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Category: Literature & Fiction

Review: The White Devil by Justin Evans

[ 3 ] November 21, 2011

Reviewed by Nina Longfield

Set at the exclusive English boarding school of Harrow, The White Devil by Justin Evans is part coming-of-age tale and part ghost story and Gothic suspense. The story begins with young American near-do-well Andrew Taylor’s entry into Harrow as an exchange student. This is Andrew’s last chance to clean up his act or be disinherited, or so his father threatens.

Andrew Taylor’s arrival at Harrow turns dismal with the sudden death of the first person to befriend him at the school. The death is followed by more illnesses and suddenly Andrew is seen by his classmates as the culprit. And Andrew isn’t so sure he’s not responsible as he keeps seeing a pale, white haired boy who seems to be a portent to misfortune.

Unable to seek his father’s guidance, Andrew turns to his dormitory housemaster, Piers Fawkes, for help when he fears he is loosing his mind. Fawkes has his own issues that include bouts of drunkenness, indifference, and pathos. Andrew and Fawkes work together to weave the story of Harrow’s past meshing out a 200-year old mystery, which possibly involves one of Harrow’s most infamous alums, Lord George Gordon Byron.

Justin Evans skillfully pulls together a contemporary story interwoven with historical facts. Despite its slow beginning, The White Devil is a novel worth the reading effort. The first few chapters tend to drag a bit and I didn’t like the characters or the setting, at first. However, Evans seems to understand mystery and he builds his story with increasing tension and suspense.

With a coroner’s explanation to an apparently mysterious death, the story picks up speed. The mystery deepened with hints of horror as Byron’s sordid past becomes entangled with the present-day story. By the end of The White Devil, I grew to like the characters and even felt sympathy for their personal struggles. Whether read for the coming-of-age angle or the Gothic horror, The White Devil is a story of substance with lingering appeal.

Rating: 4.5/5

Nina Longfield is a writer living in Oregon’s fertile wine country. When she is not reading or writing in her spare time, Nina enjoys hiking in the hills surrounding her cabin.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Harper. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

[ 3 ] November 21, 2011

Reviewed by Claudia Robinson

“Top 5 Signs You Have Alzheimer’s: 5 – You ask your grandson to take you to the junior prom 4 – Your right hand doesn’t know what your left has done 3 – Girl Scouts come over and force you to decorate flower pots with them 2 – You keep discovering new rooms in your house And the No. 1 sign you have Alzheimer’s is…It’s somehow slipped your mind. “

They say a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Dr. Jennifer White is suffering from dementia, lost in the furry, forgetful haze fogged mind maze of Alzheimer’s. Jennifer, along with her caretaker, her handsome son Mark and her opinionated, beautiful daughter, must keep a journal to remind herself of what she has done each day and how the disease is affecting her and others. Photos and Post-it notes on appliances and mirrors serve as sole guidance and mementos of a life and its daily functions that Jennifer is finding harder and harder to remember.

Some days are better than others. There are wardrobe malfunctions in the supermarket, shoeless adventures in the pouring rain. There are blackouts and their subsequent come-tos in strange places filled with strange faces. On other days, Jennifer’s sharp wit and sly demeanor resurface from the quagmire, and a solid, obstinate lucidity replaces the mental maelstrom. There are violent days, mood swings and hostility. There are endless hours of reliving painful memories, clarity resurfacing old wounds, fresh mourning, fresh anguish, relived each time like the first. Paranoia and suspicion are equal opportunity, no one is immune; and then, there is also the small issue of murder.

When Jennifer’s churlish best friend and neighbor, Amanda, is found dead in her home, with her fingers surgically removed, there is only one person the authorities believe can be responsible. When another neighbor claims to have heard the women arguing the week before, and Jennifer suddenly produces a likely weapon, it seems like a closed case. Or is it? How can the authorities get to the truth when even Jennifer is no longer sure of what that is? Alternately written from Jennifer’s addled perspective, snippets of the past and present are mangled and gnarled together, until one and the other are barely recognizable. Turn of Mind, by Alice LaPlante is seductively haunting and brilliant.

Presented in such a manner that the reader is forced to experience Jennifer’s mental decline, her anger and frustration and the anguish of those who love her, Turn of Mind delivers a passionate, poignant, heartbreaking story of a woman’s tormented descent in to a mind no longer able to discern day from night, right from wrong, pleasure from pain.

Expressive, smart and full of twists and turns, including an ending no one will ever see coming, Turn of Mind combines an uncannily concise and formidable view in to the world of Alzhiemer’s and a brutal murder, producing an intensely riveting tale of love, family and the ends and means to which some are willing to go to hold on to it all. Truly exquisite from beginning to end.

