Life After Life

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Life After Life

by Kate Atkinson

published by Little, Brown, and Co.

2013

Summary

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. Sadly, she dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in any number of ways. Clearly history (and Kate Atkinson) have plans for her: In Ursula rests nothing less than the fate of civilization.

Wildly inventive, darkly comic, startlingly poignant — this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best, playing with time and history, telling a story that is breathtaking for both its audacity and its endless satisfaction.  (from Goodreads)

My Review

“What if we had a chance to do it again and again, until we finally did get it right? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

I heard so much about this book, that I was very excited to read it.  While I thought the writing was terrific, in the end, I did not love the story.  Ursula lives many lives.  The first time she is born, the doctor is not there due to a bad snowstorm and she dies when the umbilical chord is wrapped around her neck.  In the next chapter, the doctor arrives in time.The baby survives. “She observed the turn of seasons for the first time. She was born with winter already in her bones, but then came the sharp promise of spring, the fattening of the buds, the indolent heat of summer, the mould and mushroom of autumn.”  She survives a few years, until she drown in the ocean with her sister Pamela.  In the following chapter, a gentleman, who happens to be on the beach painting, saves their lives.  Thie is the flow of the book, how small chances and choices affect our entire lives.  Ursula is then possessed with a sixth sense for danger- a sort of deja vu.

I enjoyed reading the book very much, but had a feeling of frustration for Ursula.  I wanted her to be happy, and never sensed she was.  This sense of sadness struck me-“She had had affairs over the years … but she had never been pregnant, never been a mother or a wife and it was only when she realized that it was too late, that it could never be, that she understood what it was that she had lost. Pamela’s life would go on after she was dead, her descendants spreading through the world like the waters of a delta, but when Ursula died she would simply end. A stream that ran dry.”

I would recommend reading this book.  It was a first rate example of what historical fiction should be.  The writing was really wonderful, and many people loved the story.

Rating- 3.5 out of 5

The Orchardist

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The Orchardist

by Amanda Coplin

published by Harper Collins

2012

Summary

“You belong to the earth, and the earth is hard.”

At the turn of the twentieth century, in a rural stretch of the Pacific Northwest in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, a solitary orchardist named Talmadge carefully tends the grove of fruit trees he has cultivated for nearly half a century. A gentle, solitary man, he finds solace and purpose in the sweetness of the apples, apricots, and plums he grows, and in the quiet, beating heart of the land-the valley of yellow grass bordering a deep canyon that has been his home since he was nine years old. Everything he is and has known is tied to this patch of earth. It is where his widowed mother is buried, taken by illness when he was just thirteen, and where his only companion, his beloved teenaged sister Elsbeth, mysteriously disappeared. It is where the horse wranglers-native men, mostly Nez Perce-pass through each spring with their wild herds, setting up camp in the flowering meadows between the trees.

One day, while in town to sell his fruit at the market, two girls, barefoot and dirty, steal some apples. Later, they appear on his homestead, cautious yet curious about the man who gave them no chase. Feral, scared, and very pregnant, Jane and her sister Della take up on Talmadage’s land and indulge in his deep reservoir of compassion. Yet just as the girls begin to trust him, brutal men with guns arrive in the orchard, and the shattering tragedy that follows sets Talmadge on an irrevocable course not only to save and protect them, putting himself between the girls and the world, but to reconcile the ghosts of his own troubled past.

Writing with breathtaking precision and empathy, Amanda Coplin has crafted an astonishing debut novel about a man who disrupts the lonely harmony of an ordered life when he opens his heart and lets the world in. Transcribing America as it once was before railways and roads connected its corners, she weaves a tapestry of solitary souls who come together in the wake of unspeakable cruelty and misfortune, bound by their search to discover the place they belong. At once intimate and epic, evocative and atmospheric, filled with haunting characters both vivid and true to life, and told in a distinctive narrative voice, The Orchardist marks the beginning of a stellar literary career. (from Goodreads)

“And that was the point of children, thought Caroline Meddey: to bind us to the earth and to the present, to distract us from death.”
― Amanda Coplin, The Orchardist

My Review

This book was wonderful!  Once I started reading it, I was completely drawn into the world of William Talmadge, who finds safety and peace in his solitary existence.  He tends his orchard alone, with vey little social interaction.  He is a simple and very honorable man, and when he finds two pregnant girls hiding in his orchard, he takes them in.  Shelter is a big theme in this book , for Talmadge as well as the girls, Jane and Della.  The author takes you slowly through her story, especially the beginning.  Descriptions of the orchard, of Talmadge’s solitude, and the unraveling of the ordeal the two girls lived through, were mesmerizing.  The story grows in intensity and consequences as it progresses.  The beginning of the story was especially compelling and I loved the author’s poetic descriptions of the wild, early 20th century Pacific Northwest, as well as the historic details of the period.    I would definitely recommend this book- let me know how you liked it!

