lit*chick

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees, 342 pages.

Writing a novel about a real person can be tricky business. Blending the right amount of fact with fiction and giving this character authenticity requires a skilled touch.  Here the author Kelly O'Connor McNees creates a story about a particular summer in the life of Louisa May Alcott that serves as her inspiration for the well-known couple from Little Women, Jo and Laurie. And I thought it was lovely.

Beyond the fictional romance, McNees has captured and conveyed the tone of Alcott's unusual family life. Her philosopher father was more concerned with living his thoughts and ideals over providing for his family. The obvious strain this lifestyle put on her mother and the four girls influences Louisa's desire for independence and her aggressive pursuit of a life in writing. Along the way I couldn't help but develop a fondness for these sisters similar to my feelings for Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.

This story is a perfect balance of real and imagined details in the life of author Louisa May Alcott. I found it to be a delightful look at the way it was and the way it might have been.

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Thank you to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was perfect timing. You can check out the other tour stops here.

And the author's website:  www.kellyoconnormcnees.com

The Believers by Zoe Heller

   The Believers by Zoe Heller, 335 pages.

Summary from the back cover:

When a stroke fells radical New York lawyer Joel Litvinoff, a secret is revealed that forced Audrey, his wife, to reexamine everything she believed about their forty-year marriage. In the meantime Joel's children are struggling with their own dilemmas and doubts. 

The Litvinoffs add a whole new dimension to the word dysfunction.  And Heller does a fabulous job of making them recognizable while still laying bare their ugliness, hypocrisy, and weaknesses.  It would be easy to stereotype this crew with their liberal ideology and turn them into wackos, but Heller's ability turns this story into something smart and entertaining.

I can't talk about The Believers without mentioning the mother Audrey, who gives Mommie Dearest a run for her money. She is just plain mean and hopelessly self centered.  While her interactions with family and friends are definitely cringe-worthy, Audrey remains true to herself and I admire Heller for keeping her irredeemable. Her daughters are struggling - having grown up in a household rooted in extreme ideology but without any real core, they don't know how to find their way in the world.  Her adopted son continues to get a free pass from responsibility, looking to manipulate every situation.

On Audrey as a mother:

    In the years since then, Audrey's attachment to Lenny had been a frequent source of tension in their marriage. Joel, for all his talk of communal childbearing and tribes, deeply resented the idea that Lenny should have succeeded in evoking Audrey's passion where her "real" children had failed. "Karla and Rosa are your flesh and blood," he would chide her. But these appeals to sanguine loyalty missed the point, she felt. If anything, the fact that Lenny was not hers made it easier to love him. As the coauthor of Karla and Rosa, she could not help but look upon them with the dissatisfied eye of an artist assessing her own flawed handiwork. Lenny, on the other hand, as an unsolicited donation: she was free to enjoy the gift of him without any burden of genetic responsibility for his imperfections. She had chosen to love him. The disparity in her feelings toward her daughters and her son was regrettable, but it was not something that was in her gift to correct. (pg. 148)

Heller has an obvious gift for creating unlikeable characters without apology. The darkly comedic tone had me chuckling while shaking my head - Audrey, in particular, is so awful that there is no other remedy except to laugh.  The author's talent lies in striking this perfect balance of disapproval and curiosity. Similar to coming upon a traffic accident - you have no idea who is at fault, but you know it is  a hot mess and you can't help but look twice.

This is the first Heller novel I've read, but I will be seeking out her other novels - Everything You Know and What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal

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Many thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing me a copy to read and review.

Here are the other tour stops:

Tuesday, January 19, 2010: Lit and Life

Tuesday, January 26, 2010: Raging Bibliomania

Wednesday, January 27, 2010: Steph and Tony Investigate!

Thursday, January 28, 2010: Life in the Thumb

Thursday, February 11, 2010: The Brain Lair

Monday, February 15, 2010: Book Club Classics!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010: Sasha and the Silverfish

Thursday, February 18, 2010: Nonsuch Book

*my apologies to the author, i'm umlaut challenged - if anyone knows how to add one, i'll be happy to edit :)

Dream House by Valerie Laken

   Dream House by Valerie Laken, 333 pages.

