Harper and Harper Audio - 11/2021

Ann Patchett is an author I automatically read. This recent release is a series of personal essays made me feel like the author was a close friend by the time I fished the final offering. 

My favorite essays in the collection were: Three Fathers: this was a touching story ~ her father who wanted her to be a dental hygienist and a step father who supported her writing aspirations.  I also enjoyed: How Knitting Saved My Life, Twice - A story about how this knitting helped her to kick a smoking habit as it's pretty hard to knit and smoke at the same time. (Knitting - was also key to my own daughter quitting smoking about 10 years ago). My Year of No Shopping was another essay that resonated with me because I tried this and failed miserably after a month. Don't we all have much too much stuff and don't we buy things that we already know we have but sometimes can't find? There is also an essay about moving from Montana to MA for a writing fellowship at Ratcliffe.  In There Are No Children Here - we learn about her decision to remain childless.  For me the most powerful essay is the title essay: These Precious Days. In this story she and her husband Karl invite Tom Hank's publicist, Sooki, into their home just pre-COVID as she was undergoing pancreatic cancer treatments in TN.  This story tells so much about the type of person the author is.

I really enjoyed this collection.  One or two of the essays felt slightly familiar to me like I may have read them before - perhaps in magazine. The author comes across as a caring partner and friend, the kind of individual that finds the good in all people and, don't we all know we need more people like this around? The take away for me after finishing this collection was: make sure you make good use of the time we have left as we never know what time we have left.

I had both the audio and eGalley. The audio is read by the author and although it was fine, I switched to the eGalley which, for me, was preferable.  

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

The eGalley was provided to me free of charge by Harper Publishing and Edelweiss and the audio was downloaded from by public library system.

Trust; Domenico Starnone

Europa Editions - 3.5/5

I enjoyed (2) previous books by this author: Ties (2017) and Trick (2018) so I was so looking forward to the latest release.  Pietro Vella and Teresa Quadraro are a couple who met when he was a teacher and she a former student.  They were in one of those love/hate relationships; one day they are hot for one another, then they fight, they break up and they get together again.  One day to help solidify their commitment to one another they agree to share a deep, dark secret about themselves that neither has shared with anyone else.  This turns out to be a huge mistake since as soon as they do this they break up for a final time.  

Each moves on in life - Pietro marries Nadia and fathers a daughter, Emma. He feels dissatisfied in his marriage and in his career as a literature teacher while Teresa becomes a success as a scientist and professor at prestigious MIT.  Despite the time that has passed Pietro remains haunted by the secret he confessed years earlier but, is it really the secret that leaves him distressed?  Surprisingly, Teresa holds a kind of power over Pietro despite the fact that their paths have only crossed a few times in decades.

The story is divided into three parts - Pietro's story is the most telling, we also hear from his adult daughter Emma and finally Teresa's voice.  The story was expertly translated from Italian by Jhumpa Lahiri and although I enjoyed this one, I was left wanting just a bit more.

The eGalley was provided to me by Edelweiss and Europa Books at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review.

Rating - 3.5/5 stars

These Precious Days: Essays - Ann Patchett - First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

 

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon.  Today's selection is another book by a favorite author of mine, Ann Patchett. I decided to include the first paragraph from the introduction, as well as, the first paragraph from the first essay.

These Precious Days: Essays; Ann Patchett

Harper - 11/23/2021 - release day

Introduction

Essays Don't Die

The first time I remember seriously thinking about my own death, I was twenty-six years old and working on my first novel, The Patron Saint of Liars.  No matter where I went, I carried the entire cast of characters with me--the heroines and heroes and supporting players, as well as the towns they lived in, their houses and cars, all the streets and all the trees and the color of the light.  Every day a little bit more of their story was committed to paper, but everything that was still to come existed only in my head.  Remembering things is how I work. I didn't have outlines or notes, and because of that, I was hounded by the thought of stepping off a curb at the wrong moment, or drowning in the ocean (this second scenario was more likely, as I was living in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where I swam in the freezing water and was prone to cramps).

Three Fathers

Marriage has always proven irresistible in my family.  We try and fail and try again, somehow maintaining our belief in an institution that has made fools of us all.  I married twice; so has my sister.  Our mother married three times.  None of us set out for this.  We meant to stick our landing on the first try, but we stumbled.  My parents divorced when I was five. My mother and stepfather Mike had their final parting when I was twenty-four.  She married Darrell when I was twenty-seven, and they stayed together until he died in 2018, when I was fifty-four.

