Nevermore: Daughters of Yalta, Everyone Who Is Gone Here, Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

 

Nevermore 12 - 2 -25

Reported by Rita

The Daughters Of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz

The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and of the conference’s fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II. Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days.

Very interesting and enjoyable. I learned more about WWII. - KM 5 stars

 

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer

An epic, heartbreaking, and deeply reported history of the disastrous humanitarian crisis at the southern border told through the lives of the migrants forced to risk everything and the policymakers who determine their fate.

I found this interesting and filled with lots of information, however, it was not an easy read. - NH 3 stars

 

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he'd return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there's nobody left in Fred's life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he's desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. Fred's luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has a roof over his head, three meals a day, and, most importantly, the chance to be part of a family again. All he has to do is hope that his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up. As Fred navigates life in Bernard's shoes, he learns about the man's past and what it might take to return a life in better condition than he found it.

 

Fun and funny, mellow, and sad in parts. An absolutely delightful feel-good story. - NH 5 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

The Pilgrims And Pocahontas: Rival Myths Of American Origin by Ann U. Abrams

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds by John Fugelsang

 

New Books

 

107 Days by Kamala Harris

Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging by Angela Buchdahl

Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen

Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy by Joyce Vance

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Reviewed by Kristin

Katy and her mother Carol have always been close. Even though Katy is a fully-grown woman and even married, she still considers her mother the most important person in her life. When Carol dies right before their long anticipated mother-daughter trip to Italy, Katy is devastated.

Unanchored and feeling her marriage falling apart, Katy decides to travel to Positano alone. As she hesitantly checks into the hotel and begins to enjoy the sun and the food, she begins to relax. Until somehow, a younger version of Carol is standing right in front of her, laughing and inviting her along on an excursion. Katy is shocked and confused—how could she be seeing her dead mother? Cautiously, she takes Carol up on her offer and begins an unlikely friendship with the one person she misses most.

Katy gets to know Carol as a young and carefree woman, but also sees some of the familiar characteristics Carol will have later in life. This mystical occurrence is something that Katy does not understand. However, Katy embraces the experience as fully as she can in order to have her mother back, however strange the circumstances.

I read this as an ebook through Tennessee READS, while on a plane to…not Italy. While this was somewhat disappointing when I deplaned to slightly less friendly weather and landscapes, the imagined Italian seaside stayed with me. The brilliant colors of the town, the sea, the delicious food, and even a delicious and tempting man flavored Katy and Carol’s story.

Ultimately, this is a story of mothers and daughters, loss, and the seemingly impossible task of moving on with life when your favorite person in the world is gone.

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

 

Reviewed by Kristin

While browsing Tennessee READS for an audiobook, I came across The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. I almost didn’t check it out because I had never heard of the author (despite the fact that this debut was a New York Times bestseller—I just missed it!) and also it was long—20 ½ hours! The cover was attractive though, with four yellow ginkgo leaves lying in a vertical line with the title overlaying the image. The title itself is also a little non-descript, but I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did.

David Sorenson and Marilyn Connolly met, fell in love, married, and started a family, all in quick succession. David is a young doctor and is struggling to build his family practice. Marilyn is almost done with her own degree when first daughter Wendy is born, and she quickly decides that balancing exams with motherhood is too difficult. Not to mention, second daughter Violet comes along less than a year later. When Liza arrives there are three, and then a decade later there is Grace.

The story moves back and forth in time, telling the Sorenson’s story in pieces. David and Marilyn remain madly and demonstratively in love with each other through the decades, creating a “perfect” relationship model. With their parents seeming so happy, the girls question whether they will ever find true love. Despite their common roots, each of David and Marilyn’s daughters grow up to be very different and unique people.

Wendy is an independent soul from the start. Wendy married a wealthy, somewhat older man and then is widowed all too soon. At first, this is presented a bit stereotypically with a lot of alcohol and an extravagant lifestyle, but as the story progresses we learn more about both the happiness and the pain Wendy has endured.