Rating: 5/5

Claudia lives on beautiful Cape Cod with her husband and two children.

The review copy of this book was provided free of any obligation by Atlantic Monthly Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Stay by Allie Larkin

[ 6 ] November 19, 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Leisey

Savannah “Van” Leone is downright miserable during the wedding of her best friend, Julie. But what else is expected, when Peter Clarke, Julie’s new groom, is the man who Savannah has loved since her freshman year of college. And when Julie’s mother tries to pay Van to keep away from the newlyweds, it’s clear that the only people who haven’t spoken about Van’s feelings are Van and Peter. Even Van’s mother, who passed away from cancer a few years prior, knew the truth.

Van returns home alone – her mother is gone, her best friends enjoying their honeymoon – and nurses her sorrows with vodka, Kool-Aid, and a Rin Tin Tin marathon. Angry at the world and too drunk to care, Van starts searching the web for German Sheppard puppies. After waking up the next morning wrapped around her toilet, Van realizes she spent six thousand dollars on a dog.

The “puppy” Van was expecting turns out to be Joe; a black, long-haired, 100-pound 6 month old German Sheppard who steals Van’s side of the bed and ultimately, her heart. Van tries desperately to learn how to live with her new furry roommate with the help of Joe’s vet, Dr. Alex Brand, who teaches Van the Slovakian commands and leash skills for Joe.

An enormous canine that has the home owner’s association at her condo livid, the possibility of a new love interest, and mourning the loss of both Peter and her mother have quickly thrown Van’s world upside down. And soon, she realizes that just when you think life can’t get any more complicated . . . it inevitably does.

Stay was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down. With three dogs running my own household, I immediately fell in love with Joe’s unconditional spirit and charismatic personality. An easy but so very fulfilling story of friendship, love, and loss that’s reminiscent of Marley & Me and Something Borrowed (see our review), Larkin’s novel takes less than a day to read, but will stick with you for much longer.

Rating: 4.5/5

Since graduating from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Professional Writing, Jenn works as a freelance writer, poet, and blogger at south of sheridan. She resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, and loves baking, crafting, and anything that requires a hot glue gun.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Plume. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: What Came First by Carol Snow

[ 5 ] November 18, 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

In her latest novel, What Came First, Carol Snow explores the lives of three women who are all affected by choices made in their youth involving artificial insemination. Vanessa is hopelessly in love with her boyfriend, Eric, yet he seems to have commitment issues. All Vanessa wants is to get married and have a family with Eric, but he expresses little interest. Wendy and her husband Darren conceived twins via a sperm donor, but parenthood has been less than ideal. Their kids are out of control, and Darren interacts with online people rather than his family. Laura is a successful lawyer who conceived via a sperm donor. Her son is the light of her life, but she is getting older, and Ian wants a sibling. She would do anything for him, even track down the sperm donor to get another deposit.

What Came First is the third novel I have read by Carol Snow, and I like her writing style and plot ideas more and more with each new book. I can’t think of any other novel that I have read that has IVF or IUF as its subject, so I was very excited to see how she would treat it. The novel is made up of rotating first person narratives from Vanessa, Wendy, and Laura, but interestingly, I found it was the men’s perspectives that I was most curious in having.

Through Vanessa’s and Laura’s narrative, we get a sense of who Eric is, but I really wanted to be inside of his head to get a sense of who he was at the age of 23, and who he is now at the age of 32. Likewise, I wanted to know about Darren’s pain and why he chose to escape into a virtual reality world instead of working things out with Wendy. I even wanted to know more about Vanessa’s boss, Dr. Sanchez, who caught my interest from the very beginning.

What Came First contains a lot of interesting twists and turns; I wasn’t able to accurately figure out how everything would come together (or fall apart) for these characters. By the time I reached the end, I turned the page, hoping there would be a little more closure for a few of them. I don’t necessarily think a sequel should be written, but I’d love to read a novella or short story just to find out how they are all doing.

Rating: 3.5/5

Check out our review of Carol Snow’s Just Like Me, Only Better

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Carol Snow. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

[ 7 ] November 17, 2011

Reviewed by Vera Pereskokova (Luxury Reading)

Lenka, an aspiring artist, and Josef, a medical student, met in Prague on the eve of WWII. Both young people were Jewish; despite the looming threat from Hitler and the Nazis, they quickly fell in love and decided to get married. Lenka hoped that the marriage would not only be a happy one, but would provide a way out of the country for her parents and younger sister.

As was the case with many families at the time, the newlyweds were separated mere days after their hasty marriage ceremony. Lenka believed that Josef perished onboard a ship bound for the United States, and Josef received the news that Lenka was sent to a gas chamber upon her arrival in Auschwitz.

