The Lake House by Kate Morton

I really love Kate Morton novels! She has a way of getting the reader invested in two or three different stories so that it isn't disappointing or shocking to go back and forth in time. I have to admit though, at the beginning of this book, there were a lot of characters that I had a difficult time keeping track of. Plus, she doesn't explain anything (part of the "mystery") so it can be hard to know what is going on; what is important to remember; who will be the main characters. Fortunately, she reminds us of who everyone is enough times so that eventually I remember most of it. I did keep forgetting the details of Constance's early life and Eleanor's childhood, whose lives and actions were obviously important to the story.

I never believed for a minute that Theo's sisters could or would have caused him harm, whether intentionally or unintentionally. They loved him way too much. Teenagers are so centered around themselves that I figured his disappearance had to involve something more than what his sisters where up to. I thought it was reasonable to think that Anthony could have unintentionally harmed Theo, based on what happened to him in the war. I didn't believe he would though - or that he would have an affair with the nanny. He loved Eleanor too much. His story made me incredibly sad. So much promise. Very realistic portrayal of PTSD. Ben's death also made me sad. My opinion of Ben changed dramatically as the story progressed. Again, Alice portrayed him (and their relationship) much differently than he/it was. Eleanor and Ben's love story seemed genuine. I love that Eleanor stayed with Anthony though. That's the "for better or worse" part of marriage. Plus, they really loved each other. Protecting him, and protecting her children from him, is a huge burden to carry however. And....I was very sad about what happened to Mr. Llewellyn. Why couldn't Constance have just let it go?!

I can't remember exactly when I started understanding what really happened to Theo. KM does take you on a journey full of twists and turns! I did not want him to be dead, so part of it was probably wishful thinking on my part, but a woman protecting her child above all else is something I understand. Eleanor's decisions made sense to me. Constance's decisions did NOT. I really disliked her! 

I didn't understand why Sadie was so ostracized due to her actions. She genuinely believed that Nancy's daughter had come to harm. She believed Nancy when Nancy explained how much her daughter loved her granddaughter. Sadie going to the media jeopardized her reputation and her job? Seems a little harsh to me. Maybe she was too invested - and maybe she didn't follow procedure - and maybe it was time for her to take a "breather", but it's annoying when your gut tells you one thing and it's opposite of what everyone else is saying! I totally understood her investment in this case!

What I absolutely did NOT see coming was Theo's identity! Not even an inkling. Does it seem like too "pat" of an ending to me? Yes, kind of. But in the end, I didn't care. I like happy endings, especially after all the sadness.

Loved it!

Wendy's Rating: *****

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

A modern day romance with a handful of quirky characters, most of them flawed in some way, who all make mistakes and (eventually) accept and love each other anyway. In all honesty, I didn't really connect with any of the characters - and didn't much like Ed - initially. When they began their road trip however, I grew to love each and every one of them - as a "blended family unit" and individually. This is a case where they brought out the best of each other the longer they spent time together. That includes Norman! I actually thought Ed was more tolerant of Norman drooling and farting in his beautiful car than I would have been!

The moral of this story is: honesty is the best policy, regardless of the consequences. Jess and Ed's mistakes were very real examples of some serious consequences that made an impact on the children, friends and family members. Ed took responsibility for his careless crime, which was committed for a terrible reason; Jess took responsibility for her crime committed in desperation. I love that by the end of the book their social statuses had moved toward each other. Jess had found her niche and was building a business; Ed sold all of his expensive homes and cars and was happy with a small home and old vehicle. They seemed to "meet in the middle". Best of all, they were both so much happier!

Nicky showed a lot of growth. I love that he stayed true to who he was though. He didn't stop wearing mascara or try to be someone he was not. He just learned a "safe" way to express himself (thanks to Ed suggesting that he blog!) I thought it was wonderful that he was honest and open and showed his vulnerability when he blogged - and that people responded to that. Kindness begets kindness. Nicky was able to learn that in his own way in his own time.

Tanzie went from being ambitious and confident to a girl with low self esteem who was afraid of her own shadow. For good reasons of course, but very disheartening. I wasn't quite sure how she would gain her spirit back, but I like how the author handled it.

My inclination is to go read another Jojo Moyes book RIGHT NOW, because I love her books! They are all a little different too, which I like. My favorite will always be Me Before You though!