Kate and Stuart Kinzler buy a house with a past and set about renovating it with the hope that it will also fix their marriage. When they discover their home was the setting for a horrible crime, their already troubled marriage breaks apart.  As Kate continues working on the house alone, she notices a stranger hanging around her street. Walker was recently released from prison and has returned to the scene of the crime, his former home. What happens when Kate's dreams and Walker's dreams collide?

From the creepy crime scene prologue to the tension filled final chapters, this book had me hooked. Not a thriller in the traditional sense, author Valerie Laken manages to build suspense in the delicate framework of this story.  Both Kate and Walker have placed their hopes and their souls into this structure but in different ways. Kate has been a bit of a disappointment to her family and has a hard time connecting to people, including her husband. But she falls in love with this house and the idea that fixing it will right all her wrongs. Likewise, Walker's life was essentially stalled on Macon Street 20 years ago. What is his motivation for returning?

As a reader, you know just enough about each character to start becoming familiar but you remain aware they have secrets - the mystery isn't propelling the story,  yet still adds to the suspense. I love how this book unraveled slowly, all the while I couldn't shake the feeling something big was going to happen. Nothing sudden, just deliberate revelations that add to the intensity until the unexpected resolution. I also appreciated the way it captured how broken people seek to mend, even if the means are flawed or painful. I particularly enjoy books that portray the truth of human nature and this is one of them.

There is a lot to talk about here - I think it would make an excellent book club pick.

Author website : www.valerielaken.com - lots of good stuff here, but I especially liked the story behind the book

Thanks to Trish and Lisa at TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review. Here are the other sites included on this blog tour:

Monday, February 1st: Stephanie’s Written Word

Thursday, February 4th: One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books

Wednesday, February 10th: I’m Booking It

Monday, February 15th: Devourer of Books

Wednesday, February 17th: Educating Petunia

Thursday, February 18th: Dolce Bellezza

Monday, February 22nd: Wordsmithonia

Wednesday, February 24th: The Book Zombie

Thursday, February 25th: All About {n}

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When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge

When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge, 352 pages.

Jessica Villareal is a police officer who works hard to follow the rules, at work and in life. It hasn't always paid off - she's divorced and her daughter chose to live with her ex.  When she becomes involved in the case of a troubled Iraq vet and his little girl discovered living in the Oregon woods, she must make a choice between doing things by the book or following her heart.

An enjoyable read, slightly predictable but moves quickly. I disagree with some of the other reviewers who thought the story would have been better served by more background on the vet and his family. This, I think, is an example of keeping the main thing, the main thing -  What will Jessica do in this situation? And what will it cost her?  I believe Jennie Shortridge's talent comes in giving the reader just enough information to relate to the characters but still keep their thoughts and actions fresh. And she keeps it simple, which I like. 

This is a safe one to add to your list, when you need a little reading pick-me-up. Or when you need a quick, yet solid story that isn't the reading equivalent of the drive-thru window at McDonalds.I also enjoyed her book Eating Heaven. But take comfort in knowing there are a couple others I can count on when I'm in a lull - Riding with the Queen and Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe.

More reviews can be found here:

Educating Petunia

TLC Book Tours - list with links

author website: www.jennieshortridge.com

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My review copy was provided by Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting. Many thanks.

Travel Writing by Peter Ferry

Travel Writing by Peter Ferry, 304 pages.

I'm not sure what to say about this book...it is by far the most unique story I've read in some time. The narrator, Peter Ferry, a high school English teacher and sometime travel writer, witnesses a fatal car accident. While relaying the event to his students, he spins a fantastical tale of obsession  - his fixation on the accident victim Lisa Kim and how it effects those around him. But what is real - as Peter (the narrator & author) alternates between past and present is he also alternating between fact and fiction? And does it matter?

