An Interesting Look at "Americanah"

Wow, it has been forever since I've done a book review. Partly because I haven't been reading all that much these days (too busy with Europe trip planning and moving) and partly because I haven't read many books which were review worthy. But that changed with Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel, Americanah.

Synopsis: "Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland" (Amazon.com).

Review: This book was chosen by my book club therefore it was probably not a book I would have read on my own, but that being said, I'm certainly glad that I read this wonderful novel. This is the first novel of Adichie that I have read, but it won't be the last.

At first, I had a very hard time getting into this book. I would pick it up, read a few pages, put it back down, and then try again a few hours later. It wasn't until I reached page 150 or so that I finally began to feel some connection with the characters at the heart of this story of race, class, and American society. The author had me thoroughly engaged, as the book began to take on the feel of an epic American story.

The author has created prose that is dense with meaning and oftentimes beautiful. Her observations on race and America are perceptive, intelligent and unique. If I were reading them in a non-fiction collection of essays, I would be dazzled simply because they are that powerful. They certainly caused this liberal white woman to look at some things in a new way. This book forced me to read with patience, savoring ideas and descriptions, and admiring particularly well-crafted phrases. 

Americanah is infused with a kind of perceptiveness that allows the reader to engage in an internal conversation that has the potential to both challenge and validate your thinking. It’s contemporary and immediate. The prose is fresh and the use of blog entries by Ifemelu adds to the modern tone of the novel. Although the lens of this text is primarily focused on America and the scars that slavery has left on our collective soul, the author does not shy away from the residual effects of colonization on the Nigerian people. While the construct of blackness and the accompanying discrimination as experienced in the US is not viable in Nigeria, color prejudice, corruption, and classism appear to be alive and well. 

I recommend reading this book with someone of another race and see where the discussion takes you. Sadly, my book club is filled with liberal, middle-class white women.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Check out Adichie's fascinating 2009 TED Talk:

Dan Brown's "Inferno" Is On Fire!

I just completed my 9th book of the summer with quite a few more books that I would like to complete before heading back to work at the end of August. In 2003, I read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and thought it was a masterfully written thriller. I had never heard of Dan Brown before reading that novel, and (for me) the novel was as good as the hype that surrounded it. I subsequently went back and read his previously released novels, Deception Point and Angels & Demons and found them to be not as well written as The Da Vinci Code, but that did not deter me. Upon the release in 2009 of the third Robert Langdon book, The Lost Symbol, I was again underwhelmed and thought that perhaps Brown was a one hit wonder and the rest of his novels would be middling. I decided to pick up his most recent Robert Langdon novel, Inferno, and am glad that I stuck with Brown's writings.

Synopsis: "Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital, disoriented and with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours, including the origin of the macabre object hidden in his belongings. With a relentless female assassin trailing them through Florence, he and his resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks, are forced to flee. Embarking on a harrowing journey, they must unravel a series of codes, which are the work of a brilliant scientist whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written, Dante Alighieri's The Inferno.

Dan Brown has raised the bar yet again, combining classical Italian art, history, and literature with cutting-edge science in this sumptuously entertaining thriller" (Amazon.com).

Review: Brown is back with a vengence! As disappointed I was with his last novel, I thoroughly enjoyed this action packed thriller. Never one to let grass grow under his feet, Brown starts this novel off with a suicide, an attempted murder, amnesia, and a chase. Seriously, you get caught up in the action from the first chapter and it's a roller coaster ride through all 462 pages of the book. This novel is slightly different is that instead of following an ancient code that needs solving, this is about a devotee of Dante Alighieri's masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, and using the epic poem to create a modern day scavenger hunt, which could potentially impact the world if unsolved. This book almost makes me want to finally read The Divine Comedy...almost. The novel even has a lovely surprise ending.

In addition to a thrilling mystery, Inferno is a bit of a travelogue. If you've never been to Florence, Venice, or Istanbul, you will feel like you have been there after reading this novel. If you have visited any of these places (I've been to Florence and Venice), it feels like you have returned for a visit. Brown takes the reader on some of behind the scenes areas of well known locations, place in which the average tourist is not privy to and it is magnificent.

My only true complaint about the book (and quite frankly the series of books featuring Robert Langdon) is the formulaic approach: professor and expert on symbology and iconography finds himself embroiled in the middle of a high-stakes mystery, teams up with an attractive, smart and capable foreign woman who helps fill in the gaps and challenges him, and the two cement alliances, skirt villains, and undergo a hair raising adventure to save the world. 

But it's still a good guilty pleasure romp around Italy and Turkey. Is it great literature? No. Is it a fun summer beach read? You bet!

Rating: 4 out 5 stars

Some of the locales in the novel

"Shadow of Night" Is a Wild Ride In History!

My last book review was of book 1 of Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy, A Discovery of Witches, which you may recall I enjoyed very much. I had mentioned at the end of the posting that I was looking forward to reading book 2 of the series and had just picked a copy of it up from the library. I spent a good portion of the past couple of days reading Shadow of Night (2013), because I have no life. I don't usually bother reviewing the entire series of books, but this book is so unique that it requires a thoughtful review. 

Synopsis: "A Discovery of Witches introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, two otherworldly beings who found themselves at the center of a battle over a lost, enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Drawn to each other despite long-standing taboos, and in pursuit of Diana's spellbound powers, the two now embark upon a timewalking journey.

Book two of the All Souls trilogy plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies and subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew's old friends, the mysterious School of Night. The mission is to locate a witch to tutor Diana and find traces of Ashmole 782, but as the net of Matthew's past tightens around them, they embark of very different journey, one that takes them into the heart of the 1500 year old vampire's shadowed history and secrets. For Matthew Clairmont, time travel is no simple matter; nor is Diana's search for they key to understanding her legacy" (SoN book jacket).

