HUMP DAY SERENDIPITY: WAITING FOR “NO CHILD OF MINE” — MAY 8

Welcome to another event that features books we are eagerly awaiting.  Visit Jill, at Breaking the Spine, to see what everyone is anticipating.

I just discovered a book that is my kind of read.  No Child of Mine, by Susan Lewis, is a glimpse into a devoted social worker’s world.  To be released on May 14, 2013.

 

 

Alex Lake’s day job is all about helping people, especially children. She cares about them passionately and does everything in her power to rescue them from those who mean them harm. It’s as frustrating a career as it can be rewarding, though all too often she is left wondering if she has done enough. When the case of three-year-old Ottilie Wade comes to her attention everything changes. She finds herself completely unable to detach from the child the way she should, and feels an overpowering need to make a real difference in little Ottilie’s life. To do this she needs the support of her superiors, but no one is prepared to believe that Ottilie is in danger. In the end, Alex follows the only course left to her, and takes law into her own hands.

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What book is calling to you today?  Come on by and share….

WAITING ON “ANOTHER FORGOTTEN CHILD” — JAN. 9

Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday event, hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine. 

Today’s feature is a book I’m eagerly anticipating, due out on 2/5/13.  Not long to wait!  Another Forgotten Child, by Cathy Glass, spotlights issues with the child welfare system.

Eight-year-old Aimee was on the child protection register at birth. Her school repeatedly reported concerns about her bruises. And her five older half-siblings were taken into care many years ago. So no one can understand why she was left at home to suffer for so long. It seems Aimee was the forgotten child.

The social services are looking for a very experienced foster carer to look after Aimee and, when she reads the referral, Cathy understands why. Despite her reservations, Cathy agrees to Aimee on – there is something about her that reminds Cathy of Jodie (the subject of ‘Damaged’ and the most disturbed child Cathy has cared for), and reading the report instantly tugs at her heart strings.

When she arrives, Aimee is angry. And she has every right to be. She has spent the first eight years of her life living with her drug-dependent mother in a flat that the social worker described as ‘not fit for human habitation’. Aimee is so grateful as she snuggles into her bed at Cathy’s house on the first night that it brings Cathy to tears.

Aimee’s aggressive mother is constantly causing trouble at contact, and makes sweeping allegations against Cathy and her family in front of her daughter as well. It is a trying time for Cathy, and it makes it difficult for Aimee to settle. But as Aimee begins to trust Cathy, she starts to open up. And the more Cathy learns about Aimee’s life before she came into care, the more horrified she becomes.

It’s clear that Aimee should have been rescued much sooner and as her journey seems to be coming to a happy end, Cathy can’t help but reflect on all the other ‘forgotten children’ that are still suffering…

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Why am I waiting for this one?  Having worked in the child welfare system for many years, I am all too familiar with those cases that fall through the cracks.  This one sounds like a must read.

What are you waiting for?  Come on by and share….

 

 

SERENDIPITOUS TUESDAYS: INTROS/TEASERS — THE HEIR — OCT. 9

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading.

Today I’m excerpting from The Heir, by Barbara Taylor Bradford.

 

 

Intro: (Chapter One – Ravenscar, 1918)

It was a compulsion, the way he came down to this stretch of beach whenever he returned to Ravenscar.

A compulsion indeed, but also an overwhelming need to recapture, in his mind’s eye, their faces…their faces not yet cold and waxen in death, but still warm.  Neville, his mentor, his partner in so many schemes and adventures; Johnny, his beloved companion of their youth.  He had loved them well and true, these Watkins brothers, these cousins of his who had been his allies.

At least until a mixture of hurt feelings, overweening ambition, flaring emotions, and dangerous elements had intervened and pried then apart.  They had become sworn enemies, much to Edward’s chagrin, a pain that had never ceased to trouble him.  And now Johnny and Neville were dead.

