The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

After having achieved some degree of acclaim with his first novel, Jacob Finch Donner has been finding it a challenge, to say the least, to hit the target with that follow-up one.  Not that he hasn’t tried, of course.  He has had a couple of feeble attempts, but even he knows they were not worthy of much attention.  So, to make ends meet, he’s been doing what he can – and for writers, that translates to teaching writing, which he is doing currently at a small, run-down, third-tier program in Vermont, as an adjunct.  It is here where Donner has a brief exchange of ideas with an arrogant, petulant student who will forever change the course of Donner’s life – for better and for worse.  

While I found this book to be engaging for most of the way through, with a tone that was at once cynical and amusing, it was overall a bit disappointing.  The narrative did achieve some unpredictability, but it was riddled with conspicuous details and a singular plot line that just led to one possible conclusion.  The twists were not as “twisty” as I’d hoped for.

Even the characters were a bit milquetoast.  The main character, Jacob, was likable – messy, insecure and vulnerable – but we really don’t know very much about him.  We have little backstory on him and do not really develop a deep emotional attachment to him.  We feel even less about Anna, the woman he marries, and so do not get to like her all that much before we decide we may not.  

I will say that I was entertained for about the first 60% of the novel, but it definitely fell short of my expectations.  Worth it?  Not sure…

 

 

Home Again by Kristin Hannah

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld
Home Again: A Novel - Kindle edition by Hannah, Kristin. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Angel DeMarco has been living in the fast lane for so long now, that he cannot even catch up with himself.  Famous for his blue-eyed, teen fan-wilting smile, and his roles in smash-hit action films, he has amassed the fortune to finance the most impulsive drug and sex sprees imaginable.  And yet – he still finds himself as lonely as ever.  When he is suddenly faced with a health crisis, all of this comes rushing in to challenge his very ability to face his past in order to make possible a future.  

Meanwhile, Madelaine, back home in Seattle, has become a successful cardiologist, working with a transplant team that is renowned for its success.  While she is top of her game professionally, she is struggling personally.  Her role as a single mom has become more and more challenging as her teenaged daughter, Lina, has begun to challenge everything about their relationship.  Trying so hard to protect Lina, Madelaine hides truths from her daughter.  But will this be sustainable?  And who is this really protecting?   

It is so disappointing when a book starts out well but then is heartbreakingly dull and predictable, right? Hannah had a great premise for this book: lovely characters, an interesting plot idea, and a challenging ethical dilemma.  Sadly, this great idea was muddled by repeatedly, prolonged character musings over past failings intertwined with drawn-out, ruminative thoughts.  The characters were flat — too pretty and stereotypical, with little depth.  And the plot was so devoid of surprise or twist that I felt I was reading the story just to prove there was no surprise or twist to be found.  

Is it the writer’s oversight?  The editor’s?  I wonder.  

In any case, there is too little time and too many books to read, so don’t spend our precious gift of literature on this one. 

 

 

 

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld
Wish You Were Here: A Novel: Picoult, Jodi: 9781984818416: Amazon.com: Books

It is March, 2020, and Diane may have just made the faux pas of her career.  She’d been on such a positive trajectory, climbing the ladder in the art business world just as she’d planned.  In fact, most of her life was going as planned – her life with Finn, her boyfriend, their New York, fast-paced, busy lives — really everything.  But now, who knows?  This would be the perfect time to get away to the Galapagos, as she and Finn had planned,  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as though Finn will be able to get away, as this novel coronavirus has coopted his surgical training, and all hands are on deck for caring for Covid patients at the hospital.  Should she go on her own, as he’s suggested? The next few months will turn their lives upside-down, as they have done for all of us – but not nearly in the way you will expect!

When I realized that this book was taking place during Covid, I was apprehensive about reading it.  We’ve all been through it and we’re all pretty over it – to say the very least!  The masks, the distancing, the isolation – enough already!!  

But actually, this story has a novel plot line, with ample twists and turns that keep it fresh.  Covid is only a part of the story.  There are gorgeous natural scenes in the Galapagos that engage our imagination.  There are characters who are experiencing familial issues that are unrelated to the pandemic that will distract you from thinking about your mask and your disinfectant.  And there is deep discussion about art that always highlights our humanity.  

