I Couldn’t Love You More by Jillian Medoff

Published by: five spot

Published on: May 15, 2012

Page Count: 399

Genre: Women’s Fiction

My Reading Format: Review copy sent to me by the publisher for consideration.

Available Formats: Paperback and eBook

Coming Soon: I will be interviewing Jillian Medoff next week. I hope you’ll come back and get to know the author a little better.

In the meantime, you can connect with Jillian on Facebook and Twitter as well as on her website.

My Review

We read to know we are not alone. ~ C.S. Lewis

Eliot Gordon has a full if unconventional life. She lives with her partner Grant, his two daughters by his first marriage and their daughter Hailey. Although the two aren’t married, they are in love and have created a home for the entire family. Despite standard issues with being a stepmother, life is good. Then, Eliot’s younger sister, Sylvia, tells her that Finn, her college sweetheart, is back in Atlanta. Eliot has unresolved issues with Finn and the way in which he left her life. Seeing Finn again is exhilarating at first, but soon begins to spin out of control. Eliot needs to decide what she really wants in this life. Unfortunately, it may be too late.

I opened my review of I Couldn’t Love You More with a quote from C.S. Lewis because it kept popping into my head as I read the first half of this book. While there are certainly differences between Eliot and me, I could identify myself at her very essence. There were sections of the novel where I felt as if Jillian Medoff must certainly have found a way to steal the inner workings of my mind or, at the very least, stalked me while I was in college. I make those accusations in the most positive light. As I read Eliot’s story, I was right there with her. I had my pen out and was underlining passages like crazy. With each new section, I felt closer to Eliot. Especially as I read Chapters Ten and Eleven, I never set my pen down. This section about Eliot and Finn’s friendship before dating is absolutely perfect (emphasis mine):

But I savored these moments, holding them tight in my hand, each one a rare treasure to unlock later and study. He had  to know I had a crush on him–how could he not? But I pretended I didn’t, and he pretended I didn’t, and all that pretending helped to sustain us. Everywhere we looked, boys and girls were becoming friends, sleeping together, then fighting and breaking up. But Finn and I endured, and it was because the deepest part of our relationship–the most gripping–was inside our silences, coded among the words left unsaid. Or maybe I just told myself this because I loved him and was desperate for him to love me back.  (page 119)

Eliot wasn’t just like me before things went horribly wrong. We had the same thought patterns after, too:

Yes, I was insane. It’s insane, isn’t it, to love a ghost? To obsess about a man who treated you badly, then left you behind without so much as a backward glance? It’s insane to wait for him to reappear, even though you saw him vanish with your own two eyes. It’s insane to tell yourself that everything would be different if only, if only. The whole thing was insane, even the idea that he–that they–truly loved me in the first place.

And yet. (page137)

As the novel progresses and Eliot and Finn are reintroduced to each other, I follow Eliot through her confusing emotions. Although I’ve not experienced that myself and truly hope not to, I continued to see myself in Eliot’s guilt, anxiety, and utter giddiness. I can imagine finding a resolution to an incomplete relationship would feel so good that you would lose track of the lives you’re playing with. In your desire to see those “if onlys” realized, you forget the good that came into your life because that first relationship ended poorly.

I Couldn’t Love You More isn’t only about coming to terms with an unfinished relationship. It has much to say about sisters, surviving selfish parents, what it means to nurture and parent, letting go of the past, and forgiving those who have hurt you the most deeply. This novel has its poignant moments, but it is also full of humor. The opening birthday party, scenes with Grant’s first wife, and Sylvia’s self-serving hypochondria gave this novel the balance it needed to keep it from feeling heavy.

I drank in I Couldn’t Love You Morel from the beginning. I lingered over the passages like those above because it felt as though they were spoken to me directly. Then, when Eliot’s flirtation with Finn goes a little too far, this novel became impossible to put down. By the end, not only was I connected to Eliot, I was proud of her. I appreciated how she owned up to her mistakes and refused to let guilt destroy her life, whatever might be left of it. Eliot Gordon is a character after my own heart. I understood her and I know that because she existed within the pages of this book, someone understands me, too. In this book, Jillian Medoff made me fully aware that I love to read because in doing so I know I’m not alone. That is the power of the best women’s fiction.

I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits

Published by: Hogarth Books

Published on: May 8, 2012

Page Count: 320

Genre: Fiction

My Reading Format: Review copy sent to me by the publisher in order to participate in the author’s TLC Book Tour.

Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

Giveaway: As part of this tour, I get to give away a copy of I Am Forbidden. One lucky reader living in either the US or Canada who comments on this post by 5/22 will have a chance to win. Good luck!

Today it is my great pleasure to be Anouk Markovits’ host on her TLC Book Tour.  This tour is to celebrate her novel, I Am Forbidden.

I have a lot of fun working as a tour host for TLC Book Tours.  They always have great books and authors on tour.  Check out their website for more information on this tour and the others that they are hosting.

My Review

When a woman is born into a Hasidic Jewish family, there is truly but one acceptable fate open to her. She must marry as well as she can within her community and raise as many children as God sees fit to bestow upon her. She is responsible for keeping her house, food, and, sexually speaking, her husband clean. While this can lead to a beautiful life if a woman is so inclined, anything outside of this box, which can feel as tiny as a phylacteries to some daughters and wives, is unacceptable. Giving into the temptation to want more will make you forbidden. It doesn’t end there. Being from the lineage of a forbidden person makes you forbidden as well. It is within these strict traditions held by the Satmar community that Atara Stern and Mila Heller are born. Although not biologically related, they were raised as sisters after Mila’s parents are killed during World War II. Atara wants to be a good daughter, but she is also excited about learning and longs to explore all that the world offers while Mila longs to be a good Jewish wife and mother. When Mila marries, these best friends and forever sisters are parted in every way.

Until reading I Am Forbidden, I knew little about Hasidic Judaism. What little I did know I learned from television. Although Anouk Markovits left the Hasidic community in which she was raised at a young age, her novel is full of the love she has for her community. There is a beauty in living ones life for one’s faith. Unfortunately, the truth isn’t as black and white as ultra conservative religious sects would like for it to be. It is difficult to live a pure life without doubts or questions. The scenes at the very beginning of the book with Zalman Stern illustrate the seemingly ridiculous lengths people will go to keep from sin. What one has to do in order to remain permitted in this community, however, becomes oppressive when one dares to question to unquestionable and challenge the infallible.

While both men and women can be forbidden, women are in the most precarious position. Not only do they have little say in their futures, but even when women willingly and lovingly enter into a marriage, their position it tenuous. A young woman can scrupulously abide by the stringent and uncomfortably intimate laws of family purity, but if she fails to produce offspring, she can be cast aside with the blessings of the community. After 10 years of infertility, a man is nearly compelled to divorce his wife and remarry in order to live out the commandment to be fruitful and multiply. As an outsider reading this book, there appear to be so many stumbling blocks in the way that it is a wonder that any woman, no matter how dedicated, can shoulder the incredible responsibility of family life and purity in an environment within which she has absolutely no control.

I Am Forbidden is an incredible and addictive read. It took me a short time to adjust to the author’s narrative style, which lays out the story in pieces of varying sizes along the way. Once I caught the rhythm, I couldn’t set the book down for long. As someone unfamiliar with the language and traditions of the Satmar community, I did find the glossary at the back of the book very helpful, especially in the beginning. Markovits also incorporated translations along the way. Regardless of how different my life is from those characters who came urgently alive within the pages of this book, getting caught up in their world felt natural. Had I had the opportunity, I could have read the entire novel in one sitting without a single restless moment or wandering thought. In choosing I Am Forbidden as its premier novel, the newly formed imprint Hogarth has set the bar extremely high. I very highly recommend this novel.

Anouk Markovits’ TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Published by: St. Martin’s Press

Published on: March 2011

Page Count: 368

Genre: Women’s Fiction

My Reading Format: Audiobook purchased from Audible.com using a monthly credit for Armchair Audiess

Audiobook Published by: Tantor Audio

Narrator: Dan John Miller and Cassandra Campbell

Audiobook Length: 10 hours and 54 minutes

Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, and Audiobook

My Review

In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by Marley and three other ghosts in an attempt to change his heart before it is too late. Emily and Einstein is a twist on this classic tale. Sandy Portman is a man used to getting what he wants. He was born into affluence and he is as selfish and spoiled as an adult as he was as a child. He’s married to Emily, a vivacious, creative, up and coming book publicist who at one time sparked his interest. Her innate sense of joy and her unconditional love make him weary and, after just a few years of marriage, he is going to ask her for a divorce while she’s volunteering at a local animal shelter. That was the plan, anyway, until a dog dashes out into the busy New York street and causes the accident that takes Sandy’s life. Sandy feels robbed as he leaves his body. He feels entitled to more life. So, when an old man is actually able to communicate with him, he takes him up on his offer for a second chance. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he’d have to earn his redemption while embodied in Einstein, the dog who caused his death. If Sandy was no better behaved as an adult, becoming a dog does not have an immediate impact on his worldview of even his own life. It takes the fear of fading away quickly to make him even attempt to help Emily.

