Straight Man: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)..then, "Jack..You Dead!
I had thought until reading STRAIGHT MAN that the standard for humorous novels with academic settings had been set by James Hynes. Russo is even funnier. His comic timing is akin to the great comedians of stage and sceen, like the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Moore & Cooke, etc. Yet not only is the man funny, he can flat out write, as well.
In STRAIGHT MAN, Russo performs a balancing act of surface playfulness combined with searing truths about life's missed opportunities and moments of quiet despair. Behind the one-liners and the buffoonery of Henry Devereux Jr.'s comic mask, exists an enigmatic, compassionate, troubled soul, whose personality disorder has been triggered by a single incident he shares with his mother when he is a young teen. His humorous guise is something he has created so as to safely retreat from the seperation anxiety that is his constant companion. To his friends and colleagues he is "Hank," easy to dismiss or to to ridicule, or in two instances, to physically attack (OK, three, if you count the goose!). Russo does a very subtle and masterful job of slowly developing the interior Henry Devereux Jr., however, and by the novel's end, the reader has been granted the full revelation of character and the whole man stands naked (figuritavely speaking) before us.
STRAIGHT MAN is definitely my recommendation of 2003, thus far. The funny bits are truly hysterical. The dramatic bits ring true to life. This certainly not just another humorous novel about Academia. It's as well written and well rounded as any novel I've read in recent years. I look forward with great anticipation to reading EMPIRE FALLS.

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Colony Review

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(More customer reviews)That is the way a friend described this book to me and I have to admit it is certainly a diamond among the stones. This is an author who takes you to the place that lies deep between the pages or soul of her book. The main character is reflective and strong with undiminished courage. Maude is one of the most memorable characters I have ever come across.
The book begins as she arrives at Retreat, also know as The Colony, her in-law's summer home in Maine. A staunch and uppity "Blue Blood", the matriarch Mother Hannah, is not quick to take to a southern belle of the French persuasion. Maude with her husband Peter by her side, is going to show these Bostonians her strength for decades to come.
The book covers nearly 70 years of her life along with the family and friends that grow close to her heart as well as yours. There are times where the author's language is shear poetry. I place this book on my best books of all times list. It's not one to be missed. Kelsana 10/29/01

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An unforgettable story of love, acceptance, and tradition. When Maude Chambliss first arrives at Retreat, the seasonal home of her husband's aristocratic family, she is a nineteen-year-old bride fresh from South Carolina's Low Country. Among the patrician men and women who reside in the summer colony on the coast of Maine, her gypsy-like beauty and impulsive behavior immediately brand her an outsider. She, as well as everyone else, is certain she will never fit in. And of course, she doesn't...at first. But over the many summers she spends there, Maude comes to cherish life in the colony, as she does the people who share it with her. There is her husband Peter, consumed with a darkness of spirit; her adored but dangerously fragile children; her domineering mother-in-law, who teaches her that it is the women who posses the strength to keep the colony intact; and Maine native Micah Willis, who is ultimately Maude's truest friend. This brilliant novel, rich with emotion, is filled with appealing, intense, and indomitable characters. Anne Rivers Siddons paints a portrait of a woman determined to preserve the spirit of past generations--and the future of aplaice where she became who she is...a place called Colony. "An outstanding multigenerational novel...We are hooked from the moment we meet Maude." The New York Times

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The Loop Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a book with lots of interesting elements: hard-working inhabitants in a rugged setting, untamed wildlife, government regulation versus frontier freedom, and sharp characters in a well-developed plot.
Author Nicholas Evans has done an outstanding job of putting both his heart and mind into a story of how nature can get in the way of man's endeavors ... and vice versa. He demonstrates his ability to keep several sub-plots (involving romance, suspense, struggle) going at once, and to connect them in the reader's mind without impeding the flow of the story. His characterizations are quite strong, and I found myself figuring out very quickly who was to be liked, and who wasn't. Even the animals had personalities. Though I'm not in the top tier of nature enthusiasts, I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning about the environment of wolves, the toil of ranchers and trappers, and how simple--and hard--life can be in beautiful Montana (I've visited; it's gorgeous).
Overall, I found "The Loop" (named after a trap for catching wolves) to be very well-paced (no slow chapters) and captivating. The evolving story line really kept me turning the pages, and even though the ending unwound just a little too fast for my taste, I'd recommend this book to anyone desiring a solid, satisfying novel.

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Jewel (Oprah's Book Club) Review

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(More customer reviews)Brett Lott's Jewel, despite its fine critical reception, languished in obscurity until Oprah selected it as one of the titles in her book club. The sudden attention had a twofold impact: thousands of readers who had never heard of Lott eagerly snapped up copies, and serious readers who were originally more inclined to pick up Lott's work instead shunned it as an "Oprah book." Since a good book is a good book - and Jewel IS good - I recommend that readers give it a closer look before deciding.
The novel begins in 1940's Mississippi as Jewel discovers that she is pregnant with "one last child." Her husband Leston reacts to the news with a gentle smile and affection, although her five children don't know quite what to make of it. Her oldest child James is almost old enough to enlist in the military, and her youngest, Annie, still depends on the comfort of a tattered blanket. Jewel worries about her children and their impending displacement by the needs of a new baby, but she cannot foresee how much the weight will be. Cathedral, a black woman who lives "out back" with her family and who has become a sort of friend (as much as a white woman and a black woman could in 1940's Mississippi), has an inkling. She prophesies that the coming baby will be Jewel's "hardship in life." When Jewel and Leston face the heartbreak that their beautiful Brenda Kay is not normal, Jewel tailors her entire life towards ensuring that her Down's Syndrome child is given nothing but the best. Through financial and domestic hardship, Jewel maintains devotion to her "baby girl" as the world around them changes over the decades.
Lott has created a compelling narrative voice in Jewel, a character whose honest, steadfast beliefs take her and her family through difficult times. Lott writes convincingly from her point-of-view, proving that one does not have to be a woman to understand one. Although occasionally the prose gets a little dewy, the novel is generally well-written, in a style that evokes the rhythms of the South. I recommend this book for readers who appreciate quiet, character-driven novels.

