Review: Down to a Sunless Sea

Summary: Down to a Sunless Sea plunges the reader into uncomfortable situations and into the minds of troubled characters. Each selection is a different reading experience—poetic, journalistic, nostalgic, wryly humorous, and even macabre. An award-winning essayist and historical novelist, Mathias B. Freese brings the weight of his twenty-five years as a clinical social worker and psychotherapist into play as he demonstrates a vivid understanding of—and compassion toward—the deviant and damaged. -- wheatmark

Anytime an author contacts me about reading and reviewing his or her book, I am extremely flattered. When Mathias B. Freese e-mailed me asking if I was interested in his collection of short stories DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA, I naturally said "Of course!" Although I read a lot of different books, I haven't read very many short stories -- for some reason I'm a little intimidated by them.
As I try to write this review about this book, I'm very worried that I won't be able express my feelings about it -- to actually "do it justice." DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA is a book that deals with many unique characters in very creative ways. All of the characters were a little "off," but I think that readers will recognize characteristics of people we encounter everyday.

I'm sure that a few of the stories and the literary references were over my head, but I did enjoy them nonetheless. One of my favorites was a called "I'll Make It, I Think." This story was about a teenage boy who was crippled due to Cerebral Palsy. I was deeply touched by his feelings about his body, yet I also found myself laughing at his descriptions of himself -- he named his various body parts. I really felt that I was in the mind of this troubled teenage boy who was trying to come to terms with his unfortunate situation.

Another story that I liked was "Alabaster." This is the story of a nine year old boy who meets an elderly woman who is a survivor of the Holocaust. The reader never really knows whether the boy understands what this woman has been though; however, we are allowed to see that this woman's life has been utterly and irreparably broken. I was not only touched by the story of her past, but I was also deeply affected that she was able to see hope in the boy's future.

Mathias B. Freese is a gifted award winning writer, and I'm amazed with his ability to tell a story (or in this case stories.) I found that most of the stories were linked by the recurring theme of the long-lasting effects of childhood. Each story had a different "feel" to it -- some were poignant, some were humorous, and some were plain weird. Mr. Freese has over 25 years as a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, and it's very evident that he understands troubled people.

DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA is a very interesting book that lets the reader see the lasting effects that troubled childhoods can have on individuals. While it's not exactly a collection of upbeat stories, it will definitely entertain you. I felt a great of empathy to so many of the characters, and I know that they will remain in my thoughts for quite awhile.

Also reviewed at:
Melody's Reading Corner
Errant Dreams
J. Kaye's Book Blog
My Own Little Reading Room

May 2008 Book Club Meeting with Joshua Henkin and June Selection

Summary: It's 1987, and Julian Wainwright, aspiring writer and Waspy son of New York City old money, meets beautiful, Jewish Mia Mendelsohn in the laundry room at Graymont College. So begins a relationship that spans twenty years, as it takes Julian and Mia across the country and through the depths of family tragedy, love and friendship, money and ambition, desires and tensions of faith. -- Pantheon Reading Group Guide

Last night, my book club met with Joshua Henkin, author of MATRIMONY. That's right, Mr. Henkin was gracious enough to drive two hours each way and spend time away from his family so he could discuss his latest book with us. I can't even begin to express how much fun I had -- I am still floating on "Cloud Nine." As many of you know, I love having the opportunity to talk to authors about their books via telephone author chats. But I have to say that talking in person brought the "author experience" to a whole new level.

My book club met for about an hour before Mr. Henkin arrived so we could talk about MATRIMONY. Everyone had a lot to say about the story as well as the characters; and we did manage to touch on a few of the questions in the discussion guide (I thought these questions were especially good at generating discussion even though we didn't have the chance to address all of them.) Even those members of the book club that didn't love the book still had definite opinions about the characters and the events in the novel.

While I mentioned in my review of MATRIMONY that I really liked the book, I can now say that I love it. I thought that Mr. Henkin's insights into the "whys" of the story definitely enhanced my enjoyment. In addition, I found it extremely interesting that it took him 10 years to write MATRIMONY (and he ended up throwing away around 3000 pages.) I have to admit that I was a little in awe of Mr. Henkin when he described his writing process for this book and how he developed the characters. He didn't set out with a particular story to tell, but rather just started writing - sometimes he didn't know what was going to happen until he wrote the few lines before it.

I highly recommend considering MATRIMONY for your next book club selection. There are just so many themes covered within the pages of this book which you could talk about for hours. There are also a few controverial incidents which will make for some interesting conversation. Mr. Henkin is available to meet with your group if you are within driving distance from New York, New Jersey or Philadelphia. He is available for author chats. You can contact him by filling out this form.

