Radar Girls

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman 368 pages

Daisy Wilder lives on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu (the spelling the author uses and is correct). She lives in an oceanfront shack with her mother, who is suffering a deep, deep depression. Daisy works on a nearby ranch to support them, and she loves working with the horses. Other than the people she works with, she has no other social life.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Daisy has “borrowed” one of the ranch’s finest stallions, Moon, for a run on the beach. He is coal black with a gently fierce heart. As the Japanese planes roar overheard, headed to Pearl Harbor, Moon bolts and runs away.

Terrified for the animal, Daisy looks for him, but to no avail. She needs to get back to the shack to be with her mother. Her mother is oblivious, but Daisy is terrified. Will there be a land invasion? There have been rumors. What about Moon? What will the Japanese do to him if they find? What about her mom?

As the day progresses, Daisy’s anxieties dim, but never go away (and they will stay with her for the next four years). She tries, in vain, to find Moon. There is talk of relocating all civilians to the Mainland. She knows she has to get her mother to California to be with a relative, but Daisy plans on staying on the island.

After searching for Moon, who seems to have just disappeared, Daisy must tell the ranch’s owner what has happened. Hal Montgomery is beside himself, accusing Daisy of stealing and fires her. She is devastated.

Mr. Montgomery’s son, Walker, comes home before the bombs fall to heal from a severe concussion.. He is a navy pilot, but now it’s all hands on desk.  He is stationed aboard the USS Enterprise. And we all know what happens when boy meets girl.

Wanting to do her part for the war effort, and since she is out of a job, Daisy signs up for the Women’s Air Raid Defense. The military is looking for twenty intelligent women to help provide air defense for Hawaii. Daisy passes all the tests and is made part of the team. There she finds something she has never had before, female friendship. She must learn to navigate these are much as she learns to navigate the radar system.

Throughout the entire war, Daisy never loses hope of finding Moon and is always on the lookout.

The details about those early days in radar were fascinating and author Ackerman does a wonderful job balancing too much information and teaching me something new.

Thanks to Ackerman’s vivid descriptions of the Hawaiian Islands, the ocean, the fish, the salty air, reading “Radar Girls” is like taking a beach vacation without getting sand in your underwear. It’s also a boy-meets-girl-loses-boy-gets-girl story set against the beauty of Hawaii and the fears and the uncertainties of World War II. Therefore, “Radar Girls” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Terry McMillan   480 pages

Another excellent book by Terry McMillan.   Viola Price has gotten to the point she is done with her husband Cecil.   Their four adult children and their grand children are going through their own trials and tribulations but are all floored when they hear their parents have decided to separate.   Such well developed characters and plot lines   You will not want to put the story down until you finish it.  I highly recommend this one.

 - Shirley J.

Children of Monsters

Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators by Jay Nordlinger, 248 pages

Children of Monsters is a fascinating study of the lives of the children (and grandchildren) of twenty of history's worst tyrants, from Mussolini to Castro.  As might be expected, none of them escaped entirely unscathed from their fathers' legacies.  As might also be expected, each lived with their legacy in a unique way.  Some became monsters (Uday Hussein, Nicu Ceausescu), others dissidents (Alina Castro, Hussein Khomeini), some few became tyrants themselves (Bashar Assad, Jean-Claude Duvalier), and at least two became jazz musicians (Romano Mussolini played piano, Taban Amin played guitar - the former performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and married Sophia Loren's sister).  As is the way of the world, irony abounds - one of Tojo's daughters married an American and settled in Honolulu, Pol Pot's daughter graduated university with a degree in accounting.

Journalist Nordlinger adopts a conversational tone which helps compensate for some of the uncertainties surrounding his subjects - as dictatorships attempt to control all information about the lives of their leaders, facts are sometimes hard to come by, and Nordlinger is continually forced to resort to words like "reportedly", "allegedly", and "apparently".  This also, intentionally or not, decreases the personal distance between author, readers, and subjects, bringing the horrors and the tragedies (as well as the more mundane triumphs) home.

Dunbar

Dunbar  by Edward St. Aubyn   211 pages

This short novel is a reimagining of King Lear.

Henry Dunbar is a mass media mogul, and a widower with three daughters, Abigail, Megan and Florence. Having disinherited Florence for being unwilling to dedicate herself to the company, Abby and Megan are given her own share of the fortune. Unsatisfied with having to wait for full control of the company, they have Dunbar drugged and committed to an asylum in Manchester.

