I avoided this book for a long time, mostly because of the title. Dumb, I know, but there you have it. Books that begin with "The Woman..." or "The GiI avoided this book for a long time, mostly because of the title. Dumb, I know, but there you have it. Books that begin with "The Woman..." or "The Girl..." I generally walk away from. But I finally picked this up at an airport and I'm so glad I did. What the author manages to do in this novel is to create a fast-paced thriller with an exploration of character and some fine writing as well. It's really a tour de force with more unexpected twists than San Francisco's Lombard Street. It touches every base of fiction writing and does so beautifully. This is the perfect book for our troubled times: a perfect diversion. Really, if you're looking for a read that will hook you, keep you on the line, and then expertly reel you in, this is it. ...more
I dislike this whole give-it-a-star thing because I hate rating books. I prefer just to recommend and explain why. Anyway....Celeste Ng hits is out ofI dislike this whole give-it-a-star thing because I hate rating books. I prefer just to recommend and explain why. Anyway....Celeste Ng hits is out of the park again. This is a wonderful examination of family, family dynamics, family dysfunction, family pretence....you name it, she's exploring it. It's filled with interesting and completely believable characters. It begins with a house burning down and it ends with the aftermath of the house burning down. What leads up to that fire is what the rest of the novel is about. Deeply moving, incredibly readable. A wonderful depiction of place. I's truly worth your time. Celeste Ng is one hell of a writer. ...more
This is one heck of a clever book and a diverting read. The many-talented Anthony Horowitz gives us a post Reichenbach Falls novel featuring a ScotlanThis is one heck of a clever book and a diverting read. The many-talented Anthony Horowitz gives us a post Reichenbach Falls novel featuring a Scotland Yard detective and a Pinkerton's Detective Agency detective who meet up where Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty took their fatal fall together. A body has washed up and it's Moriarty's. This is a first person narrative written by the Pinkerton man, done in Victorian style in much the same way Conan Doyle wrote. It hearkens back to Agatha Christie's most controversial novel, and a crime-novel-reading group would find much to discuss. I previously had read a dreary crime novel with far too many characters to keep straight, and this book was a breath of fresh criminal air. ...more
The author hits it out of the park with the most superb sense of place I've read in a long time. The novel takes place somewhere in the Pacific NorthwThe author hits it out of the park with the most superb sense of place I've read in a long time. The novel takes place somewhere in the Pacific Northwest among an archipelago of islands, which Bauermeister makes absolutely real. The story involves a machine meant to capture scent in order to stimulate emotion and memory. It's a coming of age tale, featuring a young heroine as narrator who makes serious mistakes, learns much from them, and ultimately redeems herself. Beautifully and masterfully written. I highly recommend it. ...more
This is a pretty amazing book, written by a thirteen-year-old boy with autism. He has no oral language, so he communicates by means of an alphabet boaThis is a pretty amazing book, written by a thirteen-year-old boy with autism. He has no oral language, so he communicates by means of an alphabet board and a Japanese figures board. It's written in a Q & A fashion, and it explains autism from the inside from the direct experience of the writer himself. He's now nineteen and he has gone on to write more books. If you've ever had a question about autism, if you know and/or work with someone who is autistic, or if you're merely interested in viewing the world from the perspective of someone with autism, this book is well worth the read....more
This is a sobering look at a boys' "reformatory" in Florida, based upon a real reformatory. It's told through the eyes and experience of a boy called This is a sobering look at a boys' "reformatory" in Florida, based upon a real reformatory. It's told through the eyes and experience of a boy called Elwood Curtis who wants to live up to the words and the promises of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's a harrowing account of survival against racial prejudice, inhumane treatment, segregation policy, and pure evil perpetrated by white men against boys--both black and white--who get caught up in a system of justice that is incapable of justice or of self-analysis leading to self-condemnation. Elwood is an extremely likeable character who has to face the worst excesses that human brutality can offer a person. It's a big story that everyone needs to read, as it shines a light on yet another moment in our tortured history that people would largely prefer to pretend never existed. ...more
