Book Review: Perfume

Author: Patrick Suskind

Title: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Description: Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born in eighteenth-century France with two unusual traits. First, he has no scent (this leads all of his foster mothers to reject him); second, he has the best sense of smell in history. He can smell anything , anyone; he remembers every smell; he desires to create new scents and perfumes and learns everything he can about them. Unfortunately, this, combined with his lack of human emotions, leads him to take, well, rather extreme steps to collect scents that he covets.

Plot: This isn’t a mystery, nor is it a thriller. The best I can describe it would be that it is the book that results when the author asks himself, “What if there were a person who cared only about what he smelled?”

Characters: All of the major characters in the book are repulsive. Grenouille himself does not seem human.

Writing style: What I really enjoyed about this book was the description of smells of all sorts. In this way, it seemed to do for smells what Ann Patchett does for music in Bel Canto.  In other words, sometimes an author can write about one specific thing in a way that seems revelatory to me, and that’s what Suskind does here. Also, I was really interested in the details about perfume creation in the eighteenth century.

Audience: Literary fiction.

Wrap-up: I was riveted by this book for the writing, not for the characters, which is usually the case with me. 4/5*

Book Review: Orwell's Luck (YA)

Author:  Richard Jennings

Title: Orwell’s Luck

Description: The narrator (we never learn her name) finds a partially paralyzed rabbit on the morning paper on New Year’s morning, and determines to care for him until he is healed. This rabbit appears to have some special qualities, however. He may be communicating with her via the daily horoscopes.

Review source: ALA

Plot: Pretty cute. Will the rabbit send a message? Will the rabbit survive?

Characters: Orwell, the rabbit, is significantly the only character in the book who actually has a name. Everyone else has a role: the mom, the dad, the sister, the cat, the dog, the neighbors.

Writing style: Ostensibly narrated by a twelve year-old girl, this narrator is extremely well-spoken with a wide vocabulary. She is also thoughtful, entertaining plans at various points in the narrative to be a detective, a veterinarian, and a philosopher.

Audience: I’d estimate 5^th – 9^th grades. It was a one-hour read for me, and I enjoyed it.

Wrap-up: Pick it up if you enjoy clever, thoughtful YA lit, or if you have a middle-schooler who loves animals, reading, or both. 4/5*

Book Review: The Devil in Silver

Author: Victor LaValle

Title: The Devil in Silver

Description: Pepper gets into a fight one night, defending the honor of a girl he sort of likes. Because their shift is almost over and they don’t want to do the paperwork, the cops dump him in a mental hospital for 72 hours of observation, rather than arresting him. When he tries to fight his way out, Pepper is drugged into insensibility and wakes up a month later. Complicating matters is the mysterious patient who has an entire hall to himself and may be feeding on the other patients.  

Review source: Netgalley

Plot: This book is billed as horror, and at first it comes across like a typical horror novel (what IS that thing?) Somewhere along the way, though, it shifts, and becomes a musing on the nature of normalcy, the utter impersonality of “the system,” and the process of self-realization.

Characters: There are some pretty interesting characters here; Pepper, of course, but also his (are they really) friends Dorry, Loochie, and Coffee, and the other residents of the mental ward. Even the hospital personnel  come across as more than stereotyped caricatures.

Writing style: The character study in this book struck me as more successful than the horror aspect.  I’m not sure exactly how horrified we are supposed to be by the Devil, but he never seemed all that scary. Much scarier was the completely believable explanation for Pepper—completely sane—being incarcerated in a mental hospital indefinitely.

Audience: I’m sort of stumped here. Horror readers might like it, but I’d push it at folks who read literary fiction.

Wrap-up: After the cheap horror effects of the first few chapters died down, the book drew me in more and more. I’ll give it a solid 4/5*

Book Review: Paper Angels

Author: Billy Coffey

Title: Paper Angels

Description: Andy awakens in the hospital and gradually remembers the accident that put him there. His personal angel, the Old Man, seems to have left him at this worst time in his life. A hospital counselor asks him to talk through his box of keepsakes. Each keepsake is linked to a memory of a lesson Andy learned. As he reviews his life, Andy faces the question of where to go from here.

Review source: ALA

Plot: Short stories form vignettes of Andy’s past life, but are connected by the overarching narrative of his keepsake box.

Characters: Andy is a loner, having grown up orphaned. The angel that dogs his footsteps prevents him from forming lasting relationships (he doesn’t want people to think he is talking to himself). Other characters drop in and out of the story.

Writing style: The book kept me interested, but I would say it crossed the line into sappy more than once. The final “surprise” is pretty obvious from the beginning of the book. And I’m starting to get really tired of that kind of foreshadowing where the author drops in a name and a looming disaster but refuses to say what has happened until the end of the book. Wearying. Also, lots of preaching going on here. For every story, there is a lesson learned. Thunk.

Audience: Christian fiction, though it’s more that “life lesson” kind of thing than overtly Christian. Also the protagonist is a man, so if men are looking for Christian fiction, I'd recommend Coffey as the kind of author who won't overwhelm them with chick lit.

Wrap-up: Mildly enjoyable. 3/5*

Book Review: In Darkness

Author: Nick Lake

Title: In Darkness

Description: In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, a teenaged boy lies trapped beneath the rubble of a destroyed hospital. As he lies there, he remembers the events that have led up to his hospitalization, caused by a gunshot wound. He also has memories of another life—not his, but that of his country’s liberator, Toussaint L’Ouverture.

Review source: I think I picked up at ALA.

Plot: I was disoriented for a good while until I figured out what was going on with the flashbacks, etc. There are two plots running parallel: the modern day story of Shorty the teenage gangster in Cite Soleil and Toussaint’s story of liberation.

Characters: In Cite Soleil, teenage boys (and younger) are the drug lords’ henchmen, mostly because the young men die off so quickly that rarely does one make it to his twenties. In both modern and historical Haiti, there isn’t much room for idealism; even people who try to do good have to make some big compromises along the way.

Writing style: Shorty uses a lot of creole or Haitian slang, but it can be figured out.

Audience: I get the impression that this was meant to be a YA novel; if so, it’s got major profanity issues and would be a fairly difficult read for under-16. Totally works as an adult novel.

Wrap-up: Every once in a while I get fascinated by a topic, and Haiti is one that I can’t let go. I did some research on Haiti for grad school, now this book—and after I read this one, I just wanted to go out and read more about Haiti. So Mountains Beyond Mountains is on its way, and I’m going to read some Danticat as well, as a start. I know Julia Alvarez has a new Haiti book out as well.  Back to this one, though—4/5*

Book Review: The Homecoming of Samuel Lake

Author: Jenny Wingfield

Title: The Homecoming of Samuel Lake

Description: Samuel Lake is a pastor who is just a little too controversial for the southern churches he serves. After his denomination tells him they just don’t have a church for him, he and his family—wife Willadee and kids Swan, Noble, and Bienville—end up at Willadee’s parents’ house. There Samuel wrestles with his vocation, Samuel’s ex-fiancee tries everything she can think of to get him back, Swan tries to befriend her uncle Toy, and the family becomes involved with young Blade, who will change their lives.  

Review source: netgalley

Plot: yes. All of the plots and subplots were interesting.

Characters: The book was not as much about Samuel Lake as the title makes it out to be. It’s probably more about Swan and Toy. But all of the family members were well-drawn characters. The villain was truly scary. I felt like a part of this family by the time I had finished the book.

Writing style: I never knew quite what was going to happen here, and the action keeps moving, but it doesn’t preclude character development. In terms of style, the book sort of made me expect magic realism, but there wasn’t any—there was, however, one miracle. I liked this book in the same way that I liked A Grown Up Kind of Pretty.

Audience: I confess, I could look up the publisher, but I don’t know if off the top of my head. That said, I don’t know whether or not this book is being marketed as Christian fiction. Which makes it just the kind of Christian fiction I like. Very much in the tradition of Peace Like a River.

