Joy Comes in the Morning by Jonathan Rosen

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Thumbs down for this book by Jonathan Rosen.  The character development at the outset of this book was encouraging.    An elderly man, seeing that he was likely to have another stroke that might dampen his quality of life seeks to end it with dignity. A Reform Rabbi who happens to be a woman feels great reward from visiting the sick and meets this man in the hospital when his attempted suicide has failed.  With this beginning, the reader expects that it might lead to an interesting adventure in literature.  The reader is sorely disappointed…

The writing is frighteningly weak.  For example, as opposed to having the story told from one voice, or even from alternating voices in each chapter, this author volleys from character to character every few paragraphs. Very confusing!  There is little dialogue and much too much detail about what the character is thinking.   Better to leave some of this to the imagination of the reader, with more subtle suggestion from dialogue.   (The author should give the reader more credit for figuring some of this out!)  And unfortunately, even the plot gets a little ridiculous (the boyfriend poses as a rabbi and conducts an entire funeral??  Really??).

It was a struggle to finish reading this, so my advice is not to even start!

City of Thieves by David Benioff (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is one of those great books that keep you up reading into the wee hours, while that little voice in your head keeps telling you that you will regret it in the morning.  But you won’t regret any minute of this book no matter when you read it.

In this book, Benioff tells the story of Lev (Benioff’s grandfather) and Kolya, an unlikely pair who are set upon a mission by a Russian colonel to find a dozen eggs in a city where none can be found — in Leningrad during its siege in the second World War.  The characters are beautifully developed; as they divulge their talents and passions to each other, they become more and more human and endearing to the reader as well.  The reader feels their hunger and the cold along with them and endures the horrors of their journey as they do.  But the reader also laughs along with their jokes and their sarcasm as they themselves see the insanity and inhumanity of their quest.

The reader even grows as they do, being enriched by the beautiful language and quotable wisdom on every page of this story.

Definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far!

 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

It is great, once in awhile, to return to the classics.  There is definitely a reason why a book becomes a “classic” and this book is the perfect example of this.  It is actually tragic that Harper Lee never wrote any other book — although I guess when you win the Pulitzer, there’s too much expectation and therefore pressure to write anything further.  I’d certainly be intimidated…

But back to this book.  Bottom line…  if you’ve never read this book (and even if you’ve seen the movie), this is an absolutely must-read.  It is a simply-told, but deeply emotional story of Scout, a young girl growing up in a small town in Alabama in the 1930’s, who watches her father get involved in defending a black man accused of raping a white girl.  Her father, Atticus, one of the most understated, yet bravest fictional characters of all time, in my opinion.  He is both gently honest and honorable, and in a time when black and white were hideously divided, he was ethically colorblind.  Furthermore, Atticus showed his children (both Scout and her older brother, Jem) not only that anyone of any color mattered, but also those who were outcasts but did no one else any wrong, also mattered.  And his children learned by his example, as seen in particular, by the subtle development of Jem.

This book is sheer excellence.  I am so glad I read it again.  Do yourself a favor and do the same!

Easter Island by Jennifer Venderbes (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is a very intricately woven book with essentially 2 story lines that ultimately converge.  One is the story of Elsa, trapped by the circumstance of her father’s death in 1912 and her need to care for her developmentally odd sister and finding herself ultimately married to her father’s research disciple.  Her new husband takes Elsa and her sister on a journey to Easter Island, a remote, tiny island east of the coast of Chile, to study the history and culture of the people there.  The second story is the modern day tale of Greer, a botany researcher whose husband has recently died under unusual circumstances, who in search of a way to cope and to move on with her own life and her own project, comes also to Easter Island.  As both women study the unusual island and its people, they both stumble upon similar findings, even as they both learn a lot about themselves.

Both stories are well-told and build in momentum as the stories unfold.  The history that is knitted into the stories ultimately bind the two together, as does the science that is studied.  There are a lot of scientific details that are described — perhaps even too much even for me — although it is an essential part of the plot.  But I actually do like how the science is so closely tied to what is learned by both women and how science actually illuminates the history of the island.  It brings the laboratory to the real world, so to speak.

This is a very different book, at least for me, and I enjoyed all that I learned from it.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Ursula, the main character in this novel, gets what many of us would love — a chance to live her life over.  It is a very interesting premise, getting to start over and reaching different junctures in your life and then either dying or reliving your life again from those junctures. She has a vague feeling of deja vu during some of her life but she is generally not aware of having lived before.  No one around her, save a singular psychiatrist whom she consults has an inkling of what is taking place in her mind.

More interestingly, Ursula lives through both World Wars.  Born in England, she lives through the eye of the storm of the wars and is very personally involved, whether herself or her family members.  As she sees the mistakes made by the various players, she contemplates often what would have happened had Hitler, for example, not been born or not have arisen to power or had been stopped in his pursuit of power earlier.  This is the bane of her existence and she fights it and fights it throughout her life/lives.

