The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

Two spectacular reads in a row! What can I read next that will even come close to this book and the one I finished last week, "The Goldfinch!"  They are very different books, but both captivated me!

This novel follows the fortunes an extraordinary woman, Alma Whittaker, daughter to the enterprising Henry Whittaker, who is a poor-born Englishman who eventually becomes the richest man in Philadelphia. The family's involvement in botany and what we know today as herbal medicine, brings them their wealth. The story deals with botany, spiritualism, illustration, and sexual desire. Alma is an amazing character - one the reader will not forget!

From the Westchester Library System review:

Alma has the benefit of wealth and books, spending hours learning Latin and Greek and studying the natural world. But her plain appearance and erudition seem to foretell a lonely life until she meets gifted artist Ambrose Pike. Their intense intellectual connection results in marriage, but Ambrose's deep but unorthodox spiritual beliefs prevent them from truly connecting. Alma, who has never traveled out of Philadelphia, embarks on an odyssey that takes her from Tahiti to Holland, during which she learns much about the ways of the world and her own complicated nature. Gilbert, in supreme command of her material, effortlessly invokes the questing spirit of the nineteenth century, when amateur explorers, naturalists, and enthusiasts were making major contributions to progress. Beautifully written and imbued with a reverence for science and for learning, this is a must-read.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

This book was just named one the ten best books of 2013 by the New York Times! I just finished it a few days ago, and I must say, I did love it!
Here is what they say about it:

Tartt’s intoxicating third novel, after “The Secret History” and “The Little Friend,” follows the travails of Theo Decker, who emerges from a terrorist bombing motherless but in possession of a prized Dutch painting. Like the best of Dickens, the novel is packed with incident and populated with vivid characters. At its heart is the unwavering belief that come what may, art can save us by lifting us above ourselves.

Since this book revolves around art, and a 17th century Dutch painting at that (one of my favorite genres), I was bound to love this book. The story pulls you in from the first pages with a compelling event and then gets deep into the characters, especially that of Theo. In many ways, you will be reminded of Holden Caulfield.

Also of great interest to me was the "Russian Connection."  Theo befriends Boris, quite a character himself.

I really did love this book. I want to go back and read The Secret History and the other Tartt novel I never did read.

We have to wait another decade for another book by her??? 

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Loved this book. It starts out in a small town in Italy in 1962 and a young innkeeper, Pasquale Tursi sees an approaching boat, carrying a beautiful woman, Dee. She is an American movie star, in Italy and part of the cast of the movie, Cleopatra. He falls instantly in love and that carries the book back and forth in time, ending in the present day in Idaho.
There are lots of intersecting stories here, all involving the same cast of characters over time. Walter combines his fictional characters with "real" people, including Richard Burton, who is the father of one of the fictional characters.  The story keeps the interest of the reader throughout, going back and forth in time, relating the different characters to each other. He also includes some other fictional works within his own novel: the first chapter of an unfinished novel by an American who comes to Tursi's hotel once a  year to write, but never seems to make any progress beyond that first chapter. And there's the beginning of a screenplay written by Shane, an aspiring writer who wants to have his story based on the Donner story turned into a screenplay.
The book is funny and satirical, and also touching.  I really enjoyed reading this and will pick up others by Jess Walter, now that I have been exposed to him as a writer.

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

This outstanding book, by one of my favorite authors, is a tale of two brothers, very different, and the different paths their lives take. One life ends very early...but another life takes root in the form of an offspring. The surviving brother takes on the responsibility of the widow and her child.
The writing is elegant and rich, as are the characters. Read this .... you will not be sorry!

