Speaking of Good Literature....

In the last two weeks I have had the opportunity to see wonderful productions of two classic plays - The Crucible by Arthur Miller and A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. I was excited to see these plays since I had studied both of them during my years as a student. How ironic, considering the fact that many schools are considering teaching less literature in favor of more "informational texts". Bah! I wonder if I would have been interested in attending these productions, if I hadn't been introduced to them in school? I think not. As a matter of fact, Madeleine, who is 16, asked if she could come with Geoff and me to see The Crucible since she had studied it earlier this year! Imagine that! The arts and cultural entertainment could be just one more causality of removing challenging literature from our schools' curriculum. What a pity.


Before seeing The Crucible I decided to try an experiment. I decided to reread it to see if familiarizing myself with the details of the story would add or detract from my enjoyment of it. I have considered doing this in the past, but always decided not to, in order to let the story wash over me - without any expectations. I was somewhat surprised to find that a fresh exposure to the play added to my enjoyment of the production immensely! The Crucible is a complex and multi-layered story and having read it ahead of time really added to my understanding of the deeper messages of the plot. Having the time to really ponder the moral questions presented by Miller added another level of appreciation to the live production.

Book review: If you've never read The Crucible or last read it in High School, I highly recommend picking it up again and revisiting it as an adult. It's a surprisingly quick read (I read it in two short sittings) and it's so much more than "that book about the Salem witch trials." It's a moral story about having strength in your convictions, about standing up for what you know is right, about personal honor and dignity and about the love between a husband and wife struggling within a flawed marriage. It's powerful and I highly recommend it. 4 stars - I really liked it.

After my positive experience with The Crucible, I decided to reread A Doll's House before seeing the play as well. I'm really glad I did, too, because the play was written in 1879 and the production I saw was set in 1959. As I was reading the play, I wondered how the director was going to pull that off since the language and story seemed so dated. The adaptation that the director and his partner created was brilliant - updated, but still very true to the original. And I would never had known that had I not reread the play. This gave me an entirely new level of appreciation for the play.

Book review: I didn't enjoy A Doll's House as much as I did The Crucible, but it is still a very accessible and easy to read classic. It's the story of a marriage that seems happy on the surface, but is actually quite the opposite. Torvald has a controlling and condescending relationship with his seemingly weak and dependent wife, Nora. Nora, however, is not the delicate flower Torvald thinks she is and is in reality working feverishly to hide a secret from Torvald. By the end of the play, Nora comes to a realization that will have repercussions for herself, her marriage and her family. The play was highly controversial when it was first produced in 1879 and it translated very well into the 1950s. It's a little less relevant today, but it still presents some truths that resonate with a modern audience. 3 stars - I liked it.

Mini Book Reviews

Here are some quick reviews and thoughts about three books I've read recently.


Every Last One by Anna Quindlen: I was excited to see that Anna Quindlen had written a new book. I loved Black and Blue and many of her collections of essays and I hadn't seen anything substantial from her in a long time. The description of the book sounded interesting as well - the story of a mom dealing with the trials of parenthood and especially her concerns over her youngest son. Quindlen did an amazing job of capturing the life and role of a typical suburban mom. I could identify completely with Mary Beth as she goes through the days of soccer practices, prom planning and guitar lessons. And then the story takes a completely unexpected turn that takes my breath away. Unlike Little Bee by Chris Cleave, Every Last One is a book that you shouldn't know too much about before you read it. My suggestion is not to read any reviews or to let anyone tell you too much about the plot. Let the story unfold naturally. I loved this book. It would be a great book club selection. But I don't want to say anything else about it. I gave Every Last One 4 stars - I really liked it.


Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson: I had heard about this book at least a year ago (way before it became so popular) and decided that because it's a mystery/suspense/crime thriller, I wasn't interested. Then the books in the series (this is book one in a trilogy) simply exploded in popularity and I decided I had to see for myself what all the fuss is about. On top of that, my personal book club chose this book for our July selection. I will admit that I was excited to read it and was all ready to love it and anxiously devour the other two books in the series. Well, that didn't happen. While it is a good mystery/suspense/crime thriller, it isn't good enough to make me want to read more. At least not right now. Maybe next time I'm in the mood for that type of book I will pick up the next book. But for right now, I've had my fill. I gave Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 3 stars - I liked it.


The Woman Who Can't Forget: The Extraordinary Story of Living With the Most Remarkable Memory Known to Science by Jill Price and Bart Davis: I stumbled upon this book quite by accident. I happened to be in a library in a nearby town when I decided to check out their collection of playaways. There are not a lot of books available on playaway through my library system, so in order to find one to read I really do need to browse the titles and see if something captures my interest. And that is exactly how I found this intriguing memoir. The title caught my eye, since I have an interest in psychology and medicine and the study of memory is a big part of the study of psychology (I have a degree in psychology). I found Jill's story absolutely fascinating. She has a remarkable autobiographical memory in that she is able to remember, in great detail, every single day of her life from the age of about 10 on. And she has many vivid memories from even earlier. She is not a savant who can perform great feats of mathematical skill nor can she recall long lists of words. Instead her memory is one that does not let her forget one single moment of her life. And these memories come to her, oftentimes, unbidden. And not just pleasant memories, but all her horrible memories as well. In addition, she experiences all the emotions of those memories each time the memory is recalled. For Jill, this ability has been a huge burden for her. I found her story fascinating. I'm not sure this book would be for everyone since it does go into some detail on memory research, brain studies and diagnostic testing. But if you have an interest in the topic, I recommend it. I gave The Woman Who Can't Forget 4 stars - I really liked it.

How about you? Have you read any good books lately? Any bad books?

Book Review: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

This is the hardest book review I've ever written. I'm actually kind of afraid to write it. Why? Because here is what it says on the inside book jacket:

We don't want to tell

WHAT HAPPENS in this book.

It is a truly SPECIAL STORY

and we don't want to spoil it.

NEVERTHELESS, you need to know

enough to buy it, so we will

just say this:

It then goes on to give a very brief summary of the story and then is says this:

Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.

Wow, if that doesn't grab your attention, I'm not sure what will. Actually, I do know. When two friends, whose opinions I trust recommended the book to me, I decided to find out what the big mystery was for myself. And you know what, I have absolutely no idea. None! I'm worried that maybe I missed something. I was expecting some sort of Sixth Sense or The Others type of story. You know, something that if you tell others it ruins the story for them. And I did not find that to be the case. So I'm confused. And a little bit afraid to write a review that includes a summary. What if I just missed something?

So, be warned, I am going to summarize the story in the next few paragraphs. So don't read them, if you are worried about being spoiled simply be learning the basic plot of the story. But before I do that, just let me say this - I think the publisher/editor/author/whoever did this book a big disservice by writing that blurb. I felt disappointed and a little cheated when the story did not live up to it's "promise" (for lack of a better word), . I found myself forming my opinion of Little Bee based on the fact that it didn't deliver a big surprise, instead of on the merits of the story itself. When I took a step back and tried to objectively evaluate the story (which was very hard, I might add), I realized it's actually a pretty good story. But I didn't feel that way upon finishing it. Instead I felt frustrated, tricked and confused. So, if the topic of the story interests you, by all means, read it. But if you are tempted to read it to be wowed by some clever plot device, I'd say don't waste your time.

OK, my summary is coming up now. So you may want to stop reading now.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave tells the story of Sarah O'Rourke a British journalist and Little Bee a 14 year old Nigerian girl whose village is the scene of terrible violence due to the discovery of oil there. Sarah and her husband Andrew travel to Nigeria for a vacation and while on the beach, they encounter Little Bee and her sister, Nkiruka. The sisters are running away from the violence in their village. This encounter will have far reaching ramifications for all involved.

