This book drew me in right away after being in a reading funk for quite a while (it's quarantine Covid time). For that I am eternally grateful.
“EveryThis book drew me in right away after being in a reading funk for quite a while (it's quarantine Covid time). For that I am eternally grateful.
“Everything that’s been done to us we carry forever. Most of us do our damnedest to hold on to the good and forget the rest. But somewhere in the vault of our hearts, in a place our brains can’t or won’t touch, the worst is stored, and the only sure key to it is in our dreams.”
It's the story of 4 kids, orphans all, 3 of whom lived at the Lincoln School in Minnesota which was a hell hole of a place where hundreds of Native American kids were placed, often by force, to be educated as whites. Three of the boys escaped and took a little 6 year old girl under their wing as well. This took place in the early 1930s during the depression, and both the harsh aspects of the "school" and the realities of depression are clearly narrated as these 4 kids navigate the Mississippi River searching for some semblance of a family and normal life.
The middle sagged just a bit, but on the whole, a very enjoyable read. ...more
I clearly remember this book from over 40 years ago; not the details, just the shock! It was shocking to think what this guy did. How dare he mix withI clearly remember this book from over 40 years ago; not the details, just the shock! It was shocking to think what this guy did. How dare he mix with Negroes! And to come back and tell us about it? Lots of people didn't want to hear about it. If they just covered their ears, they could continue to deny the issues that John Griffen had brought up. After all, we weren't really prejudiced. We just knew our place and hoped they knew theirs.
We've come a long way, but this book is unfortunately very current. What is so interesting about Griffen's experiment is his surprise. It's the stuff he didn't know and wasn't prepared for. How could a sweet, blue eyed grandpa talk to a Negro with such hate in his eyes, in his blood? Jeckyl and Hyde? Or just normal southeners? Only by living as a black person in the late 1950's could Griffen begin to understand what life was like for the ordinary guy down south. What it was like to feel fear, rejection, to be judged for your looks. Women, seniors, gays, fat people, Mexicans, other foreigners, have all been discriminated against. We think we get it; but we don't. And such is our current situation in 2015 that this book is current once again. Yes, we no longer have white and black drinking fountains, everyone can sit at the same tables, and there are many mixed marriages, but when the outer layer is peeled away, many of the same feelings reside just below the surface. ...more
Very quick novella about the disappearance of Henry VIII's prostitute. Well done, beautifully narrated.Very quick novella about the disappearance of Henry VIII's prostitute. Well done, beautifully narrated....more
As usual when I listen to an audiobook, I find it very hard to review as it takes me way too long to get through and something goes missing in the proAs usual when I listen to an audiobook, I find it very hard to review as it takes me way too long to get through and something goes missing in the process, and that is entirely my fault, not the book's. However, I can say that the scope of the book was just too broad, the characters too many, the love plots too cliché. It made for a book that just touched superficially on a lot of subjects, but dealt profoundly with none. I was too young to understand the Cuban crisis as it happened, lived through the civil rights riots and the Kennedy and MLK murders, but had no real in depth understanding of what exactly was going on. I knew very well of the rise of the. Berlin wall, but not how it happened -- so for me, in this way the book delivered. I feel like it lacked some ruthless editing as it could easily been chopped into 3 separate, more comprehensive books. ...more
I listened to this book and feel I would have enjoyed it more had I eye read it. There were a ton of characters and the plot went back and forth in tiI listened to this book and feel I would have enjoyed it more had I eye read it. There were a ton of characters and the plot went back and forth in time with no notice to the listener. Consequently, I had to constantly re-listen to a chapter in order to figure out who was doing what, when. The plot involves the murder of a host of people, something I also felt was far-fetched. I liked The Expats better. ...more
"You got to figure out which end of the needle you're gon be, the one that's fastened to the thread or the end that pierces the cloth."
The story is se"You got to figure out which end of the needle you're gon be, the one that's fastened to the thread or the end that pierces the cloth."
The story is set in early 1800's South Caroline. It tells the story of two sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimke and their slave "Handful." Told in two voices, one Sarah and the other Handful, it is at times hopeful and at others, soulful. Sarah receives Handful for her 11th birthday. Handful is a young slave, 10 years old, smart and willful, and Sarah with a mind of her own, marches to a different drummer. Based on fact, I was very interested in the author's notes at the end of the book which separated fact from fiction and added immensely to understanding what these two abolitionist sisters took on at such an early age.
