Novels Now

American Rust
By Philipp Meyer
Completed March 9, 2009

For some reason, the debut novel by Philipp Meyer, American Rust, did not resonate with me. It took me two weeks to complete, which is unusual for my reading pace, and I wanted to abandon it at many times. I stuck with it, but in the end, I wish I had given up at page 50. American Rust had a lot of potential, but this dark and dreary tale of hopelessness and lost dreams fell short for me.

American Rust was the story of boyhood friends, Isaac and Billy. Isaac unintentionally killed a transient at the beginning of the story, and the story examined the boys’ inability to leave their dead-end town, the unhappiness of characters who did leave, and how friendships were tested. The author used different narrators throughout the story, which was distracting after awhile. In my humble opinion, a telling from one boy’s perspective would have been more effective.

Additionally, I was disappointed with the depiction of the main female characters, Lee and Grace. Lee was Isaac’s sister, a Yale graduate in love with Billy but married to another man. Grace was Billy’s mom who suffered from arthritis that left her hands crippled. Both women dealt with their despair by having empty sex with no-good men– over and over again, like a sad broken record.

Where American Rust succeeded was the illumination of former steel towns that later “busted,” leaving thousands of workers unemployed and unhappy. I often had Billy Joel’s Allentown in my head when I read this book. The imagery of the dried-up towns juxtaposed against the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside was not lost on me, and I appreciated what Meyer was trying to do with this element of the story.

I encourage readers to check out other reviews on American Rust before making a decision to read it. Many, many readers enjoyed this book, comparing Meyer to John Steinbeck and Jack London. I am particular about my characterization, and if a book does not meet my standards, I don’t enjoy it. This was the case in American Rust. ( )

Near mid-century when Edward was born, the full moon was years from being the brightest. That would happen - in terms of luminosity and size - in the last month of the century. As a child growing up, however, Edward found much splendor and mystery in the moon. It kept changing and following him around, a rock with its own rhythms, much like girls, and he knew he was years away from understanding girls. - from The Brightest Moon of the Century -

Christopher Meeks has transitioned from short stories to his first novel - and the result is a book which draws the reader in with humor, empathy, and a gentle understanding of what it means to live our lives with a sense of wonder.

The Brightest Moon of the Century is organized into nine distinctive chapters which allows the reader to experience the life of Edward Meopian from the age of 14 through his 45th year. Edward is a bit of a nerd and socially naive, a character who consistently made me feel for his struggles and celebrate his triumphs. As a young boy, he loses his mother to a tragic accident and it is perhaps this one event which shapes the man he ultimately becomes. Forced to attend a private boy’s school by his father (who is seeking his own happiness while struggling in his role as single parent), Edward must confront bullies and figure out his place in the world. Edward’s teenage challenges and search for love in the first two chapters reveal Meeks’ finally honed sense of humor and understanding of what it means to be young.

Guys would never talk about, say, what brand of acne medicine they were using, or what great pants another guy was wearing, or wow, good color for a golf shirt. Didn’t girls want to know how far someone got on a date? Or did they talk about how their boyfriends got boners and they happily let them suffer? The more suffering, the better a girl you were? If so, Annie was a fantastic girl. - from The Brightest Moon of the Century -

Edward moves from his childhood home in Minnesota to college in Colorado, later makes his way to Los Angeles (where he tries to follow  his dream of becoming a movie director), and finally ends up in rural Alabama managing a mini-mart in a trailer park (my favorite part of the book). It is through these years of his life that Edward struggles with self-discovery, faith, and fate.

“Failure seems to follow me around,” said Edward.

“You’re no failure, son,” said the officer, and Edward turned to face him. “This is God,” said the man. “Or the disorder of life, if you like. This is what we all have to live with.” - from The Brightest Moon of the Century -

In the final chapters, the reader watches Edward grow into middle-age and discover that often the joys of life are balanced with pain. Edward is revealed as a man who empathizes deeply with others and never loses his hope and optimism despite tragedy.

And this is what I love about Meeks’ writing ability - he gives us characters who are very human and who face many obstacles in life, and then he infuses their stories with hope.  As in his previous short story collections (reviewed here and here), I found myself caring deeply about the characters in The Brightest Moon of the Century.  Meeks writes with a wry humor as he shows Edward tripping and stumbling through the world with a refreshing openness to what life has to offer.

He was simply going to be open to the moment, like a sunflower or the Hari Krishna guy at the airport. - from The Brightest Moon of the Century -

Christopher Meeks’ work is joyful, funny and sensitive. The Brightest Moon of the Century is a satisfying read and one which made me hope that Meeks will continue to write novels.

Visit the Author’s Website where you can find many reviews of all of Christopher Meeks’ work.