The story picks up two years later when Little Bee is released from a detention center in Britain and finds her way to Sarah and Andrew's home in the English countryside. Much of the story deals with the slow uncovering of the facts of what happened on the beach and of Little Bee's experiences during the intervening two years.

The strength of Little Bee lies in the story of Little Bee's life in her Nigerian village and how different life can be in more volatile parts of the world. It's not something most of us here in America can even fathom. And that is exactly what happens to Sarah and Andrew. They are forced to confront the reality of Little Bee's life and deal with their own impotence in the face of this great injustice. And on these merits, Little Bee is a good story. Cleave does a good job of slowly unveiling the story to keep reader interest high. It reads almost like a suspense novel. It is a quick read and in parts it is a page turner. I have such mixed feelings about this book due to my unmet expectations. But when think about Little Bee objectively, it really is a good story.

Have any of you read Little Bee? What are your thoughts? Did I miss something?

I would give Little Bee 3 STARS - I liked it.

Book Review: The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake takes place during WWII and tells the story of three different women and how their lives interconnect due to their personal experiences of the war. Two of these women live at the very tip of Cape Cod. Iris is the middle aged postmistress of tiny Franklin, MA and she takes her job as postmistress very seriously. She believes in the importance of her job - especially during war time. Sweet, fragile, Emma is a new bride and new to Franklin. She has recently arrived in Franklin as the wife of Will, the town's young doctor. The third woman is Frankie Bard, a young American woman living in London and working as a radio broadcaster bringing the war home to Americans. Like Iris, Frankie believes strongly in the importance of her job. She is determined to transmit the real face of war home to America, where she feels everyone is very insulated from the truth.

The Postmistress is a good, if not great, book. I enjoyed the characters and the story. Frankie's story was especially compelling as she is concerned about the fact that Americans living stateside do not truly understand the effects of the war on the ordinary citizens of London and the rest of Europe. And it is true, that most of the residents of Franklin are not at all concerned about the war reaching America's shores or effecting them in any personal way. Frankie must censor what she says in her broadcasts due to regulations and she finds herself frustrated by this. She decides to travel to France in an attempt to gather more data on the lives of civilians. This aspect of the story is especially relevant now with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As much as I enjoyed The Postmistress the absolute best part of the story was the author's essay, "The Story Behind the Story", at the end of the book. In this essay Blake explains how she came to write The Postmistress and how the characters came into being. And further how she connected them into a story. Many books have author's notes that talk about their research and what inspired them to write that particular story. But Blake's essay is more than that. I can't really explain how, but she goes beyond merely stating the genesis of her ideas and her essay provides a clear and precise insight into the creation of this story and these characters. If you are a writer of fiction or a bibliophile, I think you will find this 4 page essay illuminating. Whether you read the book or not.

I would give The Postmistress 3 STARS - I liked it.

I would give "The Story Behind the Story" 5 STARS - I loved it.

Book Review: My Life in France by Julia Child

As you may remember, a while ago Geoff and I saw the movie Julie and Julia and we got all inspired to cook together from Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Yeah, well, that didn't happen. But all is not lost, because the day I bought the cookbook I was also sucked in by the display inspired to buy Julia Child's memoir - My Life in France. I am happy to report that I had much more success with this book than I did with her cookbook.

My Life in France was written as a collaboration between Julia Child and her great-nephew Alex Prud'homme and was published after her death in 2004 at age 91. It covers a huge portion of her life and virtually her entire marriage to Paul Child. After seeing the movie, I was really curious to learn more about Julia and especially more about her marriage and relationship with Paul. The movie depicted their relationship as being a true partnership and an amazing love story. I was hoping to learn more about this intriguing couple.While the book did provide a inside view of their marriage and partnership, it was so much more than that.

Paul and Julia's relationship really was one built on mutual respect and collaboration. Paul was much more involved in Julia's work on her cookbooks and TV Show than was portrayed in the movie. And based on Julia's recollections it was a very supportive and happy marriage.

