Twelve year old Veronica (Ronnie) Swan is babysitting her two younger sisters and playing hide and go seek. As Ronnie hides in the shed by their house, she starts to think that her sisters are unusually quiet and taking a long time finding her. Pushing open the shed door, she faces a gruesome sight — her sisters lay in a pool of blood on the ground with their necks slashed, while a man, covered in the girls’ blood, stands nearby, spinning madly and talking to himself.

The man, Scott Early, is later diagnosed with untreated schizophrenia. He is found guilty of the murders of Ronnie’s sisters, but declared mentally insane at the time. Instead of being sent to prison, he is sent to a psychiatric hospital for 3 years of treatment and is then released to live freely with his wife and new baby girl. Ronnie and her family, however, must live in their own prisons of guilt and grief as they mourn the loss of the two little girls.

Ronnie grows up quickly in the aftermath of her sisters’ murders. She takes care of her grieving mother and her new baby brother, born just weeks after the murders. She takes care of the house and what’s left of her family while her parents fall apart. Her mother takes to her bed and sleeps as much as possible, while her father leaves them to walk aimlessly night after night in the woods behind their house. After a few years of living in a fog, both of Ronnie’s parents finally come around and make a decision — they decide they will visit Scott Early in the hospital and give him their forgiveness so that they can move forward with their lives.

Ronnie can not understand her parents. To her, forgiving the man that murdered her sisters is like telling him they accept his apology and the deaths. For Ronnie’s parents, forgiving is an act of faith, brought on by months of prayer and the belief that judgment is reserved for God, not them. But Ronnie can not forgive Scott Early. Instead, she decides she will bring some judgment on him herself, and makes a plan to deliver him some of the pain he has caused her family.

Throughout the novel, Ronnie is described as an exceptionally smart young woman. Home-schooled with excellent grades, she graduates from high school early and plans to become a doctor one day. However, for such a smart person, she sure makes some poorly thought-out plans. I suppose that years of grief and thoughts of revenge can cause a person to not think clearly, but then again, she does have years to think things through and plan her revenge. Her plan, once put into action, isn’t very smart, and it certainly isn’t carried out well. I sort of expected more repercussions for her actions, but instead the result has very little consequence to herself. In fact, the ending of the novel turns out to be a little too gratifying. And I suppose after years of pain and sorrow, Ronnie deserves a little happiness in the end, but something just doesn’t feel right about it. Perhaps it has to do with how easily her life goes on, and how well things turn out for her, and how willing everyone around her is to let her off the hook for what she does.

I’d say this is a good book despite the ending. It is well-written, and the pages fly by with an interesting plot to carry it forward. Religion is a major factor in this novel, and I did expect more preaching and religious discussion, but there is surprisingly little apart from some setting up in the beginning and then the overly sweet ending that I found a little hard to believe. Overall, a good read with some interesting themes. (more…)

The Callan sisters are not much alike. Clara Callan is the responsible sister who stays on in her family’s little Ontario town and takes care of the house after her parents have both passed on. Nora Callan is the adventurous sister, who craves a more exciting life and moves to New York to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. This would be like many a sister story you’ve read before, except this novel is set in the 1930s, during a time when being a single woman in her 30s was not as glamorous as it is made to be today.

Instead, Clara Callan is categorized as an old maid; a spinster schoolteacher who prefers to stay home alone and read a good book than go out and socialize and find a husband. She thinks she’s too old now, and the chances of her finding a husband to marry and have children with are gone. And she’s right — being an unmarried, 30-something woman in a small town in 1930s Canada doesn’t give her many opportunities to find love at this already “late stage of life”.

Nora has it a little easier. Having moved to the vibrant city of NYC, fresh off the swinging heyday of the 20s, she’s free to date and work and enjoy her life more than her sister is in the the traditional, Puritan village they grew up in. Nora soon makes a name for herself as a radio actress, and with her success comes suitors and admirers. Trouble is, they’re usually married men.  (more…)

Vida Winter is a famous, bestselling author with a background as mysterious as any novel she’s ever written. Many have tried to get her story, but all have come away with different versions, and none of them the truth. But Vida is dying, and she’s decided the last story she’ll tell is the story of her life before she was famous. She summons an unknown hobby biographer named Margaret Lea to come stay with her as she tells the story of her youth. It’s a story of mystery and violence — shocking and hard to believe. Margaret has to wonder as she listens — is Vida Winter telling the truth, or just telling one last great story?