Emily’s life after Sandy’s death is reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada. Her job at the publisher has little room to allow her to grieve the loss of her husband. Coworkers try to sabotage the projects she’s put her heart and soul into. When she creates success despite their interference, they then reach in to take credit. Then a formidable woman steps in to lead the company in a new direction and pushes Emily to do more and to be more. This is all too much for her on top of losing the apartment at the Dakota because, although her husband had promised to change his will and leave her the apartment were anything to happen to him, he never did. His mother expects to get it back for the family trust. All Emily has going for her a neighbor she never noticed while her husband was alive and her new dog, Einstein – and he seems to work against her more than anything else. The universe is converging on Emily, forcing her to confront the truths she refused to believe about her marriage and herself.

Emily and Einstein is narrated by Dan John Miller and Cassandra Campbell. Dan John Miller came across perfectly as the whiny, entitled Sandy/Einstein. Where Einstein’s character could very easily have been unlovable, Miller’s narration added just the right touch of irony and humor to keep the internal dialog from feeling overbearing. There are times when I’m frustrated and I want to shout, “Old man!” Likewise, Cassandra Campbell’s narration made Emily come alive. Just as with the characters in You Know When the Men are Gone (Campbell is also nominated for an Audie for this title in the Short Story Collections category), I couldn’t help but empathize with this woman who deserved so much more. Miller and Campbell fit together far better than their characters did. One note about the production of this audiobook. There were several places throughout the audiobook where it appears that sections weren’t inserted correctly. I would hear the narrator repeat the same few words twice. The first two times it happened, I went back to listen again to see if it was my phone, but in both instances, the same words were again duplicated. These repetitions didn’t keep me from enjoying the audiobook, but they were like hitting speed bumps along the way. I listened to the Audible version and it may not impact other versions.

Emily and Einstein is a sweet, creative story about love, loss, selfishness, and forgiveness. I enjoyed living in New York City with Emily and watching her grow as she faced the challenges that seemed to dump on her lap all at one time. I liked that the book felt familiar yet didn’t give in the most of the obvious plot twists. Given Sandy’s temperment and personality, I had no difficulty giving into the belief that he would become a dog after death. This book reminded me of the best parts of The Art of Racing in the Rain. If you enjoy stories of women facing difficult odds and making their own way, this is a book for you.

In One Person by John Irving

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Published on: May 8, 2012

Page Count: 425

Genre: Literary Fiction

My Reading Format: Review copy sent to me by the publisher for consideration

Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

My Review

Billy Dean, the son of an absent father and a mother still living with her own parents, may be young, but he recognizes that he has crushes on the wrong people. He may not always be able to identify his feelings by name, but he understands early on that he is bisexual. Not only does he have a crush on Richard Abbott, the man who will eventually become his stepfather and adopt him, but the tall local librarian with large hands, Miss Frost. It was through Richard’s encouragement and Miss Frost’s reading suggestions that Billy learned that literature can help navigate wrong crushes and bring sense to the human condition. It was there that he first expressed his desire to be a writer. Many decades later, Billy Abbott is a well-know author known for his novels exploring sexuality. It is this older, more secure Billy who is sharing his life. In One Person explores the confusion, fear, pain, wisdom, joy, and peace that comes from honoring instead of repressing one’s full person.

Unlike many others, I’ve read only two of John Irving’s thirteen novels, The Cider House Rules and now In One Person. Both novels are written from the perspective of young men without fathers who find even better father figures, men who teach them what they need to know to navigate their world and love every part of them. Both novels also address shame. There is the internal shame experienced when one does something wrong as well as the outward shame wielded by society to enforce societal norms. Through his storytelling, John Irving illustrates that the key to living as fulfilled life is to distinguish between the two.