I finally gave up trying to figure it out and just enjoyed the ride.  Mr. Ferry is a gifted storyteller and it is most apparent in the readability of his non-linear style.  Although the shifting rhythm takes a bit of getting used to, the journey is worthwhile.  This book would make for a fascinating bookclub discussion.

Other reviews:

Lunch.com

Just the Bookstore

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Book Reviews in Bulk

Like Costco, but cuter. :)

None of these warrant a full review, so here's a quick recap:

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich - didn't hold up under the 50 page rule. ugh.

Puppy Chow is Better Than Prozac by Bruce Goldstein - memoir of a manic depressive who gets a dog to help quiet his soul. He doesn't get the dog until halfway through and he uses the pronoun I far too much. Cute dog, though.

Farewell, My Subaru by Doug Fine - another in a long line of "hey, look at me " memoirs. He takes a superior tone regarding his epiphany of green living that grated my nerves. But it did make me want a pet goat. :)

We'll Always Have Paris & Provence by Walter and Patricia Wells - memoir of how two NYT journalists came to live in France during the late 70s and stayed. He as the editor of the Int'l Herald Tribune, while she makes a name for herself as a food writer and expert on French cuisine. The first half was interesting, the second half reminded me of Under the Tuscan Sun, or "oh the struggles of owning a dilapidated farmhouse in Provence (Tuscany)". Spare me.

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs - loved the storyline being centered around food and food tv shows, but couldn't stand the main character. Bummer.

Bronte's Book Club by Kristiana Gregory - cute ya about a new girl in a coastal town who starts a bookclub. They read Island of the Blue Dolphins and get to know one another. I really liked it, there's just not much else to say.

After by Francine Prose - ya lit about the effects of a school shooting in the surrounding districts - a mix of 1984 and The Wall (Pink Floyd).  Zoinks.

I Am Scout by Charles Shields - a ya bio of Harper Lee, if you are curious about her this fills in the blanks without being TMI.  Respectful and fascinating.

Nation of Wimps - Everytime I read one of these, I think "Why didn't they just put it in a long essay?" Not to mention, that the people who most need to read it won't. But it still sheds some light on why kids are growing up to be helpless.

And there are full reviews to be found on the feed...and more on the way.

Did you read anything good this weekend?

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back to the stacks

Whew! 

I finished The House at Riverton last night.  And sighed contentedly. After a slowish start (on my part) it finished with a bang.  Mysterious, but not as dark as The Thirteenth Tale, with a dash of Gosford Park equals a must add for your summer reading list.

Off to get my much needed haircut and stop by the bookstore. I'm going to try to pick up The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, maybe a Margot Livesay and a Madeleine L'Engle. We'll see how far I stray...

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The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle

Qs are on the

MESSAGE BOARD

Would love to hear your thoughts on this one.

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the double double bind

No that's not a typo, that was our analysis of The Double Bind last night. A very lively discussion where no topic reached consensus other than the author is clever indeed.

I don't want to post spoilers here, for it truly must be read completely to be discussed properly. But I will say after some late night reflection that I fear the issues the author highlighted were overshadowed by the many questions regarding plot device. I'll leave it at that. As the leader, I didn't do a good job of bringing the topics of homelessness and mental illness into the discussion. And I wish now we had delved a little further down the bumpy road instead of taking the easy one. Sorry girls.

Book club is always a good reminder that everyone views books differently and even if a story isn't liked, it can still make you think. It is so nice to engage in adult conversation, if only for a few hours.

And if you wouldn't mind, please indulge me in the great Message Board experiment of 2008 and sign up. Otherwise, I'll be forced to discuss books with myself and no one wants to see that. Um, Table for one.

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2008 Pulitzer Prize announced

In fiction:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

fiction finalists: Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson and Shakespeare's Kitchen by Lore Segal

In biography:

Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson (has been on my to-read list, i guess i should move it up?)

Time and Materials by Robert Hass (the cover makes me wanna scrapbook)

ANDFailure by Philip Schultz