Rebecca

DuMaurier, D. (1938). Rebecca. New York, NY: Avon Books

Interest Level: Adult

National Book Award for Fiction (1938)

Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century (2000)

[For readers who like slow novels that are based on characters, not actions.]

As I’ve grown up, my tastes have changed. As a child, my mom knew not to cook liver and onions for us kids. Instead, we got a burger. All of sudden, at age 23, I had a strong craving for it and I have loved it ever since. Super weird…. Chocolate was a favorite food, but now I’m meh about it. Old country music used to annoy me, but now it’s the music I prefer. Same thing with books. Growing up I just wanted to read romantical novels. And by romantical, I mean smutty. Now, I’m finding that I am drawn to the old classics. It started when I read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I really got into it, and soon read Frankenstein. Wuthering Heights and Great Expectations are on my to-read list, but I can now mark off Rebecca, a novel that I assumed would just bore me to tears but in reality, I couldn’t put it down. Even when I was dozing off.

“Last night I dreamed of Manderley again.” That’s the opening line, and you read it, and then BAM – you have all these questions. What’s Manderley? Why is it significant? What happened that’s causing all these dreams? And then the beginning of Chapter 2 says “We can never go back again.” WHOA. Why not? What’d she do? What life-changing event is keeping you from wherever this Manderley is? Turns out, she lived at Manderley as a new bride. She started out as a young, paid companion of an obnoxious, older woman. While on vacation, she meets widower Mr. de Winter and she no longer needs to be paid to hang out. Mr. de Winter is the owner of Manderley, a fabulous mansion often toured by visitors in the area. The new Mrs. de Winter not only has to learn how to run this new home and tell people what to do and how to do it, she has to know how to live in the presence of the dead wife’s emanation. But secret after secret begins to reveal themselves and the new bride begins to learn just how it was at Manderley. She learns who is on her side and who is holding on to the past with a tight grip.

Rebecca begins very slowly. There is no action, unless you call skipping out on dinner to go for a drive “action.” But as I got to know the characters I became more invested in the story. I understood the feelings of insecurity that the new Mrs. de Winter felt. I could sympathize with her feelings of inferiority that caused her to dive into deep daydreams. Those hypothetical situations she created in her head carried much of the book and at times I forgot that they were make-believe. And just when I thought this book was uber-old-fashioned, I picked up on a hint of a homosexual relationship along with multiple affairs and murder. The ending had my mouth hanging open – I couldn’t believe how it wrapped up, and then I understood why she could never go back again and why she dreams of Manderley.

All the Light We Cannot See

Doerr, A. (2014). All the Light We Cannot See. New York, NY: Scribner

Interest Level: High school and adult

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2015)

Audie Award for Fiction (2015)

ALA Alex Award (2015)

Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction (2015)

Ohioana Book Award for Fiction (2015)

[For readers who enjoy WW2 novels, particularly about Hitler’s Youth or explosions.]

When I was little, out in rural, western Oklahoma, we had a CB radio sitting on our kitchen table. It was always on, and we could hear the conversations between truckers at all hours of the day. And night. Our family had our own handles – mine was Sugar Bear. No one ever reached out to me, which would’ve been creepy since I was just a little girl, but we also had a CB in our farm truck, and my dad would call out to us sometimes that way. In retrospect, I’m surprised the CB radio was just sitting out for us to hear. Either truckers used appropriate language all the time, or I just didn’t realize what they were saying, but it seems like a risky decor choice with little ears around.

All the Light We Cannot See tells the story of a young boy and a younger girl in different geographical locations during World War 2. The boy, Werner, grows up in a children’s home with his kid sister. Together, they listen to a forbidden radio station and learn about science, leading to Werner’s fascination with radio repair. The girl, Marie-Laure, is mainly in St. Malo sheltering from the war with her father at the home of her great-uncle. The book goes back and forth between the bombing and destruction of St. Malo, France, and a few years before, during Werner’s training days and Marie-Laure’s experience in the museum where her father worked as the keeper of the keys. Since she is blind, the museum is also where her education takes place. The story closes the gap between Werner and Marie-Laure, and in the end, some survive and many do not.

