In A Jolly Good Fellow, Stephen V. Masse gives us a truly heartwarming story that manages to avoid feeling light and fluffy or resorting to holidayIn A Jolly Good Fellow, Stephen V. Masse gives us a truly heartwarming story that manages to avoid feeling light and fluffy or resorting to holiday clichés.
Duncan Wagner is a lovable, bumbling criminal. Masse puts the reader right inside Duncan's head and it is impossible not to like him, as we see his mixed emotions about the kidnapping, the easy-going affection he quickly comes to feel for sweet Gabriel, how he acts tough and gruff to cover it up. This book may be about a kidnapping, but it isn't dark or menacing in any way. Duncan's half-hearted, often naive approach to the crime he is commiting prevents that, and it is obvious from the start that Duncan would never physically harm Gabriel.
The novel is narrated by Duncan in the first person. The highly readable narrative gives a distinct flavor to the book. Duncan's dialect evokes hard-scrabble, working class Boston perfectly.
Masse's plot is subtlely intricate and perfectly paced. Though I knew Gabriel wouldn't be hurt and would ultimately be returned to his parents, Masse kept me guessing until the end about Duncan's fate. Would he get the ransom money he sought? Or would he get caught?
A Jolly Good Fellow can be read and enjoyed regardless of the season and whether you celebrate Christmas or not. That said, it would make a perfect holiday read for anyone who loves a great story with characters you won't want to say good-bye to when you turn the last page.
Deborah Grantham is a heroine delightfully reminiscent of Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet. Orphaned and left in the care of her aunt since childhood,Deborah Grantham is a heroine delightfully reminiscent of Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet. Orphaned and left in the care of her aunt since childhood, she works in the family gambling establishment. (By the way, faro of the title is a card game that was popular in England and France during the 18th century.) Despite her family's less-than-respectable business, Deb is beautiful, smart, independent, loyal and kind.
Max Ravenscar is Deb's Mr. Darcy. Enormously wealthy, gruff, completely lacking in social graces, yet full of integrity, and perhaps even a little kindness beneath that prickly exterior. The dialogue between Deb and Max felt very authentic to the time period in which the book was set, and at the same time was absolutely delicious, fast-paced and clever.
I loved the fact that this novel reminded me so much of Pride and Prejudice. Besides time and place similarities, the writing style and dialogue between characters are pleasantly Austen-esque. There were enough differences, however, to make Faro's Daughter fresh and surprising.
Sourcebooks Casablanca has recently re-released a number of Heyer's Regency romances. (Regency romance is a sub-genre of romance set in England between the years 1795-1837.) Though it took a few chapters to get into the groove of this book's style, it was well worth it and I look forward to reading more from this prolific and talented writer.
Here is the first thing I would like to say about this novel: don't let the fact that it is young adult fiction keep you from reading it. I am so gladHere is the first thing I would like to say about this novel: don't let the fact that it is young adult fiction keep you from reading it. I am so glad I read Such a Pretty Girl despite its genre classification.
Laura Wiess has written a compelling novel that deals with a painful subject. Meredith was sexually abused by her father, who has recently been released from prison. She is an anguished, wounded character struggling to overcome and as the reader, I could feel the conflict inside her: would she ultimately be victim or victor?
Meredith was wise beyond her years, forced to grow up too early by her father's iniquities. Still, she felt unable to protect herself from her father, who had clearly not been successfully rehabilitated.
I think a talented writer not only creates characters for the reader to fall in love with, but often also gives us one or two to despise. Wiess created a truly loathsome character in Meredith's mother. She was ignorant and insipid and from the father's first day back home, repeatedly violated the court order not to leave him alone with Meredith. She was nearly as despicable as her pedophilic husband.
The system failed to protect Meredith just as abysmally as her mother did. Meredith seemed to fall between the cracks, leaving her frightened and vulnerable. Redemption would be her own doing, and that of a few people - her maternal grandmother, a caring neighbor - who were willing to get involved instead of merely looking the other way.
