The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

It is 1789 and in Hallowell, ME, it is cold. After the night of the dance, a few young men have been caught in the Kennebec River during a quick freeze of its waters, but not before they discover a body just beneath its surface, which they bring to the town tavern (the heart of the town) to be examined. As the midwife and medical professional of the small town, Martha Ballard is called to determine the cause of death, which she pronounces to be murder. The victim is not exactly a popular man in town, as he has recently been accused, along with the judge of the town, to have raped the wife of their minister. And so begin the proceedings, which are clearly biased and contrived. Will justice be rendered at all? And by whom?

This fictional novel is based on the true life of Martha Ballard, a midwife who really did live in this town in the district of Maine (before it was a state), and who delivered hundreds of babies without a single maternal death. Like the Martha of our novel, she too kept a journal – extremely rare for women to do in her time – and this helped to keep her story alive. It was not surprising, therefore, that her progeny also were likeminded caregivers: her great-niece was Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross, and her great, great granddaughter, one of the first female physicians in the US, Dr. Mary Hobart.

The narrative itself is embellished with fictional details, however, and it is as captivating as its characters. There are twists and surprises, multiple simultaneous threads, backstories and love stories. Likewise, we come to love not only Martha, but her whole family, and particularly her devoted husband, who supports her in all of her personal and professional pursuits. He supports her, too, in her frustrations and her anguish, as she is unable to prevent the Puritan attitudes (and laws) toward women from playing out in so many unjust ways.

It is a beautiful novel on many levels – historical and literary, legal and ethical. It would make an excellent book for a book club, as there are so many topics/messages/questions to raise for discussion. And it is also just a wonderful read, great for right now, sitting in a warm home, perhaps by a fire, on a weekend afternoon. A book to get lost in.

Another MUST READ for the collection!

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

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Patch is not the most popular among his peers, being one-eyed, obsessed with pirates and their history, and the son of a single woman who has struggled to hold down most jobs. But he has a few eyes on him. Nix, the Chief of Police of his small midwestern town, tends to end each shift by swinging by to check on his house. And Saint, his one and only friend, and her grandmother, have remained quiet when they notice he’s lifted a few extra rolls from the dinner table to bring home to his mother, or when he stays overnight on some of the colder nights when he’s suspected the utilities been turned off in his own home. But when Patch goes missing, after saving the life of his crush, Misty, the popular girl in their class, Saint stops at nothing to find him. And she remains on a mission to continue to save others who continue to go missing long after.

This is a dark but gripping novel, a story of persistence beyond anything one might imagine. The writing is crisp, dialogue sharp, and the plot twisty, even as it unravels over the course of more time than I certainly expected. The relationships between Patch and Saint, even the relationship that develops between Patch and Misty, are vexing; complicated by extreme circumstance, crossed signals, and adolescent angst. But it is the nature of these relationships (and of course other peripheral ones) that keeps the reader tied to the story – addicted, really, because it is virtually impossible to put down.

The character of Saint is a beautiful and most sympathetic one. She has been raised by her grandmother, who, despite her rough exterior, is kind and loving in all aspects that matter. Saint is loyal, honest, and selfless to a fault, willing to give up her own dreams to pursue the truth she knows will be the only way to bring peace to her friend.

I will warn, though, this novel is not for the feint of heart. This is essentially a gruesome tale; one of stolen lives, hidden children, and violent crimes. But it is also a story of undying courage: the valiant pursuit to uncover an obscene injustice.

Hard but excellent read!

West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

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Though Woody is now 100 years old, all he wants to do is document the most important time in his life, back in 1938, beginning when he’d made it all the way from the Dust Bowl of the Texas panhandle to New York City. At that point, it had felt like a miracle to Woody, who’d survived more in his 17 years than most had in their whole lives. But after being knocked out by the blast of a hurricane, he awakened to a sight he could not believe possible: 2 true-to-life giraffes in a crate that just survived the harrowing storm. He was so entranced, he felt compelled to follow them, and as he did, so ensued the adventure that remained with him long after all his other life adventures had faded away.