I just want to thank Mr. Henkin for everything -- writing a book that I enjoyed, spending an entire evening with my book group, providing interesting conversation, and graciously answering all our questions. I had such a wonderful time!

Our June selection is THE REINCARNATIONIST by MJ Rose. My book club lucked out again next month -- MJ Rose will be joining us via telephone to discuss her book. THE REINCARNATIONIST looks like a great read, and it was chosen as a Booksense Highlight Pick for 2007.

Summary: A bomb in Rome, a flash of bluish-white light, and photojournalist Josh Ryder's world exploded. From that instant nothing would ever be the same.

As Josh recovers, his mind is increasingly invaded with thoughts that have the emotion, the intensity, the intimacy of memories. But they are not his memories. They are ancient—and violent. A battery of medical and psychological tests can't explain Josh's baffling symptoms. And the memories have an urgency he can't ignore—pulling him to save a woman named Sabina—and the treasures she is protecting.

But who is Sabina?

Desperate for answers, Josh turns to the world-renowned Phoenix Foundation—a research facility that scientifically documents cases of past life experiences. His findings there lead him to an archaeological dig and to Professor Gabriella Chase, who has discovered an ancient tomb—a tomb with a powerful secret that threatens to merge the past with the present. Here, the dead call out to the living, and murders of the past become murders of the present. -- Mira Books

Love the One You're With Giveway

A Book Blogger's Diary has another wonderful giveaway -- this time it's an autographed copy of Emily Griffin's latest book LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH. aBookworm even has four copies to giveaway! I am dying to read this book since I am a big fan of Ms. Griffin's other books.

Just to prove that you really can win a book, I won SEX AND THE CITY -- KISS AND TELL today!

If you aren't familiar with A Book Blogger's Diary -- you should definitely check it out. There are always lots of terrific contests and book giveaways.

Review: The Master Bedroom

Summary: After more than twenty years in London, Kate Flynn has abandoned her career as an academic, rented her apartment in the city, and moved back to live with her mother in the grand old house beside a lake where she grew up. Bored and lonely, Kate meets a childhood friend, David Roberts, at the opera. David is married, but Kate finds herself falling for him against her better judgment.

At the same time, David's seventeen-year-old son is visiting Kate's house in secret, attracted by her eccentricity, her wit, and her shelves full of old books and music. Though she knows the risks, Kate cannot quite resist either man. As both father and son set about their parallel courtships, Tessa Hadley's intricate, graceful novel discovers the anxieties of adulthood, and the hazards of refusing to grow up. -- Picador Books

When I received THE MASTER BEDROOM by Tessa Hadley in the mail last month, I wasn't sure if I would really enjoy the book. The premise of the book didn't really appeal to me -- a middle-aged woman being drawn to both a father and his son. I decided to give it a try anyway because THE MASTER BEDROOM was longlisted for the 2008 Orange Prize for Fiction.

After finishing the book, I'm still not sure what to think. I definitely didn't love the book, but I didn't hate it either. What I can say is that I appreciated Ms. Hadley's writing style. The book was very well written, and the prose was beautiful. I could actually visualize the old house with the vivid descriptions. I thought she did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life.

I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but at times I had a problem following the dialogue in this book. The author didn't use quotation marks to offset the conversations. Rather, she just used dashes. Many times I couldn't figure out who was saying what without re-reading it a few times.

I was also a little uncomfortable with the subject matter -- a 40-something woman becoming interested in a 17 year old boy. I didn't realize that I was such a prude, but I was a little disgusted by some of her behavior with the young man. Ultimately I got over it, and I thought the ending of the book was very good.

I have a feeling that I'm not taking away from this novel as much as I should be. Frankly, I think this novel was just a little deeper than I'm capable of going. However, I did get the message that people can't always control their feelings even though they intellectually know they should. I also saw that individuals (no matter the age) are constantly working to find their true selves.

I do think that THE MASTER BEDROOM would make for an interesting book club discussion. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any discussion questions. Even without a guide, I definitely think this book has enough controversial issues to incite some very exciting dialogue.

Review: The Ex-Debutante

Summary: Carlisle Wainwright Cushing, of the old-moneyed Willow Creek, Texas Wainwrights, is the daughter of larger-than-life Ridgely Wainwright… Cushing-Jameson-Lackley-Harper-Ogden. Given her mother’s predilection for divorce, is anyone surprised that Carlisle became a divorce lawyer, far away in Boston, where no one, including her fiancé, knows she’s an heiress. But now, three years later, Carlisle is lured back to Texas to deal with her mother’s latest divorce which has the whole town talking, and the family-sponsored 100th annual debutante ball which is on the verge of collapse. Suddenly the determined lawyer is weighing the merits of beads vs. crystals on ball gowns and teaching eighteen year olds to balance books on their heads, all the while trying to figure out how to tell her deeply Southern mother that she is engaged to a Yankee. Things go from bad to worse and she’s afraid she’ll never get back to Boston, at least with her reputation intact, especially when good ol’ Southern boy Jack Blair shows up on the opposite side of the divorce court, making her wonder if the man is going after her mother in the proceedings, or her given the pesky little fact that she left him three years earlier.

