“There is a kind of sadness that transcends sadness, that runs like hot syrup into every crevice of your being, beginning in the heart then oozing int“There is a kind of sadness that transcends sadness, that runs like hot syrup into every crevice of your being, beginning in the heart then oozing into your very cells and bloodstream, so that nothing— not earth or sky or even your own palm— ever looks the same. This is the sadness that changes everything.”
In 1948, a chance meeting between seventeen-year-old Victoria “Torie” Nash meets a young man by the name of Wilson “Wil” Moon, a drifter of Native American descent triggers a sequence of events that changes Victoria's life forever. Victoria, the only female in her household, since her mother perished in a tragic car accident when she was twelve, was responsible for taking care of the household while her father and other men of the family and those in their employ worked their family’s peach farm in Iola, Colorado. Victoria is lonely and Wilson is kind and caring and makes her happy. She keeps her relationship with Wilson secret for good reason. But in a tragic turn of events, Victoria finds herself alone and fending for herself, knowing that neither her life will ever be the same again nor will she.
“Just as a single rainstorm can erode the banks and change the course of a river, so can a single circumstance of a girl’s life erase who she was before.”
The narrative follows Victoria over the next four decades as she builds a life for herself after enduring tragic loss and much more. Eventually, in the late 1950s, she leaves Iola when she accepts a buyout offer by the government as they plan to flood Iola and two neighboring towns to build the Blue Mesa Reservoir. She remembers Wil’s words and decides to “go as a river” and take life as it comes doing the best she can do. Her move to Paonia comes with its own set of challenges but Victoria leads a quiet life with dignity, with the memories of the places and the people she has left behind. Some wounds are deeper than others and some decisions, taken in moments of despair will haunt her throughout the years.
“Strength, I had learned, was like this littered forest floor, built of small triumphs and infinite blunders, sunny hours followed by sudden storms that tore it all down. We are one and all alike if for no other reason than the excruciating and beautiful way we grow piece by unpredictable piece, falling, pushing from the debris, rising again, and hoping for the best.”
Go as a River by Shelley Read is a stunningly beautiful novel. I honestly could not believe that this was the author’s debut novel. The beautiful prose and the vivid descriptions of the landscape and nature make for an immersive read. The story touches upon themes of discrimination, love, loss, motherhood, sacrifice, resilience, friendship and how one defines family and home. Each of the characters in this story is well-fleshed out. Strong and resilient, compassionate and kind, Victoria is a memorable character. I was completely invested in Victoria’s story, sharing her sorrows and pain, rejoicing in her triumphs and hoping that eventually, she would find some peace and happiness. The story is presented to us from the first-person PoV of Victoria in 1971 who recalls her past and the events that led to her being at the reservoir on that day. The narrative is well –structured and the relatively slower pace is perfect for the story. I’m glad the author chose to end the novel on a hopeful note but not too neatly tied up, which would have been unconvincing.
Overall, I found this to be a powerfully evocative story that will stay with me. I originally read this on loan from my library and loved it so much that I just had to order a personal copy. I decided on the UK edition for the beautiful cover!
“Imagine a town silent, forgotten, decomposing at the bottom of a lake that once was a river. If this makes you wonder whether the joys and pain of a place wash away as the floodwaters rise and swallow, I can tell you they do not. The landscapes of our youths create us, and we carry them within us, storied by all they gave and stole, in who we become.”
Note: I enjoy reading up on historical facts that inspire fiction whenever I come across something new. While reading up on the flooding of Iola after reading this novel, I came across an article from 2018. In 2018, The Blue Mesa Reservoir dried out during a severe drought, causing what remained of the long-submerged town of Iola to reemerge.
For readers who are familiar with the Classics and/or enjoy the plethora of retellings revolving around the Trojan War, it should not surprise yo4.5⭐️
For readers who are familiar with the Classics and/or enjoy the plethora of retellings revolving around the Trojan War, it should not surprise you that there is not much about the Trojan War itself in the retellings that will strike you as completely new. But the beauty of Jennifer Saint’s Elektra lies in how the author chooses to highlight the perspectives of the women from these stories as told from their different vantage points. In Elektra, the author focuses on the “tainted” bloodline of the cursed House of Atreus and three women whose “fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods”. Our narrators are not on the battlefield and they don’t share the same loyalties or motivations - but Cassandra, Clytemnestra and Elektra are three women whose lives and destinies are irrevocably impacted by the events preceding, during and after the fall of Troy.
