Anne Patchett's WHISTLER-Whistle Loud for this Blissful Proud Family Drama

The award winning author, Anne Patchett has written another novel about family ties over time and generational divides. Her latest novel, WHISTLER, explores the the connections between Daphne and her mother Abigail's second husband Eddie Triplett. Though the marriage lasted only two short years, the impact the relationship made on both their lives was lasting. The novel begins in the NY Metropolitan Museum where Daphne, now a Lit teacher in a private girls school is spending the day with her husband, Jonathan. It's Jonathan who notes an older dapper. man who seems to be tailing them.  When confronted by Jonathan, the gentleman reveals his identity hoping that Daphne will remember him. The serendipitous reunion invokes a torrent of tears from Daphne. "Why did I cry when I realized Eddie was Eddie? Why was I so close to crying again now? Because I had loved him and I had ruined his life" Daphne tells us which draws us into this beguiling novel. Eddie and Daphne reminisce about the years in which he was stepdad to her and her younger sister, Leda. So reignites a bond that was forged between Eddie, so kind and caring at a time when the sisters and their mom were unsettled and struggling following their mom's divorce from their father. It doesn't take long for Daphne to find herself enraptured by the erudite and charming editor. As Eddie brings Daphne into his social whirl and work place, he proudly introduces her as his daughter to her own delight. Leda, now a family therapist is married with a family on the UWS. The girls mother has been remarried to her third husband for decades with two grown sons. The end of the marriage between Eddie and the girls mother ended abruptly following an enigmatic accident which looms over the story. The remarkable details of the cataclysmic car accident involving Daphne and Eddie are revealed towards the end of this irresistible novel as Eddie hosts a brunch in his Chelsea apartment for the sisters, their spouses and their mother. So too is the story of a horse named Whistler revealed as told by Eddie to nine year old Daphne as a distraction from their dire situation. Patchett uses her adroit skills for conjuring up fully fleshed characters whose lives we're eager to embrace. From most characters there exudes compassion and kindness bestowing the novel in a feeling of benevolence. There's a story of Eddie's repressed love due to the social norms of homosexuality in his earlier years. Nonetheless, the pervasive memes of WHISTLER are acts of human kindness and intriguing familial ties told within an ingratiating novel that is impossible to put aside. Leda gives Daphne her professional and personal assessment of their upbringing. " Our parents, Leda said, did not depend on us for their sense of identity. They had their lives and we had ours. Bless them." 

Ben Lerner's Transcription-Transporting Transforming Terrific Tale at Time of Covid

Ben Lerner's slender novel, "Transcription" packs in a lot of punch in a short time that transports the reader through various topics including anorexia, academic life, the COVID pandemic in an intricate style that is irresistible and hard to put down. The novel begins with an unnamed narrator who's on his way to interview Thomas, a famous, favorite professor/film maker. Getting organized in the bathroom just prior to his schedule meeting mayhem ensues when his cellphone gets dropped into the sink and goes on the blink. When there's not enough time to get to an Apple Store he goes to meet his professor and tries to coax him into a casual conversation and put the actual interview off until the following day when he will have time to get a new phone for recording. The octogenarian nevertheless is formidable and draws the man into his office eager to ensue the interview. Unfortunately, the elaborate meandering conversation which is  engrossing is not recorded for posterity. Our narrator assures Thomas, his interviewee, that he is being recorded knowing this is not true. What's true is this slender, original work of fiction provides plenty of clever depictions of character's, the COVID nightmare, parental struggles, failed love affairs and journalist integrity. Our narrator does get his comeuppance at a future gather where his interview is discredited upon his own admission of embellishment. The surprising connection between our nameless narrator and his best friend from college, Max, after going through their separate journeys is revelatory if not credible. But everything else is captured in crisp clarity to illicit strong feelings of past Covid phobias, parental nightmares with a child who refuses to eat, utter reliance on technology and life altering heartbreak. At the end there's a final farewell from Max to his father who is flailing via phone where nothings left unsaid. The father recuperates and the chance to redress matters is passed. Thomas diverts conversation into arcane tutorials which are little jewels throughout despite his failure to register the significance of what was being said to him. For example, "Your brain adds the voice to the tones based on what it believes is there from listening to the first file. You see, we all hear phantom voices. It is a question of the right conditions. Or the wrong ones. Unconscious inference, our brain guessing." "Transcription" is teaming with insights not unlike all his other books. Anything Lerner transcribes I'm reading. 

Anne Enright's "the wren, the wren"-Famous Irish Poet; Bad Dad and Family left Behind

The plot of Anne Enright's novel, "the wren, the wren" can be easily outlined as a three generational story stemming from a famous Irish poet, who leaves his wife and two daughters to fend for themselves. What follows in the wake of an all too common scenario though, leaves much to marvel written with verve and artistry by an uncommonly gifted writer.  Enright (b. Ireland, 1962) is the first Irish Laureate of Fiction and Man Booker Prize winner. In the wren, Enright gives us glimpses of patriarchal poet, Phil McDaragh, whose ascertain of his own consummate talent is above that of all the critics who extol his poems. Phil's self-absorption gives him license to rewrite history and absolve himself of any wrong doing or fallout to his wife Terry, and his two daughters. His admittedly favored daughter, Carmel. Nonetheless he abandons Carmel, her sister and mother without regret after marrying a young, American ingenue except to send a few brief letters. Carmel has a daughter Nell, from a short, loveless relationship. It is mainly through Nell's eyes, the granddaughter whom he never knew, that we get a picture of the man, his poetry and chicanery. As an inspiring writer, Nell finds herself drawn to uncovering Phil's poems and persona. The disparity between the beauty of the Phil's love poems comes in stark contrast to the coldhearted detachment he had for his wife and girls when Terry became terminally ill. Phil's writing has a penchant for restating events to best suit him. However, the collateral damage left behind by Phil is manifested in Carmel who chooses single motherhood rather than experience her mother's abandonment and later dismisses a boyfriend who becomes too needy. Yet, growing up under Phil was overshadowing to his offsprings. "Her father was bigger than the world and a lot less wonderful." Nell is diametrically different in her relationships from her mother. She completely gives herself over to her lovers. First, to the fickle Felim. And then to a man she meets on her travels and brings home to mother. "Everything speaks to me of his safety, his proximity-time is a mechanism to measure how long we are apart. It's not that I think about him constantly, he is my way of thinking. His mind is my compass, his eye my only mirror."  The expanding generations branch off into their differing and despairing life choices but find an inherent connection that circuitously unites them. Considering her grandfather's poems and interviews Nell concedes, "more than a strand of DNA, it is a rope thrown from the past, a far twisted rope, full of blood. Intertwining the lives in the novel are poems, an errant letter, a single childhood memory of Phils and all these elements add deeper meaning and melancholia to the vividly drawn characters. "The wren, the wren"' is a work to return to and admire again, and again.  

