Meeting in Positano

Meeting in Positano (translated from the Italian by Brian Robert Moore) by Goliarda Sapienza 256 pages

What attracted me to this novel was that it was set in Positano, a town south of Naples on the Amalfi coast. I love Italian settings. Picking up the book paid off because Positano is more than a setting; it’s a character in the book.  Author Sapienza does a wonderful job describing its beauty.

Sapienza worked as an actress from the late 1940s to the early ‘50s.  She made six films and after worked dried up, she worked in other areas of the movie industry. However, after her death in 1996, her husband found several novels that she had written and began publishing them.

In this novel, she is scouting locations and meets Erica Beneventano, a lovely widow. The two women become very intimate friends, not lovers but almost. This story is a bit confusing. First, I was never completely sure who the narrator was. It’s supposed to Goliarda, but at times I felt as if the words were coming from Erica. And at other times, the plot seemed more like a memoir than a fictional piece, especially since author Goliarda uses her own name as her character’s name (that was really off-putting).

Basically this is Erica’s life story. The book could also be labeled as “based on a true story,” with Erica taking the lead as most of the story was hers. As Goliarda goes about her movie business, the two women become very close, not lover-close, by closer than sisters.

Life was not easy for Erica. She was a middle sister, forced to go to work at an early age, married to one of her father’s ex-business associates and forced to have an abortion that results in her inability to conceive more children Sometimes I couldn’t follow the plot, which I found quite frustrating. But the beauty of the writing and the descriptions kept me reading. 

I was dismayed at the end when I found an Afterword by Goliarda’s husband, Angelo Pellegrino. The back of the book also contained a timeline of Goliarda’s life and pictures of Positano. I wish I had read them first. I believe if I had, I wouldn’t have had such a hard time following the book’s action.  Therefore, “Meeting in Positano” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Waiting for Eden

Waiting for Eden by Elliot Ackerman   173 pages

This haunting novella is a story of a gravely wounded Iraq veteran, partially blind, brain damaged and near comatose. He lives on for three years by the miracle of modern medicine and his wife’s refusal to pull the plug.

The narrator is this soldier’s unnamed Marine Corps buddy who was killed in the same IED explosion that injured Eden. He tells the story from beyond the grave of a complicated relationship between the three of them prior to deployment.

It’s such an intimate portrayal of grief that begins even before death…hence the title. Mary never leaves his side and struggles with her decision of whether or not to take her husband off life support even as she wishes him to die. 

Although framed by consequences of war, this is not a war novel.  Instead,iIt details what happened to Eden because of the war. It was powerful, evocative and full of symbolism revealing the human cost of America’s endless wars. Thank goodness the story is brief, because there’s only so much heartbreak a reader can take.

Posted By:   Regina C.  

The Dinner List

The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle    276 pages 

"At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen?"  And what does it mean when Audrey Hepburn, your best friend and one of your professors shows up at dinner?  That's just one of the questions that the author explores here when Sabrina arrives at her 30th birthday dinner.  As the story progresses, it becomes clear that there is a reason why these six people have been gathered together.

However, it seemed to me to take a long time to figure this out. I liked the concept of the five people at a dinner, but I felt like it took me a while to connect to Sabrina. I liked how there were chapters set in the past and in the present (at the dinner), but I found the chapters set in the past to be more interesting and compelling.  I found Sabrina's best friend, Jessica, to be not that good of a friend at all.  The theme of how a decision in our lives can create a ripple effect that lasts years isn't lost on me ---- but several times while reading the book, I lost some interest. I found the relationship between Sabrina and Tobias (who is her main love interest) to be complicated in a way that sometimes irritated me.  Mostly, I wanted to like the book more than I did.  

The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity

The State of Affairs:  Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel         AudioBook:  12 hours     Paperback Book:  352 pages           