I loved this book. The language is amazing and beautiful. What I like about Setterfield’s storytelling is that it’s not complicated, but it’s complex. She doesn’t use big words, but her words have big meaning. This story is smart, and I enjoyed every page.
(more…)

When my friend picked this novel for our book club’s next read, I initially thought it was going to be a chick lit novel about a guy named Astrid and a girl named Veronika. Was I ever wrong!

This is the lovely and beautifully-written story about two lonely, grieving women who come into each other’s lives at a time when the other was needed the most. Astrid is an old woman, living alone in the same small village in Sweden she has lived in her entire life. She is known as the reclusive village “witch” who shuts herself away from the rest of the villagers.

Veronika is a thirty-year old woman, come back to her native Sweden to grieve the loss of her fiance and work on her novel. She rents the house next door to Astrid’s and settles in to write, though she can not seem to make any progress.

Every day, Veronika wakes up early to take a daily walk before sitting down to work on her novel, and while she has never seen Astrid, she always waves to her as she passes the old woman’s house, certain she must be watching from her darkened windows. When a few days pass and Veronika hasn’t taken her usual morning walk, Astrid finds that she has become concerned that something may have happened to her. She goes over to check on her and finds a feverish and grief-stricken Veronika holed up in her house. Astrid invites herself in and makes them pancakes and tea, and from that day on, the two women form a friendship that allows them to tell each other their stories and heal in the process.

I loved this book. The language is beautiful, the writing is poetic and the women and their stories are so emotionally stirring. Their stories are sad, and the novel is certainly melancholic and dismal at times, but it is also a satisfying read precisely because it is so sad. It’s what makes it memorable.

I also liked that it was set in Sweden. I have never been to Sweden and the extent of my knowledge about the country and its culture is sadly limited to what I’ve gleaned while browsing through the products in IKEA’s food shop. But Olsson’s writing is so rich and descriptive that I felt as if I could taste the food and see the nature in the countryside and the houses of the little village as well as if I’d been there myself.

Lovely book, engrossing read, highly recommended.

Knocked Up is a novel based on journalist Rebecca Eckler’s real life pregnancy. On the night of her engagement party (which her friends will later jokingly refer to as The Conception Party), Eckler and her fiance get drunk, and go home to a night of unprotected sex. She wakes up the next morning absolutely positive she’s pregnant, and it turns out she’s right. What follows is an account of her pregnancy as she prepares herself for parenthood with her fiance.

This book is funny — very funny. I rarely laugh out loud when I’m reading, but I did numerous times with this novel. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun read.

In related news, there is some controversy brewing over Rebecca Eckler’s novel and the movie of the same name starring Katherine Heigl that was recently released. Eckler believes the movie is based on her book, and she should be credited for it. I haven’t seen the movie yet (I’m going to see it with my book club later this month when we gather to discuss this book), but if it IS true that the movie based itself heavily on Eckler’s book, then yes, she should be credited for it. Though, with the media attention given to this controversy, I’d think Eckler has already been (unofficially) credited and she’s gotten some great promotion for her book –enough to prompt at least one book club to read her novel and then go see the movie for comparison. So I’d say she came ahead in that respect. But as someone with aspirations to write a novel of my own one day, I can understand why she’d be unhappy about it and that the extra promotion her novel is getting isn’t really the point here. So despite my general dislike of Katherine Heigl, I’m looking forward to seeing the movie and looking for the similarities. I’ll update this post with my thoughts when I do.

Update (July 30, 2007): Saw the movie with my book club and the consensus was that the movie and the book share pretty much nothing in common but the title. Honestly, I don’t see how Eckler can claim that she should be credited. I think this article says everything I think about the matter (thanks to my friend Deb for the link).

By the way… the movie is hilarious. I laughed a lot, as did pretty much everyone else in the theatre. I’d watch it again.