Wow. This book is wonderful albeit brutal. It takes place in Stockholm in 1793, and the sense of place is sheer perfection. The translation is superb.Wow. This book is wonderful albeit brutal. It takes place in Stockholm in 1793, and the sense of place is sheer perfection. The translation is superb. It's a story of a brutal murder that is assigned to Cecil Winge who once worked for the police but is now dying of consumption. His henchman is one Mickel Cardell, a one-armed watchman in the city who uses his wooden prosthetic when necessary to club malefactors. This is a book of very few heroes and a lot of villains. It's part murder mystery, part historical novel, part polemic against the brutality of men. And every bit of it is gripping. If I could give it six stars, I would. It's that wonderful....more
I wish there was something between "really liked it" and "it was amazing." This is a terrific book. The author lays out the history of the fateful yeaI wish there was something between "really liked it" and "it was amazing." This is a terrific book. The author lays out the history of the fateful year--1941--in which Hitler, believing he knew more than his generals, decided to invade Russia. Before reading the book, I knew how that invasion ended, but what I didn't know was how successful it was initially. Nor did I know that the German army was told to defy all "rules of war" (what an oxymoron that is) and to murder noncombatants outright, to kill surrendering soldiers, and to rape and pillage at will. The descriptions of both Hitler and Stalin as individuals with a frightening psychopathology that is all too familiar were particularly disturbing. In school, unless we major in history, we learn so little about our nation's wars. This book is a compelling look at how and why the US got involved and how Great Britain fought essentially alone from 1939 until December 1941. It also unveils the great leaders of the period: Roosevelt and Churchill. ...more
In the interest of full disclosure, I know the author. She took a seminar from me in April in Tuscany. This is her first novel, and it was published bIn the interest of full disclosure, I know the author. She took a seminar from me in April in Tuscany. This is her first novel, and it was published by St Martin's Press in 2009. However, they do not appear to have done much to promote it, and the rights have now returned to the author. The novel is the story of five generations of women whose roots are in Nigeria as well as in Puerto Rico where the first generation is represented by a woman who is enslaved. The book combines magical realism with historical fiction. It has at least a dozen excellent female characters: strong, decisive, determined to survive. The sense of place is extraordinarily well rendered. The writing is deceptively simple. In its published form, it was a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize in 2010. I recommend it. I enjoyed it greatly. I think it can now be purchased as an eBook. ...more
This is a tough book to evaluate, especially since it's wowing readers all over the country. I liked it, but I also found moments when the copy editorThis is a tough book to evaluate, especially since it's wowing readers all over the country. I liked it, but I also found moments when the copy editor should have weighed in with some changes that would have elevated the narrative, especially with regards to a slippery viewpoint problem and author intrusion. However, these are technical quibbles. The book is rich in detail and authenticity. The sense of place is outstanding. The heroine is sympathetic. The characters are real if not a little broadly drawn. The book has a lot to offer the reader, though, so I would definitely recommend it. ...more
Full disclosure first: The Elizabeth George Foundation, of which I am executive director, sent Ocean Vuong through an MFA program on the strength of hFull disclosure first: The Elizabeth George Foundation, of which I am executive director, sent Ocean Vuong through an MFA program on the strength of his magnificent poetry, which became Night Sky with Exit Wounds, a dazzling collection. Now he has written his first novel. I wish I could give it more than five stars. Ocean is really far beyond gifted with language. I'm not sure what adjective to apply to him. The book is raw, honest, brutal, shattering, deeply felt, heart-breaking, touching. It's an ode to a suffering mother and a suffering grandmother, an exploration of sexuality, a disclosure of what it means to be a minority--in every possible respect--in our country today. I believe it will be nominated for the Booker Prize, the National Book Award, the Pen Faulkner Award, and possibly the Pulitzer. It's that good. It's written with humility and with a passionate love of language. I found it be turns dazzling in its prose, striking in its willingness to expose the self to others, and uplifting in its hope. I really can't recommend it highly enough. ...more
This is the story of the five women who were murdered by Jack the Ripper in London in 1888. Long assumed to be common prostitutes, the women are in thThis is the story of the five women who were murdered by Jack the Ripper in London in 1888. Long assumed to be common prostitutes, the women are in this non-fiction book examined through the lives they actually led prior to the night each of them had a fatal encounter with the killer. The author uses detailed research through historical documents, archives, and contemporaneous writing to flesh out the existences of the women while at the same time offering a detailed look at what life was like for impoverished women in Victorian England. The final victim--Mary Ann Kelly--is the only one about whom there appears to be little information extant. As for the others, each is a heartbreaking yet illuminating story about how women have been and are still treated by any society that sees them of less value than man. ...more