Although Janine understood almost none of the language, the expressions and gestures of the people at the table were so familiar that she felt she’d already heard this entire conversation and understood it perfectly, sitting among her aunts and uncles in her grandmother’s house many nights near the San Francisco Bay. - from The Islands of Divine Music, page 190 -

John Addiego’s debut novel - The Islands of Divine Music - is a multi-generational novel in short stories about the Verbicaro family. The book spans more than 100 years and is told from the multiple viewpoints of five generations of Italian-Americans, beginning with the voice of matriarch Rosari  as she leaves Southern Italy bound for the United States. Although each individual must move through their life with their own problems, challenges, and unique perspectives…they are all bound together by family and the divine. A member of my book group referred to them as “islands within the chain of an archipelago” which seems to describe the structure of this novel well.

The Islands of Divine Music is not an easy book to read and understand. Addiego uses magical realism to bring forth his themes of isolation, faith and love of family. All the characters are seriously flawed - some becoming embroiled in the mafia, others turning towards prostitution, and some slipping into the stranglehold of drug addiction. They fight demons such as social alienation, violence, and infidelity. All of this occurs against the backdrop of 20th century American history: Immigration, Prohibition, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and Civil Rights. It is a large platter of rich subject matter - and at times it seems almost too weighty for a novel of just under 250 pages.

Addiego is a skillful writer and there were some passages that were so beautifully written I began marking them:

Eleonora stood on deck with her head uncovered, her face radiant, and the sky fell as white jewels onto her black hair. She lifted Rosari’s hand, and they dance slowly through the snow, a substance Rosari had never seen before, a phenomenon which seemed to her then the flight of a million angels come to guide her mother and herself to a new life. - from The Islands of Divine Music, page 14 -

Through the glass their eyes met, and Penny’s heart jumped, and as the pneumatic door snapped shut and the car lurched forward she mouthed his name, and he nodded. Both of them opened their mouths and pointed as the train swiftly drew them apart, the one who had stood on the Golden Gate Bridge an hour earlier and decided against death by the direction of a bird’s flight and the other who’d returned in thought to that hidden mesa at the end of the world where a mother and child huddled under a blue poncho and waited for the shadow of death to pass over. - from The Islands of Divine Music, page 129 -

Despite these exquisite passages, the novel also was quite graphic in its descriptions of violence - especially one scene which describes the sexual assault of one of the female characters. There were moments in the book where I felt Addiego could have been less graphic and still made his points.

One of the flaws of the novel was the vast numbers of characters which flow in and out of the narrative. Luckily for the reader, Addiego provides a genealogical chart at the beginning which I found myself referring to many times just to keep everyone straight. This novel often felt like a collection of short stories (and indeed, many of the chapters were previously published as short stories). I found myself frustrated at times that just as I was starting to get to know one character, I was introduced to another. The second half of the book felt better connected to me than the first part.

I have a negative bias toward novels entrenched in magical realism, so it is to Addiego’s credit that I found myself slipping into the world of the Verbicaro family and wanting to know more about them.  The language of this novel is raw and occasionally graphic; often the characters are gritty and unlikable. Although I think Addiego is a talented writer, the book was not really my cup of tea. But for readers who love magical realism and who like a novel which is unique, The Islands of Divine Music might be just what you are looking for…

The cover art on this book is wonderful. The artist is Paul Zwolak and you can find more of his amazing work here and here.

When I was contacted by author Diana Spechler to review her book Who By Fire (368 pgs, Harper Perennial, 2008), I was flattered. I was also a little hesitant. I always feel a certain amount of pressure to like a book, knowing it was sent by the author, herself. But there was no need to worry when reading this book. Diana Spechler’s debut novel is fantastic! I can only hope she keeps writing!

from the Prologue:
After Alena disappeared, my mother was brimming with blame. She blamed the state police for not making enough of an effort. She blamed other families for not understanding. If my father sat down to watch TV, she would say, “You think your daughter has the luxury of watching television?” She started grinding her teeth so hard, she had to wear a mouth guard. For a year, she dragged Ash and me all over New Jersey, making us tape up fliers to telephone poles, as if we had lost her favorite cat. She never directly blamed us, her two remaining children, but she ofter began a thought with, “If it had been you instead of Alena….” Of course, she always followed that up with “Don’t give me that look. I never said I wished it had been you. God forbid. What do you take me for?” But we have always understood: Alena was the baby. Alena was the favorite. Six-year-old Alena, with the paint-brush black hair and the chin dimple and the jeans rolled halfway up her calves, Alena imitating our eighty-four-year-old neighbor’s smoker voice, Alena whizzing through the kitchen on roller skates with pink wheels — Alena was the irreplaceable one.

Thirteen years after six-year-old Alena was kidnapped, the Kellerman family is still feeling the affects. Bits, the older sister, uses sex and men to try to fill the void in her soul caused by her sister’s disappearance. Ash, the older brother, left college his freshman year to travel to Israel. His void is filled with religion. He has moved to a yeshiva to become an Orthodox Jew. And Ellie, the mother, spends her days trying to rescue her remaining children.

