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Patti's Pages: June 2015
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Taking Looks at Books. Sunday, June 28, 2015. THE EXPATS by Chris Pavone. When I think of expats, I think of Hemingway and Fitzgerald in Europe drinking absinthe. Here we have a trailing spouse in Luxembourg whose husband Dexter has accepted a contract position as a computer security expert. His life doesn’t seem too exciting, especially with a name like Dexter, but his wife Kate has to jump through some hoops in the form of exit interviews with the CIA. Kate doesn’t seem at all capable of assassin...
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Patti's Pages: December 2014
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, December 31, 2014. THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin. AJ is a thirty-something small town bookstore owner whose wife has recently died in a car accident. AJ has always been a bit persnickety, but now he is downright rude, especially to a publisher’s rep named Amelia, aka Amy, who has replaced the now deceased long-time rep with whom A.J. had somewhat of a rapport. Everyone except A.J. and Amy’s mother is just too perfect. The writing style, is not particu...
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Patti's Pages: May 2015
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, May 27, 2015. THE CHILDREN ACT by Ian McEwan. Fiona Maye is a family services judge in London, consumed by her work, at the expense of her personal life. Her husband Jack tells her that he is about to embark on an affair with a young co-worker, since the passion has gone out of their marriage. Fiona unceremoniously sends him packing, changes the door locks, and immerses herself in her work and her piano. The novel is also rather short, not that I’m complaining, and...
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Patti's Pages: CITY OF WOMEN by David R. Gillham
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, January 1, 2014. CITY OF WOMEN by David R. Gillham. Some reviewers have called this book a thriller, and I'll go along with that, but this is no beach read. Sigrid is living with her despicable mother-in-law in Berlin during WWII while her husband Kaspar is serving in the Germany army. To add some sparkle to her life, Sigrid has indulged in an affair with a married Jew named Egon, who has now gone into hiding. Simultaneously her greatest asset and her greatest weakness, ...
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Patti's Pages: THE ACCIDENT by Chris Pavone
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, July 1, 2015. THE ACCIDENT by Chris Pavone. Isabel Reed is a New York literary agent who has had her share of ups and downs. Now she has received a mysterious anonymous manuscript called The Accident. That exposes famous media mogul Charlie Wolfe as a murderer. Wolfe’s list of crimes will become even longer, because he will go to any length to squelch the publication of this damning exposé and has enlisted the help of CIA operative Hayden Gray. Meanwhile, another woman w...
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Patti's Pages: March 2015
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, March 25, 2015. TO RISE AGAIN AT A DECENT HOUR by Joshua Ferris. This novel makes dentistry seem like the grossest profession on the planet, and maybe it is. Paul O’Rourke’s practice has no internet presence, until some unknown entity creates a fairly comprehensive website for him. The only problem is that Paul did not instigate the creation of this site and certainly does not approve of it. The novelty of this unlikely identity theft (who would go to this much trouble?
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Patti's Pages: JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, July 29, 2015. JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke. When I saw that a TV series based on this book was appearing on BBC America, I decided to dust off my copy and read it. At almost 800 pages, with an overwhelming plethora of footnotes, the novel is somewhat daunting. I soon switched to an eBook, because the book’s heft limits its portability. I’ve heard this book billed as a sort of adult Harry Potter novel, and it is about magic in England. Norrell, desp...
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Patti's Pages: MARY COIN by Marisa Silver
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, July 8, 2015. MARY COIN by Marisa Silver. This novel has three main characters:. Photographer Vera Dare, “migrant mother” Mary Coin, and modern-day college professor Walker Dodge. Mary Coin is the quintessential farm worker during the Depression, struggling to feed seven children. She is the fictional counterpart of Florence Thompson, who in real life had ten children (! And was the subject of a photo that appeared in many publications as an example of the dire times.
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Patti's Pages: February 2015
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, February 25, 2015. MADAME BOVARY by Gustave Flaubert. The notoriety stemming from an obscenity trial propelled this novel to fame, but, as you might expect, it’s chaste by today’s standards. Emma Bovary, the second wife of a mediocre doctor, is bored and generally disillusioned with life. To liven things up, she flirts with Léon, but he moves away before their relationship gets out of hand. Next is Rodolphe, a wealthy womanizer, who leads Emma into adultery. His oblivion...
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Patti's Pages: January 2015
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Taking Looks at Books. Wednesday, January 28, 2015. THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING by Milan Kundera. This book is for readers who like a hefty dose of philosophy with their fiction. The author addresses the reader directly on such issues as God’s digestive system and the fact that dogs were not ousted from the Garden of Eden, as humans were. Achieving the goal may not actually bring us the satisfaction or happiness that we anticipated. Many people would say that retirement is one such goal.). This lin...
