The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff was loaned to me many months ago and I kept putting it aside in favor of library books. It is the story (as many know from the movie of last year) of Danish artist, Einar Wegener, and his wife, Greta, also an artist. One day Greta, missing her opera singer subject for the day, asks Einar to stand in by wearing some of the singer’s clothes. He discovers a personality, who he names Lili, hidden inside. The book chronicles how Lili increasingly takes over Einar and Greta’s life and how, finally, Einar has surgery to become Lili completely. This was a fascinating story, but one I had trouble understanding to some degree. Greta, setting the transformation into motion, seems entirely fine with her husband becoming a woman and then them ultimately splitting. I would have liked more detail from Greta’s point of view. I look forward to seeing the movie adaptation of this interesting based-on-a-true-story novel.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist was chosen for a new book club I am in. And, being an older selection, it was readily available at the library. I very much enjoyed the book at first (I was completely drawn in while waiting in line at Rose’s Luxury). However, mid-way through, it lost my interest a little bit. I felt left adrift with the story and its outcome. The tale is really a story within a story. Changez tells the tale of his life in America (a successful stint at Princeton followed by a sought-after job in NYC and his romance with a woman who is impossible to have a relationship with since she is still in love with a boyfriend who has died) to a stranger in a cafe. His voice shifts back and forth from telling the story to directly addressing the stranger. It is unnerving at times, but makes you feel like you are right there in the book. So, in all, I enjoyed the book, but less so toward the end than I did at the outset.

I have never read anything by Jacqueline Woodson, but understand that she is an amazing author. So, when I found Another Brooklyn on the library shelf, I decided to give it a go. It is a very short book, readable in about 2 hours. It is beautifully written, almost like a poem. I enjoyed it, but wasn’t over the moon about it. If you like her writing and are looking for a short and lovely piece, this one is for you.

I was disappointed in this newest book by Ian McEwan whose earlier works I liked a great deal. Nutshell falls into the same camp as his last, The Children Act, reviewed here. While Nutshell had a unique premise – the story of his mother’s murder of his father told from the perspective of a nine-month-old fetus – it just wasn’t all that interesting or good. I finished it because it was short, but I could have given this one a skip for sure.

I was excited to get my hands on Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, and was thoroughly disappointed by it. While I did finish the book, I feel no better for having done so. I should have abandoned ship in the first 50 pages. The storyline certainly had potential, and, if you have read any of the hype about the book or the flyleaf, you would certainly pick it up: “One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating’s christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny’s mother, Beverly—thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families.” But, the following five decades jump back and forth and around to such an extent that I could never keep anything straight. It made for an unenjoyable experience.

It would be impossible not to be deeply moved by the story of Welles Crowther as told in The Red Bandanna by Tom Rinaldi. I had never heard Welles’ story and was heartbroken to read it. By all accounts a determined and kind child and young man, Welles was successful in all ways when he went to work on September 11, 2001 at Sandler O’Neill on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center II. What he went on to do before and after the second tower was hit was extraordinary. And, while he perished doing so, his spirit, and that of the red bandanna he always had in his pocket (which identified to the survivors who had come to their aid), live on for many, many people. This is an achingly devastating account of a close family and the son they loved as well as a brief glimpse into what it was like inside the World Trade Center on September 11.

I did not know too much about the Kennedy family history until I read Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson. The book was a loan from a friend who loves books and knows how much I do. Rosemary Kennedy’s story is, of course, tragic. I enjoyed this no-frills account of the Kennedys in general and Rosemary in particular. I especially liked the first half of the book. After that, I didn’t feel like there were enough details. About 40 years of Rosemary’s life were detailed in the last 50 or so pages. While I know there is not a lot of documentation about this part of her life, I was nevertheless disappointed that I didn’t learn more about her. I may have to pick up another Kennedy biography since this one presented so many interesting threads that were not fully explored. I appreciate the loan and feel more informed for having read this one.

Tig Notaro’s autobiography, I’m Just a Person was a quick, down and dirty read that didn’t have a lot to it. Not knowing her, I wasn’t aware of her story and I enjoyed learning it – what a wild ride her year was – intestinal disease, breakup, mother’s death, and double breast cancer. However, perhaps in her style (though I don’t know it), the text was spare and unemotional. I finished it in an evening, but don’t know that I would recommend it unless you are a fan of hers and want to know more about this time in her life.

When We Meet Again by Kristin Harmel was a surprise hit. I don’t know where I read/heard about it, but I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed every minute of it. When Emily receives a painting out of the blue with a note that her grandmother had always been loved, she is compelled to figure out its provenance. In doing so, she uncovers her family history and rekindles a relationship with her father. At the same time, she deals with her life-long relationship issues. While one could argue that this story ties everything up too neatly at the end, I like the way the mystery unfolded and thoroughly delighted in each step of the journey.

“For every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of making dinner, for anyone who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention, here is Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who’s so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn’t even realize she’s had a heart attack.” And so Leave Me by Gayle Forman begins. Shortly after her heart attack, subsequent bypass surgery, and recovery, Maribeth ups and leaves her family. She makes a new life for herself in Pittsburgh and confronts her adoption and marital issues from afar. I enjoyed Leave Me very much. While leaving her young twins seems implausible, the story works and is a pleasant read. Not too deep, but just right for those who try to juggle it all.