Desire and Pursuit by Frank Delaney August 31, 2006

This novel takes place in Ireland in the 1970s, and is the story of two people. Ann is an Irish woman who has had a difficult relationship with her family and is forced into marrying a man whom she hates. Christopher is a British journalist who has come to Ireland to cover “The Troubles,” and who falls in love with Ann from afar on the day of her wedding. The story is told in their alternating voices.

Frank Delaney, as always, does a wonderful job of really making you see Ireland, both its people and the country itself. Seeing these things from an English point of view and seeing both the graciousness and the violence that the society itself was capable of was particularly interesting.

Frank Delaney’s novels often have women in them who have no power to control their lives, and this novel had several. This is something that I find so frustrating to read. It was hard for me to really feel that Ann had no choices in her life, that she would try so hard to make her mother approve of her that she would marry a man who raped her on their first date. And the mother—I did not understand her at all. Out of jealousy towards her daughter, she does some unspeakable things that I can’t believe any mother would do.

About halfway through the book, I got the feeling that I didn’t want to finish it. It was too depressing, too dark. But I did and I’m glad for that, because the ending made up for much of the earlier gloom.

The Husband by Dean Koontz August 31, 2006

This is the first Dean Koontz book that I have read/listened to. He’s not an author that I think I would ordinarily read, but I liked this book. It was very gripping, and had quite a few surprises in it. If I had any major complaint, it would be that the detail seemed to be excessive at times. I listened to this book in my car, and I swear I’d been driving for days listening to an account of action that probably took minutes.

The book did make me gasp in surprise a few times, which is always a great reaction to have. I did think that the ending was a little unrealistic. Even if you’ve killed or hurt people and stolen cars in the name of a greater cause, can you really escape doing any kind of jail time? I don’t need to know for personal reference, but the question did occur to me from time to time as I was reading.

Golden Country by Jennifer Gilmore August 26, 2006

Three immigrants whose families have come to 1920s America for a better life are the focus of this novel. As these characters become more American and chase their dreams, they leave behind the old ways of their families.

The three characters remain connected throughout their lives. One becomes involved with the mob, another invents a cleaning product that he imagines will clean the shame he feels about his brother. Another finds her way out of her misery by helping her neighbors write letters back home to their families, pretending a success that they haven’t really found.

I liked this book for the view of New York City in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Some of the characters were so unsympathetic that I didn’t feel much interest in them, and I imagine that’s what kept me from really enjoying the book. But it was a good view of a different time, and that’s always worth a read.

I Remember Love by Mollie Hardwick August 26, 2006

In this novel, a couple meets over and over during different lifetimes in England. The first and second time they meet, they are not able to stay together due to political and life circumstances. The third time they meet, they are willing to do whatever it takes to have a life together.

I liked this novel, but didn’t really love it. I think I would have preferred it if the characters had no idea that they had met over and over again and simply felt their connection rather than actually remembering it. But it was a sweet and romantic story, with the message that love is stronger than anything—even death.

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger August 20, 2006

This book had an interesting premise—children who were in dangerous living situations were kidnapped and sold to new parents, without ever knowing where they came from. One of these children is forced into this knowledge when, as an adult, she saves a child from being hit by a bus and is suddenly on the front page of the paper, causing her to be recognized by people who knew her as a different person. As she and a mysterious man try to find out what really happened, they find themselves on the run from unknown enemies.

This book was interesting, though I felt that the author spent a little too much time in making the main character’s voice sound like she was telling her story to an audience. There were a lot of “What would you do?” moments that I just didn’t think added to the story. I also thought the ending was a little too convenient. Can cops just grab the police helicopter and take off whenever they feel that someone is in danger? Because they did in this novel.

Any Bitter Thing by Monica Wood August 20, 2006

A woman who has just been hit by a car sees her uncle in her hospital room. This uncle, though, has been dead for 20 years. As she tries to figure out what this means, she goes on a journey through her past and present.

This was an interesting book. It was told in two voices–Lizzy, the main character, and Father Mike, her uncle. Father Mike was a Catholic priest who raised Lizzy after her parents died and who was eventually accused of molesting her, though Lizzy always denied it. Important facts were left out of both of their recollections—facts that I found to be surprising when they were revealed.

Blood Orange by Drusilla Campbell August 13, 2006

A child diagnosed as “mentally slow” goes missing at the beginning of this novel. Her mother is desperate in her search for her. Her father deals with her disappearance by throwing himself into his work, an attorney who is defending a man who clearly has done the terrible crime he is accused of. As time goes on and secrets come to light, the mother realizes that she was somehow involved with the disappearance of her daughter, and must deal with that and her crumbling marriage.

I liked this book. There were a number of interesting characters, including a female Episcopalian priest who questions her calling, and a woman married to a murderer who refuses to accept that the child she is carrying could be in any danger. The book deals in secrets and misconceptions, and it’s a satisfying read.

Every Visible Thing by Lisa Carey August 13, 2006

I think Lisa Carey is an amazing writer, but I wonder if she can write any book that isn’t dark. I loved her earlier books, especially In the Country of the Young, which is one of my all-time favorite novels. But this one was painful to read, and much of that is because one of the characters is tormented and bullied in school, which is a particularly sensitive subject for me.

The novel is about a sister and brother who are raised in the shadow of their older brother, who went missing years ago. The loss of their oldest child was such a blow to the parents that they barely pay attention to their remaining children. Lena, the daughter, dresses as a boy and becomes involved with drugs and dangerous people as she searches for what happened to her brother. Owen, the son, explores his sexuality with his best friend, with tragic results.

After reading this book I felt like I needed a drink or a hug. I wouldn’t recommend reading it while depressed. It all came together in the end, but it’s not an experience I’d care to relive.

Found Dogs by Elise Lufkin and Diana Walker August 13, 2006

This is such a great book. It’s filled with the stories of stray dogs who were rescued, either from shelters or directly from the streets, and how they affected the lives of the people who adopted them. It’s so wonderful to read the stories of how the dogs changed as they came into their new homes and how creatures who were abandoned managed to become someone else’s treasure.

I think anyone who has a rescue dog (or dogs) would love this book. The stories are heartwarming and the photos are beautiful.

Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg August 13, 2006

I have loved Fannie Flagg’s writing since I read Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man. I think that is still my favorite of her books. She writes with such humor and warmth that it’s always a pleasure to read her books.

In this novel, an elderly woman named Elner Shimfissle climbs a ladder one morning to pick figs from her tree, disturbs a wasps’ nest, and falls to the ground. She is pronounced dead at the hospital, causing grief to her family and friends. While she is gone, Elner visits heaven, and finally gets a chance to ask some of her many questions. But she’s not allowed to stay, and she returns to her body, causing even more of an uproar.

I thought the characters in this book were wonderful. They were funny and lovable and entertaining. But I felt that the book was really building up to something and then just ran out of steam. Elner came back and there were all these clues that she had indeed been to heaven, but things kind of fizzled out and everyone went back to the lives that they were leading.

Despite all that, I enjoyed this novel and will happily read anything Fannie Flagg writes.