Marilou is Everywhere

by Sarah Elaine Smith
Feb 9-23, 2020

I happened upon Marilou by chance. A dear friend of mine emailed one day from Chicago to tell me that an old high school friend of hers was doing a book reading at a bar in Cleveland the next night. On that cold, rainy night I was instantly hypnotized by Sarah's voice. I bought the book at the event, which she signed with a thoughtful, joyful passage. I couldn't wait to get started.

The book begins so atmospheric and calming, and I could still hear Sarah's voice reading aloud in my head. I could instantly put myself in that time and place. It was evident that the author meticulously crafted each and every sentence – she has two Master's degrees; fiction and poetry.

"The pond looked alive to me, even the shape of the hills around it... I felt, all at the same moment, that it was valiant for beauty and also so plain that it embarrassed me to belong to it... under the hawthorns, fine dappled mushrooms winked like they had invented themselves..."

Her metaphors were dreamy and yet so descriptive. But at some point, I felt that I was just indulging the poet.

"It was my time and I felt fat. A rose is. The dew of a frigid October. Buster Keaton's beautiful eyes."

I must have read those sentences five times trying to figure out what it had to do with the game of charades two characters were playing (I think – nothing.). What makes a great novel is the character development, but suddenly the characters felt empty and shallow.

"I felt like my words were made out of bones and hot dogs and nonsense."

How does that help the reader? This short book was moving at a snail's pace, and I really wanted to find out what happened, but instead one chapter was entirely devoted to soy sauce. And some excerpts were completely out of character comparative to the perfectly-honed ones:

"And Clinton didn't say about it, so I didn't say about it, and the green fur was was coming back up in divots..."

That feels like it belongs in a different book. The randomness seemed to grow rampant. The plot definitely lost track. When the climax was finally revealed, I found myself appalled at what an absolutely horrible person the so-called protagonist was – unfounded and out of nowhere. I feel like the book would have been better served to stick to a more concise plot and "try" a little less. I grew so very weary of the poetry and the metaphors, I was bored.

There's no doubt Sarah has a talent, it just needs a bit more focus for future novels. Three stars for the friend connection, but really only 2.5.

* * * * *

The Altruists

by Andrew Ridker
May 18-June 9, 2019

Obviously the title is as ironic as it gets, because these people sucked. And that is about as much feeling as I can muster for this book. I'm completely indifferent about the plot and I'm just glad to be finished with it. The story lagged, was not funny (as it claimed to be) and generally fell flat.

Like a comatose patient with no DNR, his sedate lifestyle required a steady drip of funds.

A little indulgent, no? I also may or may not have choked on my wine when I found out the author was born while I was in college. So I suppose I can give him a break on his debut and hope that he succeeds in the future. But this book is utterly forgettable with zero impact.

* * * * *

Alternate Side

by Anna Quindlen
May 5-15, 2019

I read all genres, all age groups, all kinds of subjects, but the last few Quindlen books have just felt old to me. Even though the main human was less than 10 years older than I am, the whole thing felt so geriatric. And I said "human" because evidently the main protagonist was a parking lot. Not one thing felt fresh or inventive about this group of ho-hum neighbors on a coveted block in NYC. The dust jacket describes the story as "provocative" but that couldn't be more off-base.

A quirky technique that was hard to ignore was the constant use of the past perfect tense.

"Nora had had to yank their dog away from a cardboard container of moo shu something..."

I don't normally dial-in on grammatical styles, but I couldn't help but notice how often it was used – I don't think normal day-to-day conversation calls for it so frequently.

This is the third dud in recent years from Quindlen. For me she's lost her dazzle from the Black and Blue days. I'm done.

* * * * *

The Dakota Winters

by Tom Barbash
March 31-April 14, 2019

I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did. The premise was really interesting and I love any chance to learn more about the Dakota. But the Dakota as a character fell flat and was unresolved. And while the beginning chapters were compelling, the book took a nose dive for me around the halfway point. I started to ask myself, what's the point? I adore historical fiction, but I really had a hard time believing the relationship with Anton and John Lennon. Someone who is so incredibly famous shouldn't be written in a fictional sense. I couldn't accept this relationship, no matter how much research the author did.

