Isola by Allegra Goodman

This was quite a book and based on a true story! I heard about it and immediately knew I had to read it. I am a fan of Allegra Goodman, too. This was quite a different book for her. This is the entry on Amazon for this compelling novel!

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. That journey takes a unexpected turn when Marguerite, accused of betrayal, is brutally punished and abandoned on a small island.

Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.

Rental House by Weike Wang

 

I am a fan of Weike Wang, but this was not my favorite book by this author. Perhaps the timing of when I read this was off. I did enjoy it and I love her witty style of writing. But I guess I just didn't like the main female character, Keru, as much as I would have liked to.

A couple rents a house and invites their families to visit: one at a time however. Here is a good summary of what happens between THEM

For Keru and Nate, the vacation home is supposed to be a place for relaxation, an escape from the mundane stresses of life; but it presses them up against their problems without the escape of work. The two see each other laid bare, rife with neuroses, disappointments, insecurities — and only then do they see what exactly it is that holds them close.