Cassandra, daughter of King Priam of Troy and Hecabe , blessed with prophetic vision that nobody believes, her warnings and pleas fall on deaf ears as Troy falls. “Every word I speak is unwelcome. My throat is raw from the words that are torn from me when I touch someone, when I look into their eyes and see the blinding white truth. My prophecies rip out my insides, but still they come, unbidden, even as I quake at the consequences.”
Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, King of Mycenae of the House of Atreus, mother of Iphigenia, Elektra and Orestes. Her rage resulting from Agamemnon’s sacrifice of her firstborn daughter Iphigenia in Aulis before the Trojan War wreaks havoc in Mycenae and the cursed House of Atreus “In the light of the rising sun, I prayed that my husband would survive this war and come home safe to me. I wanted no Trojan soldier to take what was mine; no glory-seeking warrior to seize his chance of fame by plunging his sword into Agamemnon’s heart Let him come back, I hissed into the empty sky. Let him come back so that I can see his eyes as the light drains from them. Let him come back and die at the hands of his bitterest enemy. Let him come back so that I can watch him suffer. And let me make it slow.”
Elektra, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, unflinching in her loyalty to her father chooses to justify his actions as the will of the Gods and will do anything to exact revenge on those who were responsible for her father’s demise. “ I have always wanted to grow up to be the woman he thought I would become, the woman I could have been, if only he had been able to stay. To live up to the name he gave me.”
A major part of the narrative is shared between Elektra, Cassandra and Clytemnestra- each of whom gives us a brief picture of the significant events that impact their lives before, during and after the fall of Troy. Only after almost ¾ of the novel does Elektra’s voice become stronger in the narrative. There is a lot packed into the novel without it becoming too tedious. There is a certain amount of repetition but given that each of the narrators tells the story from different vantage points, nowhere did I lose interest. Cassandra’s narrative was heartbreaking as was Clytemnestra’s agony in witnessing Iphigenia’s death. The author is brilliant in her portrayal of the strong emotions and complexities in these women- Clytemnestra’s rage and agony, Cassandra’s innocence, despair and frustration and Elektra’s loyalty, anger and desire for revenge. The scenes between Cassandra and Clytemnestra were stunning in their emotional depth despite rarely anything being said between the two. The complicated mother-daughter relationship between Clytemnestra and Elektra, each obsessed with their respective quest for revenge, was brilliantly penned. Elektra does not come across as very likable but I think hers was probably the most complicated character to develop, a task that the author does expertly. Many of her actions and motivations might not feel justified but she is her father’s daughter and is unapologetic in her quest to avenge her father’s death and willing to sacrifice and bear the consequences of her actions.
Author Jennifer Saint masterfully weaves the multiple PoVs together with elegant prose and superb characterizations in a well-paced and intense narrative. While I enjoyed Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne, which I thought was an impressive debut, I found Elektra to be a more powerful and absorbing novel. I would not hesitate to recommend this to those with a fondness for feminist retellings of stories from the Greek myths. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and eagerly look forward to more from this author in the future....more
“When she fell, a hole opened in the human world that may never be filled, save in memory. Poets must sing the story over and over again, passing4.5/5
“When she fell, a hole opened in the human world that may never be filled, save in memory. Poets must sing the story over and over again, passing it from generation to generation, lest in losing Troy we lose a part of ourselves.”
Stephen Fry relies upon various sources in compiling this comprehensive volume that begins with the origins and foundations of the city of Troy (mythical, historical and geographical) and proceeds to paint a picture of the immortal and mortal forces that lead to the events that ultimately result in the Trojan War.
“When the gods play so deep a part in our affairs, we should count ourselves cursed.”
Homer’s Iliad ends with Hector’s funeral, however, Stephen Fry continues the story to include the Trojan Horse and the defeat and sacking of Troy in the hands of the Achaeans. Though Stephen Fry does not go into much detail in the looting and plundering that followed he does leave us with this, “No matter how much you side with the Greeks and cheer for Odysseus, Menelaus, and the rest, you cannot but be moved to deep sorrowing pity by the plight of Troy and its citizens. We know how brutal soldiers can be. Years of homesickness, hardship, and the loss of comrades while under the constant danger of life-threatening injury harden the heart and stifle the small voice of mercy. We know how the Red Army, for example, raped, looted, and murdered their way into Berlin in 1945. How cruelly British troops tortured and mutilated rebels rounded up after the Indian Mutiny. What the American army did at My Lai in Vietnam. Whatever country we are from, and however proud we may be of our national claims to tolerance, honor, and decency, we cannot dare assume that armies fighting under our flag have not been guilty of atrocities quite as obscene as those perpetrated by the ravening Greeks that night.”
