Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

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Little did Katey know that when she and her best friend, Evey, went out to ring in the new year of 1938 that she’d  be ringing in a new relationship that would introduce her to the moneyed Upper East Side social scene of New York City.  Meeting people with names like Tinker and Bitsy, Katey gets drawn into this scene, even as she continues to work her own way up the business ladder, using her wiles and wit.  But while Katey does hold onto her scruples – or her own rules of civility , if you will – she does become tangled in a web of love triangles that both highlight and transcend social class status.

There is so much to be said about this book.  Most importantly, the writing just downright beautiful.  This prose by Towles often verges on the poetic.  The phrasing and the images that are drawn with words are so vivid that I was forced to read some passages multiple times, just to really appreciate them fully.  The author has a true gift that he is generously sharing with us here.

The characters are also so gracefully drawn.  From their subtle tics to their happy or hapless (depending on the character) wit, you cannot help feeling compassion for each and every one of them.  And each and every one of them is neither all good or all bad – much like the real world.  And Katey is the kind, vulnerable, and yet steady heroine we all aspire to being.

What I appreciate most about this book is the underlying current of friction between money and honor.   As Katey mixes more with those of the upper class, she sees some who feel they should earn the money they have and others who feel they just deserve it.  And in this era of Trump and the Republican Party’s shameful and frightening abuse of both money and power, the statement of honor and kindness triumphing over greed in this story is particularly poignant.

A lyrical and delightful book – highly recommend!

 

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

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This was one of those easy reads that have a little suspense, a little drama, a little heartbreak – but that you don’t have to take too seriously.  And in this moment of political unrest with enough daily drama and anxiety in real life, it was fun to sneak away to this bit of fiction.

It begins with the crash of a private plane going from Martha’s Vineyard to New York – right up front – with a very dramatic story of 2 survivors.  The rest of the story is a combination of the aftermath – trying to untangle the mystery of the crash – as well as the personal story of each of the characters leading up to the fateful flight.  As each of the personal stories unfold, the story comes to a fulminant crescendo, with the revelation of the cause of the crash.

While there are some inconsistencies and a few loose ends, the story is entertaining and actually travels in many divergent directions because of the various characters.  Each character has his or her unique story and each intertwines somewhat with the others.  In the telling of each story, though, the author manages to build up the suspense and create many more possible explanations for the crash.

If you’re looking for a distraction in these troubled times, this is a good place to hide!

Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah

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After 24 years of marriage, Elizabeth has finally come to terms with the fact that her husband, Jack, and her 2 daughters have all taken center stage in her life, leaving her to cast aside her own dreams and aspirations.  When Jack was a famous football star, she cared for her young daughters mostly by herself.  When Jack later became a smaller time sports caster, moving from town to town where opportunities arose, she duly followed. But now that the girls are both out of the house, she realizes that it is time for her to attend to herself – she just has to figure out whether that plan will include Jack or not…

This is a story that will, sadly, strike a familiar chord with many readers, I believe.  When the nest empties, it is often a challenge for couples to fill the void – or it is the time when the void has to finally be acknowledged.  Hannah describes this conflict with sensitivity, honesty and warmth, presenting both Elizabeth’s and Jack’s sides to a complicated story.

I think it was not good that I knew before reading this book that the author had written The Nightingale.  That book was so outstanding that I had elevated expectations for this one.  For example, some subplots were hinted at but then left undone.  One character, Kim, who Elizabeth met in a support group, was a mysterious, moodier member of the group.  It appeared that she was going to be more of a presence in the book (and it was an interesting possibility), but she was just sort of abandoned in a more underdeveloped state.

I would still recommend this book – it was a nice read – but manage your expectations if you’ve read The Nightingale!

