Someone by Alice McDermott

I liked this book. It was a "journey book", the story of someone's life. :)  It meanders along, skipping back and forth in time - so that you sometimes know what happened before you find out how it happened. You know what Marie's children think about something long before you find out what Marie thinks herself, of the same thing from years/decades before. One thing that makes the story less confusing (because this technique would not always work when telling a story!) is that Marie's world is very small. At the beginning of the book Marie is around 7 years old. At the end of the book, she is elderly. We are introduced to the people who affect Marie's life in the first few pages of the book. These same people are mentioned (thought of) by Marie in the last pages of the book. It's not difficult to follow a story if there are only a few main characters that affect someones life!  

There are things in the book that are not fully explained, simply because Marie can't figure it out - or doesn't want to - so we don't get a full explanation either. I like to have a full analysis of events and people, so there were times I definitely wanted to know more. One great example of this is Marie's brother, Gabe. I have SO many questions about him! I really wanted Marie to be more forthcoming about asking him what troubled him. Good thing she married Tom, because she certainly needed a talker like Tom in her life. (I really liked Tom. He seemed so loving and caring and accepting, especially to his family and Gabe). I really wanted to know more about Gabe's breakdown and his stay at Suffolk, and quite honestly, why he left the priesthood! He gives Susan and Helen an answer, but there was more to it than that. And is he involved in a relationship, or does his deep faith prevent him from that? There are certainly some details to make assumptions, but nothing clearly defined.  I guess in life we really don't know what is inside of someone else, even those we are closest to, so that makes this story "authentic" in that we don't always get an analysis of events and/or people.

Marie had her heartaches and difficult times, but all-in-all, those events made her appreciate what she had in her life.  She seemed to be fulfilled by her life, despite the disappointments, the sadness, and the "smallness" of it.  Maybe because of those things.  She was certainly deeply affected by the few people that impacted her life, even though many of them were only a very small part of her long life. Pegeen, Walter and Bill Corrigan, to name three!

Wendy's Rating: ****

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

I didn't like this book as much as The Help, but I did like it a lot, despite its sadness.  I have always felt that the relationships between slaves and their owners must have been incredibly complex.  I am sure there were slaves and owners who genuinely loved each other - and the children they had together.  One thing that I thought about when reading this novel is that every book I read about slavery mentions owners having slave mistresses.  I had a hard time believing that every owner had sex with female slaves, which is how it's portrayed in most books on slavery.  I always think about Southerners being more conservative in nature, God-fearing Christians like Southern Baptists who would not ever think it would be okay to have sex with anyone outside of wedlock.  So, I looked it up. Googled it. ;)  Much to my surprise, and dismay, it was extremely common.  Southern culture treated all women as property, both white and black. Men could do whatever they wanted with their property.  It was a sign of the times. Very discouraging.

Although Drayle certainly took sexual advantage of Lizzie, especially when she was only 13, I do think he had feelings for her - more than just a piece of property.  I think she returned those feelings, even at the end of novel when she is not so naive about her situation.  I actually understood why Lizzie didn't run.  I'm not sure I would have either if I were her.  She had feelings for Drayle, she loved her children, she was accepted by Drayle's wife, she was treated much better than the majority of slaves.  Drayle certainly wasn't perfect, but in comparison to other slave owners, he seemed to act more respectfully than many others. Not always though!!  I hated him when he tied Philip to the tree. How can one man treat his "favorite slave" so horribly??  Even though beliefs were so different back then, I have a had time believing that a man could not see that his actions are morally wrong.  It's all about control I guess.  Slave owners controlled through fear.

The many deaths were incredibly sad.  I really want to know what happened to Mawu though!  How sad that she got caught while waiting for Lizzie.  I wasn't so sure about her for most of the book, but when she explains about Lizzie being her "twin", her "Lisa", I was impressed by her heart and her strength.  I was thrilled for both Philip and Reenie!  At least there were two people in the book that successfully left slavery behind and survived. Since the Civil War was approaching at the end of the book, I am thinking that Lizzie eventually got her freedom from slavery as well. Hopefully!

Wendy's Rating: ****

Looking for Alaska by John Green

John Green's books have the same theme: teenagers looking for answers.  Pudge is seeking the "Great Perhaps"; Alaska is seeking forgiveness; the Colonel is seeking a way out of poverty; Takumi is seeking a way to belong.  It's hard to read about young people that are so "lost" and unhappy, like Alaska.  The most difficult thing to do in life is to forgive yourself. You can forgive other people, and other people can forgive you, but it's incredibly hard to forgive yourself if you believe you've done harm to someone you love. Alaska's story is tragic. To feel responsible for the death of your mother is the ultimate burden. I guess we don't know too much about her father, but it's sad that he couldn't help her - or find help for her. She was just a little girl! People should have known she would be deeply affected by witnessing her mother's death, whether she had called 911 or not.

Very realistically, John Green drives home the point that teenagers are self-centered. They think often in terms of themselves - what's important to them; what's meaningful to them; how other's actions relate to them. I was a disappointed in all of Alaska's friends actually. She had shared with them the worst day of her life, and they seemed to acknowledge the awfulness of it - and even realized that is where her self-destruction took root, and yet after the accident, each of them just think of themselves in relation to what she may have been thinking. Really Pudge?? You really think that she would have reacted as strongly as she did that night (early morning) because she kissed you??  These were incredibly intelligent kids - and yet no one even considers her outburst may have been connected to her mother's death - the core of her impulsiveness, drinking, bad choices and sense of guilt which was controlling her life. Again, teenagers often don't think of anything other than how it affects or relates to them.

I loved Pudge's conclusion of how to get out of the labyrinth of suffering. Forgiveness is a powerful thing. I am relieved that Pudge understands that at the end. He won't make the same mistake that Alaska did.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Copper Sign by Katia Fox

This is an engaging story and I felt drawn into Ellenweore's story immediately.  Obviously, Ellen is a very strong woman, which she would have to be to survive - and prosper - as she did in the middle ages.  I have never in my life thought about how tools, knives, swords were made and I really had no idea the time it took and the attention to detail that is necessary to make a superior sword.  I didn't know there were steps to becoming a "Master Smith".  I was very fascinated by all of this information.

These books are difficult to read because so many people die - lots of good people and, fortunately, some of the bad. ;)  I thought it was odd that Ellen didn't mourn more deeply when Jocelyn was killed, because I thought she really loved him.  It bothered me that she seemed to just press on with her life even though a man that was to become her husband was murdered - because of her - and it seemed like she was ok to just move on.  I realize that so many people died back then that you would have a different attitude about death. I was happy that Ellen thought about Jocelyn several times after his death, which made her seem less indifferent to his death.

I was SO happy that Ellen finally realized that she was "just another woman" to William.  I didn't want her to blow it with Isaac, who actually really loves her!  I thought more highly of William in the beginning of the book, but when he basically rejected his son as "crippled", I lost all respect for him. Thibault was a horrible person!  His obsession with Ellen was outrageous. I thought he would rape her again - and was really pleased at his demise, finally.  

Jean is wonderful!  I loved him from beginning to end.  Talk about someone who had to grow up before his time - and they grew up early in those times!  He seemed to always be the voice of reason, no matter where they were or what was going on.  

I had never heard of this book - or really, the trilogy - but I really enjoyed it.  I will definitely read the next two books: The Silver Falcon and The Golden Throne.  

Good read!

Wendy's Rating: *****