Unbeknownst to each other, both Lenka and Josef survived, married other people and re-built their lives. Well into their eighties, they attend a rehearsal dinner for their grandchildren (Josef’s grandson is marrying Lenka’s granddaughter) and find what they’ve been looking for all these years – each other.

The Lost Wife by Alison Richman is the book I’ve been wishing for while trying to get through the so-so novels. Although the prologue made it pretty clear that Josef and Lenka would eventually reunite – and hence I did not shy away from revealing this fact in the review – the story of their initial meeting, courtship and subsequent years apart had me glued to the pages.

The Lost Wife is written from both Josef’s and Lenka’s perspectives in alternating chapters. Lenka’s narrative is one of the past as she recounts her years in the Terezin ghetto and later in Auschwitz. If I had to find one issue with the novel, it’d be the fact that Lenka’s narrative would sometimes switch to present tense while still describing the past. The transition was a bit jarring at first, but didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Lenka’s stories provided the meat of the novel and most of the details, while Josef’s chapters were dedicated more to his feelings and the effect his love for Lenka had on his second marriage. Both narratives were powerful, but I found myself enjoying Lenka’s chapters more as they provided a more continuous timeline of events.

Books dealing with the Holocaust are never particularly easy to read, but the love shared by the two main characters and their eventual reunion gave The Lost Wife a hopeful tone. It was even more so given the fact that the book was based on an actual couple who reunited many years after the war – Richman overheard their story while getting a haircut.

The Lost Wife gave me chills and had me both smiling and tearing up as I turned the pages. I hope it will do the same for you.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Berkley Trade. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Postmortal by Drew Magary

[ 3 ] November 17, 2011

Reviewed by Jill Elizabeth

I have been very excited about The Postmortal. Normally I review non-fiction for Luxury Reading. But I saw this one on the “books to be reviewed” list and it sounded so clever and intriguing that I asked if an exception could be made and I could do a spot o’ fiction.

I loved the premise – in our world in the not-so-distant future, a cure for aging has been discovered. The President has banned it in the U.S., but it is available on the black market. John Farrell, a bit of an Everyman who happens to be a divorce lawyer, has a connection and decides to take The Cure.

Initially, mayhem and madness ensue, in the best possible ways. John’s future world is one of snarkiness, dark gallows humor, Shocking Revelations, and more than a few unexpected twists and turns. At least, it is in the first handful of chapters. After that, well, it becomes a lot darker and the gallows humor becomes more gallows and less humor. Random acts of violence, bitterness, resentment, ennui, and the decline of all forms of faith, hope and love are apparently the name of the game in the future.

If we really are in for that kind of future, I am in no rush to sign up – let alone to extend my stay with a late check-out.

The Postmortal is a combo entertainment/cautionary tale. But the existential angst surrounding John Farrell and his family/friends was entertaining for a while, then it got a little heavy-handed for my taste.

Personally, I don’t know that I see all that much appeal in a cure for aging. From the beginning, I rather fell in line with the pro-death traditionalists (and John’s father) when they pointed out that everything good must come to an end – and that this is not necessarily a bad thing or something to avoid, but just a necessary part of life and the appreciation of what we have. This is, ultimately, the message Magary sends us away with – and it’s a good one. But frankly, I think he could have delivered it without quite as many participants in the parade of horribles that poor John Farrell had to deal with along the way…

Rating: 2.5/5

A former corporate attorney and government relations/health policy executive, Jill-Elizabeth walked away from that world (well, skipped actually) and toward a more literary life (equally challenging, but infinitely more enjoyable). If you enjoyed this review, please visit her at Jill-Elizabeth.com, the official home of All Things Jill-Elizabeth – that is, all of the teehees, musings, rants, book reviews, writing exercises, and witticisms of her burgeoning writing career.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Penguin. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore

[ 4 ] November 16, 2011

The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore is the November/December pick for the SheKnows Book Club!

Reviewed by Colleen Turner

When summer began, Ginny and William Owen were looking forward to more of the now enjoyable same: William would take long walks to the lake for ice cream and cultivate his much loved garden while Ginny would continue her book club and baking for the church sale. Peace, serenity and consistency would reign supreme. Or so they thought until the arrivals began to pour in.

When their oldest daughter, Lillian, states she is coming for an extended visit for the summer, sans husband Tom but with daughter Olivia and baby Phillip in toe, they are skeptical as to the reasons but aren’t exactly sure how to ask. She’s angry, demanding and completely exhausted but refuses to put down her guard and say what, exactly, is the matter. She can’t bring herself to tell her parents that Tom has betrayed and shamed her and that she has absolutely no idea what to do about it.

