The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

The Bridge of San Louis Rey is a tiny little novel. My edition is barely 100 pages. To be so short and so acclaimed always wows me. Even though I don’t read a ton of novella/short stories, I’m always extremely impressed at how concise yet poignantly beautiful the best ones are. The Bridge of San Louis Rey is no exception and manages to address some of the most fascinating and existential questions of humanity. Wow, little book. Thornton Wilder, you Sir, were quite the genius.

In 1714, a bridge in Peru collapses sending five people to their deaths. A monk, Brother Juniper, sees this tragedy occur and immediately starts asking questions. Why did this happen? What is the meaning? Why these five individuals? Was if fate? Destiny? Where does God and faith come into play?

Brother Juniper sets out to research the five victims and try to answer the above questions. So most of the novel is just learning about our small, doomed cast of characters and how they came to be on that fateful bridge. We see how they are connected and what kind of people they were. I loved this part. Loved delving into each person and getting a glimpse of their often sad lives. Wilder manages to tell a complete life story in very few words which was pretty much amazing.

And then the end happens. Our dear Brother Juniper publishes his stories and is persecuted for his truths which land somewhere outside of religious doctrine. He’s basically executed, I think – if I read that part right, haha. The last few paragraphs border a teensy bit on the cheesy and saccharine as the story very obviously becomes a moral fable, but I honestly didn’t mind. Tony Blair actually read the last few sentences at the memorial service for British citizens killed in the 9/11 attacks. And I think Wilder’s novel remains truly relevant in the face of even modern tragedies and can offer a sense of solace even if these huge questions don’t always have the most satisfying of answers.

So glad I read this and highly recommend. It’s on TIME‘s list of 100 best novels, and I think it deserves the spot. Only takes a couple of hours to get through but will stay with you much longer!

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The amazing YA streak continues! I can’t believe how many wonderful young adult books I’ve read recently. TKoNLG had been on my shelf for close to a year so it was high time I picked it up. But all the HYPE had me mucho worried. Then Andi read it, loved it, and so I decided to jump on in.

Todd is a boy living in Prentisstown on New World. Not Earth. Future place of habitation after Earth has had all of the terrible problems. In Prentisstown, men can hear each other’s thoughts which is called ‘Noise’. Also, no women. Not a single one. Apparently, a disease carried by the local alien population killed them off. One day Todd and his trusty sidekick canine companion, Manchee, hear a void in all the ‘Noise’ and that gets them into a bunch of trouble with the townsmen. Que running for your life adventure quest.

So much action. I’m sort of amazed at Ness’s imagination and ability to keep writing near misses and heart-pumping emotional craziness. My word of warning to you is that once you start Knife you can’t stop. I suppose you might be able to take short potty breaks, but I don’t recommend. Todd and his travel companions are always one page away from total disaster which can sort of resemble whiplash after awhile. I’ll also admit this can make a reader rather weary. I wanted Todd to catch a break every so often. But no.

The characters are awesome. Todd, in particular, is well-written. Finally, a teenage male protagonist in YA that sounds exactly like he should. Which means that Todd can be a total ass and hard to like. Perfect. But Manchee (yes, a dog) really steals the show. Because did I mention animals can talk on New World? That little guy was so full of spunk and loyalty that I defy you dog-haters to hate.

The end equals major cliffhanger. I can’t believe I haven’t bought the second book and inhaled it yet. But I think a break between the emotional chaos Ness creates is a must. My heart could barely stand this book at times. Also, no real love story – WINNING.

My biggest issue was the predictability. But  not a deal breaker by any means. Recommended!

 

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare + Joss Whedon!

Y’all should know by now that I’m a Whedon fangirl. For further proof, I’m on my bazillionth rewatch of BtVS right now. So when I heard he was adapting some Shakes – I got hella excited. And yes, Shakes and I are on a nickname basis. What of it?

Much Ado About Nothing is pretty much your typical Shakespearean romcom. There’s mistaken identity, masks, bastards, marriage, and a bumbling sheriff named Dogberry. Who will be played by Nathan Fillion in the movie. THANK THE GODS – Old and New.

