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.