Fiction

Review – A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley.

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41193I first read this when I was around 17, doing a comparative literature course on Shakespeare and contemporary writers. This was my first time reading anything by Jane Smiley, and to be honest, the Pulitizer didn’t mean a whole lot to me! Now, I love King Lear – in fact, it is my favourite of Shakespeare’s published plays. Reading Shakespeare at 17, especially one of the less “famous” ones, was quite daunting, but reading Smiley’s interpretation alongside it, made it not only easier, but it gave me a better appreciation of it.
If you don’t know the plot, here is a very simplified version: Smiley presents us with a family that owns a 1000 acre farm in 1970’s Iowa. We have Larry, Caroline, Ginny and Rose who are obviously representing Lear, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. Larry, who is getting on in years, decides to transfer ownership of his farm between his 3 daughters, with Caroline not agreeing. This begins a journey in which none of the characters fare very well.
Much like Shakespeare’s play, Smiley gives us a rich novel full of varying themes. However, it is also simple and honest. I say simple not as an insult, but indeed a compliment. Smiley is able portray common tragedies and instances of abhorrence and turn them into a multi-faceted series of events that propel the actions and growth of the characters.
I’m not going to go on and on about this book because sometimes, less is more!

If you haven’t read this novel, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy today!

Pegasus.

A Thousand Acres: A Novel

Review: Making Your Mind Up by Jill Mansell

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 Jill Mansell writes satisfying stories. Here it is a week after I finished Making Your Mind Up, and I’m sighing with satisfaction at this complete, thoroughly developed, fun piece of fiction.  

So Lottie lives in a little cottage with her two children (when they aren’t with their nice-enough but childish father). She feels chemistry with her new boss Tyler, but her children aren’t having it. They behave badly around him, and speak badly of him. So after a failed attempt at dating, Lottie moves on to ever charming Seb… who isn’t all that he seems to be. I KNEW there was something odd about that guy! 

In the end, love prevails, as do family and loyalty and reason. 

So besides phenomenal characters and a happily ever after, Making Your Mind Up illustrates the strength of family love. Most of Mansell’s novels are fun and flirty, but this one adds the dimension of children – truth-telling, tiring, joyful parts of us that keep us forever in love. 

-calliope

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Review: Jack of Spades by Joyce Carol Oates

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23281515Well, well, well….I asked a friend about this author as I was reading this book. Of course I’ve heard of Joyce Carol Oates, but this is the first I’ve read. I asked him if her writing was always so weird. After finishing the last page, I am completely flummoxed. I am also wondering if her writing is always so…well….weird.

It’s just from the very start this had a feeling of a sort of Stephen King short story feel to it. Then lo and behold, SK is mentioned over and over in the book. Again, it was weird. It reminded me of something Richard Bachman would write. So it got even weirder. As this book was *written* in the voice of a famous author that was using a pseudonym that no one was aware of. The weirdness just got weirder for me.

It’s like once the little seed had been planted the entire book was glaring at me with the whole SK/RB/pseudonym thing….Was this intentional? Yes, i think it was….Intentional I mean, well…..okay…..you have to read the book to understand what I mean….but I reckon the best way I can explain it is that I don’t think another JCO would read this way…That’s why I really enjoyed this book. It’s amazing that an author could change a writing style so much just to suit a book. I mean, seriously, how often have you read a book and knew that it read just like a XY&Z book? Authors have a certain style to their writing, but throughout this entire book, I kept thinking, she’s writing like this on purpose! Just to weird me out. So now I have to wonder about all of JCO’s other books.

Of course…if it wasn’t intentional, I am soooo going to be disappointed! But never mind….I shall just pretend it was! Hahahaha

I really enjoyed the ending….this is a short, quick read….go on and give it a try….I’m glad I’ve read it…even though….still……weird…..