Review:  Shadow of Night picks up exactly where the first book left off and it's a wild ride through history.  Note: if you are not a fan of historical fiction or reading about history - particularly the Elizabethan Age, then this book is not for you. But as I love history and the EA period is one of my favorite times in history, I loved every moment of Diana and Edward's trip to 1590-91. For me, this book is actually better than book 1 of the series.

The book is a masterpiece of blending paranormal fantasy, historical fiction, and romance all into one seamless being. Readers are immediately sunk into Elizabethan England, and meet many actual historical characters, which can almost make the reader dizzy! The execution of said historical figures (i.e., Christopher Marlowe, Elizabeth I, and Walter Raleigh) and how they are presented within the story is both plausible and enlightening at the same time. Harkness's research is flawless and she manages to bring the sixteenth century to life with a rich, vibrant sense of reality that rarely appears in works of fiction. She does this without giving the feeling that she is giving a history lesson or writing a textbook. Instead she simply recreates the past in a vivid tapestry that should excite any reader who is unfamiliar with the period, while making those of us who do know it feel like we are revisiting a familiar city after having been away from it for a while..

While recreating history, Harkness also tells a good story. The characters travel a great deal in this book - from Woodstock, England, then on to Lyon, France, moving on to London, then to Prague, and finally back to London in a truly epic historical journey. Along the way, Diana and Matthew experience when their marriage hits snags, their secrets, heartbreaks, and lies. In addition to our lead characters journey into the past, we are given snippets of what events are unfolding in the future and how their timewalking in the past affects future events. These brief views in the future are both sad and enlightening, giving the reader knowledge that Diana and Matthew are not privy to.

It should be noted that, just like ADoW, Shadow of Night is not a book for those who are looking for a fast-paced action-fantasy, nor for those looking for a romance novel. The plot unfolds slowly and carefully and the book's strength lies in the development of characters and relationships as much as in the plot itself. 

As with A Discovery of Witches, I think there could have been a little editing to some of the passages and even though there isn't an true ending to this book, it didn't quite leave the bad taste in my mouth the way ADoW did. All in all, it is a solid second novel and one well worth reading.

Rating: 4.5 out 5

In a little more than 2 weeks, the third book in this riveting trilogy, The Book of Life, will be released (July 15, 2014). I hope it lives up to its predecessors.

It's Not Merely "A Discovery of Witches"

I am on week 2 of a two-month summer vacation. What does that mean for me? Lots and lots of reading! Yes, this book-o-phile gets to spend most of her days sitting on the couch, curled up with a book on her lap and a pretty kitty at her side. Yay! (I'll just forget the fact that I have papers due for my grad classes that I haven't even thought about.) As I promised in a previous post, I will only review those books that I feel are worth reviewing. In the past two weeks, I have read 6¼ and several of the books were quite good, particularly Shining Through by Susan Isaacs and Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich (which took me about 6 hours to read!). The ¼ book was one on the Vanderbilts, but I found Cornelius Vanderbilt too repulsive to continue reading about them. Now, onto my review:

______________

What is it about witches, vampires, and other things that go bump in the night? It seems like every other book these days is filled with the supernatural. Some are well written (Harry Potter series) and some are just dreadful (Twilight series). As I was killing time by meandering through Barnes & Noble last week, I came across a novel that fits into this category: A Discovery of Witches (2011) by Deborah Harkness. It looked like an interesting enough story so I decided to give it a read. 

Synopsis: "Deep in the heart of Oxford's Bodleian Library, Diana Bishop -- a young scholar and the descendant of witches -- unearths an enchanted alchemical manuscript. Wanting nothing to do with sorcery, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery has set a fantastical underworld stirring, and soon a horde of daemons, witches and other creatures, descends upon the library. Among them is the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire with a keen interest in the book. Equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense, A Discovery of Witches is a mesmerizing and addictive tale of passion and obsession that reveals the closely guarded secrets of an enchanted world" (ADoW book jacket).

Review: This much hyped debut novel by Ms. Harkness will either thrill you or chill you. It appears from all the reviews I've read it's a "love it" or "hate it" novel. Those readers who hate it have been comparing it to the awful Twilight series and while I agree that there are some similarities - vampires, romantic entanglement with a vampire, etc., this novel is better written, has original ideas about the supernatural world, and is way more than just a straight up romance novel.

The story is actually kind of a mix of witchcraft, vampire, daemon, history, science, alchemy, and a bit of Dan Brown-ish mystery that involves an ancient book, which I won't say too much about in the review for the sake of spoilers. Refreshingly, the more I read, the better the book became. The history, witchcraft, myths, science and alchemy have been very well researched (the author's day job is a history professor) and I enjoyed reading about all of it in great deal. The ancient texts and books, descriptions of illustrations and talk of grimoires, spells and magic are every occult/history lover's dream.

Yes, it does have the odd corny romantic comment and the main character, Diana Bishop, doesn't always make the smartest decisions considering she's so well educated, but mix it all in with the story itself and it works. The setting takes the reader from Oxford, England, to Lyon, France, to Central New York state and each are beautifully described!

While I have no complaints about the pacing in the front 75% of the book, the last 25% is all consuming. The minute that the story switches to Diana's childhood home in Central New York, I could not put the book down. The Bishop house is sentient and highly opinionated. It's also full of the ghosts of Bishops past, who are also very opinionated. A couple of new secondaries show up, one of which is absolutely adorable.

I only have two complaints; one is that it could have used a bit of editing. Generally speaking, I enjoy reading nearly 600-page books, but there were some events that could have been cut down or removed completely.  Two, there really is no resolution at the end. Yes, I get that it's book one of a trilogy but each book really should be able to stand on its own. Otherwise, this book was quite a good read and I'm looking forward to reading the next novel in the series: Shadow of Night (which I just picked up from the library).

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August" Is Mesmerizing...

What would you do if you had to live your life over and over and over again? What if each time you lived your life over, you remember everything from your previous lives? What would you do different? Or the same?  This scenario is the basic plot of the novel The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (2014) by Claire North (a pseudonym of British author Catherine Webb). Think of this book as Groundhog Day on steroids.

