Lauren St. John

Excellent read about a talented and driven man. The book smoothly describes family and early life in east Texas. Earle had a raucous but caring southern upbringing. It was family, in the guise of a young uncle, who started him out on the rock n' roll and heroin path, but it was also his family that eventually helped him back to the world. Eventually the book goes from album to album and wife to wife, all five of them. In the end, the man seems to have found some peace. Though at times he show more sounded like a titanic asshole, good for him. An American original for sure. show less

Lauren St John’s first adult novel is a surprisingly delightful blend of romance, poignancy and the unexplained: it is very different to her children’s stories but a lot more impressive.
Handsome obituary writer Nick Donaghue is dubbed the Miracle Man when he survives a train wreck seemingly unscathed – except for dreams predicting the imminent death of both friends and strangers. Neurologists, psychologists and psychics are unable to help and, in desperation, he flees his successful show more life in London for a ramshackle Cornish retreat.
In Cornwall Nick discovers unexpected talents: he restores his cottage, falls in love with lovely local lass Sasha, and starts to write again. Everything is perfect but then the dreams begin again and Sasha appears to be the next victim… This book is a riveting read with a little bit of everything, from wonderful descriptions to unsettling thrills - not to mention an unexpected ending. show less

Rainbow’s End is a memoir set in a place that longer exists. Lauren St. John spent her early childhood on a farm in white-ruled Rhodesia. Her story is one with many contradictions and highlights her loss of innocence. As Lauren grows, she realizes that her perceptions of reality, her understanding of country and family, were in large part mere illusions.

The memoir is filled with images of the African landscape. The political landscape is also ever-present. It is seen with the childlike show more innocence of a girl exposed to the world through the eyes of her parents. Lauren was eleven years old at the beginning of the Rhodesian Bush War. She trusted the adults around her implicitly and truly believed that the war wasn’t one about racism; after all, many of the members in the Rhodesian army were black. The Communists were the enemy, and she fervently believed in the righteousness of the Rhodesian army. She loved her country unconditionally. When independence was finally achieved and the country became Zimbabwe, Lauren’s shock at the reality of the situation was palpable.

“For me it was the euphoria that was the giveaway. That and the fact that I’d only recently registered the name of Mugabe, and yet every black person in Zimbabwe seemed to have known about him for years…it was the euphoria that told me that the war of freedom, which in my childish innocence I had believed we were fighting against Communism, had turned out to be someone else’s war of freedom. WE were the terrorists. Our heroes were not heroes at all, they were evil racists. Only black people were allowed to be heroes.”

The memoir allows us to follow Lauren’s life after the establishment of Zimbabwe, as well. We see the tumultuous relationship between her eccentric parents, her life at boarding school, her dreams for the future, and the beginnings of the reign of terror under Mugabe. My edition of the book came complete with maps, a helpful glossary, and thought-provoking discussion questions at the end. This memoir of Lauren St John’s life is heartfelt, and a noteworthy read. Recommended. show less

I checked this book out because it kept getting stolen from the library, which usually is a sign it's pretty good. It was. I didn't like it quite as much as some of the other books I've read for the MSBA.

Martine's parents die in a fire and she is sent to South Africa to live with a grandmother she has never met. Martine is fascinated by the legend of the white giraffe. Her grandmother tells her that the giraffe doesn't exist, but one stormy night Martine sees it. Why is it a secret? Does show more someone want to steal it? show less