Two Girls Down

Title:  Two Girls Down

Author:  Louisa Luna

Publication Information:  Doubleday. 2018. 320 pages.

ISBN:  0385542496 / 978-0385542494

Book Source:  I received this book through the Penguin First to Read program free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Jamie Brandt was not a bad mother."

Favorite Quote:  "You said every day we make a million little choices, and we should try to make the right ones as much as we can. And you said rarely in life do the big choices present themselves, so when they do, we have to take advantage of the opportunity. We have to do the right thing."

This mystery uses a formula that works in many books. Max Caplan is a down and out, divorced ex-cop. He is also honest and a great father to his intelligent teenage daughter. Alice Vega is an independent enigmatic private investigator with a behind the scenes IT expert who seems able to locate any and all information.

Their paths cross in a small Pennsylvania town. Two young girls disappear from a car in a parking lot while the mother runs quickly into the store. That image conjures up a parent's nightmare. The family calls in Alice Vega from California. Research leads Vega to Max. The police want neither of them involved, but a reluctant partnership forms nevertheless between Vega and Max. The clock ticks in rapidly in the race to find the missing girls before it's too late.

For what should be an action packed book, the story seems to move rather slowly. Much of the book reads like a police procedural. A lead is identified. It is followed. Interviews are done. A new lead is identified. And so on in a methodical, meticulous approach which works to solve a mystery but needs something more to fully engage. As is common with mysteries, the book has a lot of characters. In a small town, the stories of some overlap, and some just pick up and drop off. At times, it is difficult to follow who is being talked about as conversation shift throughout the book.

The main characters are a bit more developed. Throughout, the book drop hints and clues about the back stories for Max and Vega. However, the stories are never completely developed; they leave me wishing more details were given. It would perhaps make the characters more real and more memorable. A romance between the two is also hinted at, which I don't need to see in this book. Sometimes, it should be possible for two professionals to work together and create a successful duo without venturing into romance. It is not necessary. The fact of the undeveloped back stories, the hint of a romance, and the fact that the ending statement is a promise to return leaves me thinking that a series may be planned featuring the two characters.

Interestingly, while I enjoy reading about strong, female characters, Max is the one who engages me more in this book. Perhaps, his relationship with his daughter introduces a more emotional side which becomes more appealing than Vega's aloofness. The point of Vega's toughness seems pushed too hard in the book; it does not ring true. She is a little too perfectly imperfect. Max's daughter is perhaps my favorite character in the book. She is just a little too good and too perceptive to be true. However, she adds a bit of lightness to what is a dark and heavy story.

A formula for a book becomes that for the reason that it works for the most part. This structure leads to a quick, engaging read. However, it is the books that diverge from the formula that become memorable. This one really does not. It is momentarily engaging, but ultimately forgettable.

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Next Year in Havana

Title:  Next Year in Havana

Author:  Chanel Cleeton

Publication Information:  Berkley. 2018. 400 pages.

ISBN:  0399586687 / 978-0399586682

Book Source:  I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "'How long will we be gone?' my sister Maria asks."

Favorite Quote:  "... but the older you get, the more you learn to appreciate the moments life gives you. Getting them certainly isn't a given, and I feel blessed to have carved out a life  here where I could be happy even if it wasn't quite the happiness I envisioned, if the things I dreamed of never quite came to pass."

The title of this book is a literal wish. "As exiles, that hope is embedded in the very essence of our soul, taught from birth - 'Next year in Havana' - It's the toast we never stop saying, because the dream of it never comes true."

The tumultuous history of Cuba continues. Over the last couple of months, the world press has focused on the elections that took place in Cuba on March 11. The articles focus not on election issues but rather on the fact that for the first time in decades, the leadership of the Cuba is not in the hands of someone with the name Castro.

This book picks up on this current history and also takes it back to the beginning of the Castro regime. As often in historical fiction, this book follows the story of two individuals in two time periods. In 1959 Havana is nineteen year old Eliza Perez. Her family is Havana aristocracy, but the coming revolution puts their home and their very lives at risk. In 2017 Miami is Marisol Ferrera, the granddaughter of Eliza Perez. The only thing she knows of Cuba is through the stories of her family who left in 1959 and never went home again. Their stories are anchored in the past. "To be in exile is to have the things you love most in the world - the air you breath, the earth you walk upon - taken from you. They exist on the other side of a wall - there and not - unaltered by time and circumstance, preserved in a perfect memory in a land of dreams."

