lit_chick's 2016 Reading (3)

All aboard for 2016's literary adventures, everyone!

This is my sixth year with our most articulate 75 Books Challenge group. I do not structure or plan my reading at all. My book choices are made on the fly and in the moment. One might say I like to fly by the seat of my pants. This works for me!

I live in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley with my magnificent three-year-old, jet black, feline rescue, Cairo. My thread toppers this year will feature Biblio Beauties, a series of paintings of women reading done by assorted artists.



Charles Edward Perugini (1839-1918), Idle Moments




May
29. The Paris Wife, Paula McLain
28. The Improbability of Love, Hannah Rothschild
27. Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear
26. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante
25. Ruby, Cynthia Bond

April
24. The Book of Memory, Petina Gappah
23. The Widow, Fiona Barton
22. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, Elena Ferrante
21. The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers
20. Our Souls at Night, Kent Haruf

March
19. The Story of a New Name, Elena Ferrante
18. Fifteen Dogs, Andre Alexis
17. South Riding, Winifred Holtby
16. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante
15. The Wings of the Sphinx, Andrea Camilleri
14. All My Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews
13. August Heat, Andrea Camilleri

February
12. Crooked Heart, Lissa Evans
11. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
10. Road Ends, Mary Lawson
9. Remembering Laughter, Wallace Stegner
8. Birds of a Feather, Jacqueline Winspear
7. Trespass, Rose Remain
6. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

January
5. Crow Lake, Mary Lawson
4. Stars Go Blue, Laura Pritchett
3. Watch How We Walk, Jennifer LoveGrove
2. Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear
1. How It All Began, Penelope Lively

Because one never knows when one might need a fainting couch ...

17.
South Riding, Winifred Holtby



Rating: 5/5

Sarah Burton returns to her home of South Riding as headmistress of Kiplington High School for Girls. She is full of ambition, determined to make the school the very best it can be, and to inspire her students to take all from life that they can. But in the aftermath of the Great War, inspiration and ideals are hard won. The education of Sarah’s brightest young student, Lydia Holly, must be sacrified to care for younger children when her mother’s health fails. Numerous appeals to Robert Carne, governor of the school, for improvement to decrepit structures fail. In fact, Carne of Maythorpe Hall stands for all that Sarah detests: generational landowners, their social positions uncontested for generations. And yet she can’t but feel attracted to the proud, haunted man – himself nearly ruined financially, emotionally burdened still by the “bitter tragedy” that was his marriage.

The novel is panoramic in its portrayal of 1930s Yorkshire: an intimate look at the lives of a myriad of characters, and at the goings-on of local politics. I loved Emma Beddows, a 72 year old who’s given her life to public service, existing very capably in a man’s world, at a time when so few women did. My heart went out to the desperately poor Holly family, representing the strife of the poorest working families. And Councillors Huggins and Alderman Snaith reminded of our contemporary (read corrupt) politicians – both the losers and the millionaires. But always in the foreground is Sarah’s devotion to education, as the only way forward for her students to make the world in which they live a better place:

“Don’t let me catch any of you at any time loving anything without asking questions. Question everything. Especially, perhaps, what I say. Question everyone in authority; and see that you get sensible answers to your questions. Then, if the answers are sensible, obey the orders without protest. Question your government’s policy, question the arms race, question the Kingsport slums, and the economies over feeding school children, and the rule that makes women have to renounce their jobs on marriage, and why the derelict areas still are derelict. This is a great country and we are proud of it, and it means much that is most lovable. But questioning does not mean the end of loving, and loving does not mean the abnegation of intelligence.” (510)

My review in a nutshell: Oh, perfect, perfect, book! Winifred Holtby is storyteller extraordinaire! The beautifully written South Riding is rich, vibrant, humourous, and wise. I found myself happily immersed in the era, the class/social struggles, the characters’ lives, and, most unusual for me, even the local politics. As a lover of classic literature, this is a novel I will cherish. Most highly recommended.

Are you open for business? I hope I am not too early. : )

>3 lit_chick: Kim, you are fast, girl! Was just positioning the fainting couch and posting my review.

Sometimes I am really on the ball!! ; ) And you started the thread of with a 5-star read! Wow! I have never heard of the book or author. Taking note.

The couch looks lovely. Here's a cute fan to go with it.

Great new thread topper of " biblio beauties". Congrats on your new thread. Wow a 5 star read for your spring break. Loved your enthusiasm. Great review!

>6 Berly: South Riding is a fabulous read, Kim. It's also a BBC production, which I can't wait to watch. And a fan for the fainting couch ... we're set.

>7 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. If you love classic literature, you have to read South Riding. About to request the DVD from my library.

>3 lit_chick: I have planned to read South Riding for such a long time, Nancy, and your excellent review is a timely reminder.

Happy new thread, my dear.

Happy new thread! I like the painting. I can't imagine holding that pose for a sitting for any length of time...

I'm another one who hasn't read South Riding. The BBC series was just ok I thought, although Anna Maxwell Martin was as usual excellent.

>9 PaulCranswick: Paul, you must give yourself the gift of reading South Riding. I think you will enjoy!

>10 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte, I would not manage well in that pose either, LOL, but I'm considerably older that this particular "biblio beauty." Anna Maxwell Martin has been excellent in everything I've seen her in!

Late to the game, as usual. Happy New Thread, Nancy! Glad you enjoyed South Riding and a wonderful review. A 5 / 5 book! Wow!

>3 lit_chick: 5 stars for South Riding ... YAY!!! I'm so glad. Your review is wonderful. I'm off to thumb it now.

Happy new one, Nancy!

Happy new thread, Nancy, and great review of South Riding, which I own but which just crept higher up the TBR Soon! list :)

>12 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, yes another 5* read this year! I'm thrilled!

>13 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura, for the recommendation of South Riding. What a wonderful read! It's earned a place in my collection of favourites.

>14 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie.

>15 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. Oh, if you've got South Riding, I hope you will read it soon! Would love to know what you think.

Happy New Thread! I'd never heard of South Riding either but it sounds very interesting. I love reading about historical England!

Have a wonderful Easter.

There you are, Nancy. Great review and what a wonderful beginning on this thread. Have not heard of this one before, but with your glowing recommendation I'm going to check it out. And I am after all also a lover of classic literature :)

Beautiful thread stopper - and I feel comfortable knowing there's still a fainting couch around on this thread at all times.

Happy easter.

Happy Easter Nancy, sending love and hugs to you my dear, have a lovely weekend.

>17 rretzler: Hi Robin, if you love reading about historical England, you will love South Riding!

>18 PaulCranswick:, >19 DianaNL: Happy Easter, Paul and Diana.

>20 ctpress: Hi Carsten, I thought of you when I finished South Riding as I know you also love classic literature. I do hope you will read South Riding!

I'm so glad the fainting couch helps you to feel comfortable when you come to visit. I agree it is important to have one around at all times, hehe.

Happy Easter to you, too!

>21 johnsimpson: Thanks, John, Happy Easter.

Happy Easter, friends!

Hi Nancy - Lovely comments on both South Riding and My Brilliant Friend. I just read the later and also loved it. I will definitely try to get to South Riding soon.

Have a wonderful weekend.

>24 BLBera: Thanks, Beth, I hope you will love South Riding as much as I did. Look forward to your thoughts.

Happy New Thread, Nancy!
Add me to the list of those who LOVE and ADORE South Riding.

>26 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy! Happy to add you to the list of those who LOVE and ADORE South Riding.

Happy Easter!!

Happy new thread and Happy Easter Nancy!

I admit to having never heard of Holtby (I know, what the hey?!). Looks like I am taking a BB for South Riding. ;-)

>28 Berly: Thanks, Kim.

>29 lkernagh: Hi Lori, Holtby is another LT gift for me : ). I think you would enjoy. Fabulous writing, fabulous story. Anna Maxwell Martin stars in the BBC production, which is on request from the library as we speak.

Happy Easter , Nancy! Enjoy your chocolate bunnies and I hope that you have good weather. We've had a beautiful warm day so far today, but it is supposed to cloud over and rain tomorrow. Oh course the meteorologists have been wrong before and in any case, I'm going out for Easter Dinner.

>31 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, you too! Gorgeous sunny day in the Okanagan today, hoping for same tomorrow.

De-lurking to say Happy New Thread, Nancy!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

>33 scaifea:, >34 mdoris: Thank you, Amber and Mary.

Belated happy new thread and happy Easter weekend Nancy. I love the opening painting. Excellent reviews of South Riding and My Brilliant Friend. The first is a favourite and makes me wonder why I haven't read all of Holtby's other novels yet. The latter is on my library list.

>36 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather! Holtby is another of LT's gifts to me. I've only read South Riding, but may very well look for more of her work. Will be interested to know what you think of Ferrante's novels.

18.
Fifteen Dogs, Andre Alexis



Rating: 4/5

– I’ll wager a year’s servitude, said Apollo, that animals – any animal you choose – would be even more unhappy than humans are, if they had human intelligence.

–An earth year? I’ll take that bet, said Hermes, but on condition that if, at the end of its life, even one of the creatures is happy, I win.

And so begins Alexis’s modern take on the apologue, with a wager placed between two gods in a Toronto bar, which, as it happens, is very near to a veterinary clinic. The brothers decide the fifteen dogs within will form the treatment group for their wager, and the god of light grants the dogs human conscious and intelligence.

Apollo and Hermes watch from above as the dogs venture into their newly unfamiliar world: Prince becomes a poet, Atticus learns about leadership, and Majnoun forges a close relationship with a kind couple. But the dogs are heavily burdened by thoughtfulness and conscious, by language and the concept of time: It keeps us from being dogs, and it keeps us from what is right. Some die bitter and disillusioned, demeaned by the condescending relationships they have had with their masters. And Zeus is furious with his sons when he learns of their interference with the dogs, admonishing that The only thing certain about humans is their brutishness, and that the dogs, given intelligence and conscious, will suffer twice as much as humans do. As for the dogs, Majnoun summarizes: … of course, it was impossible to know a state (to know the human) by subtracting things in oneself, as if ‘human’ were what is left once the best of dog has been taken away.

