Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

What are the chances of two very different women changing in the same gym locker room at the same time, and accidentally switching bags? And even if it might happen, it sounds harmless enough, right? Well, perhaps it isn’t quite as harmless as it appears. It might just occur when their respective lives are each in crisis and this unfortunate exchange might occur at the most inopportune moment. Or perhaps, is this exactly the bit of upset that each women might need?

If you’re looking for an entertaining story with strong female characters, this is your next read! While we meet both Sam and Nisha when they are each at their lowest, with Sam at her least confident and Nisha at her most snobbish, we definitely grow to like each of them as they each grow to like themselves. We see that each, in her own way, is resourceful, resilient, even kind. Both are battling patriarchal structure and oppressors in their lives and not feeling the love from their female counterparts. As the plot progresses, it is the female bonds that form and strengthen and from which they derive their own strength – and this is what gives them both hope.

I believe my favorite character in this novel is Jasmine. She has so little and is willing to give so very much. She opens her home, her very heart to Nisha, to whom she owes nothing, and she does this asking for nothing in return. She is a great example to her daughter, a great example to us all.

This is definitely an uplifting, empowering novel – fun to read and probably fun to discuss among friends!

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

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Sarah has hit rock bottom. After her first success with Small Potatoes, she has hit a wall and has not found the next big idea for a similar blockbuster book. And the pressure is on, as she has her mother’s care to consider. What will she do?

Meanwhile, dialing back to 1915, we meet both Caroline and Tess. Caroline, graceful and talented, is married to a self-made man whom she loves but is finding to be unwilling to let her into his private and distracting business life. While they host a pre-departure soiree in their mansion in midtown Manhattan for all those leaving the next day on the luxurious Lusitania, she reunites with an old crush and wonders what will happen when they are all together on this journey. And Tess, from a different background altogether, cannot seem to stay in the shadows where she is seeking to acquire what she needs to deliver on her final undertaking for her sister and their “business.”. She just needs to do this one last job before she also boards the Lusitania and starts off in her new identity, her new life. The tensions are high for all of them as rumors of German U-boats abound… but surely the British naval ships will protect them, won’t they?

As you can easily see from my repeated Beatriz Williams book reviews, I love her writing. Full stop. She creates powerful female characters with depth, strong will, and acerbic wit – and this collaboration is no exception. All three main characters are like magnets, drawing us near, holding us to their stories, and keeping us wanting more.

The plot is written by these three characters’ stories as well. Each presents a different perspective which carries the story to the next level, taking it through its twists and turns, helping to build the suspense. And even though we all know the Lusitania is attacked by a German U-boat and sunk, the suspense is not jeopardized but rather enhanced by this; that is, we do not know exactly when or how it will happen, who will survive it, and how it will impact our characters in the end.

This is yet another wonderful historical fiction novel by one of my very favorite authors and her colleagues – I absolutely recommend it!

Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons

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Kate was not rich, but from a young age, she was groomed by her father to appear so, in order to fit in with those who are. Because of this, she had an aura of grace which those around her in her Southern college sorority – particularly the hapless Fig – sought to emulate. Although she treasured the bonds that grew between her closest friends – Cecie, Ginger, even Fig – something came between them that shocked even Kate. Now, after 30 years, she is being drawn back in – to see them all once again, to reminisce, to delve back in to those memories. Can she do it? Can she go back there, in spite of the pain? Only with a plan…

Anne Rivers Siddons had a gift for creating characters so authentic that they seem to jump out of the page and speak to our hearts. The four friends and their adolescent relationships were depicted as naturally as any that exist in any dorm room across the country, with their typical jealousies, the drunken banter, and the timeless dreams and anxieties that have blessed and cursed women in colleges since women have attended colleges. Likewise, the character of the older Kate, with her knowing cynicism and untrusting fears, is similarly relatable and sympathetic.

This is a beautifully written story, a timeless tale of young women who create a complicated past for themselves, and who ultimately come together to remember and to forget. But it is a story that the reader will remember long after the last page has been turned.

 

The Guernsey Saga by Diana Bachmann

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This trilogy begins with the joining together of the Ozanne and Gaudion families, traditional families living on the small island of Guernsey off the coast of England beginning in the early 1930’s. They are joined by the marriage of Sarah to Greg, with Sarah reluctantly giving up living with her boisterous family to join Greg’s elderly parents in his more staid household. Fortunately, her older sister, Ethel, often comes round to cheer her. Sarah and Ethel had shared a room as well as a close bond and a sense of humor, which often got them into uncontrolled giggles during their family meals. The trilogy follows the family through three generations: during the Nazi occupation of the island, during cultural upheaval of the 1960’s, and during the financial fluctuations of the 1970’s.

This is a warm and beautiful family saga, with moments of solemn strife alternating with times of tearful tenderness. While the circumstances of the family are unique, the underlying issues are timeless. Adolescent rebellion, inter-generational miscommunication, internal loyalty battles, spousal mistreatment, dishonesty – all issues that we can all relate to no matter the era, no matter the culture. The characters are relatable as well: the self-doubting, tongue-biting mother; the critical and self-righteous husband; the quiet and studious son – there are so many likable (and unlikable) and colorful characters who we come to know over the three books so well and over their years that we are sad to leave them when the third book ends.