The book is extremely well-written and the idea is creative and bold.  Unfortunately, it does become repetitive.  That’s the point, of course, but for the reader, it borders on tedious, even though many of the lives are quite divergent.  It does bring home the idea, though, that a single event in one’s life can impact not only the trajectory of that life but that of many, many others as well.

Much to think about!

 

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

I gave up somewhere around page 50!  I never do this but I just could not find any enjoyment out of this book whatsoever.   This documentary-style fictional novel is based on a murder mystery surrounding the Chicago World’s Fair.  Somewhere in there might be a good story, but it was buried so deeply in minutia that I couldn’t unearth it.

If anybody does, please let me know!

All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is kind of an odd book.  It is the fictional “memoir” of Nicholas Van Tassel, a professor at a small New England college in the late 1800’s. who falls desperately in love with a woman with a past.  In spite of the fact that she admittedly does not love him, he insists on marrying her and believes that he will convince her that she can be happy.  With each step that he takes to bring them closer, he repels her until the final, fatal act of desperation has a final, if not fatal result.

There is definitely a suspenseful air about the book.  The reader is compelled by almost the same drive as the need to see the details of a horrible car accident — you know it will be awful and you’ll regret it, but you have to see it anyway.  So, too, you have to find out exactly to what depths Nicholas will go.  And the depths are somewhat shocking.

I think an essential element to a serious book is, ironically, humor.  The best books that I’ve read have combined sharp, witty humor with a serious plot. Characters that are funny and warm are more captivating and engaging.   Strict seriousness is, in my mind, just serious and frankly, boring.  This is a book that could have benefitted from an infusion of humor, to really keep the reader connected.

Basically, the idea is interesting but not fully delivered.

Charming Billy by Alice McDermott (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This book caught my eye because the premise was clever:  it is the story that begins with the death of the main character, Billy, and almost works backwards to tell his life story.  Unfortunately, it loses some of its charm, so to speak, in the telling.

Billy was a charmer, yet the story tells of how he was broken, in a way.  An alcoholic, he was clearly nursing a broken heart and takes it out on his wife, Maeve, and his best friend and cousin, Dennis.  Dennis, however, is intertwined with the reason for Billy’s heartbreak and it is up for discussion (and an interesting discussion it would be) who is to blame.

What is disappointing is the writing, which is stilted and somewhat confusing.  The story is told from the perspective of Dennis’s daughter, but it takes a long time to figure this out.  Furthermore, there are a few details that are rehashed too many times, so as to become redundant.

The overall story, though, has its poignant moments, though, and it does hold the reader’s attention.  A dramatically mediocre book, I’d say…!

Home by Toni Morrison (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This very quick read is profound in its simplicity.  It is the story of a black veteran of the Korean War named Frank Money, who has returned to the U.S. emotionally scarred.  Suddenly he is called back to his home town because his younger sister is in danger.  As he makes his way to rescue her, both his story and hers are divulged.

There are 2 voices used to tell the story.  While most of the story is a narrative, the beginning of each chapter starts with a short passage that is coming from Frank himself, as if interviewed for the story.  It is these intro sections that really get to the heart of who Frank is; it’s a very powerful effect, making Frank more human and real.

You also can’t help loving the relationship between Frank and his sister, Cee.  It’s a sad, beautiful love they have for each other.  During their difficult childhoods, they really only had each other, Frank always being the protector.  As the story unfolds, there is a shift in their relationship to balance it out a bit.  Lots of growth from a traumatic experience…

This would be another great book to read in an English class — there would be a great deal to discuss in these few but intense pages!

 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

There is little doubt as to why this book has become a classic.  Not only does it exemplify brilliant writing, but the story itself reaches down into your soul and twists your heart so that it hurts.  Steinbeck follows the Joad family, a typical “Okie” family of the 1930’s,  as they lose their farm and are enticed by all the flyers posted to move out West.  Heeding the promise of work and beautiful land and opportunity, they leave everything that is familiar to cross the plains and the desert to go to California.  Tragically, what they find there is that hundreds of thousands have also been enticed there as well, leaving very little work actually available and what is available is paid in cut wages because of the very glut of workers that the flyers have accomplished.  So while the large farmers reduce their cost, the thousands of workers have reduced wages, not even enough to feed themselves and their families.  It is a slice of history about which our country should be deeply ashamed.

The writing is powerfully authentic.  Steinbeck’s chapters alternate between a description of the general state of affairs in the country and what is happening with the Joad family on a personal level.  The more general chapters broaden the scope of the story and remind the reader that this is not just happening to the Joads but to thousands of “Joads” throughout the middle of the country.  The personal chapters bring it down to the individual and remind the reader that these are real people to which these tragedies are occurring — real people, with children, and parents, and love for each other who have personal dignity to lose.

Steinbeck makes a heartfelt plea in this story for the unions and it is clear why they were essential at this time.  It was a very brave move on his part and this book is a testament to his courage and brilliance as an historian and an author.

If you haven’t ever read this book, you are missing out on an important piece of literature and history.