Most importantly, this narrative suggests we strive to seek our own silver lining from the pandemic.  Diane finds hers, in her relationship with her mother, in her self-discovery, in her appreciation of living in the moment.  While there has been devastating loss, unspeakable fractionation within our population, and the unearthing of so much injustice during this pandemic, there has also been newfound light.  There has been a slowing down, a “time out,” so to speak, during which we’ve had a chance to reevaluate and reassess.  There has been more intensive time with some loved ones, even while there has been time away from others, which can give us time to appreciate each other on a whole different level.  There’s been time to appreciate what we do have.  

Yes, this may all sound a little pollyannish, but I am, at the end of the day, an optimist.  It helps me to find something good even in things that are hard.   

How exactly is this expressed in the story?  I guess you’ll have to read it to find out…!

 

 

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld
Tidelands (1) (The Fairmile Series): Gregory, Philippa: 9781501187155: Amazon.com: Books

 

Alinor was very alone in the graveyard on a windy, cold night, wondering if her husband was going to be returning to her or if he had died at sea, when suddenly she found herself faced with a finely dressed gentleman of the cloth.  She quickly recovered herself and sprung into action, feeling compassion for this young man who was clearly in danger of his life.  What she could not foresee was that saving him would have an impact on her future and the future of both of her children.  And what she will not know if this would be for better or for worse. 

I was reminded by this novel was that some of the best stories require patience to reveal themselves as such.  It took time to build the world in which Alinor lived, that of great political conflict, as revolutionaries were rebelling against King Charles in the 1600’s in England.  Even as Alinor tried to stay out of the fray, it was impossible, as she was inextricably caught between her brother who fought for the freedom of the ordinary man and her lover who served the king he believed was ordained by his Lord directly.  And the fray was mundane as well, with her tiny, provincial, seaside town being fertile ground for festering grudges and jealousies.  The tidelands, as her land was called, because of the sand on which she lived which flooded and eroded with the ocean forces, was a beautiful metaphor for the shifting alliances she found herself exposed to.  As these conflicts both large and small grew, so too did the literary tension, such that it really grew hard for the reader to look away.

This is a lush, striking story with beautiful imagery, forceful characters and great power.  The question now is, do I read the next one in the series now or save it for later???

 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld
Amazon.com: The Midnight Library: A Novel eBook : Haig, Matt: Kindle Store

Nora is done.  She has disappointed almost everyone she knows and feels she is done trying not to.  She gave up swimming and disappointed her dad.  She gave up the band and disappointed her brother.  She gave up her relationship and disappointed her fiancee, Dan.  And now, she’s even disappointed her cat.  She just cannot do anything right.  It’s just time to give up, period.  But when it comes that time, she discovers a place in-between and it may be that there is space for second (and more) chances.  

This book is based on a slightly outrageous, but fascinating premise of a theorem of quantum physics which states that we may be living more than one life simultaneously.  That is, even very tiny choices can lead us toward very divergent paths and have very different consequences for our lives.  And what if each of these are branches from a root life that are going on simultaneously?  And what if, at some point, we have the choice to go back and choose one of these alternative paths?  Sort of an “undo” of our lives?  It’s a pretty wild concept, no?

This narrative begins well.  We feel a deep empathy for Nora and her experience of depression, loneliness, and hopelessness, and understand her decision to escape.  The “midnight library” is an elaborate metaphor and creates a gorgeous image that helps us to understand this concept of simultaneous lives in a way that is accessible to those of us who may not be able to comprehend very abstract concepts of quantum physics. 

Unfortunately, I feel as though the author struggled to know where to drive the storyline once the underlying premise was established.  There is a clear message here, but it is so clear that it makes the outcome transparent way too early on.  Knowing this made it feel like too much work to get there.  And with an ending so predictable, it was also disappointingly melodramatic and “picture perfect.”

