Inheritance From Mother
By Minae Mizumura
An interesting book in the first half, and then about halfway through, it totally changed. Strange.
The first half is about two Japanese sisters as they wait for their elderly mother to die. The relive their lives, and how their mother treated them so differently, and reflect on their current lives, as they go through the stages of disease, treatment, old age homes and hospitals with their mother.
Once their mother dies, the novel changes. Mitsuki, the younger daughter, goes off to a hotel at a scenic lake resort in Japan to recover from the stress of the death. There, she meets a cast of characters, and somehow there is a rumour that someone is going to commit suicide. Weird, to say the least, however, Mitsuki is able to think and make some big changes in her life, helped by the inheritance from her mother.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: An interesting look about the death process in Japan, and the role of women in modern Japanese society.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Saturday, October 14, 2017
#89 The Sunshine Sisters
The Sunshine Sisters
By Jane Green
Yes, chic lit again. How can this be? However, though this is chic lit, the topic is serious. Three sisters, with a narcissistic actress mother, grow up unsupported and unhappy, traumatized by their mother's lack of care and her divorce from their father.
As adults, they have made choices to survive and heal the wounds from their upbringing.
A phone call from their mother, demanding that they all return home, changes all their lives. Their mother is dying of ALS, but she wants to end her life on her own terms. Before her death, she makes amends with all of her daughters, and the daughters are able to reunite as a family, stronger and wiser.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes, a nice easy read and interesting.
By Jane Green
Yes, chic lit again. How can this be? However, though this is chic lit, the topic is serious. Three sisters, with a narcissistic actress mother, grow up unsupported and unhappy, traumatized by their mother's lack of care and her divorce from their father.
As adults, they have made choices to survive and heal the wounds from their upbringing.
A phone call from their mother, demanding that they all return home, changes all their lives. Their mother is dying of ALS, but she wants to end her life on her own terms. Before her death, she makes amends with all of her daughters, and the daughters are able to reunite as a family, stronger and wiser.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes, a nice easy read and interesting.
#88 The Other Einstein
The Other Einstein
By Marie Benedict
An easy read about an interesting subject. Mileva Maric was Albert Einstein's first wife. In this novel, we learn about her brilliance as a mathematician and physicist in the early 20th century. At that time, there were many obstacles for women to overcome if they wanted a life of more than marriage. Mileva is able to study at university, where she meets Albert and they fall in love. As happens to so many women, she gets pregnant, and Albert is slow to take on his marital obligations when he finds out. Mileva finds herself a wife and mother, and thus her career is over. However, the novel explores her role in the discovery of "Einstein's" theory of relativity. Was it, in fact, Mileva's discovery?
Albert publishes his most famous paper without putting Mileva's name on as co-author, making many excuses for the omission. Though they collaborate on many other publications, Mileva's name is always omitted, thus her brilliance and contributions are negated.
Albert was also a philanderer. They eventually divorce.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: An easy read and an interesting subject. The novel shows that Albert Einstein was a cheater and philanderer. Does he really deserve the accolades of his fame?
By Marie Benedict
An easy read about an interesting subject. Mileva Maric was Albert Einstein's first wife. In this novel, we learn about her brilliance as a mathematician and physicist in the early 20th century. At that time, there were many obstacles for women to overcome if they wanted a life of more than marriage. Mileva is able to study at university, where she meets Albert and they fall in love. As happens to so many women, she gets pregnant, and Albert is slow to take on his marital obligations when he finds out. Mileva finds herself a wife and mother, and thus her career is over. However, the novel explores her role in the discovery of "Einstein's" theory of relativity. Was it, in fact, Mileva's discovery?
Albert publishes his most famous paper without putting Mileva's name on as co-author, making many excuses for the omission. Though they collaborate on many other publications, Mileva's name is always omitted, thus her brilliance and contributions are negated.
Albert was also a philanderer. They eventually divorce.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: An easy read and an interesting subject. The novel shows that Albert Einstein was a cheater and philanderer. Does he really deserve the accolades of his fame?
Sunday, October 8, 2017
#87 Small Great Things
Small Great Things
By Jodi Picoult
A really interesting and well written novel by a master storyteller.
Exploring the themes of racism against people of colour and white supremacy, this novel tells the story of Ruth, a black labour and delivery nurse who is falsely accused of killing a newborn baby by his white supremacist parents. Ruth is defended by Kennedy, her white lawyer, in a court case that raises the causes of black against white.
A well written, provocative, easy to read novel.
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Yes.
By Jodi Picoult
A really interesting and well written novel by a master storyteller.
