Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Theo has just arrived in the small town of Golden, where, in the popular coffee shop near his hotel, he discovers the most beautiful portraits on all the walls. He is utterly intrigued, feels he can almost see each personality behind the faces drawn there. Seeing that each one is priced so reasonably, he is inspired to take on a project of bestowals – of ensuring that each incredible portrait returns either to the subject or to a loved one who’ll appreciate it. And with each bestowal, he becomes more familiar, more integrated into the lovely community around him.

Many, I imagine, will find this story incredibly sweet. And it is. Theo is a lovable character, whose kindness, humility and quiet wisdom sets him apart. He is generous in an unassuming way, not seeking praise for his gifts, just wanting to do for others because he derives joy from the giving. It is also his way of connecting with others in the town, hearing their stories, and providing solace and encouragement in return. And these characters are colorful and diverse.

What niggled at me throughout the story, however, was that Theo’s character was just too perfect. He always had the perfect response to a challenge, always had an insightful, kind thing to say. I suppose there is the chance that when I reach Theo’s age of 86, I’ll always know just what to say and when to say it. But I believe it is much more likely that I will continue to have those frequent moments when, 3-4 hours after a conversation, I will think of just the right way to have said something (as I do now).

I also was bothered that while Theo installed himself in a quaint little Southern town, if he were truly as famous as he turned out to be, someone would’ve recognized him and not been as shocked to learn his true identity. He interacted with folks who were cultured, educated, and sophisticated – how could they not have known who he was???

So while this is a sweet tale, it is just a bit too sweet, a bit too perfect. Poetic license can only go so far, at least in my opinion.

The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Zoe has always been the outgoing sister, the one for whom social situations have been easy to navigate. On the other hand, Cassie, with her shy awkwardness, her larger body, and without the beauty that nature seems to have bestowed upon her sister, human interaction has always been a challenge. And for most of their formative years, Zoe has been protective of Cassie, admonishing those who insulted her, including her against others’ wishes. But there is one thing Cassie has that Zoe doesn’t – that innate musical gift, that magical voice. When Zoe enters a local battle of the bands, she knows that having Cassie by her side will virtually guarantee her a win – and this is where they begin their journey together. For better or worse…

This is an incredibly moving story, not only about the sisters’ meteoric rise to fame and sudden crash, but also about love and trust and what can become blinding drive for notoriety. It is told from the perspective of both sisters as well as from Zoe’s daughter. It is also told in 3 different time periods. While this might seem confusing, it is not – rather, it is an effective means of building suspense up to the point of discovery of exactly what has fractured the sisters’ relationship, the band disaster, and Cassie’s subsequent self-isolation.

This is also a poignant depiction of how size discrimination can impact one’s entire self-perception. While Cassie is likely autistic, her discomfort with social interactions is hugely magnified because of bitter memories of the many children who picked on and alienated her because of her size. Years later, it is perpetuated by those in the music business, as she is constantly compared to (and compares herself to) her thin, beautiful sister. For example, while her sister is provided with hundreds of wardrobe options, she is given one or two, always black, always ugly – merely efforts to make her appear smaller, disappear. What she can’t see is how inspirational she is to so many girls throughout the country who can identify with her and her challenges.

I worried that this would be a too-light book, a bit of fluff that would not be meaningful. I was quite wrong: it brought me to tears by the end.

I hope their story moves you too, the way it moved me.

Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Flora is determined to find the photograph she’s looking for – she really wants to put it on display at her daughter, Ruby’s, high school graduation party. The photo means so much to her, having captured her family with their best friends at the summer theater production they orchestrate every year. Unfortunately, her search leads her not only to the photograph, but also to the wedding ring her husband, Julian, had told her he’d lost years ago swimming in a lake. What could this signify, exactly? How could Julian threaten the marriage she’d felt was so secure for the past 20 years?

While the idea of a marriage at risk because of an affair is fairly cliche, the author does embellish it with the twist of this affair occurring in the context of the theather/acting world. Although many careers are challenging to balance with raising a family, this is one where there is no certainty or security. Each role is cast and can be altered, ended on a whim. Added to that the hundreds vying for each role, the emphasis placed on one’s appearance, the changes in locations and schedules that may be unpredictable – there are certainly unique factors in this business that can stress a marriage more than others. Bottom line, though? There is no solid marriage where trust is broken. Full stop. No matter what business they are in. The question is, can trust be repaired? That is the question asked in this novel.

This is a solid read. I enjoyed it while reading it, but it is not the type of story that stays with you, as more unique novels do.