Based on a true story of 2 giraffes shipped in from Africa to New York harbor and then transported across the US in a rig all the way to the San Diego Zoo, this story is simultaneously outrageous and heartwarming. Although I was a bit skeptical that it might be something I’d actually be interested in reading, I was captured immediately and captivated throughout, often not being able to put it down, in certain parts. The adventure is replete with colorful characters encountered by Woody and the giraffes’ caretaker, fondly referred to as “the Old Man,” and their narrow escapes from danger are described in such humorous and precise detail that your heart is literally in your mouth during many of them. And that very heart has to be made of stone if you do not fall in love with the giraffes themselves by the end of the story.

Given the historical context, the personal stories of the characters, and the wild tale itself, this novel is a hit, no matter how you slice it. You cannot help but love it – and the giraffes!

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

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Anders, a white man, one morning awakes to find himself having turned “a deep and undeniably brown.” He notes this first on his arms, then on his body, and in the mirror, sees he is now, completely, dark-skinned. He is, at first, just shocked. Not knowing what else to do, he calls in “sick” to his employment at a nearby gym and just stays home, thinking it might be something temporary, but knowing, deep down, it is not. What will his new lover say? What will his father say? As he begins to move through the world with this new appearance, he learns that he is not alone in his experience.

This is a most unusual book, both in the concept and in its execution – and I’m still undecided if I believe it’s in a good way or not. While the idea is unique, imaginative, and clearly meant to be an allegory, it felt almost too obvious, too blunt to be so. Some may find it even comical, in a perverse way. Moreover, the writing is also bizarre. Hamid is the master of the flip-flopping, run-on sentence, some of which continue for the length of his paragraphs.  Too many of his lines are similar, writing contrary phrases within the same sentence, which sometimes is effective and sometimes is just confusing. While I might have found it an understated and useful technique if used occasionally, it is so overused that it becomes almost tiresome.

Underlying the writing, though, there is a message that is, in fact, powerful. Hamid is making a statement here about the unnecessary social construct of race; that is, how we in America have assigned all sorts of attributes with various ones, and how absurd it all is. He is making race irrelevant here, evening out the playing field, as it were. In this way, I do have a deep appreciation for what he is trying to accomplish. 

I am curious to hear from you all if you feel he has achieved it – or not? I’m still digesting it, I think…

 

The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan

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1851 in Springfield, IL could be a terrifying time, depending on the color of your skin, your heritage, and your politics. While Illinois was a northern state, there was the constant threat of slave hunters prowling around, searching for the bounty they would earn for themselves if they tracked down runaways. In fact, having arrived into this country as a Portuguese refugee herself, Ana finds herself with her friend Cal, witnessing a frightening scene that she must keep to herself in order to protect those she has come to love and respect. This comes to help form her views as she moves forward through her life, becomes a nanny and cleaner for the Lincoln family and follows the rise and tragic fall of the most impactful presidents our nation has ever seen.

Told through the eyes of this young woman, we glimpse into the home of the Lincolns, seeing their experience of both personal and national tragedies. We view the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, who experienced loss after loss, and, understandably, struggled with her mental health because of it. Yet she still fought so hard to encourage her absent-minded but brilliant and kind husband to fight for what he felt was the best for the Black slave – emancipation. Through Ana, we see how he agonized, how he sought the argument, the magical words that would not only convince his enemies to join him, but how to bring the fractured country back together. Through Ana, we also view the backlash, so quick to happen, so easily sprung back. Even in the hometown of Abraham Lincoln, where he was beloved, or so one would think, there was an evil backlash of hatred.

Not only is this an important part of our history, providing details that one might not know, but it is frighteningly relevant to what is happening today. While we might have made some progress toward freedoms, there is much in the way of backsliding and backlash happening now as well. Not only from people in the streets, but it is being supported and legitimized by our Conservative legislators and the courts. The civil rights of marginalized people are being chipped away and the highest court in our land is jubilantly cementing this in. I fear it will take years to undo the damage they are doing now.

We are growing less and less the “land of the free and the home of the brave” our founders sought for us. Shame on those who are perpetrating this backlash (and the current conservative members of the Supreme Court). This is why it is so important to know what has happened in our past. So that we can do our best to prevent the extreme backsliding to this segregation, this hatred, this fear of the “other” for our future.