Her grandmother's dying wish brings Marisol to Havana. Her experiences there and her discovery of her grandmother's past cast all the family stories in a different light. The book traverses both time periods, looking at Cuba in both times in history and the challenges and choices that face the Cuban people.

As with books of this structure, the story one time period and one character has a stronger pull. In this case, it is definitely the story of the 1950s, not just Eliza but the entire Perez family. "We are silk and lace, and beneath them we are steel." Their relationships, their impossible choices, and the heartache of having to leave all they know makes for a compelling story.

Marisol's story draws me in less so for a few reasons. First, both time periods involve a love story. Eliza's is intense and integral to her story. Marisol's appears more a distraction and unnecessary. Statement like I "can get through a day with him as long as I focus on the sites before us and not his tanned forearms" and "the scent of his soap - clean and strong - fills my nostrils" seem out of place in what is otherwise a serious and sad tale.

Second, because Marisol is new to the reality of Cuba, those in Havana become her guides, often sounding like a history class. Luis, who becomes Marisol's partner in this journey, is in fact a history professor. The history is necessary, but at the same time, again listening to history is an entirely different experience than watching that history come to life. It reminds me of a basic school writing lesson of "show, don't tell."

Finally, that experience of living in this history is not Marisol's. The story of the past belongs to her grandmother, and the story of the present belongs to Luis and the people she meets in Havana. She sees and tells the story, but in so many ways, it is not her story. However, Eliza's story is very much hers, and it keeps me reading until the final page.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Great Alone

Title:  The Great Alone

Author:  Kristin Hannah

Publication Information:  St. Martin's Press. 2018. 448 pages.

ISBN:  0312577230 / 978-0312577230

Book Source:  I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "That spring, rain fell in great sweeping gusts that rattled the rooftops."

Favorite Quote:  "... home was not just a cabin in a deep woods that overlooked a placid cove. Home was a state of mind, the peace that came from being who you were and living an honest life. There was no going halfway home. She couldn't build a new life on the creaky foundation of a lie. Not again. Not for home."

Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear,

And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could hear;

With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you camped there in the cold,

A half-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean mad for the muck called gold;

While high overhead, green, yellow and red, the North Lights swept in bars? —

Then you've a hunch what the music meant. . . hunger and night and the stars.

The Shooting of Dan McGrew

by

Robert W. Service

This verse written about the vast beauty of Alaska is the source of the title for this book. The other inspiration for the setting comes from Kristin Hannah's own life. Part of her life was spent in Alaska after her parents left corporate life for a different adventure in Alaska.

The flip side of the incredible beauty of Alaska is a darker side. It is a harsh environment in which to live, and potential dangers - isolation, extreme weather, wilderness - are ever present in the environment. Within that, too, lie vibrant, close knit communities of individuals who call Alaska home. "Any life that could be imagined could be lived up here."

These layers carry over into the dark and often times sad story of this book. This is the story of POW and veteran Ernt Allbright suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and its devastating effects on him and his family. This is the story of an abusive marriage and Cora, a woman who time and again makes the choice to stay. Ultimately, it is the story of Leni, the child of that marriage.

Ernt Allbright on a quick decision moves his family to Alaska, with a wish to start over. "Alaska isn't about who  you were when you headed this way. It's about who you become." Unfortunately, he brings his demons with him. Cora and Leni survive as they always have. In Alaska, though, they find beauty, friendship, and a community. The community sees the reality of their lives and is ready to help should Cora and Leni choose to accept it.

I am not going to presume to judge why Cora stays. Based on nonfiction research, I know that staying in an abusive relationship for a long period of time happens with greater frequency than we would like to imagine possible. I also know that help can often times not be given unless the individual in the situation takes the first step. Actions have to be reported. Cases have to be filed. Conversations need to be started. In this story, Cora stays, and therefore, so does Leni.

