Share this:

Lust! Murder! Lies! Sex! This novel, based on a real-life event, has it all!

In 1927 Ruth Snyder and her lover, Judd Gray, conspired to murder Ruth’s husband, Albert. This is a fictionalized version of the events that led up to Albert’s untimely demise, and the famous trial that followed.

The story is a familiar one: a young, unhappy woman has made the mistake of marrying an older man whom she doesn’t love. Her husband, Albert, seems to share her ambivalence. In fact, he keeps a large oil painting of his deceased previous fiancé prominently displayed in the bedroom and has named his boat after her. He gives Ruth an amazing amount of freedom, especially considering the times, to go out with other male “pals”. It is on one of these outings that she meets Judd Gray, a handsome lingerie salesman who has his own problems at home. The two, Ruth and Judd, begin a steamy love affair that soon has turned Judd into an alcoholic and has Ruth plotting her husband’s murder. There could hardly be two more inept murderers, and the police quickly bring them to justice.

This is no who-dun-it.

At first it wasn’t clear exactly what Hansen had in mind when he decided to write about this event, which was widely chronicled at the time and about which several non-fiction accounts have been written. It seems that he was interested in exploring what brought these two morally bankrupt, but once law-abiding, people together. He has done a fine job of laying the foundation for the crime.  By turns funny, pathetic, and shocking – but never boring - Hansen lets us see how this may have transpired: the initial attraction and seduction, the manipulation, the human weaknesses. He then follows the famous trial, during which Ruth does everything possible to throw Judd under the bus. Ultimately I came away with a modicum of sympathy (tinged with disdain) for the hapless Judd. Ruth just had it coming!

Grade: B

Share this:

It’s hard to believe that two months have passed since my last post. I don’t know exactly where the time has gone – the flu, family obligations, Thanksgiving, general laziness. No great explanation, but I have been reading through it all. I’m going to do something I’ve never done before – just post a running summary and a few comments to get me caught up from my disappointed posting on Ken Follett’s Winter of the World.

I began with the first of Edward St. Aubyn’s Patrick Melrose novels, Never Mind. This bleak and disturbing introduction to the series tells the story of Patrick’s childhood, the son of a sadistic father and alcoholic mother. The writing is outstanding, but it takes a certain amount of courage to work your way through it. I found that I needed to take a break when I was done, but I’m not giving up on reading more. I just need to gather up my courage!

Grade: A

I was very excited about the release of this follow-up novel to Dennis Lehane’s The Given Day. It follows the Coughlin family from Boston to Tampa, Florida when young Joe gets seduced and then trapped into the early days of organized crime, brought on by Prohibition. If you haven’t read The Given Day you will still be able to understand and follow the story line and characters. If you have read The Given Day you might, as was I, be mildly disappointed in this second in what is planned as a trilogy about the early 20th Century. I am a big fan of Lehane’s, but this is not one of my favorites.

Grade: B-

This one was a book club selection and, to be perfectly fair, I would never have picked it up otherwise. I’m not an Alice Hoffman fan, nor do I enjoy magical realism, so you can see that I began from a biased point of view. This is the story of the Jews disastrous escape from the Romans to the Judean desert in 70 CE. If it had not been for the magical realism mentioned above and the ham-handed writing, this could have been a fascinating story. For me, it was so irritating and annoying that I gave it up after 100 pages.

Grade: D

This was a quirky little story about a man who received a letter from a co-worker from his past that ultimately inspired him to walk 500 miles across Britain in the belief that by doing so, he could keep her alive. It was a light, enjoyable read with odd characters and a sympathetic hero that made the longlist for Britain’s 2012 Man Booker prize. Not nearly competition for the Man Booker winner, Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (read my review), but an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

Grade: B

Winner of the National Book Award, I recommend that you run to the nearest bookstore, buy a copy, clear your calendar, and immerse yourself in this outstanding piece of literature. I believe it is Erdrich’s best book yet, out of a series of great books, and will be a strong contender for my favorite book of the year. It’s a coming-of-age novel based on a young Ojibwe boy’s attempt to deal with the aftermath of a family crisis. I loved everything about this book -the narrator, the narrative, the sociological and legal issues that arise when a crime is committed on an Indian reservation, and the deft play between tragedy and comedy.

