The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Rachel, whose alcoholism has cost her the life she once had with her ex-husband, Tom, watches a couple from her commuter train each day.  Jason and Jess are her idea of the perfect couple and she idolizes them with these Rachel-given names.  Suddenly, when she learns that Jess (really, Megan) is missing, she can’t help but get involved.  As Rachel is sucked in to what becomes a dangerous situation, she learns that alcohol has cost her more than just her marriage.

This book deserves the acclaim that it is getting.  It is an excellent portrait of a self-hating, depressed woman whose life is drowned in drink.  It also builds into a thriller with just enough suspense to keep the pages turning.  The characters are not lovable but they are interesting and complex.  It also keeps you guessing and has a twist near the end that I did not see coming.

Thumbs up!

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This was one of those books that keep you waiting for something explosive to happen… and waiting… and waiting…  I’ve now finished the book and I’m still waiting!

The story centers around Abby and Red, who are married and aging and their 4 children are trying to help care for them.  There are difficult relationships among the children, particularly with Denny, who is mysterious and has always been “difficult.”   What I did like about the book is that the writing is extremely authentic.  The descriptions of scenes of ordinary life among the family members are so realistic that you feel as though you are in the room with the characters living it.  The dialogue and the actions are very familiar.

Unfortunately, the plot was extremely vague and meandering and did not rise up to anything truly interesting.  There is an event that changes the course of the story, but it is somewhat anticlimactic.  The most potentially interesting character, Denny, ends up being a missed opportunity.  Throughout the book I was waiting to learn more about him but never really did.

I think the author was going for subtlety, but only achieved a lack of substance.  Disappointing!

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

It was supposed to be a lovely celebration of the triplets’ birthday and it began as such, but a sudden explosion of temper erupted and all hell broke loose.  This is how this story starts and the rest of the book discloses how these 3 tall, very attractive triplets came to arrive at this tumultuous point in their lives.

As usual, Liane Moriarty crafts a fun read – with a combination of both heavier and lighter issues that each of the sisters is coping with.  She is able to weave an emotionally abusive relationship, blended families, infertility and infidelity among the sisters’ lives, without making this a totally depressing story.  Quite an accomplishment, I think!  I think she is able to do this by intertwining the serious with lighter, funnier moments, with sarcasm and with beautiful moments as well.  Sort of like how life is, I believe — ie. the good with the bad.

While this was not my favorite book of hers, I did enjoy it very much and do recommend it.  This would be a good summer read!  (Just wish it felt anywhere close to summer right now — I’d even take spring!)

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

I read this book cover to cover and I still have little idea what the book was about.  I will tell you what I do know…

I know that Alex, the Ukrainian son of a travel agent, is telling the story of his “hero,” the author Jonathan Safran Foer, in his very broken/misworded English.

I know that Jonathan, the “hero” is in the Ukraine, from America, to find the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis.

And I know that Jonathan and Alex are accompanied on this journey by Alex’s grandfather, who is somehow involved in the story, and their dog (named Sammy Davis Junior Junior).

There are also many flashbacks to a very fantastical story of who I think are the ancestors of Jonathan’s grandfather, but the story is so choppy, that it’s hard to tell who is who.  And so much of it is so absurd that it’s hard to take any of it seriously.

And some scenes are extremely serious.

I think this book had some very interesting ideas and I actually find the telling with the broken English quite amusing.  There were even some very colorful characters who might have been more powerful had they been more real.  Unfortunately, at least for me, the execution of the good ideas was so far out there that it missed the target by a long shot.

Actually, for me, very little was illuminated…

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Camille, a reporter for a small Chicago newspaper, is sent down to her very small home town in Missouri to cover the story of a second 13 year old girl who is murdered – strangled and found with teeth missing.  It is painful for her to return home, where her ice cold mother and her crazy-wild, half-sister are still stuck in their twisted relationship and where Camille feels like an outsider.  As she gets closer and closer to solving the mystery, she also comes closer to understanding what has caused her her own emotional pain over the course of her life.

While this book does not have the extreme twists and turns that Gone Girl had, it still is suspenseful and has its own black moments.  There is a psychological quagmire in almost every character in the story, and one has to wonder if Flynn believes anyone is ever happy and without pain.  Camille, the main character, for example, is a cutter and gives a fairly realistic picture of how addictive and relieving/shameful this behavior is.  It is also an extremely dark portrait of the proverbial small town, where one either gets “stuck” or “gets out” but that no one actually chooses to live there.

Flynn’s writing is that kind of guilty pleasure — it’s sharp, smart, a not a little twisted — but you have to indulge once in awhile!

