Clever, funny and entertaining, Lift and Separate, by Marilyn Simon Rothstein. This is such a fun light novel about as woman who is on the precipice of her new life, as her husband throws a match to their marriage. Marcy is facing herself in the mirror as she reevaluates the importance of marriage and the years she devoted to her husband and children ignoring her own desires. Now as her husband betrays her, having an affair with a young woman, Marcy must decide whether to take him back or move forward without him.
There are so many experiences in this book any woman and especially mothers can relate to. One is the feelings is the empty nest when your children have all grown and off living their own lives. It is hard to accept that they will not be home for dinner or dropping by to visit. You keep thinking of them as you shop for groceries. Marcy explains what happens when she is reminded that the kids are gone, "True, but I tend to forget that. I enjoyed their growing up so much that even though I know they're adults, I cling to whatever I can. Besides, it's tough to think about only yourself when you've spent your whole life thinking about everybody else. Until a few weeks ago, I still went to the supermarket and bought their favorite things. But I have to say, I'm trying to get over that. I restrict myself to the ten-items of less checkout."
Married at a young age to her first boyfriend, Harvey, Marcy has been married longer than she was single. She has devoted her life to being Harvey's wife and making him look good in his business. He is head of a global brassiere empire, working to out do Victoria's Secret. He can tell what size and design bra would be best on any woman just by looking at her. He brings home every new design in Marcy's size. She has so many bras she will never be able to wear them all.
When Harvey admits that he had a short term affair she throws him out. Then she starts to work through how to move on with the help of her friend, Dana. Then her mother has a fall and ends up in the hospital. There she runs into an old acquaintance, Candy, whose father is also in the hospital.
Marcy and Candy build strong friendship as they lean on each other through their parent's slow decline.
Candy also has a marriage that is in trouble. Dana is on her third marriage. This book takes a long hard look at relationships, trust and dependence. It also in a funny lighthearted way looks at independence, and resolve.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Thursday, May 7, 2020
The Guest Book
Author Sarah Blake has developed into a wonderful writer with new book, building on her success and further developing the world of World War II Europe and post war United States.
I read her first novel The Postmistress and found it interesting and entertaining. A great book group discussion followed. People either loved or disliked the book. There were strong feelings about individual characters. We agreed that most interesting character was the young woman, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, who has traveled to Europe as a young journalist to find and share the news happening during the Blitz with the United States. She finds out so much more than she expected.
Now we move to Blake's newest book, The Guest Book. With a start during the War and a main character, Ogden Milton traveling to Germany for business during the war. He and his young bride Kitty are part of the wealthy old money class in America. They are starting out life with their young children in New York City. After a family tragedy, Ogden takes the family on a trip to Maine. There they discover an island for sale and purchase it as the family compound. Every summer they leave the heat of the City and travel to their island in Maine.
The book covers the generations of Miltons as they grow, marry have children, then grandchildren always following the tradition of WASP customs to keep secrets and shrouding tragedy in silence.
They spend their summers with family gatherings living a life of privilege eating lobsters, swimming and boating. Each generation holding their secrets until Kitty's grandchildren are faced with financial debt and a house that needs major repairs. Evie, Kitty's granddaughter who has spent her life as an historian is having trouble letting go of the house and begins to realize there are some family secrets that need to be uncovered. She needs to find out the truth before she can let go of the Maine house and the past.
This novel weaves it way through time from pre war Germany through the war, into the 1950s as the world is changing each generation brings new ideas with it. As Kitty's son Moss grows into adulthood, he wants something different the gold spoon. He does not want to go into the family business and he feels called to be an artist, write music that has the beat of a changing time. He meets with a young black man who is also ready to challenge the status quo and they talk over drinks in a bar in New York. As they sit at a table a black man and a white man, in a room full of dockworkers, writers, and "cool cats", he explains, that things are changing, "The room, man. Us in the room." Moss leaned toward him. "Here we are, talking. All of us in the same room, unimaginable to my parents, my grandparents. But we are here now. New notes."
This is a long volume with many characters. I looked for a family tree on the inside cover numerous times. Working to keep them all straight is a challenge but it is worth it. The book explores so many topics, love, loss, family dynamics, prejudice and desire.
This is one of those sweeping sagas that pulls you in and keeps you engaged until the very end.
Sarah Blake has found her stride and I look forward to following for a while.
I read her first novel The Postmistress and found it interesting and entertaining. A great book group discussion followed. People either loved or disliked the book. There were strong feelings about individual characters. We agreed that most interesting character was the young woman, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, who has traveled to Europe as a young journalist to find and share the news happening during the Blitz with the United States. She finds out so much more than she expected.
Now we move to Blake's newest book, The Guest Book. With a start during the War and a main character, Ogden Milton traveling to Germany for business during the war. He and his young bride Kitty are part of the wealthy old money class in America. They are starting out life with their young children in New York City. After a family tragedy, Ogden takes the family on a trip to Maine. There they discover an island for sale and purchase it as the family compound. Every summer they leave the heat of the City and travel to their island in Maine.