Grade: A

I am a great fan of Michael Connelly, particularly the Harry Bosch series, so when I heard in September that this was scheduled for release Nov. 26, I pre-ordered the Kindle version and prepared myself for the long wait. I was not disappointed. If you are a fan of police procedurals and/or crime in LA novels, I recommend this book. It’s genre fiction; if you only read literary fiction, this isn’t for you. If you sometimes like to read for pure entertainment, you could do a lot worse than Michael Connelly.

Grade: A

Along with the above novels, I have intermittently been reading these two outstanding short story collections by two extremely gifted writers. Although very different in style, voice, and “topics,” there are some remarkable similarities in theme. I haven’t come across one story in either collection that doesn’t pack a punch. If you like short stories, I highly recommend both.

Well, this about sums it up. As you can see, I’ve been busy reading. I’ll try to be a little more focused on getting busy writing!

 

Share this:

It is with real disappointment that I tell you I am abandoning this book. I had such high hopes for it! I know, I know – Follett is not what you would ever call a great writer, but he has always been such a good storyteller that I’ve been willing to overlook his literary shortcomings. Pillars of the Earth is still one of my favorite books. I thought Fall of Giants was engrossing. And, of course, Eye of the Needle is one of the great spy novels of all time. So what happened here?

Winter of the World is the second in what Follett plans to be a trilogy chronicling the 20th Century. The first book, Fall of Giants, covers the beginning of the century to the end of World War I. Winter of the World picks up with the Nazi rise to power and continues through the advent of the atomic bomb.

I think the main problem is that the story of World War II is already told, and told well. City of Thieves, Diary of Ann Frank, Maus, Winds of War, The Tin Drum – well, the list goes on and on. In order for any book on this subject to be of interest or import, it really needs to bring something new to the table. Winter of the World tells the same old story, but Follett overreaches in his attempt to bring all sides of the story together. Even at more than 900 pages, it’s a difficult task to do well.

In this book, Follett tells the story through the eyes of various characters from each of the major players -the US, England, Germany, Russia (very, very little included on Japan and the Pacific) - the same characters we met in Fall of Giants, plus their offspring. This large cast of characters results in superficial treatment of both the events and the characters. Interspersed with trite dialogue you’ll find an over-generalization of the events. As a reader, I was frustrated on both scores.

Even the greats are allowed a misstep or two, so I’m willing give Follett a pass on this disappointing book. However, I’m not willing to spend the time needed to read the last 450 pages when there are so many deserving titles on my long TBR list!

Grade: Incomplete

Share this:

The ad in the New York Times for this book caught my eye, which is a reminder in this e-book world of the power of the interesting or well-designed book cover. Mainly it caught my eye because it reminded me of the Everything is Illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer) cover, but I stopped to look at the ad. Then I realized that it was being reviewed in the NYT Book Review. After I read the review I went directly to Amazon.com and loaded this book onto my Kindle (yes, I get the irony of being attracted to it by the cover, which is lost on my Kindle).

This is all told as my rationalization for why the laundry isn’t done, the insurance check isn’t mailed, and the floor is covered with unvacuumed golden retriever fur. From the moment I picked this book up, I didn’t want to put it down. Ever since I finished The World According to Garp in the 1970s, I’ve looked for a book that so seamlessly and completely blended tragedy with comedy, that made me laugh as it broke my heart. And – this is, to me, a plus – there is no wrestling and no bears (you John Irving fans will know what I mean). It is not hyperbole to say that this is my favorite book of the year.

There are a million reviews out there to give you a synopsis of the story. I don’t know why so many reviewers and bloggers want to tell you what happens, but I hate that and try not to do it any more than necessary. If you want to know a lot about the plot, you should look somewhere else. The title tells you most of what you need to know. The narrator, Benjamin Benjamin, fills in the details in the first chapter (titled “hooked on mnemonics” [sic]) when he applies for a certificate in caregiving:

Conveniently the Department of Social and Human Services has devised dozens of helpful mnemonics to help facilitate effective caregiving. To wit:

• Ask
• Listen
• Observe
• Help
• Ask again

As you read, you will understand how and why these fundamentals come to be revised. ‘Nuff said.

