Tag Archives: book review

Friday Book Whimsy: Carrie Soto is Back

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In the summer of 1978, I took tennis lessons. The lessons lasted six weeks. I’m pretty sure that was the last time that I held a tennis racket in my hands. It should come as no surprise that I don’t know anything about tennis. I don’t know how to score. I don’t know the difference between playing on hard courts, clay courts, grass courts, or carpet courts. In fact, I had to look up the types of tennis court surfaces to write that last sentence.

Because of my lack of knowledge or even interest in tennis, I would never have picked up this book if it hadn’t been written by one of my favorite authors. Taylor Jenkins Reid has written two of my all-time favorite novels: Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Because of my high regard for these novels, I was willing to give this book a try.

I’m very glad I did.

Carrie Soto retired from tennis a highly successful professional player. She was well regarded, but not particularly popular given the intensity in which she approached the game. Her mother died young, and her father — a well-regarded tennis player himself — became her coach. He taught her the ins and outs, the correct way to hold her racket, the tricks of playing exceptional competitive tennis. Carrie brought a dedication to being the best, letting no one get in her way,

But when she saw one of the newer players seemingly filling her retired shoes, she elected to come out of retirement to see if she could finish the season as the number one tennis player in the world once again.

While there is a lot of detail about tennis in the novel, the story is really about the relationship between Carrie and her father, and the importance of having people who love you in your life. Having said that, I will tell you that I LOVED learning about the game of tennis. Reid made the game interesting even to a tried-and-true non-tennis player such as me.

What I like best about Reid’s novels is that the writing style is always unique, and the characters are always unforgettable. Carrie Soto is Back is no exception. This will be one of my favorite books of 2022.

Here is a link to the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: Ashton Hall

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What could be better as we near Halloween than a story about an old English country mansion with secrets? And dead bodies? I present Ashton Hall, by Lauren Belfer.

Hannah Larson and her son Nicky leaves the states to come to Cambridge, England, where a much-loved relative is reaching the final stages of his life in his family home of Ashton Hall. Hannah recently was betrayed by her husband, and needs to get away. She has left her job as a historic researcher to raise Nicky, is not a typical child. He is extraordinarily bright and precocious, but has severe anger issues. Though the author never says, he is probably on the spectrum.

One day Nicky arises early and begins exploring Ashton House, even so far as going in an area that had been walled off and unused for many years. There, Nicky discovers the remains of what turns out to be a woman dead for many centuries.

Hannah, along with her intelligent and likable son, undertake efforts to learn the story of the woman in the mysterious room. As her marriage continues to crumble, Hannah begins to piece together the story of the woman, and of Ashton Hall itself.

I loved this book. It was atmospheric without being gory or scary. Hannah’s efforts to raise her oh-so-lovable but oh-so-difficult son opened this reader’s eye to what it’s like to have a child with exceptional abilities. There is a romantic element that is neither sappy or unbelievable.

I highly recommend Ashton Hall.

Here is a link to the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: The Hotel Nantucket.

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Author Elin Hilderbrand is a prolific author, known for what is termed her “beach reads.” As much as I read, and as much as I enjoy a summer read, I have never read a book by this author. It won’t be the last one, because I enjoyed The Hotel Nantucket very much.

The Hotel Nantucket was once a well-respected hotel, known for entertaining the well-to-doers who habitat Nantucket Island in the summer. Unfortunately, the hotel suffered a serious fire in 1922 that killed a housekeeper, whose restless spirit wanders the hotel waiting for someone to discover the truth about the fire and putting her at peace.

Much like the hotel, Lizbeth Keaton has also suffered a setback, breaking up with her long-time fiance, with whom she ran a successful restaurant, after learning that he was involved with another woman. She leaves him and the restaurant behind. Lizbeth is delighted to be hired by billionaire Xavier Darling to run the completely remodeled Hotel Nantucket. Darling purchased the old hotel and spent millions bringing the it back to life. Everything about the hotel is perfect. The restaurant is run by a famous chef. The spa is magnificent. The rooms are sheer perfection with not a wrinkle or spot of dust to be found. The question is, can Lizbeth and her staff — all who have complicated histories and secrets — meet Darling’s goal: to receive a perfect score from the hotel critic who can make or break hotels? Thus far, no one has ever received a perfect score.