What I did appreciate is that the author, Matt Haig, is not afraid to discuss the oft-hushed topics of anxiety, depression and suicidality through fiction.  We know he has first-hand knowledge of these topics, as he has authored a memoir (reviewed in this blog in 2019) called Reasons to Stay Alive, in which he so generously shares his own struggles with these difficult conditions.   In giving voice to mental health issues, creating characters who live with them, it helps to widen the scope of empathy for the millions of folks who struggle with these disorders, both visibly and invisibly.  

So while there is value to this book, in the clever premise and vital message, it is disappointingly predictable. 

PS:

There is another book that presents this theory and in a more subtle way:  The Book of Two Ways, by Jodi Picoult.  See my review from May 29, 2021   

 

 

 

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Aleisha cannot imagine how she’ll survive this long, dreadful summer ahead, working in, of all places, a library! She doesn’t even like to read! And it’s not like she’s excited to go home at the end of the day, either. There, she finds even more stress, never knowing in what condition she will find her mother. And now she has to deal with this grumpy old man…

Meanwhile, Mukesh has not been the same since his wife died 2 years ago. He knows that. But why must his daughters hover over him as if he is incapable of doing anything for himself? Maybe if he can reconnect with his wife through the books she’s read, it’ll do him some good.  But that may mean going to the library.  What a chore…

As a lover of books and reading, I adore the premise of this book. I love that a library becomes a magnet, drawing people together to share their experience of learning about the world– learning about themselves — through characters and stories. Both Aleisha and Mukesh are lonely and stuck inside themselves; the library and the books they share become the tools they use to dig themselves out from under this.

Unfortunately, while the story line has great potential, the writing is choppy, unoriginal, and occasionally simplistic. It was hard to get through, even when I did have curiosity about the outcome. I liked the characters, but the telling of their story did not do them justice, and honestly, I was simply bored at some points.

I firmly agree with the author, that books are a way to learn about others, that characters teach us empathy and how to cope. They can set an example, inspire us, and enlighten us. I only wish this message had been delivered with a bit more subtlety and flair.

 

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: 9781524798659 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

 

Nina is just not sure she has it in her to go through with her annual Malibu bash this year, given her current, very mortifying, so painfully public circumstance. How could she have been so foolish as to have trusted Brandon with her heart, especially after watching her mother go through this very same thing?  Unfortunately, since no one is actually invited to these parties – they just come! – ,she cannot disinvite them either.  She is committed and she’ll get through this just as she has every other hardship she’s had to endure through her young, somewhat glamorous, but inwardly difficult life.  And she’ll take care of her siblings as they confront their trials and tribulations as well, just as she’s done all of their lives. It’s just the way it has to be.  Well, it certainly feels that way…

Taylor Jenkins Reid has a flair for delving deep into the hearts of the glitterati, often revealing the dark underbelly of fame.  While so many crave the spotlight, Jenkins Reid exposes the isolation and the emptiness that often lies there.   As she narrates the tale of Nina and her siblings and their current day issues, she also flips back in time to the story of Nina’s parents: her “Elvis”-like father who lusts after stardom almost like a drug, to the exclusion of everything else, including Nina’s mother, and his own children.  This strongly contrasts with Nina, who has achieved her own degree of recognition from her new, but quite successful, modeling career,; however, Nina shies away from the attention when she possibly can.  She is utterly devoted to her siblings, and while this is difficult, she also has their love and support always.  There is a clear and present message here.  

And yes, there is quite a bit that is predictable here.  And yes, there are many stereotypes here.  But it is a fun read, with some twists and turns, and some crazy surprises, especially as the big, Malibu bash gets going.  There  is no end to the trouble these stars cause!

Not a MUST-READ, but definitely a fun read!  Enjoy!

 

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R Sloan

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan

“There’s nothing the public loves more than to tear down someone who was once their idol.”

It had been years since Gloss had exploded onto the music scene and then dissolved into disaster when Cassidy deserted the pop girl band, seemingly out of nowhere. Even so, the other surviving band members were still taken aback upon learning of Cassidy’s untimely death. While she was never solidly “one of them,” she did spend a lot of time with them – on tour, in rehearsals – so why did they all feel clueless about what happened to her? Or were they?

