The story of the great love affair between playwright Tennesse Williams and Frank Merlo is one of hidden desires, public discretion, and unfinished business. It is a look at what it takes to love a genius, someone with a great talent and even greater ego in a time of great talent and secrets. This is a close look at some very famous couples and their friends, some equally talented and most just wanting to be part of the glamour. The underlying theme of this book is peeling the layers back on what the public saw and what their private life was really like. The highs of great love and creativity are balanced with bouts of depression and loss. Beautifully phrased this story is understated but full of deep emotion underneath. If you listen carefully you can hear the clicking of the typewriter keys, the clink of ice cubes in a drink too early in the day and the soft crying of a broken heart.
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Four female pioneers in time travel embark on an adventure no man has gone on let alone a group of women and in doing so, create an empire. Most of them flourish and become recognized leaders in the field but sadly, one suffers a mental break that will have her always wondering what if. Enter the next generation of women and the one after that where some are involved in time travel and others are left trying to solve the mysteries of their mothers or grandmothers. This is an ode to powerful women as well as a story of mothers, daughters, and grandmothers. It is also one of lovers, friends, and bullies. Those women who embraced the adventure and those who saw the chance and took it all. Most of all, it is a story about the ramifications of time travel. What happens to your mind when suddenly you can witness your whole life and share that experience with your future or past self. Should you be allowed to prevent an event or right a wrong. This is not an easy read simply because it brings up layers of characters but it also brings up so many discussion points. What is morally right and what rules, if any, should be in place. For those brave potential time travelers, there is a psychological test at the end that may lead to a new career.
At first, I thought this book would be about the making of the movie, The Wizard of Oz, and it is about that but so much more. The story jumps between Maud Baum's life and her involvement on the set of the movie fiercely guarding her husband's legacy and the young woman chosen to play the character at the heart of the story, Dorothy. The story of Maud and her warm-hearted, theatrical husband L. Frank Baum brings the WIZARD OF OZ to life. The story parallels their lives, hopes and dreams of a better place just over the rainbow and a little girl who needed rescuing. It is also a story of strong women who weren't afraid to stand up for what they thought was right and to fight for those who couldn't fight on their own, namely a young actress named Judy Garland. The author's research and imagination come through and she has given a powerful voice to the lovely Maud Baum.
A bright, funny young Assistant to the President of a public relations firm has just died of Cancer. It happened too fast, she was too young and because she only had no more than six months after finding out about it, she did what we would all do - write a blog about it.
Simon, her old boss who has issues, found a manuscript she wrote covering much of the blogs and wants to publish it because that is what she wanted him to do. Her sister, who is dealing with issues herself, thinks that publishing it is in poor taste and can't believe Simon would take advantage of her sister that way. Both Simon and Jade must deal with all the hidden grief and pretending that they are able to fix all the broken things around them but maybe they can fix each other's broken parts. Told in emails, text and Iris's blog entries the result is funny, poignant, with razor-sharp wit and plenty of charm. I feel bad sharing that I laughed and felt good reading a book that is about a 33-year-old woman that died from Cancer but I did because in spite of the sadness there is a very human appeal. The women who live at 17 Swann Street are called girls because they have reversed the clock and don't have women's cycles, can't fit women's clothes and can't lead women's lives. They have Anorexia and other eating disorders and this is where they will turn back into women, hopefully. The pain is real, the emotions are raw and the outcome is not always successful. Anna is lucky that she has a husband who loves her and a father who tries hard to understand. The author tackles a tough emotionally gripping issue and doesn't sugarcoat the strength it takes and the commitment to overcome the disorder. Anna could be one of the fortunate few who lives at 17 Swann Street and gets a second chance at life - a women's life.
This book is very hard to pigeonhole into a single genre. On one hand, it is a search for a missing child by a well-known hunter/tracker in the deep bowels of Africa but on the other hand, it is a mystical journey into another world complete with shapeshifters, vampires and other creatures of African mythology and the author's vivid imagination. The dialect was a challenge for me but that did not stop my appreciation of his storytelling. Marlon James does a very good job of creating a fantasy world unlike anything else I have read.
It is never a good idea to go home again especially when something bad happened there but that is exactly where Joe heads to avoid a nasty debt collector. He returns to the sad little village to teach at his old school and lives in a cottage where a schoolteacher recently killed her son and then turned the gun on herself. Joe really wants to find out if the strange problems of the town have started up again and he is still dealing with the longtime death of his little sister and childhood friend. He also needs to make some quick cash to pay off the nasty loan shark and not all his old classmates are jumping for joy at his return. Part horror, part murder mystery and full on intense plot, C.J. Tudor serves up another edge of your seat creepy thriller.
This book should be classified as Southern Culture 101. Generations of Mississippi Pan Cola empire share their unique upbringing, southern witticisms, and iconic Forester charm. Every aspect of southern American culture is put under the microscope - a virtual Petrie dish of an ambitious family that began with nothing and somehow managed to secure its place as an empire. Expertly sifted in between the family members are all the highlights and low points of American history from the mid-1800s to the mid-1970s. As refreshing as a cold bottle of cola on a blistering Mississippi day, this nostalgic look at a crazy yet average southern family with all the ambitious dreams, love affairs, scandals, and deep-rooted family secrets will have you turning pages as fast as you can read.
A story of a family. It begins at the end of a successful career when a young woman asks a question that brings Fiona back to the beginning and her family. She begins to share the story of her family and life and we are transfixed. After losing their dad early, their mom checks out of reality for the years the kids refer to as "The Pause". Four young Skinner kids left to fend for themselves and help each other grow up. Living on the other side of the tracks from where they spent their beginning years is difficult but they meet new friends and lean on each other to survive. Finally, mom comes back to herself and the Skinner family is up and running again. The years spent on their own strengthened them and formed a tight sibling bond. Years pass and the kids seem to be doing alright except for Joe who has left their hometown and now lives in the fast lane of New York. The story is a lovely mixture of joy and heartbreak, sibling rivalry and absolute loyalty. It is also a story about great loves - warm, messy and filled with great moments of hope. For fans of epic family stories and a joy to read.
You begin this book with a knowing little smirk - I have read a lot of thrillers. I know what is going to happen. The story centers on a damaged woman who has killed her husband and is now lays mute in a psychiatric hospital and the ambitious psychotherapist who has just joined the team and wants to save her. As you race through the pages you begin to doubt your instincts - maybe she didn't do it, maybe the therapist is right and he will reach her and save her. This book will twist your insides into little knots trying to figure out who the victim is, who the bad guys are and who is lying. Her silence speaks volumes if you know how to listen. Prepare to put your life on hold until the last page. Solid twisty plot and perfectly paced- this one is going to be the hit of the new year.
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