Category Archives: Literary Fiction

September 2, 2015 · 11:57 pm

Review: Two Across by Jeff Bartsch

two acrossTitle: Two Across by Jeff Bartsch
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Historical (60s & 70s), Literary Fiction, Romance
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Highly awkward teenager Stanley Owens meets his match in beautiful, brainy Vera Baxter when they tie for first place in the annual National Spelling Bee-and the two form a bond that will change both of their lives.

Though their mothers have big plans for them-Stanley will become a senator, Vera a mathematics professor-neither wants to follow these pre-determined paths. So Stanley hatches a scheme to marry Vera in a sham wedding for the cash gifts, hoping they will enable him to pursue his one true love: crossword puzzle construction. In enlisting Vera to marry him, though, he neglects one variable: she’s secretly in love with him, which makes their counterfeit ceremony an exercise in misery for her.

Realizing the truth only after she’s moved away and cut him out of her life, Stanley tries to atone for his mistakes and win her back. But he’s unable to find her, until one day he comes across a puzzle whose clues make him think it could only have been created by Vera. Intrigued, he plays along, communicating back to her via his own gridded clues. But will they connect again before it’s all too late?

Review:

Two Across by Jeff Bartsch is a quirky yet clever romance between two slightly awkward and geeky protagonists. Spanning about fourteen years from their initial introduction, a love of crossword puzzles helps Stanley Owens and Vera Baxter reconnect time and again only to have their relationship falter under the weight of dishonesty.

Meeting as fifteen year olds at the National Spelling Bee, Vera and Stanley’s long distance friendship culminates in a faux marriage before beginning college. Stanley comes up with the harebrained scheme as a way to gain his freedom from his mother and keep her in the dark about the fact that he is not attending college. Vera goes along with his plan because she is secretly in love with him. As the years pass, Stanley and Vera create crossword puzzles with clues to facilitate their reunions but their relationship implodes time and again when Stanley’s schemes are uncovered and Vera runs away instead of facing their issues.

Stanley is the only child of an agoraphobic mother who has his future all mapped out for him. He is super intelligent but his only career goal is creating crossword puzzles. He dreams up some very elaborate yet ingenious schemes to convince his mom he has been accepted at Harvard and he uses the money from his sham marriage to Vera to keep up the facade. Stanley is content to make just enough money to maintain a simple lifestyle while he creates and submits various crossword puzzles over the years. Stanley’s lackadaisical attitude spills over into his private life with Vera and he is content to just coast along without truly committing to her or putting much effort into taking nurturing their relationship.

Vera is also crazy smart but unlike Stanley, she has clear goals and dreams that she works hard to achieve. She, too, is less than honest about her marriage, but unlike Stanley, she wants a real relationship. However, due to her fear of rejection, Vera keeps quiet about her feelings for him and their romance falls apart time and again when the truth about Stanley’s shenanigans or their relationship is discovered. Finally deciding enough is enough, Vera finally comes clean about their marriage and leaves Stanley behind while she completes her education and focuses on her career.

The premise of Two Across is quite unique but the story quickly gets bogged down in the on again/off again romance between Vera and Stanley. Stanley’s lack of honesty with his mother becomes tiresome as he continually falls back on schemes and lies instead of admitting the truth about what he wants in life. Vera is the more likable of the two but her propensity to run away when trouble strikes is frustrating as is her failure to take a risk and admit her feelings to Stanley. The crossword puzzles are quite fun and the manner in which Jeff Bartsch incorporates them into the plot is rather ingenious. Overall, an inventive romance with a bittersweet conclusion that readers of literary fiction will enjoy.

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Filed under Grand Central Publishing, Historical (60s), Historical (70s), Jeff Bartsch, Literary Fiction, Rated C+, Review, Romance, Two Across

August 31, 2015 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg

middle somewhereTitle: The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg
Publisher: NAL
Genre: Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A troubled, young widow hikes from Yosemite Valley deep into the wilderness on the John Muir Trail to elude her shameful past in this emotionally gripping story from the author of House Broken.

With her thirtieth birthday looming, Liz Kroft is heading for the hills—literally. Her emotional baggage weighs her down more than her backpack, but a three-week trek promises the solitude she craves—at least until her boyfriend, Dante, decides to tag along. His broad moral streak makes the prospect of confessing her sins more difficult, but as much as she fears his judgment, she fears losing him more. Maybe.

