State of Wonder by Anne Patchett

State of Wonder by Anne Patchett

Dr. Marina Singh is a pharmaceutical scientist for a large company in Minnesota.  Marina's boss, Mr. Fox, who is also her much older lover, receives a letter from Dr. Swenson who is working in the Amazon, stating that a colleague the company sent to check on Dr. Swenson is dead. Marina is tasked with breaking the news to the man's family before getting on a plane to Brazil.

Marina dreads being the one to finish the job that Anders, the dead man, was unable to.  What she hates even more is taking the pills necessary to ward off malaria in the insect rich jungle.  Once in Manaus, Dr. Swenson proves to be an elusive character guarded by a unique mix of paid protectors.  Marina is ready to go home but when her ride into the Amazon finally arrives, she can't resist the challenge.

As you would expect, things in the jungle are not what they should be.  And because of those developments, I'm not sure what I should feel about this book. Anne Patchett is a fabulous writer, her description of the thin, blue airmail letter that folds itself into its own envelope on which the news of Andres death was reported, is amazing.  But the only characters who are likeable are Anders and sometimes Marina.  The rest of the cast have big flaws that even in the depths of despair are never resolved.

State of Wonder drops the reader straight into the jungle of the Amazon without any protection from the snakes, mosquitoes and rare creatures living there.  The setting alone is a science lesson in itself.  Ms. Patchett takes us on a journey that is sometimes believable and sometimes not but at the end your heart will be both happy and sad all at the same time.  The level of emotion felt is what makes State of Wonder a good book.  

The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve

The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve

During a recent family vacation in Maine, the women decided to read The Weight of Water and take an excursion to the Isles of Shoals in kind of a combination summer book club and field trip. It's always fun to add to our reading enjoyment with a visit to the setting even if the topic is murder.

In March of 1873, the gruesome murder of two women took place on the island of Smuttynose, one of the 9 islands or sometimes 8 depending on the tide, of the Isles of Shoals.  The islands are an archipelago off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire.  In fact some of the islands are in the State of Maine and the rest in New Hampshire.  The landscape is desolate, rough and rocky 7 miles offshore of the mainland.

Jean is a photographer researching the murders for a professional assignment.  She, her husband, Thomas, and her daughter, Billie join her brother-in-law, Rich and his girlfriend on a sailing trip to the islands for some fun in the sun while she's working.  This family's present day problems are woven with the lives of Maren, her fisherman husband, John and her sister Karen in 1873.

My understanding is that the author's historical account of the actual murders is far from factual, but still made for a good story.  The way the book is written and formatted however, is often distracting and gives a jolt to the reader every time the story switches centuries.  In any event our vacation book club had plenty to talk about as we sailed from New Hampshire to the Isles.  Could Louis Wagner, the man hanged for the crime, have rowed in a small boat to Smuttynose that night?  Was his motive that his advances to the women were rebuffed?  Or did Karen push her sister to the edge with her constant complaining?

We may never know the truth but the story was intriguing and the discussion, lively. More importantly we had a wonderful day discussing a good book and exploring a new place.  See if you can find a book that relates to your next vacation destination and add a book discussion.  You'll see how fun it can be.

City of Thieves by David Benioff

City of Thieves by David Benioff

It's World War II in Leningrad, Russia.  17 year old Lev elected to stay behind in the city when his mother and sister flee to the country.  When an already dead German paratrooper lands in the street after curfew, Lev and his friends rush out to see what can be looted from the body.  This is a crime punishable by execution and Lev is caught while helping the others escape.  

His prison cell is a dark and lonely until the arrival of his cell mate, a soldier accused of desertion.  Kolya vehemently denies any such thing.  He's a man capable of talking himself out of a paper bag.  So when the Colonel says he will spare them both in return for 10 eggs by Thursday to bake his daughter a wedding cake, Koyla agrees to the challenge. 

The unlikely pair end up on a grueling journey through the countryside in search of the rare and elusive eggs.  Koyla says what he thinks at all times in all situations.  The naive and shy Lev learns many life lessons from him while trekking through the snow.  Their banter is often funny and quite entertaining.  There are many laugh out loud moments even though the backdrop is the death and destruction of war.  

I liked this story alot. The writing is wonderful, characters engaging and lovable, the scenes authentic.  City of Thieves will hold your interest whether you're laughing, crying or feel like throwing up while you're immersed in a very real tale of war and despair. 

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

Li-Yan is a girl child born into an Akha family, one of China's ethnic minorities.  They live on a remote, rural mountain and their lives are guided by strong traditions and superstitions.  In the late 20th century, they know nothing of electricity or television or gas powered automobiles. Their lives are simple, uncomplicated.