Lena Dunham's Memoir FAMESICK-Sickness Torment Overshadow Fame

While fame came early on for Lena Dunham with her first independent film TINY FURNITURE (2010) which lead to being noticed. Judd Apatow thought wow, this girl's got talent and entrusted her to draft a TV series to pitch. The pitch's promising premise of a 20 something, present day SEX and the CITY was picked up and made into the HBO hit show GIRLS (2012-2017). Dunham wrote, stared and directed in this series which earned her two Golden Globes and several Emmy nominations. Despite never having watched the show, I was not oblivious to the phenomenon and notoriety it created. I was curious as to the creative ingenuity inherent talent for developing and maintaining this masterful conception. This compelling and often times off-putting bio left me with key takeaways. Firstly, I was disappointed there was little to glean from inventive process. Perhaps Lena was limited in dissecting her innovative mind. Still, writing is definitely her labor of love, her calling, her passion. But she drones on about writing alone in bed. Granted, her ability to imagine and draw out stories is a solitary endeavor. Getting GIRLS up and running was not and the gravitas for susstaining the quality and functioning of the show was not loss on Lena. She grasped the magnitude of people reliant upon her which was anxiety producing. Secondly, she did have a partner and bestie, Jenni Konner; the conduit for keeping the show on track. Konner kept Lena grounded until their relationship fell apart.  Lena laments relentlessly on the loss of their friendship. She had Konner agree to therapy to see if they could reignite their chemistry.  Thirdly, Lena's shared her lurid sexual encounters with TMI. Perhaps this was on par with GIRLS. Putting it out there was never meant to be filtered but felt of morose. Overall, the major focus of this candid and deftly written bio were the litanies of debilitating, excruciating maladies having to do with her uterus and endometriosis crises. It doesn't seem feasible for Lena to have had time between her hospitalizations and chronic ministrations to accomplish any work.  Recuperating and mainly ministered to by her parents, who were preternaturally supportive, their familial bond was stringent. Lena tells her mother her reason for writing FAMESICK. "I want to write this book, I told her. Everything I've been through. How random it was but how all of it needed to happen." Her mom replies, "Oh, Lena, she moaned. It just sounds so sad." Mom knows best. Lena's life felt like an unrelenting state of anxiety, depression and pain. Lena admits the only connection left with Jack, her former long time love, "the biggest thing we now had in common was the shared sense that neither of deserved to be happy." This memoir is an introspection of depression. Fame in all its glory is not Lean's whole story. It's mired in mental health issues and sickness. 

BORN on a BLUE DAY- Inside the Mind of an Autistic Savant; Interesting to Visit Not Reside

Daniel Tammet's 2006 memoir details his life in early with undiagnosed Asperger's and savant syndrome. The book takes the reader into a mind that there is very little insight into which is an extraordinary empathetic and excruciatingly detailed as to derail any interest to learn more. Too much information is not an issue for Tammet, the first born in a household of 9.  There's much to be said for his parent's unwavering support which he credits for encouraging him to pursue his peculiar or precise interests. Of particularly fascination to Daniel was his interest in numbers. His memoir explains what he finds so fascinating which is slightly more exciting or for that matter informtional to the lay person than hearing a phone directory read. Of course, no one has the door stopper phonebooks anymore and his explanations are somnolent and obsolete. The appeal of Tammet's memoir come from his emotional insights as to how he felt and how he felt himself perceived. "It's not true that we don't want to make friends. I was terribly lonely but I didn't know how to fit in." Tammet is not oblivious to the frustration of his parents, teachers and classmates.  He's just didn't understand what was being asked of him or his anxiety would become crippling and render him unable to conduct himself as warranted. Happily, he was able to develop friendships with 2 other loners at different times during his school years.  These boys shared his passion for mathematics or chess, One friend opened his world up to the many cultural advantages within London and exposed him to being around large groups of people. Still, the cruelty he suffered at the hands of most classmates was deeply painful. Tammet's memoirs offer an understanding of the many difficulties which make social interactions so hard to understand or impossible to partake for himself and other's on the spectrum. Perhaps, this insider's insight will shed light on understanding leading to more compassion. It's gratifying to know from the start Tammet is a successful adult.  As a prodigious savant and polyglot he has a prominent career as a writer and creator of educational language websites (French and German.)  Tammet's penchant for finely detailing how his mind fixates on what many would find mind numbing minutia makes reading the memoir in its entirety, a bore.  Less would have been more. 

Poetry Readings at Malibu Public Library Courtyard

All were invited to a free poetry reading in the courtyard of the Malibu Public Library on Saturday.  Being outdoors and being free was good enough for me and my dog Bowie to attend. The librarian/host for the event opened by addressing, "Why poetry?."  She followed her rhetorical question with other why questions. These were cheesy in their assessment of value fond in - say, life. She then read from Walt Whitman's famously life-affirming poems. While her comments were overall, trite - they laid a foundation for appreciating the following poets and Shakespearian thespian. There was a set theme assigned the three poets invited. One got the memo whose poems "had never before addressed the meme of joy." Her poem was in keeping with the day's sugary theme. She ladled it on heavy with the cream. The male poet started off by taking the liberty of speaking on his favored topic of philosophy. Before he went on to his more macabre v. joy poems, he said, "I hope I wasn't being too esoteric."  He was, and it was arid. His poetry along the lines of romantic mysticism; a werewolf attacking his victim was anything but staid. It was cleverly chilling. I got a flavor for what the werewolf was going for. The last invited poet didn't do her homework. She said "I'm going to ad lib". She brought a book of Khalil Gibran's poetry and read random poems as she riffled through the book until the audience called out stop. This didn't win her any accolades from me but surprisingly, her great aunt had a friendship with the famous Lebanese-American poet and she happened to have a correspondence her aunt had written to him. (How she had the poem when it was written to Gibran I'd have liked to know.) However, her aunt "Joy" (how's that for irony) was an amazing writer whose epistolatory correspondence waved poetically of her bucolic surroundings and her yearnings. Aunt Joy's letter was the highlight for Bowie and me as Bowie sat up and paid attention. The last arranged speaker shared her passion for language as conveyed through Shakespeare's mastery of words. She performed "Hamlet's" famous soliloquy and emoted his turmoils exquisitely. The courtroom oration from "Merchant of Venice" was lacking having not failed to adequately set up Shylock's brutal treatment prior in the play. Afterwards, the floor was opened to anyone wishing to share their own poetry. Hats off to the young lady who bravely shared her heartfelt writing. And, regardless of any criticisms I had, Bowie and I very much enjoyed gathering with others outside to listen to the intrinsic beauty of prose and poetry.  This I knows.   

