All in a Lifetime by Dr. Ruth Westheimer with Ben Yagoda

"There is a doll in Germany called a Stehaufmannchen. It has lead in its base, and when you put it down flat, it stands right back up again. That's me. Instead of being devastated by this failure, I went right on to the next project."
                 -Dr. Ruth, from the autobiography

I doubt I would have ever discovered and read this autobiography if I had not recently attended the delightful one-woman play "Becoming Dr. Ruth" by Mark St. Germain. My husband and I were lucky enough to have tickets for the talk-back show. After final bows the actress talked about her experience with the role and answered questions from the audience. It was revealed that Dr. Ruth had written (at least one) autobiography. I found this one at our library.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was born Karola Siegel in Frankfort, Germany. In 1939 at the age of 10 she is sent by her parents on a train to Switzerland where she will be safe from Nazi oppression and threats. She never sees her family again. At the Swiss orphanage where she lived with other Jewish refugee children, she kept a journal and shares numerous entries in this book that reminded me somewhat of Anne Frank's diary. As a seventeen-year-old she emigrated to Israel for a time, where she changes her name, and by the time she arrives in the United States, she has lived in 5 countries. She dreams of becoming a kindergarten teacher as a young person so it is pretty surprising to me that she ends up as a college professor and famous sex therapist.

I am rating the book a 3.5. It might have been higher if I had not been so familiar with the story. Much of it was disclosed in the play. Also the sequence of events was a bit confusing at times. However, the warmth and humor of this remarkable woman comes through in both book and play. In "Becoming Dr. Ruth" the audience is treated as friends who have come to visit and the book is similar, in that she says a few times, "You know me well enough to know..."  An example of humor is that she shares that she is SO short (under 5 feet) when she goes to restaurants she asks for phone book(s) to sit on!

The title is fitting for the autobiography of a woman who packed so much more than most people into one lifetime! And she is still going strong at 91, best I can tell!

An Equal Justice by Chad Zunker

"You don't get your freedom when you finally make partner there---you officially terminate all rights to the rest of your life."
               -Thomas's warning to David, from the novel

An Equal Justice was a real page-turner---easy to read, short chapters and frequent foreshadowing. It reminded me of John Grisham's legal thrillers, in particular The Firm. I've enjoyed many of Grisham's novels and I really liked this one, too. It rates a 4 with me.

David Adams, a recent Stanford graduate has landed a coveted position in a high-end law firm in Austin, Texas. It's a dream-come-true for a young man who grew up in poverty but it's not long before a fellow associate is found dead---seemingly a suicide but with some mysterious circumstances.

In a twist of plot, David connects with a community of homeless men and when one of them is murdered, he wants to know who did it and why. He meets Jen Cantwell at a charity meal event and they find they share a compassion for these street people. Jen is a journalist and the two combine their skills to investigate the killing. It becomes more and more obvious to David that there is something sinister going on at the law firm of Hunter and Kellerman.

This novel was labelled David Adams #1. One of these days I will be looking for #2!

In a Field of Blue by Gemma Liviero

"In a field of wilted blue, she is the peace amid the madness, an extra weight in my pack that I would joyfully bear to where the world is bluer still."
                         -from Edgar's journal

This is another novel downloaded to my Kindle free from Amazon First Reads. It started out slowly but  piqued my interest much more in the second half. The setting is post-WWI and primarily England. The Watts family is still grieving eldest son Edgar, lost in the war and presumed dead, when a young French woman, Mariette, shows up at the estate. She claims to have been Edgar's wife and the mother of his son, whom she has brought to present to his family. The matriarch, Abigail, is doubtful and when middle brother Lawrence finds out, he is even more skeptical of the relationship, thinking Mariette a gold-digger. Younger brother Rudy believes the young woman and quickly becomes fond of her and the child. When she mysteriously disappears, Rudy sets out to find her AND the truth of what has happened to Edgar.

This novel certainly reminds the reader of the horrors of war and particularly the invisible injuries to military men. What we today call post-traumatic stress disorder was then known as shell shock or "Soldier's Heart." Sometimes the ones affected were even called "malingerers," otherwise known as fakers! I am so glad those with PTSD can receive treatment nowadays.

I am rating the book a 3. It took a while to get into. It was around chapter 19 when Mariette begins telling her story that I became more involved in the plot.

The Names of the Dead by Kevin Wignall

"It doesn't matter that you don't believe. There's still so much for you to find inside....Here is your guide. And here is your sword of truth. Be sure to look at both before you leave this prison, and God will help you find a way, Wes."
                   -Patrice, upon giving Wes his Bible

This book was a quick read after finally trudging through World Without End---only a few days as opposed to weeks. A spy novel of sorts, it was pretty much a page-turner.

Protagonist James "Wes" Wesley, has been imprisoned in France as a result of having been framed for a crime. He receives early release after being informed his ex-wife, Rachel Richards, has been killed in an apparent terrorist attack in Spain and her young son, Ethan, is missing. Wes is subsequently surprised to learn that Ethan is his child. Predictably Wes sets out to avenge Rachel's death and find Ethan but it becomes evident quickly that he is on the hit list of those who betrayed him originally. After escaping the first hired killers, Wes meets Mia Pavic, a young autistic Croatian woman who becomes his driver and, in more ways than one, his savior.

I found Mia to be a very likeable character, more so than the central Wes who is a bitter man with violent tendencies. Fortunately, Mia's religious faith and simple philosophy have something of a calming influence on Wes. It was unique that Bible scriptures were noted through the novel, the Bible having been given to Wes by fellow inmate Patrice. (see quote above)

Several  places where Mia and Wes found themselves were familiar to me, places I had visited recently---Malaga, Barcelona, Lisbon. Somehow that makes the story more personal.

