Margee's Monthly Book Reviews
Welcome to Margee's monthly book recommendations!
February - Half Broke Horses : A True-Life Novel
Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle told the
heartbreaking but unforgettable story of her childhood. This new
novel is a beautiful tribute to her maternal grandmother, Lily
Casey Smith, told in the first-person. Her adventures in the
wild west of the early 20th century; as a cowgirl,
schoolteacher, rancher, wife and mother are told in a matter of
fact, breezy and entirely authentic voice. Born in 1901, she
lived with her family in a one-room dugout in West Texas with
"scorpions, lizards, snakes, gophers, centipedes and moles"
until a flash flood washed it away. After a tornado destroyed
their next house, her family moved to a ranch in New Mexico.
When she was hired at age 15, to teach in a one room schoolhouse
in Arizona, she rode there alone on her horse. The trip took 28
days! And this is just the beginning of her experiences. Walls's
grandmother is a heroine with enormous appeal - and this novel
based on her life offers an inspirational reading experience.
January - The House on First Street
Our
tiny Cotton Mill Warehouse loft apartment in New Orleans is charming and offers a
great location. In the bedroom bookcase, I found this book by Julia Reed, a
journalist who bought a historic home in the Garden District of New Orleans and
embarked on a massive restoration project which was nearing completion when
Hurricane Katrina struck. Her narrative is lively and provided a perfect
introduction to my three month winter home. Reed grew up in Greenville, in
the Mississippi Delta, about 400 miles north. Throughout her life she returned
to NOLA for vacations and eventually rented a small apartment in the French Quarter. When she married a
local attorney, the couple decided to buy a home. Their house at Chestnut and
First Street is in the lower Garden district, a desirable residential area and
home to many well known local artists and personalities. Anne Rice (of the
Vampire Chronicles) lived right across the street: her former home is currently
for sale for more than 3 million dollars. Archie Manning (football great and
father of Eli and Peyton) also lives nearby. Although I haven't visited her
street yet - it's certainly on my list! Reed admits to making many mistakes as a
novice homeowner - from her poor choice of a contractor to her unrealistic plan
to move into her house in less than a year. Only the demolition went as planned
- everything else was a nightmare (and that's before Katrina). If you are
planning a trip to the Big Easy, this book will get you in the proper frame of
mind. If not, it will convince you to exercise extreme caution when
contemplating a major remodeling project!
December - Last Night in Twisted River
I
really dread the short dark days of December. Right after dinner I feel like
curling up under a big quilt with a book. So John Irving's novels with their
melancholy characters and fatalistic plots make ideal winter companions for me.
His latest story starts out
in a logging camp in the wilds of northern New Hampshire (this state's slogan "Live Free or Die"
seems totally apt) where it always seems like winter. His protagonist, Danny Angel, is the son of the
camp cook. In one of many tragic accidents, Danny kills his father's lover when
he mistakes her for a bear! Father and son become fugitives and literally spend
the rest of their lives evading capture. This unlikely and improbable way of
life awakens young Danny's obsession to write and to tell the many versions of
his search for redemption (or the road to perdition - depending on your ability
to accept Irving's quirky plot lines and tedious
explorations into the relationship of writer and narrator). Contrived? Yes!
Entertaining? Always! Incredible and terrible accidents keep happening to Danny and
to those he loves. But he (Danny/Irving) keeps writing and we keep reading. As I get ready
to leave for New Orleans - a place where the flooding caused by Hurricane
Katrina resulted in the deaths of more than 1,800 people and destroyed so many
homes and dreams - I wonder how John Irving would write about those who have returned there to rebuild their lives.
At least in NOLA it should be warmer...