Rating

4- out of 5

Honestly, do you keep reading it?

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I am very lucky to be currently reading The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin, with some very interesting books waiting in the wings!  BUT, I did have a patch recently where I started a few books I just could not get into.  It made me wonder what other book lovers out there feel about this.  What do you do when you realize you are just not enjoying reading a book?  Do you power through?  Or give it up?  I  read for pleasure- and most of the time, reading gives me great pleasure.  But I have at times had to put a book down and walk away from it.  Sometimes, it is just not an interesting topic.  Or it is TOO cookie cutter.  There are so many books out there, I feel that I might be missing a great story by sticking with something I am not enjoying.

But this does have a big downside.  I can recall many books that I started and stopped, only to try again and realize I loved them.  This was true with two of my favorite books- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Book Thief.  I could not get into either at first.  I put them both down for a long while, only to realize when I did read them in entirety that they were wonderful!

So, the question is to all book lovers-what do you do?

 

Moon Over Edisto

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Moon Over Edisto

by Beth Webb Hart

published by Thomas Nelson

20113

Edisto Island was where it all came apart. Can the Bennett girls ever be whole again?

Once, they were the happiest family under the sun, crabbing and fishing and painting on beautiful Edisto Island in South Carolina’s lowcountry.

Then everything went wrong, and twenty years later the Bennett family is still in pieces. Mary Ellen still struggles to understand why her picture-perfect marriage came apart. Daughter Meg keeps a death grip on her own family, controlling her relationships at a distance. And eldest daughter, Julia, left it all behind years ago, forging a whole new life as an artist and academic in Manhattan. She’s engaged to an art dealer and has no intentions of returning to Edisto. Ever.

Then an emergency forces Julia back to Edisto to care for her three young half-siblings. She grudgingly agrees to stay a week. But there’s something about Edisto that changes people. Can Julia and her fractured family somehow manage to come together again under that low-hanging Edisto moon?

“A rich, endearing, can’t-stop-reading book about what matters most, the power of love to transform the human heart.” –Dorothea Benton Frank, “New York Times “best-selling author, “Porch Lights”

(from Goodreads)

My Review

First, let me say I LOVE reading books about the South, especially South Carolina.   I have family that live right outside of Charleston, and I have been visiting there almost yearly for most of my life.  When I read a book set in Charleston, I get an extra thrill, because I know those streets, store, restaurants, etc.  I also know the outlying islands, including Edisto.  The author does a great job bringing the area to life.  The story, of betrayal and forgiveness, works very well in the southern setting.

Julia’s best friend Marney broke up her parents’ marriage in their senior year of college.  Almost twenty years later, Julia is enjoying s successful career in art and teaching, and has just gotten engaged.  Marney shows up at her door.  Now a widow and the mother to Julia’s three half siblings, she has lung cancer.  She needs surgery, and there is no one to care for the children during her recovery.  She asks Julia to return to Edisto to help her.

The story is told from the points of view of different characters- Julia, her mom MaryEllen, her sister Meg, Jed-doctor and neighbor, and Etta, her nine year old half sister.The characters develop quickly and I became immersed in each of their stories, especially MaryEllen.  She is still hurt by the collapse of her marriage and confused as to why both her daughters keep her at a distance.

I thought this was well written and moved quickly.

I received a copy of this book as part of a random give away through Goodreads.

 

Rating 3.5 out of 5

Sunrise at Edisto Beach SC

Sunrise at Edisto Beach SC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Silver Linings Playbook

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9780374532284_p0_v1_s260x420Silver Linings Playbook

by Matthew Quick

published by Sarah Crichton Books

2008

Meet Pat. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending for him — the return of his estranged wife Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent time in a mental health facility.) The problem is, Pat’s now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki; his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing; he’s being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany; his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of theraphy. Plus, he’s being hunted by Kenny G!

