Beautiful Boy (migrated from Bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff

I put off reading this book for so long because I knew it would be difficult — and rightfully so.  However, I do believe it is worth reading.  It is the harrowing, true story (probably so much more harrowing because it’s true!) of a father whose son is addicted to methamphetamine.  The account is painstaking and painful, recurrent and repetitive, really because the experience is.  He tells of his son, Nic, who is a bright, talented, truly “beautiful” boy who maybe  and maybe not because of his parents’ difficult divorce and their long-distance custody arrangement, begins to use marijuana.  He quickly moves on to alcohol and other drugs and finally finds his true love in meth.  And the drug, as it tends to do, takes over his life.  When Nic is on the drug, he becomes a different person — cold, impervious, resentful and conniving and completely manipulates his friends and family to enable his drug use.

His is a typical story, evidently, and the author peppers the story with actual research statistics and theories and advice for other parents in the same situation.  Mostly, though, it seems to be a catharsis for this father who writes as his way of coping.  He offers frequently that there is no great advice and there is no single answer to what heals an addict.  It seems there are some addicts who cannot be healed.  Even with treatment and rehab there is relapse and it often seems truly hopeless.

Probably most importantly, the author stresses particularly at the end of the book, the importance of the family members to get treatment themselves.  Being that closely tied to an addict can be just as “addictive” and destructive as being the addict.  It can take over your life just as easily.  This is an important message for those close to anyone with such an overwhelming disease.

As painful as this book was to read, I am so glad I did read it.  I learned so much.

The Chaperone (migrated from Bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

More than the beautiful writing and the wonderful character portraits drawn in this book, I loved the message contained in these pages.  In the telling of this story about Cora, a woman with grown children who volunteers to chaperone a bratty teenager, Louise Brooks, to New York City in her quest for stardom, the author so articulately writes the wisdom that the generations can learn from each other.  Cora begins as a fairly stodgy and righteous old coot who is very concerned about maintaining her charge’s reputation.  Louise, on the other hand, is determined to act out and rebel against all of this and does not care at all what anyone thinks.  As the story progresses, however, they both learn that they need to do what they can to make themselves happy and that staying with the status quo does not always accomplish that.

The reader cannot help loving Cora, who is very human and very wise.  There are dilemmas and difficulties in her life that are not what she ever anticipates, but she finds a way to cope and find happiness.  She, in her own way, becomes something of a rebellious one, and she accepts change more than even she would have ever imagined.

The book is also historical fiction, giving the reader a close-up of the small town perspective on the 1920’s through the second world war and beyond.  The social evolution that Cora is a part of is very reflective of the changes occurring during these radical times.  And while Cora is a victim of some of the early prejudices, she becomes something of an instrument of change in her later years.  Her understanding of the urgency for this change to occur is so beautifully summed up by my favorite quote in the book, “she would owe this understanding to her time in New York, and even more to Louise.  That’s what spending time with the young can do — it’s the big payoff for all the pain.  the young can exasperate, of course, and frighten, and condescend, and insult, and cut you with their still unrounded edges.  But they can also drag you, as you protest and scold and try to pull away, right up the the window of the future, and even push you through.”

Accelerated (migrated from Bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Accelerated by Bronwen Hruska

Wow, this one shoots right through the hearts of all of us parents who struggle with children with ADHD.  It doesn’t necessarily outright bash medication for the treatment of this disorder, but it sure calls into question the legitimacy of treating this very real medical/educational issue.

The story is about a father, Sean, whose son is enrolled in an elite Manhattan private elementary school.  As it turns out, Sean, a recently separated father of this 3rd grader, is pressured by the authorities in his son’s school to have his son evaluated for learning issues, and specifically for ADHD. Under duress, he follows through and the results are nearly disastrous.  In the process, the father discovers that he is not the first to be pressured by the school and learns more about the devious practices of the school as well.

It’s a good book — solid characters that the reader can easily like and relate to, and a plot that works its way into your heart.  It’s actually hard to put down.

But its message, while ringing a bit true, can put even more pressure on parents who are struggling to make decisions about the welfare of their children.  Without giving too much away, there is a lot of bias in this book against medications that treat ADHD.  True, these medications are not benign and are probably now the most abused drugs on the market.  But they are also a godsend to those who truly struggle to remain attentive in school and can give back self esteem to children when its fallen through its foundation.  In truth, the onus is upon the diagnosing physician/psychologist/psychiatrist to abide by the diagnostic criteria and do a proper analysis of all the information available (including formalized testing).  Once this is established, the many treatment options must be considered, medication being only one of them.  But if medication is deemed appropriate in this ideal scenario, and is carefully monitored and evaluated, it can be a gift to the child who truly suffers.  This must be remembered while reading this book…

The Paris Wife (migrated from Bookblogger)

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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)

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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!