If Elizabethan English terrifies you, never fear! So many Shakespeare editions these days come with plain English cheat sheets. But MAAN isn’t exactly a difficult play to understand. The plot is fairly straight forward and revolves around two couples trying to get to the alter. Beatrice and Benedict spar with words and neither believes in marriage so they are perfect for one another. Claudio and Hero fall in love after a couple of sentences until the rascally Don John plots against them – defiling Hero’s virginal reputation which leads Claudio to break off the engagement at the alter. You know, just normal 16th/17th Century shenanigans.

And the sex! If you didn’t know, Willy had an intense love of sexual innuendo and crude jokes.

Joss Whedon’s version sticks to the traditional language and was filmed completely in black and white. Most everyone in the film is someone he’s worked with before. The film was shot over 12 days at his own house! I cannot freakin’ wait. It’s being released wide on June 21st, I believe. I will be there with bells and whistles – and maybe pompoms.

You are welcome.

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

I don’t know how to review this book. Not only are my feelings extremely complicated, but the damn thing involves a plot twist that would spoil the book. But that plot twist is essential to talking about the book. Oh dear. I promise not to spoil things, but if you end up reading please email me and tell me all of your feelings.

It’s rare that anything leaves me speechless in this life I call mine, but Shriver has managed to do so.

In Big Brother, Shriver is tackling obesity. Pandora is our main character who has settled into a very normal Midwestern life at the age of 40. She’s married, has two stepchildren, and runs a very successful doll making company which she founded. For the first time in her life, she’s finally come into her own and stepped out from beneath the shadows of her father and brother.

Her dad was a television star when Pandora was younger and clings to that success decades later. Edison, her older brother, is a renowned jazz pianist in NYC. She has idolized Edison since she was a kid. The novel gets things going with a phone call in which Pandora learns Edison has fallen on bad times financially and needs a place to stay. She flies him out to Iowa despite her husband’s protests. The ‘visit’ has no end date in sight, but Pandora feels loyal to her brother. She hasn’t seen him in four years and doesn’t even recognize him at the airport baggage claim. Why? Because he’s gone from 163 lbs to approximately 400 lbs.

Pandora is baffled at how her once handsome brother has grown so grotesquely large. He eats everything in sight almost without shame. He even breaks her husband’s priceless handmade furniture by merely sitting on it. Pandora’s whole family is mystified and annoyed by Edison – not just because of his girth. He’s actually kind of an entitled jackass and a fairly one dimensional character overall. But Pandora feels some sort of sibling affection for Edison and eventually faces a big decision. She can either leave her husband and children to help sort out Edison’s life and keep him from eating himself to death or she can stay loyal to her family and kick Edison out the door to deal with his own problems.

Her decision is horrendous, jaw-dropping, and made me want to throw the book out of the window. And we haven’t even gotten to the major spoiler that I promised I wouldn’t share.

From a technical standpoint, Shriver is an excellent writer. Her vocabulary amazes me but never bogs down her narrative. The story remains conversational and easy to read in the literal sense. My problems begin with her choice of first person narration. We are stuck inside Pandora throughout the duration of the novel. If you like Pandora, good for you! If you don’t, you’ll be so pissed off while reading this thing that you’ll seriously considering giving up. I challenge you to keep going because the worst is saved for the final 20 pages. *insert evil laughter*

Big Brother is a difficult novel to read emotionally and intellectually. I really couldn’t understand Pandora’s motivations half the time or how such a seemingly smart woman would make such ridiculous decisions. And just when things start really looking up, Shriver crushes all your hopes and dreams. *insert more book chucking* There is nothing fun about this reading experience – not the slightest bit of entertainment or pleasure. But somehow I don’t regret reading and even find myself thankful for not giving up. Why? Because this story will challenge you in a way that most books won’t. How things unfold felt very unique although maybe a bit gimmicky. And I even had a couple of moments of self-realization where I had fallen head first into hypocrisy.

So if any of my bumbled and fumbling review above sounds interesting to you – definitely seek out Big Brother. I’m not sure how it stands up to her other novels, but she’s an author that now has me thoroughly intrigued. After finishing this one, I did some research and discovered that Shriver’s brother died due to complications from obesity so that helps me see how this novel came to be and how difficult a situation Pandora might have been in.  So…recommended with reservations, but perhaps a wonderful book for a book group to discuss. Litwits – I’m looking at you!!

