September 28, 2015

The Debt of Tamar - Nicole Dweck

Thomas Dunne Books, September 8, 2015.






Three Stars


The Debt of Tamar is a multi-generational historical novel that spans events over the course of the past five hundred years, beginning with the expulsion of Portuguese Jews in the sixteenth century. Specifically, it is the story of Dona Antonia Nissim – a character that is based on a real aristocratic woman who funnelled money into the underground movement to save Jewish people from persecution by the Portuguese. Working with Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Dona Antonia escapes to Turkey with her daughter Reyna and nephew Jose, creating a new line of successors that will bring the story forward to the present day.


Reyna and Jose’s daughter Tamar falls in love with the Sultan’s son, and they are determined to be together in spite of familial pressures to marry within their own class and religion. The tensions within the two families escalate until the sudden disappearance of Tamar, effectively ending their love story. However, the unhappiness caused by their separation triggers a curse – a debt to the universe. The debt can only be repaid with an act of kindness, of which “the universe takes notice.” (Loc. 906)


There is a level of fantasy here, obviously. The author writes that while the story is inspired by historical events, it is in fact a fairy tale. Or more precisely, an allegory for how we should treat each other – kindness begets love, and so forth. As the story comes full circle and the debt is repaid, the message is that humans certainly inflict suffering, but there is always a measure of goodness, too.


The novel is filled with beautiful imagery and wonderful descriptions of the setting, especially ancient and modern day Turkey. Dweck manages to fit a ton of history and epic family drama without writing a dry, lengthy novel. It is faced paced, but perhaps too fast – I found it hard to get attached to the characters, and I wasn’t really drawn into the various love stories. The jumps through time and place – from sixteenth century Turkey to post-WWII France to modern day New York – kept the story moving, but I felt like it would have been more cohesive if the time periods had been a little more interactive, staying in one time and using flashbacks to move around, instead of a straight chronological movement.


I also felt like some characters were overloaded with tragedy and drama, while others lacked a full back story. There were many decisions and behaviours that did not get a full explanation, and even the love stories were unclear – we are told that the characters have this amazing, timeless love, but we don’t really get to see it. There just wasn’t a lot of explanation for how people were feeling and why they made the decisions that they did. People kept doing unforgiveable things that they are then forgiven for, without a second thought – it was too convenient.


Overall, the plot was historically fascinating, but the language it was told in became too simplistic for me. I think this had to do with the author’s motivations in writing the novel – she knew which historical issues she wished to address, and the story had to fit in a neat bow around them. As Jose says, “We are witnesses… We cannot look away,” (Loc. 168) and that is why this story needed to be told. The unusual ending was the best part of the novel, and it elevated The Debt of Tamar from others like it, making it worth the read.


I received this book for free from Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

September 25, 2015

A Woman of Note - Carol M. Cram


Lake Union Publishing, September 8, 2015.






Three Stars


In early nineteenth century Vienna, there was an explosion of new music, performers, and composers. The styles were new and modern, yet the profession was still dominated by men. Isabette Gruber is born into this world, and as a virtuoso piano player, she is seen as a threat to all of the men around her. Even Isabette’s mother is resentful of her passion and of her eventual success, essentially telling her that she must either submit to a man or spend the rest of her life in an asylum like her sister.


Isabette is kept down by these threats, and by the controlling nature of her manager who will do anything he can to have her to himself – until she meets Amelia Mason, a young singer visiting from Boston. She and Isabette learn to love and respect each other, encouraging the other to grow and succeed. But when it becomes clear to Isabette that Amelia wants more than friendship, she pushes away from her friend and instead turns to her music teacher, Josef Hauser.


Because of her mother’s mistreatment – and the institutionalization of her father and sister – Isabette is desperate for affection, even at the cost of her music career. She believes in Josef’s love, although it immediately becomes clear that he is using her only to advance his own career. Isabette is ambitious too, and believes in her own talent, but it is not enough as she is eclipsed first by Amelia and then by Josef. She must balance her sense of womanly duty with her own desire to be recognized for her music, and this struggle is pivotal to the course of the novel.