I can't wait to dive in an earlier book of essays: This is the Story of a Happy Marriage (2013) was a favorite read of mine.  What do you think of the intros?

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Sentence; Louise Erdrich

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. 

Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon.

The Sentence; Louise Erdrich

Harper - November 9, 2021

Time in Time Out

Earth to Earth

"While in prison, I received a dictionary. It was sent to me with a note.  This is the book I would take to a deserted island.  Other books were to arrive from my teacher.  But as she had known, this one proved of endless use.  The first word I looked up was the word 'sentence.'  I had received an impossible sentence of sixty years from the lips of a judge who believed in an afterlife.  So the word with its yawning c, with its hissing sibilants and double n's, this repetitive bummer of a word made of slyly stabbing letters that surrounded an isolate human t, this word was in my thoughts every moment of every day.  Without a doubt, had the dictionary not arrived, this light word that lay so heavily upon me would have crushed me, or what was left of me, after the strangeness of what I have done.

What do you think -- pass or read more?  I have enjoyed this author in the past so I'm looking forward to this one.    (I didn't read anything about this book but, from the intro I'm feeling like the person in prison is female. What do you think?)

Book Review - Should We Stay or Should We Go? Lionel Shriver

 

Should We Stay or Should We Go; Lionel Shriver

Harper Collins - June - 2021

In 1991 when Kay Wilkerson's father dies in his 90s, Kay feels nothing but relief.   Kay felt that Alzheimers, in reality,  took her father from her some ten years earlier.  Kay and her husband Cyril are medical professionals for the NHS. Kay is a (National Health Services Nurse) and Cyril a NHS doctor.  Both of them realize that living a long life does not mean living a quality life.  After some discussion, Kay, now 51 and Cyril just slightly older, make a pact.  They decide that when Kay turns 80 the two of them will end their life with a lethal cocktail so that they won't be a burden to anyone.  Sound simple?

Fast forward and it's 2020 and Cyril has turned 80 and Kay will be there soon. They are both in pretty good health. What about the pact? Over the next (12) chapters some very different scenarios play out - some are quite funny and downright cynical, while other scenarios fell flat. Topics like Brexit, the NHS, the pandemic / lockdown, immigration and other sometimes controversial issues arise.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I began this book somewhat blind.  I did think it was about an elderly couple deciding to end their life at the same time.  I really thought I would enjoy it but, I ended up being disappointed. My biggest complaint about this book, was not the story itself but the writing.  I found her literary style rather pretentious and after a while just plain frustrating.  It was like she chose to use a version of a word that had the least frequently used synonym.  Here are just a few of those unusual word choices: Wherewithal - tautology - horlicks - ebullience - propinquities - foetal and that was just some of them in the first 100 pages or so.

It's been a long while since I read a Lionel Shriver book. In fact, I checked it was the summer of 2013 when I read both: We Need to Talk About Kevin and Big Brother.  While I liked both of those well enough (especially Kevin), I'm wondering whether her writing style has changed drastically over the years?  Have you read this author recently, if so, what did you think?

Rating - 2.5/5 stars

eGalley provided by Edelweiss and Harper Collins in exchange for my unbiased review.

Book Review - The Night Always Comes; Willy Vlautin

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  The Night Always Comes; Willy Vlautin

PUBLISHER: Harper / Harper Audio

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Family Life /Crime 

FORMAT:  (Combo eGalley and audio download) /LENGTH: 226 pp / 6 hours and 5 min

SOURCE: NetGalley download

SETTING(s):  Oregon

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A gritty page turner about a young woman's efforts to achieve an American Dream - home ownership.

BRIEF REVIEW:  Lynette is a thirty year old woman who lives with her mother and developmentally challenged older brother.  Her goal has always been for them to own their own home and that opportunity has presented itself.  They have been living in a run-down rental home for years while Portland real estate prices have skyrocketed. Now is their chance, their landlord has offered them a deal on the house they now live in.  Lynette is excited as she's managed to save over $80,000 while working multiple jobs but, because of her bad credit she needs her mother's credit to seal the deal.  The week before they are to proceed her mother backs out and buys herself an expensive new car instead while Lynette drives an old beater that often fails to even start.