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Cane River Review

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(More customer reviews)I do not generally like Oprah Books. So when Cane River was chosen as a group read for my reading group, I was very reluctant to read it. I could not have been more wrong. A beautifully written family saga, Cane River was one of the best books I have read in recent years. Putting one strongly in mind of the book Roots by Alex Haley, this book is a novelization of the family history of Lalita Tademy. Told through the eyes of four women, all born into slavery, it shows the strength and courage of people who survive through the frequent upheavals thrust upon them.
We are introduced to the matriarch of the family Elisabeth, a slave from Virginia sold into a new plantation and taken from her husband and children. Here begins the story of the Cane River women, Suzette, Philomene and Emily. I was compelled to read every detail of their lives from slavery to freedom. I shared their heartbreak, joy, suffering and triumph, on the journey to freedom. The book paints a long lasting impression of the power of love and family. A book I will think of for a long time to come. I highly recommend you read this unforgettable book.

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The Pilot's Wife (Oprah's Book Club) Review

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(More customer reviews)Life is good or so thought high school teacher Kathryn Lyons. Her beloved husband Jack, a trans-Atlantic pilot, and Kathryn have shared a strong relationship over the years they have been together. Their teenage daughter Mattie is intelligent and loving though a bit too independent as fifteen-year old girls seem to be, at least with their moms. However, her happy family lifestyle explodes into pieces when Jack's plane blows up while in the air ten miles from Ireland.
Already struggling with grief, Kathryn is stunned by the incessant questions about Jack, their marriage, and even Mattie's personal life. Rumors abound that Jack lived a secret life. Soon the media accuses Jack of pilot error and the flight investigators believe he committed suicide. After finding some inexplicable notes in their home, Kathryn is unable to sit idle as her past and her spouse seem to have their history rewritten so she begins her own inquiries. As she searches into Jack's past with the help of union official Robert Hart, Kathryn wonders exactly who her husband truly was?
THE PILOT'S WIFE is an SST-paced story line that takes the reader along for an intriguing ride. Kathryn is an interesting character struggling with what she learns about the husband she never knew. Robert adds little to the plot beyond informing the widow of the tragedy. He adds an unnecessary betrayal and romantic subplot that takes the audience on a inclement weather detour. However, when Ann Shreve's novel stays with Kathryn's revelations about Jack, the story becomes a great thriller worth reading.

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The Survivors Club Review

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(More customer reviews)Jillian Hayes, Carol Rosen, and Meg Pesaturo are three women, all from different walks of life, who survived brutal attacks by serial rapist Eddie Como. They form their own version of a support group and call themselves The Survivors Club, under Jillian`s leadership. Ironically they become the prime suspects when Eddie is murdered right before his court appearance and his assassin is blown up as he attempts to leave the scene.
Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin wonders if the three women have collectively conspired to carry out their revenge on Eddie, or if someone one wants to make it look as if they did. Roan must deal with the growing complexities of this case, as well as his own personal demons as he confronts the women. After another woman is attacked, there is more controversy and confusion, especially since the killer is now determined to eliminate each member of the Survivors Club. Roan must now pullout all the stops, even if it costs him his career, and possibly his life.
Lisa Gardner is an extraordinary writer. She serves up witty and upbeat dialogue, eclectic characters and complete pandemonium in this book. The Survivors Club is chock full of enough excitement, chills and thrills to exhaust even the most die-hard suspense fans. Don't miss this one.

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The Deep End of the Ocean (Oprah's Book Club) Review

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(More customer reviews)Even if you have seen the movie (by the same name), READ THIS BOOK. Mitchard weaves such a hauntingly beautiful tale about every family's nightmare and the aftermath. While checking into a hotel for a class reunion, Beth Cappadora turns around to realize that her 3-year-old son is gone. The first part of the book describes so many emotions that the family goes through: the shock, the horror, the frantic search, then the realization that life must go on. But how do you? In a split second, everything has changed, her relationship with her husband, the other children, as well as friends and neighbors. A bond develops with one of the officers who refuses to give up on this case. The ending is not what anyone expects and truly shows the strength and absolute beauty of a mother's love. Wonderfully paced, this is one of those rare stories which I will never forget.

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A Map of the World (Oprah's Book Club) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was hesitant to pick this book after reading some reader reviews describing it as boring, too wordy, and turned off by the death of a child.
On the contrary, I found it very rich, textural, and complex in a very human way. I was never bored and whipped through this in less than a week. I found it fascinating. I loved the way Alice narrated it at first, then Howard, than back to Alice again.
People are very fallible, complex characters and this book finds the perfect pitch to tell that story. It is about surviving trageday, and ultimately, forgiveness.
While this is not a "happy" read, I was not depressed by it either. I get so tired of people complaining about subject matter being depressing and therefore, throwaway. It is through pain we often find joy. For me, a good book, or movie is something that grips me and holds my attention, whether it be happy or sad or both.
This is one of the better books I have read in a long time. I will read more by Jane Hamilton.

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