Review: Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

December 5, 2012 by · 14 Comments

Book Title/Author: Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio
Publisher/Year:  Plume 2012
Genre: Mystery/historical fiction – Adult Fiction
Series: No
Other Books From Author: The Violets of March, The Bungalow

Amazon| Goodreads | Sarah Jio’s website |

I checked this out from my wonderful library. LIBRARIES ARE COOL, y’all!

 

 

 

Told in alternating perspectives, Blackberry Winter tells the story of two woman, decades apart, but whose stories become intertwined when a freak weather phenomenon in May, a blackberry winter, unearths an unsolved kidnapping from the 1930s. Vera Ray is a single mother who is struggling to pay rent with her low paying job as a maid at a ritzy hotel. With no way to pay for childcare, she tucks her three year old son in bed to work the night shift, only to return home to discover that there has been a freak snowstorm and Daniel has gone missing with only his favorite teddy bear left behind. Almost 80 years later, Claire, a reporter and wife in the midst of a failing marriage, wakes up to Seattle covered in snow and her boss wanting a great feature connecting the blackberry winter of today to the one in 1933. Claire finds the story of the missing child that went unsolved and sets out to find out what happened as Vera’s story becomes personal to her — even more so than she’d ever realized.

I really, really loved Blackberry Winter! It was a captivating story that and has made me a huge Sarah Jio fan with just one book. The way the two women’s stories were intertwined and told in alternating chapters really worked for me as I learned more about each women & their life in smaller pieces — which really piled on the suspense! I was so invested in both Vera & Claire’s stories that I’d finish one chapter and be all, “Oh man! I don’t want to switch perspectives” but then immediately be absorbed in the other woman’s story.I loved learning about Vera’s back story and how she became a single mother (umm rather swoony and then completely heartbreaking) while simultaneously learning more about what happened to her and Daniel through Claire’s investigation. That storyline REALLY got to me and Sarah Jio knows how to deliver bits of answers in a way that you can’t help but hastily read because you really care so much about what happened.

I was afraid I wasn’t going to really connect with Claire with the nature of the fact that so much of what she does in the book is help us learn more about Vera and Daniel but Sarah Jio really made her into a character I loved as she had so many of her own heartbreaking issues to deal with that really drew her to this story. While obviously her investigation about Vera was the shining storyline, I thought that Claire’s marital issues and the unfortunate accident that happened in their life was really interesting and I loved the healing that went on throughout the story in different ways. The only thing that I will say is that sometimes I thought things were a little bit too much of a coincidence but not in a way that really detracted from the story at all. But besides that, this book was fantastic & I’ll be reading all of her books!

 

Blackberry Winter was the perfect blend of mystery and historical fiction, laced with romance, and a serious page-turner. The  pieces of the mystery were revealed in that way that just makes on ravenous and the two intertwined stories were heartbreaking and beautiful. Truly a moving story that will leave you a bit misty-eyed while reading about Vera’s story — both through the back story & Claire’s investigation. Sarah Jio has just such smooth & exquisite writing — the unraveling of the mystery, the scenes that make your heart ache, the amazing characterization & more — it was just all so deftly and wonderfully written. Even if you typically don’t read adult fiction, I’d recommend still checking this one out!

 

You May Also Like: Kate Morton,  Lucinda Riley, The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rassmussen (it has that some sort of amazingly revealed mystery without being an overly “mystery” book — great characters, stories that make a mark on your heart, etc). 

 

Let’s Talk: Have you read this one? Heard of it? Did you guess how they were tied together? Have you read either of Sarah Jio’s other novels?  Which one should I tackle next?

Filed Under: Adult Fiction, adult historical fiction, Adult Mystery, book review, Contemporary Adult Fiction, mystery Tagged With: , , , ,

Review: I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

April 11, 2012 by · 6 Comments

*Originally posted 6/25 (my 2nd review ever!) on my blog but didn’t migrate over in my WP switch*

Oh, Ed Kennedy. I feel your pain sometimes. Ordinary, no talents, no expertise, no grand accomplishments. Everyone around you is doing great things and you just remain stagnant. All the days run together and become unable to be distinguished from one another.

I don’t really know what expectations I had for this book. I had LOVED The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was moving, felt honest, and unique. I guess I think maybe my only expectation for this book was to be moved.

