The Heiress: A Novel - Rachel Hawkins

For years I wanted to tour the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. Most people, like me, I think, are fascinated with the lives of the extremely wealthy. When I finally got there, I was stunned by both the beauty and the opulence - oh to have a library with a ladder! But I think I was also a bit overwhelmed. Rachel Hawkins digs deep into the overwhelming lives of the extremely wealthy in her upcoming work The Heiress: A Novel. Like the Biltmore housed the Vanderbilts, Ashby House (located just outside Asheville) houses most of the wealthy McTavishes and to a large extent the house controls them. 

We meet Camden and his wife Jules as he is being called back to his family  home in North Carolina. He hasn’t been back in 12 years since the death of his adoptive mother (the heiress) Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore - 5 names, 4 husbands- all who died under very mysterious circumstances. He very clearly dreads the return. The story further develops through flashbacks, letters presumably written by the deceased Ruby, news clips and stories, and chapters from the points of view of both Camden and Jules. All these elements are combined masterfully to create a fascinating and suspenseful look at the extended McTavish family. Secrets abound - The McTavish’s,the furthest thing from a warm and fuzzy family, are clearly driven by the house and their inheritances. When is enough enough?

As well as giving us a remarkable setting - the house felt like a character to me because of its influence, Hawkins does a remarkable job of creating human characters who are multilayered. In spite of being somewhat unlikeable, I was kind of rooting for Camden and Jules. I should clarify that they became more difficult to like for me as the novel developed - which was part of the beauty of this work.  The twists and turns subtly added in with the variety of narrators and methods created a lovely suspense and levels of mystery that were unexpected. I loved the tricky uncomfortable ending the most. Avoiding spoilers, but I was questioning my own judgment because of the complexity of these characters. The last page rendered me speechless for a moment. 

I have been trying to reflect on the impact of a novel on my own life as part of my blog posts. Part of me wants to say I am not wealthy; I am not evil; treat this book as a wonderful suspenseful escape. While that is true, I can’t help but reflect on the complexity of Hawkins’ characters. The older I get, the more I can appreciate that people are seldom as simple as I’d like them to be. When I was younger, my tendency toward black and white likely cheated me out of some friendships and experiences from people that I didn’t necessarily try to understand at the time. As I age, I can perhaps also be more aware of my own complexity and try to offer the grace that others offer me. Does that mean I’d be besties with all of the characters in this book. Ummm…no, but I do appreciate very much the care that Hawkins put into their development. The Heiress: A Novel  is definitely a must read.  

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy to review.

Wrong Place Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister

Wrong Place Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister

As a mother what would you do if you witnessed your child murder a stranger in the street? I certainly can’t imagine. McAllister takes us on such a journey with this mother - who then has the opportunity to go back in time to try and resolve the problems that she didn’t even know about before they happen - saving her son from this horrific choice. I have always loved a good time travel book. I have more recently loved suspenseful books. Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place Wrong Time combines these two loves masterfully. 

I love the structure of titling the chapters with how many days before the murder. I think how much fun that must have been to map out and perhaps how tricky it was to keep track of. McAllister creates a fascinating cast of characters and weaves them seamlessly into a variety of times. Of course we get to know Jen the best, and her confusion and frustration resonate with me. Don’t most parents wish occasionally for an opportunity to love our kids better, to raise them better?  We also figure out a great deal about her husband, son, and the rest of the people (many of them criminal) who populate their world. As we move through time and get to know these folks, McAllister expertly reveals bits and pieces about what leads to the murder to build suspense. The mystery grows organically and is fascinating. I also love the scientist - the expert in time travel - who adds veritas to the plot. I love a premise that is all in. I was listening and had a very difficult time ever turning the audio off. I would recommend this book to most. 

I guess as I age and become more reflective, I become more drawn to books that allow for doing things over and getting things better. Not that I don’t have a lovely life. I sure do, but I can sometimes be frozen in perceived mistakes and things I wish I had handled better-often with parenting. I wonder what I would do differently with the wisdom I have gained over time. And then I wonder if I would know what to do any better. I have had enough good counseling to know that I have to find a way to live in a healthy way with the choices I’ve made over time. But fiction allows us to dream and rethink. And I appreciate this chance with Wrong Place Wrong Time. 

Bright Lights, Big Christmas - Mary Kay Andrews

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas

I do love a Christmas thing - Hallmark movie, yes! Christmas in July, yes! Contemporary Romance set at Christmas time, you bet! And I go in with expectations for sure. To be clear, I don’t mind the cliches; they are part of what I love. The really cool thing about Mary Kay Andrews’ Bright Lights, Big Christmas is that she exceeds all of the Christmas genre expectations. 

Kerry Tolliver has been hiding out at her family’s farm in North Carolina since she lost her job and has zero desire to travel with her brother gruff Murphy to sell Christmas trees in New York City. She has to live in a broken down travel trailer using the bathrooms of nearby businesses and apartments. But her dad is recovering from a health event, and she just can’t say no to her mom.

