Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: 5 Books, 2 Settings
It's
is soooo weird but many of the books I read in late October and early
November had connections to the Caribbean and involve people who are not
exactly who they appear to be on the surface.
The
crossovers have been totally coincidental--I had no idea of the setting
of some of them before I started reading--and this has led to some
confusing moments. As in, "Wait! What island am I on? What year?"
For example, Trinity (which I reviewed earlier this month), has a section that takes place at Oppenheimer's Virgin Island home, and Winter in Paradise has a scene in which the characters are in a boat and motor on by Oppenheimer's beach.
The unnamed young wife in The Winters grew up in the Caymans, is comfortable on boats, and is an orphan; one of the main characters in Winter in Paradise
is around the same age, is also an orphan, and is also comfortable on
boats, though she lives in St. John. A novel I edited in October takes
place in Nassau in the past, and the last audiobook I reviewed for Audio
File magazine takes place in Nassau in the present.
You
would think that after those books I'd race for new and different
settings, wouldn't you? Well, yes I did, but the next two books I read
both took place in Paris! I think I've broken the cycle though because
the book I'm currently listening to is a collection of science fiction
short stories: very few real-life settings here. Phew!
The Winters by Lisa Gabriele (Viking, October 16): I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this retelling of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca.
I loved the reimagining of the characters and situation in a modern
setting and thought it was clever to change Dani from creepy maid to
bratty, unstable teenager. The isolated estate, called Asherley, is
located on an a small island off the Hamptons, and instead of a
forbidden boathouse, we have a forbidden greenhouse. The dead Rebecca
is, of course, perfect and beautiful and loved by everyone. Max is a New
York state senator, so his duties often call him away from home,
leaving his young (unnamed) fiancee alone. The soon to be second Mrs.
Winters was raised in the Caymens and is now orphaned, so she has no one
to turn to when she begins to feel uncomfortable--and the tension
and sense of foreboding are definitely there. Even though I pretty much
knew where the story was going (because this is, after all, a retelling
of the classic), there were still some surprises, and I was completely
engrossed, especially at the end, wanting to know how the new twists
were going to play out. I think you can safely read and enjoy Gabriele's
contemporary story, even if you haven't read the classic, but being
familiar with the original will add depth. (review copy provided by the
publisher)
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
(Little, Brown, October 9): In a departure from Hilderbrand's normal
books, there is only one brief passing mention of her beloved Nantucket.
The book starts in the Midwest but takes place mostly in St. John,
where a mother and her two grown sons reunite just after the new year.
Each of them is in the middle of a personal crisis, but before they can
talk about their own problems, they're hit hard by a devastating family
tragedy: Irene's husband and the boys' father died in a helicopter
accident over the ocean. That would be horrible all in and of itself,
but Russell hadn't told his family that he was going to be in the
Caribbean; he was supposed to be on a boring business trip. Thus the
family trip to the island is not for pleasure, and as they piece
together the puzzles and surprises Russell left behind, the family
discovers they didn't know him at all. Meanwhile, the brothers meet a
beautiful young woman (a rivalry ensues), and Irene meets a a man who
offers her kindness and understanding. I can always count on Hiderbrand
to give me great characters, a tight plot, and a good mystery. This is
the start of new series, and I really like the characters and St. John
setting. I think I kind of know where the story is going, so the ending,
which sets up the next installment, was not altogether unexpected. I
wasn't a fan of the abrupt ending, but I'm looking forward to the second
book. I listened to the unabridged audiobook edition of Winter in Paradise (Hachette Audio; 10 hr, 11 min), read by Erin Bennett,
who has narrated almost all of Hilderbrand books. Bennett is always a
pleasure to listen to, and I enjoy her characterizations and the way she
captures the essence of Hilderbrand's writing. (audiobook review copy
provided by the publisher)
Learning to Breathe by Janice Lynn Mather
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, June 2018): The only
thing I knew about this debut novel before I started it was that it had
won a number of awards and dealt with real-life issues.