However, the name-dropping and events of the late 70s into 1980 were a fun trip down memory lane. It was when Barbash attempted to blend these people and events into a fictional family's experiences that I began to find the story gratuitous and shallow. I can usually accept historical fiction for what it is and allow myself to suspend belief, but the more I read, the more vapid it became. The fictional characters were all underdeveloped and the real characters left me doubting the historical accuracy. The entire plot was simply asking too much of the reader. Total miss for me.

* * * * *

Ohio

by Stephen Markley
Feb 18-Mar 10, 2019

I'm going to find it hard to put my review into words. So many thoughts and emotions swirling through my brain as I finished this book only an hour ago. I was nearly ready to give up on it after the prelude, but like a pas de deux, I continued to dance with my partner, this book, until the coda. I'm so glad I did. What a complex, challenging, heart-breaking book.

Complex: Attempting to keep all the characters straight and comprehending the political aspect of Bill's character. Challenging: I found myself looking up several words I had never heard of – verisimilitude, threnody, senescence – and yet there was not an ounce of pretension in the author's voice. Heart-breaking: At times, the graphic depictions of war, rape and self-mutilation were unbearable, but I realized that they were absolutely necessary.

As we all know, the way memory works is that the sweep of your life gets explicated by a handful of specific moments, and these totems then stand as narrative. You must invent the ligature that binds the rest.

And the draw was so familiar and comfortable, because, well, Ohio. Every mention of my happy places from Cleveland to Akron to South Bass Island, made me feel like home. While I'm not native to our great state, it's still my home.

“Johnny Appleseed. Ever heard of him? Ohioan.”

It seemed to take forever for me to finish, but I realize it was only short of three weeks. Worth every minute and with a payoff no reader could ever see coming. In an interview at the end of the book, Markley is quoted as saying,

"You just want those last forty pages to shock the shit out of you and yet feel totally inevitable in retrospect."

Absolutely. Poetically lovely, and absolutely relevant.

"And they were gone, these infinitesimal creatures, walking the surface of time, trying and failing to articulate the dreams of ages, born and wandering across the lonesome heavens."

* * * * *

Where the Crawdads Sing

by Delia Owens
Feb 1-10, 2019

What a heartbreaking, yet somehow deeply satisfying book! At first a little hard to follow with the "slang" of North Carolina, I soon got a rhythm and was clinging to every word, every piece of poetry. This is a story about abandonment, isolation, racism and cruelty that had me in tears, but in the end turns rather triumphant.

"She feels the pulse of life, he thought, because there are no layers between her and her planet."

Although I was a little put off at first that it was turning into a murder mystery, the evolution made sense and the outcome was not the least bit predictable. Again, I feel like the more I like a book, the less I have to say about it. But this is one of the best I've read in a while, and definitely got me out of an early 2019 slump that was beginning to worry me. Highly recommend!

* * * * *

Vox

by Christina Dalcher
Dec 16-23, 2018

I've been reading nonstop lately. What else is there to do in winter?! And Vox was a super quick read that I busted out in a week.

My first inclination is to call it Handmaid's Tale-Lite. Women are repressed in the name of religion, but it's only been a year in this new way of life, and again, only in the US. Vox is like the Cliff's Notes of a dystopian society. It held my attention and stressed me out, but resolutions came quickly and crises were swiftly resolved. Because of this, it was hard for me to really dwell on the "what-ifs" presented here. But really, what if you could only speak 100 words a day? How would you make them count?

Dalcher does a decent job at character building in minimalist form. Just enough to evoke hatred for most characters. Her vocabulary isn't the best – I hate when people use the word "sex" as an anatomical description – but the simplicity flowed easily and didn't leave any room for misinterpretation.

I also think Vox is a timely parallel, in abstract form, to our current state of affairs. Again, the what-ifs.

* * * * *

The Italian Teacher

by Tom Rachman
Oct 25-Nov 14, 2018

Ultimately, The Italian Teacher is a story about a son's desperate need for approval and acceptance from his selfish, egotistical father. It just took a while to get interesting. I ended up enjoying the book, but it took forever to gain momentum. Bear Bavinsky was a unique character that evoked a ton of rage from me because if his selfishness, jealousy and enormous ego. His son, Pinch, wanted nothing more than for this man to really "see" him, and when he never really did, it was heartbreaking.

I think the book could have been cut down by nearly a third. It tended to drag and I wasn't drawn to keep picking it up in between readings. It was good, not great, although the last portion was the best and easiest to read, and came with a satisfying ending.

