Have you ever read a book that was so good it hurt? Marilynne Robinson knows how to touch deep places. Simply beautiful.
If you are new to her storiesHave you ever read a book that was so good it hurt? Marilynne Robinson knows how to touch deep places. Simply beautiful.
If you are new to her stories, I would recommend that you read Gilead and Home first. It deepens the appreciation for Lila.
The other day it occurred to me that reading Robinson's novels feels similar to reading Willa Cather. They both have a talent for saying important things in understated, familiar ways that make you really FEEL the truth of them. In this book, Lila herself is reading the biblical book of Ezekiel, surprised at how this wild, dangerous poetry rings so true to her. She just "knows" the truth of it. That's how I feel, exactly, reading Robinson's trilogy. It is hard to explain how very true it feels.
Her stories (including Lila) are haunting, beautiful, and thoughtful... but not always and altogether "happy." Still, they make you glad to be alive, miraculously living right where you are, among all the other miraculous people in the world. ...more
This book was written in the eighties and it is very humorous to read about how one of the characters actually carried around a COMPUTER and how it waThis book was written in the eighties and it is very humorous to read about how one of the characters actually carried around a COMPUTER and how it was mostly perceived as an annoyance to his acquaintances. How funny to hear them say things like "What poem could this line come from? There's no way to examine every stanza of every poem ever written." :) Oh how quickly we forget. I barely remember the days before pay-at-the pump, cell phones and ATM cards. I do recall my first experience with the internet, after wondering for months "what is that commercial about? It's annoying. What is this 'internet?' " Lol The 80s don't seem that far away to me... But wow. I guess it was!
I like Richard Jury, Melrose Plant, and Sargeant Wiggins. The stories aren't top drawer but they are fun and enjoyable. It suit my mood this week! ...more
Absolutely wonderful. I didn't want it to be finished! This was one of my favorite books in the series. I'm so glad Jan Karon came back to Mitford... Absolutely wonderful. I didn't want it to be finished! This was one of my favorite books in the series. I'm so glad Jan Karon came back to Mitford... It always makes me happy to get to visit! These are simple enough stories, not meant for "great literature," but they are well written and comforting ... and spirit lifting. The perfect midwinter read. (By the way, the book concludes at Christmas, which means it is also a perfect Christmas vacation read, one worth returning to again and again! )
I hope there are more of this series in the works. Jan Karon has not lost her touch. Mitford is definitely her sweet spot! ...more
I'm not terribly impressed with Victoria... but I AM terribly impressed by her biographer. Witty and informative, he cleverly cuts to the chase (with I'm not terribly impressed with Victoria... but I AM terribly impressed by her biographer. Witty and informative, he cleverly cuts to the chase (with lots of juicy bits to add flavor) and keeps the reader turning pages with genuine interest to the end of this rather dull, stubborn, arrogant monarch's very long life. A biography of Queen Victoria, entertaining? Why... YES! Yes, "we ARE amused." ;) ...more
I have never read Josephine Tey before and what a happy find! This first of her Inspector Alan Grant mystery series is an engaging story that held my I have never read Josephine Tey before and what a happy find! This first of her Inspector Alan Grant mystery series is an engaging story that held my attention right up until the end. I was charmed by Inspector Grant. He was a character that I enjoyed spending my time with... energetic, confident, humble, fair, creative, and intelligent. Tey's writing is simple, descriptive, and smart. A nice, cozy British mystery, light-hearted and fun. I definitely look forward to reading more of Tey's books. ...more
This was a terrific book, which makes me want to follow up with a good Fitz binge. It is the story of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and all their clan, This was a terrific book, which makes me want to follow up with a good Fitz binge. It is the story of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and all their clan, and the making of that Great American Novel: The Great Gatsby. There are a lot of meandering paths to travel in "Careless People," in order to get from Point A to Point Z (some of them are worth the trip, and some are not particularly relevant) but Churchwell did a good job of keeping me engaged from the first page to the last. It is a dense book, full of information, stories, snapshots, commentary, quotes, and names, but it was a fun ride. I learned a lot and came away feeling more inspired than sad, despite the inevitably tragic ending.
