An Evening of Long Goodbyes by Paul Murray (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is the most well-written book that I didn’t like very much.  The writing is witty and clever, even making me chuckle throughout.  The vocabulary is great and you can hear the accents of the characters in the wording.

The story is about Charles, who is a wealthy young man who has left college and is doing nothing but laying around his mansion, when he learns that he is actually is no longer as wealthy as he thought. Suddenly, he’s thrust into the world and has to survive and get – say it isn’t so! — a job.  His sister is an aspiring actress who is the only person in the world he actually cares about and the story develops around their relationship.

Unfortunately, this main character, Charles, is a loser for whom at least I felt no attachment.  I am still trying to figure out if he is utterly snobby and self-absorbed or if he just has Asperger’s, because he is completely unaware of the feelings of anyone around him and it is so extreme that it makes him not credible as a character.  I think that this is part of the point of the story, but I only learned that so late in the book that it was just too much work to be worth it.  So it is hard to continue to read this story about someone you don’t care about.  (His sister is really not much better either.  On the other hand, his sister’s boyfriend, Frank, who at first Charles dislikes or rather, disdains, is the only character I really did like.  He’s actually the only endearing character in the story.)

It seems the writer has great potential but needs a better story and better characters to work with.  Too bad…

 

Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carner (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This book was one of those little finds where your (at least my) expectations were low and you’re pleasantly surprised.  This is the story of Esther, a 12 year old Haredi Jewish girl growing up in Jerusalem in the early 1900’s, who has a gift for drawing and painting which she’s forbidden, according to her strict religious dicta, to indulge.  When she sneaks out to paint with her French, non-Jewish teacher, and creates images that can be construed, in her mind, as idols, she finds that bad things happen to her family and she perceives these things as punishments for her sins.  She struggles to quell this urge in herself as she grows older, all the while also experiencing the other ways in which this restrictive sect  forces her to be who she is not.

This book gives the reader an interesting lens through which to view the life of the Haredi Jew.  This sect, even more restrictive than the Chassidic sects with which we’re more familiar, sees its own strict adherence to the Torah as the only possible means of redemption of the Jewish people via the coming of the Messiah.  The State of Israel does not exist in their eyes, as it will only exist when the Messiah actually arrives.  It is an insular community and is cut off from most of the rest of the world.  Women’s rights and really anyone’s rights besides those of the white, Jewish, Haredi male, are non-existent.

The story moves the reader also through some of the early history of the Jews in the land of Israel, from the rule of the Turks to the British Mandate to the establishment of the State of Israel.  We are privy to the poverty and deprivation the Jews experienced during the Ottoman Empire as the Turks were losing their war.  We also learn of the advances brought by the British as they came into power over the land.  And the struggles between the varying factions, whether religious, philosophical and/or political are just beginning to fester.

The story is intriguing and the history and the perspective this book offers make it that much deeper a reading experience.

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is a surprisingly moving story about a young girl, June, whose uncle Finn is dying of AIDS in the mid-1980s.  June and Finn have an unusually close relationship for an uncle and niece and so it hits hard that Finn is so fatally ill.  During his last weeks, he spends each Sunday afternoon painting a portrait of June and her sister Greta, who does everything in her power to avoid posing for these sessions.  June’s relationship with Finn seems to have cut a wedge between her and her sister, Greta, and so the story develops around Finn’s death and its complicated aftermath.

From the first page, the book had me loving Finn just as June did, feeling everything June felt in the fantasy world of the adolescent girl.  The relationships that develop and the love and the hate that stems from them are all so extreme and so normal that it pulls at your heart.  While some of it is a little far-fetched (a teenager’s absence from school does not go so unnoticed in schools in Westchester, for example, even with parents working as long hours as hers did), it is romantic and emotional and sweet nonetheless.