Excellent book on the psychology behind why while in romantic relationships, marriages or agreed upon monogamous arrangements one partner sometimes both or more if in a multiple partner relationship (3 people or 4 people) stray from the original agreed upon arrangement and seek other partners outside of the original parameters.  Perel does a very thorough and thoughtful delving into the psychology behind all the trespasses discussed here.   Relationships of any kind are fraught with emotion, attachments or on the other end of the spectrum lack of attachment.    Some reasons are boredom,  curiosity, flattery, escapism, mentally assigning parental or Madonna roles to the female partner, being turned of by changes that come with childbirth, with the onset of aging, with the partner getting too relaxed and no longer feeling the need to monitor how they look or filter what they say to or within hearing of a partner,  growing apart in their experiences and desires, one person loses interest and the other still needs to have contact, etc.   so many reasons big or small can drive a wedge between former lovers who no longer communicate adequately and if not rectified can be the end of a relationship or if those involved in the relationship want to try to revive the love and desire for one another they once felt then therapy sessions such as those held by Esther Perel can find the root of the disturbance in their life, name it then find a resolution for it.    Sometimes that resolution is ending the relationship if it really is irrepairable but most often once the true cause that severed the bond between them is discovered and addressed, solutions can be arrived at, worked on and if the partners are committed to each other emotionally, worked out.   Family and friendships roles in support of and destruction of is discussed as is the difference between a dalliance and a full-blown love affair with someone outside the original partnership.   Obliteration of trust is deeply probed as this affects one’s self-esteem, is he/she treating me like a doormat or am I a doormat?   Am I paying more attention to my own needs and ignoring my partners?  Is my supporting their career and putting mine on hold breaking us apart?   Do we resent where our life has gone when we had all these dreams we used to plan together and now we hardly speak?    Is it cheating if it is virtual reality or just a fantasy?   We always told each other the truth and now I realize my partner has been lying.   When did we lose touch with one another?    I used to love my partners touch and now not only do I not want it anymore, I can’t stand to hear my partners voice.    I’ve been faking it so long it is frustrating to think of continuing this farce any longer.   So much more.   I think this is a must-read for everyone.   You learn such great life lessons here that cheating and betrayal are far more involved than just oops, I don’t know why I did that but I will never do it again if you forgive my trespass this time.    There is always a WHY behind every act of disloyalty.    Find the WHY and it is possible the relationship can be worked through and strangely even helpful at times (examples discussed) before it is too late to reclaim and restore lost love.   Excellent book.  It is an eye-opener proving that nothing is as it seems or as dire if people will come together to reason and hold fast to that elusive thing we call love.   Not recommended for children but, teens to adult who are in relationships or getting ready to be in one and certainly anyone in a relationship that is being tested could benefit from the wisdom and insight found here.   A galaxy of stars for this book.  Even if you are in what you think is a solid, stabile relationship this book delivers information that will open your mind and help you to keep it that way as much as possible by delivering information on things that may be without meaning to us but will teach you to see from your perspective AND your significant other’s.  A great read-between-the-lines and look past your interpretation to how your actions might be perceived by others without your intentionally meaning to leave such an impression.   Very open and very in your face but all of it is very worthy.   Good stuff to be found here.  Perel performs the work of a mentor of romance and how quickly it can be lost.  Bravo!

 - Shirley J.

Ghosted

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh   337 pages

"Seven perfect days. Then he disappeared. A love story with a secret at its heart."

Sarah's life has been in a sort of holding pattern until she meets Eddie and feels an instant connection to him. And it's mutual, as though Eddie has been waiting to meet her. Sarah's never been so certain of anything in her life so when Eddie leaves for a long-booked vacation and promises to call her, she doesn't doubt him. However, he doesn't call. In fact, it seems like he's dropped off the face of the earth. Sarah's friends are telling her to forget about him, but she can't --- she knows something must have happened to him.

As it turns out, something has happened. And it also turns out that some of the things that Sarah and Eddie didn't share with each other over those amazing seven days has something to do with what has happened.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a slow start and I found myself agreeing with Sarah's friends that maybe she should just forget about this guy. And then the pace started picking up and I found myself agreeing with Sarah that maybe there was something behind Eddie's lack of communication.  Before I knew it, I was hooked on the story and turning the pages nonstop.

That's not to say the book is not without flaws. There are a few threads running through the main storyline that could have been thinned out. Sarah's relationship with her ex-husband and his new girlfriend was played up a bit more than I felt necessary.  And, is the ending believable?  Well, does it matter?  I found this an enjoyable read and was satisfied by the end.

The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Hundred-Foot Journey  by Richard Morais   245 pages

Born above his grandfather's modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan Haji first experienced life through intoxicating whiffs of spicy fish curry, trips to the local markets, and gourmet outings with his mother. But when tragedy strikes, the Hajis leave India and embark on a journey around the world, eventually opening an Indian restaurant in a small town in the French Alps. The family takes the village by storm, provoking the ire of their neighbor, Madame Mallory, the proprietress of an esteemed French relais. Only after waging culinary war with the immigrant family does Madame Mallory finally agree to mentor young Hassan, leading him to Paris and a host of new adventures.

