Coming Home

Colm Tóibín’s Long Island is a sequel to his acclaimed novel Brooklyn, reuniting readers with Eilis Lacey two decades after her initial journey from Ireland to America. Set in 1976, Eilis is now settled in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with her husband, Tony Fiorello, and their two teenage children. Her seemingly tranquil life is disrupted when a stranger arrives, revealing that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child, a revelation that propels Eilis to return to her hometown of Enniscorthy, Ireland, for the first time in twenty years.

Eilis returns to Ireland to reassess the life she built in America. She falls back in with her old friends and her former lover, stirring up long-buried emotions and forcing her to confront not only her past but also the person she has become. Torn between the familiarity of her roots and the life she has carefully constructed across the ocean, Eilis’s journey becomes one of profound self-reflection and reckoning.

Our book club was torn on this book. Some absolutely fell in love with the language and the way the story rolled along, appreciating how Tóibín delicately portrays Eilis’s struggles and the complexities of life. The novel’s exploration of the choices that define us struck a chord with many of us, offering a poignant look at the intersections of identity, loyalty, and belonging.

Others in the group, however, found the pacing slower than expected and wished for more resolution in certain plotlines. The tension between Eilis’s old and new lives, while beautifully written, left some readers craving a clearer sense of closure.

Rating: 7

Love Unscripted

Alice Hoffman’s The Marriage of Opposites is an evocative novel inspired by the life of Rachel Pizzarro, the mother of the renowned Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. Set on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas in the early 19th century, the book weaves themes of love, rebellion, and art into a tapestry of cultural and historical intrigue.

Rachel, a strong-willed and passionate woman, defies societal expectations through her forbidden romance with her late husband’s nephew, Frédérick. Their love story is both a source of scandal and a testament to resilience, mirroring the novel’s broader exploration of identity, family, and creativity. Hoffman’s prose is richly descriptive, bringing the island’s landscapes and the complexities of its diverse communities vividly to life.

Through Rachel’s story, Hoffman examines the sacrifices and freedoms of defying convention while tracing the roots of artistic inspiration. The novel is a compelling blend of history and magical realism, offering a portrait of a woman whose indomitable spirit paved the way for her son’s artistic legacy.

Our book club was mixed on this novel. Some thought it was an enchanting tale with a dynamic female character and others didn’t care for Rachel. We discussed how societal expectations weigh heavy on people who live their life their way and damn with the consequences.

Rating: 7.0

A Life’s Journey

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The title alone had us intrigued The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  Immediately Elizabeth Taylor came to mind (but she actually married eight times – married Richard Burton twice).  Plus, we had read Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel Malibu Rising last spring and enjoyed it. When we like a book, we look at other novels that author has written. And just like the first book we were smitten.

When Evelyn Hugo, an aging star, who can still work a room, a movie set, and anything else she so desires, wants you to write her memoir – what’s a journalist to do?  Monique Grant is shocked when Evelyn asks her to not only write her memoir but to keep all proceeds from its sale. Monique is just starting her career and not a well-known entertainment journalist or author. Anyone would jump at this astounding offer, and she does with apprehension. Why me? (Of course, there is a reason – you’ll find out at the end).

Evelyn is all charm but with an edge. We follow her on her journey to stardom. As her darkest secrets are laid bare and the story concludes we are once again shown that no one has it all. We all suffer. We all grieve. We all do not get what we want. It’s about making the best of your live regardless.

We really liked this book.  We had fun visiting old Hollywood.  And appreciated how hard it must have been for so many to live their authentic lives. We talked about Elizabeth Taylor and about the tragedy of Marilyn Moore, among others.  We loved the fact that Evelyn wasn’t perfect. She did some stupid things. Some bad things. Who doesn’t have flaws?

And by the way:  Our book club has absolutely picked Harry as our hands down favorite husband.  Although….(don’t want to ruin the story).

Enjoyable.

Rating: 8.0

Photo by Vlad Bagacian on Unsplash

Love Heals

Shelby Van Pelt’s novel Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story about healing and finding love again. 

After her husband dies, Tova Sullivan works keeping her home in tip-top shape and takes a job at Puget Sound’s Sowell Bay Aquarium cleaning and talking with the creatures of the sea. Her favorite is an octopus named Marcellus.  Staying busy helps quiet the 70-year-old’s mind from wondering about her son, Erik, who died at eighteen from suicide. Tova never believed the coroner’s ruling.

Her friends don’t understand why she mops floors at the aquarium when she has plenty of money. Tova has a steely determination to live her life her way and on her own. She even refuses all offers of help when she decides to downsize from her childhood home.