Tana French's THE KEEPER-Murder Mystery Amidst Small Irish Community

Tana French's new novel, "The Keeper" is the third and final book in her Cal Hooper mystery trilogy. Not having read the previous two, I don't think it's something you need to do. But, reading or listening (as I did) to her unhurried storytelling of a small rural town in the Irish countryside is highly recommended. The town that hasn't changed much in generations.  Everyone's family lore is intertwine in the fabric of its hardworking farmers and small business owners.  Cal is the only outsider to ingratiate himself into the long established ties and tribulations of its townsfolk.  Having been born and raised in Chicago, Cal became one of Chicago's finest; a cop turned detective working the arduous and complicated beats of the Windy City. Having retired, the idea of moving to Ireland, the country of his forefathers with its expansive green countryside's appeal to Cal for the simpler, less demanding lifestyle it offers.  Cal was correct in  assuming Ireland would provide the fresh air and solitude not afforded him in the states. What Cal didn't foresee was the deep attachment he would feel for many of the locals. Nor did he expect to find himself immersed in unraveling the events surrounding an apparent suicide of Rachel, a local young woman. Rachel's fiancee is the son of the town's unofficial magistrate and has the local authorities at his beck and call. French is a gifted writer, known for creating mysteries. I find her craft most captivating with her vivid characterizations and natural descriptions of the majestic oftentimes dank surroundings and cozy, fire lit homesteads. Cal is engaged to the level headed Lena, a lifelong resident, longtime widow. Both Lena and Cal prefer to keep to themselves but this proves impossible in a town where everyone is related to someone else in some way or other.  Lena is the last person to have seen Rachel, Eugene's beautiful girlfriend before her body is found in the local river.  Listening to the languid story unfold, told in thick Irish accents along side Cal's clear American intonation made the investigative journey especially enjoyable and engaging. The local pub and general store are the watering holes and meeting places where everyone knows your name, your family, your business and and your connections to everyone else. The varied colors and charms of the town's locals will warm your heart and the nefarious wrangling of the town's wealthy bully will keep you captive and looking to Cal to outwit the villain. Cal has rightfully found himself in a community where friendship holds value and loyalty has meaning.  THE KEEPER is an assured pleasure; an intriguing mystery mired within the well intentioned keepings of its Irish kinfolk.  Enhance your reading pleasure with a pot of tea, a scone with jam by the warmth of a fire.  

David Sedaris' THE BEST oF ME-Might be His Best Collection Yet

Writer, raconteur and rakish vivant, David Sedaris, possesses a never ending gift for gab. His recent collection of fiction and memoir in "The Best of Me" culled from his proliferate body of work maybe his most blistering, bodacious and introspective yet. These compiled sporadic stories seem at first to be at odds with one another till you find they all share profundities and a sense for the bizarre.  Sedaris' self-irony is rampant throughout his reflections and self-perception. In the somewhat grotesque story "Leviathan" Sedaris went in search of an ideal gift and heads to a taxidermist. The taxidermist identifies in seders a kinship for a macabre fascination and shares some body parts stored. At home, Sedaris goes on line to devour more torrid findings. "It's a kind of pornography, and after sitting for 20 minutes, watching one poor animal after another being eviscerated, I erase my internet user history, not wanting to be identified as the person who would find this sort of thing entertaining-yet clearly being that person." There's an ongoing obsession with other people's perception of him and his family. The family may consider themselves declasse' but that's not for anyone outside the family to say.  Sedaris' piquant curiosity and perpetual need to be perceived as worthy are delightfully funny and incredibly relatable. In "Standing By" Sedaris' observations on the trials and tribulations of traveling amongst the masses speaks to acting like asses in transit. "We're forever blaming the airline industry for turning us into monsters: it's the fault of the ticket agents, the baggage handlers, the slowpokes at the newsstands...But what if this is who we truly are, and the airport's just a forum that allows us to be our real selves, not just hateful but gloriously so? Sedaris has hubris but also a lot of humor, candor and self-deprecation that make his work a cause for celebration. This collection was picked by the author himself. I can't but feel the stories are among his most heart-wrenching and disturbing.  He writes about his mother's alcoholism which the family contended and defended. He writes of the fallout from their youngest sister's suicide. Despite the family's problems and squabbles, there's an enduring love that is enviable.  In the story "Now We Are Five" he  reflects on the painful loss of his sister and the family's dynamic as a whole. "Though I've often lost faith in myself, I've never lost faith in my family, in my certainty that we are fundamentally better than everyone else. It's an archaic belief, one I haven't seriously reconsidered since my late teens, but still I hold it. Ours is the only club I'd ever wanted to be a member."  The tender humor, keen writing style and perpetually surprising material, "The Best of Me" will be a favorite read for fans and new ones alike.    

Emma Staub's AMERICAN FANTASY-Is a Fiasco from the Get Go

Emma Staub is an American author in her mid 40s who is touted as a voice for middle aged women. In her latest novel, AMERICAN FANTASY has garnered a lot of good buzz as being a beacon for older women's fantastical fantasies of rejuvenation on a mini-vacation featuring the heartthrob rock band of their youths.  This benign if not jovial premise quickly sinks off-shore.  Annie agreed to go with her younger sister on this short cruise following her recent divorce as an opportunity to recharge.  The cruise features the favorite rock group from their youth and the chance for their fans known as "The Talkers" to co-mingle with the band members who are also in their 40s and 50s.  "Human connection-the hole weekend was supposed to provide. It was to give the middle-aged women the vacation they always dreamed of, with the boys they'd always dreamed of." Sadly, Annie's sister broke her leg leaving Annie adrift; to sail solo.  Not a huge fan of either the rock group Boy Talk or cruises, Annie is game anyway for a getaway that's already  paid for. Annie's roommate, Maira is an old pro on board. Knowing all the ropes, Maira steers Annie affably around the ship. The story's setup seemed benign if not lighthearted. But, truth be told, the 50 somethings with extra skin folds and flabby limbs, dressed in prom outfits or peignoirs for pajama party night were pathetic. Annie, along with the other women on board were seeking a break from their bored, mundane lives and and an escape back to a time in their prime.  So too are the aging boy band members whose heyday has passed and are looking for more pay days using their glory days.  The combustible combination of tensions amidst the bandmates and calculating competition among the women to grab the attention of the bandmates becomes grating. Annie's unassuming demeanor wins her notice from Keith in the band who is struggling with his brother also in the band  Keith was dealing with strains in his marriage and finding meaning in his life. Annie/Keith's happenstance heart-to-heart and lingering farewell kiss on are enough to make everyone on board seasick. Sarah, the managing director on board has numerous knots to secure and plenty of problems to unravel to keep things running smoothly. However none of these tales of behind the scenes or aging in a youth conscious society sustain wind.  Instead, everyone and everything feels shallow. The intended depth falls fathoms short of any profundity. And, its anchoring message didn't proffer an insight of any heft.  "Annie didn't know what was going to come next, and neither did The Talkers, for all their theories and message boards.  There were no guarantees in life. Annie knew that now.  She hadn't when she was younger."  The cruise was mired in a morass of whining and yearning for years since passed.  Don't bother signing up for this tedious journey that is neither titillating, entertaining or clever.  You'll just be stuck in the doldrums.     

