Grace has faced terrible events in her life, and she has succumbed to them, retreating from life. She has ended up as the secret mistressSome spoilers
Grace has faced terrible events in her life, and she has succumbed to them, retreating from life. She has ended up as the secret mistress of a married man, unable to play her beloved cello, childless, a lonely life.
But is it? When yet another terrible event occurs in Grace's life, she destroys everything, and with the help of two unlikely friends, she rebuilds everything back, stronger than ever.
If you can suspend belief several times in the story, you may enjoy this very thoughtful story about rebounding from adversity....more
Hannah is (1) graduating from business school, (2) almost-engaged to the man of her dreams, (3) going to live in a beautiful New York apartment, and (Hannah is (1) graduating from business school, (2) almost-engaged to the man of her dreams, (3) going to live in a beautiful New York apartment, and (4) set to start the job everyone in business school wanted. Why does she consider throwing all of this away when she is unexpectedly offered a job in a family-run winery?
The Shortest Way Home is a thoughtful look at what is important in life and how we should attempt to get there from the eyes of Hannah, the winery owners, the owners' son, and Hannah's boyfriend, all of whom grapple with these questions in a careful way. In addition, who wouldn't enjoy a book set in Sonomo? A book swimming with some of the best wine in the world? It's a lovely summer read....more
Pachinko is the story of four generations of a Korean family. The story begins with the tale of Sunja, who finds herself pregnant and without a husbanPachinko is the story of four generations of a Korean family. The story begins with the tale of Sunja, who finds herself pregnant and without a husband in early 1900's Korea, and who is saved by the kindness of a young minister who marries her and takes her to Japan.
It's a huge story, with lots of fascinating characters who suffer through the humiliations of discrimination and poverty, the destruction of war, and the vagaries of love.
I must thank my many blogger friends who told me over and over about the excellence of this book....more
When one of your most wonderfully eccentric friends breathlessly calls you and insists you leave a lovely party to come buy a book ‘cause it’s on saleWhen one of your most wonderfully eccentric friends breathlessly calls you and insists you leave a lovely party to come buy a book ‘cause it’s on sale next door for just forty cents...well, you do it, and you buy it, and you read it.
And, of course, it turns out to be the perfect first read for a new year.
CeeCee Honeycutt is a girl, trapped in a horrible life, with a crazy mama who struts around town in old prom dresses from the Goodwill store, and a daddy is always on the road and never seems to be around. And then everything changes, and CeeCee is jerked out of her awful life and, amid a whole crop of delightful Southern women, she slowly starts to heal.
It’s chock full of good advice from these delightful Southern women, for a young girl who is trying to start again or for an old woman like me who is setting off into a brand new year.
“Age is inevitable, but if you nurture a childlike heart, you’ll never ever grow old.�
“Don’t go wastin� all them bright tomorrows you ain’t even seen by hangin� on to what happened yesterday. Let go, child. Just breathe out and let go.�
When CeeCee and the ladies get ready to play Chinese checkers, CeeCee takes a look at the marbles and says there aren’t enough. One of the ladies tells her, “Just set up the board as best you can. We’ll play with whatever we got.�
Is there any better advice for a brand new year? Childlike heart. Let go. And play with whatever you got....more
Anne Tyler shares four key events in the life of Willa Drake: the time her mother abandoned the family; the time Willa pondered marriage versus continAnne Tyler shares four key events in the life of Willa Drake: the time her mother abandoned the family; the time Willa pondered marriage versus continuing her college education; the sudden, early loss of her husband; and, finally, the time Willa was asked to help out with childcare of a young girl when the girl's mother was shot. These four events shape Willa into the person she eventually becomes.
Anne Tyler struts her stuff in Clock Dance, a masterful writer who creates quirky characters the reader can't help but love despite their flaws. Tyler had me rooting for Willa from page one.
Clock Dance may be my favorite Anne Tyler story ever, and that is saying a lot, as I have loved many Anne Tyler novels. ...more
It was the inclusion of this book on PBS' The Great American Read list to finally talk me into reading this book. Now I see why people love it.
This isIt was the inclusion of this book on PBS' The Great American Read list to finally talk me into reading this book. Now I see why people love it.
