kindread spirits

The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips

Posted on August 21, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

I was very excited to read this book, as I had a bit of insight into the writing of this book. At BookCon, in May of this year, I was lucky enough to attend a session with an author, an agent, and an editor to learn about the process of a book being published through the eyes of each of these essential figures. It was this book that was discussed at that session, and each of the individuals was really interesting to listen to. The author spoke of the arduous process of writing the book, delivering it to the agent, who initially rejected it. It went back to the author, who sat on it for a year (during which she’d given birth to her daughter) and then she went about the process of trimming it down quite a bit. The new version went back to the agent, who now liked it and passed it on to the editor. The editor, in turn, then felt it needed to be filled in just a bit and so some detail was added to the book – and then it was published. It was a surprisingly drawn out process, the making of this book. It really made me appreciate how many authors spend years writing and possibly never get published. On the other hand, those who do get published, may need to be flexible and responsive to many opinions.

Unfortunately, this book was very different from the books I usually enjoy – and I’m having a hard time trying to describe it. It’s a futuristic glimpse of a woman, Josephine, balancing a boring/rote job with her life as a married woman. Her boss remains throughout the story identified only as “The Person with Bad Breath” and never even attains a gender. Her husband, Joseph, disappears frequently without explanation and somehow makes all the decisions about where they are to live, switching them from apartment to apartment with no input from Josephine. The ending is something of a twist on each of their jobs and somehow makes a very bizarre statement about the determination of birth and death.

I think the problem with the story, besides the obvious bizarre details, is that none of the characters is at all real. Even Josephine, who is the main character, remains 2-dimensional. Her husband, Joseph, is even more remote and unrealistic. I think this is intentional, giving each an automaton-like feel, but it does not do anything to really engage the reader.

Not my favorite, unfortunately…

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead

Posted on August 20, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

There’s nothing like a wedding to bring out the best or the worst in people; certainly there was nothing like his daughter’s wedding to bring out the worst behavior in Winn Van Meter. His daughter was to be married in a few days and between Winn’s crush on his older daughter’s bridesmaid, his insensitivity to his younger daughter’s recent heartache, and his overriding obsession with social status, he just all-out behaves badly.

There are many amusing scenes in this book and some of it actually reaches “madcap” status, but many scenes are also cringe-worthy and almost painful. I really enjoyed how the story starts out – it definitely grabbed my attention — but by the middle, it begins to meander a bit. The cringing comes later in the story, when Winn really spirals downward, and the tragedy of his character overwhelms him. The reader does feel a bit sorry for him – it is clear why he is who he is — but I couldn’t help hating him just a little, too. There are some other great characters, though. I very much liked the character of his younger daughter, Livia. She is bright and passionate and honest and she stands up to whomever crosses her, including her own father.

This was a good light read to bring on vacation in Cape Cod – luckily, that’s where I read it!

Paper Towns by John Green

Posted on August 12, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

Unsure if I was actually going to see the movie, I decided I’d like to read the book first, nonetheless. I really like John Green and I also love reading books my kids have read. And lo and behold, this was a really enjoyable one!

Quentin has lived next door to Margo since he was two, and has been in love with her for most of that time. Unfortunately, it has been years since they’ve spent time together, as Quentin is in his group of mainly extremely funny, slightly nerdy guy friends, and Margo has been in hers (of course, the “cool” crowd). But suddenly, Margo asks him to come on an all-night adventure and then she mysteriously disappears. Quentin finds a number of clues she has apparently left behind just for him and he is determined to find her, whether she’s alive or not.

The writing is great – full of youthful fun and angst and sarcasm and philosophical commentary, some of which is truly profound and some had me laughing out loud. The characters become your friends and you feel a great deal of sympathy and affection for Quentin and his friends. There is quite a bit of discussion about friendship, knowing someone and liking someone for who they really are vs for who you want them to be. A ot of these big ideas are innocently couched in some very ordinary, adolescent goofiness, and that is what makes this young adult novel both accessible and worthwhile.