Stephen Fry is a masterful storyteller, and while these stories are not new to anyone, Stephen Fry makes these stories accessible to anybody and everybody who is yet to read the classics themselves. Added to the stories are Stephen Fry’s witty take on the characters and events as well as contemporary references and trivia interspersed throughout the narrative. The featured classical artwork inspired by these stories is stunning. I also enjoyed the segment on Myth vs. Reality towards the end of the book. The discussion about the research into the historical elements of the myths and disputes revolving around the same was very well presented.
“The point really is that with myth we can sift and sort details of personality, archaeology, and origins as we would with real lives and histories, yet simultaneously accept and embrace supernatural and symbolic elements of fiction and magic.”
With so many retellings of the Greek myths available to us these days, one might think that yet another one would be redundant or repetitive. I feel that’s not the case because while the source material and the characters remain the same, it is interesting to see how the author presents, interprets and adds dimension to the characters in question. It is also interesting to see which stories or characters the author chooses to present to the audience. There are so many to choose from. Stephen Fry has done a commendable job in presenting us with his selection of the stories from the myths - the immortals, the mortals and their exploits, while adding his own brand of wit, humor and wisdom.
While Mythos remains my favorite of the three books in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed Troy, Stephen Fry’s third installment in his retelling of the Greek myths. As with the previous two books, I paired my reading with Stephen Fry’s audio narration which makes for an entertaining experience. Having listened to all the three in the series over the last month, I now have Stephen Fry’s voice lodged in my head and whenever I read (and whatever I read), I hear Stephen Fry (not that I’m complaining)!
I look forward to reading (and listening to) Stephen Fry’s Odyssey. If the last three books are anything to go by, I’m sure it will be well worth the wait!...more
Bill Furlong , coal and timber merchant lives with his family , wife Eileen and five daughters in a small Irish Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize!
Bill Furlong , coal and timber merchant lives with his family , wife Eileen and five daughters in a small Irish town. It is 1985 and though local businesses are facing an economic downturn, Bill is doing well enough for himself and his family to be comfortable if not affluent. In the days leading to Christmas, the brutally cold weather keeps him busy with work filling orders around his little town.
On his delivery route he arrives at Good Shepherd Convent that runs a home for unwed mothers and a laundry (Magdalen laundry) and witnesses an incident of abuse. Born to an unwed mother and raised in the guardianship of her kind employer, Bill is sympathetic to the plight of the girls whose situation is similar to his mother’s and grateful for the kindness of the Mrs. Wilson who never judged him or his late mother. He realizes that whatever goes in in the those facilities is not a secret to the locals but given the link to the church and school (where his own daughters also attend) and the deep seated influence of the church in the lives of the local community, people choose to look the other way and not engage in any action that would go against the church. Now he faces a moral dilemma – should he do what his heart says and be ready to face whatever repercussions might follow or should he follow the lead of his fellow townspeople and choose to ignore the obvious?
Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These is a beautiful and heart touching novella that emphasizes the importance of human kindness and consideration for others. Powerful and thought provoking, this short novella will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. I'm glad that this was my Christmas read.
I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Ireland’s Magdalen laundries before reading this story. I was heartbroken on reading about the plight of those young girls and the children that were born in those facilities. I can only hope that some of them may have found kindness in people like Bill in a society that was in the most part unkind and unwilling to help.
“As they carried along and met more people Furlong did and did not know, he found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another?”...more
“What it was like to leave Earth: A rapid ascent over the green-and-blue world, then the world was blotted out all at once by clouds. The atmosphere t“What it was like to leave Earth: A rapid ascent over the green-and-blue world, then the world was blotted out all at once by clouds. The atmosphere turned thin and blue, the blue shaded into indigo, and then — it was like slipping through the skin of a bubble — there was black space.”
