Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick 4

"Now we truly felt like family. I remembered that the first day we'd arrived, Zanhua had recoiled when Marsha tried to hug her. But now the two women had a long embrace, celebrating their collaborative motherhood. I wished that they could have really talked to each other about their lives and frustrations as young women, their sacrifices. And yet they seemed to intuit what they had in common. I thought I might have detected a tear in Zanhua's eye at saying goodbye again to her daughter."

           -from the author, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove

I doubt I would have selected this book to read; my nonfiction choices are rare. It was selected by our Page Turners for April and although it wasn't exactly a page-turner, I am glad I read it. My rating is 4.

The subtitle of the book is very revealing of the context: From China to America, A True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins. When Zanhua and her husband had twin girls they were aware of the single-child policy established in Communist China in 1979. In fact, they had already been fined for having multiple children and so they decided to give one twin to relatives, hoping to hide her from the Family Planning Police. Unfortunately, it worked only briefly and the little girl, Fangfang, is ripped from her aunt's arms and taken to a government facility. From there she would be adopted while still a toddler by an American family and end up with them in Texas.

One reason for my 4 rating is that I learned a great deal about Chinese history and culture. I knew a bit about the one-child rule (lifted in 2015, by the way) but not how children were stolen and basically sold to families who thought they were saving an orphan but not realizing the harm that was done to loving Chinese families.

Our book group gave the book an average of 3.9 and we had a very interesting discussion. Some of us, including myself, had personal stories of adoption to share. A few had been in China and shared experiences. We agreed the author's research was thorough and her reporting was honest. She certainly was the catalyst for the reunion of the twins as teenagers. I believe most of us were glad we read the book.

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen 3

 

"...that it made no sense whatsoever to throw ourselves into the middle of an ocean crawling with U-boats on a quest to find a monster that probably didn't even exist, especially as a way of proving his worth to people who were too ignorant to realize he was as honorable as any of them. We knew the truth. I knew the truth. It would be difficult, but together we could withstand the scrutiny until the war ended."

                        -Maddie's thoughts, from the novel

Water for Elephants by this author is one of my all-time favorite books. In fact, I've read it twice. At the Water's Edge did not measure up. It took me a while to get into the story, maybe because 3 young Americans going to Scotland to film the Loch Ness monster and become famous is pretty far-fetched. 

Ellis Hyde is driven to find and document the monster, partly for fame but mostly to earn his rich father's respect (and inheritance). He is accompanied by his long-time friend Hank Boyd and the two of them coerce Ellis's wife, Maddie, to go along. This Atlantic crossing will take place while WWII still rages. (see quote)

The three stay in an inn run by Angus Grant. While Ellis and Hank disappear for days at a time, Maddie becomes friendly with the help, Anna and Meg, and Angus. Maddie and the others soon find her husband is verbally abusive and the marriage is loveless.

I rated this book a 3---I liked it but didn't love it.

Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory 4

 

"So blind people are still able-bodied, with full command of their intelligence and abilities; they just use alternative techniques on their journey through life. And sometimes those techniques can even be superior to the techniques of light-dependent people."   -Michael Hingson

The subtitle of this book is almost a summary: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero. I can't say I really enjoyed this book, but I was educated by it. For that reason I gave it a 4 rating. Thunder Dog was chosen as our book club's March selection by a member who is blind and has a guide dog. I really look forward to hearing what she has to say about the book.

Author Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center, north tower, at 8:46 AM on September 11, 2001, that day that lives in infamy. The reader who experienced that terrorist attack only through television gets an up-close and personal perspective of the horror through Hingson's account. And it is so interesting to know the teamwork that helped him and his dog, Roselle, to survive an event that so many others did not.

I thought Hingson was a bit arrogant, but I guess his intelligence and self-confidence served him well, along with others he helped and encouraged. Roselle was very likeable!

Though it wasn't particularly entertaining, I am glad I read the book.

Bone Valley by Gilbert King 5

 

"This isn't simply a story about guilt or innocence. It's about what happens when the legal system locks itself into a version of events and refuses to let go, even when the facts no longer support it. Sometimes an injustice isn't the result of prosecutorial oversight, or bias. Sometimes it's something else---a calculated series of choices: quiet, deliberate, and capable of destroying a life."

