The Names by Florence Knapp

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

As Cora pushes the pram with her newborn son to the Registry Office, having been informed by her husband that registering the baby’s name is today’s mission, she discusses this concept of name choice with her daughter, Maia. Her husband, Gordon, has chosen the name Gordon, because, after all, his father was Gordon and therefore this was certainly going to be the boy’s name. Cora, has secretly harbored the wish to name him Julian, and Maia fancies the name Bear. As we read on, we learn how this one decision can potentially impact what happens not only to this baby, but to their whole family.

This is a brilliant idea exquisitely executed. We actually follow the family down the path of each possibility: one name foisted on the baby by the manipulative and frighteningly abusive father; one name chosen by the mother in the hopes that it will liberate him from the fate she fears for him; and the third an imaginative and spirited name chosen by his sister. There are consequences for each choice, which we learn as we follow each story over time. One might think this would become confusing, but the author does a magnificent job of keeping the details of each plot line so illuminated in our minds that each remains separate and equally intriguing.

The novel also highlights how domestic abuse affects not only the victim, but all those around her. Children, even if not directly physically hurt themselves, become victims just being in the home where violence is occurring. Their lives are directly impacted by the examples that are set for them, their personalities formed around this. In addition, the depiction of the father is incredibly thoughtful and realistic. As eerily calculating and evil as the father is in the home, particularly over Cora, he is equally charming and charismatic toward everyone else. This compounds Cora’s entrapment, as no one can imagine that he is capable of cruelty.

There is so much to unpack in this novel – but I will leave the rest to you. I cannot recommend this book enough – and yes, we have another MUST READ here.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

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Dominic already has his hands full. He is preparing his already diminished family – his daughter and two sons – to evacuate their tiny Shearwater Island along with its UN-funded vault supplying the essential seeds for a would-be ecocrisis. But when a frightening storm causes a shipwreck near their coast, Fen, Dominic’s daughter, discovers a woman’s body floating near shore. Being an exceptionally strong swimmer, she pulls the body to the beach and finds that this woman is miraculously still alive. As the family together care for this mysterious woman, Rowan, their secrets emerge, their conflicts come to light, and Rowan’s own story becomes intertwined with theirs in dangerously unexpected ways.

There is a good reason for this book being on so many “favorite” lists of 2025. It truly has everything: characters who are struggling with their circumstances and with whom we can identify; a setting that is both picturesque and tragic; themes that are crucial for us to ponder; and a plot that builds to a physically tremulous crescendo. And all told in writing that is vivid and tactile.

The narration rotates around from character to character, so that the story can build around each character’s perspective. This provides great depth to both the plot and the character development, as we see from each of them how the story is built, where their thoughts are based, and what they are experiencing emotionally. And it is a profoundly emotional story, from all sides. And it builds and builds and surprises and shocks – and I, for one, was up until the wee hours of the morning just to finish this book, which I cannot say I do often.

One underlying theme here is that our world is sinking. Not just this tiny island near Australia, but all of it. Perhaps not this week or next, but within our lifetimes, and certainly within our children’s lifetimes. And while it’s terrifying to think about, we cannot deny facts. How many wildfires or vicious storms do we have to live through to understand that our world is changing because of what we’ve done to it? Receding back to reliance on oil and gas when we were going forward to renewable energy sources is a dangerous strategy. We can make a difference by whom we vote for, what strategies we support, what we invest in. We can effect change.

And yes, this is a MUST READ, as you might have guessed. Because yes, you really must read this one!

Ohio by Stephen Markley

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

When four former classmates turn up in their Pennsylvania hometown on the same night in 2013, we learn how their high school experience in a town impacted by both the Great Recession of 2008 and by the opioid epidemic, has had a formative and mostly devastating impact on their respective lives. One copes with substances, one by escaping into the military, another by traveling the world, and the latter not really coping at all.

This is a brutally honest depiction of how the convergence of the economic disaster of 2008 and the opioid crisis has impacted a generation of young folks. Even those characters with talent or high intellect had challenges because of their low middle class status and lack of cultural capital. They lacked the the connections, the mentorship, the folks who believed in them and who might lead them to achieve their higher goals. With a few noteworthy exceptions, the adults around them were too preoccupied with their own struggles to be supportive or encouraging.

The writing here is outstanding. It is a hard narrative, replete with painful images, but it is powerful and gritty and truly the only way to tell this story. The rotating perspective is also extremely effective. As we learn more and more through each character, the story builds and adds tension, and the climax is both shocking and satisfying.

I recommend this novel, but it is not for the feint-hearted. It is a tragic story, with graphic scenes. But it is honest, vivid, and authentic.