 

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

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Mary Jane is very excited. She has been hired to babysit for the summer for a very cute little girl who is shy and a bit awkward, just like she is. While she might have joined her friends at sleep away camp, as she had done last summer, she knew she was quite unhappy there, feeling like she longed for time alone, perhaps to just sit and read rather than always having to follow the group who rarely included her anyway. What she isn’t expecting is the unusual dynamic in the family she will be around, how different they are with each other from what she is used to at home in her quiet, reserved household, and how much she will grow.

This is a beautiful, if a bit unrealistic coming of age story, which takes place in the 1970’s, at a time of evolving and clashing cultures and philosophies. Mary Jane has grown up in a very Christian, repressive, uncommunicative family, where her father never speaks, and her mother speaks only to command and instruct. Suddenly, for her babysitting job, she is thrust into a family where folks hug and kiss and demonstrate love naturally, and stereotypic norms are ignored. While many might be thrown by this, Mary Jane embraces it fully. And even while she does try to instill some order into the chaos that is this family’s home, she loves the way they love, she appreciates the openness in their communication. And while she does not fully abandon her own values, she finds a way to combine the best of both.

The characters here are what truly engage the reader. We immediately love Izzy, the exuberant 4-year old Mary Jane cares for. We love her for her enthusiasm, her raw sweetness, and her fear of the witch who she needs to lock out of her room. We love the glamorous couple that Mary Jane must cover for, as we learn of their very human struggles with fame and how that has disrupted and corrupted their lives. And we love Mary Jane, as she is often the “adult in the room,” even as she herself must play two different people, trying to figure out how she can be her true self.

And while the ending may be a bit idealized, it is still worth the read – it is engaging, fun, thoughtful, and will have you reminiscing about the 70’s if you were alive in that time.

Night Music by Jojo Moyes

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Laura is nearly out of patience, having waited on the ungrateful, sickly Mr. Pottisworth for so many years, with only the hope that he will leave his home, her dream house facing the lake, to her and her husband, Matt. While she has her doubts, Matt seems to retain his confidence that this house will become theirs, and that the plans they have for it will come to fruition.

Meanwhile, on what feels to be another planet (the city of London), another family has just been devastated by the untimely death of the father. The mother, Isabel, who, although loving, has been swept up in her career as a musician, traveling often for performances, rehearsals, and leaving the details of her children’s lives to their nanny. Her husband’s death, and their sudden financial reality has brought this to a skidding halt, and she realizes now that it is up to her to be the grown-up in the room.

The way in which these two families’ lives collide becomes the talk of the small town, but also becomes a reawakening of sorts for all of them.

It took me a bit of time to get into this story, and I believe it was because I did not, initially, completely like the central characters. While I felt compassion for their tragedies, I felt as if they each took no responsibility for their circumstances, as if they were detached from their own realities. Of course, for example, Isabel was not responsible for her husband being killed in a car crash, but it was certainly on her to know her family’s financial situation and the details of her children’s lives. Likewise, Laura was absolutely not the cause of Mr. Pottisworth being so cruel and ungrateful, but she knew better than to rely on her husband and his plans,  as he had proven unworthy of trust in the past. Only when they each began to take control of their lives did I begin to form some respect for them and perhaps connect more with their stories.

I think my favorite character, in fact, was Kitty, Isabel’s brave daughter, who actually took control of the family’s situation immediately and only gradually was allowed to become an adolescent again. She was the one who named their reality, cared for those around her, connected with their new community, and called out injustice when she saw it. While she was only 15 years old, she bore the burden of being the responsible one when no one else was. 

This is definitely a worthwhile read, but it may take a minute to buy in, as it did for me.

The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

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How are four very different women with widely varying histories drawn together in the middle of an earthquake in San Francisco? From the beginning, we meet Gemma, a soprano newly arrived to join the Met Opera Company for a stint in the chorus. We also meet Suling, a young woman promised by her opium-addicted uncle to a much-older doctor, who is saving her pennies by doing extra work as an embroiderer to try to make her escape. These two form an unlikely alliance, along with Gemma’s housemate, Alice, a research botanist to uncover a shocking criminal.