Scott Fitzgerald knew, like Nick Carraway, how to be both insider and outsider, observer and observed. He fascinates us, I think, because of his ability to see past the slick surfaces and still choose hope. Despite all of his observations that seemed to whisper to him the truth that "all that glitters is not gold," he still managed to keep faith with this American Dream (and even to a great degree, with his wife, Zelda... and that is a remarkable story in its own right). He was able to do something that only a true artist can do: see the facts clearly... and then find the beauty concealed under their apparent ugliness. Churchwell: "The art was in the discovery, and in shaping those facts into something more beautiful than their incongruous, natural chaos would suggest to others..." Years later, Zelda would put it this way: "Life seemed so promissory when he was around."
This ability was often overlooked by those of his own generation. They misinterpreted his books, frustratingly missing out on the meaning behind the stories... however, it is the very thing that gives weight, depth, and longevity to his work. Churchwell does a marvelous job of bringing this theme to light over and over again. It was part of who he was, as a person; it defined how he lived, and what made him an artist with his words.
Scott Fitzgerald was a dissipated man who eventually lost himself... and when he did, we all lost, too... But even in his Crack-Up years his intelligence remained a force to be reckoned with, and his determination to maintain (or regain) hope is inspiring. Even today, his life with Zelda is the definition of glamour. And after all they went through, this must be a testament to their spirit. No matter what your beliefs are, or how you keep faith, there is a latent beauty to be found beneath the facts of their story... and the desire to dig it up is so entirely, quintessentially American....more
I expected this book to read like a story, describing one "perfect" summer in England before the storm picked up and finally carried away so many of tI expected this book to read like a story, describing one "perfect" summer in England before the storm picked up and finally carried away so many of the young men who had danced their way through 1911. Unfortunately, it read more like a textbook or a long list of who did what and when, without a continuing narrative thread to weave it all together. I grew weary of it about 1/4 of the way through the book and decided to put it down. ...more
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was a beautifully written story, and I had trouble putting it down (read it in 2 days). The characters interI have mixed feelings about this book. It was a beautifully written story, and I had trouble putting it down (read it in 2 days). The characters interested me and the setting was exotic and evocative. It certainly was original, and unexpected. It was written in 1925 but it is incredibly "modern" - I can't help but think of "Eat, Pray, Love" (which I have never read nor seen in theatres) with its themes of personal freedom, seeking, and "spiritual awakening." And that is where my ambivalence comes in. Maugham hits the nail on the head when he describes the emptiness, loneliness, and weakness of humanity, and our inability to live up to all of our ideals. He sees the beauty and wonder of the world and rightly wonders "what does it all mean?" But in the end, the only answers that he can give are bandaids on a mortal wound. It all made me so SAD. The hope for peace (in this book) resides in a hope of forgetfulness and the ability to physically move to a new location (unfortunately, the reality is: "you take yourself with you wherever you go..."). One of the characters in this book brings up the Tao, which sounds very enlightened... until you realize that you can't live up to it. I suppose the hope that one day you will be able to might provide some motivation to some people... but how many times must you fail before despair sets in? There is no rescue in the Tao. A lovely ideal, maybe... but no real power.
It is a good story, and every good story makes me think about the characters long after I finish the book. I went to bed last night (after turning the last page) feeling melancholy and pensive, wondering why it bothered me so much. But that's what good books do, they get under your skin. From what I've read about Maugham himself, he was a seeker, too, and he spent a lot of time exploring eastern religions. You can see that reflected in this book. I think anyone who is interested in those forms of religion or mysticism would find this book enlightening, and you might cheer on the main character. But I felt like the summation fell short of "fulfilling." I see a woman who wants to be more than she is, but does not know how to make it happen. She is teetering on an edge... brutally honest about herself, aware that she does not even understand why she does what she does sometimes... and yet still hoping to find salvation within herself, because sadly she sees no other option. I believe in paradox: that we find ourselves only when we lose ourselves... and God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. I believe there IS a rescue to be found outside of ourselves. This is the essence of true hope. The moment Kitty commits herself to "begin again" and change and find a new life on her own is the moment (in my mind) when true hope begins to fade and her grace is left behind.
