The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. She has no idea what she’s in for: Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change their lives forever.
For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn’t what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora’s eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.
The Chaperone is a great work of historical fiction. From what I could gather with some quick Googling, Moriarty’s version of Louise Brooks and the events in her life that are represented in the book are factually accurate, which I appreciated. I liked how Louise influenced Cora in some positive ways and was not just a one-dimensional trouble maker as she could have been easily portrayed. The author did a great job of capturing the inner struggle that Cora feels as the times are changing around her and she has to decide if and how much she is willing to change with them.
Even though Louise Brooks is the famous, real-life character in this book, the focus of this book is Cora. I couldn’t believe how many times the author surprised me in telling Cora’s story. Her upbringing, her marriage, her life after she came back from New York – the development and evolution of Cora’s character was truly amazing. I don’t want to say too much more because I really enjoyed going on Cora’s journey with her and letting her continue to reveal unexpected aspects of her life to me as the book went on. (I’ve noticed that some of the other reviews of this book out there on the web are very spoilery so be careful out there!)
This is the first book of Moriarty’s that I’ve read and I highly recommend it. I’m looking forward to reading more from her.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book. Check out the other tour stops:
Tuesday, May 1st: Sophisticated Dorkiness
Wednesday, May 2nd: bookchickdi
Thursday, May 3rd:From Left to Write
Friday, May 4th:Rayment’s Readings, Rants and Ramblings
Monday, May 7th:Frenzy of Noise
Thursday, May 10th:Bewitched Bookworms
Friday, May 11th:The Well-Read Wife
Monday, May 14th:Fire and Ice
Tuesday, May 15th:Book Journey
Wednesday, May 16th:Babbling About Books and More
Thursday, May 17th:Workaday Reads
Friday, May 18th:Verb Vixen
Saturday, May 19th:Midnight Book Girl
Wednesday, May 23rd:Kritters Ramblings
Wednesday, May 23rd:Misbehavin’ Librarian
Thursday, May 24th:Literate Housewife
Friday, May 25th:Paperspines
Monday, May 28th:Sassymonkey Reads
Monday, May 28th:Never Too Fond of Books
Tuesday, May 29th:Picky Girl
Thursday, May 31st:An Unconventional Librarian
Friday, June 1st:The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness
Friday, June 1st:An Avid Reader’s Musings
Date TBD:The Compulsive Reader
The Chaperone will be released on June 5th. You can pre-order it at:
Amazon
Kindle Store
Powell’s Books
May 30th, 2012 in
Books |
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Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she’s finally found him. Ethan–divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia–is a devoted father and even better husband. Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts.
The first part of this book is told with third person narration from Andi’s point of view. Her marriage to Ethan is basically perfect except when it comes to dealing with Ethan’s spoiled seventeen-year old daughter Emily. Emily’s behavior is abhorrent; she throws tantrums like a two-year old child because she is jealous of the attention that Ethan shows to Andi. Ethan feels so guilty about divorcing Emily’s mother and not spending enough time with Emily that he lets her get away with murder. I actually felt really stressed out reading about Ethan and how he dealt with Emily. I wanted to reach in and shake Ethan and tell him to grow a pair!
About a third of the way in, the narration switches to first person from Emily’s point of view. I think this is done to help the reader generate some sympathy for Emily because up until that point I had none. It does help but Emily is still so selfish that it’s really hard to feel bad for her. Also, I had to wonder if a seventeen year old was capable of being as introspective as Emily is at times. From this point on the narration switches back and forth between third person Andi and first person Emily. It sounds strange but it worked for the most part.
Emily makes a huge mistake (I can’t say what without spoiling the story) that impacts her whole family and puts even more strain on Andi and Ethan’s marriage. This book and the relationships between its characters were so tense and strained that I felt tense just reading it. It could have used a lighter sub-plot or something to take some of the pressure off. It did seem to be a genuine portrayal of the stresses involved in a blended family though.
Just as with every other Jane Green novel I’ve read, the editor seemed to make no effort to help Green with her American characters’ dialogue. The characters in this book are all American, living in California but speak like Brits a lot of time – saying things like “proper” and “have a go”. I guess I should come to expect this since this is the third Jane Green book I’ve read and the other two have had the same problem. It still bugs me though.
