Troubles by J G Farrell

The story is told from the perspective of an English soldier; a Major has just returned from WWI France and his story unfolds against the backdrop of the Irish uprising that led to the creation of the Republic. The Major goes to visit a girl he met prewar, whose English family owns a decrepit old hotel in an Irish coastal village. The title refers to the political unrest and fighting in Ireland and also to the unfolding of the Major's life. We meet some fascinating characters, her family, Irish hired help and the English aging guests who are fading as fast as the hotel. The Major is enough of an outsider to be able to step back from the contempt the English characters have for the Irish and the hate the Irish return. The decaying of the hotel mirrors the collapse of the society around it and the owner is just as oblivious to that as he is to his role in the village unrest In spite of this setting, parts of the novel are actually very humorous. The author's description of the slow collapse of the ancient hotel and how the occupants adjust is wickedly funny. I really enjoyed this one.

The Law and The Lady by Wilkie Collins

I was interested in reading this since it is described as the first mystery with a lady detective. Having enjoyed The Moonstone and the Lady in White, I was surprised at how dated this book is. The lady detective sets out to clear her husband's name of murdering his first wife and gets nothing but discouragement and anger from her husband and his mother. She carries on because she says she loves her husband so much. Frankly, it's hard to see why she is so devoted. He's a bit of a wimp and absolutely too sensitive for words. I wanted to slap him! Ultimately, the mystery is solved but the ending is absolutely unsatisfying!

One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming

This is the latest in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series. As with most series, there is a slow development of character and relationships but I think this one would stand alone very well. Fergusson is an Episcopal priest, just returned from National Guard duty in Iraq. Van Alstyne, the chief of police and now a widower, has been waiting anxiously for her return. These two are the main focus of the story but this novel differs from earlier ones in that supporting characters get equal story time. Five newly returned veterans, including Fergusson, gather in a support group. They are all coping in different ways with the damage they brought back with them. The author does an amazing job of looking at the problems of returning home with physical and mental problems and trying to pick up the life they left. Against this, there is a murder to be solved. I think this is the best novel of the series and I couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to the next one ( )

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

This book had been on my ToBeRead list for a long time then a friend gave me a copy with a strong recommendation. McCullers is a gifted writer (reminded me of Faulkner, in many ways) but her underlying view of the world is just too grim for me to appreciate. The characters are fascinating, a deaf mute on whom everyone projects their expectations but no one actually knows, a young girl who is apparently a musical genius growing up in poverty and low expectations, an itinerant traveler who sees all the injustice in the world and is driven to spread this message however futile, a black doctor who struggles with his treatment by whites in his southern town and is frustrated that all his friends and family don't see what he does. Each one of these people rage against their situation and try to reach out to each other but they are ultimately alone and inconsolable. There seems to be no hope for anything better.

Henrietta Sees It Through by Joyce Dennys

This is a sequel to Henrietta's War and covers the last three years of the the war. It was originally published serially during the war in Sketch. The book is in the form of letters written by Henrietta, a doctor's wife on the rural English coast, to a friend and neighbor who is away on the front. While she tells her friend she's sending along news of the village to give him a glimpse of something other than war, she details the effect of the war on the locals, from collecting metal for the war effort, to taking in evacuees from London, to the loss of family in combat. The author uses a dry, witty sense of humor to present the sacrifice and tragedies in a restrained way but the courage of the people comes through. The humor is distinctly British. The book gives a wonderful sense of place and people during this historical time.

At Mrs. Lippincote's by Elizabeth Taylor

Set in England during WWII, Julia and Roddy Davenant leave London and are relocated, along with their son and Roddy's sister, Eleanor, to a small town near the military base where he is posted. The novel describes each of their reactions to this new situation, focusing especially on Julia. She has a hard time settling in here, as I think she would anywhere, because she is too truthful to be very polite and "too busy, as a rule, measuring up and deploring other people to be in any way conscious of herself". This disruption of their lives destroys the fragile detente between Julia and Eleanor, and exposes the weaknesses of the marriage. I found it very difficult to care much about any of them although the ending gives much insight into Julia's state of mind. The book does give a good description of the disruption of war on home, friends and family.

Armadillo by William Boyd

I'm a huge fan of Boyd's work but this one took a little getting into. The main character is a London insurance adjuster who seems to need a slightly warped moral code to do his job but is ultimately a decent person. I found him hard to sympathize with at first but he did grow on me. He is surrounded by a supporting cast of wonderful characters. The novel looks at a very venal and corrupt business system, almost like a new class in England, people who are protected from ever getting caught or losing. The reader is carried along, as confused as the insurance adjuster, until the end when it is all wrapped up. Ultimately, well worth reading.

Kepler by John Banville

When I think about the great scientific minds of the distant past, I always imagine them constantly occupied with their lofty pursuits and all their needs somehow provided. Banville puts the reader right inside Kepler's mind which is so often caught up in the petty details of life, his unhappy marriage, deaths of his children, the constant search for a patron and money. But then occasionally you get a glimpse of his genius which leads him to look again at what was known about geometry and astronomy at the time. His Kepler sees the physical world and the people around him as alien and usually hostile. When he stops to take a look around, he is always an observer, never a participant. He lacks the most basic social skills. Yet there are those who see his genius and give him the time to do his work. Banville is an amazing writer and gives a good sense of life at the turn of the 17th century.