* * * * *

As Bright as Heaven

by Susan Meissner
Sept 18-Oct 10, 2018

Oof. Talk about having a great concept and letting it get out of control. This one went off the rails fast and hard. The first half, during the Spanish flu pandemic, was gut-wrenching and interestingly told. The concept of the family living and working in a funeral home and not being able to keep up with the deaths was a unique perspective. The amount of lives lost was portrayed in a way that often brought tears to my eyes. And then...

“Life is wonderful and beautiful but oh, how hard it can be.” 

Flash forward seven years and I was left wondering what the point of the story was. Why should I care at all about these new characters/mental patients? How does that further develop the story line? And please, please, please don't reveal what I think you are about to reveal ... oops, too late. The final part was so contrived and gratuitous I nearly abandoned the book. Sure, everyone loves a happy ending, but this one couldn't have been anymore "of course" unless a unicorn showed up on the last page. I honestly don't see why there are so many glowing reviews {eye roll}. Three stars going into it, two stars coming out.

* * * * *

An American Marraige

by Tayari Jones
Aug 20-Sept 17, 2018

It appears that I am waaaaay in the minority on this one, but man, I had to force myself through. While maybe the book started off a little slow; the letter writing was interesting and dynamically evolving, it quickly picked up momentum, only to screech to a halt in the final several chapters. It was like slogging through mud.

I really liked the perspective of an educated, successful black "power" couple who get a really shitty hand dealt to them. But for me, this fact only kind of wafted in the background. It would have been better off with a greater focus on this injustice than the marriage collapse. Because of course it would be extremely difficult for newlyweds to maintain a relationship when the husband is locked up for five years, but their actions once he was released from prison were not at all believable. Rightly so, he would assume they could pick up where they left off. And to her defense, she moved on. But their interactions and expectations of each other were disjointed at best.

"What cruelty revealed that she cared by making me understand the limits of the same?"

Huh?? I must have read that sentence five times. I felt like the inevitable ending was so drawn out as to be gratuitous to the author's vocabulary. And when he started banging his head on the stupid tree that even had a name ... enough. I definitely missed the point all around.

* * * * *

The Stars are Fire

by Anita Shreve
Aug 6-19, 2018

I kind of decided that I shouldn't insist on reading all of the books by the same author just because I loved one in particular. I always end up disappointed. I still remember reading and loving The Pilot's Wife and telling all my friends and family to read it immediately. That was 20 years ago! I do think I read a few other ones; Sea Glass and Testimony sound familiar, but I don't recall the plots. But for some reason, when I heard about Shreve's death and her last novel, I was compelled to pick it up. Glad I did.

As a fan of historical fiction, I seem to be drawn specifically to that of WWII. So when I chose this book, I didn't realize the fires in Maine in the late 40s were actually true, and I didn't pay attention to that "character" when I read the summary. To my surprise, these crazy fires made for an extremely interesting premise, with the tangle of marriage commitments and the expectations of wives during this era mixed in. At only 256 pages, Shreve was able to accomplish a lot with these characters and their circumstances. I tore through it and was pleasantly satisfied. And for once I really enjoyed a serendipitous ending. Sometimes it's just warranted.

* * * * *

Everything Here is Beautiful

by Mira T. Lee
July 8-Aug 5, 2018


If it's possible, this is a story of mental illness told in a beautiful, personal way. Beautiful because of the slow pace with a frantic undertone, and personal because the author succeeds in describing Lucia's illness in a way that actually makes sense. To Lucia, she is rational. To the reader, we see both sides – Lucia's, which explains away the demons – and Miranda's, which rationalizes the treatment of the illness.

“It seems silly, right? To be crying when everything's fine?
Well, why not, I figure, because if pain and tears were correlated, surely we would've all drowned by now.”

I need to stress the push and pull feeling of how the story is told. On one hand it's a gradual reveal, almost to the point of impatience (i.e., move it along). On the other, there's a sense of urgency to strike before more damage can be done. A good character-driven, family story is right up my alley, and for four, very different people, each one had a thoroughly-told narrative.

* * * * *

The Immortalists

by Chloe Benjamin
June 10-July 1, 2018

I'm quite behind on my reviews, so we'll keep this one short but sweet! I loved this book. Such a unique premise.