Christina Applegates Reads Her AutoBio which was Arduous Listening

There is nothing fun, funny or for that matter, enjoyable from listening to Christina Applegate read her own unflinching account of abuse and self-loathing.  Granted, Applegate's own redemptive purging is purported for sharing and belaboring years of sexual abuse starting at age 5, through her controlling and brutal boyfriend and her painful struggles with multiple sclerosis (MS).  Christina was diagnosed with MS in 2021 while working on the third season of "Dead to Me".   Ironically, working on "Dead to Me" was the happiest and most rewarding work experience of Applegate's five decade acting career.  "You with the Sad Eyes" is the understatement title of Applegate's just released autobiography.  A subtitle should read: You who dares read this will be devastated to learn all of the suffering the pert blonde who become a household name as the bumptious teen Kelly Bundy on the groundbreaking show "Married with Children."  The unquantifiable love Christina has for he daughter Sadie and the single mom who raised her are boundless.  The love she has for her current husband, father of Sadie, doesn't garner the gushing or final acknowledgements paid Sadie - but hey, "you're doing it" you're way Christina.  And, you took the blows and still you did it your way and shared in ways that are not only disturbing and upsetting, it's TMI. And, too much intended for whose benefit?  I finished listening (although I bore it out over two weeks) out of a sense of respect once I commenced to listened.  Congrats Christina on the longevity of your career which have earned you an Emmy and additional Emmy, Golden Globes and Tony nominations.  I'm sorry for your MS diagnosis and the ravages to your physique.  I'm especially sad for the loss of your ability to love life through dance.  I sense you've unburdened a heavy heart.  But, your troubled life  story is not one I recommend for gaining life lessons.  It serves to lessen one's sense of a life having been well-lived but sadly. merely survived.

The WITCH On Shortlist for Booker Is Embedded with Magic but Enigmatic all Told

French author Marie Ndiaye's bewitching but ultimately befuddling novel, "The Witch" was on this year's shortlist for the Int'l Booker Prize.  All the women in our heroine Lucie's family tree inherit the gene for witchery.  The gift was inherited by Lucie from her mother whose power outshone Lucie's but whose powers fell short of her granddaughters; Lucie's pre-teen, twin girls.  The telltale sign for when magic has been utilized is the blood tinged, telltale tears that befall after its use.  For Lucie, this power was limited  to an ability to see the past/future or present of an individual she chooses to focus on; a talent to be coveted by covens to be sure.  However, the tween-twins' prowess is potent.  It manifest in flight quite literally.  The girls use their powers to transform into crows and fly far from home, bonding their doting  mother's nest. This follows soon after Lucie's husband flees the family abode with a sizable inheritance that was owed to Lucie.  Lucie uses her tracking skill to find the feckless fiend who found himself a new wife and family.  The men in this bewitching novel are all shady, lazy or secondary at best.  Ndiaye's writing is beguiling, depicting characters with warts and all and her descriptive prose sets the scenes for  the frenetic pace of Paris and for doldrums outside Paris in torpid small towns.  Magic is manifested as an  aside to the ambiguous plot.  There are no predictable paths and the plot meanders with a melancholy atmosphere with dreamlike frustrations.  Lucie's nosey, domineering neighbor is a side character that plays a major unexpected role in her life.  "The Witch" is for readers looking for something out of the ordinary even though the story itself is less than extraordinary.  I was whisked away in a nebulous cloud while looking for meaning in this surrealistic novel that I found unique and utterly mystifying. 

THINGS in NATURE MERELY GROW-Pulitzer Prize Memoir Gardening Sorrow

Yiyun Li's moving autobiography, "Things in Nature Merely Grow" deservedly received this year's Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction.  Do not envy Li of her honor wherein she unfurls the unimaginable pain of both her teenage sons' suicides.  For those who've read Joan Didion's haunting memoir "The Year of Magical Thinking" and found it unforgettable as did I, Li's lyrical prose will resonate with you.  For those who've read Joyce Carol Oates' "A Widow's Story" and were put off by the "TMI"and cool depiction of her husband's corpse as did I, Li's sensitive and thoughtful reflections will have substance.  Both her sons lives, their personae, her life before their untimely deaths and the forever forward life without them is bared.  Li's candor and sensitive relinquishing of her grief are borne bearable and made compelling in her layered telling of her own battle with depression and earlier suicide attempt.  Amid the years the brothers shared and the years when younger brother James lived on without the friendship of his beloved older brother Vincent.  The mundane quotidian of life's essential requirements and Li's chosen distractions: piano practice or lap swimming to mitigate her consuming unease provided her sustenance and succor.  There is snide humor in the cynicism Li finds in platitudes and fatuous fortitudes offered by intended,  benevolent well-wishers.  The unusual and poetic title "Things in Nature Merely Grow" is itself fodder for curiosity and understanding.  "...weeding, weeding, weeding and then one day giving up because weeds are part of nature, too, and things in nature merely grow."  The juxtaposition of merely grow - the burden to comprehend one's loved one's will no longer grow older, experience more or surpass the abyss of misery bears gravitas. "Things in nature merely grow.  There is no suicdeal or angry rose, there is no depressed or rebellious lily.  Plants have but one goal: to live, in order to live they grow when they can."  Li's sobering and contemplative book took me outside my self-contained orbit.  "Sometimes a mother and a child are like two hands placed next to each other: only just touching or else with fingers intertwined.  Then the world turns, and one hand is left, holding on to everything and nothing that is called now and now and now and now."  Li does not sugarcoat or succumb to her moroseness. "Death, particularly suicide, cannot be softened or sugarcoated."   "I don't want an end point to my sorrow.  Thinking about my children is like air, like time.  Thinking about them will end when I reach the end of my life,"  I will carry Miyun's "Things in Nature..." in my psyche for as long as I am sentient.  "No matter how long we get to parent our children, there are only limited numbers of 'I love you' we can say to them.  That too is a fact."  