There are so many things that impressed me with this book. Irving’s writing is gorgeous and his characters are so rich in personality. Grandpa Harry, the lumber man who loves to take on lead female roles in the town’s amateur theatrical society, is nothing short of a gem. He brings much needed levity and tenderness to Billy’s life. John Irving breaths both life and New England into all of his characters, from Billy and Ellen to the wrestling coach at Favorite River Academy. Just as with his characters, Irving’s themes are layered and intricate. I expected to encounter sexual themes when I picked up In One Person. The main character is, after all, a bisexual man who happens to be attracted to the most “passable transsexuals.” I was particularly touched by the sections where Billy recounts the AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s. However, what stuck out to me even more was what Irving had to say about childhood and memory. When I read the following paragraphs, I stopped and considered not only how this applied to Billy’s life, but to my own as well:

In a later novel, I would aproach this idea a little differently—a little more carefully, maybe. “In increments both measurable and not, our childhood is stolen from us—not always in one momentous event but often in a series of small robberies, which add up to the same loss.” I suppose I could have written “betrayals” instead of “robberies”; in my own family’s case, I might have used the deceptions word—citing lies of both omission and commission. But I’ll stand by what I wrote; it suffices.

In another novel—very near the beginning of the book, in fact—I wrote: “Your memory is a monster; your forget—it doesn’t. If simply files things away; it keeps things for you, or hides things from you. Your memory summons things to your recall with a will of its own. You imagine you have a memory, but your memory has you!” (I’ll stand by that, too.)

~ from page 260

In One Person was nothing short of a compulsive read for me. From the moment Billy mention Miss Frost’s name until he has finished telling his story, I wanted to be in his story. I loved his quirky family and I loved the honesty with which bared his soul. This novel read especially well for me after having read The Starboard Sea. I wondered how Billy and Jason would have gotten along. Challenging, authentic, gritty, and beautiful, I cannot recommend In One Person more.

Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale by Lynda Rutledge

Published by: Amy Einhorn Books

Published on: April 26, 2012

Page Count: 304

Genre: Fiction

My Reading Format: ARC sent to me by the publisher for consideration

Available Formats: Hardcover and eBook

My Review

Faith is an elderly widow living by herself in Texas in her family’s mansion. Since the death of her son and her husband, Faith has rarely ventured from the home filled with precious and priceless antiques. Her daughter Claudia has long since left both town and her life. Soon it will be the year 2000. She hears the voice of God. He is telling her to sell everything she has. People say everything is big in Texas and Faith Bass Darling, who simply is clearing her house of absolutely everything, is having a whopper of a yard sale. Antiques, collectibles, furniture, and Tiffany lamps all being sold for whatever the buyer can afford. While many people are happy to take whatever gems they can find off of the old woman’s hands without looking back. There are those who care about Faith and her family who are determined to discover just why this is happening on New Year’s Eve.

My maternal grandmother and my mother both have had life long passions for going garage sale-ing. When my parents took us on family trips, my mom would frequently tell my dad to stop because she saw a garage sale. Whether he did or not was dependent upon a lot of things, but my mother was always on the look out. Up until recently, my grandma always gave us a Christmas present and a GS present. GS standing for garage sale, of course. Those were always the most fun packages to open. Although I don’t get as involved in garage sales as my grandma and my mom, you can say that it is in my blood. I absolutely had to read this book.

Lynda Rutledge wrote a novel set in Texas that made me feel so close to home in Michigan. No, I’m not the run away daughter of a wealthy heiress (God knows I daydreamed about running away and being the child of someone rich and famous many times), but I do know how it feels to be separated from my mother. The thought of her living far away from me, especially if she were to ever develop a disease like Alzheimer’s as Faith has is a real fear of mine. She raised me well and I know that things are not the most valuable possession. Things may be lost, stolen, unappreciated, or accidentally sold for little or nothing with something else. The love and forgiveness of your family is what is truly priceless. It is this aspect of Faith’s story that meant so much to me.

Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale, filled with the power of memory and the value of forgiveness, is a well-written and well-rounded novel. The way in which Faith’s Alzheimer’s disease was written into the narrative caught me off guard at first, but it served to alert the reader that something wasn’t right and provided insight into Faith’s thought processes. The way in which her disease manifested itself in her kitchen was heartbreaking. While what I took away most from the novel was sentimental, this does not mean that it wasn’t fun. Faith is quite a character and so are many of the neighbors and strangers who come to her garage sale. I also enjoyed each of the Provenance sections, which provided detailed descriptions of key items in Faith’s yard sales along with the item’s history. Those sections brought a touch of Antiques Roadshow, fitting perfectly into the story.