As if this wasn’t enough, the Owens’ middle child, Stephen, decides to show up for a surprise visit with his very pregnant wife, Jane. Not being a fan of Jane’s workaholic ways, Ginny is torn between frustration at having to hold her tongue about what she sees as Jane’s faults and the joy that her beloved son is home. For their part, Stephen and Jane are nervous to share with the family their plans for Stephen to stay home and care for the baby once it arrives so Jane, the breadwinner, can go back to work. Before they can escape back to New York, however, Jane experiences a pregnancy complication that sends her to bed in Lillian’s old bedroom, trapped under the watchful eyes of the whole household.

To round out this motley crew is Rachel, the youngest Owen, who has recently gone through a tangled breakup, is running out of money fast and isn’t sure what she needs or wants to do with her life. She arrives for some familial TLC but soon sees that the house is bursting at the seams and no one within it is quite sure what to do next.

As the summer progresses, each member of this family must decide who they really want to be and what sacrifices they are willing to make to be that person. No one can move on without compromising something and no decision is easy, but in the end they each discover something essential: family is the one place to turn when you aren’t sure which direction to take and they are there to help, through good and bad, whether they want to be or not.

The Arrivals does a great job of highlighting adulthood at its various and complicated stages: from the awkward child/adult limbo stage, to the nerve-wracking early stages of becoming a parent, to the warlike life of adults in the thick of raising a family and trying to retain that essence of the people they were before, to the stage where your children have left you behind and you have to let go and let them make their own choices.

I enjoyed seeing each character fighting through their own insecurities and inadequacies and their assumptions that their problems were the worst. While I can’t say I agree with all of their choices, I (and I believe just about everyone) can relate to feeling lost and confused at various times and seeking solace in the very people who often make you craziest. While The Arrivals doesn’t represent a seriously dysfunctional family, it will likely stir up memories of your own more mild family interactions and is a satisfying balm for thoughts that your own problems with family are yours and yours alone. I am excited to see what Meg Mitchell Moore offers up next.

Rating: 4/5

On Thursday, November 17th, from 8-11pm EST, Meg Mitchell Moore will be chatting with her readers on the SheKnows message boards. Click here to join in – you can also leave your questions in advance!

Colleen lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, son, their dog Oliver and their fish Finn. When not working or taking care of her family she has her nose stuck in a book (and, let’s face it, often when she is working or taking care of her family as well). Nothing excites her more than discovering a new author to obsess over or a hidden jewel of a book to worship.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Reagan Arthur Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell

[ 6 ] November 15, 2011

Reviewed by Marcus Hammond

Daniel Woodrell’s The Outlaw Album is a collection of 12 short stories that offer a desolate investigation of individuals residing on society’s fringe. The characters throughout do not represent feel good heroes or heroines, but those who struggle to cope with what their environment has provided for them. Throughout the collection Woodrell focuses on the grittiness of society. He explores many themes, which include the consequences of war, both past and present; and the effects of sexual abuse, poverty, and traumatic loss.

Woodrell makes no apologies for the actions of his characters. In “Uncle,” one of the more gritty and unrepentant stories in the collection, a young girl grows tired of her uncle’s sexual abuse. After being raped and witnessing other rapes performed by her uncle, the young girl violently and unremorsefully paralyzes the man with a pickaxe. She is then forced by her mother to tend to him. She embarks on a mission to make him suffer for his transgressions until eventually taking steps to enact her final revenge upon him.

Another pinnacle from the collection includes “Night Stand.” The story investigates the psychological damage both past and current wars create, as a young war veteran breaks into the home of a veteran from a past war. The story centers around the lack of understanding civilians have for soldiers either returning from war or those dealing with the trauma from past conflicts.

Woodrell does an amazing job of maintaining a connection to society’s dark and actively dismissed dilemmas. At points, however, his writing style slows to a painful crawl and becomes experimental and distracting. “The Horse in Our History” employs a writing style that relies on first hand oral transcriptions of an event and first person narration that tries to connect the past to the present. While interesting, the stylistic choice breaks the momentum created throughout the preceding stories and may distract the reader from noticing the story’s connection to the collection’s overall theme.

While all of the stories investigate a gritty truthfulness that we all would like to hide from, Woodrell’s meticulous attention to the psychology of his characters and their surrounding environment makes for a culturally significant addition to our literary heritage.

Rating: 3.5/5

After obtaining a Masters in Liberal Arts and Literature Marcus has dedicated most of his time to teaching English Composition for a community college in the Midwest. In his down time, he spends time avidly reading an eclectic selection of books and doing freelance writing whenever he gets the chance. He lives in Kansas with his wife.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Little, Brown and Company. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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