But I realize that our culture prizes effort and will and all the things that may make Kitty seem successful in her future endeavors. In that sense, many people will find this book satisfying and bright with possibility. I am all for change and fresh beginnings. But I am also all for honest evaluations and I long for everyone to find TRUE rest for their weary souls. Kitty had a weary soul. I wanted her to find rest... but in the end, I did not feel like she truly found it.
quotes: "Waddington reflected for a little while. 'I wonder. I wonder if it matters that what they have aimed at is illusion. Their lives are in themselves beautiful... The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.' Kitty sighed. What he said seemed so hard. She wanted more."
"It was as though they performed a ritual dance, elaborate and ancient, and you knew that those complicated measures had a meaning which it was important for you to know; and yet you could see no clue, no clue."
"She sighed as she thought how woefully her self-confidence had been shattered. The way seemed to stretch before her straight and easy and now she saw that it was a tortuous way and that pitfalls awaited her. The vast spaces and the tragic and beautiful sunsets of the Indian Ocean rested her. She seemed borne then to some country where she might in freedom possess her soul. If she could only regain her self-respect at the cost of a bitter conflict, well, she must find the courage to affront it. The future was lonely and difficult..."
Not a typical Christie. This was more of a gothic novel than a murder mystery. It was good but not great, fairly predictable (which is unusual with ChNot a typical Christie. This was more of a gothic novel than a murder mystery. It was good but not great, fairly predictable (which is unusual with Christie!). ...more
Lighthearted reading, new "cozy" mystery series. It wasn't badly done, but it didn't manage to hold my attention. I skimmed a lot of it after the halfLighthearted reading, new "cozy" mystery series. It wasn't badly done, but it didn't manage to hold my attention. I skimmed a lot of it after the halfway point. ...more
I hope Ms. Lupton writes many more books! She has a wonderful sensitivity, and the words are perfectly crafted. In this book as well as in her other, I hope Ms. Lupton writes many more books! She has a wonderful sensitivity, and the words are perfectly crafted. In this book as well as in her other, titled "Sister," she did much more than simply spin a good suspense story. I am impressed with how well she is able to write books that explore relationships so keenly while also keeping the reader on the edge of his/her seat and turning pages to find out what is going on and why. "Sister" explored sibling relationships (and mother/daughter relationships, too, to some degree) while "Afterwards" explored family relationships, slowly uncovering what lies at the heart of what it means to be a family made of up unique individuals who are trying to love one another well and the tensions that occur while each person is also trying to live out their own lives in fulfilling ways. She taps into this "push and pull" of family life so beautifully. The inner running dialogue the mother is having with herself (and her husband, who cannot hear her) will be recognizable to many moms. The mother/daughter tensions that naturally occur when children stand on the brink of adulthood are also handled skillfully. Those moments shine to me... Ms. Lupton brought a glow to all sorts of "ordinary" daily moments, and made LOVE look like the priceless jewel that it truly is. The concept is a brilliant one and she pulled it off entirely successfully! The end might look as if it will be predictable, but a couple of great twists help to keep the reader glued to the pages right up to the very end.
Quotes:
"I was worried about him coming in last and you not being there and Jen's retakes, not seeing the huge truth that we were all alive and healthy and undamaged. Because if I had, I'd have been sprinting around that field, cheering till my voice was hoarse at how fantastic and miraculous our lives were. A blue-skies and green grass and white-lines life, expansive and ordered and complete."
"When I used to pick her up from school, she'd tell me, as Adam does now, that school was 'fine, Mum.' But an anxiety was often tucked into a uniform pocket, a problem slipped up a sleeve, fears hidden under a sweater. You had to wait patiently for the pocket to be emptied as you drove home, a rumpled problem pulled out during homework, the fear finally revealed from under the sweater on the sofa at tv time. You had to wait till bath time to hear if there was anything really big: I suppose there was nowhere for it to hide anymore."