I listened to the audio version of this book which was narrated by the author herself. I thought this was a really odd choice because Jane Green is British. I think that a book that takes place in America should be read by a narrator with an American accent, just like a book that takes place in England should be read by a narrator with a British accent. Green’s narration gave all of the American characters British accents and she didn’t vary her voice between characters much at all. It was very distracting. She also read at a very slow and dramatic pace which I think added to the stress of reading the book. It was filled with enough natural tension that it didn’t need a dramatic narration.
I think die-hard Jane Green fans will probably like this book but if you are new to her I think you should pick a different book of hers to start with.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
Kindle Store
(I received this book courtesy of the Amazon Vine program.)
May 29th, 2012 in
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Amazon and Penguin Group ( USA ) Announce Six Finalists for 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
Amazon.com customers can vote for their favorites and choose the grand prize winners in the general fiction and young adult fiction categories at www.amazon.com/abna
Winners to be announced at a special awards ceremony in Seattle on June 16
SEATTLE & NEW YORK & CHARLESTON, S.C.—May 22, 2012—Thousands of entries poured in for the fifth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest – and after several rounds of judging, six finalists have just been announced in the international competition sponsored by Amazon.com, CreateSpace and Penguin Group (USA). From now until May 30, Amazon customers can read excerpts from the finalists’ works and vote for their favorite novel to determine the winners in both the general fiction and young adult fiction categories at www.amazon.com/abna. Based on customer votes, two grand prize winners, one in each category, will receive a publishing contract from Penguin Group (USA) which includes a $15,000 advance. This year’s ABNA winners will be revealed at a special awards ceremony in Seattle on June 16, 2012.
“This year’s ABNA contest saw thousands of submissions from talented writers around the world,” said Nader Kabbani, Director of Independent Publishing, Amazon. “According to the judges and editors, the quality of the entries continues to climb, making the contest more competitive each year. The finalists this year are among the best yet and Amazon.com customers will have a challenge picking a favorite.”
Tim McCall, Penguin Group ( USA ) Vice President of Online Sales and Marketing said, “Penguin prides itself on the relationships we have with our authors. We are thrilled that this contest allows us to be able to offer talented writers an opportunity to be published at Penguin, and we look forward to connecting these writers to new readers.”
An expert panel from the publishing world will also weigh in with comments on the finalists’ work to help voters make their selections. The literary experts for the 2012 general fiction portion of the contest are: Linda Fairstein, best-selling author of the Alexandra Cooper novels, including “Night Watch” (available July 2012); Anne Sowards, Executive Editor of The Berkley Publishing Group; and Donald Maass, literary agent and author of “The Breakout Novelist.” Panelists for the young adult fiction titles include: Andrea Cremer, best-selling author of “Nightshade,” “Wolfsbane” and “Bloodrose;” Regina Hayes, President and Publisher of Viking Children’s Books; and Charlie Olsen, literary agent for InkWell Management.
The three finalists in the general fiction category (listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name) are:
“The Beautiful Land” by Alan Averill, Seattle , Washington
Averill, a former “video game script doctor,” wrote a draft of “The Beautiful Land” as a part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a movement that challenges writers to complete a novel in thirty days. “The Beautiful Land ” is a story of two people in love from the moment they met but destined to be apart forever. Thanks to a time machine and a mysterious invention buried deep in the Australian Outback, they now have one more chance to get it right.
“Grace Humiston and the Vanishing” by Charles Kelly, Scottsdale , Arizona
Kelly, a former reporter at the Arizona Republic , discovered the story of Grace Humiston, “the feminine Sherlock Holmes,” deep in the archives of the New York Times. Her story, particularly her work on a case to find a missing girl in 1917, became the basis for the novel. When a teenage girl from a wealthy family disappears, Humiston leads an investigation that takes her through the sewers of police corruption in New York City to the slave and prostitution trading ports of Argentina.
“A Chant of Love and Lamentation” by Brian Reeves, Oregon City , Oregon
Reeves, a former Peace Corps volunteer, spent ten years perfecting his novel. “A Chant of Love and Lamentation” reflects the struggle for Hawaiian identity and the sovereign movement. A cab driver sets off a sequence of events by blowing up a grand Waikiki hotel to strike back at the forces that have long suppressed Hawai’i . As the islands slide farther into strife, three men fight to hold onto a Hawai’i that once was, or push it towards its ultimate destiny.
The three finalists in the young adult fiction category (listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name) are:
“Dreamcatchers” by Cassandra Griffin , Kamloops , British Columbia
Twenty-eight-year-old Griffin is a true geek at heart, enjoying anything from Star Trek expos to comic conventions on her days off from driving 400 ton dump trucks in Northern Alberta . In her post-apocalyptic novel “Dreamcatchers,” WW III has come and gone, the divide between the rich and the poor has widened, and children now move in the world between waking and dreaming.
