METROPOLIS, Elizabeth Gaffney

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Enter the world of New York City in the late 19th century. Cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge ... Life isn't easy, especially for an immigrant. This imaginative story gives an in-depth view of what life was like in the city at that time.

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Synopsis: Frank Harris has lived many lives and carried different names. From his childhood in Germany to his arrival in New York City to his unfortunate association with the Whyo gang ... with each turn of bad luck, he enters a new chapter of his life. We identify with his desire to live an honest life, but things keep getting complicated.

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My Thoughts: This is such an interesting book! From the beginning, I felt immersed in the daily life of New York at the cusp of its greatness. I was with the main character through his turns of luck ... his accomplishments and his setbacks. There is quite a cast of characters, some charming and others dispicable. Reading this book made me want to see Gangs of New York again, because although I saw it several years ago, I have some images in my mind of the setting, which is the same. And although it's a different time and place from my life, it's easy to identify with the root of the story.

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rating: ****
read: December 2008 - January 2009
source: English Language Library in Angers (borrowed)

WIDEACRE, Philippa Gregory

I wanted to read "The Other Boleyn Girl" by the same author, but someone had already borrowed it from the library. So I took this one instead. I wish I had waited for the other one.

Synopsis: Beatrice Lacey is has a privileged life growing up on the Wideacre estate. Rather than her sickly, bookish brother, she spends her days at the side of her father in the fields. She loves the land and estate above all, but it's the 18th century, and she will never inherit Wideacre. Her life becomes a web of sin and deception as she does whatever she can to gain the land she loves so much.

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My Thoughts: I was hoping for an intriguing piece of historical fiction, but this turned out to be little more than a glorified romance novel. Aspects of the story were so disturbing, it was hard to get past them. Unfortunately, a character was introduced early on, and it was clear that he would return, and I was curious to see how things would turn out. 622 pages later, I wasn't very surprised ... but I was relieved to finally be finished with the book! There are two others in the series, but I won't waste my time on them. As for "The Other Boleyn Girl" ... I think I'll just see the movie.

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rating: *

read: November - December 2008

source: English Language Library in Angers (borrowed)

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE, Dodie Smith

Lighthearted but wracked with teenage drama. I loved the narrator's observations ... she's honest and funny, a real personality!

Synopsis: Cassandra and her family were once rather well-off, living on the profits and fame of her father's famous novel. But now they live in the ruins of an English castle, the money has run out, and Cassandra's father hasn't written anything in years. This is Cassandra's account of the state of her family ... and the excitement that ensues when two rich (... young, and handsome) American brothers come to live in the estate down the road.

My Thoughts: This one kept me reading ... I couldn't wait to see how things would turn out! But what drives the novel isn't just the story itself, it's Cassandra. It was so easy to identify with her ... even though she's only 17 ... and 17 was a long time ago for me! Some of her comments made me laugh out loud, and I also got wrapped up in the romance of the setting. It's a great read!

rating: ****
read: November 2008
source: English Language Library in Angers (borrowed)

THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER, Kim Edwards

I could not put this book down. The secret we learn in the beginning propels the reader through the years covered in the story, knowing that secrets are very hard to keep ...

Synopsis: 1964 - On a snowy night, a Doctor delivers his wife's baby, with only the help of his nurse. Unexpectedly, his wife gives birth to a second child, and the doctor finds that this child has Down syndrome. Trying to spare his wife a life of challenges and loss, he tells her that the child died at birth. He gives the child to his nurse, with instructions to leave her at an institution. Instead, the nurse leaves town and takes the baby to raise her as her own.

My Thoughts: This is such a complicated story, with secrets and sorrow, and their effects as the years pass. This secret shapes the lives of all the characters, and most of them are not even aware of it. Extremely well-written, I have a vivid image of the characters, their homes, the worlds they inhabit. I finished the book last night, but it's one of those books where there characters will linger on with me for a while.

In Googling the book for the cover image above, I found that it had been turned into a movie on Lifetime. I know movies rarely do justice to the books they depict, but I think I'd like to see it, anyway.


rating: *****
read: November 2008
source: Kristin accidentally left this book here on her visit ... I'm glad she did! (and with her permission, I will donate it to the English Language Library in Angers)

COASTLINERS, Joanne Harris

This is not the first book of Joanne Harris' that I have read, and it's not my favorite, either. But I did enjoy it. I read the entire book during my hospital stay last week.

Synopsis: The story takes place on an island off the coast of France, in a region I have visited while living here. The island is small, and has only two villages. The inhabitants have a long-standing rivalry, and it's always been clear that one village is more successful than the other. The protagonist of the story returns to the island after and absence of ten years. She finds her father, as silent and moody as ever, and the villagers struggling with rising tides that threaten to take over the village completely.

My Thoughts: Too many characters were introduced early on, and (maybe it was because of the morphine) I had trouble throughout the book keeping them straight. The protagonist's character wasn't explored as deeply as it could have been, and there were a few scenes that were supposed to be romantic (I think) but ended up being too ambiguous to tell. Still, Harris writes well, plunging the reader into the environment of the story.

rating: ***

read: November 2008

source: English-Language Library in Angers (borrowed)

Welcome to my blog!

I love to read. And since I've got a lot of time on my hands these days, I've got the opportunity to spend my time reading. How wonderful!

Many of my book choices come from recommendations from friends, so please ... if you know of a book or author you think I'd enjoy ... feel free to make a suggestion!

I will give my best effort to keep this blog up-to-date. I'll give a little info about each book, try not to write any spoilers, and give my reactions. Although I will primarily focus on books I'm reading now, I'll occasionally comment on books I've read in the past.

Enjoy, and ...

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY !