A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

"We're all entitled to our religious beliefs, right?...But we can't make policies based on religion when religion means different things to different people. Which leaves science. The science of reproduction is what it is. Conception is conception. You can decide the ethical value that has for you, based on your own relationship with God...but the policies around basic human rights with regard to reproduction shouldn't be up for interpretation."
      -Dr. Louie Ward, from the novel

I can't recall that I have ever read one of Picoult's novels that wasn't a page turner. This one was so much so I could hardly put it down! I will just go ahead and rate it a 5.

The story begins in an abortion center at 5 PM on a given day when a pro-life extremist has killed two people and is holding several hostages at gunpoint. Hugh McElroy, the police hostage negotiator, is doing his best to convince the gunman to release the hostages. The situation has become extremely compelling for Hugh after finding out his teenage daughter and aunt are two being held.

The narrative is unusual in its structure as it goes backward in time---all the way back to 8 AM---to gradually reveal what has happened up to that point and allow the reader to discover what brought each of these victims to this point. (This reminded me of Nineteen Minutes, another novel by this author which is just as compelling.) One is the doctor, another is a nurse who has come for an abortion and ends up helping the injured. Joy is a young woman who has just had an abortion, Olive is an older woman who needs consultation, and Janine has more than one secret which I will not tell. Aunt Bex has accompanied Hugh's daughter, Wren, but I'll let you find out the reason. Little by little, we learn the story of George Goddard, a domestic terrorist, the way I see it.

The book is fiction but it is obvious from the extensive bibliography and the Author's Note that
Ms. Picoult thoroughly researched the topic of abortion. She  interviewed women who had experienced the procedure and pro-life proponents. She shadowed a doctor and even observed three abortions. I believe the author worked hard to make the novel believable, to show both sides of a complicated issue and to tell a thought-provoking and engrossing story. I highly recommend it!

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A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

"Yes, thought the Count, the world does spin. In fact, it spins on its axis even as it revolves around the sun. And the galaxy turns as well, a wheel within a greater wheel producing a chime of an entirely different nature than that of a tiny hammer in a clock. And when the celestial chime sounds, perhaps a mirror will suddenly serve its truer purpose---revealing to a man not who imagines himself to be, but who he has become."
        -from the novel

One of our members suggested this book in November for our first book of the new year. I am very glad because it was quite unique and memorable. It took a while to get through its near-500 pages but I enjoyed the journey.

Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is a Russian aristocrat in 1922, a very bad time to be labelled as such.
He is put under house arrest by the Bolsheviks but his "prison" is the very elegant Metropol Hotel across the street from the Kremlin. He had been living in a lovely suite in the hotel for 4 years but is banished to a tiny, humble attic space. His life sentence ends up being more blessing than curse, it seems to me, as he meets and befriends many fascinating characters including a beautiful actress, a precocious little girl, a former colonel of the Red Army and officer of the Party, an American who wants to recruit Rostov as a spy and various members of the hotel staff. All are very interesting characters, especially Rostov himself, who is quite charming. Rostov's outlook on the world ends up being enhanced by living in its microcosm, the Metropol.

I had recently visited St. Petersburg in Russia and wished it had been more prominent in the story. Only mentions that Rostov, called Alex, and Mishka, his friend, had attended university there. At one point in the story nesting dolls, a souvenir I purchased for my granddaughter, was used as a hiding place.

Towles has a sophisticated writing style, both philosophizing (e.g. the quote above) and educating the reader in a not-so-pretty period of Russian history while using humor to weave an engaging tale. I rated this one a 4, almost a 5.

I look forward to hearing the group's reactions to the book this week.
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Page Turners met today, our first meeting in a restaurant. It was very enjoyable although we were not able to discuss the book as much as we normally do. The group average was 3.7 with 17 of 22 votes being 4 or 5. Many of us found the Count to be an appealing, memorable character although at least one person found him to be rather unbelievable noting that he was just a little too perfect or a little too lucky. We could pretty much agree that the Count's banishment changed his personality as he was affected by the people he met and the incidents that occurred.

Some of us were curious about the movie "Casablanca," the Count's favorite film and one he shared with Osip. What was it about the film that resonated with the Count? I wonder how many of us will find and watch the movie.

The group agreed that there was much humor in the story, even some laugh-out-loud parts like when he ripped his trousers numerous times as he ran around the hotel trying to eavesdrop with 9-year-old Nina and a description of the ideal duel (page 47).