***

Teaser:  Cecily Watkins Deravenel sat alone in the library.  She had positioned herself on one of the large, overstuffed sofas near the fireplace and was enjoying a cup of coffee, thinking about her little grandson. p. 16

***

Amazon Description:  At the age of thirty-three, Edward Deravenel, having survived harrowing years of betrayal, threats from ruthless enemies, countless lovers, and a war that ravaged his country, is finally king of his company. It’s 1918, an influenza pandemic is sweeping the country, and Edward has a family and a business to protect. He must thread his way between his loyal brother, Richard, and his treacherous middle brother, George, an alcoholic bent on self-destruction . . . but not before he tries to ruin Edward and his good name. Meanwhile, the wrath of his ever-jealous wife, Elizabeth, is reaching a boiling point as suspicions about Edward’s relationships with other women arise.

Politics of inheritance are intense, and different family factions vie for honor over the years. An heir is needed to keep the Deravenel name alive, but tragedy and death remain obstacles at every turn. The choices include a loyal caretaker, a jealous rumormonger, a charming young woman, a sickly boy, and the scion of the family Edward ousted from power years before.

Barbara Taylor Bradford triumphs once again with a novel about passion, treachery, marriage, and family, and the compromises we’re forced to make for power and love.

***

So…would you keep reading?  I know that I have thoroughly enjoyed Barbara Taylor Bradford’s books, especially the Harte series.  This one is taking me a bit to warm up to…but I’m going to give it a try.

What are the rest of you sharing?  I’m now off to check your excerpts.

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT: A SERENDIPITOUS QUEST — A REVIEW

At the midpoint of her life, after numerous experiences that had left her with a tough facade and an emptiness inside, Beverly Donofrio seemingly stumbled onto her quest for “Mary,” the mother who could love unconditionally, and who could teach her to be a better mother for her grown son Jason.

Love had disappointed her over and over, and because she had become a mother herself at seventeen, when she had never wanted to be a mother at all, the road to finding love, and ultimately discovering herself, had been a long, futile, and winding one.

Somewhat serendipitously, the journey began when she found an old framed postcard of the Virgin Mary at a yard sale. Her “kitschy” collection grew into something of a shrine until one day, the search expanded, leading her on a pilgrimage, beginning in the Bosnian holy city of Medjugorje and ending in Mexico.

My favorite parts of this story were the “flashbacks,” in which we learned more about the author and her life leading up to this point in time. I had read parts of that story in her first book, Riding in Cars with Boys: Confessions of a Bad Girl Who Makes Good, and could relate to this rebellious girl who persisted in following her dreams, despite the obstacles along the way. It seems completely normal to want more than a life as a teen wife and mother, and feeling trapped and frustrated would be a natural consequence. I liked how she persisted toward her dream, and the fact that she afterward realized that she might have “neglected” her son along the way makes her human and flawed, like the rest of us. Her overwhelming guilt was a by-product of how she grew up. Searching for something to appease the guilt seems logical and inevitable.

Looking for Mary: (Or, the Blessed Mother and Me) (Compass) is Donofrio’s story of that journey, complete with flashbacks of the life that led her on the quest, and how she ultimately transformed that life from darkness into light. Four stars.

CHRONICLING A FAMILY DYNASTY: A REVIEW — SEPT. 14

They burst upon the theatrical and movie-going world as individuals with talent, charisma, and sheer brilliance. Each member of the Redgrave family brought to life a combination of their rare gifts, even as each of them had their share of flaws and troubles.

Beginning with Michael Redgrave, The Redgraves: A Family Epic chronicles the personal and public lives of each of them, and takes the reader from Michael’s birth to the lives of descendants in the year 2012.

Michael and his wife Rachel had an unconventional relationship, but the marriage lasted until their deaths. Michael’s issues with sexuality were mostly hidden due to society’s taboos.

Vanessa, Corin, and Lynn were the talented progeny who each showed early signs of the famous talents of their parents.

Political views and actions were also brought into the mix, especially with Vanessa and Corin protesting various wars over the years, and the ramifications of these actions were shared with the reader.

The next generation included Vanessa’s children Natasha and Joely Richardson, as well as Corin’s daughter Jemma.