I can see this appealing to a wide range of ages, from teens to older adults.  The teens can relate to the teens in the story while the older adults (I guess I have to include myself in this less-than-desirable category!) can appreciate the historical perspective on the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.  But it is a far-reaching story that also appeals to anyone with a family and a heart.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is a tale of how evil begets evil; the tale of how a set of “two-egg twins” become the victims and then the pawns and ultimately, again, the victims of a series of evil-doing and of hatred.  The story is set in India, where a caste system still remains because of entrenched history that is difficult to relinquish.  It is this perpetuated hatred that leads to the damning of love the twins have for a man their mother is in love with as well (a man who is not their father but who acts as a father might to them).  In a circular way, the accidental death of a visiting cousin of the twins becomes twisted into a death sentence for an innocent man who is guilty of only loving.

The story is told in a very roundabout way, in a fragmented, twisting of the events.  It is also told with imagery in almost every sentence, which is sometimes beautiful and sometimes more than borders on irritating.  It does a great deal to build the suspense, but it also becomes frustrating to the point where the reader feels like yelling at the author, “Get to the story, already!”  There is a lot of repetition, which again, serves both to heighten the suspense and frustrate the reader.

So, do I like this book?  Do I like the writing in this book?  I felt both sides of that “reader’s” opinion:  I loved some of the imagery and I hated how drawn-out the book felt.  But I am glad that I’ve read it.  It’s a terrible, tragic story and in the end, very powerfully told.  I just recommend a bit of patience through its pages.

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This very suspenseful novel celebrates the many gentiles who sacrificed their security and sometimes their lives in order to hide Jews during the second World War.  This fictitious gentile, an architect named Lucien, was initially engaged by a man named Manet, to design unusual hiding places for Jews in various residences in and around Paris.  Manet outwardly managed construction projects for the Germans during their occupation of France, but simultaneously and secretly worked tirelessly to save innocent Jews from the Germans.  Lucien was initially enticed mainly by the glory and the money of the large German construction projects and resented having to go along with the smaller although still strategically challenging projects for the Jews.  However, as the story unfolds, this changes and his anger with the Germans mounts and he becomes emboldened by what he is able to accomplish.

While the writing in this book is not flowery or beautiful in any way, the story is told with frank boldness.   The crudeness of the writing I believe is trying to match the crudeness of the characters and while it lessens the quality of the book it does get a point across.  That said, there are a lot of unexpected turns to the story and suspense does gradually build and build to the point that I was truly unable to put the book down.

I think there is a lot of historical significance to this book as there are not too many stories that involve the French perspective on WWII.  In light of the current surge in anti-semitism in France, this is a timely novel.

I Always Loved You by Robin Oliveira (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is a really interesting story about the relationship that both intrigued and tortured the artists, Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas.  While each of them battles their own internal cravings to achieve greatness as artists, they also battle each other, their critics, and often the other artists that surround them.  The setting is, of course, Paris in the later 1800’s, when the Impressionists were also doing battle with the infamous Salon, which shunned them.  And the strain of all of these battles comes through and affects all of them in their own way.

There is also the theme of the battle between art and love; that is, the artists struggle to determine whether the two are interdependent or mutually exclusive.  For Degas, especially, it is a constant strain. In this, he differs greatly with Mary Cassatt and it seems as if this is the essence of their difficulty.

It’s a fun read, especially if you love the Impressionists as I always have.  To feel you know a little more of their lives brings their paintings even more to life.  I can’t wait to get back to the Met now!

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Wow!  This artistically written book begins in the early 1800’s in Charleston, as Sarah, at her 11th birthday, is presented with the gift of her own slave, Handful.  Repulsed even at this young age at the thought of owning another human being, she commits her first radical act by attempting to grant Handful her freedom.  Thwarted by her family and by the entire culture of the South of that time, Sarah is unable to accomplish this, but her desire remains steadfast.  As she grows, so do her beliefs in the evils of slavery.  Likewise, Handful, inspired by her very tough “mauma” Charlotte (a rebellious, inspired, and complex character in her own right), has the urge that she must be destined for something better than remaining the chattel of another.  She, too, has an independent spirit and she reaches out to achieve more.  As their lives unfold, both Sarah and Handful remain tied by their past experiences and united in their pursuits of breaking from their past.

