Diana Stevan
Enjoyed it but found it too long and too repetitious in parts. Loved how he re-created the 12th century
This is a book that I read during my Masters of Social Work program. Because it had to do with patricide, it was a wonderful read in order to understand the complexity of family dynamics and the tragedy that can ensue when things go horribly wrong.
I loved this book. It's a gentle story of a fifteen year girl with a passion for photography, at a time when women weren't encouraged to have careers of their own. Over the next three years, she develops not only her skills as a photographer, but also her desire as a young woman for a man who is not available in more ways than one. What I especially loved was Jane Kirkpatrick's prose. Simple, thoughtful, and elegant. I was also intrigued by that period of history, the early twentieth century, when automobiles were rare, and photography could be a dangerous pursuit due to the chemicals needed to develop film. I am now interested in reading more by this author.
An extraordinary book. Kathryn Stockett has succeeded in weaving three characters' stories in a masterful fashion. Not only is this book a page turner, but it also deals with a very important subject -race relations in the 60s.
I read this around the time I read Zelda Fitzgerald by Nancy Mitford. You could almost hear the dialogue between Zelda and Scott in these pages. Although a fictional account, it's an honest portrait of a doomed marriage.
Having visited Ukraine in 1988, when it was still part of the Soviet Union, I could relate to what Maria Reva's characters were saying about their government and life under Russian rule. The author has a gift for telling a unique tale with humour and originality. I look forward to reading more of her works.
I was blown away by Mary Novik's prose. I'm not surprised that she won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and was long listed for the Giller Prize. Conceit starts with London on fire in the 17th century, a time when John Donne's poetry is flourishing. Her details about his daughters, his wife, and his conceit are riveting. I can't believe the kind of research that Mary Novik must've been done to bring this time and story to life. Highly recommend this book. Not only a look back at a time when the world was smaller in so many ways, but also at a time when love was as raw and layered as it is today. This is a book I wouldn't mind re-reading and that is an unusual thing for me to say.
This was fun but at times irritating. Little Owen with his loud voice in CAP throughout the novel proved to be my undoing at times.
Enjoyed the read immensely. A light look at the inner workings of Canadian politics. An unlikely candidate becomes the best candidate in parliament, despite his earlier wishes. Terry Fallis won the Stephen Leacock Humour award for this novel. Well-deserved. I especially liked the section about the invention that got them to the House after a snowstorm that made the roads impassable.
Excellent account of the Sackler family's role in the Oxycontin epidemic that affected millions suffering with pain. Deaths, addictions, family breakdowns. It's unconscionable that again we see the role money plays. It can buy off people who are supposed to protect the public, from those in the justice system to those in the health care system.
The only problem I had with this book was the amount of repetition, moreso in the later chapters. A tragic story of a family that refused to take responsibility, a family that abused its position in society. With their intellect and business sense, they could've been a leader in health care, instead of a leader in corruption. They mislead the public to enrich their coffers.
I was completely enchanted by this story. I'm glad I didn't see the movie, but read the book first. I found it interesting that the author had done so much research, as the subject and time and place in her story are areas she wasn't familiar with. She showed a world that has largely disappeared and a noble character that isn't often seen in fiction today. This is a book that is hard to put down.
Doris Lessing is described as “one of the most serious, intelligent and honest writers of the whole post-war generation”(SUNDAY TIMES). I found her book curious. Although I appreciated her in-depth exploration of a young woman's transition from living with her parents on a sheltered farm in Africa to working in an urban setting with all its temptations, I had trouble liking the protagonist. She couldn't make up her mind, and all her flip-flopping was annoying. I couldn't wait to finish the book, but for the wrong reason.
I picked up this book because my grandfather fought in the Tsar's army during World War I and I wanted to know more about the Tsar, his wife, and his family who were eventually executed by the Bolsheviks. This is a very hefty read, close to 700 pages. The author used the letters and diaries of those in the royal family as well those of the people who knew them. It's a stunning read. I was surprised to learn how religious the royal family was, and how much their faith dictated their behaviour. It was also surprising how ignorant they were as well about the people under their rule. How they could continue to live so lavishly when the majority of people were just getting by is hard to fathom. But we are living in a time today, when that kind of wealth still exists and those who live in luxury are blinded to the plights of others. Fascinating story well told.
