Dutch House

I love Ann Patchett ‘s work. She is one of those great authors where any book you pick up written by her is bound to be excellent. This is one of those great reads. This novel is told from the child’s point of view as he looks back on his childhood trying to work out where things went astray and what happened to his mother.   The story is told in reminiscences as the two adults now sit in a car outside the Dutch House, trying to figure what happened in their lives. Their entire lives have been built around their relationship to the house. Maeve and Danny Conroy are siblings who get together at various points in their adult life and park outside the house they grew up in.  They watch the house and talk about their childhood memories.  We hear the story from Danny who tells how his mother left when he was three and his sister was ten. His father remarried and of course the new wife becomes the evil stepmother.  The house is almost like a character in the story, The Dutch House, which their father Cyril bought for their mother in a suburb of Philadelphia as a surprise gift.  It came fully furnished and ornately decorated.  Elna hates it immediately both aseptically and ethically and leaves the family for India to care for the poor.  Andrea, in love with the house courts Cyril and becomes the evil stepmother, bringing along two young daughters of her own.  She of course never likes Maeve or Danny.  Their father is not really present. This is a story of how when as adults we look back at our childhood we may realize there are so many things we did not understand at the time.  Danny is learning so much about what he missed as he takes care of his sister and gets married himself and starts a family.  So many times we realize later that we were oblivious to what was happening around us. Ann Patchett has a wonderful way with words and bringing the story to life.

All This Could Be Yours

 Jami Attenberg, author of two previous novels, The Middlesteins and All Grown Up now brings readers another novel about dysfunctional families with, All This Could Be Yours.

The plot is complicated by the number of characters we are introduced to and how they come and go throughout the book.  Main characters are Barbra and Victor Tuchman, parents of Alex and Gary.
The book opens with Victor brought to the hospital by ambulance and his wife calling the children to inform them that their father is dying.

Of course this is a dysfunctional family so as we glance back into the past we hear the story of their family interactions from each of these main characters.  Barbra reflects on her stormy marriage, how and why she stayed in the marriage and how she feels now as it is ending.  Her daughter Alex comes back to see her mother hoping for answers to the unsettled childhood she experienced and wants closure for.  Her mother feels this all should be left in the past.

Gary avoids the whole situation by remaining unreachable in California not wanting to confront the past or acknowledge the present.  His marriage is in turmoil and he is trying to figure out where to go from here.

Alex goes into the hospital room with her unconscious father and talks to him about their shared past,
"I do not forgive you for making me believe less in the possibly of good in the world.  I do not forgive you for spitting on the notion of family."  Her mother told her that if she goes and makes peace with him now she will not have as many regrets when he is gone.  Alex thinks, "Who didn't want to get along with their father? Who didn't want their daddy's love? 'Everything is just business', he said.  A claim with which she could not argue, she knew for him that was true.  Still, it was then she knew, truly, he was bad. A bad capitalist."

As each family wrestles with their own relationship to Victor and the results of his harshness toward them, we learn about Victor's history and how each affected person tries to move forward with one another, for themselves and with their children.

The characters in this novel are Jewish and there is a feeling about their Judaism throughout the book.  Attenberg said in an interview that she thinks of the Jewishness of her characters as a characteristic and not that they are particularly religious. Victor and Barbra are first generation children of Russian immigrants who settled on the East Coast.

Then there are the outlying people who the Tuchmans encounter through their daily lives.  These characters are brought in and they interact and float through the plot in various ways to move the story along.

The Satanic Mechanic

It is always fun to find a new mystery series and I have found a wonderful one by Sally Andrews.

I have already reviewed the first in this Tannie Maria Mystery series which was Recipes for Love and Murder.  That was so well written with a warm, loving smooth gliding style that made you feel like you were swallowing pudding, while sitting out in the afternoon sun.   I definitely recommend this series not only for its unique characters, in South Africa's rural Klein Karoo, or for the delicious recipes and food descriptions, but also for the clever storylines,  the character relationships and the subtle way Andrews build ups a mystery that is being solved sometimes without you even being aware that she is giving you clues.

This time as we learn about the political argument between the Diamond industry and the native Bushman over a land grant.  As a murder of a Bushman is being investigated, Tannie M is reading her love advice letters and sending answers and recipes through the newspaper column she writes.  Her fellow journalist, Jessie wants to help the investigation against the advice of their editor, Hattie.
The relationship of Tannie M and the police detective, Henk Kannemeyer is developing and Tannie needs to share her biggest secret with him.  So many different paths to follow across the veld and so many delicious foods to try on the stoep.

Now reading book two I feel we are getting to know the characters on a more personal level and watch their relationships develop.  As we eat with Tannie and Henk, and Jessie, we are apart of their lives and I look forward to visiting them again and sharing a roosterkoek and tea with them as we try to solve the next case.