Ash has cut himself off from the rest of his family. Feeling more guilt than the others, he thinks the only way he can atone for his past “sins” is to live the Orthodox lifestyle. Ellie and Bits thinks he’s gone and joined a cult. But when Alena’s body is recovered after all these years, it’s up to Bits to try and bring Ash home. Bits, the girl that can’t even take care of herself.

This novel is about love and loss; grief and guilt. It is about broken people and their need to try to “fix” the other. Each person has handled this horrible tragedy in his own way and each to an extreme. Diana Spechler has created some intensely flawed characters and brought them to life. With each mistake made, the reader draws closer to the characters. They are extremely human and very well written.

Hard to read at times, Who by Fire is an excellent debut from a very talented writer. Although I spent a lot of time wanting to shake these people, I fell in love with the Kellermans. Especially Bits. Having lost a sibling myself, I could so totally relate to her that at times it was scary. This is a highly recommended read for everyone that loves a book with an intensely character-driven plot. This book deserves to be read. 4.5/5

My father stepped back and examined me. Whereas Serena Jane possessed the limbs and features of a vain little pixie, my physiognomy brought to mind the heaviest and roundest of objects - a cannonball, perhaps. Something impervious to smashes and collisions. Since I began walking at the unprecedented age of seven months, I had fallen down the stairs twice, plunged unharmed into the flower beds from the front porch, and survived being pushed into oncoming traffic by Serena Jane in our rusted red wagon. - from The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, page 32 -

Truly Plaice’s birth brings out the betting folks of Aberdeen County who wonder how large a baby must be to stretch a mother to such huge proportions. But Truly’s birth is also marked by the death of her mother and the beginning of her father’s descent into alcoholism. Her size seems all the more incredulous when she stands next to her beautiful and petite sister Serena Jane. When the girls’ father dies, Serena Jane is taken in by a wealthy couple and Truly is dropped off at the deteriorating farm of a local family. From this point on, Truly can not help but view herself as less worthy than her sister whose beauty seems to enchant the people of Aberdeen County and attracts Bob Bob Morgan’s attentions. All is not what it seems on the surface, however. As Truly grows more enormous and matures from a young girl into a woman, she must rethink the idea of beauty and come to terms with the pain and anger of her size. Redemption for Truly lies in a series of moral decisions and her ability to forgive those who have wounded her the most.

Tiffany Baker’s debut novel is set in the fictional, rural town of Aberdeen - a place where time seems to stand still.

Its sidewalks had weedy cracks that gaped bigger every winter. The bells at the firehouse sometimes locked when the weather was damp, and the newspaper had quit printing its Saturday edition. There was a recreational softball team, a ladies’ gardening committee, and a brick library, but the team ever won, the collective age of the gardening committee was four hundred and seven, and the print in half the books in the library was so faded and smeared, it was no longer legible. - from The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, page 49 -

The characters who people Aberdeen are quirky, flawed and carry secrets passed from one generation to the next. The novel’s protagonist (Truly) is not wholly likable and yet the reader feels compelled to hear her story and understand her. Baker asks the most basic of questions in her novel: What defines who we become? How important is appearance when we determine a person’s beauty? Can forgiveness redeem us?

Baker captures the essence of small town life - the gossip, the secrets, the relationships and expectations which define each person’s role within the constraints of a community.

The novel is not without its weaknesses - at times situations seem contrived or unbelievable (such as the complete lack of investigation into the disappearance of Serena Jane, and the extent of the cruelty toward a very young Truly). Despite these faults, Baker’s writing is infused with a dark humor and deep insight into what motivates her characters. And it is these qualities which keeps the reader turning the pages.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County is not a light read - it is disturbing at times - and some readers may be dismayed at the moral decisions of the protagonist. But for those readers who enjoy character driven books which take them to a new level of understanding, this one is worth the read.

Michael Lee West
291 pages

Renata DeChavannes is going through a rough time. Her mother and stepfather recently died in a plane crash, her director-boyfriend is in Ireland directing a film when the tabloids report of his alleged affair with a young starlet, and her difficult relationship with her father isn’t getting better any time soon.

The relationship between her parents and the eventual end of their marriage has always been a mystery to Renata and she decides the time has come for answers. Fueled by a letter written by her mother and with her father unwilling to communicate, Renata heads to Point Clear, Alabama to talk with her paternal grandmother, Honora DeChavannes and her former nanny, Gladys Boudreaux. There, surrounded by the familiar, Renata begins to get the answers to her questions.

I don’t believe that my description of what happens in this novel is fair because it doesn’t convey the humor and warmth that is shared between Honora, Gladys, Renata, and Honora’s next-door neighbor and best friend Isabella D’Agostino McGeehee, which is truly the delight of this book. Honora is the matriarch of her family. She loves her son Louie but recognizes his faults and maintains a strong relationship with her former daughter-in-law, Shelby. Gladys is protective and loyal to Shelby, Renata, and Honora, and Isabella is the character who brings on the laugh out loud moments with her frank speech, man-chasing and randomly drugging food and drinks at the parties.

Another strength is the descriptions of Point Clear and the surrounding areas. They are very warm and inviting and felt familiar even though I have never been there.

Despite the fact that I enjoyed this book quite a bit, I did have few problems with it. There are a lot of different things going on and it can sometimes be a little hard to keep things straight. Also, while I felt the book had a satisfying conclusion, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed.

There is a bit of graphic content but it’s a fairly small amount and this book is truly fun and humorous. I recommend it if you enjoy reading southern fiction. (3.5/5)

American Rust by Philipp Meyer

Pages: 343
First Published: Feb 24, 2009
Genre: literary fiction
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Isaac’s mother was dead five years but he hadn’t stopped thinking about her.

Comments: Set in a small dying former steel mill town in Pennsylvania, this is the story of two young men (20yrs old). Issac, who is called the smartest person in town except for maybe his sister and had been expected to go straight to college after high school. But his mother dies, his father is in a crippling accident at work and his sister leaves for an ivy league school 3 months after their mother’s death, leaving him to stay with his father. The other is Poe, the legendary high school football player who could have gotten a football scholarship to any college but had always been a bad apple and had no interest in doing any more school, even if it was on a scholarship.

These two boys are strangely enough best friends, each other’s only real friend to be exact and one day there lives and those around them are changed forever. Within the first chapter Issac decides he’s hung around long enough, takes his father’s four thousand dollars of savings and leaves to head to California to go to school. Along the way he meets Poe who doesn’t want to come with him, but agrees to walk to the city limits with him. They spend the night in the abandoned steel mill and three homeless men arrive. Issac knows this is not going to be good and he tries to get Poe’s attention and says he’s going out for a leak. Poe knows what Issac is up to but he’s in the mood for a fight. Issac hears a scream, some thuds and more noises that sound like Poe. He enters through the back door to find his friend, Poe, being held at knife point while another man is obviously about to go at him. Isaac picks up a large iron ball bearing and pitches it across the room hitting the man square in the face and obviously killing him. This is how the story opens.

The book is told in a third person omnipotent point of view with each chapter coming from a selection of different character’s view point: the two boys, Isaac’s sister, Poe’s mom, the chief of police and occasionally Isaac’s father. The narrative takes a little getting used to as it feels strange to jump from one person’s head to another’s but it doesn’t take long to get used too as this is a page-turner from chapter one onwards. The writing is a delight to read, the characters become very real to the reader and the story of the lives and thoughts of these people in a dead-end situation all around is very compelling. These people do not lead happy lives and the book is somewhat raw in it’s telling but that only makes the characters more real. It is not ultimately a sad story though, as the characters learn about hope, love, friendship and redemption. I honestly didn’t know whether this was going to be a book I’d like but I have to say it’s the best book I’ve read this month.

I know it’s only January but I’ll be holding the other books I read this year up to this one as I choose my favourites of the year. Recommended!

Maybe I’m overstepping my boundaries, maybe I’m supposed to let my kids make their own mistakes—that’s what the self-proclaimed experts say—but I know about mistakes, about how indelible they can be. [pg 45]

You just remember a few of the ripples, not the whole of the river. I don’t know any writers, but I think that’s what all stories are about, the ripples moving away down some vast river, and the words we find to describe those moments are in the river too, swirling together and then apart. - from After the Floods, page 210 -

After the Floods takes place shortly after Hurricane Katrina, after the flood waters had mostly receded from New Orleans leaving the living to cobble together their destroyed lives. The flood has not only left destruction in its wake, but a weird twist of the world where birds and dogs are able to talk.

The stairs to the upper room were bolted to the side of the building and wobbled unpleasantly. The wrought iron steps were nearly a deal breaker for Smoky.

“Definitely unsafe,” Smoky protested. “I want something solid under my feet. I have issues with seeing through the freaking steps. My paws will get trapped. I’ll break a leg.” Smoky retained an evolutionary memory of leg-hold traps. - from After the Floods, age 14 -

The opening pages are narrated  (literally) from a crow’s eye view as Ruby and George Corvus survey the damaged neighborhoods. The novel veers away from New Orleans eventually, and takes the reader to Cold Beak, Minnesota - a fictional town which has also found itself recovering from a flood. It is here in Minnesota where the majority of the story takes place - revealing the odd and eccentric characters who reside in this small town. Two brothers open a restaurant, an obese woman becomes famous with her striptease act meant to educate and motivate people about weight loss, a bizarre family cult acts out violently, and birds from all over the world flock to the area. In a matter of three weeks a decade’s worth of time is compressed and the town grows economically and spiritually. After the Floods gathers together a wide array of characters who pass in and out of each others lives, seeking recovery alongside a river which nourishes them and reminds them of their vulnerability.