In 1912, eighteen-year-old Edwin St. Andrew finds himself crossing the Atlantic after being exiled by his aristocratic family in England on account of his disparaging remarks on colonialism at his family’s dinner table. His travels take him to Canada and eventually he lands in the settlement in Caitte. Here, one day while walking in the woods, he experiences “a flash of darkness, like sudden blindness or an eclipse. He has an impression of being in some vast interior, something like a train station or a cathedral, and there are notes of violin music, there are other people around him, and then an incomprehensible sound” - an unnatural experience he shares in a letter to his family. In the summer of 1994, thirteen-year-old Vincent Smith is walking through the same woods recording her surroundings on video – a recording that her composer brother shares accompanied with his background score during a 2020 performance in New York City – a video that has a glitch- sudden darkness accompanied by violin music, a "whoosh” sound, a “dim cacophony”- that lasts a few moments. In the year 2203, an author by the name of Olive Llewellyn, a resident of the second moon colony, travels to Earth on a book tour to promote her post-apocalyptic novel, "Marienbad" which revolves around a pandemic. A passage in her novel describes one of her characters who, while traveling through Oklahoma City Airship Terminal stops to listen to a violinist and experiences “a fleeting hallucination of forest, fresh air, trees rising around him, a summer’s day”.
An anomaly? A glitch in a simulated reality? A file corruption? A break in reality? Are discrete realities bleeding into each other?
In the year 2401, Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a security professional employed with the Grand Luna Hotel in the first moon colony - is hired by the Time Institute and is assigned to investigate these unnatural occurrences . Gaspery travels back and forth through time and space , visiting and revisiting the people and the places, witnessing the mysterious events. He meets the son of the aristocrat, the brother and a close friend of the young girl who recorded the video and the author who admits her passage was based on an experience she had traveling through the same terminal. He also finds a fourth individual – the violinist Alan Sami whose music features in those visions. In the course of his travels, he comprehends the fragility of time travel and the ripples that any anomaly can create and finds it increasingly difficult to exercise the “almost inhuman level of detachment” that is required of him on his mission knowing that any manipulation of the timeline will bring with it dire consequences for himself.
A lot is going on in this relatively short novel (my ebook was 252 pages long) but the author’s narrative is structured such that it never feels rushed or too heavy. The author combines themes of time travel, life-threatening pandemics, space travel and other futuristic elements in a tightly woven narrative. The speculative /sci-fi elements are presented in a light and uncomplicated manner and strike a fine balance with the human element of the novel and the themes of family, survival, hope and humanity. Initially, the multiple threads of this novel may seem a tad disjointed, but the author does a marvelous job building up the suspense and brings everything together with a surprising revelation at the end. I also found the discussion (from the perspective of Olive Llewellyn) on the factors that influence the popularity of post-apocalyptic fiction quite interesting.
“I think, as a species, we have a desire to believe that we’re living at the climax of the story. It’s a kind of narcissism. We want to believe that we’re uniquely important, that we’re living at the end of history, that now, after all these millennia of false alarms, now is finally the worst that it’s ever been, that finally we have reached the end of the world.”
I fell in love with Emily St. John Mandel’s writing after reading Station Eleven– a feeling that was reinforced after reading The Glass Hotel. Naturally, my expectations were high for Sea of Tranquility. With masterful storytelling , themes that resonate and concise and straightforward prose in a well-paced narrative that keeps you turning pages till the very end, Sea of Tranquility does not disappoint! There are references to events and characters from The Glass Hotel and Olive Llewellyn’s novel "Marienbad" appears to be similar to the author’s Station Eleven .Though I feel reading The Glass Hotel prior to this novel would enrich the reading experience, Sea of Tranquility can be enjoyed as a standalone novel for those who have not read The Glass Hotel . I was thrilled to receive a skip-the-line loan from my local library! I promptly set aside my other 'current'reads and finished this book in a day. I know it is only April but I am confident that this novel will feature among my top 10 reads of 2022!...more
"At least 250,000 people died and only their closest relatives and friends remembered who they might have been; they could not be recovered, not even "At least 250,000 people died and only their closest relatives and friends remembered who they might have been; they could not be recovered, not even their names.”
Myriam J. A. Chancy's What Storm, What Thunder is a heartbreaking yet powerful work of fiction that revolves around the 7.0 magnitude 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti and left 250,000-300000 dead and many injured and homeless. The story is told through ten voices - ten individuals from different walks of life who lives are impacted by the ‘Douz/Douze’ as the locals refer to the earthquake. Eight of these people were in Port-au-Prince when the natural disaster occurred and two have family there but were not living there when the event occurred. The author gives us a glimpse of life before, during and after the quake.