Wrap-up: I loved this book. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending—I can think of two or three endings I would prefer. But that doesn't take away from the overall impact the book had on me. 5/5*

Book Review: Elisha's Bones

Author: Don Hoesel

Title: Elisha’s Bones

Description: Archaeology professor Jack Hawthorne is hired by a mysterious millionaire to find a sacred artifact. He travels around the world, hooks up with a beautiful woman, finds some clues, some people get killed…

Review source: Free on kindle (looks like it still is).

Plot: Too much happened in this book. The plot sent Jack and Espy from one crisis to another. Realistically, they shouldn’t have survived past Venezuela…

Characters: Character development isn’t a strong suit here. The characters are just something the plot happens to.

Writing style: Typical thriller. Very little character development because things keep happening. I don’t think this book would be in existence without The Da Vinci Code; it’s very much along those same lines.

Audience: This book is Christian fiction, but the Christian part is fairly light-handed. The relic (oh, you know it is Elisha’s bones; the title gives it away) supposedly has supernatural powers. Jack sort of equates if the bones really do have supernatural powers then God exists.

Wrap-up: I’m really not a big fan of thrillers.  2.5/5*

Book Review: Thy Neighbor

Author: Norah Vincent

Title: Thy Neighbor

Description: Nick lives a wasted life alone in his childhood home, spending most of his days sleeping and most of his nights drunk and high. Thirteen years before, his father shot his mother, then committed suicide, and that was pretty much it for Nick. When he can think, he spends his time with Monica, a girl with no last name, past, or occupation, or he spies on his neighbors.

Review source: netgalley

Plot: Somehow, things seem to be revealing more about Nick’s past than they ever have before. He never knew what really went on between his father & his mother, but someone out there does know.

Characters: This is the author’s first novel, so I have nothing to compare it to, but Nick’s voice (it’s a first-person narrative) is right on. He’s bitter, sarcastic, and funny. He’s angry and vulnerable. Pretty amazing.

Writing style: This is definitely a dark story, and it really made me think. I actually used my kindle highlighter, meaning there were some passages I want to think on some more.

Audience: It’s a mystery/thriller. If you're offended by graphic language, this book isn't for you.

Wrap-up: A little darker than what I usually read, but it kept me fascinated through to the end. 4/5*

Book Review: Goodbye for Now

Author: Laurie Frankel

Title: Goodbye for Now

Description: Sam is a computer genius. He works for an online dating company and comes up with the perfect algorithm to allow people to find their soulmates. He uses it to find his—Meredith, who works in the same company. When he gets fired for costing his company business, he uses his skills to help Meredith get over the grief of losing her grandmother by writing an algorithm that will duplicate her online presence. When they decide to offer this service to others with dead loved ones (DLOs), Sam learns a lot about life.

Review source: Library Thing Early Reviewers

Plot: This seems like the kind of book where the author asked a “what if” question, then answered it. In Frankel’s case, though, she keeps coming up with more what ifs. What if your DLO was not who you thought they were? What if the DLO had spent their whole life being sick? What if you told your DLO that she was dead?

Characters: Frankel has a wonderful way with her characters. I loved them all.

Writing style: This book is primarily about death and grief, but it was really funny and a fun read. 

Audience: It’s tough to know how to classify this book. I suppose literary fiction, where stuff goes when you don’t know what to call it. I think just about anyone would like it.

Wrap-up: I loved reading this book even when the end made me cry. It will be a keeper for me. 5/5*

Book Review: Gone to Green

Author: Judy Christie

Title: Gone to Green

Description: Lois inherits a small-town newspaper (in Green, La.) and moves there to take over running the bi-weekly publication. She has been working in a large city newsroom, so she has to make adjustments: to a small town, to being the boss, and to living in the south, for starters.

Review source: I got the first four volumes of this series from the author last year at ALA. There is now a fifth volume.

