The Paris Wife (migrated from Bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula McLain

This very elegant book is written from the fictional perspective of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley.  McLain, in the voice of Hadley, tells of their brief courtship and their young marriage.  Early on, they moved to Paris and lived a very French life in the 1920’s, drinking and socializing with the artists and intellectual elite of the day.  Gradually, as Ernest becomes caught up in his upward climb to notoriety, he alienates his friends and eventually his own true love, Hadley herself.  And while the story is ultimately quite sad, it is also very beautiful in so many ways that the reader is left with a sense that things had to be as they were.

The story is told so smoothly that this reader felt she was reading the diary of a close friend.  It is hard not to love Hadley and have compassion for her and yet, at the same time, there is compassion for Ernest as well.  Even while the reader watches the demise of the relationship, each character in his/her own way is real and multidimensional and therefore sympathetic as well.

It also is a beautiful piece of historical fiction, with insight into the very real “roaring” that went on in the 1920’s.  Intellectual ideas and the search for beauty and truth seemed to have frequently been drowned in alcohol and lust.  The loneliness and emotionality of the artist personality was almost cliche, but was depicted very realistically.

It inspired me to want to read some of Hemingway’s novels.  I just might do that…

Motherland (migrated from Bookblogger)

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Motherland by Amy Sohn

This book is to literature what All My Children is to television…  pure soap!  It centers around the yuppie neighborhood of Park Slope in Brooklyn, where apparently no one really likes their kids, their spouses or their lives.  Every character is either cheating or being cheated on by their spouse, and the kids are resented for their mere existence.  The children are responsibilities and chores and not redeeming in any way.  And all that everyone really thinks about is having sex.  All the time.

The book also reads like a few stories combined into one with the characters intersecting at different points.  There are few actually likeable characters, which makes the book hard to connect with.  And the choppiness of the story leaves many threads dangling without resolution.

I have to confess, the only character I found truly amusing was the stroller stealer in the neighborhood!  Fed up with the yuppie moms who left strollers all over the neighborhood, this thief made what I considered quite the statement.  I kind of respected that…

Anyway, as you might have guessed, while this held my attention, it was not a great literature.

Beautiful Ruins (migrated from Bookblogger)

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Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

What a beautiful book, written so beautifully!  When a stunning American actress arrives at a tiny pension on a tinier island off the coast of Italy, Pasquale, the owner of the pension, cannot believe his luck.  Not only does he believe his father’s dream of their hotel becoming a hot spot for Americans may actually materialize, but he is also entranced by the beauty of this American.  As it happens, the American actress, Dee, of course has a story as does the naive but sincere Pasquale, but their lives are forever bound by this chance encounter.  The story is told in parts, bouncing back and forth between the time they meet in Italy, in 1962, and today, when Pasquale searches for her in America.  It also bounces from each of their stories to other characters that are woven into their tale, but it all works to keep the story moving and engaging.

The characters in this book are distinctive and each has a unique voice.  Each of them has been affected in some way by the 2nd world war and this shadows over some of their personalities.  In addition, the stories and the language of 1962 in the tiny village contrast so strikingly with those of the fast-paced action of the contemporary parts — and both are written with wit and an almost poetic rhythm.  I loved the writing in this book.

And it is one of the few books that give resolution and don’t leave you hanging at the end.  Thank you, Mr. Walter!

Safe Haven (migrated from Bookblogger)

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Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

I believe I saw a trailer for this upcoming movie, which got me interested in reading this book.  It is very. very suspenseful and I can see it being a suspenseful movie as well.

Katie is a mysterious woman who comes to a small town in South Carolina, setting herself up in a small cottage and working at a local restaurant.  She quickly develops a friendship (and then of course, more than a friendship) with a man who owns the local general store.  He is a widow with 2 young children and gracefully accepts that she has a past she is running from.