Besides being very well-written, Such a Pretty Girl is thought-provoking. Can pedophiles be successfully rehabilitated? How effective is the sex-offender registry in its current format? Is it appropriate to take matters into our own hands when we see the system is failing to protect children? Are we even willing to? ...more
Before reading The Lost Diary of Don Juan, the infamous title character was nothing more than a name to me. From a mere caricature, Abrams hasBefore reading The Lost Diary of Don Juan, the infamous title character was nothing more than a name to me. From a mere caricature, Abrams has skillfully created a character who is richly complex and multi-layered. As I read the eloquently written pages of Don Juan's diary, it was impossible not to be drawn into his libertine life and the intrigues of the city of Seville in 1593.
With beautiful, readable prose, Abrams paints a vivid picture of late 16th century Spain. The descriptions have a very cinematic feel. I could visualize the walled courtyard of a nobleman's home, and the dark, dank interior of Don Juan's favorite tavern. I could feel the velvet fabric of his maroon doublet. I could smell the faint, seductive orange-apricot scent of a woman's perfume. The prose tends to feel a little flowery and euphemistic when describing Don Juan's many and varied sexual encounters, the upside of this being that the subject matter is thus handled in a manner that is inoffensive to a broader audience.
The Spanish Inquisition was going strong in 1593, creating a sinister atmosphere in Seville which Abrams conveys well. His Inquisitor is a cruel, dark, ominous figure. The reader will sense that treachery and betrayal are rampant in Don Juan's world. Because of this, the trustworthy few - a nun or priest here, a loyal coachman there - feel all the more significant and engaging as supporting characters.
Cold Rock River by J.L. Miles is a wonderful, captivating piece of southern fiction that will draw you into the lives of its characters, as well asCold Rock River by J.L. Miles is a wonderful, captivating piece of southern fiction that will draw you into the lives of its characters, as well as the rural Georgia setting.
Miles creates such a strong sense of what Adie, the narrator of Cold Rock River, is up against. No one in Adie's family has been the same since Adie's sister Annie died years ago. The cause of Annie's death is not revealed until the end of the book, but the reader knows it has happened and that it has created a gaping tear in the fabric of the family.
When Adie finds herself pregnant at age 17, she marries the father of her baby. She thinks she loves him, but she also sees marriage as her only option. Unfortunately, her husband turns out to be incapable of both marital fidelity and holding a job.
What makes Adie and her story special is how she responds to all this misfortune. Adie is unique in that she wants more from life than everyone around her has. She is strong, smart, motivated, and imbued with an endearing integrity.
I found myself hoping that Adie could rise above her circumstances. I grew to care about several secondary characters also. I also enjoyed the excerpts from the diary of a liberated slave woman that Adie read and shared with the reader throughout the book. Besides having an air of mystery, the diary became an important element in Adie's compelling story. ...more
In Danielle Younge-Ullman's emotionally charged debut novel, Falling Under, readers meet Mara, a twenty-something painter with more than her fairIn Danielle Younge-Ullman's emotionally charged debut novel, Falling Under, readers meet Mara, a twenty-something painter with more than her fair share of problems. In the past, Mara has experienced events and encounters that have left her emotionally scarred and seemingly incabable of having a healthy relationship with anyone.
In Mara, Younge-Ullman has created a character that is incredibly raw and vulnerable. Mara's story is told primarily in the first person, with second person narrative interspersed throughout, usually when she is recounting her childhood. There is no omniscient narration here. The reader sees only through Mara's eyes, which means normal physical descriptions of characters and place are few and far between. This only adds to the authenticity of the narrative and frees the reader to step more fully into Mara's life.
While Mara was indisputably the star of the story, there were several very well-developed secondary characters, such as her best friend Bernadette, and several of Mara's boyfriends. Her parents were both flawed in their own way. Bitterly divorced since Mara was a child, her father was a mentally ill alcoholic and her mother was cold, distant, and absorbed in her career to the point of neglecting Mara's emotional needs. Still, despite my frustration and disapproval of their parenting choices, they were sympathetic characters for whom I wished eventual redemption.