Plot: Involves Lois meeting the citizens of Green and some nefarious land development going on.

Characters: Lots of small-town characters crop up; I’m sure they’ll be back in the next book. I most enjoyed the subplot of Lois befriending a rebellious teenager, but she also meets a catfish farmer/football coach, a lady pastor, etc.

Writing style: No distracting tendencies. Basic storytelling.

Audience: This is Christian fiction (Lois isn’t Christian, but everyone she meets is). Also chick lit.

Wrap-up: It was an enjoyable read. If I didn’t have the next three books, I probably wouldn’t seek them out, but since I do have them, I’ll read them. 3/5*

Book Review: Silver Sparrow

Author: Tayari Jones

Title: Silver Sparrow

Description: Dana and Chaurisse are sisters; Dana knows this, but Chaurisse doesn’t. They share a father, who is “married” to each of their mothers, but as the first wife, Chaurisse’s mother has all of the respectability and most of the material goods. Narrated by both of the girls (each gets half of the book), the story follows Dana as she spends her life comparing her family to her father’s “real” family and Chaurisse, who knows something isn’t quite right, but can’t put her finger on it.

Review source: ALA

Plot: The book is primarily character-driven; given the situation, and the fact that the girls live in the same school district, what might happen?

Characters: Both of the girls are sympathetic characters, though scarred by their circumstances. Everyone in the book comes across as having a good reason for their actions, except for perhaps the father, who commits bigamy without second thoughts…

Writing style: This is one of those books that sounds interesting enough but nothing special. What makes it special is the writing.

Audience: I was never sure if this book was marketed as YA or not. It could be, but it also reads just fine as an adult novel. Most of the story does take place before the girls graduate from high school.

Wrap-up: A talented author takes on an unusual topic with a worthwhile and engaging result. 4/5*

Book Review: The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

Author: Melanie Benjamin

Title: The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

Description: Lavinia Warren Bump (Vinnie) was a normal baby, but as a toddler, she stopped growing. She topped out at 32” tall, and her little sister Minnie was just a little shorter. Although she started out as a schoolteacher, she wanted to see the world, and her size gave her an excuse to leave home and travel. After a rough start as a sideshow attraction, she met P.T. Barnum and became one of his wonders.

Review source: I got this ARC at ALA last year, but the book has been out for a year now.

Plot: The author has done some wonderfully thorough historical research here. Her plot follows the incidents in Vinnie’s life.

Characters: It’s definitely a character-driven novel, my favorite kind. Vinnie, Minnie, Charles (Tom Thumb), and Barnum, along with many supporting characters all come to life here.

Writing style: Vinnie narrates the book with a good deal of foreshadowing (“If only I had known then what I know now…”).

Audience: It’s literary fiction; I think all ages and genders would enjoy it.

Wrap-up: I wasn’t expecting much out of this book, but it snuck up on me and grabbed me! Rarely do I read a book straight through (I’m usually reading it along with 20 or so others); this one merited a Saturday/Sunday read! I think I enjoyed the historical veracity along with a chance to imagine what it could be like to live such an unusual life. Highly recommended! 5/5*

Book Review: Felicia's Journey

Author: William Trevor

Title: Felicia’s Journey

Description: When the naïve Irish teenager finds herself pregnant, she sets out to find her lover in England. She finds instead Mr. Hilditch, who seems more interested in her than might be ordinary. As she becomes more and more desperate, he makes himself more necessary to her. His motives, however, are unclear, as is her future.

Review source: the Penguin bonanza

Plot: The book was interesting, but I found myself being frustrated at the passivity of the main character.

Characters: Neither of the two main characters is what you would call “normal.” Felicia is more trusting and naïve than would be expected, and Mr. Hilditch is potentially psychopathic. They’re interesting, but not especially sympathetic.

Writing style: The book is short, close to a novella. The writing style is unremarkable. (William Trevor is a greatly respected and award-winning author. Just not my style.)

Audience: Literary fiction; mystery or psychological thriller fans might also enjoy.

