We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

Review copy provided by Penguin Group via NetGalley.

I’d been hearing the ravingly positive reviews of this novel and so was thrilled to receive an Netgalley review copy.  I started the novel and was immediately bogged down.   The novel begins in the center of the story and through flashbacks the secrets are revealed.  I stuck with it and learning the (not-so-secret) surprise that our narrator Rosemary was raised with a “sister” Fern who happened to be a chimp and disappeared when Rosemary was five years old.

This reveal turned out to be the most interesting part of the novel

Now I was intrigued but still having trouble slogging through the flashbacks, and overly complex story lines.

I get that this unusual chimp fostering  experiment had a long armed impact on various members of the family — especially Rosemary and often the writing is magical, funny and warm — but I could not finish this book.

I had trouble relating to any of the characters and found the this ever-churning tale of family loss, coming of age, and animal abuse extremely sad.   Beware — the last part of the book involves gut-wrenching and sickening animal experiments and that is where I stopped reading.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

I’ve read almost everything by Ann Patchett (Magicians Assistant is one of my all time favorite novels) so I was clambering to read this collection of her essays.

I was surprised to find it available for checkout as an ebook though the S.F Library system – Score!

It’s lovely to have this collection of her personal essays from various sources (New York Times, Harpers, Granta, etc.) all in one place.  As I hoped, the essays give an insight into the author;  her writing career, her marriages, her dogs, her discovery of opera and her bookstore -Parnassus Bookstore in Nashville, Tennessee.  If you’re an Ann Patchett fan you will definitely enjoy this.

However, there was one essay “Do Not Disturb” which disturbed me.  She has a house full of guests getting on her nerves, so she ditches them to her husband’s care and flies to LA to check into the Bel-Air – seriously? She is a successful author and can certainty afford it, but this seemed over the top.

Otherwise these essays are fun, insightful, not too sticky-sweet and very readable.

Some favorite quotes:  “Playing the cello, we’re more likely to realize that the pleasure is the practice, the ability to create this beautiful sound, not to do it as well as Yo-Yo Ma, but still, to touch the hem of the gown that is art itself.”

“The love between humans is the thing that nails us to this earth.”

“There can be something cruel about people who have had good fortune. They equate it with personal goodness.”

(On her husband Karl) “He encouraged me in everything I did.  His answer to every question was yes.  He was proud of me, and he never found a way to undermind my success or spoil a happy moment.”

Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall

The subtitle, How I learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart, struck a instant cord…I’m a sucker for gardening books – especially those wherein a garden is transformed.  (I secretly wish to be Vita Sackville-West.)  So this memoir seemed  just for me.

Turns out Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening is not so much about gardening as friendship, cancer, life-lessons, and humanity.

Carol Wall forms a friendship with a local gardener, Mr. Owita, hoping he can transform her garden.  She is a difficult client and Mr. Owita does what he thinks is best for her garden ignoring her wish to have all the azaleas removed and giving her his bits of wisdom on gardens and life.

As the days progress, Ms. Wall’s cancer returns, she forms a closer friendship with Mr. Owita and learns more about his background.  He’s from Kenya and actually has a PhD in horticulture, but is unable to get a university posting and is forced to work several minimum wage jobs.  He has a daughter he had to leave behind and is working hard to save enough to bring her over to the US.

Ms. Wall’s troubles feel lighter and she becomes less self-involved, as she learns more and more about Mr. O’s burdens.  At the beginning of the book she is whiny and very self involved  – but then again, she is suffering greatly from a re-bout of cancer – so I didn’t find it too off-putting.

I did drink in this memoir filled with satisfying insights and reflections.  Ms. Wall has a lovely writing style – just perfect for the story told.  I found myself liking Carol Wall –she is far from perfect and is not afraid to display her missteps, foibles, and narcissist tendencies.

A really nice plot point about why she didn’t want azaleas or color in her garden left me sighing with pleasure…while an undeservedly nasty letter to her husband left me shaking my head.   Mr. Owita’s challenges seemed more interesting than hers, his character fascinatingly wise and I wished there was more development of his character.

Ms. Wall has a right to tell her story in her way and I will  not criticize a book for NOT being what I thought it would be. This is a lovely memoir about living with cancer (warning, cancer looms large), finding friendship, the joy of a garden (as opposed to actual gardening) and life lessons learned from someone who is suffering their own silent burdens and tragedies.

Review copy provided by Putnam Group via NetGalley.

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger

A gift from a friend who knows I love books, libraries and enjoyed Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Travelers Wife.

This is an illustrated (illustrations by the author!) novel for adults – it is important to note that this is not a children’s book…which you will discover upon reading.

A beautifully haunting tale that speaks directly to those of us who keep lists and notes of every book we’ve read.  The Night Bookmobile mysteriously  appears one night carrying every book Alexandra has ever read — from her first picture book, to her cookbooks and even her diaries.  The encounter with the bookmobile and it’s reticent driver/librarian  helps her decide upon a career as a librarian, but she longs to work in the Night Bookmobile and wanders the streets at night hoping for its return.