The hotel occupants have as many secrets as the staff. Shortly after the hotel opens, a mysterious woman and her two adorable children arrive, asking for a room for an unknown period of time. What’s more, she will pay cash, and money is no object.

The story is told from different vantage points, but it isn’t confusing at all. And the ghost of Grace, the housekeeper who died in the fire, isn’t a bit offputting. She’s merely an observer, and, while she plays a strong role in the story, it isn’t in any way a ghost story.

The Hotel Nantucket is a luscious novel that leaves the reading wishing they were rich enough to afford the thousand dollar rooms.

I loved this book.

Here is a link to the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: Out of the Easy

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There’s scarcely a better location for a gritty novel than New Orleans, and that makes the already-very-good novel Out of the Easy, by author Ruta Sepetys, even better.

It’s 1950. Teenaged Josie Moraine is the daughter of a prostitute. Her mother isn’t the kindly sex worker who does what she needs to help her daughter. Instead, she is a selfish, greedy, completely dishonest woman who cares little for Josie and doesn’t mind using her for her own selfish needs.

But Josie isn’t alone. The successful female brothel owner Willie Woodley has taken Josie under her wing since she was a small girl. She, along with the other prostitutes and Willie’s faithful staff love Josie and take care of her as if she was their own family. In a way, that’s exactly what they are.

Josie works at a bookstore owned by a friend, and is saving her money to leave New Orleans and attend her dream college, Smith. But an unexpected murder places Josie right in the middle, and her mother is all part of the game.

I loved the characters in this novel. But I mostly loved the picture of this textured city, especially in the 1950s. The contrast between the rich families who lived in the wealthy Garden District and the poor families who lived in the French Quarter gave the novel a heavy dose of reality. Still, the characters were not stereotypical, at least not all of them.

The story moves at a quick pace, and the ending was satisfactory, if somewhat predictable.

I really enjoyed this novel.

Here is a link to the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: Local Gone Missing

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Local Gone Missing, by Fiona Barton, is one of many police procedurals I have read this summer. Police procedurals can be tricky — they can be complex and interesting if done right; if flubbed, they can be darnright confusing. Local Gone Missing, I’m afraid, was in the latter category.

Ebbing is a small town that overlooks the English Channel. Like many such towns, weekenders can double the population during the summer season. Elise King is a detective with the local police force, but has taken a leave of absence because she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is nearing the end of her leave when trouble takes place at an unpopular town music festival sponsored by one of the wealthy weekenders. Two teenagers overdose on Ecstasy, one fatally. If that’s not bad enough, one of the popular town citizens goes missing.

Though still unofficially on leave, Elise is challenged by her elderly neighbor Ronnie to join her in trying to find Charlie, the missing person. It soon becomes clear to Elise that things are not what they seem among many of the citizens of Ebbing. There is Charlie’s wife, who would just as soon see him dead so that she could have the life insurance policy. Dee is the local cleaning lady who, because her job is one that is taken for granted, overhears much and often knows more than even the police.

The plot has potential, but unfortunately, the characters are flat. Furthermore, I was seriously confused much of the time because of the number of characters, their complex relationships, and the fact that some of the chapters are “Before” and some of the chapters are “Now.” Perhaps it’s just my simple mind, but there were times when I had to back up to be reminded who some of the characters were.

I am not one to continue reading a book that I’m not enjoying. The plot of his novel, however, was interesting enough to keep my going until the end. The ending, however, was disappointing enough to make me regret the time I spent reading the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: Run Rose, Run

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Ok. Sometimes we’re not in need of great literature. Sometimes we just want a story with likeable characters and a plot line that isn’t too ridiculous and moves along at a brisk pace. Sometimes, when everything in life seems so complicated, you need a little Dolly Parton.

