Book Review: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

This was my pick for my library book club last month.  It was one of the greatest discussions we have had about a single book, opening up all sorts of conversation topics and feelings for and against the book.  But yowza, was it an emotional roller coaster of a read! 

This book begins under a pretty typical "women's lives and relationships" formula.  Meredith and Nina are about as opposite as two sisters can be.  Meredith married her childhood sweetheart and took over the family business while Nina travels the world as a freelance photographer.  However, the thing they have in common is a deep love for their father and just as deep of an ambivilance for their mother. 

Growing up, the girls clung to their loving and warm father while constantly living in the shadow of their stern and cold mother.  However, when their father dies, they are left with broken hearts and the promise to "get to know their mother."  Anya Whitson is not an easy person to get to know though, something Meredith and Nina know firsthand from years of disappointment and neglect.  Still, out of love for their father, they return to their childhood home and persuade Anya to finish a fairy tale she began long ago, the tale of a young princess and her dashing prince.

As Anya finally begins unraveling her fairy tale it takes on a much darker and more realistic presence.  Suddenly the young princess is a pesant girl trapped in Soviet-blockaded Leningrad, fighting for her life and the lives of her children. 

Meredith and Nina are shocked and moved as their mother's story unfolds with amazing beauty and horror, discovering a woman they never knew before.

This is a touching and heartbreaking novel about the complicated relationship between mothers and daughters, but it is so much more.  It is an elecritfiying novel of historical fiction about the seige of Leningrad, an overwhelmingly tragic moment in history.  It is a novel about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of terrible trauma. 

I have to say, as a mother of young children this book haunted me deeply.  There's really nothing like reading about young children slowly starving to make you squeeze your own plump little babies until they squirm and say "Ow mommy, down please!"  Or maybe it's just me!  I literally could not talk about it for weeks without crying.  Hmmm...I'm not really selling it very well am I?  I really did love this book and the rich, multi-layered plot.  Kristen Hannah does an exellent job of telling a tragic story without being overly cloying or sentimental, so I'll forgive her for making me a little bit crazy while reading it.

Book Review: Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

I'm a bit behind on my book reviews, so you may see a few of these in a row!

This was my October book club pick at the library.  It was unlike anything that I was expecting.  It is the story of Trond Sander and one desperate, enlightening, fantastic, coming-of-age summer in a cabin on a river with his dad.

As the story begins, an aging Trond has moved to a small cabin in a rural Norwegian village.  His goal is to live his last years in peace and isolation.  However, the cabin, its surroundings, and the inhabitants of the village bring back strong memories of his last summer with his father.  The story flows back and forth between the 67 year-old hermit-like Trond and the 15 year-old boy who was fascinated with his enigmatic father and the secrets that defined him.  Over the course of one summer, life changes dramatically for Trond.  It is this summer that becomes the dividing point between child and man and it is this summer in which Trond seems to be forever trapped.

This is not an action-packed, page turner type book.  It is densely written and contemplative.  I did find it very interesting, at times amusing and at times sorrowful.  The setting and imagery are beautifully told and it relates a little-known aspect of World War II history.  Sometime in the upcoming winter, when the wind is howling and a fire is burning, curl up with a cup of tea and head to Norway to go "out stealing horses."

Book Review: Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

These books are the second and third books in the Hunger Games Trilogy.   We recently read the series for my book club (personal, not business) and I think they are a great book club selection.  There is just soooo much in these books to discuss, ponder, speculate, and theorize.  If you missed it, here is my review of the first in the series, The Hunger Games.

So book two (Catching Fire) starts out exactly where book one left off:  Katniss and Peeta are back in District 12, living the posh life in the "victor's village."  But the Capital has not forgotten them, or their defiance of the Hunger Games.  If anything, they are more in danger than ever.  The increasingly large number of rebels see Katniss as their fearless leader and the Capital president (a creepier character has rarely been written by the way) has "encouraged" her to play his puppet role...or else.  Through an extra sinister twist, Katniss and Peeta are tossed back into the Hunger Games arena, with other past victors as opponents this time.  What follows is a densely-plotted story, part political thriller, part adventure, part coming-of-age with a hefty dose of teenage angst.  This was a good book but lacked the oomph of the first and sometimes read as more of a "bridge" to connect books one and three.

On to book three, Mockingjay.  This is when the proverbial poo really hits the fan.  Katniss has thwarted the Capitol again, but Peeta is now held prisoner there.  Katniss must rally the rebel army, save Peeta, keep her family safe, and deal with some very ambivalent feelings for two boys.  Just another day in the life of a 15 year-old hero.  As the rebels prepare for battle in an underground bunker, Katniss is thrust into a role that she is not prepared to play as the face of the rebellion.  The action picks up in the later chapters as the rebels push towards the Capitol and the line between good and bad become very blurred.  This book, if possible, is even darker than the other two, and fairly gruesome as well.  But, the story is interesting and Collins does an excellent job building a detailed and at times disturbingly familiar alternate reality.

