A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

Posted on June 28, 2013 by bseat

41tmeIAO5AL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-65,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_Chechnya in the mid 1990’s is a brutal war torn place. Sonja Rabina has returned there from studying in the US and now works in a small shell of what once was a large and busy hospital in her hometown.  Like most of Chechnya the city is constantly being overrun with rebels or Feds depending on who is winning or losing at any given time, and the the common people, stuck in the crossfire struggle to survive as Sonja, the lone doctor in the city, tries to help them with her limited amount of supplies and medicines.  Sonja, like most people in Chechnya, has lost a relative and keeps hoping to find her sister who disappeared one day and never come back.

Just outside the city in a small village, Akhmed, “the worst doctor in Chechnya” wakes up one day to the sound of gunshots and sees his neighbor being dragged away and a fire set to burn down his home.  After the gunmen leave Akhmed finds his neighbor’s eight year old daughter, Havaa, cowering in the woods. Knowing that the village informer must have targeted his neighbor Akhmed risks his own life and takes Havaa to the hospital where Sonja works hoping that she will find refuge there.

Over the course of the next five days the two doctors discover deep reserves of strength and courage as they try to protect this young girl from the insanities of war and the inevitability of betrayal.  They also find links and connections that tie the three of them together in very unexpected ways and find the strength to make choices that are both sacrificial and joyful.

Marra has a very interesting technique of introducing characters and then telling something about what happens to them later on. Although this takes some getting used to, in the end it adds to the effect of seeing each person as a piece of a larger whole, a part of the constellation of vital phenomenon that we call life.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a searingly honest, and profound meditation on what it means to be human and what it takes to fully embrace life. It delves deeply into the human soul, and finds in the midst of despair and betrayal a hope that passes all understanding.

Brenda’s Rating: *****( 5 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Ken, Keith. Sharon, Marian and Lauren

Books Study Worthy: Absolutely!

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Fiction | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Posted on June 21, 2013 by bseat

51oxTbGL2hL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-72,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_What would you do to defend your son from allegations that he killed someone? What if you were a district attorney and it was your son who was the accused? In Defending Jacob Landay follows one family as they struggle to come to grips with the accusations against their son and how their loyalty and love for their son are tested in the pursuit of justice.

Andy and Laurie Barber, and Jacob, their middle school age son, are living a quiet, comfortable life in a suburban New England town.  Andy has been a district attorney for over 20 years and he and Laurie have been part of their tight knit community of families for about as long. But their quiet comfortable life is shattered when a 14 year old boy is murdered along a path leading to the middle school.  Andy, as district attorney takes the case and is running the investigation but soon information and circumstantial evidence surfaces that points to Jacob, his son, as the murderer and Andy goes from prosecuting the crime to defending his son.

The reality of having to prepare for and defend your son from murder is devastatingly portrayed. Andy is put on leave from his job, Laurie no longer works at her various charities, Jacob no longer goes to school, and they are isolated from, family, friends and lives put on hold to prepare for the trial.  Andy, carrying a dark secret from his past which may impact the trial is convinced that as a father he must save Jacob, and throws himself into trial preparations.  Laurie, however, given the time to reflect on incidents of self absorption, and little interest or caring towards others that she has seen in Jacob, begins to wonder if she is somehow to blame for not being a better parent. Jacob, sullen an uncommunicative as many 14 years old can be seems unable to comprehend what has happened to him.

Landay tells the story through proceedings that happen after Jacob’s trial is concluded which heightens our sense of anticipation about what happened at the trial.  Like Scott Turow in Presumed Innocent, Landay’s experience as a lawyer himself  lends an authenticity to the legal aspects of  story and his characters, especially Andy, drive our interest in this well crafted suspenseful story line. This is an excellent book to take to the beach!

Brenda’s Rating: **** (4 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this Book to: Sharon, Marian, Keith and Ken

Book Study Worthy: Sure!

Read in ebook format

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The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

Posted on June 14, 2013 by bseat

51-3L2cu+xL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-64,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_The Gods of Gotham is a police procedural set in 1845-just at the time when New York decides it needs a police force and the NYPD is born.  Timothy Wilde, the main character, was a barman but when his bar burns down and all his savings as well, he becomes a “copper star” instead, and his thrown into the political and criminal morass that is New York.

On the evening of August 21, 1845 a little girl, dressed in a white lacy shift, and bare feet, with her auburn hair pulled into a loose knot on the top of her head, runs straight into Tim who is on his way home from his beat in the Sixth Ward. As he grabs her the first thing he notices is that she is completely covered in blood.

Tim begins to investigate what happened to this little girl but the trail leads to even more horror when numerous graves of more children are found buried in a park.  Helped by Mercy Underhill, the daughter of an eminent Protestant minister, who helps the Irish against her father’s wishes, Timothy must deal with rising anti Irish and anti Catholic sentiment of  “native” New Yorkers who blame the wave of Irish immigration caused by the potato famine for destroying law and order in the city.  Additionally, Tim must counter the political machinations of his older brother, Valentine, who is a Party man trying to protect his political friends and contributors.

Faye is able to capture the the language of the time, even teaching us a little “flash,” the language of the criminal class, along the way. The landscape of New York seems almost like another character, adding depth and reality to the book with with her descriptions of the streets and buildings and the details of how people lived and worked at that time. The quotes from newspapers and handbills at the beginning of each chapter are a wonderful addition, allowing us to get a real sense of what people were thinking and talking about at the time.

This is a period piece of a book! Rich in detail and with a depth of understanding of time and place and the characters are well developed and engaging.  A very enjoyable read!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 out of 5 Stars) 

Recommend this book to: Sharon and Marian

Book Study Worthy: Yes, but get out a map of New York to plot the story!

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Detective novel, Historical Fiction | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Plainsong and Eventide by Kent Haruf

Posted on June 7, 2013 by bseat

Plainsong and Eventide by Kent Haruf are related novels about small town life in a fictional town called Holt, Colorado. Using this quintessentially American farming community as his base, Haruf examines what it means to be family and be connected to someone and what it takes to be a good neighbor

41jsYTkajiL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_ In Plainsong we are introduced to Tom Guthrie, a teacher whose wife cannot seem to get out of bed and their two young boys who are bewildered by what is happening to their family. Victoria Roubideaux. another character, is a pregnant teen who has been thrown out of her home and is helped by Maggie Jones, a  teacher, who enlists the crusty bachelor Mcpheron brothers to invite Victoria into their home until the baby is born.

418Te8FJ-JL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_In Eventide we continue the story of the Mcpheron brothers and their relationship to Victoria and her baby, but we are introduced to some new characters as well, like the Wallace family who are struggling both financially, mentally and emotionally, and Rose Tyler the social worker who is helping them. We also meet DJ who is being raised by his elderly ill grandfather who does not have much energy or imagination to raise a young boy.

Haruf tells these each of these people’s stories in a no-nonsense unsentimental way. His simple and direct prose moves each story along, creating a taut narrative that builds with emotional tension. With each revelation of the loneliness, fear and loss these characters experience, we also see acts of kindness and gentleness, and even love in the the way people connect with each other in times of trouble and are family to one another even when they are not related at all.

Brenda’s Rating:  ****(4 Stars out of 5)  

Recommend this book to: Keith, Sharon and Ken

Book Study Worthy: Yes!

Read in paper back and ebook formats.  

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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Posted on May 31, 2013 by bseat

51s+pV9EGgL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_On a farm in northern Wisconsin, Edgar Sawtelle lives with his parents, Gar and Trudy.  Born mute he communicates in sign language, helping his parents with the work on the farm and with the breeding and training of the famous Sawtelle dogs, a fictional breed that was developed by his family and passed down through generations.  Although the Sawtelle breed is known for its loving and loyal nature, Edgar has developed a special bond with one of the dogs, Almondine and the two enjoy a way of communication and camaraderie that is unique.