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham

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It is September and Move-In Day at Tiffin Academy. It’s a day that would be routine, were it not for the explosive and yet smoothly managed, devastating death of a student the semester prior. As Audre Robinson, Head of School, helps the students get resettled, she cannot stifle her anxiety about how the year will unfold, how the student’s death will impact the returning students, and how the new girl admitted to fill the now open spot will blend in. She also knows school ratings are due to come out this same day. Talk about timing… As the year unfolds, she is also witness to the crazy ways in which the students – and their faculty/staff – get into and out of trouble.

This is a thoroughly entertaining novel, set in a fictional boarding school in the hinterlands of western Massachusetts. We are brought into the daily academic, social and emotional demands of these adolescents as they navigate the intense and privileged environment into which they are thrust. Who is the Queen Bee and how can we earn her good graces? How can we “get with” the cute guy/girl? Mind you, this is not restricted to the students, either. The new hires for English and History bring their own drama to the mix. It gets complicated!

I love that this is written by the author and her daughter. After her older brother chose to attend boarding school, her daughter chose to as well – and her experience and insight into the day-to-day routine, traditions, and culture of this environment provides authentic fodder for the story.

I love also how we see that despite the physical distance from their families, the students are still intertwined with and affected by their family circumstances. Their families continue to impact their mental health and ability to function (or not) in school. This is true both for those with means and those without.

This one is easy to get caught up in! Not so easy to put it down…!

Twice by Mitch Albom

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Alfie has just been brought into the casino security interrogation room by Detective LaPorta, after winning $2 Million from a suspicious round of bets. Not fearing the questions, as most do, Alfie surprises LaPorta by handing him a composition book filled with the story of his alibi. Though cynical that this will lead anywhere, LaPorta asks Alfie to read to him from this book, since he has to wait anyway until the Bahamian officers arrive to formally arrest Alfie. As Alfie begins his unusual story, revealing that he can do things in his life “twice,” (but ONLY twice, no matter what), we learn how even when you get a redo, it doesn’t magically make everything better.

I’m still trying to decide how I feel about this book. On one hand, it is typical Mitch Albom – out of the box, imaginative, philosophical. On the other hand, parts of the story feel too unrealistic, even a bit confusing. We see Alfie making mistake after mistake, relying on his ability to hit “Twice” (instant replay) and be able to sort of try again. But we also see him never learning to tolerate the bad things life inevitably brings. Some changes he makes are helpful to others, but ultimately, he hurts himself the most.

It does serve as a commentary on love and life and the benefit of acceptance of who we are, our limitations, and our relationships as they unfold. Nothing is ever perfect, no matter how many times we think a redo will change that. We have to adjust to what life brings us. We don’t actually get a redo – and if we did, it may not necessarily serve us as well as we imagine.

I will be very curious to hear what others think of this book. I’m utterly on the fence!

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

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Avery, Lucky, and Bonnie are all too well aware of what day it is – and not just because it’s the Fourth of July. They have been acutely aware of this date since last year on this dark day, when they lost their treasured sister, Nicky. She was the extroverted, kind, and “girly” one of the quartet, the one everyone loved. Ever since her death, each sister has been grieving her loss, each in her own way. Making matters even worse, the sisters receive an email from their mother alerting them that she will be selling the family apartment where Nicky lived, and that this apartment needs to be emptied by the end of the month. This insurmountable challenge – dealing with Nicky’s belongings no one has had the courage to dispose of – may in fact be just what the sisters need.

This is a beautifully written account of the unique relationship between siblings and how a loss can be traumatic, even during adulthood. The sisters, each prone to coping by utilizing self-destructive habits, have been suffering over the year since Nicky’s death. Not having their parents’ support – and having turned away from each other – has only added fuel onto their inner fires. And because each sister’s character is painted so artfully, we become entangled in each story, every challenge. We are compelled to keep turning the pages because we HAVE to learn what happens next.

I highly recommend this novel. While it sometimes feels as if you’re watching a car accident about to happen – and you want to jump in front of the car – it also has moments of such raw tenderness that it is worth every tear you might shed.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

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Dominic already has his hands full. He is preparing his already diminished family – his daughter and two sons – to evacuate their tiny Shearwater Island along with its UN-funded vault supplying the essential seeds for a would-be ecocrisis. But when a frightening storm causes a shipwreck near their coast, Fen, Dominic’s daughter, discovers a woman’s body floating near shore. Being an exceptionally strong swimmer, she pulls the body to the beach and finds that this woman is miraculously still alive. As the family together care for this mysterious woman, Rowan, their secrets emerge, their conflicts come to light, and Rowan’s own story becomes intertwined with theirs in dangerously unexpected ways.

There is a good reason for this book being on so many “favorite” lists of 2025. It truly has everything: characters who are struggling with their circumstances and with whom we can identify; a setting that is both picturesque and tragic; themes that are crucial for us to ponder; and a plot that builds to a physically tremulous crescendo. And all told in writing that is vivid and tactile.

