Leaving by Roxana Robinson

A good friend recommended this book and I truly enjoyed it. It's about two long-lost lovers who meet later in life and reconnect.  She is divorced; he is not.  Families come into play and complicate the romance, obviously, and they struggle to figure things out.  The ending is quite a shocker!

The major obstacle to the two being able to stay together (he is married but not satisfied), is his daughter.  The demands she places seem unreasonable, and very selfish. As the daughter of divorced parents, I could not relate to her feelings and concerns.  I wanted my parents to be happy and although I was unhappy that they split up, I did not fight it one bit. I would never have done what this daughter did.  But I came to accept that given in this story and it did make the ending make much more sense. 

Very beautifully written. I had never read anything by this author before but I will seek out more of her work.

God of the Woods by Liz Moore

 

An excellent thriller with a message. I really enjoyed this book and understand why it's on everyone's "BEST" list, including Obama.  The characters are diverse and deep; there are plot twists that take you by surprise; the ending may surprise you. I felt I knew what was going to happen, and I was just partly right. I learned a bit about the Adirondacks and how they came to be so undeveloped.  Yes, we appreciate that now, but the reasons date back to when the upper class decided to declare this area "theirs" for rest and relaxation and bascially kicked all of the farmers out, or made it hard for them to make a living.

This is a crime story but it's also a story of class division, power, corruption and privelege.  Really enjoyed!