YESTERYEAR-Prescient Novel with Lots to Say About Today and the Tradwife Way

Caro Claire Burke's debut book, YESTERYEAR is an incredible work of fiction with the depiction of life in the early 19th C as currently interpreted in the 21st C as it's perceived by "tradwives".  Tradwife is the term used to describe today's married women who live under the guise of of a roles wherein women are subservient to men and household roles are clearly designated and subjugated.   Women are to assume   all household and child raising duties.  The view I see of tradwives is skewed to extol only virtues of domesticity and simplicity in lifestyle.  In other words, back to basic cooking/baking by scratch, gardening, homeschooling and home births eschewing medical attention or intervention.  Why this way of life has taken an upsurge in public interest and submission by numerous women to this antiquated, outdated, zealot ideation is worth questioning.  The fanaticism in which our hero Natalie succumbs to romanticized notions of living off the land with a "cowboy" husband makes for a page turning novel with surprising tangents.  We get to understand our heroine Natalie as a young woman in her freshman year at college.  Natalie lived a very sheltered, "religious" upbringing with her single mother and younger sister.  The rather naive Natalie is put off by the drinking and sexual escapades of her roommate and peers.  The classmates at her school are equally put off by Natalie's squeamish behavior. "Amish" style clothing and unshorn hair.  A social pariah, Natalie meets Caleb her sophomore year attending a Quaker like sect of students and the two are smitten with their mutual infatuation.  Both Natalie and Caleb are unbearably vacuous and desirous of admiration.  Burke parodies the abounding absurdities within our self-absorbed society's quest for fame via the internet, fortune derived from being an influencer and the ultimate drive for notoriety; running for top political office. YESTERYEAR's incisive writing brilliantly bends the genres of satire, sci-fi and psychological warfare, creating a cunning world which drives the story full-throttle ahead in search of what's in store.  To read YESTERYEAR again would likely yield additional lambasting of our litigious society, religious fanaticism, feminism and more.  Three cheers for YESTERYEAR which may be the best novel of the year so far and soon to be made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway from Amazon MGM Studios.  

Belle Burden's STRANGERS-Unburdens and Examines the Unexpected End of Her Marriage

STRANGERS is Belle Burden's non-fiction book of the shocking and abrupt end to a 20 year marriage and three children together, leaving her cold and alone at the onset of COVID in 2020.  Burden's book struck a nerve with me along with millions of other readers who are probably wondering what was he {James, her husband} thinking and thinking how fortunate we are the bell didn't ring for me or thee.  It's a clarion call of what not to do to not get financially screwed by your spouse.  Burden tells the reader why she unburdened her heartbreak maintaining it was not as revenge.  "I'd wanted James to  understand what happened after he left, to see the impact, to see me.  But isn't that different from revenge?" Was she airing her dirty laundry? Yes, and rightfully so as it's her's air out. I related to the situation she put herself into (for the most part.). We had no need for a prenup agreement as neither of us were bringing any money or property into the marriage aside from our incomes.  Burden's family lineage is one of notoriety and high society as her beloved maternal grandmother Babe Paley was a wealthy, well-known New York socialite. Prior to her wedding, Burden failed to heed the advice of her attorney and it proved to be a financial travesty.  Despite being an attorney, Burden succumbed to James requests at the behest of her best interests and legal advice.  "I put both our names on the deeds.  I chose not to be involved in our financial life. "  What makes this open book divorce so authentic and empathetic is her graceful navigation of this excruciatingly painful period with a sensibility many of us share.  "I failed to think about what would happen if our marriage ended...I was agreeing to all of it, trusting my husband. I did it for love.  There is nothing shameful about that."  The shared joyful parenting events became gut wrenchingly distressful as the longing to be connected had not abated and the close proximity was very uncomfortable. Many of us in long relationships take comfort in delegating responsibilities we'd rather not take. Burden spoke for me and probably a lot of partners when she stated, "I was spared, for a time, handling it all myself, having to understand it, having to face the reality of my financial life." There's also the shared epiphany, "I could see that the cost for feeling safe was being controlled.  They were two sides of the same coin-protection and control."  It's not accurate to say Burden was just airing her dirty laundry.  I was moved by the loving picture she painted of their courtship, marriage and life together.  This caused me ache for the love she had that was gone.  Following Burden's rebuilding of her life, her strength from despair to self-reliance,  her gratitude for her three children and for her future was a poignant journey I'm glad to have held.  "I had to shift, again, in my understanding of the man I'd been married to. He was not a benign stranger wandering out of my life.  He was an adversary."  Belle Burden was no stranger to immense emotional distress but and no stranger to resilience, wonder and new found fulfillment.  

IF it HAPPENS, IT HAPPENS-What Happens that Makes Adopting so Arduous

Emily Baglien, TV producer, adoptee and adoption advocate, does not have advice for new parents (except for others to stop offering advice to soon-to-be parents). She does have her own inimitable journal on the six months+, patience testing process intrinsic with adoption.  Firstly, let me offer my appreciation and admiration to Emily and her husband, Tim and all those who adopt, foster or provide social services for children and adults enmeshed in the trials and tribulations of adopting.  Let me take a measured step back and address a lot of the frustrating, red-tape hoops and waiting game involved in bringing a child into their forever home. Emily, herself an adoptee at two months, has the loving support of her mom and her birth mom to whom she leaned on for support during the numerous times she and Tim were throttled in their dedicated pursuit to adopt an infant, Orsett; a name they sagaciously changed to Theodore. This brings up one of my main questions to the childless couple.  Why was little mention made of any communication between Tim and the "troubled" birth father.  The birth father is Tim's brother.   The birth father is now the uncle and the uncle/aunt are now his parents.  (Tim did say he didn't like his brother who had fathered five other children.)  I'm curious if there was any direct communication between Tim and this brother at any point.  Why didn't the offer to foster come earlier (closer to "Teddy's" birth) to subvert the baby from being fostered by a non-family related couple which also belabored the already lengthy adoption process?  My second question for Emily is simply why she and Tim became so determined to adopt when it seemed the possibility of conceiving their own child was viable.  I ask this because adoption is an ultimate, selfless, life long commitment. Learning why some individuals choose this route I feel is warranted.  Getting back to Emily's candid, warm-hearted, jovial journal, I commend her for sharing she  her thoughts and experiences for what they went through and for writing such a delightful and insightful account of their experiences intwined in the social service system overseeing children's welfares prior to formalizing an adoption.  It's reassuring to know there are numerous safety and welfare checks that must be abided to help insure the safety of infants/children in need of caring families.  Still, it's distressing to realize that the system is so overblown it keeps children and those wanting to provide homes for them embroiled in a waiting game that is shameful.  Getting to know Emily through her journal I believe "Teddy", Tim and Emily are the family that was meant to happen.  I recommend Emily Bagalien's "If it Happens, it Happens" for anyone who is thinking of adopting, knows someone who is adopting a child, or anyone that has a family - i.e. this is for everyone.  To paraphrase Teddy's mom, "I'm guiding this mission, not just as a producer, a coordinator, or an adoptee.  I'm at the helm of this rock as a mom."  You've got this EMILY!  You rock!