If you like dystopias and action/adventures, than these books are for you.  Me, I'm glad that I read them but would rather not ever visit that particular world again!

Book Review: The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

This is our book club selection for the month.  It was a tasty little treat of a book, much needed after reading some heavier things lately.  Some books I refer to as "palate cleansers."  Basically, lighthearted, fun books to clear the head (often these are romance novels...shhhh).  This book would fit into that category and I wouldn't even be ashamed to carry it into the doctor's office!

Lillian has a gift and, as often happens, she discovers this gift under tragic circumstances.  When Lillian is seven, her father abandons them and her mother sinks into a deep depression.  Lillian begins experimenting with food and discovers that she has the ability to create powerful emotions and memories with her delicious recipes.  With the help of a local shop owner and food mentor, Abuelita, Lillian finally succeeds in "waking her mother" from her depressive stupor.

Fast forward a few decades and Lillian is a successful restaurateur and chef.  Her true passion though, is teaching her Monday night cooking classes.  As the class assembles, we meet a variety of characters, each dealing with some individual pain or inner conflict.  In each class, a dish is created that speaks to one individual student, creating clearness where there was confusion or closure where there was sadness.  The multiple points of view allow the reader to get to know each character and their story, all woven around the frame of that Monday night's recipe.

In Lillian's world, food is life.   It is luscious, exciting, and magical.  This book is engaging, with likeably flawed characters and delicious imagery.  It will make you happy (and maybe hungry) to read it.  I can't wait to hear what my book club ladies have to say about it on Thursday!

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

So, the last "dystopia" I read was probably Brave New World.  In high school.  Because I had to.  I don't know why this particular sub-genre weirds me out, but it does.  Really, it's anything futuristic or science fiction-ish.  I've never even seen an episode of Star Trek!  Okay, so now that you know more than you really wanted to know about my sci-fi hang-ups, I'll try to move on!

I read this for my "friend" book club.  Basically just another excuse to get together and chat but we can pretend that it's "intellectual."  I would never have read it on my own (see above) so I was glad for the push to read it.  That's one of the best parts about book clubs, you end up reading something totally different from what you think you like, and generally discover something great in the process.  Oh yeah, the review!

In a strange sort of post-apocyloptic world, a young girl (Katniss) is struggling to help support her family by hunting, foraging, bartering, and generally getting by on her wits.  She lives in one of 12 seperate "districts" all controlled by a distant and aloof "Capital."  Once a year the Capital randomly selects one boy and one girl from each district to come and compete in what they call a game but is really a bloody, bizarre and voyeuristic sacrifice.  When Katniss's little sister is chosen, she instantly volunteers to go in her sister's place.  From 24 children, only one will leave the arena alive after the games are over, while the entire country is forced to watch on television.  It is the Capital's twisted way of keeping the "natives" subdued.  For Katniss, the dilemma becomes how to survive and return to a family who needs her while still maintaining her humanity in the face of deranged brutality.  

This is a roller coaster of a book that will draw you in from the first page.  I really don't even feel as though it can be described well.  What I want to say is just "Go read the book!"  It is disturbing, but also fascinating and thought-provoking.  Particularly as we become more obsessed with reality-television, or as we see deranged dictators being deposed on the nightly news, it does bring up the question of what is actually considered entertainment.  This is certainly a work of fiction, but it does bring to light some less than flattering aspects about our current culture.  

It is worth mentioning that this book is part of a trilogy and while I have only read the first so far, I do hear that they are all excellent.  Stay tuned!   

Book Review: Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy

I read this book for our book club at the library.  Come join us next month if you love reading!

I have never read anything by Binchy before, which is strange because she is a very popular author and I generally love Irish fiction.  It always seems so quirky and poetic.  Anyway, this book certainly was quirky.  Each chapter is devoted to a different character, with many of them intersecting.  I generally enjoy books with multiple points of view and I enjoyed this one as well, but I have to admit it was sort of confusing starting each chapter with a new character.  It was almost like a chain, with one sort of organically leading into another. 

What each character does have in common is a connection to the well of St. Anne.  Deep in the whitethorn woods, outside the village of Rossmore, is a shrine to St. Anne where locals believe wishes are granted.  However, the town is divided over a proposed highway that would cut through the woods and destroy the well.  Some believe that the road would symbolize progress, others are adamant that the woods and the well be preserved.  As the stories unfold, you find such a cast of amazing and appalling characters, all desperate for St. Anne to grant them their wish.  Does the wishing well work?  It depends on who is asked.  Regardless, everyone has something to learn as they visit the famous well.  This books was a fun and interesting read with so many well-developed and dynamic characters.  I will certainly be reading Maeve Binchy again.