WEAVING A COMPLEX TAPESTRY OF FAMILY LIFE — A REVIEW

In the opening scenes of The Tin Horse: A Novel, we meet Elaine Greenstein, sorting through boxes that hold the memorabilia of her life and the lives of her parents.

Elaine has had a rich and full life as an attorney, and the causes she took on have made her something of a celebrity in her ranks. A young man named Josh, an archivist, is helping her decide which of her mementos to donate to USC . Because Elaine is finally leaving her home in Santa Monica for Rancho Manana, a retirement home that she has dubbed the Ranch of No Tomorrow.

Elaine’s wry sense of humor comes through as she tells the story in her first person narrative. A story that sweeps across the miles and the years to the homes where her ancestors lived, in the Europe of the Nazi years. Starting over in the Jewish communities of America would be like a fulfillment of their dreams. But what happened to each of them, including the struggles, the bigotry, and the reversals, would inform their lives forever.

Moving back and forth with the story, we are sometimes in the present as Elaine moves and settles into her new life. And then we move backward, watching as the answers begin to unfold. We learn many of the secrets, fears, dreams, and longings of the first and second generations of the Greenstein family. And when the secrets are revealed, we see the betrayals beneath them.

What has created the special link between Mama and Barbara? What is the significance of the tin horse? And how will Barbara’s impulsive behavior lead to something she does right after their high school graduation? How will her actions leave a hole in Elaine’s heart, and change the choices she makes from then on?

What will Elaine discover in the boxes that ultimately provides answers about her sister, and how will she finally discover what happened to her?

Richly layered with history, emotion, and the complex tapestry of family life, this is a story with true-to-life characters and settings that fully engaged me. Five stars.

ONE WOMAN’S PERSONAL ODYSSEY — A REVIEW

From the very first page of Nine Months, the reader is immersed in the internal world of Sonia, a newly pregnant woman who already has two sons, ages 4 and 2. A Brooklyn housewife, she struggles against the dull sameness of her life. Having made some kind of peace with it, even hoping to resume her painting now that the boys are older, the unexpected pregnancy literally throws her for a loop, and from the very first weeks, the familiar nausea and hormonal imbalance add to the loss of equilibrium she feels and seemingly thrusts her into a war within.

What does Sonia do when the pregnancy advances and her ambivalence increases? Will the road trip she decides to take be like a personal odyssey for her, or some kind of escape from a life she is trying to cast off? Some might say she has abandoned her family, and even as Sonia herself seems to characterize it that way, at least in the beginning, I see it more as a woman’s struggle to make sense of her life, while dealing with the physical aspects of pregnancy.

While most women would not take such a dramatic approach to self-examination, I believe that the character was trying to find her own truth.

That said, there were moments when she seemed quite unbalanced, and perhaps the physical changes were insufficient to explain what Sonia is experiencing. Her emotional health seems off kilter as well. Is she questioning the choices she has made? Or is she simply acting out from selfishness or boredom?

For those who have never experienced what Sonia has, or questioned their lives in the middle of it, this book would definitely not be one you could connect to. In some ways, Sonia’s journey seemed over the top, but at the end, I couldn’t help but wonder if she had to take matters to this extreme to finally find her way.

Four stars.

ONE WOMAN’S SOJOURN THROUGH THE GREAT RECESSION — A REVIEW

In late 2008, the world as most Americans knew it folded in on itself. The Great Recession began.

For Amy Wolf, the author of Don’t Let Me Die In A Motel 6 or One Woman’s Struggle Through The Great Recession, a memoir, nothing could have been more shocking. She had been enjoying the good life, with a well-paid position at Washington Mutual; she lived in a big house; had many advantages; and had always counted on being gainfully employed.

Over the subsequent pages, we learn how the author dealt with events, passing through her days almost like someone in the stages of grief, from anger to acceptance. But along the way, she is tossed about through various degrees of homelessness, living hand to mouth, with occasional (but grudging) assistance from wealthy relatives. Her quest for full-time employment met with constant disappointment.

Her travails were not limited to the financial ones. Her battles with depression, near suicide, and ultimately, a return of the cancer she had fought years before were like a painful backdrop to her troubles with her out-of-control teenage daughter.

Almost like a female modern-day Job, the author plunges ahead, determined to survive. She tells her story with candor and humor, and when she describes how she came out the other end a nicer person, she shows us exactly what she means by that.

Not a tale for the faint-hearted, it was definitely one I won’t forget. Yes, there were poor choices along the way, but Wolf fully admits to all of them, and then demonstrates how she learned and grew from the experiences. 4.5 stars.

THE POLITICS OF INHERITANCE: TREACHERY, BETRAYAL, & UNCERTAINTY — A REVIEW

 

As head of the vast empire of Deravenels, Edward is in a very powerful position. But the politics of inheritance involves a lot of treachery. And sometimes the treachery comes from within the family.

