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Tag Archives: man-woman relationships

Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra 

27 Monday Mar 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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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)

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Fault Lines by Emily Itami

12 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in 20th century, Fiction, Humor, romance

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adultery, families, housewives, Japan, man-woman relationships, romance, Tokyo

“Fault Lines is full of laugh-out-loud, irreverent humor, as well as heartstoppingly poignant, yet seemingly incidental, wisdom. All of the inner yearnings and tribulations of Mizuki are laid bare, offering one of the fullest, most thorough depictions of a character I have ever read. … Every line here is razor-sharp, chosen with precision, resulting in a deceptively clever, emotionally wise and truly heartbreaking novel.” — Bookreporter.com

“What’s intriguing about Fault Lines is its shrewd commentary on Japan’s societal expectations of women as either sex objects or dutiful mothers. As Mizuki eventually learns, it’s in striking a workable balance between these two dichotomies — her past life versus her present one, titillating desire versus familial obligations, who she wants to be versus who society dictates she should be — that the real work of living begins.” — Washington Post

“Mizuki is one of the most engaging adulteresses I’ve ever encountered, and a wonderfully witty guide to the morals and mores of contemporary Tokyo. I now know just how to behave while picking up children from school, or meeting strangers. Fault Lines is a moving and suspenseful novel full of the best kinds of incidental wisdom.” — Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in the Field

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The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

25 Wednesday May 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in 20th century, Fiction, romance

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identity (psychological), man-woman relationships, married people, romance, Secrecy

Despite some struggles, Emma and Leo have a happy marriage and a daughter they love, but Emma has not been honest with Leo about who she really is. While the concept sounds like many popular thrillers, The Love of My Life is a slower, more thoughtful mystery about love and family, with beautiful descriptions of London and the English coast.

“Walsh masterfully shows both [protagonists’] points of view while maintaining an intoxicating air of mystery…a propulsive thriller with heart that will keep readers guessing.”—Kirkus, starred review

“[A] heartbreaking thriller…[that] explores the complexity of secrets in marriages…Walsh cleverly integrates twists that not even jaded readers will be able to predict…that builds to an emotionally raw yet satisfying conclusion. Walsh is a writer to watch.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Love of My Life is a dazzling supernova of a book, it picks you up on line one and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Each chapter is filled with heart-breaking twists and revelations, and it is brimming with human warmth and intelligence.”—Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Night She Disappeared

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The New Husband by D.J. Palmer

13 Saturday Jun 2020

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, suspense, thriller

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husbands, man-woman relationships, psychological fiction, truthfulness and falsehood

“What makes Simon Fitch so perfect?

-He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies.
-Her son adores him. He was there when she needed him most.
-He anticipates her every need.
-He would never betray her like her first husband.

The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes. The question is, why?”  (Amazon)

“Mother doesn’t always know best in this thrill ride of a novel…gripping and twisted.” ―Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of The Good Daughter

“Plenty of twists…will keep you turning the pages as you guess…and guess again.” ―Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of After Anna

“An acute, sensitive portrayal of family love under extreme stress…[with] a touch of Hitchcock.” ―William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob

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Ask Again, Yes: A Novel by Mary Beth Keane

29 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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forgiveness, life changing events, man-woman relationships

“Mary Beth Keane takes on one of the most difficult problems in fiction—how to write about human decency. In Ask Again, Yes, Keane creates a layered emotional truth that makes a compelling case for compassion over blame, understanding over grudge, and the resilience of hearts that can accept the contradictions of love.”— Louise Erdrich, author of The Round House

“Keane’s story embraces family lives in all their muted, ordinary, yet seismic shades… offers empathy and the long view… Tender and patient, the novel avoids excessive sweetness while planting itself deep in the soil of commitment and attachment. Graceful and mature. A solidly satisfying, immersive read.”—Kirkus (starred review) 

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Daisy Jones & the Six: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

22 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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California, Los Angeles, man-woman relationships, rock groups, women rock musicians

An episode of the (sadly, defunct) VH1’s Behind the Music in book form.  Reid’s descriptions will make you wish this fictional band’s songs were real.  The gossipy, often conflicting input from multiple narrators makes it a perfect, juicy summer read.  I enjoyed it even more than Reid’s previous hit – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