Run Rose, Run, a novel co-written by the world’s most prolific author James Patterson and the world’s most famed (and perhaps the nicest and most generous) singer and songwriter Dolly Parton, fits that description to a T. I don’t know how much James Patterson wrote or how much Dolly Parton wrote. She, of course, is a phenomenal songwriter and lyricist, so there’s reason to think she contributed a fair amount. All I know is that it was a briskly-paced novel that kept me reading.

AnnieLynn Keyes has escaped her difficult past and hitchhiked her way to Nashville. She knows she has talent, but everyone who moves to Nashville thinks they have talent. AnnieLynn is quickly discovered by country music queen Ruthanna Ryder in an offbeat bar where her last-minute performance is overheard by the right people. Despite the fact that Ruthanna Ryder has quit the music business for good — or so she says — she still is a well-respected voice in the country music world.

While AnnieLynn seems to be moving quickly towards a career as a singer/songwriter, her past begins to catch up with her. Will she make it in the world of country music, or will she fail to outrun her past.

The story is loaded with lots of kick-ass music lyrics, likely contributed by Ms. Parton. There are a fair amount of holes in the story line, but I will not hesitate to recommend the book to lovers of country music and fairly nonviolent thrillers.

God bless you Dolly Parton!

Here is a link to the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: The Paris Apartment

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Lucy Foley was the author of a book — The Guest List — about which I was somewhat ambiguous. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t like it. I recall that one of my biggest problems with that book was that I really didn’t like any of the characters. I have learned over my 60-some years of reading that it really helps me to enjoy a book if I like the characters.

I had somewhat of the same reaction to The Paris Apartment, a book by the same author.

The protagonist Jess is running from a crime she committed. She contacts her half brother Ben, a journalist who lives in a fancy apartment in Paris. He reluctantly agrees to let her stay with him for awhile. However, when she arrives, Ben is no where to be found. There are signs of a struggle, but no clues as to where he could be.

Jess begins trying to find her brother. The house in which the apartment is located is divided up into several apartments on different levels. Sophie and her husband Jacque are very wealthy, having made money from a wine empire. Nick lives on another floor, and has secrets of his own, including that he is gay. Antoine is an abusive husband whose wife leaves him early in the book. Mimi is quiet and mousy, and very much in love with Ben.

Jess suspects from the get go that each of these people have their own secrets, and the secrets are not good. Though they say they are willing to help her find her brother, it seems as though they all make finding him more difficult.

The storyline had flaws and inconsistencies, but the plot kept me reading. I tried very hard to figure out what happened to Ben and who among the group of shady characters was responsible for his disappearance. Some of the plot twists were predictable, but I will admit that the ending caught me by surprise.

I liked the book, but disliked the characters.

Here is a link to the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: Under the Bayou Moon

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Sometimes all you need is a lovely book with an interesting story, a few villains, and a whole bunch of romance. Given the difficult times we face, sitting down with characters with whom you want to spend time is a blessing. Under the Bayou Moon, by Valorie Fraser Luesse provided such a delightful break from reality.

It’s 1949, and America is slowly recovering from the difficult years of war and poverty. Ellie Fields, a young teacher who has spent her life in small-town Alabama, feels like it’s time to shake it up a bit. She accepts a teaching position in a small town in the bayou country of Louisiana, not far from New Orleans. Though this move seems insignificant, for Ellie, it is the first time living away from her home. The Cajun culture of the new town in which she now resides is as different from her past experience as you can get.

The townspeople look suspiciously on outsiders, and the new schoolteacher is no exception. It takes some time, but before long, she has made some new friends. She also becomes aware that the Bayou community is running into its own cultural roadblocks. Politicians are pushing to make it illegal to speak the native Patois French language.

Before long, she is teaching some of the community elders whose English is very limited how to speak the language. At the same time, they are teaching her to speak French.

