Crosby uses a unique technique in this book. As we hear first person the account of the mail charcter's life, we come to find that the narrator is actually dead, and tells us as much. The auther jumps from past to present, with the present being told after the narrator has died.
There are many story lines that we follow. The family story starts with a patriarch who does not care for his daughters. He has several wives, and with each hopes to have a son heir. With his final wife, he gets just that, as well as a daughter (the narrator).
In our glimpses of the past, we see her fall from his grace, and leave to pursue independence. Through her life as a single woman, we see her struggle to find work and support herself, we see her succeed in finding a niche in life, and we see her broken.
In the future, she is an independent old woman, befriended by a young sweet girl living next door. Their relationship blossoms, and late in life, she has seemingly found a daughter to share life with.
Additionally, we see the appearance of a long lost distant relative who begins to dig for the family fortune, left to the main character after her brother's death.
The story is well written, and fun to read. The ending left me disappointed however. There were too many unanswered questions. Normally, that is ok with me, as I will conjure up my own endings, but in this story, I actually left the book extremely disappointed.
Aside from the ending, another great historical fiction addition to my year!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Face the Winter Naked by Bonnie Turner
Daniel Tomelin has left his family. Not able to provide for them during the Great Depression, he left. Simply walked away.
He had the best of intentions. He knew that without him there, his wife's family would take care of her. He thought he would find work, save some money, and return to his family a better man. We cannot imagine the thought process, or the difficulty he had in making that decision to walk out. He gave them no information as to motive, or direction, he simply walked out of their lives.
He left at home a wife and several children, and did not know that his wife was early in a new pregnancy when he left. The home they lived in is owned by a ruthless, and moral-less brother-in-law.
We follow Daniels' travels, as he walks, hops rides on cargo trains, and hitch-hikes across the country in search of work. He finds work here and there, but barely enough to survive on. We find him sleeping in barns, in ditches, wherever he can find some shelter from the elements.
We also follow the problems at home, as his wife tries to survive, feed her children, and make sense of why her husband would simply walk out. The brother-in-law takes advantage of her vulnerable situation, in a horrible turn of events.
While a beautiful story - of survival on both fronts (both Daniel's on the road as a vagrant, and his wife's at home). But I found that the story dragged on too long. About half way through the book, it was just the same story, over and over, as Daniel found his way to a new town, into new vagrant circumstances.
The story has good things offer, through insight to the struggles of the Great Depression, but the author tended to ramble on, and had it been cut a few chapters shorter, would have been a better novel.
He had the best of intentions. He knew that without him there, his wife's family would take care of her. He thought he would find work, save some money, and return to his family a better man. We cannot imagine the thought process, or the difficulty he had in making that decision to walk out. He gave them no information as to motive, or direction, he simply walked out of their lives.
He left at home a wife and several children, and did not know that his wife was early in a new pregnancy when he left. The home they lived in is owned by a ruthless, and moral-less brother-in-law.
We follow Daniels' travels, as he walks, hops rides on cargo trains, and hitch-hikes across the country in search of work. He finds work here and there, but barely enough to survive on. We find him sleeping in barns, in ditches, wherever he can find some shelter from the elements.
We also follow the problems at home, as his wife tries to survive, feed her children, and make sense of why her husband would simply walk out. The brother-in-law takes advantage of her vulnerable situation, in a horrible turn of events.
While a beautiful story - of survival on both fronts (both Daniel's on the road as a vagrant, and his wife's at home). But I found that the story dragged on too long. About half way through the book, it was just the same story, over and over, as Daniel found his way to a new town, into new vagrant circumstances.
The story has good things offer, through insight to the struggles of the Great Depression, but the author tended to ramble on, and had it been cut a few chapters shorter, would have been a better novel.
Cafenova by S. Jane Scheyder
I must be in a "mood", because I picked another light, fun romance to read. I have to say, there is something about a quick read. One of those books that you can't put down, don't want to end. This is another one of those.
