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!

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.

The Traitor’s Wife (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

The Traitor’s Wife, by Kathleen Kent

I came upon this book in my favorite bookstore, the Strand.  It had not been recommended to me by anyone and I’m not sure how popular it ever was/is, but I found this book intriguing.  It is the story of a strong-headed, outspoken woman, Martha, who gets involved with a mysterious man with a complicated past in the mid-1600’s in the British colonies of New England.  It seems that the man has a connection to the uprising and killing of the British King Charles I by Oliver Cromwell and the current King Charles is seeking revenge.

It is a time that I’ve rarely read about and the history here was fascinating to me. (I am a poor student of history — a baby, really!– and need to be fed the details of history within the context of a personal story.)  There is romance and intrigue and suspense in this story but it is based very closely on real events.  It is also written in a sometimes flowery and sometimes very coarse language that matches the goings on in the story.  The author also creates some wonderful and some evil characters that are extremely engaging.  I particularly loved Martha, whose fault was that she spoke her mind in a time when woman were seen as witches when they did so.

I found it to be a quick, intriguing read and learned a lot from it.  Hope you enjoy it!

Beach Music (migrated from bookblogger)

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Beach Music by Pat Conroy

You must read this book!  Whether you like historical fiction, or suspense, or comedy, or tragedy, you must read this book, because it has it all.  In developing the story, Conroy creates stories within the story, which enriches both the plot and the character development.  The basic story is about a young Southern father named Jack, whose wife has committed suicide and he’s made a new life for himself and his daughter in Rome.  He’s vowed to separate himself from his family because of their layered, painful past, but he receives a call that his mother is dying of leukemia and that he must come home.  This initiates a journey into his past as well as the past of others who have surrounded him since his youth.

Pat Conroy is a genius — a magician with words who can create such imagery that you feel you are seeing what he’s seen, even if it’s in his imagination.  The dialogue between the characters is brilliant, rapid-fire sarcasm at its best.  The dramatic stories of the characters’ pasts are so vividly drawn that it’s hard to believe they are not real.  And the characters are all so beautiful that when you finish the book, it’s quite sad — you have to say goodbye to these loving and lovable people.

 

I loved this book and I’d recommend it heartily.  A MUST read!

Crossways (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Crossways by Sheila Kohler

This is a book I found in my favorite bookstore, the Strand (in Manhattan).  It was not recommended by anyone and I had no real expectations.   It was like seeing a movie or a play without having read the reviews or having seen a trailer.  How often does that happen nowadays??   I like having no information sometimes!

The story is about a woman, Kate, whose sister has suddenly died in a car accident in South Africa (where she was raised) and left her husband in an intensive care unit and 3 children at home in the care of her mother and their Zulu housekeeper, John.  Slowly, there is doubt raised about the nature of the accident and the story rises to a surprising crescendo toward the end.

I felt that the story had a slow start, but did build into an interesting twisting tale.  I also loved learning a little more about the classes in South Africa, including the Zulu servant, the Boers, and the wealthier British.  There is a lot that is disturbing in this book and there are some slower parts, but it is overall a pretty good read (and probably the potential makings of an intriguing movie).

 

 

The Typist (migrated from bookblogger)

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The Typist by Michael Knight

This is an unusual story about Van, a GI from the south who is stationed in Japan at the very end of WWII.  Because of his unique ability to type as fast as 100 words per minute, he has captured the attention of General MacArthur and therefore has been promoted to work as part of his typing team.  From this perspective, the reader learns about the politics and chaos of Japan at this time and the efforts made by MacArthur to build a democracy and resist Communism.

The story is unusual in my mind in that it is a WWII story that does not focus on Europe or on the Holocaust.  There is, at least in my view, very little written about this period in Japan’s history and about the relationship between the U.S. and Japan in the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  This is a little piece of historical fiction that fills in some of that era.

It is a simply-told, well-written story, with solid characters.  For anyone who likes historical fiction, this is a solid read.

And the Mountains Echoed (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

And the Mountains Echoed: A Novel by Khaled Hosseini

     Once again, Mr. Hosseini (author of the Kite Runner) has demonstrated his brilliance in telling a story.  The central story is about a brother, Abdullah, and his sister, Pari, who live in a small village outside Kabul and are separated by dire circumstances.  What is unusual is how the story is told:  sometimes through letters, sometimes through first person narratives, changing subtly and smoothly so that the story unfolds over the years of their lives.  Sometimes there is a break and the connection to the story is not known for a few pages, but always it is captivating, warm and moving.  When you do realize how each part is connected, there is that “aha” moment and you feel like you’ve found the most important piece of a large puzzle.

   In the telling, there is also a subtle history of Afghanistan and the impact of its history on its people.  It is not something that hits you over the head, it is more quietly told.  But it is there in a way that is more human and more inner-reaching.  Because the characters are very human and likable, the reader has an easy attachment to them and you find yourself caring so much about what happens, feeling their pain and their joy.

   This is a beautiful, tragic, and real-life story and in my opinion, a must-read!

The Temple of Gold (migrated from bookblogger)

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The Temple of Gold by William Goldman

This book, written by the author of The Princess Bride, was recommended to me by my daughter, who read it in her English class.  This story is about the coming of age of a young man named Ray Euripides Trevitt in a Chicago suburb in the 1950’s.  We first meet him as he forges a close friendship with his new next door neighbor, Zock.  The 2 of them begin their teens together innocently enough until tragedy befalls them.  The story tells of Ray’s struggle to cope in a family who does not discuss how to do this.

The voice of Ray is extremely effective.  He is blunt, sometimes crude, but always honest to the core.  He is very much a product of his time and circumstance and gives the reader a very interesting glimpse of life in the 1950’s.  Many refer to it as a simpler time, but as we see here, life has never been simple really.  Not for most, anyway.

This book is very engaging, the characters very real and 3-dimensional, and I wish I could’ve read it in a class, because I’m sure the discussions would be great!