The narration rotates around from character to character, so that the story can build around each character’s perspective. This provides great depth to both the plot and the character development, as we see from each of them how the story is built, where their thoughts are based, and what they are experiencing emotionally. And it is a profoundly emotional story, from all sides. And it builds and builds and surprises and shocks – and I, for one, was up until the wee hours of the morning just to finish this book, which I cannot say I do often.

One underlying theme here is that our world is sinking. Not just this tiny island near Australia, but all of it. Perhaps not this week or next, but within our lifetimes, and certainly within our children’s lifetimes. And while it’s terrifying to think about, we cannot deny facts. How many wildfires or vicious storms do we have to live through to understand that our world is changing because of what we’ve done to it? Receding back to reliance on oil and gas when we were going forward to renewable energy sources is a dangerous strategy. We can make a difference by whom we vote for, what strategies we support, what we invest in. We can effect change.

And yes, this is a MUST READ, as you might have guessed. Because yes, you really must read this one!

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin

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Aviva Grossman is young, perhaps naive, and ambitious. She’s smart, but not smart enough to keep herself out of trouble. Her mother, Rachel, will attest to that, for sure. They have been very close, more like friends than mother and daughter, perhaps. But when Aviva comes to Rachel to confess that she is having an affair with a married man – a well-known married man, at least in their part of South Florida, because of his political ambitions – Rachel is every bit Aviva’s mother, you can bet on that. She pleads with her, begs her, implores her to break up with him, even going so far as to try to bribe her, threaten her even. She knows the toll it will take on her reputation. But even Rachel has no clue that Aviva has been keeping an anonymous blog about her experience – and this before most folks even knew what a blog was, when the internet was like a new toy, seemingly harmless. When the affair blows up, Aviva’s life blows up with it. How will she survive?

This book is very Jewish, very South Florida, and steeped in stereotypes. Nonetheless, it is a quick, light, and amusing read. Aviva’s character builds into a relatable, vulnerable woman who earns both our sympathy, our understanding, and our respect. There are often many ways to see a situation, and we are often quick to judge. This is an example of one such situation. And that is the point.

Not ever going to be a Pulitzer Prize winner, but it’s fun and entertaining and has an important message to share.

Same As it Ever Was by Claire Lombardo

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Julia has found an equilibrium with her life as it is now. Yes, her daughter treats her with disdain, but isn’t that how every adolescent treats their mother? And while her son is always sweet to her, he has been somewhat distant lately. But at least, she and Mark, her husband, are still together, having survived their “rough patch” (definitely an understatement) so many years ago. And just as she thinks she’s in the clear, she runs into Helen – yes, Helen, the woman who symbolizes that most challenging period for Julia all those years ago.

This novel had a solid premise, excellent character development, and even good writing, but I believe was just too repetitive, too long. We understand that Julia had been traumatized by her childhood, with her mother having been harsh, cold, even emotionally abusive, leading to her having no self-esteem, no ability to trust anyone. When her husband, Mark, showed her kindness, she had trouble believing she deserved it. It was no surprise therefore, that when she met Helen, an older woman who showed her almost maternal warmth and friendship, Julia attached herself to her immediately. But I felt that the author might have spared some detail – that we did not need to hear about every encounter (which was repetitive). Moreover, there was not really a crescendo to the story. There was a crisis, yes, but it was not as dramatic as one might have hoped, considering all the detailed build-up.

I suppose this is another example of well-formulated characters in an interesting plot with decent potential but not ideal editing. Not a total loss, but you may find yourself counting the pages you have left, as I did periodically.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Beth has been coping, feeling stable enough in her marriage to Frank, since the loss of her son two years ago. While she hasn’t exactly fully processed it all, and Frank certainly does not discuss it openly, they have found peace in their home, a resolution of sorts. Even Jimmy, Frank’s volatile brother, even seems to have settled down quite a bit since the loss of the boy, to whom he had an unusually close connection. All this was the case that is, until the very dramatic, surprise appearance of Beth’s old flame, Gabriel, and his son, when their dog strays onto their family farm. Gabriel’s presence brings back a flood of memories for Beth, both tender and painful. How she acts on them and how their shared past haunts their present and plays into the murder trial that is ongoing behind this backstory. But who has been killed? How will this love triangle end?

This is an artfully crafted love-story-gone-wrong, full of unexpected twists, clever surprises, and heart-wrenching tragedies. We follow Beth as she sails the waves of her passions, crashes through choices, and falls hard time and again. We also feel for those around her, whether Frank or Jimmy, or even Gabriel, who have experienced rough times and have each lived with their own demons. And gradually the story builds into a suspenseful crescendo, leaving us breathless, until the very last page.

I am guessing you will not be able to put this one down – I couldn’t! Great to pack with you if you’re headed for a vacation in the next few weeks???