    -Gilbert King, from the Prologue

This a true story of the worst travesty of justice I've ever known. In Lakeland, Florida,1988, 22-year-old Leo Schofield was accused of killing his 18-year-old wife, Michelle. He declared his innocence from the very beginning. He had an unprepared defense attorney, and they faced an unethical, or worse, prosecutor. The investigation was shoddy, critical evidence was ignored and there was a serious rush to judgement and even official misconduct. Leo was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. 

In multiple appeals, new prosecutors and judges seemed determined to uphold the guilty verdict regardless of any new evidence. Fast forward 30 years and Gilbert King hears Leo's story and along with an assistant Kelsey Decker begins his research into this perversion of justice. They would invest some 6 years on the project as Leo remains in prison being disappointed time and again.

I found this story gripping and all the more so as I got to know Leo. I've rated it a 5. I read King's Devil in the Grove, a Pulitzer winner, several years ago and it was a similar story of outrageous injustice in Florida. King mentions Bryan Stevenson's book Just Mercy which I have also read. All have made a lasting impression on me. Photographs at the end of the book make Leo's story even more personal.

This is like a true crime story but with a moral imperative. I couldn't help but think: what if the jury had recommended the death penalty? Totally different story!

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

First Reading October, 2017

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.

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2nd Reading February, 2026

Since this was a Page Turner selection and since I read it almost 9 years ago, I reread it. I haven't changed my mind. Still a 3 rating.

Two Bodies Are Better Than One by Erica Ruth Neubauer 2

 

"And who'd hired Rupp to investigate Baker? Wass it the person Baker had stolen the money from? It was real easy to believe Rupp had taken on a drug dealer as a client. It seemed like a perfect skeezeball match, actually. But it still left the question on who'd killed Rupp and dumped him on Mrs. Highsmith's lawn. The big boss?"            -Mike, from the novel

I am glad this novel was a free selection because it would have been a waste of my money. It didn't do much for me, in fact I was happy to be done with it.

The murder mystery is told with two points of view: Lorraine Highsmith, an advice columnist with a mysterious past, and Micheala "Mike" Zenoni, the only female detective in her unit, always fighting for the respect she deserves. I found nothing to like about Lorraine right from the beginning, but I was rooting for Mike's success in solving the two murders, referred to in the title. Apparently, this is book one of a Lorraine Highsmith series. I guarantee I will not be looking for #2!

The revelation of the perpetrator was a big surprise but if I were you, I wouldn't bother. I was going to rate this a 3 until the ending where I changed my mind!

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain 5

"I want you to get word to the king that I am a magician myself---and the Supreme Grand High-yu-Muck-a muck and head of the tribe, at that; and I want him to be made to understand that I am just quietly arranging a little calamity here that will make the fur fly in these realms if Sir Kay's project is carried out and any harm comes to me."

        -Connecticut Yankee Hank Morgan

I read this novel many years ago, but I remember being rather fascinated by it. It was no less intriguing this time through. Although it took me longer than it should have for an under-300- page book, I am so glad I reread it. Mark Twain was a master writer, in my opinion. His attention to detail and wit make his work enjoyable. The only drawback here was the old English which slowed me down, as well as very long sentences and paragraphs. I rate it a 5 on creativity and entertainment value.

A 19th century Connecticut engineer Hank Morgan experiences a severe blow to the head and is transported back to medieval times, to the realm of King Arthur. He is soon arrested and threatened with execution, but he realizes his strength is in knowing the future and pretends to be a magician and prophet. His first act is "conjuring" a solar eclipse, one that he knows from history is about to occur. The people, including King Arthur, are awed by his "ability." In fact, the King appoints him chief minister.

The "Yankee" is distressed at the total authority of both the monarchy and the Catholic Church and what was essentially a caste system. He sets about trying to make democratic reforms and industrialize the country.

An especially humorous part was when Arthur decides to travel the kingdom incognito with his chief minister. It is almost impossible for the "Yankee" to teach the king to act as a commoner!