Into Edgar’s idyllic and peaceful life comes Claude, his paternal uncle, whose plans for the farm are in conflict with his father’s causing loud arguments and simmering silences. When Edgar’s father suddenly dies, Claude takes on an even bigger role on the farm and seems to be developing an even closer relationship with his mother.  Convinced that Claude had something to do with his father’s death, Edgar comes up with a plan to try and prove it, but the plan backfires horribly and Edgar is forced to flee into the wilderness beyond the farm followed by three yearling dogs.

Unable to communicate, lost and alone, Edgar fights for his own survival and that of the dogs who follow him.  The unanswered questions about his father’s death and his desparate concern for his mother and the farm he loves however,, inevitably drag him back to where it started, making him confront the demons he has tried so hard to hide from.

Wroblewski takes “a boy and his dog” story to new levels in capturing the essence of that relationship with a knowing tenderness that seems true and real rather than sappy and trite. Written with an honesty and spareness that evokes the Midwest, there is a quiet lyricism in the words that makes this book enjoyable to read.

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this Book to: Ken, Keith, Sharon, Marian and Lauren.

Book Study Worthy: Yes!

Read in Hardback.

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Broken Harbor by Tana French

Posted on May 24, 2013 by bseat

If you have not yet read Tana French you are in for a treat! After reading A Faithful Place a couple of years ago I was hooked, and each book I have read since has lived up to my expectations!  She is the master of the psychological mystery, using a deft touch for her characters and letting them speak to you in their own voice as the mystery unfolds.

51YtLJ7YkiL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-66,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_In Broken Harbor we meet Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy, a member of the Dublin Murder Squad who “always gets his man.” Mick is still smarting from his last case which didn’t got so well and so when he is given a new case near the seaside town of Broken Harbor he is determined to get this one right. From the beginning however, something feels strange about this case. The murder takes place in a lovely home in a brand new development. The two children, were smothered in their beds and the father and mother are found lying next to each other in a pool of blood. The mother, stabbed several times is barely alive and unconscious. Inexplicably there are holes drilled into the walls of their new home and baby monitors set up everywhere including the attic, where they also find a huge bear trap set and ready.

As Mick and his partner sift through the facts and try to understand what the crime scene is telling them they find that although this family had bought their dream home, their lives were in turmoil and they were facing mounting debt, foreclosure all caused by the chaos of the economic downturn.  Not only that, Mick and his partner find evidence that there was someone watching this family who may have been entering the house and moving things around or even taking small souvenirs.

Mick in turn is trying to deal with his own issues about Broken Harbor, the scene of a terrible incident in his childhood. And if that were not enough, his sister who is emotionally fragile at best chooses this moment to have one of her breakdowns.

French masterfully explores each character’s psyche and what motivates them. And as we get to know Mick, the story of his childhood along with how he has to deal with his sister, we understand his need for control and the motivation to “always get his man.” As the case twist and turns his facade begins to crack making it harder and harder for him to maintain his objectivity and control.

This was such a satisfying book! Great plot, great pacing, great characters and a surprising ending!

Brenda’s Rating:  ****(4 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this Book to: Sharon, Ken, and Marian

Books Study Worthy: Yes

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Fiction, Psychological Mystery | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

John Saturnall’s Feast by Lawrence Norfolk

Posted on May 17, 2013 by bseat

51OKQDNLthL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-64,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_This book is a rich feast-a historical novel about a boy’s coming of age; rising from starving orphan to one of the most accomplished cooks of his age. Set in the 17th century against the backdrop of Cromwell and the religious and political power struggle of the time, we are immersed in the kitchen of a small manor house and with the people and food of that time and place.

In the beginning John and his mother live in a small village where she is often consulted as a “wise” woman for medicinal plants and herbs and for her skills as a midwife but often held at arms length and viewed with fear.  John begins to learn her skills by having her read to him from her large book that contains many receipts (recipes) and tells the story of the original people who came to this valley and the feasts that they kept.  But their tenuous hold on life is suddenly taken away when religious fanatics overtake the small church and soon John’s mother is accused of being a witch and they are cast out of the village.  John is  eventually rescued by the old village priest and sent to the local manor and there in the kitchen he begins his new life and his education as a cook.

