Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Lara is aware that there is great suffering in the world, but for the moment, she is counting her blessings. Her three daughters, who’d gone their independent ways, have come back not only out of necessity – to help work their cherry farm, when so many of their usual hands are not available – but because their own lives have been put on hold for now. And since they are together, Lara’s colorful past has become the target of the girls’ interest. What was the actual story of Lara’s romance with this famous actor they’ve been watching in this movie over and over? Who was this larger-than-life Duke and what was it like to act with him? They have had bits and pieces of her story over the years, but now they have the time and maturity to hear more of the details. And Lara now has the patience to tell her story. Well, most of it.

So, once again, we have here a story within a story. Without even mentioning the word Covid once, the author makes it clear that the family is podding together as the world shuts down. But that remains a mere backdrop, and the focus is definitely on the positive of the time the family has together. They are working side by side as they never have before – at least not as adults. And as Lara shares her story, we hear it too. And it is bright with the hope of youth and dark with the heartbreak of young, naive love.

The writing here is typical Ann Patchett-beautiful. There is warmth, nostalgia, and a subtlety that comes from a writer who can portray a story without over-dramatization, without hyperbole. Each character is so genuine they might be your next door neighbor, but their story is nevertheless so tangible it stays with you long past the turning of that last page. Even those characters who do have dramatic presence, such as Duke, have clear vulnerabilities, obvious flaws, such that they are also so human and entirely relatable. This is absolutely a gift.

And we are so lucky to have the opportunity to partake of this gift of Patchett’s. In fact, this may actually be a MUST READ. I’d love to hear if you agree!

 

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page

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Janice quietly sees herself as a cleaner. She takes pride in her work, and she while she does quite a bit more than just clean for her clients, she contents herself with the knowledge that she does her best. As she does, however, she also quietly collects the stories of the clients she serves, getting to know who they are, what they’ve lived through, and seeing not only who they project themselves to the world but who they are on the inside. When one of her clients asks her to add on her mother-in-law, an elderly but feisty woman with a store of her own stories to share, she ends up opening up the world for Janice in a way she would never have expected.

I found this to be a surprisingly beautiful novel. The multiple layers of stories, the many colorful characters, each with their own quirky tale, add so much without confusing the underlying plot in the least. And while there is true affection that develops between Janice and Mrs. B, the elderly mother-in-law, for example, it is the furthest thing from saccharine-sweet. They are alternatingly vulnerable and deeply sarcastic with each other and you never know if they will be hiding from each other their tears or their smirks. Likewise, the relationship that develops between Janice and her crush, the “geography professor” bus driver. While it develops in fits and starts and you’re never sure if Janice will allow herself the happiness you’re sure she’ll find with him, you root for it with all your heart, because you feel the warmth there. It radiates from the page.

Underlying the story here is how guilt can plague us, hold us back, allow us to punish ourselves indefinitely. So many of us cannot bring ourselves to forgive ourselves for our past, for something we’ve done, for something perhaps even out of our control. Not forgiving ourselves – just as not forgiving others – can be toxic. It is something we have to let go. It is hard to do – sometimes it’s the hardest thing to overcome. But it can be liberating as well, when you come out the other side of it. That is the message here. Something we can all probably use in this moment of division and difficulty even with civil discourse.

Maybe this novel is not quite to the level of a MUST READ, but it’s pretty darn close! You’ll definitely love Janice as she shares all of her stories with you!

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

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Cassandra is definitely NOT having a good day. She’s been broken up with by her boyfriend of 4 months, she’s being fired by her boss, and they actually don’t even have banana muffins at her favorite pit stop. How can they be out of banana muffins??? When she learns suddenly on this day that she has the gift of time travel, she wonders, maybe, can she reverse some of these things that have happened? More importantly, can she reverse the bigger things that have affected her life? As she learns about how this new “gift” actually works, she also learns quite a bit about herself.

No one can describe what it’s like to be inside the mind/body of an autistic individual as one who is autistic – and this autistic author gives us the gift of sharing that experience by creating a brilliant, sarcastic, awkward, and deeply lovable autistic character in Cassandra. We feel for her as she struggles with her social interactions and we cringe on her behalf as she is challenged with various overwhelming noises, textures, and changes in her routine. She tries to learn from her prior experiences and she tries to “undo” – as we all wish we could, at times. And her journey is as entertaining as it is endearing. What she learns to appreciate is that she has to be true to herself and treasure who she is and the good she alone can bring to the world.

And don’t we all have this to learn? While we’d all like to change certain parts of ourselves, it may be more valuable to appreciate what we can do instead of trying to change what we cannot.

 

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto

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Most days, Vera begins her routine with a very early morning walk, multiple, prodding texts to her son, and service to her most loyal – and singular – customer at her “World Famous” tea house. Most surprisingly, however, today Vera stumbles upon the body of a dead man right there on the floor of her shop. What no one suspects, however, is how very efficiently Vera can solve the mystery of who killed this man- because truly, what do the police know, anyway??? Very quickly, Vera finds herself embedded in the life of this man, connected to those around him, as she finds a way to the truth.

