The Forgiven by Lawrence Osborne

I am reading too many books in too few days.....but I am loving it! Sometimes I forget the last one that I read.
Just finished The Forgiven by Lawrence Osborne, who has been compared to a young McEwan (who I just finished).
This book is disturbing, and a fast read. Pick it up at any spot and read about some pretty nasty people. But they are interesting characters. And the plot moves quickly.
A couple, Jo and David, are in Morocco on their way to a "party" held by their friends, Dally and Richard (a gay couple who hold these lavish weekends each year).  The juxtaposition of the cultures (upper class white vs lower class Muslims) is stark and real.  On their way, David, who is often under the influence, hits a young Moroccan boy with his car and kills him. He and his wife are a bit disturbed, but just pick up the body, put it in the back of the car, and proceed to their friends' estate.
Once there they tell the story about  how this young man simply appeared before them, hawking his fossils and they were blinded by the sandstorm, and hit him.
There are various themes afloat here: clash of worlds/cultures, cultural misunderstandings, broken marriage, greed, opulence, over indulgence, deceit, and  more.
The ending is very surprising and I won't give it away, but the title of the book does say a alot about what this book is about....until the end.

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

What a clever and engaging read! The only other McEwan novel that I read was Atonement, which I LOVED, but his last novel (Solar), was not for me.
This novel engaged me from the start - not so much that I loved the characters, but the writing was easy and fast and the storyline interesting.
After I read the book, I did some research and learned that the writer in the book, Tom Haley, has similarities to McEwan as a young writer.
There is a lot  of the "story within the story" in this book and at the end it comes together quite skillfully, I thought.

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

This book tells the story of a disfunctional Jewish family living in the suburbs surrounding Chicago in the mid 70's.  Edie is the main focus of the novel; she is an overweight, diabetic woman who has such a love of food that she lets it compromise her marriage, relationships with her children and friends. She is smart and talented but somehow loses her husband and her job because of this obsession with food. And speaking of food, it certainly holds a very central place in this funny, but disturbing novel. It's satirical and smart and a quick read.
There were not really any sympathetic characters in this novel - at least for me. But I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it.

San Miguel by TC Boyle

San Miguel is an island off of the coast of Santa Barbara in California. It's part of the Channel Islands. Last year when we drove down the coast from SF to SD, we passed by and my husband told me about these islands.  Boyle's novel takes place on San Miguel, a stark, barren island, where Marantha Waters, suffering from tuberculosis is brought by her husband in 1888. He seeks a simpler life, raising sheep, and cleaner air for her to breathe. That promise proves to be folly.  The house is dank, dark and overrun by mice. Their adopted daughter, Edith, hates her life on the island (she was forced to leave school to come to this place) and tries hard to escape. When Marantha dies, the second part of the book tells Edith's harrowing story and her father's attempt to keep her captive on the island.
The third part of the book jumps ahead to 1930 and tells the story of a couple, Elise and Herbie Lester, who move to the island looking for a simpler life.  They have two daughters and  a pretty idyllic life until world events change their life on the island.
I enjoyed reading this book; it was quite different from the other Boyle novels that I have read. His descriptions of the island really give the reader a sense of what San Miguel felt like for these very different characters.

The Innocents by Francesca Segal

I just happened upon this book at the Library; it was not on my "Want to Read" list but I saw it on the 7  Day Shelf - those are the "popular" reads that are only available for a week and with a stiff penalty of $1.00 per day if they are late.  I didn't take it from that shelf; it was also on the 2 week shelf. I was intrigued, read the cover notes and took it home. Glad I did! It's refreshing to read a book that you have never heard of and know nothing about.
Apparently, it's the modern day equivalent of Edith Wharton's "Age of Innocence" and I truthfully think I never read that. Both books are social commentary on upper class folks. In this book, the people are upper class London Jews. And it's a story of scandal in their ranks.
Adam and Rachel are childhood sweethearts about to be married. Adam has lost his father in his youth, but Rachel's father embraces him as his own son and takes him into the family business as well.  Rachel is the perfect girlfriend, daughter and soon to be wife. All seems copasetic until Ellie, Rachel's beautiful and "wild" cousin comes to town.  That's all I'll say about the plot.
The writing is good, the story engaging and the struggles the main character, Adam, face are real and handled well.
I enjoyed this read!

