THE LITTLE FRIEND DONNA TARTT

I was in the minority where I could not finish/did not like  The Secret History but I did think that I had not given it much attention. With this book the story is different. A bit like a Mark Twain novel we have our main character the child Harriet behaving in turns in a very child like and in turns an adult manner. I held my breath several times thinking that she was going in over her head and entering into spheres which she should have left well alone. Suspense yes!

The effect of a murder on an entire family and the lifelong effect it will have on 12 year old Harriet forms the main part of the story. The story set in the American South is very vivid in its portrayal of Southern ladies who live upto their imagery of being either delicate ladies or stalwart ones and Harriet sets out on a journey of trying to solve her brother's murder. Once she has decided who is the murderer she is very focussed on bringing justice to her family.

Set during one summer Harriet faces so much of misunderstandings, specially from her own family. Her mother completely unhinged by the murder of her son, has never really recovered and lives in a fog of her own. Her aunts try to cope, trying to maintain a facade of normality over their lives but put up a wall of resistance whenever the topic of the murder comes up. For Harriet herself I was just wishing she would put her dead brother aside and just get on with her 12 year old life. You felt for her, you felt the danger she was putting herself into when she dabbled in things much too dark and deep for a 12 year old.

It is the suspense in this novel which was tough to deal with. I was relived at the end of the book - relieved the book was over and I could delegate Harriet to a corner of my mind. Hely her best friend creates a nice balance for Harriet - a very normal, boisterous 12 year old boy who brings so much normality to the plot.

This book comes after a ten year hiatus so lets hope we do not have to wait that long for the third book.

THE MARRIAGE PLOT by JEFFREY EUGINEDES

This was a book win - thank you Joanna. 

I first tried to understand the title of the book and then realized that yes this is a planned plot - albeit set in very modern times. The meeting, the planning and the settling down of happily ever after sounds old fashioned but the story is central to this theme.

We have three distinct personalities in Leonard - manic depressive, clever  and we have Mitchell also clever and secretly in love with Madeline,  but with little courage to actually make the move and a strong affinity to religious studies  and we have Madeline heavily into Victorian literature, upper class, moneyed and never ever having to take the hard road in life. Madeline falls in love with Leonard very early on in the story, decides to marry him but very very early in their married life realizes that the man she has got married to is ill and the veneer that is apparent is just that - only on the surface and she will have to work extremely hard against a lot of odds to make her marriage work.

Working out like a love triangle between the three, Madeline is sometimes tempted to opt out with Mitchell when he is around because working with Leonard is too hard. Leonard not responsible for himself, on medication, has to be watched most of the time and Madeline does seem to do a lot of hand holding here.  The story is a love story but not of the romantic kind. Madeline has to grow up and fast - she also has to hold out against her parents who with their 'I told you so' attitudes are so similar to parents worldwide who fear for their offspring and seem to sense danger even before it exists. I felt for Madeline's parents - helpless and on the sidelines - wanting to protect their daughter against everything untoward that could go wrong and not being able to do anything about it.

The story unfolded for me slowly. During the first half of the book, I was slightly bored but by the middle I was caught up in the happenings of Madeline and Leonard's marriage, honeymoon and return to their life in America. By this time the book engrossed me totally and I wanted to know how it would all end.

MIDWIVES by CHRIS BOHJALIAN

Sybil Danforth fell in love with the entire birth process and her patients became her extended family. There was no doubt of her sincerity and her caring for them throughout their pregnancy and their birth. Though she believed intensely in the necessity of a home birth, she also knew the practical difficulties faced with some pregnancies and never took a chance with something that she was just not comfortable with.

A disaster in the form of what should have been a normal delivery which went wrong, resulting in a hurriedly performed Caesarian section at home so that the baby was saved led to the crux of this story.

Bohjalian takes us along on a very smooth path of birth, Sybil's own family and how peaceful everything seems. But, you do know you are sitting on the edge because this cannot be a story if it is all going to be so nice and comfy. I was from the beginning of the story on edge despite such a serene setting because you did feel that turning over the next page was going to be the actual reason for this story.