Sometimes in dreams, I imagine that the New Hope River has gone silent. The water is there, but it doesn’t move. It’s a foolish dream, and it probably has something to do with growing old, but maybe also with what we are doing to the planet. I think that our lives are rivers, turning, joining, and rolling on, and also threatened and vulnerable. - from After the Floods, page 55 -

In Henricksen’s fictional world, magic is allowed to become reality while various characters (including an omniscient ex-mayor and a young man who questions God through a series of emails) provide insight into such things as religion, social justice,  war and death.

I think when someone dies, a bit of meaning leaves the world with him. - from After the Floods, page 157 -

Henricksen’s writing is at turns sad, humorous and meditative. If there is a weakness in his prose it is that he never fully develops each character before moving on to the next. I will admit that magical realism is not the genre I typcially read and enjoy - so it is to Henricksen’s credit that I felt engaged in the novel from the start. After the Floods is comedic and spiritual, hopeful and despairing - it does not offer answers, but instead frames questions about life, death, faith and how our lives interconnect with others.

Readers who enjoy well-written magical realism will undoubtedly love this novel. Charming  and memorable, it will make you look at the world around you just a little bit differently.

Bruce Henricksen’s short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and in two anthologies. After the Flood, his first novel, was published in 2008. Henricksen is the former editor of  New Orleans Review and lives in Duluth, Minnesota with this wife Viki.

Creative and Deeply Touching

Enzo knows he’s different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul, he has educated himself by watching TV and listening to his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver- Art of Racing in the Rain (Front Flap)

Enzo is convinced that he will come back in his next life as a man. On the last night of his death, he looks back on his life and the struggles that Denny had. The loss of his wife Eve and the custody battle for his daughter Zoe, against Eve’s wealthy parents. Enzo knows that he did his part to reunite the family and has the hope that Denny can still become a champion race car driver.

I received a copy of this as an advanced read from Harper Collins Canada. I was just about to start reading this book when my precious dog, Robbie died. Because of the nature of this book, I couldn’t get myself to pick it up until now. It was difficult for me to get through the parts where Enzo described his health and his passing. I had a good cry.

Garth Stein has an amazingly creative and fresh writing style. Using a dog, as narrator not only works, I don’t think the book could have been written any other way.

This may sound like it has the potential to be saccharin sweet and I must confess it has a little bit of that. The ending was also quite predictable, however, don’t let these little “flaws” keep you from this book. There are moments of great sadness, moments that are laugh out loud funny, and moments of great joy. This book is a gem!

James Howard Kunstler
317 pages

I picked up World Made by Hand because I saw it mentioned somewhere (can’t remember where, sorry) and it sounded interesting. I was vaguely aware that it involves some social commentary but I didn’t want to get involved in it too much and risk learning so much that I spoiled the book for myself. The main reason it grabbed my interest is because it’s post-apocalyptic/speculative fiction.

In a former life Robert Earle was a software developer. Then one summer life changed. Bombs hit L.A. and Washington D.C., the electricity only comes on sporadically. Oil, gas and other supplies are unavailable. Epidemic illness sweeps the country, millions die and the population is drastically reduced. Trade and news from overseas becomes non-existent. It’s difficult to find out what’s going on in the next town, never mind the next state. The weather has also gone gone wacky either from environmental causes or from the bombs. No one is sure which.

Throw in a strange religious sect and a group of thugs who choose to live in a trailer park outside of town rather than work cooperatively with the townspeople and you have an interesting story.

I didn’t think that this book was heavy-handed. I noticed a lot of common sense stuff like:

1. Oil is a finite resource.
2. If bombs went off near large metropolis, people living nearby would be devastated
3. It’s a good idea to have the skills necessary to take care of your family. Gardening, baking, canning.
4. Epidemics can still happen even in this modern age of medicine.

I liked this book okay. Not as much as I thought I would but I still enjoyed reading it. There was a really weird section involving the religious sect that left me scratching my head. I just didn’t understand what was going on. Still, there are some interesting thoughts on how different segments of society might react to a lack of judicial system, limited supplies etc. that are worth pondering.

Think The Road by Cormac McCarthy only lighter and with a little of the Little House on the Prairie pioneering spirit thrown in and you have an idea of who would enjoy this book. (3/5)

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy, 452 pages

Fiction or non-fiction? fiction

What led you to pick up this book? I love Maeve Binchy, and it is her newest release. A staff member at school brought it in and I scooped it right up.

Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending!
Following the lives and loves of the staff of a cardiac clinic in Dublin, Ireland.