What I wasn't expecting to gain from the book was such an open window into Julia's personality. She was an incredible woman with fascinating views and a joie de vivre rarely seen. She was so open to new experiences, cultures, foods and adventures. She had an amazing capacity to adapt and a wonderful sense of humor. She was not one to get sidetracked by "bumps in the road". Rather she accepted all that life had to offer and lived life to the fullest. I loved this about her.

She also describes France, the French and the French lifestyle with such enthusiasm and love that it's impossible not to want to hop on the next plane to Paris and find a ramshackle apartment on the Left Bank to live in for the next couple of years. One of the items on my bucket list is to live in a foreign country for an extended period of time. I've always assumed it would be a French speaking country since I am familiar with the language after having taken 6 years of French in HS and college. After reading this book, it's definite. France it is!

There was one aspect of the book that was a definite drawback for me. At different points in the book, Child goes into great detail discussing her recipes and how she developed them. Since I'm not someone who likes to cook all that much, these passages tended to bore me somewhat. They also made me realize how technical and inaccessible the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking are. I wish I had read My Life in France before I spent $40 on the cookbook. Now more than ever, I am convinced that Geoff and I will never be able to make a single recipe out of that book. (I have renewed respect for Julie Powell. How she managed to cook at least one of Julia's recipes every day for a year is beyond me).

Overall, I enjoyed My Life in France. I would it give 3 stars (I liked it).

Image from Google Images.

Book Review: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

As I've mentioned before, historical fiction is my guilty pleasure reading. I don't like all historical fiction (some of it can come a little too close to romance for my taste), but I've always enjoyed Philippa Gregory's books about the Tudor period. And I eagerly wait for her new historical fiction to be published. Her newest book, The White Queen, is the first book in a new series by Gregory which will deal with the Plantagenet kings who preceded the Tudors as England's rulers.

The White Queen deals with the time period in English history known as the War of the Roses - when the Houses of Lancaster and York were fighting for control of the crown. Elizabeth Woodville, a young widow with two small sons, catches the eye of new Yorkist king, Edward IV. She spends the next 18 years (or so) in the tenuous position of trying to help her husband retain possession of the crown. When Edward IV dies of an illness, Elizabeth must do everything she can to be certain that the crown passes to her and Edward's eldest son, also named Edward (of course!). This is no small task, as the King has two brothers who have been plotting for years to take the crown away from him and there is always the threat that the (defeated) Lancasters will try to reclaim the crown for themselves. Not to mention, Henry Tudor, a young boy who is the son of Margaret Beaufort, herself a member of the Lancastrians. Elizabeth does all she can to keep her son Edward and his younger brother, Richard, safe. But their fates have been a mystery for centuries. Even today no one is absolutely certain what ever happened to the "Princes in the Tower".

I was very excited to learn that Gregory's newest book was going to deal with the War of the Roses and the Princes in the Tower. I've done a little studying of this time period, and I've never been completely clear on the details of the war between the Lancasters and the Yorks. The books I've read have been non-fiction and I tended to get a bit bogged down in the details. I'm happy to report, that after reading The White Queen, I now have a firm grasp on the basics of that time period in English history! Of course because this is fiction, I was sure to go back and check Gregory against the history books, and I'm happy to report that in all the important, verifiable details she was accurate.