Synopsis: "Harry August is on his deathbed. Again.

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.

Until now.

As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. "I nearly missed you, Doctor August," she says. "I need to send a message."

This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow." (Book jacket)

The protagonist, Harry August, is one of a rare set of people who are unable to truly die: as soon as their body dies, their life starts over with the same parents, the same childhood, the same world - except this time they have a lifetime (or 15 lifetimes) of knowledge and experience to draw upon. As Harry dies for the 11th time, a little girl warns him about the impending end of the world...

Review: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is beautifully crafted and masterful: the author not only comes up with a fascinating concept that's very rarely seen in science fiction, but develops it and fleshes it out to such an extent that the book's universe seems quite believable. We get glimpses of immortals (or ouroborans, as they call themselves) and the many, many different ways they spend their endless lives. We get cautionary tales of what can happen if somebody tries introducing advanced technology centuries before its time. (Alternate history fans will love that part.) We see the best and the worst that strange immortality brings out in regular people - and how they deal with it.

One of the best things about this book is the witty internal narrative by the protagonist, with small hilarious quips and observations. There are moments which are laugh out loud funny. Consider, for example, "if Pietrok-111 was a one-horse town, Pietrok-112 was the glue factory where that horse went to die."

Another notable feature is the extensive research by the author. She successfully nails not only the historical context throughout the 20th century, but does so with perfect cultural accuracy of England, USSR, China, and the United States. Furthermore, each locale and time period reflects the proper dialect, scientific discovery, and emotional awareness of its time. Simply brilliant. 

Wrap all this up with a cleverly woven story in a unique setting of time repetition. Considering I am not usually a fan of books that jump around in time, this high praise from me is quite a testament to the author's brilliancy. The surprise ending almost made me want to go back to the beginning and read it all over again to see what I missed.

My only complaint about the book is that someone needs to really proofread it. There are a number of typographical errors which kind of ticks me off, but in no way detracts from the enjoyment of the novel.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

"Empty Mansions" Is Filled With a Fascinating Story...

What would you do if you were the heir or heiress of a small fortune? Most of us can only imagine what it might be like to inherit a fifth of $250 million and yet that's exactly what Huguette Clark inherited in 1925 after her father, W.A. Clark (a copper baron) died (worth $3.4 billion in today's money). Little had been known about Ms. Clark until journalist, Bill Dedman, stumbled upon the story. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. explores a fascinating tale of a poor, little rich girl.

Synopsis: "When Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Bill Dedman noticed in 2009 a grand home for sale, unoccupied for nearly sixty years, he stumbled through a surprising portal into American history. Empty Mansions is a rich mystery of wealth and loss, connecting the Gilded Age opulence of the nineteenth century with a twenty-first-century battle over a $300 million inheritance. At its heart is a reclusive heiress named Huguette Clark, a woman so secretive that, at the time of her death at age 104, no new photograph of her had been seen in decades. Though she owned palatial homes in California, New York, and Connecticut, why had she lived for twenty years in a simple hospital room, despite being in excellent health? Why were her valuables being sold off? Was she in control of her fortune, or controlled by those managing her money?

Dedman has collaborated with Huguette Clark’s cousin, Paul Clark Newell, Jr., one of the few relatives to have frequent conversations with her. Dedman and Newell tell a fairy tale in reverse: the bright, talented daughter, born into a family of extreme wealth and privilege, who secrets herself away from the outside world...

...Empty Mansions reveals a complex portrait of the mysterious Huguette and her intimate circle. We meet her extravagant father, her publicity-shy mother, her star-crossed sister, her French boyfriend, her nurse who received more than $30 million in gifts, and the relatives fighting to inherit Huguette’s copper fortune. Richly illustrated with more than seventy photographs, Empty Mansions is an enthralling story of an eccentric of the highest order, a last jewel of the Gilded Age who lived life on her own terms." (Amazon.com)

Review: At 359 pages (not counting notes), Empty Mansions reads like a psychological detective story that will interest fans of early 20th century American and European art, high society, and politics. Other themes include the destructive role of inheritances in wealthy family members' lives, and the difficulty of determining what constitutes mental illness and elder abuse.

At Huguette's death at the age of 104, her relatives were embroiled in a legal battle with her lawyer, accountant, private nurse and long-term care hospital, all of whom, in my opinion, violated professional ethics codes by taking enormous sums of money from the increasingly frail woman during the last two decades of her life. These "caregivers" repeatedly say that they never asked Huguette for the money, claiming it was offered. But when you walk into a room of a 90+ year old kindhearted woman and talk about how you cannot afford something, you are manipulating her into giving you money. Disgusting! Huguette's family isn't much better, having nearly forgotten about their aunt when she became reclusive. But you expect family to be money grubbers, not physicians, nurses, and attorneys who should have better ethics.

It makes me so sad that no one was there to be her advocate, and becomes a cautionary tale for financial and estate planning. Exceptionally well-researched, this mesmerizing biography will weave a web around your mind like the best mystery stories, but it's all frightening real.

That being said, the first half of the book gets bogged down in minute descriptions of every ounce of furnishings of the once-great Clark mansions, and the blow-by-blow descriptions of how W. A. Clark amassed his fortune. Much of this detail could have been edited by half and still be effective. The story really picks up steam after about 200 pages when it gets into the meat of how Huguette is exploited by her larcenous caregivers. At first I was unsure if I could finish the book, but I read the last half in one sitting (literally - with my eyes bugging out and gasping at the greed that these vultures exhibited).

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Huguette's debutante photo
circa 1926

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" Is So Much More Than Peculiar!