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Thanks so much to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for a copy of Big Brother in return for my honest review. Check out the other tour dates here!

About the Author:

Lionel Shriver is a novelist whose previous books include Orange Prize–winner We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Post-Birthday World, A Perfectly Good Family, Game Control, Double Fault, The Female of the Species, Checker and the Derailleurs, and Ordinary Decent Criminals. She is widely published as a journalist, writing features, columns, op-eds, and book reviews for the Guardian, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Economist, Marie Claire, and many other publications. She is frequently interviewed on television, radio, and in print media. She lives in London and Brooklyn, NY.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet is the second book in Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles and loosely follows the Little Red Riding Hood story. Much like Cinder, what’s old is new again and Meyer successfully manages to imbue new life into the familiar tales. I love how she manages to interweave the fairy tales together creating interesting connections between Scarlet and Cinder that are believable and so much fun.

We pick up right where Cinder left off, switching back and forth between the two girls’ perspectives. I enjoyed each voice equally and wasn’t bothered by the back and forth one bit. The story still manages to keep up Cinder’s non-stop, breakneck pacing with one adventure following the next. I adore Meyer’s female leads immensely. Strong, independent teenagers growing up in a crazy dystopian world where cyborgs, humans, and aliens aren’t managing to get along very well.

As much as I liked Scarlet, Cinder still stands as the better novel. Scarlet abounds in insta-love which is a young adult trope I cannot get on board with. That sucks since Cinder and Kai’s flirting and quietly burgeoning relationship was perfection – one of the book’s most attractive qualities. I guess having two unrequited love stories happening simultaneously might have been too much. However, I’d have preferred no additional love plot line to the insta-love far too often found in YA novels.

I recommend this collection of novels if you’re looking for mostly well-done YA with female leads not afraid to get their hands dirty and kick some ass. Summer brain candy at its finest and earns a deserving spot in anyone’s beach bag!

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

The biblical prophecy came true, or at least partly true. People disappeared, millions of them at the same time all over the world. This wasn’t some ancient rumor – a dead man coming back to life during the Roman Empire – or a dusty homegrown legend, Joseph Smith unearthing golden tablets in upstate New York, conversing with an angel. This was real.

Perrotta is known for his satire. And he’s amazing at it. I previously read The Abstinence Teacher and was really yearning for more of Perrotta’s particular brand of satire. The Leftovers was even more enjoyable. But if you’re in this book looking for an in depth discussion of the ‘rapture’ – you’ll need to look elsewhere. The ‘rapture’ is only a catalyst for the actual story – a place for a seemingly normal suburban American family to lose themselves and begin the long struggle back to themselves. Or some version of themselves.

Perotta’s language and story is straightforward and very pleasurable to read. The satire is obvious and yet subtle all at once. Sometimes his larger commentary sneaked up on me until he turned a very witty phrase and opened my eyes to the actual conversation he had been having with me the whole time. Well played, Tom.

The family we’re following – the Garveys – aren’t even directly affected by the ‘rapture’. No family members go missing and yet all are deeply and complexly emotionally traumatized. Mom leaves her family behind to join a cult. Dad comes out of retirement to become city mayor. Son abandons college to follow around a charismatic, crazy prophet who is probably taking advantage of teenage girls looking to birth the new baby Jesus. And previously quiet, smart daughter turns wild, sexually promiscuous, and oddly observant of the underlying truth about her once normal family members. And then there’s Nora – unrelated but soon intricately linked to the Garveys. But unlike the Garveys, she has lost everyone.

The Leftovers feels like a brief journey with these people on their way past the initial shock and healing following such a traumatic event. The ending doesn’t wrap up neatly, and we’re hardly sure whether anyone truly has a happy ending. Hell, some of the characters are left with pretty much no ending at all. We just abandon ship as they continue on their respective paths. I liked that uncertainty while other readers have bemoaned the unfinished conclusion. But life is like that. Life doesn’t have tidy endings and happily ever afters – not really. Perrotta’s story is definitely about the journey and not the destination. He has a lot to say about society and how tragedy affects us. Particularly the role of religion and family – human connection and fellowship. Highly recommended!