THEO of GOLDEN-Too Much of a Good Thing-So Saccharine It's Rubbish

For those who read Allen Levi's novel, "Theo of Golden" and were touched by this warm-hearted tale of countless kindnesses bestowed on the townspeople in Golden by a mysterious, dapper senior, you will not take kindly to what I have to say.  I say - Bah Humbug! Phooey! Yuck! This treacly tale is so excessively sweet and long it become an odious odyssey that never seems to end.  Theo enters Golden unbeknownst to the community.  The townsfolk are mystified by Theo many, magnanimous acts.  His actions serve to draw the locals whom he's interacted with, into an interconnected group.  Theo enters the charming town of Golden unbeknownst to anyone who lives there.  He elects to settle there for an indefinite period and for  indeterminate reasons.  Theo ambles into the local coffee bistro where everyone knows your name and are always glad you came.  Theo is immediately taken aback by the portraitures on the walls.  It just so happens the paintings are for sale.  Perhaps on a whim, Theo choses to buy many of them and give the portraits to the individuals depicted as gifts.  The only caveat, he would like to meet the party in the painting and directly present the painting. This bloated and overly long story is drawn out as we learn about the people's lives in a kismet connection between Theo and person gifted by Theo.  In turn,  a symbiotic relationship ensues between the parties.  To make matters more miraculous and incredulous, a synapses of harmonious happenstances abound amongst those to whom Theo has presented their portrait gifts.  Get my drift?  There's more soul-stirring shifts happening around town ever since Theo decided to make Golden him home.  I fault Theo's saintly like behaviors for being pompous and pretentious.  Theo is quite the connoisseur of art, music, food and wine.  The answers to Theo's own personal history and the reasons why he came to live in Golden are made "heir" apparent posthumously. Theo seemed to have a particular proclivity to getting to know the painter of the portraits.  For those who easily succumb to feel good far-fetched stories, you may revel in this bunk.  Knock ourselves out!  I say Bah Humbug - stay out of Golden at the risk of wasting your valued time sullied in syrupy drivel.  

YOU SAY TOMATO and I SAY SHUT-UP A Real Cut Up of a Couple's Marriage/Gurwitch v Kahn

Annabelle Gurwitch is an actress, activist, author, TV personality, single mother, i.e., a regular Renaissance woman for the 21st C. She is the co-author (with her ex, Jeff Kahn) of "You Say Tomato and I Say Shut Up".  For those who don't recognize a Gershwin tune (shame on you), the title is a clever play on a song about the myriad ways love can go wrong.  Oh, let me count the ways...  or better, read about the fray in the troubled courtship and tumultuous marriage between Annabelle and Jeff.  Jeff is successful TV writer.  He received a Primetime Emmy for ("The Ben Stiller Show") 1993.  This memoir is told by the talented and successful duo, Annable and Jeff about when they met, fell in lust, parted, reunited, fell in love, got married, had a son and after more than a decade of marital banter, parted ways.  Annable and Jeff take us down memory lane from their first meeting at a party.  Jeff was immediately smitten upon seeing Annabelle frying-up latkahs in a LA kitchen for a holiday party.  Annabelle, a self-proclaimed flirt was married at the time to her first husband. Jeff was crushed when he learned this tidbit which wasn't shared by Annabelle. They do tell share intimate details of the same sequence of events in chronological order from their perspective.  Told candidly, with dollops of hilarity flavoring their antics; feelings of jealousy, animosity and mainly, an unflappable amorous attachment. At least that was the slant I eschewed from the dynamic two who seemed fated, dated, married and mated.  Of course their bickering evokes stress and resentment in their relationship.  The relationship is not embattled in direct combat. They're not directly engaged in an escalation of accusations.  Rather, as the reader one hears both sides separately and comparatively.  A lot of their complaints are relatable and oftentimes comical.  Their son was born with severe health issues requiring multiple surgeries. Their alliance was steadfast with one another in support of their son, Ezra (now a healthy teen),  And throughout the stress of their son's health, there was still a sense of humor that was ubiquitous and uplifting. What hope is there if two such like minded, dynamic people can't make it last till "death do us part".  Between the chapters are amusing anecdotal breaks wherein marriage facts are given.  These facts will make you wonder how any couple would ever chose to get married in the first place.  I say, pick up "You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up" and enjoy this rib-tickling, light hearted inside/out look at love and romance.  "I won't dance, don't ask me. And so what, you''re lovely.  But oh, what you do to me."  (J. Kern/O. Hammerstein)  

THE CORRESPONDENT-An Epistolary novel that's Appealing and Character Revealing

I've read two previous, epistolary works, the 1970 epistolary memoir, "84, Charing Cross Road" by Helene Hanff and the novel "A Woman of Independent Means" (1978) by Elizabeth Hailey.  Both these books were more engaging than Virginia Evan's 2025 novel; all three written in an epistolatory format.  At issue with with Evan's use of solely written correspondences, is it become laden and gimmicky.  The central character, Sybil Van Antwerp, is a divorced mother of two adult children; a second son died at a young age.  Sybil prefers communication free of direct dialogue; i.e., in written format.  The name Sybil' Van Twerp is meant as a seemingly quick-witted play on anti-twerp.  Sybil confirms her outsider nature, superior intelligence and a vastly-held favorite pastime; letter writing. "Perhaps I ought to call you, but I am better with the pen and the paper. It gives me time to consider things as they come onto the page rather than simply prattling on and on without tripping over my spoken words." she reiterates often in her letters.  Therein lies a foible making the story less enjoyable,  Sybil's  hubris is off-putting to the point you need  to push her letters aside.  Liking the main character isn't au rigor fir a story to be engaging, but the written format's focus puts too much exertion into presenting precisely into Sybil's mindset that it feels  burdensome.  "It has always been my. nature to see things in black and white, as you well know. I like rules. I relish living in a world that runs on laws and systems that are quite clear and declared."  In ("84, Charing...) there are only two correspondents, one seeking arcane info on books.  A warm friendship  builds organically crafting a straightforward and enchanting tale.  "Correspondent" imprints so many characters and storylines the emotional core becomes blurred.  "A Woman of..." life unfolds over an extended period of time and we empathize with our heroine as she matures and reckons with life.  Sybil's past is uncovered but the focus is on Sybil in her 70 and going blind is clearly set with obdurate, insufferable traits.  A chastising letter received by Sybil from her longtime friend read, "You are a wonderful, interesting woman,...but you are also damn stubborn and determined you know exactly what is right in every situation."  It's apparent Sybil is a bibliophile as well as an epistolist. A majority of the letters make mention books and authors.  Evans' novel makes a legitimate case for a resurgence into the lost art of letter writing.  Sybil finds strength and solace in letter, "...to think that a story of one's life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone." {Furthermore} "I believe one ought to be precious with communication. Remember: words, especially those written, are immortal."  Scrutinizing Sybil's letters intimately depict her,  but ultimately left me in the dark.      

