Book Review -- Mr. Churchill's Secretary

Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

My enjoyment rating: 3 of 5 stars

Source:  Personal copy

Genre:  Fiction (not quite historical fiction, not quite mystery)

Objectionable material:  language, including the F-bomb (infrequent at best, though, and totally unnecessary).

Maggie Hope – American, Wellesley grad, gifted mathematician, expat in London, and working directly for Winston Churchill – what more could a girl ask for?

But Maggie’s life is far more complicated: on the eve of World War II, Maggie’s position as typist (well beneath her intellectual capabilities – but she was a WOMAN, after all) provides her access to many of the intimate details of the Battle of Britain. It also puts her in harm’s way – as a potential target for enemy sympathizers. When an innocent “advert” appears in the daily news, Maggie’s keen eyes, and penchant for secret code, puts her at the center of a conspiracy to bring down not only Winston Churchill, but one of London’s most visible landmarks, St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Susan MacNeal has written a spot on period piece, featuring a spunky sleuth, and vivid detail of WWII London. Although a work of fiction, the author used autobiographical details from secretaries who worked for the prime minister, as inspiration.

However, as much as I appreciated her central character and foggy London streets, I thought the “mystery” of the novel was elementary at best: a missing father, an IRA spy roommate, a dead co-worker – with Maggie saving the day in the end – was all rather MacGyver-ish, at best.

But, I did like Maggie enough that I would be willing to read author MacNeal’s second installment in Maggie Hope’s escapades: Princess Elizabeth’s Spy.

 

For those who love Maisie Dobbs or Bess Crawford, Maggie Hope would be a comparable read.

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Book Review -- Gone Girl

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My enjoyment rating: 3 of 5 stars (I'm not sure you can actually ENJOY this book)

Book source: Personal copy

Genre: Fiction; Psychological Thriller

Objectionable material:  Almost everything -- profanity, graphic sexual innuendo and situations -- if it was a movie it would be R rated.

 

 

Amy and Nick. Nick and Amy. A match made in heaven? Or a match destined to be destroyed?

 

Gone Girl is the IT book of 2012. I was determined to read it before the year ended.

 

The difficulty in reviewing a book like this, is there is SO much to talk about, analyze, discuss, but in doing so, would reveal far too much of the book’s plot and direction.

 

So I offer the following:

• Gone Girl is possible one of the best technically crafted books I’ve read. Clearly, Gillian Flynn can write. She mixes wit with trauma, romance with tension, suspense with sympathy. Things that normally make me put aside a book (F-BOMBS – YIKES!), I over looked (or closed my eyes) just to keep reading the novel.

• There is nothing to like about Nick or Amy. Nothing…but Flynn keeps you reading just the same.

• Secondary characters are woven into this novel like embroidery thread. You never know how they will fit in to the narrative – but they do – and successfully. Keep in mind one in particular: Desi.

That being said – this was not a pleasant book. It was much like a match: the first 100 pages exploded off the page – but the longer it read (or burned) the less brightly it continued. By the end, I was SO ready for it to be over.

Speaking of the ending: many of the reviews I’ve “skimmed” complain about the ending. I was completely satisfied with the way it ended. Is it how I imagined it would end? No. But it made total sense – and was in complete harmony with the characters.

Ultimately – I can see why this was a 5 star book for many – but because of the language, sexual innuendo, and overriding evil that pervades this book, I can only manage 3 stars.

 

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Book Review -- Wonder

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

My enjoyment rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source:  Personal copy

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Objectionable material: None

Born with severe facial birth defects, August Pullman (Auggie), must for the first time face, what’s tough for even typical kids, the rigors of public school.

He is taunted and teased, jeered and ignored – he is the one all other 5th graders consider to have the “plague” because of his deformities.

But among the cruelty, there are a few points of light – his friends Jack and Summer, his parents, his sister Via, and his dog, Daisy.

Auggie has every reason to give up on school – and life – but through the eyes of author, RJ Palacio, we see Auggie for what he really is – a truly WONDER of a little boy.

This was a remarkable novel about how the viciousness of school aged kids is directed at one student, and how kindness from a few, brings hope to all.

There were several remarkable aspects to this novel: Auggie’s determination, his relationship with his parents, the resiliency of a few friends, the support of teachers – even the love of his dog. Auggie’s plight was visceral and real.