The best gift I can give my mom is a story about getting an honest good deal via a garage sale. Mom would know immediately that something wasn’t right in her yard that New Year’s Eve. Very much like Bobbie, the local antiques dealer, Mom would do all that she can to step in and take control of the situation. She would have to get to the bottom of why Faith was allowing her home and her legacy to be pillaged. Discovering all the secrets held in this Texas town and within Faith’s heart are worth the work. This is how I know that Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale will make the perfect Mother’s Day gift for my mom. I am looking forward to her reading this book so that we can talk garage sales.

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Published on: June 2011

Page Count: 320

Genre: Urban Fiction

My Reading Format: Audiobook provided to me by the Tantor Audio for review for the Armchair Audies

Audiobook Published by: Tantor Audio

Narrator: Alan Bomar Jones

Audiobook Length: 8 hours

Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

My Review

Winslow Haircare Products is a family owned company. When their parents died in a terrible car crash, Cobi and Sissy Winslow stood to inherit the business as well as their parent’s assets. There is one catch. Cobi, an up and coming attorney, is gay. His adoptive father never approved of his lifestyle. Before his death, he amended his will to require that Cobi be married before he reaches a certain age. Cobi reaches that age within a few short weeks. Winslow Haircare Products are in danger of a take over, so it is vital that Cobi marries to secure the Winslow family’s position. Cobi may not be out of the closet, per se, but he is proud of who he is. He is resistant to the idea, but Sissy insists. She is a natural businesswoman and born leader. She worked side by side with her father, but her position as the head of the company is tenuous. To head her father’s company, she must ensure that Cobi inherits his portion of the estate. When Sissy sets her mind to something, she gets it done and brooks no arguments along the way. On top of his worries about being untrue to himself, Cobi has another shock come his way. It seems that he had an identical twin brother out there somewhere. His parents simply wanted only two children, so his twin remained in foster care. Cobi desperately wants to find him. While Cobi is searching for Eric Reed, Sissy is searching for a suitable wife. Unfortunately, things may not work out as either plans.

No One in the World was written jointly by E. Lynn Harris and R. M. Johnson. I am not familiar with their previous work, but based upon R. M. Johnson’s introduction, Harris was a writer he admired. Harris died at the age of 54 in 2009 and Johnson is clearly proud of their collaboration. This novel has two main themes: living as a gay African American man and living with and without privilege. The combination of these two themes was interesting. Cobi may have grown up with all a child could ever want, but he never had the love and acceptance of his father, who found his homosexuality more than distasteful. It wasn’t just his father’s will and the financial status of Winslow Haircare Products that continue to make it impossible for Cobi to live his life openly after his parents pass away. He is a rising legal star with future political aspirations and his partner, also in politics, is a married man. There was nothing easy about Cobi’s life on Easy Street. Eric may not have had the advantages that Cobi had, but he doesn’t have the secrets. He is who he is. While he may wish he were a better man in some cases, his actions have been motivated by the love of his daughter. The way that these two men who entered life together fit after being reunited is rather interesting.

The key female characters in this novel are also an interesting contrast. Sissy grew up under the tutelage of a powerful businessman. From the little we met of Cobi and Sissy’s father, Sissy looked up to him and patterned her career after his. She is not untouched by the current economic downturn. While Winslow Haircare’s products are a mainstay in the African American community, that is exactly why large companies are interested in consuming them into their brand. After her father died, Sissy expected to step into his role and continue his work. Worried about the future, the board made her position temporary. She had to prove herself as a leader. Sissy is nothing if not up to the challenge. She is also accustomed to getting her way. As such, she expects people to agree with her opinions and to bow down to her will. In many ways, Sissy is downright predatory in her search for Cobi’s “wife.” Austen Greer, one such potential wife, worked hard to make a career in real estate a success. She had much to be proud of. She had made a name for herself without anyone’s help. Unfortunately, the niche she carved for herself in the upscale market has dried up in the economy and she didn’t have a safety net. The combination of Austen’s self-made woman and Sissy’s haughtiness caused a great deal of friction.

Alan Bomar Jones narrated No One in the World. He has a deep, rich voice with some wonderful qualities. His work shines when the characters are in the thick of an especially emotional situation. When they are mad, excited, scared, or simply on the move, he kept me in the moment. He also distinguished the major male and female characters well. When there wasn’t a lot of action or dialog, Jones’ narration felt impatient to me, as if he was doing his best not to rush ahead. This was most noticeable for me during scenes when Cobi was soul searching. I may not have been blown away by his performance, I did enjoy it.