If you’ve ever had a mother – and I suspect many of you have -you will relate to Vera’s delightfully pushy, guilt-inducing, and extraordinarily generous character that is the driver of this novel. She is a force to be reckoned with, a woman on a mission, a person to whom no one can say no. And since she observes that each of the other characters is struggling in their own way, she cares for them in her very maternal manner — even as she is accusing each of them of being a suspect of the dead man’s murder! There is such lovely irony you cannot help smiling throughout the entirety of the book.

Is this story a little contrived? Yes. Is it too perfectly wrapped up, as I complain about often? Of course it is. But I am still going to rate it as a MUST READ, because right now, in this dark moment, we all need a book like this one – one that is pure entertainment, about warmth, and about love.

 

 

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

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Although she did not grow up in a traditional family, Hannah has found herself now with a dream husband, Owen, and his teenage daughter, Bailey, and she’s moved quite happily into their home, into their lives. While she is still working on gaining Bailey’s “approval,” she is very much in love with Owen, and appreciates the love, the independence, and the respect he shows her. Which is why she is stunned when one day, he suddenly disappears, leaving her with a note saying only 2 words: Protect her. It is clear to Hannah who Owen means, but it is not at all clear why or how she must accomplish this.

This is definitely a fun read – full of suspense, sharp characters, and a twisty plot that kept me guessing and those pages turning throughout the book. I also had an opportunity to learn a bit. I never knew the term “woodturning” – which was the trade of the main character, Hannah. Having looked it up, I realize that we’ve all probably purchased items produced by these craftspeople but looking into how it works, the use of the lathe, and the techniques involved, it is quite impressive.

On the other hand, I felt the plot was a bit easy. The search for Owen, truly finding a needle in a haystack, sort of fell into the laps of Hannah and Bailey in some ways. As they followed remote memories of Bailey’s, that may or may not have been valid, they were lucky enough to have stumbled just upon the correct direction enough times that it worked. But I suppose that is why this is fiction, right?

On the whole, it’s a worthwhile read, a much-needed distraction in this very tense moment in our world, and I say, go for it!

 

 

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty

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Leigh has grappled with her relationship with her daughter Kara for some time now. It feels so much simpler with her younger son, but somehow with Kara, everything she says is wrong, everything she does only increases the tension between them. Now, suddenly, their lives are thrown into chaos when Kara has a horrific accident and needs her mother to be there for her. As Leigh struggles to rectify her issues with her own mother, she finds a path to being the mother she strives to be.

[Full disclosure: I have to admit that I downloaded this book, thinking it was by Liane Moriarty instead of Laura Moriarty. Ha! But in spite of that, it was still a worthwhile read and I plowed through it nonetheless. :)]

While I found this book held my attention and provided the distraction a worthy novel should, I kept feeling like something huge was about to happen that never quite materialized. There were, of course, moments that were significant – but they were subtle and not as dramatic as the story called for, in my opinion. Leigh, for example, had an extraordinarily traumatic upbringing by a mother who was shockingly neglectful. She clearly harbored well-deserved resentment and anger and, of course, like most women, was socialized to repress it. Her sister, for example, found excuse after excuse for their mother, and it did not serve her well. And while Leigh tried so hard – maybe too hard – to be a good mom to Kara, she was unable to connect with her on a basic level, most likely because she had no example to follow. When she did have her “aha” moment, it was so under the radar that I almost missed it. And it was too important not to notice.

So I do recommend this novel, but I also recommend that you pay attention. There are important messages here, but you could miss them if you’re not watching carefully.

 

 

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

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Vivian was never exactly interested in following in the path her nuclear family had laid out for her: school, perhaps a temporary job before she settled down to a marriage, and of course motherhood, thereby maintaining the social status comparable to that which she was born into, in her upstate NY, 1940’s, upscale community. So, when, at the age of 19, she failed out of Vassar after essentially never having attended any classes — clearly flouting this path — she was shipped down to Manhattan to live with her equally unconventional Aunt Peg. Here in the heart of the theater district (well, almost), Vivian found her freedom – the ability to explore the city, the ability to express herself in ways she could never have imagined, and also the ability to make mistakes she would gradually learn and grow from.

This novel is just as entertaining as the theater world itself, opening the curtain to both the comedy and tragedy of NYC in wartime 1940’s, the challenges of managing a theater production with all its moving parts, and underneath, the struggle of a young girl finding out who she really is in the midst of all this frenetic drama. As Vivian falls in love with the city and with her newfound theater family, we find ourselves falling in love with each of the characters. Vivian’s Aunt Peg, with all her vulnerabilities, is as generous and forgiving as anyone might be and teaches us the beauty of living in this way. Her “secretary,” Olive, a no-nonsense, teetotaler, who never hesitates to remind everyone how little money they all have, demonstrates loyalty in the most understated and compassionate ways. Peg and Olive become both the liberators and the anchors for Vivian.