They set off together alone under blue skies, but it’s not long before storms threaten and two strange brothers appear along the trail. Amid the jagged, towering peaks, Liz must decide whether to admit her mistakes and confront her fears, or face the trail, the brothers and her future alone.

Review:

In The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg, a three-week hike on the John Muir Trail turns into a complicated journey of healing for main protagonist Liz Kroft and her boyfriend Dante Espinoza. Looking forward to her solitary trek, Liz is dismayed when Dante decides to join her but when the weight of her mistakes grows too heavy to bear, she finally reveals her deepest secrets to him. Will her confessions bring the couple closer together? Or will these revelations devastate their relationship beyond repair?

Raised by her distant (and uninvolved) single mother, Claire, Liz’s childhood was anything but normal. Learning from a young age to take care of herself, Liz is independent and quite self-sufficient. She finds it difficult to make friends but when she reconnects with classmate, Gabriel Pemberton, in college, she unexpectedly falls in love with him (and his family). The two eventually marry and settle down, but without firsthand experience with “normal” relationships due to her unconventional upbringing, Liz has no idea how to fix her soon floundering marriage. After Gabriel’s death, she begins her life over in a new state and plans to remain single until she meets her co-worker, Dante. Despite the cautious progression of her unexpected romance with him, Liz is still unsure she made the right choice to move in with him.   In the aftermath of a panicked decision she made without consulting him, she hopes the 220 mile hike will provide her with some much needed clarity about what comes next for her and their relationship.

Liz is not at all thrilled by Dante’s decision to accompany her on the John Muir Trail. He is not exactly an outdoorsman and the upcoming hike will be strenuous with few creature comforts. Her irritation increases when he fails to follow her advice and he is miserable almost as soon as they begin their journey. However, Liz is most frustrated by the lack of solitude to reflect on the choices she has made.

Despite the rather inauspicious beginning to their expedition, Liz unexpectedly begins to confide in Dante about her previous marriage. However, she remains very introspective and it is soon clear that she is deeply troubled by a recent decision. In spite of her reluctance to divulge this upsetting secret, Liz is finding it increasingly difficult to keep this distressing information from Dante. Unfortunately, her suspicions about his reaction are accurate but as she tries to explain the reasons behind her decision, Liz gains unexpected insight about herself. Her explanations fall on deaf ears and Dante pulls away from her both physically and emotionally as he tries to process this unexpected revelation. Before they can repair the rift between them, Liz and Dante find themselves in sudden danger when two hikers they meet on the trial embark on a menacing game of cat and mouse with them.

The Middle of Somewhere is an incredibly well-written novel with an unusual storyline. The John Muir Trail is a fascinating backdrop for the unfolding story and Sonja Yoerg brings both the breathtaking scenery and grueling conditions vibrantly to life. Liz and Dante’s journey is laden with arduous obstacles to overcome both physically and emotionally and the suspense element provides an unexpected opportunity for healing. Overall, an engaging and compelling novel that I recommend to readers who enjoy contemporary literary fiction.

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Filed under Contemporary, Literary Fiction, NAL, Rated B, Review, Sonja Yoerg, The Middle of Somewhere

August 24, 2015 · 11:57 pm

Review: A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan

a windowTitle: A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary, Literary, Fiction
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Fans of I Don’t Know How She Does It and Where’d You Go, Bernadette? will cheer at this “fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all” (People) about what happens when a wife and mother of three leaps at the chance to fulfill her professional destiny—only to learn every opportunity comes at a price.

In A Window Opens, beloved books editor at Glamour magazine Elisabeth Egan brings us Alice Pearse, a compulsively honest, longing-to-have-it-all, sandwich generation heroine for our social-media-obsessed, lean in (or opt out) age. Like her fictional forebears Kate Reddy and Bridget Jones, Alice plays many roles (which she never refers to as “wearing many hats” and wishes you wouldn’t, either). She is a mostly-happily married mother of three, an attentive daughter, an ambivalent dog-owner, a part-time editor, a loyal neighbor and a Zen commuter. She is not: a cook, a craftswoman, a decorator, an active PTA member, a natural caretaker or the breadwinner. But when her husband makes a radical career change, Alice is ready to lean in—and she knows exactly how lucky she is to land a job at Scroll, a hip young start-up which promises to be the future of reading, with its chain of chic literary lounges and dedication to beloved classics. The Holy Grail of working mothers―an intellectually satisfying job and a happy personal life―seems suddenly within reach.