Being an English teacher, I am always on the lookout for books that I can introduce to my students in the hopes of making them lifelong readers. One of the ways I accomplish this task is by giving them books that I think they might enjoy, but of course, this can be an expensive endeavor. Last year, I discovered World Book Night - "a celebration of books and reading held on April 23, when 25,000 passionate volunteers across America give a total of half a million books within their communities to those who don’t regularly read." It's simple enough. You sign up to be a 'volunteer giver' (someone who hands out books), choose a book from the WBN list that you would like to give, and why you want to do this event. If approved, WBN sends 20 copies of the book you requested and you then gift them to others. My students are the recipients of these books. Last year, I picked Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street and they went like hotcakes. This year, I chose The New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2011) by Ransom Riggs. Having never read the book, I decided to check it out before passing copies onto my students. I am glad that I did.

Synopsis: "A mysterious island.

 An abandoned orphanage.

 A strange collection of very curious photographs.

 It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow -- impossible though it seems -- they may still be alive. 

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows." (Amazon.com)

Review:  Mr. Riggs's debut novel, Miss Peregrine's, reached #1 on The New York Times Best Sellers list for children's chapter books on 29 April 2012 after being on the list for 45 weeks. It remained there until 20 May, when it dropped to the fourth spot on the list. The book dropped off the list on 9 September 2012, having spent a total of 63 weeks on the list. Pretty impressive start to what looks like a promising career.

Part fantasy, part adventure, part eccentric photo collection, this coming-of-age story received a lot of well-deserved attention after publication for the way it incorporates unusual antique photographs into the narrative. Even without the photos, this would be a gripping story, but the photos add an irresistible element of mystery. Mr. Riggs is clearly a gifted writer who decided to create a magnificent story around his collection of weirdly wonderful photographs. The first-person narration is authentic, funny, and poignant. Enthralling, magical, and spooky, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is one of the most original and captivating books I have read in a long time. A must read. The movie rights have been sold to 20th Century Fox with Tim Burton slated to direct. I cannot imagine a better choice for director.

I’m looking forward to the next volume in the series, Hollow City, which was released earlier this year!

Rating:  4 out of 5

You Should Be "Looking for Alaska" Too...

Because I'm in the profession of teaching young adults, I often find myself reading a lot of Young Adult books. This weekend, I spent a few hours reading the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award winner Looking for Alaska by John Green. If you recall, I reviewed Mr. Green's novel, The Fault in Our Stars a few months ago, which I enjoyed immensely and had planned on catching up on all of his novels. I finally got around to Looking for Alaska.

Summary: "Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .

After. Nothing is ever the same." (Amazon.com)

Review: As you can tell from the summary, this book is split into two parts: Before and After. As I was reading the first half of the novel, I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to like the book. While I really liked nearly all the characters (Alaska being one that I didn't particularly care for), I found much of the story to be fairly predictable. I had figured out the "twist" and the "solution" long before they occurred. Of course, I am not exactly the person for whom this novel is meant -- being three times the age of the target audience. Therefore, it must be said that perhaps a teenager might be surprised by the plot twists. Despite knowing what was coming, I continued to read because I do like most of the characters. Then I read a portion of the book which hit me hard. It was like getting punched in the face with a two by four.  

Miles, in speaking about another character, states: "You can't just make me different and then leave...Because I was fine before, Alaska.  I was fine with just me and last words and school friends, and you can't just make me different and then [leave]." It was with this section of the novel that I made the connection to my own life. When you have someone who impacts your life in a huge way and then disappears out of it, you struggle to regain your balance and composure, not to mention the sorrow over the loss, which is ultimately one of the themes of the book.

This book deals with the big issues: suffering, loss, and grief, but it does so with such compassion and humor that the net impact is uplifting. Even the hard-nosed dean of students turns out to be a human being. There are no cardboard cut-out characters here.

Be aware that the teenagers in this story do what many of them actually do (smoke, drink, and have sex). If that bothers you, read it anyway. There are more important things in life than observing proprieties and pretending that teenagers aren't exploratory. You don't have to approve of these characters. It is enough to love them and learn from them.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Cecily Neville is "Queen by Right"!

It's been well documented that I am a crazed Anglophile with Anglophilia. England and its rich history is a fascination for me and I have been devouring information about England for decades. My love of England started in my 'tweens when I read novels based on English history. Not only did my love of England start back then, but my love of historical fiction. Historical fiction is a "literary genre that takes place in the past. The setting is drawn from history, and often contains historical persons. Writers of stories in this genre work to portray the manners and social conditions of the persons or time(s) presented in the story, with attention paid to period detail" (Wikipedia). Because of this love of England and historical fiction, I was thrilled that my book club picked the historical fiction novel Queen by Right by Newburyport resident, Anne Easter Smith, to read this month.

Synopsis:  "From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King’s Grace comes another masterful historical novel—the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history’s greatest love stories.
 

Anne Easter Smith’s novels are beloved by readers for their ability 'to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters.'* In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.

History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father’s household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith’s greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour." (Amazon.com)  (*Historical Novels Review)

Review: For anyone who is fascinated with the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses, this book is for you. Wife of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and mother of two kings (the popular King Edward IV and reviled Richard III), Cicely Neville is one of the more enigmatic figures in English history. Despite her connection to some of the most important historical events, including the fact that all English monarchs, beginning with Henry VIII, are descendants of Cecily Neville, not much is known about the Duchess and her life. Anne Easter Smith's novel changes all that. Queen by Right is a well-researched, mostly historically accurate, yet fictional, account of the life of the "Rose of Raby" - Proud Cis.

Told in flashback, the story begins with Cecily mourning the loss of her beloved husband, Richard, her 2nd surviving (and favorite) son, Edmund, and her brother, Richard, 5th Earl of Salisbury -- all three died in the Battle at Wakefield five weeks earlier -- and struggling to figure out how she got where she is. Consequently, Cis begins to look back on her life. As the youngest and favorite offspring of her father's 22 children, Cicely was a spoiled child who grows into a fiery, passionate woman. Cecily often demonstrates her courage through very dangerous times. As a grown woman, Cicely has trouble restraining herself from speaking her mind and making decisions usually made by men during a time when women are seen and not heard. 