Until next time…

Urania xx

ARC provided by Edelweiss for an honest review

Buy it now Jack of Spades by Joyce Carol Oates

Review: Sweet, by Tammara Webber

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01 sweet “Once upon a time, an undeserving boy pulled a little half-drowned, wannabe mermaid out of the ocean. He laid her on the sand, thinking his heart would break if she didn’t wake up. The moment she opened her big dark eyes and looked up at him, his heart wasn’t his anymore…”

SYNOPSIS
He’s the love of her life, but he doesn’t know it.
She’s his one moment of sacrifice in a lifetime of survival.

He was damaged and wild, but resilient.
She’s always been obedient. Now she’s restless.

Home for the summer between college and med school, Pearl Torres Frank knows two things: Boyce Wynn is the embodiment of everything she should run from, and everything she wants to run to. Rebellious and loud. Unconcerned with society’s opinion of him. Passionate. Strong. Dangerous.

And one more trait he hides from everyone but her:
Sweet.

Boyce and Pearl met when she was 5 and him 7. From that moment on, Boyce was her protector, even if she never knew it.

I’m so glad Boyce got his own book. I loved his character in Breakable. He seemed like this rough and tough kid, but deep down, he had more hurt and hardness than you’d even expect. But you could tell, with his subtle interactions with Pearl, in Breakable, that there was more to their relationship than they were telling.

“I was a man who loved this girl from the moment she’d come back to life and saw no one but me.”

I loved the back and forth POVs and all the background history we got, of these two. We see them meet. We see them subtly flirt and then we see then reconnect and give in to feelings that were dormant for so long.

For most of my life, Boyce Wynn’s smile had been three things to me: safety, warmth, and home, even as that same smile made my heart throb with longing for some shadowed unreachable thing.

My favorite part of this story was Boyce’s POV. His feelings and emotions were so real. My heart was breaking for the boy who just wanted to be loved, and never found it until his one act of greatness brings him face to face with his savior.

“I’ll love you straight on through eternity.”

~Melpomene

Buy Sweet (Contours of the Heart Book 3)

Review: Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven

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01 bro What an emotional and heart mending conclusion. I loved loved loved Bad Romeo. I was rooting for Cassie and Ethan the entire time. But with so much hurt in the past, can they move one and find forgiveness and move on to the future?

SYNOPSIS
How do you fix a love that’s been broken beyond repair?

For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?

Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him.

In Bad Romeo, we were totally focused on Ethan and why he was so scared to love and be loved, by Cassie. In Broken Juliet, the focus is on Cassie. Ethan has destroyed her. She is beyond broken. But Ethan has come back and is determined to fix them. He has never stopped loving her. But sometimes love may not be enough.

This is very different from the first book. In Bad Romeo, you were laughing quite often. It was a fun story, with the hurt just under the surface. In Juliet, the hurt was overflowing and there was barely any laughter. My heart was in knots. This was more difficult to get through, but very rewarding at the end.

I also enjoyed the back and forth timelines. You get a glimpse into the workings of their demise. Frankly, it was hard to read. You wanted to reach in and smack Ethan, and them hug him. His abandonment issues were leaking all over and drowning Cassie with him. After three years, she has a lot of hurt that she needs to work through before she’ll even attempt to move on with him. But she’s willing to try, for him.

“You want to hold on to something?” he says. “Hold on to me.”

The chemistry, in this story, was off the charts. The tension was thick. The emotions were all over the place. You wanted them to find their peace, but yet, you did enjoy the suffering and the journey it took them to get to that final place.

~Melpomene

Buy Broken Juliet (Bad Romeo)

Check out my Bad Romeo review HERE
Buy Bad Romeo

Review – What Was She Thinking? By Zoe Heller.

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13258You know you have a talented author when she/he manages to portray two characters, one a seemingly nice, practical and helpful, the other, flighty, a bit naive, and a sex offender, with the former actually coming off in a worse light! Zoe Heller is one of these authors.

Now, I had actually seen the movie adaptation of this book (Notes on a Scandal, starring Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench) before I read the book, so I kind of knew what I was getting into. This is actually one of those rare occasions when I thought the movie was on equal, if not better, footing with the book! Even though I knew how the story played out, it was still very unsettling to read it.

