Book Review: "Summer Rental" by Mary Kay Andrews

Synopsis (from GoodReads.com):

Sometimes, when you need a change in your life, the tide just happens to pull you in the right direction….

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia—whose caustic wit covers up her wounds--has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life.  And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs.

Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he's hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about.

Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity.  Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs? 

Five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness.   Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them.

One of Library Journal's Best Women’s Fiction Books of 2011

My Thoughts **spoiler alert**:

I really enjoyed this book. It is absolutely a summer read (and is advertised as such!), but the author has such a talent for description that she made me feel like I was AT Ebbtide and in Nags Head with the characters.

Ellis seemed to fall a little flat to me: I understood her angst, her torment over joblessness and manlessness. At times, it almost seemed like she was the main character, even though the story was supposed to be about the three friends- Ellis, Dorie and Julia. 

Dorie also didn't do much for me. I could appreciate her unique life situation with her husband leaving her for another man just as she learned of her pregnancy, but as a person, I didn't really feel much for her. Julia, on the other hand, procrastinator, model and pot-stirrer was a bit better. She certainly threw a few wrenches into the plot. 

The person I was most interested in, however, was Madison/Maryn, the woman on the run from her abusive and embezzling husband. Funny thing is, she was supposed to be a "sub-plot" but she was the most real of all of the characters. 

Of course, this isn't supposed to be a work of literary genius: it's pure entertainment. And entertain, it does! Recommended for a quick, easy, amusing beach-read.

Final Word: B+

Book Review: "Keeping the Moon" by Sarah Dessen

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble): 

"Fifteen-year-old Colie has never fit in. First, it was because she was fat. Then, after she lost the weight, it was because of a reputation that she didn't deserve. So when she's sent to stay with her eccentric aunt Mira for the summer, Colie doesn't expect too much. After all, why would anyone in Colby, North Carolina, want to bother with her when no one back home does?

But Colby turns out to be a nice surprise for Colie. Almost without trying, she lands herself a job at the Last Chance Bar and Grill. There she meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel -- two best friends who teach her what friendship is all about, and help her learn to appreciate who she really is."

My Thoughts: 

Something to keep in mind: This book is definitely written for middle to high school aged readers. There are often books that I find in this genre of "Young Adult" literature that I think, "This really could be shelved in the general 'Fiction' section - it was really good!" This, however, is not one of them. Not that it wasn't good, it just was very juvenille.

I certainly would recommend it for readers who are in 7th - 10th grade who are feeling the oh-so-common angst of that age. It might help them gain a new perspective to have a main character as relatable as Colie. It is certainly a "surface read" - that is, what you see is what you get. There isn't a whole lot of "deeper meaning" to be found within these pages, but with the target audience presumably having their own adolescent traumas occurring, that might be a good thing.

It is fairly well written, but again, very simplistic. It touches on friendships, romances, and self esteem among other popular teenage topics. My favorite character was Aunt Mira: self assured, eccentric, creative, heart of gold. But overall I felt the story was a bit cloying and I lost interest a few times. Cute gift for the misfit teen in your life...

Final Word: C+

Book Review: "A Great and Terrible Beauty" by Libba Bray

Synopsis (from GoodReads.com): 

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. 

The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. 

My Thoughts: 

This book felt familiar to me, as if I had read it before. But after I got into it a bit, I realized that it must have been a book I started at some point and then put down. I’m honestly not too sure how I did that (if that is truly the case) because I really felt myself wanting to read on and on and on! The author spent just enough time on detail and descriptions that I felt like I could get a feel for the characters, but it moved at such a pace that it kept me interested and wanting to know more.

While it is an easy read and takes place in the late 1800’s, it deals with some very real issues that are still relevant today. For example, the loss of both parent and friend are addressed as well as social issues like cliques, self-injury and bullying. There is also a theme of forgiveness and a focus on increased understanding throughout the story in regards to both family relationships and friendships. 

I’d like to share one quote I found particularly well written: 

            “But forgiveness...I’ll hold on to that fragile slice of hope and keep it close, remembering that in each of us lie good and bad, light and dark, art and pain, choice and regret, cruelty and sacrifice. We’re each of us our own chiaroscuro, our own bit of illusion fighting to emerge into something solid, something real. We’ve got to forgive ourselves that. I must remember to forgive myself. Because there’s an awful lot of gray to work with. No one can live in the light all the time.” 

I believe the target audience this author was intending this story to be for is a bit younger than me, however it is an interesting and entertaining read for teens and adults alike. I’m glad it’s a trilogy - I can’t wait to get the next installment! 

Final Word: A-

I Can't Do It FOR You...But I Can Help You Along Your Way.