I will say, however, that there were some elements in this book that I didn't really appreciate at first. The very beginning veered too far into the romance genre for my taste and I was afraid that this would continue throughout the book. I'm happy to report that it did not. I don't remember Gregory's other books doing this. Maybe I'm mistaken, but if this is something new she is doing to draw in more readers, I, for one, think it's a mistake. The other thing that bothered me about this book is that it has an element of mysticism to it that I have never encountered in Gregory's other books. Again, this is a matter of taste, but books with too much mysticism or magical realism do not appeal to me. The mysticism was not gratuitous, there was a reason for it, but it still irked until I read Gregory's notes at the end of the book. Apparently, Elizabeth Woodville was descended from the "dukes of Burgundy who cherished the tradition that they were descended from Melusina, the water goddess. " So, there was a legitimate reason for this being included in the book. I felt better knowing that. The other thing that really bothered me about the book (until I read the author's note) has to do with the Princes in the Tower. I don't want to spoil the story so I won't go into any detail, but I had never read the theory that she presents here. She explains this in the notes and that appeased me. I do know that this is fiction, but I think that it's important for historical fiction not to play too loose with history. Gregory's explanation in the note explains why she chose to write it this way, and she does alert the reader to the fact that this element of the story is not based in fact. Good enough for me.

Overall, I liked The White Queen. Mostly because it gave me a better understanding of this period in English history. It's not my favorite Philippa Gregory book, but if you are interested in this subject or if you are a Philippa Gregory fan, it is worth reading. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the Plantagenet series.

I would give The White Queen 3 stars - I liked it.

Image from Google Images

Book Review: Still Alice by Lisa Genova

The June book selection for my personal book club, Chapter Chat, was Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Genova has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard and she is an online columnist for the National Alzheimer's Association. So it is not surprising that her first novel would be a book dealing with a woman suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease. Write what you know, right? Apparently, Genova had a very difficult time finding a publisher for her novel and decided to self-publish it. That turned out to be a brilliant decision. She was eventually picked up by Simon and Schuster and her book is getting respectable reviews. Rightfully so.

Still Alice tells the absolutely heartbreaking story of Alice Howland, a 50 year old Harvard professor of linguistics and psychology, who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease. Genova takes the risky and novel approach of telling the story from Alice's point of view - another brilliant decision on her part. The story is all the more poignant and devastating seen through Alice's eyes as she first comes to terms with her diagnosis and then has to deal with her declining cognitive abilities. The reader is able to identify and empathize with Alice as her disease progresses. We feel her frustration, fear and loneliness as her life is stripped away from her layer by layer. At one point she confides in her husband, John, that she misses herself. I can't even imagine the devastation. In the words of the author, "[Still Alice is] about identity and living a life that matters and about what a crisis does to relationships."

I loved the character of Alice. She was capable and strong and tried her very best to take control of her situation as best she could. She did everything she could to try to slow the progress of this disease. She devised clever ways of making life easier for herself. She even started a support group for other people with early onset Alzheimer's Disease. I identified with Alice in all these ways. I can picture myself doing exactly the same thing if I were in this (or a similar) situation. Alice is a real take charge kind of person. She isn't someone who wallows in self-pity or asks Why Me? I am the same way.

I do think there are some "problems" with this book, however. If you know someone suffering from Alzheimer's Disease (which is the case for one of our book club members), you may find the depiction of Alice's symptoms to be somewhat sugar-coated. Missing from Genova's books is the anger and lashing out that many Alzheimer's suffers experience. Also, Alice's diagnosis is made quickly and without the years of misdiagnosis which is typical in the case of Alzheimer's Disease. And perhaps most problematic, is the way in which Alice is so accepting of her diagnosis. She is never in denial. Even though she has plenty of opportunity to dismiss her symptoms as simple signs of fatigue, stress or possibly depression. According to those who are more familar with Alzheimer's Disease, this does not ring true. Perhaps Genova left some of this out for the purposes of keeping the book to a manageable length. For the average reader, I don't think that these issues will detract from the enjoyment of this book. For someone with Alzheimer's Disease or someone who knows someone with Alzheimer's Disease, this book may not ring true.

I would give Still Alice 3 STARS (I liked it).

Image from Google Images

Book Review: The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar

A few weeks ago I realized that one of my favorite authors, Thrity Umrigar, had written a new book - The Weight of Heaven. I have read two of Umrigar's other books - If Today be Sweet and The Space Between Us. I really enjoyed both of them, but The Space Between Us is one of my favorites.

