Fridays at the Branches: Emily Alone

Emily Alone by Stewart O'Nan

Set in Pittsburg, Emily Maxwell is an 80-year-old recent widow, mother, grandmother, sister-in-law and owner of an aging dog. Her life seems to have become stuck in a rut as of late. She is challenged to rediscover her independence when her sister-in-law Arlene faints while out for their routine breakfast buffet and ends up hospitalized. Emily has become accustomed to being chauffeured around town by Arlene, so now she has to find courage to begin driving again herself. As Emily begins her role as caregiver to Arlene, it prompts some new changes in her life. O’Nan is able to clearly portray the emotions and feelings of regret, pride, joy, and sorrow that an 80-year-old woman would be experiencing, but in a lighthearted compassionate way. The reader is not depressed but encouraged to see Emily continuing to branch out and continue to learn and develop even in her final years. She is often reflective, imagining the future when she is no longer there, but resigned to whatever may be.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Best Kept Secret

Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany 2011

Cadence had it all once – an adorable son, a successful husband and a promising career in freelance journalism.  But everything changes once her divorce is finalized; she is struggling to make ends meet and has writer’s block.  It all begins with a glass of wine - just one drink to take the edge off.  Before long, it is no longer a glass but a bottle or two.  Cadence does not realize how her “best kept secret” has taken over her life until her husband comes to take their son away.

 

This third novel by Amy Hatvany details the ongoing journey of Cadence and her alcoholism.  This haunting tale starts at the beginning of her addiction and realistically portrays the heartbreak of her child custody battle and the healing of her recovery.  Along the way, secrets from her family’s past and new friends assist Cadence in her struggle for sobriety.

Fiction Pick of the Week: The English American

The English American by Alison Larkin

Alison Larkin was adopted at birth by a British couple; her birth parents were from Georgia. This novel is partially based on her quest to find her birth parents.  Her mother had an affair with a married man who was a prominent politician in the United States and she had to give up her daughter for adoption.    Larkin needed to find out who she inherited her looks and talents from as she felt so out of place with her loving adopted parents who had totally different personalities from her.  In the end this journey was painful but resulted in Larkin feeling better about herself and being able to love both set of parents regardless of their faults.  This book would make an excellent choice for a book club group and is an excellent choice for  for adoptees and their adopted and birth parents.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Secrets of Eden

Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian 2010

Bohjalian’s latest book could be easily classified as a murder mystery. A husband and wife are found dead—murder/suicide-- in a small Vermont town. In the quaint, rustic town, the locals begin to learn why Alice was murdered, but why on that day? What caused George to strangle her on the day of her baptism? Did he commit suicide? Some of the main characters: Reverend Stephen Drew; Ginny, the devoted friend; the visiting author, Heather Laurent, who writes about angels; the Deputy State’s Attorney, Catherine Benincasa and the townspeople explore many stories while guarding many secrets. The crime scene, however, is not the real focus, but the means to explore the subject of spousal abuse, childhood victims, and family secrets. What is the difference between grief and mourning? Why is it that a sudden family tragedy leaves no time “to build that seawall…having no time even for sandbags.” This is a masterful tale of intrigue, and just when you think you know these characters, they say: “Believe no one. Assume all of our stories are suspect”.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Wife's Tale

With Canada Day this week, we thought we would highlight some Canadian works!








The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens 2009

Fans of Lori Lansens will enjoy another tale set in Leaford Ontario; Mary Gooch is a large woman who has been married to “Gooch”, her high school sweetheart, for twenty-five years, and they have slowly drifted apart. Mary’s weight and frame of mind have limited her life in many ways; however, all this changes when, on the eve of her 25th wedding anniversary, her husband disappears. Mary feels compelled to abandon her sheltered life and pursue her husband across North America. This adventure is the catalyst for Mary to change and meet people who are kind to her. Mary is forced to
learn new skills and to discover the true person who used food to control her life.
The book will appeal to readers who enjoy character studies and Lansen's portrayal of the stresses of obese women is very poignant.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Absent

Absent by Sherri Vanderveen 2009

In 1979 Otto Sinclair abruptly leaves his home and his family after a fire is started in his mother’s home where he and his family were living. Twenty-eight years later he comes back to them. His wife Lenore remarried yet she kept a box of memories of her time with Otto in the trunk of her car. He daughter Ruby has a box of newspaper clippings about heroic fathers. Otto’s son Gavin does not remember his father as he was four when his father disappeared. The entire family has been scarred by Otto’s betrayal. I liked this story for the strong character development and the ways that this family survived and tried to understand what their father did to them.