The setup and the beginning of the book is intense in the characters, the setting, the situation, and the emotion. It has a sympathetic main character to care about. The events seem frighteningly real especially narrated from Leni's perspective. Surrounding it is the ever present vast beauty and danger of Alaska.

However, as the book proceeds, it is the same characters and the same theme, but the story loses its intensity and its believability. It seems like a race to incorporate every bad thing that can happen into this one story. With a small cast of characters, it is impossible to say where this book goes without a spoiler. Let's just say that it goes too far and undermines the "reality" of the powerful setup of the book. This is one that would receive a higher rating from me had it stopped at one major turning point in the story and left the reader with that dramatic conclusion.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Winter Station

Title:  The Winter Station

Author:  Jody Shields

Publication Information:  Little, Brown and Company. 2018. 352 pages.

ISBN:  0316385344 / 978-0316385343

Book Source:  I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "When Andreev said two bodies had been discovered outside the Kharbin train station, the Baron had an image of the dead men sprawled against snow, frozen in positions their bodies couldn't hold in life."

Favorite Quote:  "People can be reassured by a tone of voice. By a touch. A gesture. Even if the voice and gestures are false, the innocent person meets the liar halfway to complete the lie. It's a partnership."

The setting and the unusual-for-me theme are my reasons for reading this book. The setting is a Russian-ruled city of Kharbin, a major railway outpost in Northern China. The theme is an outbreak of the plague!

Researching the city, I learn that this story has an actual historical basis. The city of Harbin in the Heilongiang province was founded in the 1800s with the coming of the railways. It played a key role in the Russo-Japanese War in the early 1900s. Following the war, the city drew a diverse international population as a gateway into northeastern China. In 1910, the railway brought an outbreak of the pneumonic plague to the city. In a period of under a year, over 1,500 city residents - about five percent of the city population - died as a result. Ultimately, the plague claimed over 60,000 victims though Manchuria and Mongolia!

This story takes place in the fall of 1910 as the first victims are discovered. A lot of factors come into play as to what happens next. This region experiences bitterly cold winters; the cold and dark winter add an additional somber note to an already dark story. The city is depicted as a Russian-controlled, Chinese city. Cultural overlaps and differences add both additional complexities and conflicts as not everyone is respectful of the knowledge each culture has to lend to a solution. Different medical practises suggest different possibilities. Some are open to that; some are not. "We need all types of knowledge. Why not expand our circle of information?"

The history is fascinating. This book once again reaffirms the role historical fiction plays in introducing me to history I don't know. I find myself reading about the city and about the outbreak of the plague and about cultural interactions in the region. I end up spending more time with the history than the story itself.

The story as told in the book is less interesting - compelling in the intensity of the situation but less interesting to read. The narrator is the Baron, a Russian aristocrat and Medical Commissioner in the City. Through his eyes, the situation unfolds. Through his eyes, the reader also gets a glimpse of the culture and his respect for all the traditions he encounters. I love that respect.

That descriptive note though becomes the heart of the book. Nothing much happens in the plot itself. The book is slow-paced and sometimes seemingly repetitive. The plot essentially is the fear of contracting the plague and the desire to work to bring dignity to those who do suffer and to contain and stop the outbreak. This seems to repeat in a loop with different characters and in different social settings.

That is followed by what I feel is an abrupt and unexpected ending. I find myself turning the page to see if there is more, but there is not. The book has an ending, but no conclusion which leaves me unsatisfied as a reader. History tells us there was a conclusion; the book does not quite get there.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

Still Me

Title:  Still Me

Author:  Jojo Moyes

Publication Information:  Pamela Dorman Books. 2018. 400 pages.

ISBN:  0399562451 / 978-0399562457

Book Source:  I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "It was the mustache that reminded me I was no longer in England:  a solid, gray millipede firmly obscuring the man's upper; a Village People mustache, a cowboy mustache, the miniature head of a broom that meant business."

Favorite Quote:  "You and I. We are both immigrants. We both know it is hard to find your place in this world. You want to make your life better, work hard in country that is not your own - you make new life, new friends, find new love. You get to become new person! But is never a simple thing, never without cost."