Her trip home challenges Carlisle’s sense of who she really is and forces her to face the secrets her family has tried to keep, well, secret. Funny and smart, poignant and true, THE EX-DEBUTANTE is a story about the risks one woman must take if she stands a chance of finding herself, real love, and her place in that crazy thing we call family. -- st. martins press

When I was contacted by Authors on the Web about possible reading the EX-DEBUTANTE by Linda Francis Lee, I thought it looked like a fun, light read. The book was actually perfect for the mood I've been in lately. I wanted to read something that didn't require any heavy thinking, especially after reading a book about the Holocaust and being stuck home with a sick kid. This book hit the spot -- I was thoroughly entertained!

I loved the character of Carlisle; and I thought she was hilarious, especially in her exchanges with Jack. Ms. Francis Lee did a wonderful job of describing the sexual tension between them. I can so see this book as a movie (On a side note: Ms. Francis Lee's first novel THE DEVIL IN THE JUNIOR LEAGUE has been optioned by Universal Studios, and Jennifer Garner has signed on the star in and produce it.) I also enjoyed the disfunctional family interactions between Carlisle and her mother and sister.

Even though I consider this book to be a light read, THE EX-DEBUTANTE actually did have a few good life lessons within its pages. Although there were plenty of examples of awful female behavior, most of the characters redeemed themselves by the end of the novel. I especially enjoyed seeing the growth of Carlise. Even though she was close to 30 and thought she was on the right track with her life, she still was able to figure out a lot about herself (and her relationship with her mother) in this book.

I got a lot of laughs from Linda Francis Lee's website. Included in THE EX-DEBUTANTE section is a Letter from Carlisle to the Reader, Instructions for How to Dance, Helpful Hints for Debutantes and lots of other fun things. I also read about Ms. Francis Lee's other books, and I definitely think I'm going to read THE DEVIL IN THE JUNIOR LEAGUE (which is now out in paperback.)

This book would make a great summer or vacation read. If your book club is looking for something a little lighter for the summer months, I suggest giving THE EX-DEBUTANTE a try. There are actually quite a few things to talk about such as family relations, love and finding one's true self; and there is even a reading guide available. It may not be a "traditional" book club selection, but I'm pretty sure that it will be an entertaining one.

Also reviewed at:
Books and Cooks
Beastmomma

Happy Mother's Day to Me (and All of You)

While I have to say that my wonderful husband and kids are truly the best gift I could ask for, Hachette Book Group USA did a pretty good job of coming close. A few days ago, the UPS man delivered a big box of books to me -- inside were 13 books geared towards moms!

Hatchette's Mother’s Day Book Package included:

1. SUNDAY AT TIFFANY'S by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
2. YOUR BEST LIFE NOW FOR MOMS by Joel Osteen
3. KIM CATTRELL SEXUAL INTELLIGENCE by Kim Cattrell
4. SEW U HOME STRETCH: THE BUILT BY WENDY GUIDE TO SEWING KNIT FABRICS by Wendy Mullin with Eviana Hartman
5. JEWELS: 50 PHENOMENAL BLACK WOMEN OVER 50 by Michael Cunningham and Connie Briscoe
6. ON BECOMING FEARLESS: ...IN LOVE, WORK, AND LIFE by Arianna Huffington
7. SIMPLE ABUNDANCE: A DAYBOOK OF COMFORT AND JOY by Sarah Ban Breathnach
8. STARTING YOUR DAY RIGHT: DEVOTIONS FOR EACH MORNING OF THE YEAR by Joyce Meyer
9. ENDING YOUR DAY RIGHT: DEVOTIONS FOR EACH EVENING OF THE YEAR by Joyce Meyer
10. I LIKE YOU: HOSPITALITY UNDER THE INFLUENCE by Amy Sedaris
11. SEND YOURSELF ROSES: THOUGHTS ON MY LIFE, LOVE, AND LEADING ROLES by Kathleen Turner
12. DAYS FROM THE HEART OF THE HOME by Susan Branch
13. HEART OF THE HOME: NOTES FROM A VINEYARD KITCHEN by Susan Branch

I believe that being a mother is one of the most important things a woman can do with her life. Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!

Review: Matrimony

Summary: From the moment he was born, Julian Wainwright has lived a life of Waspy privilege. The son of a Yale-educated investment banker, he grew up in a huge apartment on Sutton Place, high above the East River, and attended a tony Manhattan private school. Yet, more than anything, he wants to get out–out from under his parents’ influence, off to Graymont College, in western Massachusetts, where he hopes to become a writer.