Constantly watching his back, Edward is also torn between his wife Elizabeth and his mistress Jane. In their world, mistresses are quite common. The fact that Edward only has one mistress is something he is quite proud of.

An heir is always uppermost in his mind as the outside forces of influenza, tragic accidents, and uncertainties threaten to leave him without one. Fortunately, in the early twentieth century, Edward has changed the rules of inheritance for his company by allowing a woman to also be named heir. This important detail will determine the future of his company, since he has many daughters. Protecting his sons is still important, but not as crucial as it once was.

One of my favorite things about this author’s books is her ability to show the reader the lush world of privilege through her descriptions that lead the reader right into the gorgeous rooms. And her characters have many privileges, including city homes and country homes. She also shows us the innermost thoughts and dreams of each of them, adding to our investment in their lives.

What I did not enjoy about The Heir was the rather snail’s pace of the first part of the book. In the first almost 400 pages, the period 1918-1928 was in the spotlight. Then the author took us quickly to 1970, leaping over more than forty years and featuring the grandson of Edward Deravenel and his quest for an heir. By the time he made his appearance, I was still caught up in the treachery of the early twentieth century. Taking such a quick pace at the end of the book left the reader without enough time to really know and care about the character Harry Turner. However, I enjoyed many portions of the book, and recommend it for fans of Barbara Taylor Bradford. Three stars.

A JOURNEY INTO THE MYSTICAL PAST — A REVIEW

When Raisin Radcliffe leaves London for a small village in France, she is trying to find a way to deal with her relationship woes and the secrets of her past.

When Geoffrey, her brother, joins her, the two set off to explore the surrounding area, including the tunnels that seemingly hold a mystical meaning. Along the way, they also share some memories of their shared childhood.

As they attempt to reconnect, they are unexpectedly drawn into other events in the village. Protestors who have formed a cult-like organization have their own agenda with regard to the tunnels, and in the process, kidnap a young boy. Raisin and Geoffrey immediately become involved in the search.

What dangers will they and other villagers face as they try to find the child and expose the insidious plans of the cult? How does a shepherd named Henri add to their knowledge? What does the “shepherd’s prayer” mean? And how do the wolves figure into the dangerous ceremony planned by the cult members?

The story was fairly fast-paced, although the mid-section bogged down, with a lot of detail that did nothing to advance the story for me. As much as I wanted to see everyone safely back home and for the cult members to pay for their actions, I didn’t like Raisin or Geoffrey very much. To me, they seemed like adolescents rather than adults. The best parts of the story were those dealing with finding the young boy. Shepherd’s Prayer earned three stars from me.

SONGS THAT PUNCTUATE OUR LIVES — A REVIEW

What if, in a blinding moment, you had the chance to start over, change everything about your life? What if you were suddenly presented with a blank slate?

Nell Slattery is in just this position after she and one other person are the only survivors of a plane crash that landed them in Iowa. As she comes to, she remembers nothing and nobody. Who are the people who claim to be her loved ones? Why does nothing they tell her seem to ring true?

Like a nightmare from which she seemingly doesn’t awaken, Nell tries to put her life back together, relying on the stories others tell her.

Her mother Indira, her sister Rory, even her friend Samantha—they all seem so supportive, but as the weeks and months creep by, bits and pieces of the real truth begin to surface. What really happened between Nell and her husband Peter? Had the two of them reconciled? Or was there more to the story? What was going on between Rory and Nell that might have brought their art gallery to a close?

And throughout, hovering over Nell’s life is the specter of the father who abandoned her. Unwilling to let him go, she believes that finding him again, or at least figuring out what happened in her past, could be the very thing that will fill in the blanks for her.

Told mostly in Nell’s first person voice, with occasional third person narratives from others, The Song Remains the Same also unfolded through the music that filled Nell’s life, from her younger years to the recent past.

I found myself growing emotional as the deceits of Rory, Peter, and Indira came to light. Applauding Nell’s decisions near the end brought closure to this story for me. Four stars.

THE PRICE OF BELONGING: A REVIEW — AUGUST 20

Growing up in the Rovaniemi family carries the weight of numerous restrictions, and the knowledge that, without the belief, the family unit closes ranks against the “sinner,” while standing ready to accept them back if they “confess” their sins.

We Sinners was narrated by various offspring of this fundamentalist religious group, and from each child’s perspective, the cost of “believing” must be weighed against the loss of “non-belief.”  Rebellion is apparently a rite of passage for each of them, with some coming back to the fold, while others remain on the outside.

The outsiders sometimes miss the family unit, but the cost of belonging is a price they will not pay.

Moving in a somewhat rapid progression through the years, the reader sees each of the children grow to adulthood, somewhat accepting of the choices made, but with some lingering conflicts and guilt still clinging to those who remain on the outside.

Probably the most difficult and challenging aspect of such a belief system is the inability of the believers to accept views that are not their own.  The closed minds stand as a barrier to connections and understanding.