What did you like most about the book? What did you like least?
I loved that characters from many of Binchy’s other books were in this one. It gives an update on some characters from Evening Class, Scarlett Feather, Quentins, Whitethorn Hills and Nights of Rain and Stars.
The characters are realistic, modern people that fight with their family, have good friends, and hope for a better life and love.
That was only a problem in that it has been many years since I’ve read some of the books. It isn’t necessary to know all the back story, but it provides a sense of remembrance. There are so many characters that if feels a bit like a series of short, interconnected stories. I would just get to know a character and then their part of the story was done.

Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books? I’ve read all of Binchy’s books, she’s one of my favorite authors.

What did you think of the main character? I guess Clare was the main character. She was strong in her job and inspired loyalty, but didn’t get along with her daughters. Fiona was also a main character and she was also a wonder woman type, everyone loved her and she knew how to deal with everyone, but was fighting some internal battles.

Any other particularly interesting characters?
The twins, Maud and Simon are quite amusing and I foresee a story of their own soon.

Share a favorite scene from the book. The wedding at the end, with all the characters.

What about the ending? Aw, wonderful ending all tied up with all the characters. You don’t read Maeve Binchy to have the characters end up unhappy.

Which of your readers are most likely to enjoy this book? Why?
If you haven’t read any Binchy, I wouldn’t start with this one. Evening Class, Whitethorn Hills and Nights of Rain and Stars are more stand-alone stories and would be what I would recommend. If you’ve read Binchy before, I don’t have to tell you to read this one. You’ve already got it.
I would recommend Binchy to fans of LM Montgomery. They both set a location and character so well, with star-crossed lovers, pride and honor getting in the way, and then pretty much perfect, idealized endings. I get the same sense of comfort reading both authors.

released in Canada in October, 2008

to be released in US in Feb, 2009

The Prism Blade by Patricia Bow
Passage to Mythrin, Book 2

Pages: 267
Finished: Dec. 10, 2008
First Published: May, 2008
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
Reason for Reading: Received a Review Copy from Chapters Top Reviewers Club.

First sentence: Long, long ago, in the springtime of the world, Adam was the first man.

Comments: The second volume of this wonderful YA series is just as good as the first one. This time around, two visitors from Mythrin come through the passage to Ammy and Simon’s earth looking for a mythical sword. But which of the visitors is on the good side and which is on the bad side? Simon and Ammy have differing opinions and don’t always work together to help their respective friends from the other world. That is until a third visitor passes through and everyone concerned realizes that he is really working on the side of evil.

A fun fantasy romp that was pure enjoyment. A complete contrast to the first volume which is mostly set in Mythrin this one is mostly set in our world though plenty enough happens in Mythrin as well. Mystical beasts and objects are always fun to read and while this book does contain a quest, it is not your typical journey type of quest making it rather unique. Really a whole lot of fun with engaging characters, well-written and a page-turner. Suitable for ages 8 and up, I still think it will appeal to teenage audiences as well as this 40 year old reviewer. I’m certainly looking forward to the third book (possibly the last in a trilogy?) which hopefully is in the works for 2009.

Click for info

Did you know it was Jewish Book Month? I didn’t, but when I found out, I wanted to read a title from a Jewish author. Lara Vapnyar won the 2004 Goldberg Prize for Jewish Fiction by Emerging Writers for There Are Jews in my House. She emigrated from Russia in 1994 when she was in her early twenties and now lives in New York.

Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love would be perfect for someone participating in the Well-Seasoned Reader Challenge. There are six short stories in the book, and they all have to do with food. There are even recipes for some Russian dishes in the back.

“A Bunch of Broccoli on the Third Shelf” tells the story of Nina, a Russian immigrant who loves to shop for vegetables but rarely cooks them.

“Borscht” is a sad story about two people who come to the States to earn money for their families, but then their loved ones are indifferent to them going back home to Russia.

“Puffed Rice and Meatballs” is about Katya’s memory of a childhood incident that she refuses to share with her American boyfriend.

In “Salad Olivier,” a mother tries to find her daughter a boyfriend — but he must be Russian.

“Luda and Milena” was my favorite story. Two older women fighting over an older man with their cooking.

In “Slicing Sauteed Spinach,” Ruzena lets her lover choose her food for her. Until…

I really enjoyed this collection, but especially “Luda and Milena.” It was a pure gem. I now plan on reading There Are Jews in My House for the Jewish Literature Challenge.

2008, 148 pp.
(4/5)

Hans van den Broek and his wife Rachel are living and dealing with post-9/11 New York City. Hans is a banker and originally from the Netherlands, while Rachel is a British attorney. Rachel believes New York has become too unsafe and leaves for London, taking the couple’s son with them.