“Douz: when something terrible happens to you, it feels like a dream at first. Not until the pain and the panic settle does it seem real.”
Different settings are used to tell the story - the marketplace in Port-au-Prince , a swanky hotel frequented by the affluent and those they do business with, the IDP camp where those displaced face other hardships and atrocities within the ‘tented city’ and the outskirts where displaced people are being relocated for employment .
We also get a glimpse into the heartache and despair felt by those who did not witness the death and destruction firsthand but whose roots and family remain in Haiti .
“There is no before, no way to think before. There is only the not knowing of how to put the before together with the now. Before is a distant memory. I am still waiting to hear from those I loved, before. Waiting to hear if I can say I love, still, or if everything will remain past tense, what it was: no beyond, no goodbyes: simply after.”
Haiti’s earthquake and its devastating effects on human life is not any easy story to tell, even in fiction. But the author has exercised considerable care and restraint while crafting the stories that make this novel, remaining as true to fact that fiction allows without unnecessary embellishment. While incidents of death, trauma and sexual assault are hard to read it is commendable that the author has not gone overboard in graphic detail . It is difficult to not be affected when you read What Storm, What Thunder. I had to take my time reading it and took breaks from the book in-between . A beautifully penned novel, Myriam J. A. Chancy's What Storm, What Thunder leaves you with a heavy heart....more
This was such a fun read! I started Richard Osman’s The Man Who Died Twice right after finishing with The Thursday Murder Club which I truly enjo4.5⭐️
This was such a fun read! I started Richard Osman’s The Man Who Died Twice right after finishing with The Thursday Murder Club which I truly enjoyed. The second book in the series does not disappoint.
The Thursday Murder Club - Elizabeth, Ron, Joyce and Ibrahim are embroiled in a new adventure when a person from Elizabeth’s past slips a note through her door asking to meet. What follows is a gripping mystery involving a double murder and missing diamonds, mobsters and mafia connections, MI5 agents gone rogue and twists and turns at every corner that keep you guessing till the very end. In a separate incident Ibrahim is brutally attacked and mugged by a local ruffian that leads to him being hospitalized and then recuperating at home. This propels his friends on a mission to find the person responsible for their friend’s condition and make sure he is punished. PC Donna de Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson along with their friend Bogdan all come to aid the investigations in their own capacities.
I loved Bogdan’s interactions with Stephen, Elizabeth’s husband who is mostly homebound and suffering from dementia. Ibrahim, though homebound, has a meaningful role to play in aiding his friends while dealing with his own trauma from his attack. I enjoyed getting to know more about Elizabeth’s past and her ‘connections’ which was not so subtly hinted at in the first book.
It was a pleasure to return to Coopers Chase Retirement Village and get to spend more time with the Club members and their friends. I just love the energy , compassion, wisdom and intelligence of this group of elderly (in age but not in spirit) sleuths who don’t let age dictate the way they spend their days .
With a perfect mix of interesting characters, mystery , intrigue and humor The Man Who Died Twice is an engaging novel. I liked this one even more than the first in the series and will be waiting eagerly for the next installment!...more
Theo Byrne ,an astrobiologist , is raising his son Robin alone after the death of his wife in an accident . The only child of an astrobiologist and anTheo Byrne ,an astrobiologist , is raising his son Robin alone after the death of his wife in an accident . The only child of an astrobiologist and an animal rights lawyer , Robin is a kind and sensitive child who loves spending time in nature and exploring the cosmos with his father.
Robin is also a special child and has been diagnosed with behavioral problems . Robin’s diagnoses include “two Asperger’s, one probable OCD, and one possible ADHD.” His teachers at school exert pressure on Theo in getting Robin treatment in the form of medication . Theo ,however, does not want to ply his child with psychoactive drugs and instead opts to enroll him in an experimental neurofeedback treatment for behavioral modification .
“Life is something we need to stop correcting. My boy was a pocket universe I could never hope to fathom. Every one of us is an experiment, and we don’t even know what the experiment is testing.”