Still me is the third in what is now a series about Louisa Clark. Me Before You was the first sensation. Then came After You. Still Me brings Louisa Clark across the pond to New York. This is one series that really should be read in order. Each book is a continuation of the Louisa's story from the previous book. The arc of the story projects, and the characters evolve from one book to the next. Without the background of the first two books, this one will definitely be lacking.

For the sake of background, here goes a quick synopsis. In Me Before You, Louisa meets the love of her life who teaches her how to grasp life. Unfortunately, he dies. In After You, Louisa tries to deal with her grief and follow that lesson; a new life emerges. In this book, that same challenge to "live your life" brings Louisa to New York City, seeking new adventures. In particular, it brings her to a posh condo in the Lavery, which "was a scaled-down imitation of the famous Dakota building." (I love when I find random connections between the books I read!)

The first book deals with the serious issue of an individual's right to die. The second book deals with grief. This book shifts focus to a woman's journey of self-discovery and her ability to find her own voice. All three books weave the stories with compassion and humor.

This book proceeds in a more predictable fashion than the other two. As a reader, I see things - actions and decisions by other characters - coming that Louisa does not. She does seem rather innocent of the machinations going on around her. Naivete? Stupidity? Innocence? At this point, because I am engaged in Louisa's story, it doesn't really matter. I go with a sweet innocence because it makes for a sweet, feel good story.

Therein in lies the success of these books for me. They all work because the writing draws these characters and makes them come to life and makes them "real." I vest in their stories and laugh and cry along with them.

Mind you, this holds true even of the side characters and plot lines. This book wins me over because it tries to capture some of the diversity that is the heartbeat of New York City. It further captures me because one of the side stories is about book and the importance of libraries! "Books are what teach you about life. Books teach you empathy. But you can't buy books if you barely got enough to make rent. So that library is a vital resource! You shut a library, Louisa, you don't just shut down a building, you shut down hope." In the middle of Louisa's individual story, the book manages to successfully incorporate bigger societal statements.

Finally, without a spoiler, I will say I loved the ending. It is sweet and romantic, but more important, it is about a woman finding her strength and standing on her own. "The key was making sure that anyone you allowed to walk beside you didn't get to decide which you were, and pin you down a like a butterfly in a case. The key was to know that you could always somehow find a way to reinvent yourself again."

The only question that remains mirrors my thought at the end of the previous book. Is another chapter in the life of Louisa Clark yet to come?

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

All Things Bright and Strange

Title:  All Things Bright and Strange

Author:  James Markert

Publication Information:  Thomas Nelson. 2018. 336 pages.

ISBN:  0718090284 / 978-0718090289

Book Source:  I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "The boy shuffled his feet in the dark basement."

Favorite Quote:  "It's long past time now that we find a way to gather again. Our beliefs may be different. Some may not believe at all. But we have the same questions, the same needs, the same desire for good to prevail. And it's time to focus again on what brings us together instead of what could tear us apart."

Your reaction to this book depends on what it is you are looking for in it. Yes, that is true of all books, but this one poses expectations based on the label that brings you to this book.

Some have labeled this book as Christian fiction. It is, and it isn't. The references and the names used are Christian images. The allegory-like plot of good versus evil can be seen in that light. The messages of tolerance can be seen as Christian in spirit. However, the book also ventures into the world of demons, voices from the beyond, and a literal battle between good and evil. As with all things religious, it depends on your interpretation whether something is or is not representative of your beliefs.

Some have labeled this book as historical fiction. It is, and it isn't. The main character's background is in the history and trauma of World War I. The book is set in the 1920s in the aftermath of the War. the defining moment in his personal life centers on race relations. Beyond that, to me, history is not what this book is about.

Some have labeled this book as Southern fiction. It is, and it isn't. Set in the the fictional town of Bellhaven, South Carolina, Southern culture and mysticism definitely play a role in this book. The starting point of the book in racism can certainly find a history in the South. Yet, this book could work in many different setting and environments. The story is not about the setting.

