ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE by Elizabeth Strout

B

Random House
Pub date April 27,  2017


Mini review,  FULL REVIEW UPON PUBLISHING DATE April 27

I absolutely loved 'My Name is Lucy Barton'. I loved how mother and daughter, after years of estrangement reconnected. Memories they shared of family members, neighbours, what happened to each.

In 'Anything is Possible' characters previously mentioned in ' My Name is Lucy Barton' invite us into their lives one chapter at a time, yet always connected. It is by no means a depressing read, it is filled with hope, courage, empathy and joy.
It is a stand alone novel. If you read the previous novel, you will be acquainted with many names, this is their lives as lived in Amgash, Ill.

Thank you to Random House and netgalley for this arc.

EDGAR & LUCY by Victor Lodato

A+
St. Martin Press
March 17, 2017 release
544 pages

Synopsis
Edgar and Lucy is a page-turning literary masterpiece—a stunning examination of family love and betrayal.

Eight-year-old Edgar Fini remembers nothing of the accident people still whisper about. He only knows that his father is gone, his mother has a limp, and his grandmother believes in ghosts. When Edgar meets a man with his own tragic story, the boy begins a journey into a secret wilderness where nothing is clear—not even the line between the living and the dead. In order to save her son, Lucy has no choice but to confront the demons of her past

Review

EDGAR AND LUCY will definitely be among my very favorite novel of 2017.

Throughout 544 pages I enjoyed each chapter, never felt slowed down. The characters jumped of the page, became intimate, real.

I will be anticipating other reader's feelings, not everyone will agree with Edgar's decisions. I for one chose to understand how emotions, under certain circumstances, can lead one to trust another humanbeign, perhaps wrongly so...

This is an extraordinary novel. A story of deceit, trust, possessive love, grief, misunderstanding and love, with characters I will not soon forget.

I want to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advance copy

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+

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

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.