Welcome to my blog where I share my book reviews
and life along the winding road

Friday, March 15, 2024

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys


 The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is set in Madrid, Spain in 1957 during the oppressive dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Spain has begun welcoming tourists to a new Hilton Hotel, but the Spanish are sworn to secrecy as to the living conditions of the local people. Daniel, an 18 year old Texan, is visiting Madrid while his father brokers an oil deal. With a Spanish mother, Daniel is able to communicate with the locals in their own language and discover many secrets while taking pictures in his effort to win a journalism college scholarship. When he meets Ana, a beautiful employee at the Hilton Hotel, he delves deeper into the underbelly of Madrid, putting her family in danger - her parents had been republicans and killed for their fight against oppression.

My thoughts (spoiler alert):
The Fountains of Silence was a dramatic story with the juxtaposition  of life in Spain and that of those living in America. What I found most distressing in the book was the calculating and dishonest nuns and priests who saw newborn babies as ways to make money, stealing them (for costly adoption) from new mothers and presenting the young mothers with dead babies.
I visited Spain as a teenager during the Franco years in the 1960s and heard many talking about his barbaric regime, but it didn't make much sense to me at the time. Tourism only showed the amazing beaches and beautiful architecture and visiting from rainy England, the sunny climate seemed perfect to me. 
The Fountains of Silence will be added to my favorite books for the year.

Friday, March 8, 2024

Foreign Body by Robin Cook


In Foreign Body Robin Cook takes the reader through many suspenseful twists and turns. With medical surgery costs so high in the U.S. many people without insurance are opting for surgery in other countries and India is one that has taken advantage of offering lower costs and a tourist-like experience. Losing patients to another country is much frowned upon by the U.S. hospitals and in an effort to stem the flow, a plan is concocted so that outcomes of medical tourism is not smooth sailing. Throw in CNN news, who often seem willing to take on controversial stories with little research, and the plan looks like it is becoming successful in deterring patients from leaving the U.S. That is until Jennifer Hernandez, a fourth-year medical student discovers her beloved grandmother has died in an Indian hospital and she has believes the death is suspicious.

Friday, March 1, 2024

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch


 Prophet Song by Paul Lynch has very mixed reviews and even the Booker Prize Judges took six hours to decide on a winner.

It is a difficult read both because of the subject matter of a totalitarian, dystopian society but also in the style of writing. There are no paragraph breaks and even the dialog is not separated but merely blended in with descriptions and thoughts, all in present tense.

The story of Eilish Stack's family begins with her husband, a trade union leader, being arrested. With the new Emergency Powers Act, the Irish government has taken control of the judiciary and is using its special powers to quash any divisive actions quickly with no legal recourse. The brutal police state is also calling into National Service any children who reach the age of 17. Eilish is described as being a microbiologist with her hands full, taking care of her children and an aged father suffering from dementia.

The family's original plan was to visit Eilish's sister in Canada for a vacation and it is when she tries to obtain passports for her children that Eilish discovers the normal procedures and legalities of the country have changed. From then on, with no news from her husband, and her children wandering in different directions, she struggles to keep them all together and also to keep an eye on her father living on the other side of town.

My thoughts are that this could have been an interesting and thought provoking story and especially good for book review discussion, but I found myself skipping large passages because the lack of paragraph and dialog breaks didn't make it an easy read.

Spoiler Alert:
Many people questioned the ending. As they were either close to the Northern Ireland border or had crossed it, the most likely destination for the boats would be across the Irish Sea to England. Eilish's sister in Canada appeared to have arranged for the people smugglers to get the family out of Ireland, I believe she would have also arranged for passage to Canada. I was a bit confused why Eilish didn't put on a life jacket and Molly was reluctant to either.


Friday, February 23, 2024

Mrs. Astor Regrets by Meryl Gordon


Meryl Gordon gives us a glimpse into the glitter and glamour of the Astor family and the dynamics between Brook Astor and her only child Anthony Marshall.

 Brooke Astor had an amazing life. Who wouldn't want to be a philanthropist, giving away millions of dollars to charities and attending balls and choosing which house you want to live in on a weekly basis? But Mrs. Astor's later years (she lived to be 105) were lonely and confined. Her son from a previous marriage, Anthony Marshall,  and his wife Charlene, helped themselves to millions of dollars and Astor property while removing people who were loyal to Mrs. Astor. Her butler and confidant, Chris Ely was fired by Tony Marshall and Tony also fired the groundkeeper/gardener who had worked for Mrs. Astor for over 40 years. Sadly, her will stated that the gardener would received $50,000 upon her death but only if he remained employed.

The dubious couple took paintings, sold them, and then claimed millions of dollars in commission for selling them. Tony Marshall purported that his income came from his job of handling his mother's money! He gave himself considerable raises,

David Rockefeller and Brooke's close friend Annette de la Renta began looking into Tony Marshall's overseeing of his mother's care after one of them approached her grandson, Phillip Marshall regarding Mrs. Astor's living conditions and lack  of  health care.

The result was a lawsuit against Tony Marshall and his wife Charlene. It was discovered that later wills may have had forged signatures and were written after it was thought Brooke Astor had limited mental capacity. Tony was convicted and spent a few months in prison before being released because of ill health.

Regardless of her sad ending, Brooke Astor touched many people with her flamboyant life, generous support for many of New York's cultural charities and beloved by her grandchildren and friends.

Friday, February 16, 2024

The Giver by Lois Lowry


 The Giver by Lois Lowry is a dystopian tale of a communist-type society where the governing elders take over every part of the community and people are left with no personal choices.

From the cover:
Life in the community where Jonus lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers product Newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units: one male and one female to each. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. The community is a precisely choreographed world  without conflict, inequality, divorce, unemployment, injustice or choice. . .

Friday, February 9, 2024

Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo


Richard Russo is one of my favorite authors. Nobody's Fool is a similar view of small town America as Empire Falls with quirky characters. Sully has never ventured far from the town he has lived in for decades and currently resides as a lodger in the home of his elementary school teacher.

From the cover:
Sully has been doing the wrong thing triumphantly for fifty years. Divorced from his own wife and carrying on halfheatrtedly with another man's, saddled with a bum knee and friends who make enemies redundant, Sully now has one new problem to cope with - a long-estranged son who is in imminent danger of following in his father's footsteps.

 

Friday, January 19, 2024

Down River by John Hart


 This is the first novel I've read by John Hart and was one of the books picked up at a local Friends of the Library sale.

I found it very suspenseful with lots of family mysteries.

From the cover:
Adam Chase has a violent streak, and for good reason. As a boy, he saw things no child should witness, suffered wounds that left him misunderstood and even grown he remains dangerous and unpredictable. For five years he disappears and is attacked within hours of his return, the tone of his homecoming is set.