Various classical musicians make appearances in A Woman of Note, including Chopin, Liszt and Schubert. Although Isabette is a fictional character, her behaviour is accurate to the time, and is in fact based on real female musicians such as Schubert’s wife Clara, and Mendelssohn’s sister Fanny. It was easy to understand Isabette’s frustrations when, like Clara and Fanny, she was overlooked by her male contemporaries even though her talents outshone them.


Isabette struggles throughout the book to balance her career and her personal life. Near the end, Amelia asks her, “Can you have love and music?” (Loc. 4711) Isabette tells her friend that she wants what she’s always wanted – music – and she refuses to sacrifice it anymore. I loved the strength of Amelia’s character, and the fact that she got a happy ending that was perfect for her unique character. Isabette’s ending is more ambiguous, but she finally realizes that if she puts her music first, the rest will come with time.


I received this book for free from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

September 22, 2015

Did You Ever Have a Family - Bill Clegg


Scout Press/Simon & Schuster, Sept. 1, 2015.






Four Stars


This novel is a meditation on the nature of family, and the many different kinds of families we can have. It is an exploration of the tenuous connections that sometimes evolve into real relationships, and the strangers that can make up a family. It also reminds us that the small decisions we make can have far-reaching consequences, and that silences can speak volumes.

 

The story is told from varying perspectives as it meanders towards a climax. It is ostensibly the story of June Reid, and the tragic night that she loses her boyfriend, ex-husband, daughter and daughter’s fiancĂ©, the night before the wedding of the latter two. Everyone that she calls family is lost in one night, and she must go forth alone, as she escapes into the anonymity of a cross-country road trip. What she eventually learns is that a family is not just based on blood ties – people who come together form their own ties, and ultimately their own family. June and the characters she meets create a sense of community in a hostile world, in spite of the tragedies they have overcome, and this is the real purpose of the story.

 

The narrators of Did You Ever Have a Family are loosely connected to the events that cost June her family, but the ties that bring them together are not always obvious at first. The information that they contribute is slowly released, with some surprises, but even those are calmly stated. The mystery of June’s family’s death is really secondary to the emotional developments that take place beforehand. Even the final realization of what really happened that night is not overly shocking – the narrative just moves along, pulling all the loose threads together.

 

Some minor characters seemed unnecessary at the time, but looking back, even the outsider perspectives serve to make the families more inclusive and emotionally strong. However, it would have been nice to read more about these characters, and have them developed further. In other ways, they show how June has been displaced from her own life, as they try to capture her within their own stories.

 

Overall, this is a heartbreaking story in which we learn that there is always the possibility of hope and acceptance within a family. After an argument with her daughter, June rhetorically asks, “Did you ever have a family?” (p. 131) She asks out of pain and exasperation, but it inspires gratitude in other characters for the strength of their own family bonds. The balance of love and loss is a fine line, and the author does a great job of illustrating this with beautiful, poetic language and a touching story.

 

I received this book for free from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

September 19, 2015

Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty - Angela Elwell Hunt


Bethany House, September 1, 2015.






Three Stars


Bathsheba is the second in a series called “Dangerous Beauty” in which author Angela Hunt explores the stories of infamous women from the bible and offers us an alternative way to look at them. Hunt published Esther, the first in the series, in 2014, and I would definitely consider reading it after finishing this one. The novels stand alone, but I think they would enhance each other in a powerful way, as a collection of strong women often misjudged by the male gaze of the bible.

 

Right from the first page, there is a sense of strong characterization – these figures from the bible are written as real people with strengths and weaknesses, and they interact in believable ways. A young Bathsheba sees King David for the first time, as a genuine and fun-loving leader showing off for his people. She has no idea that the king who is worshipped by her community will trigger a deadly curse that will affect her fate for generations to come.