At the heart of this novel is a father who loves his son and will do everything in his power to keep him safe and happy and a child who misses his mother and is trying to make sense of the world and people around him. Their nightly prayer “May all sentient beings be free from needless suffering” reflects their sensitivity and concern for the world they inhabit. Environmental and animal activism, space exploration , self serving leaders and climate change as seen and understood through the eyes of an innocent nine year old forms the framework of this imaginative and evocative novel.
You do not have to be a science major to fathom the underlying message of this novel. With its vivid descriptions of nature , heartfelt dialogue between father and son and exploration of how we interact with the world around us , Bewilderment by Richard Powers is not a lengthy novel as such but it is an immersive experience which will make you think and feel. Take your time with this book .It is best read with time and patience....more
The Book of Form and Emptiness is an astonishingly beautiful novel written by Ruth Ozeki. At the heaWinner of The Women's Prize for Fiction 2022!
4.5⭐️
The Book of Form and Emptiness is an astonishingly beautiful novel written by Ruth Ozeki. At the heart of this novel are Benny Oh and his mother Annabelle who are reeling from the shock of Benny’s father’s untimely death in an accident. A young sensitive 12 year old boy , Benny starts hearing inanimate objects speaking to him with their voices cluttering his mind. His mother deals with her emotions by hoarding material possessions. Benny’s problems cause him to exhibit behavior that gets him into trouble at school and subsequently institutionalized more than once while Annabelle struggles with guilt, grief and loneliness while trying to hold her family together.
What sets this novel apart is the unique narrative shared by Benny and his Book (The Book) which is telling Benny’s story to help him recall details of his life and emerge from the shell he has wrapped himself in. As The Book tells Benny, “We have to be real, even if it hurts, and that’s your doing. That was your philosophical question, remember? What is real? Every book has a question at its heart, and that was yours. Once the question is asked, it’s our job to help you find the answer. So, yes, we’re your book, Benny, but this is your story. We can help you, but in the end, only you can live your life."
Themes of love, family, grief, substance abuse and mental health are touched upon with great compassion by the author. As the narrative progresses, the author paints a compelling portrait of how our interpersonal relationships are impacted by the importance we give to material belongings and the clutter we allow in our lives. Our inability to comprehend the “impermanence of form, and the empty nature of all things” often costs us our human connections.
The profound impact that books can have on our lives is a running theme in this novel and is eloquently expressed throughout the narrative. “Every person is trapped in their own particular bubble of delusion, and it’s every person’s task in life to break free. Books can help. We can make the past into the present, take you back in time and help you remember. We can show you things, shift your realities and widen your world, but the work of waking up is up to you.”
Adding to the depth of this novel are elements of magical realism and an interesting mix of characters such as the Zen Buddhist monk whose book on decluttering finds its way into Annabelle’s proximity, the European 'hobo’ Slavoj who befriends Benny in the library (the only place the voices are quiet and Benny finds some respite) and shares his wisdom and insight with him and a young teenage girl who calls herself The Aleph- ‘a gleaner, a freegan, an artist who worked with garbage’ who Benny meets while institutionalized.
The Book of Form and Emptiness is a complex, layered and lengthy novel that inspires pause and reflection. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and definitely recommend it....more
*I read this book for the first time in November 2021 and just finished rereading it (which is something I rarely do!). I was drawn back to it two day*I read this book for the first time in November 2021 and just finished rereading it (which is something I rarely do!). I was drawn back to it two days ago while rearranging my shelves. I loved it as much as I did the first time!
This Tender Land is a beautifully penned, heartwarming novel that transports you to the 1930s Midwest. The story, narrated by the older Odysseus O’Banion to his great grandchildren, starts with Odie ‘not quite thirteen’ and his brother Albert students at the Lincoln Indian Training School in a small town in Minnesota , the only two white boys in a school for Native American children run by the shady Brickmans. The children at the school are provided the bare minimum, punished cruelly for any mischief and are offered to the locals to use as free labor. Mrs. Brickman , referred to by the students as the Black Witch, seems to take particular pleasure in punishing Odie for any reason she deems fit.
A series of unfortunate incidents results in the death of one of the staff of the school and Odie , Albert, their mute Native American friend Mose and little Emmy , daughter of one of their favorite instructors who recently perished in a tornado, are compelled go on the run. Emmy’s “kidnapping” from the home of the Brickmans make local news and the children , the 'Vagabonds' as they refer to themselves are pursued by the police, the Brickmans and and everyone who is keen to collect the reward being offered for Emmy’s return.