"And all I really want is for him to be happy. Just happy. And if it would make him happy, I'd swap his kindness for being in the football team in a blink and trade decency for popular. But he doesn't have the choice and so I don't either. Because that's how he is. And even though it makes him unhappy and I want him to have less lonely characteristics, I am SO PROUD of him."
"Instinct and love made me run into that building and then pushed and shoved me onwards. I had the selfish desire to run away, yes... But I needed Jenny in my arms more than I've ever needed anything before. Ultimately more than I needed to save myself. And I discovered in that choking burning school that the reason self-preservation can't win in a mother is because part of yourself is your child."
"Does she relish what's happened to us, stirring it into her bland life like pepper sauce?"
"Psychoanalysts put sexual content into water imagery; mothers imagine danger. And then I imagine them safe."
"Can you be homesick for a table? Because I'm overwhelmed with yearning for our old wooden table in the kitchen at home, with Adam's knight figures at one end, yesterday's newspaper at the other, someone's jacket or jumper draped over a chair. I know, I used to get irritated by 'the mess!' and demand that people 'tidy up for themselves!' Now I long for a messy life, not one devastated and transferred to an overly organized world of slick shiny surfaces."
"It's not the fledgling birds that are thrown out of the nest by their parents and made to fly; it's the parents who are made to get the hell out of the cozy family nest by their teenage offspring. It's we who are made to be independent of them, crash-landing if we don't make it."
"I love the legacy of language. How much of what I say has gone into Jen's and Adam's vocabularies? And when they use those words they'll think of me, feel me in a more than language-deep way."
"It wasn't that I wanted her to live out the unlived part of my life, but that I thought what made me happy would make her happy too... I should have looked at life from her perspective, climbed up a mountain with her and seen the surrounding landscape of other ways to achieve fulfillment and happiness. Or just come in here and properly looked around..."
This book failed for me, but I notice that most people are raving about it. So perhaps it is the genre I dislike? Or perhaps I misunderstood the authoThis book failed for me, but I notice that most people are raving about it. So perhaps it is the genre I dislike? Or perhaps I misunderstood the author's intentions, which is very possible because from the first page, I felt slightly confused and off-kilter. Briefly, I think the main problem was that I did not understand the story or the characters enough to follow attentively (I was always very distracted by my questions). A good, generic way to sum it up: it was pretty weird. I was hoping it would be a great summer read by the pool. I was disappointed....more
This was a good one for the "summer/beach read" stack. Marcia Willett is often compared to Rosamunde Pilcher, and perhaps in some ways they are similaThis was a good one for the "summer/beach read" stack. Marcia Willett is often compared to Rosamunde Pilcher, and perhaps in some ways they are similar (genre, family settings, atmosphere/location)... but if you come to Willett's books expecting them to be as good as a Pilcher novel, you will probably be disappointed. I recommend letting go of that comparison and enjoying them for what they are. I have not loved all of Marcia Willett's books, but The Summer House was a nice, light read. Just what I was looking for on a hot June day. ...more
I have very mixed feelings about this little mystery series. On the one hand, you can't take it too seriously. It's "cozy" fluff, a good summer or holI have very mixed feelings about this little mystery series. On the one hand, you can't take it too seriously. It's "cozy" fluff, a good summer or holiday read, and it doesn't pretend to be anything more than that. The author is a capable writer. I like the books... I think. I find myself both interested enough to finish the book and at the same time laughing at it (and myself for liking it!). I think the main problem is that Laura Childs is a lazy writer, and it's such a shame! It is also unfortunate that her editor does not seem to care.
Things I like about the series: the main characters are charming and the setting is quaint the stories unfold slowly with a lot of unrelated "life" happening in between the pages
The thing I dislike about the series: This author pumps out a LOT of books, and she is obviously capable of writing a decent book in this genre, with a healthy following. HOWEVER... as I mentioned above, my biggest pet peeve is that while she creates fun stories, she writes them lazily without attention to vocabulary and detail. It comes across as a rush job, hurriedly written without bothering to pause for the right words. I think she is capable of writing a better book that is not so juvenile, one that does not need all these caveats. Which leads me to my second "dislike:" Where is the editor??? Many of my complaints could be improved upon - if it was required.