However, the one aspect of the novel I really struggled with was the age of these students: purported to be 5th graders in “middle school,” the dialog and scheming of the students involved really felt like kids in 7th or 8th grade. As a mother of a 5th grader – a kid like Auggie going to our school (K-5) might be looked at funny – and whispered about – and certainly experience unkindness (unfortunately) -- but the lengths at which some of the kids go to isolate and berate Auggie seem out of line with the social maturity (or lack thereof) of a 5th grader. Also, at the end of the novel, Auggie’s friend Jack makes the comment, “When did Summer get so Hot?” Yeah…my 5th grader has no clue about girls – the only thing he thinks is HOT is the new football he’s playing with on the playground.

Aside from that, Wonder is exactly what it says…a wonder.

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Book Review -- The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My enjoyment rating: 3 of 5 stars

Source:  Personal copy

Genre:  YA Fiction

For the sensitive reader:  premarital sex; some language (I think?)

Hazel and Augustus -- both with cancer, both in love, both trying to live longer than expected.

This was a smart, brave, emotional journey of two teenagers who are fighting for one more day with each other.

It was a tender love story -- with very adult situations and results.

Only complaint: their obsession with a reclusive author, whom they track down in Sweden. He is a drunk and dysfunctional. For me, it was awkward and unsatisfying.

The last few pages of the book include one of the best "love letters" ever. Cue tissues.

 

*(It's been several weeks since I finished this book -- and a vacation too -- hence the brevity -- my brain only retains so much).

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Occupational Hazard

It's happened.

 

The dreaded occupational hazard that lurks around every page and at the end of any unsuspecting book.

 

It can't be predicted. 

 

It's not the same for everyone.

 

But every book blogger will experience it at some point in their blogging life.

A Reading Rut.

I can't seem to get past 12 pages of any book I pick up.  The more I read...the fewer pages I finish.

 

My eyes glaze over at my Nook or a paperback.

 

Even the books I've been dying to read for months are tossed aside like empty candy wrappers.

 

Maybe it was the election.  Maybe it was football season.  Maybe it's the impending holidays.

 

I can't identify the cause...but I do know that this is not the first time I've experienced a rut...nor will it be the last.  But I do know, I will crawl out of the literary hole I am in, and will be refreshed by the time away from pages and words.

 

In the mean time...I hope your reading flourishes, while I am trying to find my mojo.

 

Check back in after Thanksgiving.  We are taking a road trip to Disney World...surely 16 hrs trapped in the car with my kids will force me to take refuge in a book.   Because that's not just reading...that's survival.

Book Review -- The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My enjoyment rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book source:  Library

Genre: Juvenile/YA fiction (won the Newbery Award (juv), but cataloged at our library in the YA section)

Sensitive reader:  the opening scene (a murder) could be difficult for young readers -- but it's something I would let Daisy Daughter (11 yrs old) read.

 

What do you get when you combine a horrific murder, an orphaned baby, and an ancient graveyard: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman -- the perfect book to read for Halloween -- ghosts, witches, ghouls, spells, caskets, crypts – and an unlikely survivor, Bod Owens.

I really enjoyed this book. Just the right amount of spooky without being terrifying. Just the right amount of sinister without being evil (except for the murder part). A group of ghosts that were amazingly creative, unique and loving – like the people they once were. The author does a great job creating an atmosphere of Dickens’ England, but set in modern day.

I think my only quibble with the book (OK 2 quibbles) is: the reason Bod survives his family’s massacre and why he has been targeted by the “Order of Jacks” is fuzzy at best. The author failed to make the correlation the least bit clear. And anytime you include an orphaned boy, the boy’s mentor, a female friend, a pit with a snake – one is immediately reminded of ANOTHER book with an orphaned boy, a boy’s mentor, a female friend, and a pit with a snake. Surely a talent like Neil Gaiman could have come up with something else. Come on. Give it a try.

That said, I still really liked the book. A good choice from my friend Liz.

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October Book Club -- Destiny of the Republic

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

My enjoyment rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source: Personal copy

Genre:  Non-fiction; presidential history

Objectionable material: none (unless you get woozy at descriptions of oozing infectious masses).

 

Clorox wipes? Hand sanitizer? Soap and water?

So many “sanitary” tools that we use to keep our modern day world germ free.

Not so in the late 1880s. And it ultimately proved fatal to our 20th president, James Garfield.

Candice Millard builds an engaging multi-layered narrative around the humble life of James Garfield, his insane stalker Charles Guiteau, his team of highly trained (for the time period), but completely inept doctors, and one very popular inventor, Alexander Graham Bell.

To look at this work with modern 21st century eyes you gasp with the thought of -- how on earth could this have happened: A president unguarded with a stalker on the loose, medical professionals probing an injured body with filthy instruments and fingers, and a family waiting in agony as their beloved father and husband writhes in septic infection.

This was a very informative book – I knew nothing of Pres. Garfield. He was a footnote at the bottom of any history book. But he was a man beloved by a nation, who had no desire to become President of the United States. But when called upon, he accepted the nomination.

