Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Hello All,

Random House very kindly forwarded a copy of Dreams of Joy to me for review. I had heard of Lisa See, but hadn't read anything by her. It was also recommended to me that I read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See first, and I recommend the same to readers of Dreams of Joy. Dreams of Joy picks up immediately where Shanghai Girls leaves off.

Nineteen year old Joy runs away to China after the death of the man she knew as her father, and revelation of a deep family secret from her mother and her aunt. Joy had studied at the University of Chicago, and had heard of the great changes taking place there (1958); she travels to the homeland of her family to join the revolution.

Upon reaching China, Joy searches for and finds her birth father, who is just being transferred to a small village to teach art. Joy leaves with him, and sees how China is really living, though this does not sway her beliefs in the Great Leap Forward.

Joy's mother, Pearl, follows her to China, to find Joy and bring her back to the United States. The search, reunion and the time it takes Joy to become disillusioned with China takes several years, but Pearl stands by her daughter, displaying a mother's strong love for her child.

Both Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy are difficult reads, because of so many of the hardships the characters go through; just when you think you can breathe, something else happens. I learned a lot reading these books, but for me, the books were a little more stressful than enjoyable. Yet I kept turning the pages, wanting to know what would happen to these strong women. They are well researched and well written, and the stories told are very interesting. Recommended.

Happy Reading!
Patti

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See published May 2011 by Random House: ISBN: 9780679604891

This book was sent to me for review by Random House; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

Hello All,

The Western is not dead. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt is testimony to that. All the elements of the Western tradition are here: the bad guys, the worse guys, gold, bears, horses, violence, guns, gun fights, killing, women and drink. The Sisters brothers, Charlie and Eli, are the bad guys, hired by a worse guy to find and kill a guy (when the job is ordered, the reader does not know the character of the guy to be killed). Charlie is the one with the shorter temper and the taste for whiskey; Eli is the storyteller, telling first about the brothers and their travels, and then telling the story of the man they are supposed to kill, Hermann Kermit Warm. It all comes together on the banks of a river outside of San Francisco during the Gold Rush.

It is the writing that sets The Sisters Brothers apart from other Westerns I've read. The language is very formal. I recall few, if any, contractions in this book (and of course I skimmed through after I thought about this). For example, it is always "cannot" instead of "can't". No one uses the word "ain't". Upon skimming through again, I can't find any of the traditional coarse words used commonly then and used commonly now. Once I started noticing the language, how poetic and formal it is, I found it a fascinating way to tell a story to today's reader.

Highly recommended.

Happy Reading!
Patti



The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt published May 2011 by Ecco; ISBN: 9780062041265

This book was sent to me for review by HarperCollins; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Hello All,

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson is an illuminating book. I learned so much with the narrow focus or window that Mr. Larson provided via the Dodd family. William Dodd becomes ambassador to Germany in Berlin in 1933, and brings his family, along with their Chevrolet with him; his wife Mattie, his son Bill Jr., and daughter Martha.

The reader is given a variety of viewpoints of the changes occurring in Berlin as Hitler becomes more and more powerful as the President’s, Paul von Hindenburg health declines. The viewpoint of the ambassador is very interesting; Mr. Dodd is a scholar and professor, slightly out of his element, but determined to do a good job for his country. Mrs. Dodd does her best in diplomatic society, somewhat restrained by her husband’s determination to live within their salary. Most diplomats of this era seem to have a wealthy background, and living within means is not an issue for them. Bill Jr. remains primarily in the background of this book. Martha, on the other hand, embraces the diplomatic circle of parties, and becomes involved with a variety of men, including a Russian spy, and is even introduced to Adolf Hitler as a possible way to get to her father.

There is so much revealed in this book of the day-to-day darkening of Berlin, and therefore Germany, as Hitler becomes more and more powerful. President Roosevelt does not seem to see the problems that Hitler presents as a leader. The “Jewish question” or “problem”, depending on what country it is being discussed, seems to be something that governments outside of Germany seem to want to approach, and Germany continues its restrictions and eventual persecutions that began before the Dodds arrived in Berlin. (Note: these are my understandings of what I read; any historical mistakes in this paragraph or review are mine).

I found this to be a somewhat frightening read, as the world knows the result of these beginnings in Berlin. What is also scary to me is that different, yet equally evil, situations have evolved in the world since World War II.

I highly recommend In the Garden of Beasts as the viewpoints of one family is a different approach to history.