Fifteen Dogs is as charming as it is strange: both a meditative and troubling look at the perils of human consciousness. Alexis is easily deserving of the Giller Prize for his work here, and Fifteen Dogs is easily recommended.

It is an interesting and strange tale Fifteen Dogs. Great review, Nancy! Alexis is easily deserving of the Giller Prize for his work here, and Fifteen Dogs is easily recommended. Agreed! Glad you enjoyed! Hmm- no touchstone?

It does sound like a strange but also an imaginative twist on the anthropomorphic tale. I'm curious to know how the experiment, wager, goes down. Interesting review, Nancy.

>38 lit_chick: Have just thumbed your excellent review Nancy. It is on my list!

>39 vancouverdeb: Hmm, I've just fixed the touchstone in my review, hadn't even noticed that it wasn't working. And I think it has been working previously? Bah! I remember you really enjoyed this one, too, Deb, which was behind my decision to read. Glad I did!

>40 ctpress: Very strange and also very imaginative, Carsten. I really enjoyed, and I think you would, too. I also needed to know how the experiment, wager goes down.

>41 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! Look forward to your thoughts on this Fifteen Dogs.

Hi Nancy -- *SWOON*!! Great thread you have going here! And a fainting couch!

Like you, I do not plan my reading, but go with my mood. I often plan to join challenges, and then just don't read the books... at that particular time:)

And big time BBs! You got me with South Riding and Fifteen Dogs. I enjoyed your thoughts on My Brilliant Friend from your last thread. I succumbed and bought that one at Powell's in Portland. Glad to see your good thoughts!

>43 AMQS: Hi Anne, I love to plan my reading in the moment. In other words, not plan it, LOL!

I hope you will love South Riding as much as I did, and I'll be curious to know what you think of Fifteen Dogs and the Ferrante novels.

Great review of Fifteen Dogs, Nancy. Rhian already hit me with that one, or your review would have landed it on the list. Happy Wednesday to you!

I read Fifteen Dogs on the plane coming back from UK in January and enjoyed it but I am a little surprised it was considered substantial enough for winning a major literature award. Still it is great when something wins that people actually enjoy reading.

>Thanks, Mamie. I think you will enjoy Fifteen Dogs.

>46 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, glad you enjoyed Fifteen Dogs. I was not surprised that it took the Giller Prize, think its apologue genre contributed to the win.

Just so you know, I have a new thread for you to star, when you get a moment. You could always read Pastoral by Andre Alexis. I think he is trying to write different genres. I read it the year before - I think it was on some list or another. I enjoyed it , was okay and a short read too. Here is a link to a review of it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/a-man-out-of-ti...

The cover of the book is cool, if nothing else! :)

>48 vancouverdeb: Thanks for the tip on Pastoral, Deb. Right now, I'm just a few pages into Our Souls at Night. Oh, Kent Haruf!

Will be by your new thread shortly : ).

Fifteen Dogs sounds great! Nice review. And I really have to get to a Haruf someday soon.... Happy Thursday.

>49 lit_chick: I'm just a few pages into Our Souls at Night. Oh, Kent Haruf!
Oh yeah. I know what you're feeling.

>50 Berly: Thanks, Kim. You MUST get to Kent Haruf!

>51 lauralkeet: I know! Perfection.

Do enjoy Our Souls at Night. I really did! I think I read it as soon as it came out. Maybe less sad that way?

>53 vancouverdeb: I remember you really enjoyed this one, Deb. Actually, I don't think I've read even a mediocre review of it, at least not here in 75ers.

Nice comments on Fifteen Dogs, Nancy. My library has a copy. Once I return some of the other books I have checked out...

>55 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I think you'll enjoy Fifteen Dogs. Look forward to your comments.

19.
The Story of a New Name, Elena Ferrnate



Rating: 4.5/5

2015, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Hillary Huber

The Story of a New Name begins immediately where My Brilliant Friend left off, following friends Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo (now Lila Carracci) from their mid-teens through their mid-twenties. As the novel opens, Lila, at sixteen, is away on honeymoon, and Elena continues to pursue her studies. I could not have been more wrong when I predicted in my review of the first novel that Lila’s future was, at least for the time being, relatively predictable. On the contrary, marriage has imprisoned her: “… the condition of wife had enclosed her in a sort of glass container, like a sailboat sailing with sails unfurled in an inaccessible place, without the sea.” (Ch 11) Ferrante minces no words about the cyclical experience of young, uneducated women in working-class, 1960s Naples:

“Of course, the explanation was simple: we had seen our fathers beat our mothers from childhood. We had grown up thinking that a stranger must not even touch us, but that our father, our boyfriend, and our husband could hit us when they liked, out of love, to educate us, to reeducate us.” (Ch 10)

Though the friends continue to share a complex bond, the position of authority (for lack of a better word) that Lila has always held in the friendship becomes ever more pronounced. She convinces Lena to leave her job and spend a summer at the beach with her. But the vacation turns toxic when Lila, undefeated in spite of the abusive circumstances of her marriage, turns betrayer – and, as she does so, unashamedly uses her friend to help carry out and conceal her deceit. The summer marks the beginning of periods of time during which the friends will fall out of favour – only to eventually collide once again. As The Story of New Name concludes, Lila has a son but nothing else, despite the affluence of the Carracci family; and Lena, who is finishing her degree, has begun to experience some professional success.

Ferrante’s meticulous portrayal of Lila and Elena’s entangled, complicated friendship ensures that, at least for me, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay is up next. Having felt undecided about narrator Hillary Huber in the first volume, I’ve come to the conclusion she is perfect – that she and Ferrante make a formidable team. Highly recommended.

This series sounds so interesting! I went to look further at the book and the touchstone took me to Homer's The Odyssey. Might want to fix that. Otherwise, the review is most excellent!! I added the first, My Brilliant Friend to my WL. : )

Exciting to read your reviews as the story progress and there's surprises and character-development in the second part. Great review. A narrator that grows on you, I know that very well, Nancy.

Touchstone nightmare again....

>58 Berly: Thanks, Kim, the Ferrante novels are a great series, and I'm so glad to be reading them consecutively. Bah to touchstone woes! Thanks for letting me know; I've fixed it.

>59 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, yes, surprises and character-development here for sure. Isn't it wonderful when a narrator grows on us?

Freaking touchstones! This morning I couldn't add books, so was over posting in the Bug Collectors' Group. That problem is fixed, but now these little beggars are acting up again, LOL!

Nancy - Your comments make me want to pick up the second Ferrante book right now! I did love the first one and look forward to reading my way through them all, eventually.

Oh that Holtby! I must get hold of South Riding! It's been on my Virago WL for ages!

And I have the Ferrantes lined up. Presently am committed though to the Knausgaard opus.

The B&B I am in presently has a rather fine fainting couch which I really ought to take a photo of and post here. It is presently littered with my belongings, however, but maybe in the morning, when I tidy up to go!

>57 lit_chick: fabulous review, Nancy. So glad you enjoyed it.

Wonderful review of The Story of a New Name . What an interesting sounding series , and rather sad , at that. “Of course, the explanation was simple: we had seen our fathers beat our mothers from childhood. We had grown up thinking that a stranger must not even touch us, but that our father, our boyfriend, and our husband could hit us when they liked, out of love, to educate us, to reeducate us.” (Ch 10)
. I'll have to put the series on my wishlist. Currently I am really crazy for Maisie Dobbs! Thumbed.

>61 BLBera: Hi Beth, I think if you loved the first Ferrante, you will love the second even more. Enjoy!

>62 sibylline: Hi Lucy, it was Laura who so highly recommended South Riding, and what a beautiful read! I've got the DVD requested from my library, stars Anna Maxwell Martin, whose work I love.

You must do take a photo of the fainting couch at your B&B.

>63 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! And for your endorsement of these, which finally pushed me to pick them up.

>64 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I think you would enjoy the Ferrante novels, and, yes, they are rather sad. But I think also triumphant in that the stories of the women are being told. Must get back to our Maisie when I've followed the adventures of Elena and Lila through to their conclusion.

20.
Our Souls at Night, Kent Haruf



Rating: 4.5/5

“She stood and went out and walked back home, and he stood at the door watching her, this medium-sized seventy-year-old woman with white hair walking away under the trees in the patches of light thrown out by the corner street lamp. What in the hell, he said. Now don’t get ahead of yourself.”(Ch 1)

Addie Moore and Louis Waters live in the small rural community of Holt, Colorado and have known one other for decades – they knew one another’s spouses and children, too. But they’ve been alone now for ages, each living in a home empty of family, the nights so terribly long and lonely. Courageous Addie approaches Louis and asks him to keep her company at night, so that she’ll have someone to sleep with, to talk with. There’ll be small-town-talk, lots of it, but neither cares.

Then Jamie, Addie’s grandson, comes to live with her, and after a period of adjustment, the three settle into a quiet, supportive comfort. But it is not to be. Gene, Addie’s adult son and Jamie’s father, damaged in childhood by the loss of his sister, Connie, and by the resulting non-relationship with his father, remains a damaged adult: unforgiving, small-minded, querulous. In his ignorance, he issues his mother an ultimatum.

Our Souls at Night, written in the spare, eloquent prose that I love Kent Haruf for, is a deeply resonant story of a man and woman who find each other in advanced age, and come together to grapple with the events of their lives – and with their hopes for the immediate future. At one point, Addie and Louis attend the Holt County Fair together, and immediately, I thought, I’ve been to this fair before. Now, which of Haruf’s Holt characters was I here with? I will dearly miss Holt and its inhabitants. Easily recommended.