The relationship between Cicely and Richard is a fascinating one. Cicely was merely nine years old when she became betrothed to thirteen year old, Richard. They married when Cecily was fourteen and even though Cis and Richard's marriage was an arranged one, the two have a deeply felt love and a strong commitment toward each other. I became very attached to Cecily and Richard as a couple, and truly it left me with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye at the end. Considering I already knew how the story was going to end, this indicates a well-written story. That's why I love historical fiction; I can read dry, boring history books all day long, but it's when those figures are shown to have been living, breathing people that their story really hits home.

In Cecily Neville, Ms. Smith has created a wonderfully vibrant character; a character that flies off the page and attaches herself to your heartstrings so that you feel every up and down of her roller-coaster story along with her. I got a strong impression that the author spent a lot of time with this character, shaping her in a way that is absolutely human, with strengths and flaws. I love when authors are able to do this; bring an historical figure to life and show their hopes and aspirations as stemming from the same place that our own come from -- the desire to see our loved ones safe, secure and successful.
 

Throughout the turbulent Wars of the Roses, it was not often that Cecily's family could truly feel secure, and therefore it is not surprising why the conflicts increased as they did. Each side felt threatened and felt the need to make a stand, battle soon followed, which of course leads into the seemingly never-ending spiral of revenge: an eye for an eye. Anne Easter Smith showed this brilliantly. Whilst reading this book, I learned a vast amount about this time period - far more than any history book has ever done before. I will say that there are an awful lot of names contained in this book, some of which hardly pertain to the main storyline but were a significant player during the time period. Perhaps this did not add to the story of Cecily and her family, but I still enjoyed their inclusion as I could research them and find out to whom they were related, giving me a better understanding of the family ties that are so closely linked to the opposing forces of York and Lancaster. It really is a fascinating time period, and this novel definitely helps to bring that to light.

One aspect of this novel that I particularly liked was the inclusion of the early years of Cecily's life. As the daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, she can in fact be said to have come from the Lancastrian line. An interesting twist, considering how she become the wife of the Yorkist claimant to the throne.

This is a long novel at 484 pages, but it is time well spent. My only true complaint about the novel was that when I got to the end, I wanted more. The story ends with the coronation of Edward IV in 1461. Cecily lived another 34 years. What happened in those years? Cicely rejoices in two sons being crowned King of England. She suffers through both of those sons dying far too young. She lives to see her granddaughter, Elizabeth of York (Edward IV's eldest daughter) become the Queen of England when she marries Henry VII. There is so much more to know about this woman. As Ms. Smith has graciously consented to be at our next book club meeting in order to discuss her book, it will give me the opportunity to ask her if she might consider finishing the story. I am looking forward to reading more of Anne Easter Smith's novels.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Cecily Neville, Duchess of York

"Stitches" and "Maus" Are Memorable!

As a matter of course, I don't read graphic novels. There isn't any real reason behind why I don't. I just never "got into" them. But between yesterday and today, I have read two different memoir graphic novels. The first is Stitches: A Memoir by David Small, which is an assigned book for the class that I co-teach and I figured I should read it as my students are just finishing it up. The second is Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman, which I had heard about while visiting the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover. One of the great things about graphic novels is the ease of reading. Stitches took me all of an hour to read and Maus just slight longer - around 5 hours. As I mentioned yesterday, a memoir needs to have three components: it must be well written, keep the reader's interest throughout, and the author has to have a clear purpose. How do Stitches and Maus measure up?

Stitches: A Memoir

Summary: David Small, a best-selling and highly regarded children's book illustrator, comes forward with this unflinching graphic memoir. Remarkable and intensely dramatic, Stitches tells the story of a fourteen-year-old boy who awakes one day from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he has been transformed into a virtual mute—a vocal cord removed, his throat slashed and stitched together like a bloody boot. From horror to hope, Small proceeds to graphically portray an almost unbelievable descent into adolescent hell and the difficult road to physical, emotional, and artistic recovery.

Review: David Small is an award winning children's author/illustrator, but I have never read any of his books. In some ways, not knowing the author's previous work makes this graphic novel even more enjoyable. I will start by saying that both the story and the art are excellent! The story revolves around David Small from the age of 6 to adulthood. He comes from an interesting but dysfunctional family -- his mother and her side of the family are explored in depth. David develops a growth on his neck, which turns out to be cancer. However, his family choose not tell him this fact, which is just one of the many sources of conflict between him and his parents. I love how the story is told. The struggles David goes through growing up within this family are real and relatable. David (the character in the book) can be extraordinarily imaginative, which is shown throughout the story (i.e., his admiration for Alice in Wonderland, which appears again towards the end of the story). In the end, the story has a great moral lesson -- your voice is more than the words that come out of your mouth. It is also your actions, what you do and how you do them, that speak for you. That is a great message to learn from a book about a child growing up.

The art is black, white, and gray, and in this story, it works perfectly. Some of the best frames in the book are when the author uses a direct light source on his character. For example, when David is in an elevator, and the doors open and close, he creates a fantastic effect by using this lighting technique. It happens a few times in the story, and it is definitely worth stopping to study the frame and look at the detail.

Finally, I believe that this story could only be told in this way. It just would not have been as effective if it had bee told in a traditional book. You need the art, combined with the story, David's vivid imagination, and the writer's control of his limited words to feel the full impact of the story. Telling the story of his memories works very nicely as a graphic novel. Yes, it did take me only about an hour to read the book, but I think that was too fast, and I plan to go back and read it again - taking more time to study each frame. I highly recommend this book for its great story and artwork, even if you know nothing about the author. By the time you are done reading, you will feel like you know him personally. Stitches is three for three in my memoir requirements.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Maus: A Survivor's Tale

Summary: "The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father's story. Vladek's harrowing narrative is woven into the author's account of his anguished relationship with is aging father." (from the back cover)

Review: Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor's Tale is a unique and unforgettable work of literature and has been described as memoir, biography, history, fiction, autobiography, or a mix of genres. It is a two-volume set of book-length graphic novels, which tells the story of the narrator, Artie, and his father Vladek, a Holocaust survivor. Maus (trans: mouse) is an important example of both Holocaust literature and the graphic novel. The two volumes of Maus are subtitled "My Father Bleeds History" and "And Here My Troubles Began"; they should be read together to get the biggest impact.