With his new-found spare time, Hans spends more time playing cricket in the park and meets a Trinidadian named Chuck Ramkissoon. Chuck has some big dreams and schemes involving the sport of cricket and brings Hans along for the ride. The question is whether Ramkissoon’s dealing are on the up and up. Hans begins spending more and more time with Chuck while also travelling back and forth from London so he can see his son.

Some have compared this book to The Great Gatsby, and while it does have a little of that ‘vibe,’ I don’t think the book really merits that comparison. The real question of the book is whether or not Hans is a reliable or an unreliable narrator. If he’s reliable, I don’t think I really got the point of the book. If he’s unreliable, it certainly makes the novel more interesting with all the ramifications of what that might involve. I wasn’t really clued in to the fact that he might be unreliable until I looked at some other reviews of the book.

Discussing and discovering the truth of the reliability of Hans’ narration would really make this novel a good choice for a book group. Too bad I can’t tell you more. Come back and email me if you end up reading the book, I’d like to hear your thoughts!

2008, 272 pp.
(3.5/5)

Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

I didn’t even know who Chuck Klosterman was when I picked up this book, but after listening to just a few minutes of Downtown Owl, I had to check to see who he was and if he went to high school with me. He didn’t — as he’s from North Dakota — but Downtown Owl was so jarringly and surprisingly familiar to me that I had to make sure. Set in 1983 and 1984 in the cold, flat plains of fictional Owl, ND, this book captures small town plains life almost perfectly. At least it does for that time frame.

The residents of Owl converse and care deeply about the weather, crops, the high school sports teams, the bars, and the fact that the local movie theatre is closing down. (Check, check, check, double check.) The day doesn’t seem complete if the farmers don’t get together and talk about all these important events over coffee every day. (Triple check.) And last but not least, the English teacher is having the high school classes read 1984 in 1984. (Quadruple check.) Klosterman could have been telling this story about my own hometown in the very year of 1984 when I, too, was reading 1984 as a high school sophomore. Eerily familiar, I tell you! Oh, and the music, too. All the popular music of the day gets a mention, and that was a nice blast from the past as well.

The three main characters in the book are Mitch, a high school student on the football team; Julia, a young, brand new teacher who is the new celebrity in town; and Horace, a 70ish widower whose wife died of insomnia. I really don’t want to say too much about the characters because they each have their own unique voice and slant on living in Owl that is best experienced yourself. If you want to know more about them, read the book!

The book does have quite a bit of bad language in it, one scene of animal cruelty that was graphically described, and an ending I wasn’t sure if I liked or not, BUT… I will definitely be looking into Klosterman’s next novel, particularly if it contains plains people in a plains town.

2008, 288 pp.
Rating: 4/5

When I first accepted this book for review, I was under the impression that it was mostly about adoption and told through the thoughts and feelings of Willa Golding, a teenager who was adopted as a baby by wealthy parents. It’s not. Although Willa’s point of view certainly comes into the story, this book is about misogyny, p*rn*gr*phy, pr*stituti*on, drug abuse, and a host of other sordid activities. Before I give my other comments on the book, I’d like to state that in no way do I believe that Brundage endorses these vices; however, I also don’t agree with her presentation of the case against them either. This book is brutally graphic, and I just wasn’t prepared for that. Knowing that this will color my review, I’ll try to be as fair as possible.

The book starts out by introducing Nate Gallagher and his girlfriend Catherine as strung out heroin addicts. Catherine gets pregnant with Willa and is clean for a time, but soon after Willa is born Cat becomes just too sick to care for her, and they decide to give her up for adoption. The couple who adopt her, Joe and Candace, are wealthy residents of the Berkshires and seem to have it all, yet they are hiding some pretty dark secrets. Very dark. Not only that, but it seems quite a few other characters in the story have even scarier skeletons in their closets. Here’s where it starts to break down for me a bit. It seems a bit too much that all of ‘this’ is going on in the same small community; it just is not believable to me. Gosh, I hope that wouldn’t be the case, anyway.

As Willa grows up, she attends an elite private school headed by Jack and Maggie Heath. Their daughter Ava is good friends with Willa, and the two girls have a group that they hang out with who are into alcohol, drugs, dares, and the like. All the girls are smitten with the new boy at school, Teddy, but it is Willa that catches his eye. Meanwhile, the new creative writing teacher at the school is a Mr. Gallagher. Yes, it’s Nate Gallagher, Willa’s birth father, but he tells no one of his relationship to Willa.

This is where the book then goes off into the weird areas listed above. Although I believe it was Brundage’s intent to bring awareness into the sufferings of women in these so-called ‘professions,’ the horrible descriptions of the things they endure was just too unnecessarily graphic. I know I am very conservative compared to most, but I have a hard time imagining that an average female reader would be able to get through this book without disgust and revulsion. I honestly would not have gotten through much of it at all had I not committed to this review. In addition, there are some descriptions of Willa’s s*xual experimentation that were very explicit to the point of poor taste.