I did have issues with this novel. While by her very nature Sissy is abrasive, her character did not live up to her potential. Because she was never anything more than a way to keep the conflict with the inheritance alive, her character grated on my nerves. My research prepared me for the explicit sex, but its frequency seemed gratuitous at times. By far the most important issue I had with this novel was the ending. There was a great deal of time and attention given within the story to building up to the crisis that will utterly change the Cobi and Eric’s lives. To have it all finish in the course of what seemed like just a few minutes left me unsatisfied. A major decision seemed to have come from out of nowhere. The decision itself couldn’t be considered entirely out of character, but the rashness of that decision certainly was. There’s room for a sequel, but I would have preferred that more time had been devoted to make this novel stand alone more fully.

No One in the World is a fast paced novel that provides insight into the unique difficulties of being a gay man in the African American community. Frequent readers of Literate Housewife already know that Urban Fiction isn’t something I typically read. I can’t compare No One in the World to other books in its genre, but I thought the book was interesting. While I don’t foresee Urban Fiction becoming a mainstay, I liked that the the Audie awards prompted me to experiment.

The Underside of Joy by Seré Prince Halverson

Published by: Dutton

Published on: January 2012

Page Count: 320

Genre: Women’s Fiction

My Reading Format: Review copy sent to me by a publicist

Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

My Review

Ella Beene found  the life she always wanted when, after divorcing her first husband, she ran into Joe and his two young children at the family store. Joe’s wife abandoned her family just months before and Ella quickly fit into the lives of Joe, Annie, and Zach like a long lost puzzle piece. They married and Ella felt fulfilled in her role as wife and stepmother. Her happiness didn’t last long. It was only a few short years into their marriage that Joe died in an accidental drowning. At Joe’s funeral, the children’s birth mother appears. Through the process of determining what Paige’s intentions are for the children she abandoned and discovering that true state of the family store causes Ella to reevaluate her life, her relationship with Joe and his family, and fight for her role in Annie and Zach’s lives.

The Underside of Joy is a novel that touches on marriage, destiny, parenting, and family secrets. If found it both interesting and hard to put down from the moment Joe left the house on that fateful morning. The novel was rich in story with a young widow left to raise her stepchildren and save her husband’s family’s store. The added dimension of the shame brought to Italian immigrants sent to interment camps during WWII gave it that much more depth. The way in which the shame and the secrets seep through the generations can be stifling. By never speaking of it, people step on each other’s most tender parts without even knowing it.

I could very much relate to Ella as a heroine. Having moved away from my family to make a life in my husband’s hometown, I appreciated the way in which Ella adopted the town of Elbow, California. I wish that I could feel as connected to my community as she does. Because she had nothing to lose when she landed in Elbow, she was able to give her heart away to it. Being an adoptive mother, I also know well how a child can capture your heart completely. In that relationship, it is so important to put your own feelings and needs aside not only to allow but encourage your children to love and know their birth parents and extended family as it is appropriate to the situation. That Ella struggled with her conscience as the issues with Paige progressed felt true to me.  I appreciated so much how she listened to her heart and took Paige’s circumstances into account along the way.

The Underside of Joy is a beautiful book. This only just begins with the cover. It had all of the elements that make reading women’s fiction fulfilling. I loved the world that Seré Prince Halverson created in Elbow and the various characters she brought to life there. It made me happy to be a reader and longing for the upcoming days this summer when the weather is nice enough to plan a family picnic. I highly recommend this book and will be keeping Seré Prince Halverson on my radar.

Published by: Harper

Published on: June 2011

Page Count: 388

Genre: Literary Fiction

My Reading Format: Audiobook rented from my local public library.

Audiobook Published by: Harper Audio

Narrator: Hope Davis

Audiobook Length: 12 hours 25 minutes

Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

Armchair Audies Category: Literary Fiction

My Review

Ann Patchett’s latest novel tells the story of Marina Singh, a pharmacologist in her mid 30s who came to her profession by way of an accident that occurred during her OB/GYN residency. Marina is happily working for Vogel, a pharmaceutical company, when she receives news that her coworker, Dr. Anders Eckman died in the Brazilian rain forest while on a mission to discover the status of the fertility project Dr. Swenson has been developing there for Vogel. Mr. Fox, Marina’s employer and lover, asks Marina to go to the jungle to bring back information about the deceased Dr. Eckman as well as to get check up on Dr. Swenson’s project. What Mr. Fox does not know is that Dr. Swenson the physician who taught Marina everything she knew about obstetrics and gynecology. It is not without trepidation that Marina makes the journey to Dr. Swenson and the Lakashi people. It is an understatement to say that Dr. Swenson intimidates Marina. This trip into the unknown forces Marina to confront all of her ghosts.