 

Hunt takes her historical facts from the bible, keeping the basic plot accurate to the traditional story of Bathsheba and David. She also uses well-researched details that are authentic to the time period – I felt like I could really picture the setting as well as small details such as food and clothing. However, in Hunt’s afterword, she writes that the bible only supplies the “big picture,” and so she has filled it in with details and emotions that perhaps have a modern twist to them. Regardless, it makes for a much more interesting story than reading straight from the bible.

 

The point of view alternates between Bathsheba and Nathan, a prophet who speaks the word of God to King David. In this way, Bathsheba’s story unfolds from her perspective as well as from the voice of a man who knows a little more of that “big picture” that is unfolding for Bathsheba. She is historically judged as an adulteress for seducing King David, resulting in a pregnancy and her own addition to his harem. However, Hunt shows us that there is another side to the story – Bathsheba really had no choice in the matter, she merely followed cultural conventions of the time. While King David is often considered to be a perfect disciple of God, he was still human. As Bathsheba comes to realize, he is a man “prone to sin when not focused on pleasing Adonai.” (Loc. 1731) He loves God but takes joy in human pleasures, too.

 

Before his death, David tells Bathsheba, “I loved you most because you forgave the most.” (Loc. 4125) That is a completely inappropriate sentiment for mortal relationships, but I think it says more about his love for God in that he could always find forgiveness there for his choices. His story is one of desire and its consequences – desire for a woman, but also that woman’s desire for power. Hunt takes these characters from the realm of allegory and turns them into real humans with flaws. I am not a Christian, but I do think there is a lot of literary value in the stories of the bible – there must be, for them to have survived for so long and to encompass so many human experiences. I really enjoy retellings of bible stories, and this was definitely a good one.

 

I received this book for free from Bethany House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

September 16, 2015

Young Babylon - Lu Nei


Amazon Crossing, September 1, 2015.






Three Stars


In 1990s China, Lu Xiaolu is growing up in a town full of factories, where his only dream in life is to work at one of them. With few expectations comes little disappointment, and that’s what makes this depressing coming-of-age story so unique. Lu Xiaolu talks about having no future and no real opportunities, yet somehow he is fairly lighthearted about it – and as he works his way towards his goals, hope opens up in a dreary world.


Although Young Babylon is one man’s story of growing up – and it does seem like it might be at least partly Lu Nei’s story – it is also representative of events in China as a whole, and the issues of the nation in the 1990s. In a world where everyone in town wears the same coverall uniform, with only an “S” for saccharin or a “P” for pesticides to differentiate them, Lu Xiaolu still manages to retain his individuality. He also creates an entertaining cast of characters around him by giving his coworkers nicknames such as “Old Badass” and “Little Pouty Lips”. His interactions with others bring personality to factory life.


The “Babylon” of the title generally denotes luxury and corruption – and while there is little of the former in the factory town, there is much of the latter. Lu Xiaolu’s father bribes his bosses to get his son a job at one of the better factories, and Lu Xiaolu inches his way up the factory ladder with no real qualifications. He meets one man in particular who has dozens of certificates to his name, from accounting to engineering, yet he makes less money than Lu Xiaolu – it is a fairly damning comment on the Chinese bureaucratic system.


Lu Xiaolu often speaks in a derogatory manner about his parents and coworkers, but they seem to want what’s best for him for the most part – although they are preparing him for disappointment. And even though his descriptions are satirical in nature, they do put a human face on the Chinese factory workers, changing a foreign culture into something we can relate to.  An enjoyable story from an intriguing voice in world literature.


I received this book for free from Amazon Crossing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

September 14, 2015

Go Home Lake - Megs Beach

 

Second Story Press, September 1, 2015.

 





Three Stars


This is the story of Penny, a young girl growing up in the 1960s in Ontario with several bullying older brothers, and a mom and dad who fight viciously while pretending everything is fine. Penny’s coming of age story is punctuated by her family’s annual summer trips to Go Home Lake, which she looks forward to all year. However, as Penny gets older, she realizes that the seemingly idyllic family trips are not as perfect as they seem.


Because the story is told from the point of view of a naĂŻve and innocent young Penny, it is not at first obvious to the reader what is happening within the family. Her childhood seems pretty normal for 1960s America, with her only desire to own a pony. As Penny gets older and begins to realize that things are amiss, we learn that she must fend off awkward and inappropriate sexual advances from her older brothers, who prey on her innocence. Meanwhile, the cops are involved in keeping things civil between Penny’s parents, opening them up for judgement within the neighbourhood.


The novel is filled with interesting socio-political observations from the era, including the moon landing and “Trudeau Mania.” Beach’s clever writing turns clichĂ©s upside down by allowing us to see them through the eyes of a child. Penny’s language shows us her strong will, as shown by her ambition to become a “cowboy,” not just a cowgirl. She is desperate to fit in with her brothers, but she doesn’t yet know how gender differences can affect relationships, or the danger in trying to play along with the boys when she doesn’t fully understand the game.


The second half of the novel was much stronger than the first, and I was happy that I stuck with it. What started out as light and comedic quickly becomes very dark. An older Penny looks back and says, “[t]he cottage was the closest thing we had to hope” (Loc. 2461) but after her experiences, there is no hope left at the lake. She had to separate from her childhood self in order to carry on, and there is no going back – either to the cottage or to the girl she once was.



I received this book for free from Second Story Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

September 10, 2015

The Sisters of Versailles - Sally Christie

Atria Books, September 1, 2015.





Four Stars


The Sisters of Versailles is the first book in a new trilogy based on the life of King Louis XV of France. The trilogy is called The Mistresses of Versailles, and this first novel focuses on the five Nesle sisters, four of whom became mistresses to the king. While I look forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy, this book is a standalone novel with no cliff hangers, and can be easily read on its own.

 

The story of four sisters who love one man is scandalous enough, but when that man is the king of France, bringing with him all the power and prestige of his role, their experiences become much more interesting. The fact that this novel is based on historical events – and quite thoroughly researched, too – makes this a great new read for those who are tired of reading about Anne Boleyn and Mary, Queen of Scots. While it will appeal to readers of Philippa Gregory and others like her, the Nesle sisters have never been fictionalized in English, so Christie brings something new to the world of historical fiction, and that’s pretty exciting.

 

The format of the novel is a series of letters that fly back and forth between the five sisters, as they each try to put forward their own motivations and desires in the court of King Louis XV and his palace of Versailles. Each sister has a distinct voice: Louise is innocent and sees the best in everyone; Pauline is ambitious and feels limited by the options available to women; Diane is flighty and uncertain, wanting to make everyone happy, but mostly herself; Marie-Anne is young and manipulative, using anyone she can to advance her own place at Versailles. The fifth sister, Hortense, is the only one that does not fall for the king’s charm, and thus we hear much less from her. Each sister is written as an individual, which makes the epistolary format successful in showing us who each of them really was, as well as the love-hate relationship between the girls.

 

The alternating perspectives kept the plot moving quickly, and the authentic and meticulously researched details of the French court really added interest and filled out the story. Life at Versailles is thoughtfully portrayed, sensational though it is. We truly get a sense of the pre-revolutionary invincibility of the court, in which they thought they could live in luxury forever, while the peasants starved. The portrayal of the king through the choices he did or did not make was well done – he was weak and easily manipulated by those around him, no doubt leading to the revolutionary sentiment that was growing at the time.

 

The power struggles within the court were intense, but the rivalry between the Nesle sisters was just as strong, although on a smaller stage. Beginning in the nursery, their roles in the family emerged, and it is each of these distinct personalities that draws the king to them at one point or another. When he loses interest in Louise’s virtue, he moves on to the more calculating Pauline and Marie-Anne, with Diane on the side just for the easygoing, sensual fun she provides. Like the many wives of Henry XIII, it is hard to believe this is based on a true story, but I guess that’s why it’s said that truth is often stranger than fiction. In this case, there was a great balance of historical fact and soap opera drama – a novel that’s fun to read, while still letting you feel like you’re learning something new!

