“The Handmaid’s Tale”

There have been a lot of references made to this novel in recent months. So, I decided I had to find out for myself, why.

If I had to describe Atwood’s “tale” in one word, it would be DISTURBING. A world destroyed. Patriarchy. Loss. Re-populate. Trapped.

At times I found it extremely difficult to continue. It wasn’t graphic. It was more jaw-dropping. A lot of…what? Are you kidding me? How does that work? How could you so devalue human life? When do the ends justify the means? How do the goals of the few negate the lives of the many? Where and when did society lose its moral compass? When and where did we veer off path?

I don’t like to think of this as a cautionary tale…but over the past year some of these same ideologies have crept into our society. My takeaway? Hope. Hope for a future engineered by all of us, for all of us.

The Mistletoe Mystery

 

It’s a novella…so an abbreviated review seems only fitting!

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Secrets. Challenges. Love. Happily-ever-after.

“The Mystery Guest”

I’ll keep this short and sweet…

Back at the Regency Grand Hotel. Quirky, Molly Gray, head maid. Murder. Deception. Details. Memories. Love. Friendship. Respect. Aside from the death of “beloved” author Grimthorpe, what a great romp. Finding value in the talents of others. Recognizing said talents. Searching for the happily-ever-after ending.

“Comfort and Joy”

 

Okay, okay, you had me hooked from the very beginning. Cruising along, heading toward the “happily-ever-after” ending, when suddenly there is a HUGE TWIST.

How can any of us be sure that the lives we are living are real? How can we be sure that our day to day lives are not being played out on some cosmic reality show? What about our dreams? Magic? Our mental health.

When do we decide to reach for happiness? To throw away what we know to be real and safe, for a chance. What if that chance threatens our mental stability? Who might question your reality? Who will believe you?

What about following our dreams? The course our lives take. What is in our control and what isn’t? Which path do we choose? Something safe? Or, something more esoteric? How might a little Christmas magic play into our perceived reality?

Will our characters get the “happily-ever-after” ending they deserve? Or will it all have been a dream?

“The Widening Stain”

Dead. Not one, but two dead academics. (Oops, spoiler alert) 1940s. University. Money. Greed. Professional jealousy. Love.

When a crime is committed, in this case murder, there is a widening stain…a pebble in a pond effect. Those rings reach further than murderer and victim. No one in the tight academic community is left unaffected.

The love interest. Gilda Gorham. Hot blooded female. Femme fatale? Professional. Working girl. Smoker. Passionate. 

Point of view is always skewed to our present time and place. It’s difficult at times to be one with the characters of the 1940s, when our own life experiences are so different. Social status. Gender roles. Motivation. All are time dependent.

Crime solved. However, the widening stain will always be present in the lives of the characters. Not so much for me.