Maddy, the main character is a young, successful professional, whose life is turned upside down when her fiancee and business partners leaves her. She decides to follow a dream, purchasing a bed and breakfast in need of repair on the Maine coast.
The book takes us through her transition to a small town as "the new girl". We watch as she and her enormous dog meet and befriend Otis, the elderly widower next door. And then as Otis introduces her to church. Or re-introduces may be the better term. She alludes to being an active Christian earlier in life, but had fallen away from the church. Otis sees to it that she finds it again.
Maddy finds a local contractor to do all of the renovations on the home, which are quite extensive. John, a single father of two young boys, is also an active member in the church. The two find their relationship, and it blossoms, until Maddy's ex decides to find her.
Like all true romance novels, the story has it's ups and downs. I really enjoyed it because I identified with Maddy. I've always dreamed of running a bed and breakfast. And I loved the Christian storyline. It was a beautiful insight into the family a church can become, and members of that family show up at various times to help Maddy through difficult situations. Because of the Christian theme, this romance novel isn't filled with sex, and infidelity. It's a pure romance. I imagine it hit a cord with my old-fashioned, romantic self.
Maddy, the main character is a young, successful professional, whose life is turned upside down when her fiancee and business partners leaves her. She decides to follow a dream, purchasing a bed and breakfast in need of repair on the Maine coast.
The book takes us through her transition to a small town as "the new girl". We watch as she and her enormous dog meet and befriend Otis, the elderly widower next door. And then as Otis introduces her to church. Or re-introduces may be the better term. She alludes to being an active Christian earlier in life, but had fallen away from the church. Otis sees to it that she finds it again.
Maddy finds a local contractor to do all of the renovations on the home, which are quite extensive. John, a single father of two young boys, is also an active member in the church. The two find their relationship, and it blossoms, until Maddy's ex decides to find her.
Like all true romance novels, the story has it's ups and downs. I really enjoyed it because I identified with Maddy. I've always dreamed of running a bed and breakfast. And I loved the Christian storyline. It was a beautiful insight into the family a church can become, and members of that family show up at various times to help Maddy through difficult situations. Because of the Christian theme, this romance novel isn't filled with sex, and infidelity. It's a pure romance. I imagine it hit a cord with my old-fashioned, romantic self.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Wine in my Sippy Cup, by Deborah Dove
With this book I took a break from historical fiction to indulge in a guilty pleasure. A fun, light, easy-to-read comedy.
Wine in my Sippy Cup is a light-hearted memoir, written in first person, of a thirty-something ex-career woman turned stay-at-home mother who finds herself smack dab in the middle of an identity crisis.
Surrounded by three close friends, we feel her frustration, her doubt, as she runs into an ex, tries to create a new "identity", and struggles with the changes in her marriage. The book is light, witty, and very funny in a "corny" way. It is just what the doctor ordered on this damp and dreary late winter weekend.
While some of the stories seem "too funny", you have to take the story for what it is. Comedy. Humor. Entertainment. I loved the break from reality. Or into reality, depending on the day!
Wine in my Sippy Cup is a light-hearted memoir, written in first person, of a thirty-something ex-career woman turned stay-at-home mother who finds herself smack dab in the middle of an identity crisis.
Surrounded by three close friends, we feel her frustration, her doubt, as she runs into an ex, tries to create a new "identity", and struggles with the changes in her marriage. The book is light, witty, and very funny in a "corny" way. It is just what the doctor ordered on this damp and dreary late winter weekend.
While some of the stories seem "too funny", you have to take the story for what it is. Comedy. Humor. Entertainment. I loved the break from reality. Or into reality, depending on the day!
1929, by M. L. Gardner
Yet another installation in my historical fiction addiction.
1929 is an inside look at the lives of three young couples, wealthy by any standards prior to the stock market crash of 1929, and what they have to endure to get through life and survive once everything is lost. It is real; it is difficult to read.
