Last week, I reviewed What Happened To My Sister. Today, I am pleased to be able to offer a copy to one of my readers with a United States or Canadian address. Just fill out the form below before the giveaway closes on September 10, 2012 at 11:59 pm CST. Good luck!
What Happened to My Sister by Elizabeth Flock
Publisher: Ballentine Books
Release Date: August 7, 2012
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother, Libby, are making a fresh start in the small town of Hartsville, North Carolina, ready to put their turbulent past behind them. Violence has shattered their family and left Libby nearly unable to cope. And while Carrie once took comfort in her beloved sister, Emma, her mother has now forbidden even the mention of her name.
When Carrie meets Ruth, Honor, and Cricket Chaplin, these three generations of warmhearted women seem to have the loving home Carrie has always dreamed of. But as Carrie and Cricket become fast friends, neither can escape the pull of their families’ secrets—and uncovering the truth will transform the Chaplins and the Parkers forever.
Carrie is a heartbreaking character. Her mother is so horrible I just wanted to reach through the book and punch her. I found the fact that Carrie still loved her mother even though she abused her terribly, and that she even made excuses for her mother’s behavior authentic and real. This is something I’ve learned about in my foster parent training – the biological tie between a parent and child is very strong and children will still love their parents after almost anything, frustrating as that can be to people trying to help the child.
I was a little bothered by a few things that seemed unauthentic and pulled me out of the story. One of them is when Carrie is severely beaten up by her mother and goes to Cricket’s house. Cricket’s dad, a police officer, is there along with the rest of Cricket’s family and even though Carrie is in and out of consciousness, no one suggests taking her to the hospital. I would think a police officer would know better than that.
Also, the very ending did not seem realistic to me. That’s all I’ll say because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. But if you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on the ending.
Other than those quibbles, I really enjoyed this book. It was the kind of book that I walked around in a fog thinking about when I had to tear myself away from reading it. It’s full of surprising plot twists. The book alternates between Carrie and Honor’s point of view. I thought the author did a good job writing Carrie’s point of view – I know it can be hard when the narrator is so young.
This book didn’t have as many charming Southern idioms as most of the Southern fiction I’ve read, but I’ll quote my two favorites:*
“And she’s being as sweet as honey on a pretty girl’s finger.”
“they’ll haul you out of here so fast it’d bring tears to a glass eye.”
This book is being marketed as a stand-alone novel but it has the same characters from Elizabeth Flock’s novel Me & Emma, which I have not read. I didn’t have any trouble following What Happened to My Sister and I agree that it can stand alone. However, knowing that there was a previous book out there made me really curious about what Carrie’s life was like before she and her mother left Hartsville. I’m going to have to read Me & Emma since I enjoyed this book so much.
*quotes are taken from an uncorrected review copy – the final copy may differ
Come back after the weekend – I’ll be giving away a copy of What Happened to My Sister to one lucky reader!
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book. Check out the other tour stops:
Tuesday, August 7th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Wednesday, August 8th: Book Addiction
Monday, August 13th: WV Stitcher
Tuesday, August 14th: Life in the Thumb
Wednesday, August 15th: Seaside Book Nook
Wednesday, August 22nd: Reviews by Molly
Monday, August 27th: Life in Review
Tuesday, August 28th: The House of the Seven Tails
Wednesday, August 29th: The Lost Entwife
Thursday, September 13th: A Novel Source
TBD: Kritter’s Ramblings
TBD: Marybeth Whalen
Buy this book at:
Amazon
Glass Boys by Nicole Lundrigan
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Release Date: July 24, 2012
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
When Roy Trench is killed in a drunken prank gone wrong, his brother Lewis sees blood on the hands of the man responsible: the abusive alcoholic, Eli Fagan. Though the courts rule the death an accident, the event opens a seam of hate between the two families of Knife’s Point, Newfoundland.
Desperate to smother the painful past with love, Lewis marries Wilda, and the pleasure he takes in their two children — Melvin and Toby — recalls the happier days of his childhood with Roy. But as he watches his small family fracture, the darkness of the past begins to cloud the present, leading Lewis back to Eli Fagan — and his watchful stepson, Garrett Glass.