The writing here is also poignant and effective. We really come to know the characters so intimately that we feel their pain, their stress. When they are starving because of the limited food on the island during the Nazi occupation, we feel their hunger. When we learn about Sue’s loneliness during the war, when she’s been sent with her school to Wales for safety, we yearn as she does for the love of family. And when Stephanie rages against her mother, we feel the deep cut of hurt that Sue feels.

Living in a small town where everyone knows everything about you and your family – your history, accomplishments and failures – might be challenging. But I can’t help wondering what a trip to seaside Guernsey would be like -it sounds magical!

 

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

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Even at a young age, Beryl is willful and daring, which is probably the thing that keeps her steady, even as her mother deserts both her and her father, taking only her fine clothing and Beryl’s younger brother back to England. But Beryl was built for Kenya, for the open sky and the wild fauna, and her heart seems to heal as she is cared for by the local tribespeople and her father, such as he can. As she grows and becomes a natural horse trainer, she holds on to her innate independence, which casts her as both unique and odd, admired and scorned, loved and hated, invited to the party and gossiped about afterwards. Nevertheless, in her own way, she succeeded in making a name for herself, breaking barriers and changing norms.

In fact, this is a novel based on the true life of Beryl Markham, a woman who was a pioneer both in horse training and in aviation during the 1920’s and 1930’s, mostly in Kenya. She fought against sexism on many fronts, merely yearning for independence, to make her own way. At the same time, she succumbed to love for a man who had the same yearning for freedom, one who could not be tied to anyone. While she understood this at her core, it also brought her as much heartache as it did joy.

What is also unique about the novel is the gorgeous depictions of Kenya. There are only sparse references to the colonization of the country and its impact on the tribes – it might have benefitted the story to have more. But there are rich descriptions of the wildlife, the terrain, and the flora. I have never been but I would love to, particularly after reading about it here.

It’s a beautiful story and an impactful one. Once again, we see how a woman is rendered nearly powerless but manages to overcome the obstacles thrown her way. It is inspiring and hopeful in so many ways.

Honor by Thrity Umrigar

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Much to Smita’s dismay, she has been brought back prematurely from her vacation in the Maldives to India, where she’s sworn to herself not to return. And worse, she has been brought back not to tend to her friend, as she’d believed, but rather to take over her friend’s news story that is quite controversial. The story is that of Meena, a Hindu woman who dared to marry a Muslim man. Seeing this as a slight against their honor, Meena’s brothers sought vengeance and torched her husband to death and left Meena maimed by the fire. She is now awaiting the verdict of their revived murder trial and Smita must cover the story. But at what emotional cost to herself?

This is an extraordinarily trying narrative to take in – not only as a woman, but as a human. The repugnant misogyny and collusion chronicled here is not unique to India, but exists around the globe, and is promoted, even exalted throughout. So often, whether in the name of God, religious extremism,  or just “family honor”, women are treated as if they are either property of men or as if they do not exist at all. Even here in our first world country it exists, where women’s rights are being chipped away daily, leaving us with less pay, less agency over our bodies, our choices, our rights to be our truest selves in this world.

The writing here is crisp, the imagery vivid, and the characters capture our hearts immediately. We are curious about Smita’s struggle with her homeland and her story is also extremely powerful, also rooted in hateful extremism. It is clear why she is a journalist and why she seeks to document the world’s troubles. She has been borne of them and has lived them.

This novel is well-written and while it is a painful book to ingest, it carries a message that must be heard. I very highly recommend it – but definitely not a “beach read!”

The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig

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In the midst of the Gilded Age, when most young women are focused on ballrooms and bridal gowns, Olive is focused on revenge. It is clear to her that her father had been wronged, cheated out of his rightful earnings from his hard work as the architect of the magnificent Pratt mansion and she is determined to expose this travesty.

Lucy is also connected to the Pratt mansion, living there when it becomes a boarding house for “respectable ladies” in the 1920’s. She, too, is on a personal mission – to see where her mother’s heart has always been during her lifetime, because it has been apparent to Lucy that it has not fully been with Lucy and her father. In fact, Lucy wonders if the man she knows to be her father is actually, in fact, her true father.

Finally, there is Kate, a doctor during the second World War, linked also to the Pratt mansion when it is again adapted to function as a hospital for wounded soldiers. When a stunning soldier is brought in on a stormy night with a leg infected so severely it may require amputation, she is startled by the way he seems to recognize her and how he feels familiar to her as well.

As the story unfolds, we learn how these three women are connected, how their lives and their loves have been thwarted, and how the Pratt family fortune and misfortune has impacted so many others.

While I am not familiar with the other two authors, I love anything by Beatriz Williams, and this novel is no exception. Each segment of the narrative is captivating as a stand-alone story, with each of these strong, independent women capturing our hearts with their missions, their wills, and their defiance. But to weave the story together with the three of them is quite the ingenious feat – and it is done both smoothly and powerfully.