Artie is a comic book artist who is trying to create art that is meaningful, not just commercial. As the two volumes unfold, he gradually learns the full story of his father's history as a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. There is a complex "book within the book" motif, since the main character is actually writing the book that is being read. Is the story accurate? Probably not, but as with all Holocaust literature, it is not about accuracy but the humanity or inhumanity of the story. It is almost certain that the elderly Vladek forgot, exaggerated, or hid details, just as it is certain that his son summarized and misunderstood the account.

The distinguishing premise of the book involves depicting the books' human characters as having animal heads. All the Jews have mice heads, the Germans are cats, the non-Jewish Poles pigs, the Americans dogs, etc. It is a visually provocative device, although not without problematic aspects. To his credit, Spiegelman addresses some of the ambiguities of this visual device in the course of the 2 volumes. For example, there is an extensive discussion between Artie and his wife, a Frenchwoman who converted to Judaism, regarding what kind of animal head she should have in the comic (rabbit, frog, mouse?).

The art is black and white and contains some stunning visual touches, as well as some truly painful and thought-provoking dialogue. Vladek is one of the most extraordinary characters in 20th century literature. As grim as the two books' subject matter is, there are some moments of humor and warmth.

What makes Spiegelman's work so moving is the juxtaposition of a supposedly lighthearted form, the comic strip, with the greatest evil and suffering in human history, the Holocaust. Spiegelman's parents miraculously survived the concentration camps, being among very few survivors, getting by on luck and (in the case of Vladek) a lot of resourcefulness. This is their story, from the point of view of the father, who lost nearly all of his relatives. With the Jews as mice and the Nazis as cats, this work pulls no punches in describing the true horrors of the Holocaust, and Spiegelman's minimalist artwork makes the images all the more disturbing. You don't get this kind of emotion, terror, and brutal honesty in standard written accounts of the period. But underneath the direct suffering of the Holocaust, the true theme of this book is the lasting effects on the Spiegelman family, including the father's lasting agony and the mental illness shared by both the author's mother and himself. The strained relationship between father and son are the true heart of this tremendous work. Overall, Maus is a profound reflection on family ties, history, memory, and the role of the artist in society. I highly recommend this book. Maus is also a three for three in my memoir requirements, even though this is not strictly a memoir.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

It's Boring "Following Atticus"...

I have mixed feelings about memoirs. Some memoirs are brilliant and should be read by everyone; others - readers should just pass by. What constitutes a good memoir? For me, it must be well written, keep the reader's interest throughout the story, and have a clear purpose for writing the story. This month, my book club's selected book is a sports/adventure/dog-loving memoir, Following Atticus: Forty-eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan. I'm not certain what prompted the suggestion to read this book by a member of the club, but I'm sure she had her reasoning. 

Synopsis: "After a close friend died of cancer, middle-aged, overweight, acrophobic newspaperman Tom Ryan decided to pay tribute to her in a most unorthodox manner. Ryan and his friend, miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch, would attempt to climb all forty-eight of New Hampshire's four thousand-foot peaks twice in one winter while raising money for charity. It was an adventure of a lifetime, leading them across hundreds of miles and deep into an enchanting but dangerous winter wonderland. At the heart of the amazing journey was the extraordinary relationship they shared, one that blurred the line between man and dog.

Following Atticus is an unforgettable true saga of adventure, friendship, and the unlikeliest of family, as one remarkable animal opens the eyes and heart of a tough-as-nails newspaperman to the world's beauty and its possibilities." (from the dust jacket)

Review: I really wanted to like this book but sadly, I did not. Of my three requirements for what consistutes a good memoir, this book had none of them. At first, I found the story interesting. But the moments that I found most interesting were the ones that Ryan wrote about the least. The early chapters of the book deal with his life as an underground muck-raking newspaperman here in the small town of Newburyport, MA (where I live). He writes about all the incestuous weirdness that goes on in small towns. I didn't actually know anything about any of this, therefore, I found it interesting and refreshing. 

After that initial thrill, the book goes sharply downhill. When he gets into his mountain hiking jag, Ryan quickly becomes repetitious. He's hiking the same 48 mountains over and over and over and over again. How many different ways can the scenic view from the top of a mountain be described? How many times do we want to hear about the therapeutic value of solitary wilderness? How cold it was or how difficult the climb? I don't see what the big deal is hiking up and down the same small mountains year after year. The book is very self-indulgent. The author comes across as nice guy, but also extremely lonely. His only close companion is a little miniature schnauzer which Ryan drags up one mountain peak after another, and he makes up multiple charity quests as a reason to keep hiking the same mountains.  All I kept thinking is "why do I care about any of this?" The answer was simple: "I don't care."

The worst part is that so many chapters were identical. Cliff hanger to start, cold/snowy/tired, awesome views, and then a very anticlimactic end. It's just not very strong writing and completely lacking any real plot. This story would have made a great magazine article, but not a book. Therefore, if you intend to read the book, I suggest you stop at page 64 and don't waste your time on the last 200 pages.

It should be noted that I (apparently) am in the minority about this book. Most reviews on Amazon are glowing, which I don't comprehend but to each their own.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Atticus is a really cute dog, though.

"Ender's Game" - Not Worth the Time...

I'm not the biggest fan of science fiction/fantasy novels, but have read a reasonable amount in that genre. There are some sci-fi/fantasy novels that I really like (i.e., Frankenstein, The Handmaid's Tale, The Princess Bride), some I dislike/loathe (i.e., Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Animal Farm, Slaughterhouse Five). Within the sci-fi/fantasy category, I do enjoy a good dystopian novel (i.e., the Hunger Games series, the Divergent series, Fatherland). So even though it's not my favorite genre to read, I do try to at least read the most popular and well-regarded novels, which brings me to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Published in 1985 and often at the top of the list as being one of the best sci-fi/fantasy books, I finally got around to reading this book and I wish I could have that time back to do something better... like picking fleas off my cat, watching paint dry, counting grains of rice, etc.