With Dunbar, the futility and remorse of Lear, is clearly and brilliantly depicted. The whole essence of his ordeal was faithful and respectful of its source. The agony to right the wrongs and to escape a world that demands you to be mad is tense and vivid. The scenes of Dunbar’s time in hiding and his thoughts of remorse echo Lear’s tribulations. Florence’s fears for her father and her struggle to protect him from her sisters are well-depicted without being melodramatic. Unfortunately, the characters of Abigail and Megan significantly lower the quality of the entire novel. They exist just to be evil and the author tried too hard to make them appear as such. They had no personality, no evil maturity and menace like the villains in Shakespeare.

This novel will be a disappointment to Shakespeare purists. Since it is intended to be a retelling of Shakespeare’s work, it stands to reason that it would be compared to the original; in this case, there is no comparison.

Posted by:   Regina C.  

Orchid & the Wasp

Orchid & the Wasp  by Caoilinn Hughes   345 pages

It is clear from the writing style that the author is a poet, and the language and focus on the “art” aspect of writing often detracts from the story, as does the protagonist in the is coming-of-age novel. Gael Foess is an intelligent, articulate, opinionated and dislikeable child, and not much better as an adult. She operates alongside beautiful inspiring art while also stealing, manipulating and conning people and situations around her. The novel, narrated by Gael, spans about nine years: a politically turbulent decade that opens with Iraq War protests and closes with the Occupy movement in New York City. The financial crisis temporarily jolts Gael and Guthrie’s father, Jarleth, a high-flying Barclay’s banker who leaves the family in 2008. The biblical parable of the talents, which he recounted to Gael when she was a little girl, comes back to resonate: It’s a potent reminder that money and skills don’t get distributed fairly in this life. When Gael gets to New York in 2011, she plans to redress the balance in two paradoxical ways: living in the Occupy camp and taking part in protests; and secretly earning her brother a fortune on his modern art. 

Written in heart-stoppingly vivid prose, Orchid & the Wasp examines how we inevitably fail our families despite our best intentions; what we are owed and what we must earn; and how our lives can turn us into people we would never have imagined. While this publisher’s précis lured me in, I so disliked Gael’s character, that I struggled through the story, cringing at absolutely everything she did (with the exception of her 11 year-old self trying to set up a business of persuading school girls to break their hymens and then buy supplies of blood “virginity” capsules). While the author tries to tackle a range of societal issues, ultimately her writing style and lack of focus make this rambling story difficult to enjoy.

Posted by:   Regina C.  

Family Book: Five Family Lessons from Geese

Family Book: Five Family Lessons From Geese by Andre Philip   68 pages

I must have completely misunderstood when author Andre Philip asked me to review his book, Family Book: Five Family Lessons From Geese. I thought I would be reading five essays on how each lesson reflected in a flock of geese---a narrative that would engage me and illustrate how families---human or animal---are basically the same.  I thought I would see tips in the narratives on how to keep families better connected---without technology.

This little book is about as far from that scenario as it can be. The first seventeen pages are the lessons, followed by facts about geese. Nothing inspired or noteworthy. In fact, if all the text on those pages flowed together, they probably wouldn’t amount to more than five pages. The rest of the book is nothing more than a glorified address book with little room to write about favorite memories or stories.

I was extremely disappoint in “Family Book: Five Family Lessons From Geese,” which receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Blue diary

Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman   303 pages

Ethan Ford is the best husband a woman could have. Sensitive, thoughtful and head-over-heels in love with his wife, Jorie, Ethan's also known in town to be a trustworthy, hardworking man. However, all of that faith in Ethan is shaken when the unthinkable happens: Ethan is accused of a crime from the past and also is accused of stealing another man's identity.  So just who is Ethan Ford?

This book explores several themes, including friendship, love, marriage, and how people can confront truths and try to find forgiveness in some of the most unforgiving of circumstances. Deftly told through multiple viewpoints, this story unwinds slowly, revealing many secrets. Of course, the worst secret of them all is the one that Ethan Ford has been hiding all of these years, locking away not only the secret, but his true nature, as well.  This is a compelling story, and one I've read many times -- and enjoyed again. I had remembered parts of the story but not the entire thing, so there was some re-discovery of the book along the way.

