Tuesday, June 27, 2017

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

I had heard of this book and had seen it around so when it came up on Overdrive, I checked it out and I enjoyed it a lot!
It deals with an inheritance to be divided between four siblings and it's a riot! It's not the greatest literary giant, but it's just a fast and fun look into four dysfunctional siblings and their particular foibles and fancies.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky

I really enjoyed this book and raced through it.  The story deals with a lost painting (it's actually a fictional painting by a real artist - Chaim Soutine - who I learned about at my two visits to the Barnes collection in Philly) and the Holocaust.  The story switches back and forth between Lizzie and Rose telling their stories (Rose was the daughter of the owners of the painting that was taken by the Nazis) and Lizzie, living in present day LA and NY and who subsequently owned the same painting, which was again lost!
How did Lizzie get the painting? How did she lose it? How do Rose and Lizzie meet up? What happened to the painting the second time? What happened to Rose's parents? 
All of these questions are handled in the book, along with revelations about guilt, friendship, family, and trust.
Read it!