The Paris Wife (migrated from Bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula McLain

This very elegant book is written from the fictional perspective of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley.  McLain, in the voice of Hadley, tells of their brief courtship and their young marriage.  Early on, they moved to Paris and lived a very French life in the 1920’s, drinking and socializing with the artists and intellectual elite of the day.  Gradually, as Ernest becomes caught up in his upward climb to notoriety, he alienates his friends and eventually his own true love, Hadley herself.  And while the story is ultimately quite sad, it is also very beautiful in so many ways that the reader is left with a sense that things had to be as they were.

The story is told so smoothly that this reader felt she was reading the diary of a close friend.  It is hard not to love Hadley and have compassion for her and yet, at the same time, there is compassion for Ernest as well.  Even while the reader watches the demise of the relationship, each character in his/her own way is real and multidimensional and therefore sympathetic as well.

It also is a beautiful piece of historical fiction, with insight into the very real “roaring” that went on in the 1920’s.  Intellectual ideas and the search for beauty and truth seemed to have frequently been drowned in alcohol and lust.  The loneliness and emotionality of the artist personality was almost cliche, but was depicted very realistically.

It inspired me to want to read some of Hemingway’s novels.  I just might do that…

Motherland (migrated from Bookblogger)

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Motherland by Amy Sohn

This book is to literature what All My Children is to television…  pure soap!  It centers around the yuppie neighborhood of Park Slope in Brooklyn, where apparently no one really likes their kids, their spouses or their lives.  Every character is either cheating or being cheated on by their spouse, and the kids are resented for their mere existence.  The children are responsibilities and chores and not redeeming in any way.  And all that everyone really thinks about is having sex.  All the time.

The book also reads like a few stories combined into one with the characters intersecting at different points.  There are few actually likeable characters, which makes the book hard to connect with.  And the choppiness of the story leaves many threads dangling without resolution.

I have to confess, the only character I found truly amusing was the stroller stealer in the neighborhood!  Fed up with the yuppie moms who left strollers all over the neighborhood, this thief made what I considered quite the statement.  I kind of respected that…

Anyway, as you might have guessed, while this held my attention, it was not a great literature.

The Time Keeper (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

If you are looking for something that requires a little imagination and some flexibility, this is your book.  This is the very unusual story of Father Time — that is, how time began to be measured and by whom and what the impact of that measurement was on all the people who came after.  It is the story also of Sarah, who is a teenager who experiences her first heartbreak and of Victor, who is aged and ill but wants to extend his time on Earth as long as possible.  Father Time must reconcile his urge to measure time with leading the other 2 characters in how to appreciate the time they have without wishing it to be other than it is.

The story is told in a fairytale manner but it definitely reaches out to the reader and implores you to think about how you yourself consider time.  Certainly, anyone living/working in New York City, with the usual demands on one’s time can relate to the pressures therein.  Never enough time!  I can’t wait to get through this week!  I wish there were more hours in the day!  We all obsess about time.

We can all learn from the very urgent message in this book…  Appreciate the time you have and make the most of it.  And whatever it is, it is the right amount of time.  (I just hope I remember this when it comes to my next deadline …)

Beautiful Ruins (migrated from Bookblogger)

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Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

What a beautiful book, written so beautifully!  When a stunning American actress arrives at a tiny pension on a tinier island off the coast of Italy, Pasquale, the owner of the pension, cannot believe his luck.  Not only does he believe his father’s dream of their hotel becoming a hot spot for Americans may actually materialize, but he is also entranced by the beauty of this American.  As it happens, the American actress, Dee, of course has a story as does the naive but sincere Pasquale, but their lives are forever bound by this chance encounter.  The story is told in parts, bouncing back and forth between the time they meet in Italy, in 1962, and today, when Pasquale searches for her in America.  It also bounces from each of their stories to other characters that are woven into their tale, but it all works to keep the story moving and engaging.

The characters in this book are distinctive and each has a unique voice.  Each of them has been affected in some way by the 2nd world war and this shadows over some of their personalities.  In addition, the stories and the language of 1962 in the tiny village contrast so strikingly with those of the fast-paced action of the contemporary parts — and both are written with wit and an almost poetic rhythm.  I loved the writing in this book.

And it is one of the few books that give resolution and don’t leave you hanging at the end.  Thank you, Mr. Walter!

Safe Haven (migrated from Bookblogger)

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Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

I believe I saw a trailer for this upcoming movie, which got me interested in reading this book.  It is very. very suspenseful and I can see it being a suspenseful movie as well.

Katie is a mysterious woman who comes to a small town in South Carolina, setting herself up in a small cottage and working at a local restaurant.  She quickly develops a friendship (and then of course, more than a friendship) with a man who owns the local general store.  He is a widow with 2 young children and gracefully accepts that she has a past she is running from.

The past becomes clear as she gradually sheds her terror of her past coming back to haunt her, in the form of her abusive husband from whom she has escaped.  The story flashes back and forth from her perspective to her husband’s as it builds into a very nail-bitingly scary crescendo.  Even while you can guess at some of the story, there are twists and turns and the writing really does have you on the edge of your seat all the way up to the end.  And while some of the details are somewhat gruesome, I imagine that this is the tragic reality of those who really do experience domestic violence.

Now the question is:  do I see the movie or not??