Patti

(who feels that signing off “Happy Reading” would be inappropriate in the case of this book)

Friday Fill-ins

Hello All,

Something new & different for me, but I thought it would be fun:

1. NCIS is my favorite TV show (or movie) because I like crime shows, and especially the teamwork shown on NCIS.

2. Go to page 45 of the book you're reading or of the book closest to you; go to the 6th paragraph and make a sentence out of 7 words from it: "And leave the watch or take it. I won't have it." (The Sisters Brothers, advance readers' copy).

3. I am tired, but wish I could stay up all night reading.

4. I like long walks.

5. Take some time to talk with friends.

6. Everyone needs a bit of humor in their day and in their lives.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching the Detroit Red Wings in playoff hockey, tomorrow my plans include working & relaxing in the evening and Sunday, I want to sleep in (before I have to be at work at noon)!

Happy Reading!
Patti

Friday Fill-in credit goes to Janet at http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle by Ann B. Ross

Another sign that spring is on its way is a new Miss Julia book! I was a lucky recipient of an advance readers’ copy for review of Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle by Ann B. Ross, and once again enjoy my visit with Miss Julia and her patchwork family thoroughly! Miss Julia has promised her husband Sam that she will not get involved in any way in mysteries or murder any more. This is very challenging for the very curious Miss Julia, who despite her best intentions, just asks one or two questions, and she’s off. This time it’s the death of Richard Stroud in a shed in her nephew’s* teacher’s yard. Richard Stroud is a former nemesis of Miss Julia, having taken quite a bit of her money in an investment scheme. Due to an argument with Sam, Miss Julia does do a little investigating, getting caught, yet not totally found out, twice(!). Miss Julia also has the opportunity to assist in the birth of twins during a snowstorm, and learns how to take care of babies, as they start their lives under Miss Julia’s roof. Miss Julia is a little shocked by the whole birthing and nursing processes, as she was a well-protected Southern lady her whole life and she never had children. She can be a trifle old fashioned in many ways, but her good heart usually wins the day. Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle is highly recommended for those who enjoy books with a Southern atmosphere and their mysteries light. Happy Reading! Patti *Miss Julia has a very convoluted family life.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Hello All,

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake has been on my to-be-read list for quite some time, but only after it had been sent to me by Penguin for review for the paperback release did I finally get around to reading it. I had definitely been missing something.

The impression I had from reviews last year was that the postmistress was withholding mail from residents of a small Cape village during World War II. This is only a slight bit of the story. The postmistress, Iris James is a fully fleshed out character who has reasons for her handling of the U. S. Mail.

There are two other amazing strong women in this novel, Emma Fitch and Frankie Bard. Emma is a new bride whose husband, Will, six months or so into their marriage, decides that he needs to go serve in London during the Blitz, before the United States has begun any commitment in the war in Europe. Frankie Bard is a woman reporter, based in London, and living with the horrors of the Blitz daily. Frankie and Will's paths cross in London, one night in a shelter. Frankie is then given the opportunity of a lifetime; go to Berlin, and travel with people and families to get their stories of what they've seen and why they are leaving. Most are Jews, and they all have interesting stories to tell.

All of these women come together just before the war in the small village of Franklin, Massachusetts, and their stories come together as well.

The Postmistress is an excellent book, one of the most descriptive books I've read in quite some time. I learned a lot while reading this, and was lost in the story at the same time. I can't recommend The Postmistress enough.

Happy Reading!
Patti

Deep Down True by Juliette Fay

Hello All,

Deep Down True by Juliette Fay is a(nother?) story of a divorced woman emerging with her children from the divorce a stronger person and stronger family.

As I have been making some big changes in my own life, I have enjoyed reading about other women making changes in their lives. In Deep Down True, Dana Stellgarten seems to be hit with a lot, more than your average divorcee. She has an ex-husband who is living with his former mistress, a sixth grade daughter discovering the daily social changes in middle school, a seven year old son who wants to be tougher when he plays football, and her Goth sixteen year old niece comes to stay with her. Additionally, Dana has two men vying for her attention through this book, and stumbles into the perfect type of job for herself. This is not all the tragedy and/or drama that occurs in this book--heck, I don't want to give away everything!

Overall, I liked this book, and wanted to like it more, but there was just a little too much packed into one book for me. It also closed a little too much for me; with everyone in the places that they are, the transitions wouldn't just stop. I would have liked to see a more open-ended finale, knowing that it's all not going to be easy from here on, but there was a slight break in the action.

I would love to read others' opinions of this book--comment below, or direct me to other reviews.

Happy Reading!
Patti

This book was sent to me for review by Penguin Group; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.