The general storyline was intriguing enough. Our ordinary “hero” Ed finds himself smack dab in the middle of a bank robbery along with a couple of his smartass friends. After this incident he finds his world rocked when a mysterious playing card shows up at his door with 3 names and addresses on them. And there begins his journey as “the messenger”..

As the messenger, his life intersects with strangers and familiar people alike that he must figure out what message he needs to deliver each particular person. Some of his messages are quite easy to figure out while others even put him in danger. And meanwhile the question still remains– who the mysterious person is that is behind the cards?

Zusack manages to deliver a moving story that becomes the ultimate message, in my opinion, for humanity. I feel like sometimes I need a good reminder that anyone, no matter how ordinary you are, can do something good to help someone and that it is just a matter of having the confidence in yourself to do so. I love thinking about how interconnected we all really are.

I loved the development of Ed throughout the story. It gave me great joy seeing the confidence he gained with each message and I loved how he handled every lesson from each person that he touched. I also found the cast of characters that he interacted to be dimensional as well and I could picture them in my head and see different scenes play out.

In all, I really enjoyed it. Did I love it as much as The Book Thief? Absolutely not. But they are totally different books which I just think is a testament to how incredibly powerful Zusak can make every story whether it’s about a girl during the Holocaust or an ordinary joe like myself.

Filed Under: Contemporary Adult Fiction, contemporary YA fiction, Young Adult Fiction

Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream

March 26, 2012 by · 8 Comments

Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream is set up by chapters which count down the last 30 days of Clementine’s life as she plans and prepares for her suicide. Each chapter chronicles her day as she goes about her business to prepare and plan for her impending departure – things as mundane as cleaning out her refrigerator to finding a new owner for her rambunctious cat and making contact with her estranged father. Along the way there is drama, unearthing of secrets and quite a few things that could derail her plan. Mostly it’s hilarious, despite you’d think the tone would be with a book about suicide, but it’s also a little heartbreaking when you learn more about Clementine’s life. You just want to save her.

It’s a strange experience reading this book. As you are reading you become, like her, more and more at peace with her decision so to speak. I wouldn’t say I was rooting her on in her suicide but you find yourself almost accepting of it in the strangest way and you keep reading on swiftly to see if she actually goes through with it. I have to applaud the author for writing in such a way that you take on that resignation and feeling of peace that Clementine has in her decision.

Clementine herself was such a strange and interesting character! She’s snarky, a free spirited artist, quite ballsy & altogether just memorable. I felt as though some of her reckless actions and interesting decision making really mirrored her commitment to going through with her suicide. Why care about what you eat when you aren’t going to be alive in a few weeks? One night stands…not a problem when you don’t have to worry about the repercussions.

There were a few things that prevented this book from being stellar or awesome. Sometimes some of the descriptions of the mundane things…were just TOO mundane and I’d find myself skipping over a half of page to get to a part where she’s being hilarious in her observations or something. My other problem came with the ending. I’m not going to say much but it was not really satisfying to me. I can’t explain it without giving things away…but I just felt very underwhelmed.

Final Thought: Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream was a good read! It wasn’t a favorite by any means but it was refreshing and I’m glad I received a copy of it from the publisher. It was such an interesting read being inside the head of a character who has made peace with herself and her decision to commit suicide. It’s comical read, despite the subject matter, and I found myself giggling quite a lot. I couldn’t put it down until I found out whether or not she went through with it! Recommended for lovers of contemporary women’s fiction who want something refreshing and unique!

Review On A Post-It:

Find it on Goodreads or Amazon

Filed Under: 2012 adult fiction, 2012 debut novels, Adult Fiction, book review, Contemporary Adult Fiction, contemporary fiction, suicide, womens fiction Tagged With: ,

Review: The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni

October 17, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Book/Author: The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
Publisher/Year: Putnam Adult 2010
Genre: Adult Fiction (but I think it would have great crossover appeal for readers of Young Adult Literature)

The House of Tomorrow is about a teen boy named Sebastian who lives with his grandmother in this dome on top of a hill. His grandma is way into Futurism and the teachings of Buckminster Fuller and so he is certifiably an oddball character as he is homeschooled and has been brought up in a very unconventional, quirky way with very little interaction with other people and certainly not any kids his own age. This all changes when a scary event leads him to the Whitcombs who have a boy Sebastian’s age who on the outside is a punk loving kid with a bad attitude.