Turns out A Gentleman in Moscow was a good selection with which to begin 2019.

Three Beautiful Books by Patricia Polacco

"Master storyteller and artist Patricia Polacco has outdone herself in this poignant holiday tale of two families, two faiths and two lonely people united by a beautiful twist of fate."
          -from the book jacket of Christmas Tapestry

My love for this author/artist goes back to my teaching days when I discovered her amazing stories, mostly originating from within her family, and her wonderful illustrations. All of her books are picture books which appear to be for young children but many contain stories of multigenerational interest and appeal. I believe all 3 of these, some of my very favorites, are examples of such.

Christmas Tapestry (see quote)
A story of nothing short of a Christmas miracle, this one touches me deeply every time I hear or read it. I loved it so much I adapted it for the stage and produced it at my church as a live radio play, giving complete credit to Polacco for the story. The audience thought it was outstanding. I conducted a talk-back after the show and the cast enjoyed sharing what the story had meant to them.

Pink and Say
I shared this Civil War story with my 5th graders when we were studying that time period. I had not read it in a number of years and when I reread it recently, it brought tears to my eyes once again. It is the story of two very young Union soldiers brought together when one helps the other who has been wounded. Sheldon Russell Curtis, nicknamed Say, is the injured soldier who happens to be white. Pinkus Aylee, Pink for short, is the black soldier who rescues him after a battle in Georgia. It is a beautiful story of friendship and heroism which sheds light on the horrors of war. I bet you cannot read it without goosebumps or a lump in the throat.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats
Another December holiday story involves two families who are neighbors---one Christian, the other Jewish. While the Jewish family is preparing for Hanukkah, they find out their Christian neighbors, the Kremmels, are sick with scarlet fever and will not be able to make Christmas preparations. The Jewish family then sets about organizing Christmas for them---with very special decorations and food. A touching story of brotherly love!

Ms. Polacco is so very talented and prolific, with many other books to her credit. Some involve teachers, which are near and dear to my heart, and two others I really love are The Keeping Quilt and The Butterfly. I would insist that most of Polacco's books are not just for children!

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

"He [father] loved these [lilac bushes]. It's a lovely reminder of him, but terribly sad too, to see his favorite Abraham Lincoln lilacs blossom without him.....But it's fitting in a way---Father loved the fact that a lilac only blossoms after a harsh winter....It's a miracle all this beauty emerges after such a hardship, don't you think?"
                -Caroline Ferriday, from the novel

At close to 500 pages, this one took a while to get through but it was well worth the time spent! Kelly weaves a tale of three women of the WWII era, two of them based on real people. The stories proceed chronologically from 1939 to an epilogue of sorts set in 1959. The narration alternates between the three women: Caroline Ferriday, a volunteer at the French consulate in New York; Kasia Kuzmerick, a teenager in Lublin, Poland who becomes involved in the underground resistance after the Nazi takeover; and Herta Oberheuser, a female German doctor at the infamous Ravensbruck concentration camp. Many cliffhangers inspire you to read on.

This reader found herself immediately predicting how the stories would collide and trying to guess the significance of the title. Caroline is an admirable activist trying to help French orphans and victims of the war and one feels deep sympathy for Kasia who experiences unspeakable horrors of Nazi occupation, even undergoing the "experimental surgery" at Ravensbruck. But Herta is the one you love to hate, going against her conscience in blind subservience to the Reich. Lilac Girls is a story of bravery, determination, survival and single-minded loyalty leading to extreme cruelty.

There is only a bit of humor in this captivating story but a couple of love stories woven into the plot do relieve the intensity. If you enjoy historical fiction, I recommend Lilac Girls. I give it a 5 rating.

The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty and Unexpected Love in the Azores by Diana Marcum

"The Tenth Island is what you carry inside you. It's what's left when everything else falls away. Those of us who live between worlds just know the Tenth Island better. No matter where I have lived---I have never left my island."
             -Alberto to Diana, from the book


This book was free---an Amazon First Reads selection for my Kindle. I was intrigued that much of the story took place in the Azores, a port-of-call on our last cruise. Because of that and other factors, I really enjoyed the book. In fact, I gave it a 5 rating.

Author Diana Marcum, a Los Angeles Times journalist, follows up a Pulitzer Prize-winning story on Central California agriculture with a trip to the Azores. You may have guessed from the quote that her interest was piqued by the Azorean diaspora in California, many of whom owned or worked on farms and ranches and some of whom she had interviewed for her article. Diana had discovered so many Azorean immigrants in the United States that she called it the Tenth Island. She also learned that many of these folks returned to their native islands regularly.