“Hey Clark', he said.'Tell me something good'. I stared out of the window at the bright-blue Swiss sky and I told him a story of two people. Two peopl“Hey Clark', he said.'Tell me something good'. I stared out of the window at the bright-blue Swiss sky and I told him a story of two people. Two people who shouldn't have met, and who didn't like each other much when they did, but who found they were the only two people in the world who could possibly have understood each other. And I told him of the adventures they had, the places they had gone, and the things I had seen that I had never expected to. I conjured for him electric skies and iridescent seas and evenings full of laughter and silly jokes. I drew a world for him, a world far from a Swiss industrial estate, a world in which he was still somehow the person he had wanted to be. I drew the world he had created for me, full of wonder and possibility.”
This book could have been called "The Gift." As Will sits paraplegic in a wheelchair, furious at the cards he's been dealt, and Louisa settles for a ho-hum life in a small town, they are brought together by circumstance and over a period of 6 months give the greatest gift to each other -- the gift of freedom.
I read this book thinking it would be a fun book to listen to while walking the dogs. Light, bright and breezy. It was, but it was also so much more. This book very effectively looks at the plight of the terminally ill, of paraplegics with no hope of recovery and of the possibility of euthanasia. It is written with tact, wit and an introspection that is remarkable. Yes, there is an underlying love story which is sweet, but the real medula of the story is far more profound.
I had a very long review on this book, however, shelfari refused to play nicely with my ipad and lost it.
A shortened version: I listened to the book oI had a very long review on this book, however, shelfari refused to play nicely with my ipad and lost it.
A shortened version: I listened to the book on audio and it took me too long to have any appreciation or opinion of the writing style. I am a lousy audiobook listener and this book was especially so as I stretched it out over way too much time.
With that out of the way, I was fascinated by the train wreck of a couple, neither of them, Zelda nor Scott, especially loveable or even likeable. They were two highly talented people who were hell bent on self destruction, self delusion and self indulgence. The descriptions of the golden age and their circle of friends, especially the influence of Hemingway, Cole Porter, Gertrude Stein is fascinating.
The book is a novel, told through the voice of Zelda and I have not looked into the amount of research the author did in writing this, but it has inspired me to read more about the period and in that sense gets a thumbs up from me....more
Courtenay hits another book out of the ballpark with this novel, even though it's the same ballpark and players as his novel The Power of One -- whichCourtenay hits another book out of the ballpark with this novel, even though it's the same ballpark and players as his novel The Power of One -- which is and remains one of my top ten all time favorite books.
Tom Fitzsaxby narrates the story as an onlooker to his own life, starting when he was just a child of 5 or 6 struggling to stay unbruised at an orphanage where, by the mere Englishness of his name, he was tormented by Afrikaners who had grown up learning to hate and resent all things English.
>Survival, coming of age, racial inequality, hardship, poverty, WWII, naziism, racism, bullying, sexual abuse, pedophilia all come into play throughout the course of Tom's life. I happened to have listened to the book on audio and the narrator was superb, bringing to life the different accents, from elite English, to lower Afrikaner.
>I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you've recently read the Power of One, but otherwise, it is an engrossing tale of South Africa and coming of age. ...more
Very easy listen on audio and that's saying a lot as I have a hard time focusing when listening to an audio book. My husband and I listened to this onVery easy listen on audio and that's saying a lot as I have a hard time focusing when listening to an audio book. My husband and I listened to this one together on a long car trip and found the insider information on this religion/cult to be fascinating. The author does not go into how normal, intelligent people wind up believing the load of garbage that is fed to them - but she does follow a few people who at one time were faithful followers of the religion - and includes court cases and plenty of documentation to back up her facts.
We listened to this as Tom Cruise's wife, Katy, was filing for divorce allegedly because he wanted their daughter Suri, to join one of the inner sects of the religion and Katy wanted no part of it.
It's a shame that debunking religion is still such a taboo subject in the US. Some things really need to come to light. ...more
I listened to this book, mostly while walking the dogs and enjoyed it very much.