The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor

After reading Bleeding Heart Square, I dove into this book with great anticipation. I was not disappointed. The novel begins with a series of deaths in Cambridge and London in 1786. Struggling London bookseller, John Holdsworth, accepts a commission to find the true cause of student Frank Oldershaw's madness, presumably caused by seeing a ghost. He is thrown into a small community of secrets, power struggles, and tangled relationships. Taylor does an excellent job of creating an historical time and place. His characters struggle with both ghosts who appear to be apparitions of the recently deceased and ghosts who live in the minds of those consumed by guilt and regret. The ultimate resolution is very satisfying. My only criticism was finding myself confused in the opening pages by deaths of two ladies at Jerusalem college. I had to go back and reread it a couple of times.

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

This book was given to me by a friend who described it as dreamlike. I certainly see what he meant. This first novel is told from the point of view of Ruth who, with her sister Lucille, is orphaned by their mother's suicide and live in their deceased grandmother's home with a series of aunts, and finally with their aunt Sylvie, who has lived her life as a transient up until then. The girls expect to be abandoned again and watch for signs of it daily. The lines between imagination and reality are very blurred for Ruth and her aunt Sylvie. Sylvie prefers to live in darkness, wandering alone through the woods by day and spending nights by candlelight. One of the most compelling scenes was when the three of them are sitting in the darkened kitchen and suddenly Lucille reaches up and turns on the light, which illuminates harshly the dirt and chaos around them. Sylvie and Ruth quickly turn the light off and retreat again into darkness. Robinson writes with great lyricism and fascinating extended metaphors. I would have to say that at times, this got in the way of the story. But it’s an amazing first novel.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

This is quite a book. Set in Ethiopia, the story is narrated by Marion Stone, who along with his twin brother, Shiva, was born to an Indian nun and a British surgeon. After the mother dies in childbirth and the father runs away, they are raised by an Indian obstretrician and her husband, an Indian surgeon. I mention the nationality of the characters because the novel features a broad cross-section of the Ethiopian population. The plot covers the lives of Marion and Shiva from birth to adulthood, with lots of back stories for other characters along the way. I got very caught up in it and loved many of the characters. One warning: There are many medical procedures described in great detail. I didn't mind this because the author described these from the point of view of a doctor who loves his job and loves his patients.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

This novel is the story of Ernest Hemingway's marriage to his first wife, Hadley Richardson. I've always found reading fictionalized biographies of famous people a bit tricky. I bring along a preconceived idea of what they were like. While I'm a fan of Hemingway's writing, I've always suspected he was a overweening braggart to his friends. This book did nothing to change my mind. Written from Hadley's point of view, the novel has a melancholy tone, the final disaster hovering up ahead and coloring her memories. She appears incredibly placid and passive, with no life of her own and willing to accept anything to keep her marriage intact. I had to remind myself that she was of a generation that felt this was woman's proper role. The author does a good job of setting the place and lifestyle of the Hemingways and their friends. I enjoyed reading the book but think it would appeal mostly to fan's of Hemingway.

A Call From Jersey by P. F. Kluge

Kluge has taken an old theme, immigrants coming in search of the American Dream, and made it fresh and new. Two brothers, Heinz and Hans Greifinger, immigrate from Germany in the early 20s. The story is narrated alternately by Hans and his son, George. Hans describes his early days in New York's German town among immigrants who have come for a new life, but need their familiar language and food around them, and their conflicted feelings as the second world war approaches. George, grown up and a second rate travel writer, has no interest in hearing those early stories and feels no connection with his father. Hans has discovered the America he was looking for but then then the changes in society leave him behind. George's work involves traveling to cities his readers dream of visiting and finds nothing. The two take a road trip to Florida, looking for Heinz, and discover each other. I couldn't put this down. Masterfully written.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

Sherlock Holmes is retired and studying honey bees in Sussex. He meets Mary Russell, a young American girl, recently orphaned and living with her aunt. He immediately sees in her a kindred spirit with a mind like his own. The novel describes the unfolding of their relationship. Being a big fan of Conan Doyle's Holmes, I was apprehensive about how well King would capture Holmes' voice and if the plotting would disappoint. I needn't have worried. Her Holmes is totally believable. There are several plot lines that unfold to reveal the main story line, Holmes' mentoring of his apprentice. There are several novels in the Mary Russell series and I look forward to reading them.