Synopsis: "Young Ender Wiggin thinks he is playing war games at the Battle School, high in orbit, but he is engaged in something far more desperate. Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destry all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever-harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly." (from the back cover)

Review:  This novel is considered by some to be one of the best books, but I can't figure out why it's such a classic. Most reviewers seem to have really enjoyed Ender's Game. Others, such as myself, didn't care for the book at all. What's amusing is that when negative reviewers express bewilderment at all the rave reviews, the enthusiasts often respond by accusing those who didn't like the book of being narrow-minded. But I really don't think narrow-mindedness is the problem. My problem with this book boils down to three issues: Plausibility, target audience, genre fidelity.

Star Wars was far-fetched. When you start out with Wookies, the Force, talking/thinking droids, etc., you pretty much suspend rational rules and adopt an "anything goes" mentality. You know you're watching fantasy. However, Ender's Game doesn't position itself that way. The storyline is that Earth is in the battle of its life against aliens. Desperate to survive, Earth has created a highly specialized training program to groom new military talent. This program searches for young children with a profile of aggression, high intellect and adaptability. Once identified, these kids are taken from their families, loaded onto a floating battle lab where they're trained to fight aliens.

Now the idea that six year old kids, like Ender, would spend four years training and then get shipped to the front lines is a bit of a stretch. And when you factor in that Ender is not only supposed to fight when he arrives, that he's actually supposed to command an army, credulity reaches a snapping point. Would Earth really appoint a ten-year old to spearhead an invasion? Worse still, Ender Wiggins military training is essentially nothing more than laser tag in a zero-gravity chamber. And this training goes on and on and on, dominating nearly two thirds of the book. I just couldn't see how this was turning young Ender into the next George S. Patton.

And then there is the issue of the target audience for the book, which appears to be squarely aimed at 10-15 year olds. Many will stridently deny this but the juvenile banter between characters clearly seeks to emulate the thoughts and emotions of children. There is a lot of silly name calling, talk about pubic hairs, etc. And while this may be fine for a young preteen audience, many adult readers will be turned off.

Finally there is the issue of the genre. As a sci-fi book, I didn't find it speculative or original enough. It was an action-driven book with a relatively simplistic inter-species war theme, and a less than surprising "surprise" ending. I don't want to give it away for those who might actually enjoy this book, but I'll just say that the whole thing was just not very sophisticated sci-fi. Additionally, sci-fi is more of a backdrop to Ender's Game than a foundation. It's true, they do fight aliens at the end, but that's a very minor part of the book. And, yes, they are on a spaceship. But the same scenes could have been played out practically anywhere. All you need is a zero-gravity chamber, some dorm rooms, and a cafeteria. The ship feels like a prop so that Card can tell a coming of age story (with a subtext on the innate violent nature of humankind tossed in). All of that is well and good but I find it confusing how Ender's Game won two science fiction awards (the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award) when it barely seems to fit that genre.

All in all, I found this novel to be dull and tedious. I certainly will not be reading the rest of the series.

Rating: 1 out of 5stars

Note: I have not seen the movie adaptation of the novel so I have no opinion on the film. Due to my dislike of the book, it's highly unlikely that I will watch the movie.

"This is Where I Leave You" - in Stitches!

Last Sunday, my brother called me to tell me that my mother had passed away after a 10 year battle with Alzheimer's which left me with having to travel down to New Jersey for the funeral. I stopped in NYC for a couple of days to spend some time with a friend of mine. I happened to be chatting with this friend about dreading seeing certain members of my immediate family at the funeral and she said that she had a must read book for me. She proceeded to hand me Jonathan Tropper's This is Where I Leave You (2009). Over the course of approximately a day and half, I started and finished this 340 page novel.

Summary:  "The death of Judd Foxman's father marks the first time that the entire Foxman clan has congregated in years. There is, however, one conspicuous absence: Judd's wife, Jen, whose affair with his radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the demise of his father and his marriage, Judd joins his dysfunctional family as they reluctantly sit Shiva -and spend seven days and nights under the same roof. The week quickly spins out of control as longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed and old passions are reawakened. Then Jen delivers the clincher: she's pregnant.

This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper's most accomplished work to date, and a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind-whether we like it or not." (Amazon.com)

Review: Tropper puts the fun in dysfunction with this hilarious novel! This is the first time I have read a Jonathan Tropper novel and I was mesmerized. His ability to combine tragedy and humor sets him apart from many other writers.

Judd Foxman's life is a mess. He comes home early from work to find his beautiful wife, Jen, in bed with another man. And not just any man, but his boss. After moving out of his charming suburban home and into a shoddy basement apartment, he is informed of his father's death. Surprisingly, although he was never a religious man, his dad's dying wish was for his family to sit Shiva for one week, in his honor. Reluctantly, Judd heads to his mother's house.

Judd's family is a comedy lover's dream. Dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe this clan. His mother is a world renowned parenting expert who can't even begin to understand her own children. His youngest brother, Philip, is a playboy who is constantly finding himself in one crisis or another. He comes to the family home with a guest that no one can quite figure out. Paul, the oldest brother, harbors a lot of resentment towards Judd. He and his wife are also struggling with fertility issues. Judd's sister, Wendy, is his rock. But she is stuck is a loveless marriage and dealing with her own romantic disasters. Now all these siblings are forced to stay under the same roof. Add to this list a number of oddball mourners who come to pay their respects and you've got a week of maladjusted comic drama. The repercussions are laugh out loud funny and poignant at the same time.