This is a story that will appeal to a gourmand given the incredible descriptions of the exotic ingredients and culinary processes and exotic ingredients involved in the selection and preparation of meals from common Indian fare to elaborate French cuisine. Although I am not a vegetarian, I am squeamish when it comes to raw meat – the sight, the smell, the feel, oh my! –the hunting, slaughtering, and preparation details were so vivid as to make me uncomfortable.

Although food figures prominently in the story, it is ultimately the story of the personal and professional journey of Hassan as he navigates the culinary world, a journey that returns him back to where he began, having learned the moral that no one makes the journey through life alone. The author could have explored this concept more thoroughly, but fails to do so. In spite of the vivid details throughout the story, the conclusion feels hurried and confused – an unfortunate ending to an otherwise engaging read.

Posted By:   Regina C.

Modern Romance

Modern Romance  by Aziz Ansari   279 pages

Aziz Ansari has made a living of humorous commentary on the state of modern romance. This book is the blending of his comic insight in tandem with legitimate research conducted worldwide by leading social scientists to determine how, in this day and age, when social media provides unlimited opportunities to meet other people, reality is proving opposing logic. Single people today have more romantic options than at any point in human history. With technology, the ability to connect with and sort through these options is staggering…so why are people frustrated and ultimately not making the connections they anticipated?

Ansari combines his irreverent humor with cutting-edge social science to give us an unforgettable tour of our new romantic world. – I found neither irreverent humor nor cutting-edge nor unforgettable anything to justify this publisher-inspired critique. There are many laugh out loud observations and the international research is interesting, but ultimately, the commentary is repetitive and the study’s conclusions are predictable. Given Ansari’s comedic shtick, I assume listening to his oration in an audio version would be more entertaining than reading a research project that could have been satisfactorily summed up in a fraction of the pages.

Posted By:   Regina C.  

Piper

Piper by Jay Asher, Jessica Freeburg & Jeff Stokely, 144 pages

Maggie tells us the story of the Pied Piper of Hameln from her perspective.  A lonely, deaf girl, shunned by most of the people in her town, Maggie is fascinated by the Piper when he comes to town.  The Piper is kind to her and Maggie finds herself falling in love.  However, Maggie feels she can’t leave the woman who has cared for her through the years.  Maggie is also a little afraid of the Piper’s power and his willingness to abuse it.  This graphic novel has a slightly different, surprise ending to the original story.  It’s sad and haunting and I really liked it.  Teens that like fairy tale retellings will like this book.

All My Darling Daughters

All My Darling Daughters by Fumi Yoshinaga (3 stars, paperback, 206 pages) 

 

I wanted my book club to read a manga in the traditional style to keep them on their toes. Yoshinaga examines the Japanese attitudes to relationships, be they lovers, friends, or family. At the center of the book is Yukiko’s relationship with her mother, but the book spirals outward to take you through defining moments in the lives of their friends and family as well, always with a focus on the women. It gave me a sense of the cultural mores in Japan, and the kinds of problems women face with regards to familial expectations and daily life. It draws a lot of attention to the expectations of emotional labor on women.

The book is flexible in moving backwards and forwards in time, and the illustrations are beautifully-composed. They do get simplistic when the characters are angry or surprised, a trait this book shares with other manga. I had to go back and forth a bit to confirm the identities of some characters, or try to figure out what they had to do with the characters already introduced.

Overall, the book was a tenderly-told analysis of womanhood in Japan. It had some resonant emotional high points, but I just don’t think the book will stick with me for long.

500 Dates

500 Dates: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Online Dating Wars by Mark Miller, 257 pages

I picked this up based on the title. I thought it seemed like an interesting premise. From reading the introduction, we find out that the author has experience in standup comedy, has written and produced for several TV shows and is a dating columnist. I had never heard of him before picking up the book.

I found the title and the introduction to be deceptive. He went on 500 dates but he admits he is only going to talk about 50 of them. Those are covered by two to three page essays in section one. There were several problems for me. One was that I don't think he struck the mix of serious and funny. He would be recounting a date and indicate that he said something but based on everything else he wrote you knew he hadn't actually said it. On the other hand, he had been serious up to that point so the flippant thing he said ruined the serious part.

