Friday, October 30, 2015
The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
"Studying the dogs, she had learned how to live within herself entirely: to sit without expectation, to rest, eyes half-closed, and panting through the stifling heat, sniffing subtle changes in the air, succumbing to sleep when it came. The dogs were neither noisy nor silent, neither idle nor busy. They snored and sighed, coughed, scratched, and snapped at buzzing passersby. They stood and stretched, ambled to the bushes to lift a leg, or crouch, returned to shade or tall grass to circle and settle again. They smelled one another lazily, chewed on the grass, lifted their chins to follow the motion of a bird or a scent on the wind. Ruth passed whole days among them, floating through time like it was warm water."
-from the novel
This book didn't do much for me. Had it not been a book club selection, I'm not sure I would have finished it. I had read The Red Tent by this author some time ago and it was much better. I'm only rating this one a 2.
Though the setting was 1814 Massachusetts I didn't get much "flavor" of that period other than the mention of witches and lack of modern conveniences. There were so many characters I had trouble keeping up with the relationships between them let alone becoming involved with any. One could say that Judy Rhimes was the main character and I did develop some empathy for her. Easter Carter was an admirable woman, as well, so positive and compassionate. Most characters had so much emotional baggage that the story couldn't help but drag the reader down---ill-treated orphans, drunks, prostitutes, lonely spinsters, star-crossed lovers.
The frequent appearance of dogs and descriptions of them probably had some significance that I didn't quite get, in fact the beginning quote may hint at it.
I hope our group discussion will shed some light on this hodge podge of a novel and show me some redeeeming qualities.
-----------------------------------------------------
Our group rating is a 3 for The Last Days of Dogtown; in fact the majority voted a 3. At least two people of our eleven really liked the book, seemingly because several of the characters were resilient and managed to rise above their unfortunate circumstances. Some descriptions of the mood of the novel were: grim, bleak, dreary, depressing. Perhaps we should have expected that from a book with such a title. Most of us thought the ending was plausible and satisfactory. A couple of members agreed with me that Easter was one of the more consistent and likeable characters and added that she was a central, connecting figure in the story.
When someone mentioned the part where Stanwood's "angelic visitation" took place, we all had a good laugh remembering one of the lighter events of the plot.
Four or five of us had read The Red Tent by this author and enjoyed it. If you've read nothing by Diamant, I would start with that one!
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Basket Case by Carl Hiaasen
"'Basket Case'
by Jimmy Stoma and Warren Zevon
My baby is a basket case,
A bipolar mama in leather and lace.
Face like an angel,
She's a perfect waste.
My baby is a basket case.
Dracula's daughter, Calamity Jane,
Smoke on the water, water on the brain.
Pretty as a picture
And totally crazed.
My baby is a basket case.
She's gonna make a mad man outta me.
She's gonna make a mad man outta me..."
My husband an I enjoyed the audio version of this book on a round trip to Tennessee by car. We don't really choose the same reading material so it was a wonderful surprise that we both liked it so much. We were familiar and appreciative of Carl Hiaasen as a writer of young adult fiction but I don't think I'd ever read one of his "grown up" books. Apparently he is considered a master of Florida Noir fiction. Who knew?
In this novel Jack Tagger, a former newspaper journalist demoted to obituary writer for the fictional Union Register, is confronted with the death of James Bradley Stomarti, a has-been rock star. As a fan of Stomarti, known as Jimmy Stoma of the rock band Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, Tagger becomes suspicious and begins his own investigation of Jimmy's fatal and mysterious scuba diving accident. It doesn't take long for him to be convinced that Jimmy's widow, Cleo Rio, a one-hit-wonder rock star wannabe, is the one who somehow arranged his death.
The reader/listener learns that Jack has been relegated to the obit section after blatantly insulting the CEO of his publishing company, Race Maggad III. (He calls him Master Race!) In fact, Jack admits to being an "incorrigible hothead." His work has led to a morbid obsession with death which likely contributed to a break up with his girlfriend. An underlying factor is the disappearance of his father when he was young and his curiosity about the man. As the plot evolves the reader/listener meets numerous quirky characters read engagingly by the talented George Wilson, including his ex-girlfriend's sassy daughter, Carla; whiz kid Dommy; the elderly MacArthur Polk, band member Jay Burns and, of course, the far-from-grieving and usually drunk Cleo Rio.
Layered into this murder mystery is message about the sorry state of newspapers today, not surprising since Hiaasen is a journalist for the Miami Herald. I also read that Basket Case was his first novel using first person point-of-view. I cannot imagine the story told by anyone other than Jack Tagger.
