Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

6066819This is the quintessential summer read!

I love Jennifer Weiner!  Her writing is always witty, sarcastic, entertaining and full of heart – and this book is yet another example of this.

Addie and Valerie, who although are very different, grew up as best friends, living across the street from each other and sharing all their childhood secrets.  Unfortunately, their paths diverged when an incident in high school sent them spinning in very different directions.  Suddenly, now, many years later, just after their high school reunion, Valerie shows up at Addie’s doorstep asking for help after what may have been a serious crime.  Almost in spite of herself, Addie is drawn in to the drama and their adventure begins.

What I love about Weiner’s writing is the building of characters that the reader loves.  The reader cannot help rooting for Addie in this story – she’s an underdog who you can’t help adoring for her steadfast loyalty to her friend and her family.  Even Valerie, who is vain and materialistic, is sympathetic and entertaining in her own right.  Each of the characters is written with tenderness and self-deprecation and you can’t help wanting to know how it all ends for each of them.

I think I may have a deeper appreciation for Jennifer Weiner, also, since I had the amazing opportunity to be present during BookCon (a few weekends ago at the Javits Center), when she interviewed Judy Blume.  There was such a great rapport between the 2 of them ,as they spoke about everything from writing to sex and to the size of their respective chests.  They were both warm, funny, smart and respectful of each other’s talent —  I could have listened to them converse for hours!

Bottom line, I’d take this with me to Cape Cod if I hadn’t already read it!

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is the sequel to The Rosie Project and is almost as cute and charming as the first one.  This takes the main character, Don, and his new wife, Rosie, to New York to continue his research at Columbia while his wife is a medical student there.  To his surprise, Rosie is suddenly pregnant and he is led by a series of comical errors to believe that he will be unsuited for the role of father.

I think it would be a good idea, if others are considering reading this sequel, to maybe wait awhile before reading it.  I think reading it too soon after the first was a mistake, because as much as I was enamored of the main character and his very endearing voice in the first book, I think I actually got almost as annoyed as Rosie was with him in the second.  It is still an engaging and sweet book, however, and I do recommend it.

Most importantly, I think, the book enlightened the reader about Asperger’s.  I think it tells, in a very straight-forward way, both the difficulties and the virtues of those who have this type of personality.  Don, in his own very direct and humble way, does so much good for others, even when it puts him in danger, and he is very much a hero in his own way.  Without even thinking about the consequences, he does the right thing so often, when one who is more emotional, might not have.  It is an interesting perspective on a condition that most think is a negative.  Here, in many ways, it demonstrates how positive this condition can be.  And anytime a book expands our insight into another way of being, I feel this is a good thing.

 

Together Tea by Marjan Kamali (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Mina is in business school and only fantasizing about being able to pursue art, just as a good Iranian-American girl should be.  Her mother, Darya, is looking for a husband for Mina, as a good Iranian-American mother should be doing.  They are each struggling with their identities after growing up in Iran and having lived through the Iranian Revolution in the 70’s.  The family had fled Iran in fear at that dark time, but particularly Darya had held on to the idea that the Revolution would be a temporary state and they’d return one day to their home.  When they were still there 15 years later, it almost felt like a shock that they were actually Americans at this point.  After the most recent disastrous attempt at a matchmaking, Mina finally reaches a turning point in her life and suddenly, she needs to return to her roots.  And suddenly at that point, Darya decides she needs to go with her.  The two of them don their hair coverings and the traditional covering for their whole bodies, and fly home to visit their family and friends Iran.  What they learn there changes their lives.

This book gave the reader a great understanding of the turmoil and trauma that occurred in Iran in the 70’s when the Islamic fundamentalists gained control over what was a very colorful, even progressive culture.  The institutionalized suppression particularly of women is very apparent in this story, where women who very clearly are smart and work in professional capacities cannot even go out by themselves and are kept closeted.

Unfortunately, I think the actual writing in the book is weak.  The story is never surprising and remains entirely predictable.  Analogies are tired and trite and there is no poetry in the words here even where the author is trying to portray the cultural beauty that is suppressed.  It is unfortunate because the idea of the book is great – it is just never taken to where it should’ve gone.  A disappointing rendition of a good idea…

 

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.