Oh! Finished two books in one day. Lovely review of Our Souls at Night. It's a lovely read. The story really makes older people real , instead of just " older people ." Courageous Addie approaches Louis and asks him to keep her company at night, so that she’ll have someone to sleep with, to talk with.

A great opening quote, Nancy. The vulnerability and gentleness of that couple. They have the courage to open up one more time with the danger of being hurt.

Glad you loved it. On my top ten last year.

>68 ctpress: The vulnerability and gentleness of that couple. They have the courage to open up one more time with the danger of being hurt. Exactly, Carsten! Such a beautiful read. Going to miss Kent Haruf and Holt A.LOT. I can easily see how this one made your top 10 last year.

>67 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, don't know how I managed to answer Carsten's subsequent post, but miss yours! It's my age, and my mind, LOL!

I remember how much you enjoyed Our Souls at Night, too. And you're right: it makes old people real. As I said to Carsten, really going to miss Haruf and Holt. What a gift he's been.

Stopping by to get caught up and see that the BBs are flying around as per usual. No hits this visit but only because I already have the Ferrante (and the Haruf) books already on my radar list and TBR bookshelves. *whew!*

>71 lkernagh: Hi Lori, nice to get away with not having to add to the list: very hard to do around here, LOL! Will you listen to the Ferrante novels?

Hi Nancy, Wonderful review of Our Souls at Night. I really liked it too but was so upset about the family dynamics influencing their happiness. Tragedy runs deep.

No problem, Nancy. I've noticed today on my thread that you and I are posting simultaneously it seems, and then we miss each other, sort of. I suppose your nerves are rattled , having to face the maddening crowds ( aka) work tomorrow. :)

>73 mdoris: Tragedy does indeed run deep, Mary. I was angry at the son's selfishness, even though I knew it was coming from past pain.

>74 vancouverdeb: Yes, I've been far from the maddening crowds for two weeks now, Deb, but this morning, it's back at it!

>72 lit_chick: - I have print copies of the books so I will probably start off by reading them. They are my planned summer reading, as I envision I will plow through all four books without a break. ;-)

>76 lkernagh: Great summer reading plan, Lori. I'm doing the same: plow through all four books without a break.

Im glad the fainting couch made its way over here. You just never know!

And the Haruf sounds like it hit the spot. I am looking forward to Benediction still....
Your one has such a pretty cover, I'm almost moved to purchase :)

Hi, Nancy.....just checking in. No Haruf for me yet, but I will get to him if only because you love him so much.

>78 LovingLit: Exactly, Megan, you just never know! I've loved all of Haru's work, so if you've not yet read Benediction, you're in for a treat.

>79 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, i know you are resisting Haruf. But I figure I will eventually wear you down, LOL!

21.
The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers



Rating: 4/5

“Grief is a practical mechanism, and we only grieved those we knew. All others who died in Al Tafar were part of the landscape, as if something had sown seeds in that city that made bodies rise from the earth, in the dirt or up through the pavement like flowers after a frost, dried and withering under a cold, bright sun." (Ch 6)

In Al Tafar, Nineveh Province, Iraq, Privates Bartle and Murphy, 21-years-old and 18-years-old respectively, battle under the command of Sergeant Sterling, not much older than they. The young men, both from Georgia, met at Fort Benning – Bartle recalls promising Murphy’s mother that he would bring her son home alive, and Sargeant Sterling advising the young solider that he wanted him to “get in Bartle’s back pocket and I want you to stay there." (Ch 2) As the novel opens, the platoon has launched (another) bloody battle for Al Tafar; and Bartle observes that his friend has “grown old in the ten months I’d known him.” (Ch 2) In the endless days that follow, the two will do everything they can to protect one another. But only Bartle will go home to the US – a fate perhaps even less kind than death: "My missing him became a grave that could not be filled or leveled, just a faded blemish in a field and a damn poor substitute for grief, as graves so often are.” (Ch 7)

The Yellow Birds is a powerful, necessary read – an unforgettable account of friendship and loss, and a stark portrayal of the brutality and desperation of war, and of its unimaginable after-effects. Powers, an Iraq War veteran, unmistakably draws on first hand experience. My only criticism of the novel is that the prose occasionally tends to the too-poetic (Powers is also a poet), which I found created a discordant effect between language and subject. The novel has been hailed as the All Quiet on the Western Front of the Middle East. And, while I personally prefer Remarque’s novel, I think the importance of writing about the soldiers’ experience of Iraq cannot be overestimated. Highly recommended.

“Now I know: All pain is the same. Only the details are different.” (Ch 7)

>81 lit_chick: Great review. This sounds like a powerful read. I am resistant to novels about soldiers but might make an exception for this one.

>81 lit_chick: Thanks, Charlotte. Yes, a powerful read, and I think an important, necessary one.

The "All Quiet on the Western Front" of the Middle East. No small praise. A powerful opening quote, Nancy. Interesting to have a novel from an author who have been in the middle of the horrible war in Iraq. Great review.

Excellent review of The Yellow Birds, Nancy. It's one to put on my mental wishlist. I agree with Carsten, if you compare it with All Quiet on the Western Front I know I'll have to read it. Thumbed.

Oh wow that sounds like a powerful book.

>84 ctpress: No small praise, indeed, Carsten. I don't think it's as good as All Quiet on the Western Front, but it is an excellent read. Yes, powerful quotes throughout.

>85 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. The comparison was not mine but another author, actually: Tom Wolfe, I think? That said, I think it's important to read about the experience of soldiers in Iraq, as well as in the World Wars.

>86 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, yes, very powerful.

Just stopping by again this evening to say thank you for recommending Crow Lake, which I just finished a few minutes ago. What a great book! I loved the revelation at the end.

>88 lauralkeet: My pleasure, Laura! I'm so delighted you enjoyed it!

Hmm - for some reason in the thread book your third thread is not showing up. Only the first and second one. Just popping by to celebrate the release of the Bailey's long list on Monday, somewhat in advance of the day. Wonderful weather in your area , I imagine? A lovely day here too.

Nancy, the past couple of days when I 've been walking Poppy I've come across a few robins - and each time I think of you and your dad. Was your dad fond of robins, or was he named Robin? I had an orthodontist in my childhood days and his name was Robin , as was a girl that I went through school with. It's been lovely to see a red breasted robin - a nice change from the sea birds that populate my area so heavily. ( or the crows and blackbirds )

HI Nancy, Thanks for your visit to my thread. That was a wonderful review of The Yellow Birds. I remember lots of praise on LT for it when it first came out and it got buried in the huge list of recommendations on my TBR pile. Your review put it to the top of the list! I have yet to read All's Quiet on the Western Front so that goes to the top. I have been steaming through Helen Humphreys books. We had an house offer accepted (finally after a hunt) in another city and so we are in a whirlwind so there will be less reading for sure over coming months but I will keep my eye on your thread.

>90 vancouverdeb:, >91 vancouverdeb: Oh, thanks for letting me know, Deb. I'll go and fix the thread book momentarily. Yes, the Okanagan weather has been just gorgeous. Clear blue skies, sunny, and beautifully warm.

Aw, I'm so touched that you've been spotting robins and thinking of my dad and me. He was not named Robin, but for many years, he enjoyed feeding birds on their property. They lived on a half acre not too far outside of Ottawa, and it was amazing the birds he was able to attract ... don't know if he was reading up on different feeds, or just what. But he enjoyed his birds. I love robins, a fond sign of spring for me, so they always make me think of him.

>92 mdoris: Hi Mary, oh you must read both All Quiet on the Western Front and The Yellow Birds. Both superb reads. Delighted you are enjoying Helen Humphreys so much: another wonderful writer! Where are you moving to?

>49 lit_chick: I know the feeling about Haruf, Nancy. I just listened to some of Jim Harrison's novellas and while I don't like his books quite as well as those by Haruf or Pat Conroy, I am tired of my favorites dying off. I know we have lots of new authors to be grateful for but I want ALL of them to keep writing forever!

>57 lit_chick: Good to see you've been bitten by the Ferrante bug! I miss listening to those books. I hope to find the print copies at the next library sale I go to and will read them sometime. The details of the friendship were so rich that I'm sure I missed some of the nuances. I enjoy reading your reviews and smiling at the memories.

I hope you had a good week end. Spotted any robins yet? We tend to have them year-round in mild winters such as the last one.

Glad you are enjoying the robins. I adore them.

>94 Donna828: We are losing too many fabulous writers, Donna. Like you, I want my favourites to keep writing forever!

Thorouhgly enjoying the Ferrante novels. Sometimes my expectations are not kind to me, and I was hesitant to pick these up foe that reason, but I am so glad I did. Expectations conquered!

Our winter was very mild, so we've had our robins about for some time now. Just love them.

>95 sibylline: More robin adoration! Hi, Lucy : ).

Shortlist:
Ruby, Cynthia Bond
The Green Road, Anne Enright
The Glorious Heresies, Lisa McInerney
The Portable Veblen, Elizabeth McKenzie
The Improbability of Love, Hannah Rothschild
A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara

I've only read Ruby from that short list; I really loved it, so I'll root for it :)

>98 katiekrug: Encouragement for Ruby. Thanks Katie!

I am recovered from yesterdays short list funk , Nancy . Not being a sports fan, I suppose the short list was akin to having your favourite hockey team not make the play off or something like that. Now where is my crying towel? :)

>98 katiekrug: Hi Katie, and I've only read The Green Road, so I must put Ruby on my list. Thanks : ).

>99 vancouverdeb: Aw, Deb, hope by now your crying towel has dried out and you're ready to face another day!

eta: Well, so much for my short term memory. I had already requested Ruby from the library, and it shipped yesterday! Woohoo!