There aren't enough superlatives to describe this enchanting novel. Let me try: Magnificent, enthralling, delightful, funny, moving....and on and on. There aren't enough superlatives to describe this enchanting novel. Let me try: Magnificent, enthralling, delightful, funny, moving....and on and on. The author writes like a dream. I can't recommend this highly enough. ...more
Lisa See pretty much consistently knocks it out of the park and this book is no different. The amount of research that went into the novel is staggeriLisa See pretty much consistently knocks it out of the park and this book is no different. The amount of research that went into the novel is staggering and the fact that the author is fully capable of making the research a natural part of her story (rather than stopping the story, vomiting up the research, and then restarting the story....bleagh) is just one of the things I like about all her novels. This one is particular is a heart-wrencher, depicting the lives of two women in particular who are breath-holding sea divers on an island torn between Japan and Korea. It's by turns fascinating, heart-breaking, moving, engaging...In other words, it's vintage Lisa See. I highly recommend it, and if you are a new reader of Lisa See, you have an entire catalogue of delights awaiting you in her novels. ...more
I liked this book, which makes the entire star-giving routine tough because four stars means "really liked it" and I don't want anyone to think I didnI liked this book, which makes the entire star-giving routine tough because four stars means "really liked it" and I don't want anyone to think I didn't like this. It's a fun book for airplanes, beaches, summer reading, etc. It moves right along and it has a wonderful twist. It's perfect for a diversion, which is something we all need at times. I quite enjoyed it and would recommend it for that reason. It's not great literature but it doesn't ask to be considered great literature, if that makes sense. ...more
This is an amazing true story of a man and the woman he meets at Auschwitz while both are prisoners there. It's written in an accessible, simple styleThis is an amazing true story of a man and the woman he meets at Auschwitz while both are prisoners there. It's written in an accessible, simple style, which should not deceive the reader regarding the book's importance. The pace is fast and although some of the subject matter is heartbreaking, the novel shines another necessary light on the horrors perpetrated upon Jews, Catholics, Romani gypsies, intellectuals, and philosophers--to name but a few--who were arrested, tortured, and murdered by the Nazis during the second world war. Personally, I think everyone should read this. ...more
Katy Yocum applied for a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation because she wanted to go to India and photograph tigers for a book she intended toKaty Yocum applied for a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation because she wanted to go to India and photograph tigers for a book she intended to write. The board approved her application on the strength of her writing and her letters of recommendation although we were worried about the tiger part and asked that she get a very good telephoto lens. This book is the result of the trip she took and the hard work that followed.
It's very good on many levels. It's a family story, it's a love story, it's a story about loving animals and wanting them to live, and it's a story about other cultures and what we have to learn about them. It's gripping and memorable.
The story exists in two periods of time: in the late 1930s and in present day. It deals with the criminal kidnapping and abuse of children perpetratedThe story exists in two periods of time: in the late 1930s and in present day. It deals with the criminal kidnapping and abuse of children perpetrated by the Tennessee Children's Home Society (1930s). It also deals with a young woman's exploration of this wretched piece of American social history as well as her exploration of her own life. (present day) It has a terrific sense of place, very good characters, and a fast moving plot. When the writer is addressing the 1930s, I was the most engaged by all the elements of good story telling: setting, characters, dialogue, plot, climax, resolution. The ending of the present day story is never in doubt. But the 1930s story is utterly unpredictable and for this reader, it carried the novel. ...more
I wish I could give this book more than five stars. It's beyond excellent. When you consider that this is Celeste Ng's debut novel, the book becomes eI wish I could give this book more than five stars. It's beyond excellent. When you consider that this is Celeste Ng's debut novel, the book becomes even more special. It's two stories: the death of the beloved daughter in a mixed race family as well as a searing portrait of the family in which she grew up. It goes back and forth through time as we learn how she became who she became and what her death did to fracture the family's tenuous structure. It's written with the delicacy of a Chinese water color. It's simply wonderful. ...more
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