I wanted to love this book more than I did. This was the sort of book that was like, “Ok good book. Glad I read it. But I wish I felt more about it than I actually do…or probably should.” I think maybe it was the hype I had seen for it..I don’t know. I really enjoyed the character of Sebastian because he certainly could be King of the Oddballs and I think that anyone who really enjoys genuinely quirky characters would fall in love with him! I really loved the relationship between Sebastian and Jared because they are both such outcasts in their own way and have both understood what it is like to live a bit of a sheltered life. All of the characters were really lively in fact and I loved Sebastian’s interactions with them all. Even the briefest of characters were written with such extraordinary depth – like the record shop owner or the kids in the youth group. I loved how music just pulsed through this book – the love and appreciation for it, that first time discovery of music that is able to awaken every sense within you and the bond that a mutual love for creating music and listening to music can form.

While I thought the whole Futurism thing was interesting as part of the plot, I felt some of the book got bogged down by it while I was reading it. I felt like I was getting some info dumps that I just didn’t care about. I wanted to get into the heart of a story rather than learn about these teachings. Get past that first part that had a lot of the teachings and it gets much more interesting but they really did slow me down. I also felt like there was something deep and profound I was supposed to be taking away from the book, and while I did find a few nuggets, I mostly felt like it’s the type of book that could easily be one of those ones that are overhyped for how profound it is. Like, “omg look how deep I am!”

The Final Thought: The House of Tomorrow really was a good read but not the great read that I had hoped it would be. I am glad that I picked it up! There is something quite profound within the pages and Bognanni is a really great writer whose style I could see being really popular. It kind of reminds me of books like The Catcher in the Rye or like The Perks of Being A Wallflower with the characters and the coming of age story. If you love music (especially punk rock!) this book would be a really excellent read!

Filed Under: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Adult Fiction, contemporary fiction, crossover fiction, Fiction

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

September 4, 2011 by · 35 Comments

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Three Rivers Press 2001
Buy it here; Read more about it here.

You know how sometimes you read and liked a book but don’t know what to say about it? NOT THIS BOOK!! This is one of those times where I am furiously putting fingers to keys to implore you to FREAKING READ THIS BOOK. I have to because there is only so many times I can tell my fiance that “I EFFING LOVE THIS BOOK!” before he finds me irritating as hell and before I get annoyed that he isn’t taking any action to read this amazing book.

When I bought this series for my sister back in 2008 IN THE ADULT SECTION, after many many people on Goodreads recommended them for lovers of chick-lit, I never thought I’d read them or find them making my way on my sacred favorites list. EVER. I was pretty did not read anything resembling chick-lit at this stage in my life. My suggestion to you if you haven’t read these books: Forget any label you’ve ever heard about these books — chick-lit, YA or Adult fiction — and read them NOW! Experience the hilarity and awesomeness that is Jessica Darling.

Sloppy Firsts, where do I even begin? I read this book in the course of 24 hours and has been one of the only books that I’ve read that managed to make me giggle OUT LOUD every couple of pages. I couldn’t keep it in and I even let out a loud snort which embarrassed my fiance. Truly, Jessica Darling is hilarious, witty and makes astute observations about high school and adolescence that really is quite humorous.

I remember reading Judy Blume when I was younger and felt as though her books were written based on my inner thoughts and life events. Jessica Darling is certainly a voice that will resonate with most women as she gives an authentic voice to all of our past insecurities, firsts, messy relationships and more. There were so many parts in this book that I could relate to and that is what makes Jessica so special. No matter who you were in high school….you can find her easy to relate to. No doubt, Jessica Darling has become one of my all time favorite characters EVER. She’s not perfect at all but she is still so strong and smart and, even though sometimes she falters, she knows who she is! She comes to her realizations realistically and I love that her life doesn’t involve being a skank or thinking she is nobody without a boyfriend. She is like any normal teen who worries about guys, even obsesses over the slightest thing, but she does not live, breathe, nor find her worth in guys. MY KIND OF GIRL.

