Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler

"Does he ever stop to consider his life? The meaning of it, the point? Does it trouble him to think that he will probably spend his next thirty years this way? Nobody knows. And it's almost certain nobody's ever asked him."
            -Micah's thoughts about his life, from the novel

After reading a review in the paper, I requested the eBook from the library. It was pretty different from anything I have read recently and reminded me of A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman, one I enjoyed immensely. This novel was entertaining---a short, easy read---but somehow not quite so memorable as Ove. I rate it a 3.

Main character Micah Mortimer has his own tech company, Tech Hermit, which describes him pretty well. His "side hustle" is acting as superintendent of his apartment building in Baltimore. To say Micah is eccentric is an understatement but some of his quirky habits are pretty amusing, for example he often talks to himself in various foreign accents, has weird dreams and fantasizes about a "Traffic God" who praises his very careful driving habits. In his 40's he seems to be old before his time, an introvert looking for connection and a higher purpose in life.

The conflicts are  provided by a runaway teenager who shows up thinking Micah is his father and a serious misunderstanding with his current lady friend. I certainly cannot tell you how these are resolved since I would be spoiling the plot.

By the way, you will be quite surprised by the "redhead by the side of the road"! Enjoy!

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

"To see the infinite pity of this place,
The mangled limb, the devastated face,
The innocent sufferer smiling at the rod --
A fool were tempted to deny his God.
He sees, he shrinks.  But if he gaze again,
Lo, beauty springing from the breast of pain!
He marks the sisters on the mournful shores;
And even a fool is silent and adores." -Robert Louis Stevenson, "To Mother Maryanne" written while visiting Kalawao, Molokai.

I forget who suggested this novel for our book club but I am glad they did. Of course, it is my favorite genre---historical fiction, but it involves the little-known scourge of leprosy and the effect it had on those with the disease and their families. I learned a great deal and enjoyed reading descriptions of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.

The novel is primarily the story of Rachel Kalama, diagnosed with leprosy as a young child and exiled to Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka'i. There she would spend the next 50+ years, separated from her family. It had to be terrifying for a 6-year-old to be taken from her parents and siblings and sent to a place full of strangers. Other people of the leper colony---nuns and other afflicted people---become her family, ohana, over time. The author discusses how he mixed fact and fiction in his Author's Note: "By interweaving real-life patients and caregivers with my fictional cast of characters, I sought to blur the lines between fact and fiction." Most of us have heard of Father Damien, an example of a real historical figure and a minor character in the novel. (More about him in final comments.) Many characters are quite simpatico---Henry Kalama, Rachel's adoring Papa; Uncle Pono and Haleola, an adopted aunt, both lepers; and Sister Catherine who provides wise counsel as a mother-figure to Rachel.

The author obviously did extensive research, especially into leprosy, these days called Hansen's disease. In Hawaiian ma'i pa ke became known as the "sickness that tears apart families." Also many actual events are featured---the annexation of Hawaii in 1898, Halley's Comet in 1910, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and a horribly destructive tsunami in 1946.

I enjoyed the setting, especially the mentions of places my husband and I visited a few years ago---Waikiki Beach, Iolani Palace and the "Road to Hana," a super narrow, steep, curvy road along the cliffs of Maui. Hawaii is a virtual paradise.

Moloka'i, though not exactly a page-turner, was in turns a heart-breaking story and an inspiring tale of human strength and determination. I am giving a rating of 4. I liked the novel enough to want to read the sequel, Daughter of Moloka'i, one of these days. We will see next week what the Page Turners think. More then....
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Our group met via Zoom---again! Not nearly as satisfying but better than no meeting, for sure! Most of our members enjoyed the novel and we all felt it educated us about a time, place and situation we knew little about. Our group average rating is 4.5, with all voting 4 or 5. A highlight of our meeting was provided by a guest who shared some personal background. Her great-grandfather, Charles Hyde, was a missionary in Hawaii at the time of the novel and knew Father Damien. The story was intriguing with a bit of scandal involving Robert Louis Stevenson.

Another member suggested an article called "From Outcast to Spy to Outcast: The War Hero with Hansen's Disease" about Josefina Guerrero's work in Japanese-occupied Philippines. Fascinating true story and so relatable to this novel! Perhaps you can find it.

Another related book mentioned: The Island about a leper colony on the island of Crete.

Legacy of Lies by Robert Bailey

"Earlier this morning, my ex-husband, Butch, was found murdered at his home in Pulaski...I'm here because I need a lawyer....Because I'm going to be arrested for Butch's murder."
      -excerpts from conversation between Helen Lewis and Bo Haynes, from the novel

I'll admit I chose to read this novel after noting one of the settings is Huntsville, Alabama, the place my husband and I think of as our "hometown." We both spent our teenage years there, met and married there and still have 3 brothers between us who live there. It was a kick seeing references to places I was quite familiar with such as the Madison County Courthouse, the Von Braun Center and Maple Hill Cemetery. Also Huntsville High School, where my husband and I both graduated, Papou's Greek restaurant and Baskin Robbins off Airport Road, where we have eaten. 

The plot was fast-paced with short chapters, making for a true page-turner! District Attorney General Helen Lewis of Pulaski, TN, is charged with the murder of her ex-husband and somehow feels the only one who can represent her successfully is Bocephus "Bo" Haynes, living in Huntsville and seemingly depressed after the death of his wife and other past traumas. Reluctantly Bo takes on Helen's case in which the evidence against her is extremely overwhelming. 

The secondary plot has wealthy town VIP Michael Zannick being charged with the rape of an underaged girl and prosecuted by Attorney General Helen Lewis. Of course, that case is in limbo after "the General" is arrested but the two plots weave together as certain characters are involved in both.

The twists and turns in the story are difficult to predict. Around page 300 there is a real shocker and a couple of other BIG surprises by the end of the novel. I found it a very entertaining read and will likely look for another by this author. My rating is 5.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

…"He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: 'To Harry Potter---the boy who lived!'"
                 -from the first chapter of the novel

I must admit I read this juvenile fiction at the time I was teaching school, probably the late 1990's. It was released earlier in the UK as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first in what would be a series of 7 books about the boy wonder. It immediately caused a stir. I am not one to be drawn to fantasy often but this series grabbed me up with its amazing creativity. Back in the day, I read all 7 books and saw all the films. Many, many adults became fans as well as kids; in fact, it got the attention of numerous reluctant readers. Right about now I needed a reading adventure and it was provided!

Harry Potter is the unlikely hero---small, skinny and nerdy-looking with round glasses taped together, unruly hair and oversized hand-me-down clothes. But who doesn't like to see an underdog overcome great obstacles and beat stronger opponents?  The overall theme of all the Harry Potter novels is good vs. evil and good always wins, although as the series progresses the plots become darker and some good guys die.

In my rereading of the novel, I thought at the beginning how similar Harry's first 10 years were to a few of Roald Dahl's characters, especially James of James and the Giant Peach---orphaned and forced to live with abusive relatives. This makes both stories more compelling as one is rooting for the poor child to "rise above his raisings."

Some of Rowling's inventions are so fascinating: the Remembral, an Invisibility Cloak, a Sorting Hat, the game of Quidditch, and the Mirror of Erised, in which one can see the deepest desire of their heart. (Erised is desire spelled backward.) I should not forget to mention the sorcerer's stone with its incredible powers which drives the plot, as someone is out to steal it. Add in some magical creatures like a huge 3-headed dog, dragons, unicorns and centaurs, and there is never a dull moment. The development of the friendship of Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger is fun to follow. Hermione is one of my favorites because she is very smart and out-spoken. And one can hardly help but love Hagrid, the gentle giant.

I will rate Harry Potter #1 a 5. It was just what the doctor ordered after several intense reads!

The Dressmaker's Gift by Fiona Valpy

"But if the 'ordinary people' do nothing then who is going to step forward and take a stand against the Nazis? Not the politicians in Vichy who are puppets of the new regime; and not the French army whose battalions lie rotting in shallow graves along the Eastern Front. We are all that is left, Claire. Ordinary people like you and me."
                    -Mireille, from the novel

I recently read The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel which was centered around the WWII French Resistance movement among winemakers in France. The Dressmaker's Gift is an excellent companion novel involving the same setting and some comparable situations. Both were well-written with fascinating stories of heroism during horrible times. I do believe the former was a little less-intense since the latter ventured more deeply into German atrocities.

In 2017 British protagonist Harriet Shaw, who is reeling after the suicide of her mother, accepts a one-year internship in Paris with a PR agency specializing in fashion. She had found a photograph among her mother's keepsakes that revealed 3 young women of the 1940's standing in front of the shop window of Delavigne, Couturier. One woman she knows is her grandmother, Claire. Harriet says, "I don't usually believe in fate, but it felt as if a force was at work, drawing me to Paris. Leading me to the Boulevard Saint-Germain. Bringing me here. To the building in the photograph." Harriet ends up working and living in the same building as her grandmother so many years before. Naturally she begins learning all she can about her maternal grandmother, including from a coworker, Simone, who happens to be the granddaughter of one of the other two women in the photograph, Mireille.

I have visited Paris, so I enjoyed reading about familiar sites. The author has Harriet experiencing, indirectly, the terrorist attack in Nice on Bastille Day. That was a shockingly memorable event. I thought it was an interesting comparison/contrast to atrocities of the '40s.

While Harriet narrates her own story, the rest is in third person---telling the WWII experience of Claire, Mireille and their friend, Vivienne, all seamstresses at Delavigne who become involved in the dangerous Resistance Movement standing up to the German occupation of France. Their story is gripping although not really entertaining. I am sure you can guess what I mean. I will rate this historical novel a 5 and likely look for another by this author.