Lost Hills

Lee Goldberg has begun a new mystery series this time featuring a young woman new to the homicide department of the LAPD.  She was an off duty cop when she made an arrest that went viral on social media, now she is the new detective working alongside a seasoned veteran on his way out the door to retirement.

Well written from the viewpoint of Detective Eve Ronin, we learn about a grotesque murder scene and how Ronin plans to solve the crime, her first as a lead investigator.  We also start to learn about Eve the person and what led her to this desire to be a police detective.  All nicely intertwined in the book, as slowly the facts of the case are unravelled.  We are taken down roads that lead nowhere and paths have unexpected twists and turns as we drive through the neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

In the end there is a surprise ending and Eve Ronin may have earned some respect from the other detectives in her unit.  But we will probably have to wait to the next novel in this new series to find out if she is really getting to be one of the guys, accepted as an equal.

White Houses

White Houses by Amy Bloom tells the story of Lenora Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt, living and cavorting together between the White House in Washington, DC and a home called Little White House on Long Island, NY.

This is the imagined story of Eleanor Roosevelt and her long time friend and possible lover Lorena Hickok.  Told from the perspective Hickok, we hear about her childhood and how she came from nothing to become a newspaper reporter.  Then how she met Eleanor Roosevelt and became her special friend, living in the White House and traveling with the First Lady.

This is the story of their relationship.  Lenora Hickok grew up with a violent father and her mother, who was too timid to protect Lenora and her two younger sisters from him.  Her mother also dies when Lenora is ten years old.  Her father brings home a new wife and then they decide to leave the state and leave Lenora to work in servitude, taking her younger sisters with them.  She never has a relationship with her family again.  Through a series of different odd experiences she ends up working for a newspaper and becomes a reporter.  When she gets the opportunity to cover the presidential election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  She meets Eleanor and their relationship begins.

It does seem from articles and letters of the time that Teddy had his affairs and Eleanor had her interactions within the marriage and that the couple had an agreement.  They gave each other the room for these outside affairs.

Interesting and also remembering it is a novel wondering how much is true from letters and records and how much is embellished.  Not as shocking, of course, as it may have been then.

I Fell Into A Volcano: And Other "Coming of Age" Disasters

A friend suggested this book and I read it..but I probably would never have picked it up otherwise.  I do not know Lynne Gassel and so reading her personal life would not have pulled me in.  She is not a celebrity but once I was reading I will say that because she is a woman in my age group and lived a similar life in the suburbs growing up and talks about her relationships to her parents, her husband and her children, it was sort of relatable to my life and it was interesting.

This is the personal story of Lynne Gassel's life.  Looking back to her childhood and her relationship to her family and how affects her relationships with her husband and children.  Also how it informs all the aspects of her thinking.  She discloses so many private moments where you can feel empathy for her and the people in her life.  There are some moments you can relate to as a spouse and parent.  There are points you can understand as a fellow baby boomer, but there are some topics, like current political commentary that seem to get too involved in the weeds for this book. 

I was uncomfortable with her political statements, not because I disagree with them, but that they seemed unnecessary to the overall story and it would be harder to recommend the book to others.

I feel for her as a mother who had trouble with her children.  It is always interesting to read about other people's lives.  In a voyeuristic sort of way, watching others and feeling sorry for them but glad you did not go through that experience.  Also as a way to compare your life and see if things are normal, better than you thought or at least not as bad as you felt. 

I am always amazed that someone can put themselves out there and share intimate details, I do hope it was cathartic for the author.

Give The Devil His Due

This is number eight, I believe, in the Rowland Sinclair mystery series.  I have been really enjoying all of them and look forward to the next one as soon as I have finished reading one.

Rowland and his friends, Clyde and Milton have gown on me. I pine right along with Rowland as he pursues his love interest, Edna.  I love all their misadventures.  I also love Rowland's brother and his family of young nephews.  Oh to live in the wealthy class of Australian's society and attend all the fancy events they participate in.  To paint like Rowly and sculpt like Edna.  To eat the meals prepared by the housekeeper and cook, Mary Brown.  This is the life!  This time Rowland is going to drive his German Mercedes in a charity race.  The car has been a problem for many books, because it is a German car.  His older brother, Aubrey was killed int he first world war and German products are not popular.  His yellow car stands out and someone has their sights set on him.   Milton is also being targeted for a murder he did not commit and there are many red herrings unfolding to keep you in suspense through the whole book.

Not only are you enjoying a fun, fascinating mystery, you are learning Australian history leading up to World War 11.  You are learning about life in Australia and how they were looking at Hitler and Nazi, Germany from that side of the world. 

It is a matter of life and death and you are routing for these lovable characters all the way through.