Moral dilemmas always intrigue me - in books, not in real life. ;) This book was certainly full of them. If I was Isabel, suffering miscarriage after miscarriage, and then finding a baby with her deceased father come in on a boat, I would have kept the baby too! Isabel was grieving, the baby looked like a "gift from God", they lived at a lighthouse by themselves.... Why not?
Things get a little murkier when we find out about the baby's parents - and why the baby and her father end up in the boat to begin with. How awful to be chased by an angry mob for being German, which he wasn't! I was really angry about that whole scene, which everyone conveniently forgets! So I felt really bad for Hannah, but didn't particularly like her that much. Fortunately, and ironically, Hannah's dad really came through for his granddaughter.
I realized at a certain point that Isabel and Tom really needed to give Lucy back to Hannah, but it was really hard reading about the disastrous relationship between Hannah & Lucy/Grace. Hannah just didn't seem to get what Lucy Grace needed - although I understood her insecurities about it.
What made me angriest was Isabel throwing Tom under the bus!! If she had not set that right, I probably would have thrown the book away! The ending made me especially sad. I just wish that Lucy Grace would have visited Isabel and Tom before Isabel died. And I wish Isabel and Tom could have had a child. Yep, all in all, this was a pretty sad book. It was a good read though.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Monday, September 29, 2014
The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
I liked the book, but it was no Girl with a Pearl Earring. The biggest problem I had with the main character, Honor Bright, was that she showed so little emotion throughout the book! Yes, she was upset that her fiance broke their pending marriage off because of another woman, and she certainly hated how ill she got on the crossing, and she was upset that her sister died....but there are some key moments when she seemed almost uninvolved. The person she seemed to have the most feelings for, Donovan, also had feelings for her. What an interesting relationship that would have been! Opposites attract and all that; the slave hunter vs. the slaver helper; the "bad boy" and the "good girl". But no. She takes 3 walks with Jack Haymaker and ends up in the corn field with him! What? Then they get married.
But what really gets me is the end. Was the author just trying to end it as quick as possible? Belle was Honor's closest friend. Honor had feelings for Donovan, Belle's brother. I was envisioning Honor taking over Belle's shop after Belle passed away, or something along those lines. I actually liked Jack and understood his responsibility for his mother and sister, but I didn't necessarily think that Honor was going back to him. What I absolutely did NOT expect was for Donovan to "go bad" again, Belle shooting and killing her brother, Honor going back to Jack, and them leaving town for Wisconsin. Really? Why would Belle shoot her brother dead? I get that she was saving Mrs. Reed. Certainly someone had to do something. But that? And then Honor doesn't appear to grieve Donovan's death or Belle's pending hanging and death. It was just too much. Honor ran away from England; ran away from Adam & Abigail (although I didn't blame her there); and then she ran again from Faithwell.
I did like Honor's persistence in helping the runaways. I also respected the Haymakers turning a blind eye to Honor helping them, after everything they had gone through personally. If my father/husband had been burned alive for helping runaway slaves, I'm not sure where I would be on that subject.
I just read another book recently about slavery, quilting, and the Quakers. The Last Runaway doesn't go into too much depth about any of these subjects, but The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd does, and it is an excellent work of historical fiction.
This book was certainly readable, and I liked Honor's stance on slavery - and even her "silent treatment", which was fairly effective. She wasn't being heard, so she stopped talking. I like that. So I would recommend it to most people, even though I wasn't a fan of the ending. There have been worse endings though!
Wendy's Rating: ****
But what really gets me is the end. Was the author just trying to end it as quick as possible? Belle was Honor's closest friend. Honor had feelings for Donovan, Belle's brother. I was envisioning Honor taking over Belle's shop after Belle passed away, or something along those lines. I actually liked Jack and understood his responsibility for his mother and sister, but I didn't necessarily think that Honor was going back to him. What I absolutely did NOT expect was for Donovan to "go bad" again, Belle shooting and killing her brother, Honor going back to Jack, and them leaving town for Wisconsin. Really? Why would Belle shoot her brother dead? I get that she was saving Mrs. Reed. Certainly someone had to do something. But that? And then Honor doesn't appear to grieve Donovan's death or Belle's pending hanging and death. It was just too much. Honor ran away from England; ran away from Adam & Abigail (although I didn't blame her there); and then she ran again from Faithwell.