So the fainting couch isn't enough now, Deborah? Hope the crying towel was big enough :)

Short list meltdown is one thing. Now Barcelona missing the semis in the Champions League last night - Messi out! Now that's grief for you :)

I finished another of the shortlisted Orange Prize books, Carsten and Nancy - Girl At War. I just have not gathered my thoughts as yet. I'll mail you a crying towel, Carsten! :)

>101 ctpress: LOL, Carsten! Should I be dragging a crying towel around, along with my fainting couch? A Barcelona meltdown, as well as a shortlist meltdown ... just no end of excitement!

>102 vancouverdeb: Aha, you caught my attention with Girl at War when you were starting it, Deb. Will look forward to your thoughts. Sounds like Carsten needs a big crying towel, so be prepared for the postage, LOL!

No, crying towel for me, please. My favorite team Liverpool just won a spectacular game 4-3 with a goal in overtime - against Dortmund. I will relish that game for a long time.

Sorry to crowd your thread with sports results, and now back to the short list.....

>104 ctpress: Woohoo! Well done, Liverpool! And you're welcome to crowd my thread with celebratory news anytime, Carsten, LOL!

22.
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, Elena Ferrante



Rating: 4/5

2015, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Hillary Huber

In this third Neapolitan novel, Elena and Lila have become women. Lila, who married at sixteen, has a son. But she has left her abusive marriage and is reduced to working as a common labourer. But, as always with Lila, I predict that her fortunes will change again. Elena has long since left Naples, earned her degree, and published a successful novel, which has opened doors for her to the academic world and richly furnished salons. She marries a professor with whom she will have two little girls.

For the greater part of Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, the friends are apart. And yet when Lila is unwell and calls for Elena, her friend is by her side without hesitation. Still, the relationship is an odd one: the balance of power has never been equal. I am beginning to wonder about Elena’s take on the friendship, which, because she is the novel’s sole narrator, we only ever perceive through her eyes. Anyhow, in spite of how she loves her friend, Lenù says this of her:

“With her, there was no way to feel that things were settled; every fixed point of our relationship sooner or later turned out to be provisional; something shifted in her head that unbalanced her and unbalanced me. I couldn’t understand if those words were in fact intended to apologize to me, or if she was lying, concealing feelings that she had no intention of confiding to me, or if she was aiming at a final farewell. Certainly she was false, and she was ungrateful, and I, in spite of all that had changed for me, continued to feel inferior ... For years after that, we didn’t see each other, we only talked on the phone. We became for each other fragments of a voice, without any visual corroboration. But the wish that she would die remained in a far corner, I tried to get rid of it but it wouldn’t go away.” (Ch 60)

Ferrante continues to do a marvelous job of this series. I’ve read listened the novels consecutively and look forward to the final installment. Narrator Hillary Huber is wonderful! One final observation on Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay: what on earth do these women see in Nino Sarratore? Brilliant he may be, but I find him small: a user and a manipulator. And, yes, I’m fully aware that it takes great literature to extract such an emotional response!

Will you read the 4th one right away?
I agree with you about Nino!!

What a fascinating development in the structure of the friendship over the years portrayed in those novels. Great review again, Nancy. So easy to relate to - how some friends come and go in your life and others stay and grow stronger - others is challenged by circumstances and the persons individual maturity etc.

It takes great literature to extract such an emotional response!. Yes! The scoundrel Nino. Buuuuuhhhhh!!!

Hi Nancy, wishing you a lovely weekend my dear, sending love and hugs.

Excellent review, Nancy! I'm going to get to that series sooner than later! I’m fully aware that it takes great literature to extract such an emotional response! I understand that, with the past few reads I have had.

>107 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, yes, I'm listening to the fourth one immediately! Good to know I'm not alone in my feelings about Nino.

>108 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. Ferrante does write a fascinating story about friendship. As you say, friends come and go, others stay and grow stronger. And you're right that Nino is a scoundrel!

>109 johnsimpson: Thanks, John. Huge to you and Karen.

>110 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. It's wonderful to have such a strong response to a novel, isn't it? I hope you will enjoy the Neapolitan novels as much as I have.

23.
The Widow, Fiona Barton



Rating: 3.5/5

"Justify, justify, deny, deny. It ought to get easier, but it doesn’t as each lie feels sourer and tighter, like an unripe apple. Unyielding and mouth-drying.The simple lies are the hardest, funnily enough. The big ones seem to just fall off the tongue.” (Ch 13)

The Widow is a story of a missing child, a sweet toddler named Bella – taken from the front garden in her residential neighbourhood. While the police have several leads, it is Glen Taylor, a former bank executive, whom they decide to be the most likely suspect, and he their investigation focuses on. As a reader, I suspect that perhaps the vision of the lead detective is flawed, too singular, and I read on to see whether my theory will bear out. I am watching another suspect …

The novel is alternately and effectively narrated by Jean, Taylor’s wife; Sparkes, the lead detective; and by Kate, the journalist chasing the case. I liked that Barton was able to draw me into Bella’s story, that I felt invested in solving the crime. My criticism of The Widow is that I found a good part of it dragged on terribly. All of the ingredients are here for a page-turning, psychological thriller, so I was disappointed with the pace. That said, I think Barton is certainly worth another look.

Hi Nancy - You make me want to get on with the Ferrante books.

Regarding the Women's Prize shortlist, I'm reading The Improbability of Love right now and in the first 50 pages, it has sucked me in. The narrator is a painting.

>113 BLBera: Beth, I'm certain you'll enjoy Ferrante. I've got several of the Women's Prize books on request from the library, and The Improbability of Love is one of them. Good to have your endorsement!

Sounds like an interesting psychological thriller, Nancy - told from different viewpoints. Too bad the pace wasn't quite there. So can one rely on the viewpoint from the journalist? :)

>81 lit_chick: Great review of The yellow Birds. In fact all your reviews are great! ; )

Glad you enjoyed The Widow, but sorry that the pacing wasn't there for you. I did give the book a 4 star read, but yes, it drag a bit during the story, but it probably depended on what I'd read prior. I think for me , I did enjoy The Widow more than The Girl on A Train which seemed to be a slower a read to me. Great review!

>115 ctpress: So can one rely on the viewpoint from the journalist? Of course, you'd ask that question, Carsten, LOL! Interesting thing about The Widow: I don't think any of the viewpoints were reliable.

>116 Berly: Thanks, Kim, for your kind words : )>

>117 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! I haven't read Girl on a Train, although I've had a copy in my iPad for some time. See my comment above to Carsten, that I didn't think any of the narrators in The Widow were reliable. Did you find the same?

Well , Nancy I'd say That you are correct , there is no reliable narrator in the The Widow , which is part of the charm/ fun of the novel. .

>119 vancouverdeb: Oh, Deb, you master of code!

Hi Nancy! Oh my -- such terrific reviews! I have the first of the Neapolitan novels waiting for me. I loved Our Souls at Night last year, and have Benediction waiting for me, although I am reluctant to read it because I'm not ready to say goodbye to Kent Haruf.

I enjoyed your thoughts on The Yellow Birds, too. All great stuff here!

Thank you for noticing, Nancy! :-) Next think my son will be asking me for tech help at his job :-) I hope you are enjoying The Book of Memory, and a great weekend!

>121 AMQS: Hi Anne! Thank you : ). I think you will really enjoy the Ferrante novels, and I know just what you mean about not being ready to say goodbye to Haruf.

>122 vancouverdeb: Exactly, Deb! You will have no peace from having to take calls from your son for tech help! I'm barely 50 pp into The Book of Memory, but I am enjoying so far.

So true, my son is calling me multiple times a day in search of coding help! ;-) I was proud of myself that I figured out how to get a transit Compass Card today. Woot! LOL! They really do make it kind of complicated. How are you enjoying The Book of Memory so far? That is practically a romp compared to Ruby, though I guess I am glad I am reading it. I need some fun reads!

Hot enough for you :)

>124 vancouverdeb: You may have to let your son down gently, Deb. You simply don't have time to do all of that coding work and be Poppy's walking mama and my and Carsten's literary prize aficionado. Simply not enough hours in the day. I'm enjoying The Book of Memory but feeling frustrated that there is so much present-time prison memoir and so little of her life with Lloyd. But I'm only about 100 pp in, so we'll see.

>125 lit_chick: Keep going! Good stuff is coming!

It's not easy, that I can tell you, Nancy. Poppy's walking mama- it's all too much. As for the Book of Memory it does shift it's focus, though, yes , there is a lot of prison memoir. Ruby is so dark, I can't wait to be finished the book.

>126 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! I will ...

>127 vancouverdeb: You are making me very curious about Ruby, Deb. Don't mind a dark read right now, but it is sounding like a novel one needs to really be in the mood to read. I'm glad that The Book of Memory shifts its focus.

I do enjoy your wonderful comments, Nancy! As though William was asking me coding questions and the like! :) Ha! Let us say that the Goler Clan and Our Daily Bread , which both us enjoyed, is a walk in the park compared to Ruby. Part of me appreciates the read, another part of me wonders if the author needed to be so relentlessly and repeatedly graphic. I'll be very curious as to what you think of both The Book of Memory and even more so, Ruby.

>129 vancouverdeb: I enjoy our banter, too, Deb! Such good fun : ). If the Goler Clean is a park-walk compared to Ruby ... well, let's just say now I am more than curious! It does sound rather relentless. Yikes!

Ibqqz Gsjebz!! That's Happy Friday, in code, LOL!! ; )

Hi! I lost your thread for a while, and I can't keep up with any threads anyway, but I've finally managed to pop in and say hello. :) Hope you have a great weekend!

>131 Berly: I'll take Friday in any language or code, Kim!

>132 nittnut: Hi Jenn!

Obodz, J ipqf zpv ibwf b hsfbu xfflfoe.

qbvm yyy

>134 PaulCranswick: I hope you have a great weekend, too, Paul!

MPM!!

LOL! You are getting a lot of code here on your thread. 0101 11101 10101010 ! I only code in binary of course, so don't bother trying to make sense of my coding. Appyhay aturdaysay. :)

>136 Berly: OK, I'm coded out!