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarity

I read about this novel in the summer and put it on my "Want to Read" list and then couldn't ever find it in the library. I finally did, right before our major storm, Hurricane Sandy.
I was so glad to have such a delightful and interesting book to read at such a lousy time!
I really didn't know much about Louise Brooks and this made me miss my mom so much! As a real "groupie" of movies and stars of that era, she would have given me her perspective and personal anecdotes.  :-(
Anyway, the more interesting character for me in this book is the chaperone, herself, Cora, who accompanies the 15 year old Louise to New York City to study dance at the Denishawn Dance Company (I didn't know that some of these people were "real" until I finished the book and did some research!)
The book covers so many interesting topics, from the "Orphan Trains" that took children to homes in the midwest, homosexuality (so taboo at that period in history), sexuality, sexual abuse, women's rights, suffragist movement, Prohibition, flappers, Ku Klux Klan, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and on and on.
And since the book spans so many years, societal change is documented through the eyes of Cora, a sensitive yet strong woman. Cora's story was much more interesting to me that that of Louise Brooks; she was an orphan on one of those trains, and found herself in Kansas after a childhood in a NYC orphanage. Her life has been good, but quite challenging. (A real surprise involves her husband, but I won't give that away!)
I am not giving anything else away; just get this book and read it!

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

This is only the second Geraldine Brooks novel that I have read, but she quickly became a favorite after I read March.
The book documents the year (1666) in the life of a village in England (Eyam, Derbyshire) as it is under siege by the Bubonic Plague. The central character, Anna, an 18 year old widow and mother of two sons, takes in a boarder to help with her finances.  He turns out to be the carrier of the disease that then wracks the entire village.  Anna loses her sons and more than half the village is wiped out. The local rector convinces the villagers to close out the village to anyone and live a quarantined life in order to spare neighboring villages and beyond. This plan proves successful, but divides the village, causing neighbors to accuse, kill, and shun others. The books deals with herbal medicine as a means to alleviate or irradiate the disease. Anna herself gets involved with helping others along with the rector's wife.
Brooks is an amazing documentary writer.  Her descriptive language is rich and moving. She was a journalist and covered the Middle East for the Wall Street Journal.

The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli

I was so excited to get this book, the second by this author. The first, "The Lotus Eaters," was certainly one of the more memorable books that I have read in the past few years.
And this book did not disappoint! (But I did like the first one a bit more.)
This book conveys some tragic stories that touch the life of Claire Baumsarg, a woman living and tending to a large citrus farm in California. The beginning of the novel quickly sets the stage for tragedy and drama, when Claire and Forster, her husband, and daughters Gwen and Lucy, lose their son and brother in a botched kidnapping attempt.  While the rest of the family wants to abandon the farm, Claire can't leave and this results in her divorce and somewhat of an estrangement from her daughters.
Fifteen years later when she contracts breast cancer, she hires Minna, a strange and mysterious young woman, to care for her.  What ensues is mystifying, captivating and engrossing.
Toward the end, I lost patience with Claire, but when the story shifts from the point of view of Claire to the first person narrative of Minna (Marie), the story makes more sense.
Soli is a talented author. I am ready for her next novel!

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead

What a fabulous book as an end to summer reading! This novel takes place on an island that is not called Nantucket, but clearly IS Nantucket. There is a big wedding to take place on the weekend that the novel occurs and the bridal party and relatives are in place, ready for the big event.
Most of the novel is told from the point of view of the father of the bride, Winn Van Meter, who is not quite 60 and is marrying off his oldest daughter....he is the father of three daughters, which was clearly a problem for him philosophically. He was SUPPOSED to drop his SON off at Harvard...not a daughter.
Winn is such a wonderfully drawn character...or caricature... of the social climbing, blue blood WASP who wants to be in the best club, and has the "old money" house and has sons to rear. He lusts after one of the members of the bridal party and she is equally lusting for him. I found it hard to believe that this novel was written by a 28 year old female; she has such a great sense of Winn. She must have known someone very much like him to tell this story from his point of view...and do it so well!
This is such a fun book to read, but also so well written. A great social satire that will have you laughing and thinking.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

This book won the Man Booker Award and I understand why. It's a very thoughtful and intellectually challenging read. Lots of musings on life and relationships, friendships and remorse.
I was definitely challenged by the end of the book and bit confused.
This is a very short review, but in two short words....."Read it!"
(You will be challenged intellectually and rewarded with a great and intriguing story.)

