The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
05 Wednesday Jul 2023
Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction
Category Archives: Fiction
Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
28 Wednesday Jun 2023
When two women accidentally take each other’s bags at the gym, it sets off a series of events and misunderstandings. Sam and Nisha are two mothers in their 40s living in London, each dealing with personal issues in their careers and families. I always enjoy reading Jojo Moyes, and this was more comedic than some of her other books, while still being thoughtful and poignant.
“[Someone Else’s Shoes] showcases Moyes’ ability to portray emotion and female friendship with themes of love, betrayal, family, and hope. It is action packed and will have readers rooting for Nisha and Sam.”—Booklist, STARRED review
“This is a novel about women of a certain age who suddenly find themselves invisible — to their spouses, to their colleagues, to the world — and find pleasure in being “seen” by each other.”—The New York Times
“Nobody writes women the way Jojo Moyes does—recognizably real and complex and funny and flawed—which is what makes her novels an auto-buy for me.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Sam: a novel by Allegra Goodman
16 Friday Jun 2023
Posted in Fiction
This novel, about a young woman’s transition from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, felt so real I would swear it’s written about someone I know. It was hard to put down because I was cheering for Sam to stay strong in spite of all of the challenges that girls and young women face. Very well done.
“Sam is about as perfect of a coming-of-age story I have ever read. It explores what happens when one girl loses the wonder of childhood—the innocence of her early years only to reclaim her power and hope. I fell into this novel and read it in one sitting.”—Jenna Bush Hager, Today
“It’s impressive how much emotional power is packed into this . . . contained story.”—Publishers Weekly
“Sam is one of the most evocative and tender examinations of youth that I’ve ever read . . . One of the best writers around, Goodman has made something truly beautiful, evoking a feeling that is hard to name but stirs inside us with every line.”—Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here
Small World by Laura Zigman
07 Wednesday Jun 2023
Posted in Fiction
Small World is a treasure: a family story that is wistful one moment, witty and wry the next. Few novelists write as beautifully about the damaged heart and the wounded soul as Laura Zigman, or understand the emotional bonds of siblings and sisters. I loved this novel.”— Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant
“I absolutely loved Small World — a wise, warm, and often hilarious exploration of sisterhood and community, set against a nuanced portrait of one family’s tragic past.” — Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
“A tender story of two sisters who, both in midlife and both recently divorced, move in together. . . A moving story about the power of family secrets, sisterhood, and memory. Readers of authors such as Jodi Picoult, Barbara Kingsolver, or Kristin Hannah will be affected by Zigman’s skillful and sensitive chronicling of a sisterhood simultaneously affected by the past and finding a new future.” — Booklist
“Entrancing. . . . Zigman does a stellar job of creating well-rounded characters, and a satisfying ending tops off her well-crafted paean to sisterhood. Readers will love this.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[Zigman] excels at depicting the emotional push and pull of sibling relationships. . . Yet she never loses her sharp sense of humor. . . A compassionate, often funny examination of shared family grief and love.” — Kirkus Reviews
Touch by Olaf Olafsson
19 Friday May 2023
Tags
COVID-19 (Disease)|, Iceland, Japan, man-woman relationships, memory, older men, pandemics, restaurateurs, Reykjavík, women
Kristofer is forced to close his successful restaurant in Iceland due to Covid and suddenly decides to go to Japan after receiving a message from a woman he hadn’t heard from since the 60’s. Both a gut-wrenching love story and a mystery, I was riveted to the last page.
“The gratifying ending is hopeful. [Touch] adds up to an affecting story about the sway one’s past can hold on the present.” — Publishers Weekly
“Olafsson’s treatment of the vast cultural chasm between Icelander Kristófer, and Miko…brings suspense and heartache to the reader.” — Library Journal
“Delicate, absorbing…Touch is weighted with questions about love, memory, and intergenerational trauma–reaching a denouement as satisfying as it is moving.” — Vogue
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
03 Wednesday May 2023
Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States
Tags
Chicago (ILL), families, historical fiction, Ilanian American families, marriage, mental health, sisters
This was sadder than I expected, but I enjoyed this family saga of four sisters growing up near Chicago.