“Out of Nowhere” by Rebecca Phillips, Middle Sackville , Nova Scotia
Phillips has been writing young adult novels since the age of 12 and now has two children of her own. In “Out of Nowhere,” hypochondriac Riley finds herself haunted by her father’s death. When she meets and falls for the skateboarding, daredevil Cole, Riley begins to forget her problems at home until her mother announces two major changes and Riley lashes out.
“On Little Wings” by Regina Sirois, Olathe , Kansas
Sirois was born and raised outside of Kansas City . She minored in creative writing, but never found the right inspiration for a story until she became the mother of two little girls. “On Little Wings” is her first novel. In it, sixteen-year-old Jennifer’s discovery of an aunt she never knew existed reunites her family and provokes love and forgiveness.
The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest is co-sponsored by Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace. For the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest Official Rules and to read finalists’ excerpts, and vote for the winning novels, please visit www.amazon.com/abna.
May 28th, 2012 in
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This week my reading had an unexpected theme – polygamy. It started when I picked up Carolyn Jessop’s Escape. She was married to one of the leaders of the FLDS cult that was raided in Texas in 2008. She made her escape before the raid though. It was the May pick for the non-fiction book club at my church. I really enjoyed the book (my review will be out soon) and finished it in record time. Then it turned out that I couldn’t go to the book club meeting. I was still intrigued by Carolyn’s story and discovered that she wrote a follow-up book after the Texas raid called Triumph so I grabbed that from the library and devoured it as well.
Even after reading those two books in a row, I wanted to read more about polygamy but I wasn’t sure where to go next. I found The 19th Wife on my TBR shelf. It’s a combination historical fiction/modern day murder mystery. The historical fiction part involves Ann Eliza Young, Brigham Young’s 19th wife. I think it will be good but I’m having trouble getting into it. I suspect it’s because I’m more in the mood to read another real-life memoir involving polygamy. I don’t know what it is about the lifestyle that has me so intrigued but I can’t get enough! If you have any suggestions about which books I need to put on my polygamy reading list, please let me know.
I also discovered yesterday that the TLC reality show Sister Wives is streaming on Netflix. I have watched an embarrassing
number of episodes already and plan to watch even more today. (I had surgery Thursday so I do have an excuse for being a couch potato this weekend!) I like that there isn’t a lot of drama, at least not so far. I don’t like reality shows with tension and yelling. The wives seem to all get along really well. However, it bothers me that the show and Kody and his wives gloss over the theology behind their belief in plural marriage. I enjoy seeing how they live their day-to-day lives but I also want to know more about their faith and why plural marriage is an important part of it.
How’s your weekend going – any unexpected themes emerge for you this week?
May 27th, 2012 in
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I just finished reading The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty and I loved it. My review will posted on May 30th. In the meantime, I’m excited that the publisher has generously offered a PERSONALIZED/SIGNED copy of the book for me to giveaway to one of my readers with a US or Canadian address. I’ll take entries until 10:00am CST on May 31. Just fill out the form at the end of this post. Good luck!
Publisher’s Description:
A captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both.
Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. She has no idea what she’s in for: Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change their lives forever.
For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn’t what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora’s eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.
May 22nd, 2012 in
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Practical Jean: A Novel by Trevor Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Jean Vale Horemarsh is an ordinary, small-town woman with the usual challenges of middle age. She’s content, mostly, with the life she’s built: a semi-successful career as a ceramics artist, a close collection of women friends (if you ignore the terrible falling out she had with Cheryl all those years ago), a comfortable marriage with a kind if otherwise unextraordinary man. And then Jean sees her mother go through the final devastating months of cancer, and realizes that her fondest wish is to protect her dearest friends from the indignities of aging and illness. That’s when she decides to kill them all. . .
This book is a dark, dark comedy. There are definitely disturbing and unsettling things that happen throughout. You must have a certain sense warped sense of humor to enjoy it. If you do, you will love it like I did. The humor and story vaguely reminded me of the Coen brothers’ movie Fargo. Maybe because this book is written by a Canadian and takes place in Canada so the characters all have that Northern nice thing going on like the characters in Fargo. The reason Jean is killing her friends in the first place is because she loves them so much, because she is so nice.