In the style of Newfoundland literature, established by Michael Crummey and Lisa Moore, Glass Boys is the haunting story of an unforgivable crime that brings two families to the brink.
Glass Boys was a dark, gothic story. It’s set in Newfoundland, Canada, I think in the 1970s. (I don’t remember that any dates were mentioned but some of the cultural references made me think it was set in the 70s.) I wasn’t familiar with how English is spoken in this region of Canada but I found the dialogue lovely to read. The characters say things like “tis” and “twas” and they put “s” on the end of a lot of words that I don’t, like “you thinks you’re something special” and “I wants them now”. The idioms were great too; they reminded me of the charming idioms people in the southern United States use. One of my favorites was:*
“if someone don’t want you, if someone don’t think you got at least a few squirts of sunshine poked up your ass, you’re better off without them.”
The prose was wonderfully crafted and beautiful even though most of the time it was describing disturbing things. I did appreciate that there were no overly graphic scenes. The characters were well-developed and heartbreakingly flawed. The relationship between Melvin and Toby was one bright spot that kept this novel from being too depressing. I especially loved Toby. He was such a sweet boy, the kind of boy that’s almost too good for this world because no one will ever treat him as kindly as he treats everyone.
I’m a fan of southern US fiction and even though this novel was Canadian, I found it very similar. The blurb mentions that this book is in the style of Newfoundland literature. I wasn’t familiar with that sub-genre before reading this book. Glass Boys was so good that I’m looking forward to reading more by Nicole Lundrigan and other Newfoundland authors.
*quotes are taken from an uncorrected review copy – the final copy may differ
Buy this book at:
Amazon
(I received this book courtesy of the publicist.)
Other stops on the blog tour:
8/29/2012 Read React Review http://readreactreview.com
8/30/2012 Travel Spot http://travelspot06.blogspot.com/
8/31/2012 Comfort Books http://paigebradish1996.blogspot.com/
9/1/2012 Cmash Loves to Read http://cmashlovestoread.com/
9/3/2012 Booksellers without Borders NY http://booksellerswithoutbordersny.com
9/6/2012 Leafing Through Life http://leafingrhroughlife.blogspot.com
9/7/2012 Pieces of Fate http://piecesoffatesusan.blogspot.com/
10/1/2012 My Life in Not So Many Words… www.ziarias.blogspot.com
10/2/2012 I’d Rather Be At The Beach http://ratb2.blogspot.com
City of Women by David R. Gillham
Publisher: Amy Einhorn/Putnam Books
Release Date: August 7, 2012
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
It is 1943—the height of the Second World War—and Berlin has essentially become a city of women.
Sigrid Schröder is, for all intents and purposes, the model German soldier’s wife: She goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law, all the while ignoring the horrific immoralities of the regime. But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman who dreams of her Jewish former lover, now lost in the chaos of the war.
Sigrid’s tedious existence is turned upside down when she finds herself hiding a woman and her two young daughters – whom she believes might be her lover’s family – and she must make terrifying choices that could cost her everything.
Sigrid was an interesting character. She wasn’t that likeable and I found some of her decisions puzzling. I wondered how realistic her behavior was for a woman in the 1940s. I wouldn’t think that people were having sex in movie theaters in that era but I actually have nothing to base that assumption on so who knows? Despite Sigrid’s many flaws, I wanted her to be successful and have a good life.
The first two-thirds of this book dragged a bit for me and then things really picked up in the last third. I had some trouble keeping some of the characters straight. There was a lot of intrigue and sneaking around and I couldn’t always follow what the plan was or understand how the characters had managed to coordinate it. I will say that I often have this problem when I watch any kind of action adventure or spy type movie so it may not be the book’s fault.
I found this book to be just okay. However, it has gotten a lot of great reviews so you may want to seek out some reviews other than mine before you decide whether or not to pick this book up.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
(I received this book courtesy of the publisher.)
School started last week. Cash is in second grade this year and West is in first grade. I think West is even more excited about being in first grade than he was about starting kindergarten. Before bed tonight, he triple checked everything in his folder and was happy to discover that he had some homework to do. (Luckily, it was just reading a very short book to me.) Cash came downstairs, saw West and said, “I wish I had some homework to do!” Oh, how I hope they keep their love of school and learning forever.