I did like Honor's persistence in helping the runaways. I also respected the Haymakers turning a blind eye to Honor helping them, after everything they had gone through personally. If my father/husband had been burned alive for helping runaway slaves, I'm not sure where I would be on that subject.
I just read another book recently about slavery, quilting, and the Quakers. The Last Runaway doesn't go into too much depth about any of these subjects, but The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd does, and it is an excellent work of historical fiction.
This book was certainly readable, and I liked Honor's stance on slavery - and even her "silent treatment", which was fairly effective. She wasn't being heard, so she stopped talking. I like that. So I would recommend it to most people, even though I wasn't a fan of the ending. There have been worse endings though!
Wendy's Rating: ****
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Illusion by Frank Peretti
This book pulled me in quickly. I was intrigued - and then terribly confused. This is a different take on "time travel". Very scientific explanation of people moving around in time. The scientists' reasoning behind trying this experiment was admirable: trying to prevent death, illness, bad things from happening. Simply ;) place someone onto a different timeline and the bad event on their original timeline will never happen. Well, it is never as simple as that, is it?
The middle of the book slogged a bit and was incredibly confusing as Mandy kept seeing/hearing Mandy and sometimes she was solid and sometimes she wasn't and Mandy never really seemed to know which Mandy she was at any particular time on any particular timeline. Or should I say Eloise.... Hmmm.... I certainly understand why both Dane and Mandy thought they were crazy for most of the book!
I did love the magic though. I loved the shows that first brought people in to see Mandy at the coffee shop (although I don't think the reader needed to "see" each and every show that she performed at the coffee shop!) I liked the explanation of Mandy's magic (Mandy on different "Mandy timelines" making things move) instead of it just being "supernatural" events. I loved how Mandy and Dane fell in love all over again, even though they desperately tried not to because of their age difference. And I liked the effect of "The Grand Illusion", although I had a hard time believing that all the events, actions and thoughts happened within the one minute of the hour glass timer!! Mandy must think and act faster than the speed of light! Wow!
I had no idea who was "good" and who was "bad" for most of the book. It was hard to know who Mandy should be trusting and who she shouldn't be trusting, but I guess that was the author's intent.
The end was fairly predictable, but the ride there was fast-paced (a lot happened within the "minute" of The Grand Illusion!) and satisfying.
Wendy's Rating: ****
The middle of the book slogged a bit and was incredibly confusing as Mandy kept seeing/hearing Mandy and sometimes she was solid and sometimes she wasn't and Mandy never really seemed to know which Mandy she was at any particular time on any particular timeline. Or should I say Eloise.... Hmmm.... I certainly understand why both Dane and Mandy thought they were crazy for most of the book!
I did love the magic though. I loved the shows that first brought people in to see Mandy at the coffee shop (although I don't think the reader needed to "see" each and every show that she performed at the coffee shop!) I liked the explanation of Mandy's magic (Mandy on different "Mandy timelines" making things move) instead of it just being "supernatural" events. I loved how Mandy and Dane fell in love all over again, even though they desperately tried not to because of their age difference. And I liked the effect of "The Grand Illusion", although I had a hard time believing that all the events, actions and thoughts happened within the one minute of the hour glass timer!! Mandy must think and act faster than the speed of light! Wow!
I had no idea who was "good" and who was "bad" for most of the book. It was hard to know who Mandy should be trusting and who she shouldn't be trusting, but I guess that was the author's intent.
The end was fairly predictable, but the ride there was fast-paced (a lot happened within the "minute" of The Grand Illusion!) and satisfying.
Wendy's Rating: ****
The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman
The author leads us through this story using Juno. For a nice refreshing change, Juno actually thought the same things - and wondered the same things - that I did as the reader. For example, Juno acknowledged to herself that Neil could be the father of Christine's baby; she wondered if Neil had lied to her about seeing Christine earlier than May; she didn't trust Gavin Penrose; she suspected that Christine wasn't being honest with her and was holding something back; and I liked that she thought through the idea of Christine killing herself vs. being murdered. Juno was intelligent. Although she loved Christine and Neil, and had a significant history with them, she didn't play dumb when confronted with ideas that made her uncomfortable.
I loved the use of art, mythology, water, stained glass, painting and the journal entries to further the story. (Even though I personally would have read all of the journal entries the night they were first discovered!) I was intrigued by the Augustus/Clare/Eugenie and the Neil/Juno/Christine triangles; the themes of true love and unrequited love - the similarities and the difference between the two threesomes.
This story was a demonstration of how people are generally self-centered, as in "centered around self", not necessarily selfish. Most of the main characters in this novel were so centered on their own lives/secrets/problems that each person thought that everything that happened concerned them.
I was happy that the author killed off Christine because of a misunderstanding on the part of the doctor and the drug trial, rather than having Penrose kill her because of a family secret. That wouldn't have made sense to me. The doctor fearing that his drug trial was in jeopardy by Christine - THAT made sense.
An elemental question in this story surfaces again and again: is it better to live an unbearable life or just die? Eugenie, Neil, Christine all pondered this question.
Neil and Juno would never have lived "happily ever after" because the medication wasn't working for him. It was killing him. He would have refused to take any other medication that "dulled" his artistry - and therefore he would have been a threat to Juno and Bea. By saving Juno at the end, and dying himself, Neil finally redeemed himself from his earlier attempt on their lives and allowed Juno to find happiness with someone else (finally).
Wendy's Rating: *****
I loved the use of art, mythology, water, stained glass, painting and the journal entries to further the story. (Even though I personally would have read all of the journal entries the night they were first discovered!) I was intrigued by the Augustus/Clare/Eugenie and the Neil/Juno/Christine triangles; the themes of true love and unrequited love - the similarities and the difference between the two threesomes.
This story was a demonstration of how people are generally self-centered, as in "centered around self", not necessarily selfish. Most of the main characters in this novel were so centered on their own lives/secrets/problems that each person thought that everything that happened concerned them.
I was happy that the author killed off Christine because of a misunderstanding on the part of the doctor and the drug trial, rather than having Penrose kill her because of a family secret. That wouldn't have made sense to me. The doctor fearing that his drug trial was in jeopardy by Christine - THAT made sense.
An elemental question in this story surfaces again and again: is it better to live an unbearable life or just die? Eugenie, Neil, Christine all pondered this question.
Neil and Juno would never have lived "happily ever after" because the medication wasn't working for him. It was killing him. He would have refused to take any other medication that "dulled" his artistry - and therefore he would have been a threat to Juno and Bea. By saving Juno at the end, and dying himself, Neil finally redeemed himself from his earlier attempt on their lives and allowed Juno to find happiness with someone else (finally).
Wendy's Rating: *****
Me and Emma by Elizabeth Flock
I saw this book as a meandering story of abuse. I couldn't figure out where it was all leading for the longest time. That being said, I was shocked when I figured out that Emma wasn't real. I didn't see it coming. After that, I saw the book in a different light - and I certainly appreciated it more. Thinking back, there were so many clues that the author left us that I didn't pick up on. One big one, of course, was Carrie's mother never acknowledging Emma; also Grandma only shaving off Carrie's hair and not Emma's; only Carrie being offered a job at the drugstore; Carried being taught how to use a gun while Emma watched - and sometimes Emma wasn't there at all.
I saw Emma as an imaginary friend. It was through Emma that Carrie was able to see herself: eating dog food, her rats nest hair, the evidence of where the chains were around her neck, being beaten so hard that she couldn't stand or walk to her bedroom, the sexual abuse by Richard, and the thought of using the gun to kill Richard. Carrie couldn't acknowledge that all of this was happening to her, so a lot of it she put on Emma. Carrie was the "favored one" by her mother and in order to be her mother's favorite, she had to make up a "least favorite" sister. It has been a long time since I have read Sybil, so I may need to refresh myself on what determines a split personality, but I really saw Emma as an imaginary sister.
It's a very disturbing book. The most despicable character is Carrie's mother, hands down. I can accept "battered woman's syndrome" as a reason that women don't leave their batterers. What I can't accept is a mother not protecting her child - at any cost. There were people in their lives that would have helped them, had she let them.
I think it's the small town mentality that "things happen and you need to stay out of other people's business that causes people to not report obvious abuse. Carrie's school teacher did try to get Carrie to talk to her, being a child of abuse herself, but when Carrie wouldn't acknowledge it, she just let it go. The drug store owner also made a feeble attempt with Carrie's mother. Some of these people probably suffered some sort of abuse in their lives at the hands of their relatives or others. I know they felt sorry for Carrie, but also felt helpless to really know how to help her.
Wendy's Rating: ****
I saw Emma as an imaginary friend. It was through Emma that Carrie was able to see herself: eating dog food, her rats nest hair, the evidence of where the chains were around her neck, being beaten so hard that she couldn't stand or walk to her bedroom, the sexual abuse by Richard, and the thought of using the gun to kill Richard. Carrie couldn't acknowledge that all of this was happening to her, so a lot of it she put on Emma. Carrie was the "favored one" by her mother and in order to be her mother's favorite, she had to make up a "least favorite" sister. It has been a long time since I have read Sybil, so I may need to refresh myself on what determines a split personality, but I really saw Emma as an imaginary sister.
It's a very disturbing book. The most despicable character is Carrie's mother, hands down. I can accept "battered woman's syndrome" as a reason that women don't leave their batterers. What I can't accept is a mother not protecting her child - at any cost. There were people in their lives that would have helped them, had she let them.
I think it's the small town mentality that "things happen and you need to stay out of other people's business that causes people to not report obvious abuse. Carrie's school teacher did try to get Carrie to talk to her, being a child of abuse herself, but when Carrie wouldn't acknowledge it, she just let it go. The drug store owner also made a feeble attempt with Carrie's mother. Some of these people probably suffered some sort of abuse in their lives at the hands of their relatives or others. I know they felt sorry for Carrie, but also felt helpless to really know how to help her.
Wendy's Rating: ****
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
The Lucky One was enjoyable. I reminded myself before I started the book that Nicholas Sparks writes for the romance, so that I would read it in the right frame of mind. I thought the ending was a little too pat, with Keith dying and all, because it takes all the mystery and conflict out of the lives and relationships of Logan, Elizabeth and Ben. Don't get me wrong though, I didn't like anything about Keith. He was a self-centered loser. All in all though, it was a pleasant read.
Wendy's Rating: ***1/2
Wendy's Rating: ***1/2
The Shack by William P. Young
I was disappointed by The Shack. The actual story is both tragic and life-affirming. I simply didn't like the way the story was told - mainly the personification of God and the Holy Spirit; and Jesus being portrayed the way he was. I also had a problem with Mack being told that our society would be better if we didn't have any rules/laws. (I am paraphrasing here, but it was basically the message).
I believe that Mack was communicated to by God about his daughter, otherwise Mack wouldn't have known where to find his daughter's body. I just think that it all happened in his mind during/after his car accident. If you have read Ishmael (a philosophical tale told by a talking ape), well, I had the same problem with that book! Apparently, I cannot suspend my belief enough when reading words spoken by talking animals and personifications when the subject is religious or philosophical in nature! I am happy that Mack came to terms with his grief over his daughter's death. If this story is the only way he could do that, then more power to him.
Wendy's Rating: **
I believe that Mack was communicated to by God about his daughter, otherwise Mack wouldn't have known where to find his daughter's body. I just think that it all happened in his mind during/after his car accident. If you have read Ishmael (a philosophical tale told by a talking ape), well, I had the same problem with that book! Apparently, I cannot suspend my belief enough when reading words spoken by talking animals and personifications when the subject is religious or philosophical in nature! I am happy that Mack came to terms with his grief over his daughter's death. If this story is the only way he could do that, then more power to him.
Wendy's Rating: **
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Why, why, why was Kate so negative about being a stay-at-home mom? She made it sound like drudgery. Where were the happy times? The loving times? Marah was a screaming colicky baby who turned into a selfish brat. The boys were always described as wild and unruly. This book is NOT a good one to read if you are considering staying home with your baby! My experience as a stay-at-home mom was nothing like Kate's. If I had been as unhappy as Kate appeared to be, I would have just gotten a job. She didn't seem to enjoy anything - even as she was trying to do everything. Yes, it is a busy and hectic life, but there is the joy of being able to spend every day with your kids that is not evident in this book.
That being said, I liked the book. I'm not sure why the loving mother always has to die in the end, while the selfish best friend gets a ready-made family that she doesn't deserve (think Beaches), but I cried along with everyone else. The characters were well described and always acted within the scope of their personality. I wasn't a huge fan of Tully, but I was able to understand why she was so important to Kate. I actually disliked her whenever she stood with Marah against Kate, and one of my favorite paragraphs in the book was when Mrs. M told her she needed to make things right with Kate.
So, some questions to ponder:
1) Would you have forgiven Tully for her live show about domineering/controlling mothers and the daughters who hate them?
2) Do you believe that Kate was Johnny's "second choice" - or do you think that Johnny truly loved Kate more than Tully when he married Kate?
3) Do you think that Tully will end up with Johnny? Do you think that Johnny would ever allow that to happen?
I really like that his was a novel with an important message about breast cancer. It's good to spread the word any way you can.
My thoughts on the above questions:
1) I would have had a difficult time forgiving Tully. I mean how many times does one person have to put themselves out there for another - with minimal in return? You can excuse Tully and her actions for only so long. She had a horrible mother, BUT she had a loving, supportive grandmother and a loving, supportive family who took her in and treated her like part of the family. She had good role models! Maybe she had a good reason for not understanding the mother/daughter relationship, but that doesn't excuse her for every other type of relationship. Even Luke truly loved her! I would have probably reached out to Tully one more time (like Kate did) if I was on my death bed though. I would want to say goodbye. I liked how Kate was not shy about telling Tully what a selfish bitch she was at the end too. That makes Kate less of a doormat.
2) I believe that Johnny loved Kate, although I certainly understood Kate's insecurities. It would be hard to have a friend like Tully: beautiful, vivacious, fearless, rich. Anyone would feel like a dumpy housewife compare to her. But, to Johnny's credit, he never gave Kate a reason to doubt him.
3) I don't think Johnny would allow anything to happen between himself and Tully after Kate's death - out of love and respect for Kate, and simply because of who Tully was as a person. It annoys me that Tully will be Marah's primary female role model though.
Wendy's Rating: ****
That being said, I liked the book. I'm not sure why the loving mother always has to die in the end, while the selfish best friend gets a ready-made family that she doesn't deserve (think Beaches), but I cried along with everyone else. The characters were well described and always acted within the scope of their personality. I wasn't a huge fan of Tully, but I was able to understand why she was so important to Kate. I actually disliked her whenever she stood with Marah against Kate, and one of my favorite paragraphs in the book was when Mrs. M told her she needed to make things right with Kate.
So, some questions to ponder:
1) Would you have forgiven Tully for her live show about domineering/controlling mothers and the daughters who hate them?
2) Do you believe that Kate was Johnny's "second choice" - or do you think that Johnny truly loved Kate more than Tully when he married Kate?
3) Do you think that Tully will end up with Johnny? Do you think that Johnny would ever allow that to happen?
I really like that his was a novel with an important message about breast cancer. It's good to spread the word any way you can.