These characters are oddly lovable and relatable. The family dynamic is incredibly familiar and easy to identify with. The Foxman's are everyone's family. Sure, they are somewhat eccentric and manipulative, but the love they have for each other is clear. Yes, they may despise each other at times, but underneath the chaos is an undying loyalty to each other. And isn't that pretty much how every family works?

This book is a must read for anyone who has a dysfunctional family. You will probably begin to feel a little better about your own family after spending time with the Foxman clan. For the 2 or 3 lucky people in this world who don't live with dysfunction in their lives, this novel will give you a good idea on how insane some families can be. The only negative comment is that female readers may find it a tad too "guy-oriented" - though it does provide valuable insight into the very simple testosterone influenced mind of most men.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Can Assassinations Be Fun? Yep!

I am ever so slightly obsessed with Sarah Vowell, the American author, journalist, essayist, and social commentator.  I cannot believe that I haven't written any book reviews of Vowell's texts and it is something that is long overdue. For anyone who does not know about this writer, you are missing an amazing storyteller. In addition to hearing Vowell's commentary on NPR's This American Life and her many hilarious appearances on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, I have been fortunate to read two of her books (Take the Cannolli, Partly Cloudy Patriot) and am always amused by her observations on life, but until yesterday, I had not yet read her much lauded book, Assassination Vacation (2005). 

Summary:  "Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other -- a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage.

From Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. We learn about the jinx that was Robert Todd Lincoln (present at the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) and witness the politicking that went into the making of the Lincoln Memorial. The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue -- it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and -- the author's favorite -- historical tourism. Though the themes of loss and violence are explored and we make detours to see how the Republican Party became the Republican Party, there are all kinds of lighter diversions along the way into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth-century biblical sex cult."  (book jacket)

Review:  The reason I ended up reading Vowell's book over this weekend is because a colleague and I are assigning a portion of the book (the Lincoln assassination) to be read with our literacy class, so I definitely needed to read the text before the students read it. But I would have eventually gotten around to reading this book because of my affection for Vowell's writing. In this funny and evocative book, she has produced a delightfully charming, witty, and introspective look at, of all topics, presidential assassinations. 

Fans of Sarah Vowell know exactly what to expect when picking up a Vowell book: something interesting and funny, with pieces of reflection thrown in. As always, she delivers the same in this book. Vowell, a self-avowed history nut, decides to drag certain hapless acquaintances around the places associated with three presidential assassinations: Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. Like Vowell, I have a fascination with the Lincoln assassination and knew quite a bit about it before reading her text and yet, I still learned several new things about this sad time in our nation's history. I would gladly have been dragged around the country on her assassination vacations.

Along the way, she shares information she has researched or learned, which makes this book one of her more scholarly, if that word could ever be applied here. She actually makes history more palpable, more real for people to digest in an entertaining way. How many of us would desire reading a book about the famed assassin Leon Cgolgosz? Believe me, I've tried - snoozefest!  But put Vowell's name on the cover, slap a salty title on the book, and bang, we're lining up book-in-hand to purchase it.

Whenever you read a piece by Vowell, invariably, you never read it in your own voice, but hear Sarah's voice ringing through (or was it Violet Parr from The Incredibles... oh wait, it's the SAME person). I guess that's the mark of a good writer, that she has developed her own style strong enough for us to hear her reading it to us. At any rate, as a mild history nut, I give this book five stars for a truly enjoyable read from a truly enjoyable writer.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Do You Constantly Ask Yourself: "Will I Ever Be Good Enough?"

Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers

Ladies: Do you find the following statements running through your brain: "I'm not good enough." "I'm valued for what I do rather than who I am." "I'm unlovable."? Do you feel emptiness inside, and a general lack of contentment? Do you struggle with love relationships and have difficulty trusting people? Do you fear that you will become like your mother? If so, have I got a book for you to read. I've mentioned in a previous posting that I usually find self help books to be pretty useless, but I happened to stumble upon a book while researching something for school and the title intrigued me enough to pick up and read: Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers (2008) by Karyl McBride, Ph.D.

Synopsis:  "The first book for daughters who have suffered the abuse of selfish, self-involved mothers, Will I Ever Be Good Enough? provides the expert assistance you need in order to overcome this debilitating history and reclaim your life. Drawing on more than two decades of experience as a therapist specializing in women’s health and hundreds of interviews with suffering daughters, Dr. Karyl McBride helps you recognize the widespread effects of this emotional abuse and create an individualized program for self-protection, resolution, and complete recovery.

Narcissistic mothers teach their daughters that love is not unconditional, that it is given only when they behave in accordance with maternal expectations and whims. As adults, these daughters have difficulty overcoming feelings of inadequacy, disappointment, emotional emptiness, and sadness. They may also have a fear of abandonment that leads them to form unhealthy romantic relationships, as well as a tendency to perfectionism and unrelenting self-criticism or to self-sabotage and frustration..." (Amazon.com)

Review: I spent a lot of time and money discussing with my former therapist about growing up with narcissistic parents, but never really got a good grasp on how to deal with these emotions, which is why I'm glad I stumbled across this book. In Will I Ever Be Good Enough?, Dr. McBride draws from her 28 years as a therapist and from her own experience as such a daughter and creates a guide that is at once rigorous and deeply personal.

The book is divided into three parts designed to lead daughters raised by narcissistic mothers into recovery. Part One is about identifying the situation you are in and understanding how it changed you as a child. Part Two demonstrates that the results of the emotional abuse of the past are the pain and difficulties you are dealing with now as an adult. Part Three discusses how you can recover from your traumatic childhood and lead a happier and more fulfilling life.

Will I Ever Be Good Enough? is a practical guide to help daughters of narcissistic mothers to recover from the effects of their mothers' mistreatment. It is not intended to be a full scale discussion of the causes and treatment of narcissism nor of any current scientific theories, but a source to help the people most severely impacted by it. McBride offers specific behaviors to help with recovery. It is well organized and reasonably easy to follow. The writing is solid and engaging. Overall, this is a terrific book and a real support for those women who have or had narcissistic mothers.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars