“Black Cake”

 

“…our identities can be shaped as much by untold stories as by the stories we choose to share.” (385)

There were so many parts of this novel that resonated with me. Family. Food. Secrets. Lies. I always thought that if I were going to write a book it would be titled: “Lies My Grandmother Told Me.” But the untold stories that she never shared, might have been far more interesting and telling, than the lies she perpetuated. Choices we make. The stories we tell ourselves. The lens with which we view our past. Out of focus? Sharp? Blind? Those of us left, with the fallout from those lies, feel betrayed, lost, hurt, doubting who we are. Those we love and trust, their lives affecting ours via the lies they told. Were they trying to construct a better narrative…a happily-ever-after? How do the decisions we make, in good faith, affect our story, and future stories?

“The Spanish Daugher”

 

“Oh what a tangled web we weave…when first we practice to deceive.”

-Walter Scott

Ecuador, 1920

When do the “means justify the end?” How far will you take the deceit? When will you “come clean” with the truth? Is your righteous act any different from those trying to stop you from stealing their life?

Told through the voices of Don Armand’s children; love is what they’ve all been seeking from their father. Murder, deception, greed, jealousy, and cacao. So many secrets. So much pain. When will the lies and deceit end? Is reconcilliation even possible?

“Cleopatra’s Dagger”

 

Loose ends. I hate loose ends. 

1880 New York is the perfect backdrop for a serial killer. 1880 New York is where a woman can make a name for herself as a crime reporter. 1880 New York is a great example of the haves and have nots, corrupt police, and pushing the boundaries of polite society. 1880 New York is not for the faint of heart. 

I worried about the heroine throughout the novel. I had my suspects all lined up…waiting for the hammer to fall. So many questions left unanswered.

1880 New York is not the place for loose ends.

“Carolina Built”

Historical fiction. The late 1800s. North Carolina. Josephine Leary’s story teeters on the verge of being unbelievable. This rags to riches story has our heroine fighting against stereotypes, both because of her gender and her race. Ahead of her time, perhaps, wanting more out of life. Securing a future for her daughters, all while continually bruising her husband's delicate ego.

Josephine Napoleon Leary was a force of nature. Pragmatic. Passionate. Determined. Loving. She left slavery in the rear view mirror and charged into the future with both guns blazing. A force to be reckoned with…

“The House on Mango Street”

 

My granddaughter is reading this book as part of her seventh grade curriculum. I had purchased the book for my classroom, but had never read it…until now.

The voice is that of Esperanza. The storyline is shown as glimpses into life on Mango Street - vignettes. Short chapters (which my granddaughter likes) are rich with detail. Family. A lot of COUSINS, sooo manny cousins. Friends. School. Boys. Life. Messy. As I read, I continually wondered how my granddaughter would react to some of the uglier sides of life on Mango Street. 

Taken as a whole you get a sense of the complexities of the neighborhood, of growing up, and of eventually coming home. My favorite vignette is that of the stolen car, and the cousins waving goodbye to the thief as he is being taken away by the police.

“The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas”

“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree…”

What if…no, no one in their right mind would do that, but…what if?

A family in mourning. A broken collection of people in survival mode. A dating app. Gifts from a stranger. Noise. Chaos. New responsibilities. A new focus. A new path to healing. Love.

Topsy-Turvy is a fitting description to what befalls this family of three. Ms. Truelove is magical.

“The Murder Before Christmas”

“…that’s what life’s like. It’s messy. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. You’re going to make mistakes. People around you are going to make mistakes. You’re human. And if you don’t learn to forgive, you’re going to make life that much more difficult for yourself.” (182)

How is it that a book finds you? The message jumps out and stabs you in the heart? (It was a murder mystery after all) You get to the end, sigh, and feel spent. Your emotions and thoughts are running in 50 different directions. Life is messy. Family is messy. We all make mistakes. Forgiveness. Always, forgive…