Threw This Turkey Back --- two stars for the research she did. Got threw 6 or 20 or so discs on audio.
I LIVE for multi-generational family sagas. ThisThrew This Turkey Back --- two stars for the research she did. Got threw 6 or 20 or so discs on audio.
I LIVE for multi-generational family sagas. This is awful. There are a few glimpes of the real Annie Proulx's writing. Glimpses. Then cardboard cut-outs for characters who have little to help the reader keep them straight in terms of personality, droning history lessons, an occasional nice passage about something, stilted dialogue.
"They call this Queen Anne's war..." is a sadly typical comment. Oh, and a long microeconomics lesson on the slave trade and opium.
We do hear a few people object to the treatment of natives and to the slave trade. We all known see how different the French were in colonizing New France to the British farther south. But what a long-winded way to say it. And the natives are made to speak like old Cowboy movies "me smoke 'em peace pipe" type stuff. UGH.
This CANNOT be the same woman who wrote Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain. But, it mentions dildos. Must win an award. UGH. Obligatory. No matter it puts readers into a coma.
Did anyone who gave it 4 or 5 stars READ it????? It's like a first draft written during NaNoWriMo.
Each year there area few new authors who become instant favorites–Lindsey Kelk is one for me! Her fun new book, We Were On a Break is so true-to-life Each year there area few new authors who become instant favorites–Lindsey Kelk is one for me! Her fun new book, We Were On a Break is so true-to-life I’m sure I’ve met this couple! That, too, me is very high praise! Added bonuses? A great cat and no one has a stupid name!! Yeah! Liv, a veterinarian, and Adam a law school drop-out turned bespoke furniture designer and craftsman, have been heading for the altar–it was all but a done deal. Then the trip to Mexico, the botched dinner plans, the un-walkable sandals and…Adam called time out. He wanted a break! A break when he was minutes from proposing!!!
The rest is a such a fun rom-com romp that I will almost certainly re-read this book! It’s that fun. An who could resist a three-legged kitty named Daniel Craig? A Bond Cat! Add in David, the veterinary assistant, Chris and Cass and Gus (Adam’s brother, s-i-l and newborn nephew) a couple of great friends and two sets of confused parents and you have a genuinely fun, lite read. Perfect for a late Fall or winter beach get-away or a Friday night on a social media fast.
This should make a really fun movie! I think Laura Carmichael would be an excellent choice for Liv. Max Irons for Adam. Just my two cents on the casting!
We Were on a Break by Lindsey Kelk.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. My opinions are my own and I was not paid beyond receiving the Advanced Reader’s Copy of the book....more
4.5 stars At 34 author Elizabeth Bailey is struck with a mysterious illness that leaves her bedridden.
“Ss the months drifted by, it was hard to remembe 4.5 stars At 34 author Elizabeth Bailey is struck with a mysterious illness that leaves her bedridden.
“Ss the months drifted by, it was hard to remember why the endless details of a healthy life and a good job had seemed so critical.” (p.10).
During a “strong” day she finds a small snail and brings him/her (snails are both) into the house to live in her potted plant. But, these are just the facts. The story, …well the story! Oh my! What a story! I loved every word! I felt her absorption in this tiny being’s world. I felt the wonder, the worry and the joy. This is a true introvert’s delight. The snail gives her something to go on for–something her size (the size of her strength at that time) to inspire her.
Gradually, though, Bailey gets better, stronger. The snail, whether lonely or due to some innate need to continue the species, reproduces–this part has a few magical sentences. Observing the tiny eggs, the caring parent–is a revelation to Bailey–she very well may be the only person to observe this. But one snail is a lot when you are bedridden. It’s enough. The 100+ offspring….that’s another story. (FYI:They were humanly released back to the wild).
“The previous spring, when I could do almost nothing, spending time with a snail had been pure entertainment. But as my functional abilities improved just a bit, watching a snail began to take patience. I wondered at what point in my convalescence I might leave the snail’s world behind.” (p. 152-152).
Finally, Bailey is well enough to return home. Her dog is back with her. But the love of the snail has made her delve into real research about the snail–both while ill and after. The product of her observations, her fascination and her research is this incredible little book. If you only read one nature book this year, let the Sound of a Wild Snail Eating be it....more
A great addition to the school story genre. This is high school for the rest of the kids. No sex, no profanity, no violence, no eating disorders, no cA great addition to the school story genre. This is high school for the rest of the kids. No sex, no profanity, no violence, no eating disorders, no child abuse, no drinking, no drugs, just highly intelligent but believable kids banding together to support each other.
“I don’t want to be warm and safe–I want to live.”
I understood the child’s reluctance to come inside, to be warm and safe…and controlled. While the po
“I don’t want to be warm and safe–I want to live.”
I understood the child’s reluctance to come inside, to be warm and safe…and controlled. While the point of this story was not to discuss the emotional struggles of older adopted children, that one line summed it up beautifully. I no longer write about my children–they are both adults now–but this line could have been uttered by one of them. Today I understand it. Back then, not so much as they say now.
Mabel and Jack fulfill a long-time fantasy of mine, to homestead in Alaska. Fantasy for me due to the hard work and, today, the cost of living in Alaska, but it’s always held a strong appeal to me. I’m an introvert and quite happy alone–most of the time. While Jack was made of the stern stuff necessary to homesteading, Mable wasn’t….or so it seemed. It seemed too that Cabin Fever had taken root over a long, dark winter. Or did it….?
Esther and George and their three boys live nearby. Esther keeps a friendly eye on Mabel and her youngest son becomes a sort of nephew to Jack and Mabel. But none of them have seen the mysterious girl that Jack and Mabel say has visited them–a girl with a pet fox. A girl who lives alone in the vast wilderness. Garrett is Esther and George’s youngest son. Overshadowed by two older brothers, he finds peace and sanctuary in the wilderness.
Mabel has a beautiful story book from childhood–a story written in Russian that tells of an elderly couple who long for a child. They make one out of snow. Is this girl their Snow Child? Can the heat of love and the warmth and safety of home stifle, even “melt” a person?
This is an amazing well-written book, with a story as amazing as the land in which it is set. There is hunting and trapping in this story as is normal in such a setting, but could upset some people not familiar with the life. I enjoyed the many amazing descriptions of nature–of the vastness of Alaska. Mabel’s nature drawings and her descriptions of the scenes written to her sister back East will entice nature study enthusiasts to read this book. The sweetness in this book is the right kind–not cloying, never precious. Book clubs will love this too for the theme of infertility, of motherhood and marriage and how both change lives. ...more
Lisa of Hopewell
>
Books:
read-in-2016
(100)
Loading...