This was so much more than a story about "how would you live/change your life if you knew the date of your death." At first I feared that The Immortalists was going to lean too far toward hocus-pocus. But it became so much more than that. It was about the choices we make and the risks we take. Each of the four siblings had their own distinctive tale, and each one was interesting in its own way.

I liked the first two stories the best – Simon's and Klara's – because they were the most relatable. Daniel's story was a bit "of course" and I didn't enjoy the in-depth science explanations in Varya's chapters. But I found Varya's ending fairly unexpected and was glad that I didn't correctly predict it.

“She knows that stories have the power to change things: the past and the future, even the present.”

 Overall, extremely thought-provoking and poetic. 4 stars.

* * * * *

Paris in the Present Tense

by Mark Helprin
March 14-April 5, 2018

What a delightful book! I love all things France, and with that add incredibly intelligent dialogue, and I'm hooked.

Jules is a 74-year old man who has a LOT going on in his life. And now he's got to make sure his family is taken care of and that certain people get what's coming to them before he makes a graceful exit. While some parts tended to drag and get a little overdone, the rest was so good that it made up for the lag. It's been a while since I've read dialogue that can make me laugh out loud.

"He couldn't resist adding, in English, 'I'm having a whale time.'

 Arnaud, whose English was only elementary, thought that whatever the reference to a whale, it was very sophisticated. '...Why are you having fun like a whale?'"

Taken in context, this was very funny. Jules could literally outsmart anyone with his words. And yet, he was poetic and poignant too.

"Quite simply, and make of it what you will: music is the voice of God."

With all that happened throughout the book I worried that it might fall apart at the end. I held my breath and hoped for a satisfying conclusion. I got it. It was as though the gates of heaven opened up, the light shined brightly and the characters faded out.

* * * * *

Saints for All Occasions

by J. Courtney Sullivan 
Jan 4-28, 2018

What a lovely story. I adore family dramas, especially ones that span a few generations. Add to that a devout Irish Catholic family, and I'm hooked. I love how the story just kind of quietly unfolded into a completely believable narrative. And while the subject matter isn't exactly groundbreaking or original, I still think the author found a fresh way to tell it.

"Mother Cecilia swore she felt her spirit each time she set foot in the abbey's vegetable garden, or when she went to the grave and placed flowers in springtime. And especially when, in the presence of some lost soul, she attempted to give her solace.
As many paths to God as people on earth."

Beautiful, thought-provoking paragraphs like that are abundant. Sullivan really succeeded in making the reader contemplate her own family dynamic and especially understand the power of prayer and forgiveness. The perfect example of life being too short to hold on to anger.

A great way to start the new year; I'm a little sad to leave these characters.

* * * * *

The Bell Jar

by Sylvia Plath
Dec. 26, 2017-Jan. 3, 2018

/ˈbel ,jär/
noun
1. a bell-shaped glass cover used for covering delicate objects or used in a laboratory, typically for enclosing samples.
      1.1 An environment in which someone is protected or cut off from the outside world. ‘let him stay in his bell jar of perfectionist concentration’ [with allusion to Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar (1963)]

With a little nudging from a friend, I decided at long last to read The Bell Jar, a book that has been on my list for years. Considering the book was first released 55 years ago, the plot was not a mystery, but I was completely shocked by how convincing Esther's downfall was. She describes her rapid descent in a beautifully sad way:

"trapped under a bell jar, stewing in her own sour air"

And in the brilliant writing, somehow I started to question my own sanity, even for a minute. Obviously, that minute has passed, but such is the power of Plath's words.

At times the book felt rushed, but I also think that was a purposeful tactic to further illustrate Esther's sickness. And in truth, I'm glad the book wasn't any longer because I was left emotionally exhausted. Purposely written without emotion, only commentary, it was initially difficult to empathize with Esther. But after that first shock treatment, my heart continually broke for her and her struggle. Nine years after The Bell Jar was published, Plath took her own life. It's a shame to have lost such a brilliant talent to such a horrible disease.

* * * * *

The Mothers

by Brit Bennett
Oct 29-Nov 13, 2017

Mothers in all aspects of the word. Desperately-want-to-be mothers, "seasoned" mothers, almost mothers. How one decision can haunt you for your whole life. Nadia, the main character, is yearning to be loved. And while the plot isn't exactly groundbreaking or original, the author did a great job at gaining sympathy for each character and illustrating the inner turmoil each one faced.

