Life is So Good by George Dawson & Richard Glaubman

Happy New Year. Unfortunately, I spent the better part of the holidays battling a virus, which kept me in bed with the TV on. I was watching the OWN channel and Oprah was doing  a review of memorable people that she had met over the course of her 25 years. One person was George Dawson, who at age 98, went back to school to learn to read. She then mentioned that he went on to write a best selling book, so I grabbed my Kindle and read a sample. AND then immediately bought the whole book. I read many reviews of the book before I read the sample and most found the book very inspiring. Many people said that this book should be read by all school children, so I had to see for myself.

George Dawson was born in 1898, in the South, a grandson of slaves. His parents owned a small farm of their own and George started work on that farm at four years old. At eight he witnessed the lynching of a family friend. At twelve he was sent by his parents to another farm to work and lived in a small shack outside of the farm owners barn. The shack had a straw mattress and he was given a thin blanket and fed twice a day while working the fields from before sun up to after sun down. His parents expected nothing from George but to work hard, respect people, be thankful for what he had and to stay out of trouble. George did exactly that all his life.

There is no way I can express how good this book is. It is something everyone needs to read and contemplate on their own. It is a book of hope, strength and perservance. It is a book that speaks of  injustices and man's inhumanity to man.

This is a book about taking what life hands you and making the best of it.

The Legacy by Katherine Webb

This is the first novel I have read by Webb, and  won't be the last. The story kept me interested right to the very twisted ending ! This is the story of the Calcott family, who were to the manor born. There are so many skeletons in their closets, you would think it was Halloween everyday ! The story is in two parts, really: the story of Caroline Fitzpatrick-Massey in the American West at the turn of the century and Erika & Beth Calcott, who have come to empty out their family's house, which just happens to be an English castle.

Caroline, born & brought up in NYC, marries and then follows her new husband to his ranch out west. She has a very hard time adjusting to life out there and is hoping that once she has children, she will be so busy that she will not notice how miserable she is. But after two years of trying, no children. Fast forward almost one hundred years, Erica Calcott is going through her grandmother's things and finds her great-grandmother Caroline's letters and a picture of her with a baby sitting on her lap. Whose baby is it? A hundred year old mystery. And how about a present day bonus:  what happened to her 10 year old cousin Henry who disappeared one summer from the manor?

If you told me this book was a mystery, I would say no thanks, not  a mystery reader. But tell me it is about a dysfunctional family and I am all over it. I guess this is the best of both worlds. Interesting how both parts of the story come together and what a twist at the end !

A good read.

Once Upon A Time There Was You by Elizabeth Berg

I like Elizabeth Berg novels. They are really packed with the compexities of real lives. In this novel,  Berg tells of John & Irene's marriage.... maybe more of their divorced life that followed the marriage. They have an eighteen year old daughter, Sadie, who is much loved by both parents. John lives in Minnesota and Irene & Sadie live on the West Coast. Irene is a quirky lady, she works for an eccentric caterer in San Fran. John is a conservative architect, who seldom dates. Irene is finding her many "loves" on the internet dating sites and  writes very long and "out there" introductions. John decides to attend a group session of divorced people and ends up in the grief group session and is attracted to Amy.

Sadie has met a great guy in school but doesn't want to introduce him to her mom, for fear the craziness will drive him away. She lies to her mom about a weekend get away, and ends up being kidnapped by a deranged killer. Fortunately, she does get rescued but for the few days she was missing, John flies to San Fran to stay with Irene while the search is on.

Irene & John do a dance of emotions: Didn't they once love each other? Are the feelings still there? What about Amy , who John may be falling in love with? All of the past baggage is right there for the two of them to deal with.

I have to say that this is one of the weaker novels by Berg. At any time while I was reading it, I could have put it down and walked away. If you are an avid Elizabeth Berg reader, then you will want to read it. If you aren't a follower, then you can definitely pass on this one.

Emily Alone by Stewart O'Nan

I picked this book up at the library because I recognized the name of the writer, Stewart O'Nan. He wrote Faithful, along with his pal Stephen King. It chronicled the winning season of the Red Sox a few years back when they won the World Series after a long drought. So, when I got home, as I picked the book up to read, I noticed that it was a sequel. But I started it anyway, hoping it would stand alone.

Emily Maxwwell is a widow, living in the same neighborhood that she had for years, when her husband was alive and the children were growing up. She hasn't driven for years and her husband's old boat of a car is locked away in the garage, gathering dust. She has two kids and four grandchildren that she doesn't see very often. Her daughter is a recovering alcoholic that Emily helps financially. Her son is distant and rarely needs anything from her.

She has a very close friend, Arlene, whose driving skills leave alot to be desired, but who gets her to the club once in a while, to lunch once a week and out to pick up groceries. 