Devastated by what her mother has done yet,  she is used to being disappointed and has had more than her share of bad breaks.  She has made many bad decisions and loaned money that hasn't been repaid, now she's angry and determined to collect from all those who have taken advantage of her over the years. It's through this two day process that the reader learns about all that has happened to Lynette over the years.  The tension is fierce,  the encounters are nail-biting, the characters are flawed and story is riveting in every way.  I loved Lynette's character, so many people have let her down over the years and yes, she is deeply flawed but so determined, resilient, hard working and most of all her brother's biggest champion. This author knows how to write about blue-collar lives and about the darker side of humans.  I was so disappointed in her lazy, selfish mother who never praised or encouraged her daughter. The ending was open to interpretation, but I sent Lynette positive vibes - hoping we hear about her again in another book. Highly recommended.  The audio was excellent as well, read by Christine Lakin.  Can you tell I loved this one?

RATING:  5/5 stars

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Night Always Comes; Willy Vlautin

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or that they plan to read soon. 

                                                    The Night Always Comes; Willy Vlautin

                                                                        Harper - 2021

1.

Kenny had his hands around her ankle and began pulling her from the bed.  A small lamp on the dresser was the only light in the room and he stood over her in his Superman T-shirt and pajama bottoms.  It was winter and a portable radiant heater in the middle of the room gave off little warmth, and his breath came out in small disappearing clouds.

Lynette woke suddenly and looked at the clock on the nightstand: three a.m. "I'm getting fifteen more minutes so please don't touch me or say anything until then." She was thirty-years old and got out of bed in ten-year-old sweats and wool socks, shut off the light on the dresser, and got back under the covers.

In the darkness his breathing grew louder.

What do you think? This is supposed to be a bit of a darker grittier story which will be published today.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Murder at the Vicarage; Agatha Christie

 

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or that they plan to read soon. 

                                                       Murder at the Vicarage; Agatha Christie

                                                      (#1 - Miss Marple - Harper 2011 edition)

One

"It is difficult to know quite where to begin this story, but I have fixed my choice on a certain Wednesday at luncheon at the Vicarage.  The conversation, though in the main irrelevant to the matter in hand, yet contained one or two suggestive incidents which influenced later developments.

I had just finished carving some boiled beef (remarkably tough by the way) and on resuming my seat I remarked, in a spirit most unbecoming to my cloth, that anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe would be doing the world at large  a service."

This year is going to be a year  that I delve into A.C. I hope to at least read the first books of each of her series. What do you think of this intro? Have you read this one?  Personally, I generally tend to love a first person POV.

Book Review - A Good Marriage; Kimberly McCreight

TITLE:  A Good Marriage

AUTHOR:  Kimberly McCreight

PUBLISHER:  Harper

PUB. YEAR: 2020

Setting: NY

Format: eGalley

Rating - 3.5/5

Lizzie Kitsakis is a lawyer at a prestigious law firm in NY and once was an underpaid federal prosecutor, but that was a job she enjoyed. She's married to Sam, he's smart, devoted (or so she thought) but, now she is beginning to see trouble in the relationship.

While working late one night Lizzie gets a call call from Zach Grayson, an old law school friend, now in prison at Rikers, accused of murdering his wife Amanda.  He want's Lizzies help in proving his innocence. 

This is a book with quite a few characters, most are wealthy people behaving badly with something to hide. Told mostly from the point of view of Lizzie and the deceased Amanda a week before she was killed, it's a dark, psychological thriller that kept me guessing. The story has multiple layers of deception to unravel. It's not just a story about one bad marriage but, a look at multiple marriages and their dirty little secrets.

This book started out very slow for me, I wasn't sure whether I'd like it but, after about 50 pages or so things became a bit more interesting.  Definitely not the best in psychological thrillers but, you still might want to try this one.

The Last Time I Saw You; Liv Constantine

TITLE: The Last Time I Saw You

AUTHOR:  Liv Constantine

PUBLISHER: Harper Audio
PUB. YEAR: 2019
SETTING: Maryland
FORMAT: ARC/audio
RATING: - 4/5

Dr. Kate English was a woman to be envied: successful, an heiress to a large fortune, charming husband and daughter.  When her mother is murdered in her own home, she just doesn't understand who could have wanted her dead.  Soon after menacing texts and other messages, directed at Kate, begin appearing making her wonder whether she could be the next target.