You know that Werner and Marie-Laure’s paths will cross somehow, but the way they are connected left me in shock. It did not end how I wanted it to, which made the book even better. And a nice treat in the final chapters was a sort of “Where are they now?” that tied up some loose strings. Doerr’s descriptions of the house where Marie-Laure hid and the city being bombed were fantastic. Several scenes, such as those at the training camp, gave me a little anxiety because I felt so immersed. This book was so amazing that Netflix created the show. What I did not like was how Netflix took too many liberties with the story. People were dying in the show who didn’t die in the book. Or they died in a different fashion. Or they did die in the book but not in the show. Or scenes took place in the show that never happened in the book. But if you never read the book you wouldn’t know any of that. (But the book was better.) 4 stars on Goodreads.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

Larson, E. (2003). The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Interest Level: High School upperclassmen to adults of all ages.

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2015)

Audie Award for Fiction (2015)

ALA Alex Award (2015)

Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2015)

Ohioana Book Award for Fiction (2015)

Australian Book Industry Award for Internation Book (2015)

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Fiction (2015)

Idaho Book of the Year Award (2014)

National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (2014)

Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction (2014)

Nominee for Best of the Best (2018)

本屋大賞 Nominee for Translated Fiction (2017)

Dublin Literary Award Nominee (2016)

[For readers who not only enjoy reading about the history of America, engineering feats, and workplace relationships, but also about gruesome serial killer stories.]

State Fair of Oklahoma…mullets, Indian tacos, square mirrors with rockband logos, roach clips. That’s what I can boil it down to. But it was so so fun. Was there a serial killer among us? Maybe. An unsolved murder case from 1981 still haunts me. Two thirteen-year-old girls attended the state fair and were never seen again. I think of it every time I find myself at a carnival, stock show, or fair.

The Devil in the White City is a heavily researched account of all that was taking place in Chicago from 1890 and the birth of the first World’s Fair in the United States to 1895 when serial killer H. H. Holmes was convicted of murder. This book goes into detail about the struggle of securing a city, choosing architects, designing buildings, designing the grounds, and executing the dreams of the most fabulous world’s fair anyone has ever seen inside a carcass-scented city known as a jungle. It’s way more involved than I ever imagined. And I learned about the history of that particular fair. The first Ferris wheel was constructed there. Walt Disney’s dad was a carpenter for the White City, possibly inspiring Walt’s vision for a magic kingdom. The midway was born there. We can thank the 1893 World’s Fair for many everyday things, (elevators, Cracker Jacks, voice recordings). We can also thank it for drawing the wicked to its vicinity. Under many aliases, H.H. Holmes did his dirty deeds. Larson describes Holmes’s calculating, well-planned murders, but how many murders, who knows? He was a ladies’ man and his psychopathic tendencies made him an expert in locating and luring unsuspecting young girls to his murder castle. Yes…a castle. He designed and built a castle just for killing and hiding (or disposing) bodies.

The book bounces back and forth between the events taking place to build The White City (the area where the fair is) and Holmes’s demented doings. There is so much history packed into 429 pages that a second read would probably reveal things you didn’t notice the first time through. Some of the writings about procuring architects and squabbles weren’t that interesting to me, but they are important as you build an understanding of each relationship and how it factors into the success of the fair. And just calling it a “fair” doesn’t seem to do it justice (thinking of fair-to-middlin’ here). I would change it to Magical Grandiose Center for Entertainment. Even if it was temporary and a little shabby. 4 Stars on Goodreads.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Vance, J. (2016). Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. New York, NY: HarperCollins

Interest Level: High school upperclassmen to adults of all ages

Audie Award for Nonfiction (2017), 

Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2017), 

Ohioana Book Award for About Ohio or an Ohioan (2017), 

Kirkus Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2016), 

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Memoir & Autobiography (2016)

[For the reader of memoirs who likes a sprinkling of politics and hope.]

