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.

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

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.

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

THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF PORTUGAL, by Yann Martel

5+

THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF PORTUGAL is a wonderful novel, not to miss, Yann Martell has achieved a beautiful story, spanning three generations starting in 1900. Unlike " The Life Of Pi " the story is concise from begining to end. I loved this book. A beautiful journey for the mind and heart.

A must read


My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this advance copy in return for an honest review