Sisterland by Curtin Sittenfeld

I just love this author..... An American Wife was so engrossing.... and so is this book! It is the tale of two identical twins, Kate and Violet (Vi) who have "psychic abilities," although Kate is not really into it anymore. She has worked hard to mask her "sixth sense" by transforming herself into an ordinary wife to loving, even-keeled husband Jeremy and mother of two adorable kids, but she has enormous insecurities. Kate and Jeremy's neighbors are Courtney (who is also Jeremy's colleague) and her stay-at-home husband Hank, who is Kate's best friend. Vi is an exuberant, self-centered self-promoter who gives psychic readings for a living. When an earthquake rattles St. Louis in September 2009, Vi's prediction that a much bigger one is on the way gains national traction, setting off a media circus and geographic panic. As well, Kate's reluctant, growing involvement in Vi's life leads to a shocking, seismic disruption on her home front.

Help for the Haunted by John Searles

This book was recommended to me and I am glad that I took the plunge....it's not a book I would normally pick up.  It deals with demonology and has a "ghost story" aspect to it. But at its heart, it's a coming-of-age story of a sweet and precocious young girl, Sylvie, who is a member of a very interesting family. Here's the description on the Westchester Library site:

It begins with a call one snowy February night. Lying in her bed, young Sylvie Mason overhears her parents on the phone across the hall. This is not the first late-night call they have received, since her mother and father have an uncommon occupation: helping "haunted souls" find peace. And yet something in Sylvie senses that this call is different from the others, especially when they are lured to the old church on the outskirts of town. Once there, her parents disappear, one after the other, behind the church's red door, leaving Sylvie alone in the car. Not long after, she drifts off to sleep, only to wake to the sound of gunfire. As the story weaves back and forth through the years leading up to that night and the months following, the ever-inquisitive Sylvie searches for answers and uncovers secrets that have haunted her family for years. Capturing the vivid eeriness of Stephen King's works and the quirky tenderness of John Irving's novels, Help for the Haunted is told in the captivating voice of a young heroine who is determined to discover the truth about what happened on that winter night.

Searles has written a book that deals with strange people, but it's really quite a believable story.  It's great storytelling about human beings who are flawed and all too real.

Instructions for a Heat Wave by Maggie O'Farrell

I am cheating here and copying and pasting the summary of the book from the Westchester Library Sysetem's website. I can't say it better:

A sweeping family drama, in which the disappearance of a family patriarch forces three adult siblings to gather together to find him and to confront what they really know about their father and themselves. It's the summer of 1976 and London is in the grip of a record-breaking heat wave when Gretta Riordan discovers that her newly retired husband, Robert, has cleaned out his bank account and vanished. Now, Gretta's three children converge in their mother's home for the first time in years: Michael Francis, a history teacher whose marriage is failing; Monica, with two stepdaughters who despise her and an ugly secret that has driven a wedge between herself and the little sister she once adored; and Aoife, the youngest of the Riordans, now living in Manhattan, a smart, immensely resourceful young woman who has arranged her entire life to conceal her illiteracy. As the siblings tease out clues about their father's whereabouts, they navigate rocky pasts and long-held secrets, until at last their search brings them to their ancestral village in Ireland, where the truth of their parents' lives--and their own--is suddenly revealed. Wise, lyrical, instantly engrossing, Instructions for a Heat Wave is a richly satisfying page-turner from a writer of exceptional intelligence and grace.

I really liked this book and the writing.  The end was so satisfying to me and the passages of the various characters when they "find themselves" very moving.

Transatlantic by Colum McCann

It would be hard for Colum McCann to top Let the Great World Spin, one of the best novels I have read in years.  And he doesn't come close in Transatlantic.  I did enjoy many parts of this novel, appreciated the creative way he brings disparate lives together (as he did in Let the Great World Spin), and loved his portrayal of Lily.  But the story was not as compelling.
He is an amazing writer and weaves the words beautifully, I think, although the NY Times reviewer does not agree:

Such pretty, creative-writing-class flourishes are unnecessary and distracting — they pull the reader’s attention away from the real achievement of this novel: its deeply moving portrait of Lily and her descendants, whose stories of hope and survival are played out against the vast, backlit diorama of a century and a half of Irish-American history. 