Despite the disapproval of her best friend, who owns the local bookstore, Alice is proud of her new “balancing act” (which is more like a three-ring circus) until her dad gets sick, her marriage flounders, her babysitter gets fed up, her kids start to grow up and her work takes an unexpected turn. Readers will cheer as Alice realizes the question is not whether it’s possible to have it all, but what does she―Alice Pearse―really want?

Review:

A Window Opens is a smart, funny and poignant debut novel by Elisabeth Egan. This entertaining story is fast paced with appealing characters that are flawed but easy to relate to. A heartwarming and touching story that will make you laugh and cry as lead protagonist Alice Pearse tries to balance a full time job with the demands of motherhood, marriage and aging parents.

Alice is a happily married mom of three whose peaceful life is about to undergo a dramatic transformation. After a change in her husband Nicholas’s career, she willingly trades in a part time job she loves for a new position job with a new and innovative company. A longer commute and full time hours mean less time with her family, but she is excited to about her new career. However, her enthusiasm soon wanes as her workdays spill over into family time and the company’s focus shifts into areas she is not comfortable with. At the same time, an unexpected and heartbreaking diagnosis for her beloved father adds to her stress when she helps her parents manage his care. Her relationship with Nicholas becomes even more strained when his drinking spirals out of control and their endless fighting takes a toll on their marriage and family life.

Alice’s excitement at her new job quickly wanes when she is thrust into a bewildering position that she knows nothing about. Just as she gets a handle on the demands of the job, the company switches gears, forcing her to once again play catch up. Her workload is overwhelming, her boss’s expectations are ever changing and the long hours leave little time for her spend with her family. She depends more and more on longtime babysitter Jessie to manage the day to day details of the children’s lives which eventually leaves Alice feeling like an outsider to her own life. However, with her family depending on her paycheck, she feels trapped in a job that she is beginning to loathe.

Alice is also heartbroken when her father’s health takes a turn for the worse. With her brother living out of state, her mom is counting on her to go to doctor’s appointments and provide moral support. Working for a big corporation whose main attention is their bottom line, Alice is soon pressured to up her productivity just as her parents need her the most. This story arc is one that will resonate with many readers who often find themselves trying to raise young children while also juggling aging parents and their health issues.

A Window Opens is a heartfelt novel that many readers will relate to. Elisabeth Egan touches on many issues facing women (and families) today in a straightforward and sensitive manner. The characters are well-developed with believable problems to overcome and the storyline is realistic and engaging. An incredibly moving novel that I highly recommend to fans of contemporary literary fiction.

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Filed under A Window Opens, Contemporary, Elisabeth Egan, Literary Fiction, Rated B+, Review, Simon & Schuster Inc

July 15, 2015 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle

ones trustTitle: The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle
Publisher: MIRA
Genre: Contemporary, Literary, Fiction, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: A

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A moving and evocative exploration of grief and guilt in the wake of one family’s devastating loss

When former DC journalist Abigail Wolff attempts to rehabilitate her career, she finds herself at the heart of a US army cover-up involving the death of a soldier in Afghanistan—with unspeakable emotional consequences for one family. As the story of what happened comes to light, Abigail will do anything to write it.

The more evidence she stumbles upon in the case, the fewer people it seems she can trust, including her own father, a retired army general. And she certainly never expected to fall in love with the slain soldier’s brother, Gabe, a bitter man struggling to hold his family together. The investigation eventually leads her to an impossible choice, one of unrelenting sacrifice to protect those she loves.

Beyond the buried truths and betrayals, questions of family loyalty and redemption, Abigail’s search is, most of all, a desperate grasp at carrying on and coping—and seeking hope in the impossible.

Review:

The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle is a poignant and emotional novel that is also quite intriguing. This sometimes heartbreaking story of redemption about an ex-journalist searching for the truth about a soldier’s death in Afghanistan is quite captivating and very moving. A thought-provoking novel that touches on some very relevant issues, it is the underlying themes of loyalty, trust and betrayal that makes it such an outstanding read.

After one of her stories ended in a horrible tragedy three years ago, Abigail Wolff walked away from her career as a journalist. Now working as a website content curator, Abigail is reluctantly drawn into investigating the person who gave her the initial information for the story that she still feels guilty about writing. At the same time, she receives an anonymous delivery containing uncensored transcripts that prove the Army is covering up the death of Zack Armstrong, an actor turned soldier who tragically died in Afghanistan. Once she realizes the implications, she takes the information to the Armstrong family who are currently embroiled in a lawsuit to uncover the truth about Zack’s death. Zack’s mom, Jean, asks Abigail to write Zack’s story while his brother Gabe, demands she stay away from the family. Curiously, Nick, the third Armstrong brother and the one person who knows more than anyone about Zack’s death since he was present when he died, is ominously silent. Finding the truth becomes even more complicated when Abigail discovers she has close personal ties to Army brass who are also involved with the case. When she begins to fall in love with Gabe, Abigail’s loyalty is tested when the people closest to her refuse to tell her the truth but betrayal comes from an unexpected source.

