Halfway through this novel, if you had asked me how it was going, I would’ve said I think there was something lost in translation. Translated from Polish, the storyline dragged. Page after page of detailed Astrology jargon. A main character that was most certainly “unhinged.” Animals in the forest taking revenge on hunters? Enough! Or so I thought...
You know when you see a video clip, and they tell you to watch until the end...READ UNTIL THE END!!! Whoa, didn’t see that coming.
It was time to read a classic, and author Jane Austen has long been a favorite. However, it has been a long time since I’ve read any of Austen’s books...and I forgot how tedious her writing style can be. According to my daughter-in-law; “Austen can be wordy.” That’s an understatement but, I soldiered on. I enjoyed visiting the English countryside where polite society walked or rode in carriages to pay a visit to friends. I loved that their homes had names; Hartfield, Randalls, and Donwell. I was totally confused by all the surnames - Mr. Elton, Miss Woodhouse, Miss Smith, and Mr. and Mrs. Weston - especially when there were two brothers, both Mr Knightly. Love and courtship in Austen’s time was a mind numbing dance of suited partners sharing societal station and wealth. But, perhaps the biggest mystery of the novel: DO NONE OF THESE PEOPLE WORK? As happy endings go, the novel ended well. I do, however, wish that Austen had included an epilogue to let us know if Emma was still happy with her choice of mate ten years down the road.
The title grabbed my attention. The first chapter promised a geriatric romp, in a small southern town, amongst three close friends and their pets. But, Phennah’s novel lost me when those pets started having conversations. Who knew cats could type? Huh? An alleged sexual assault of a minor was dropped in the middle of the novel. Why? The resolution of the court trial was disappointing. If there was a “glimmer” it was the three friends supporting one another, with a lot of pastries, as they tackled the difficulties of aging. I wish Phennah had developed the character, Irene, who owned a sex shop (she seemed interesting). Oh well, better luck choosing my next read.
Considering that our country has been tipped on its head since the election, why would I choose a book with a narcissistic, power hungry, vindictive antagonist? Well, I was hoping for a happily-ever-after. I was hoping for the triumph of good over evil. I was hoping love would transcend all the bad. I was hoping for a storyline that would put a smile on my face, tug at my heart, and restore my faith in good, honest people. Done, done, and done!
New York. 1899. Wealth. Millionaire Row. Proper society. Enter Mathilda “Tillie” Pembroke. Intelligent, curious, socially inept. Patent medicines...opium, morphine, and heroine touted as non-addictive. Bran Stoker’s Dracula captured readers’ imagination. Murder with a list of suspects keeps Tillie busy while she fails to fight her addictions. I’m always on the lookout for a happily-ever-after ending, but…
Vampires, drugs, and money, this novel tied a bit of history with a great mystery!
I was in need of a feel good novel with a twist...and I found it in spades! A young woman trying to find herself with the help of her dead grandmother’s journals. Women with special gifts. A double murder. Life beyond the family farm. Romance. I wanted the murder solved as much as I wanted the protagonist, Lizzie, to fall in love with her neighbor. I wanted to hate the town who didn’t understand the women of Moon Girl Farm, just because they were different. I wanted Lizzie to find herself, reconcile with her mother, and live happily-ever-after. Having just finished the novel...I feel sooo much better now!
OMG! OMG! OMG! This novel was like a car wreck, you want to look away, but you just can’t. Set in Mexico in the 1950s, it wasn’t what I was expecting, at all. It was dark, foreboding, creepy, EVIL. But, the characters…”would cling to hope. Hope that the world could be remade, kinder and sweeter.” (301) Hope that good would triumph over evil. NOT to be read alone, in a dark house, on a cold, foggy night...just sayin’.