This is the story of a young black woman who grows and develops as a person through her three marriages to three very different men.
The language is beautiful and evocative, and the characters are vivid. The world Hurston creates in her story is the world of black culture, the 1930's South.
It's a magnificent story, with elements that will surprise you and shock you and energize you....more
Only Katherine Center can take such a stark, bleak story and give it gentle and comedic moments, and can finish with a startling sense of hope and happiness without throwing in anything hopelessly impossible....more
It's a book of short stories, but the big draw for me was Paris for One. You can guess how all of these stories will go, but sometimes that's all we wIt's a book of short stories, but the big draw for me was Paris for One. You can guess how all of these stories will go, but sometimes that's all we want from a book....more
It Happens All the Time is well-written. It Happens All the Time is thoughtful. It Happens All the Time is a careful examination of an important issueIt Happens All the Time is well-written. It Happens All the Time is thoughtful. It Happens All the Time is a careful examination of an important issue from two points-of-view.
It's me. I don't like it when I book centers around issues, especially important issues. It's just me, and my quirky reading habits.
You? If you love Jodi Picoult (and who, except me, doesn't?) I promise you that you will love this book.
So read it for yourself and see what you think....more
Darby comes to New York City's Barbizon Hotel for Women to stay while she attends classes to become a secretary. It's 1952 and Darby doesn't have muchDarby comes to New York City's Barbizon Hotel for Women to stay while she attends classes to become a secretary. It's 1952 and Darby doesn't have much on her plate of worth for women of this time: she's plain and she's poor, and she's spent her youth being cruelly bullied by her mother. Secretarial school isn't going well, and the fashion models she meets at the hotel are as brutal as her mother. And then she meets the hotel maid, Esme, and Esme introduces Darby to the vibrant world of jazz, and for the first time, Darby starts to live life. But there's another side to the jazz world that's dark, and we know this will not end well.
There's another storyline here, with Rose, an investigative reporter in present-day, looking into the Barbizon Hotel and Darby and Esme, and that's intriguing, too.
Mystery. Adventure. But the real draw of the story is the Barbizon Hotel and the women of the 1950's. A fascinating tale. ...more
Cece and Joan have been fast friends since childhood. Joan is the charismatic one, the beautiful one, the troubled soul, and Cece is the loyal friend,Cece and Joan have been fast friends since childhood. Joan is the charismatic one, the beautiful one, the troubled soul, and Cece is the loyal friend, the girl who got cropped out of the picture, the steady one. Joan is spiraling down, and in 1950's Houston high society, that just isn't done. It's up to Cece to save her friend one more time.
I loved the Houston setting. Everything Houston DiSclafani threw into the story---the Shamrock Hotel, River Oaks, Sugar Land, even a brief mention of my hometown, Alvin---kept me turning the pages....more
Mele tells her boyfriend that she's pregnant and he tells her he is engaged. Mele has her baby, Ellie, alone and joins a parent group for support.
ThaMele tells her boyfriend that she's pregnant and he tells her he is engaged. Mele has her baby, Ellie, alone and joins a parent group for support.
That's this book. Mele tells stories from the members of her parent group. These folks worry and obsess and rant and whine and complain and worry and obsess a little more.
The conversations Mele has with her friends are clever and witty and always savage. No one in the book, not even Mele, is that likable, and there is no action other than endless talking about very, very trivial things.
I read through to the end, but I didn't enjoy the read and I finished feeling like I'd wasted my time. ...more
Mrs. Harris is a cleaning woman who sets her sights on a Dior dress, a dress that costs a year's wages, a dress she hasn't a place to w(Some spoilers)
Mrs. Harris is a cleaning woman who sets her sights on a Dior dress, a dress that costs a year's wages, a dress she hasn't a place to wear, a dress that can only be obtained by traveling to Paris. Like a beautiful fairy tale, all her dreams come true. And don't. And do.
You might find the Meaning of Life in this book. It's a new favorite....more
Mixed feelings about this one. Liked elements of sea glass, start of Great Depression; didn't like relationship between woman and her husband.Mixed feelings about this one. Liked elements of sea glass, start of Great Depression; didn't like relationship between woman and her husband....more
Deb (Readerbuzz)
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women-s-fiction
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