For Abigail, truth trumps everything and at one time, she was determined to tell it no matter the cost. But after the case that ended tragically, she not only felt guilty that was the catalyst, but she began to doubt her judgment. In the years since, she has been content to sit back and work a safe job where she can do no harm. But when one of the children from her earlier story comes forward with puzzling information about her informant, Abigail knows she has to investigate if only to satisfy her own questions about what she might have initially missed. She still has no plans to report on the story, but if she can bring peace to the family, Abigail feels compelled to uncover the truth.

When it comes to the Armstrong case, Abigail still has no interest in writing a story, but she feels the family deserves to know what the Army is hiding. She remains reluctant to become involved in the case but while she is deciding whether or not to help Jean write about Zack, Gabe has a change of heart. Unable to say no when he asks for her help, Abigail is soon immersed in discovering what happened that fateful day. When her father warns her off the case, she begins to doubt him and she becomes even more determined to learn the truth. However once she exposes what lies at the heart of the conspiracy, will Abigail lose the people she loves?

Heartrending and full of unexpected twists and turns, The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle is a captivating novel about love, loyalty and betrayal. Fast paced and riveting, this well-written book is ultimately uplifting and healing. An emotional and thought-provoking story of redemption and healing that I highly recommend.

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Filed under Contemporary, Harlequin, Kimberly Belle, Literary Fiction, Mira, Mystery, Rated A, Review, Suspense, The Ones We Trust

February 2, 2015 · 11:56 pm

Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

nightingaleTitle: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical, Literary Fiction
Length: 448 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front.  She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth.  While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely.  But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war.   The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France–a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women.  It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

The Review:

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a very compelling novel set in France during World War II. This riveting story about Viann Mauriac and her much younger sister Isabelle Rosignol is richly detailed and historically accurate, which makes it a sometimes heartbreaking read. But this close attention to detail is what makes it such a thought-provoking and outstanding book.

Viann Mauriac is happily married with an eight year old daughter when her life takes an unexpected and heartrending turn. Her beloved husband, Antoine, has been conscripted into the Army to defend France from the Nazis. In the early days of the German invasion, her father sends Isabelle to live with Viann and the sisters’ contentious relationship is further strained when Viann is forced to allow German officer Wolfgang Beck to live with them. As fighting rages on around them, both sisters are faced with unimaginable horrors as they struggle to endure the Nazi occupation and the devastation wrought by the long lasting war.

Viann is content to stay in the background and let her husband take care of her and their daughter. After Antoine leaves, she desperately clings to hope the war will end quickly and he will return safely to his family. This makes Viann seem naive and her unrealistic belief leads her to remain very passive for far too long. However, when her family is threatened, Viann will do whatever it takes to protect them, no matter what the personal cost to herself. She meets every challenge with a quiet strength that few people suspect she has, but will Viann’s efforts be enough to keep her family safe despite the brutality that is occurring around her?

Isabelle is rebellious, immature and dangerously outspoken at first.   Her anger and rage is quickly channeled into working for the resistance but she remains headstrong and fearless for much of the novel. Her tireless efforts save countless lives, but Isabelle’s risky and sometimes impulsive behavior puts herself and others into sometimes dangerous situations. Isabelle grows and matures over the course of the novel and she becomes a truly awe-inspiring young woman whose bravery and willingness to disregard her personal safety for the greater good is remarkable.

The Nightingale spans from 1939-1945 and Kristin Hannah accurately portrays every element of war torn France. From the first occupation through the war’s end, every hardship is realistically portrayed. The horrors of war are not romanticized nor downplayed, and this authentic depiction provides readers with a true to life perspective of what is indisputably a horrific time in the world’s history. This incredible novel serves as a vivid and poignant reminder of the horrendous loss of life, the terrible hardships and the unsung heroes of that long ago and nearly forgotten war.

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Filed under Historical, Kristin Hannah, Literary Fiction, Rated B+, Review, St Martin's Press, The Nightingale