The novel keys in on another character, Cameron. A thirty something, down-on-his-luck young man looking to find his father and get money for all the child support payments never made to his mother.  His mother suffered from mental illness and left Cameron with her sister to raise. Abandoned, Cameron can’t get his act together. Without a stable family, his ability to form secure attachments always falters and his relationships fall apart. Frustrated about his life, he leaves his hometown to find his father from a picture he found in his mother’s belongings. Cameron arrives in Tova’s town – coincidental?

Love – it’s what we all crave. It doesn’t always come in the Prince Charming package. And slowly, Tova Sullivan, let the pain of her incredible losses subside and allowed moments of affection, caring and love back into your life. 

And let’s not forget about Marcellus – the octopus.   If you happened to listen to the book, the narrator was amazing. Everyone at my book club loved this character.

We genuinely enjoyed this book. It’s a feel-good-happy book and it’s always nice to have a smile on your face when you finish a novel.  We discussed the general theme of the book – healing.  Everyone has people they loved who have passed away and the difficulty of grieving.  The deeper the love you have for someone – the longer the time you will mourn them according to a grief counselor I spoke with.  We also discussed love of family and friends and the great comfort they can bring.

It a lovely end-of-summer read. 

Enjoy!    

Rating: 8.0

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

Families and dysfunction

Some of us have either been to or have heard about parties that get way out of control especially in our younger years. Taylor Jenkins Reid takes this idea and juxtaposes it with the break down of a family in her latest novel Malibu Rising.

Four siblings living together in Malibu are preparing to host their annual epic party. There’s Nina, the oldest and the glue that holds the family together after their mother died, then Jay, Hud and the youngest Kit, still in high school. They are the children of legendary singer Mick Riva (think Frank Sinatra).  

Every hour leading up to the party we are given glimpses into the siblings past and present. With the clock ticking preparations are speeding up and so is the story’s tension as we learn all about the father that abandoned his children to fend for themselves and the extreme sacrifice that some made to keep the children together.

The party destroys the binds to their past enabling each of them to rise up and become the adults they were meant to be.

Our book club enjoyed the book. It’s a fast read with great tension. We talked about how Nina gave up her teenage years to become a mother to her siblings. Her willingness to sacrifice for the good of the family. How that probably wouldn’t happen in today’s world and what a lost that would have been for them.  We also talked about the responsibilities of parents. And then we talked about some crazy-ass parties we’ve been too.  We think you’ll enjoy this book.

Rating: 7.5

Photo by Lisha Riabinina on Unsplash

Family Secrets

Coben brings Win, Windsor Horne Lockwood III, out of mothballs and onto center stage in this self-titled adventure. Even though Coben’s books don’t lend themselves to great discussions at book club, we all love them.  And it’s good to read something fun and enjoyable. Besides he’s a Jersey boy.

How a family can lie to cover its secrets?  Win gets involved in a case with connections back to his family. He peels back the layers of lies and coverups and discovers a tragic truth. A painting belonging to Win’s family had been recovered at a home where a man was killed. Win has no idea who the man is or how he got that painting. Then the dead man turns out to be a member of a radical left group responsible for the killing of seven people decades earlier. Already intrigued, he becomes obsessed when his favorite cousin’s kidnapping around the same time is connected.

I prefer Win as Myron Bolitar’s sidekick. The two complement each other to perfection. Myron’s grounded character gives Win some great comic moments and curbs his egomania to somewhat acceptable levels. Win in a whole novel is a lot to take.

Our book club talked about the decisions made by family members and how they can affect several generations – the sins of the father, so to speak. We also talked about how lies grow and take on a life of their own.  Fun read but not great discussion.

Rating: 7.5

Photo: Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, Rijksmuseum

Against All Odds

Covid and crawdads – who would have thought of any connection between them. But this month our book club pick seemed so appropriate.  Isolation was a theme we all understood after this long, fearful year. 

Now imagine you’re a young girl and all alone. No one to love and nurture you.  One by one Kya’s family left home. First, at age six, her mother. Followed by her siblings and finally her drunken father. She had to prevail over unbelievable odds from an incredibly young age.

Kya’s coming-of-age story takes place in the marshes of North Carolina. Imagine the loneliness of a 10-year-old girl living by herself.  Shunned by the locals who nicknamed her “marsh girl,” she learns to take care of herself. Kya is helped by a few people like Jumini, his wife and a young man named Tate.

Her story of survival coincides with an investigation into the untimely death of Chase Andrews, a married man, who had dated Kya. The authorities and Chase’s mother are convinced that he was murdered. The story twists and turns like traversing the backwaters of the North Carolina’s marshes. Some of our members guessed the end and others were shocked by it.