Not since The Emperor’s Children have I been as irritated by a reading experience as I was with State of Wonder. Whereas I considered The Emperor’s Children death by character development, State of Wonder was death by whining psychoanalysis. Spending time with Marina continually grated on my nerves. When she wasn’t rehashing the effects of the malaria drug she had to take in order to travel, she was over analyzing herself and others. With each mention of Dr. Swenson’s name came a fresh batch of anxiety. Had the book been half the length, this wouldn’t have had the chance to fester within me the way that it did. I kept hoping that when Marina finally came into contact with Dr. Swenson that the crisis as such would be over. I’d hoped that she would be able to let go of her own issues and focus on the tasks at hand. Not so. Even Dr. Swenson herself commented on how Marina focused on the minute details of unimportant things. On Marina’s first night at Dr. Swenson’s camp, it was so bad that when her thought processes finally slowed down so that she could fall asleep I applauded. Alas, the celebration was short lived. She immediately had a dream. Sigh.

State of Wonder is nominated for an Audie award in the Literary Fiction category. It is for this reason that I finally read the novel and it is for this reason that I finished it. Had I attempted to read this book in print, I very much doubt I would have made it to Marina’s flight to Brazil. For someone as intelligent as Marina, she never seemed to have any confidence in her own abilities. She virtually appointed Dr. Swenson guardianship of her self-worth. This intensified after her last experience as an OB/GYN resident. At the age of 35, Marina very much needed her experience in the jungle to force her to live life instead of beiing afflicted by it.

State of Wonder did start to pick up once Marina got to the camp. She met and bonded with Easter, the 10-year-old deaf boy from another tribe who helped Dr. Swenson. He was a character I could finally embrace. Also, I found Dr. Swenson more tolerable than I had expected her to be given Marina’s extensive inner dialog leading up to her arrival in Manaus. I did find it appropriate that it was the doctors from Michigan who gave me my only chuckle. It was nice to finally be able to experience the world within this novel outside of Marina’s head.

State of Wonder was my first experience with Hope Davis’ narration. While I wish I had an overall better experience, I very much credit her with making it possible for me to finish the book. Although she did use some voice differentiation, she kept the characters distinct mainly through tone and attitude. I didn’t notice this at much at first when Marina and Dr. Eckman’s wife Karen were in conversation, but it was readily apparent once Dr. Swenson arrived on scene. While I wanted to wish the story swiftly to its end many times, her pacing was consistent and appropriate to the story throughout. I hope to one day get a chance to experience her work with a book I enjoy.

There were many times that I actually despised State of Wonder. I wanted out of Marina’s head and I wanted a grown woman to stop calling her peers – not to mention her lover – by their given names. I didn’t want to slap Marina, I just wanted to walk away and be done with her. I do think that my impatience with Marina’s stemmed from being able to see something of myself in her. I am a pleaser as well and have given many other people the keys to my happiness. Seeing what that type of thought process looks like is not pretty, especially when belonging to a professional 35-year-old woman. In the end, I did not hate this book. As I reached the very last disc, I stopped regretting not DNFing the book six discs ago. The story finally meant something to me and I was grateful. It was by no means a resounding “Hooray!”, but State of Wonder did provide a small pay off for my perseverance.

Published by: Gallery Books

Published on: August 2011

Page Count: 384

Genre: Women’s Fiction

My Reading Format: Audiobook review copy sent to me by the narrator

Audiobook Published by: Tantor Audio

Narrator: Xe Sands

Audiobook Length: 7 hours 22 minutes

Available Formats: Paperback, eBook, and Audiobook

My Review

Angelina nearly has a charmed life. She and her husband Frank may not have much, but they are deeply in love. They have a strong network of community and Frank’s family. Angelina has lost her family, but her in-laws have taken her into their hearts as their own. Even charmed lives, however, are fragile. They didn’t yet have the children they wanted to have when, so much earlier than would seem possible, Frank passes away in the night of a heart attack. Angelina is hit a double blow when, just after the funeral, she learns that the company she works for is going out of business. Without her husband or a job, Angelina was at a loss. In a frantic fit of grief, Angelina spends an entire night cooking everything edible in her house. In sending out the excess food to friends and family, a chain of events is set into motion that leads Angelina to her destiny.