Oh and Marcus Flutie. I had to fan myself while reading parts that included him. He’s got that sexy confidence going on and I love it. He’s interesting and not cookie cutter. I love that he’s not the most attractive, god-like guy in Jessica’s mind and I love the quirky way in which their relationship progresses. I was pretty much salivating all over my book towards the end when we get to know him more. My only qualms..MORE I WANT MORE. Do realize how god-like Marcus Flutie has become?! I wanted more of him because what we got to know…he’s an intriguing guy and I have so many picture of drool worthy men in my mind. I never thought dreadlocks would be a sexy factor BUT HOT DAYUM…I can just see him with all his dreadlock hottness. With how this book ends, I can’t wait to see what happens between them!

My Final Thought: Whether you like YA or Adult fiction, read this. I don’t know what is ACTUALLY categorized as I have only ever seen it in the adult section but this shouldn’t matter because this book is THAT good if you appreciate genuine coming of age stories that will make you die laughing from the witty, snarky musings of a teenage girl of whom you’ll vicariously relive high school all over again in all of its embarrassing, awkward, confusing glory! One of the greatest romps through adolescence that I’ve ever had. It’s just so realistic (umm hello PARENTS in the picture rather than teenagers running amok) and I found myself cringing, laughing, rolling my eyes, rejoicing and squeeing right along Jessica.

Review On A Post-It:

And if that doesn’t entice you..here are just a SMALL SMALL percentage of the great passages in this book:

“You can only be in a bad mood for so long before you have to face up to the fact that it isn’t a bad mood at all; it’s just your sucky personality.”

“Am I the only creature with a vagina who thinks that weddings are ridiculous? I’m going to elope. Just me, my hubby, and a minister on a beach in Jamaica.”

“Then a lightning bolt shot straight through my skivvies. Sha-ZAM!”

“This is my new hobby. I watch my life depart minute by minute. I anticipate the end of everything and anything — a conversation, a class, track practice, darkness — only to be left with more clock-watching to take its place. I’m continually waiting for something better that never comes. Maybe it would help if I knew what I wanted.” 

Filed Under: Adult Fiction, book review, Contemporary Adult Fiction, contemporary YA fiction, crossover fiction, Humor, Jessica Darling, Megan McCafferty, most popular posts, Sloppy Firsts, Young Adult

So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman

August 15, 2011 by · 5 Comments

So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman
Simon & Schuster – March 2011
Adult Fiction

A young girl disappears from a rural town in upstate New York and, when the body turns up five months later, new-in-town reporter Stacy Flynn thinks this story will be the break she’s been looking for and a much needed shift from the story about the environmental impact of the dairy farms that are the bread and butter of this town that she was previously working on. Stacy becomes even more of an outsider when she suspects that it could be someone that lives in the town rather than a drifter like everyone else seems to think. Affected by the death of a peer, Alice Piper, a very smart and unique girl whose family is seen as outsiders for being a bit eccentric, starts trying to come to her own conclusions about who Wendy’s murderer is. Alice must decide if she should get involved to make things right or should she just go about her business like everybody else?


On one hand, this was one of the most psychologically thrilling and suspenseful books I’ve read in a while. And on the other hand, I could not get through this novel. It just took me so long and I found myself not really dying to pick it up. I know this sounds weird but that was the way my experience was.


Firstly, the premise was interesting from the beginning to me. Immediately in the beginning of the story it points to something Alice did in the course of this novel and wanting to know what this big thing she did WAS really propelled me throughout this story. I also, from the get-go, obviously wanted to know who the killer was and what this town was hiding. Those things kept me going and the whole story that unraveled was honestly just a crazy suspenseful ride! The whole ending with Alice was insane and I just could not brace myself during the reading of the last part of the book!


But on the other hand, what kept me from truly getting into this novel was the fact of how confusing it all was. I don’t mind novels from multiple perspectives or that switch back and forth in time (The Time Traveler’s Wife) but this one seemed super disjointed and confusing to me especially in the beginning. It was all over the place…from this character to that character to a character from when she was 5 to now and back again. I seriously could have gotten some whiplash from all the changing perspectives and time periods. I kept getting confused of who characters were and where we were in the story and it was annoying because I felt like I kept having to go back and figure out things that I was reading. For whatever reason, this novel just slowed me down with the style…which is unfortunate because typically this does not happen with multiple narrators or switching back and forth. 