I’m pleased to be able to offer a copy of The Healer of Fox Hollow, which I reviewed yesterday, to one of my readers with a United States address. Just fill out the form below. I will take entries until August 23 at 11:59pm CST. Good luck!
The Healer of Fox Hollow by Joann Rose Leonard
Publisher: Vantage Point
Paperback Release Date: July 15, 2012
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Right from the start, Layla Tompkin’s way forward is full of detours after her mother dies in breech birth, leaving only her and her devoted, sorrowful father, Ed. Then, at the age of five, Layla is rendered mute after a horrible accident. “God is leading Layla to speak in new tongues,” proclaims Pastor Simpson at the local serpent handling church. Soon after, Layla is found to possess the gift of healing and her reputation spreads. Even Doc Fredericks, the area’s skeptical physician, is forced to re-examine scientific tenets when Layla’s healing touch is the only treatment that brings relief to his son Brian, whose legs were blown off by a landmine in Vietnam. Doubt and the miraculous, loss and survival, hurt and forgiveness collide when a secret challenges what everyone holds true, leaving Layla, her family and the community profoundly changed in a story about what it means to be truly healed.
The Healer of Fox Hollow takes place in the Smokey Mountains during the 1950s through the 1970s. It’s a heartwarming story about people being there for each other in the face of tragedy. The story moves at a slow pace, sometimes too slow. I was very anxious to find out what really happened to make Layla mute and my impatience made the story drag in the middle for me. Also, I expected a love triangle to form between Brian, Damian and Layla. That would have added a little drama to the story in the middle I think and spiced things up a bit.
I liked that this book is one of those Southern novels where the people of a small town band together to help each other in times of need. When Layla has her accident, the townspeople are mostly supportive. (Some people are selfish and only care about Layla healing them – those people made really angry for Layla.) I loved how hard Layla’s dad Ed tried to be a good dad. Her aunt Avis was also a wonderful and wise character.
Come back tomorrow – I’ll be giving away a copy of The Healer of Fox Hollow to one lucky reader!
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book. Check out the other tour stops:
Monday, July 16th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Monday, July 23rd: Indie Reader Houston
Wednesday, July 25th: Broken Teepee
Thursday, July 26th: Just Joanna
Wednesday, August 1st: Mom in Love with Fiction
Thursday, August 2nd: Silver and Grace
Monday, August 6th: Chaotic Compendiums
Tuesday, August 7th: Deco My Heart
Wednesday, August 8th: WV Stitcher
Thursday, August 9th: So Simply Sara
Monday, August 13th: The Book Bag
Tuesday, August 14th: When Life Gets You Down…Read a Book
Thursday, August 16th: HopefulLeigh
Monday, August 20th: The Lost Entwife
Tuesday, August 28th: A Novel Source
Date TBD: A Fair Substitute for Heaven
Buy this book at:
Amazon
Boot Polish is one of the movies that Betsy Woodman mentions in the Etcetera section of Jana Bibi’s Excellent Fortunes. She chose it because it would be have been shown at a movie theater like the one in the book in 1960.
Boot Polish, released in 1954, is the story of orphan siblings Bhola and Belu. They live with their mean aunt Kamla, who forces them to beg on the streets for money and beats them if they don’t come home with enough. A kindly bootlegger who lives in the same slum teaches them that working and earning money is better than begging. Bhola and Belu buy a shoe polish kit and start shining shoes to make money. Unfortunately, when the rainy season hits business dries up and they must decide whether to swallow their pride and go back to begging or starve.
This movie hits the viewer over the head with the overt message of working is better than begging; it comes close to propaganda. It’s a good moral to be hit over the head with though. I think there is a more subtle metaphor at play as well. The film was released when India was still a newly independent nation. The orphans could represent India herself – figuring out how to be self-sufficient and taking pride in it. I’m afraid I haven’t learned a lot of details about India’s history yet so I can’t take the metaphor any further myself but it’s interesting to think about.
Boot Polish had spunky Bollywood musical numbers that I loved. They were all catchy and lively, even when the actual song lyrics were melancholy. Belu was just adorable, she reminded me of Shirley Temple. She and Bhola were great actors, especially for being so young.