 

 

I received this book for free from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

September 07, 2015

The Betrayal - Laura Elliot


Bookouture, August 14, 2015.






Three Stars


 The subtitle of this book is “a gripping tale of psychological suspense,” but I think that might be a little bit overstated. There is some suspense, and certainly some emotionally unbalanced characters, but it wasn’t as thrilling as I think it was meant to be. It reminded me of Paula Hawkin’s The Girl on the Train, but without the satisfying and surprising resolution in the end. That being said, The Betrayal is still a fun, escapist summer read. It was addictive and fast-paced, without much depth.

 

Nadine and Jake married at a very young age due to an unexpected pregnancy. Instead of the misery this might create, they actually had a fairly happy marriage, with four children altogether. However, they have now become empty-nesters before the age of forty, and they are both still living with many unfulfilled dreams. It seems like the perfect time to sell their business, move to separate homes, and start over.

 

All goes well for a while, although the dramatic scenes seemed to happen very quickly, while other, less important scenes dragged on and on. The characters were well developed for the most part, allowing the reader to know them and care what happens to them. However, the slow pace was caused by too much family drama, especially considering the thriller genre that this novel seems to want to be a part of.

 

Nadine moves on from Jake with a successful career and travel to Alaska. Jake moves on with a beautiful woman – who turns out to be a psychotic ex-friend of Nadine’s, determined to get revenge for events that are only slowly revealed to us. As her obsession grows, we learn more about the dark secrets of the summer that Nadine and Karin’s friendship ended. But that’s only the beginning – once Jake learns the truth about Karin and tries to end it, she ingratiates herself into their lives in unbelievable ways.

 

This is a great summer novel, and I would certainly read more by this author, with the expectation that they will be similar thriller/beach reads. One thing that did elevate this from other novels like it was the beautifully descriptive settings of Ireland and Alaska – I felt very drawn into the world of the characters. Overall, I enjoyed the thrill ride of this novel, and I would recommend it.

 

I received this book for free from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

September 04, 2015

Make Your Home Among Strangers - Jennine Capo Crucet


St. Martin’s Press, Aug. 4, 2015.






Four Stars


As the first person in her family of Cuban immigrants to finish high school, Lizet expects her family to be thrilled when she is accepted to an Ivy League college in New York. However, Lizet’s parents and sister not only discourage her from going, but they take it as a personal betrayal that she is leaving them behind in Miami. In fact, her father uses what he sees as a dissolution of the family to justify selling their family home and leaving her mom and sister behind while he starts a new life of his own. At the same time, Lizet’s sister Leidy has dropped out of high school due to an unexpected pregnancy, which her family has no problem with because at least she is not trying to leave her roots behind.

 

With her family in disarray, Lizet stands by her decision to attend college. As the top of her class at Hialeah Lakes, an underfunded school in the outskirts of Miami, she expects to easily succeed at college. However, the standards at Rawlings are much more stringent, and she struggles to keep up with her grades. She is not even aware of the requirements until she is accused of plagiarism and labelled as a “minority student” who doesn’t know any better.

 

Meanwhile, Lizet’s mother is becoming deeply involved in the plight of a more recent young immigrant named Ariel Hernandez. Travelling by raft from Cuba, Ariel lost his mother along the way in a story that mirrors the real life journey of Elian Gonzalez. Ariel’s mother sacrificed herself to bring her son to America where he would have access to freedoms we take for granted, such as education. Lizet’s mother supports this decision completely, yet the irony is that she does not understand her own daughter’s quest for education. The stories of Ariel and Lizet run parallel through this novel, as we see the immigrant experience from the perspective of a Cuban “fresh off the boat” versus the equally frustrating challenges of a Cuban-American who grew up in the states but is not fully accepted into either culture.