>137 vancouverdeb: Yes, too much code! I'm so brain dead at this time of year (the crunch/mad rush is on!) that I simply can't deal! I might have better luck with binary : ).

>138 lit_chick: For your easy reading pleasure (no headaches were intended) the translation is: LOL!! It was just the little ol' use the next letter in the alphabet trick, but okay, okay, I cease and desist. : ) Hugs.

>139 Berly: That's pretty complicated, Kim! :) I used pig latin for my bit of code, besides the utter nonsense binary code.

>139 Berly: LOL, Kim, hugs to you, too.

>140 vancouverdeb: It often doesn't take much to confuse me, Deb!

24.
The Book of Memory, Petina Gappah



Rating: 4/5

"I am writing to keep myself alive. But I am also laying out the threads that have pulled my life together, to see just where this one connects with that one or crosses with the other, to see how they form the tapestry from which I will stand back to get a better view." (87)

Memory, the narrator of Petina Gappah’s The Book of Memory, is an albino Zimbabwian woman who has been sentenced to murder and is on death row in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. As her only hope of escaping the death sentence, her lawyer has directed her to write down all that she can remember about what happened. Literally, then, Memory is writing for her life. As the story unfolds, we learn that the man she has been convicted of murdering was her adoptive father, Lloyd Hendricks. But who was he? And why does Memory feel no remorse for his death? What’s more, and perhaps most importantly – is her memory reliable? Memory can be a treacherous thing: “… a false memory on which I have built the foundation of my life, or, to put it more accurately, a true memory from which I have made false assumptions.” (263)

The Book of Memory, set in the early years of the twenty-first century, moves back and forth in time, from Memory’s childhood and adolescence to her present incarceration. As it does so, readers are transported from the poor townships of Zimbabwe where Memory first lived with her parents to the suburbs of the wealthy where she resided with Lloyd. Overall, Petina Gappah weaves a compelling tale of love, obsession, the relentlessness of fate, and the treachery of memory. My one disappointment with the novel is the imbalance in the narrative between prison life (too much and too long) and of Memory’s life with Lloyd – of which we learn nothing until the second half of the narrative. Still, Gappah is well worth the read, and The Book of Memory is easy to recommend.

>142 lit_chick: Great review Nancy!

Great comments. I think Gappah is an author to watch out for - I'm wondering what she will write next.

>143 mdoris: Thanks, Mary.

>144 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Yes, I think Gappah is an author to watch, too.

Great review, Nancy of The Book of Memory. I know what you mean about the second section about Lloyd and his family and friends rushing by quite quickly. As you say, worth the read and author to watch.

Can't wait for your take on Ruby. Happy week ahead! Still reading my Maisie Dobbs, but ready to take on The Cellist of Sarajevo, if the mood strikes. :)

>142 lit_chick: - Nice review, Nancy. I'm #1 in the library queue for it, but it's been "On Order" seemingly forever!

>146 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, appreciate your rec on The Book of Memory. Definitely a worthwhile read.

I'm only a handful of pages into Ruby so I can't offer up any thoughts yet. Glad you will pick up The Cellist of Sarajevo at some point; hope you will enjoy as much as I did.

>147 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. My library often takes forever On Order too. Will look forward to your thoughts on The Book of Memory.

>147 katiekrug:
>148 lit_chick: As for the library having something on order, my theory is that when they get the book into the library , any librarian who would like to read the book does so and then it said book becomes available to the public .That is only way I can explain the huge delay for books On Order

My library kindly has two statuses, One Order and In Acquisition.

I am on the library list for The Book of Memory. Deborah brought it to my attention and your 'easy to recommend' sealed the deal. I skipped over Ruby when Oprah recommended it and I'm not ready to change my mind…yet. My vote for the Women's Prize for Fiction (aka Orange Prize) goes to The Improbability of Love.

Hi, Nancy. I'm sort of waiting to see how positive you are about Ruby before I take the plunge.

>149 vancouverdeb: Deb, I like your theory as to how librarians get first dibs on great books!

>150 Donna828: Hi Donna, I think you will enjoy The Book of Memory. Haven't read yet The Improbability of Love, but it is ready for pickup at the library as we speak. So far, my vote for the Women's Prize is Anne Enright's The Green Road, a five * read for me.

>151 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, I'm not quite 100 pp into Ruby; certainly it is dark, but I think these stories need to be told. Not sure how I'll feel by the end of the novel.

Great review, Nancy - interesting premise - an unreliable narrator (?), writing from prison to safe her life. Remember it also from Deborah's review. As you say - an author to watch.

I didn't do much reading while in Liverpool - but I got from the news of the engagement between Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill to Mr. Knightley confessing his love for Emma (audiobook of Emma - Juliet Stevenson) - oh, my love for Jane Austen and Juliet Stevenson will never fade :)

>153 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, definitely a interesting premise in The Book of Memory.

Absolutely delighted to hear the news from Liverpool that Jane Fairfax is engaged to Frank Churchill. Stunning! You remind me, and none too subtly, that I have all of Austen's novels, read by Juliet Stevenson, waiting in the wings: oh, my love for Jane Austen and Juliet Stevenson will never fade.

Hi Nancy, passing by to say hello my dear.

Hello....I remember liking The Yellow Birds and then I have it to my dad and he didn't! Humph ;)

Eta: I realise that you talked about that book about 75 posts ago....but I am still catching up!

>155 johnsimpson: Hi, John, hugs.

>156 LovingLit: Humph, indeed! I thought The Yellow Birds was a very good read. Not to worry about being behind, LOL! I never catch up around here: not possible to do and work full-time!

>142 lit_chick: Excellent review, Nancy. It isn't in the shops here yet but I dare say I may add it to my humble collection when it does turn up.

Have a lovely weekend.

>158 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I think you would enjoy The Book of Memory. Happy weekend back to you : ).

Stopping by to say hi! Either you are having a lovely outdoor weekend or you've gotten lost in the depths of Ruby :) I hope it is the former!

>160 vancouverdeb: Bit of both, Deb! Fabulous weekend here. Patio opened up as of yesterday; spent some time on my chaise today. We are coming into my weather!

I had some patio time today, too, Nancy. Books read outside just take on a special quality, don't they? I have four books waiting for me at the library. I hope the outside reading weather lasts throughout the week!

>162 Donna828: Books read outside just take on a special quality, don't they? Indeed, they do! Here's to magnificent patio weather, and holding, Donna.

25.
Ruby, Cynthia Bond



Rating: 4.5/5

“The truth was that Ruby had stories decades old that she had folded up and tucked away between her spine and her heart, tears she had shed in silence, private moments of pride. The truth was that she wanted to share the burden. Ephram came back and held a blanket between them … crickets commenced their nightly song and lightning bugs sparked in the distance. Ruby began to speak. The waxing moon lit the small graves that covered the land.” (Ch 21)

Ruby Bell, born and raised in Liberty, a small East Texas town, has been abused beyond imagining. The product of rape of a black woman by a white man, she gives birth herself when she is yet a child, at fourteen. Ruby flees Liberty as soon as she is able for the pull of 1950s New York City, and for a time, life is marginally better. But when a telegram from her cousin Maggie forces her to return to Liberty, thirty-year-old Ruby finds herself remembering the unspeakable brutality of her girlhood. Terrified, and hoping for the strength to fight her way back out again, she struggles to survive her memories of the town’s dark past. “Ruby knew that the White girls were always good girls, even when they were bad, but Negro girls started bad and could be anything after that." (Ch 12)

Ephram Jennings has never forgotten the beautiful girl with the long braids: “the kind of pretty it hurt to look at” – and he recognizes Ruby instantly upon her return to Liberty. Ephram has loved Ruby always, but having been raised by his overprotective, overbearing older sister and his hate-filled father, he has had little opportunity for escape. Still, he is determined he will love Ruby and make a life with her if she will have him. And with achingly beautiful tenderness, he sets about showing Ruby another way.

Ruby is a stunning novel. Woven with magical realism and the supernatural, it is an unflinching portrayal of child abuse, the black/white tragedy of the American South, voodoo, and lynching. But I think at its heart, it is a novel about the promise of redemption and the power of love – the unforgettable stories of Ruby and of Ephram and Ruby. Highly recommended.

“She thought of his heart and the way he had loved her. Seen her. Helped her see her own worth. Her own treasure. She had never been his whore. She never would be. Not if they did not see each other for a thousand years. She would always be loved.” (Ch 23)

Great review of Ruby and the first one to make me want to read this dark novel. Nicely done! And yay for outside reading.

At its heart, it is a novel about the promise of redemption and the power of love. Cruel subjects to deal with, but this interests me. Beautiful review, Nancy.

>165 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Your marching orders: read Ruby and read it outside : ).

>166 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. Dark, cruel subjects to deal with for certain: but there is nothing in Ruby that is gratuitous, and I think these stories need to be told.

Really great review of Ruby, Nancy. Thumb from me. If Katie and Charlotte had not already put it firmly on the list for me, your review would have done so.

>164 lit_chick: Great review. It will be interesting to see if it wins the women's prize...

>164 lit_chick: that's a very fine review, but this part makes me a bit wary: Woven with magical realism and the supernatural...

>168 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. Must go and see what Katie and Charlotte thought of it.

>169 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Yes, I'll be curious to see who wins the Women's Prize too. Enright's The Green Road was a five star read for me. (italics instead of touchstone because recently everything seems to come up as Austen's Emma).

>170 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. Not to worry about magical realism: it's not my thing either. But in Ruby, these elements largely refer to her haunted spirit. The Dybou is an evil spirit which torments her, as is the Devil. An ancient character who lives in the woods, (and whom we only meet once), sees Ruby's spirit and practices voodoo, for lack of a better word.

Great reviews of The Book of Memory and of Ruby, Nancy. I have both on reserve from the library.

>172 BLBera: Hi Beth, I'll be following along to see what you think of these.

