Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

 "'We can't change the world, and a lot of the time we can't even change people. No more that one bit at a time. So we do what we can to help whenever we get the chance, sweetheart. We save those we can. We do our best. Then we try to find a way to convince ourselves that that will just have to...be enough. So we can live with our failures without drowning.'"                     -Jack's mother's advice, from the novel

Our book club has previously read two other novels by this author, A Man Called Ove (rated 4.5) and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (rated 3). I am very curious to see what the group will have to say about this one. I am rating it a 5; I loved it.

This is the story of a failed bank robbery that led to a hostage situation in an apartment being shown by a realtor. Several anxious people are thrown together in an event that sounds frightening but ends up being, in turns, mysterious, hilarious, and profound. The story is told achronologically (a new word for me) meaning shifting back and forth in time. Probably this author's style would not appeal to everyone but I enjoy it very much. Long sentences, short chapters, and frequent foreshadowing make it very much a page-turner.

Interspersed with the hostage story are narratives of the character's background and police interviews with the hostages after their release. Jim and Jack, father and son respectively, are the policemen/investigators and interviewers. The hostages are unhelpful, even sarcastic; the author tells us they're idiots.

I giggled and LOLed a lot while reading this very unique and entertaining story. At it's more inspiring moments though, it reminds us of our impact on other people and that we all have basic needs and desires and our own burdens to carry.

I look forward to our Page Turners' meeting tomorrow. More then....

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Only nine of us gathered to talk about Anxious People this morning. The discussion was lively and centered around the quirky style of this author. The average rating was 4.1 with votes from 5 down to 2. Some found it unbelievable (fiction can often be that) and confusing (achrononological sequence sometimes is that). More found it entertaining and fun to read. We decided the characters were interesting, if not entirely likeable, and we seemed to agree the ending was heart-warming.

What Passes as Love by Trisha R. Thomas

 "Caring for someone who'd never be yours only ripped out a man's heart. He'd seen way too many souls plucked like ripe fruit from a tree by the masters, then brought back a shell of themselves, nothing left to give. It was best not to get attached."             -Bo, from the novel

Although historical fiction is a favorite genre I didn't find much to love about this novel of the pre-Civil War South. I did finish it since that is my habit and ended up liking it better than I thought at first. This was a free selection with my Amazon Prime and I am glad I did not pay for the book. In looking for a quote to use I was surprised how few passages I highlighted. I think that is telling about the literary value and I found much of the plot to be unbelievable. I am giving a rating of 2+.

Dahlia Holt is a young slave woman living on a plantation in Virginia starting in 1850. She has grown up with Bowman "Bo" Carter, another of Holt's slaves. In some strange circumstances, Dahlia ends up passing for white, changing her name to Lily Dove, marrying a white slaveowner of another plantation and then constantly fearing her past will be revealed. When Bo arrives at Ross Manor, Lily's new home, the plot gets a little more interesting as they each try to keep the other safe.

I don't really recommend this one.

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

 

"Miss Marple is not the type of elderly lady who makes mistakes. She has got an uncanny knack of being always right."

            -Vicar Leonard Clement, from the novel

I'm not sure but this may be my first Miss Marple mystery, probably won't be the last. 

Early-on there is a murder, of course. Colonel Protheroe is shot dead in the study of the vicarage. He was a man disliked by many in the village so Miss Marple, who lives near the vicar, feels there could be as many as 7 suspects. This is pretty typical of Christie's mysteries, it seems to me.

The vicar, Len Clement, narrates the story. Although he appreciates Miss Marple's powers of observation, the constable seems to think she is just a dotty old lady. Naturally, by end of novel, she has solved the crime. I was rather surprised by the ending. Perhaps you will be better at predicting the killer.

It is entertaining to read a good mystery that does not take itself too seriously. No gruesome blood and guts and lovely British humor sprinkled in here and there. I enjoyed Murder at the Vicarage; will rate it 4.