November - A Gate at the Stairs
Autumn
in Wisconsin is a lovely time but far too short! College was also like that for
me - and that is why I'm happy that my son is taking his time (he is a 5th year
senior) and savoring his college experience in Madison. Lorrie Moore has really
captured the flavor of this special place in her latest novel through the eyes
of a 20 year old student, Tassie Keltjin. When Tassie answers an ad for a
part-time nanny, she never imagines how complicated her job will become. The
couple who hires her are adopting and they include their new caregiver in each
step of the process. When they finally bring home a racially-mixed little girl,
Tassie seems to spend more time with the baby than her busy professional parents
do. The father is a professor and mother owns a gourmet restaurant (think
L'Etoile). This is Lorrie Moore at her most ascerbic; she makes you laugh and
then feel guilty about it! But while some of the events in the novel may seem
unlikely, just as many are uncomfortably possible, as the reader experiences
them right along with Tassie. But of course (and thank goodness!), this is just
a story...
October - That Old Cape Magic
What
do our memories tell us about ourselves? How powerful are they in shaping our
present and future actions? Sometimes we want and need to recapture moments from
our past - but how accurate are these recollections? In Richard Russo's latest
novel, Jake Griffin takes a trip back to the scene of many summer vacations with
his unhappily married parents to the Cape, intending to scatter his father's
ashes there. As an only child (like myself) Jake doesn't really have anyone else
to help him sort out what really happened from his version of past events. But
the reader knows that he must reconcile his memories and feelings about the past
before he can begin to confront his present dilemmas. I always find Russo's
novels give me something to think about and this one does not disappoint. It
probably helps if you are an only child and also middle-aged! There are also
some interesting parallels between this story and our USM book club selection
for November - In the Woods by Tana French. In this mystery an Irish
detective struggles to remember a horrific event in his past - and also finds
that he is unable to deal with his present problems without confronting his
blocked memories.
September - Cutting for Stone & A Long Way Gone : Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
In Abraham Verghese's
epic Cutting for Stone, co-joined twins Marion and Shiva grow up at
Missing (Mission) Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - the children of an
American surgeon Thomas Stone and a Catholic nun from India. After their mother
dies following their birth and their father disappears, the boys are adopted by Ghosh and Hema - two Indian doctors also working at the clinic. Both children
thrive under the loving care of their foster parents, until the political unrest
and intrigue in Ethiopia nearly destroys the lives of even these dedicated
immigrant doctors. Marion (in a parallel to my second book selection) escapes
for a time to New York City and studies medicine. One wonders why these doctors
chose to live, work, and possibly die in exile in such a dangerous place, when
they could so easily have gone elsewhere. But Africa holds a powerful attraction
for those idealists and adventure seekers who fall under its spell; although
war, famine, disease, and political chaos are ever-present, the ideals of love
and hope for humanity overcome the painful reality of loss and sacrifice in this
inspiring and exciting story. A Long Way Gone offers a very different
look at Africa, in this non-fiction, first-person account of survival by a 12
year old boy. Author Ishmael Beah fled attacking rebels in his small
village in Sierra Leone and after months of wandering, orphaned and near
starvation in the war-torn countryside, was captured and forced to serve as a 13
year old soldier in the government army and become a brutal killer. Both books
have satisfying if not unrealistically happy endings and give the reader some
understanding of the complex problems of the African continent and perhaps a
desire to learn more. I am planning to read two follow-up titles to Cutting
for Stone . They are : Chameleon Days : An American Boyhood in Ethiopia
by Tim Bascom & Notes from the Hyena's Belly : An Ethiopian Boyhood by
Nega Maziekia. I am also eagerly anticipating another book by Ishmael Beah, who
graduated from Oberlin College in 2004 and is currently living (in exile) in New
York City.
August - The Story Sisters, The Girl With No Shadow & Fast Track to Fine Dining
"It was summer, and hot,
and everything was just beginning." The final line of Alice Hoffman's bewitching
novel, The Story Sisters, sums up the reason why I have chosen this book
for an August recommendation. This is my favorite month in Wisconsin and like a
good book, it always seems too short. When the weather is warm and changeable, I
feel closer to the natural world and sense its magic. Summer is also a time that
our family gets together to enjoy good food, fine wine and each other. So it
seems right to read stories where the key ingredients to happiness and love are
food and cooking. The second book is a sequel to Chocolat by Joanne
Harris and also features a lovely Parisian setting as well as the belief that
not everything that happens in life can or should be rationally explained. In
The Girl With No Shadow, food (chocolate in particular) transforms people.