Rufi Thorpe's Priceless Novel "Margo's Got Money Troubles"

Rufi Thorpe's latest novel,  "Margo's Got Money Problems," (2024)  was picked up by multi-Emmy winning TV writer/producer, David E. Kelley ("Big Little Lies") for a mini-series now airing on AppleTV. This indicates Thorpe's novel is alluring enough to garner Kelley's interest and get put expediently into production.  The clever, contemporary writing depicts life and colorful, captivating characters vividly.  Margo is college coed at Fullerton Univ. with a fascinating family history and an adroit proclivity for creativity in her writing.  Her lecherous literature Prof. recognizes her gift and gives her high marks and marks her for an easy tryst outside marriage. The tryst takes a sharp turn when Margo discovers she's pregnant. (How a bright college kid wouldn't be taking precaution to prevent pregnancy or an STD beats me.) This is not the only outlandish scenario but it lays the foundation for a befuddling and beguiling plot. Margo was raised by a beautiful single mom, Shyann, who became pregnant by a married, professional wrestler, Jinx.  Jinx was only intermittently involved in Margo's life.  It was mainly Margo and her mom growing up.  Margo's mom and best friend adamantly recommend terminating the pregnancy.  Heedless,  Margo is determined to keep her baby. Her prof. (a.k.a. baby daddy) wanted nothing to do with the situation outside an abortion.  Margo discovers the cold reality of having a kid without enough cold cash and the harsh reality of trying to earn a living and pay for childcare.  Margo understood her powerless situation, "...every single dollar was power. Power to hire a lawyer, power to control how she spent her time, power to change her appearance, power to command respect. Power to be who she wanted to be." It's Margo's fortitude, intelligence and indefatigable drive the gives the novel its unique contemplation of  media addiction, drug addiction and self invention.  Just released from rehab, Jinx turns up unexpectedly at Margo's door just as she and her steadfast roommate are in need of someone to help cover rent as two others bailed after constant baby wailing.  Margo finds surprising support in her corner that comes in handy as she pummeled by the prof. who wants to fight her for custody. And, with postings on an adult website, Margo's videos are eXtra tantalizing thanks to her crafty scripts. Margo's innate sense to see different perspectives kept things real and really worth reading.  "Real people were both good and bad, all mixed up together, only the screen made everyone into basic silhouettes. The resulting images could appear either way... Even when it came to herself, Margo cold see it both ways: home town girl makes good, defies capitalist patriarchy or teen whore sells nudes while using, too lazy to work." 

J Kenny's "I SEE YOU CALLED in DEAD-An Obit Writer's Woes-Well Worth Reading

Obituary writers have become a dying breed.  Newspapers no longer pay staff to write obits.  Instead papers rely on public submissions which editors will select for print.  The NYTIMES is one of the last prominent news outlets that maintains a minimal staff to cover the passing of celebrities, accomplished individuals in their fields or the notorious for their noxious deeds. I suggest screening the entertaining documentary, OBITS* which interviews NYTIME's obituary writers. Capturing an entire life in a few paragraphs is a challenging and serious matter. John Kenny's offbeat, comical and quite moving novel, "I See You Called in Dead" follows our sad sack hero, Bud Stanley, an obituary writer until he's fired for numerous blunders.  In an inebriated self-pitying state, Bud inadvertently submits the obit  he wrote about his himself (not intending to hit send).  The hilarious fallout for his premature obituary parodies office politics and our litigious society.  Author Kenny has crafted a clever novel that handles painful issues concerning depression, death, the death of a young child and grief in a lighthearted and life-affirming manner.  Kenny, a decades long "New Yorker" contributor and winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor for previous novels, depicted a unique character in Bud Stanley.  Bud connects with other fully drawn characters that are engaging and empathetic.  Despite somber topics there's a pervasive humanity and resiliency in Bud and others within his orbit.  At age 44, Stanley finds himself recently divorced, unemployed and in need of a new place to live.  He serendipitously finds himself fortunate in subletting the top floor of a high end town house from the elderly, distinguished owner.  The owner/landlord, Tim, leases the expansive top floor at a bargain rate.  Soon, Stanley and Tim enjoy having a ritual glass of fine wine together upon Bud's return home in the evenings. These tete-a-tete are reminiscent of the endearing endings on TV's "Boston Legal".  James Spader and William Shatner would put their feet up and relax together with a good cigar and whiskey in hand.  The symbiotic friendship between Bud and Tim is charming as is the dawning relationship Bud develops with Tim's caregiver and the young boy across the street. Bud's self-deprecating, unassuming demeanor doesn't over shadowed his sensitive and gracious nature. The NYTimes' obit writers should be preparing in advance a laudatory eulogy for author John Kenny.  I'd commit he captured the best of humanity within the delightful and meaningful novel, "I See You Called in Dead."

*https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4465356231317340474/8559200069860935357

Check out my blog review of OBITS on Melinda's Malarky Around the Vine

WEDDING PEOPLE - Party Crasher Tries to Die Puts a Plug in Wedding People's Plans

Alison Espach's rom/com novel, WEDDING PEOPLE starts off with major bummers for its heroine, Phoebe.  Phoebe's husband leaves her for the wife of their close friends, she miscarried, her unfinished novel is going nowhere, she's unmoored at work and her beloved cat died.  Life pretty much sucked for Phoebe who decides the thing to do is take herself for a last hurrah  to a four star hotel to live it up on her last dime and then commit suicide. Phoebe arrives at the posh hotel dressed in her silky green best, no. luggage in tow; ready to throw in the towel.  Fortunately or unfortunately for Phoebe, her plan for a permanent solution rubs Lila, the bride-to-be planning to hold her wedding at this elite establishment. Lila's perfectly hatched plans would simply be ruined by a corpse crashing on the property. Mistakenly, Phoebe obtained a hotel room in what Lila thought was reserved or her and her entire wedding party.  Despite being depressed, Phoebe's pugnacious attitude towards Lila who believes she's in charge of everything and everyone, gets us to root for Phoebe to push back at Lila and stick around a little longer as a thorn in the side of the consummate Godzilla bride. WEDDING PEOPLE is for people on vacation, on a plane or at a beach. This is light fluff with funny moments and gratifying comeuppances for the bride and also a snide sister-in-law to be.  But, the predictable plot outcomes are obvious and cloying.  Depression never overshadows the light at the end of the tunnel. WEDDING PEOPLE doesn't belong on the same literary bookshelves mentioned at the fancy hotel or referenced by Phoebe as an adjunct English Professor.   Spoiler alert: Phoebe doesn't kill herself and the intended nuptials are put asunder. WEDDING PEOPLE falls under the category of a palette cleanser between the pages of a Eng. Lit.  course syllabus.