I learned a lot in this book about Irish history, Frederick Douglass and Senator George Mitchell. I found myself doing research while reading the book to catch me up on my Irish history.

The first section of the book, the transatlatic flight of Alcock and Brown, was really gripping. Again, I was not aware of this event.

So, in summary, I am really glad that I read the book, I would recommend it, but it was not as good as the other McCann novel that I read. Maybe I'll try another!

After Her by Joyce Maynard

I have been reading this author for years and years and always look forward to her new books. This one especially interested me when I read about it since it takes place in the area in Marin County around Mt. Tamalpais.  I've been there numerous times and have hiked those trails. It's a beautiful place.
The book is a fictionalized account of some murders that took place there in the late 70's - a serial killer I was not aware of.  The story is told by two daughters (Rachael and Patty) of the detective who was put to work on the case. Maynard actually met the "real" daughters when they came to her home for a Writers' Workshop. They gave her permission to fictionalize their story.
It's really a coming of age story about these two young girls, their deep love of one another, and their dysfunctional life as the daughters of divorced parents - and a mother who is always locked in her room, quite depressed. The girls are on their own for the most part and are each other's best friends.
Rachael, the older one, believes she has special powers and wants to help her father solve the mystery and find the killer. As more and more killings occur, right in their own "neighborhood," the sisters are brave and believe that they can find the killer.
Rachael is pulled into a popular group of kids at school when it becomes known that her father is the handsome detective on the case. But as his efforts at solving the murders fails, her popularity wanes and she is shunned by the group.
The girls do encounter the murderer finally and I won't spoil the book. I will say that I really enjoyed the story, the writing and the description of a very special bond of sisterhood.

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver writes fiction that deals with "issues." One of my favorite books is her novel, So Much For That, which dealt with cancer.  This one deals with obesity. It's a great read and really gets the you thinking about overeating and underachieving.
The main character, Pandora, runs a successful business in the middle of Iowa - but it's a quirky thing, an idea that "took off" and made her rich and somewhat famous. She's appeared on the cover of New York Magazine as an example of a woman entrepreneur who made it. Her brother, Edison, sees her there and when he runs into hard times calls to ask if he can come and stay with her and her family for a bit.
When she picks him up at the airport, she barely recognizes him; her once slim and nice-looking brother is now nearly 400 pounds! And he's pretty miserable and obnoxious. Fletcher, Pandora's finicky husband (and a health nut!) has no patience for Edison and things flare up out of control in the family. (There are two children, Fletcher's from his first marriage, who get embroiled in the mess as well.) Fletcher pretty  much tells Pandora that it's him or me and she chooses Edison, taking him on as a "project."  She asks for a year to see if she can get Edison to lose the weight and get his life as a jazz musician back on track.
There's an interesting twist at the end of the book that was surprising to me, but with hindsight, was perfect! Pandora allows her brother to swallow her whole life; I bought it, because of the family history that is a big part of the story as well. But how many sisters would do that?
There's a lot going on in this novel. I must say, I really enjoyed it. I like Shriver as an author and plan to read her other novels as well.

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty

After just reading Defending Jacob, I was not sure I was up for another novel about a young teen whose life is changed forever because they are responsible for taking another's life. In this case, it was an accident (Kara, the high school senior) hits a classmate while driving her mom's SUV.  She was on the phone, fooling around with her friend and just careless. And she knows it and her guilt is overwhelming.
What this book is really about, however, is the relationship between Kara and her mom, Leigh, who has had a pretty awful childhood, but is now married with two children. Her own mother was not really much of a mother and abandoned Leigh while she was still in high school; Leigh had to survive on her own. And she did, but not without consequence. How Leigh and Kara begin to communicate and develop an understanding is the real crux of the book. Kara says to her mom, "....you don't like me." This confrontation between mother and daughter is pretty powerful stuff.
Kara actually tells her mother that she (Leigh) has been nicer to her since the accident happened. "You should have told me this was all it would take for you to like me. I would have just killed someone a long time ago." A little dramatic - yes - but this confrontation wakes Leigh up to how her own childhood has caused her to build a shell around herself
In the end, I liked this book more than Defending Jacob for the characterizations and psychological aspect of how the "murder" impacted the family.

Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian

Not sure what prompted me to pick up this book when I found it in the Library one day. I think I had read about it somewhere and the jacket enticed me with favorable reactions from some of my favorite authors: Ann Hood and Joyce Carol Oates. The novel did not disappoint! It is a very different style of writing, I will say.
The story is told from the different perspectives of the novel's characters. Lucy is the main character and she is developmentally disabled. She is living on a farm with Mister and Missus and another young girl (pregnant) named Samantha.  Mum mum, Lucy's mom, is always present, but not always physically.  Lucy is on the farm because her mom can't deal with her, and when she is agitated, it's apparent that life with Lucy is very challenging. Samantha has been sent away from her home, too, because of her "condition."
There are some interesting techniques that the author uses to have Lucy communicate, even with her limited capability.  Jennifer, her "pet" chick, speaks for her and through this character we learn what Lucy is thinking.  This is a story about motherhood and its natural pull on those who bear children.
There is a lot of  sorrow and heartbreak in this novel and it's a gripping story, but with a very strange ending. I am not sure that I liked the ending, but can't think how I would have ended it differently.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

What a great read! Intriguing, good character development, interesting premise and plot.  The story takes place in Newton, MA, which is a comfortable, well-to-do suburb of Boston. A murder takes place and it's a young teenage boy, Ben Rifkin, stabbed in the park on his way to school. Jacob Barber ends up getting charged in the murder - he happens to be the son of Andy Barber who is the Assistant District Attorney, and he is well respected in the community.

But as we learn more, the fact that Jacob is accused is not so far-fetched. Turns out that Andy comes from a lineage of murderers. Does Jacob have this gene? Why hasn't Andy told his wife Laurie about his relatives - his father!

The story is suspenseful and gripping and the end is a shocker! But I won't give it away.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

The first book I read by this author was Amy and Isabel and I recall telling all of my friends to read it. And now her newest book, The Burgess Boys, takes place (partially) in the same small town in Maine, Shirley Falls. I did enjoy this book but felt that it fell just a little short - perhaps I have read too many books and seen too many movies lately about people doing "bad things" (or being accused of them) and the societal and familial implications that ensue.

The siblings in the story, all Burgesses, are very different people, even though two of them are twins. The story deals with secrets, guilt, lies and deceit (that's a bit redundant) and how people's lives are altered by them. And at the center of the story is the situation involving Susan's son, Zach, who commits a "hate crime" when he throws a pig's head into a mosque. The two Burgess Boys are called in to assist their sister and her son and the family dynamics take over.  The BIG story, really, in the book is the death of the Burgess' father, which occured when they were all quite young. I won't give anything away, but this event accounts for a lot of the feelings of the siblings have toward each other.

The book deals mostly with family affairs and relationships but Strout introduces other elements into the story that tend to turn the focus away from this theme and toward racism, bias, prejudice and forgiveness. In the end, it felt like there were too many elements to tie together. 

I can't say that I didn't like the book, but I don't think it held up to Strout's other work.

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

I waited a long time to get this book from the Library and the wait was well worth it! The book starts at a summer camp where a group of artsy teens meet and forge life-long friendships.  The "main" character, Jules (she was Julie before her new friends dubbed her with this name), is the outcast, a frizzy haired girl from the suburbs, not like the other privileged Manhattanites who take her under their wing. She is not sure why.
The story jumps around and covers about 40 years in the life of these characters. There are marriages, babies, tragic events and lots of conversations.
One of the characters, Ethan Figman, was a genius at animation at camp and  he ends up creating a famous television show. Another is Cathy Kiplinger, a dancer who doesn't quite have the body for dance and ends up a successful business woman. Jonah Bay, son of a famous folk singer gets involved with the Moonies for a while and his friends save him. The other two characters are siblings, Ash and Goodman Wolf. Ash (the sister) loves theater and her brother loves trouble.
I won't give anything away about the plot, but will conclude by saying that this is a very enjoyable and thoughtful book that I highly recommend.