Great review of Ruby, Nancy. Glad you enjoyed! Opposable digit applied :) Glad you are enjoying the patio weather ! It's almost too hot for me !

>174 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb : ). I'm so crazy busy at work (and will be from now until we finish the end of June), it took me a minute to understand Opposable digit applied, LOL.

And they pay you the big bucks? ;) LOL!

Nancy, I hope you get some good time on the patio reading and relaxing despite being crazy busy at work.

>176 vancouverdeb: That's never a problem I've encountered in public education, Deb!

>177 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. i live for patio season!

Hey there, patio queen , how it going? My sister called me last night for information on portable air conditioners. Dave and I have two for our upstairs and I guess one day of 23 C did my sister and her husband in. :) We lower mainlanders - well, we have high humidity here - that's my excuse. I guess you have that cooler " dry heat' like in the winter - the dry cold vs damp cold. :)

Public Education = Big Bucks ---- WAH HA HA HA HA HA HA
Thanks for your great review of Ruby, Nancy. I'm glad I have it, and I promise to read it soon.
Patio reading - *sigh*. Almost as soon as the weather is right, the mosquitoes show up. I can read on the screened-in porch though, and I will.

>179 vancouverdeb: The Okanagan is a drier heat (and drier cold) for sure, Deb. That said, our weather is changing and becoming somewhat more humid/damp. Patio Queen, I'll take that.

>180 LizzieD: Aha, I see you've also never suffered from big bucks in public education, Peggy! Glad you liked my review of Ruby. Will be curious to see what you think of it.

I've never been bothered by mosquitoes in my little corner of the Okanagan, although I'm certain they must exist. I know my sisters in ON and NS say the same as you: when the weather is nice enough, the pests show up.

26.
The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante



Rating: 4.5/5

2015, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Hillary Huber

In this final Neapolitan novel, Lila and Elena are in their mid-30s to mid-50s. Life’s whims and joys and disappointments have been experienced – and when tragedy strikes in this final installment, they will know great loss. Still, their friendship remains a central staple in both of their lives, in spite of the different paths they’ve chosen. Elena, who moved to Florence when she married, has now returned to Naples, where she continues to enjoy success as a novelist. Lila, who has become a successful entrepreneur, has never succeeded in freeing herself from Naples, but her personality is somehow mirrored in her proximity to the city: perilous, unmanageable, seductive. As they age, the women continue to clash, drift apart, reconcile, only to clash again – and in the process, Ferrante reveals new facets of their friendship.

In my review of the previous novel, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, I commented that whatever attracted the two women to Nino Sarratore completely escaped me. So I found it humourous and satisfying to see the women’s thinking at last align with mine. Lila, for her part, ignores Sarratore, and even finds his political embarrassments amusing. Elena has this to say (LOL!):

“Then Nino arrived and all he did was talk loudly, joke, even laugh, as if we were not at his mother’s funeral. I found him large, bloated, a big ruddy man with thinning hair who was constantly celebrating himself. Getting rid of him, after the funeral, was difficult. I didn’t want to listen to him or even look at him. He gave me an impression of wasted time, of useless labor, that I feared would stay in my mind, extending into me, into everything.” (Epilogue, Ch 2)

I thoroughly enjoyed The Story of the Lost Child, and commend Ferrante for a fine conclusion to her quartet. I recommend the series highly, and endorse the audiobooks for those who like to listen: Hillary Huber is fabulous!

You zipped through that series, Nancy. I think I'll try to continue this summer.

He gave me an impression of wasted time, of useless labor, that I feared would stay in my mind, extending into me, into everything.

How gratifying it must have been to read those words, Nancy - finally the women caught on. And also the marks of great writing when you follow and come to know characters like this and want them to "wise up".

I found the series in Danish audiobooks on Storytel which I subscribe to. On the wishlist they go.

>183 BLBera: It was great to listen to the four of these consecutively, Beth. I hope you do decide to continue through the summer.

>184 ctpress: Exactly, Carsten, perfectly gratifying! And you're right about the mark of great writing when when you follow and come to know characters like this and want them to "wise up". Delighted that you found these in Danish audio! Will be looking forward to see what you think of them.

Great review of The Story of the Lost Child. Nancy! Are you sad that you have so quickly come to the end of the series? Or are there more books to come? I commented that whatever attracted the two women to Nino Sarratore completely escaped me. So I found it humourous and satisfying to see the women’s thinking at last align with mine. I have not read the series as yet, but that is a sentiment I so understand :)

I loved that paragraph about Nino, too. It was like running into an old flame at a high school reunion and wondering what you ever saw in him.

I finished the series a few weeks ago but I still think about Lila and Elena, as if they are real people still going about their daily lives.

I confess, Nancy, that someone mentioned on my thread - am I anxious about running out of Maisie Dobbs -and I've been searching for a new go to series, though I still have another 6 books or so in the series and she is still writing them. So it occurred to me that you might be sad that your Neapolitan Series had come to a close. As a by the by - were you ever the victim of Neapolitan Ice-cream? My mom used to purchase it for our family back in the day because she liked strawberry and vanilla - and all 5 of us kids would just dig out the chocolate part of the ice cream. Still, I did get her a Mothers Day present this year :)

>186 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. No, to the best of my knowledge the Neapolitan series ends with the four I've just finished. But they were all excellent reads! I think you would enjoy. Glad you understand my thoughts on Nino, LOL!

>187 lauralkeet: Oh, Laura, this is perfect: It was like running into an old flame at a high school reunion and wondering what you ever saw in him. Exactly! I love that you're still thinking often of Lila and Elena, weeks after having finished the books. I think I will be, too. Fabulous characters.

>188 vancouverdeb: Oh, that dreadful Neapolitan ice-cream. We were also five kids, and did just the same as you and your siblings: just dig out the chocolate. I didn't like strawberry ice-cream, and, as a young kid, vanilla didn't cut it either, LOL.

I'll be curious to see what you find after Maisie Dobbs, Deb. There's so much choice! As for Ferrante's novels ending, I think it was wonderful to follow the friends from childhood through their mid-fifties. The end of the novels was timely. Now I have to finish some of the other stuff I've started. First up: Maisie Dobbs : ).

>164 lit_chick: I thoroughly enjoyed your review of Ruby, Nancy. Just read it myself and our thoughts on it pretty much coincided. The only thing I find irritating about it is that the touchstone for some inexplicable reason throws up Wuthering Heights - WTH?!

Looks like more patio weather this weekend, Nancy. Here the fluff is coming off the poplars - it feels more like the middle of June than the beginning of May.

Nancy, I had a letdown after finishing the Neapolitan series. I too listened to them. I think I will look for the print books at book sales so I can return to Naples in my reading someday. I concur that Hilary Huber was the perfect reader for these books. Hmmm, never a fan of Neapolitan ice cream, but I'm thinking my grandkids would get a kick out of it. Three kinds of ice cream in one bite if one works the spoon properly!

>192 Donna828: Donna, it's crossed my mind as well that I might wish to revisit Naples one day. Hope that you find the Ferrante novels at a book sale! I'm thinking my grandkids would get a kick out of it: I'm thinking they probably would, too, for the very reason you mention, LOL!

Cairo and I were outside most of the day. It was 30 C, clear blue sky and brilliant sunshine. Just gorgeous. Here is Sir catching some rays on top of his catio : ).

>194 lit_chick: Ooh, King of his Castle or Lord of the Jungle?

Hi Nancy!

>154 lit_chick: I have all of Austen's novels, read by Juliet Stevenson, waiting in the wings I have just requested them at the library to listen to with my daughter. So excited. She is somewhat reserved, but I know she will love them. She's 12, and I have to make sure she has been exposed to the proper romance of Austen before she starts reading teen romances. Lol

>194 lit_chick: Happy kitty.

>194 lit_chick: what a handsome guy! He looks content.

>196 nittnut: my daughter was 12 in 2005 when the Pride and Prejudice film with Keira Knightley was released. I took her to see it, and she loved it. It sent her on an Austen reading binge and had a strong influence on her (she's a writer now).

>195 Familyhistorian: Both, Meg!

>196 nittnut: Jenn, how fantastic that you are introducing your daughter to Austen! Make me smile: I have to make sure she has been exposed to the proper romance of Austen before she starts reading teen romances.

Yes, he is a happy little guy!

>197 lauralkeet: Cairo is handsome, isn't he? (no bias here, of course). And he is a contented little hoodlum.

How fabulous, your daughter's connection to Austen and its influence on her.

What a handsome man! I was just going to lurk, but I just had to come out to comment on the beauty of those eyes and that fur!
Enjoy the weather, Nancy!

>199 LizzieD: Cairo and I thank you, Peggy! Well, I thank you. He just assumes that his supreme handsomeness is appreciated, LOL.

Love the catio! Perfect place for Cairo! Poppy says her best " meow" from her doggie self to Cairo!

Delurking to say that I absolutely love your reviews...

Matisse and Picasso are jealous of the catio! I'm going to have to break out the old mirrored film for the windows again so that they can see out and the birds can't see in.

30 C - Seems like Cairo is having a blast, Nancy. The summer temperatures is finally also hitting Copenhagen - 23 today and some fine weather ahead.

>201 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb and Poppy, hehe : ). The catio was a great investment: Cairo loves it, and I have peace of mind when he wants to be outside on his own. My intent when I adopted him was that he would be strictly an inside cat, but he wasn't having it. So we compromised with a catio, and he has learned to walk around our grounds on a leash. He's quite a little character. Our neighbours know us as Black Panther Security!

>202 rretzler: Thank you so much, Robin!

Matisse and Picasso (such fabulous names!) sound like they also enjoy cat-TV (my expression for cats sitting in windows watching the world go by).