Once again, along with Janie Chang, Kate Quinn has created powerful, unusual, and vulnerable characters for us to love. These women I’ve described, along with a fourth – Gemma’s friend, whom she thought she was following to San Francisco, but who seemed to have deserted her for Colorado – all have creative personalities, complicated circumstances, and strong loyalties. And the twisty plot binds them together into an unlikely kinship that enables them to be there for each other until the very climax of the story.

And while the story does fall into that trap of tying the ends up just a bit too neatly, it also feels right to do so in this case.

I really enjoyed this one. I’d love to hear what you all think!

 

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

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Melina has just been trying to find her voice, mainly through telling stories, composing plays. She has viewed Professor Buford only as a supportive mentor, encouraging her and recommending her to submit her plays to contests, even at the cost of snide looks and remarks from most of her peers. That is, until now, when she suddenly and heartbreakingly sees through his gestures, his attention. But why is it that she must rely on these men around her – mentors, critics, producers – to herald her into the world of theater? When she learns from her father about an ancestor, many generations prior, who was the first female poet to publish in England, she becomes a bit obsessed to research more about her, and finds, to her shock, that she was more than just a minor poet. She finds evidence that her predecessor, Emilia Bassano, may have struggled, just as she is, to be given a platform. It may be that she actually did succeed, however – and it may be that she did so through the name of the most famous poet/playwright of her time.

This is a thoroughly researched, courageous argument that suggests that William Shakespeare had ghostwriters – and that it is quite likely that at least one of them, if not the primary one, was Emilia Bassano. As the plot unfolds through both Emilia’s and Melina’s stories, we hear cogent explanations of how Emilia had more insight, exposure, and concrete, detailed knowledge of the history, characters, and locations of the plays that Shakespeare himself would not have had privy to. (And there was, of course, no internet then for him to access this information…) I will not go into these details, as this is part of the joy of reading this novel, but suffice it to say, I was convinced of the need to question everything I’ve ever understood to be the “works of William Shakespeare.”

Even if you’re not convinced to at least question the origin of the works – and I would find it hard to believe you could not – there is still a beautiful, tragic, and thoughtful story embedded here in this novel. Both Emilia’a and Melina’s characters are passionate and strong and yet vulnerable. We love them, cheer for them, even cry for them. Each story is powerful in its own right; but the idea to cast them as parallels is, in my opinion, pure genius. It highlights the problematic issue that, my god, even when we think things have changed so much after all these decades – centuries! – things have really not changed all that much after all.

I think that, for many reasons, this is a MUST READ. I think as a stand-alone novel, it is outstanding. But for its historical and literary significance, its brave questioning of what we know to be the suppression of women’s voices throughout the ages, it is enlightening and essential.

 

 

 

 

 

The Lies that Bind by Emily Griffin

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It is summer 2001 and Cecily has been living in NYC for 4 years now. She’s been working for a small newspaper and has made a couple of friends, but her life feels like it’s just been put on hold since her breakup with her boyfriend, Matthew. Since her best friend in the world is still back home in Wisconsin, she feels she needs to get out of her own head, and, leaving her cellphone at her small apartment, she takes herself to a nearby bar, alone. She is truly not looking to meet anyone – it’s far too soon for that – but as it happens, someone does join her at that bar, and they immediately just click. What happens from there begins a journey that takes Cecily through a maze of both lies and truths that she learns she will ultimately have to sort out for herself.

While this story is a bit of a stretch in terms of plausibility, if you’re able to sort of “go with it,” it’s an easy, fun read that is mostly satisfying. I think what saves it is that we really come to like our protagonist, Cecily, even as we suffer her naivete, her blind trust in what those around her tell her. While we can guess what is happening, she doesn’t – and it feels almost like watching an accident that is waiting to happen where you want to yell, “Watch out!!” but cannot. The point is, we do care enough about her to want to yell. (At least I did.)

So while this is not the great American novel, it is a lighter read that broke up some of the more intense novels I’ve read recently. Gotta do that sometimes!