All That Is by James Salter

I really didn't know of James Salter, but when this book came out it got a lot of press, being his first book in nearly 35 years. He's 87 years old and has, apparently, quite a reputation. I just had not heard of him!
This is simply the story of one man's life.... and the lives that encircle and envelop him.  The characters dive in and out of the story; some important and some on the fringe, but each one contributes meaning to this man's life.
It was an interesting book. I don't know how memorable it will be for me, however, in that it lacked a strong storyline.  I like a good story!

Oleander Girl by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Sister of My Heart is one of my favorite books ever. I read it so long ago, however, that I am not sure that I would still feel the same about it. I think I should re-read it. In any event, when I read about this new book by Divakaruni, I put it on reserve at the Library and got it quickly.
It was a good read; I was definitely into it. She writes with passion and keeps a good story going along, drawing the reader in all the way. I was not happy with all of the characters, however. Sonia, for example, was stereotypical, and even Rajat, her fiance, was a bit wooden.  But the main character, Korobi, was an endearing young woman, her tragic life making her strong and bold, rather than withdrawn and depressed.
Given what she has gone through in life, it's amazing that she still has such spirit and resolve. Her parents are both dead (supposedly) and she was raised by her grandparents, who she adores, but who have not always been truthful with her.
She searches for her father in America and what she finds is quite surprising.
The end bothered me a bit; I think I wanted something different for her, but overall, I really enjoyed the book.

The Dinner by Herman Koch

This dark book takes place over the course of a family dinner - one in which serious family business it to be discussed....but only after the two families have finished a fancy five course meal, with some interesting side courses!
This was a captivating read; it was on the best seller list in the Netherlands for quite some time. The author is Dutch. Two brothers, Serge and Paul, are not the closest of brothers; in fact, you could say they pretty much despise each other. But their two sons are in some trouble together and the brothers meet (with their wives) to figure out what to do. And they disagree vehemently as to the solution.
The book is a quick read, but a compelling one, with twists and turns all the way, and a sinister voice that is disturbing, but entertaining. I don't want to spoil anything, so instead will just say, take the time to read it, especially if you like psychological thrillers like Gone Girl. As a matter of fact, this book has been referred to as the Dutch answer to Gone Girl.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

I forgot how much I love Kingsolver's writing! I have not read a novel by her since The Poisonwood Bible because that was such an amazing book. I can't imagine that she could ever do better. But this book blew me away, too! The novel is all about climate change, but that theme is threaded into a captivating story about a woman, Dellarobia Turnbow, who turns her life around based on an epiphany she has on the road to what could have been ruin.
Dellarobia is 28, smart, attractive, and bored with her life as a mother and wife of Cub, a local Appalachian who spends his time at home channel surfing and never staying on one program for more than a few minutes. Dellarobia had aspirations of attending college but her pregnancy with Cub's baby, which they lost, kept her from attaining that dream.
Her life changes when the butterflies appear and there's no going back. She meets up with scientists who come to their small town to try to figure out why the monarch butterflies have decided to migrate to this spot instead of their usual place in Mexico.
There are so many interesting and compelling passages in this novel.  It's such an interesting take on the issue of climate change. Everyone should read this book!

The Child's Child by Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell)

Barbara Vine (AKA Ruth Rendell) is a wonderful British mystery writer who I have not read in quite some time.  This novel is quite captivating as it takes two forms as a novel within a novel. At the opening, we meet Grace and Andrew Easton after their inherit their grandmother's home.  It's huge, but rather than sell it, they move in together.  Andrew is homosexual and brings home his new boyfriend and then trouble ensues.  Grace begins reading a manuscript of a long-lost novel from 1951 called The Child's Child and the parallels to the present are disturbing. 
This was an interesting book about betrayal and disgrace.