I have never before read such a first-person account of the crash. And it left me sad to see the book end. Gardner does a wonderful job of making the reader feel intimately close to all six of the main characters. We feel their desperation as they realize the true breadth of the crash. We feel the need to hurry as they try to find a new place to live, jobs to survive.
From a land where they had servants, furs, and fine china and silver, they are transformed into working peasants, living in a tenemant.
It is beautiful, in the romantic, poetic way, to watch the young couples struggle, and change, and grow together through the hardships that now plague them. As simple as learning to cook, to stretch their money, and as difficult as trying to find a way out - a means to a new life again. The struggles are real, and they are difficult.
My favorite scenes are those that give us a glimpse at life in the 20s. A 20s era that isn't typically glorified in literature. A life where celebrations were simple, and real. And struggling together made people grow closer. Where living with less is an existence.
We as readers get to go with these three young families, as they go from riches, to poverty, and then through the struggle to get back out of the depths of the crash. It is a beautiful moment of human strength and durability.
and the power of love.
for me - the perfect marriage of historical fiction and romance.....
1929 is an inside look at the lives of three young couples, wealthy by any standards prior to the stock market crash of 1929, and what they have to endure to get through life and survive once everything is lost. It is real; it is difficult to read.
I have never before read such a first-person account of the crash. And it left me sad to see the book end. Gardner does a wonderful job of making the reader feel intimately close to all six of the main characters. We feel their desperation as they realize the true breadth of the crash. We feel the need to hurry as they try to find a new place to live, jobs to survive.
From a land where they had servants, furs, and fine china and silver, they are transformed into working peasants, living in a tenemant.
It is beautiful, in the romantic, poetic way, to watch the young couples struggle, and change, and grow together through the hardships that now plague them. As simple as learning to cook, to stretch their money, and as difficult as trying to find a way out - a means to a new life again. The struggles are real, and they are difficult.
My favorite scenes are those that give us a glimpse at life in the 20s. A 20s era that isn't typically glorified in literature. A life where celebrations were simple, and real. And struggling together made people grow closer. Where living with less is an existence.
We as readers get to go with these three young families, as they go from riches, to poverty, and then through the struggle to get back out of the depths of the crash. It is a beautiful moment of human strength and durability.
and the power of love.
for me - the perfect marriage of historical fiction and romance.....
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Fitting in my favorite genre of historical fiction, Snow Falling on Cedars was a beautifully written tale of forbidden, impossible love, prejudice, and war-time destruction.
Starting out, I found the book difficult to dig in. So many details, specific words - law terms, sailing and fishing terms - just too much to allow the flow of words for me. But I stuck with the book, and found that once I allowed myself to really emerse myself in the descriptions, I was able to feel the flow of thoughts. It's as if Guterson writes in a different tempo, and the work cannot be truly appreciated unless read at that tempo...
I found myself loving the descriptive passages inside the hollowed out cedar. I loved the descriptions of the homes, and of how the people handled themselves. I loved understanding every detail of the jurors, and the scene in the courtroom.
Guterson does a beautiful job of creating the character relationships in the book, taking us back into history, building their stories, and giving us insight to the woven paths their lives have taken....
I loved this book, the author's writing style, and the journey the book took me on.... well worth the patience needed to get into the feel of the book.... well worth it.
Starting out, I found the book difficult to dig in. So many details, specific words - law terms, sailing and fishing terms - just too much to allow the flow of words for me. But I stuck with the book, and found that once I allowed myself to really emerse myself in the descriptions, I was able to feel the flow of thoughts. It's as if Guterson writes in a different tempo, and the work cannot be truly appreciated unless read at that tempo...
I found myself loving the descriptive passages inside the hollowed out cedar. I loved the descriptions of the homes, and of how the people handled themselves. I loved understanding every detail of the jurors, and the scene in the courtroom.
Guterson does a beautiful job of creating the character relationships in the book, taking us back into history, building their stories, and giving us insight to the woven paths their lives have taken....
I loved this book, the author's writing style, and the journey the book took me on.... well worth the patience needed to get into the feel of the book.... well worth it.
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