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This book is delightful! Don, a genetics professor with Asperger’s, has decided that he is ready to find his life partner.  In his structured, rigid world, this seems to be his next step.  He decides to go about this in the logical way in which he goes about everything — by creating the Wife Project, for which he develops a questionnaire.  In the course of this search, he comes upon Rosie, who he eliminates from Day 1 because she does not make the cut (too many wrong answers!).  However, when Rosie asks for help with her own quest, Don gets drawn in, in spite of himself.

Don’s story is also told with great humor and tenderness.  One can see how even with his rituals and his need for logic, he struggles with his own emotionality and how while emotions are not logical, they are still a part of him.  And the irony is that he is probably more similar to others than different in this regard.

It is an interesting commentary on human behavior, what is considered “normal” and what is really and truly abnormal.  It is also a really, really fun book to read!

Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

I was supposed to love this book!  I was embarrassed that I hadn’t read it yet…

I did not love this book.

This story is about a girl, Lily, raised in China during the 19th century, who is pledged to be the “lautong” of a girl of higher social standing, Snow Flower.  A lautong is a sort of soul sister, to whom a friendship is pledged that transcends any other commitment, including marriage, and is to last their entire lives.  The story takes the reader through the girls’ very difficult lives together, as they experience the excruciating pain of foot-binding, the preparation of their dowries for marriage, and their experience as married women of differing statuses.

What I did not like about this book was that it was unrelentingly depressing.  Just when you think it can’t get any sadder, worse tragedy strikes.  There is a constantly nagging foreboding throughout the book which makes it just onerous to read.   I also felt as though the main character, also the narrator, was not very likeable, which made it more of a chore to read about her plight.

I did appreciate learning about the Chinese customs and traditions that are described in the story.  It was painful to learn about the nightmare of footbinding and how women were only valued based on the men they birthed.  Girls are described as worthless and a burden on their families, when they were the ones to do all the work to maintain the households.  The marital traditions are extremely colorful and interesting, however.

I know this is book is a favorite of many… but not mine.

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Tess has just been told that her husband is in love with her cousin…  Cecilia has just learned that there is a letter from her husband that she is instructed to open only upon his death…  Rachel has just learned that her son is going to be moving to the other side of the world, taking away her grandson and the only reason for living since her daughter has been murdered all those years ago.   These characters are gradually woven together into a story that is both gripping and heartbreaking.

The writing here is simple, a little repetitive, but the story is worth it.  There is a calculated twist to the action in the story that is a little far-fetched, but that is what fiction is about, no?

I think the Epilogue is actually my favorite part of the book, though, and I won’t give any of that away.  Suffice it to say, it is a great commentary on the randomness of life and how a small or not-so-small action can impact the trajectory of a life and/or lives.  This I believe to be true.

Not exactly high literature here, but a good read nonetheless.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Eilis, a young woman who lives with her mother and sister, has a good head for math and dreams of being a bookkeeper, but cannot seem to find a job in her home town in Ireland.  When an Irish priest from Brooklyn, NY comes to visit the town, he notices Eilis and promises to take her under his wing and help her get to Brooklyn where there are more opportunities.  Eilis struggles with the different culture and the absence of her family, but in many ways she is very successful.  When she is confronted with a serious trauma in her family, her newfound confidence is tested and she must prove herself once again.

The beauty of this book is the writing, which is uniquely simple, calm and straight-forward.  There is little description, but everything is depicted clearly enough to visualize it all.  There are certainly facts to the story but it is also filled with the thoughts and conjecture that Eilis has.  It is a pure and intelligent writing style that is easy to read and flows smoothly.

The story is also valuable as a history lesson.  It is the immigrant experience of a lone newcomer to a foreign land where everything is different, from the foods to the clothing styles, to the basic customs and it is an adjustment at each and every step.  Even as Eilis has support from the priest who sponsored her, she still has to cope with the judgement of those around her and she struggles with this.  It is really the story of all Americans, as most of us have been or come from immigrants, no matter how many generations ago.

Leaving Time by Jodi Piccoult (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Once again, one of my favorite authors has moved me.  This story is about a girl named Jenna who is in search of her mother who disappeared when she was 3 years old.  Jenna hunts down a detective and a psychic who are both, in spite of themselves, committed to helping her.  And because Jenna’s mom, Alice, was a scientist who studied elephant behaviors, the reader is also given an extensive education about the surprisingly beautiful and evolved behaviors of elephants.

Jodi Picoult always researches her topics so completely that you always learn so much from her.  But it’s the best kind of learning — it is woven into a fictional story that has so much tenderness and grace that you remember the facts without effort.  There is always a great deal of suspense and twists and turns that keep you engaged until you turn the very last page.

The twists in this story are really zingers, though — just wait till you reach the end!  I for one did not see this one coming!