Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

Laura Petrosian's Armenian heritage has not been of much interest to her until a friend tells her of an old picture she believes is Laura's grandmother. This takes her to a museum exhibit the picture was used to advertise, and then to a diary and collection of letters written in 1915. 

Elizabeth Endicott is a young graduate of Mount Holyoke College, living in 1915.  She has journeyed to Aleppo, Syria with her father on behalf of the Friends of Armenia to deliver food and medicine to the Armenian refugees fleeing a genocide by the Turks. Things are much worse in Aleppo than she ever imagined.


Laura tells the story of her Grandmother Elizabeth, the Armenian engineer Armen, who has lost his wife and daughter, and others who have come to help, or for other reasons, find themselves in the middle of this dark moment in history.


This is historical fiction, family history and a love story. It is a story of hopelessness, bravery and survival. Mostly it is the tale of Elizabeth Endicott becoming a woman, strong, beautiful and brave.


I enjoyed this book very much. I learned a lot. I appreciated the writer's slightly different style. Chris Bohjalian has written several best sellers and I will definitely be reading more from him.


Thursday, October 10, 2013

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

     Reading this  book was like watching a Hitchcock movie. There is a slow buildup, all the time you are feeling something is not right, the fear grows and then the horror hits you.  But wait! Another slow build up and the terror returns.

     Catherine has a fun life.  She is kind of a 'party girl' and sometimes presses her luck as she bar hops and parties with her friends. But it is all in fun and she doesn't expect to meet the man of her dreams one night. He is handsome, attentive, and the envy of her friends. Lee soon has all of them under his spell. Until Catherine begins to notice a change. He has become jealous, possessive, controlling. He keeps her more and more alone and isolated - and afraid. Finally, she escapes.

     But life with Lee has taken its toll.  Four years later, even though he is behind bars, Cathy compulsively checks her door and window locks - over and over again.She trusts no one and believes she will never be happy or normal again. Just when she begins a friendship with the new neighbor upstairs, she receives a phone call warning her that Lee is about to be released. She begins to see people from the past, objects moved in her apartment . . . Can she trust anyone? Is she finely going totally crazy? Or has Lee come for her?

     I had to put this book down and do something else for a few minutes a couple of times, just to relieve the tension! I'm sure the hands clutching my kindle had white knuckles. This book was everything a suspense novel should be.

    A few days ago I downloaded another book by Elizabeth Haynes. I'm hoping for the more of the same.

     

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

     Will had the money, so he did everything. He traveled, climbed mountains, lived on the edge. Then there was the accident . .  .  Louisa had the ordinary life of a lower middle class English girl. She had a sister in college, a nephew, Mum and Dad and a boyfriend. She thought little beyond those things. Her family really needed the extra income, so she took the job at 'the castle' caring for Will.

     This was not easy. Will is rude, sarcastic and really would rather be dead than paralyzed from the neck down. Louisa won't give up. At first because she needs the money so badly for her family and then because she truly begins to care about Will. He changes her life. She gives him a reason to wake each morning and Louisa is determined to make certain will has a reason to live.

     My knowledge of the hardship everyday life holds for the handicapped was increased ten fold. The toll it takes on the family is also incredible.

     I find it hard to actually describe this book without giving away the plot and it's detail that made this book one I could not put down. It touched me. It took twists I was not expecting and did not take a few turns I did expect.

     This was an original, heart warming and  informative book. It also broke my heart.
   
     I loved it.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Salazar by Seth Lynch

    As I read Salazar I kept thinking "Raymond Chandler would like this book."

     The detective story takes place between the two world wars. Paris in the 1930's is the backdrop for English ex-soldier and new private detective Salazar. And Lynch's writing makes this Paris very real to the reader.

     Salazar has come a long way. He suffers from PTSD, an unknown condition at this time, is avoiding his past and even his future. He lives in a seedy apartment above his office and has agreed to find Gustave Marty for Marie Poncelet. She's not very likable and he's not very good at detecting.  It's one of his first cases and what little life he has is often distracting in self destructive ways.

     Besides, Gustave Marty does not want to be found. It seems he has gone to great lengths to remain lost.

     The arrival of an old friend, Megan Fitzwilliam, puts some romance and a reason to live into the story. And just when life begins to look good, the danger becomes very real. The ending twist is unexpected.

      Salazar's wit made me smile often. Great dry humor and amusing characters.

     An excellent piece of noir with a moody, flawed - but endearing - detective, played on the screen inside my head by a young Humphrey Bogart.

     Well .  .  . ?