Friday, September 30, 2016

HAG -SEED by Margaret Atwood














A

Crown Publishing
Hogarth
Publishing date October 11, 2016
                             January  2017

Mini review
In remembrance of Shakespeare's four hundred birthday celebration, our most talented authors are honouring the Bards works.
Margaret Atwood chose " The Tempest ".
I love her rendition. Keeping the essence Shakespeare gave the play, the author manages to bring us a twenty first century rendition. Choosing a prison setting which makes for quite a humorous tale, I had a lot of fun reading this version of The Tempest. Margaret Atwood's humour is a gem, I think the Bard who himself improvised while his plays took place, involving his audience, would approve.

A highly recommended read.  A+

Thursday, September 15, 2016

THE WONDER by Emma Donoghue


A+

Little Brown and Company
Pub date 20 Sep. 2016


Review
If you read Emma Donohue's novel " ROOM " and enjoyed the mounting tension, you will love her latest novel " THE WONDER ".
Ireland 1850, the island is recovering after years of famine. Parents provide for their children and families once more.
Anna, a young girl, does not concern herself with earthly nourishment. The town's people look upon this child as a miracle send by God. Anna's nourishment consists of Manna from Heaven.
THE WONDER is a cautionary tale of good and evil in a country where poverty reigns and religion is the only solace.
I couldn't put the book down, the tension mounted the further I read and held this momentum to the last page.
I recommend this novel highly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this advance copy.

5/5

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

MISCHELING by Affinity Konar















A+


Little Brown and Company
Pub date Sept. 6 2016

Review

Auschwitz, a name of unspeakable evil. Josef Mengele, obsessed with "medical science" finds twins particularly interesting to his "projects". 
I avoid reading WWII novels. Mengele's attrocities on twins, triplets, children with deformities is widely known. This novel differs, by giving victims a voice.
Affinity Konar's prose is beautiful, befitting the novel's difficult subject.
I hesitated before picking up this novel. My hesitation weight the aspect of voyeuristic titillation versus reading out of sheer respect for children who suffered inhuman experiments at the hands of a sadistic butcher. It is not an easy read, sadness was overwhelming, respect towards each individual child kept me reading.
Also the novel is a historical novel, the characters are fictional. Most of Mengele's victims did not survive their injuries, time has passed, survivors are very few.
Below twins which survived Mengele, they are Eva and Miriam Kor. They inspired the writing of this book. Eva is still living, Miriam passed away after years of suffering due to the insanity of Mengele. Neither Eva or Miriam were able to conceive, also the result of Mengele's butchery.







Highly recommended historical novel.

5/5



Sunday, August 21, 2016

WHAT LIES BETWEEN US by Naomi Munaweera











A+

St. Martin
Pub date Feb. 16 2016

Review

Sri Lanka, an island in the South Pacific were traditions are held sacred throughout generations. 
What happens when a mother and daughter leave their home for America? Can we leave our pains behind? Do they come searching for us in our new home?
Nayomi Munaweera's beautiful novel is a must read, filled with beautiful prose she takes us from tragedy to hope.



Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

ALL THIS LIFE by Joshua Mohr














❤❤❤❤❤

Personal copy

This is a wonderful novel. What makes it great is the insight Joshua Mohr has into the characters, their Interaction in our world of Tweets, Face Book...the people we meet online our emotional investment.
I highly recommend this book.


Tuesday, June 14, 2016

THE VEGETARIAN by Han Kang







 My view

After finishing " THE VEGETRIAN " by Han Kang I went checking other reader's reviews. I found many different opinions regarding what Han Kang's novel represented.
For me it was foremost a story of abuse, of strength or lack thereof. How one child in a family ruled by abuse will survive, while another will be driven into insanity.
To fully understand this novel it helps to know that Korea is a patriarch country, meat a respected staple. 
Two sisters, Yeong-hye and In-hye, one strong, able to run her life in a seemingly  successfull way, the other, slowly spiralling down into insanity...yet throughout the novel 
we see it might not be as it seems.

" THE VEGETARIAN " is beautifully written .The
novel kept my attention throughout.
5/5

Sunday, February 21, 2016

THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH by Eyelet Tsabari


      💛 💛 💛 💛 💛         


TIKKUN

Tikkun, a story of lasting love. Life separates lovers as it often does, taking us to new places, new partners, new lives. Sometimes love reawakens under unexpected circumstance. This is the story of Lior and Natalie.
5.5

SAY IT AGAIN, SAY IT 

This short story is about immigrants to Israel.Lily and Lana are teens in a new world. Lily from Canada, Lana from Belarus.
Lily a shy girl, Lana a Russian beauty without fear.
I loved this story for it's strength and innocence.

5.5

BRIT MILAH

Reuma's daughter Ofra is expecting her first child, not wanting to miss meeting little Yonatan,his grandmother's first male, grandchild. Reuma flies from Israel to Vancouver on a visit of love and great expectations... will she get her wish? Or will she be in for an unacceptable surprise?
5.5

THE POETS IN THE KITCHEN WINDOW

This short story is among my favorite, yet I love them all. What a beautiful book...yes, it is
A boy, Uri's first experience with war. Sirens, gas mask and shelter...Tel Aviv...Saddam Hussein's war against Kuwait reached far...
5.5

CASUALTIES

Sometimes two years of military service might be more difficult than one expected.
4.5

INVISIBLE

Rosalynn is a Philippina working in Israel in order to support her family back home. Just as her permit runs out, love walks in...
5.5

BELOW SEE LEVEL

Josie and David are flying towards Israel from Canada. A difficult journey for David.
Will he find peace with himself and his overbearing IDF father.
5.5

A SIGN OF HARMONY

After the initial two years in the army, Israeli like a time to travel, this time it is India.
4/5

BORDERS

What happened to Israelis who left Sinai after it became Egyptian territories? A young woman recalls her life in the Sinai desert where she lived with her mother. 
5.5

WAR PLANES 

Teens and how death during war time affects their life. Loosing a parent to illness rather than war could change their lives for the better or worse.

4.5

THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH

Naomi and Tamar, two sisters, separated by miles. Tamar in Vancouver, Naomi in Jerusalem.

5.5

I loved these stories so much, the sheer humanity found in each, the beautiful prose. Eyelet Tsabari is a talented to watch for.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to get to know this author in return for an honest review.

Friday, January 1, 2016

LUCY BARTON by Elizabeth Strout




A


A new book by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout is cause for celebration. Her bestselling novels, including Olive Kitteridge and The Burgess Boys, have illuminated our most tender relationships. Now, in My Name Is Lucy Barton, this extraordinary writer shows how a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all—the one between mother and daughter.

Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy's childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy's life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth Strout knows how to reach into your heart ever so softly regardless the emotions, gentle or raw.
In this novel she excels. 
Mother and daughter exchanges will often touch upon subjects grown daughters put to rest, or so we feel. 
While Lucy recovers in a hospital, a surprising visit by her mother takes place. Lucy's mother brings to the surface Amgash, a town her daughter put out of her mind the day she left home. Lucy's life now revolves around New York, two daughters and her husband.
Slowly, memories surface...Elizabeth Strout handles this difficult situation beautifully.
I loved this novel, at times feeling I was reading a biography, so true did this novel feel.

For readers familiar with Elizabeth Strout, you already love this author.
For readers not familiar with the author, this novel is a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advance copy.

5/5