Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

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Where to begin on this sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird?  I guess, to begin with, it is a typical sequel, which is to say that it is not nearly as great as the original.  Few books can be, though.  On the other hand, it is a fascinating and horrifying commentary on the White, Southern perspective on segregation/integration and the resentment toward the Supreme Court’s decisions’ overriding of states’ decision-making.

Jean Louise, or Scout, as she was called in her youth, is visiting her home town for a 2-week vacation from her new home in New York City.  She is returning to her father, now riddled with arthritis, her aunt who has not lost her prudishness, and her dear friend, Henry, who is hankering to marry her.  She believes she will slip back into the familiar rhythm of her home, until she finds a repulsive pamphlet advertising a meeting in support of maintaining segregation.  Hiding in the back of the courtroom where the meeting was held, she is stunned to see her father and boyfriend sitting in the front row.  As her world is rocked, she is forced to reconcile her idea of who her father is with who her really is.

The themes in this story are all too relevant today.  Race is front and center in the news everyday and it appears we have made only baby steps in progress toward justice and equality.  Even in this story, where Scout is supposedly arguing to defend Blacks in the South, she still espouses such prejudice and the belief, for example, that Blacks could never be in positions of authority.  There is the assumption that there are inequalities that are inherent rather that imposed and I think this is really what underlies prejudice.

I would say this is an articulate piece of historical fiction – but unfortunately it is neither strictly historical nor fiction.

 

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

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Noah and Jude are twins whose mother, an art critic, has decided that they should apply to a high school for the arts.  Noah, who is very much his mother’s son, is ecstatic and dives into preparing his portfolio.  Jude, is less confident about her talent and expresses this by rebelling and turning away from her mother.  Unfortunately, as they each are grappling with their adolescent yearnings and unfolding sexuality, their lives are torn apart by a sudden family tragedy.  Will they be able to retrace their steps to find each other’s heart again?

This YA story is somewhat complicated and engaging, but a bit contrived.  There are a few clever plot twists that sneak up on the reader which definitely took me by surprise.  Unfortunately, there are also a few too many utter coincidences for it to be entirely believable.  It is real teenage struggle and angst tangled in a fairy tale plot.

On the other hand, what saves this book is the writing, which is full of striking imagery and gorgeous sentences.  The way the author ascribes colors and pictures to emotions is quite beautiful.  There is humor and sarcasm and a tenderness in all of the characters that keeps you caring so much about them through the whole book.

An enjoyable, light read with some great writing.

A Well-Tempered Heart by Jan-Phillip Sendker

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Yet another must-read by Jan-Phillip Sendker!  This sequel to the Art of Hearing Heartbeats is just as beautiful as the first – an accomplishment in its own right…

Julia, whose life has been in a lonely downward spiral, has begun to hear a voice.  It is the voice of a woman who is asking who she really is.  Julia, a savvy lawyer in NYC, is terrified that she’s losing her mind.  In her quest for peace from this voice, she encounters a monk who encourages her to return to the home of her deceased father and of her half-brother in Burma, where she might find the source of this voice.  As she begins to discover the story of the voice, she also learns a great deal about herself and what is really important to her.

The writing in this book achieves a level somewhere between poetry and philosophy.  There is more silence than sharp dialogue and it works so well in the context of the story.  What is said is often deeply wise  — so much so, that it needs to be read more than once to be fully appreciated.  And the story itself, while tragic and full of horror, is also incredibly beautiful and inspiring.

Most interesting to me, though, was the sharp contrast between the fast-paced luxury of NYC and the peaceful poverty of Burma.  Julia’s brother, U Ba, has a love of life and an appreciation for what little he has.  Here in NYC, we have so much and generally want more still.  There is a lot to be learned from the simple love, acceptance, and appreciation espoused by the wise characters in this book.

Must read!

 

The 100 Year Old Man Who Jumped Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

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This delightful story is a sort of Swedish Forrest Gump for world history.  Allan Karlsson, on the morning of his 100th birthday, decides that he needs to take back control of his life and leave the Old Folks Home – via the window.  Little does he know that he’d be starting out on a madcap adventure.  But then again, madcap adventures are not exactly new to Allan, as we learn in the flashbacks that tell of his amusingly political, apolitical life.

I loved this book!  The writing is so understated and subtle that it makes the crazy events in the story that much more outrageous and entertaining.  I could not help laughing out loud at some of the dialogue – it is brilliant.  And the way in which the tale winds around historical events is playful and so imaginative.

I haven’t recommended a “must-read” in a long time – but here’s a most definite!  You are bound to love this one.

The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch

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It was Shakespeare who wrote, “The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children” in The Merchant of Venice – and this book is a very long but very eloquent illustration of this idea. It is the saga of an outwardly successful, but inwardly, exceedingly dysfunctional family who live on a fairytale estate called Oxmoon, in Wales.  The story begins when Ginevra, raised with her cousins at Oxmoon, returns home after the death of her husband, much to the anxious anticipation of Robert, who has been in love with her since their youth.  Their reunion brings to light some of the family history but also propels the family forward into years of struggle that center around who will be master of the esteemed estate.

The writing in this story is beautiful.  There is an intricate weaving of drama and psychological tension which hold onto the reader’s attention throughout the 1171 pages.  It is a comment on the British gentleman’s insistence on the “stiff upper lip” and its hypocrisy.  It is also a historical walk through the early 20th century, with its wars and economic struggles that plagued Europe.

There is a lot to this book – but it also requires a lot of time and attention.  In my opinion, it was definitely worth it!