My family was once called “hillbillies.” I prefer rednecks, thank you very much. We don’t scream and fight…we hold in our emotions and get even through passive aggressive outlets. Our drinking is kept secret and first cousins are off limits! What we do have in common, though, is our devotion to our family and our love of Jesus.

J.D. Vance shares the chaotic and tumultuous journey of his family life growing up in a hillbilly community. His hillbilly roots are in Kentucky while his hillbilly rearing takes place in Ohio. He faced the same struggles that most of us do, but with the added hindrance of substance, physical, and mental abuse, a succession of step-daddies, and little to no guidance on college prep. What did work in his favor was the emphasis on reading that was instilled in him early on. His mom read him books. His Mamaw read him books, and in his youth, he became a reader himself. He researched and explored different ideas and grew a desire for the upward mobility that slowly catapulted him from the dregs of society to the top law school in the nation.

I chose to read this book because my mom had watched and loved the movie. I haven’t seen it yet, but I will watch it someday. I found the book inspiring and wondered what it is about upward mobility that the hillbilly communities shy away from. I think his goal with this book is to make us realize that anything is possible, but also makes you question whose fault it is when you are left behind in school…your own? Or the government’s? 4 stars on Goodreads.

Mrs. Everything

Weiner, J. (2019). Mrs. Everything. New York, NY: Atria Books.

Interest Level: Adult

[For a reader looking for a good coming of age book, or a book with a lot of sisterly love. Reminiscent of Little Women.]

I’m a middle child and the only girl. My brothers did most of the farm work with my dad (hauling hay, fixing fence), while I did the inside work with my mom, (cleaning house). I did help move irrigation pipe and my daily chores included feeding the calves, pigs, chickens, and horses, but I never once drove a tractor or hay swather. We kids were pretty close, closer now with the app Marco Polo, but I would say the relationship with my kid brother is closer. I think it’s because he is the one who was suckered into playing house and Barbies. My relationships with my brothers are unique. What does this have to do with my latest read? Not much…To be honest, it’s just that I really found nothing relatable in the book.

The reader is dragged along through the formative years of Jo and Beth, and into their golden years. We are introduced to them when they are little girls. Jo is a tomboy who is a constant disappointment to her mom, and Beth is an angel. We are with these sisters as they battle body issues, identity struggles, addiction, tragedy, rape, and growing up and growing old. They really do have a lot of misfortune in their lives with little to be thankful for. Some of it is just the hand they were dealt, but a lot of it is a result of the choices they made.

I could not identify with much in this book, but I’m sure many women will. While reading, I did have issues with some of the timeline. Being so ready to finish the book and move on, I didn’t spend much time trying to figure out if the author was letting some characters age slower than others. And I left the book in my childhood bedroom while visiting there this summer, so I can’t go back and check it now. But many who post on Goodreads agree with this and provide some examples of timeline issues. There were intense parts, so anyone who is a sensitive reader might reconsider. This was a “just ok” book and not one that I will recommend.

In the Unlikely Event

Blume, J. (2017). In the Unlikely Event. New York, NY: Vintage.

Interest Level: Adult and Young Adult

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2015)

[For a reader who likes a little morbid shock value in their literature. And not for someone about to board a plane.]

I have loved Judy Blume books since 1982. 40 years of entertaining literature. But, until recently, I (like many others, I think) did not know she has some really great books for adults. We read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge with our third grade teacher, Mrs. Schmitz. That same year, I received Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret for Christmas. When I was telling another student on the bus that I got that book, she asked me if I understood what it was about. Yes, I answered, and was wondering why she would ask that, not realizing that the periods discussed in the book were not class periods. So no, I had no clue. Later on, in middle school, we took a family vacation to Disneyland and I read Tiger Eyes on the trip. While I can’t remember the details, I remember thinking it was really racy and inappropriate. I loved it. That was the last Judy Blume book I read until June of 2020. After reading Wifey, I have a renewed passion for her stories.