““I devoured Daisy Jones & The Six in a day, falling head over heels for it. Taylor Jenkins Reid transported me into the magic of the ’70s music scene in a way I’ll never forget. The characters are beautifully layered and complex. Daisy and the band captured my heart, and they’re sure to capture yours, too.”—Reese Witherspoon

Reid’s novel so resembles a memoir of a real band and conjures such true-to-life images of the seventies music scene that readers will think they’re listening to Fleetwood Mac or Led Zeppelin. Reid is unsurpassed in her ability to create complex characters working through emotions that will make your toes curl.”—Booklist (starred review)

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The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook

22 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, mystery

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Cape Cod, detective, man-woman relationships, mystery, private schools

Another Weston Public Library Mystery Book Discussion pick!

In 1926, the exotic Miss Elizabeth Channing arrives in Chatham , Massachusetts, to teach art at the Chatham School, a private school for the rebellious sons of well-heeled families. The headmaster assigns his son, Henry, to assist Miss Channing in getting settled into her new home, a cottage on Black Pond. To the dismay of the community, Miss Channing begins keeping regular company with another teacher at the school, Mr. Reed, a veteran of the Great War who is married and has a small daughter. The affair begins slowly, but it sparks unimaginable romance in young Henry’s fervid teenage imagination and leads to murder, suicide, jail, and loneliness for those involved directly and indirectly. Cook’s novel takes the form of Henry’s memoir–an attempt to understand what led to tragedy at Black Pond.

Like much of Cook’s previous work, it is the story of how our secrets control our destinies. This is a powerful, engaging, and deeply moving novel, highly recommended for all who enjoy well-crafted, genre-bending crime fiction. –Booklist

“Thomas Cook’s night visions, seen through a lens darkly, are haunting” – New York Times Book Review.

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Vinegar Girl : The Taming of the Shrew Retold by Anne Tyler

18 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Comedy, Fiction, Humor

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man-woman relationships, married people, sex role

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I loved Anne Tyler’s newest, a lighthearted, super adorable farce full of quirky characters. A friend told me she thought it was the perfect summer read and I agree.

“Resplendent storyteller Tyler (A Spool of Blue Thread, 2015) is perfectly paired with The Taming of the Shrew…Deeply and pleasurably inspired by her source, Tyler is marvelously nimble and effervescent in this charming, hilarious, and wickedly shrewd tale of reversal and revelation.”—Booklist (starred review)

“[A] screwball comedy of manners that actually channels Jane Austen more than Shakespeare. It’s clear that [Tyler] had fun with Vinegar Girl, and readers will too…A fizzy cocktail of a romantic comedy, far more sweet than acidic, about finding a mate who appreciates you for your idiosyncratic, principled self — no taming necessary.”—NPR.org

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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

9781602861800_p0_v1_s118x184

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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Euphoria by Lily King

04 Monday May 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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1930's, anthropologists, love triangles, man-woman relationships, married people, New Guinea, primitive tribes

9780802123701_p0_v3_s114x166

I can’t wait to post this book on the blog and share it with everyone who is looking for a gripping page turner!  My only complaint is that it ended too soon…only 261 pages.

Masterful…Euphoria begins so deep in the action that the reader is captured on Page 1… a thrilling and beautifully composed novel…A great novelist is like an anthropologist, examining what humans do by habit and custom. King excels in creating vignettes from Nell’s fieldwork as well as from the bitter conversation of the three love-torn collaborators, making the familiar strange and the strange acceptable. This is a riveting and provocative novel, absolutely first-rate.”—Seattle Times

“Atmospheric and sensual, with startling images throughout, Euphoria is an intellectually stimulating tour de force.”—NPR.com

“Set between the First and Second World Wars, the story is loosely based on events in the life of Margaret Mead. There are fascinating looks into other cultures and how they are studied, and the sacrifices and dangers that go along with it. This is a powerful story, at once gritty, sensuous, and captivating.”—Booklist

“Atmospheric…A small gem, disturbing and haunting.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Winner of the 2014 Kirkus Prize

Winner of the 2014 New England Book Award for Fiction

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