I really liked this book – now the question is: should I see the movie?

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Posted on August 10, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

This is a really fun read! Clay Jannon takes the reader with him on this very high tech journey into the workings of a very unusual bookstore. The clients of the store come in at all hours, are generally older, and never actually pay for the books they read. The books are written in code and Clay really has no idea what this is all about. As his curiosity gets the best of him, and he delves into the mystery of the code and the store itself, he rouses both himself and Mr. Penumbra to challenge an old, mysterious secret society.

What is great about this book is the writing – it is witty and light and even with the technological descriptions (and I’m the furthest from being techy!) it never slows or lags. There is suspense and mystery and even something of a romance, but it is always kept light and amusing. And in its own, very innocent way, it highlights both the strain and the synchronicity of age/wisdom vs. youth/modernity. There is also an underlying theme of what it means to achieve immortality, but it is subtle and very tenderly woven in.

A great read – summer or otherwise!

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Posted on August 4, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

Lydia is dead, but no one besides the reader is aware of this at the beginning of the story. Slowly, as the story unfolds, her life and death is deconstructed and the reader is gradually, almost painfully, let in to the lives of Lydia and her repressed family, and it is understood how Lydia has died.

This well-written but bitterly sad story is probably well worth reading, but it is not easy. Each of the characters is depicted carefully and thoroughly and there is a psychological depth that makes the characters quite authentic. There are race issues and longing for acceptance that is very human and almost any reader can relate to this.

What is almost overwhelmingly sad in this book however, is the profound absence of communication between the family members and this is what I find so troubling about this book. I am not accustomed to this ( there is probably an over-communication issue in my family!) so it was a little extreme/unrealistic in my mind. I am sure, though, that there are a great many families that have this blockage in communication, whether for cultural or psychological or whatever reason, and this is both scary and tragic for me. There are so many moments that could have prevented the death of Lydia (and I’m sure in real life, real tragedies) just if there was better communication. I think this is the take-home message…

So while depressing and tragic, it is a well-written book with a lot to teach us.

The House on Oyster Creek by Heidi Jon Schmidt

Posted on July 29, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

Subtle is the word I think describes this novel. It begins slowly as Charlotte’s world is introduced to us. She has married Henry, some 20 years her senior, who treats her frankly, with disdain. He is seemingly unfeeling, intellectualizing everything and minimizing Charlotte’s work and intellect. She yearns for his approval and affection, but contents herself with the love she gets from her daughter, Fiona. On learning that Henry has inherited his family’s home in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod, Charlotte picks up her family and moves them to this new home. As they get to know the locals, who view them as intruders, she becomes embroiled in a controversy over property and loyalties and even finds love.

What I found strange about this book was that there was indeed a lot to the story on hindsight, but it did not feel that way while I was reading it. It progressed somewhat quietly, getting slightly mired in description, but definitely building in complexity. It definitely addressed issues of class, intellectual and socio-economic, and the insiders and the outsiders. It also addressed issues of ecology vs. industry and progress. There is also a love story here as well, that overrides the whole story.

It is not a “fun” read, but it is decent writing and a solid story in the end.

Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead

Posted on July 20, 2015 by marjorieseidenfeld

To say that this story had a subtle beginning would be a radical understatement. The story builds almost painfully gradually as a love story between Joan, an aspiring ballet dancer, and the world-famous ballet-dancing Arslan, who has mysteriously chosen her to assist him in his defection from Russia in the 1970’s. Ultimately jilted by Arslan, she turns to her truest friend, Jacob, who has always loved her, and builds a life with him instead. But about half way through, there are gradual revelations that ramp up the momentum and twist the plot around on its tail such that it ultimately becomes a book that you cannot put down.

What is as beautiful about the book as the story is the writing, which is crisp, clear, and full of pretty imagery. The author carries the reader through changes in time and date as well as voice of narration with the utmost of grace, avoiding any flicker of confusion, but adding richness from additional perspective in doing so. I also felt I learned quite a bit about ballet, something about which I am quite ignorant. It gives the inside perspective on just how hard and demanding a lifestyle it is to be a professional dancer.