In the Unlikely Event is a piece of fiction that is based on true events. Disturbing true events. (Am I the only person that didn’t know in the 50s there were three plane crashes within two months, within the same city in New Jersey?) Judy Blume relays these events through the eyes of fictional witnesses in the neighborhoods nearby the crash sites. We hear from the Ammerman family and friends and the Osner family, as well as the Demetrious, Stein, and Barnes families. The families are connected to each crash and intertwined with each other. It’s not only the tragedy of the plane crashes, but about how we feel when we’re disappointed in family and friends when they don’t live up to our expectations, and how life moves on after tragedy. And I’m not talking planes here…

I loved the dynamics between the characters. I sometimes get lost and confused if there are several characters, (Harry Potter’s cast gave me anxiety, and One Hundred Years of Solitude has a family tree I had to study at every reading), but Blume provides a list of principal characters that I referred to often. Readers are treated with points of view from adults and teenagers, so you are near-seamlessly transitioning from an adult book to a young adult book. Blume’s writing is so real and raw that my emotions took a hit at almost every passage. And in typical Judy Blume fashion, there are some hilarious moments that help balance the emotional strain. After reading, (and maybe a little during), I had to research Elizabeth, New Jersey. It’s so crazy that this happened and I appreciate Judy Blume writing about it. And I can’t help but wonder why she waited so long. She does include at the end some author’s notes that are almost as compelling as the book. Now, off to find my next Judy Blume read!

If you love Judy Blume, try Janet Evanovich! She writes with similar sassiness and humor. I recommend her Stephanie Plum series for a good laugh. Yes, you need to read it in order. Begin with One for the Money.

Scarlett

Ripley, A. (1992). Scarlett. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing. (formerly Warner Books)

Interest Level: Adult

Possibly the only book in my blog with NO literature awards or accolades.

If you haven’t read Gone with the Wind, this review contains spoilers!

[For the reader who wonders what happened to Scarlett after Melanie’s funeral.]

Even with all the controversy, I love the movie Gone with the Wind. Vivien Leigh brought Scarlett to life. Clark Gable was brilliant as Rhett. And I can still hear Butterfly McQueen’s panic about birthin’ babies. The dialogue! The storyline! The costumes! And yes, the controversy… But I first watched it in the early 80s and mainly because I’m a sucker for a good romance. I could hardly take it that Rhett left her at the doorstep in the end! Who ends a love story that way??!! I’ve watched it maybe half a dozen times all the way through. Fast forward to Summer of 2020 when I finally read GWTW. Yes, I’m picturing Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in the book, but it doesn’t matter. I just can’t believe how much the movie left out! Backstories on family and neighbors, and the other children Scarlett spawned I guess just weren’t important enough to include. Fast forward again to spring of 2020 and I’m wrapping it up with this mundane account of Scarlett’s saga. With no regrets.

Alexandra Ripley’s Scarlett picks up right where Margaret Mitchell’s left off in GWTW. Included is a dramatic shift from Ashley being her target to now her husband. Estranged husband. She still has the same strong-willed, get-her- way-at-all-costs methods of operation, but it drags on. And on. And on. She simply doesn’t give up, (good for her), and for the reader it just becomes tiresome.

My waning interest in the book began to turn around once Scarlett landed herself in Ireland. Now this was new! We readers were introduced to family on the O’Hara side, complete with customs and lore. Her new normal is now without Rhett, and her life becomes interesting again; and the book, which still is really unrealistic, (who abandons their children that way? And her serendipitous life is a far reach), is compelling enough to coast the reader to the lackluster finale.

Do I quit books without finishing them? No! My mom, husband, mother-in-law all tell me that if I’m not enjoying it, quit it. I can’t do it. I believe I can learn something, even if it’s tiny, from each book. I’m glad I didn’t give it up, but it’s not one I’ll recommend. While it lacked much of the flair and detail that Margaret Mitchell incorporated in GWTW, I am inspired. Inspired to find a pint of Irish Whiskey and celebrate that I made it through this book.