The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

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In this slightly outlandish story, Sophie finds herself sucked into the circumstances of her ex-boyfriend’s family, when his Aunt Connie has died and left her house on an island to Sophie.  This is no ordinary island, however.  It is on this island, where many years prior, Connie and her sister, Rose, walked into their neighbors’ house, expecting to have tea with their neighbors, Jack and Alice Munro, when they discovered their baby girl left unattended, with Jack and Alice having mysteriously vanished.  Sophie herself remembers visiting the island, now a shrine of sorts (and the source of a healthy income for the sisters), where the rooms were left untouched, still with bloodstains and an unfinished crossword puzzle, just as if they’d just deserted the room that morning.  As the events unfold, the family and their individual struggles and conflicts come to light and Sophie finds peace with her own life as she helps them with theirs.

As usual, Moriarty tells a tale that is alternatively amusing and tragic.  While the premise is a little far-fetched, the struggles that these quirky characters are coping with – relationship issues, depression, child neglect and worse – are quite realistic.  And Moriarty’s signature humor and warmth follow each character through to the end.

If you’re looking for a fun read with some substance, this is your book!

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

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Leo, Jack, Bea, and Melody are siblings awaiting the 40th birthday of the youngest of them, Melody — because on this day, they are slated to inherit what they’ve been calling for years, the “Nest.”  Unfortunately, when Leo gets into a terrible accident, their mother hijacks an ungodly percentage of it to rescue him (and the family name).  As the siblings come together, wondering if Leo will really pay them back what he owes, they find they get something more valuable than money in return.

The fun of this book is in the many, colorful characters.  Each of the siblings has his or her own personal drama and the telling of it is well-crafted.  The perspective switches frequently, keeping the pace brisk and the tension taut.  And when resolution comes, it does not get wrapped into a rainbow-perfect package, but stays very real and true.

I love that these characters define family in many different ways.  Love and allegiance are more important than traditional roles and family constructs.  I think we can all learn from this, as we all have our own biases and expectations – and this is not what should be imposed on anyone else.

Enjoy The Nest!  I did!

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams

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OK, I’ll admit I’m a little obsessed with the writing of Beatriz Williams at the moment.  But it’s justified!  In this novel, she has managed, once again, to create characters that I’d love to go out and have a drink with.

This story, which takes place in New York just as the world is reeling from the effects of the first World War, weaves together the lives of Sophie, a reclusive innocent who secretly tinkers with “machines”, Octavian, a WWI air force veteran/hero, and Theresa, a middle aged NYC socialite.  As their lives become entangled, we gradually learn why Sophie’s life has been so sheltered by her father and how complications of love can bring out both evil and good.

Williams’ use of different voices enables her to truly uncover the personalities of her colorful and complex characters.  We hear from Theresa in first person – and her aggressive but coy and sardonic humor shines through.  On the other hand, we learn about Sophie in third person, but this is fitting as she actually knows little about herself, having been sheltered by her father and trying to break out.  And with each change of perspective comes a different tint in language and feeling.

What is also amusing is that all of Williams’ books either centrally or peripherally involve the Schuyler family of Manhattan, her fabricated, very large and very intriguing  family of characters.  In this book we get to know Julie Schuyler, who is rich and confident and worldly, but also admittedly dependent on her family for her fun – a woman typical of her wealthy 1920’s era.  She is a side character here, but serves as the vehicle that brings Sophie into the limelight of the story.

I can’t wait to read my next Beatriz Williams book!

Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams

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Another absolute winner by this gifted writer!

Pepper Schuyler certainly has her reasons for selling the 1936 Special Roadster Mercedes Benz she’s been working on restoring, but she can’t imagine why the mysterious Annabelle Dommerich was so intent on buying it, and for such a small fortune.  To learn why, the author takes us back and forth between the relative “present” (1966) and the past (1935-) in the telling of the story.  We learn that Annabelle has had to navigate a passionate love for a Jewish German man at the start of the Nazi uprising.  Her complicated history has lead her inextricably back to this car and to Pepper, with whom she will share more in common than Pepper would have ever predicted.

