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Monthly Archives: November 2015

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

30 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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fantasy, horses, love stories, orphans, racing

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A small island holds a horse race each year; what makes it so dangerous is that the horses come from the sea. This novel follows two young people, each desperate to win the race. It is an unusual, beautifully written, and magical story.

“Stiefvater’s novel, inspired by Manx, Irish, and Scottish legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge from the sea each autumn, begins rivetingly and gets better and better . . . all the way, in fact, to best.”–Horn Book Review, Starred Review

“Masterful…like nothing else out there now.”–Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“A study of courage and loyalty tested…utterly compelling.”–Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

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The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

23 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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gardens, grief, Malaysia, man-woman relationships, prisoners of war

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If you are willing to be transported to the jungle-fringed tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands to discover the only Japanese garden in Malaysia, this most gifted writer will unveil another time, a place, two characters who wrestle with unspeakable brutal pasts, and seek the healing solace in the art of gardening.  I guarantee this story and this garden will linger in your mind long after you’ve read the last page.

“Beautifully written…Eng is quite simply one of the best novelists writing today.”–Philadelphia Inquirer
“Like his debut, The Gift of Rain (2007), Tan’s second novel is exquisite…Tan triumphs again, entwining the redemptive power of storytelling with the elusive search for truth, all the while juxtaposing Japan’s inhumane war history with glorious moments of Japanese art and philosophy. All readers in search of spectacular writing will not be disappointed.”–Library Journal, Starred Review
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Orphan #8: a novel by Kim van Alkemade

16 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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human experimentation in medicine, Jewish orphans, New York City, revenge

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In 1919, Rachel Rabinowitz and her brother were placed in the Hebrew Orphans Home in New York City after a series of tragic family events.  The orphanage is noted for its efficient care of over 1000 orphans and its modern medical facilities which include an X-ray machine.  Dr. Mildred Solomon, a young radiologist eager to show her knowledge, carries out medical research using several of the orphans as research subjects.

Thirty-five years later in 1954, Rachel is now a nurse in the hospice wing of the Old Hebrews Home where she recognizes her new patient as Dr. Mildred Solomon.  Rachel must now choose between forgiveness or revenge.

A fascinating but disturbing work of historical fiction by a new author who bears watching.

“Kim van Alkemade has moxie. In her provocative novel, family is saturated with betrayal, care is interrupted by ambition and desire, and the past is intimately explored, invoking the abandoned child in all of us. Orphan # 8 brims with complicated passions and pitch-perfect historical details. A riveting, memorable debut.” (Catherine Zobal Dent, author of Unfinished Stories of Girls)

“This book is utterly unputdownable. At once atmospheric, disturbing and absolutely engrossing, it poses a host of moral questions; I fully anticipate that it will become popular with book clubs.” (Historical Novels Review)

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Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

04 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, mystery

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Chinese Americans, daughters, death, detective, grief, mystery, Ohio

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After reading the first three words, the first sentence and the first paragraph, the reader will know what happened to the central character in this book.  But then the question is Why? and then How? and then For What?

Celeste Ng, in her first novel, has gracefully written a poignant and heartbreaking story of family, ethnicity, communication and grief that the reader will be compelled to read in one sitting.

“If we know this story, we haven’t seen it yet in American fiction, not until now… Ng has set two tasks in this novel’s doubled heart—to be exciting, and to tell a story bigger than whatever is behind the crime. She does both by turning the nest of familial resentments into at least four smaller, prickly mysteries full of secrets the family members won’t share… What emerges is a deep, heartfelt portrait of a family struggling with its place in history, and a young woman hoping to be the fulfillment of that struggle. This is, in the end, a novel about the burden of being the first of your kind—a burden you do not always survive.” – Alexander Chee, The New York Times Book Review

“Wonderfully moving…Emotionally precise…A beautifully crafted study of dysfunction and grief…[This book] will resonate with anyone who has ever had a family drama.” – Boston Globe

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