Juliet by Anne Fortier

If you happen to be a romantic who was enthralled by The DaVinci Code’s fast-paced thriller style then you will thoroughly enjoy the novel Juliet.  The story begins with a funeral.  Again, like the last novel I read (I swear I am not morbid) two sisters are dealing with death, this time their beloved aunt, who raised them since they were very young.  And again, our two sisters Julie and Janice, are complete opposites, but not in a cliché way.  Both sisters are much more three-dimensional.  This is where the similarities between this story and the last end.  The remainder of this tale is full of interesting twists and turns.

         The reader quickly discovers that the two sisters have an unknown past, and this is where the story really begins.  After receiving a puzzling letter from her aunt and being cut out of her will, Julie is off to Siena, Italy to try to discover her mother’s mysterious treasure.

         Her mother’s secret is connected to the well-known love story of Romeo and Juliet, and our modern-day Julie soon discovers that Juliet aka Giulietta is her ancestor.  Julie quickly retraces the steps of her relative through manuscripts and Shakespeare’s play, and in the process finds her own path crossing with Romeo’s descendants.  Though not named the Montagues and Capulets, the family feud and the “plague on both [their] houses” still exists. 

         Fortier’s story of a modern day Juliet is highly entertaining and the further the reader gets into the novel, the more one believes that maybe this isn’t a fairy tale, perhaps it is real.

         To all of my English I teachers, please read this novel—you will enjoy it!

A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White

         When Kathryn Stockett (author of The Help) is quoted saying she “loved this book,” I was excited.  Unfortunately the book didn’t live up to my high expectations.  I found The Help incredibly inspiring and I can’t wait for the movie, but A Soft Place to Land is lacking. 

         The story is about two young sisters, Ruthie and Julia, who are complete opposites.  Each girl represents a specific archetype for the majority of the novel.  Ruthie is your standard “goody two shoes,” while her older sister Julia is a cliché teenager dying to rebel.  The relationship between these two sisters is what is meant to carry this narrative, but it doesn’t succeed until the later half of the novel. 

         While on vacation Naomi and Phil Harrison, Ruthie and Julia’s parents, perish in a plane crash leaving their daughters distraught.  Ruthie is sent to live in bohemian San Francisco with her aunt and uncle, while Julia is “stuck” living with her biological father and his heinous new wife in Virginia.   Much of the story is driven by a series of letters between the sisters.  Each girl’s upbringing is totally different and obviously begins to define them, eventually causing a natural distance between the sisters. A high profile outing and another tragic accident eventually brings the estranged girls together again. 

         Details of the pain each daughter suffered after their parents’ accident make this story “real.”  Unfortunately the relationship seems forced, and isn’t strong enough to carry the novel. 

         This is a quick read, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of your reading list.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

 

         Occasionally I pass up a book a number of times at a bookstore before I finally find it necessary to buy it.  I am not exactly sure what causes this lapse, but it was certainly the case with this novel.  I think I finally bought thinking that since the story was set in Seattle it would make me more excited about my vacation in Seattle. I was right.

         I am now on my first day of vacation in this beautiful Pacific Northwest city and one of the most important things on my to do list is to go to the Panama Hotel in Chinatown (I did...see picture).  This landmark holds an indelible spot in World War II history.  A safekeeping place for many Japanese families’ memories, the hotel was the heart of Japantown in Seattle until WWII.  When the United States displaced Japanese families during the war they moved them to internment camps, including several Americans who happened to be of Japanese decent. 

         Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet tells a both “bitter and sweet” story of a young boy Henry Lee, a Chinese American, and his friend Keiko Okabe a Japanese American.  Both children, having been born in America, struggle with the animosity of older generations in their families—particularly Henry’s.  As outcasts in their school, Henry and Keiko form a tight bond that continues even after his beloved friend is shipped off to Idaho to and internment camp.  Their dedication to each other is inspiring not only to me, but also to a jazz saxophone player in the novel, Sheldon Thomas who forges a life-long friendship with Henry who for a while becomes Henry’s only confidant. 

         With “bitter” in the title, any reader can figure out this is not a Disney story, but the harsh realities of the world make this novel that much more compelling.  This is the first novel in a while that actually made me laugh at times, cry near the end, and be morally saddened throughout.   

         Jamie Ford’s novel is a quick read (I read it on my flight from San Antonio to Seattle) and very poignant.  Though there are a couple anachronisms, for instance the conversion of a vinyl album to digital in 1986, but they are not that distracting. I highly recommend picking this one up!

        

P.S. Border’s books filed bankruptcy and they have started liquidating their stores.  I suggest everyone get to their nearest bookstore and buy that book you thought of buying earlier, but were too cheap to buy until now! : )

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

         I initially picked this novel because of the connections to some of my literary heroes of the “Lost Generation”.  Thinking it might be a little more “beach read”, I was pleasantly surprised at how much depth Hadley Hemingway’s story held.

The story of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife begins with their first encounter at a friend’s party in the jazz-infused Chicago of the 1920s.  Reading Hadley’s thoughts, hopes, and dreams about Ernest reminds me of my naïve middle school infatuations—she is delightfully idealistic.  Despite prohibition, they still had alcohol, which rid their inhibitions like it does anyone else’s.  A few parties and several letters later, they marry and sail for Paris.

