Morning Glory
by Sarah Jio
Genre: Women's Fiction
Review: Sarah Jio's latest novel is my favorite of all five. A woman moves to a houseboat community on a lake in Seattle, called Boat Street, to grieve the loss of her husband and daughter. Once there, she stumbles upon the mystery of Penny Wentworth, former boat inhabitant, wife of a moody painter.
The setting in Seattle is a character in itself, and the flashbacks to Ada's life with James and Ella aren't sentimental, but revealing. Both Penny and Ada are well-drawn characters.
Finding out what happened to Penny proves a worthy distraction, as does her neighbor Alex.
Read my reviews of Jio's other books: The Last Camellia, Blackberry Winter, and The Bungalow.
The Girl You Left Behind
by Jojo Moyes
Genre: Historical Fiction/Popular Fiction
Should You Read It?
Yes! Like Moyes' Me Before You, with the sad story comes emotional honesty, well-drawn characters, and a very engaging tale.
Review: In WWII-Occupied France, Sophie runs a small hotel with her family. A German Commandant takes an interest in the Sophie's portrait, painted by her husband, Edouard Lefevre. Will Sophie risk everything if it means saving her husband? She wonders if she will ever be like the girl in the painting again.
Meanwhile, in modern-day London, another girl is left behind--Liv, a young widow and the new owner of the painting. When the provenance of the painting comes into question, Liv chooses to fights for possession of Sophie's portrait and in the process, learns about Sophie's life.
Read my review of Me Before You
**This interview with the author describes researching her novel at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and her writing process.
Quote from the interview: "I love stories where the answers are not black or white, stories that make you think: what would I do in that position?"
The Fate of Mercy Alban
by Wendy Webb
Genre: Mystery
If you want a book full of secret passages, mysterious pasts, and dark and stormy nights, pick up this little gem, by the author of The Tale of Halcyon Crane.
Review: Read this little novel if you are in the mood for some chills-down-your-spine Gothic suspense. The novel is set on Lake Superior in America, but the atmosphere feels decidedly like a British manor mystery.
Grace Alban arrives home after 20 years away for her mother's funeral. After she arrives, things don't go smoothly, and not just because of her teenage daughter Amity's hot-then-cold attitude. Old relatives are popping out of the woodwork and crazy things are happening. Mix in a little small-town romance and you're ready for an evening reading by the fireplace.
Looking forward to her next book, The Vanishing, which comes out this month!
The Likeness
by Tana French
Genre: Mystery/Psychological Thriller
Sorry, but I cannot do 100 words for this one and do it justice!
Review: This is the second time I have read this book, and it allowed me to see how much of an absolute master of the writing craft Tana French is. Often the thriller or mystery genre is not considered quite as literary as "the literary novel," but everyone who wants to be a writer should read this book.
The premise of the book itself is amazing--Lexie, a post-grad in English literature, is murdered and found in a famine cottage, not far from her home at Whitethorn Manor. An undercover detective (Cassie Maddox) happens to be her double. Cassie must become Lexie, essentially, and infiltrate her life to find the murderer. The pacing and suspense will leave you breathless. What could be better than that? Maybe the writing itself.
At the sentence level, her writing is astonishing, poetic. You want to read as fast as possible, you HAVE to know what happens, but wait. Stop, pause and re-read a breath-taking description. Upon the second reading (years after the first reading), I noticed the symbolism of the mirror woven throughout--nothing in-your-face, just suggestive and powerful. The second reading also allowed me to notice the social commentary on Dublin and Ireland, the impact of history on the present, including thoughts on the economy and identity.
Whether French is dissecting the minds of the characters or analyzing the thin lines between morality and immorality or reality and imagination, she delves deeply into what it means to live your life, to choose another life, and how precarious the threads we use to hang on to the people around us really are. Through her writing, French creates unreliable, not completely likable characters and narrators, but you still want to sit with them fireside or in a pub and talk to them forever.
Movie News: Both In the Woods and The Likeness were acquired. The Likeness is still in development, according to IMDB.
Devotion
by Dani Shapiro
Genre: Memoir
Review: On paper, Dani Shapiro has all you could ask for: a healthy son, Jacob, a husband, a writing career, a house in the countryside. Yet she wakes up in the night in a cold panic. Her past, her fears and anxieties, her impossible mother, Jacob's brush with death, haunt her. She cannot find peace in her life.
Meanwhile, Jacob is asking questions about God. Raised an Orthodox Jew, she approaches and retreats from the Jewish religion. In Devotion, she vows to approach her core, to meditate, do yoga, explore Judaism and Buddhism.
***If you liked Eat, Pray, Love but longed for more depth and intellect, you will love Devotion.***
Meaningful quote:
"Each of us human, full of longing, reaching out with our whole selves for something impossible to touch. Still, we are reaching, reaching." p.243
After Her
by Joyce Maynard
Genre: Fiction: Mystery/Thriller
New release!
Review: After Her is a mystery about two sisters' coming of age in Marin County, with the "Sunset Strangler" haunting the mountain in their backyard. After admiring this well-written novel with compelling characters, a mix of sadness, humor, and tension, I had to read Maynard's other books.
Rachel is navigating adolescence and changing relationships while trying to help her father, the detective on the case, who is deteriorating from the stress and publicity. The setting on Mt. Tamalpais, stark and beautiful, is almost a character in the novel. Overall, a bit disturbing, but highly recommended.
Note: It has been awhile since I read much of an author's ouevre all together, and this is a satisfying experience, especially for writers who are interested in how an author's work changes throughout the life and work/life balance. See reviews for The Good Daughters and At Home in the World.
At Home in the World
by Joyce Maynard
Readers of her novels will enjoy learning about her personal journey!
Genre: Memoir
Review: Follow Maynard's journey from eager daughter to precocious young writer to her affair J.D. Salinger. As a college student, she published a piece in New York Times magazine. Salinger approached her through letters, and eventually she lived with him in New Hampshire. Even more compelling than the story of her affair--the struggle Maynard faces as she balances acting as the "voice of her generation" with finding her true voice as a writer and later, as a mother. Through the process, readers witness Maynard coming-of-age as a person and as a writer.