“This sumptuous family saga is one of those rare novels whose singular characters are so beautifully rendered, it’s as if they’re your best friends, and you’re grateful to be in their orbit. Napolitano’s homage to Little Women, albeit set in late-20thcentury Chicago, will prompt you to slow down as you read, never wanting the book to end. When it does, prepare for tears.”—Oprah Quarterly
Hello Beautiful will make you weep buckets because you come to care so deeply about the characters and their fates. . . . [Napolitano] compels us to contemplate the complex tapestry of family love that can, despite grief and loss, still knit us together. She helps us see ourselves—and each other—whole.”—The Washington Post
“Radiant and brilliantly crafted . . . Napolitano’s [work] resists the easy satisfactions of the sentimental and never settles for simple answers to emotional predicaments faced by her characters.”—The New York Times Book Review
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
28 Friday Apr 2023
Posted in detective, Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, mystery
Tags
Australia, detective and murder mystery, dusfunctional families, family reunions, family secrets, murder and investigation, murderer, ski resorts
Quirky and silly – at times a little convoluted – but still great fun! Felt like an Australian “Knives Out”.
“I absolutely LOVED it. It’s so engaging, entertaining and charming. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it. It was SUCH a fun read.” — Marian Keyes
“Exceptionally clever and amusing. … Stevenson carries off this tour de force with all the aplomb of a master magician who conducts his tricks in plain view.”? — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Exceedingly clever… Read it once for fun and then again to see how it was done.” — CriminalElement.com
“I absolutely loved it. Utterly original, hugely entertaining, and a must-read for every fan of the mystery genre. What an exceptionally fresh, smart, funny book—I’ve never read anything like this before.” — Jane Harper
All the Broken Places by John Boyne
21 Friday Apr 2023
Posted in 20th century, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Ever since the author wrote his bestseller, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas he knew he would one day write the story about his older sister, Gretel. I could not put this book down – it’s the best I have read in ages!
“When is a monster’s child culpable? Guilt and complicity are multifaceted. John Boyne is a maestro of historical fiction. You can’t prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel.”—John Irving, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The World According to Garp
“Clear your calendar. Get All the Broken Places and just don’t make any plans, other than to read and read and read.”—Washington Blade
“A powerful novel about secrets and atonement after Auschwitz… All the Broken Places is a defence of literature’s need to shine a light on the darkest aspects of human nature; and it does so with a novelist’s skill, precision and power.”—The Guardian
“What an incredible feat of storytelling. All the Broken Places is a stark confrontation of evil, an examination of guilt and deflection, and an old-fashioned page-turner. John treads the finest of narrative lines with skill and grace and proves himself yet again to be among the world’s greatest storytellers.” —Donal Ryan, #1 international bestselling author of The Queen of Dirt Island and Strange Flowers
Foster by Clair Keegan
05 Wednesday Apr 2023
Posted in Fiction
Tags
Just 95 pages……. Keegan’s short stories are now being published as stand-alone books. Her work is a staple on school curriculums. She can tell a story in a paragraph. What she notices is honed to such precision. Her 2021 novella , Small Things Like These at 114 pages is shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Treat yourself.
A story of astonishing emotional depth, Foster showcases Claire Keegan’s great talent and secures her reputation as one of our most important storytellers. (Amazon)
“As good as Chekhov.” — David Mitchell
“An immensely powerful snapshot novel…this work mines the recesses of human fragility with a compassionate and deft pen, its combination of simple language and sweeping empathy landing with the force of a saga…a rich, compassionate work.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Pristine… Both concise and gut-wrenching. [Keegan’s] superficially simple prose persuasively conveys a child’s sometimes-innocent but always careful and insightful observations of the world…A heartbreaking but deeply humane story about parents and children.” — Kirkus, starred review
Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra
27 Monday Mar 2023
Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tags
Hindus, historical fiction, India, interfaith marriage, man-woman relationships, Muslims, Pakistan, Partition 1947, romance
April 2023 “Novels and Night” book club choice at the Weston Public Library
“Mesmerizing…At the heart of Malhotra’s sweeping debut novel is an indelible love story…A transcendent study of the blurring of personal and political, as ordinary people deal with catastrophic historical events.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“At once sweeping and intimate. With gorgeous prose and careful research, Malhotra brings to life a world rich with Indian perfumery, Urdu calligraphy, and a romance that defies time and space. A stunning book that reminds you of what it is to fall in love.”―Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky
“A long and luxurious tale of love, loss, memory, and place, told against a backdrop of tumultuous historical events…It will be difficult indeed to forget this exquisite story.”―Library Journal (starred review)
“A majestic, evocative exploration of the persistence of memory and the human connections that transcend even death.”―Booklist (starred review)