Coming Up Short by Robert Reich

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This non-fiction memoir by Robert Reich is an accounting of how America failed to maintain the middle class, from the boom of the post-WWII era to current times. Having grown up being taunted and abused by bullies because of his short stature, Reich was particularly sensitive to protecting the underdog, and since he could not do so physically, he did so with his economic wisdom and understanding. He taught at Harvard and he also served in the Department of Labor in the Clinton administration, advocating for policies that in his view would protect the middle class and thereby narrow the gap between the very rich and the very poor. Much to his dismay, he was undermined at each turn, and over the course of the ensuing years, regulations over high finance and banking only relaxed, the highest earners became taxed at a lower rate, and the gap only widened. We are now left with a country that has an enormous wealth gap in spite of his efforts and it is a dismal outlook ahead.

I have to confess that I did not complete this entire book. I usually do not blog when I’ve done that, but I felt that I’d read enough to 1) learn quite a bit from it already and 2)get the gist of what he is trying to say from what I did read. While it is definitely readable, and he makes the economic parts very accessible (even to someone like me who never studied economics for very good reason…!), it was also quite repetitive. Perhaps that is a function of his frustration with everyone who did not listen to his advice -as he tried over and over to push for more decency in the policies and laws that were being passed. It was also quite hard to see how so many leaders, including Clinton and Obama, both of whom I had admired, came under the spell of Wall Street and its powerful lobbyists, who led them to pass such irresponsible and dangerous legislation. Worse, this deregulation of Wall Street and the disaster of 2008 did not teach us anything at all. Deregulation has only continued – to the point where folks are now predicting another similar bubble from AI. Will we never learn?

In any case, I believe this book carries much insight, much wisdom and even a bit of humor as it guides us through the past couple of decades of economic downfall. It gives us a window into how we’ve narrowed the middle class and why billionaires exist when the rest of society has seen little to no increase in wealth.

I would have liked to see answers to what we can do about it – perhaps how we can make changes for a brighter future.

Maybe that will be his next book? Or that is the book for the next generation to write…

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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It’s 1984 and Joan finds herself in direct communication with the team of astronauts in the shuttle trying to remedy a defective part. She is guiding them as they approach this seemingly simple fix, but suddenly something goes irrevocably wrong.

Back in 1979, we learn how Joan works her way toward this impressive seat. Starting out as a professor of astronomy, not being taken seriously by her fellow male faculty members, she surprises even herself when she fulfills her dream and applies to be an astronaut trainee. When she is admitted, she knows the competition is stiff, but she maintains her confidence, her calm demeanor, and her priorities. And it is this balance and calm, even in the face of extreme stress, that allows her to learn not only what she has to for her program, but more importantly, what she has to learn about herself.

This is a beautiful story, with a dual message of liberation for Joan. Not only does she find where she is meant to be, among the scientists, engineers, and military personnel at NASA, but she also finds who she is supposed to love. She has always explored so many interests, had so much talent in so many different areas, but has never ventured into the realm of love because it just has never felt right for her. She never understood it. Until now. Here she finally meets someone with whom she can connect, to whom she is attracted, and with whom she feels she can be herself. And while she is so happy, she knows she also has to keep it under wraps, because it can compromise her entire career.

I also love how Joan’s connection with her niece is depicted. Joan’s sister, she realizes, is quite self-absorbed – has always been so – but she and her family have always enabled her in this. But her niece is the one to suffer because of it, and the problem only grows as she does. How this affects Joan grows as well, and it shows us just who Joan is, how deeply she can feel.

This novel will reach down into your heart and grab you and take hold. And the characters will live with you long after the last page has been turned. It’s just what you want from a novel, no?

Absolutely read this one!!

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

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Ellie, aged 7, has just lost her father and feels as if her whole world has changed. She and her mother can no longer stay in their enormous home in the center of Tehran and must move to the “down” side of town. Nevertheless, while her mother is distraught over this and worries about their place in society, Ellie is actually excited to see children playing in the street, thrilled at the possibility of learning to play hopscotch, and dreams of meeting her ideal, best friend. When she walks in on the first day of her new school and is greeted by a spunky girl with dark, curly hair who shocks her with her outgoing nature, she thinks that this is not who she imagines will be her best friend. Ellie learns quickly that Homa, this warm, bright, honest, and fiercely loyal girl might just be that very friend.

This is a beautiful story of friendship, hardship, and loyalty. The two unlikely friends, Ellie and Homa, are as different as two girls might be – but perhaps it is because of this that they are amused by each other and get along. Ellie, self-aware in her materialism and superficiality, is nevertheless caught up in their friendship and feels a bond with Homa in spite of her absence of passion for the politics of the day. Nevertheless, she admires Homa – and is worried for her – for her passion and strength in seeking to promote human rights, particularly women’s rights. This is at the heart of both their friendship and their schism.