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Spoiler alert! I loved every single freakin’ word.

Seraphina is YA fantasy at its best. There’s a whole new world (Aladdin!), dragons, humans, and dragon-human hybrids. The dragons and humans coexist under a tentative peace treaty that is threatening to fall apart. Seraphina looks like just an ordinary, mild-mannered 16 year old music tutor, but she’s harboring a dangerous secret. And…DRAGONS!

Hartman has built a world that was an absolute pleasure to visit. I wanted souvenirs! The two societies have just enough in common to really make their tenuous dealings thrilling and the reasons they are on the brink of war believable. Seraphina herself is the single most delightful teenage protagonist I’ve read this year and might have saved my wavering feelings towards YA. Sometimes I even forgot she was a teenager. That’s not to say she’s really written as an adult masquerading as a kid – not at all. She’s still learning and growing in all the ways teenage girls do, just with additional complexities that allow her some perspective. Loved that.

I’m fairly certain Hartman’s writing doesn’t need any additional gushing from me. She’s won a ton of awards, and I can hardly believe this is her first novel. I read an interview where she stated it took nine years for her to pen Seraphina, and she’s fully admitted to being a writer who can’t write one book a year. Thank goodness. I hate when authors feel so pressured to manufacture subpar works just to satisfy publishers and an audience. I understand that capitalizing on the feedback of the prior book is essential to sales…but it still sucks.

What also pleased me was how the initial main conflicts in Seraphina were mostly resolved by the book’s end leaving me satisfied. I imagine you could read this book as a standalone and be fine. However, her world and Seraphina herself are so engaging that I can’t wait for book two and to see where the dragon/human conflict leads. For once, I’m dying for the sequel. And I’m thrilled to report that Seraphina’s love interest didn’t bother me in the slightest. The love story was a secondary plot line that happened organically and at the slower pace I adore. Kudos!

If you’ve become a bit skeptical of all the formulaic YA out there, pick up Seraphina immediately. It reminded me how amazing literature for youth can be – how inventive, creative, and freeing stories can be. Believe the hype on this one, guys. Don’t be the only one missing out!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

[T]he child must have a valuable thing which is called imagination. The child must have a secret world in which live things that never were. It is necessary that she believe. She must start out by believing in things not of this world. Then when the world becomes too ugly for living in, the child can reach back and live in her imagination.

The Litwits met yesterday to discuss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. For the first time in a long time, we universally loved this story. Since we all know writing about books we love is harder than those we hate, this post is going to be atrocious. Francie is my new favorite heroine of all time. Her sad moments are filled with joy, her happy moments sobered by sorrow. She’s independent, smart, and dreamily lonely. Her story is both tragic and uplifting. I wanted to crawl inside this novel and live there forever.

Francie’s story is rather simple – she’s growing up in the tenements of Brooklyn circa 1901-1919. Her family has no money and does whatever’s needed to get by. Papa Nolan sings for his supper, literally, but doesn’t contribute much stability or financial success to his family’s needs. He’s a drunk with a heart of gold. Odd sentence, that. He loves his children dearly – especially Francie, but doesn’t love himself enough to rise above his struggles and survive. Mama Nolan is described as being made of steel. She shoulders the weight of supporting her family by scrubbing the floors of the buildings in Brooklyn. She can be cold and off-putting, but she never loses the loyalty or essence of motherhood. Neely is the coddled brother Francie loves dearly. They had such a beautiful sibling relationship. Much of Francie’s story is Betty Smith’s as well. She definitely wrote what she knew.

Oh, the novel. I dashed if off at odd moments. It doesn’t take long to write things of which you know nothing. When you write of actual things, it takes longer, because you have to live them first.

Emily described Smith’s writing as concise and immersive without being flowery or overdone. I wholeheartedly agree. Her prose is simple, honest, and lingers in sentimentality only at the most appropriate moments. The pacing was perfect and my time spent with this book was never a burden. My only complaint was that there wasn’t more of Francie. I wanted to continue on with her to college and beyond. The shear optimism this book exudes in the face of destitution and poverty won me over.