The writing in this book is stunning.  As the narrative voice changes back and forth from that of Sarah to that of Handful, the story is enriched by the telling from both of their perspectives.  There is stark imagery and a spiritual and spirit-ful undertone that winds through this tale.  Religion and the Bible are frequently discussed as the author strives to depict the hypocritical use of the Bible to promote slavery and its evils.  But it is hard to depart from your home and your history and Sarah struggles with this.  It appears that both Sarah and Handful are slaves to their respective societies until they are able to break through in their own ways.

Their lives are full of great sadness, but of great hope as well.  This is a beautiful story that no one should miss!

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Strange, strange book!  Camille and Caleb Fang are performance artists who create a chaotic scene and find the “art” in the reaction to the chaos they create.  Unfortunately, their art often involves their 2 children, “A” and “B” or Annie and Buster as they are known to the rest of the world.  As Annie and Buster are now grown and feel the effects of being the props of their parents, they feel their lives falling apart and come home to reconcile their lives.  Suddenly, while they are home, their parents go missing, leaving a bloody crime scene.  It is up to Annie and Buster to find them, unsure as they are that they really do want to find them.

This story is totally bizarre if taken at face value; however, it rings true and familiar in many ways.  There are many funny, even quotable lines that are actually very poignant.  And the characters of Annie and Buster are endearing and sympathetic.

If you are open to the slightly off-beat, very allegorical book, this is one to take a look at.  I’d love to discuss it with someone, if anyone does!

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This book grabs hold of you right from the first word and does not let go of you until the last.  Theo Drecker has been raised primarily by his mother, as his father, an alcoholic, has abandoned them.  So when his mother is suddenly killed in an act of terrorism, Theo’s life is completely upended.  The trajectory of his life goes into twists and turns that are often sad, occasionally shocking, and always riveting.

The writing in this book is so detailed and realistic that you feel it must be autobiographical (but of course, it is far from that), but it is descriptive without being overly ornate.  The story is also utterly tragic, but the characters do not wallow in their tragedy–  they trudge through it and the story moves on with persistent force.  The characters are genuine and complex, with charm and humanity and frailties that make them utterly real.  And you love and hate and empathize with these characters just as Theo does.  It feels like Theo himself becomes an actual person.

At the end of the book, Theo waxes somewhat poetic and philosophical as he reflects on his experiences.  I rarely quote the books I read but I can’t help quoting this:

“… That life — whatever else it is — is short.  That fate is cruel but maybe not random.  That Nature (meaning Death) always wins but that doesn’t mean we have to bow and grovel to it. That maybe even if we’re not always so glad to be here, it is our task to immerse ourselves anyway: wade straight through it, right through the cesspool, while keeping eyes and hearts open.  And in the midst of our dying, as we rise from the organic and sink back ignominiously into the organic, it is a glory and a privilege to love what Death doesn’t touch.”*

Evidently, this book, too, is being made into a movie (by the team that has produced The Hunger Games, no less).  So hurry and read this quick before the movie comes out!  Because as you know, the book is always better!

*This quote refers to Theo’s love of beautiful things, especially his love for a particular painting which is critical to the story line.  But I think it can be applied to almost anything we love.

London Falling by Emma Carr (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Admittedly, I was looking for something mindless when I chose this, but I got more than my fair share of mindlessness with this choice.  It is the silly tale of Aimee, who finds herself in London, with all her money and possessions having been stolen.  Seeking a way to pay for her ticket home to Seattle, she finds her way to the estate of Simon, a handsome, rich, and of course, tender-hearted bachelor and begs him to hire her as a housekeeper.  Because he’s seeking the account of the Royal Family for his family-owned bank, he cannot be perceived to do anything illegal, including hiring anyone with no working papers.   Predictably, they figure out a sort of compromise, and of course, fall in love and become somewhat embroiled in a situation because of Simon’s father who reigns over him with a strong arm.

While it actually was a cute premise, the rather weak writing combined with the lack of imagination in the plot line kept it only at that.  It remained only superficial and did not really go anywhere significant.  I downloaded it for only $2.99 and even at that price, it was more than it was worth!