Tagger, a rather bitter and cynical man at the beginning, is rather eccentric with his kooky fixations on death and a very strange pet, a Savannah monitor lizard named Colonel Tom. (Wait until you see how Colonel Tom fits into the story!) His irreverent humor kept us laughing through much of the book. The dialog was hilarious, with lines like "I'll be there like a gator on a poodle." The novel was even more fascinating because of the many mentions of real-life celebrities, both living and dead, and for us as Floridians, references to many places in Florida, even our hometown Orlando. Add a little romance and a satisfying ending with Tagger describing himself as "the luckiest nutcase I know" and you get a first degree entertaining read. Both my husband and I give Basket Case a 5 and we will be looking for another Hiaasen for the next car trip!
by Jimmy Stoma and Warren Zevon
My baby is a basket case,
A bipolar mama in leather and lace.
Face like an angel,
She's a perfect waste.
My baby is a basket case.
Dracula's daughter, Calamity Jane,
Smoke on the water, water on the brain.
Pretty as a picture
And totally crazed.
My baby is a basket case.
She's gonna make a mad man outta me.
She's gonna make a mad man outta me..."
My husband an I enjoyed the audio version of this book on a round trip to Tennessee by car. We don't really choose the same reading material so it was a wonderful surprise that we both liked it so much. We were familiar and appreciative of Carl Hiaasen as a writer of young adult fiction but I don't think I'd ever read one of his "grown up" books. Apparently he is considered a master of Florida Noir fiction. Who knew?
In this novel Jack Tagger, a former newspaper journalist demoted to obituary writer for the fictional Union Register, is confronted with the death of James Bradley Stomarti, a has-been rock star. As a fan of Stomarti, known as Jimmy Stoma of the rock band Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, Tagger becomes suspicious and begins his own investigation of Jimmy's fatal and mysterious scuba diving accident. It doesn't take long for him to be convinced that Jimmy's widow, Cleo Rio, a one-hit-wonder rock star wannabe, is the one who somehow arranged his death.
The reader/listener learns that Jack has been relegated to the obit section after blatantly insulting the CEO of his publishing company, Race Maggad III. (He calls him Master Race!) In fact, Jack admits to being an "incorrigible hothead." His work has led to a morbid obsession with death which likely contributed to a break up with his girlfriend. An underlying factor is the disappearance of his father when he was young and his curiosity about the man. As the plot evolves the reader/listener meets numerous quirky characters read engagingly by the talented George Wilson, including his ex-girlfriend's sassy daughter, Carla; whiz kid Dommy; the elderly MacArthur Polk, band member Jay Burns and, of course, the far-from-grieving and usually drunk Cleo Rio.
Layered into this murder mystery is message about the sorry state of newspapers today, not surprising since Hiaasen is a journalist for the Miami Herald. I also read that Basket Case was his first novel using first person point-of-view. I cannot imagine the story told by anyone other than Jack Tagger.
Tagger, a rather bitter and cynical man at the beginning, is rather eccentric with his kooky fixations on death and a very strange pet, a Savannah monitor lizard named Colonel Tom. (Wait until you see how Colonel Tom fits into the story!) His irreverent humor kept us laughing through much of the book. The dialog was hilarious, with lines like "I'll be there like a gator on a poodle." The novel was even more fascinating because of the many mentions of real-life celebrities, both living and dead, and for us as Floridians, references to many places in Florida, even our hometown Orlando. Add a little romance and a satisfying ending with Tagger describing himself as "the luckiest nutcase I know" and you get a first degree entertaining read. Both my husband and I give Basket Case a 5 and we will be looking for another Hiaasen for the next car trip!
Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky
"Later when she'd been away from Kansas for years and finally came home again to run the farm, with children of her own who couldn't tell the difference between a stalk of corn and a sheaf of wheat, the colors were what Lara remembered from that day. Most of the other details she'd forgotten, or they'd merged in her mind with all the other shocks and horrors that made up one long year of grief."
-from the novel
I chose this book thinking it was historical fiction about the "bleeding Kansas" of pre-Civil War days. However, the setting was present-day Kansas with only mentions of 19th century history. Disappointing!
The story reminded me of the Hatfields and McCoys since it involved two farm families with a long history of conflicts, their ancestors having settled in the 1850's---the hard-nosed, holier-than-thou Schapens and the Grelliers, our protagonists. Other families of the surrounding areas take one side or the other over various issues. When a single woman, a confessed Wiccan, moves into the historic Fremantle house, prejudices flame up and bring out the worst in many characters.
Add in the birth of a "perfect red heifer," supposedly a religious omen, and the budding romance between teenagers of opposing sides (think Romeo and Juliet?) and the plot becomes complex and pretty intriguing. The beginning quote reflects main character Lara's thinking about the events of the year in which the story takes place.
I know nothing about the Wiccan beliefs or ceremonies (nor do I want to learn!) so I got little out of those references. One humorous quote I will probably remember is "You are an Olympic medalist in the conclusion jump!"
I am rating the book a 3. I liked it more than I thought I would at first but it won't make a list of favorites. I think Burning Kansas might have been a more fitting title. If you have read it or read it after this, I'd be interested to know if you agree.
-from the novel
I chose this book thinking it was historical fiction about the "bleeding Kansas" of pre-Civil War days. However, the setting was present-day Kansas with only mentions of 19th century history. Disappointing!