Exploring the themes of racism against people of colour and white supremacy, this novel tells the story of Ruth, a black labour and delivery nurse who is falsely accused of killing a newborn baby by his white supremacist parents. Ruth is defended by Kennedy, her white lawyer, in a court case that raises the causes of black against white.
A well written, provocative, easy to read novel.
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Yes.
#86 Come Away With Me
Come Away With Me
By Karma Brown
An easy read. Tegan has everything and is about to have a baby. Her husband is driving on an icy night as they are on their way to a party. Black ice makes the car spin out of control and there is a horrific accident. Tegan wakes up in the hospital. Her baby has died and her uterus removed so she can no longer have children.
In the early days of their marriage, Tegan and Gabe created a "life experiences" wish list. After the accident, they agree to take three destinations from the list and travel there, in order to heal from the horrible trauma of the accident.
Once their trip is over, there is a surprising revelation: Gabe too died in the accident and all the conversations Tegan has with Gabe during the trip are only in her mind.
She finally meets someone in Hawaii, the last part of the trip, and she moves there to be with him.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: Chic lit with a heavy topic. OK reading.
By Karma Brown
An easy read. Tegan has everything and is about to have a baby. Her husband is driving on an icy night as they are on their way to a party. Black ice makes the car spin out of control and there is a horrific accident. Tegan wakes up in the hospital. Her baby has died and her uterus removed so she can no longer have children.
In the early days of their marriage, Tegan and Gabe created a "life experiences" wish list. After the accident, they agree to take three destinations from the list and travel there, in order to heal from the horrible trauma of the accident.
Once their trip is over, there is a surprising revelation: Gabe too died in the accident and all the conversations Tegan has with Gabe during the trip are only in her mind.
She finally meets someone in Hawaii, the last part of the trip, and she moves there to be with him.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: Chic lit with a heavy topic. OK reading.
#85 North of Normal
North of Normal
By Cea Sunrise Person
A memoir. Cea grows up in the 70s in an extended hippy family. Her mother got pregnant at 16, but after five months of marriage the dad leaves. Her grandparents are the most stable ones in the family. Her mother ends up having numerous lovers, so Cea has no real father figure other than her grandfather. They end up living off the land in rural B.C. The family hunts, fishes, lives in tipis, is mostly in poverty, smokes lots of dope, and believes in free sex, plus often wearing no clothes.
Cea survives her chaotic upbringing, and finally escapes when she becomes a model at the age of 15. She moves to New York by herself to build her career. She goes through three marriages before finally sorting out the trauma she suffered during her early years of chaos.
I didn't actually read the whole book, maybe about half. It got to be too much. I just wanted to see how her modelling career went and how she finally got herself sorted out.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: Sure.
By Cea Sunrise Person
A memoir. Cea grows up in the 70s in an extended hippy family. Her mother got pregnant at 16, but after five months of marriage the dad leaves. Her grandparents are the most stable ones in the family. Her mother ends up having numerous lovers, so Cea has no real father figure other than her grandfather. They end up living off the land in rural B.C. The family hunts, fishes, lives in tipis, is mostly in poverty, smokes lots of dope, and believes in free sex, plus often wearing no clothes.
Cea survives her chaotic upbringing, and finally escapes when she becomes a model at the age of 15. She moves to New York by herself to build her career. She goes through three marriages before finally sorting out the trauma she suffered during her early years of chaos.
I didn't actually read the whole book, maybe about half. It got to be too much. I just wanted to see how her modelling career went and how she finally got herself sorted out.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: Sure.
#84 Harmony
Harmony
By Carolyn Parkhurst
The story of a family with an autistic child. They try everything, but their lives remain chaotic. The parents move the family to "Camp Harmony," a residential camp for families with children with special needs. The camp director is a charismatic fellow, who turns about to be someone other than the person he represents himself as. The Hammond family is one of the core group who lives and works at the camp, while other families come and go, staying for a week to experience the "back to the land" lifestyle, which hopefully benefits their special needs children.
The ending is shocking, but not surprising, as slowly it becomes apparent that their leader is not who they think.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation. Not really.
By Carolyn Parkhurst
The story of a family with an autistic child. They try everything, but their lives remain chaotic. The parents move the family to "Camp Harmony," a residential camp for families with children with special needs. The camp director is a charismatic fellow, who turns about to be someone other than the person he represents himself as. The Hammond family is one of the core group who lives and works at the camp, while other families come and go, staying for a week to experience the "back to the land" lifestyle, which hopefully benefits their special needs children.
The ending is shocking, but not surprising, as slowly it becomes apparent that their leader is not who they think.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation. Not really.
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