What a wonderful book! I loved that the authors used excerpts from real letters. One thing I have learned over the years is that our Founding Fathers were flawed people, just like the rest of us. Thomas Jefferson wrote that all men were created equal, but was unable to free his own slaves. He had a long-term a relationship with a slave - and (potentially) fathered 5 or 6 children with her - despite the fact that she was his daughter's age, a slave, and at the time it would have been considered an incestuous relationship since Sally was his deceased wife's sister. It doesn't really seem that much has changed in politics over the decades, generations, centuries.... Men in power do what they want.
I really loved William Short. He was willing to sacrifice everything to hold to his principles. It's amazing that he could hold such strong beliefs and still consider Jefferson his respected mentor. I think that Martha (Patsy) was put in an impossible situation. Her father was giving her a MAJOR guilt trip, her mother made her promise at her death that she would look after her father, William Short wouldn't sacrifice his beliefs about the evil of slavery and return to Virginia.... Martha was presented with a lose/lose situation. So, she lost William and suffered through an abusive marriage with an alcoholic husband. I was actually quite shocked - and impressed - that she sought advice about divorce. I didn't think that was done in those times - especially in the upper classes where reputation is everything. I was so relieved that she reconnected with William Short after Tom's death in the book - and even more relieved that the real William Short was a significant person in Martha Jefferson's real life!
I admired Martha/Patsy for the strong woman that she was. I was also impressed that the men around her let her be strong (for the most part). Even Tom seemed to appreciate her strength - unless it went directly against what he wanted or believed. Obviously, both Thomas Jefferson and his daughter were highly intelligent. Too bad Thomas Jefferson and Tom Randolph didn't hire financial advisers! Their debts were staggering!
Really loved this book!
Wendy's Rating: *****
Monday, November 27, 2017
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
I really loved this book! Yes, it's sad for several reasons: Helene's comatose state for ten years and counting; Shelby's guilt; the death of Sue; the estranged relationship between Shelby and her father; Shelby losing Ben.... For every sadness though, something positive happens - even if it's just a deeper understanding of something or someone.
Shelby talks about her "angel", but I think she had four "angels" looking after her: her mother, Ben, Maravelle and James. If every person had four people in their lives that loved them unconditionally and never gave up on them, no matter what, there would be less troubled people in the world.
I really wanted Shelby to end up with Ben. Ben loved her so much - and tried so hard - and was so incredibly patient and kind. I kept waiting for them to reunite. I thought their online dating match would be the catalyst for them starting over. I was so bummed when he walked away, even though I understood it too. Then when he announced he was getting married, my heart broke for Shelby. Too little too late. In the end, when Ben came back, I was relieved that they came to terms with each other - and also that Shelby didn't hurt James by going back to Ben. I honestly don't know who was the better match for Shelby, but at that point, James loved her just as much and Ben was married with a baby on the way. Shelby definitely made the right choice.
I am a firm believer that when someone is despondent, like Shelby was after the accident, that giving them responsibility is a great way to fight depression. I think it was awesome for the pet store owner to tell Shelby that she was the new store manager, even when she didn't deserve it at the time. His belief in her was the starting point for Shelby's life turning in a different direction.
There was an underlying sense of forgiveness throughout the book. People got hurt, both physically and emotionally, but people worked through their hurt/anger/sadness and came out the other side of it. Helene's parents welcomed Shelby into their home; Shelby understood that she had shut her dad out of her life after the accident and that their estrangement wasn't all on him; Ben & Shelby made peace with their life choices and not ending up together; Sue was unhappy in her marriage, but didn't lay that burden on Shelby; Harper felt remorse for what he had done for Shelby and Shelby trusted him so much as a vet that she brought her dying dog to him despite what had happened between them.
Loved it!
Wendy's Rating: *****
Shelby talks about her "angel", but I think she had four "angels" looking after her: her mother, Ben, Maravelle and James. If every person had four people in their lives that loved them unconditionally and never gave up on them, no matter what, there would be less troubled people in the world.
I really wanted Shelby to end up with Ben. Ben loved her so much - and tried so hard - and was so incredibly patient and kind. I kept waiting for them to reunite. I thought their online dating match would be the catalyst for them starting over. I was so bummed when he walked away, even though I understood it too. Then when he announced he was getting married, my heart broke for Shelby. Too little too late. In the end, when Ben came back, I was relieved that they came to terms with each other - and also that Shelby didn't hurt James by going back to Ben. I honestly don't know who was the better match for Shelby, but at that point, James loved her just as much and Ben was married with a baby on the way. Shelby definitely made the right choice.
I am a firm believer that when someone is despondent, like Shelby was after the accident, that giving them responsibility is a great way to fight depression. I think it was awesome for the pet store owner to tell Shelby that she was the new store manager, even when she didn't deserve it at the time. His belief in her was the starting point for Shelby's life turning in a different direction.
There was an underlying sense of forgiveness throughout the book. People got hurt, both physically and emotionally, but people worked through their hurt/anger/sadness and came out the other side of it. Helene's parents welcomed Shelby into their home; Shelby understood that she had shut her dad out of her life after the accident and that their estrangement wasn't all on him; Ben & Shelby made peace with their life choices and not ending up together; Sue was unhappy in her marriage, but didn't lay that burden on Shelby; Harper felt remorse for what he had done for Shelby and Shelby trusted him so much as a vet that she brought her dying dog to him despite what had happened between them.
Loved it!
Wendy's Rating: *****
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