I actually love the way Ellie portrays herself as superficial, wanting what many want, and being self-aware about it. She is terrified of having to go back to being dependent on someone to pay her bills, to live in squalor, to have to need/want. She fears poverty, lack of power. And she admits to being afraid of being imprisoned, as we all are, at heart. So many novels are written with the main character as the brave one, the fighter, the hero. I love that in this one, the main character is the one who is the worrier, the caregiver, the friend. She is the one who has faults, is honorable, honest, and self aware, but who is supportive and can be helpful when the time is right. While many are brave and undertake righteous causes, fighting for freedom against oppressive and suppressive governments (such as that of the Shah’s and later that of the Ayatollah’s), not everyone is meant for that. I think that by creating an admirable, honorable, human and faulty main character for this tale, we can perhaps see ourselves identifying with that fear and relate to those that can help, those who support the heroes, the fighters.

This also gives a background to the story of the women of Iran. It is not only a historical context but a warning to all of us. It happened in Iran with extremists who toppled a democratically elected government, violently forcing themselves into power and overturning years of fighting for women’s rights in just moments. We in the US think we are so safe from this, but here we are, already fighting for power to make medical decisions over our own bodies. It starts there. Where will it end? If it happened in Iran, it can happen here as well.

I think this is an important read for not only women but men everywhere, and particularly here in the US and particularly now in this uncertain moment. We are experiencing no less than an undoing of our democracy in small (and not-so-small) steps. We need to pay attention and learn from other countries and other individuals’ experiences. Or there may be no where else to go…

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly

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Josie is not happy about her assignment in 1950’s Texas – enabling ex-Nazi scientists to be coddled within the secretive, US government research program – but what is she to do? Allow the Soviets to access their expertise first? She knows she must go along with it, given that her mentor, Karl, has been pressuring her to not let her past at Ravensbruck cloud her judgement as an agent. She finds she is truly missing her days working with her unlikely best friend, Arlette.

We then meet Arlette as she works alongside other Ravensbruck survivors in a tiny cafe in Paris, outwardly appearing content with her lot, just about making ends meet. But inside, she is still struggling day in and day out, not knowing if her son, Willie, lost to her in the camp, is dead or alive. When a handsome stranger walks into the cafe, promising information on her son, she is given a new hope that feels both unreal and terrifying.

This is a brilliantly written historical fiction novel about a time when those who committed some of the most heinous crimes of the twentieth century literally got away with (worse than) murder. Nazi war criminals responsible for the maiming and murders of thousands were given a pass by sympathizers across Europe who funneled them by way of Austria or Italy (sometimes even the Vatican) through the Alps, into hotels where they waited, often for months in plain sight, until receiving false papers to get to South America (often Argentina), to live out their days in peace. Even some of the most notorious, such as Mengele, known for his unconscionable experiments on humans, escaped justice in this way. There were many agents who did seek justice, however, to try to bring these gutless criminals to justice.

But even if the story were not about such a monumental topic, it would still be a standalone epic novel. The crafting of the plot, the gradual reveals in the “before” and “current” (with current being 1952) telling, the way we can’t help falling in love with both Josie and Arlette, and the way we are continuously surprised by the plot up to the very final page – all make for an outstanding, suspenseful page-turner of a book.

And yes, you’ve guessed it: this one is absolutely a MUST READ! Because although it is a painful subject, and some of it is truly hard to read, I feel you absolutely must read it. If not for the historical value, for the literary value alone!

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

New York, 1913: Laura Lyons feels restless. She knows she has a good life, privileged to live in the apartment deep within the vast dimensions of the New York Public Library with her husband, Jack, and two young children. But she craves more. Perhaps if she could obtain a Master’s in journalism, she might be able to contribute to the family income so that Jack won’t feel as much financial pressure as he has been.

New York, 1993: Sadie is beside herself with excitement. She has just been chosen, over her co-worker (and former love interest) Claude, to be curator over the newest exhibit of the Berg Collection, a planned showcase of the library’s collection of their most prized rare books and artifacts. Her mood collapses, however, when she learns that someone has stolen one of the books in their collection – and now, on her watch. As she does some digging, she learns that this is not the first time this has happened in the library’s history…

This is a beautifully rendered story that engenders a deep appreciation for the magnificent New York Public Library building on Fifth Avenue. In telling the stories of both characters, Laura and Sadie, who are both colorful, smart, and ambitious women, the author also portrays the inner workings and operations of the building itself. We learn of how this main branch functions: as a keeper of books, relics, documents – not for lending out, but for preserving, so that anyone may utilize whatever is kept there for research purposes. There are precious first editions, handwritten documents by famous authors parsing out their thoughts, and random items used by the authors as well. More importantly, there are millions of books, both famous and not, kept under tight security, so that our culture, our knowledge, our history is guarded.