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I waited quite a while for this book. I read the review in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/books/gone-girl-by-gillian-flynn.html) and was really excited to read it. And I was not disappointed. It was a psychological thriller that has twists and turns in each and every chapter. And some of them are short!
Her writing is really amazing. Ms. Flynn is a gifted writer.  On the one hand, I wanted to race through the book to follow the intrigue and drama; on the other hand, I wanted to savor her writing and her deep probing into the minds of these characters. The book is written in the first person from the point of view of the two protagonists: Amy and Nick. They are a married couple who are "celebrating" their fifth anniversary at the opening of the book. But that same day, Amy disappears. I don't want to give anything away, but will say that both of the characters have dark sides that are revealed slowly over time, so that the characters that you meet in the first 50 pages are very different people than those described on the following pages.
I raced through this book in just a couple days, which I am sure is the case with many of the readers.
What will hold me like this book next? It's a tough act to follow!

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

Jeffrey Archer is a great storyteller. I still recall reading As the Crow Flies quite a while ago and remember it as a book you just want to read and read until you get to the end. His storytelling is fantastic. I read more than half of the book today because I couldn't wait to finish it.
I certainly don't think it's great literature, but it is good storytelling. There are cliches galore, but they didn't really bother me. It was an easy read....I could read it at the gym, in the car, just about anywhere. I didn't have to THINK much when reading it. That is usually a problem for me; I set my standards too high. But once in a while you need this kind of reading and writing. And now I have done two of them in quick succession (The Shoemaker's Wife)!

Archer tells family stories....at least that is my sense of his writing.  In this book he tells the tale of Arthur Clifton, son of a dockworker (or aristocrat - his mother having had a one night stand shortly before her marriage to Arthur's father).
The paternity issue is the major plot element in the book. There are secrets galore, plot twists and a real zinger at the end that leaves you really wanting to get the next book in the series. And yes, I will undoubtedly fall for it and reserve it at the Library. (I would NOT purchase the book.)
Some of the characters are cliche and stereotypes, but I put up with all of it because I liked the fact that I was really involved in good storytelling!

The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger

First off, I LOVE the cover of this book. You see the image here. It is simple, straightforward and doesn't classify this book as "chick lit."  And it's not!

It's a story of a Bangladeshi woman, Amina who at age 24 moves to Rochester, NY to marry George, a civil engineer, who she met online.

This marriage offers a chance for a new life for both of them. But the complications of marriage and emotion challenge the relationship.

Amina's parents are one challenge. They live in Bangladesh and have major family issues to deal with. Cultural differences play a major part in this book and that is one reason why it is so engaging. George and Amina come from such different families and places; their union is challenged before it even begins. It is "understood" that Amina's parents will come and live with them in their house in Rochester once the marriage is complete and her citizenship in place. That is simply "the way" that Deshi families live. But not so with American families!

The family stories here are rich and varied; both the American and Deshi families are described in depth, giving the reader an insight into life in the two very different life styles.

September 11 figures in the story but only indirectly; I was surprised, actually, that it was not a bigger part of the rift between Amina and George.

In summary, this was a great novel and I would highly recommend it.

The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiana

This was just the book I needed the week that school ended for students and teachers .... an entertaining, engaging family saga  that really constitutes "summer reading." I enjoyed reading it and found myself wanting to pick it up at all times of the day.
The story starts in Northern Italy, with two brothers being dropped off at a convent by their mother, recently widowed, because she can't take care of them herself.  They are raised by the nuns and are "good boys" but very different. One ends up in the priesthood, while the other moves to America at the turn of the century, to find his fortune (and following in the path of his lost father, who moved to America to earn money for the family, back in Italy). 

I learned later that this story was written as an homage to the author's grandparents, who met much the same way that the two main protagonists, Enza and Ciro, meet in the book.
Although the book does resort to some conventions and is predictable in many ways, I am not complaining at all. It's well written, the characters are well developed, and it weaves fact and fiction in an interesting manner.  I really do love novels that explore immigrants' experience in America and this was a version I had not read before. I have read so many about Jewish families coming to American to escape persecution, Irish families coming to escape poverty, Indian families coming for a better life...but I hadn't experienced the Italian family saga before...at least I can't recall a novel like this.