When he arrives, in the fall of 1986, Julian meets Carter Heinz, a scholarship student from California with whom he develops a strong but ambivalent friendship. Carter’s mother, desperate to save money for his college education, used to buy him reversible clothing, figuring she was getting two items for the price of one. Now, spending time with Julian, Carter seethes with resentment. He swears he will grow up to be wealthy–wealthier, even, than Julian himself.

Then, one day, flipping through the college facebook, Julian and Carter see a photo of Mia Mendelsohn. Mia from Montreal, they call her. Beautiful, Jewish, the daughter of a physics professor at McGill, Mia is–Julian and Carter agree–dreamy, urbane, stylish, refined.
But Julian gets to Mia first, meeting her by chance in the college laundry room. Soon they begin a love affair that–spurred on by family tragedy–will carry them to graduation and beyond, taking them through several college towns, over the next ten years. Then Carter reappears, working for an Internet company in California, and he throws everyone’s life into turmoil: Julian’s, Mia’s, his own.

Starting at the height of the Reagan era and ending in the new millennium, Matrimony is about love and friendship, about money and ambition, desire and tensions of faith. It asks what happens to a marriage when it is confronted by betrayal and the specter of mortality. What happens when people marry younger than they’d expected? Can love endure the passing of time?

In its emotional honesty, its luminous prose, its generosity and wry wit, Matrimony is a beautifully detailed portrait of what it means to share a life with someone–to do it when you’re young, and to try to do it afresh on the brink of middle age. -- Pantheon Books

I'll admit that I was a little afraid to read MATRIMONY. The author, Joshua Henkin, offered to drive 2 hours each way to visit my book club. While I am extremely excited to have this incredible opportunity, I am also really worried that I wouldn't "love" the book. For the past few months, I kept telling myself that it was a New York Times Notable Book -- and that has to mean something. Thank goodness that I really did enjoy the book. (Now, I can move on to worrying about the discussion!)

MATRIMONY was a beautifully written book. Joshua Henkin is truly a gifted writer. I am a little in awe of his writing style and the way he develops the characters. The story was heavily character driven (as opposed to plot driven), and some readers might have a little problem with that if they are looking for a lot of action. After reading this book, I felt like the characters were very real. I know that they will remain in my thoughts for quite awhile. I definitely think that's what Mr. Henkin set out to do with this novel. He hints at the importance of character development within the pages of MATRIMONY, "He had nothing against muscular prose; it was the flexing of those muscles that he objected to, and, along with it, a disregard for character, which, for him, was what fiction was about."

I have to wonder how much of the book was autobiographical in nature. Like the character of Julian , Mr. Henkin is also a writer and writing professor. In addition, he also lived in many of the same places as the characters in the book. Julian took quite awhile to write his novel -- Mr. Henkin took 10 years to write MATRIMONY. One quote from the book that might explain all of the similarities is, "...you should write what you know about what you don't know or what you don't know about what you know. Keep it close enough to home that your heart is in it but far enough away that the imagination can take over." I am dying to ask Mr. Henkin if this is his advice for his students.

MATRIMONY touches upon so many issues that we all face everyday -- there is just so much to talk about after reading this book. For the past few days, I have been seriously thinking about how the book addresses marriage (of course), divorce, friendships, betrayal, competition, parenthood, and parent-child relationships; and that's just a few. I believe that one indication of a great book is whether the reader thinks about it after they finish. If that is the case, MATRIMONY was a pretty terrific read to me.

I think every reader that reads MATRIMONY will take away something different -- something that is meaningful to them. Needless to say, I walked away with quite a bit! Like the characters in the book, I got married relatively young. When I look back, I have to wonder how well you can really know someone in your early 20s. I also enjoyed seeing how some of the characters changed as they got older. I liked seeing how marriage is about ebbs and flows -- there will be times that you grow closer and times that you grow apart -- but a marriage can become stronger throughout difficult times. This is only a few of things that I got from this book, but I don't want to bore you with all of the issues floating through my head right now!

I strongly suggest choosing MATRIMONY for a future book club discussion. Even if all of the members aren't as passionate about the book as I am, there will still be a lot to discuss. If you group is similar to mine and likes to have questions to steer the discussion, there is an excellent reading guide here.

I look forward to writing another post about MATRIMONY and Joshua Henkin after our book club meeting on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed that I won't say anything dumb!

Also reviewed at:
Books on the Brain
Care's Online Book Club
Book Addiction
The Hidden Side of a Leaf
The Inside Cover
Book Club Classics
Age 30 - A Year in Books
Blue Archipelago