The stories themselves are also poignant and, of course, come to intersect. Laura is plagued by the sexism and narrow-mindedness of her era and she learns to fight against them with her pen. She is also torn because it is a hard fight and there are hard choices to make. Sadie’s story is more suspenseful and we find her tracking down the stolen books and the thief in very surprising turns of events.

All in all, this makes a great read – highly recommend this one!!

We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

The Mulvaney family – Michael Sr, Corinne, and their four children, not to mention all their animals – are a boisterous, close-knit, and fairly prosperous family living on a working farm in upstate NY. Michael has worked his way up from humble beginnings, to say the least, and Corinne, who left college to marry Michael, prides herself on knowing exactly what is going on with their 3 boys and 1 girl at all times. And while she adores her sons, she takes particular pride in her beautiful, popular, and smart daughter, who mystifies her by the attention, the phone calls, and the friends she garners (that Corinne herself was never able to). So how is it that Corinne missed the change in Marianne, the alteration in her mood, her habits, even her appearance since the prom a week ago? And how would this affect the Mulvaneys going forward?

This portrait of the gradual demise of a family after a major trauma is tragic, heart-wrenching, and devastatingly realistic. We watch as their communication breaks down, as they increasingly close off to one another, drawing inside themselves, festering in their own grief, unable to reach out to the one who actually is the one who truly needs the nurturing: Marianne. Even Corinne, the mom, who is supposedly the heart of the family, desperately tries to be the glue tying them all to their beloved home. She is coming apart at the seams, fraying and caving to the weaknesses of the men around her, particularly her husband’s. Marianne’s vulnerability, her trauma, becomes her fault. As happens way too often, Marianne punishes herself and is punished by everyone around her, as if she has asked for this trauma. As if something she has done has provoked the trauma she’s experienced. (Which, of course, it has not.)

It is hard to read this novel without becoming angry – at the family, at the community, at society in general. Because this is the story of women. It is set in the 1970’s but it can be anytime, anywhere and it will be true all over again. A man assaults a woman and it becomes her fault, she gets blamed and it becomes all about the men around her. How it reflects on the family. How it must be avenged. How she must have brought it on, somehow. How she must be punished for it, ultimately. Because somehow it is her shame, not the shame of the perpetrator. (Why is this still a thing? It is impossible to comprehend.)

I believe the writing is a bit meandering, with quite a lot of extraneous detail. But within is a story for all time, an important statement about the past and current way in which the needs of women become undermined by those of the men around them. How a single traumatic event can impact an entire family for their whole lives. And how if we don’t communicate, face what is needed with kindness, compassion, and humility, we will never get beyond this hypocritical treatment of women in our society.

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Mickey is worried about her sister, Kacey, who’s been missing for more than a month. This would not be so unusual – both that her sister has been missing or that she is worried about her – except that there is currently a strangler on the loose who is out for women with exactly Kacey’s description: young, pretty, and addicted to heroin. You would think that Mickey might be able to rely on her family to help. You would also think that being on the police force in Philly would give her an advantage. Neither, sadly, seem to be the case. And apparently, it’s up to Mickey to figure out just why this is so.

This novel, which has recently been made into a streaming series (which I have not yet seen), is quite addictive in itself. The story is engaging from the beginning, growing ever more suspenseful as one turns its pages. And I found the characters to be gritty and vulnerable and often just desperate to find connection, family, and love – just as we all are, really. I felt totally connected to Mickey, even as hard as she had to be.

It’s admittedly a tough read, though, with some scenes that, while brief, depict the lives of those who are under the deeply-unmagical spell of the terrible drugs we’re seeing out there in such high numbers. But while it depicts the deplorable conditions many resign themselves to while in search of that next fix, it also highlights the community, the unofficial network that develops, even the care that some take to watch out for each other. These folks understand that underneath the unwashed desperation and the naked fear, these are human beings, with family who care about them, with complicated histories and feelings, and often with a true yearning to get clean but who just struggle against this horrible disease.

This story also addresses police corruption, which can be rampant in some cities. While I have true respect for officers who defend us honorably – they provide one of the most thankless and important contributions to society that we live with, truly. But I live in fear of those who are dishonorable. The abuse of power is a thing to be feared on any level – but if it’s someone with a weapon, that is terrifying.

On the whole, this is a novel that is hard to put down. If you commit to it, make sure you set aside time – you will not want to do anything else until you get to that very last page!