In The Story Sisters it's magic tomatoes. Recently I joined a group of
friends for a cooking demonstration by Linda Mutschler, the author of Fast
Track to Fine Dining, and I am recommending it because the recipes are
magically quick, easy, and delicious!
July - Before the Frost and the earlier books in the Kurt Wallander mystery series
Masterpiece Theatre recently featured three programs based on
the Swedish mysteries by Henning Mankell and I became thoroughly
enchanted by this lonely and complicated detective (initially
because his character was so superbly portrayed by Kenneth
Branagh). I suggest that these stories are best read
chronologically - although I did read the last one first.
Before the Frost actually features Wallander's daughter
Linda - who is just about to become a policewoman. The crimes
really are secondary to the detective's own fascinating and
messy life - the reader becomes caught up in Wallander's
struggle to control his weight, his unsuccessful search for
love, his denial of the onset of diabetes, and most of all - his
struggle to understand himself while he is so driven by the need
to discover the motivations of others. Readers should start with
The Pyramid and continue in the following order:
Faceless Killers, Dogs of Riga, White Lioness,
The Man Who Smiled, Side Tracked, The Fifth
Woman, One Step Behind, Firewall, Return of
the Dancing Master, & Before the Frost. At least one
more book in the series is scheduled to follow - sometime in
2010. After (or during) a visit to Sweden, I want to meet the
author, who is married to Ingmar Bergman's daughter Eva, and
divides his time between Sweden and Mozambique. I am currently
reading his novels that are set in Africa.
June - Dream House & The Little Stranger
Since we have retired, Dominic and I have rented four different houses for the winter months and I have relished the variety of architectural styles, locations, furnishings and atmosphere of each place. It has also made me thankful to return after several months to my own comfortable home. Though I have lived in twelve places in my lifetime, I have only owned four houses - two were new constructions, so I was the first person to live in them. But the two most recent are my favorites, one a real fixer-upper; a 1950's Frank Lloyd Wright style multi-level in Elm Grove; and my present 1970's somewhat contemporary colonial on the Lake Michigan shore. Part of what makes each of these places special to me are their histories. Both were sold to me as a result of the previous owners' divorces and financial reversals - but this did not make them unhappy houses. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. Nevertheless I do believe that some houses, for whatever reason, are not welcoming places. I've often wondered whether other people sense the powerful effect of their homes, or is it just my own quirky imagination? In Dream House, high school math teacher Kate falls in love with a dilapidated old house in Ann Arbor, Michigan (my alma mater), and starts renovating it during her summer vacation. Her husband Stuart is opposed to the project and bad things begin to happen. Can you blame the house? Perhaps - especially since it was the scene of a murder 18 years before. Are some places evil? Haunted? The author, Valerie Laken, has written a fine first novel - she is currently teaching creative writing at UW Milwaukee. My second book is by the seasoned writer Sarah Waters; and like her earlier novels The Little Stranger is set in the past - this time in post WWII England. The story also involves the attraction of a house but this one is quite different from the little dream house in Ann Arbor. Hundreds Hall is a decaying (haunted?) country mansion that has fascinated and attracted Doctor Faraday since he was a small boy. He befriends the upper class family who are struggling to hang onto their estate, and finds that his scientific approach to their problems achieves limited success. Much more than simple ghost stories, both novels use the wonderful and sometimes terrible attraction of a house to explore the complex divisions of class and race, leaving the reader with much to ponder.
May - Loving Frank & The Women
Two very different fictional explorations of the women in Frank Lloyd Wright's life - the first is by Nancy Horan and focuses on the love affair of the architect and Mamah (may-muh) Borthwick Cheney, and the second (written by one of my absolute favorite writers, T.C. Boyle) presents all four of the women who loved him in reverse order of chronology. Everyone who has read about the life of Wright already knows the general outline of events, but questions and speculation continue to remain concerning what really happened between this charismatic artist and his amours. Pair these two novels with Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow for a richly entertaining look at early 20th century society.