Younge-Ullman has a unique and mesmerizing writing style. It is at once raw and gritty, eloquent and beautiful. Most outstanding is her ability to take the reader inside her character's head and heart, creating a unique and unforgettable reading experience. ...more
In Belly of the Whale, Linda Merlino does an excellent job of creating a character who feels what every woman, and specifically every mother, imaginesIn Belly of the Whale, Linda Merlino does an excellent job of creating a character who feels what every woman, and specifically every mother, imagines she would feel if she had cancer. The struggle to hold on to hope, the fight not to give in to fear and what-ifs. (What if I don't live to see my child's next birthday, let alone her high school graduation?)
For that reason I was able to identify and sympathize with Hudson Catalina. I think this emotional aspect, Merlino's ability to get inside Hudson's head and give the reader such a realistic and believable look at the feelings associated with fighting cancer and confronting one's own mortality lies at the heart of this novel.
The story takes place in one day, with pertinent details from the past filled in via Hudson's own reflections. On this day, Hudson goes to the supermarket to buy party supplies for her daughter's birthday and ends up being held hostage by a sick, tormented and violent former student. This is where the suspense aspect of the novel comes into play and you won't know until the last sentence if Hudson survives the ordeal or not. ...more
The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López is at once a coming of age story, a testament to the enduring nature of family ties, and a portrait ofThe Gifted Gabaldón Sisters by Lorraine López is at once a coming of age story, a testament to the enduring nature of family ties, and a portrait of Chicano subculture in Los Angeles.
The book begins in 1966 as the Gabaldón sisters struggle to adjust to life without their recently deceased mother. The girls live in Los Angeles with their father, their brother and an aging Hopi housekeeper named Fermina. Each sister is named after a movie star: the eldest (an eighth grader) is Bette Davis, and then there is Loretta Young, Rita Hayworth, and Sophia Loren Gabaldón, who is an infant when their mother dies. (In case you're wondering, their brother is named Cary Grant Gabaldón.)
About a year after their mother dies, Fermina, who has lived with the Gabaldóns as long as the girls can remember, succumbs to pneumonia. Just before she dies, Fermina promises that each girl will soon receive a gift. The girls are naturally curious about the nature of the gifts and this becomes a central, yet underlying story line.
Each chapter is narrated by a different sister. The reader follows their lives over the course of twenty years as they attend college and find jobs; fall in love, marry and divorce; and have children. Each Gabaldón sister has a distinctive voice that the reader quickly comes to know and recognize.
In chronicling the lives of the Gabaldón sisters, López portrays in vivid and often comical detail the nuanced form of interaction that is unique to sisters. They are brutally honest and sarcastic, yet full of love and loyalty.
Interspersed throughout the book are notes taken in 1938 by a journalist who was researching the housekeeper Fermina's life for FDR's Works Progress Administration. These notes - which for much of the novel, the Gabaldón sisters don't know exist - reveal a secret about Fermina. This secret will have a profound impact upon the girls when they finally discover it.
López has been favorably compared to Julia Alvarez, and there are indeed parallels between this novel and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters is about the immigrant experience from the perspective of future generations. It's about family, sisters, fathers and daughters. And it speaks to the universal human need to know our cultural and familial roots as a means of understanding who we are and where we came from.
From the very beginning of Bethan Roberts' taut, haunting debut novel, we know that something awful has happened: Howard and Kathryn's son has died.From the very beginning of Bethan Roberts' taut, haunting debut novel, we know that something awful has happened: Howard and Kathryn's son has died. But we don't know how, or why.
After alluding to Robert's death in the prologue, the author deftly takes the reader back in time through the eyes of the novel's two narrators: Howard and Robert's teenage classmate, Joanna.