I am honestly not trying to bash Elizabeth Brundage as a writer or as a person. However, I believe I do represent a certain group of women who share my views. I also believe it is my responsibility to speak out about content that is so over the top and objectionable so that those who feel the same as I do can stay clear of it or at least make an informed decision about it.

I must have passed out because I don’t remember who put me on this gurney without a blanket. [First Sentence]

Belly of the Whale by Linda Merlino
Kunati, 2008
Fiction; 199 pgs

I almost decided against reading Linda Merlino’s book, Belly of the Whale. It hits too close to home. Breast cancer has affected not only my mother and both of my grandmothers, but I lost a friend to cancer this past summer and the wound is still too fresh. Even just thinking about her now, the tears well up in my eyes. She was such a strong soul. Outwardly, she never wavered in her faith and hope, but I imagine there were times when she did doubt and feel angry at the circumstances she was in much like Linda Merlino’s protagonist, Hudson Catalina.

Hudson Catalina’s mother was a victim to breast cancer, losing her battle when Hudson was 14 years old. It was very difficult on the Catalina family, and Hudson took her mother’s illness and death hard. She worried, too, that one day her own fate would be similar to her mother’s, and it turned out she was right. Her battle with breast cancer sapped everything out of Hudson. She was tired and angry. She woke up one morning, having lost all faith and hope. Her husband and best friend, ever the optimists, did not understand the low that Hudson had reached. They weren’t ready to give up–never would be most likely. Hudson felt alone.

Hudson’s new resolve that her death to cancer was on the horizon would be challenged in a way she could never have anticipated. A night visit to the local market to pick up last minute party supplies for her daughter’s 5th birthday would change her life forever.

Ruby Desmond, owner of the Whales Market, is strong in her faith and has led a full life. She knows what it is like to have suffered great loss. She understands a little bit about how Hudson must be feeling and Hudson finds herself drawn to the woman and her stories about the past. Willy Wu is also working that night at the market. Willy Wu is a simple man with special needs. It is obvious he cares about Ruby immensely and takes his job seriously. With a fierce storm carrying on outside the doors of the market, the three settle in for a long night not realizing that danger was just around the corner.

Linda Merlino captures the emotions of the characters in such a way that had me feeling what they were feeling as the story unfolded. What stood out the most to me was Hudson’s feeling of despair and complete loss of hope. Similarly, there is the character of Buddy Baker, who was in an even darker place for he had given up long ago. Buddy has had a difficult life. He is a product of his environment and as a result is full of anger and pain. He is in a downward spiral with no end in sight, and I felt that with every turn of the page.

Belly of the Whale is a moving story about one woman’s internal struggle with the fate she has been dealt. And yet it is also a story about family and friendship as well as one of courage and hope even in the most tragic of circumstances. The story builds bit by bit, humor suffused with very serious situations. Linda Merlino is a talented writer who has written a heart wrenching story that had me in tears by the end.

Rating: (Good +)

The rabbi shrugged. “Faith is hard, Rosa. Nonbelievers often speak of faith as if it were something easy, a cop-out from the really tough business of confronting a meaningless universe, but it’s not. It’s doubt that’s easy. - From The Believers-

When Audrey Howard meets Joel Litvinoff - a radical American lawyer -  at a party in London in 1962, she is a shy and unsure young woman. But years later, now married to Joel and living in New York City, Audrey has remade herself into a brash, foul-mouthed liberal who views the world cynically and lashes out at everyone around her. When Joel collapses from a stroke and lapses into a coma, Audrey is forced to face not only her out of control temper (and the consequences of it), but her loyalty to a serial adulterer whose shadow she has always lived within.

The Litvinoff family is a complex, rather dysfunctional group of people. Rosa, the youngest daughter, is struggling with her Jewish roots and lack of faith; Karla, the eldest daughter, finds herself in a loveless marriage and struggles to develop enough self-esteem to seek the happiness she is not sure she deserves; and Lenny, the adopted son, battles drug addiction. Despite the strong personality of their father, the Litvinoff children are really more influenced by Audrey - whose boredom with motherhood and barely concealed anger at the world (and her husband in particular) dominate their lives.

Zoe Heller has written a thoughtful and provocative book about politics and religion. Thematically, she explores how individuals discover themselves, while residing within a family whose beliefs threaten to suffocate their uniqueness. Heller’s ironic style and black humor are effective in teasing out the pitfalls of all belief systems - whether they be “politically correct,” religious, or socially radical. By choosing a mostly unlikeable protagonist (Audrey), Heller risks alienating her readers. But, instead, her ability to balance the character’s negative traits with the very real human emotions of fear, isolation, and grief allows for empathy.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this cerebral novel which moves steadily forward as each character resolves their conflicts - both externally and internally. This is a book which will create great discussion  about the core beliefs individuals carry as they stumble through their lives.

Recommended.