The death of Charlotte sets a series of events leading to Sybil being charged and the resultant court case which divides the town as well as medical professionals is intense. I thought it was a bit unfair to categorize that all the doctors detested the habit of midwifery at home and that they were against Sybil from the very beginning but maybe I am wrong here. The focus on child birth at home is I suppose a personal choice and one which could be having pros and cons for all. This book brings it all into the open.

The story narrated from a 14 year old's point of view was also an interesting choice. How quickly and easily Sybil's daughter grew up with the turmoil of the case around her was a nice touch.

This was a book which was good to read.
 

THE WRITING CIRCLE by CORINNE DEMAS

This was my last book which I took from the Carnegie library in Melbourne. I picked it up in a hurry and thought it would be all about writers (which it was) and would be very interesting. The mix of writers was an eclectic mix - highbrow as well as those who did know what they were capable of. The writing circle also came along with something of a handicap in the form of partners of the writers and the families of the writers and though this was part of the history of each individual writer, it also took away from their writing in this particular case.

Growing animosity within the group, the forming of cliques and sidelining one of their number, a charge of plagiarism and the manner in which it was done was all part of the story. How the plagiarism was handled by the rest of the writers and how they rallied around the writer who was the victim formed part of the ethics of writing.

Lots of broken hearts, emotion in every form, viciousness amongst partners form the background to the story. The book did not do anything much for me. I expected too much from the writers. My fault for keeping writers on a pedestal. Here most of them had feet of clay.

Mailbox Monday/It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Another week without additions to my books. I've caught up with reading and finished two books which had been on my nightstand for ages so thats a good thing.

Mailbox Monday is hosted for September by BookNAround.

It's Monday What Are you Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

I was reading whilst travelling today - I finished The Little Friend by Donna Tartt just minutes before I arrived at journey's end which was excellent timing. Finished Midwives (so long on my list) last night.

I have a William Dalrymple to read next but its a huge book so I may go for something easier to handle!
 

PARDONABLE LIES by JACQUELINE WINSPEAR

The series set after World War I are very interesting reads for me. Maisie Dobbs worked in France during the war as a nurse so the flashbacks are also indicative of what her work during the war involved. This particular book involves three separate mysteries of missing people - all missing in action so to speak and whose families in one way or another seek closure.

The results of Maisie's investigations are intriguing. You knew at the beginning that it is what not it seemed. No one had actually died the way the way they said (otherwise there would have been no mystery!) but the tale is very interesting and what transpires on the way and how it gets actually solved is what is good.

Maisie is not just part of an investigation here. In this story she also forms very much part of the emotional side of the story as she becomes personally involved in many ways. I did not care much for the psychic side of Maisie but then you cannot have everything.

This is a series involving Maisie Dobbs and I would certainly like to read more. The fact that I read this book in a large font made it so much easier on the eye as well.

THE SHADOWY HORSES by SUSANNA KEARSLEY

 

Susanna Kearsley had been on my radar for months. I got my first book Mariana when I was in Melbourne and loved it. This is my second book which I was lucky enough to get.

 

A nicely blended story of the gothic (we do have a roman sentinel roaming on an archaelogical site, only visible to a small boy who is able to see him, have conversations with him (in Latin of course) and then we have the romance.

 

The story is set in Scotland and seems as far removed from Roman remains as whatever. Verity our main character has a steady job at the British Museum and is gaining a foothold in her field when her ex boyfriend summons her to Scotland with what may be considered a wild goose chase. At least that is what the whole archaelogical world thinks. Peter Quinnell is considered at best eccentric and at the worst absolutely insane but everyone humours him by going along with his firm view that he is on the cusp of a major discovery of Roman remains on this site in Scotland.

 

No more as it would be a spoiler but coupled with the rich history revealed of a time gone by, a tragic love story of Roman times revealed, a present day love story unfolding and a family drama and secrets being unfolded as well makes for a very good story.

 

Now to look for more books by this author!