A Partial History of Lost Causes by Jennifer DuBois

I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. First off, the Russian theme. And second....the writing.
I will admit that somewhere near the second third, I lost some momentum, but that was more a result of work than the book itself.
This novel tells the story of Irina, a young woman who is a university lecturer in Massachusetts. She has seen her father die from Huntington’s disease, and genetic testing has told her she is likely to meet the same fate. While cleaning out her father’s study, she finds a letter to a Russian chess champion named Aleksandr Bezetov. Her father wants to know how can you play a game when you know it is lost from the start? Unfortunately, Aleksandr never replied. So Irina, after having broken up with her boyfriend Jonathan, decides to go to St. Petersburg to find Alexandr and the answer to the question.
The journey is not quite what she expected.
The novel deals with Russian politics and is full of philosophical musings on life and death.
I really enjoyed it and feel that the author is someone to watch.

Home by Toni Morrison

This is short book - a novella really - that tells the story of Frank Money, a Korean  War veteran who is suffering from what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But it didn't have a name back then, and it was particularly hard to return home as a black veteran, with racial discrimination still rampant.

Frank's story is told with pathos, but brevity. I had a hard time getting into the main character, actually, but was much more involved in the character of Cee, his sister.

She plays a pivotal role in the book as it opens with the two of them, as children, witnessing a lynching.

What Frank witnesses in Korea is equally disturbing, and he returns home to a psychiatric ward with images that haunt him and remind him of what he has experienced.....he is actually a bit delusional about his war experiences.

This is a short read, and a good one. Morrison's prose is impeccable.

Brother and Sister by Joanna Trollope

Trollope is the author of seventeen novels and I believe this is the first I have read....at least I don't recall reading any others. I enjoyed the book a lot and like her writing which is thoughtful, but easy to read.
The novel tells the story of Nathalie and David, two siblings who were both adopted by the same parents. They are in their mid to late thirties and have never sought to find their birth mother, until now. Nathalie, the mother of a five year old, Polly, who is about to have minor surgery, begins to wonder about her birth mother because the surgery raises questions about her daughter's genetic make-up.
Nathalie and David have a strong bond even though they are not blood related. Their relationship is complex and causes some problems with their spouses; they tend to go to each other for "deep" issues and problems.
As a matter of fact, Nathalie first tells David that she is going to look for her birth mother before even telling her common law husband, Steve.  She even insists that David look for his birth mother, too.
The issues that are raised were very interesting to me and quite compelling. If one is not adopted, it's not a topic that would necessarily cross one's mind. But this novel was quite realistic in dealing with the issues - the loyalties, insecurities, doubt.
It was an engaging read and I am going to read more Trollope novels, I am sure.

"Talking to the Dead" by Helen Dunmore

This was a very interesting book. Dunmore is a great writer. Very literary, but also interesting plots. The story takes place in Cornwall. Nina, an artist and photographer, is called to attend to her sister, Isabelle, who has just had her first child. After a very difficult labor, Isabelle had to have a hysterectomy. She is recuperating, and while there is a full time woman helping her, Richard, Isabel's husband, calls Nina to come and help out and spend time with her sister.
Isabelle is a great friend to two men, gay partners, who spend lots of time at her bedside. This allows Nina to find time alone, and to connect to Richard....in a very illicit manner!
What unfolds is the story of two sisters who are so different, but tied together by a family secret that comes out.
The writing is really quite beautiful. This is my second Dunmore novel and not my last!

The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler

When I found this skinny book (just under 200 pages) on the "one week shelf" at my local library, I grabbed it because Anne Tyler is a favorite author. And I read it in just a few days. And I enjoyed it, but it was NOT her best work of fiction.
The story is told from the point of view of Aaron, a man recently widowed, and recounts his reaction to his wife's untimely and unexpected death.
She is a physician; he is an editor for his family's vanity press. They meet when he is doing research for a book the firm is publishing. Aaron suffers from a handicap resulting from a childhood virus.  He and Dorothy seem an odd match on first account, but they actually are pretty well suited to each other.
After her death, Aaron tried to remain in their home (where she was killed by a tree falling through the roof!), but eventually has to move in with his sister, Nandina.  He hires a contractor to do the repairs, but never visits the house after moving in with his sister. At least not until she starts dating the contractor, Gil, and Aaron is uneasy in the house with them.
The odd but touching part of the book are the scenes in which Dorothy comes back to visit and chat with Aaron. The reader knows that the conversations that take place between the couple are really just conversations between Aaron and himself, trying to cope with his loss and the unfinished business between the couple.
The story did touch me, even though it was a bit simple and predictable. But I enjoyed the ending - and I won't give it away!