Fortunately, for me, I know none of these labels before reading this book. I am drawn to the book based on the cover, the title, and the description. "The town folk believe they’ve found a little slice of heaven in a mysterious chapel in the woods. But they soon realize that evil can come in the most beautiful of forms."

The description leads to one label that does fit this book - supernatural. The small town of Bellhaven, South Carolina discovers a hidden chapel in the woods. For each visitor, the chapel seems to fulfill a longing for someone who has died. This same small town also gets a mysterious new resident who buys and restores a decrepit mansion that is said to be haunted. All is clearly not what it seems. What appears good may not be, and what seems to embody evil may not be.

Within this supernatural battle lies the very human story of Ellworth Newberry. He did not die in the War, but he did lose his life. His physical injury led to the demise of a promising baseball career. His emotional scars leave nightmares and fear. An act of violence in his home town leads to his wife's death. Ellsworth Newberry retreats from the world and from his life. Yet, his home town still looks to him as a leader especially in the strange new goings-on in their town. This calamity may perhaps be Ellsworth's saving grace.

Within this supernatural story and this personal emotional journey lies a very strong message of tolerance which I love. This small South Carolina town is quite diverse in its ethnic, racial, and religious demographics. Yes, it is constructed to make a point, but it works for it repeats a powerful message. More unites us than divides us, and standing together, good prevails.

So, I don't know about all the other labels for this book. I label it enjoyable, thought provoking fiction.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Girls in the Picture

Title:  The Girls in the Picture

Author:  Melanie Benjamin

Publication Information:  Delacorte Press. 2018. 448 pages.

ISBN:  1101886803 / 978-1101886809

Book Source:  I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Lately, the line between real life and movies has begun to blur."

Favorite Quote:  "We remembered these identical experiences differently - but that didn't make them any less truthful. Two people could look at something - like this photograph - and see two different stories."

Screenwriter Frances Marion and movie star Mary Pickford were the best of friends until they were not. By the end of her career, Frances Marian wrote over 300 scripts and produced over 130 movies, including those she worked on with Mary Pickford. She was also the first writer to win two Academy Awards. Mary Pickford starred in over 50 movies in her career. She was not a child star per se, but she embodied the role of the ingenue to the point that her career as an actress could not proceed beyond the public perception of her as that character. Both are universally recognized throughout the film industries as pioneers and masters of the art of film.

The book begins at the end of the story. Frances arrives at Mary's house. They are both aging. Mary refuses to see Frances. Then, the story goes back to the beginning of their friendship in their twenties and the long path that they travel together. Through this lens, the book captures the evolution of the Hollywood film industry from the silent flickers to the talkies. It looks at the male domination of that industry and the struggle of these young women to have their voices heard. It paints a picture of both their personal lives and their professional achievements. Most personally, the book is a story of friendship and sisterhood, with all the love, conflict and forgiveness that entails.

Given that this is a story of two strong women, I find it odd that only one of them is a narrator. Frances's side of the story is told as a first person narrative. Mary's side of the story is a third person narrator. It makes an odd construct because what I learn about Mary seems to come through Frances's eyes. Both characters are developed, but I do feel that the gap of Mary's voice. I want the other side of the story. It also creates an imbalance between the two characters. Perhaps, that is deliberate given how their story goes, but it is nevertheless challenging to read. It feels as if a piece is missing.

Given that this is a story of two strong women, I also find it odd how much of the book focuses on their relationships with the men in their lives. In a professional setting, these conversations almost a hundred years could be part of the #metoo conversations taking place today. (I guess we haven't come that far in 100 years). The points about harassment, male domination, and a glass ceiling are relevant to the struggles of these women. What I find less relevant are the simpering sections that basically read romance. Those I can do without.

Given that this is a story of two strong women, I find it most odd that the characters don't jump off the page and come to life in their strength. It begins with the cover art, where the image looks nothing like the two main characters. Neither does it portray the direct look of strength and confidence. Within the story, this may be due to the pacing. History tells us of the accomplishments of these women; the fictional story seems to drag and get bogged in the details at times.

Nevertheless, as historical fiction, the book accomplishes one thing I love about the genre. I read the fiction, and then take off on a treasure hunt for the facts of the history.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.