The Inn at Lake Devine by Eleanor Lipman

I picked out this book quite randomly last time I was in the library.  The author's name was familiar and I read the inside cover description and it looked like a good read. I was not disappointed!
The story takes place in the early sixties and racial and cultural barriers are breaking down....somewhat.  Natalie Marx, a young Jewish girl, finds out that her mother has inquired about a rental at a resort in Vermont, but is turned down because they are Jewish. Natalie starts a campaign to get into this place and do justice.  What ensues is somewhat surprising and results in a delightful, romantic story, with some tragic turns.  I really enjoyed reading this short and sassy book!

One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper

I have never read this author before but heard his books were good. This was quite amusing and a quick read. I would say it was good, but not great.  The story involves a sad sack kind of guy, Silver, who never even gets a first name in this book. He's divorced from Denise, and estranged from his daughter Casey and hangs out with characters much like himself in an apartment complex. These 40+ year old guys gawk at the college girls and are not particularly sympathetic characters.....not even the protagonist Silver.
His daughter comes to him pregnant - right before she is to start college at an Ivy League school. She's smart, but just had a one night stand with a neighbor boy she has known her whole life.
Anyway, Silver gets sick - he's potentially going to suffer a stroke at any time if he doesn't have a surgery (performed, by the way, by his ex-wife's soon to be husband.)
Yeah, lots of intermingling relationship stuff going on.
On the whole, funny and quick, but nothing to write home about.

The Dissident by Nell Freudenberger

I loved Nell's other book, The Newlyweds, so when I saw this older novel in the Library, I grabbed it. I was not disappointed, but it was not quite as good as The Newlyweds.
Again, the theme deals with the collision of cultures.  The  story takes place in southern California and in China, alternating between past and present.  The main character is a Chinese artist, Yuan Zhao, who is fortunate to be accepted as a visiting artist at a girls' private school near L.A. He is also to have an exhibition at a university.  Supposedly a Chinese dissident and avaunt-garde artist, we guess early on that he is somewhat of an imposter.
Cece Travers, the other main character in the book, is the woman who houses Yuan while he is on his assignment.  She is married to a  psychiatrist, Gordon, but she had an affair with his brother, Phil some years ago.  At the time, Phil was a drifting character, but he hung out with Cece and her two young children, who are now teenagers.
The plot is complicated early on when Phil calls because  he is returning to LA as his play has been selected to be made into a movie. Unfortunately, the subject of the play (to be made into a movie) is the story of his affair with his brother's wife!
Overall, it was a complicated storyline, but entertaining read. I think that Nell Freudenberger is an author to watch....as if I know anything!

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

This was just the most delightful and engaging book I have read in a long time. I really didn't know much about it, but saw it on the 7 day book shelf at the Library the day before a snow storm was predicted. Knowing I'd have lots of time to read, I picked it up and was instantly engrossed after just a few pages.
Bee, a 15 year old girl and the daughter of Bernadette and her super tech hero husband Elgin, is a bright and talented girl who asks for a trip to Antarctica after achieving all A's on her report card. Bernadette did tell her she could have whatever she wanted if she attained that goal. A trip to Antarctica is not really what Bernadette expected, however.
We learn about Bernadette's past - successes, paranoias and idiosyncrasies through a series of letters, emails, police reports, handwritten exchanges and more.  The writing is fast, furious and funny.
It's really a fabulous read. I highly recommend it! I found out after reading it that Maria Semple is one of the screenwriters of the show Arrested Development and has also written for Beverly Hills 90210 and Mad About You.