The Vagabonds start their journey in a canoe along the Gilead River, intended destination being St. Louis. What follows is a series of adventures and misadventures that takes them through different towns ,meeting people from different walks of life- some kind , some not so much and ultimately for each of these children finding themselves and trying to comprehend what they want their lives to be like in the vast world outside the confines of their school. While they band together with love and loyalty towards each other they also realize that what they want from life, what drives them and what paths their lives might take will be different .They learn, they change and they grow – together and as individuals.
“With every turn of the river since I’d left Lincoln School, the world had become broader, its mysteries more complex, its possibilities infinite.”
It is commendable how the author has touched upon themes of faith and forgiveness without coming across as too preachy. Part coming-of-age, part historical fiction This Tender Land depicts the struggle of people in the Midwest trying to survive in the depression era. The author’s vivid description of the people, the towns and the dwellings of that time period transports you to that era. With engaging narrative, beautiful prose, vivid imagery and a diverse cast of characters, this is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I simply fell in love with the Vagabonds and their story. A magnificent novel , this book really touched my heart and for that I have to thank the author.
“Our eyes perceive so dimly, and our brains are so easily confused. Far better, I believe, to be like children and open ourselves to every beautiful possibility, for there is nothing our hearts can imagine that is not so.”...more
Renee Ryan’s The Widows of Champagne is a beautifully written novel of strength, sacrifice and survival . If you are a fan of WW2 fiction with strong Renee Ryan’s The Widows of Champagne is a beautifully written novel of strength, sacrifice and survival . If you are a fan of WW2 fiction with strong female protagonists I definitely recommend this book.
Three generations of widowed Leblanc women Josephine, Helene and Gabrielle operating their family owned vineyard struggle to survive during the Nazi occupation of France and subsequently their home in Reims. They shoulder their individual responsibilities to their family each bearing the weight of their own secrets and struggles. The sacrifices they make and the most difficult decisions they have to take while withstanding the pressures of an increasingly oppressive regime reflect their strength and indomitable spirit. The author has penned each of these women in a way that commands admiration and respect.
With the looming threats of discovery , betrayal and much worse how their choices and actions eventually carve their individual and collective destinies makes this a poignant and emotional story that will stay with me for a long time.
I received a print copy of this book in a giveaway hosted by the author with no obligation. This review reflects my unbiased thoughts and opinions....more
Previously incarcerated for a decade for a crime she was set up to take the fall for, Tookie spent most of her prison time reading and upon release loPreviously incarcerated for a decade for a crime she was set up to take the fall for, Tookie spent most of her prison time reading and upon release looking for employment in a bookstore. In the present day , she works for an independent bookstore in Minneapolis owned by “Louise” and is married to Pollux , a former tribal police officer and a caring and generous man who is also an authority in Native American traditions and rituals . After a regular (and slightly annoying) patron dies while reading a manuscript covertly taken from the bookstore , Tookie starts feeling a supernatural presence in the bookstore and believes that it is Flora’s ghost haunting the store. Initially she is the only one who feels the presence and there are some entertaining and funny moments but when an unpleasant encounter with Flora’s ghost leaves her unconscious, Tookie realizes that she needs to get to the bottom of why Flora refuses to leave. With the help of her colleagues she starts to explore the origins and content of the mysterious manuscript which Tookie and her friends believe played a part in Flora's death and find a way to rid the store of Flora’s ghost once and for all - all this while working in the midst of a pandemic and worried for her family’s health and safety .While she delves into the details of Flora’s life ,Tookie gains perspective on her own past , life choices and the importance of the people and relationships in her present life.
“Ghosts bring elegies and epitaphs, but also signs and wonders. What comes next?”
Set in the most part in 2020 Minneapolis, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich covers a lot of ground in terms of current events such as the COVID pandemic, George Floyd’s brutal murder and the subsequent protests . With an interesting cast of characters , glimpses into Native American history and traditions and elements of magical realism in a real time setting, The Sentence is a masterfully crafted story that elicits both smiles and tears. I enjoy stories set in libraries or bookstores and The Sentence is no exception. The role of books and bookstores in times when people are forced to live in isolation from one another due to circumstances beyond one’s control is beautifully depicted throughout the story. Thanks to the author for including Tookie’s reading list at the end of the novel....more
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