The City of Lights in this time period was very liberal, coming as a shock to Hadley.  The Hemingways surround themselves quickly with other notable writers, artists, and musicians of the time, with Gertrude Stein becoming a close mentor to Ernest.  Their bohemian lifestyle becomes both rewarding and eventually detrimental.  The lax social rules cause a rift in Ernest and Hadley’s marriage.

This time in the Hemingways’ life, interacting with the likes of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Ezra Pound, becomes the inspiration for Ernest’s acclaimed novel The Sun Also Rises.

Though this marriage wasn’t always perfect, Hemingway later told Hadley "the more I see of all the members of your sex, the more I admire you."  How could a reader not want to know more about their love story?

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

         I have to admit that this novel is one of my summer reading requirements, along with a Mark Twain novel.   I read this book once in college; on the second read I see this Christopher McCandless’ story in a totally different perspective.

         As a college sophomore I saw nothing wrong with McCandless’ romantic transcendental views of the world.  McCandless came from an affluent area in Virginia, but he seemed to resent what was handed to him, preferring to make his own way in the world—how very “American dream”.  After graduating from Emory University and giving away his savings to OXFAM, McCandless tramped around the country eventually finding his way to Alaska.  It is in Alaska, living in an area devoid of other humans, that McCandless, aka Alex Supertramp develops his philosophy of life.  Alex lives off the land like his literary heroes.  Unlike his literary heroes, Alex never leaves. His idealistic views appealed to the 19-year-old in me looking to find my way in the world.

As an adult, I do find some of his decisions hasty.  I appreciate his want, perhaps his need, to go out into the world and “find himself,” yet I cannot even begin to empathize with the rashness of his decisions.  As a type A personality, I am by nature a planner.  Tramping into the wild without enough supplies is not idealistic in my opinion but careless.  I understand what he was searching for, but one could argue that it is our world that developed all of the supplies that could have aided him in his journey. 

For the most part, Krakauer’s commentary helped move the story along, as well as the blurbs from Thoreau and London.  The only detraction was Krakauer’s own personal odyssey with Devil’s Thumb in Alaksa.  His fight with nature was one that should be mentioned to enhance McCandless’ story, instead the lengthy side story took away from the central narrative.  Krakauer had already established his credibility prior to this story, and the nonstop technical step by step of his journey steals the spotlight from McCandless.

Overall I appreciate what McCandless was searching for, and his journey reminded me that perhaps I should simplify my life a bit.  Transcendental literature always inspires me to find myself.

One Day by David Nicholls

         Apparently I have a thing for books that are going to be made into films.  I just finished One Day, which while reading I had a film screening in my mind.  I am sure it is because Ann Hathaway was on the cover of the book that I pictured Emma as the awkward not quite Patrician beauty, but beauty nonetheless.

         The book focuses on one day across almost twenty years, St. Swithin’s Day.  The actual day is not of much importance other than the fact that we get to catch up with our two main characters Emma and Dexter every year on this day—sometimes together, sometimes not.  Through either letters or dialogue we see Em and Dex evolve. 

They both begin as recent college graduates who are both insecure and opportunistic.  Like most young adults Em and Dex struggle to find their way both in love and in their careers.  Both toil over their choices whether deliberate or not.  These decisions and their repercussions make the reader want to laugh, cry, and even get angry.  Trust me, ask my husband about my facial expressions while reading this novel.

         What makes this book so completely readable is that it is relatable.  I see myself it both Dex and Em, which I am sure was the author’s intent.  I too struggled with a career choice, my love life as well as my identity, much like our two characters.  One Day gives us a glimpse of most people’s twenties and thirties, with a special friendship guiding the way.

         By no means scholarly, this novel is definitely entertaining.  The dialogue alone is worth a read.  One Day most definitely fits in the category of fun summer beach reading!

        

P.S.  The movie comes out August 19^th.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

         It is 7 o’clock and I am in the car on the way to a nice dinner with my husband, and rather than talk to him, I am finishing State of Wonder.  It is that good. 

         The novel follows Marina Singh as she travels reluctantly, at the request of boss and lover Mr. Fox, to the Amazon from Minnesota in search for information regarding her colleague Anders Eckman.  A message from her former formidable medical professor, now “coworker” at Vogel Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Swenson announced the death of Anders. 

         After passing whatever social graces the Bovanders deem acceptable, Marina is granted access to the location of Dr. Swenson and her research team deep in the Amazonian jungle.  A disappointing explanation regarding Anders causes Marina to wish to flee back to her home state away from the oppressive heat and the wildlife that can only be found in the heart of the Amazon.  But it is this unique environment that contains a drug that could potentially rock the healthcare industry.

         Crazy encounters like a cannibalistic tribe that could only happen in the less developed and wild Amazon keep the story entertaining, but it is the depth of the characters that make this story so accessible.  When Marina was upset, I was upset.  When Marina was hopeful, I was hopeful. When Marina was enamored, I was enamored.  My feelings matched her own as I moved through the narrative. 

         As my first interaction with Ann Patchett, I can guarantee that I will be purchasing her other books.   I am only sorry I haven’t read her prose before now. 

P.S. An update: Sarah’s Key comes to theaters on July 22^nd with Kristin Scott Thomas playing Julia.