A lot of controversary surrounds the book – critics abound. It is a bit unbelievable but so what. Delia Owens writes so lyrically about the marshes that I wanted to visit and that’s definitely not something I ever wanted to do.

Our book club liked the book, and we had some good discussions regarding the setting and the time period (the book was set in late 1950-1960’s). And, of course, the ending, which I don’t want to spoil here.  It’s a good discussion book for book clubs. 

Enjoy.

Rating: 8.0

Photo by Dave Chambers on Unsplash

When family disintegrates

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

As the weather chilled and the leaves started to turn color, so did our taste in books.  We chose The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

What makes a family? Having dinner every Sunday at mom’s house? Genetics? What bond ties a family together? These were the conversations we had at book club about this superb book.

Mallard, Louisiana was home to light-skinned blacks who didn’t marry “dark.”  The Vignes’ twins, Desiree and Stella, were raised that way. One traumatic night their father was ripped out of their home by a gang of white men for no reason and lynched. This atrocious event scared the twins in different ways and at sixteen they ran away to New Orleans. But after only one year Stella left, disappeared without one word to her twin sister. The book then splits following each twin on their life course.

This book plunges beyond the surface of its characters down to their souls, laying bare their shattered lives.

We talked about how an event in our past affects the present.  How it impacts our daily decisions. We were intrigued by their story and wanted to find out more about the twins. Did they find happiness? Do they reunite?

Great book for discussion, which, of course, is always what book club is all about.

Rating: 8.5

Photo by Kool C on Unsplash

Something Scary in the Woods

Harlan Coben crafts another captivating mystery with The Boy from the Woods. His novels are enjoyed by our entire book club. And he’s a Jersey boy – always a plus.

The protagonist of Coben’s latest whodunit is Wilde who thirty years earlier was found in the woods of New Jersey. In a throwback to Tarzan, he had been living like a wild animal and had no memory of where he came from or what his name was.  The townspeople called him Wilde.

Fast forward to present and he is asked by Hester Crimstein, a criminal TV attorney, to probe into the disappearance of a teenage girl named Naomi Pine, a friend of her grandson. Wilde is a security expert with unique abilities to investigate and solve difficult cases. His is also a friend of Hester and her family. 

Nothing’s as it seems in the search for the missing teenager.  But what fun would it be if it were.

Coben’s books don’t usually lend themselves to intense discussion. However, we love to talk about the twists and turns and who saw what coming and so on.  Mysteries are so much fun.

We all agreed at book club that we wanted Wilde to search for his parents/relatives.  Who the hell left a young boy in the woods? That to us was the biggest secret of all.  Maybe there’s a second book being planned for Wilde and we’ll get our answer then.

Rating: 7.5

I came across this video of Harlan talking about the book and thought I’d share it – https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/harlan-coben/the-boy-from-the-woods/9781538748169/

Photo by Niilo Isotalo on Unsplash

Summer Breeze

Jennifer Weiner is a favorite storyteller of some of our book club members.  We enjoyed Mrs. Everything last year and so for our August book club we read Big Summer.  

The novel begins with Daphne Berg, who is a plus-size woman trying to capitalize on her writing and creative abilities by showcasing her zaftig figure in a positive way drawing online support and creating her own community.  What could possibly go wrong?

The influencer idea came from a particularly cruel “mean girl” type of event instigated by her then best friend, Drue Cavanaugh.  Years later, Drue comes back into Daphne’s life and begs her to be her maid of honor at her upcoming wedding.  Huh?

Drue, the extremely rich, beautiful socialite didn’t have any real friends. At least, that’s what she told Daphne.  And she really needed her to be in the wedding.  Drue didn’t trust anyone else.  Daphne would be able to post all the events surrounding the wedding and even had an upcoming designer had agreed to dress her for the part. As we read the book, we were all screaming – don’t do it, but w’ere older and allegedly wiser.

After Daphne agrees to do this favor for Drue, all sorts of crazy things start happening.  The story line even has a murder in it. 

Weiner beautifully captures Cape Cod and the complications of female friendships especially younger women.  We would have loved more of that and less of the murder.  Weiner has a lovely, young, bubbly way of creating these moments that are so believable and accessible.  We want more of that!

Our book club talked about the social media circus and how fortunate we are not to be so engaged in it. We post on Facebook and some a little on Instagram, but cautiously.  We do choose to live out loud but not so much online. An easy, breezy read.

Rating: 7

Photo by Alexandra Lowenthal on Unsplash