The ladies also loved Smith’s sense of place. Brooklyn comes alive as does the early 20th century. With A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you get to live a time not experienced first hand. I love books that bring to life something I’ll never be able to experience – unless they invent time travel before I die (it could happen!).Women’s rights were becoming a thing and I liked seeing how the American society was reacting to the stronger feminine presence.

I could totally keep going. But I’ll spare y’all. If you haven’t, go read Smith’s most popular and acclaimed novel. You’ll be left wishing you had read slower and adding Smith’s other works to your TBR shelves.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

I was wearing my powder blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.

So begins PI Philip Marlowe in Chandler’s classic hard-boiled detective noir. I think that quote perfectly sums up the atmosphere of the novel and gives you a little glimpse into why this book is included in TIME Magazine’s top 100 novels written since 1923.

The Big Sleep is all about two crazy dames! The sisters (Vivian and Carmen) are always getting into trouble. This time Carmen is being blackmailed and her extraordinarily rich and dying father has hired Marlowe to get things handled all quiet like, see? What follows next is an almost dizzying romp of murder, mayhem, and pornography with a side of misogyny and homophobia. Ahh…the 30s.

Clearly, Chandler was a master of setting and atmosphere. I was immediately pulled into this world through his gorgeous (albeit, bloody) imagery. The dialogue is golden and holds fast to a time long since past. Thirties slang is the name of the game and it can be hard to keep up with but so much fun to try! I quite literally didn’t know half of what they were saying and had to constantly reread scenes to figure out what had happened in conversation. A man could lose his life without me noticing. That’s how much language and slang have changed in 80 years. Both a pro and a con to this story.

The plot was fast paced but ultimately predictable. I’m not sure that’s the book’s fault. In the thirties, I’m sure this felt fresh and new but so many books have emulated since. Still well worth the read to see how such novels came to be. I loved seeing where some of my favorite modern day entertainment got its inspiration – specifically Veronica Mars. I might have even replaced Marlowe with Mars in my mind once or twice which was confusing because there was an actual character named Mars. But that’s just a me problem…

As for the misogyny and homophobia – definitely a sign of the times and hard to read at moments. Some jovial slapping of women takes place and several derogatory statements are made concerning gay men. So if you’re sensitive to that be forewarned, but I think books should be read as a study of their time. I like seeing how far (or not far) we’ve come since the thirties.

I’d recommend this book to those explorers of literature who want to read the novel often cited as the birth of this particular sub-mystery/detective genre. A quick, fun read – a moment of time to relive. I’m not sure, however, that I’d add this to my own personal top 100 list, but I don’t regret reading it in the slightest!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

The premise to Beauty Queens sounded right up my alley. A bunch of teenage beauty queens crash land on a deserted island (or is it?) and have to use their wits to survive. Snarkiness, mayhem, and catfights promised to reign supreme. I could not wait to dive in.

And at first I wanted to throw the book out the window similar to Pat’s episode with Hemingway in Silver Linings Playbook. The girls were one beauty queen stereotype after the next and so incredibly over-the-top with their girly campy-ness. I couldn’t find a single character worth my while and rolled my eyes so many times I got a headache. The only thing that truly kept me reading was Bray’s narrative creativity. The story is told via traditional narrative, commercial breaks, contestant questionnaires, and other random interludes that were a complete pleasure in this satire.

Somewhere around page 100 or so, something magical happened and I started to adore Bray’s every word. The girls began showing honest character development, they were managing to survive and prosper brilliantly, and all of my judgement was thrown back in my face. I realized guiltily how complicit I had been in my own prejudice and preconceived notions about pageant contestants and teenage girls in general. I see what you did there, Ms. Bray, and I loved it!

All of the girls were amazing and I loved each of them individually by the novel’s end. They represented and dealt with an entire range of complex issues such as body image, sexuality, and self-identity. Miss Texas was particularly amazing. I loathed her at the beginning more than any other and she ended up my absolute favorite character. The girls were fierce, strong, capable, and the fact that they loved nail polish and shiny dresses couldn’t (and shouldn’t) lessen their courage and poise.

The best YA I’ve read all year.

Bonus:

There are pirates…ARRRGG!!