Kate turns to Blair, a former friend, who has been absent from her life for 15 years for consolation.  Blair is a mystery writer and plans to help figure out who may have wanted Lily dead.

High society, money, hidden secrets and betrayals surface at every turn.  Just when I thought I knew who might have been behind all of this, something unexpected presented itself.  Even though the characters felt a bit flat at times, overall, this was a quick enjoyable read/listen combo.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Inside Out: a Memoir; Demi Moore

Each Tuesday, Vicki, from I’d Rather Be At The Beach hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where readers post the opening paragraph(s) of a book that they are reading or plan to read. 

Inside Out: a Memoir; Demi Moore

Harper - 2019

Prologue

The same question kept going through my head:  How did I get here?

In the empty house where we married, where we'd added on because I had more kids than I had bedrooms, I was now completely alone.  I was almost fifty. The husband who I thought was the love of my life had cheated on me and then decided he didn't want to work on our marriage. My children weren't speaking to me: no happy birthday calls, no Merr Christmas texts.  Nothing. Their father--a friend I'd counted on for years --was gone from my life.  The career I scrambled to create since I moved out of my mother's apartment when I was sixteen years old was stalled, or maybe it was over for good.  Everything I was attached to--even my health--had abandoned me. I was getting blinding headaches and losing weight scarily fast. I looked like I felt: destroyed.

Any interest in this one?

The Secretary; Renee Knight

TITLE: The Secretary
AUTHOR:  Renee Knight

PUBLISHER:  Harper

PUB. YEAR: 2019

SETTING:  UK
FORMAT:  - ARC (288pp)

RATING - 4/5

This book had been on my radar for a few months and, it turned out to be a story that was much different from what I was expecting.

Christina Butcher is the personal assistant and "the Secretary" to Mina Appleton, a woman who controls a large supermarket chain.  Christina's family was struggling financially, and she felt that this job would help her husband and daughter longterm.  She was offered a significant salary and she's grateful for the opportunity to work for Mina.

Mina more or less inherits her position from her father, a man who was well respected by all his customers and the other business associates he dealt with over the years. Mina, promises to follow in her father's footsteps, but she is nothing like him.  In fact Mina comes across as a power hungry, pathological liar and someone who will stop at nothing when it comes to retaining power, control and making money and, that means expecting Christina to carry out her orders. Soon, however, Mina just may get what she well deserves or will she?

Part psychological thriller, part courtroom drama, this story was quite a surprise - much darker than I was expecting. I liked the Christina character to a certain degree,  even though she sacrifices everything. She knows all of Mina's secrets, indiscretions and all about her unethical business practices. Christina's a quiet observer with a good memory as well. She quietly went about her business.  I didn't care for the Mina character but, she was, for the most part, a believable character.

Although this story was slow at times, the ending was very unexpected and helped me to bump up my overall rating a bit. I felt that there is plenty to discuss for bookclubs here.

A Rainy Sunday and Week in Review

 It's been a rainy weekend so a good reason to stay in and get organized. Just packed away a lot of winter clothes and out with the spring weather stuff.  My husband bought me a Talbot's gift card for Valentine's Day and I saved it for some spring purchases.  These are a few of the newbies I picked that really seem to brighten up my spring wardrobe. I also picked a J. Jill white linen shirt, some linen pants and a couple of pairs of sandals and capris.

 Lobsters and Lemons 

Lemons are in this year so I simply couldn't resist these 2.

This past week we were away for a bit and we caught up with an old friend who will be moving to FL next month. We had a nice, visit over lunch and even happened to see an old neighbor that we hadn't seen in 11 years at the restaurant where we were dining.

Easter - We had a nice Easter dinner and birthday celebration last weekend. Our (2) sister granddaughters turned 5 and 7 in April -- hard to believe. The youngest granddaughter will also turn 5 this summer.


Bookish Stuff

I've been busy reading and need to catch up on some reviews as well. I can be easily swayed by the book reviews of respected bloggers so even though I hadn't planned on reading Daisy Jones and the Six, but, thanks to Ti @ Book Chatter's review I'm now listening to it and enjoying it.