Wendy's Rating: ****

The House of The Spirits by Isabel Allende

I always have a hard time with books like this. It was well-written, but I didn't love it. I certainly didn't mind the unique characters - of which there were many - but I really didn't like most of them. My favorite character was Clara. One of the reasons I liked her is because she genuinely seemed to love Esteban, which is ironic because my least favorite character was Esteban.  Clara wasn't really invested in anyone though, including her children. She was self-absorbed and preoccupied with her spirits. Then, when she feels her time on earth is done, she dies and leaves everyone else to struggle without her. Why? 

I detested Esteban. How he could love both Rosa and Clara, yet treat all other women in his life like lower life forms, raping and discarding them like they were nothing, is beyond me. He was violent and cruel. He was selfish and arrogant. Since he was also the narrator, the reader rarely gets a break from him. It's hard for me to love a book when I hate the narrator and main character.

When the story turned more political in nature, I thought it was interesting how it parallels
our recent politics. Due to unexpected election results, the whole country panics and impulsively makes decisions, like pulling their money out of the banks and fleeing the country. Property values halved and people start stringing barbed wire along the border to keep the Russians out. "In a few hours the country had split into two irreconcilable groups, a division that began to spread within every family in the land." How incredibly interesting that this book was written in 1982 and the same thing could have been written today! It is also a good reminder that power is power, and it can be corrupt no matter what side of the political spectrum you are on. Esteban thinks everything is going to be so great when the "rebel" president eventually gets overthrown, but things get even worse, for himself and his country. (It reminded me of Katniss realizing that District 13 taking down the Capitol wasn't going to be a positive thing, just a transfer of abusive power. Where is the girl with the bow & arrow and wicked shot when you need her?) ;)

Anyway, I will continue reading more from this author (I really want to read The Japanese Lover), but this was not my favorite book.

Wendy's Rating: ***1/2

Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard

Cooking really doesn't interest me, so I was wary about reading this book. All of the reviews on the back of the book referred to the recipes, the food, the palates. Much to my surprise, and enjoyment, I found this book charming. I actually got something different out of the book than apparently a lot of other readers.

What I loved is reading about the differences between American culture and French culture - so beyond the meals the French prepare, which can take hours to consume, and the open air markets where they buy their fresh produce twice weekly. I love the distinct differences in thought.

Elizabeth comments about Gwendal "committing two cardinal sins against French society: he was running after money....which challenges the aristocratic origins of the elite, and he was catapulting himself to the head of something - potentially bossing other people around - which goes against the egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution and anti-establishment rhetoric of the 1968 hippies." I loved the author's observation that American parents raise their children to believe that they can do whatever they want to do; be whoever they want to be. Americans say "yes, yes, yes!" The French raise their children to follow in their parent's and grandparent's and great-grandparent's footsteps - never wanting more and never thinking outside the box. The French say "no, no, no!" Americans are all about change. The French are all about history.

Then, to make the story even more interesting, the reader gets to see Elizabeth and Gwendal each come to the realization that there are flaws in the thought process and beliefs of each of their countries. Gwendal learns that it is okay to seek something else - to have a dream and pursue it. Elizabeth learns that you can constantly be searching for something - money, fame, honor, recognition - but never get there. Sometimes you just have to be happy with what you have, instead of always wanting more.

I loved that in the end, Elizabeth realizes how deeply her life has been enriched by her own family and friends, Gwendal's family and friends, American traditions and French traditions. Their life together is truly a tapestry.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

This book was worth the wait! I really loved the entire trilogy, even though six years is a long time to wait to read three parts of one story. This book certainly answered a lot of questions, especially how the whole thing started to begin with, but there was simply too much time between reading the three books to understand it all.

I really liked that we got to meet Tim Fanning and understand his life. I'm not sure if we should blame Fanning for what happened however. Lear is really the one who set everything in motion. He was the one obsessed with the virus; he was the one who abandoned Liz, the wife he loved, for this obsession. He was the one who wanted Fanning to join him in his research after Liz died. Lear tried to "correct his wrong" by creating Amy, but honestly, it was much too late at that point. I am not saying I liked Fanning, but none of it would have happened without Lear.

What was confusing to me was the different levels of being a viral. You have Fanning (Zero) who was the father of all virals, and yet he looked like a man. Then there is Alicia, who was half-viral, half-human, who looked liked a woman but had Zero in her head at all times.  Amy is viral, but from a different source. She is changed back to human form by nearly drowning and then can be automatically trusted - even though she is a viral. Carter, well I honestly never did understand what was going on with him. I can't even remember who Rachel is! Then you have the virals and the dopeys, the virals obviously stronger than the dopeys - but both of them die in the sun and water. Right? There is something to be said about waiting until a trilogy is completely written before starting it!

