Where did September go? My goodness, but time is going by fast! I had some good reads this month, two in particular: The Exiles and The Tie That Binds -both by authors who I have enjoyed reading in the past.
1) All the Ugly and Wonderful by Bryn Greenwood: I found this book to be incredibly disturbing. There was plenty of "ugly", but I really didn't find any "wonderful" in the story.
A grown man falls in love with an eight-year-old girl and the relationship continues through adulthood. I finished the book because I kept waiting for "wonderful" to happen, but nothing wonderful happened as far as I was concerned. So that's my very brief review of that book!
2) Raven Black by Ann Cleeves was a delightful surprise to me. I didn't have very high expectations for this mystery, but it turned out to be quite intriguing.
A young girl was found murdered on the Shetland Islands and the crime appeared to be similar to an old unsolved murder in which an old, lonely man was always considered to be the prime person of interest. As he is with the recent murder. This is the first of a series and I will continue on with it! I never suspected who the murderer was
3) The Tie That Binds by Kent Haruf was a delight. He is one of my favorite authors and I couldn't believe that I hadn't read this one! It was written in 1984, the first of his novels, and like his later novels, takes place in Colorado. His characters in all of his books are so well-developed that I always feel as if I may know them!
This novel is about eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough. It began with Edith in the hospital recovering with a police officer guarding her. She had been charged with murder. This sweet old lady who never married and gave up her own chance of happiness to care for the family and their farm, living with her abusive father for years, whilst her brother took off one day, leaving her alone with their father. The brother didn't return for years. This story of Edith is so beautifully told by her neighbor. A lovely read.
4) When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal was quite a disappointment to me. It began being quite interesting, but the end was really lacking for me.
Two sisters, Kit and Josie, who grew up in California had spent most of their lives surfing when they could. When they became adults, Kit became an ER doctor, while Josie continued to search for the perfect wave. Until one day, Kit learned that Josie had been killed in Europe by a terrorist attack. Fifteen years later, Kit sees Josie on television. She was leaving a club in New Zealand that had caught on fire. It was unmistakably Josie, so Kit went to New Zealand to find her. While searching for Josie, Kit recalls long-ago memories of secrets and traumas that the family had lived through. It was a good read until near the end when everything went "chick read".
5) The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline was a great read! I am sorry that I let it sit for so long on my TBR pile.
This novel is about women in the1840s who were convicted of a crime (or crimes) in England and were sentenced to a penal colony in Australia. One of the main characters in the book was Evangaline the daughter of a minister, who was left penniless when he died so a position was found for her as a governess for a wealthy family. She fell in love with the older son, who seduced her and gave her a family heirloom, a ruby ring. The son left on a trip and the ring was discovered in Evangeline's room. When the family learned that she was also pregnant, Evangeline was charged with theft and taken to prison. A few months later she was sentenced to Australia. The women were put on an old slave ship and there Evangaline met others who she would be with for seven to fourteen years, depending on their sentence. The women helped each other, including when Evangeline gave birth to her daughter.
There were many notable characters in the book, including Hazel, a young girl who was also a midwife. Hazel had street smarts and helped Evangeline navigate Australia. And there was Mathinna, the daughter of a chief, who was taken by a wealthy English family to be raised as an example of what could be done with the heathens.
It's a long book, based on true events. I learned a lot about the history of how women were treated (as slaves). I enjoyed this book very much!
6) Another book by Kent Haruf that I had not read: Where You Once Belonged. It is interesting to me that I didn't like this book the way I have liked his others. I wasn't satisfied with the ending, but I can't quite figure out why. I think I wanted more clarity, but I also think that is what the author intended!
The book began with a big red Cadillac coming into Holt, Colorado, and just parking in the spot where all the town could see. The driver never got out, just sat in the car. Eventually, people in town learned that it was Jack Burnett. Jack had left town eight years before, leaving his wife and children and many debts. No one had ever heard from him since that time.
This small novel described who Jack was growing up and all that he had going for him. Until that one day when he left town. It is a good character study of a man who has it all and then his life goes bad.