Like I said, it's hard to complain about a book like this because it never pretended to be a classic. But it's so unnecessarily lame in so many places! For example, I don't know whether to laugh or be irritated by the fact that she uses the empty phrase "pretty much" in roughly 30 places:
"Theodosia was able to pretty much block them out." (p.1) "Drayton had come to fetch her and drag her back to the festivities, which pretty much involved all the donors heartily congratulating each other..." (p.2) "Max Scofield was her new boyfriend, the one who'd pretty much replaced Parker." (p.23) "Theodosia's next words pretty much pooh-poohed Shelby's request." (p.35) "Peaches Pafford was one of those women who pretty much looked like somebody's fun-loving, amiable aunt." (p. 72) "But Theodosia's mind was elsewhere - thinking about, and pretty much dreading, Parker's funeral tomorrow." (p.93) "Pretty much everyone else had filed out of the church already." (p.95) "After all the kindness of late, I pretty much feel like Tuesday's Child has won the lottery." (p.108) "You can pretty much tell by all the birdhouses and feeding stations I have here at Cane Ridge." (p.111) "Parker met with the director and was pretty much promised he'd be given the restaurant." (p. 122) "Theodosia rambled through the expo, thoroughly enjoying herself, finally stumbling upon the Indigo Tea Shop booth, which Haley had designed and pretty much volunteered to honcho." (p.129) "Amsterdam is pretty much where all the world's tea is bought and sold." (p. 130) "I'm pretty much an old hand at this. I was the one who kind of coached Haley on how to handle this booth." (p. 133) *double whammy of badly written sentences! "Manship was pretty much the last person she expected to see." (p.134) "I've pretty much become a regular here!" (p. 142) "And your plans remain pretty much the same?" (p.154)
The list goes on and on and on!
And then there is this intelligently written conversation (which is very typical of conversation throughout the book): Manship: "Think Old South decor but with a contemporary spin on Southern cuisine. We even had an old warehouse space piced out and were planning to decorate with blowups of antique Matthew Brady photos." Theodosia: "Neat." Manship: "With luxurious brocade chairs set around old wooden plantation tables... and the menu... Parker had amazing ideas for entrees such as blackened catfish with caviar, crab tacos with ponzu sauce, and short ribs with grits and jicama." Theodosia: "This is a very cool idea."
???
(Theodosia, by the way, is supposed to be a thirty-something business professional.)
Another thing I find odd is that the author seems to be stuck somewhere in the 1990's: the decor of everything is hunter green, gold, and "aubergine..." The movies and tv shows mentioned in this book specifically are: Sleeping with the Enemy, Steel Magnolias, and Sex in the City (and Julia Roberts got a special mention). I don't know, I just had to laugh...
To top off the teenage vocabulary, there are plenty of adjectives thrown in that any English 101 professor would circle large with red ink: really great kind of just basically (lots of this one!) generally and so on...
People are found "noodling," and "inner radars are pinging like crazy" and Theo is often trying to "defuse the situation just a little bit," when there is no real tension to be found.
While I do like the 3 main characters, other characters are completely caricatured and difficult to take seriously, which isn't terribly important except that it IS a murder mystery... and so it ends up feeling like Popeye managed to kill a real person, somehow.
So overall I am left with the feeling that the author is capable of writing a better book and is choosing not to, which is unfortunate. I personally would rather have 5 well-written books than 20 that are irritatingly sloppy. But I am not the one bringing home the paychecks for each copy. :) I understand the temptation and perhaps her laziness with vocabulary could be forgiven in an author -- but not in an editor. EDIT THE BOOKS, that's your job. Get a thesaurus. Make the effort, make it GOOD. It just seems like such a waste! If you can write at all, it's a gift. What a shame it is to waste it!
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