I thought the moral and social issues that arose in this book were fascinating and unsettling. The story truly felt like something that could have been taken from your nightly news which is probably why I found it so disturbing..albeit there was much more drama in this book. I found it to be of much more substance than other crime thrillers that I’ve read and much more “literary” but unfortunately the style really just put a damper on my overall enjoyment. I honestly pushed myself to read through it just so I could find out what the heck happened! Was it worth it? In some ways but I’m not sure I would feel bad if someone would have just told me the ending. Ultimately, it packed quite a punch that I wouldn’t have gotten from someone just telling me what happened.  



* This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Question: Has the style of a book ever ruined a perfectly good story for you?

Filed Under: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Adult Fiction, Fiction, justice, mystery, small towns, suspense, thriller

Review: The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

June 14, 2011 by · 22 Comments

I was really ecstatic when I heard that that David Levithan was writing an adult novel because I love me some David and I read quite a bit of adult as well…and because it was about loooove. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I knew if it was like most of David’s novels I’d feel some sort of connection to it.

The Lover’s Dictionary was SUCH an interestingly lovely read that I DEVOURED in a day. Each page contains a passage of prose that reflects a word from the dictionary and it is written as though it is a dictionary entry. The passages range in length, some being a sentence or two and some being half of a page long, and follow the love story between a nameless narrator and his lover. You feel kind of a distance at first because you are only seeing snippets (not chronologically) of their love story and because they ARE nameless but you find yourself reading these intensely intimate thoughts and raw emotions and this couple becomes so exposed as the book gives glimpses into some of the most joyful and exciting times in their relationship as well as some of the most difficult and trying times in their relationship.

This book was really such an honest portrayal of the many facets of love as it examines the joys, the doubts, the heartbreaks, the sacrifices and the different nuances and quirks in the love affair between two people. Some passages made me laugh, cry and reflect on my own relationship as certain feelings or situations would hit close to home. The writing was exquisite and I found myself bookmarking page after page thinking that each passage was my new favorite only for it to be dethroned by another.

Some I wanted to share:


ineffable, adj.
these words will ultimately end up being the barest of reflections, devoid of the sensations words cannot convoy. Trying to write about love is ultimately like trying to have a dictionary represent life. No matter how many words there are, there will never be enough.“

autonomy, n.
“I want my books to have their own shelves,” you said, and that’s how I knew it would be okay to live together”

placid, adj.
Sometimes I love it when we just lie on our backs, gaze off, stay still.

There are SO many wonderful lines and passages in this book but I tried to pick some shorter ones that stood out in my mind.

My final thought: This book was a gem! Upon finishing it I just held it close to my chest because I was amazed at how raw it was and how much I connected with it. I thought of the moments that made my heart flutter in my relationship, I thought about the doubt and the act of learning how to trust in a relationship, the beauty in the mundane and the wonderful journey love really is despite how hard it can be to love and let yourself be loved in a relationship. The prose was something to be savored and I have no doubts that I will read this book again as it has a permanent place on my shelf. Levithan’s delivery was creative and I found the his connection to each of the words to be genius. I’d recommend to lovers of adult fiction who don’t mind something different and who don’t need to be wooed by a fast moving plot.

Review On A Post-It:

Filed Under: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Adult Fiction, love story

Review: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

May 12, 2011 by · 10 Comments

The Peach Keeper: A NovelThis is my first encounter with Sarah Addison Allen and I plan on reading more from her! I loved the premise of the book — a descendant from one of the wealthiest families turned poor from financial ruin still feels the troubled past she came from. Paxton, an old classmate of Willa’s whose grandmother was best friends with hers back in the day, decides to restore The Blue Ridge Madam — the grand house built by and lived in by Willa’s descendants before the scandal took place. As the restoration takes place, dark secrets from the past surface and bring Willa and Paxton, two girls who couldn’t seem anymore different, together to find out the past and protect their respective families. What they discover goes beyond the dark past of their families…they learn from their grandmothers just how important the bond of friendship can be.

I really quite enjoyed this book! The author’s writing and storytelling abilities took me captive and I found myself easing into the story quite comfortably the way one does into a hammock on a sunny day. I love magical realism anyways and I think the author does a great job incorporating a tiny bit of magic into an otherwise completely realistic story. It just really fit without being too bizarre or contrived….it was just subtle. It was a light read that combined the sweetness of friendships, both budding and enduring, and romance with a bit of a dark family mystery.