"...magic you wanted was a miracle, magic you didn't want was a haunting."

I tore through this one, grateful for a bit of easier reading after the last chore I finished. I'm not sure that it will stay with me, in fact, I finished the book six days ago and haven't really thought about it since. But I enjoyed the story, the character development and the different points of view.

* * * * *

A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles
Sept 16-Oct 28, 2017

I tend to be disappointed in myself when I breathe a sign of relief after finishing a book. Especially one like this that is insanely loved by so many like-minded readers. I just could never get past the "chore" of completing the book and not giving up. I rode a few waves of abandonment. The first was early on when I realized that I had little knowledge or interest in Russian history. While it isn't mandatory to have this comprehension in your repertoire, I definitely think it would have enhanced my experience. Instead I pushed on because I began to enjoy the story of the Count's friendship with Nina. But again, I wanted to give up as I was constantly getting lost in the political history and (gasp!) footnotes. By that point I was nearly halfway through and felt some sort of displaced loyalty to the book to find out how it ended.

At one point I even bookmarked a quote:

"I think if I were a garage door, I should rather miss the old days."

I'm sure at the time I was charmed by this sentence, but for the life of me, I can't remember why. I suppose that's what happens when it takes 42 days to get through less than 500 pages. There was no doubt a generous amount of charm and the characters were most definitely likable, I just kept thinking I would have liked it more if the story stayed focused on the personal rather than the political.

* * * * *

This is How It Always Is

by Laurie Frankel
June 25-July 29, 2017

I feel like I'm supposed to love this book. I might actually have a slight pang of guilt for not loving it. One reason it took so long to finish was because I was slogging through part three. I was bored. And I feel a little bad about that. The subject couldn't be any more current, more now, more relevant. But the delivery was lacking in more ways than one. Here's why.

While I would certainly hope that all parents of a trans child would so willingly except that child with no hesitation, it seemed a bit too par-for-the-course with Rosie and Penn. They immediately accepted Poppy/Claude and knew exactly what to say to her. Yes, Penn spent countless hours researching online, but they never seemed to struggle with what to say or how to react.

Second, while Rosie was a doctor and had the opportunity to go to Thailand for work, it's simply not realistic to pack up your 10-year old child and travel across the world. I get that the "enlightenment" came from these travels, but it was a very odd way to present it. I found myself drifting quite a bit here and wondering why there was so much focus on Rosie's dying, underprivileged patients.

Finally, the ending was a bit too tidy, especially for the seriousness of gender identity. I find it incredibly hard to believe that a 10-year old child who hated Poppy when he found out she was actually Claude would suddenly accept her AND ask her to dance. Again, wouldn't it be lovely if this were more the norm than not, but I can't imagine that it is. It's a shame really.

I found the writing to be a bit too disjointed and it was easy for me to wander off. I understand the connection to Penn's fairy tale, but too much time was spent on it and its blatant comparison to real life. The author speaks from experience; having a trans child of her own, but her execution here just wasn't successful in my eyes.

* * * * *

Homegoing

by Yaa Gyasi
May 29-June25, 2017

Quite an epic amount of history in a short 300 pages! I think this novel is bigger and better than its brevity. From the beginning of slavery in Ghana through present day, the author takes the reader on a journey through seven generations. Each chapter told from a different descendent's point of view, it's merely a taste of the lives they led. I understand the formula the author intended, but as each story is rather short, I always found myself wanting more. Some stories were more successful and interesting than others. Those were, of course, what I wanted more of. The story of "H" was my favorite.

Although the historic importance was so great, the prose was very easy to read. But, after a while, I was bored. Hence the month it took me to get through it. Gyasi's plan for the chapters was a good one, I just found it to be a little monotonous after a while. I did have to refer back to the family tree at the beginning a few times, which may speak to the complexity of the familial line.

In the penultimate chapter, Marjorie sums up her lineage perfectly and with poise in this poem:

Split the Castle
Open,
find me, find you.
We, two, felt sand,
wind, air.
One felt whip.
Whipped,
once shipped.
We, two, black.
Me, you.
One grew from
cocoa's soil, birthed
from nut,
skin uncut, still
bleeding.
We, two, wade.
The waters seem
different
but are same.
Our same. Sister
skin.
Who knew? Not me.
Not you.

Really, an excellent synopsis of this family's 250 years.

* * * * *