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

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Joanna has just moved out to the suburbs and is looking to meet new friends.  She notices that while the men in town have a club of their own (that does not allow women to be members), the women do not – and worse, are not even bothered by this.  As she digs deeper into the history of the town, she sees that at one point, there was a women’s club and the women in town actually were once interested in things beyond caring for their homes and their families.  Something was up and she and her one friend, Bobbie, would get to the bottom of it.  But hopefully they’d do it in time…

Yes, I was probably one of the only women who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s who never either read this book or saw the movie before – so I was curious.  Little did I know how utterly creepy this book would be!  The idea that men would turn women into automatons that would only do housework and child rearing was both disturbing and outrageous, and quite a statement for its time.  The theme of squelching those who stood up for the rights of women was probably fairly radical for the very early 70’s, when this first came out.

Funny, though, because it seems that while this futuristic/farcical novel was written so long ago, and much has changed, much is still the same.  In so many countries around the world, women are still treated as Stepford wives.  In fact, right here in the good ol’ USA, our likely Republican nominee for president is married to one.  (Her hobbies are “pilates and reading magazines,” according to the New Yorker.)

As to the writing of the book, it is suspenseful and eerie, but I did feel like there was a gaping hole at the end, where there should have been more explanation about what happened to the women and how the transformation was accomplished.  I felt there was almost too much left to the imagination.

But if you haven’t read it, it’s a quick read that does get you thinking…  which is what books are supposed to do!

Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan

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When Libby receives a series of 2 horrible pieces of news all in the same day, she feels her life is exploding.  While she tries to go to work and resume a sense of normality, she finds she just can’t  continue to deal with her impossible boss and the usual things she normally  has tolerated.  Suddenly, she is off on an adventure and ends up discovering how coping with her past traumas can enable her to face her current ones.

While this story is a little cliche and not entirely plausible, it is sweet and entertaining and actually a delightful read.  The writing is sarcastic and interspersed with sharp vocabulary and compassionately wise insights.

A good find on Bookbub – which I highly recomnend!

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

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I began this book with great anticipation.  It had been recommended to me by a few different friends, each of whose opinions I respected, and the setting was even in Italy, where I’d just been fortunate enough to have visited only a few weeks before.

The story is about Elena Greco, who grows up with her unwieldy friend, Lila.  Whereas Elena struggles with her own identity, Lila, who is fiercely brilliant and strong, seems to be very sure of who she is.  At a very young age, Lila asserts herself as a creative, intelligent and physically strong person who is able to pull everyone around her under her spell.  Elena has great difficulty doing anything of her own volition, as she, more than everyone else, is bound to Lila, somehow.  As they grow older, they are pulled in opposite directions:  Elena, deeper into the direction of more advanced education and Lila, deeper into the roots of their poor neighborhood in Naples.  While gang-style conflicts brew around them, they hold onto their bond as they navigate their way through adolescence.

I didn’t love this book as I’d anticipated, but I didn’t hate it either.   It is a coming-of-age story of young girls and their friendships and the typical adolescents’ striving for identity.  It is also an interesting look into the poor neighborhoods in Italy and into Italian culture in general.  The characters depicted here are colorful and evolving.  But I had difficulty getting past the writing/translation, which I felt was often awkward and grammatically strange.     I also had difficulty believing that a whole neighborhood could be completely obsessed with one individual girl, the premise on which this story is based.

I’m glad I did read it to know what everyone has been talking about.  At some point I may read the others in this trilogy – but I’m not rushing to do so.  Unfortunately, this one is not going on my “Must Read” list…

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

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It is fascinating how two books can be about a similar topic – suicide, actually – and be so very different in tone and quality.  This book, as compared with my last book (The Story of Ove), was quite the disappointment.  While the last one told the story with such tenderness and subtlety, this one was was harsh and heartless.  And even when the main character in the first was so gruff and quiet, he demonstrated such sweetness and caring for others that I felt I loved him nonetheless.  On the other hand, because this main character, Esther, was so disconnected and mean to anyone around her,  I felt as if I didn’t care at all what happened to her.

It may be that Esther’s experience of depression and suicidality was more realistic.  She describes feeling as if caught in a “bell jar” and not able to interact with the world in a normal way.  She does not seem to like anyone or really form any real bond with anyone.  Her relationship with even her own mother is threadbare and superficial.  She seems to feel no love.

Unfortunately, even if it is more realistic, it is not at all engaging for the reader.  Perhaps if I’d learned why she felt no love for her mother, I might have felt sympathy toward her.  Perhaps if there were some humor, some warmth, or some show of kindness in her at all, I might have liked her enough to care.  But she keeps the reader at arm’s length and does not let you in at all – and so the story falls quite flat.

I am hoping her poetry was better than her prose…

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

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Ove has lost the one person in his life who understood him (his wife) as well as the purpose for him to get up each morning (his job) and he’s now trying to take matters into his own hands.  All he wants is to be reunited with his only love, his wife, Sonja.  Unfortunately, each attempt he makes on his own life gets interrupted by his prying, needy neighbors.  Even the cat seems to need him.  Is everybody helpless?  In spite of his grumpy-old-man exterior, Ove endears himself to everyone around him who recognize that he is in fact the kindest of hearts and the truest of souls.

Because of the tone of the story, which is written through the prism of Ove’s cynical and rigid perspective, I found it, at first, hard to get engaged in this story.  But gradually, there grew moments of subtle tenderness that were so utterly sweet that I was reeled in.  By the end, I was just mush.  Teary mush, actually.

The writing in this story is really very beautiful.  I so admire a writer who can create such colorful and deeply genuine characters as these and who can create such subtly charming moments between them.  Even when Ove is ranting at another – and he does so at almost every  other character – you feel the affection that is exuding between them.  You cannot help either smiling or tearing up through much of the story.

I highly recommend this book.  Just stick with it – it’s worth it!