The prose is astonishing. The author has a remarkable ability to weave many stories together to make a point about what we are doing to nature and how we are overlooking what nature can give us and how it can save us from a climate catastrophe. As a lover of nature and someone very concerned about our climate emergency, I found this story spoke to all of my concerns. It portrayed various individuals who independently found some solace in nature and acted out of that love. It's a book I hope to get a chance to re-read.
I am a huge fan of Anne Tyler's. She writes about quirky characters with such art, fleshing out their traits and circumstances. I wouldn't hesitate recommending her works, but this one did not resonate with me. I think it's because both the main characters, the girl, who's an outsider at school, and the boy, a musician who has a habit of blurting out sentences that make little or no sense, are apathetic. They both have caring parents and yet there seems to be no connection with them, no love or anger shown. Maybe in their passivity at home. Yes, the girl acts out in a major way, which I won't reveal and that is startling. But on the whole, since the main characters didn't seem to care, I didn't either. But all art, including books, are subjective. I'd encourage readers to have a look and form their own opinion.
Jane Urquhart's prose is like no other. I was astounded by her poetic phrasings. Her story is imbued with spiritual ideas, bordering on the paranormal. I found myself savouring the way she described not only the landscape of Ireland and the Canadian Shield but also the way she showed us what her characters were thinking and feeling. My only problem, and it's a minor one, is that I got lost about who was who in the family tree when she went back and forth in time, covering a few generations of character. Some of that is my fault, as I'm a quick reader, and though I struggle over every word I write, I don't always read every word on a page.
So many reviews. Donald Maass, NY literary agent and author, talked about this book in a workshop at the Surrey International Writers Conference. He read the first few pages. I was so intrigued that I bought it. I wasn't disappinted.
Glad I read this classic. With all the concern over AI today, this story seems to be a forewarning. Astounding work by such a young author.
I wasn't sure at first but am so glad I stayed with the story. It was fabulous. It begins around the same time in Russian history as my novel, Sunflowers Under Fire, but it's a very different story. Amor Towles focuses on an aristocrat, who's sentenced by the Bolsheviks to spend the rest of his life in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. I loved how deftly the novelist weaves in all the characters that Count Rostov meets during his stay, as well as the food and drink of the elite. It gave me an appreciation of what Russian culture has contributed to the world, but also the challenges its citizenry have had under Communist rule. Highly recommended.
This is another book I read during my master's program in social work. It was written at a time when patients' rights were being questioned, as far as voluntary admission into mental asylums and the use of electro-shock treatment. A fantastic read, as fantastic as the movie that was made about it.
I was thrilled to get an ARC of The Underground River, Martha Conway's third novel. I was thrilled because I had bought her first two and had become a fan of her writing. In each of her novels, Martha captures a period of American history, that could easily be forgotten. It's one thing to read an academic text on the subject. It's another to become immersed in some of the characters of the day and what they are hoping to achieve. What I especially love about the author's stories is her portrayal of ordinary people with hopes and dreams that we can relate to.
In The Underground River, May Bedloe, a seamstress for her cousin, an aging and still aspiring actress, finds herself out of work when an abolitionist appears on the scene and gives her cousin the job of speechmaking for the cause. Determined to find her way without her cousin by her side, she becomes involved with The Floating Theatre, a showboat on the Ohio river. She meets a variety of people, both off and on stage, some savory and others not. One of them is Hugo, the director, who develops more than a passing interest in her.
During the showboat's tour of small towns, May learns about the plight of slaves in the south and how abolitionists are working to set them free. May is an intriguing protagonist, not only because she is insecure but also because she is annoyingly honest when honesty is not the best policy. Though timid in general, May surprises the reader with her resourcefulness and personal sacrifice.
Author Martha Conway's writing is both fluid and colorful. I was swept along the river with all the delightful characters. The seriousness of the subject is well balanced by the lightness of some of the performers' escapades on The Floating Theatre. Having acted myself on stage in the past, I can say that the scenes are believable and well characterized.
A highly recommended read. I was sorry when the story ended. I wanted to keep reading about May.