The second section is his observations on dating and romance and the third section is dating fantasies. Some of it was amusing but overall it was pretty unoriginal.

The fourth section is fake news stories he wrote about romance, dating, and the sexes. This was the funniest section to me.

As an overall impression, I would say that I cracked a smile a few times but overall I did not think it was insightful or very funny. It may be somewhat insightful or funny to people who are not experienced in dating or have not heard all the clichés relating to dating and romance.

Truly, Madly, Guilty

Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty.  432 pages.  Due out July, 2016 (is on order for the library)

"Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It’s just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong?"   Or, as you're asking yourself through most of this book, "Just what happened at the barbecue?"

True to her usual writing style, Liane Moriarty's newest story mercilessly explores three seemingly happy families and shows us how guilt can expose the fault lines in even the strongest-seeming relationships.    We have three couples:  Sam and Clementine, who seem to have a busy, yet lovely, life; Erika and Oliver, who seem to be a bit odd, but completely tuned in to each other; and Tiffany and Vid, who have larger than life personalities, but who also seem happy.  However, two months after a barbecue hosted by one of the couples, something is still quite wrong.  Clementine and Sam keep asking themselves, "What if we hadn't gone?"   And you're wondering, almost the entire way through this story, what awful thing (or things) happened at the barbecue.

I have enjoyed many of Moriarty's stories, especially Big Little Lies, so I had eagerly started on this book as soon I picked up a copy at BEA last week.   I wasn't disappointed; this had all of the great writing and razor-sharp insights, and humor, that I had enjoyed in Big Little Lies.

I did feel like the end spun out a bit slowly, where it felt like: "there's an ending. . . but no, this is the ending . . . no, more story, but now it's the ending."  However, this is a very readable story, with interesting characters, and a nice, steady pace.  I did find myself laughing a few times, most memorably, on the train, where Tiffany is making comments on the size of Oliver's head.  "There was nothing to be done about his pea-head, but Tiffany should tell Erika to buy Oliver some of those vintage, black-rimmed glasses..."  Yes, I let out a snort at that one. 

Moriarty does a nice job of reeling you in, making you care about the characters (or at a minimum, be curious enough them to keep reading).  And, by keeping you in the dark about what awful thing has transpired between these people, you get to see the effects of whatever it was played out over a span of time.   This is no "bad thing happens, people react, and go on with their lives" kind of story; this is a "something happened, people are trying to figure out how to react, and how to keep going like they used to, but somehow, things are stuck."  It's realistic that way, and compelling.

Switch

Switch by Ingrid Law, 356 pages

“Gypsy Beaumont has always been a whirly-twirly free spirit, so as her thirteenth birthday approaches, she hopes to get a magical ability that will let her fly, or dance up to the stars. Instead, she wakes up on her birthday with blurry vision . . . and starts seeing flashes of the future and past. But when Momma and Poppa announce that her very un-magical, downright mean Grandma Pat has Alzheimer's and is going to move in with them, Gypsy's savvy--along with her family's--suddenly becomes its opposite. Now it's savvy mayhem as Gypsy starts freezing time, and no one could have predicted what would happen on their trip to bring Grandma Pat home . . . not even Gypsy.”  I think this may be my favorite book in the series.  I loved Gypsy and her determination.  This adventure story was perfect in the way it dealt with relationship and had the perfect balance of sweetness and humor.  I would highly recommend this to any kid who likes fantasy, adventure, or humor.

A Few of the Girls

A Few of the Girls by Maeve Binchy.  319 pages.

This is a collection of stories by Maeve Binchy, an Irish author who has written many best-selling novels.  Generally, her books focus on people and their relationships with each other, and this collection, according to the publisher, " is a glorious collection of the very best of her writing, full of the warmth, charm, and humor that has always been essentially Maeve."

I have read, I think, all of Binchy's books, some of them several times over.  For the ones I like best, I like the characters, and reading my way through their relationships with each other.  I also enjoy how the stories aren't always full of happy endings; not every character is destined to wind up happy (at least by the end of the pages in the book).   These stories, published after Binchy died in 2012, are typical for her stories.   However, I didn't really enjoy them, overall.   I found too many of them were a bit melancholy, and even at times, bitter, for what I wanted to be reading.   In a book-length story, there is often more balance between the melancholy and the happy, but these stories were too short for that to happen.   The stories are realistic, which I liked, and were true in style to the author's books.   However, I guess I was looking for a bit more balance, and the stories felt like they were on the sadder side and after reading several of them, it got a bit depressing.