When Arlene passes out at a restaurant, Emily is forced to drive Arlene's car home. Then back & forth to the hospital running errands for Arlene. When Arlene takes her car back, Emily gets her old car out of mothballs and with the help of her neighbors, gets it running again. And gets Emily running again, as well. She runs errands with Arlene, gets to visit the graves she hasn't been to in years, drives back to her home town. Emily is back  living a life again. Coming to terms with her kids and her own past.

This was a very easy book to read and quite enjoyable. You can definitely read this without reading the first volume.  I really now must locate the first book , called Wish  You Were Here,  just to get a deeper look into the past of Emily Maxwell. 

Book Review: Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

Well, I finished the book and I tried to read slowly. Although I needed to know if Elphaba lived, I wanted the book to last as long as it could. I am talking about the much anticipated last volume in the Wicked series, Out of Oz. If you have never read Wicked, Maguuire's first book in the series, you are really missing out. Maguire has taken the story of the Wizard of Oz, and twisted it into a rich tale of "good vs evil" with characters you won't soon forget. And like L Frank Baum, there is a message behind the fantastic tale.

This book centers around Elphaba's (who just happenes to be the Wicked Witch of the West) granddaughter, nicknamed Rain and her struggles to come to terms with her past, present & future. The book deals with war, weapons of mass destruction ( they be dragons !!) , dysfunctional families...you name it !

Now, as much as I love the series, all of Maguire's books really, I found this last one a little slow. I realize I was anxious to hear about all the characters but even so,  at times it was a labor to get through. Until the last few chapters, in which there was so much action and so may favorite characters coming & going, my head      was spinning.

Was it worth the read? Yes and then some.

If you find my review alittle vague, it is purposly so. I do not want to spoil the ending for anyone reading the review. I will tell you that you really have to read all the books in the Wicked series to get this book, it is not a book you can pick up and read and have it make any sense. I totally recommend reading the whole series. You will NEVER be able to watch the movie, Wizard of Oz, without shaking your head and saying...there's no place like OZ.

Gregory Maguire's books in the Wicked series include: 1)Wicked, 2)Son of a Witch, 3)Lion Among Men and lastly

4)Out of Oz.

Fante by Dan Fante

I have often heard the term "raw" being used in describing movies, books and talent but I am not sure I have ever come across a book that I could only use that word to describe it. Dan Fante has written a book that he says is a look into his family's legacy of writing, drinking and surviving but it is really more a look into his own life of the same.  It is very honest, sometimes graphic, sad, and yes, raw. But, I could not put it down. Was it like watching a train wreck? Maybe.

Dan Fante is the son of writer John Fante, who wrote a few novels back in the 1930's & 40's and screenplays in the 60's & 70's. He was a heavy drinker, a mean & mostly absent dad & a bad husband. Dan Fante writes that he had his first beer at age four, when alcohol became his drug of choice. Although, let me say that liquor wasn't his only vice !

Dan Fante's life is like the wildest roller coaster you have ever been on. An alcoholic drug user that blacked out most days of his young adulthood right into his forties, got tangled up with the Black Panthers, the mafia, hookers & pimps...you name it. AND he actually lives to tell about it.  

He writes about his parents& siblings, his father's writing acheivements and some of John Fante's most famous /infamous brawls but the saddest part of the book is that it is a true story of a life wasted. If you ever had any doubts about the dangers of alcohol, you won't after reading this book. Well written and worth the read.

 

***I am so looking forward to the release of Gregory Maguire's Out of Oz, tomorrow November 1st. I have it pre-ordered on my Kindle so hopefully I will receive it right after midnight tonight. Some sleepless nights ahead !!***

 

Review: Don't Sing at the Table by Adriana Trigiani

Grandmothers give all kinds of sage advice. I think most of it probably is in one ear and out the other when we are young. Fodder for eye rolling in our teenage years, I am sure. But as we get older and have grandchildren of our own, these little gems of wisdom start coming out of our own mouths. Trigiani's Don't Sing at the Table is a compilation of great advice from both of her grandmothers. Some spoken, some unwittingly absorbed.

The author was very lucky to have spent alot of time with both of her hard-working Italian grandmothers. Both very strong women with very strong opinions on family and business. Viola was a seamstress who started as a sewing machine operator in a clothing factory. She was promoted to manager, and after she married, co-owned a blouse factory with her husband. Lucia was also a sewing machine operator in a children's clothing factory.  When she married a shoemaker, they planned to open their own shoe business but unfortunately her husband died suddenly at age 39. Lucia worked in a shoe factory making children's shoes while she put her three children through college.

Trigiani writes about her two grandmothers with humor and respect, telling stories of the  history of her family, from Italy to New York and beyond. A sentimental journey packed with advice that we could all use !