I do like Alice Hoffman’s books and her newest, Faithful, was no exception. The book tells Shelby’s story: she walks away from a car accident that puts her best friend in a coma. She feels survivor’s guilt for the entire book, and copes in various ways as she grows up. This was a good vacation read – not too taxing or deep, but interesting and different, especially from the last book I read, Secret Daughter.

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda was another good recommendation by a former colleague. She suggested I read it and The Golden Son, Gowda’s newest. Based on how much I enjoyed Secret Daughter, I plan to read The Golden Son soon. I think I’ll take a break from India first, though. Secret Daughter is told in alternating chapters by a mother living in India who gave her daughter up for adoption and by the mother/daughter who are the adopter/adoptee and live in California. The story is fascinating and the characters are developed nicely. It’s a great, fast-paced read.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amir Towles was neither an easy nor quick read. It took me longer than most books I have read of late. This followed a false start with 5 other books that I started and abandoned, which is why I have not posted in some time. The book tells the story of Alexander Rostov who is under house arrest at the Metropol in Moscow. While there, he befriends Nina, and ends up, years later, as Nina’s daughter’s guardian/father. It is a slow and sentimental book, which was enjoyable, but slow. Did I say it’s slow??

Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett chronicles the life of a family whose patriarch suffers from depression and takes his own life fairly early in the book. This depression, unfortunately, is visited upon the oldest son, Michael. The book hones in on the remaining four family member’s attempts to keep Michael from following the same fate as his father. Haslett captures this family nicely, and the story moved along at a good pace. However, I didn’t love it.

I have read a lot about Mischling by Affinity Konar. So much so, that I was almost afraid to read it, given the subject matter -Mengele’s twin experiments at Auschwitz. Adding to the rave reviews, was a personal one from a former colleague who has never steered me wrong, so I thought I would give it a try. I have to say, however, that I didn’t like Mischling, and not because of the disturbing content. I just never really got into the story. The twins’ own story was fascinating, and the book was very well executed, but it didn’t pull me in. The beginning 50-60% of the story that took place at Auschwitz was too long and drawn out. The subsequent 40% was much more interesting, but still didn’t keep me engaged. I slogged through and was eager to get to the end so I could move on to something else.

Cruel Beautiful World is the latest by Caroline Leavitt who wrote Pictures of You, which I read, but can’t remember for the life of me (hazard of reading as fast/much as I do – and the original reason for starting this blog in the first place). Lucy, aged 16, runs away from her adopted home with her English teacher to live off the grid in Pennsylvania. Tragedy ensues, as you are sure will happen even very early on in the book. Every other chapter is from the point of view of Lucy’s sister and adoptive mother who are anxious about where she is. And, while things get tied up almost too neatly at the end, I did enjoy reading this book and recommend it.

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.