My one complaint about this film is the English subtitles. They were more of a summary of what the characters were saying rather that a line by line translation. There were whole paragraphs that were obviously not written up on screen. I feel like I would have been drawn deeper into the story if I would have know exactly what the characters were saying – a lot of nuance and emotion was left out with the way the subtitles were done.
If you are intrigued by all things Indian like I am, than this would be a great film for you to watch.
Buy this movie at:
Amazon
The Soldier’s Wife by Joanna Trollope
Narrated by: Charlotte Anne Dore
Length: 10 hours and 14 minutes
Publisher: AudioGo
Release Date: May 1, 2012
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
The Soldier’s Wife examines how three generations of a family struggle with the impact of war on their relationships, long after the tour of duty is over. Dan Riley is a major in the British Army. After a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, he is coming home to the wife and young daughters he adores. The outside world sees these reunions as a taste of heaven after months of hell. But are they? Can a man trained to fight adjust again to family and domestic life? And how will the family cope if he can’t? To what extent can Alexa, Dan’s wife, sacrifice her own needs and fulfillment to support his commitment to a way of life that demands everything, not just of him, but of her and the children as well? What happens when love and a vocation collide head-on?
I listened to this book on audio and three of the CDs in the middle of the book were misnumbered. I ended up listening to a good portion of the book out of order before I realized the error. I thought it was just really disjointed story! Anyway, I listened to a review copy so I’m assuming (hoping) that the CDs are labeled correctly on the final copy.
Charlotte Anne Dore did a good job with the narration. I’m not familiar with the different regional accents in England but I did notice that some of the characters had different accents than others. Being an ignorant American, I will just assume that all the accents were appropriate.
I felt ambivalent about this book. It was entertaining enough to keep listening until the end but I never felt connected to any of the characters, except Isabel, Alexa’s daughter. She’s a secondary character and only in a few scenes though. Her parents send her to boarding school to give her some stability. Apparently, it is common for children of British soldiers to go to boarding school to avoid having to move around and change schools. Isabel is miserable at boarding school and I felt really bad for her.
So many characters were introduced so quickly that I had to listen to the first CD twice before moving on to the second CD to make sure I had everybody straight. I’m not sure if that’s the author’s fault or if I should blame it on mommy brain.
I was really surprised with how invested Dan and Alexa’s parents and friends were in Dan and Alexa’s marriage. They were a bunch of busybodies but not in a humorous way. I was perplexed. Alexa’s supposed best friend Jack confused me too. I wasn’t sure what he added to the story other than being kind of mean to Alexa. I couldn’t figure out why she was friends with him.
Honestly, I didn’t have much sympathy for Dan. I thought he was an ass most of the time and that Alexa was a doormat. Maybe it’s because I’m not a military wife or close friends with one. Perhaps if there would have been some background about his time in Afghanistan, I could have related to him better. Or maybe I’m a cold-hearted snake.
The right person to read this book may be out there, but it was not me.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
(I received this book courtesy of AudioGo.)
Ru
by Sparks is the story of Calvin Weir-Fields, an author still struggling after ten years to write a follow up to his phenomenally successful debut novel. One night, he has a dream about a beautiful, quirky red-head named Ruby Sparks. When he wakes up, he writes down the dream and his writer’s block is unblocked. He can’t stop writing his story about this girl, until one day he finds her in his kitchen. Somehow he has literally written her into his life.
Paul Dano, who plays Calvin, was great. He reminded me a lot of Andrew McCarthy and his character in St. Elmo’s Fire – a cute, angsty, sensitive writer. Zoe Kazan shows great range as Ruby going through changes as Calvin “tweaks” her. Annette Bening is wonderfully serene as Calvin’s mother and Antonio Banderas is super sexy as her husband Mort, even with gray hair and a beard.
Kazan also wrote the screenplay, which raises interesting questions about whether or not it would actually be a good thing to be able to design and control your mate. Would you want total control or is that creepy? Is just a little bit of control okay? It’s a romantic comedy with intelligence and surprises that should appeal to BOTH women and men.
Ruby Sparks is currently in limited release. You can check to see when it will be released in your market here.
(Thank you to my friend Angie for inviting me to be her date for the screening. She was provided complimentary tickets by a representative of Fox Searchlight.)
I’m a reading, knitting, scrapbooking, running mom of four crazy kids.
Welcome to the chaos!