 

Beatriz Williams has a way of creating characters whom you just want to invite over for a drink and conversation.  Her female characters are smart and sharp-witted and yet hopeful and strong.  In addition, she crafts her plots with twists and turns and actually keeps the suspense maintained throughout the pages.  This is a book that you can’t stop but yet don’t want to finish reading, because you just want to stay in the world of these real-life, endearing characters.

Highly recommend this and can’t wait to read other books by her!  (This is my 3rd by her,  I believe.)

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

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As the country is still reeling from the Great Depression, Layla finds herself ousted from her privileged life because she refused to marry the man chosen for her by her father.  As punishment, she’s banished to an assignment through the Writers’ Project to research and write the history of the tiny town of Macedonia,Virginia.  Not believing she will survive in such a backward town, she quickly finds herself living among and becoming entrenched with the family that is at the center of probably the most significant and tragic  segment of Macedonia’s history.

This book is written by the author of one of my all time favorite books, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  In that former book, the characters jump off the pages and into your heart.  The characters here are not quite as striking, but they are certainly vivid and endearing.  The author also utilizes a change in voices to tell the story, sometimes from the perspective of Jottie, Layla’s landlord and head of the household and sometimes from the perspective of Willa, Jottie’s niece whom she’s raised.  The varying perspectives round out the story to give it a great, 3-dimensional feel.

There is a bit of suspense, there is a bit of romance, but there is mostly just the telling of an emotional story about colorful characters about whom you can’t help caring.

An absorbing read, worth every word!

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

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It is the late 1960’s and Frankie has just moved to Palo Alto with her husband and two children.  While her husband has found his dream job, her own dream of going to college and becoming a writer has gone unfulfilled.  That is, until she meets the “Wednesday Sisters.” While watching her children play in a park near her new home, she meets a group of women who become her closest friends, her confidantes, and her literary critics!  And as the 60’s roll into the 70’s, they see each other through their writing struggles as well as their personal struggles, and they evolve with women all over the country, supporting each other as they each begin to pursue their own interests and passions just as their husbands have done.

This is a sweet story, with the 1960’s as a subtle backdrop.  The women have a wonderful relationship and bring out the best in each other.  The respect that they show for each other, in spite of their individual quirks and conflicts, is what most would aspire to in a friendship and their solidarity, expressed most fully at the end (I won’t spoil it for you!) is truly beautiful.  It is a little far-reaching as “realistic” goes, but it works anyway.

A fun, mostly light read…  definitely a chick book!

 

 

Seventh Heaven by Alice Hoffman

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On Hemlock Street, in a small town on Long Island in the year 1959, all the houses looked the same.  In fact, even those that lived inside those identical model homes had difficulty finding their own because the streets all looked the same.  The mothers were all homemakers and shared recipes and gossip, the fathers all worked and bonded in the hardware store, and the children all fell asleep to the sounds of the Southern State Highway.  So when Nora Silk, divorced and juggling multiple jobs with the care of her 2 young sons, moved onto the street, she could not have appeared more different from the others.  It was only after time, acts of tragedy and kindness, and the communal realization that no one has a perfect family, that Nora was able to work her way into the hearts of the families on the street.

The first thing I loved about this book was the capturing of an iconic generation and its details.  The description of suburban life in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s is perfect – from the clothes to the foods to the very way of thinking at the time.  It was a simpler time but still fraught with normal human experience, both sweet and sad.  I am dating myself by saying that I could relate.

The story, as it very subtly unwinds, though, is really about bullying in its many forms.  Whether it is adults who are unfriendly to someone who they judge to be different, or kids who pick on the awkward new boy, or teenage boys who treat a “loose” girl like she doesn’t matter, the story revolves around the evil that comes from judging others and acting mean.  Some learn their lessons while others just run away.  But ultimately, kindness rules.

This is a beautiful, real-life story that will very gradually and quietly warm your heart.