>203 ctpress: Carsten, yes, he is having a blast! So delighted to hear that Copenhagen is getting some fine weather! Yes!

wow! Training your cat to walk on a leash! My sister tried, to no avail. Great work, Nancy and Cairo! Black Panther Security - sounds like job for you when you decide to retire! ;-)

>205 vancouverdeb: My neighbour also tried to no avail. And we only leash-walk around our townhouse complex. I've tried taking him to a couple of our parks, but that was a no-go. Yes, Black Panther Security is getting to be almost a full time job: maybe I need to retire sooner than later, ha!

Wonderful review of Ruby, Nancy! I was also a big, big fan.

>207 katiekrug: Laura mentioned that you and Ellen also loved Ruby, Katie! I'm in good company : ).

Today's student blooper: generally, I leave a lot of feedback, but I wasn't about to touch this with a 10-foot pole: My step father, Steve. He is 46, he is balled, muscular, hard working etc.

SNORK!

Don't you just love it when spelling creates great chuckles!
Boy oh boy, you are doing some fab reading!

LOL! Poor kid and the dad! It must be kind of fun to be a teacher! :) P.S . I have a new thread! :)

>209 lit_chick: LOL, so what did you say about that one?

>210 katiekrug: My thoughts exactly!

>211 mdoris: Spelling certainly does create some mishaps, Mary! And, yes, I've been reading some wonderful books

>212 vancouverdeb: Never mind poor kid and poor dad: poor teacher having to read this crap work, LOL!

>213 Familyhistorian: Not a word. LOL!

Hi Nancy - I laughed aloud at your student's comment. I'm currently slogging through final grading, and I needed the laugh.

>209 lit_chick: Wow. Can see why you avoided this one...

Nancy, I noticed a while back that you loaded up Ordinary Grace on your wishlist. Just so you know, both Carsten and I loved it! You might enjoy it too,when the time is right. No pressure, just wanted you to know that both of us found it very good -which is usually a sign that you might enjoy the same book. Just got off the phone with a friend of mine, also a high school teacher like you, and English and my elbow has gone numb from our extended conversation, as you might imagine from my chatty way even here on LT. She is " hating " her job right now and can't wait to retire - maybe next year for her.

>215 BLBera: Happy to provide the comic relief, Beth!

>216 charl08: LOL!

>217 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Funny, I don't remember you and Carsten reading Ordinary Grace, but the fact that you both liked definitely bodes well for me. I saw it on the Hot Reviews list recently, and it looked good. Sorry to hear your friend is hating her job: that's a miserable way to work. Hope she can retire next year.

Hi, Nancy! I do so sympathize with Deborah's friend........... Retirement is good. No doubt about it. Hating work is a soul killer.

>219 LizzieD: a soul killer indeed, Peggy. You gave me goosebumps with that. My heart, too, goes out to Deb's friend.

27.
Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear



Rating: 4.5/5

2005, Audio Renaissance, Read by Orlagh Cassidy

Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, is in demand. And this time her assignment will test not only her personal strength and dedication, but also her spiritual strength and her regard for her mentor, Maurice Blanche. Sir Cecil Lawton, on a deathbed plea from his wife, employs Maisie to investigate the death of his aviator son who was killed in WWI. Agnes Lawton never accepted that her son was killed – a torment that led her to brink of madness and to seek out those who commune with the spirit world. Maisie must travel to the French site of her most painful WWI memories to resolve the pilot’s death, and she will face grave danger before the case is concluded.

Pardonable Lies is the most intriguing of the three Maisie Dobbs novels I’ve read to date. Winspear explores the reality of homosexual men in 1940s London: shame, secrecy, and indignity. Readers get a glimpse of the sense of hopelessness which drives us to desperately explore any avenue which might offer peace – including the dark arts. And Maisie’s personal life is evolving: her relationship with Dr Andrew Dene and her decision to purchase a home of her own.

Highly recommended.

Hi Nancy, glad you liked Pardonable Lies my dear, I finished it a few days ago and loved it and look forward to the next one Messenger of Truth. Hope you are having a good weekend my dear and send love and hugs.

>222 johnsimpson: Love and hugs to you and Karen, too, John. Delighted that you are also loving Maisie Hobbs.

28.
The Improbability of Love, Hannah Rothschild



Rating: 3.5/5

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
Annie McDee, thirty-one, who is working as a chef for two rather sinister art dealers and recovering from the end of a long-term relationship, is searching in a neglected secondhand shop for a birthday present for her unsuitable new lover. Hidden behind a rubber plant on top of a file cabinet, a grimy painting catches her eye. Annie spends her meager savings on the painting, which, it will later be revealed, is a lost masterpiece titled The Improbability of Love by Antoine Watteau, one of the most important French painters of the eighteenth century. Annie soon finds herself pursued by interested parties who would do anything to possess her picture: a gloomy, exiled Russian oligarch, an avaricious sheikha, a desperate auctioneer, and an unscrupulous dealer, among others. In her search for the painting’s identity, Annie will unwittingly uncover some of the darkest secrets of European history – as well as the possibility of falling in love again.

What I Liked:
Some of the novel is ingeniously narrated by the painting, which I found most amusing. The great masterpiece, The Improbabilty of Love speaks to readers about some of the homes it has resided in and of the lives it has observed being lived: those of royalty, the high-born, the wealthy – including Pope Pius VI, Catherine the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Princess Victoria. Of its present circumstances, the painting has this to say:

“Imagine being stuffed away in a bric-a-brac shop in the company of a lot of rattan furniture, cheap china and reproduction pictures. I would not call myself a snob but there are limits. I will not converse with passports or faux-pearl necklaces. Non! I am used to magnificence … (24)

Readers will meet a plethora of colourful characters: flamboyant, morose, secretive, alcoholic, and criminal. Annie’s culinary adventures in cooking fabulous theme dinners for the elite of the “art world” are charming.

What I Didn’t:
The novel is too long, and I lost interest: so much so that I skimmed its last 100 pages.

Recommended? Yes, there is much to be appreciated here, particularly for art enthusiasts, and much that is entertaining – and undoubtedly other readers will not mind the length at all.

>224 lit_chick: Great review. Very balanced between the good and not so good.
I had a similar experience with The Big Green Tent. It's clever, interesting, the translation is very well done, and it's Too Long. It had to go back to the library before I finished it, and I'm not sure when I'll tackle it again.

>224 lit_chick: hmmm interesting. I like knowing what you liked and didn't like. I'm not rushing to read this one ...

But I'm loving Ruby at the moment -- thanks to your influence.

Ah, not one, but two books completed and reviewed, Nancy!And both wonderful reviews! I so enjoyed Pardonable Lies. I'm nearly crazy now to get back to the series :)

And a wonderful review of The Improbability of Love/ I had no idea that it was narrated by a painting! That is very unique and makes it sound attractive, but when you tell me that it was too long - and you had to skim the last 100 pages then I am a little less interested. I think I am going to wait to read my next Bailey's Prize contender after the actual prize is announced. I think I have enough waiting in the wings to read that I can wait until June. Plus I am happy with the number of LL and the one SL books I read from this years Orange Prize list. Good to know about The Improbability of Love . It sounds like more fun than I imagined.

Now I have to do go and check what you are reading now! :)

You make a great case for me to take up another Maisie Dobbs, Nancy. I'm afraid of reading too much of her personal story beforehand, so I guess I must catch up with the series soon. Falling in love again - sounds great.

The Improbability of Love sounds like something completely different. And right out of H. C. Andersen with a talking painting :) I do love paintings and that part of the story could be tempting to know more about. Too bad it went on for too long.

BTW - I just saw The Wednesday Wars as an audible deal at the modernmrsdacy link - much recommended if you want a fun, light read :)

>225 nittnut: Thanks, Jenn. Not familiar with The Big Green Tent, but it certainly sounds like your experience was familiar.

>226 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. Reading reviews here on LT, I know others have really enjoyed The Improbability of Love, so please do not let my assessment deter you. I'm so delighted you are loving Ruby.

>227 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Can't thank you enough for pointing me in Maisie Dobbs' direction! The Improbability of Love is definitely unique, but I know you've already read several of the Women's Prize contenders.

>228 ctpress: Oh, Carsten, you must take up another Maisie Dobbs! I'm glad you're enjoying the series, too. The Improbability of Love is certainly something completely different, and there's much to enjoy in the novel. But, yes, according to moi, it went on too long. Appreciate the Audible deal info on The Wednesday Wars. Will keep that one in mind. I've suspended my Audible account again for the time being in an effort to catch up to some of the listening I've got stockpiled, LOL!

Lovely review of Ruby.

Great photo of Cairo too! He does look very contented!

>230 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy. I hope you will read and Ruby, too, and enjoy it as much as I did. Sir Cairo and I will be doing much of this come July ... yay! And he is a very contented little guy.

>194 lit_chick: I love that Sir has a catio :)

And 30degC?! Wonderful! We have had suspiciously warm temps lately, but I am told (by the weather person) that "the gates to Antarctica open" tomorrow, Tuesday. Yikes, it'll be a shock to the system.

>232 LovingLit: Sir loves his catio, too! He would prefer to roam, of course, but that is not an option. Truthfully, when I adopted him from our SPCA, my plan was for him to be an indoor cat. But he wasn't having it. So, we've settled on a hybrid cat: indoors unless he is outdoors with me (either walking on leash or tethered in back yard) or in the catio. Best of both worlds?

Yes, 30 C is my weather! I hear you about the gates to Antarctica coming as a shock. They always do, even when I know they are coming, LOL!

Oh good, now I know what a Catio is. Cairo is a lucky cat indeed. Thanks for sharing that gorgeous picture of Himself!

I'll chime in with Deborah and say that I loved Ordinary Grace, too. Sorry that Improbability of Love rambled on a bit too much for you. I loved every minute of it, but then, I have more spare time for reading and I tend to like long books more than shorter ones. Isn't it great that we are all different in what we like?

>234 Donna828: The catio was a perfect solution for us, Donna! City kitty who wants to spend time outdoors, sometimes unattended.