The book covers the generations of Miltons as they grow, marry have children, then grandchildren always following the tradition of WASP customs to keep secrets and shrouding tragedy in silence.
They spend their summers with family gatherings living a life of privilege eating lobsters, swimming and boating. Each generation holding their secrets until Kitty's grandchildren are faced with financial debt and a house that needs major repairs. Evie, Kitty's granddaughter who has spent her life as an historian is having trouble letting go of the house and begins to realize there are some family secrets that need to be uncovered. She needs to find out the truth before she can let go of the Maine house and the past.
This novel weaves it way through time from pre war Germany through the war, into the 1950s as the world is changing each generation brings new ideas with it. As Kitty's son Moss grows into adulthood, he wants something different the gold spoon. He does not want to go into the family business and he feels called to be an artist, write music that has the beat of a changing time. He meets with a young black man who is also ready to challenge the status quo and they talk over drinks in a bar in New York. As they sit at a table a black man and a white man, in a room full of dockworkers, writers, and "cool cats", he explains, that things are changing, "The room, man. Us in the room." Moss leaned toward him. "Here we are, talking. All of us in the same room, unimaginable to my parents, my grandparents. But we are here now. New notes."
This is a long volume with many characters. I looked for a family tree on the inside cover numerous times. Working to keep them all straight is a challenge but it is worth it. The book explores so many topics, love, loss, family dynamics, prejudice and desire.
This is one of those sweeping sagas that pulls you in and keeps you engaged until the very end.
Sarah Blake has found her stride and I look forward to following for a while.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives
This book turned out to be a fascinating story and conveyed a message much more important than I would have thought when I picked up the book.
In this non fiction book we meet thirteen women who are all connected by their partial ownership in a beautiful diamond necklace. When Jonell McLain walks into a jewelry store in Ventura, California she sees a diamond necklace, which is described as looking like the famous tennis bracelet. A n interesting side note that I learned was why the tennis bracelet is so named, because Chris Everett was wearing this diamond bracelet during a US Open tennis match and it fell off and she stopped the game to retrieve the bracelet. Jonell really wants to wear this necklace but cannot really afford to buy it and also does not really want to own it for herself. She goes home and starts contacting women she knows, some friends, some just acquaintances and asks them to go in on the ownership of this expensive piece of jewelry.
When Jonell and a number of the women who are interested in participating in this experiment arrive at the store and try on the necklace they are all amazed at how wonderful the necklace looks on each of them. The owner of the store agrees to the price the women want to pay if they will include his wife in the ownership agreement.
Now there are thirteen women who each own a turn to wear the necklace for one month of the year. Most of the women do not know each other at the start of this story and they all come from very different backgrounds and histories. The author writes a chapter about each of the women as they get their turn to wear the necklace. Also the women start having monthly meetings discussing how to share the necklace and how each of them feels possessing something of this value and beauty.
These women use an object of exclusivity to create an atmosphere of inclusivity. Along the way they learn to have empathy and care for each other. They find out what unites them is stronger than what divides them.
In the end I wanted to try this experiment myself and find a group of women that could share a beautiful necklace and such a wonderful friendship. It makes me wonder if the friendships I share with my book discussion group is similar though we do not have gorgeous jewelry to share.
In this non fiction book we meet thirteen women who are all connected by their partial ownership in a beautiful diamond necklace. When Jonell McLain walks into a jewelry store in Ventura, California she sees a diamond necklace, which is described as looking like the famous tennis bracelet. A n interesting side note that I learned was why the tennis bracelet is so named, because Chris Everett was wearing this diamond bracelet during a US Open tennis match and it fell off and she stopped the game to retrieve the bracelet. Jonell really wants to wear this necklace but cannot really afford to buy it and also does not really want to own it for herself. She goes home and starts contacting women she knows, some friends, some just acquaintances and asks them to go in on the ownership of this expensive piece of jewelry.
When Jonell and a number of the women who are interested in participating in this experiment arrive at the store and try on the necklace they are all amazed at how wonderful the necklace looks on each of them. The owner of the store agrees to the price the women want to pay if they will include his wife in the ownership agreement.
Now there are thirteen women who each own a turn to wear the necklace for one month of the year. Most of the women do not know each other at the start of this story and they all come from very different backgrounds and histories. The author writes a chapter about each of the women as they get their turn to wear the necklace. Also the women start having monthly meetings discussing how to share the necklace and how each of them feels possessing something of this value and beauty.
These women use an object of exclusivity to create an atmosphere of inclusivity. Along the way they learn to have empathy and care for each other. They find out what unites them is stronger than what divides them.
In the end I wanted to try this experiment myself and find a group of women that could share a beautiful necklace and such a wonderful friendship. It makes me wonder if the friendships I share with my book discussion group is similar though we do not have gorgeous jewelry to share.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)