The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard

What I really liked about this book was the writing and way the author, a woman, told the story from the point of view of a group of males. When the novel opens, they are in high school, and they are gawky, awkward, typical teenage boys who talk about, and sometimes, lust over the girls they know. The setting of the book is not well defined, excepting to infer that it's a suburban community, probably upper middle class, since most of the boys go to private school.
The story revolves around the disappearance of one of the girls, Nora Lindell. On Halloween, she simply disappears and never returns home. And the mystery of her is never resolved in the book. But, in a very interesting fashion, several different versions of her disappearnce are told, and as you are reading these, they become very real.
Nora becomes the symbol of the loss of innocence for these young people. Once she is gone, their youth is never the same.  They spend so much time speculating on what happened to Nora, that they never really look at themselves and what they want of their life. The novel jumps back and forth in time and covers the span of about 25 years. At the end, the boys are in their mid forties, with wives and children of their own. But they still have this one tie that binds them: their obsession with Nora Lindell and what became of her.
Although at times there were too many voices in the collective "we" that this novel speaks through, I really enjoyed the writing and look forward to more from this young writer. This was Hannah Pittard's first novel.

Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison

How is it that my last post was so long ago? Did I miss a book? Probably.

Well, I so looked forward to reading Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison. And I did enjoy it but it did not meet my expectations.

Being a Russian major, maybe I knew too much. But I wanted more drama, more intrique, more mystery.

I didn't know that Rasputin had a daughter who lived to emigrate to the united states.  Nor did I know that she became a horseback performer in the US.

Are these things true?

State of Wonder by Anne Patchett

What a remarkable book!
Ann Patchett's new novel, State of Wonder, tells the story of Marina Singh, a pharmacologist whose company sends her to the  Amazon jungle to look into the supposed death of her colleague, Anders Eckman. He had been sent to the Amazon to bring back news of Dr. Annick Swenson, who, in the company's employ was developing a miracle fertility drug. Dr. Swenson had become uncommunicative about  the progress of her study and her whereabouts. Unfortunately, Enders never returned to tell the story.
Marina is sent by her boss (who is also her lover), Mr. Fox, to get answers. She is quite perturbed by this, as she was once Dr. Swenson's obstetrical medical student and performed a cesearean section that caused a baby to be disfigured. She resigned from that field after and went into pharmacology
What she encounters in Brazil is beyond anything she could imagine. And the crux of Dr. Swenson's research turns out to be quite different from what anyone up north is aware of. 
There are so many issues beneath the surface here, most notably the struggle between preserving the habitat of the indigenous people who harbor this miraculous "drug" and sharing that miracle with the rest of the world who could benefit greatly from its healing power.
Don't miss this book. It's really a treasure.

The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

I hadn't read about this book but when I found it in the Library, I immediately took it out. I recall reading The Gathering by the same author and recall liking it. And, it won the Man Booker Prize a few years back.
So I was not at all disappointed in this new book by the same author. I read it in just a day and a half! It was short, but also very readable, interesting and full of interesting characters. The author got the reader involved and thinking about marriage, infidelity, and family. Even though most of the characters were not particularly sympathetic,  the story was quick-paced and kept the reader involved. And then there's Evie, the child who quite silently, inhabits every scene.

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

I expected (and wanted to) love this book. It has all the right elements: Russia, mystery, romance, political intrigue, Stalinist USSR background, ballet. I thought I would LOVE it. But somehow, I just didn't care much for the characters. The only one I really liked much was Grigory. And I wanted to really care what happened in the end; how were Nina and Grigory connected? But I just didn't get absorbed in the story.
Nina, the main character, in her old age, seems bitter, angry and withdrawn. I suppose that because of what she endured in Soviet Russia under Stalin, she deserves to be that way. Plus, the added burden she must endure having been a prima ballerina most of her life has made her body ache and throb, and she is confined to a wheelchair most of the time. But I just wanted to like her more and I just couldn't. Even as a young woman, I didn't find her character particularly sympathetic.
Her friend Vera, was the more sympathetic character for me. Her parents "disappeared" suddenly one day and she was pretty much an orphan for her whole life. Nina's mother takes a special interest in her, understandably, but Nina's jealousy of that situation didn't seem right to me, somehow.
Anyway, Grigory, the university professor, was the most real and sympathetic character, at least for me.
The ending? I was not even that interested to find out how these characters were connected.
PostScript: Just found this blog post and it's making me rethink my review.... or making me want to pick up the book again and try all over.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

I can't say that I wasn't engrossed in this book. It's a fast read and I read it in a couple days. I did enjoy it, even though it was a bit cliche in parts.