The fact of Robert's death bookends this story, but the bulk of the novel and what makes it such an appealing read is what happens in between. With Howard, we go back to the mid 1960's, when he meets Kathryn at the library where she works, and follow the marriage some twenty years to the present day.
Joanna chimes in a third of the way through the novel, in the early 1980's. An attractive girl who is affected by her parents' divorce more than she wants to admit, Joanna uses her burgeoning sexuality to get what she wants in life, whether it be from the boys at school or her mother's creepy boyfriend.
Roberts' prose is striking in its ability to set a mood. She creates a palpable tension in and between her characters. There is a strong sense of Howard's timidity, his fear of saying or doing the wrong thing in Kathryn's eyes. Kathryn obviously holds her husband at arm's length, fixating on her son in what borders on an unhealthy way. Robert is typical in his desire to separate from his parents, but is never openly defiant, choosing instead to cling to the role of 'good boy.'
Depiste the serious subject matter this was a quick read, and one that was difficult to put down. There is so much atmosphere in this book. Foreboding. Tension. Relationships about to erupt or implode. Gripping and beautifully written, you will be thinking about the characters and events of The Pools long after you have read the last page.
When Will There Be Good News? is nothing short of a delightful read. Atkinson gives us a sumptuous combination of wonderful well-developed characters,When Will There Be Good News? is nothing short of a delightful read. Atkinson gives us a sumptuous combination of wonderful well-developed characters, an engaging plot line, and the prose that I am quickly coming to expect of her - clean, subtle, and smart.
The novel is narrated alternately and in the third person by Jackson Brodie, Reggie Chase, and Louise Monroe. I quickly fell in love with all three. Incidentally, I have not read Atkinson's previous two novels featuring Jackson Brodie and did not feel this hindered my enjoyment of the story in any way.
Atkinson's skill as a writer shows in the adept way in which she ties disparate characters and story lines together. In the beginning, I couldn't fathom how this would happen, but when it did, I was amazed at how right it felt.
I would categorize When Will There Be Good News? as literary suspense. There were several questions that were not answered until the end. What is most amazing about Atkinson is that she gives us an intricately woven story but it doesn't feel complicated. Everything seems very ordinary, yet lovely, and brilliant, and even comic. I love that Atkinson's books are sprinkled with words that are unique to 'British English,' but not overly so.
Very rarely do I read a book that makes me want to buy up all an author's previous novels and devour them as soon as possible, but Kate Atkinson is quickly becoming this author to me. First, I was wowed by Behind the Scenes at the Museum, and now When Will There Be Good News? has completely captivated me and taken my adoration of this author up yet another notch.
I went into Immortal thinking it was going to be pretty straight-forward historical fiction. It is so much more than that (which should have beenI went into Immortal thinking it was going to be pretty straight-forward historical fiction. It is so much more than that (which should have been obvious from the title.) There is a mystical, supernatural element to Traci Slatton's debut novel and it flirts with time travel, too. While both require a certain suspension of belief on the part of the reader, I enjoyed the extra dimension they added to the story.
Luca, the 'immortal' main character was extremely well-developed. He was forgiveably flawed and easy to relate to. Slatton gives the reader other memorable, sympatheic characters. As Luca moves through is supernaturally long life, he gathers friends and enemies, and I loved the friends as much as I despised the enemies.
Immortal provides a vivid glimpse of Florence at a turbulent stage in its history. Several significant events are interwoven into the plot: the Black Death, the Inquisition, the rise of the powerful de Medici family, and the cultural revolution we know today as The Renaissance.
At certain places, I felt a little bogged down by the author's writing style, usually during the discussions of art and alchemy. Both subjects had their place in the novel, but the way they were handled interupted the flow of the plot and the book could just have been tighter and more succint in these areas.
From the beginning, Slatton used foreshadowing to suggest that things would turn out badly for Luca. However, the ending still managed to surprise and evoke emotion as she brought together various elements, including the mysteries of Luca's parentage and his immortal nature, in a masterful and powerful way.
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