The Pillars of the Earth (migrated from Bookblogger)

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The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

The words “saga” and “epic” cannot even come close to describing this almost exhausting tale of Phillip, the monk/prior and Tom the Builder and the lives touched by these 2 good people.  They are characters that live in the 1100’s in England, during a time when the Church and the king were always in a constant struggle for power and wealth, as were their underlings.  Phillip and Tom, shared a dream of building a large, beautiful cathedral in their priory of Kingsbridge.  Unfortunately, their efforts were constantly being thwarted by their rivals for power, the evil men, William (a knight battling for earldom and Waleran, Phillip’s devious senior in the church.  The many, many vicious and violent efforts to thwart the building of the cathedral were overcome by sheer power of will and political maneuvering that keep the story very suspenseful.  There are some very gritty scenes of violence, but there are also many scenes of love and valour and honor which may bring more than a tear to your eye.

This is a very long book and some parts stall a bit.  There is a lot of detail about the architecture and the construction of the buildings that might be a little drawn out.  At one point, I was ready to give up on either side even while the characters were not!  The near-misses and the almost fatal blows and the coincidences were just a bit contrived, but were very suspenseful nonetheless.

Best of all, this book really gives the reader the flavor of the hardships of life in the Middle Ages, when there was so much strife between the King and the Church and so much of the everyday life was influenced by the whims of either one.  Whether you were a peasant or a lord at this time, your life was changeable at a moment’s notice, depending on your alliances and how they shifted.  Power changed frequently and those in power were often ruthless.  The harsh conditions and gritty existence of their lives was highlighted as was the potential for abject poverty and hunger that many experienced.  But there was also good and kindness and even forgiveness and some of the goodness of the Prior Phillip was very heartening.

While I was exhausted from this book, I also didn’t want it to end.  It is an excellent book and I heartily recommend it.  I would just also recommend finding a light, fun book to read afterwards — that is just what I need right now!

The Art of Fielding (migrated from Bookblogger)

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The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Here’s a novel for all you sportspeople out there, for anyone who understands the pressure of the game and the importance of concentration/confidence.  It is the story of a boy, Henry, who is recruited to a college baseball team because he’s a shortstop who has broken a record of sorts of games in a row with no errors.  His captain, known as Schwartz, drives him hard and builds him up to achieve a degree of notoriety and he begins to attract scouts from the majors.  Meanwhile, the daughter of the president of the college, whose life has fallen apart forcing her to return to her father and the college campus, develops a relationship with Schwartz.  At the same time, her father has an affair with Henry’s roommate and good friend, Owen.  This sounds convoluted and it is to a degree, but it actually works for this story.

The writing is crisp and fresh and the characters become people you want to know.  You really care when Henry’s confidence wilts and throws his game.  You are really happy for Pella (the daughter) when she falls for Schwartz, giving her a second chance at love.  And you really want Owen and the President to get together, although the ethics there are both questionable and questioned.

As a prior softball player and a mom of a baseball player, I also understood the analogy of the baseball game to life and how hard work and perseverance pays off  but confidence is essential.

Good book!

Where We Belong (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

Having read a few of Giffin’s books before, I couldn’t help grabbing this one off the shelf in the library.  This one, Where We Belong, starts with a very interesting idea:  a successful TV producer who is trying to push her current boyfriend/boss into proposing suddenly finds herself face to face with the daughter she gave up for adoption 18 years before.  The story is told from both the mother and daughter’s voices and it quickly engages the reader.  Through a good part of the book, I was right there with the characters and looked forward to reading more.  Unfortunately, although, in truth only toward the very end, it gradually sinks into the realm of make-believe, where everyone accepts the uncomfortable situation and everyone is forgiving of each other.   It is a too-satisfying ending (never said that before!)…

The characters are very likable, and Giffin’s portrayal of both the mother and the daughter definitely reel in the reader.  The mother is very New York — penthouse apartment and a Barney’s habitue — and the daughter is a loner musician trying to find herself.  Each is trying to find happiness and I do like that the mother really learns from the daughter with respect to being honest with others and with herself.  It also brings up interesting issues around teen pregnancy and adoption as an option, perhaps, though, in a  very idealistic light.

I think it’s still a decent read, although this is not going on my top ten list!

The Middlesteins (migrated from bookblogger)

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The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

This book, recommended on Oprah’s website, was about Edie, who is a strong-willed, strong-minded woman with a debilitating weight problem, which becomes the focal point of everyone around her.  Her children rally around her to help her try to eat healthfully and exercise.  Her husband leaves her because he feels she’s killing herself.  Yet she finds new love in a Chinese chef, who loves her for her exuberant appetite for food and for life.

It sounded to me like the makings of an interesting story; unfortunately, in my mind it fell flat.  The characters are developed to a point and then left behind.  The voice changes with each chapter, which so often works, but somehow in this book, feels like things get started and never finished.  The flow is choppy and details feel randomly thrown at the reader.  By the end, I found myself wondering what the point of the book really was.

In our weight-obsessed society, it is also hard to read more about the hardships of being overweight. We are valued by the scale, and no other accomplishments are considered.  If we are thin, we are good. And unfortunately, it seems that while they give Edie a strong personality, that works against her and makes her less loved — feared, even, by her friends! — and does not redeem her from her obesity.   This sadly upholds stereotypes that I was hoping would be dispelled.

A disappointment…