This novel is reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six, in that it testifies to the drama and strain of sudden fame and exhaustion of the traveling pop star. The image promoted by the media is often completely disparate from what is behind the curtain, so to speak. Moreover, there are so many who rely on, and prey on the maintenance of this image. We see this sort of thing happening on social media often enough with the ordinary person – imagine how magnified it is for the extraordinary.

The narrative here is very effective. The voice swivels around from Cassidy before and during her time in Gloss to the various members of Gloss in current day, post-Gloss. The story is built, layer by careful layer, from this rotation of storytelling and from it we get a gradual, global perspective. The few “aha” moments are quite satisfying and make for an overall, really fun read.

I highly recommend this – as entertaining as a Gloss concert might have been in its heyday!

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

 

Amazon.com: The Book of Longings: A Novel: 9780525429760: Kidd, Sue Monk: Books

Ana is not the typical Jewish girl of her era, the first century, just outside ancient Jerusalem, under Roman rule. She is acutely aware of her powerlessness, even while she is better off than many, with her father being first scribe to the Tetrarch. No, she is still female and still feels the sting of having little agency over her future. While others her age appear to anticipate with wonder their upcoming matches and engagements, she is filled with dread. This is not the life she seeks. Ana is a writer of stories, hungrily stealing away with any papyrus and ink she might snatch from her father’s cache. She documents the pain and the courage that she witnesses in the women around her. She cannot imagine herself with any man – that is, until she stumbles upon the man called Jesus…

This fascinating novel of historical fiction imagines Jesus not as a celibate ascetic, but rather more as a man. He is pious and righteous and utterly generous and he promotes kindness, forgiveness, love and all of the doctrines for which he is known and beloved. But he is also human, with human instincts and human desires.

More importantly, the focus of the novel is not directed toward Jesus, but rather on Ana. The message here, I believe, is that we are ALWAYS hearing about the men. We always hear about how righteous they are and how they opine. Very few women are highlighted in the Bible, for example, and if they are, it is often to let us know whom they have “begotten,” or worse, if they have not been able to “beget.” There is quite a lot of violence toward these women, and there is quite a lot of hushing and rejection of them as well. Ana makes it her business to tell their stories, the stories of her women, not only of the Bible, but also of her peers and her family. She sees it as her mission to ensure that they are not forgotten, as women often are.

The characters depicted here are lifelike and enduring in our minds. We are drawn to Yaltha, Ana’s aunt, for example, because of her untiring loyalty and rebellious spirit. We also have deep sympathy for her because, bit by bit, her dark and tragic history is revealed to us. She has been so mistreated but yet she remains steadfast in her devotion to Ana. We cannot help loving her for this.

This is a beautiful work of imagination and imagery that I believe will stay at least with me for a long time. I’d very much love to hear what others think of it as well!

China Boy by Gus Lee

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld
Amazon.com: China Boy: 9780452271586: Lee, Gus: Books

Kai has had a tender beginning, with a loving mother who has nurtured him, even favoring him as the “Only Son” among his sisters.  Now, however, he finds himself at a much harsher juncture, being the tiny, nearsighted, vulnerable target of all the neighborhood bullies.  Caught between his family tradition and his worldly circumstance, Kai struggles to overcome his daily obstacles, utilizing strength he never knew he had.

On its face, this is a potentially beautiful story, but I felt it was disappointingly told.  While Chinese history and culture from the 1940’s was colorfully embroidered into Kai’s family/back story, this background encompasses over half of the book.  Admittedly, some of it was interesting and deepened the context, but there is both redundancy and repetitiveness throughout.  Further,  while we endure every gory detail of each of Kai’s beatings, there is only minimal detail about his relationships with his sisters.  Kai’s sister, Jane, for example, is a strong, willful character who stands up to her stepmother.  I would have loved to have heard more about her and her relationship with Kai.  She is, unfortunately though, kept at bay.  Likewise, we know even less about his 2 older sisters.  

Similarly, once we do (finally) get to the plot, there is not much there that we cannot predict.  While Kai is a very endearing character, and we do root for him, we know where the story will take us before we get to the ending.  No surprises, no twists.  Nothing.

There is so much potential in the idea of this story.  Was it the writing?  The editing?  Not sure, but at least in my opinion, someone failed.