Review of Matrimony by Joshua Henkin

Matrimony

Joshua Henkin

2007







Matrimony is the story of Julian Wainwright and Carter Heinz who meet at Graymont College. Julian and Carter come from different worlds, Julian the son of wealthy New Yorkers and Carter the son of working class parents from California. Carter meets and falls in love with Pilar and Julian meets and falls in love with Mia. The two couples develop a friendship and spend much time together in college.

Senior year, Mia's world is crushed when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. This sends her looking for security with Julian and the two marry shortly before the end of their senior year. Carter spends most of his time trying to make Julian feel bad about where he came from. Always throwing comments about being a "trust fund baby" his way. He always feels inadequate to Julian and this is his own doing.

Things come out into the open when Julian visits Carter for his law school graduation and a dirty little secret is revealed. Julian's whole world is crushed when he finds this out. He and his wife separate. Julian spends the next few years soul searching and finds forgiveness.

This story was very reminiscent of friends of mine from college. Sadly, my friends did not end up the way that Julian and Mia did. I am sure many people can identify with the main characters and the issues that they face. I would have liked another chapter going into Julian's reconciliation with his parents and his relationship with Carter. Overall, this was a good, fast-paced book that brought back many memories from my own college experience.

Joshua Henkin has been kind enough to offer an autographed copy of the paperback when it is released in August so stay tuned for your chance to win!

Review of The Dangerous Joy of Dr. Sex and Other True Stories

The Dangerous Joys of Dr. Sex and Other True Stories

By Pagan Kennedy

Publisher: Santa Fe Writers Project

Release Date September 2008

Nonfiction

The Dangerous Joys of Dr. Sex and Other True Stories are 15 short stories written by Pagan Kennedy. The main story is about Alex Comfort, author of the 1970s hit Joys of Sex. Kennedy interviewed Comfort's son Nick for the story and really dug deep into the heart of what inspired Comfort to write such a provocative book.

My favorite story was How to Make (Almost) Anything on Saul Griffith. Griffith is an MIT Grad student who is working on a machine to make eye glass lenses for third world countries. He realized after traveling to hand out used glasses to the poor that there was a need for this type of inexpensive equipment and set out to invent it. He is currently working on funding for production. The most inspiring part of his story is that he has created a cartoon for children to inspire them to invent things. When he was a child he would tinker around with miscellaneous items around the house to come up with some type of "machine". He feels that today's kids do not have this same desire due in part to our culture of video games. The comic strip gives the kids ideas on how to become inventors or "mad scientists" while using critical thinking and their imagination.

Kennedy really captured the passion of 12 everyday people who are trying to change the world. Often these people are overlooked and not given the credit they deserve for their work. All of them, in some way, are trying to make this world a better place for us. I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to other books written by Pagan Kennedy.

Special thanks to The Santa Fe Writers Project for sending me this copy for review. For more information please visit their website.

Review of Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan

Songs for the Missing

Stewart O'Nan

Release Date October 30, 2008

Barnes and Noble First Look

Songs for the Missing is the story of one family's tragedy as they deal with their daughter Kim's disappearance. This was the first book that I have read by O'Nan, I had read many great reviews on Late Night at the Lobster and Circus Fire that my expectations were pretty high.

The book starts from Kim's point of view and describes her last day with her family. Each chapter then flips points of view, I was confused a few times as to who was narrating the story! A few times I actually had to go back to reread the first few paragraphs to figure out who was telling the story.

I have no first-hand experience with the disappearance of a family member, however, I found some of the story unconvincing. Kim's mother, for example, turned into a media magnet and had to carefully consider everything she said in front of the media. Perhaps this is what society has taught us. I felt that she should have been a bit more emotional that her daughter was missing! Because of this I was unsympathetic toward her and really started to not like her.

I felt sorry for Kim's little sister. I thought she was old enough to deal the reality of her sister's disappearance. Her parents protected her throughout the story. Again, having never gone through this I may be off the ball here.

Overall, this was not a terrible book. I would have liked to see more character development and the story told from one person's point of view.

Review of Black Wave

Black Wave

John and Jean Silverwood

Early Reviewer Edition

On Sale July 1, 2008

Jean and John Silverwood have it all, a beautiful family and a thriving business in California yet they felt something was missing. Both Jean and John spent a large part of their young adult life traveling and sailing. They always knew they would one day return to the sea. With four young kids in tow they decided to spend their retirement savings on a sailboat, Emerald Jane, to travel the world.

Black Wave is their story of sailing around the world and what happens one fateful night when they struck a coral reef and almost lose it all. The first half of the book is told from Jean's perspective. I thought much of the first section was repetitive. The second half was told from John's perspective. John went into great detail on another tragedy at almost the exact same point. While it was interesting to read this eeery similarity I wanted to hear more of his perspective on giving up everything to sail around the world. Jean went into this in her section but I felt she was only speaking from her point of view.

I would have also liked to read about their kids and how they dealt with the aftermath of this horrible accident. Perhaps they will save that for another book. Overall, this was a good book, Jean has a gift for story-telling. I admire their courage for actually living their dream at a point in their lives where they could actually enjoy it.

