Thanks to my GR friends, I have had the pleasure of reading a wonderful saga of a novel, with great characters, complicated family relationships, beauThanks to my GR friends, I have had the pleasure of reading a wonderful saga of a novel, with great characters, complicated family relationships, beautiful descriptions of nature and social themes. This novel is set in four periods of time: 1938 after all mature vegetation has ceased to exist, except on a tiny island off the west coast of Canada, where Jacinda (Jake) Greenwood is a tour guide; 2008 when Liam Greenwood, a carpenter suffers an accident; 1974 when Willow Greenwood is an environmental activist (particularly against the timber industry) living in her Westphalia van; 1934, when Everett Greenwood, a veteran, and loner living in the forest, tries to do the right thing and must travel from eastern to western Canada, while his brother, Harris, amasses a fortune in the lumber business; and 1908, when we first meet Harris and Everett as orphaned boys. The heart of the novel revolves around trees. Each main character taps trees, makes trees into shelters, harvests trees, agitates for trees, does unique woodwork, or works in the world’s only remaining forest. Beautifully, the novel starts in 2038, wends its way in reverse chronological order back to 1908, and, then, just like the “other side� of the rings of a tree, makes its way chronologically back through the time periods. But this is not just a novel about the destruction of trees by mankind � it is much more than that � which I why I enjoyed it so much. Each of the main characters is complex and fully human - riddled with weaknesses, desires and often poor choices � yet each character has innate goodness that also shines through (except for one notable lesser character). There are more themes than I can name, including poverty, excessive wealth, loneliness, PTSD, the effect of the Depression and the dust bowl, itinerant life, lost books and climate change. Each is explored through the characters and the storyline, rather than being pounded into the reader, which is much more enjoyable and effective in my opinion. However, in addition to trees, the core of the story lies in the concept of family. In this novel the Greenwood “Family� is created in 1908, by the two orphaned boys. The novel evolves from them, but the Greenwood Family is not necessarily a traditional family created through blood and marriage. The family experiences love, abandonment, deceit, secrecy, acceptance and rejection, and the reader is left to ponder exactly what constitutes a family and what one generation leaves (or does not leave) to the next. This novel fully captured my attention and my heart, and my only complaint is that (for me) the part of the storyline set in the future did not work very well (as is often the case)....more
This was one of the most lovely novellas I have read in a long time. The characters are a Vietnam vet, Benny, who is having difficulty returning to daThis was one of the most lovely novellas I have read in a long time. The characters are a Vietnam vet, Benny, who is having difficulty returning to daily American life after witnessing unspeakable horrors in Vietnam. His pain is depicted very clearly and deeply. The other main character is a young nun, Sr Clare, who is about to take her final vows. Her confusion as she tries to determine whether the religious life she has chosen is really what she want is also very well portrayed. The characters are tied together by Isabel, who is Benny’s brother’s girlfriend and lifelong friend of Clare. This is a quiet novel of choices and contemplation, and its theme of the peace provided by nature struck a chord deep within me....more
I don’t consider myself a big fan of the mystery/thriller genre, but this novel absolutely intrigued me. The setting is a fancy wedding on a tiny islaI don’t consider myself a big fan of the mystery/thriller genre, but this novel absolutely intrigued me. The setting is a fancy wedding on a tiny island off the west coast of Ireland. We know from close to the beginning that someone has died, but the many and unexpected relationships among the characters plays out beautifully during the course of the novel. The characters are extremely well portrayed and the setting is perfectly spooky. I listened to this novel, and I highly recommend experiencing it that way. There are multiple important characters, and the voices make them more real. What a thrilling ride it was! ...more