The author did a good job of showing the struggles of the family members, but at times I felt frustrated and even confused by how the choices were made.  I was especially astonished by how the youngest child seemed to slip away just when one might think she would do otherwise.

A thoughtful story that reminds me of some of my own childhood experiences and how rebellion is often necessary in order to find one’s own way.  Four stars.

THE SLIPPERY NATURE OF MEMORY — A REVIEW

Both the title and the opening lines drew me in immediately, as I knew that this would be a tale about family secrets and the cost of keeping them.

Drowning Ruth [Hardcover] begins in 1919, with Amanda Starkey’s role as a nurse during the war. But from there, we weave in and out of periods of time, both backward and forward, learning the story of Amanda and her sister Mathilda, who drowned mysteriously one night in November later that year, and the subsequent journey of Mathilda’s daughter Ruth.

The details are slipped in during these moments of reflection, like “doses” of medicine surreptitiously fed to a resistant patient. Later we hear Ruth’s voice, as she ages, from the confused thoughts about family events and drowning to later moments of increasing clarity. For Ruth is convinced that she drowned.

We can see from the beginning that the relationship between Amanda and Mathilda (Matty) is conflicted. There is a close bond–they are almost enmeshed–and yet the rivalry is readily apparent.

Other important characters are brought forth almost casually, like Clement Owens: his role in Amanda’s life will not be apparent for awhile.

What really happened to Mathilda Starkey, and what secrets have kept Amanda from moving on? How does the truth eventually come out, and what ramifications will unfold?

In some ways, the slipping back and forth through time felt confusing, and yet it also seemed appropriate. Like floating thoughts that slip in and out of our minds, these snippets seemed to show us the nature of memories.

I had hopes that Ruth would finally detach from the enmeshed relationship with Amanda, but alas: she seems to become the clone of her aunt, falling into her same patterns, living on the farm like a recluse. An emotionally disturbing story, I know that I won’t forget it. Four stars.

EVOCATIVE PORTRAYAL OF TIMELESS CONNECTIONS: A REVIEW

 

Who am I? Where do I belong? Like an echo from the sea or a whisper in the walls of an ancient house, these questions form in the mind of Ava Whalen, a young woman questing for love and connections.

When Ava meets Matthew Frazier, a Savannah child psychologist, she immediately feels connected to him. Their marriage a short time later seems hasty and impulsive to those around them, but who can explain the bond they share?

After the marriage, the two move into an ancient house where Matthew grew up, and which somehow seems familiar to Ava. But also unfamiliar. Sharing the historic footprints of those ancestors like Pamela and Geoffrey Frazier, the house echoes with the longings of the ages.

When the secrets between them begin to unfold, however, will the bond that drew them together be enough?

The first big secret is Matthew’s first wife Adrienne, a midwife like Ava. How did she die? And what was she seeking just before her death and how does it connect to the past?

What does the scent of ashes have to do with Ava’s feeling of not quite belonging? How does her mother’s aloofness reinforce that sense of not belonging?

How do passion flowers figure into the mysterious dreams and memories that cling to Ava and hint at things untold?

Searching via hypnosis, Ava begins to uncover some of the past events that seem to inform her life in the present.

Told in the narrative voices of Pamela, Ava, and Gloria, Sea Change mysteriously evokes the spiritual and physical connections between them all.

In the end, Ava’s thoughts sum up the power of these connections wrought within the walls of a home:

“…the house with memories like an ocean’s waves with no beginnings and no endings, its sighs reminding me of how impossible it is sometimes to distinguish between the two.”

A beautiful and evocative portrayal of timeless connections, this story will remain with me for a long time. Five stars.

SISTERS, SECRETS, & THE UPS & DOWNS OF LIFE — BOOK REVIEW

Two sisters, Lizbet and Cassie, alternately tell this story using the first person narrative voice. As I slowly came to know them and their backstory, I found A Tale of Two Sisters captivating enough to continue.

However, at times, I would lose my way, as the story wended its way back and forth; occasionally, I had difficulty identifying who the narrator was at any given point. Sometimes chapters would identify the name of the narrator.

Despite those issues, however, I did come to enjoy the ups and downs of the sisters and their relationships with each other and with the men in their lives. The men were fairly loathsome, in my opinion, especially Cassie’s husband. I did like the fact that he got his comeuppance at one point, and then started to improve his behavior.

A long untold secret about Cassie is divulged (to Cassie and the reader) fairly early, but Lizbet is in the dark for most of the book.

The ending was puzzling, because, in the space of a couple of paragraphs, the reader is catapulted forward in time to “the future” (about three years ahead), and then is pushed backwards for a more slow reveal. I felt unsettled.

Overall, I would recommend the story to those who enjoy Maxted, and for anyone who just loves books about women and their relationships. For me, though, it earned three stars.