My thoughts on the above questions:
1) I would have had a difficult time forgiving Tully. I mean how many times does one person have to put themselves out there for another - with minimal in return? You can excuse Tully and her actions for only so long. She had a horrible mother, BUT she had a loving, supportive grandmother and a loving, supportive family who took her in and treated her like part of the family. She had good role models! Maybe she had a good reason for not understanding the mother/daughter relationship, but that doesn't excuse her for every other type of relationship. Even Luke truly loved her! I would have probably reached out to Tully one more time (like Kate did) if I was on my death bed though. I would want to say goodbye. I liked how Kate was not shy about telling Tully what a selfish bitch she was at the end too. That makes Kate less of a doormat.
2) I believe that Johnny loved Kate, although I certainly understood Kate's insecurities. It would be hard to have a friend like Tully: beautiful, vivacious, fearless, rich. Anyone would feel like a dumpy housewife compare to her. But, to Johnny's credit, he never gave Kate a reason to doubt him.
3) I don't think Johnny would allow anything to happen between himself and Tully after Kate's death - out of love and respect for Kate, and simply because of who Tully was as a person. It annoys me that Tully will be Marah's primary female role model though.
Wendy's Rating: ****
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
In general, I liked this book. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone however. "Time-travel" is always an interesting concept. I actually liked how the author provided an explanation as to why Henry time-traveled - and explained how he tried to "fix" himself so that he could stay in the present. I think it was a wonderful love story. Talk about never-ending love! ;)
That being said, I also found it to be confusing at times. Part of the problem (for me) was that the two "voices", meaning Henry and Clare, were not distinct enough from each other. I would oftentimes be reading a section and I would think I was reading Henry's thoughts and something would confuse me, so I would look back to the "title" - and sure enough, I was actually reading Clare's thought. When an author flips back and forth in time, and back and forth between two characters, the two characters have to each have a distinctive voice! I mean, considering their different genders - and different ages, we should be able to tell who is talking without always looking to the sub-heading for clarification.
It took me about 70 pages to really get into the book. Once I understood what was going on though, with the different ages of Henry and Clare, I thought it was cleverly written. I'm still not sure what to think of the two Henry's being together though.... I like how the author doles out information a little at a time, so it kept you guessing as to what was going to happen - or what had already happened!
A comment about the death of Henry: I didn't have a problem with Henry standing there looking at his own blood in the field with Clare's dad and brother, but I thought it was weird that Clare's dad and brother weren't freaked out by Henry being there. They did see him, right? It's not like he was a ghost or anything. That was a weird scene because Henry #1 called out to Clare after he was shot. If Clare heard that in the house, then her dad and brother would have heard it. Then, they only find blood (no body) - AND they find Henry #2 standing there looking at the blood with them. Later, when they meet Henry, no one ever mentions this day. Weird.
Wendy's Rating: ****
That being said, I also found it to be confusing at times. Part of the problem (for me) was that the two "voices", meaning Henry and Clare, were not distinct enough from each other. I would oftentimes be reading a section and I would think I was reading Henry's thoughts and something would confuse me, so I would look back to the "title" - and sure enough, I was actually reading Clare's thought. When an author flips back and forth in time, and back and forth between two characters, the two characters have to each have a distinctive voice! I mean, considering their different genders - and different ages, we should be able to tell who is talking without always looking to the sub-heading for clarification.
It took me about 70 pages to really get into the book. Once I understood what was going on though, with the different ages of Henry and Clare, I thought it was cleverly written. I'm still not sure what to think of the two Henry's being together though.... I like how the author doles out information a little at a time, so it kept you guessing as to what was going to happen - or what had already happened!
A comment about the death of Henry: I didn't have a problem with Henry standing there looking at his own blood in the field with Clare's dad and brother, but I thought it was weird that Clare's dad and brother weren't freaked out by Henry being there. They did see him, right? It's not like he was a ghost or anything. That was a weird scene because Henry #1 called out to Clare after he was shot. If Clare heard that in the house, then her dad and brother would have heard it. Then, they only find blood (no body) - AND they find Henry #2 standing there looking at the blood with them. Later, when they meet Henry, no one ever mentions this day. Weird.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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