April - Still Life, A Fatal Grace, The Cruelest Month, & A Rule Against Murder
Four mysteries featuring the French-Canadian detective Armand Gamache that are all set in or near the fictional village of Three Pines on the border southeast of Montreal. The first story introduces our protagonist and the fall splendor of a picturesque place whose surface beauty hides a dreadful secret. The second mystery takes the reader into the depth of winter in Quebec, the third features April and Easter festivities, and the latest and fourth adventure occurs when Gamache and his wife return to a favorite auberge to celebrate their anniversary. The writing is often lyrical, and the plots keep one in suspense. Read them in order and enjoy! The author, Louise Penny, is a former journalist and radio host with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
March - Shadow Country
After spending the winter here on the Florida Gulf coast, Peter Matthiessen's masterful trilogy seems like required reading. It is a three part revision of the earlier Watson saga - an epic story of the notorious sugar cane planter and outlaw E.J. Watson that tells of an historic time in the frontier days of the Everglades and really made me appreciate this strange and somewhat sinister (to a Midwesterner) part of the country. Beautiful descriptive passages evoke a reverence for the wild flora and fauna that is present in the author's nonfiction works like The Snow Leopard, while the powerful themes of man's cruelty to man and senseless destruction of the natural environment resonate.
February - The Post -Birthday World
A clever story of adultery - told in alternating chapters. Tempted to kiss a professional snooker player, who happens to be celebrating his birthday, Irina discovers that whether or not she strays from the safe path she has chosen (with her predictable lover of seven years or with the sexually attractive Ramsey) her life will change. Lionel Shriver manages to present the question of choice in a contemporary and compelling way.
January - Case Histories, One Good Turn and When Will There Be Good News?
Jackson Brodie is back and this is the best mystery yet in Kate Atkinson's remarkable series that began with Case Histories, continued in One Good Turn, and is now continued in When Will There Be Good News? Jackson is still a magnet for murder and mayhem, and this time a spunky orphan's life intersects his in a chain of fascinating coincidences that is the unique Atkinson trademark. The action starts on page one; the reader is entertained and stretched by Atkinsons's rich vocabulary - the Edinburgh setting is also a plus. Read them in chronological order to best enjoy this quirky character.
December - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Christmas season always makes me want to believe in miracles. But in order to believe in these two terrific stories - you have to love dogs! David Wroblewski has created a character who cannot speak out loud, but who has learned how to communicate with the special dogs (Sawtelle dogs) bred as companions by his father and grandfather before him. If you love dogs, you will want to believe in Edgar and his special dogs. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is even more unique; this story is told by Enzo, a mixed breed dog (he likes to think his father was an Airedale terrier) whose beloved master Denny Swift is an aspiring race car driver. Enzo believes in reincarnation and that he will become human when he dies - and you will want to believe it, too.
November - Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our Recent History by Kati Marton & America America by Ethan Canin & American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
These three books, the first non-fiction and the following two fiction, feature U.S. politics and the presidency as themes. Well-researched, Hidden Power describes and speculates on the influence that several recent first ladies had on the presidencies of their husbands. America America tells the story of a rich and powerful family's attempt to promote their candidate for President (set in the 1970's)from the point of view of a neighboring youth whose life is changed and shaped when he is hired to help at their estate. American Wife uses the life of Laura Bush as the inspiration for a novel set in Wisconsin and offers a intriguing and imaginative peek thru the keyhole at the conflicted and complex relationship of the First Lady and the President. Why do we find the private lives of powerful people so fascinating? America America was my favorite - I plan to read more Ethan Canin novels soon.
October - Raven Black and White Nights
For Halloween reading I recommend Ann Cleves' mystery series with its eerie setting on Scotland's remote, beautiful, and forbidding Shetland Islands. Detective Jimmy Perez has his own set of complex problems - and the way that he patiently threads his way towards unraveling the motives of his taciturn and confusing group of suspects rivals that of P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh. Read Raven Black first!
