Jeannie Hudson's Blog: Bookmarks - Posts Tagged "dysfunction"
REVIEW: THE SISTERS by Nancy Jensen
In her engrossing novel THE SISTERS,Nancy
Jensen has masterfully crafted a story where nearly a century of parental dysfunction and secrets is defeated by the courage and wisdom of future daughters and granddaughters. The story begins with tragedy that spawns consequences that warp the minds and lives of four generations of American women. Jensen's insight into subterranean family interactions is nothing short of stunning. Her grasp of the psychology among siblings taps the depth of human nature.Her characterizations are accurate and intriguing. Though I sometimes wanted to shout at these women to stop being so stupid, I empathized with their spiraling habit of repeating mistakes. Jensen intimately understands the internal landscapes within families. She mines the tender, confounded bonds of
siblings, and the childhood pain inflicted by clueless, unfeeling parents
who unwittingly consign their offspring to emotional wastelands that breed ever
greater dysfunction over time. Jensen
weaves all the convergent threads into a
viable and rewarding denouement,leaving the reader deeply satisfied. Kudos to
Nancy Jensen for a lovely, triumphant
novel. I give THE SISTERS five stars.
Jensen has masterfully crafted a story where nearly a century of parental dysfunction and secrets is defeated by the courage and wisdom of future daughters and granddaughters. The story begins with tragedy that spawns consequences that warp the minds and lives of four generations of American women. Jensen's insight into subterranean family interactions is nothing short of stunning. Her grasp of the psychology among siblings taps the depth of human nature.Her characterizations are accurate and intriguing. Though I sometimes wanted to shout at these women to stop being so stupid, I empathized with their spiraling habit of repeating mistakes. Jensen intimately understands the internal landscapes within families. She mines the tender, confounded bonds of
siblings, and the childhood pain inflicted by clueless, unfeeling parents
who unwittingly consign their offspring to emotional wastelands that breed ever
greater dysfunction over time. Jensen
weaves all the convergent threads into a
viable and rewarding denouement,leaving the reader deeply satisfied. Kudos to
Nancy Jensen for a lovely, triumphant
novel. I give THE SISTERS five stars.
Review THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS
I found THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Vanessa
Diffenbaugh to be a most enjoyable read.
The main character Victoria's harrowing
passage through the foster care system was a sensitive work of character development.
We learn why Victoria is so scared, so
vulnerable, so angry, so weary. We can
understand her stubborn need for self-
reliance. She's been let down or has let herself down too many times. When she is
emancipated from the foster care system at 18 because 'there's nowhere else for her to go' she faces the hard truth that it's up to her alone whether she has a life or not. During one of her trial adoptions, she was taught 'the language of flowers' by her foster mother and she carries this with her until it is ultimately the source of her
redemption. Through her own unstable attempts to find love, friendship, motherhood and success, she comes close to having a stable, happy life. Yet she
continues getting in her own way because
of her ingrained lack of self-confidence
and belief that she is damaged beyond
repair. At this juncture when she teeters
at the brink of either grand success or
total failure, she turns to the lessons
she's learned while studying 'the language of flowers.' Because she identifies so completely with these tenets and has the ability to apply them
to the needs and problems of others, she
finds her gift that brings her untold
success happiness.
The title THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS sounds
like a rather lighthearted romp. The actual story is filled with quite serious themes with a satisfying ending.
I give it 4.5 stars.
Diffenbaugh to be a most enjoyable read.
The main character Victoria's harrowing
passage through the foster care system was a sensitive work of character development.
We learn why Victoria is so scared, so
vulnerable, so angry, so weary. We can
understand her stubborn need for self-
reliance. She's been let down or has let herself down too many times. When she is
emancipated from the foster care system at 18 because 'there's nowhere else for her to go' she faces the hard truth that it's up to her alone whether she has a life or not. During one of her trial adoptions, she was taught 'the language of flowers' by her foster mother and she carries this with her until it is ultimately the source of her
redemption. Through her own unstable attempts to find love, friendship, motherhood and success, she comes close to having a stable, happy life. Yet she
continues getting in her own way because
of her ingrained lack of self-confidence
and belief that she is damaged beyond
repair. At this juncture when she teeters
at the brink of either grand success or
total failure, she turns to the lessons
she's learned while studying 'the language of flowers.' Because she identifies so completely with these tenets and has the ability to apply them
to the needs and problems of others, she
finds her gift that brings her untold
success happiness.
The title THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS sounds
like a rather lighthearted romp. The actual story is filled with quite serious themes with a satisfying ending.
I give it 4.5 stars.
Bookmarks
Words of wisdom from an author who is an avid reader and loves sharing her point of view on the works she reads. Jeannie has gathered a vast amount of knowledge during the 40 years working through var
...more
- Jeannie Hudson's profile
- 69 followers