I highly recommend this book – it has romance, intrigue, and is just beautifully written. Not only a great summer read, but a just a great read.

 

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

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As the women (or “mothers”) of the Upper Room, a church at the heart of the Black community in Oceanside, CA look on, Nadia Turner, reeling from the recent death of her mother, drifts from the school where she’s previously been so successful, into the arms of Luke Sheppard, the preacher’s son. They watch as she devolves into a lost soul, wrangling with her grief, unraveling the ties with her friends and even with her father with whom she’d been close. When a crisis arises between Luke and herself, it seems to create a hole in her heart that she spends the next years of her life seeking to fill – and burning bridges and breaking hearts in her wake.

What is most unique about this book is the voice created by “The Women.” We are told this story by the community of women who have been watching Nadia and Luke since they were young, as so often occurs in tightly-knit communities, where everyone knows everyone else’s business – or at least believe they do. The tone is, in this way, kept lighter, and at the same time more familiar. I believe no matter your heritage, we can all relate to that sisterhood of women in some segment of our lives who maintain a running commentary about us: who we’re becoming and what we are thought to be doing – and judging us without trying to appear as though they are doing so. I could not help smiling throughout these sections.

And thank goodness for these sections because the main thread of the story is quite sad. Nadia’s journey is tragic, her life having been pierced by so many losses which she was unable to process with anyone who could be helpful to her. Because her father was so deeply entrenched in his own grief, muddling his way through, he was unavailable to her, leaving her to cope in the only way she could – looking for love and affection from whomever she could find it. She continued to be a lonely figure, unable to fully give of herself because her “self” had become so deeply wounded.

This is an important story, told in a uniquely creative way – an absolutely worthy read!

The Cherry Bombers by Sarai Walker

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Sylvia Wren is quite content to hide away from the world in the Santa Fe haven she’s created with her partner, Lola. While the world knows her art, they do not know her, as she has striven to keep herself as private as she possibly can, knowing only the few she’s had to interact with by necessity – her lovely neighbors (who check in on her, especially when Lola is away), her lawyer, and her agent. All her correspondence is taken care of by someone she’s hired to do just that – so she isn’t sure how this one journalist has managed to penetrate this wall she’s build around her. How did she manage to find out anything about her past? How did she manage to connect those very ancient dots, to dig into who Sylvia really is? Might it be time for this to happen?

While using a highly unusual means of doing so, this story quite dramatically illustrates the outrageously imbalanced and distorted view that society has taken throughout the years when it comes to the mental health of women vs men. When women have presented in any way different, unusual or ever-so-slightly out of whatever the box society has chosen to place them at that time or place, they are deemed “crazy” or “insane” and are either locked away, tortured or murdered for who they are. (Look no further than the Salem witch trials to see a perfect example of this.) In this story, when a mother who predicts the danger her daughters are about to encounter, no one listens and worse, even when she’s right, they attempt to explain away her validated predictions and deem HER as the one who is insane. Again and again and again.

There are certainly many unconventional moments that one has to stretch the imagination to abide. And I also know that there are many things that occur in this world that we cannot explain with our current understanding of the world. But there is also kindness, and patience, and learning from our past. And there is also the knowledge that our past is littered with a patriarchy that has dominated society too often to our detriment. (See all the wars that have occurred throughout history…)

This is a wildly inventive story, full of imagery that will spark your creative inclination. It also carries quite a bit of mystery and suspense. Read it with an open mind and you will receive a worthwhile message here.

 

 

No Angel by Penny Vincenzi

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

When Celia focuses her attractive, intelligent gaze on a target, she essentially uses whatever means necessary to achieve it. So when she falls heavily in love for Oliver Lytton, even though he does not meet her parents’ ideal of whom she is to marry, she manages an underhanded way to force their approval. And when Oliver does not envision his wife as a working woman, she likewise convinces him that she is in fact essential to his publishing family business. As we follow Celia and Oliver through the first World War and see how it impacts their family and their business, we learn about life, about class, and about how compromise and understanding can heal a multitude of ills.

Once again, Penny Vincenzi has created a family, even a world, in which we are engrossed and enamored. Every one of the characters – and there are many with whom we become intimately familiar -is deeply rich, utterly imperfect, and so lovable that we care what happens to each and every one of them. These characters are taken through important moments in history during which they struggle and experience lasting impact. And there are moments of great tension, near-misses, and disappointments, when you cannot help but catch your breath or utter out loud.

There is also an important discussion of class here, that is raised sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly. When little Berty, the daughter of a poor, working class family is taken into Celia and Oliver’s family to be raised alongside their children, we are brought into her experience of feeling at home in neither family. Feeling over-privileged among her actual siblings, but treated like a foundling among her adoptive siblings, she is caught between these two worlds and is forced to navigate this tension starting at a very early age. She learns to use her intelligence and her kindness, and to find her allies early – and this serves her well, but she does suffer plenty along the way.

As each of the characters and each of the story lines come together, they wind around to enthrall and engage the reader just as in a perfectly choreographed dance. You want to know what happens but you never want it to end…

The perfect summer read!