Violet is definitely a type A personality, making straight A’s, going to college and law school, and eventually becoming a stay-at-home mom who manages her family’s schedule as if she’s still billing in six minute increments. Tightly wound, Violet still has insecurities that she tries to hide from everyone, perhaps even herself.

Liza is overshadowed by her older sisters, but manages to become a tenured professor in her early 30’s. She has been living with Ryan for almost a decade, and they are having a baby. But Ryan won’t get off the couch, and living with someone who is likely clinically depressed is wearing on Liza.

Grace has finally left the family home in Chicago, going to college in Oregon and then applying to law schools on the west coast. She is the furthest away geographically, and perhaps the one most uncertain of herself. Grace feels the pressure of measuring up to her older sisters who have always thought of her as the baby.

And there is Jonah. The baby given up for adoption fifteen years ago by one of the daughters, who is back in their lives after a series of events which left him in foster care for most of his life.

This cast of characters is woven together with strands of love, but pulled and pushed in different directions with the stresses of their situations and the decisions they have made. Lombardo’s writing is moving, and she skillfully reveals motives for characters’ previous actions at just the right moments. This is a family saga worth reading; yes, even over several hundred pages or many hours in the car.

The Favorite Daughter by Patti Callahan Henry

Reviewed by Kristin

Lena Donohue left Watersend, a small town on the South Carolina coast a decade ago when her wedding day went awry. She’s made few fleeting trips home to see her mother, her father, her brother Shane, but not her sister Hallie. With careful planning, Lena has managed to avoid Hallie, her closest confidante and her greatest betrayer. But when Shane calls to say that their father Gavin’s health is declining, Lena immediately books a flight to return to the family she left so many years ago.

Gavin is well-known in Watersend. He runs an Irish-styled pub called The Lark, expertly pulling pints of Guinness and making easy conversation with locals and tourists alike. As his memories begin to fade through the haze of Alzheimer’s disease, Lena, Hallie, and Shane must band together to help him reclaim the events of his life.

With the two sisters, Patti Callahan Henry vividly shows the sharp pain of betrayal of a family member. The characters feel real, as Lena and Hallie attempt to work together for the good of their father. Hallie has moved on and made a life with her husband and two little girls. Lena has created her own life as a travel writer in New York City, choosing to be called Colleen while having loose and fleeting relationships. When she returns home, she must make a conscious decision to remain there to be a part of a family long separated.

Although Gavin is beginning to have memory issues, he is still aware of what is happening to him, and aware that he may lose more of his past and his present. Lena, Hallie, and Shane decide to create a memory book for him so that he can look back to see his life in stories and in pictures. Of course the book must be finished quickly as they are planning a birthday celebration for Gavin. This memory book is the one part of the novel that felt contrived to me, as it seemed to be a device to carry the plot along. Inevitably, discrepancies in dates and events come to light as the siblings talk to Gavin and to the people around him, creating more questions than are answered.

While I enjoyed this novel, after finishing it I realized that it has some common themes with the other Henry novel that I have read:  Between the Tides. Coastal South Carolina? Check. A young woman who moves away and must return? Check. A father who she loves but finds that she did not entirely know? Check. Just because there are similarities does not mean that I did not enjoy both books. Sometimes it’s nice to have a book that is slightly predictable. The author made me care about the characters and that kept me reading to the end. I will definitely be checking out more of Henry’s writing.

Have a Nice Guilt Trip by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Reviewed by Kristin

I have been on a Lisa Scottoline kick lately.  In the past two months I have read seven of her books—both novels and humorous non-fiction.  I’ve worked my way through Rosato & DiNunzio, a suspense filled series about an all-female law firm in Philadelphia.  The characters within, from “Tony down the block” to power-hungry rival lawyer Nick Machiavelli, all feel so real.  Lisa and her daughter Francesca also write weekly “Chick Wit” columns for The Philadelphia Inquirer, which are then published as collections and end up shelved in our non-fiction humor (818) section.  This loud and raucous Italian-American family operates with what looks like true affection for one another.  Of course the true character is the matriarch of the clan—Mother Mary.