Review of The Wednesday Sisters

The Wednesday Sisters

Meg Waite Clayton

2008

Early Reviewer Edition

Kath, Frankie, Ally, Brett and Linda are The Wednesday Sisters. They met in a park in CA in the late 1960s and developed a close friendship which spans over 30 years. These 5 women couldn't be more different but soon realize that they share an affinity for literature and share a secret desire to write.

I really identified with Frankie. I am from Chicago and grew up in the 70s so I really appreciated all of the references to the Cubs and Northwestern University but more importantly I felt that the author really captured the Midwestern "mentality" of the era.

While reading I couldn't help but be reminded of all of the hardships my mom went through as a young woman in the 60s and 70s. She divorced when I was young and was an outcast at my Catholic Elementary School. I can see why Kath stuck it out! She was not able to go to college for the same reasons as Frankie.

There were times when I laughed out loud and had to hold back the tears while reading. Meg Waite Clayton really captured the bond that women have when they develop meaningful relationships and friendships. I can't wait to pass this book on to one of my Wednesday Sisters!

Click here to see more great reviews of The Wednesday Sisters. Edited to add that Meg Waite Clayton linked my review to her blog. Very exciting!

Review of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
1955


Finished May 13, 2008


Description: When it was published in 1955, Lolita immediately became a cause célèbre because of the freedom and sophistication with which it handled the unusual erotic predilections of its protagonist. But Vladimir Nabokov's wise, ironic, elegant masterpiece owes its stature as one of the twentieth century's novels of record not to the controversy its material aroused but to its author's use of that material to tell a love story almost shocking in its beauty and tenderness. Awe and exhilaration–along with heartbreak and mordant wit–abound in this account of the aging Humbert Humbert's obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze. Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America, but most of all, it is a meditation on love–love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation.

This was the most disturbing book I have ever read. The story of an older man, Humbert Humbert's obsession and "love affair" with the 12 year old nymphet Dolores Haze. While the subject matter was grotesque the writing was beautiful. Nabokov first wrote Lolita in English which was not his native language (Russian). I have to admit that I actually laughed out loud in a few parts because of his sarcastic wit. When he asked, "why do these people guess so much and shave so little?"

This was the first book I have read for the 1% Challenge to read 10 books from 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. 1 down and 10 to go!

Review of Year of Wonders

Year of Wonders
Geraldine Brooks
2001

Finished May 3, 2008

When the plague rips through a village in England in 1665 it tests the strength of the town's people beyond our imagination. Anna Frith is 18, widowed and left with two young children when her boarder contracts the plague. This sparks the rampant spread of the disease and Anna's quest to survive.

The book spans one year 1665-1666 and is based on the true story of the devastation caused by the plague in the English village of Eyam. The village is quarantined from the outside world for one year to stop the spread of the disease. There were plenty of opportunities for Anna to give up everything but she carried on caring for the sick and dying. She formed and unlikely friendship with the rector's wife, Elinor. She watched her abusive, alcoholic father's demise and her step-mother lose her sanity.

Geraldine Brooks does a wonderful job with telling this story. Her writing is simply beautiful. I will add her other novels; March (2006 Pulitzer Prize Winner) and People of the Book to my TBR list.

Review of World Without End

World Without End

Ken Follett

Audiobook read by John Lee

44 hours and 53 minutes long
Release Date: 09-25-2007

World Without End is the follow-up to Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth although this book takes place 200 years later. The story is centered around the town of Kingsbridge. As in Pillars of the Earth, building is at the center of the story along with the priory, nobility, love, greed and mystery.

This was by far the longest audiobook I have listened to but well worth every minute. John Lee has such a beautiful voice that listening to him made the hours fly by. When I read Pillars of the Earth there was a lull at the half way point and thankfully I cannot say the same for World Without End.

I wish there was a third book that I could jump right into! I really cared for some of these characters. If you like historical fiction mixed with a bit of romance and a bit of mystery then this book is for you. I also highly recommend the audiobook, John Lee is fantastic.

Review of Duchess A Novel of Sarah Churchill

Duchess A Novel of Sarah Churchill

Susan Holloway Scott

2006

Finished April 25, 2008

Thirteen and penniless, Sarah Jennings, arrives at the court of Charles II full of ambition. Here she meets Princess Anne whom she carries on an intimate friendship for many years. Sarah also wins the heart of John Churchill at court after refusing to become Charles' young mistress. She has met her match in John, he too is full of ambition.

Duchess is a historical account of the life and times of Sarah and John Churchill. They were partners in every sense of the word. They had a very loving and intimate relationship. This is much more than a great love story, it is the story of a woman who overcame every obstacle that was thrown her way to save herself and her family.

The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker

Advanced Reader Copy

The Venetian Mask is the story of two friends, Elena and Marietta who meet while at a school for orphaned girls, the Pieta. The story is about their strength as they face life without family only to rely on each other. They marry men from two families who have been rivaling for years and are forced to carry on their friendship behind their husbands' backs.

While I would not say this is the worst book I have read I would say it is not the best. I was not captivated by the story as I thought I would be from reading the description. The author focused on areas that I found to be insignificant to the story. It had more of a romance novel feel than that of historical fiction.