3.5 This is the second novel in O’Connor’s Rome Escape Line Trilogy, and I enjoyed it as much as the first in the series, In My Father’s House. The wo3.5 This is the second novel in O’Connor’s Rome Escape Line Trilogy, and I enjoyed it as much as the first in the series, In My Father’s House. The work of The Choir continues. [[Background: The Choir is a group based in the Vatican (mostly secular individuals but led by a priest), that works tirelessly to help Allied soldiers and Jewish people escape from occupied Rome during WWII. It isn’t absolutely necessary, but I would read the first in the series before reading this one.]] The incredible daily risk the Choir members take to help the ”Books� (their name for escapees they are trying to protect) are portrayed very vividly, and the novel is full of tension. The main characters in the prior novel, such as Fr O’Flannery are still there, but new or minor characters, particularly, Contessa Landini, assume very prominent roles. The primary setting in the Vatican remained very interesting. However, this novel took the reader below the streets into the tunnels and crypts of ancient Rome, which I found quite interesting, but which also heightened the sense of imminent danger. There were also wonderful descriptions of the “palace� in which the Contessa had lived. O’Connor does a very enjoyable job with the characters, who hail from many different places and walks of life. The novel moves very quickly, but, as before, the reader is left with a deep respect to people who gave their all in the effort to save human beings from the horror of the Nazis. ...more
This beautiful, heartbreaking and redeeming novel told the story of Marguerite, a French noblewoman, orphaned shortly after birth. She is raised by heThis beautiful, heartbreaking and redeeming novel told the story of Marguerite, a French noblewoman, orphaned shortly after birth. She is raised by her nurse, Damienne, but her life is controlled by her guardian Roberval. Marguerite grows up in a life of 1500’s luxury, she learns to read and write and to play music. Faith is a very large and active part of her life. Her childhood ends abruptly when Roberval removes her from her ancestral home and then demands that she and Damienne accompany him to Canada, then known as New France. On board the ship Marguerite falls in love with Roberval’s assistant. Roberval discovers their love and abandons Marguerite, her love and Damienne to a rock island. Life on the island becomes an almost insurmountable challenge � and I’m not going to say more for fear of giving away details. This novel drew me in completely. The juxtaposition of Marguerite’s wealthy but controlled life and her life on the Canadian rock island was overwhelming. Roberval was one of the most mercurial characters I have read in a long time. His moods vacillated wildly, but his evil heart was ever present. As Marguerite recognizes, by exiling them to the island, he gave her and her lover their freedom as well as their ultimate prison. Faith is a strong theme in the novel. As a young woman, faith came easily, but when Marguerite is challenged by life on the island, so is her faith. The descriptions of the natural world on the island are outstanding. Amidst all the pain and stress of finding food, Marguerite eventually recognizes the beauty of the rocks, the sea, the sky and the (one) flower. Most powerful, however, was the transition of Marguerite from a wealthy (but controlled) young woman to a woman fighting for every bite of food and struggling to keep those she loves alive in the harshest of environments. This novel will remain with me for a very long time. ...more
Lisa Genova is a master at bringing debilitating and often mystified and misunderstood diseases into real world, graspable settings. In this novel sheLisa Genova is a master at bringing debilitating and often mystified and misunderstood diseases into real world, graspable settings. In this novel she tackles bipolar disorder in the character of Maddy, a 20 year old college student, as she develops bipolar disorder, is diagnosed and deals with her life changing diagnosis. Maddy’s depression is clearly, emotionally and practically portrayed � but depression is something many of us have experienced and most of us somewhat comprehend. It was Genova’s portrayal of Maddy’s manic episodes that awed and overwhelmed me. In a manic stage Maddy felt and did things that would never have crossed her mind or been possible otherwise. The reader watches Maddy’s immense suffering as she tries to deal with her disease through unwanted hospitalizations, drugs with terrible side effects and her inability to live on her own � all the while wanting to live the “normal� life of a 20 year old woman. The reactions of Maddy’s family � particularly her mother � to her illness-related actions and inactions were extremely well portrayed. As the parent of a 20 year old, how do you handle your worry, desire to care for your child and your understanding that your ill child is an adult with needs and goals of her own? I was much moved by Maddy’s story and the understanding that it gave me.