My only grumble – the writing was a bit flat and a few of the storylines felt incomplete. For instance, when describing Garfield’s romance/courting with his wife Lucretia, in once sentence you get the sense that it is a glorious romance, in the next line you aren’t sure whether they love each other at all. It was fuzzy at best.

Overall however, this was a remarkable history lesson about a man and a president where you can honestly say, “oh, what might have been...”

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October Mother Daughter Book Club -- Stargirl

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

My enjoyment rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daisy Daughter's rating:  4 of 5 stars

Source:  Library

Genre:  YA Fiction

Objectionable material:  None

 

From Amazon: Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.
Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

This was an extremely powerful book. Such a strong message on the necessity of maintaining your personal uniqueness in the face of overwhelming peer pressure.

The story of Stargirl and Leo has resonated for generations, and is timeless for generations to come.

Staying true to yourself, your beliefs, your soul, your identity, is complicated and difficult to say the least. Not only for a high school student, but for adults as well.

But this book is an essential reminder that our distinctiveness should never be sacrificed, but revered.

 

I was unable to attend our Mother/Daughter book club meeting, but Daisy daughter reported that the girls really enjoyed this, and committed to keeping their inner "Stargirl" alive!

 

Our November Mother Daughter book club selection:

 

The School Story by Andrew Clements

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Book Review -- Call the Midwife

Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s. by Jennifer Worth

My enjoyment rating: 5 of 5 stars

Source:  Library

Genre: Memoir

Sensitive reader:  Explicit detail on child birth, venereal disease, and prostitution.

A time capsule.

That is what Jennifer Worth has given us in her memoir, Call the Midwife, a perfectly captured time-capsule of her life in London’s East End, where she trained as a nurse, midwife in the 1950s.

This was a glorious book. Her storytelling was superb. I was immediately transported to post-War London, walking foggy streets, among ramshackle buildings and immense poverty. But among the ruins, is a group of midwives, The Sisters of St. Raymond Nonnatus, who care for the greater population of women of the East End.

We learn to love, hope, dream, care, cry, and mourn for her patients: Mary, a 15 yr old prostitute; Molly, the very young abused mother of 3; Sally, a 21 yr old expectant “mum” who suffers from eclampsia; Mrs. Jenkins, whose story is so tragic, it could be a book unto itself; and Concita Warren, a mother of 25 (take that Michelle Duggar!), who speaks no English, but raises her family with love and courage.

She also gives us a great history lesson about the East End and the “Cockney” residents. It was an education just trying to understand how they spoke!

I wanted to read Ms. Worth’s memoir BEFORE I watched the mini-series. I’m so glad I did. It will be one of my top 5 favorite books of the year. I loved it.

Call the Midwife is the first of a trilogy of books that she wrote – the second, Shadow of the Workhouse, and third, Farewell to the East End. I’m eager to read those as well.

Sadly, I learned that Ms. Worth died last year. I wonder what she would think of her memoir being adapted to a mini-series?

Finally, here is a lovely video of Ms. Worth reminiscing about her work in the East End.  It is a treat.

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September Mother Daughter Book Club -- The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

My enjoyment rating: 2 of 5 stars

Daisy Daughter enjoyment rating:  4 of 5 stars

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Source:  Personal copy

Objectionable material: None

Mother Daughter book club – year #4!

We’ve made it to Middle School! We’ve lost a few members, but the girls were glad to be back together.

Our selection this month was The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. Mr. Stewart is a local author, so it seemed appropriate to read a book by a “neighbor.”

There were several aspects of this book that the girls enjoyed discussing: What determines a family? What are your strengths/talents? Does this book exemplify teamwork? How well would you have worked as a team?

Daisy daughter and her friends enjoyed this book much more than I did. I found the depth of the story lacking, and had a really difficult time maintaining interest. The four society members had some really interesting tests to accomplish in the beginning that were VERY clever. After that, it meandered, and introduced a "whispering machine" that I still don't quite understand. I didn’t finish it until 3 days after our discussion. That being said, Daisy daughter is already on book #2 of the series. I think I am done.

Although the book was a bust for me – I can tell you that I am thrilled that after 4 years, we are still meeting. As the girls mature, their comments are more thought provoking and in-depth. And the moms get a chance to talk about our developing pre-teens. It’s a joy!

 

Our October selection:

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Part fairy godmother, part outcast, part dream-come-true, the star of Spinelli's novel shares many of the mythical qualities as the protagonist of his Maniac Magee. Spinelli poses searching questions about loyalty to one's friends and oneself and leaves readers to form their own answers.

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