In this enchanting novel, Matthew Quick takes us inside Pat’s mind, showing us the world from his distorted yet endearing perspective. As the award-winning novelist Justin Cronin put it: “Tender, soulful, hilarious, and true, The Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful debut.” (from Goodreads)

My Review

I started to enjoy this story almost as soon as I began reading it.  Silver Linings Playbook is a fast read, and it is very easy to get into.  The only drawback for me was not knowing why Pat had ended up in a mental facility.  It almost seemed there was a bit of brain damage, the way he was so childlike and unknowing of the world around him and of passing time.

The characters in this book draw you in and make you root for them to succeed. Pat is working very hard on “being kind, not right”.  The relationships in this book are touching, messy, and feel real.  I love the way Pat interacts with his mother and brother, who are there for him and help him.  Pat and his Dad, though, have a very difficult relationship, and the fact that it is not all cleared up and perfect at the end makes it even better.  I think, perhaps, the character that really stayed with me was Tiffany.  In Tiffany, we see how grief can truly rip a life apart, and the wonder of the human spirit, to fight to come back from despair.

I loved this book.  It was a little darker than I had anticipated.  I am looking forward to discussing it for my local bookclub next week.  I have not seen the movie yet, but do want to.  My mom-always trust her when it comes to books- said it was very good, but of course, not as good as the book.

rating-3.5 out of 5

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow- the She Reads March Book Club Selection

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The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow

by Rita Leganski

published by Harper Books

2012

A magical debut novel from Rita Leganski, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is the tale of a mute boy whose gift of wondrous hearing reveals family secrets and forgotten voodoo lore, and exposes a murder that threatens the souls of those who love him.

Bonaventure Arrow didn’t make a peep when he was born, and the doctor nearly took him for dead. But he was listening, placing sound inside quiet and gaining his bearings. By the time he turns five, he can hear flowers grow, a thousand shades of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops. He also hears the voice of his dead father, William Arrow, mysteriously murdered by a man known only as the Wanderer.

Exploring family relics, he opens doors to the past and finds the key to a web of secrets that both hold his family together, and threaten to tear them apart.

Set against the backdrop of 1950s New Orleans, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is a magical story about the lost art of listening and a wondrous little boy who brings healing to the souls of all who love him.

(from She Reads)

My Review

I read this book as part of the She Reads book club.  I was excited to read a book I hadn’t picked myself, but also a little nervous- the story seemed a little different.  I was floored by Rita Leganski’s debut novel.  From the very first page, I couldn’t put the book down.Newly born Bonaventure arrow is doesn’t make a sound, even though he is frightened by the sudden change in his environment.  Instead, he listens.  He hears strange and different sounds, and then the heartbeat of his mother.  So begins the extraordinary life of Bonaventure, who doesn’t speak, but can hear everything, including his dead father, who speaks to him, and guides him along his life.  Bonaventure hears EVERYTHING- grass growing, clouds, sunshine.  He can also hear secrets.  Along with his father, and healer Trinidad Prefontaine, Bonaventure helps his family heal from old hurts and secrets.

The backdrop of magical New Orleans, along with voodoo and the mystical, really pulled me in.  I love stories of New Orleans and the surrounding area.  Rita Leganski did an wonderful job, not only of describing the place, but also the fell of this wonderful city.   The author also has an amazing way of describing the things Bonaventure hears-

“Within a year, Bonaventure Arrow could hear the flowers grow, a thousand shades of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops.”

I am usually a fast reader, but found myself deliberately going slow with this book, to appreciate the wonderful way with words the author had.  Bonaventure isn’t the only one described so well.  His Grandmother Roman, a hypocrite with only her own well being in mind, is a source of tension throughout the story.  “Adelaide Roman was certain of her soul’s perfection, and so felt comfortable pointing out the iniquities committed by others.  To that end, she brought religion with her wherever she went, including her job at the United Staes Post Office.”

Altogether, this is a wonderful story about hope, magic, love, and forgiveness.  This would make a great selection for a book club.  You can read more reviews of this book at-

http://www.shereads.org/2013/03/march-book-club-selection-3/

 

Rating-

5 out of 5

(can I do 5 1/2???)

 

The Storyteller

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The Storyteller

by Jodi Picoult

published by Atria

2013

Summary

Sage Singer befriends an old man who’s particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone’s favorite retired teacher and Little League coach. They strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favor: to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses…and then he confesses his darkest secret – he deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter? Sage’s grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.