Sixteen-year-old Indira was raised by her loving, but strict grandmother
in the Bahamas. She has spent most of her life trying to prove that she
is nothing like her mother, who is known for her drug addition and
loose reputation. Granny believes in Indy and wants to give her a better
life and chance to climb out of poverty, so she sends her to live with her
son's family in Nassau and attend a private high school. What Indy
finds in the city is an aunt who thinks she's poor trash, an older male
cousin who disrespects her and abuses her, and a distant uncle. She is
teased at school, and her same-age female cousin runs hot and cold. This
is an all-too-real and heartbreaking story of a young girl who tries
her best to be good but who is thwarted and divested of power at every
turn. After a chance meeting of the owners of a yoga retreat, Indy
slowly learns to trust but finds it hard to overcome her self-shame
until she realizes only she can save herself and others from the fate of
her mother. My heart went out to Indy, and I loved her voice. Mather
presents Indy's situation with honesty and respect, and I'm pretty sure
this book will have a place on my top-ten of the year list. I listened
to the unabridged audiobook (Dreamscape Media, 9 hr, 18 min), read by Chrystal Bethell.
This is my first time with Bethell, but I'm looking forward to more of
her work. Her sensitive narration captured Indy's pain, and her accents
were believable, while avoiding stereotypes. Indy's internal dialogue
sometimes verges on free verse, which Bethell delivered with aplomb.
Read or listen, but don't miss this book. (review copy for a freelance
assignment)
Love a la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm
(Disney-Hyperion; November 27): After so many heavy books, I needed a
palate cleanser, which I found in this delightful novel, perfect for
food lovers. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of
Henry Yi and Rosie Radeke, both of whom were accepted into a young
chef's academy in Paris. Henry grew up in the kitchen of his father's
Chicago restaurant, whereas Rosie is a home baker from Ohio. Their
backgrounds, talents, and ethnicities are very different, but they share
the dream of becoming professionals in the culinary world. This
contemporary young adult rom-com is so much fun. We meet the other
(diverse) teen students and the demanding chef teacher. We enter the
kitchens and feel for the teens' struggle to perfect their cooking and
baking techniques while also meeting their academic requirements. There
is romance drama, mean girl drama, and kitchen drama. Love a la Mode
was the perfect escape novel for me, combining humor, a love story,
cooking, and Paris in one package. There's nothing high-brow here, but
I enjoyed meeting Rosie, Henry, and their friends. I listened to the
unabridged audiobook (Listening Library; 9 hr, 35 min) read by the
author. You know how I usually feel about author-read audiobooks, but
Strohm was great. Her French pronunciations seemed fine to me, and she
(as one would hope) captured the personalities of her characters
beautifully. This audiobook would be the perfect accompaniment to your
holiday cooking. Too much fun to miss. (audiobook review copy provided
by the publisher)
The Rain Watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay
(St. Martin's Press; October 30): I had high hopes for de Rosnay's
latest novel, which promised a dysfunctional family and a Paris setting.
The novel does indeed provide both and was particularly interesting in
light of last winter's flooding of the city. Most of the book is told
from the viewpoint of Linden Malegarde, a world-famous photographer who
returns to his native France to attend his father's 70th birthday
celebration. His mother, American by birth, decided to hold the
gathering in Paris with just the original family; no in-laws or
grandchildren are invited. Paul, the patriarch, is a renown arborist,
who seems to like his trees better than people, but his wife hopes the
gathering will be a success. The party weekend coincides with the worst
flooding of the Seine in a century, and the events that follow
(including family illnesses) are complicated by the rising water. While I
enjoy de Rosnay's writing style, I didn't think this was her strongest
novel. The flow of Linden's story is interrupted by sections from Paul's
diary, in which he describes a traumatic event of his own childhood.
That story is, indeed, disturbing, but it's never really tied into the
main narrative, and I ended up wondering why it was included in the
novel. I also found the number of big things this family faced to be
slightly over the top: one or more of them were dealing with LGBTQ
issues, alcoholism, bad marriage, affairs, suicide, unrequited love,
distant parents, self-doubt, PTSD, bullying, rape, and medical problems.
While I know that many of us are juggling several significant
simultaneous problems, it seemed unbelievable in The Rain Watcher.
I think de Rosnay had several good ideas here, including thoughts on
the changing environment, but she didn't quite pull them off in the
novel. I am, however, looking forward to her next book. (review copy
provided by the publisher)