Wrap-up: I’m generally not a fan of books with unlikeable protagonists. That holds true for this book. 2/5*

Book Review: The Descendants

Author: Kaui Hart Hemings

Title: The Descendants

Description: This is one of those books that became famous as a movie. I haven’t seen the movie yet (you know I always read the book first). This one was one of our book group selections. Matthew King’s wife Joanie is in a coma and has been for the past twenty-three days.  Not only does he have to make decisions about continuing her care, he has two daughters he hardly knows. Matthew and his girls have to redefine what it means to be a family.

Plot: This book is a really good blend of plot and character development. The plot is simple yet gripping; when Matthew discovers his wife has been having an affair, things become even more complicated.

Characters: Matthew, his girls Scottie and Alex, and Alex’s friend Sid all grow and change during the novel. Even the comatose Joanie is a vivid character. I’d say this aspect of the book is the author’s strong point.

Writing style: The book is not long and reads quickly, but it is nonetheless thought-provoking. It proves that a book doesn’t have to be long to be powerful.

Audience: It’s literary fiction, set in Hawaii. Anyone who reads literary fiction would probably like the book, though I can see it appealing more to women than to men.

Wrap-up: This book grabbed me once I started reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and found much to consider at the same time. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie. 4/5*

Book Review: Healer's Apprentice

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Title: The Healer’s Apprentice

Description: Rose works at the castle learning how to be a healer. There she meets the brothers Wilhelm and Rupert, sons of the Duke. They are both attracted to her, but Wilhelm, as the eldest, is betrothed to the daughter of a neighboring Duke.

Review source: It was a freebie on kindle.

Plot: Which brother (if any) will Rose end up with? Who is Wilhelm’s betrothed? Who is the evil sorcerer who Wilhelm must pursue? Will Gunther, Rose’s friend, be hanged for murder? Plenty going on here!

Characters: I liked the characters here. They were believable; not too holy, but trying to do the right thing.

Writing style: As befits a YA title, there was no sex or profanity. The action moved at a pace that kept me interested.

Audience: Basically, it’s a Christian romance, though it’s set in an unusual time period for the genre (1382).

Wrap-up This book was a freebie for me from Amazon for the kindle. I never know what I’m getting with this kind of book, but this one was better than most. From the material on Amazon, it appears that the book is marketed to YA, but I didn’t feel like it was especially YA-oriented as I was reading it (though it certainly could appeal to teenage girls). It’s also Christian fiction, though that does not become apparent until some way into the book. A pleasant read. 4/5*

Book Review: The Memory-Keeper's Daughter

Author: Kim Edwards

Title: The Memory-Keeper’s Daughter

Description: Twins are born on a stormy night; the only people in attendance at the birth are the babies’ father, a doctor, and his nurse. When he realizes that one of the babies has Down Syndrome, the doctor asks the nurse to take the baby to an institution and tells his wife that she was stillborn. The book follows this family: the doctor, his wife, the boy they keep, and the daughter. The nurse, Caroline, can’t bring herself to leave the baby; she ends up keeping her and moving away.

Review source: Penguin bonanza

Plot: These babies were born in 1964 when many persons with Down Syndrome were institutionalized. This book imagines the effect that such a decision would have on a family. The remaining members of the family all feel the absence of Phoebe, the daughter; Phoebe herself feels no such absence.

Characters: The book is largely a character study; the set-up is created and the characters develop from the initial action, like a pearl being created around a piece of sand.

Writing style: The book is quiet, slow-moving--very typical of literary fiction.

Audience: Literary fiction, probably women more than men.

Wrap-up: I generally like character-driven books, but these characters were not very appealing. 3/5*

Book Review: Leota's Garden

Author: Francine Rivers  

Title: Leota’s Garden

Description : Annie has been kept from knowing her grandmother by her mother’s bitterness about her unhappy childhood. Rather than going to the prestigious college her mother prefers, Annie decides to stay in town, go to art school, and get to know her grandmother, Leota.

Review source: this was a free book on kindle.