The basic premise follows Sheba Hart, a new teacher at a tough city school. Sheba meets Barbara, a colleague of hers, and they begin a close friendship. However, Sheba has a secret, and with Barbara desperate for a new close friend, will she manipulate this secret and woman in order to get what she wants? Of course there is way more to this story line, but saying much more will spoil it for some readers.

This book is really a story about human flaws and how easy we can fall into certain traps; the frailty of our desires, be they physical or emotional, is explored extensively throughout the book. What we might judge as immoral, soon gets turned on its head with a different perspective and we are left wondering what is indeed wrong and right. Heller does a brilliant job with these characters – both are believable, multi-faceted and act as a great sound board for each other, and indeed the reader.

If you want to read a book that will question what you feel about people, society, and yourself, then I highly recommend this book. It will engage you, leave you feeling repulsed, fascinated, confused, and frustrated.

Notes on a Scandal: What Was She Thinking?: A Novel
Pegasus.

Review: Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah

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So Kristin Hannah is a pretty popular author, but I’m not really one for making a reading list based on popularity only.  I chose to pick up this book next because I fondly remembered Firefly Lane, also by Hannah.  And because the title of this one referenced sisters. I’m a sister, and I have a sister… I love sisters! 

Okay except these sisters don’t even get along AT ALL. They’re on different pages, in different ballparks, on different wavelengths. But Meghan keeps trying to make things better with Claire. And it’s the effort that makes all the difference.  

The sisters’ relationship developed so nicely throughout the book. Hannah had the women change and grow together, letting the women maintain their quirks and disagreements and strengths and weaknesses. For example, by the end of the book, we see Meghan is still bossy, but she leads with love. 

I loved seeing the sisters love each other – really put each others’ needs first. I also enjoyed the sisters’ attempts at communicating with their mother. But it wasn’t all smiles –  I cried my eyes out at times… Forewarned is forearmed: get some tissues. 

The romance angle was unexpected, I’ve got to say. The choice of love interests surprised me, not just for their uncommonness, but also because I didn’t see how they would fit with Meghan and Claire. But Hannah made it work and eked out a happily every after, so I’m happy. 🙂 

-calliope 

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Review: One Year by Mary McDonough 

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 One Year. Basically a description of one year of events and growth in the Fitzgibbons clan. 

I’m not going to sugar coat it. This book was terrible. I felt like I was reading a lengthy self-help book, with Mary Bernadette Fitzgibbons’ pride being the principle of the lesson. 

Though I wanted to stop, I kept reading the between-the-lines psychological diatribe on what happens when you try to be perfect/ don’t let anyone in/ assume a prideful posture/ try to control everyone and everything around you. Frankly, it felt patronizing. And even if I didn’t have such an emotional response to the story, objectively I can tell you that reading One Year was tedious. I felt like the author wanted to make a point so she beat it to a pulp, chapter after chapter. 

I liked the subplots, and I liked the characters, but the main thread of Mary Bernadette changing her ways was contrived and unappealing. 

A better use of your time: my most recent favorite read, The Happy Hour Choir by Sally Fitzpatrick (because THAT is how you write a book that shows positive character change and growth). 

-calliope

Review: The Happy Hour Choir by Sally Kilpatrick

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Some books are just magical, making me feel like I’m in another world, even though the plot and characters are pretty realistic. Some authors have a way of spinning a story into ethereality. The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith, The Reluctant Prophet by Nancy Rue, and First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen all took me by surprise, embracing me into their twilight. And now The Happy Hour Choir joins the list. 

Beulah is a poor southern young woman, living with a friend, working in a bar, rolling her eyes at religion, and avoiding the church rectory across the street. Until a new, good looking, patient, strong, God-loving pastor comes to town. Beulah certainly notices Luke, and even though she avoids talking about God with him, she appreciates his steadfastness and stability.  

Luke doesn’t try to convert Beulah, but he does guide her in the areas of self-respect and leading others. 