I give a rating of 4 to The Names of the Dead.  I liked it enough to look for another by this author.

World Without End by Ken Follett

"Caris had to fight back her own grief. Her loss was nothing compared with theirs. She did not know why God so often took the best people and left the wicked alive to do more wrong. The whole idea of a benevolent deity watching over everyone seemed unbelievable at moments such as this."
                                        -from the novel

Wow! What an amazing story! Several years ago our group read Pillars of the Earth, the first in Follett's Kingsbridge series. It was well-liked, being rated 4.7. World Without End is a sequel set in the town of Kingsbridge, England in the 14th century, some 200 years after the original story. There are rare references to the building of the local cathedral from book one but this novel can be enjoyed in its own right.

At 1000+ pages, I hesitated to select it for the Page Turners but was influenced by a couple of factors: 1) I found a copy on my bookshelf which I'd forgotten about, 2) no meeting in December meant we had almost 2 months to read the novel, 3) polling the group showed some interest.

I thought I might give the book a 4 rating because it took me SO long to finish it---almost a month---very frustrating. However, I was fascinated by the story so I upgraded my rating to a 5.  I am not sure why Follett could not have published the saga in 2 or 3 novels instead of one tome! I learned it took 3 years to write.

Early in the novel, 4 preteens---brothers Merthin and Ralph and friends Caris and Gwenda---while galivanting in the woods come upon a frightening scene. A knight has buried a mysterious letter and is subsequently attacked by several men. The story then revolves around the four as they grown into adulthood---one becoming a gifted architect, another a depraved nobleman, another a nun with a gift of healing and the last a farm wife working her fingers to the bone. Of course, numerous secondary characters come and go, including many who succumb to the Black Death, or plague.

It has been a long time since I read a novel set in the Middle Ages and I was jolted once again by the cruelty of punishments and the terrible lack of regard for women. It may be a long time before I take on such a lengthy book again but I really enjoyed World Without End. It remains to be seen how the Page Turners will react. I already have heard from a few they did not read it. More after the meeting this week......
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We had a smaller number of folks at our meeting---only 12. People traveling, sick or simply did not want to read the book. Our average rating for World Without End was 3.8; it was liked by most but not really loved. Only one person other than me rated it a 5. It seemed we were all impressed with the amount of research done by the author but most were intimidated by 1000+ pages!

We could agree we learned a great deal about the 14th century, enough to be grateful we live NOW. Also we thought the women characters were strong and Ralph was the one we loved to hate. The discussion questions issued by the publisher, easily found on LitLovers.com, were very thought-provoking. "What does the book's title mean?" was especially appropriate. One member recalled Prior Godwyn saying, in a sermon, "...world without end, amen." Someone else thought the symbolism of the bridge and tower pointed to the lifting of Kingsbridge to a place of prominence in the world. As always the discussion was enlightening.

The Dark Heart by Joakim Palmkvist

"There are many people for me to thank for helping to bring this book into existence, but none more than Therese Tang, who cut through the veils of secrecy, took personal risks, and brought an impossible case to justice. There are more cases out there, Therese! Go get 'em!"
                          -Acknowledgments, by the author

This nonfiction is subtitled A True Story of Greed, Murder, and an Unlikely Investigator, who happens to be Therese Tang mentioned in the quote. Therese is not in law enforcement, is really only a citizen leading a branch of Missing People Sweden when she encounters the case of Goran Lundblad, a wealthy man who vanished without a trace in August, 2012. Although foul play is surmised and there are a few suspects, no body has been found---no corpus delecti, a new term I learned. Therese is relentless in her efforts to find a body and get a confession, not necessarily in that order, and even at personal risk.

At first I didn't really like the book. There were so many unfamiliar Swedish names of people and places and the sequence of events shifted around and left me confused at times. Once I was into the plot and emotionally involved with Therese, it was more of a page turner. It reminded me of some true crime shows I have seen on TV like "Dateline NBC" or "48 Hours" on CBS. I have rated the book a 3.

Every Thing You Are by Kerry Anne King

"Adventure Angels Manifesto
I herby commit to falling in love with life in all of its manifestations of trouble and triumph, joy and grief, boredom and excitement. 
I will treat each day as an adventure, full of possibility, and I will seek to be present for every moment, whether pleasant or unpleasant....
I commit to becoming an ambassador for adventure, bringing new experiences into the lives of others while engaging in them myself.
And I solemnly promise to hold sacred the confidences and stories shared in this group, along with the identities of individuals who attend.
If I should fail, I commit to picking myself up and trying again...."
                    -excerpts of the Manifesto, from the novel

Ophelia MacPhee is a luthier in Seattle. Don't know that term? Neither did I. A luthier is a maker/repairer of stringed instruments such as violins or guitars. When her grandfather bequeaths his business to Phee, as she is called, she is forced to make a promise to him, one with which she is uncomfortable and which will literally haunt her for years.

Braden Healey, formerly a premiere cello player, has lost use of his hands in a tragic event, and shortly after, lost most of his family and fell into the clutches of alcoholism. Braden's daughter, 17-year-old Allie, also a gifted cellist, is also burdened by guilt. Phee, who has secretly loved Braden for years, sets out to reunite the two with each other and with the music so sadly missing in their lives.

I found the story compelling and well-written so I rate the book a 4. I believe anyone who is deeply involved in the world of instrumental music would LOVE the book. Having little musical ability, I had a harder time identifying with the cello obsession which drove the plot. The themes of family dysfunction, broken promises, and redemption were more universal, of course.