Landline

Landline, by Rainbow Rowell, 310 pages

Don't get me wrong, I love alot of young adult fiction, but it frequently seems to lead you to the point where guy and girl get together, and walk into a sunset- the end.  But... what about the next morning, when the sun rises, and the days and weeks and years after?  What happens to guy and girl?  What happens when that exciting, unpredictable relationship becomes... routine?  That is the starting point for this adult novel with shadows of YA throughout- Georgie and Neal love each other very much, but after 15 or so years together, things have gotten rough.  Communication is nonexistent and they both have pretty significant issues that are threatening to end the marriage.  When Neal takes their daughters to Omaha for Christmas without Georgie, she has to do alot of reflecting and weigh out whether their relationship is one that can be saved.

Something that I felt was pretty powerful in this book was the honesty surrounding long-term relationships.  They are... hard.  Rowell pulled on all of my heart strings when she described it as such:  "It's like... you're tossing a ball between you, and you're just hoping you can keep it in the air.  And it has nothing to do with whether you love each other or not.  If you didn't love each other, you wouldn't be playing this stupid game with the ball.  You love each other- and you just hope you can keep the ball in play."

And I don't think this spoils the book/ending in any way, but... there's no perfect ending to this story. We have two people who love each other very much promising to keep trying harder.  Do we, the readers, know if they'll keep their promises the next day, or in 5 years?  No, we don't- but... isn't that what relationships and that "stupid game with the ball" is all about?  There are no guarantees, no way to know how they will end... so you just need to try to enjoy every minute that the ball is still in play.

Exquisite Corpse

Exquisite Corpse, by Penelope Bagieu, translated by Alexis Siegel, 124 pages

Zoe is a rather directionless young woman- working at a job she hates and living with a boyfriend who she similarly despises, all the while thinking that there must be more to life.  When she meets Thomas, a reclusive oddball who lets her crash in his life, she thinks that things are turning around.  But Thomas has his secrets, and Zoe has to learn that the most important relationship is the one that we have with ourselves. 

Descriptions of this (and I'll admit- the artwork) made me think that this would be a cutesy little romantic graphic novel; and while there are cute elements, overall, the story is a little darker and a little more adult than it appears.  There is some really thought-provoking stuff in here about relationships that I am glad exists.

Fates and Furies

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
390 Pages

"At age twenty-two, Lotto and Mathilde are tall, glamorous, madly in love, and destined for greatness. A decade later, their marriage is still the envy of their friends, but with an electric thrill we understand that things are even more complicated and remarkable than they have seemed."

The book is divided into two parts, the relationship from Lotto's POV and then from Mathilde's POV.  It is interesting how their perceptions of events differ and the underlying motivations shaping those perceptions.  While at times slow,  I did enjoy Groff's writing and the love story of Lotto and Mathilde.

The Book of Strange New Things

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
500 Pages

"Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in the mysteries of an astonishing new environment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation known only as USIC.; His work introduces him to a seemingly friendly native population struggling with a dangerous illness and hungry for Peter's teachings--his Bible is their "book of strange new things." But Peter is rattled when Bea's letters from home become increasingly desperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries, and governments are crumbling. Bea's faith, once the guiding light of their lives, begins to falter.; Suddenly, a separation measured by an otherworldly distance, and defined both by one newly discovered world and another in a state of collapse, is threatened by an ever-widening gulf that is much less quantifiable.; While Peter is reconciling the needs of his congregation with the desires of his strange employer, Bea is struggling for survival."

I found the book to be an examination of faith and of the relationships between two people and how those relationships determine success as a human being.  Definitely worth reading.

Turning Season

Turning Season by Sharon Shinn
341 Pages

 A Shifting circle novel continues the story of a community of shapeshifters.  Karadel is one such shapeshifter who is unable to control when she shifts and what animal she becomes.  Her circle of friends and fellow shapeshifters are threatened by a series of events that might expose their secret.


Sharon Shinn is a local author and I've pretty much enjoyed everything she has written.  While I'm not a huge fan of the Shifting Circle novels,  they are still an enjoyable read.