 

This question of identity comes up over and over again for Lizet. At college, her roommate never forgets to introduce Lizet as a Cuban. In contrast, her own father tells Lizet that she is an American, not a Cuban, making her an outsider in both worlds. It opens up questions about what it means to be American (or Canadian) today, when the roots of many cultures have grown here together.

 

Because Lizet is still discovering who she is, she finds herself fictionalizing her past for her peers at college, and playing a role as the girl she used to be when she returns to visit Miami. With any sign of ambition or success, Lizet’s sister tells her she is becoming a “white girl.” In contrast, Lizet’s mother has rewritten her own story, dramatizing her arrival as a Cuban immigrant to include more shocking elements. Depending on who is listening, both Lizet’s and her mother’s stories change, shifting their own self-identity.

 

Lizet is forced to justify her place in college as well as her place at home in Miami. The novel touches on a lot of issues regarding the transition between high school and post-secondary education, such as the socio-economic differences between different students who are suddenly thrown together and expected to produce work of the same standards. This cultural gap causes many problems for Lizet as she attempts to interact with other students in the ways she knows how to. Her relationships with her peers are frustrating yet realistic because they are not tied up neatly at the end. The romance aspect is not emphasized, and Lizet concludes at the end of the novel that she will do what she loves first, and find love later, if at all. The framework of the novel is such that we start out knowing that Lizet will succeed in her chosen career path, and that makes her journey there a little bit easier to read.

 

The dialogue between Lizet and those around her was realistic and intriguing, while the descriptive scenes made me feel like I was right there with her. Overall, the plot could have been tightened up in some areas, as certain issues dragged on without resolution. However, all in all, I would highly recommend this novel, which leaves us asking, who are the real strangers with whom we make our home?

 

 

I received this book for free from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

September 01, 2015

Untouchable Things - Tara Guha


Legend Press, September 1, 2015.






Three Stars


Untouchable Things is filled with mystery and intrigue that will catch your attention right from the prologue. With a foreboding sense of what is to come, it’s hard to put this novel down until you find out who is watching Rebecca and whether she will survive their obsession – and even that is left fairly open ended. This is not a traditional Gone Girl thriller, although it has many psychological elements. It is much slower paced, with many more literary elements and references to dramatic works such as Hamlet and Oedipus – the original psychological thrillers.

 

Seth is the charismatic leader of an artistic group called the Friday Folly. Each member of the group brings a different skill to their meetings, such as playing the piano, reciting poetry, or cooking gourmet meals. What all of the members have in common is their love of Seth. They compete for his attention in a manner that borders on worship, and in exchange he seems to fulfill all of their fantasies, different as they are. In his fatherly role in the group, he manages to control everyone, including new recruit Rebecca.

 

The addition of Rebecca to the group brings all of their conflicting emotions to a head. She meets Seth while playing the role of Ophelia in Hamlet, and her portrayal of the lovesick and suicidal woman is more than he can resist. As one of the group says, “Seth loves all that shit. Secrets, disguises, pretending. Confused identity.” (Loc. 3075) And these are the elements that keeps the whole group together, until the biggest secret of all – Seth’s disappearance.

 

The novel is split into act and scenes, with some sections written in full dramatic dialogue. In addition, the scenes are split into interviews with the police, which we eventually learn was precipitated by Seth’s disappearance. It does seem like an excess of post-modern formatting, but what I did like about the interviews was the way they segued into daydreams of the past – it was unclear how much of these memories were actually being recounted to the police. This style has been done before, but it still felt fresh, and darkly humorous.

 

There is no big climax in the novel – Seth is gone, and the group fizzles out. Because there wasn’t a lot of action in the second half of the book, it was much creepier than it might have been – the many loose ends that could come back and haunt the members of the group are a dark shadow waiting around each corner. Nothing is really resolved in the end, although the members of the Friday Folly feel a (false) sense of security about things. We are left with many questions – is the group safe, or still in danger? And more importantly, did Seth plan everything right from the start? Read Untouchable Things, and then decide how safe you feel…

  

I received this book for free from Legend Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.