The theme of friendship was my favorite aspect of this book. It’s not often that I read a good “friendship-themed” book that makes me want to cultivate new friendships, repair broken ones and just generally want to have giggly sleepovers and rock the Girl Power. This quote from the book, one of my favorites, pretty much sums up what I took away from the book…which seems quite fitting for where I am in my life right now — “All we have is our deep and abiding love for each other. We can’t lose that or we lose ourselves. If we don’t help each other, who will?”

The storylines of Willa, Paxton and the grandmothers were all so compelling.  I found myself really relating to both Willa and Paxton in different ways. I felt like I was in a similar place as them here in my mid-twenties (they are in their early 30′s). What I found interesting and relevant to my own life was how the searching for who you are doesn’t end. I used to think by this point I would know exactly who I am and what I want. We are always working out the kinks and discovering bits and pieces of ourselves through our new experiences and interactions with others. We are constantly changing and I loved how these characters didn’t have it all figured out. I don’t know, I guess I just really connected to them and felt truly invested in their story. I also really enjoyed some of the minor characters— the author did not let them fall flat at all but rather created really lively and memorable characters. I thought the relationship between Paxton and Sebastian was so unique and intriguing and might have been the one aspect of the book I wasn’t sure WHAT would happen.

I really enjoyed this book but it is not without its flaws; despite the fact that the experience of reading it outweighed the negatives. I think my big issue was how predictable it was. Honestly, I predicted everything. I knew how relationships would end up and I guessed what happened with the grandmothers. There wasn’t much complexity to any of it and it was such a shame because the mystery and scandal had such promise..but I felt like nothing deviated from the course I thought it was going to take.  I wanted to find out more about Tucker Devlin. I don’t want to give away details so I’ll leave it at that. Overall, I really enjoyed the book despite the fact I knew what was going to happen. It’s a testament to Sarah Addison Allen’s writing and characters because normally I get perturbed when I am two steps ahead of the book.

Review on a Post-It:

Filed Under: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Adult Fiction, Fiction, friendship

Review: Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

January 14, 2011 by · 21 Comments

LullabyWhat if words had the power to kill? If uncontrolled thoughts could extinguish the life of another? Would humans become more deadly than guns and bombs and all the other man made objects used to kill one another? This is the kind of world that is a possibility in Lullaby. Carl Streator, a lonely and cynical reporter, is given the unfortunate task of doing a story on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome for his newspaper. In his observations, through studying all the details at the scene of SIDS victims, he comes across a shocking discovery that links all the deaths he has come across—in every house was the same book with the same page open or bookmarked. The lullaby, which is an African culling song, kills those who hear it—such as these innocent children being read a lullaby before bed. Carl realizes how dangerous this book is and decides to destroy all copies but not before coming into contact with Helen Hoover Boyle, a quirky real estate agent who sells haunted homes and who lost a child to SIDS, who has also realized this connection.

Chuck Palahniuk, you are the Mexican Walking Fish of authors—rare and completely a breed of your own. (Guys, I can’t help my love for bizarre creature..but this guys is so cute.)  Every time I read anything by him I just prepare my brain for the madness that is going to ensue whilst reading. I mean, seriously, I had so many “WTF” moments while reading this book. I’d be reading along–enjoying where the plot was going and starting to put things together –and then Pahahniuk would throw a mind busting plot twist or bizarre scene and I’d just sit there with my mouth gaping wide open thinking, “WTF just happened.” It’s not often that I invoke the WTF while writing a review. It just happens with his books. He has this exceptional talent that allows him to tell an interestingly bizarre story that is just the cherry on top of layers and layers of complex themes and stark observations about humanity and Lullaby is no exception. His prose is succinct in all the right places and lingers where it matters. Lullaby, while a shorter read, is certainly dense and proves the undeniable power of language. It reminds me of a quote I wrote down in my journal many years ago (but unfortunately have no author for!)— “Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.

The characters of Lullaby are all incredibly quirky. We get to know Carl the best, as he is the narrator, and while we learn about the other characters it is easy to see we aren’t getting a complete view of them due to the limitations of our narrator. Ultimately in the end I think we begin to realize the true character of each one and their motivations and even start to see Carl for who he truly is. Carl was just ok for me– I didn’t really dislike him nor did I particularly like him. I applauded his efforts to control the words in his head but sometimes thought he acted foolishly. I wanted to learn more about Helen though. I wish they went into her business more. I wanted to know WHY she sought out haunted houses just to terrify people and then turn them around quickly to sell again. Was it purely a money making scheme or was she just a sadist who enjoyed presenting the illusion of “The Perfect House” to people and watch them become terrified?


