| A Cottage by the Sea |
|
 Krueger considers himself a mystery writer, and for sure Ordinary Grace is a mystery. And yet it doesn’t belong in the mystery section, because it is so much more. It is about a family dealing with what life presents them, and isn’t that always full of mystery? If only I had the calmness and faith that Nathan, the dad, had to lead his family through difficult times! This book will definitely make my 2020 Top Ten.
0 Comments
Great read. Wish I had saved it for my next airplane ride. Patchett cleverly weaves the story back and forth from past to present while also building up toward the future. Each characters is unique but the most noble of them all is The Dutch House, who withstands the test of time.  I loved this book because it was set in Florence (1671during the reign of Cosimo III). I walked the streets with the wax artist Zummo and immersed myself in his secrets. Maybe that’s what I do when I visit the city—walked around in my secret world.  I picked this right after finishing Love, Water, Memory by Shortridge. I love stories about seemingly normal people living seemingly normal lives, but do things in an alternative way. And I am especially attracted to stories of people who live off the land as they try to get away from societal constraints that imprison their souls. All turns out well for everyone; the ending isn’t usual, just deeply satisfying.  This compelling story brought up memories of my childhood; climbing the dogwood tree in my front year, and leaving magical treasures in the backwoods. This is a story of people doing their best with what life offers, sometimes taking the high low road, but in the end acting honorably and gaining redemption.  I had selected my Top Twelve Reads for 2019 until I read The Dearly Beloved; then someone had to go to make room for it. The book is also on my ‘Beach Reads for Clergy’ list, but don’t let that scare you away. It is a story of four friends yearning for friendship and faith; I don’t want to diminish the power of this story, so I will say no more.  Even if you read this when it was awarded the Booker Prize in 1988, it is worth a reread as we say goodbye to Downtown Abbey and observe the fading away of centuries of English homes and royalty. Ishiguro, perhaps unknowingly, participated it this thirty years ago. Stevens, the head butler of Darlington Hall, tells his story through reminiscences about his service. I wish he had seized the many moments that would have given him a fuller personal life, but clearly his goal was always to be a perfect butler. He quickly dismisses any regrets and doubts about his service to Lord Darlington. One could conclude that he was his own worst enemy, stuck in tradition, but he didn’t seem to allow himself to feel any such negativity for long. Maybe that’s what matters.  Bridget, abused as a teenager, creates a life for herself, husband, and son. A good mystery and compassionate story of people doing their best to successfully come through trauma with meaning and purpose in their lives.  Olive is hilarious; she says what she thinks. She says out loud what I sometimes think but am too polite/guarded/dishonest to say. I have compassion for every character in Olive’s life, and for Olive, too. As someone how visits old people, I wish I could visit Olive.  This story takes place in Winchester England in 1933, after The Great War and before WWII. Even if you are not interested in handwork (in this case needlepoint) or music (in this case bell ringing), I trust you will still be drawn into this story of 36 year old Violet’s life as she begins to craft a life of her own. This is a heartfelt story that I highly recommend to women; it’s awoman’s story. I probably won’t recommend it to men, but it very likely end up on my Top 12 for 2019. |
Archives
February 2020
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