Toss a rare white alligator into the mix, an alligator that is not only naturally endangered, but is being hunted by people trying to do away with what many people think is nothing more than a myth.

The characters were kind and likable and a wonderful part of the entire sweet story. As for the setting, I’m not kidding when I say that you can practically smell the gumbo cooking and the corn bread coming out of the oven. You can hear the cicadas sing and clearly envision the alligators’ eyes peeking out of the water.

Under the Bayou Moon was a refreshing change of pace, and a wonderful story. I highly recommend the book.

Here is a link to the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: The Lost Summers of Newport

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I have always loved reading novels about how the rich lived during the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, with their big mansions on Fifth Avenue in NYC and their so-called “cottages” in Newport, RI. The Lost Summers of Newport paints a picture with words of the world of the rich, and there are no better “word painters” than Beatriz Williams, Karen White, and Lauren Willig.

The three have authored several novels, each tackling a chapter. I have enjoyed some more than others. The Lost Summers of Newport is almost certainly my favorite. The stories of the three women are interesting, though all very different.

It’s 2019, and Andie Figuero, a struggling single mother, has agreed to produce a reality television program called Mansion Makeover. The program features mansions in need of repairs, and it seems like a fit for Andie, who has her degree in historic preservation. However, things become complicated when her bosses want her to concentrate on the rumors of the families who lived there instead of the work being done on the house.

It’s 1957, and Lucia “Lucky” Sprague is stuck in an unhappy marriage with an alcoholic husband. She would like nothing better than to run away with the man she loves, Teddy, and her little girl, Joanie. But results of some of her actions and secrets she learns too late seemingly prevent her from finding true happiness.

It’s 1899, and Ellen Daniels is hired by John Sprague to teach his sister to sing. His goal is to get her married off to a wealthy Italian prince in order to save his home. He will stop at nothing to ensure the match takes place, and he holds Ellen fully responsible in making that happen. She has little choice, however, because she is running from her own demons. Sprague’s sister Maybelle, as quiet and demure as can be, has no interest in the prince, but wants to find love elsewhere.

The secrets that connect the women are revealed to us as the story moves along. I was so interested in the secrets myself that I could scarcely put the book down.

Here is a link to the book.

Friday Book Whimsy: The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post

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Marjorie Post was one of the richest and most influential women of her time. She wasn’t your typical heiress/socialite, though she was wealthy enough during her life to do just about anything and live just about anywhere. Her life is chronicled in this bio-novel written by author Allison Pataki. Pataki’s bio-novels have given us peaks at such lives as that of Napoleon Bonaparte’s mistress and Benedict Arnold’s wife.

Marjorie Merriweather Post was the daughter — and only child — of C.W. Post, the founder of Postum Cereal Company. From the time she was a small child, she helped her father establish his business by gluing cereal boxes together in their barn near Springfield, IL. When C.W. Post passed away in 1914, his much-loved daughter inherited the business. Her first marriage was a dismal failure. She subsequently married E.F. Hutton, who helped her expand the business by buying out other food companies such as Hellman’s and Jell-O, thereby establishing General Foods Corp.

She never found peace when it came to love, having been married a total of four times ending in four divorces. Still, she had a strong sense of self, something that her father had taught her from the cradle. She also had a strong sense of philanthropy, from establishing and financing a hospital for vets in New York City during World War I, to purchasing (and thereby saving) precious pieces of Russian art while married to Joseph E. Davies, who was appointed by FDR as a ambassador to the Soviet Union.

While her life was interesting in so many ways, I was surprised to learn that she originally built Mar-A-Lago, in Palm Beach, FL, now famous as one of the many homes of former President Donald Trump.

I love learning history from novels, and I carefully fact-checked the story as I read about the fascinating life of Ms. Post. The book was interesting, if somewhat long. It really was like reading a biography, only including dialogue. Still, I recommend the book for anyone who likes historical novels.

Here is a link to the book.