The Weight of Heaven tells the story of Frank and Ellie Benton whose only child, 7 year old Benny, has died from a sudden catastrophic illness. In the wake of Benny's death, Frank is offered a job in far off India and he and Ellie decide that a change of scenery may help them navigate their profound grief and remove them from painful memories. Being in India does seem to help Frank and Ellie move forward with their lives, but Frank's burgeoning friendship with Ramesh, a bright and engaging boy, threatens to destroy the fragile balance Frank and Ellie have managed to recreate for themselves.

The Weight of Heaven is written in four parts. Book 1 takes place in the present and deals heavily with Frank's job in a big American corporation that has opened a facility in Girbaug, India and the ramifications the company has on the local villagers. This part of the story has a subtle political tone, which is usually something I don't like. Thankfully, the political undertones are mild, but I typically do not enjoy these types of stories. I decided to stick with the book, however, because I have so enjoyed Umrigar's other books. And I'm really glad, because Books 2 and 3 go back in time and deal with the time period before Benny's death when Frank and Ellie were living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This part of the story was much more interesting to me and more of what I was expecting. Book 4 takes the reader back to India in the time period just following the opening of the book. Gone is the political content and the story deals with the unfolding human drama. Again, this is more to my liking. The Weight of Heaven is one of those books that gets more interesting the further you get into it. It's not my favorite of Umrigar's books, but it's a good solid read. It's not a book I will be recommending to everyone who will listen (like The Help and The Gargoyle), but if someone was interested in reading it I would not discourage them. I would give it 3 STARS (I liked it). *

*I've decided to add a RATING SYSTEM to all the books I review here. I will use the same rating system used by Goodreads, so ALL the books I read (whether I review them here or simply list them on Goodreads) will be rated on the same system.

1 STAR Didn't like it (most likely I didn't even finish it)

2 STARS It was OK

3 STARS Liked it

4 STARS Really liked it

5 STARS It was amazing

Image from Google images

Book Review: Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies

One of the books featured last week on The Today Show segment Spring into a Good Book was the memoir, Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies. I will be honest and admit that this book was not one that I originally had planned on reading. It's not that I didn't think the topic was interesting. It's that in the past several years memoirs have become far too prevalent, in my opinion. When memoirs first became the genre du jour, I read a bunch of them. And mostly, I liked them. But, soon it felt as though everyone was writing their life story and frankly I started to feel a bit bored by the genre. Anyway, a week or so ago, I was contacted by Katrina, a publicist with Wiredset, who asked me to review this book. What?! Me! Really? Well, as you can imagine, I was deeply flattered and since I had Katrina's assurance that I could be honest in my review of the book, I agreed. Oh, and did I mention that Katrina has also generously offered to do a giveaway of Happens Every Day to two lucky readers of Pam's Perspective. Please see sidebar for information on how to enter the giveaway.

Happens Every Day is a quick, easy and engrossing read. I was so involved in Isabel Gillies' memoir that I finished the book in two sittings. Happens Every Day, tells the heartbreaking story of the dissolution of Isabel's marriage to her husband, Josiah. A marriage that Isabel was deeply committed to and which she had no inkling was in trouble. In fact, she thought she had a wonderful life. When her seemingly perfect marriage and life crumbles around her within the space of 4 short months, Isabel is understandably confused, angry and desperate. Who wouldn't be? But, what is so surprising about this book is that Happens Every Day never degenerates into a diatribe of vitriol and bitterness against her husband or the circumstances of their divorce. As a matter of fact, Isabel is surprisingly candid about her own shortcomings and the deep love she feels for her husband. She takes a very conversational, almost confessional tone, throughout the book. At many points in the book I felt as though I was reading an especially poignant letter or email from a friend. I felt Isabel's bewilderment, confusion and desperation to save her marriage. Isabel does an amazing job of connecting with her readers and I couldn't help but put myself in her shoes. Surprisingly, Happens Every Day is not a depressing story. Gillies has managed to write a story of love and loss, but also one of moving forward and hope for the future. As the title of the books states .... Happens Every Day.