My book group met last week to discuss The Immortalist; Chloe Benjamin - this book was a DNF for me last year, but I decided to give it a shot once again when my group picked it. I was glad I tried it once again - 4/5 stars.

Basically, it's a story about 4 siblings who back in 1969 lived in NYC. They visited a psychic who told each of them ( ages 7 thru 14 at the time) the dates that they would die. The story then plays out by seeing how each child choose to live their adult lives once they learned this information.

Out of the (13) or so that showed up for the meeting, only me and one other member wanted to know how long they would live if that info was available.

My book group consists of mostly older women 65+ with one newbie who is in her 20's and is a real delight.  Because this book starts out with some sexually explicit details regarding homosexual sex, I feared many of the women might not finish the book, but  that was a very small part of the story. Mostly everyone finished the book and the entire story made for an excellent and lively discussion. Honestly, the sexual explicit part was really a small part of the book.

Have you read the book? Would you want to know in advance the day you were destined to die?

New Books

• The Beekeeper of Aleppo; Christie Lefteri (sent by Ballentine Books
• The Secretary; Renee Knight (sent by Amazon Vine/Harper)
• Things My Son Needs To Know About the World; Fredrik Backman (sent by Atria)
• A Good Enough Mother; Bev Thomas (sent by Pamela Dorman Books)
• Cape May; Chip Cheek (sent by Celadon Books)

Hope everyone is having a good day!

My Coney Island Baby; Billy O'Callaghan

TITLE: My Coney Island Baby

AUTHOR:  Billy O'Callaghan

PUBLISHER:  Harper

PUB. YEAR: 2019

SETTING:  New York
FORMAT:  -  review copy ( 241 pp)
RATING: 3.5/5

For nearly 25 years Michael and Caitlin, now in their mid 40s, have been lovers.  The two are each married but, once a month, on a Tuesday, they escape the emptiness within their marriages and, continue to carry on an intense affair at a little motel on Coney Island.  On this particular Tuesday, something is different as each is faced with a difficult situation that could mean the end of their days together.

The is a quiet novel, fairly short and plays out over the course of one day. The story reveals a lifetime of pain and regrets.  The writing is beautiful, I found myself rereading more than a few passages, at times it was tender and sad.  I liked that the reader got the perspective of both Michael and Caitlin and insight into their marriages.  I liked this book and was glad I read it but,  I thought I'd love it and I just didn't.  

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - My Coney Island Baby; Billy O'Callaghan

Each Tuesday, Vicki, from I’d Rather Be At The Beach hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where  readers post the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book that they are reading or plan to read. 

My Coney Island Baby; Billy O'Callaghan

Harper Collins - 2019

1

The Boardwalk

"The air out here is mean with cold.  It was bitter on the journey out from Manhattan too, but nothing like this.  This is bleakness without respite. An hour in the subway was an hour shielded from the wind, and now it was almost noon and already threatening snow."

When I read the overview, I really thought this would be a "me" book. I'm hoping it's a good one.

Would you read more?

Spring Flowers and Some New Books

We went to (2) spring flower shows over the past week and it sure helped with the "enough snow already doldrums". In case you need a spring pick me up, here's a few of the pictures I took.

Now about New Books which arrived at my doorstep.

• I Want My Hat Back; Jon Klassen (sent by Candlewick Press)
• A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park; Ashley Benham Yazdani (sent by Candlewick Press)
• The Eight Mountains; Paulo Cognetti (sent by Atria)
• My Life in a Cat House; Gwen Cooper (Amazon Vine - BenBella Books))
• Tomorrow There Will Be Sun; Dana Reinhardt sent by (Pamela Dorman Books)
• The Confession of Frannie Langton; Sara Collins (sent by Harper)

Family Trust; Kathy Wang

TITLE: Family Trust

AUTHOR: Kathy Wang

PUBLISHER: William Morrow

PUB. YEAR: 2018

SETTING:  Silicon Valley, CA
FORMAT:  - (eGalley)

RATING: 4/5 stars

Stanley Huang has long claimed to have it all. Once a poor man in China, through hard work he has attained the American dream and should now be enjoying life. On the contrary, Stanley has been given a death sentence, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he's forced to get his affairs in order and quick.