I think that Amy gave Peter her blood at the end (when she wouldn't earlier on) because it was the end. There was no one else in the United States. They could be together and it didn't affect anyone. I am surprised that Peter died though, and Amy lived another 900 years. As a viral I would have thought that Peter would have lived longer. I think that Alicia had been living in pain for a long time. She had Zero in her head, but after her water escapade turned her back into being fully human, her body was broken - literally. I think she was just tired of living and just wanted to join her daughter in death. I kept wondering how Michael was going to get his way with fleeing the country with 700 people on his ship, since Peter was so opposed to the idea. That whole part, trying to get the remaining citizens of Kerville, Texas to the ship in time was really page-turning material! In the end, Michael saved the human race with his forethought. Ever the adventurer, it was fitting that he went off by himself in the end to continue with his explorations.

One thing that I still wonder about: Pim seemed to have a special bond with Amy? What was that about? How did Amy know how to sign? What were they "sharing" or "talking" about over their mind-waves (so to speak) that day - at least that is what they appeared to be doing. I am glad that Pim wrote it all down, but how did she know the full story of what happened?

If there were not so many other books that I want to read, I would start The Passage right now! One day, I plan to read the entire trilogy again. Maybe if they make a movie out of it, that time will come sooner rather than later! I really loved this story!

Wendy's Rating: *****

When Smiles Fade by Paige Dearth

Yikes, this book was like "fifty shades of abuse"! It's one of the darkest books I have read in awhile. The abuse goes on and on and on, pretty much like the sex in Fifty Shades of Grey, hence my previous comment. One of the biggest problems I had is that there is no relief from the abuse. The author is not subtle about it either. The main character, Emma, goes through a variety of physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse. She is beaten and burned and raped and ignored and hated. One of the only characters in the entire book that is nice to her is the head of the mafia. Really?? And even he isn't honest with her about his situation, so she gets hurt by him too.

On the back of the book jacket, the final sentence states, "Finally a person emerges from within that guides her toward a better life until she learns of a secret that sets her on the path of ultimate redemption." Redemption?? How about revenge, or retaliation? The definition of redemption is: the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. I don't think that includes murder! Redemption is being freed from sin, or absolution, not committing sin and after sin - and feeling good about getting away with it. Honestly.

And while I am on a roll, the lack of subtlety in the "foreshadowing" (of more abuse to come of course) was really irritating. Just let us think for a split second that maybe, just maybe, a person that Emma meets could potentially be a decent human being instead of ruining it for us right away. Oh, I haven't even mentioned the abuse that her sister, Gracie, endured. Or Izzy, Gracie's daughter.

I finished the book for two reasons: 1) I always finish every book I start;  2) I honestly thought there would be a positive ending. What a disappointment.

Wendy's Rating: **

The Golden Throne by Katia Fox

I really loved this trilogy. Each of the three books could easily stand on their own, but I think reading them in order added depth to the story as a whole. I thought it was interesting to read the same story (generally) from two perspectives. As much as Guillaume and Ellen loved each other - they honestly had relatively minimal shared history. So even though their story is a "love story" in and of itself, I am really happy that they each loved and married someone else that loved them back. I really admired Guillaume for staying faithful to Isabelle, because I am guessing that knighthood and faithfulness to a spouse didn't really go hand-in-hand back then, especially since it took him a really long time to understand how much he loved Isabelle!

It was interesting to have insight into Guillaume's thoughts and feelings - especially when it clarified how different his actual thoughts/feelings were vs. what Ellen was thinking they were! Ellen completely misread his feelings about their son, which I was relieved about. Every book had a character I hated, although they were different characters in each book. So, even though the same characters were in each book, I found myself only hating the character that was despicable to the main character of the particular book. Do you get that? I guess we all go through life being affected differently by the people around us - even all the people we have in common.

I would not have wanted to live in this time! I also wouldn't have wanted to be a part of the royal family or serve the royal family. They are quick to judge and quick to kill off the people in their way! Guillaume definitely walked a fine line with almost every king he served during his lifetime. Too stressful.  They all seemed so arrogant, paranoid and self-indulgent. It's great that Guillaume could remain a man of honor despite serving so many kings.

So, we learned about being a sword smith, a falconer and a knight. Very useful in current day. Ha, Ha!! Seriously, I thought these books were well researched and well written. I enjoyed each and every story very much!

Wendy's Rating: *****