Narrated in a somewhat dry style, with mostly facts detailing theatrical and movie productions and various marriages and liaisons, the book left me feeling as if I had entered a classroom where a professor told, rather than showed me, what I had hoped to learn. I was delighted to learn more about this fabulous family, but the narrative didn’t work for me. Three stars.

A PORTRAIT OF PRIMAL, TANGLED FAMILY TIES — A REVIEW

 

 

In the opening pages of Little Night: A Novel, the reader is thrust into the aftermath of domestic violence, and the consequences for one young woman who risked everything to protect her sister.

Unfortunately, the control Frederik Rasmussen wielded over his wife Anne and their two children is the kind of hold often exerted by men who must monitor every thought, feeling, and action of those he calls “his.” This kind of domination is most effective within an isolated unit such as the one this perpetrator has created.

When Anne follows her husband into his darkness and lies to the police and in court, her sister Clare is sentenced to prison.

What happens in the years that follow sets the scene for some kind of reunion or redemption, but that does not happen. Instead, Clare comes home one day to a letter from her niece Grit, who is announcing her plan to visit.

In flashes backward and forward, the story progresses, showing a bit about how Clare and Anne grew up and how that family dynamic created the secrecy, the tendency to hide, and even the sneaky following of those they loved.

What is interesting in these kinds of families is that not all of the children grow up to be in abusive relationships. Sometimes one or more family members are the designated “rescuers,” like Clare.

How does Grit’s moving in on Clare’s solitude as an urban birder and blogger virtually change the landscape of her life? What will Grit bring to Clare that will help enlighten her about her sister’s life? And how will Anne finally show herself in the end?

Of course Frederik was an obnoxious creature with no redeeming value, in my opinion. He is not really typical of abusers; they often have some charming characteristics that hook their victims. In this way, he was not real to me.

Anne was also not a convincing character to me, but another caricature, like Frederik. The two were drawn in bold strokes of extremes, perhaps to accentuate the hold an abuser has on those around him.

Grit was another unlikeable character with sneaky, intrusive qualities that made it hard to relate to her or root for her. And yet again, her behavior could definitely occur within the framework of such a family home.

An interesting study in family dysfunction, which I enjoyed, for the most part. The ending felt anticlimactic to me. 3.5 stars.

ACCIDENTAL MOMENTS THAT RIP APART LIVES — A REVIEW

Who could predict that on such a seductively beautiful June day, the worst would happen? Filled with a secret tucked away and causing her heart to brim over, Maura Corrigan could never have known that, before day’s end, her life would change in unimaginable ways.

As we watch the events unfold, our hearts catch, knowing what lies ahead and unable to avert the disaster.

A death in the family is probably the most shattering event in life, and its after effects continue to ripple outward for months and years afterwards. Testing the ties that bind, sometimes the fragile connections rip apart.

Maura’s secrets and the guilt she feels will exacerbate the pain and loss and ultimately will delay the healing process. Before she can move on, she must confront what lies within; she must look to her marriage partner and reach out, despite their issues; and finally, she might decide that, to spare her beloved, the secrets must stay hidden.

Margaret and Roger Munson, Maura’s parents, are also struck by the pain and grief, and while trying to help Maura, must deal with their own marital strains. Roger’s career trajectory seems to have stalled, and Margaret’s role as a help meet is tested by Roger’s errors in judgment.

I liked these thoughts at the end of Those We Love Most:

“…the loss had, in the end, become their terrible unifier, the thing that had strengthened and cauterized them.”

Looking at pain and loss as a means to finally heal leaves the stricken with a ray of hope. Just as the richly detailed characters left me, as a reader, feeling as though I had felt some of their pain and come to know the issues with which they struggled.

Sometimes the story bogged down with detail and angst, but in general, this four star read kept me moving along and hoping for these characters to find their way.

SERENDIPITOUS WEDNESDAY: WAITING FOR “WE SINNERS” — JULY 25

Welcome to a Serendipitous Wednesday in which we discover upcoming releases we’re excited about.  Hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine, hop on over and see what’s coming.