I've requested Ordinary Grace from the library and am looking forward to it. Trying to keep the reading light until I have more of my wits about me come July, LOL, so not sure if I will read it immediately or get to it when I can consume it in leisure au patio. I'm looking forward to having more spare time for reading in retirement : ).

Just getting caught up here. : )

As Deborah says I also remember Ordinary Grace as a great read, Nancy. Hope you enjoy it (whenever school work permits you to delve into it).

>194 lit_chick: Hi Nancy. Love the picture of Cairo and his catio :-)

>236 Berly: Hi Beth!

>237 ctpress: Anything that both you and Deb enjoyed is a pretty good bet for me, Carsten. The two of you are my LT Oracle, LOL! I'm looking forward to Ordinary Grace.

>238 souloftherose: Hi Heather, thank you : ).

Me too, me too. I loved Ordinary Grace. Must read more of his! Hope you like it.....

No pressure, Nancy, but I gave Ordinary Grace 5 stars and even my husband Dave read it and liked it! It is rare that Dave and I enjoy the same book! :) He likes the series that William Kent Krueger writes, but Ordinary Grace is a stand alone.

>240 mdoris: Delighted you enjoyed it too, Mary! I must read sooner than later.

>241 vancouverdeb: Woohoo! What's not to love about a 5* read, Deb! Wonderful that both you and Dave enjoyed.

>239 lit_chick: Interesting idea of LT oracles. Not really sure who mine would be but it sure is fun trawling the threads and picking up hints here there and everywhere.

Have a great weekend, Nancy.

>243 PaulCranswick: it sure is fun trawling the threads, indeed! I've lost count of the fabulous reads which have been recommended to me here, Paul. You and yours have a wonderful weekend, too.

Glad to know that you are enjoying a peaceful long weekend, Nancy. I am too - Dave is home til Monday, and it is always nice to have Dave home on a long weekend. It is a bit overcast here , but not actually raining, so I can't complain.

29.
The Paris Wife, Paula McLain



Rating: 3.5/5

2011, Random House, Read by Carrington McDuffie

Book Description: Amazon.ca
The Paris Wife tells Hemingway’s story from a unique point of view – that of his first wife, Hadley. Through her eyes and voice, we experience Paris of the Lost Generation and meet fascinating characters such as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and Gerald and Sara Murphy. The city and its inhabitants provide a vivid backdrop to this engrossing and wrenching story of love and betrayal that is made all the more poignant knowing that, in the end, Hemingway would write of his first wife, "I wish I had died before I loved anyone but her."

What I Liked:
The characters, the time period, the French Riviera! It was fascinating to have a first-hand look at such eccentric characters as F. Scott Fitzgerald – perhaps an even a more accomplished drunk than he was a writer. And his wife, Zelda, who was even crazier! The generous hospitality and the parties of Gerald and Sara Murphy were a wonder: the luxury and the excess. What a social circle! Too, I enjoyed an inside look at Hemingway’s writing process: his inspiration, the way ideas came to him, and his manner of writing. The Roaring Twenties I’ve always found fascinating: the social change, the rise of affluence, the beginnings of consumerism.

Carrington McDuffie is not a narrator whose work I am familiar with, but she does a wonderful job in The Paris Wife

What I Didn’t Like:
The answer here is also the characters! I found Hemingway’s selfishness, dishonesty, and cheating ways despicable. And I wanted to slap Hadley (repeatedly) for her doormat acquiescence.

Recommended: Yes, not widely, but certainly to those interested in reading about Hemingway and his contemporaries, in The Roaring Twenties, and in the Paris of the Lost Generation.

What a social circle :) - I don't envy Hemingways wife, despite the luxuries and parties. Interesting review and read on the "Lost Generation", Nancy.

I started on The Sun Rises some time ago - but got stuck and couldn't finish it - they were still in Paris when I lost interest in the parties - I did sense the "lostness".

>247 ctpress: I can certainly see losing interest in the parties, Carsten, and putting down The Sun Rises. It's not one I've read, and don't think I will, based on your opinion and on this first review on the LT review page: People get drunk. They go fishing. People get drunk some more. There's a bullfight. People get drunk. The men fight for the affections of one gal. Oh, and people get drunk. Sounds much like life in The Paris Wife.

All caught up with you, Nancy. That review of The Sun Also Rises totally cracked me up! It is spot on!

Hoping that you Sunday is full of fabulous!

Ha, ha. Brilliant resume you found of The Sun Also Rises. I couldn't have put it better. Guess the drunk part continued :)

I haven't read any Hemingway, so I'm not a fan, but I loved The Paris Wife! I also read Z about Zelda, and it was excellent too. Maybe a bit more feminist view, ie anti-Hemingway. Was Zelda really crazy, or were the men not happy with her brain and desired independence? The author of Z actually makes the argument that the legend of Zelda is based greatly on Hemingway's stories of her, and he hated her.

>249 Crazymamie: LOL, Mamie! If that's the case, I'm convinced I don't need to read The Sun Also Rises.

>250 ctpress: Brilliant resume, LOL! OK, you and Mamie have double-convinced me that I can safely take a pass on The Sun.

>251 raidergirl3: I've read very little Hemingway: A Farewell to Arms years ago but I don't remember it, so certainly its impression wasn't lasting. I know I read some of his work in university, but it also escapes me. Was Zelda really crazy, or were the men not happy with her brain and desired independence? I think it was probably the latter, Elizabeth, but her behaviour was certainly crazy!

I read A Moveable Feast, a non-fiction Hemingway, after I read The Paris Wife since they are based on the same time frame but haven't tempted a fiction yet.

Great review of The Paris Wife. I'm not sure if it would be my cup of tea or not. If I have read Hemingway, it escapes me now. The thought of reading about glorious social circles and drinking does not hold a huge appeal to me! ;) But perhaps I'll have a peek at it when I am next at the library.

>253 raidergirl3: Not familiar with that one, Elizabeth. Sound like some Hemingway fiction may he in you future?

>254 vancouverdeb: You know how I love to read about drinking, Deb : ). On a serious note, I did enjoy The Paris Wife, but it wont't be on 2016's Bests.

I just reread For Whom the Bell Tolls and was blown away. He did great things with the language. I'm not a fan of the macho personna he projected, but the man could write.

My kids became fans after they studied in Spain.

>256 BLBera: I've no doubt he could write, Beth! My favourite parts of The Paris Wife were about his process. Perhaps For Whom the Bell Tolls is one I need to think about reading. Interesting that your children are fans, having studied in Spain.

Oh yes, I know your love of reading about glorious social circles as well as drinking, Nancy! ;) I'm sure that my current read The Summer Before the War does not have nearly as much drinking and glorious circles, but you'd be surprised at what they get up to in East Sussex with their huge homes and dinner parties - and the drinking is not all lime cordial! ;)

>258 vancouverdeb: LOL, Deb, you are too much, my friend! Lime cordial is, I think, more our speed!

^ and ^^ :)

I loved A Moveable Feast. I also really enjoyed The Paris Wife. I find a little of Hemingway's fiction goes a long, long way. My advice would be to read no more than one a year. *grin*

>259 lit_chick: Speaking of lime cordial, I happened upon a lime orchard the other day where I could pick my own limes for $3.95/Kilo. Most of the year limes run to $30/kilo in the shops. I ended up with 6 kilos, Lol. I've made lime curd, my son made limeonade, and lime bars, we have squirted lime on our carnitas. I am considering trying to preserve some next.

>253 raidergirl3: That is the only Hemingway I have loved. I am not a fan of is fiction. He could definitely write, but I really dislike how he writes women. I liked Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald quite a bit - I think that Zelda was actually bipolar. She was also brilliant. You might like Stewart O'Nan's West of Sunset, which is fiction but based on fact about Fitzgerald's years in Hollywood. I thought it was very well done.

>252 lit_chick: You really don't, Nancy. And you can also skip To Have and Have Not, which is truly terrible.

>260 LovingLit: Hi Megan : ).

>261 nittnut: Jenn, don't remember a thing about A Moveable Feast, will have to look it up. Glad you enjoyed The Paris Wife.

Woohoo to the lime-world you've created! Great price!

>262 Crazymamie: Mamie, just from the bits of The Paris Wife which are about Zelda Fitzgerald, it would make sense that she was possibly bipolar. West of Sunset sounds interesting. And thanks for reading several pieces of Hemingway fiction for me : ).

>262 Crazymamie: ooh, thanks for the O'Nan recc. I'm already a fan of his and I'd love to read another Zelda era book. I thought she was definitely bipolar after reading Z. And I love how the author implied that (some of) Scott's work was written by Zelda. I still think Hemingway was an ass, but I'd like to try one fiction. A Moveable Feast was quite good.

>264 raidergirl3: DO you listen to audiobooks? Donald Sutherland does a fabulous narration of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Just saying...

>265 Crazymamie: I do listen to audiobooks! I'll keep an eye out for it, but I'm not sure if it is a Hemingway that I'd like. I keep hearing George on Seinfeld saying 'the sea was angry that day.'

>264 raidergirl3: Hi Elizabeth! Perhaps my favourite thing about LT is the wonderful ideas we get from other readers while surfing threads!

>265 Crazymamie: OK, now you've sold me, Mamie. I always have an audiobook on the go, love Donald Sutherland, and was wondering about which Hemingway to read.

My introduction to Hemingway was his short stories which I enjoyed. And The Old Man and the Sea got a 5/5 from me. Just a perfect read. I wouldn't mind going back and listen to an audio-version with Donald Sutherland. I think he would nail that story.

I've never actually had Lime Cordial, but I looked up a recipe on the web and it called for something like 36 limes and 1 cup of sugar. Sounds like a lot of work to me. Love the lips! :)

>268 ctpress: Carsten, I think I remember now that you mention it, that you gave The Old Man and the Sea 5/5! I think he would nail that story: I'm thinking so, too!

>269 vancouverdeb: Nor have I, Deb, but 36 limes is way too much work for me, LOL!

Time for a new thread ...