It's a story within a story within a story. When Meredith and Nina's I listened to this book, mostly while walking the dogs and enjoyed it very much.
It's a story within a story within a story. When Meredith and Nina's father dies, they come together as two very different sisters, each with a life of their own, who must make their peace with their mother, Anya - who has been cold and distant for most of their lives, and now seems to be unable to fend for herself.
"Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn’t know her mother? "
The one link they have to their mother, the one time they felt her warmth, was through the telling of Russian fairy tales. There is one last fairy tale that their mother must tell them to keep the promise she made to their dad before he passed. Through this story they hear of the siege of Leningrad and Anya's link to this terrible time. The girls (women now), know very little of their mother's past life, only that her father met her during WWII and brought her to the US from Russia. Anya has always been secretive and distant - but the girls at this point in their lives need to know.
Much of the story is about the siege of Leningrad and the hardships those people endured. One million dead, 700,000 starved to death. Hearing that people had boiled pine needles to make tea, that they had stripped wallpaper and boiled it to get the nutrition from the glue... broke my heart.
However, I hated the ending and can't really say why without a spoiler. ...more
While I really enjoyed this book when I listened in long stretches, I have such a hard time with audio books in general with my mind wandering over anWhile I really enjoyed this book when I listened in long stretches, I have such a hard time with audio books in general with my mind wandering over and over that I pretty much listened to every chapter twice just to know my place; so I don't feel like I can review this other than to say I would eagerly read another of Moran's books, but next time on kindle or dtf....more
I must be the only woman in the world who thought this was nonsense. It was our August book club choice (actually all 3 books) and I barely got througI must be the only woman in the world who thought this was nonsense. It was our August book club choice (actually all 3 books) and I barely got through this one. Maybe for very young adults, but not my cup of tea. ...more
I didn't actually read this book, rather I listened to it on my ipod, which is a huge challenge for me. After restarting it for the third time, I grabI didn't actually read this book, rather I listened to it on my ipod, which is a huge challenge for me. After restarting it for the third time, I grabbed a pen and notebook and wrote down bits and pieces of the first few chapters until I was familiar with the names and places. That helped a lot. I still prefer the written version. Words on paper jump out at me, quotes beg to be annotated. Words coming out of ear pieces just don't have the same effect.
Having said that I hugely enjoyed this slip of a book. Trevor is succinct, his characters are 3 dimensional and the descriptive narrative puts you smack in the middle of his place. Ellie is a girl who grew up in an orphanage, a foundling, and was placed in service with a widow whom she later married, for security, or complacency or some other reason. She meets a fellow from a nearby town and strikes up a friendship of sorts with him, all this under the watchful and insightful eye of the town spinster, Miss Connulty.
Trevor weaves a simple, common story about real people and ends it beautifully if not tidily. Should I find the paper copy in a secondhand store some time, I think I'll give it a reread for the beauty of the prose, as well as the story. ...more
As usual for me with an audio book, I'm finding this one extremely hard to follow. It took a while to figure out that each chapter was a different staAs usual for me with an audio book, I'm finding this one extremely hard to follow. It took a while to figure out that each chapter was a different staffer's point of view and I felt lost. My mind still wanders a bit, but I'm more than half way done and will probably just finish it. I would not recommend it as an audio book and if I can get my hands on a hard copy, I think I'll finish it that way which will make it faster and way more enjoyable.
I'm finished this one in the car yesterday and I can't review it as it took me 4 months to listen to and though I enjoyed parts, I really need to give this one the hard copy read it deserves. I could detect bits of brilliant writing, but I'm just not equipped to listen to unknown books on audio. I have to stick to easy breezy audiobooks. ...more
This is a very interesting narrative about the Salem witch trials told from the point of view of a young girl, Sarah Carrier, who arrives in Andover wThis is a very interesting narrative about the Salem witch trials told from the point of view of a young girl, Sarah Carrier, who arrives in Andover with her family during an increasingly tense time. She sees her mother hauled off to jail on charges of witchcraft and the young Sarah is given an impossible choice. As many of the villagers succumb to the mass hysterical accusations, Sarah and her brothers are caught in the net and thrown into jail as well. The author, herself a descendant of Martha Carrier, Sarah's mother, obviously did her research thoroughly and this shines through in this book. ...more
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