My featured book today is scheduled for release on August 21, 2012.  We Sinners, by Hanna Pylvainen, is the story of a family of eleven in the American Midwest, bound together and torn apart by their faith.

The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church (no drinking, no dancing, no TV) in modern-day Michigan. A normal family in many ways, the Rovaniemis struggle with sibling rivalry, parental expectations, and forming their own unique identities in such a large family. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments and a haunting question emerges: Do we believe for ourselves, or for each other? Each chapter is told from the distinctive point of view of a different Rovaniemi, drawing a nuanced, kaleidoscopic portrait of this unconventional family. The children who reject the church learn that freedom comes at the almost unbearable price of their close family ties, and those who stay struggle daily with the challenges of resisting the temptations of modern culture. With precision and potent detail, We Sinners follows each character on their journey of doubt, self-knowledge, acceptance, and, ultimately, survival.

***

I’m expecting a review copy soon…and I can’t wait!  What are you all waiting for?  Come on by and share….

A LONG JOURNEY THROUGH GRIEF & LOSS — A REVIEW

Filled with themes of struggle, loss, and triumph, Rain portrays a family through the decades. From the 1960s to the mid-2000s, this journey of one family living in rural Australia is a testament to survival in the face of extremes.

A fire in the mill owned by the Wallin family is only the beginning of what seems like a trail of grief. The theme of rain peppers the pages, too; not just the seasonal rains that bring devastation but the symbolic rain of grief and loss.

But the rains can also remind us of other things, as in this excerpt:

 

 

 

 

 

(Carla, the third generation daughter is contemplating the rain). “I am waiting for the rain to pass so I can hike again through the bush—I go there in search of my guide. There is something about the rain. I have always found it comforting. It makes me feel warm even when it is cold. I love the way it smells, especially the way the bush smells after the rain. I love the way it tastes and I love the way it feels on my skin. Rain is life—everything grows from it….”

When I chose this family saga, I expected something quite different. I enjoyed the symbolism, the struggles, and the persistence of the characters despite the tragedies that seemed to flank them. Perhaps even because of the tragedies. But parts of the story seemed bogged down by a tendency toward “chronicling” the lives of the characters rather than showing them through their interactions and through dialogue.

I did care about what happened to them, but at times, I felt frustrated by the detached tone of the author. I would still recommend this book to those who enjoy family stories. My rating is 3.5 stars.

TUESDAY INTROS/TEASERS: DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS — JUNE 19

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading.

Just grab your book and share the opening lines; then find another excerpt that “teases” the reader.

Today I’m sharing from a book on Sparky, my Kindle:  Dirty Little Secrets, by C. J. Omololu, is about a long-held secret that is bigger and dirtier than most.

Blurb:  Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years-that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable-and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.

With details that are as fascinating as they are disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy’s desperate attempt at normalcy. Her fear and isolation are palpable as readers are pulled down a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen’s life will have readers completely hooked.

***

     Everyone has secrets.  some are just bigger and dirtier than others.

     At least that’s what I told myself whenever I stood in a crowd of normal-looking people and felt like I was the only one.  The only person on the planet who had to hide practically everything that was real.  It was soothing to look at all the unfamiliar faces and try to figure out the thing each person hid inside—true or not, it made me feel like less of a freak.

     I’ll bet that guy in the red hoodie picks his nose when he thinks nobody is looking.  And the kid with the baseball cap pulled too low over his eyes?  Totally stoned on the pain pills he steals from his mother.  See how that girl in the corner stands just a little apart from everyone else?  Her dad probably smacks her around when he’s had too much to drink.  Mom never laid a hand on me.  There was that, anyway.

***

Teaser:    My pulse was pounding in my ears so loudly that at first I didn’t listen, but then I began to hear people giggling all around the room and I started to pay attention.  p. 8

***

I’m liking this beginning…and I like how the teaser shows something about the character and what she is going through.

What are you all sharing?  Come on by with your comments and links.