The novel is told from the point of view of Enzo, a dog, who is loyal, smart and very insightful. Even though I have never had a dog, I could relate to my friends who do and who cherish their dogs and think of them as human. There was so much to love about Enzo in this story.
His owner, Denny, encounters all kinds of bad luck that seems to keep piling up. But as a race car driver, he always keeps his eyes ahead and on the road. The book is a bit preachy in that regard but the message is good. I can see this being a really good book for high schoolers. It's a fast read, holds your attention, and has a message. The art of racing in the rain is a metaphor on how to lead your life, staying in focus.
So, I will recommend it - not as a great work of literature, but for providing an interesting twist to a story of a family struggling through hard times - and surviving!

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

I had my stab at Murakami a few years ago when I read (did I finish?) "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle." I was reading it voraciously on the plane to Paris when one of the flight attendants interrupted me to ask "Did I love it?" I answered in the affirmative, but if he had asked me a few hundred pages further into the book, would I have answered the same? I am not sure.
It seems like Murakami has a following, a cult, like Harry Potter or Stephen King fans, albeit of very different genre! Look at the popularity of his new novel right now. It's a staggering 900+ pages. That is an immediate turn off for me, but people are gobbling it up.
So, when the movie version of "Norwegian Wood" came out and I ran into this short paperback in Barnes and Noble, I picked it up. And I finished it. And I enjoyed reading it, even if it was rather depressing. But at the heart, there was the hint that the main character, Watanabe, might find happiness with Midori.
The female characters in Murakami's books are disturbing. They prey on and tortue the male protagonist in a very subtle way; you never know if they are victims or predators.
Needless to say, Murakami is an interesting writer: thoughtful, mysterious and spiritual. But I am not sure when I will try another one of his books. Probably not while I am still working. Need more reading time to delve into his newest, "1Q84."

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Eugenides wrote one of my VERY FAVORITE contemporary novels, "Middlesex." It did win the Pulitzer Prize. And I DID love the book. And not for its topic: hermaphroditism. But for the story, the saga of a family coming to America and all of the rich and captivating stories that follow.
So, I was so excited when  Eugenides' new novel was released. And I did enjoy this book. Not as much as "Middlesex," but I did like it. The book's title comes from the fact that the main character, Madeleine Hanna, is writing her senior thesis about Jane Austen, George Elliot and other classic authors who write about courtship and marriage and "happily ever after." But "the marriage plot" no longer exists in contemporary life and literature; it's the age of prenuptuals, divorce, living together, gay marriage and more. The courtships written about in those novels of yesterday are no longer relevant, except to Madeleine.
So the story unfolds in similar fashion to these classic novels, with Madeleine being courted by two men vying for her love and attention. But these men are so different from the ones we read about in Austen and the like. One of them, Leonard, battles mental illness, while the other, Mitchell, grapples with finding himself.
Who will Madeleine end up with? Which one will she marry? I won't tell, but will invite you to read it and enjoy the contemporary twist to the classic romance novels of the nineteenth century.

The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer

This is quite an epic novel: about 600 pages and spanning nearly a decade. It is a "holocaust novel," but a different one, at least for me. The story opens in the late 30's in Hungary. Young Andras, a Jewish student in Budapest, has the opportunity to travel and study in Paris. He is to be an architect. His brother, Tibor, is studying medicine, and his younger brother, Matyas, is still in school, but not much of a student.
The beginning of the book, dealing with Andras' life in Paris is satisfying for him.  We get glimpses into the terror that is starting to overcome Europe, but for the most part, Andras has a full and successful life as a student in Paris.
As time passes, things become more and more difficult for Andras; his scholarship is revoked because he is Jewish; he eventually has to return to Budapest to renew his visa, but he is never to return to Paris.
In Paris, Andras meets Klara through a chance encounter before he left for Paris. Although she is older and has a teenage daughter, they manage to forge a strong relationship and end up married with two children.
I really appreciated the way the author told this story; the backdrop of politics tempering every aspect. Even though we all know the story of the Holocaust, every individual story is unique and captivating.

I