The families make a meager living by harvesting tea leaves.  When a stranger arrives one day in his car and enters through the spirit gate, the village is changed forever.  He teaches them the value of different types of tea which brings wealth and prosperity to their lives.  He also opens Li-Yan's eyes to the outside world.  On the recommendation of her teacher, who convinces the tribe elders the Li-yan has promise, even though she is a girl, to go to the city to further her education.

Li-Yan, however has fallen in love with Sanpa, a boy whose stars do not align with hers.  The marriage is forbidden but their love overrides whatever the horoscopes have predicted.  That choice sends her life down a path that even the wisest sage of the village couldn't have predicted.

I am a huge Lisa See fan, having read almost all of her novels.  I loved, loved, loved The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. In my opinion, this is her best novel yet.  Included in a great story of Chinese tradition meets the whirlwind, you will learn all you never knew about tea.  Trust me, you'll want to sit down with a nice hot cup and have a good conversation to go with it.  I couldn't put this one down.  

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Joe, a 13 year old boy and his family are members of the Chippewa Nation, living on the reservation. His father is a judge in the tribal judicial system.  When his mother, Gerlaldine becomes a victim of a violent crime, a search for justice on all levels of society begins.

Geraldine withdraws to her darkened bedroom.  Joe is left with out a mother for reasons he doesn't understand.  His father is left without a wife and companion, replaced by a crime he is desperate to solve. Joe seeks comfort in his friends and family on the reservation, teenagers and adults, young and old, all who help him to understand a small piece of his anger.  He is left however, to put the pieces of the puzzle together on his own.

Sometimes I found the story difficult to follow.  The story begins in 1988, with Joe as the narrator. Throughout the book, we are thrust into the future to see Joe as an adult, married man with children and then we are whipped quickly back into past again. He is older and wiser but to me he seemed like a different person than the Joe at 13, I adored. We are all different than in our teenage years but I wasn't quite sure if I liked the grown up Joe.

The Round House is intense. The window into tribal life is interesting and engaging.  The insight the story gives into racism and hate crimes in this country is enlightening.  Don't pick up this title thinking it will be a light, summer read, it's not. Read with an open mind and be ready to learn about other cultures, racial division, love of family and relish in the utter craziness of boys experiencing puberty. You won't be sorry you took the time to lose yourself in The Round House.

Still Life by Louise Penny

Still Life by Louise Penny

I have a tendency to do things backwards and every which way but forward.  I read an Inspector Gamache book, number ten in the series first.  And I loved it.  Louise Penny is a fantastic writer, her words are smooth like butter and a pleasure to read even though they are usually about crime and murder.  Since I have some mystery lovers in book club, I chose Still Life, the first book featuring Inspector Gamache, to hopefully give every one something to love.

I have to admit Still Life started out slowly for me. This book is the introduction to the town of Three Pines and its cast of oddball and eccentric residents. I guess I wanted more from them forgetting that this was their debut to the world.  I needed to be patient.

I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot.  That would ruin everything.  I can tell you there is a murder and Inspector Gamache and his crew from Montreal make friends quickly in the small town in order to gather clues to the crime.  And I will tell you that by the end of the novel, all that I thought  was happening, really didn't and the perpetrators were never who I expected them to be.  All the trappings of an excellent mystery.

Still Life is an absolute pleasure.  It kept me on the edge of my seat and made me want to move to Three Pines to hang out with all the quirky and wonderful people there.  And I can't wait to hear what all my faithful book clubbers have to say about it. I'm checking out the number two book in the Inspector Gamache series from the library next week.

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Anna Kerrigan is a young woman who is doing her part in the war effort by working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.  But she longs for more.  Her father disappeared several years ago without a trace.  Her mother struggles to care for Lydia, Anna's sickly and disabled sister while Anna is the glue trying to hold their lives together.

And Anna wants more from life.  She applies to be a diver at the Navy Yard and the men want nothing better to see her fail. But she turns out to be the strongest diver on the team. Anna is strong and tough when it comes to her personal life as well. She takes us deep into the world of nightclubs run by gangsters.

I haven't read Ms. Egan's other novel that was a Pulitzer Prize winner, but I wouldn't call Manhattan Beach a prize winning novel. It is meticulously researched. The diving scenes make the reader feel as if they are also underwater in a clumsy suit weighing 200 pounds.  As the gangster Dexter Styles faces his almost certain execution, I could see the beads of sweat forming on his brow.  And when Eddie's merchant marine ship sank in the middle of a fierce storm, my heartbeat rose along with their desperation to survive. The pages in-between the griping scenes were not nearly as exciting.

Manhattan Beach is a well written novel, with sharp and engaging characters and an interesting plot.  The lives of the characters are expertly interwoven together. For me the historical backdrop of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and World War II added to my reading pleasure.  This was an enjoyable read but not the page turner I was hoping to find.