Bad Boy by Peter Robinson

Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series has always focused as much on Banks' inner life and relationships as it did on solving the mysteries. This can be a strength or a weakness. It was one of the things I loved about this series when I first started reading them but some of the later books have been so dark, as Banks' dealt with disappointment and depression, that I found them hard to read. I think this latest book is a little different and the better for it. The book begins with Banks on vacation in San Francisco. The plot focuses on Banks' partner, Annie Cabbot, and his daughter, Tracy, and begins with a gun found by the mother of Tracy's roommate. The mother goes to the police, hoping for help from Banks, as British laws on gun possession are extremely severe. This sets off a series of events that make up the core of the mystery. The gun belongs to Jaff, a handsome charmer, drug dealer, "bad boy" who is dating the roommate and with whom Tracy is infatuated. Banks returns home to find Tracy missing and in danger. The resolution is unexpected and very satisfying. Robinson does a good job of creating secondary characters who come to life. The biggest weaknesses in the book were the parts describing Banks on vacation; most of these events were unrelated to the rest of the book. Robinson has done an amazing job of keeping the characters and stories fresh through a long series.

The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind

By Justin Pollard and Howard Reid. This is a very readable history of one of the most important places and times in Western history. The authors are not historians; both have film backgrounds, having worked on BBC documentaries and many films. This seems to have served them well in presenting a clear and interesting description of the founding and development of Alexandria.
The city was founded in 332 BC by Alexander the Great but, although a student of Aristotle, he was primarily a soldier, and it was left to his friend and fellow-student, Ptolemy, to build the city to it's greatness. In the chaos after Alexander's death, Ptolemy sought to unify Egypt with Alexandria as it's center. He used the principles he had learned from Aristotle to design a perfect city. It was the first city ever laid out on a grid, with sections for trade, residences, and public buildings.Ptolemy also had a real reverence for books and began to build the library for which it is so famous. So many developments happened there in geometry, astronomy, mathematics,and religion that it was truly the crucible that gave us the modern world.
I highly recommend this book for a better understanding of it's place in our history.

Work Song by Ivan Doig

Several years ago, I visited Butte, Montana and had a look at the huge scar in the earth left by the Anaconda copper mine. I stood above the toxic lake, so deadly nothing can live near it, and drove through the ghost town on the hills above where the cabins of the workers stand abandoned. It was an unforgettable sight. In Work Song by Ivan Doig, the heyday of Anaconda and Butte in the early 20th century is brought to life. The central character, Morrie Morris, steps off the train in Butte, hoping to leave his previous life behind and find good paying work. Morris quickly settles in and meets a series of townspeople who draw him into the life of the town. Through two retired miners at his boarding house, he gets a look at the hard life of the miners and their families and is swept into the tensions between the union, the wobblies, and the mining company. He finds work at the public library, run by a wealthy ex-rancher, a bibliophile who buys rare books and loans them to the library, and who tells Morris not to get involved in the fight between the workers and the company.. Morris is a fascinating and complex character. He tries to avoid committing himself but finds that ultimately, he has to make a choice. Doig creates characters who deal with tragedy but keep their dignity and sense of humor. He is amazingly good at creating a sense of place. His descriptions of Butte and the land around it come to life in this book and give a real feel for the west. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good story and memorable characters.

The French Blue by Richard W. Wise

In his historical novel, The French Blue, author Richard Wise tells the amazing story of Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a 17th Century traveler and gem merchant. Son of a cartographer in Paris, he becomes fascinated with gemology and leaves home at an early age to travel to Persia and India to learn about pearls, rubies, and diamonds. He eventually becomes a highly respected gem dealer, buying for Cardinal Richelieu, Louis XIV and other nobles The title refers to his greatest find, an amazing blue diamond that eventually came to be known as the Hope Diamond. Most of the novel describes Tavernier's travels though exotic lands and his dealings with merchants and royalty. Wise does an amazing job of describing the physical conditions of travel, risky at best, and the cultural environments Tavernier has to navigate. The best historical novels whisk you away to another time and place and give you a real sense of being there. Wise is a master at this. I was not familiar with this character before I read the book, and I found it very helpful that he includes an appendix which explains the fictional aspects of the story. If you like historical fiction, this book is a must read. I couldn't put it down!

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart

The first mystery by Erin Hart, Haunted Ground is set in Ireland,where archeologist Cormac Macguire and pathologist Nora Gavin are called in to investigate the uncovering of a woman's severed head. Since the bog tends to preserve tissue, the head could be hundreds of years old. Hart includes a lot of science as the two try to discover the history of the find. But this discovery unleashes new interest in a more current mystery in the town, the disappearance of the wife and child of a prominent citizen who is generally suspected of being responsible. Hart moves back and forth between the two mysteries and does a good job with both. There is also a developing personal relationship between the two scientists that is well done. She gives a good sense of place in describing the rural Irish setting. I'll definitely read her next book.

Right Foot in the Pacific, Left Foot in the Atlantic: An Adventure Across America

This is the story of David Stoess's walk across America from Los Angeles to New York City. He describes the physical difficulties of the trek but this book is primarily composed of sketches of the little towns, big cities (which he tried to avoid) and the people he encountered. He writes with a very conversational, folksy style that works well. This is probably not a book you would read from cover to cover, but it's a great book to pick up as the spirit moves you and read a couple of chapters. I enjoyed it very much.