Evision masterfully weaves humor and pathos throughout this story – there are more examples than I could possibly give, but here’s a taste:

As a father and son struggle to salvage some sort of relationship, Ben observes,  “Bob and Trevor are having a moment, or at least Bob is doing his best to make it a moment, while stuck to the heel of his outstretched cast, three squares of toilet paper stir gently in the desert breeze.”

However, there are other moments when Evision forces us to look squarely in the face of those truths we would rather not ever have to face:

Listen to me: everything you think you know, every relationship you’ve ever taken for granted, every plan or possibility you’ve ever hatched, every conceit or endeavor you’ve ever concocted, can be stripped from you in an instant. Sooner or later, it will happen. So prepare yourself. Be ready not to be ready. Be ready to be brought to your knees and beaten to dust. Because no stable foundation, no act of will, no force of cautious habit will save you from this fact: nothing is indestructible.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this book is one of despair or hopelessness – quite the opposite. Ultimately you are left with the feeling that there is nothing that can’t be overcome. When you close the cover (or slide the power switch) you will feel good, you will have faith restored. You will believe that you can triumph over adversity – or at least survive it. Just remember to ask, listen, observe, help, and ask again.

Grade: A+

Share this:

It is a real thrill for me to introduce my first guest blogger, Aline Ohanesian, to review Chris Bohjalian’s new novel, The Sandcastle Girls.

Ms. Ohanesian’s upcoming novel, The Exile, was a finalist for the 2012 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and is scheduled to be released in 2013.

Learn more about Ms. Ohanesian and her work at http://www.alineohanesian.com/AlineOhanesian/Home.html

And now to her review:

Let me begin with a disclaimer: I was predisposed to like, no love, this book because I am a descendent of genocide survivors and my own upcoming novel, The Exile, is also about the Armenian Genocide. In addition, I’ve been a Chris Bohjalian reader and fan or a number of years. So now that I’ve blown all pretense at objectivity to smithereens, let me tell you why The Sandcastle Girls is a must-read.

This is an epic tale of love and loss. The kind of story that tears at your insides and makes you realize that “history does matter,” as one of the characters in Sandcastle Girls proclaims.

When novelist Laura Petrossian researches her Armenian heritage, she discovers that her Bostonian grandmother, Elizabeth, and her Armenian grandfather, Armen, fell in love in the midst of one of the greatest human rights disasters in history. As she delves deeper into the past, Laura uncovers family secrets that have been buried for almost a century. Bohjalian leads the reader into the Ottoman Empire in 1915 through the story of Laura’s grandmother, Elizabeth Endicott.

Elizabeth and her well-meaning father travel to Turkey on a philanthropic mission to provide food and medicine to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, in which 1.5 million people were killed. Half-starved refugees who have endured unspeakable horrors stagger into Alleppo and into our hearts. There is the silent orphan, Hatoun, the noble Nevart and, finally, Armen, a young engineer who has lost his wife and young daughter, but finds love in Elizabeth’s arms.

The characters in The Sandcastle Girls will stay with you long after you’ve put the book down. It is a spellbinding story, masterfully told by Bohjalian, whose bestselling works include Midwives, Double Bind, Transister Radio, and Skeletons at the Feast.

Share this:

Next weekend my husband and I will take our annual trip to San Diego’s Coronado Island. The highlight of this trip is always the morning we spend browsing in the wonderful indie bookstore, Bay Books. This store, deceptively small on the outside, is one of the best stocked indies (as well as one of the very few indies) in Southern California.

If you read this blog, you know that I am a dedicated Kindle reader and most of my reading is done on my Kindle. However, I like to do all I can to support independent bookstores, so I always drop a fair amount of cash at Bay Books, Laguna Beach Books and Vroman’s in Pasadena whenever I happen to be there.

I usually have a list of books I’m looking for when I go, but we just went to Vroman’s a few weeks ago.  I haven’t had time to start a new TBR list, so I’m looking for recommendations. There are several types of books I particularly like to buy in “book” form:

• Classics that I plan to keep (will be looking for Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety)
• Poetry
• Non-fiction, particularly if it includes quality photography
• Instructional books (typically on writing, technology, etc)

Having said that, I’m open to anything that you think is a book worth keeping, and would love your suggestions.

I just finished Toni Morrison’s new book, Home, and will review it in the next day or two.Spoiler: I loved it!! Just need some time to think it through – it’s a small book with important ideas!

Looking forward to your recommendations!