The past becomes clear as she gradually sheds her terror of her past coming back to haunt her, in the form of her abusive husband from whom she has escaped.  The story flashes back and forth from her perspective to her husband’s as it builds into a very nail-bitingly scary crescendo.  Even while you can guess at some of the story, there are twists and turns and the writing really does have you on the edge of your seat all the way up to the end.  And while some of the details are somewhat gruesome, I imagine that this is the tragic reality of those who really do experience domestic violence.

Now the question is:  do I see the movie or not??

The Art of Fielding (migrated from Bookblogger)

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The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Here’s a novel for all you sportspeople out there, for anyone who understands the pressure of the game and the importance of concentration/confidence.  It is the story of a boy, Henry, who is recruited to a college baseball team because he’s a shortstop who has broken a record of sorts of games in a row with no errors.  His captain, known as Schwartz, drives him hard and builds him up to achieve a degree of notoriety and he begins to attract scouts from the majors.  Meanwhile, the daughter of the president of the college, whose life has fallen apart forcing her to return to her father and the college campus, develops a relationship with Schwartz.  At the same time, her father has an affair with Henry’s roommate and good friend, Owen.  This sounds convoluted and it is to a degree, but it actually works for this story.

The writing is crisp and fresh and the characters become people you want to know.  You really care when Henry’s confidence wilts and throws his game.  You are really happy for Pella (the daughter) when she falls for Schwartz, giving her a second chance at love.  And you really want Owen and the President to get together, although the ethics there are both questionable and questioned.

As a prior softball player and a mom of a baseball player, I also understood the analogy of the baseball game to life and how hard work and perseverance pays off  but confidence is essential.

Good book!

Where We Belong (migrated from bookblogger)

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Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

Having read a few of Giffin’s books before, I couldn’t help grabbing this one off the shelf in the library.  This one, Where We Belong, starts with a very interesting idea:  a successful TV producer who is trying to push her current boyfriend/boss into proposing suddenly finds herself face to face with the daughter she gave up for adoption 18 years before.  The story is told from both the mother and daughter’s voices and it quickly engages the reader.  Through a good part of the book, I was right there with the characters and looked forward to reading more.  Unfortunately, although, in truth only toward the very end, it gradually sinks into the realm of make-believe, where everyone accepts the uncomfortable situation and everyone is forgiving of each other.   It is a too-satisfying ending (never said that before!)…

The characters are very likable, and Giffin’s portrayal of both the mother and the daughter definitely reel in the reader.  The mother is very New York — penthouse apartment and a Barney’s habitue — and the daughter is a loner musician trying to find herself.  Each is trying to find happiness and I do like that the mother really learns from the daughter with respect to being honest with others and with herself.  It also brings up interesting issues around teen pregnancy and adoption as an option, perhaps, though, in a  very idealistic light.

I think it’s still a decent read, although this is not going on my top ten list!

The Middlesteins (migrated from bookblogger)

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The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

This book, recommended on Oprah’s website, was about Edie, who is a strong-willed, strong-minded woman with a debilitating weight problem, which becomes the focal point of everyone around her.  Her children rally around her to help her try to eat healthfully and exercise.  Her husband leaves her because he feels she’s killing herself.  Yet she finds new love in a Chinese chef, who loves her for her exuberant appetite for food and for life.

It sounded to me like the makings of an interesting story; unfortunately, in my mind it fell flat.  The characters are developed to a point and then left behind.  The voice changes with each chapter, which so often works, but somehow in this book, feels like things get started and never finished.  The flow is choppy and details feel randomly thrown at the reader.  By the end, I found myself wondering what the point of the book really was.

In our weight-obsessed society, it is also hard to read more about the hardships of being overweight. We are valued by the scale, and no other accomplishments are considered.  If we are thin, we are good. And unfortunately, it seems that while they give Edie a strong personality, that works against her and makes her less loved — feared, even, by her friends! — and does not redeem her from her obesity.   This sadly upholds stereotypes that I was hoping would be dispelled.