Cue the lovely corner tree lot, the handsome nearby apartment dweller, the helpful community of neighbors, an adorable little boy, and a mysterious artist. Let the magic begin. I love how the relationships develop between Kerry and the others. Seeing her creativity inspired through wreath making and illustrating is a delight. And while it is a lovely romance, the romance is not necessarily front and center. Kerry finding herself, learning to love her December neighbors, and trusting her instincts are. An intriguing mystery surrounding Heinz - who shows up to help Kerry rediscover her art - develops. (I confess, a small part of me wanted him to be Santa.) Along the way, Christmas is a delightful part of the setting.

So. If you love all things Christmas, this book is for you (maybe I’ll spend a December in NYC sometime?). If you are worried that this book will be formulaic and not transcend Christmas, do not. This book is for you. If you are facing change, if you want a burst of courage to pursue your dreams, if you love to watch friendships develop and love a neighborhood as a character, this book is for you. I am not as familiar with Andrews’ work as I intend to become. 

I’m thinking that the creative piece is what works the most for me in this novel. I find myself just a tad envious that Kerry recognizes the importance of reaching for dreams at such a young age.  Do things come together nicely for her to support that, yes, but certainly in part because she steps outside of her comfort zones again and again, and looks beyond herself to care for Heinz.  I am certain I can’t be reminded enough that if you put good into the world, good likely will come back. I’ve also been thinking so much lately about what to keep and what to discard (Those thoughts coming in spades.) People have tried to shame me for my love of all things Christmas (mostly the movies, but also the books); I think I’ll keep that love alive. Thanks Bright Lights, Big Christmas and Mary Kay Andrews.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Do Tell

Do Tell - Lyndsay Lynch
Genre: Historical

If you are fascinated by 1940s Hollywood: the movies, the glamor, and perhaps, most of all, the gossip Lyndsay Lynch’s debut novel Do Tell is for you. Not a book for the starry eyed, this book is an often cynical look at the era - at the inside lives of the stars and the studios that own them. 

The narrator Edie O’Dare is brutally honest - as she finishes out her contract at a major studio and transitions to writing a gossip column. She walks a tightrope - needing to maintain access to the studio and the stars to have something to write and writing copy that will keep her editors and readership reading. The throughline is the story of a young actress who has the temerity to accuse a leading man of sexual assault. Edie has to make several decisions along the way that impact the case dramatically. I’m not sure I loved her, but found myself admiring her nonetheless. 

Lynch does an excellent job of keeping me interested in a cast of characters who are not overly likeable. She does an excellent job of recreating the uphill fight of women of the era. I celebrate the victories even if we don’t admire how they are achieved. I feel the frustrations and the sadness - even if we feel some might be deserved. Her setting is the best! She captures for her readers the fashion, the language, the physical settings and the culture of the time. 

As a new retiree - reflecting more than I like on my career and my future impact, I appreciated very much how Lynch created Edie as a character who is unflinching in her reflection. Her honesty is a lesson. Maybe someday I will have the courage to reflect as does Edie and embrace the choices good and bad. Professor Emiritus Terry Mitchell of the University of Washington suggests that reflection is critical for a rewarding retirement. He suggest you consider “what brings you pleasure” and “what is meaningful.” Perhaps I will find that courage. His article “The Retirement Process: A Psychological and Emotional Journey” is worth a read if you are like me :-)

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy.

The Little Village of Book Lovers

The Little Village of Book Lovers - Nina George

Genre: Hmmm… 

If you love to read and believe in the power of books - this is a must read. If you want to believe in the power of love - also a must read. Nina George - author also of The Little Paris Bookshop - advocates beautifully for the power of stories to shape the lives of readers who read books. She lays the groundwork for this idea in The Little Paris Bookshop, and this librarian/literature teacher was dazzled - the way George intertwines this idea in The Little Village of Book Lovers with love and the fates and hate who are CHARACTERS no less is just stunning. 

To summarize this title feels silly to me. How to recapture in a few words the intricacies of what George does, in fact, seem a bit impossible. She begins with an orphaned baby, a sentient olive tree, an overwhelmed love, and a family. She creates within the new father this unexpected urge to read and to surround himself with readers and more importantly to surround his daughter with readers. His daughter sees lights that no one else can, and the child struggles to figure them out -she reads, studies, and talks to others. The whole village becomes involved as she learns what it means to love and be loved. 

So you don’t know that you need to read Nina George until you do. The characters are marvelously developed as is the plot. The fantasy elements blend seamlessly with those that are more “realistic.” I am not naturally drawn to fantasy but loved this title.

I suppose part of my love is that the title so fully supports my life’s loves and work. I have always believed in the power of reading - reading, becoming a literature and the importance of libraries - serving on the public library board, getting my MSLS, becoming a school librarian, and serving on the board again. George puts into words more eloquently than I ever could or will the power of reading to shape the reader. Beautiful. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.