The Names by Florence Knapp

I really enjoyed this and think I should read it again. I didn't concentrate enough on what was really going on with these different characters and how their names signified their personhood.

From Amazon:

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.

Tilt by Emma Pattee

 

I am not sure where I heard about this book, but I was drawn to it for a reason: earthquake! Having a son and grandkids in San Francisco, it's a natural disaster I think about often.

This was a page-turner and a gripping story, but I must say, I did not love it. Too gritty, too upsetting. Characters not developed enough for me.

But I read and listened to it (while walking) and I am not sorry I did.

Here is what Amazon says about it:

Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, there’s nothing to do but walk.

Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. If she can just make it home, she’s determined to change her life.

A propulsive debut, Tilt is a primal scream of a novel about the disappointments and desires we all carry, and what each of us will do for the people we love.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

 

I chose this book for our book club when we decided to read a "classic." We had visited "the Mount" the Edith Wharton home in western Massachusetts last summer and I bought the book.

I had a hard time at first, but I really enjoyed it in the end.  It reminded me of the Gilded Age on HBO.  Set in the same period in the same city - NYC.

It was a great depiction of a society in the midst of change.  There were a lot of descriptive paragraphs of what the city was like, what the interiors were like, how the people dressed, etc. But more important, it depicted NY society at that time. There were too many characters to keep up with, but I managed to make a connection with some of them. Some in my book club felt very differently about the book and the characters than I did.  Made our conversation quite lively and interesting!

James by Percival Everett

 What a brilliant book. That is about all I can say. Read it. It deserved to win the Pulitzer Prize. It's inventive, gripping, funny, tender, perfect!

Isola by Allegra Goodman

This was quite a book and based on a true story! I heard about it and immediately knew I had to read it. I am a fan of Allegra Goodman, too. This was quite a different book for her. This is the entry on Amazon for this compelling novel!

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. That journey takes a unexpected turn when Marguerite, accused of betrayal, is brutally punished and abandoned on a small island.

Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.

Rental House by Weike Wang

 

I am a fan of Weike Wang, but this was not my favorite book by this author. Perhaps the timing of when I read this was off. I did enjoy it and I love her witty style of writing. But I guess I just didn't like the main female character, Keru, as much as I would have liked to.

A couple rents a house and invites their families to visit: one at a time however. Here is a good summary of what happens between THEM

For Keru and Nate, the vacation home is supposed to be a place for relaxation, an escape from the mundane stresses of life; but it presses them up against their problems without the escape of work. The two see each other laid bare, rife with neuroses, disappointments, insecurities — and only then do they see what exactly it is that holds them close.

Audition by Katie Kitamura

This was quite a compelling book.  I listened to it and wish I had had a physical copy because reading the words on the page would have added something, I believe.  But there is also something special about having it read aloud.  It's just that this book was so DEEP! I wanted to mull over certain passages, which I can only do by reading the words. 

The end confused me a bit. I think I need to take out the physical book and have another look.  Kitamura is a deep thinker, a writing genius, I think.

Here's a brief summary from Tertulia:

“Kitamura’s novels are short, sharp, and deadly. I’m not sure there’s anyone better writing in America today,” declared The Guardian in their roundup of fiction to watch in 2025. In Audition, an accomplished actress and an attractive younger man meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. As the encounter unfolds, competing narratives emerge, questioning the roles we play and the truths we conceal.