Camino Island by John Grisham

"When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction - Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn."

             -Nick Carraway, from The Great Gatsby

I guess I chose this book for our Page Turners to read in October because I have long been a fan of John Grisham, our group has not read any of his work and Camino Island was on the Best Seller list for quite a while. I am rating it a 3; I liked it but didn't love it. It is not the usual legal thriller that has earned Grisham an elite reputation as a novelist---not a courtroom in the story although there are a few lawyers, rather obscure characters. I have really enjoyed many of those earlier works especially A Time to Kill (his first?) and The Client. Perhaps I just didn't find any really likeable characters and for that matter, no insightful quotes, thus the quote from Gatsby.

To begin this novel 5 thieves plan an elaborate heist of original manuscripts by F. Scott Fitzgerald which are securely stored in the Firestone Library at Princeton University. It was interesting that our book club read The Great Gatsby, one of the stolen works, a few years ago and most of us didn't like it. Rather ironic since in this story the original is greatly valued.

There are stories of the thieves, a book store owner who collects and deals in rare books and a young woman author with severe writer's block interwoven into an interesting plot. Bruce Cable is the owner of Bay Books---New and Rare on Camino Island. Mercer Mann is the author reluctantly recruited to work undercover for the company who has insured the Fitzgerald masterpieces to help recover them.

Camino Island has been a big part of Mercer's past as she spent a great deal of time with her late grandmother, Tessa. They had been lovingly involved with Turtle Watch. The references to sea turtle protection reminded me of another book I read recently, Beach Music by Pat Conroy.

I'm guessing that Camino Island is a fictionalized version of Amelia Island, Florida, since it is described as a small barrier strip just north of Jacksonville. As a Floridian, I enjoyed the references to familiar places. I am not sure how I feel about main character Bruce Cable having attended Auburn University, where I studied for two years and became a fan. I really didn't like Bruce much.

In teaching students to write I often advised them to write about things they know and are passionate about. I believe Grisham should go back to his courtroom drama!
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Page Turners met today and voted an average 3.9 for Camino Island, votes between 5 and 3.  Most agreed the plot made it a page-turner. It was interesting that some liked the characters even though they weren't examples of moral behavior, by any means. I was surprised that one member compared Bruce Cable to Gatsby in Fitzgerald's masterpiece. Even though I had chosen a quote from that classic which refers to Gatsby, I hadn't thought of any similarity to Cable.

Part of our discussion centered around the ending---some were satisfied while others thought it was too hastily "wrapped up." Most members have read other Grisham novels and a few agreed with me that this one was disappointing.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

"Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain. Now, with the publication of this autobiography, my enemies will no doubt suspect my motives....Simply, I wish to expose the tragic state of polygamy's women, who must live in bondage not seen in this country since the abolishment of slavery a decade ago; and to reveal the lamentable situation of its children, lonely as they are."
              -Ann Eliza Young, 1874, from the novel

Anticipating a trip to Utah I searched our library for Utah fiction and The 19th Wife popped up. The description intrigued me so I checked out the e-version for my Kindle to read during our journey. I didn't realize it was 500+ pages but I did finish it by the end of our 10-day tour of the Utah national parks.

Our Road Scholar tour began in St. George, UT which was founded by Mormons, a fact I didn't know before we arrived. The first day and a half of our program involved some local history which made the book even more interesting since it is set in SW Utah and St. George is even one of the settings of the story.

The author weaves two stories---of nineteenth century Ann Eliza Young, one of many wives of Brigham Young who becomes an apostate of the Mormon church and a fervent crusader against polygamy. She is an actual historic figure and in fact, wrote 2 autobiographies called Wife No.19 (1875) and Life in Mormon Bondage (1908). (I refer you to the quote above).  Though she refers to herself as the 19th wife, there is much confusion as to her actual position.

The second story, set in the 21st century, involves Jordan Scott, a young man who was excommunicated by the LDS church and kicked out by his mother at the age of 13. When Jordan discovers that his mother has been arrested for murdering his father, he is compelled to return to SW Utah and gets caught up in trying to prove her innocence.  One would expect Ann Eliza's and Jordan's stories to eventually connect and they do in an interesting way.

The author includes "documents"---sermons, letters, research pieces, news articles, etc. that move Ann Eliza's story forward, sometimes informative but often slowing the pace of the plot. (Some are apparently based on fact or may be actual documents.) I found the interview with the author quite fascinating---how he came to write this novel and why he chose the story-in-a-story format.

Before reading the novel, I knew little about the Mormon faith or history. Mostly I knew members are required to do mission work and many have large families. What I learned from the novel didn't shed a very positive light on the subject. In spite of the controversy of celestial marriage the author admits Brigham Young had a huge impact on the settling of the West. I can't help but wonder how a person of the Mormon faith would react to The 19th Wife. I will rate it a 3.5. I'm glad I read it, it served my purpose and it was informative. Some parts I found engaging and others, a bit tedious. Probably not for everyone!

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

"'Heavenly Father, for the blessings of this food and these friends and our families, we thank you. In Jesus's name, amen.'          
      That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word."
            -Jake Drum's prayer and brother Frank's reaction, from the novel

Someone had given me this paperback edition some time ago. Wish I remembered who---I'd thank him/her. I enjoyed it very much; I'll rate it a 5. Short chapters and frequent foreshadowing make it a true page-turner.

Young Frank Drum and younger brother Jake are the sons of an itinerant rural preacher in Minnesota. Frank is 13 years old the summer of 1961 when there is a series of mysterious deaths, including one of traumatic consequence to the family. The plot takes a number of twists and turns until finally a killer is revealed and it surely took ME by surprise!

The time setting was nostalgic for me since I was a teenager in 1961. There were mentions of such cultural memories as drive-in movies and TV shows like "Have Gun, Will Travel," "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and others.

The relationship between Frank and Jake was realistic and quite touching, I thought. Gus was a very likeable character, as well---though a heavy drinker and not a relative, he seemed to hold the Drum family together in many ways. Frank is telling this story from his youth 40 years later which makes for an interesting perspective. I definitely recommend Ordinary Grace.