This wonderful and very unique novel, with its many themes and wonderful characters, amazed me on so many levels it is hard to know where to begin witThis wonderful and very unique novel, with its many themes and wonderful characters, amazed me on so many levels it is hard to know where to begin with my review. The setting is Uz, Nebraska during the Dust Bowl. There are four main characters. Asphodel Oletsky is a teenage girl who has come to live on her uncle’s farm in Oz after the death of her mother. Asphodel’s happiness comes from basketball � at which she is quite skilled. The Anitdote (or Antonina) is a Prairie Witch, who receives “deposits� of people’s memories. These memories are almost always things that people wish to forget, and after a person makes a “deposit� with the Antidote, they are completely free of their bad memories (and quite happy as a result). Customers can also make “withdrawals� and get their memories back. Harp Oletsky is Asphodel’s uncle and a farmer in Oz during the Dust Bowl. Cleo is a photographer for the Resettlement Administration (a New Deal program), who has been sent to Uz to photographically bring the life of Nebraskans to the rest of the nation. The setting in Nebraska during the Dust Bowl is extremely powerful. The novel starts on Black Sunday and major, devastating dust storms continue throughout the story. The descriptions of the power of nature are breathtaking. Even more importantly, the reader experiences the drought and dust through the eyes and hearts of the citizens of Uz as their farms blow away, their crops are lost and they are unable to pay their debts. Set into dusty Oz are the four characters described above as well as a truly evil sheriff. Forces of good and evil are pitted against each other. The pace of the novel is quick. One of the overwhelming themes is the nature of memory. What is memory? If you can’t remember something bad, did it not happen? How can memories be altered? What if someone alters a memory in its retelling to make the acceptance of it better for the receiver? Has our government altered memories? These issues are raised beautifully and powerfully when people make “deposits� with the Antidote, when Asphodel helps the Antidote with her “withdrawals� and when Cleo’s camera’s prints reflect the scene she photographed (in the story’s present) in past times past as well as future times. Trauma is another issue which runs deeply through the novel. Asphodel has lost her mother, who she misses constantly while trying to be an adult. As a teenager, the Antidote spent a year of utter horror in a home for unwed mothers. Those scenes (which are based upon real events) will linger with me for a long time. The novel also deals with the brutal displacement of Native Americans so that European settlers could take their land. This is a story which has been told many times, but Russell did it in a unique and highly impactful way. She used the story of Harp’s father (Tomasz), a Polish Catholic who had been displaced and reduced in every way by Germany. Based on unsubstantiated promises, Tomasz and his wife left their family in Poland and suffered terribly to come to Nebraska to find that not only was the land not as they had been led to believe � but that by taking this government offered land, they had displaced Native Americans just has they themselves had been displaced in Poland. Very well done! This novel achieves a lot of its beauty and impact through magical realism. In order to enjoy it, you must be willing to suspend your belief in only reality and go with the flow of the story. If you do, you will be richly rewarded. ...more
This novella told the story of an Indian woman who has travelled to Mexico to study Spanish. There she meets an old woman who claims to have known herThis novella told the story of an Indian woman who has travelled to Mexico to study Spanish. There she meets an old woman who claims to have known her mother in Mexico. The woman discloses an entire aspect of the narrator’s mother’s life that was previously unknown to the narrator. The descriptions of San Miguel de Allende and Colima were lovely, but the story left far too much unresolved for my tastes....more
Upon her mother’s death, a girl (Winter) is sent from England to live with her grandparents in southwest Australia. There she determines that many thiUpon her mother’s death, a girl (Winter) is sent from England to live with her grandparents in southwest Australia. There she determines that many things in her life � from her own life history to multiple deaths in Australia � are strange, unknown, unexplained and convoluted. Although this was in many respects a murder mystery (a genre of which I am not a big fan and not an appropriate reviewer), there was much more to this novel. The descriptions of the setting on the Australian beach were beautiful and tangible. The details of that setting, from the house to the ocean, were fully portrayed and compelling. The characters were nicely drawn as well. They were good and bad, and the reader never knew which part of a character’s personality was the person’s “true self�. Art was a theme as well, because several of the important characters were artists. The art they created cast an interesting spell over the novel. The effect of Winter’s difficult childhood (which included the loss of her mother and years of being uncared for) on her lifelong mental health was significant throughout the story. Although I did not figure out who the murderer was (until the novel disclosed it), I did find the multiple murder side of the novel to be disappointing and, for me, rather pointless other than for the purpose of keeping the reader guessing. However, I enjoyed the interesting characters and the very well done settings....more
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