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

This is the first book I've read by this very popular author. I can see why she is so popular - very easy to read, fast, and fun, and with some good food for thought about a difficult issue - infidelity.  The novel deals with this topic in a pretty realistic way. The story is told from the point of view of the two women: Tessa, the wronged wife, and Valerie, the woman her husband Nick gets involved with. It's not a steamy sexy novel, either. Nick doesn't cheat with a beautiful sexy bombshell who seduces him, but rather, with the single mother of a child he treats in his job as a reknowned pediatric surgeon.
The characters are all sympathetic (the two female characters more so than Nick); the reader doesn't hate Nick, Valerie, or Tessa. The author manages this by telling the story from both points of view.
The weakest characters are secondary characters: Tessa's brother and his wife, and Tessa's friends are pretty vapid and petty. But the author makes it clear that Tessa is not really like them or particularly comfortable in her new role as a stay at home suburban tennis playing mom. She takes on this life to be with her children.
I think I'll read more of her novels when I am in the mood for a quick and easy read, but with a good storyline and rich characters.....I hope the other novels are as good!

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

I am in a rut, trying to find books on Russia, St. Petersberg and such. But I can't help myself. I won't say I was disappointed in this book, but it was not all I had hoped it would be. The part that was most interesting to me was the descriptions of the different rooms in the Hermitage Museum. The book flashes back and forth between present and past. Marina, the now Alzheimer-inflicted "babushka" in the story, was a guide in the Hermitage State Museum prior to WWII. When the war breaks out and St. Petersbert (Leningrad) is under seige, she stays in the museum packing up the treasures. She and her fellow guide try to memorize each and every room, even after the treasures are gone.
As an adult living in the United States, Marina shares nothing of her past with her children, so their confusion about HER confusion was a bit convoluted for me. They didn't understand when she would go into verbal litanies that were her way to remember and return to Leningrad in 1941.  I didn't buy that part of the story. You would think that her children would have pressed her in their youth to describe her past.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it anyone interested in art, Russia or the seige of Leningrad.

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

This is such a spartan book in terms of size (only 129 pages!) but the breadth and depth of the stories it tells are vast.  While there are not any "main characters" in the book, there are many nameless but rich characters, all referred to in the plural "we." They are the Japanese women who came over from their homeland on boats to meet and marry their husbands in California.

“On the boat we could not have known that when we first saw our husbands we would have no idea who they were. That the crowd of men in knit caps and shabby black coats waiting for us down below on the dock would bear no resemblance to the handsome young men in the photographs. That the photographs we had been sent were 20 years old. . . . That when we first heard our names being called out across the water one of us would cover her eyes and turn away — I want to go home — but the rest of us would lower our heads and smooth down the skirts of our kimonos and walk down the gangplank and step out into the still warm day. This is America, we would say to ourselves, there is no need to worry. And we would be wrong.”

Each section of the book deals with a different theme. The first is the expectations of these women as they meet on the boat, in dire living conditions. Other sections cover their early lives as wives of farmers, servants, farm hands, tailors, etc.  Another section is about childbirth, their children, and eventually, the final sections deal with the bombing Pearl Harbor and how their lives as Japanese people are changed - their fear and expectations of being deported, and eventually being sent to the internment camps. 

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St John Mandel

I was hooked immediately by the writing and storyline in this recent novel.  It's about a young woman, Lilia, who has on the move for her entire life. As a child she was abducted by her father (to rescue her, we find out later, from her abusive mother, from whom he is estranged.) and then spends her childhood and adolescence traveling constantly and changing identities. She is haunted by an inability to remember her childhood, and she moves from city to city, abandoning people all along the way. She is always being followed by a private investigator, who refuses to "turn her in," because he knows that she cannot be returned to her mother. When the book opens, she is with Eli, who then follows her from New York to Montreal. He meets up with Michaela, who has befriended Lilia, but won't tell Eli where she is until he reveals a truth about her that she revealed to him, swearing him to secrecy.  Mandel s characters will resonate with you long after the final page is turned. I enjoyed this very much, but it was disturbing.