September - When We Were Romans
This bittersweet story by Matthew Kneale is told by 10-year-old Lawrence, whose voice is as authentic as that of the character in Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. What starts as an exciting vacation trip to Rome soon becomes a nightmare as the boy's mother, convinced that her estranged husband is stalking them, becomes dangerously delusional and depressed.
August - Finding Nouf
Saudi Arabia's oppressive gender segregated society makes private detective Nayir's job even more difficult. When his wealthy friend asks him to investigate his sister's suspicious death, the detective is attracted to a woman who seems determined to help him with the case. This book by Zoe Ferraris may be paired with Andre Dubus III's The Garden of Last Days which is set in Sarasota, Florida and features the attraction of a Muslim terrorist for a young American strip club entertainer.
July - Unaccustomed Earth
This lyrical collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri (author of The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies) reveals the secrets that these Indian immigrants keep from their loved ones while living complex lives in Cambridge, MA, Seattle, WA, India, Italy and Thailand. The beautiful trio of linked narratives - "Hema & Kaushik" are my favorites. This is her best book so far!
June - A Voyage Long and Strange
What happened in America between 1492 and 1620? This long overlooked time in our country's history is examined by the author of Confederates in the Attic, Tony Horowitz, and offers the reader many interesting new facts while correcting some commonly held misconceptions.
May - Careless in Red
Our disappointingly cold and damp weather this month made Thomas Lynley's trek along the Cornish coast seem just like hiking along the shores of Lake Michigan! But even though I am trying to get lots of exercise, I didn't find a body in my walks. Elizabeth George's latest mystery follows my favorite detective and his assistant, Barbara Havers, as he struggles to discover a murderer and recover from the loss of his beloved wife, Helen.
April - The Pillars of the Earth
This is an ambitious novel that tells the inspiring story of the building of a medieval English cathedral. Ken Follett has recently written the sequel in World Without End, but I wanted to read both books in their proper order. Settle in for an entertaining 973 page journey back in time - just the thing for a rainy April weekend.
March - The God of Animals
"...the places we come from don't leave us as easily as we leave them. Desert is land that cannot be owned, cannot be controlled, cannot be forgotten..." - p.304. These are the words of Alice Winston, the narrator of this compelling story of adolescence on a struggling horse ranch. Aryn Kyle's characters live a life that is harsh and beautiful and her debut novel demonstrates her appreciation for the unique landscape and character of the American West.
February - Stormy Weather
After our travels across Oklahoma and Texas on route to California, this novel set in Texas in the 1930's seems like a natural choice. The feisty heroine, Jeanine Stoddard, struggles to keep her family together against enormous odds - this entertaining story is written by Paulette Jiles.
January - The Street of a Thousand Blossoms
January’s wintry weather provides an ideal time to curl up with a big book! The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama is much more than the unlikely story of two Japanese brothers and their interesting choices of professions (one becomes a sumo wrestler and the other a mask maker for the Noh theatre). Beautiful writing abounds in this thirty year saga of love and tragedy, tradition and change – from 1939 to 1966.
December -
Grounds for Murder by Sandra Balzo
When Maggy Thorsen discovers a rival coffee shop owner dead under the trophy table at a Milwaukee trade show, our feisty heroine becomes both a sleuth and a suspect. This freshly brewed mystery by the talented local writer is a fine follow-up to her first book, Uncommon Grounds and "lattes" of fun for your holiday reading.
November - Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
A 60 year-old man reexamines powerful and conflicted memories of his youth in Thomaston, a small upstate New York town whose single industry is a tannery that both supports and poisons its workers. Lucy's recollections are vivid, especially those of his two friends - one who becomes his wife and the other who escapes to Italy and becomes an artist. But are they true? Moody and introspective, this novel provides an ideal framework for autumn reminiscence.
October - HeartSick by Chelsea Cain
This serial killer thriller is set in dark and gloomy Portland, Oregon and features a tortured detective and a young pink-haired journalist whose assignment is to write a feature story about the policeman and his current search for the murderer of several high school girls. Horrific Halloween reading.