The Great Alone

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah    440 pages

In 1974, Ernt Allbright, a former Vietnam POW, makes the decision to move his family north to Alaska, where they will live off the grid. Ernt's wife, Cora, and daughter Leni, aren't sure if this is best idea, especially since Ernt is a man with a volatile personality. And, as soon as they arrive in Alaska and see where they're going to live, it becomes clear that none of them are in any way prepared for life in Alaska. At first, Alaska seems to be the balm to the troubled marriage of Ernt and Cora, even as the family struggles to learn how to prepare for the coming winter. The small community they've moved into is supportive, and even Ernt seems more at peace. However, as winter approaches and the nights grow longer, Ernt's fragile mental state starts to unravel, putting Cora and Leni in danger. Soon, the two of them learn the awful truth: they are truly on their own, with no one to save them but themselves.

I devoured this story, becoming irritated when I had to put the book down (like when I had to go to work). Hannah creates such a compelling story that I found I was just caught up in it. It's easy to visualize not only the characters, but Alaska, itself, complete with all of its beauty and danger. There's a true sense of unease through much of the story, and you don't get a sense that everything will be ok for Cora and Leni (which I liked because it made me turn the pages even faster). The relationship between Ernt and Cora is complicated, and heartbreaking --- and thus, pretty realistic. The entire story, actually, rings very true --- whether it's the characters, the setting or the storyline, it's all completely believable. Really a good book.

motorcycle ride on the sea of tranquility

motorcycle ride on the sea of tranquility by Patricia Santana   276 pages

I remember reading this book years ago and loving it.  Since I can’t remember exactly when, I checked the copyright page, a first edition from 2002. I checked Amazon and it says 2004.  I just remember loving it.  I’ve had its follow up, ghosts of el grullo, on my shelf for years. I wanted to read that, so I knew that I had to go back and read this one so the story would be fresh.

The time is 1969. Vietnam is raging. Chuy Sahagun is coming home from the war, and one of his sisters (there are five) is so excited. Chuy is fourteen-year-old Yolanda’s favorite of her four brothers. The story opens as the family is preparing for Chuy to arrive at their San Diego suburb home. The decorations are going up, the food is being prepared, and the music is being selected. No one know for sure when Chuy will arrive, but they want to be ready.

When he does arrive, it is obvious that he is not the same person. He hardly speaks, and stands at attention. The family feels the strangeness, yet don’t push him. After only a few days at home, he takes off on a motorcycle, without a word to anyone, which he has just acquired.

The Sahagun family is quite worried, but life goes on. We see Yoli struggle to grow up in a three-bedroom home where eleven people (well, now that Chuy is gone, ten) people live.

After four months away with barely any contact, Chuy arrives home on July 20, the day Neil Armstrong walks on the moon. Chuy pulls up just as the event is about to happen and the family misses it. Chuy still hasn’t returned to his former self, and winds up being diagnosed with PTSD and in and out of the VA hospital.

Yoli is the narrator or this first-person tale about life growing up in the summer of ‘69, when America was changing faster than a teenager’s body. Chuy and his struggle to adapt once he’s back home is the catalyst that propels this novel.

 I didn’t like care for motorcycle ride on the sea of tranquility as much as I did when I first read it. It’s a great read, but the Spanish words that weren’t translated made it seem a little choppy. Still, I found that old fondness for Yoli’s wonderful voice, which prompts motorcycle ride on the sea of tranquility to receive 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Meeting Rozzy Halfway

Meeting Rozzy Halfway by Caroline Leavitt   294 pages

I first learned about author Caroline Leavitt from an article in the January/February 2017 issue of Bookmarks magazine. Her novels sounded like books I would enjoy so I decided to give her a try.

This is her first novel, published in 1980. It deals with two sisters, Rozzy and Bess, who are as different as night and day. Rozzy is a dark beauty and the oldest by four years. Bess is fair. Despite their age difference, they are close and need each other as if they were identical twins.

By the time Rozzy is ten years old, she hears voices, has vivid fantasies moments of disorientation. She is diagnosed as psychotic, and that diagnosis dooms their family.

A compelling read, this is the struggle of sisters, trying to desperately trying to hang onto each other until a shattering conclusion takes readers on a gasping ride to the finish.

The story did start to drag near the end. It seemed like the same scene was replayed over and over, using different words. That’s why Meeting Rozzy Halfway receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Together at the Table: A Novel of Lost Love and Second Helpings

Together at the Table: A Novel of Lost Love and Second Helpings; Book 3 in the Two Blue Doors Series by Hillary Manton Lodge    320 pages

When I saw that this third book in Hillary Manton Lodge’s Two Blue Door Series was available for review from Blogging for Books, I jumped at the opportunity to review it (and it didn’t hurt that I got it for FREE!).