The voice of the narration is also quite clever. The story is told by Vivian to Angela, and we only discover late in the game who Angela actually is. We hear her name periodically as the story unfolds, and this reminds us that we are being told a story from Vivian’s perspective to someone in particular with a particular goal. It is a confession of sorts, but without the remorse or regret a confession has because there is no sin, no misdeed. It is just an honest telling. And we love Vivian for her living her life without apology and without regret, as she has lived, for most of her life, an honest life.

This is a beautiful book of historical fiction – highly recommend this!

The Wife by Alafair Burke

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Angela is caught off-guard when she learns her husband is accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by a student intern in his office. She has feared being in the spotlight because of a traumatic past that she’s worked hard to keep private, but as his profile has become more public, with the publishing of a bestseller and a popular podcast, he is, as she’d predicted, now vulnerable to this kind of negative attention as well. When a second woman steps forward with a new accusation, their world turns completely upside-down and Angela is not sure whom she can trust. How well does she really know her own husband?

This is a twisty whodunnit that is engaging right from the very first page. Even when I was feeling a bit cocky for having guessed some of the plot, there were continued turns and surprises that continued to catch me off my own guard and kept my amusement until the very last page. There are definitely many dark moments, so it’s not a “fun” book per se, but it is a story told with both wit and intelligence. We feel for the characters, although we may not exactly love them, and we see the story from various angles.

I believe my favorite character is the detective investigating the case, Corrine. She is kind, but she is also not to be deterred, ever. She remembers everything and she is no fool. She works overtime, pursues this case because she has a gut feeling and she just wants to see that justice is served.

This was a great book to read right now. While keeping up on the news is crucial right now, it is also important to practice self-care and distraction can be part of that. Reading is a vital part of my self-care… I highly recommend it!

 

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

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Marjorie Post, daughter of the famous CW Post ,had a modest beginning. We meet her as she begins her trip to Battle Creek, MI, in the family’s quest to heal her ailing father. He’d been wasting from a severe depression and sought out the famed Dr. Kellog, to see if he might benefit from the diet, exercise, and fresh air treatment he was known to prescribe. Little did they know that the one who would heal him and be the most inspiring for him was their family’s hostess, who rented the rooms to Marjorie and her mother while CW received his tasteless treatments. She cooked him healthful meals and nursed him with her spiritual inspirations, enabling his soul to be revived. What lay ahead, both for CW and for Marjorie, was a growth of spirit and of creativity that would open their worlds to both unimaginable successes and tragic failures.

This historical fiction is based on the truly impressive and accomplished life of Marjorie Post, daughter of the famed CW Post, inventor of the breakfast cereal – Grape Nuts being the first! – and the founder of the General Foods Empire. Marjorie grew the business, creatively adding their many other types of foods and related products, finding ways in which to make a mother’s life more convenient, and hoping to provide nutritious foods to more families at a reasonable cost. She had an acute business acumen and would not give up on an idea once it worked its way into her brain, and she risked her reputation, her business, even her personal relationships when she knew she was onto something that might help others.

For this she paid a price, most often in her personal life, as many took advantage of her generous nature. Whether it was in her relationships- and she collected a few – or the press, who delighted in using her personal scandals as fodder for their gossip columns. But her true joy was her daughters, her work, and her volunteerism, which she threw herself into with gusto.

A little tidbit I learned from this also: she is the one who built the 126-roomed Mar-a-Lago. I have to confess, I had a hard time being excited to hear about the planning of its layout and the decoration of its rooms knowing who would be its future occupant, but I swallowed it in the name of history and fiction. I went with the spirit of the book. Marjorie was generous with her money, gave to many causes and was all in when times were rough for her country (unlike its current occupant) She was inspiring, actually (again, unlike the current occupant!).

If you are interested in historical fiction and want to know more about this very impressive woman, take a few days to peruse this novel. You’ll meet a lot of famous people, suffer a few heartbreaks along with her, and bask in her successes along with her as well.

 

A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery

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Rose has just arrived in Kyoto to hear the reading of her father’s will. Odd thing is, while she has known of his existence, she has never known him. Why has he asked her to come now, now that he is gone? What can she gain from visiting the sites he’s prescribed for her now? As she travels from temple to garden, she learns about the father she has never known but has now lost.

I had high hopes for this novel, by the author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, because I’d really loved that first book of hers that I’d read. Sadly, I was bitterly disappointed. While there were scattered sentences that were quite beautiful – ones that could be pondered, discussed, teased out in a philosophy class, perhaps – the book as a whole was, in truth, boring. I found myself about 40% into the novel without much of anything having happened as yet, and really, not much changed as I made my way further. Each day, Rose was taken by her father’s assistant Paul to temple after temple – creating essentially a Japanese version of Groundhog Day – the same thing over and over again, with a bit of romance thrown in just to keep the reader awake (sort of). Yes, we felt Rose’s rage, her awkward statements to the wrong people, her continuous rumination about everything sad in her life. But that served more to alienate us from this main character rather than to endear us to her.

If you like prolonged, repetitive descriptions, minimal dialogue, and vague action – or if your favorite movie is, in fact, Groundhog Day – I’d recommend this book. But otherwise, do yourself a favor and skip this one…