Mother Mary was a tiny little woman with a big attitude.  A mere 4’11” in height, she lived to age 90 until her passing in 2014, which just happened to be shortly after Have a Nice Guilt Trip was published.  If there’s one thing mothers know, it’s guilt, right?  I think it’s because most mothers would do almost anything in the world for their children.  With that utter willingness to sacrifice, mothers hold a special place in the very existence of their children.  Family dynamics, especially between mothers and daughters, can be tricky, but they are usually born of love.

Mother Mary was quite the contrarian but loved the spotlight (as long as it was on her terms.)  She would insist that she didn’t need the book club party to sing Happy Birthday to her, but would surely enjoy it when the crowd broke out in song.  Mother Mary was also known to wear a long white lab coat, and whether that was because of the extra pockets or the camouflage needed when she just didn’t feel like putting on a bra, well, that’s anyone’s guess.

Lisa writes of relationships as she is sandwiched between feisty mother Mary and daughter Francesca.  Now that Francesca has flown the coop, (I mean, moved out on her own,) Lisa is managing by filling the house with animals.  With four dogs, two cats, chickens, a pony or two…Lisa is a fierce animal lover and defender.  Family can have fur, right?

Francesca brings a fresh perspective to the “Chick Wit” columns and the books in which they are contained.  Best friends, ex-boyfriends, and city living experiences all make an appearance in this young author’s writing.  While I’ve never moved to New York City, had a rock band boyfriend, or made new friends while walking a dog, Francesca is enjoyable and amazingly relatable.  Plus, while Mother Mary may have given daughter Lisa a hard time occasionally, she always had a soft spot for granddaughter Francesca.

Join Lisa, Francesca, Mother Mary, Brother Frank, and all of the furry Scottolines (by the way, the name rhymes with “fettucine”) through this delightful series of books written by this mother-daughter duo.  Additional titles include:  Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog; My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space; Best Friends, Occasional Enemies; Happy and Merry; Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim; Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?; I’ve Got Sand in All the Wrong Places; I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool; and I see Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses.

The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith

Reviewed by Jeanne

People tend to be divided about “the Christmas letter” often included in a card this time of the year.  Some see such letters as a chance for others to brag about their kids, their house, their vacations, etc., but I’m glad to get one.  There are a number of folks I only hear from once a year and it’s nice to know what is going on with their lives.   It also saves me from making embarrassing comments a la Ralph Emery.  (Emery was notorious for not prepping before an interview, which led him to ask a singer how a bandmate was doing.  There was a pause, and the singer replied, “He’s still dead, Ralph.”)

So I do appreciate getting news of those I don’t see often—or at all—so that at least I have some idea of what’s going on in their lives.

Lee Smith took this idea and ran with it in her novella, The Christmas Letters:   the story is told through letters written over decades, detailing family events.  The book starts with the 1944 letter, in which homesick young bride and new mother Birdie writes to her family in back in West Virginia.  She’s living with her husband’s family while he’s in service, serving the Pacific.  There are a lot of adjustments to be made and even more when her husband comes home from the war. The letters follow the expanding family until 1967 when daughter Mary—herself a new mother-- begins writing letters of her own. 

While the story is presented through the prism of a cheery holiday missive, Lee wisely allows doubts and sorrows to seep through.  The writer(s) have a bit of perspective:  there’s been time for situations and events to be evaluated, and yet often the emotions remain vivid. The personalities of the writers come through as well, and while they share common traits, they are individuals.  I particularly enjoyed seeing Birdie through her daughter’s eyes, just as I had watched Mary grow through her mother’s descriptions.

This is a sweet, but not saccharine little book with a surprising amount of depth to it.  Sure, there are recipes included in most letters, the kids are all above average, but there’s a dose of introspection at times.   I don’t want to say more, because this is a book to discover on your own.  At a mere 126 pages, it doesn’t take long to read but it’s memorable. Like Birdie, I’ll remember that catfish for some time.

Smith is a wonderful storyteller, and she uses the letters not only to illustrate the family but the changing world in which they live.  The cover conveys the idea beautifully as well, with a wreath constructed of photos, letters, recipes, addresses, all tied together with a ribbon. 

If you have an extra hour or two this year, treat yourself to The Christmas Letters.