I was highly irritated at the end of Book Two. The story just stopped; literally it just stopped. It was a wonderful read until that point. I was eager to know what happened between Juliette and Neil. And would she learn the truth about the man she thought was her grandfather and the man who may have been? Book Three does not disappoint.

When we last saw Juliette, her mother had been diagnosed with cancer; the restaurant she opened with her brother, Nico, was off to a good start; she had traveled to Italy to meet both her paternal and maternal relative and try to solve the mystery of who was her grandfather; but her long-distance romance with Memphis-based immunologist Neil McLaren had ended.

Since then, her mother has died, leaving a gaping hole in the family. No one is quite over the shock. The restaurant is a success. She is dating the sous-chef Adrian. She has read the letters she discovered by her grandmother, but hasn’t had the time to follow up, and she is not over Neil McLaren, no matter what comes out of her mouth.

Taking a break from her hectic schedule, she takes a walk on Portland’s riverfront with Adrian. There in the distance is a familiar figure. Could it be Neil?  Her heart tells her it is.

In a delightful novel, Manon Lodge ties up all the loose ends and give readers a satisfying conclusion. I’ll miss these characters and hope that she reconsiders and gives us a fourth Two Blue Doors. I think it’s doable.  

The Past

The Past by Tessa Hadley.  310 pages.

This story focuses on three adult sisters and their brother, who meet up at their grandparents' country home for their annual holiday of three weeks.  This may the last summer they all have together in this house, as they may need to sell it.  Naturally, with even the closest of siblings, there are bound to be tensions.  

The summary of the book via Goodreads says, "With uncanny precision and extraordinary sympathy, Tessa Hadley charts the squalls of lust and envy disrupting this ill-assorted house party, as well as the consolations of memory and affection, the beauty of the natural world, the shifting of history under the social surface. From the first page the reader is absorbed and enthralled, watching a superb craftsperson unfold the lives of these unforgettable siblings."

Admittedly, I didn't love this book.  I kept turning the pages because I was curious if anything was really going to happen in the story (perhaps a startling revelation from one of the characters? A tragic secret?), but it was hard for me to care about any of the characters.  The writing style is interesting, but for me, the characters . . . weren't.   The sister who seems to have some kind of inner turmoil and secrets isn't that compelling, and the one sister who seems to always be dramatically saying this and that wasn't compelling to me, either.    There isn't much of a plot, so the book is basically just these people interacting with each other (although there is a middle section that is set in the past).

I can see where some readers really respond to this author's writing style, but I'm not one of them.

My Name is Lucy Barton

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout    191 pages

This book begins with Lucy Barton, who is in the hospital, slowly recovering from what should have been a simple operation.   Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken to in years, comes to see her, and winds up staying with her, in the hospital, for several days.   As the two of them talk, Lucy remembers her childhood, and feels a re-connection to her mother.   As the two of them talk, Lucy reflects on her troubled family, as well as her marriage and how she became a writer.

I found this to be an interesting, thoughtful book.   The language is sometimes pretty spare, but still evocative.   Lucy's relationship with her mother is pretty tenuous, so at first, it seems a little odd that her mother would come to visit her in the hospital, and then wind up staying for a few days.  But, as the two of them talk, and you get Lucy's perspective on her childhood, it seems to make sense (at least, as far as her relationship with her mother and her family is concerned).   Lucy's observations about her life were what struck me most.  At times, I found I'd pause and reflect on what I had just read, not just in perspective to the story I was reading, but generally, in relation to my own experiences.

Lucy's an interesting character.  We only get her perspectives; this is her story, so we don't know what her mother's feelings are, or whether Lucy's perceptions of her family, or her husband, are accurate.  But, this is an introspective story, where you are immersed in what Lucy is thinking about. I got a clear picture of her just from some of her observations, or reflections.    Example:  "And he looked at me then, and with real kindness on his face, and I see now that he recognized what I did not: that in spite of my plenitude, I was lonely.  Lonely was the first flavor I had tasted in my life, and it was always there, hidden inside the crevices of my mouth, reminding me."  (p. 41-2).

Reading this book was a little like reading some kinds of poetry.  I would read through some passages, and then reflect, and then keep going, but then go back over some of it in my mind, later.

The Pretty One: A novel about sisters

The Pretty One: A novel about sisters by Lucinda Rosenfeld.  305 pages.

The three Hellinger sisters, Imperia (Perri), Olympia (Pia) and Augusta (Gus) have been playing out their roles for almost 40 years.  Set in these roles by their domineering mother, they have fallen into routines, and also routinely argue with each other.   However, are starting to unravel for each of them, and when a freak accident lands their mother in the hospital, everything starts to come apart.  There's no comfort zone for any of them anymore, and the familiar roles just don't seem to fit.