Using John’s recipes to introduce each section of the book, Norfolk allows us to trace the development of John’s skills as a cook and as the book follows the fate of the manor and its inhabitants through its’ threatened loss by a poorly worded will, the threat of religious fanaticism, war, and his enduring love for a girl beyond his station in life, we also see his development as a person.

Woven throughout John’s story is also the mythological story of Bucilla and Saturnus and the first people of that valley. There at the beginning of time a feast was held and the people shared their food and all were fed-a vision of a utopian ideal that helps John and the others who know the story get through the extreme hardships they face.

Norfolk paints a rich picture of this time and place; the pace of the kitchen, its noise and heat, the smells of spices and roasting meat, all of these come right off the page (or out of your ebook reader) and envelop you in the story.  After having just read Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson, I had an even greater appreciation for the various implements that are described and the time and skill that were involved in cooking at that time.

Although some times slow paced, this rich and unique view of history from the point of a kitchen and its cook is one that immerses you in the smells, tools and routines of ordinary life in a different time and place.

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Marian and Lauren

Book Study Worthy: Yes

Read in ebook format.

 

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Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson

Posted on May 10, 2013 by bseat

According to anthropologists cooking literally changed our lives! Before we learned to cook people spent hours hunting and gathering food and ate it raw, and then, because raw food was not easily digested, we quickly got hungry and had to feed ourselves often and in large quantities. Once we figured out the transformative nature of fire in making food more edible, digestible, and nutritious, a lot of the time we had spent in eating. hunting and gathering could now be directed in other ways to make life more safe and comfortable. It may be overstating it a bit, but learning to cook, may have helped invent the wheel!

Bee Wilson’s Consider the Fork 41YcCBabn4L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-67,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_takes us on a delightful journey through history using the everyday implements of cooking- the knife, fork, measuring cups, egg beater, toaster and even the ice cream maker- as our guides, telling their history and development and making the connections to help us understand the relationship between food, cooking and the tools that make it all possible.

Although everything in her book is fascinating there were a few things that I found particularly notable. Interestingly, the US is the only country in the world that measures dry ingredients by volume in measuring cups rather than by weight, a distinction that Wilson attributes to the fact that in our nation’s formative years we were constantly expanding territory, moving ever westward so it was difficult to carry scales that would remain accurate and thus we developed recipes that measured dry ingredients by volume instead.

Wilson also considers the difference that eating utensils had on the development of cuisines. In the West the first eating implement was the knife- a sharp dagger like utensil that everyone carried with them and then used to cut up the hunks of meat served at the table into relatively bite sized pieces. In China, however, chopsticks were the implements that were used to eat and thus each piece of food needed to be cut before cooking so that it could eaten easily with the chopsticks.

Another thing I found fascinating is the fact that the toaster was invented and became popular only after it became more difficult to have servants in your home and was marketed as a time saving device. Or what about the idea that the fork was considered a French affectation in much of the rest of Europe for quite some time before it was finally adopted.

Wilson’s wonderful and witty journey into the history of cooking has many surprising insights that will delight anyone who cooks or eats!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian and Lauren

Book Study Worthy: Yes-but you need to cook and eat something together!

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Non Fiction | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Dinner by Herman Koch

Posted on May 3, 2013 by bseat

Set in Amsterdam, The Dinner51nArN-dEBL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-64,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_ starts out simply-two brothers and their wives are meeting for dinner. But this dinner is no casual date night; they are meeting to discuss the horrific thing that their two sons have done and what they need to do about it.

Paul Lohman, our narrator, and his wife, Claire meet Paul’s brother, a charismatic politician who seems to be on his way to being the next Prime Minister and his beautiful but delicate wife at a trendy and expensive restaurant that Paul’s brother was able to get reservations for on the basis of his name and position. Paul has very mixed feelings about his brother’s high profile and expensive lifestyle and finds his choices stultifying and hypocritical. Paul, on the other hand has been on medical leave from his job as a teacher for a few years now and he and his wife are having to live very simply. As each course is brought out, by the cloyingly servile waiter, Paul grouses to the reader about the expensive dishes with barely any food on the plate and the cost of the wildly expensive wine.