Family Trust is a complicated and sometimes funny family drama told from alternating POVs.  There is Linda, Stanley's ex-wife, who was married to him for 34 years. She wants to make sure that the couples (2) adult children get the bulk of his inheritance and not his much younger current wife, Mary.  There is son Fred, is a Harvard Business grad, who hasn't quite attained the corporate prestige and recognition he had hoped for.  Daughter, Kate, is a working mom, supporting a husband who has been trying to get a business off the ground and, lastly, Mary, the much younger current wife of Stanley, who has been married to Stanley for 9 years.

I loved the way the story is told, the various POVs and terrific character development worked well.  Although I disliked a couple of the characters, some of the things that happen to them at times were so funny that I could overlook their short comings.  I thought this was a well written and engaging debut novel about an Asian American family and life in Silicon Valley. It was, in some ways, was reminiscent of The Nest. 

Unsheltered; Barbara Kingsolver

TITLE: Unsheltered

AUTHOR: Barbara Kingsolver

PUBLISHER: Harper

PUB. YEAR: 2018

SETTING:  Vineland, New Jersey
FORMAT:  - eGalley & ARC

RATING: 3.5/5 stars

Unsheltered is a story about the loss of the American Dream. The novel tells two stories in two different time periods, both stories take place in the community of Vineland, New Jersey and even the same, somewhat run down house.  

The present story features Willa Knox, her husband Iano, a college professor,  and adult children Zeke and daughter Tig.  Nick, the cranky, racist, FIL is also in the picture.  He has a difficult personality and is also dying of cancer. Son Zeke, with an Ivy League education and $100,000 of debt, has been dealt yet another bad blow.  When his bread winner girlfriend commits suicide, Zeke is forced to return home to his parents with his infant son in tow. Added to their other challenges is daughter Tig,  free-spirited, argumentative and just plain exasperating at times.

So just when Willa and her husband should be at a point in their lives when they should be able to kick back a bit and begin to enjoy the fruits of their labors, they must deal with a house that is falling apart, job losses, additional mouths to feed and an uncertain financial future. 

The second story, set around 1871 involves Thatcher Greenwood, a new science teacher and Mary Treat, a lover and believer of science and plants. Thatcher is met with obstacles when he tries to promote the theories of Charles Darwin.

I really loved the present day story, but, found myself less than thrilled with the 150 year old storyline. The writing was good but, it felt like the author tried too hard to cover too many controversial, political issues: the living wage, healthcare rights, Obamacare, student loans etc., Even though I agree with many of these issues, it just seemed preachy and out of place at times.  I've enjoyed almost everything that Kingsolver has written, and although I'm glad I read this one, it just wasn't my favorite.

Beartown; Fredrik Backman and Moonglow; Michael Chabon

 Beartown; Fredrik Backman

Atria - 2017

Beartown is a small close-knit community in Sweden, surrounded by forests.  The town doesn't have much going for it, except that it's residents are believers that a better day is coming.  The town has an ice rink and the junior teen ice hockey team are excited about competing in the semi-finals. Ice hockey and competition becomes all consuming.

There are a lot of characters in this story, each with their own story or personal issues.  The pass for the sport is felt throughout this novel, but, there are also some tough issues that surface and the execution of these difficulties is beautifully done. Bear town may be a small town but, they still must deal with many of the issues larger cities face:  Sexual assault, homophobia, bullying, peer pressure and the need to belong.

The story starts out a bit slow but once it gets going, it was hard not to become a little emotionally invested in the lives of Beartown residents. I started listening to the audio (beautifully done) and I also had the luxury of reading the print version as well. Recommended

Rating - 4/5 stars

Moonglow; Michael Chabon

Harper - 2016

Moonglow was our July book group read and of the 14 group members, only (1) liked the book (I did not like it).

The book was nearly 500 pages and touted as fictional, non fiction, as well as an autobiography wrapped in a novel, disguised as a memoir. The story unfolds as a deathbed confession of sorts of a man referred to only as "my grandfather".  Over the course of a week the reader hears tales of war, marriage, sex, the space program and more.

Here's what some of our book group members had to say -

• the story seemed to lack focus and was hard to follow and confusing
• oftentimes, the players were unnamed and you didn't know who was being written about
• couldn't connect to the characters
• the story switched back and forth in time too often, it was not put together well.
• some really didn't care what happened to the grandfather as he came across as a mean child who grew into a mean man.