Tuesday's Pick: The Rain Before it Falls

The Rain Before it Falls by Jonathan Coe 2008

I’m always looking for a book that is able to tell a story using an intriguing method. I have found a winner in British author Jonathan Coe’s The Rain Before it Falls. According to Coe, the novel has been twenty years in the making. Elderly Rosamund has committed suicide and leaves an audio version of her life story revealed through a series of twenty photographs. She has left the audiotapes and photographs for Imogen , a relative from her past, that family members are unable to locate. In the end, it is Rosamund’s niece Gill who listens to the tapes. Many secrets are revealed and ultimately a tragic story is told. The end result is a beautifully written book.

Tuesday's Pick: Sweet Love

Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer 2008

Looking for something quick and enjoyable to read but with some substance? Then try Sweet Love and you won’t be disappointed. Julie Mueller is a 40-something reporter, a single mom, who never really got over a high school crush on her older brother’s friend Michael. Her mother made sure years ago that Michael would stay away from Julie. Then as a gift Julie is given 3 classes by a famous Boston area chef to learn how to create fancy desserts. Scanning the list of her other classmates, she sees the name Michael Slayton! Sounds simple, but is a second chance ever really that easy? Strohmeyer weaves in relationship issues, including mother-daughter, brother-sister, and friends all into one great read.

Tuesday's Pick!

Don't You Forget About Me by Jancee Dunn

Thirty-eight–year-old Lillian is contented with her life. She loves her job as producer of a seniors’ talk show starring her dear friend and showbiz veteran Vi Arbour (“Vi is for vibrant!”), and looks forward to snuggling into pyjamas after work in the Manhattan apartment she shares with her husband, Adam. But that contentment is shattered when Adam suddenly asks for a divorce because he’s bored. Lillian, sent on a leave of absence by Vi, finds herself back home with her retired parents in her New Jersey hometown. Surrounded by her high school memorabilia and memories, Lillian finds herself yearning for her youth. Her past and present collide as she takes a trip down memory lane in the form of her 20-year high school reunion. She starts listening to her ‘80s-era mixed tapes, driving too fast, reconnecting with old friends and dreaming of meeting up with her high school sweetheart. He is rumoured to still be hot, single and in town. This debut novel by journalist Dunn is a cut above most beach reads. And what better than a beach read in December while the snow is falling!

Wednesday's Pick!

Who knew that Sophie Kinsella's real name is Madeleine Wickham and that she has published many books under her "real" name! One of those, published in 2001 is Sleeping Arrangements. This is the story of two families, Chloe and Philip and Hugh and Amanda and their respective children. Both arrive at their friend Gerard's villa in Spain unaware that he has lent the villa to the two families for the same week. Even more interesting is that Chloe and Hugh once dated. Was this a set up or did Gerard mess up his dates. Both couples are dealing with marriage issues and kids, kids, kids. Add in a nanny to look after Hugh and Amanda's children and you have quite the array of characters. What can happen in one short week? Different than the Shopaholic series, but still a great and quick read.

Monday's Pick!

I can suggest a great book to take to the beach this summer. The Land of Mango Sunsets by Dorothea Benton Frank is set on an island off the South Carolina coast where middle-aged " heroine" Miriam Elizabeth Swanson goes to recover from the beating her life in New York City gives her. She is a flawed heroine with a cynical view of family and neighbours alike that has embittered her almost to the point of no return. But life on the island with her mother begins to heal her perspective. She reaches out to people and is amazed at the response. This book is witty and will make you laugh often but it has sadness too. You will remember the characters as an endearing group who have alot to teach about human relationships.

Oops, sorry I missed posting a new title last Wednesday. Check back this Wednesday and Saturday for new reviews!

My Pick of the Week!

Richard Russo is one of the finest writers who can detail small town life and the families who inhabit them. Bridge of Sighs is set in the fictional upstate New York town of Thomaston. The story follows the lives of 3 childhood friends, Lou & Sarah who are married to each other and have remained in Thomaston, and Bobby Marconi aka Noonan who fled his hometown decades earlier. Russo paints a detailed portrait of a dying town and the hope, love and regret that surround the family and friends that reside there. The bulk of the story is told by Lou Lynch, 60 year resident and czar of convenience stores in Thomaston. He is writing a history of Thomaston and his family and he is hoping to resolve some unsolved mysteries with his longtime friend Noonan. A wonderful story.

Let me know if you enjoyed reading this book!

My Pick of the Week!

British author Penelope Lively’s intriguing new novel Consequences traces the lives and loves of three generations of women in one family. The story begins on the eve of the Second World War when Lorna meets working class artist Matt Faraday. They fall in love and marry, but their idyllic life comes to an end when Matt is killed in the Battle of Crete in 1941.The story continues with the life of Lorna’s daughter Molly and her granddaughter Ruth and recounts the changes in their lives and the society in which they live from the post war period until the nineteen-eighties. It is a sensitive, poignant story of three very unique women and the way in which their lives are shaped by chance encounters. At the same time, it is a perceptive and thought-provoking commentary on the social changes in England since the war.