My husband and I had visited Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel, one of 9 islands in the archipelago. (I actually had to look up the name of the island. The port had been named but I'm not sure the island ever was.) Although the author spent most of her time on Sao Jorge and Terceira, I could relate to some of her descriptions of the breathtaking scenery, including cliffs, volcanic peaks, beautiful waters and hydrangeas growing wild and profuse even along highways. I also learned a lot from the book about Azorean culture---foods, celebrations, language and a popular sport which sounded much like their version of "running with the bulls."

I really liked the author's style---so down-to-earth, witty and quite personal. I felt like she'd be someone I'd like to know. The format of the book---I would call it travel memoir--was similar to Eat, Pray, Love but the vibes were so different. While Elizabeth Gilbert came across as very self-absorbed, Diana Marcum showed humility and seemed genuinely interested in other people. More likeable, for sure. Marcum has a delightful sense of humor, as well. I found her "theories" quite clever, e.g. "The Paper Cut Theory" or the "Willy Wonka Candy Bar Theory."

Overall, a delightful read!

True Places by Sonja Yoerg

"Sometimes it takes a stranger to show you what should be obvious, how far you've drifted from who you want to be, from what's right for you, your true place."
                           -Suzanne, from the novel

Suzanne Blakemore is conflicted about her identity and purpose in life. While driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway she spots a young girl, seemingly lost and weak from hunger and dehydration. Suzanne immediately feels drawn to the girl and eventually brings her into the Blakemore home. Husband Whit goes along but the two teenagers are not so welcoming, particularly 15-year-old Brynn.

The girl turns out to be a very under-developed 16-year-old named Iris who admits she is an orphan. She has lived all her life in a cabin in the woods with no modern conveniences so you can imagine she has some serious problems adjusting to the Blakemore's upper middle class world. And of course, the family home is thrown into some turmoil as Suzanne tries to "fix her" while Whit wants to search for any of her relatives.

Early on there is the mystery of "who is Ash?" a name mentioned frequently by Iris. This reader guessed it was her brother but had no idea why he did not appear. Also the reader is kept guessing as to the existence of Iris's father who she believes is dead.

I thought the book was well-written and the story was intriguing. True Places gets a rating of 4 from me.

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt

"If I could travel to my twenty-seventh year, my first teaching year, I'd take me out for a steak, a baked potato, a pint of stout. I'd give myself a good talking to. For Christ's sake, kid, straighten up. Throw back those miserable bony shoulders. Stop mumbling. Speak up. Stop putting yourself down. In that department the world will be happy to oblige. You're starting your teaching career, and it isn't an easy life. I know. I did it. You'd be better off as a cop. At least you'd have a gun or a stick to defend yourself. A teacher has nothing but his mouth. If you don't learn to love it, you'll wriggle in a corner of hell."                   -Frank McCourt, from the memoir

I fell in love with Frank McCourt's writing after I read Angela's Ashes a few months ago. I was lucky enough to listen to a good portion of it narrated by the author, his Irish brogue greatly enhancing the story of his youth in Limerick. It didn't take long for me to find his second memoir, 'Tis in which McCourt describes his return to the U.S. where he was born. I was delighted to find Teacher Man in  both the audio and print versions. Though I enjoyed the first 2 books immensely, this one may be my favorite. Could it be because I taught school 37 years?

As the quote indicates, Frank McCourt began his teaching career at age 27 and for 30 years taught in several New York high schools. Even though I taught elementary school I could totally relate to many of his experiences. Some were laugh-out-loud funny like the sandwich-throwing incident. Many others were quite touching like Kevin's and Serena's stories.

I was impressed by McCourt's teaching strategies---unorthodox, very creative, motivating and relevant to his students' lives. The lesson in which he had students writing excuses for historical figures is a great example. He was the kind of teacher I aspired to be (and hopefully was, at least at times).

On a scale of 1-5, I want to give Teacher Man a 6! I don't often reread books but I can see myself picking any of McCourt's memoirs up again in the future. Since he began his writing career late in life, his body of work is limited. I read Angela and the Baby Jesus, a very short illustrated children's book about his mother as a child "rescuing" the baby Jesus figure from a church nativity. The only other McCourt books are co-written with his brother Malachy like A Couple of Blaguards. I'll find it soon!