The story reminded me of the Hatfields and McCoys since it involved two farm families with a long history of conflicts, their ancestors having settled in the 1850's---the hard-nosed, holier-than-thou Schapens and the Grelliers, our protagonists. Other families of the surrounding areas take one side or the other over various issues. When a single woman, a confessed Wiccan, moves into the historic Fremantle house, prejudices flame up and bring out the worst in many characters.
Add in the birth of a "perfect red heifer," supposedly a religious omen, and the budding romance between teenagers of opposing sides (think Romeo and Juliet?) and the plot becomes complex and pretty intriguing. The beginning quote reflects main character Lara's thinking about the events of the year in which the story takes place.
I know nothing about the Wiccan beliefs or ceremonies (nor do I want to learn!) so I got little out of those references. One humorous quote I will probably remember is "You are an Olympic medalist in the conclusion jump!"
I am rating the book a 3. I liked it more than I thought I would at first but it won't make a list of favorites. I think Burning Kansas might have been a more fitting title. If you have read it or read it after this, I'd be interested to know if you agree.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Back Seat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson
"Saint Roch tried to speak, and I said, 'Shut the hell up,' to him. He didn't know how Gretel was. None of them did, this chain of saints bobbing in my wake, and these saints all came from her, too, didn't they? She was the one who had always called them. They'd answered her in ways they'd never answered me before today."
-Ro Grandee, from the novel
I enjoyed this novel though not as much as the others I have read by this author. I began by listening to the audio format in my car, read by the author. It was off-putting at first since the main character starts out planning to kill her abusive husband. However, I was intrigued enough to start reading the print copy at home which I could finish more quickly. Be prepared for a surprise ending! I will rate this one a 4.
Ro Grandee is the main character and narrator of the story. She has an alter ego---Rose May Lolly, her feisty teenaged self, who comes to the forefront when a tarot card reading by a gypsy woman predicts a frightening future. Ro has had a rough life, from being abandoned by her mother and beaten by her alcoholic father to marrying a very violent man. After her plan to kill him goes awry, she runs away from her husband Thom, takes on a new identity and sets out to find her first love and later, her enigmatic mother. In this process she revisits her father, who has not aged well, and will not be the protector she had envisioned.
Jackson furthers her southern settings by starting this story in Texas. Previous novels I have read were set in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
The theme of the novel is pretty intense with family dysfunction, domestic violence, and revenge but thankfully there was some humor now and then. In describing the interior of a Krispy Kreme in Alabama Jackson says "It was a rathole in Fruiton's small and seedy downtown, with bright blue-green Formica counters and pumpkin-colored vinyl on all the stools and booths. It looked like a demented and slightly color-blind Auburn fan had been cut loose in there to decorate." As an Auburn fan that made me laugh. When the character named Parker is described wearing "floppy black pants that look like pajama bottoms" and "fighting nothing in slow motion" I visualized my husband's tai chi moves. I was reminded of the comic strip "Rose Is Rose," obviously because of Rose May Lolly's name but also cartoon character Rose has alter-egos---a biker babe and a little girl. The similarity ends there since the comic strip is never ugly or violent.
If you read the novel, I would love to know your thoughts!
-Ro Grandee, from the novel
I enjoyed this novel though not as much as the others I have read by this author. I began by listening to the audio format in my car, read by the author. It was off-putting at first since the main character starts out planning to kill her abusive husband. However, I was intrigued enough to start reading the print copy at home which I could finish more quickly. Be prepared for a surprise ending! I will rate this one a 4.
Ro Grandee is the main character and narrator of the story. She has an alter ego---Rose May Lolly, her feisty teenaged self, who comes to the forefront when a tarot card reading by a gypsy woman predicts a frightening future. Ro has had a rough life, from being abandoned by her mother and beaten by her alcoholic father to marrying a very violent man. After her plan to kill him goes awry, she runs away from her husband Thom, takes on a new identity and sets out to find her first love and later, her enigmatic mother. In this process she revisits her father, who has not aged well, and will not be the protector she had envisioned.
Jackson furthers her southern settings by starting this story in Texas. Previous novels I have read were set in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
The theme of the novel is pretty intense with family dysfunction, domestic violence, and revenge but thankfully there was some humor now and then. In describing the interior of a Krispy Kreme in Alabama Jackson says "It was a rathole in Fruiton's small and seedy downtown, with bright blue-green Formica counters and pumpkin-colored vinyl on all the stools and booths. It looked like a demented and slightly color-blind Auburn fan had been cut loose in there to decorate." As an Auburn fan that made me laugh. When the character named Parker is described wearing "floppy black pants that look like pajama bottoms" and "fighting nothing in slow motion" I visualized my husband's tai chi moves. I was reminded of the comic strip "Rose Is Rose," obviously because of Rose May Lolly's name but also cartoon character Rose has alter-egos---a biker babe and a little girl. The similarity ends there since the comic strip is never ugly or violent.
If you read the novel, I would love to know your thoughts!
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