Book Review: Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

Last night my book club, Chapter Chat (Hi ladies, I know you're reading!),
met to discuss Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. We were all pretty much in agreement that this was a very well-written, 528 page book about... nothing much. Yet, we discussed the book for a full hour! Go figure!

Bridge of Sighs tells the story of three friends who grew up in a small town in upstate New York. Louis (Lucy) Lynch and his wife Sarah met in high school, married and stayed in Thomaston, NY. Much of the book is told from 60 year old Lucy's point-of-view, as he writes his memoir. Lucy and Sarah's story is juxtaposed against the story of their childhood friend, Noonan, who is a famous painter now living in Italy. The complex friendship between Noonan, Lucy and Sarah is one reason that Lucy has undertaken the writing of his memoir.

This was the most curious book for me. I am still not able to figure out exactly why I felt compelled to finished it. Unless I'm reading a book for book club, I do not finish books that bore me or don't grab me within the first 50-75 pages. And this book did not grab me. Of course it was a book club book, but I would have finished it even if it wasn't. And that is why I'm confused about this book. It definitely was extremely well-written. Richard Russo definitely has a way with language. But, the story itself was very mundane and bland. So, why did I want to finish it? That is the $64,000 question. It could be because there were seeds planted throughout the book that led me to believe something momentous was going to happen. But, nothing ever did. Like I said, I just can't figure it out. Everyone else in the book club felt pretty much the same, but we were still able to have a great discussion about the characters and the story (such as it was). So, I guess you can't ask for more than that from a book club book, right? But, will I read any more of Richard Russo's books? Nope. One was a enough for me.

Have any of you read Bridge of Sighs or Russo's Pulitzer Prize winner, Empire Falls? Or any of this other books, for that matter? What did you think? I'd love to hear your opinions. And if someone can explain why I liked this book, even though I didn't really like it, I would be forever grateful.

Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Has this ever happened to you? You hear about a new book. Everyone is talking about it. There is a lot of buzz and hype. You get all excited thinking you're on to a good one. You put your name on the hold list for the book at the library. Then you wait. And wait. And wait some more. All along the buzz about the book continues. Your excitement grows and finally you get the book. Yay! You dive right in and .... what the heck. What was all the fuss about? The book is OK, but that's it. Just OK. You keep reading and then right at the end...BANG! The book has a really good ending which in some way manages to redeem the whole book. Sort of like childbirth. The end result is so good that that is all you focus on. You conveniently forget about the process of getting to the "good" ending. Well, that's exactly what happened to me with The Art of Racing in the Rain. But unlike childbirth, I'm not able to forget the process of getting to the great ending. So, I don't want to add the the hype and buzz.

That being said... The Art of Racing in the Rain tells the story of Denny Swift, an amateur race car driver and his struggle to retain custody of his 5 year old daughter after the death of his wife. The cleverest part of the novel is that the story is told from the perspective of Denny's dog, Enzo. Stein, the author, does manage to handle that part of the book quite well. But again, like the ending, it's not enough to override the very ordinariness of the story itself. But, that's just my opinion. Apparently, I'm in the minority on this one.

Book Review: Goldengrove by Francine Prose

Nico is a thirteen year old girl whose older sister, Margaret, has recently drowned in the lake that borders their home. Nico's parents are too consumed with their own grief to help her navigate through her own feelings of loss. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Nico finds a special kinship with Aaron, Margaret's boyfriend. Nico and Aaron find solace in sharing their memories of Margaret with each other. A solace that neither can find anywhere else.

I thought that Goldengrove was beautifully written and that Francine Prose captured the lost and confused feelings of grief quite accurately. Nico seemed a bit too sophisticated for 13 years old, but she is definitely a likable character who is easy to identify with and relate to. Overall, I thought Goldengrove was a good book. Not great, but good.