I found this book to be a page turner, but mostly because I was curious about what was going to happen to the characters.  I didn't find it was heavily invested in any of them, but I was curious about them.  The dynamic between all three of them would sometimes get a little tedious, and I would start to predict what one sister would do, or how she would interact with another sister.  However, I did enjoy the sharp humor in the book, and at times, would find myself snickering to myself.

When I got to this part, near the end, I felt it summed up what I had been thinking halfway through the book.  "Olympia released a long sigh.  Then she said, 'Perri, do you ever hear yourself?  You're always competing with me over whose life is harder,  Honestly, it's really tedious."   I enjoy stories like this from time to time because they give me that voyeuristic feeling of looking into someone's house window as I drive past, a glimpse of a different life.  And, it's a bit like visiting somewhere and thinking to yourself, that was nice, but I don't want to live there.

The Guest Room

The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian   336 pages

I’ve been a huge fan of Chris Bohjalian’s since he burst onto the literary scene with his Oprah Book Selection, Midwives. The Guest Room is his 18^th book, and, I believe, his finest.  As I Facebooked to Bohjalian: Oh Wow! Oh WoW! Oh WOw! OH WOW! 

Richard Chapman, his wife, Kristin, and their young daughter, Melissa, live in Bronxville, New York, a suburb of Manhattan. Richard is an investment banker, and Kristen is a history teacher. Richard’s idiot younger brother, Phillip, is finally getting married and Richard and Kirstin agree to let the bachelor party. Kristen takes Melissa into Manhattan to spend the weekend with her mother, as the couple is sure strippers have been included in the evening’s festivities.

Phillip’s friend, Spencer, doesn’t just hire strippers; he hires call girls. The girls, Alexandra and Sonja, arrive with what the guys believe to be bodyguards. As the evening progresses, stripping turns into sex. Richard finds himself enamored with Alexandra and alone with her, both naked, in the guest room. No spoiler here, so you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens.

It’s after Alexandra and Richard return to the party that all hell breaks loose. Sonja jumps one of the bodyguards and repeatedly plunges a knife into his neck. Blood is everywhere. Everywhere. The gunshots are heard and the other bodyguard’s blood is adding to the horror. The girls throw on some clothes and escape before the guys can come to their senses enough to call 911.

The story is told in alternative chapters: Richard and Kristen’s point of view and Alexandra’s viewpoint. Readers soon learn that the girls aren’t college students trying to earn money for tuition; they are Armenian girls who have been kidnapped and used as sex slaves.

There are so many threads in this one story. How did Alexandra and Sonja get caught up in this life? Where are they now? Are their kidnappers, the Russians, looking for them? Will Richard and the guys go to jail for having hired prostitutes? Will Richard and Kristen’s marriage survive? What will Melissa think of her father? How will the family ever go back to their home and life, knowing that it had been a crime scene?

Be prepared to stay up late as Bohjalian ties all the unanswered questions together into a riveting novel that left me gasping by the end. I give The Guest Room, 6 out of 5 stars.

My Name is Lucy Barton

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
208 Pages

"Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy's childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy's life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable."

While the story is not that memorable, the narrative voice in the book makes it well worth reading. 

Losing Mum and Pup

Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir by Christopher Buckley, 251 pages

In twelve months, Christopher Buckley (author of Thank You for Smoking and Boomsday) lost first  his mother Patricia Buckley (famed socialite and member of the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame) and then his father, William F Buckley, Jr (founder and editor of National Review, host of Firing Line for 33 years, author of over 50 books).  Both died after long illnesses, with William's condition deteriorating rapidly after his wife's death.  As their only child, much of the burden of care fell upon Christopher.  Losing Mum and Pup is the story of that year, and, seen through it, all the years before, three remarkable lives entangled together, not always happily.

Author Buckley is well aware that losing parents is not a unique event, and that a successful author from a wealthy, distinguished family is not generally a suitable object of pity (pity and sympathy are, of course, different things).  Some of the passages, taken by themselves, would seem horribly egocentric - if it was possible to make such a judgement of a man as he told you of his last words to his dying mother.  Buckley is primarily a satirist, and he is deftly able to defuse the pathos with humor before it becomes overwhelming.

A touching book about life, love, and loss that also happens to be really funny.

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell She's Sorry

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
352 Pages

"Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other."

A good story with a series of complex and engaging characters and one Wurg.