My final thought: This is one grim, bizarre and undeniably unique book. It’s also quite humorous in places.  You won’t find anything else like it. I guarantee it. The story is mysterious and interesting in itself and plot twists will keep you wanting to find out more. I think that the subtle, and not so subtle, dialogues about issues such as the power of the media and the sharing of news and population control, along with the themes of family and power, just add to this novel. Not going to lie, a little creepy to read so much about dead babies, but read this if you are looking for something really bizarre or you already love Chuck. Read it if you don’t mind knowing what the hey-ho-dolly is going on for half the novel but are cool with fumbling around and taking it all in until you do. Pay attention to the details.


Invisible Monsters: A Novel 

Friends, which novel would you suggest I read next of his? I’ve heard good things about Haunted and Invisible Monsters. What have you read?

Filed Under: 3.5 stars, Adult Fiction, Contemporary Adult Fiction, Fiction, literary fiction

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

November 29, 2010 by · 9 Comments

Juliet, Naked
 Wasted time. What happens when you wake up one day and realize you are not quite happy with the life you are living and feel as though a good deal of it has been wasted? This stark realization hits a childless and middle-aged Annie, a curator at a small, English seaside town museum and in a stagnant 15 year relationship with Duncan, a pretentious music fan who is obsessed with an obscure singer/songwriter named Tucker Crowe who mysteriously and abruptly left the music scene ten years before. All the way across the Atlantic in rural Pennsylvania lives Tucker Crowe who faces the realization of being haunted by failures and wasted time from his past that are affecting his present relationships.  A new release, in the form of a stripped down version of his most famous album entitled Juliet, will forever change the lives of Annie, Duncan and Tucker and brings them together to face the lives they haven’t been living and make a decision about what it is they truly want for themselves.

Juliet, Naked is my first experience with Nick Hornby and I am quite pleased. I very much enjoyed his style and found him to be humorous, thoughtful and able to make very astute observations through interesting and quirky characters. The emotional aspects of the story are not overwrought and there is delicately placed humor within the pages. I found myself laughing out loud a few times–mainly at Tucker’s son Jackson. I can see Hornby becoming a favorite author if the rest of his novels are as good as this one. There were so many beautiful quotes that I wrote down from this book that I can’t even begin to share them! Such as:

“The truth about life was that nothing ever ended until you died, and even then you just left a whole bunch of unresolved narratives behind you”

I couldn’t put this book down once I had a good chunk of time to devote to it. I was reading it over Thanksgiving and it was near impossible to get into it at first with all the travel and family and general madness. The next day I curled up with this book to be drawn into such a good story. I loved Annie! I found her to be such a multi-faceted character and thought she was very real. I found Duncan to be annoying and whiny but reminiscent of some of the crowd I used to hang out with in college. I will admit that I used to be a little bit pretentious in my music and film taste and scoff at others with “lesser” tastes so I could relate in some ways.  Tucker was an interesting character for me and his relationship with his son was adorable. There was so much beneath the surface with him and at some points you wanted to hate him for his actions and failures but then you’d find other things about him that were so redeemable. I loved learning the truths about his life that Duncan and all his “Crowologists” got wrong. The little “love triangle” was pretty entertaining.

I was a little disappointed with the ending I will admit. I had to read it over a few times to try and figure out what happened because it was pretty vague and left open to interpretation. I think the thing that bugged me the most about it was that it seemed rushed towards the end so I just wasn’t happy all around with the ending. Perhaps if it would have been built up differently I wouldn’t have been so irked by an ambiguous ending.

My final thought: Read this if you are looking for a really wonderful novel that deals with the rumpled nature of real life that is emotional and yet quite funny in all the right ways. This book peers into life and the loneliness that can seep into our lives. I think it is also about second chances–giving your life a second chance despite how much you’ve screwed up or no matter how much time you’ve wasted on a relationship, a job, etc. etc. I think if you are a passionate music fan, like myself, you will love this for the passion that drives these characters and the fact that this really is a book about music and the people who make it and those who consume it. There is a quote that I just can’t find at the moment that talks about this idea perfectly but it really made me think about how I interpret what I read and listen to versus the real meaning behind the art and how others interpret it.

Rating: 4 stars

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