A multigenerational saga centered around one family and their vacation home in the Vermont woods.
It begins in the 1950's where the country is feeling hopeful of new beginnings and progress. Nick is busy brokering oil deals with the Shah of Iran when he and his wife Bet build a home, along with other oil families, to escape the city. The next generation sees a more challenging world where racial tension, feminism and protests over privilege and the Vietnam War take center stage. The last generation brings us back to the beginning with the end of "The Age of Oil" and all that that will bring. Quiet in its approach in highlighting a variety of issues, including prejudice and climate change but determined to call them out as a warning. An interesting and largely overlooked period and a deeply felt family story that will appeal to fans of ON GOLDEN POND, books by Fiona Davis and WE ARE THE BRENNANS. 4 stars
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The king is dead and the four Solomon siblings can't even grieve before a greater problem arises. It seems that the long standing tradition dating back to Jim Crow days how property is passed to the surviving heirs is being challenged and the Solomons are losing The Kingdom, their ancestral home to a developer. Each of the Solomons have a great need for the money that selling out would bring but they haven't shared that with each other. Like many Southern families theirs is a complicated history spent in the same community and even if they leave it will always be their ancestral home. Chapters switch between the siblings so we get a full view of their situation and temperament and the emotional toll their father's passing is taking. An emotional portrait of a complex family in danger of shattering. 4 stars
A young woman makes a mistake that takes the life of someone's wife and mother and she goes to prison. Violet is fresh out and is looking for work and a fresh start. A chance meeting with her beloved leader of the prison book club helps land her a job she is well suited for. She also accidentally comes face to face with the man most affected by her past. Violet must accept that she has paid her dues and can start over but still feels that she will forever try to atone for that one night. This is a deep soulful story of second chances, forgiveness and family where you least expect to find it. As a bonus you learn so much about the intelligence and personality of parrots. Fans of THE READING LIST will enjoy this. 4 1/2 stars
Happy book birthday to FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry
There is something uplifting about reading a romcom by Emily Henry. The characters are flawed, but not too much, caught up in a humorous situation but one that is not without pain, suffering and a huge attraction to the one person you shouldn't be attracted to. In this tale of interesting relationships we find Daphne (a wonderful children's librarian!) who is dumped almost at the alter and becomes roomies with the guy who got dumped and is now shacking up with Daphne's ex fiancé. Daphne and Miles seem to be opposites except for the obvious until an idea that starts out as a "get even" move creates more of a spark than they anticipated. Classic Emily Henry wit, charm and romantic entanglements that mark her books as a must read on a beach or wherever. 5 happy go lucky stars A celebration of food, art and the Parisian way of life in 1980 as well as a hunt for a father, a female painter and a path forward for a lost American expat. Stella travels to Paris to honor her mother's last wish. She had led a difficult life so far with her not at all "warm and fuzzy" mother and has no clue who her father is. She finds herself experiencing everything life has to offer from beautiful vintage designer dresses to food to art. With no income she finds a temporary home at the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore and discovers a community ready to offer support and help her with her quest. Perfect armchair travel - all the sights, smells and tastes that only Ruth Reichl can convey plus a colorful cast of characters you can't help but fall for. Readers of MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING and francophiles will eat this up. 4 1/2 stars There once was a wonderful woman named Pippa who loved puzzles and gathered puzzle makers from far and wide to create and puzzle together in a big house. While everyone was happy there was one piece missing until a baby boy was left on the doorstep for Pippa and the others to raise as their own. Years go by and Pippa passes away leaving the baby, now a young adult, no closer to knowing who his birth parents are. Pippa leaves clues for Clayton to travel to London to solve the puzzle of his birth and have the adventure of his life along the way.
Told in alternating chapters between present day Clayton and Pippa's life years ago this is a warm and fuzzy look at what it means to be a family and love in its many forms. The reader gets the opportunity to join in solving the clues too! For fans of unusual family groups and stores with a strong sense of community with a twist like THE CARTOGRAPHERS, THE WISHING GAME and THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY. 4 stars A sweet story about the power of love, loss, friendship and community. Two neighbors butt heads over an overgrown common space. Winston is a curmudgeon who likes keeping to himself until Bernice moves in next door dealing with her new role as a recently divorced part time parent to her young son. They are at odds until a package of photos and anonymous notes of unknown people and a garden spark an interest in giving new life to the common garden space they share. It will take a great deal of understanding and the unrelenting good nature of a little boy to bring the garden into shape, their friendship to blossom and their community to thrive. For fans of A MAN CALLED OVE and her debut book THE READING LIST. 4 stars The master storyteller has pulled a collection of gems together that differ from one another as does a diamond and turquoise but each is character heavy and told in his unmistakable style. Full of flawed characters, immediately human, whether it is a man caught in a Ukrainian revolution trying to survive or a woman testing her independence in the Golden Age of Hollywood. I truly enjoyed jumping from one life to another but the cherry on top of the cupcake was the continuing story of a character from RULES OF CIVILITY. Haven't we all wanted a trip to not end and wondered what would happen if you just stayed on the train, plane or missed the stop on the highway? The destination is Hollywood in 1938 where the shiny glamour meets the tarnished underbelly with both good and bad people caught in the middle. A true gem of short stories and novella that will appeal to his many fans and the perfect way to get a taste of his genius. 5 stars
A retired cop befriends a young woman seeking answers about the dead brother she never knew. Dennis was sent through the system and ended up at a boy's institution in remote Oregon where he drowned. Amanda born years later was adopted and now is trying to find connections to her birth family. Larry is a lonely widower who sees something special in Amanda and offers to help her for what turns out to be a hard road. People aren't talking about what happened at the institution and the paper trail is long. The side story is about Amanda's passion that of caring for a solitary polar bear at the zoo. She is trying to help the bear connect with his family through DNA. Their search goes deeper into uncovering what was really going on at the school putting them in danger with justice for Dennis within their reach. Rene Denfeld mirrors two stories beautifully showing the connection of siblings and the cost of trying to "help" those in need with cruel methods. Food and shelter mean nothing without love, caring and compassion. Heartbreaking and pulse pounding at the same time this will appeal to readers who love character driven stories as well as legal thrillers. 4 1/2 stars
This is a reimagined and expanded story of the slave Jim and Huckleberry Finn the way it should have been told. Like every slave Jim is very aware of the need to stay out of the spotlight but when he learns that he will be sold he takes the only path available to him and runs. Huck is running too and they both travel one step ahead of danger from slave catchers and con men finding life on the river just as dangerous as Hannibal. Jim has a big heart and he tries to keep others particularly Huck safe but there is no future for a runaway slave just as there is no such thing as a kind slave owner. The biggest difference in this telling of Mark Twain's classic is that Jim secretly can read and write showing far more intelligence and humanity than the idiotic white people he meets. HIs speech changes completely once he is with fellow slaves or free people of color as does theirs which is the biggest irony of all . All the songs and entertainment and speech secretly mock the very white people who consider themselves superior. This story also highlights the extreme abuse, idiotic assumptions and justifications made by slave owners. A brilliant retelling of a classic filled with brutal honesty and the same ironic wit of Mark Twain. A new classic is born. 5 stars
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