The moral of the story is: Don’t give up! This gets so very much better with every turn of the page that its worth staying with it. Enjoy!

The Last Summer of the Camperdowns by Elizabeth Kelly

Posted on July 12, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

LOVED this book!

Riddle, a woman shunned by a man from her past during a momentary encounter, looks back on the summer that changed her (and his) life forever. At the age of 12, Riddle was an accidental witness to a crime, but was quietly terrorized into remaining silent about what she heard and saw. As her fretting over her own silence mounted, so did the confusion and mystery around the crime, and the circle of guilt enlarged like the rippling of water from a stone. Riddle saw her own family become entangled in the mystery, and she saw first hand, how keeping secrets can haunt you and endanger you in the end.

What shines in this book is the writing – it is absolutely resplendent, with richly painted imagery and razor-sharp dialogue. The banter between Riddle’s father, a war-veteran and politician running for office, and her mother, an actress who’s taken a break from acting but not from being glamorous and cynical, is full of jabs at each other that are biting and callous and occasionally laugh-out-loud hilarious. The setting is also near and dear to my heart – it takes place in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod, on a beautiful estate overlooking the Atlantic. The characters are rich – figuratively and literally – and are adored and detested as the rich often are, and there is frequent commentary on both the power and the vulnerability of money. There is also the component of the coming of age of Riddle, who is thrust into the lives of adults as she turns only 13, and her character is extremely sympathetic.

From glamor and romance to suspense and thrill – and especially fantastic literary sheen — this book has it all! Highly recommended for that Cape Cod vacation – and any other time as well.

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Posted on July 12, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

Things are not what they appear to be, is the message of this story. Boy, a teenage girl (actually!), runs away from her abusive father and finds a new life in a small town in New England. In this town of craftsmen and artists, she falls into a relationship with a jewelry designer whose family has secrets that she only discovers only after they have impacted her very personally. But she also lives to discover that her own family has secrets as well.

The story, taken at face value, is somewhat fantastical and remote, bordering on the bizarre. Some scenes are actually briefly disturbing. However, I think there is a lot of symbolism here. The story really is, in my mind, a story of rebellion – rebellion against evil, against racial prejudice, against gender stereotyping, even against what is expected based on general physical appearance. There is recurring mention of mirrors and what is or is not seen in them, which echoes this theme. In this, the book has great value.

Unfortunately, though, while the message is important, the delivery is somewhat off. Because of the mystical quality of the story, there is a distance between the writer and the characters, as if even the writer doesn’t love her own characters. I also found choppiness in the writing that lead to confusion in the actual details of the story. In changing the voice, which I usually love, the author skips over details that tell the story, and it takes too long and, honestly, too much work to connect the dots.

So while I did love the message of this book, the delivery could have been tighter.

Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Posted on July 10, 2015January 18, 2016 by marjorieseidenfeld

Margo, a strikingly beautiful, quiet teenager with a talent for shooting as accurately as any sharp shooter in Michigan, was content as long as she was near the river she lived on. Even as her own small family dwindled, with the departure of her mother, she was able to be helpful to her father and enjoy her extended family across the river. Unfortunately, a frightening incident with her uncle led to the collapse of the world she knew and only her survival skills enabled her to move on and save herself from the many dangers around her.

This was an intriguing but slightly implausible story. The writing is excellent – simple, quiet, and pensive, as one imagines Margo to be. She is of the earth and the river, and the descriptions of the natural habitat around her are beautiful. The story is tragic, however. Even when there are good things happening to Margo, there is still a sadness to the story that sort of hangs over the words. And there are many moments during which I felt the story went beyond what one might believe could actually occur.

Nevertheless, the almost dreamy quality of the descriptions of Margo’s life on the river make this book absolutely a worthwhile read.