Many years pass and Alexandra becomes more and more alone — reading ever more voraciously to try and impress the librarian to return with his mysterious bookmobile —  and then one night it does…

I will not reveal more about the story (no spoilers), and I surely didn’t like the ending, but this short book and its beautiful illustrations stayed with me long after I finished it.  As the author notes in the after words:  “this is a story about the claims that books place on their readers, the imbalance between our inner and outer lives, a cautionary take of the seduction of the written word.”

Book lovers – this book will enchant you, have you nodding in recognition, and then astound you with the ending.

A bittersweet, depressing, yet somehow uplifting book.  How can it be all these things?  You’ll just have to read it yourself.

State of Wonder by Anne Patchett

The opening sentence:

The news of Anders Eckman’s death came by way of an Aerogram, a piece of bright blue airmail paper that served as both the stationary and when folded over and sealed along the edges, the envelope.  The single sheet had traveled from Brazil to Minnesota to mark the passing of a man – a breath of tissue so insubstantial that only the stamp seemed to anchor it to this world.

I read that opening line with my mouth hanging open at the beauty of the writing.   Full disclosure, I’m a Anne Patchett fan – Magician’s Assistant is one of my all time favorite novels…as is Bel Canto.    So after that opening sentence,  I was mentally cancelling all plans for the next few days so I could loose myself in this book.

Marina is a drug scientist who is sent to  Brazil find out what happened to her dead colleague.  She is set down in the middle of  the Amazon jungle and immediately faces unforeseen challenges at every turn.  The dramatic storyline takes many twists and turns.  She discovers an experiment taking place among the native women, wherein they chew a native tree bark while it’s still on the tree (really?) and this bark extends their fertility well into their senior years (just say no!).

Marina finds dishonesty and false claims among the drug reports back to headquarters.  The tribal people themselves hold secrets.  She finds love (of sorts) and suffers from long drawn out, vivid dreams as a result of Malaria medication.  The dreams tended to bog down the flow of the story and I must say I kept hoping Marina wouldn’t fall asleep again so I didn’t have to read through another one of her tangled dreams.

I agree with other reviewers that the jungle itself plays a major character.  The vivid descriptions of the heat, humidity, insects, dirt, and torrential rains gripped me into believing I was there.  The story line under another author’s hand might seem incredulous, but as always Ms. Patchett allows you to suspend disbelief and journey with the characters.   I even believed it when they accidentally canoed down the wrong small river tributary and discover … well I won’t spoil it for you.

Bravos to Anne Patchett once again – a must-read adult adventure story, reminiscent of reading with a flashlight under the covers – too wrapped up in the story to go to sleep

Two of my favorite quotes (in addition to that grand opening line):

“The question is whether or not you choose to disturb the world around you, or if you choose to let it go on as if you had never arrived. That is how one respects indigenous people. If you pay any attention at all you’ll realize that you could never convert them to your way of life anyway. They are an intractable race. Any progress you advance to them will be undone before your back is turned. You might as well come down here to unbend the river. The point, then, is to observe the life they themselves have put in place and learn from it.”

“But we cannot un-braid the story of another person’s life and take out all the parts that don’t suit our purposes and put forth only the ones that do.”

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity was a totally unknown book for me –a gift from a friend.  I hadn’t heard of it and didn’t know anything about this novel.   So, one evening as I curled up with my new book, I  realized I seldom read books anymore without preconceived opinions — having read reviews or based on recommendations of my respected reader friends and family.   I remembered the magic of opening an totally unknown novel and I found myself anticipating this read with a tingle of excitement.

Note to self:  do this more often.

Book Description:   Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it’s barely begun.

When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she’s sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

The novel is targeted to the YA audience, but has a maturity that makes it suitable  for any age.    The structure is unique and fresh.  Verity is forced to write out her confession, give up military codes to get her clothes back one by one.  And does she write!  Verity writes and writes her confession in a sometimes meandering miss-mash of present, past, her friendship with fellow pilot  Maddie, details about the planes,  and most heartbreaking the suffering she and her fellow captives experience.

The confession is for Captain Von Linden (her captor) and it soon becomes clear that he is as interested in her story as gaining spy knowledge.  Verity knows this and she plays games with him during the writing.   It’s a narrative to be read slowly and without distraction as historical details abound, there are humorous passages  and many clues are given.

The characters cross over mid-novel, the narrative changes and the story takes a major twist.  No spoilers here, just trust that things get really exciting and scarey.

I was drawn into these strong women (called girls throughout the book) and their equally strong friendship.  I was also fascinated by the historical details especially about England’s WWII  women transport pilots.

I think readers of any age will be drawn into this war time novel of endurance, secrets, friendship, and most importantly strong women role models.