As my husband delicately pointed out to me a few days ago, it’s been a while since I reviewed a book (literally, he pointed to the date of my last post and said something like, “What’s up with that?”). It’s not that I haven’t been reading. I have. I’ve started Ann Brashares’ new book for adults, The Last Summer (of You & Me). I’m a third of the way through Karen Joy Fowler’s The Jane Austen Book Club. I was a couple of chapters short of finishing Brian Wansink’s Mindless Eating before I had to return it to the library (I’m the type that can’t write a review unless I’ve completely finished a book, so I’m waiting to get it back). I’ve also been reading a bunch of nonfiction lately: gardening books, health books, and cookbooks, which I like because I can easily peck through a few pages at a time when I don’t have the time or energy to commit to reading more than a half hour at a time, and I don’t have to reacquaint myself with a lot of plot when I come back to them. (more…)

Lena Fleet left Alabama for Chicago ten years ago, vowing to God that she would do 3 things: stop fornicating with every boy that crossed her path, never tell a lie, and never go back to Alabama to face her ghosts. As long as God didn’t bring Alabama and her past back to her, they had a deal.

And Lena has kept up her part of the deal: she’s been completely celibate, she’s managed to never tell a lie, and in the ten years since she’s left Alabama, she hasn’t once returned, not even for funerals, celebrations, Christmas or vacations.

But one day, an old classmate named Rose Mae Lolley shows up at her door, wanting Lena’s help to track down an old boyfriend, Jim Beverly. And at that moment, Lena knows that God broke their deal: here was Alabama on her doorstep, looking for the boy she killed ten years ago and thought she had gotten away with. (more…)

There is a quote on the front cover of this book made by the author Susan Wiggs, who says that The Tin Box is “feel-good fiction at its best.” This makes me scratch my head a bit because this was quite a depressing novel. Which isn’t as bad as it sounds, because this is also a very good novel.

When we first meet Kenly Lowen, we discover that she’s been keeping a secret from her husband. The secret is small enough to fit into a tin box, but large enough that it has the potential to rip their family apart. Before we find out what the secret is, we are transported back in time to when Kenly was a teenager living in Montana with her alcoholic father, who has just been let go from yet another teaching position. (more…)

I was contacted by the publicists for this book and asked to read and review it here. Based on the title alone, I was ready to say thanks, but no thanks. But I looked into the book and read a few synopses, and decided it might be interesting. I am glad I agreed to read it, and let it be a lesson to those of you who might judge a book by its title (or cover or whatever).

I had conflicted feelings while reading this book. It was humorous, it was depressing, it was happy, it was sad. It was definitely an interesting read, with unique characters unlike any I have ever encountered before. (more…)

This is my book club’s pick for August. I had actually borrowed this book from the library last year but hadn’t gotten around to reading it by the time it had to go back. I remember that I hadn’t been in a rush to read it when I had it, and I wasn’t in a hurry to get it again.

Why? The front flap gave the entire story away. I don’t need to be spoon fed the plot. Yes, I know this is chick lit and it’s commonly understood that the girl and the guy are going to get together once they get over whatever is keeping them from realising they should be together, and I’ve read enough Chick Lit that I shouldn’t be surprised I was able to figure it all out just from the flap, but still… maybe I just shouldn’t read the flaps.

So I expected this novel to be predictable. And it was. But I was happy to find that once I actually started reading it, I didn’t want to put it down and I ended up finishing it in the same day. So while it was predictable, it was clearly a good read. Why? Charming, very funny, and well-written, the feel of this book was comfortable and quite entertaining, reminding me very much of Jennifer Crusie’s Bet Me, a book I really enjoyed. (more…)

I had 3 reasons to read this book: it had been recommended to me by a few people I know, there’s a movie based on the novel coming out at the end of the month, and it turned out to be this month’s choice for my book club. I’d taken it out from the library a couple of times previously, but had always passed over it in favor of another book, or had to return it before I had a chance to start.

Andrea Sachs has graduated from college and spent the last year traveling. She falls ill in India and returns home to her parents’ house where their careful care makes it clear she’s better find a job quickly if she wants to keep her sanity.

Her dream is to write for The New Yorker, but she knows she has to start at the bottom of the ladder. She interviews for a job at Runway magazine as the junior assistant for Miranda Priestly, the most powerful woman in the fashion industry. Somehow, despite arriving at the interview poorly-prepared, dressed in non-designer clothing, and admitting to Miranda that she’s never heard of her, she gets the job. It’s a job, she’s told, that millions of girls would die for, and one that will do more for her in one year than five years anywhere else.