Jean is a wonderful character. Flashbacks to Jean’s childhood show why Jean ended up in a place where she thinks that killing her friends is actually doing them a favor. She’s a sympathetic serial killer and so weirdly reasonable that she can almost convince you that what she is doing is okay. If you’re a fan of black humor, you’ll be a fan of this book.
By this book at:
Amazon
Kindle Store
Powell’s Books
(I received this book courtesy of the Goodreads First Reads program.)
May 21st, 2012 in
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Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Ree Dolly’s father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn’t show up for his next court date. With two young brothers depending on her, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. Living in the harsh poverty of the Ozarks, Ree learns quickly that asking questions of the rough Dolly clan can be a fatal mistake. But, as an unsettling revelation lurks, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost.
In Winter’s Bone, author Daniel Woodrell does an excellent job of making the reader feel that they are in the harsh Ozark winter right beside Ree with his beautifully worded descriptions of the setting. Ree’s character is tough and strong but she has a rarely shown soft side too. She was a wonderfully developed heroine in this book. I loved the dialogue in this book as well. The way the people spoke was almost poetic, even when it was also vulgar or threatening. An example (without the vulgarity) is Ree talking to her mom:
“You’re about to look peachy, Mom”
“Could I?”
“Yup. So peachy you’ll be feelin’ all strutty, probably start dancin’, kick your toes to the ceilin’.”
This book is short – 193 pages, which makes it even more intense. Ree is focused on finding her father and I was right there along with her every step of the way, my heart beating just as fast as hers.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
Kindle Store
Powell’s Books
May 17th, 2012 in
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Being Lara: A Novel by Lola Jaye
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Being Lara is the story of Lara Reid, who was adopted from Nigeria at age 3 by a white couple. Growing up she always felt different. Her birth mother shows up unexpectedly to her thirtieth birthday party, which sends Lara into a tailspin. She’s forced to confront the abandonment and identity issues she’s been trying to repress all these years.
I’d like to get two big problems I had with this book out of the way. First – the cover. That is not a picture of a Nigerian girl. I don’t even think she’s a black girl period. She might bi-racial but the main character is not. Lara is born from native Nigerian parents. I think it’s sad that the publisher didn’t put a dark skinned black girl on the cover – where they worried that they wouldn’t sell as many books?
Second, there is a huge continuity error in the section about Lara’s thirtieth birthday party. Lara makes a huge deal about taking a taxi to her party from her apartment. Then when Lara leaves the party, she leaves in her own car. How she gets to and from the party is actually relevant to the plot so it was a jarring error; I’m not sure how that got past an editor.
Okay, now on to the actual book review. I chose this book because my husband and I (both white) are in the process of adopting an African American little girl which makes me very interested in reading stories about transracial adoption. This book definitely taught me what not to do! Lara’s parents didn’t handle her being adopted or of a different race than them very well at all in my opinion. They didn’t really acknowledge that she was adopted until she was eight years old and they never attempted to acquaint her with the culture and country she was born in. It’s no wonder she had issues.
This book alternates between the stories of Lara, her adoptive mom Trish, and her birth mom Yomi. Learning Trish and Yomi’s back stories helped me understand where their characters were coming from in the present day storyline dealing with Lara as an adult. Yomi’s story also taught me about life in Nigeria and some of their customs and food.
I felt that Lara’s issues were treated too simplistically in some ways. I felt like Lara should have struggled more and delved deeper into herself when her birth mother came to town. Things moved along rather quickly to be realistic.
Even though this review has some negative points, I did enjoy this book and I feel like I did learn more about transracial adoption from reading it.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
Kindle Store
Powell’s Books
(I received this book courtesy of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.)
May 15th, 2012 in
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I’ve been working my way through Meg Cabot’s backlist, mostly on audio book, for quite a while now. I was excited to see that Book Club Girl is hosting a Meg Cabot Read-Along in anticipation of the latest release in her Heather Wells mystery series.
This is the discussion schedule:
You can find more information and sign up yourself at Book Club Girl.
May 14th, 2012 in
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I had a great Mother’s Day. I was served a wonderful breakfast of cinnamon rolls, bacon and coffee in bed this morning. I think that if someone brought me a cup of coffee while I was still in bed every morning that I could become a morning person. It was so pleasant to drink coffee and read in bed before getting up to face the world.
At church we got to see West sing with the Children’s Choir. Look how dapper he is in his collared tie-dyed shirt:
After church, Travis, his sister and my brother made a wonderful Mediterranean meal for everyone, including both grandmas. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.