Angelina’s Bachelors is a sweet story. Angelina is a charming, genuinely nice heroine who, in her mourning, stumbles into her future with an open mind. Her natural cooking abilities enable her to nourish single men in her neighborhood. They, in turn, nourish her spirit. Sometimes it is refreshing to visit a world that is at its heart simply nice. It left me with a warm feeling each time I listened. As the novel progressed, some fairly predictable conflicts arose, but the way in which they were addressed were typically satisfying. There was one instance, however, where the resolution, even with its Catholic twist, was a touch too Roma Downey for my taste. The first half of the novel was stronger for me for this reason. Still, it didn’t dampen my opinion of the audiobook because I didn’t pop it into my car stereo to be challenged. I chose to read it when I did because I wanted a comfort read and Brian O’Reilly delivered exactly the type of read I wanted.

Brian O’Reilly is an Executive Producer for Dinner: Impossible on the Food Network and it shows. Angelina’s Bachelors is full of good food and Xe Sands brought out even more flavor. I am no foodie.  In print I normally skip over descriptions of food. In fact, I’ve yet to check out the recipes included on the first disc of the audiobook. The way in which she narrated Angelina’s menus, however, kept me interested, entertained, and left me hungry. Listening to this audiobook while eating your lunch can make even the most incredible sandwich taste not just ordinary, but kind of soggy. Outside of the food, Xe Sands did a good job of bringing Angelina, her bachelors, and their Philadelphia neighborhood to life through voice differentiation and tone. Having also listened to her narrate Fire and Ice, it was interesting to compare her approach to two very different types of spicy reading.

After reading some tough novels at the start of the year, Angelina’s Bachelors was like drinking a rich cup of hot chocolate on a crisp winter day. Despite the little issues that niggled at me, I appreciated this novel for just what it was, a heartwarming tale of a close knit Italian Catholic neighborhood and family creatively dealing with an unexpected loss. I recommend this novel to anyone who needs a little hug in their day.

A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

Published by: Algonquin Books

Published on: November 2009

Page Count: 304

Genre: Literary Fiction

My Reading Format: eBook purchased for my Kindle

Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

My Review

Pete Dizinoff is a man who needs to be in control is eclipsed perhaps only by his need to look like he’s in control. He has the right job and the right wife. A wife who looks to him for greater social and political understanding. He has a son he adores. He has set up his life in such a way that he believes that his family is above what happened to his best friend Joe Stern’s family. Joe’s oldest daughter Laura gave birth to a baby in a library bathroom, killed it, and threw it in a dumpster. Any small comfort Pete showed his friend at the time was tainted by his heart, which was full of self-righteous indignation. What Pete sowed in judgement, he later reaped as this story begins. Laura’s been away from their small suburban town for many years. She was sentenced to time in a mental hospital following her trial and has led a bohemian life afterwards. When Laura reappears in town and starts a relationship with Pete’s son Alec, Pete’s grip on his family begins to slip. Alec is 10 years younger than Laura and he must protect his son from her.

A Friend of the Family is told from Pete’s perspective both in the present as well as from different times in the past. From the beginning we know that something is going to happen. Looking back on his character, I am not surprised at how he strings the reader along, giving up bits of information as he goes along. He is controlling the setup and the delivery. He made me impatient at times, but when he finally admits to how his obsession with his son’s love life impacted both his professional as well as personal life, he made a huge impact. In fact, his story, parsed out in moments here and opinions there was essential. Had he simply spelled it out at the beginning, so much would have been missed. He may like to play the puppet master, but he is above all else honest about himself even when he cannot be honest to others.

There is so much going on in A Friend of the Family that I cannot begin to do more than scratch the surface. Pete is an interesting character. He walks a fine line between between being a well meaning man who cares for his family and the life they have together and an unsympathetic control freak. I found his story, his family, his friends, and his community fascinating. While I often wish that I’d read a book earlier, I’m glad that I chose to read it just before Algonquin Books’ Book Club event with the author and Steven King because it was fresh in my memory. Just watching them discuss the book online made me dream of retiring to a commune where people read and discuss great books. I most definitely recommend A Friend of the Family.