Since this book is taking me so long to finish, I'll share a particularly powerful moment I had while at the Convention I mentioned yesterday. It came to mind again, particularly after reading this blog. If you'll take a moment to read it, I hope you can see why I was struck by the contrast of the author's words and my personal experience. 

This was my first time at Convention, mainly because it is very expensive! I currently serve Alpha Gamma Delta as a Recruitment Specialist for Michigan's lower peninsula, so I thought it would be beneficial to attend and meet my sisters from all over North America in person! Skype, conference calls, webinars and email can only go so far. As a first timer, I wasn't really sure what to expect...

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Greek system, there are basically two types of members: "collegians" or "actives" (sisters who are still in college - this is who most people think of when they think "sorority" or "fraternity") and "alumnae" (those who have graduated). As an alumna, I thought I would be one of the few alumnae present. I was so wrong. 

The two sisters who stand out in my mind are a mother-daughter pair: Rosalie and Alberta. Rosalie must be in her 90's and Alberta in her 70's. Rosalie has suffered a series of strokes this year. She is bound to a wheelchair, had a nurse with her at all times (except during ritual) and held a stress ball in her right hand due to damage from the strokes. Alberta must use a walker. Those two were never, ever separated and Alberta held her mother's hand almost constantly.

I think our society is scared of aging, doesn't know how to respond to our elderly citizens and, generally, de-values these people. Unfortunately, many younger sisters, being products of this society, politely but consciously ignored these wonderful, wizened sisters. My friend and I, however, were intrigued by them and went over to introduce ourselves. What an interesting conversation we had!

We talked about everything from how they were related, that Rosalie was a geographer and about the time Alberta spent growing up in the Alpha Gamma Delta house before she was initiated because Rosalie was the "house mom!" Something Rosalie said when describing her stroke really struck me to the heart. She said, "You see my hand? I am of no use to the chapters anymore!" Of all the things to be upset over, Rosalie was worried about being useless to others. What a heart of gold and a true Alpha Gam! Alberta stayed faithfully by her side the entire time, taking measures to comfort and calm. They are incredible women with stories, experiences and full lives to share. 

But perhaps the most important thing Rosalie and Alberta taught me was a wordless lesson: Sometimes another person's touch can be the best healer. We Alpha Gams have an activity where we forms a circle, hold hands and sing favorite songs. Being wheelchair bound and with a walker, naturally Rosalie and Alberta were not able to circle up with everyone else. When I saw this, my friend and I gathered a small group of other sisters to sit with them at their table to make our own, smaller circle within the larger one. 

With nearly 650 women, this was a very powerful thing. To hold Roasalie's warm, gentle, arthritic hand and share the music of our Fraternity was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Sheer joy and laugher shone across Alberta's face as she sang out, loud and proud, 

"Chums are we!

True blue old chums!

Alpha Gam binds us, 

Right loyal she finds us! 

Pals are we, 

Ever we'll be 

True to each other

Dear Alpha Gam chums!"

After the music had ended, my friend and I sat and talked with the two women for a while, promising to write (they live in Colorado, while we are in Michigan) and to see them at the 2014 Convention. Rosalie said she didn't think she'd make it, but she was still holding on to our hands, eyes shining. I assured her that even though body may be broken, spirit is not and never will be so long as our hearts are faithful and true and sisters, family and friends are close. 

If you did not read the blog that triggered this one, I'll summarize: People suffer. They're sick. They are dying. They are facing a major life event such as homelessness, domestic violence or natural disaster. The blogger said that she felt that there was very little she could do. She mentioned doing things like praying, sending a check or volunteering at a soup kitchen but that at best, she considered these things to be akin to "applying a Band-Aid." The writer also feels that people must walk their own paths and, ultimately, suffer through alone. 

While I can see where she's coming from, I must disagree to some extent. I have seen a life saved by a $5 bill. I have witnessed the power of prayer. I have seen the light restored in an elderly woman's eyes after just a few minutes of conversation with another person who simply showed interest in her. 

I would like to think that should Rosalie not make it to Convention 2014, that I helped to make her last Convention one of the most memorable and special times in her life as an Alpha Gamma Delta. 

I would like to think that while our days were scheduled and I did not see her very often during Convention, that she would remember me as a kind person, interested in her and in her life. 

And I don't even have to think, I know that the polite inaction of the other younger sisters was brought to their attention and they expressed shame. I am confident that next time, they will act differently towards older adults. 

I do not think that people must suffer alone - even at the end of their lives. Of course they are on their own path and no one can be with them at the end of that road. But nothing says that they don't want a hand to hold along the way...