What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who’s committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren’t the party who was wronged? And most of all – if Sage even considers his request – is it murder, or justice? (from Goodreads)

My Review

I really looked forward to reading this book, as I have been a fan of the author for a long time.  The first book I read by Picoult was My Sister’s Keeper, and I immediately set forth to read everything she wrote.  I love the plot twists, and the moral questions she makes you face with each story.  Her novels never have a clear heroin/hero or villain, because, just like in real life, there are many sides to people, both good and bad.  The Storyteller, follows this path, but is the most different of her novels.  I found, sadly, that Picoult’s later novels began to fell formulaic, but not The Storyteller.

The story begins with Sage Singer, a reclusive young woman, who hides herself and the scars on her face, in the kitchen of a bakery.  She sleeps all day, bakes at night, and tries to interact with as few people as possible.  She only ventures out socially to a grief group, where she continues to mourn the death of her mother.  There she befriends Josef Weber, a ninety+ year old gentleman, and pillar of the community.  They begin to talk and meet outside of the group, and a friendship forms.  Everything is looking fine, until Josef asks Sage to kill him-confessing that he was a Nazi SS guard in a concentration camp.

Horrified, Sage decides to alert the authorities, only to discover it is difficult to get anyone to notice.  Eventually, she is referred to Leo Stein in the Department of Justice, who takes an interest in her case.  At the same time, Sage begins to question her own grandmother, Minka, about the Holocaust.  Sage has known Minka is a survivor, but refuses to discuss the past.  Leo and Sage realize that Minka and Josef might share more than Sage, and beg Minka to tell her story.

This is the point in the book that I became so caught up, I actually had to force myself to put it down for a break.  The way Picoult tells Minka’s story, intertwining it with Josef’s, and Sage’s, is amazing.  I have read many stories of the Holocaust, and the camps-including most recently The Lost Wife-which I loved.   The Storyteller tell the tale from both the perspective of a young Jewish girl who goes from the Lodz Ghetto, to Auschwitz, and that of Josef, the Head Guard in charge of women at the camp. .  We see Minka’s whole life before her-her studies, friends, love interest, and family-all be ripped away from her.  When it can’t get any worse, it does.  Through it all she survives.

On the flip side, we see a young man pulled into the Nazi party and rise through the ranks.  We watch the humanity drain from him.  Josef shows us how someone can just stop feeling anything at all, will do anything just to get through each day.

My favorite quote from this book- “History isn’t about dates and places and wars.  It is about the people who fill the spaces between them.”

I do not want to give away the end of the story.  I would definitely recommend this book.

rating- 5

(out of 5)

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

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The Twelve Tribes Of Hattie

by Ayana Mathis

published by Alfred A. Knopf

2012

Summary

A debut of extraordinary distinction: Ayana Mathis tells the story of the children of the Great Migration through the trials of one unforgettable family.

In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented.  Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave.  She vows to prepare them for the calamitous difficulty they are sure to face in their later lives, to meet a world that will not love them, a world that will not be kind. Captured here in twelve luminous narrative threads, their lives tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage and the journey of a nation.

Beautiful and devastating, Ayana Mathis’s The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is wondrous from first to last—glorious, harrowing, unexpectedly uplifting, and blazing with life. An emotionally transfixing page-turner, a searing portrait of striving in the face of insurmountable adversity, an indelible encounter with the resilience of the human spirit and the driving force of the American dream, Mathis’s first novel heralds the arrival of a major new voice in contemporary fiction. (from Goodreads)

My review

From the very first chapter, I was captivated by the story of Hattie, a young mother struggling with the illness of her twin babies.  In the most painful and simple language, the author shows us in the first chapter pretty much the last vestiges of Hattie’s love and sweetness.  She is heartbroken by this tragedy, which will affect her and her children for the rest of the story.

Each chapter concentrates on the other 9 children Hattie bears, and, lastly, her granddaughter.  While it was an interesting way to learn more about the main character, it honestly left me wanting.  I never felt that I got to know each of these children, or Hattie for that matter, as much as I wanted to.  I ended each chapter looking for more on each character, but never really getting it.

The writing by this first time author is amazing.  Even if I was not thrilled with the format, the writing was wonderful and I would gladly read another by Ayana Mathis.  This was a very impressive debut novel.

Rating- 4.5

(out of 5)