Ed Asner's Autobio Son of Junkman-Not Junk but Not Glitz

Ed Asner passed away at 91 in 2021 having won the hearts of millions of TV viewers as Lou Grant on the mega-hit "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970-77) in the role of Lou Grant; the crusty news editor with a heart of gold.  Asner's portrayal of Grant was so beloved and heralded (earning 3 Emmys), CBS created a spinoff show with the titular name "Lou Grant." This new show took a new trajectory as a serious news drama about the inner workings of a fictional LA newspaper.  Again, Asner played a news editor.  Asner's  depiction of his comical role on earned him two additional Emmys. The focus of "Lou Grant" was on journalism as well as controversial topics such as gay rights, mental health, child abuse and nuclear proliferation.  Interestingly, Asner's political convictions regarding Central America became enmeshed in the cross hairs of his real life role as President of the Actors Union.  Asner's writes with candor about his political positions.  This proved admirable  a fascinating and provided an inside look into this tumultuous time period. Asner's stark honesty addresses his own failings particularly in his marriages due to his numerous affairs. In large part, this book reads as an unabashed apology to his first wife; mother of two of his sons and a daughter.  However, this abruptly short bio didn't contain a lot to satiate my curiosity about his fascinating career.  He speaks about his Jewish upbringing within a loving family. Asner's ascent into acting came about circuitously not wanting to follow into the family scrap metal business and he delved into his serendipitous acting career that got its genesis in college in Chicago. The full title of Asner's biography is "Son of a Junkman:  My Life from the West Bottoms of Kansas City to the Bright Lights of Hollywood." Asner spoke of his fondness for his "Marty Tyler Moore family" although there was an underlining pin of disassociation between him and Moore that piqued my interest but wasn't elaborated upon. I got the sense of Asner as a man of integrity (apart from his infidelities) and as a kind, thoughtful person.  A significant portion of "Son of a Junkman" which comes at the end is an interview Samuel Warren Joseph which is written out verbatim.  Joseph contributed to TV shows in the 90s but his relevance or connection to Asner was ambiguous. The interview does asked detailed questions asking Asner about his working relationship with various actors and celebrities and about his specific roles and performances. While the questions drew more insight into Asner's career, personality and relationships, it felt like a requisite expansion to Asner's account. Perhaps, this was a blatant representation of utilizing a ghost writer.  Moreover, Asner's life story felt written on behalf of his family.  Asner shared his life without a lot of bunk but all the refuse in his life felt like clutter without much glitter.  I think it could have used more spunk!

LAKE AFFECTS Swimming in Family Squabbles in the 70's by C D Sweeney

LAKE AFFECTS  is particularly affecting when delving into the family dysfunctional dynamics despite falling short in the various endings for its main characters.  C D Sweeny's novel set in Rochester, NY during the 1970s commences enticingly with the discovery of the actual guide book, "The Joy of Sex" (1972).  "The Joy of Sex" was a revelatory sexual manual and became a bedside table staple across America. The two Larkin sisters, both in their teens, stumble upon the "Joy of Sex". While the younger sibling is gratified by the attention bestowed from her big sis, Clara, it's Clara who appreciates the value this uncovered treasure contains.  Clara intends to utilize this sex manual with her hearthrob who happens to live across the street.  Little do the sisters or the boyfriend his sis across the street realize their parents have embarked on an illicit affair that is about to shatter both their families. The girl's mother, Nina Larkin has been in a sexless marriage to Sam for years due to Sam's repressed homosexuality.  Nina's neighbor, father of the unbeknownst boyfriend of Clara, runs a successful, local grocery chain. He's more than game to engage in a fling in part due to his wife non-existent sex drive.  The fling becomes more than a mere dalliance.  Nina hesitantly agrees to flee with him for a quickie divorce and re-marriage. The sexual revolution of the 70s is an exhilirating platform to spring forth a novel of sexual awakenings across generational divides. While Sweeny's skillful writing draws credible characters it's not engrossing enough especially when more could've been made regarding their lusting libidos.  Furthermore, too much time is paid to resentments built-up between the young, star crossed lovers and the hostilities directed towards their parents for their selfish actions.  Not enough ground was covered describing what the neighbors thought of the first rebels who broke free from their marital bonds and found new partners after leaving  their exes. The homosexual yearning of Sam Larkin could have been explored further. And, less time spent amongst the spoils germinating at the local grocers causing havoc. The consummate payoff at the end where Clara's younger sis finds true love with the neighbor boy Clara first kissed and wished to bed along with Nina's swan song made the novel far less than satisfying leaving a rather rancid taste in my mouth. 

Josh Brolin's Memoir From Under the TRUCK-Written in a Muddled Haze

I'm an admirer of Josh Brolin' both as an actor and as a person.   I've had the pleasure of business dealings with him. (Full Discloser - We bought our current home from him and his wife.)  This gave me an additional interest in learning more about his tumultuous life and reckoning into the talented actor and devoted family man he is today. Certainly, I wanted to about hear about his eight year marriage to Diane Lane and a little insight regarding the relationship shift from assistant to wife with his third, and current wife who is the mother of their two young daughters. There's not a whimper, a hint nor slight reference made to either of this significant and titillating primary relationships. I was not looking for a kiss and tell but I would have liked to know more about any bad blood between him and famous actors/directors he's worked with or known.  Brolin coyly refers to Barbara Streisand, his mother-in-law as the singer but their connection is not elaborated upon. Brolin's actor/father and husband to Barbara seems to have been missing in his childhood and from his mother's life for the most part but there's no pathos on having him as his father; growing up or now.  For the most part there was a hazy look back at his rough and quixotic childhood. It would seem he (and the boys he hung with) were left to fend for themselves amongst wild animals and tough characters. Brolin's purported best friend shot himself when they were just teens arguing for their unsupervised upbringings. But again, it's not clear if this scarred Brolin or caused him to have a hard carapace for dealing with others in his life. Brolin's mother led an unconventional, untamed lifestyle consorting with rough men, staying out late and drove recklessly, alone and with Josh and his younger brother in tow.  The call informing him his mother was in a fatal car accident falling on his birthday did not come as a major surprise nor did it leave him bereft having been an absentee parent. Brolin's amazement at his own success in films, being sought after by elite directors seems to surprise to both Brolin and readers of his memoir because it's ambiguous as to the honing of his skills his dawning passion for his craft.  Brolin  refers to his first wife with whom he has two grown children while in his early twenties. This segment was  disappointed for not sharing his feelings at this time for being so young nor what led to his early, first marriage.  I'm happy to note Brolin has an enviable relationship with his two adult children and with his wife and girls today.  He take great delight and amazement at how fortunate he now feels.  Brolin has led an extraordinar life.  However, his memoir is murky mirroring his drug infused early days. While he shares parts of his life, the telling leaves a lot to be desired,  There's a talented writer on these pages. Perhaps, Brolin's genre is more tuned to a creative nature as a novelist.  Regardless, I'm thankful for his portrayals on screen and for having sold us his magnificent home in Malibu. Thank you!