And that’s where the happy hour choir comes in. Beulah uses her connections from the bar to put together a new choir for Luke’s church. And it just happens to meet after Luke’s bible study… Also held at the bar. 

Beulah and Luke wend their way through storms and calm, meeting up and lending support along the way. I loved to see their hearts changing and them shepherding the people around in amazing ways. 

Maybe the magic is in the southern-ness of the story, maybe it’s conviction of faith, or maybe it’s just Luke’s strong silent alpha maleness, but whatever it is left me feeling warm and wanting more. 

-calliope

Buy THE HAPPY HOUR CHOIR

Review: Time and Time Again by Ben Elton

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time and timeOkay, I have to say that this book isn’t perfect. Heck I guess no book is. However, I feel like I must give this one 5 stars….even though any book with time travel makes for a book that might have a few logical issues. I mean the whole butterfly effect thing can drive you mental if you dwell on it too long….If you dare to add historical factors in it…well, I’m sure there will be people who nitpick all the way through it and tell you why x, y and z just isn’t possible…..

But I say screw all that….This book was a fantastic read for me because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I continue to think about it now that I have finished the last sentence. I looked for ways to mention this book and the concept in my everyday conversation.

Finally….well….truth be told…it boggles my mind. I don’t mean that it’s hard to follow. I simply mean that the more I think about this book and the possibilities…well, the more I get drawn deep into my imagination. I can’t stop thinking of the ramifications of the concepts this book brings forth.

I’ve read a few time travel books and have always enjoyed them. *Most* of the ones I have read are people trying to change to revisit history for their own gains….In this, Elton has giving us a story of a hero that is trying to revisit history for the greater good of the entire planet.

Let’s face it…this is hard book to review….why? Because my mind won’t shut down. Even now I am still scrolling through the endless possibilities that lie within this novel. Imagining past worlds and future worlds and all of the players that are on the stage of making history….both minor and major players all have their parts….

So really, are people made by history? Or do people make history? Is history just a matter of being in the right place at the right time? If something happens and a key player is no longer there….well, does history still right itself and just call in another key player to take the place of the one who doesn’t show?

I won’t say more than that….you don’t need to know all the details….but you do need to read this book. There are some really interesting stuff that’s going on. I will say that the entire book grabs you from the start and it’s a steady stream of happy reading….but at the last 20% there are lots of twists and turns that I did not see coming and if the book can be called “fast paced”…well the last 20% was turbo speed paced!

Finally this book has loads of great quotes so I wish to leave you with a few…

What fun those long, semi-drunken Sunday afternoons had been. The debates always degenerated into loud, name-calling battles between the Marxists, who contended that much of history was inevitable, the result of preordained economic and material forces, and the romantics, who believed that history was made by individuals and that a single stomach ache or an undelivered love letter could have changed everything

‘Proof? What proof can I give beyond the fact that logic requires it?’ he said, his voice rising. ‘Time is time. It ticks aways from the beginning until the end.’

‘but it doesn’t, you damned fool!’ Newton exclaimed ‘Am I really the only person on earth to have grasped this fact? Time is not linear. It does not go along on a steady course like a road from London to York. It does not have a beginning and it does not have an end, nor is it the same to one person as it is to another, nor to two planets or a million starts. It is different in all circumstances. Because it is relative.’

Such is the terrible irony of bereavement, turning every familiar joy to misery. Each smile a twisting knife. Each thing of beauty an added burden of pain.

‘I really hope you didn’t get me here to suggest I take comfort in religion,’ he growled.
‘Not in the slightest,’ McCluskey replied. ‘I don’t think religion should be comfortable. That’s where it all went wrong for the Anglicans, trying to be comfortable. Deep down people want fire and brimstone. They want a violent vengeful God who tells them what to do and smites them if they don’t do it. That’s why the Prophet Mohammed’s doing so well these days. I’ve occasionally thought about switching myself. At least Allah’s got a bit of fire in his belly. But you see I could never give up the turps.’

Until next time…

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now Time and Time Again by Ben Elton