Plot: Annie and her grandmother are at the center of the story, but we also meet Corban, a college student who is assigned to Leota as part of a research assignment, Eleanor, Annie’s unhappy mother, and various neighborhood residents.

Characters: Annie is barely eighteen, sweet and naïve, but determined to get to know her grandmother. The various supporting characters add interest.

Writing style: This is pretty standard Christian fiction. The non-Christian characters are desperately unhappy—though to Rivers’ credit, she doesn’t fall into the then-they-all-got-saved trap at the end of the book.

Audience: Rivers has many fans who will enjoy this book.

Wrap-up: I found it pretty sappy and thought it was too long. 2.5/5

Book Review: The Man Who Was Thursday

Author: G.K. Chesterton  

Title: The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare

Description: A poet has the chance to join a secret group of anarchists who are not all that they seem.

Review source: This book is free on kindle as it is in the public domain.

Plot: As the subtitle insinuates, the plot is dreamlike, moving rapidly from place to place and idea to idea.

Characters: None of the characters seems to be very well-developed; this short novel is almost allegorical in function.

Writing style: There are surprising elements of humor that I didn’t expect. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that was going on.

Audience: Chesterton was one of C. S. Lewis’ favorite authors. There is noticeable similarity. Inklings fans should give him a read.

Wrap-up: This was my choice for this month’s book club read. I chose it mainly because I’ve heard of Chesterton often, but never read him; he is one of the most famous Christian authors who I hadn’t yet tried. I was surprised to find him so funny; some of the book was dated, but it was still thought-provoking. 4/5*

Book Review: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett  

Title: The Help

Description: Come on. I know I’m the last person on the planet to read this book. You don’t really need the description, do you?

Plot: This book was one of the rare ones that had me obsessed; I was either reading it or thinking about reading it for the 4 or 5 days it took me to get through it. Several of the subsidiary plot lines had me consumed with wondering what would come next.

Characters: Beautifully done. The black characters speak in dialect, but it doesn’t come across in any way as patronizing.  I can’t think of any characters who aren’t spot on.

Writing style: Stockett uses the writing of a book as the main plotline of this book. The maids’ stories form subplots, as does the story of the author herself. The narration alternates between Skeeter, the young author, and two of the maids. The terror of the maids at possible ramifications of their actions in speaking to Skeeter, which defy race laws, is palpable.

Audience: The whole world?

Wrap-up: One of those books that actually lives up to its hype. 5/5* The movie is good too...

Book Review: White Noise

Author: Don DeLillo 

Title: White Noise

Description: Jack Gladney is a professor of Hitler Studies at a small college. He and his fourth wife and their assorted children, along with the rest of their town, are subjected to an airborne toxic event, which Jack figures may end his life, though he’s not sure when. As he tries to learn German (because what self-respecting Hitler Studies scholar does not read and speak German) and his children negotiate visitations with various non-custodial parents, Jack’s wife Babette may be taking a mysterious medicine for an unknown malady.

Review source: The Penguin motherlode.

Plot: By the end of the book, a plot has developed, although it certainly takes a might long while to get going.

Characters: The characters in this book are either caricatures or the type of people I’ve never met. I think it’s sort of weird that I don’t really know which.

Writing style: This is my first DeLillo book. I know he’s revered, but I don’t know why, especially. I guess the best I can say is that this is the type of book that certain people who are not me really get excited about. I did find it a little bit funny at points, in a wry, non-smiling, non-laughing kind of way. I also found it pretty disconnected—both me from the characters and the episodes in the book from one another.

Audience: literary fiction

Wrap-up: This book is ultimately about living in the late 20^th century and the fear of death.  A completely secular approach to these problems never does much for me because it is always so incomplete. It’s probably realistic, since most folks think that way, but I just can’t relate. (Or maybe it’s more gender-specific than I realize and there is this sort of old white man kind of writing that I just hate: Roth, Bellow, Updike, blah blah). Anyway, it was readable. 3/5*