(more…)

This is a novel that was nominated for many prestigious awards, including the IMPAC (update: it was announced that The Master won the IMPAC June 12, 2006) and Man Booker prize. And I can understand why it was nominated –this is a well-written book with beautifully-crafted sentences and description that bring up vivid images and give life to the long-dead author, Henry James.

I can’t recall having read anything by James, even though I majored in English in University, but I’d certainly heard of him and for some reason, I’ve always regarded him as ancient and boring. But after reading this book, I’ve changed my mind about him, and am now tempted to pick up some of his novels, something I am sure Toibin hoped would result from the reading of this book.

The book focuses on major events in James’ life, beginning with the humiliating failure of his first play, Guy Domville, and continuing with his struggles to make peace with a number of troubled relationships that had caused him to feel guilt, confusion, grief, and self-reproach over. We discover that these influences on his life are what provided the inspiration for his most successful works. (more…)

It's my turn to choose a book for my book club's next meeting. I have a few in mind, but I thought I'd open it up to the blogosphere for suggestions first.

Here's the criteria our book club has for choosing books:

1. Can not be recently released or currently in very high demand. Should already be released in paperback and easily obtained at the local library without having to go on a long hold list.
2. Not too long, but not too short. It's got to be juuuuuuuust right.
3. Needs to be a story that would fuel a discussion.
4. A good read. Obviously.

I've got a few ideas in mind. All by authors I've never read before:

• Colm Toibin's The Master which I started reading last night and am not disliking. It helps that it's been nominated for the International IMPAC award and is a finalist for the Booker prize. A regular on top 10 in 2004 lists the world over.
• David Mitchel's Cloud Atlas which sounds interesting: multi-genre with multiple story lines all related in someway by the end of the book.
• Ian McEwan's Atonement. Good reviews with recommendations from people.
• Dave Eggar's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Also had good recommendations from a variety of people who don't share the same reading tastes.

What I'm noticing in these books is that they are all written by men. There is a reason for this: all of the books our club has read thus far have been written by women, and all of them have dealt with women's issues. I'd like to divert from this trend and shake things up a bit. Ideally, I'd like to find a book like Life of Pi: something that left me wanting (needing) someone to talk to about the story.

So… what do you think of these choices? I'm also open to other suggestions/genres. Suggest away! :)

This was my book club’s choice for March. You will either love this book, or you’ll hate it. Me? I hated it. I got a little over a quarter of the way through and I decided I wouldn’t finish it, not even for the book club.

And believe me, I had plenty of opportunity to read it in places where I had nothing else better to do. Sitting in a waiting room at the doctor’s office… I preferred to stare at the ceiling tiles. Sitting in a teensy 4′x3′ changing booth, wearing nothing but a hospital gown and waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the nurse to come get me for my neck ultrasound… I preferred to examine the caulking that ran along the baseboards.

I gave it a try, I really did. But… blech! The writing was dull. Actually, not so much dull and eyebrow-raising and “trying too hard.” Also, there was way too much repetition and straight-forward telling instead of showing. The first few chapters, all I could think was, “I can’t believe this story one bit.”

(more…)

Any of you out there with teenaged daughters? Worried about them engaging in unsafe sex? Well, get them a copy of this book and make them read the first quarter. They don’t even have to finish it, the first 50 pages will be enough to put them on the right path. Not only will they get an excellent representation of what life as a young, single mother is like, they’ll be horrified to see what I’m taking to be a pretty accurate description of life “on the dole”.

This is a novel with a premise that is so depressing, yet at times it was so comical and light. Meet the protagonists, Lucy and Lish, two women living in Have-A-Life public housing in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Yes, that is what it’s called. Its tenants have alternate names for their housing, everything from Have-A-Life? Have-A-Light? and Have-A-Laugh?, which you have to admit is pretty amusing and being able to laugh at it probably makes them feel a little better about their living situations. Anyway, Have-A-Life is the most oddly-named government-funded housing for young, single mothers on welfare, and man… does it ever sounds like it sucks to live there. I would never, not in a million years, wish this sort of living arrangement on anyone I know.

(more…)