Bear by Julia Phillips

Kirkus says, "A bold and brilliant modern fable of sisterhood, class, and our relationship to the natural world."

I loved this book, even though it was a little slow at times.  The climax was shocking and the message deep.  I love this author, now having read both of her books. She is deep, lyrical, and draws you into her stories with real connections to her characters and their feelings.

The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird

This was interesting but not as compelling as a review I had read.  I was not aware of these divorce ranches in Nevada in the 50's, where a woman could spend 6 weeks and get an "instant divorce" by establishing that residency in the state. Of course, this was frowned up and the reasons for the divorce were often very compelling (spousal abuse, cheating, impotence, etc.)

The main character, Lois, receives her father's permission (but not his sanction) to divorce her husband after an unhappy 4-year marriage.  The reader doesn't really learn much about the marriage, which to me was confusing, but I think it was the author's way to assert that it may not matter: a woman should not stay married if she is not happy.  Lawrence did not beat her; but Lois was not fulfilled in the marriage, and she really didn't want children either. He did.

Anyway, Lois meets an interesting and mysterious character at the ranch, Greer.  Everyone supposes she is famous or is married to someone famous.  She is somewhat of an enigma to them all.  Lois is drawn to her, and she to Lois.  But things are not what they seem.

The ending was rather flat to me.  Did I miss something here?

 

Martyr by Kaveh Akbar

It took me awhile to finish this book and at one point, I was not sure I would.  Thank God I stayed with it. I think this is the best book I read this year.  It's not an easy book to read - at least it was not for me - but it was so full of ideas and truths and things that stimulated my thinking. Those kinds of books stay with you for a long time.  This review from NPR resonated with me.  This is a book that I could read again and get even more from. But I know I won't because my TBR list is way too long.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Not sure why I didn't get to this book sooner...but glad I finally did! I listened to it and that was a treat.  A great audiobook, with several readers.

There were parts of the book that seemed a bit contrived, but so much of the story was derived from fact.  In order to make the book not just about race as in horse racing, but race, as in racial issues, she did add some storyline that was relevant to the current times.  She even brought in the Trump presidency, COVID and George Floyd (although not mentioned by name.)

I especially liked the parts devoted to the character Martha Jackson, a real person from my hometown of Buffalo, who was an art collector and dealer and friend of Jackson Pollock. I wonder if that connection is in part responsible for the Pollocks at the Albright Knox Art Gallery!

I liked the way she linked present and past and how she made so many of the characters come alive.

Overall, a very enjoyable and important work of fiction.

The stolen Child by Ann Hood

 From Kirkus:  A well-crafted, fast-paced story about how a single encounter can shape a person’s whole life.

The story jumps around from a trench in WWI to the 1970s.  Nick, an American soldier in France, is given two parcels by a woman artist. One is some paintings she has done, and the other is a baby!

He keeps the paintings but leaves the baby and is forever haunted by this.  Years later, ill with cancer, he returns to France to try to find out what happened to the child.

He brings along Jenny, a local girl (who gave up HER child for adoption) to help him with this task, since he is sick.  Their adventures are mingled with those of an Italian craftsman, Enzo. Eventually their paths meet up, and the mystery is revealed.  Lots of drama in between.

But I really enjoyed reading this book!

Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru

I listened to this book on my walks and the narration was by the author, so very good.  However, I feel like I would have gotten more out of the book had I read the words on paper.  I am not sure why, but perhaps because it is a very deep book.  I enjoyed it and appreciated its messages, but it was dark!

Here are some of the ideas explored in the book, as written in Kirkus:

...the novel is a study of the complications of art, money, and identity. Is Rob more free as an artist for having access to wealthy patrons? Does Jay have more integrity for sabotaging his art world prospects? And why do muses like Alice absorb so much abuse up on that pedestal?

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

I read the book review in the New York Times and was immediately interested to read the book. I put it on hold at the library and it took a while to come in, so others were as intrigued as I was.

It was not an easy read for me - but I really enjoyed it. This is a debut novel for this writer and in reading some of the reviews, there were people who thought that the ending was weak. I did not.  And it did not bother me that the reader never learns Kit's "secret" (what he reveals just a few days before the wedding.  We can guess, and really, does it matter?!?)

From Amazon:

An elegant, razor-sharp debut about women's ambitions and appetites—and the truth about having it all

Outside of a childhood nickname she can’t shake, Piglet’s rather pleased with how her life’s turned out. An up-and-coming cookbook editor at a London publishing house, she’s got lovely, loyal friends and a handsome fiancé, Kit, whose rarefied family she actually, most of the time, likes, despite their upper-class eccentricities. One of the many, many things Kit loves about Piglet is the delicious, unfathomably elaborate meals she’s always cooking.

But when Kit confesses a horrible betrayal two weeks before they’re set to be married, Piglet finds herself suddenly…hungry. The couple decides to move forward with the wedding as planned, but as it nears and Piglet balances family expectations, pressure at work, and her quest to make the perfect cake, she finds herself increasingly unsettled, behaving in ways even she can’t explain. Torn between a life she’s always wanted and the ravenousness that comes with not getting what she knows she deserves, Piglet is, by the day of her wedding, undone, but also ready to look beyond the lies we sometimes tell ourselves to get by.

A stylish, uncommonly clever novel about the things we want and the things we think we want, Piglet is both an examination of women’s often complicated relationship with food and a celebration of the messes life sometimes makes for us.