Initially the conversation is polite and we learn about each family and the things that they did over the holidays. The families have been quite close through the years and the children have spent quite a bit of time together. Although there are some indications that all is not well between Paul’s brother and his wife, and we hear about Paul’s diagnosis of an impulse control disorder which has prevented him from returning to teaching as well as his wife, Claire’s illness, in general they seem like any other normal family.

As the meal continues, however, we are slowly introduced to the chilling incident that their 15 year old boys were involved in. The police are investigating the incident and although the boys have yet to be identified as the ones who have committed the act, it seems like only a matter of time until they are. And this is the crux of the story-what should be done about these boys.

Koch slowly turns up the heat in this chilling and disturbing story about a family and the choices they have to make and the lengths they will go to to protect their son. Described as a European Gone Girl, the unexpected twists and turns including the stunning ending keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page!

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Sharon, Lauren, Ken, and Keith.

Book Study Worthy: Yes!

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Fiction, Psychological Mystery | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura and Translated by Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates

Posted on April 26, 2013 by bseat

Most Japanese novels are difficult to relate to because there is an underlying fatalism that pervades most of these novels which creates a cultural barrier that is difficult for most 41NVapY7IGL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-61,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_Westerners to surmount.  The Thief by Nakamura is no exception to this general rule. The book which won the 2009 Oe prize in Japan is ably translated into English, but the crime noir quality of this tale about the criminal underbelly of Japan and the underlying fatalism of it main character makes it very difficult to appreciate unless you have some deeper understanding of Japanese culture.

Nishimura, is a pickpocket, weaving his way through the trains, airports and streets of Tokyo looking for rich people to rob, anonymous and unseen and rather polite in his own way, taking the cash from the wallets, then depositing them into a post box, knowing that the Post Office will see to it that the wallets with their driver’s licenses and credit cards are returned to their owners. Given the nature of this life, he is a lone wolf, constantly on the hunt for new prey, without any connections or relationships to hinder him.

This was not always the case, however. Nishimura did have a partner at one time, a man named Ishikawa, but after a disastrous job they did for an illusive and menacing man named Mr. Kizaki, Nishimura has not seen or heard from his partner and has felt more alone and isolated than ever before. He in fact keeps having memory fugue episodes where he apparently steals without ever remembering having done so, only to realize it later when he finds the stolen property in his pocket.

Into this lonely and isolated existence two simultaneous events happen that change Nishimura’s life.  At the grocery store he observes a mother trying to teach her son to steal.  Seeing that the store security person has already become suspicious, Nishimura intervenes at some risk of exposure to himself. The boy, feeling like he has finally found a mentor latches onto Nishimura and asks for help in becoming a better thief.  At the same time, Mr. Kizaki emerges from the shadows and  and makes a proposal to Nishimura-a job with a very short time frame.  As Nishimura struggles to meet this time deadline we learn in flashbacks what happened in the first disastrous job he and Ishikawa did for Mr. Kizaki and its far reaching consequences.

Mr. Kizaki is an enigmatic character, on one hand he is the consummate criminal- menacing and delusional and on the other he is the one that explains with clarity and persuasion the limits of  our ability to choose our own life. Interestingly, it is often the subtle things that are most menacing in Japanese books.  Mr. Kizaki is always referred to with the honorific of Mr. and just in that small detail we know the full extent of his otherness and his remoteness to Nishimura, but that is not something that most Western readers would pick up on.

This is a story about the limits of free choice, and an exploration of that age old existential question of “Do I matter?.”  For most who read this book the answer, if there is one at all, will not be satisfying.

Brenda’s Rating: ***1/2( 3 1/2 Stars out of 5)   

Recommend This Book to: Sharon and Ken

Book Study Worthy?: Yes

Read in ebook format.

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