A disappointment…

Flight Behavior (migrated from bookblogger)

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Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, and here is another beauty by her.  This story is about Dellarobia, who in her attempt to escape her dreary life climbs a hill at the rear of her property in anticipation of a tryst and comes upon a world of butterflies nesting in a forest there.  This jogs her out of her reverie and she retreats back into her life but her secret of the butterflies is soon revealed.  What are they doing there?  Why have they chosen this place?  This becomes the focal point of many interested parties, including a scientist who opens new doors for Dellarobia and forces her to be honest with herself about her choices and her life.

As usual, Kingsolver creates authentic, endearing characters that glue the reader to the book until the end.  The tender relationship that Dellarobia has with her son, Preston, and the strained relationship she has with her mother-in-law, Hester, are complicated and real-life.  Her frustration with her husband is palpable, but he is portrayed in a sympathetic light as well.  No one is truly bad and everyone has a past that helps explain who they are.

Most importantly, this story is well-researched (as are all her books) and she has a clear purpose in writing this book.  The story centers around the Monarch butterfly, which is uprooted from its nesting site in Mexico to an alternate place in the Appalachian mountains because of global warming and climatic change.  It draws attention to one example of the devastation of our environment about which man is in denial.  The issue is discussed at great length by the characters and a strong message is delivered within these pages.  The complicity of the media in promoting the denial is brought to the fore, as well, in some angering but some very entertaining scenes in the book.

What is most impressive about Kingsolver’s writing is that she is not formulaic nor predictable.  She chooses important topics and delves into them with such grace and knowledge that she makes an important statement every time.  This may be one of her most important ones yet.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

So you may have seen the movie already (I did), but this book is still a worthwhile read.  It is the story of Charlie as told by himself through letters to “a friend.”  Charlie is beginning high school with a quirky, honest personality and no friends.  He is befriended by a small group of seniors who are just as quirky and interesting and they make him feel, for the first time, like he belongs.  In the course of the year, he learns a lot about himself and friendship and love and gains insight into his past.

The writing is genuine adolescent and both adolescents and any adult who ever experienced adolescence can appreciate it.  Some of it is raw and sad and all of it carries great emotion.  And some of the writing is so beautifully subtle, especially in it’s revelation about his relationship with his aunt who had died.  The characters are also very real and by the end of the book, they all feel like they are your friends as well.  It reminds us adults that teenagers feel very strongly and think very deeply.

I rarely read a book after I’ve seen the movie (and often vice versa) but this was worthwhile in spite of having seen the movie.  It’s an elegant story told very simply and it works.

The Casual Vacancy (migrated from bookblogger)

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The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

This long-awaited adult novel by J.K. Rowling was given negative reviews in the press, but I actually disagree.  I actually found this book very engaging and emotional.  The story is a gritty view of a small town and the many, varied characters who were affected by the death of one of its own, a man named Barry Fairbrother.  Fairbrother, well-liked by many and who had been fighting to keep open a controversial methadone clinic, left a “casual vacancy,” a seat in the town council.  Three men vie for this office, each with a very different motive for doing so.  Undermining them are their teenage children, who are involved in a complicated small-town drama of their own.  At the center of this drama, is a very troubled youth named Krystal, the daughter of a drug addict whose success for any degree of recovery hinges on this very methadone clinic.  It is Krystal who turns out to be the character with the most heart and, in my opinion, is the most beloved in the book.

In addition to creating characters that are interesting, complex and engaging, the author weaves a story that depicts themes of prejudice, stereotypes and class differences.  Prejudices that the parents have are thrust on their children and this either permeates their children’s behavior or it backfires in a dramatic way.  And the teens have prejudices of their own and both the leaders and the followers are punished for them in different ways.  Sadly, too, there are innocent victims and this is where the book is very real.

This book differs starkly from the Harry Potter books.  There, magic helps to save the heroes.  Here there is no magic — it’s real life.