"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it." (James Bryce)

Friday, February 27, 2009

THE SISTERS MALLONE: UNA STORIA DI FAMIGLIA (Louise Ermelino)

This is an interesting book, a easy read in terms of style, but one that is very thought-provoking and full of glimpses into the lives and roles of women in the the 1920's and 1950's. The Mallone (pronounced "Maloney") sisters are Mary, Helen, and Gracie, Italian orphans brought up by their tough immigrant grandmother, Anona, in the Irish Hell's Kitchen area of New York City in the 1920's. Living with Anona, who is crusty, abrasive, and wierdly spiritual, in a female-centered household, the girls grow up on the streets. Mary and Helen, the older girls, roam the neighborhood dressed as boys and working as lookouts for local mobsters during the Prohibition era. As adults they continue living on the edge. Wild Mary takes up with a mobster and Helen, widowed when her Irish husband is killed under a delivery truck, frequents lesbian bars. Always, though, they protect Gracie, the youngest, whose marriage to handsome, philandering mama's-boy Frankie Merelli teeters on the brink of collapse until Helen and Mary finally take matters into their own hands.

The four female characters in this novel are united in their strength and intense sense of family. They are passionate, loving, and living on a completely different moral plane than most of us. Ermelino does a wonderful job of bringing the Italian family and the world of Hell's Kitchen to life in vivid technicolor!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT (Laurie Viera Rigler)

If you are hooked on Jane Austen and have imagined yourself as one of the Bennett sisters, or as Elinor Dashwood or Emma Woodhouse, this book will definitely be your cup of tea. Courtney Stone, a hip 21st century woman who has just broken off with Frank, her unfaithful fiance, awakens one morning to find herself very definitely NOT herself. Not only is she in a strange house in another country, but she has somehow been transported back to the era of her favorite author, Jane Austen, and she has literally become another person named Jane Mansfield, 30-year-old spinster daughter of a wealth British family. The problem is that everyone recognizes her as Jane and believes that she has suffered a memory loss as a result of a fall from a horse. Little by little, after numerous social mistakes, Jane/Courtney begins to appreciate her new life and discovers to her surprise that some of Jane's memories are coming back to her. Jane/Courtney's initial introduction to English society is comical. One especially enjoyable scene is when she spots Jane Austen (the REAL Jane Austen, who has been dead for almost 200 years!) in a shop and behaves in usual modern day fan fashion, gushing to an shocked Miss Austen about how wonderful her novels are (including some of the unwritten ones!) and even telling her about the films that will eventually be made from those novels.

The ending of this sweet novel will not disappoint Jane Austen fans, although it does come as sort of a surprise. This is great light reading for anyone who is tired of winter and looking for a distraction from real life.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

BREAK A LEG DARLINGS (Marion Babson)

Many mystery series allow you the opportunity to read non-consecutively; each novel includes a brief introduction to the ongoing characters and their relationships as well to the community in which the action takes place. This novel, unfortunately, is not one of those. Trixie and Evangeline, the main characters in this quirky novel, are aging actresses who are looking for a play in which to star and, with this goal in mind, attend a series of 'pub theater" productions. While the novel itself is interesting enough, it would have been so much more interesting to read if one didn't have to spend nearly the whole 184 pages trying to figure out the who, what, where, and why of the main characters. I didn't realize that Martha was Trixie's daughter until about 1/3 of the way through the book and I wasn't quite sure if Trixie and Evangeline, who live together, were old friends or something more. I enjoyed the descriptions 0f the different pubs and the characters who seemed to be staples in the series, but I have to admit that the mystery left a little to be desired. Sweetums, a rival aging actress, dies tragically in the middle of the book, but it isn't until the very end that anyone even considers the possibility of murder. The reader is left out of almost all of the plotting and planning leading up to the finale and it is not clear who exactly is supposed to be the sleuth in all of this. I have read some of Marion Babson's other mysteries and I wouldn't NOT recommend this one, but I would caution the reader to just sit back and enjoy the atmosphere if you haven't read any of the previous Trixie and Evangeline mysteries. It's confusing, otherwise!

VERY VALENTINE (Adriana Trigiani)

Often when you stroll through a museum or gallery, or perhaps just flip though an art history book, some particular work will take your breath away. It might be an almost perfect interplay of light and shadow or a certain color combination that suddenly brings your senses to life. When this happens you might seek out other works by the same artist, hoping to find more of the same. This is how I feel about Adriana Trigiani's novels. Each one is different, yet they share a common sense of richness and color. Trigiani uses words as an artist uses his or her medium the express her unique view of the world. I think she will always be one of my favorites.

Very Valentine is the story of an Italian woman, the middle child and the "funny one", who left her career as a teacher to apprentice as a cobbler in the family business, the Angelini Shoe Company, creators of custom wedding shoes since 1903. Valentine's grandmother, Teodora, owns the building, on the banks of the Hudson River, that houses both the shoe company and the home that she shares with Valentine. Valentine is an observer, a philosopher, and a romantic. She provides the reader with rich and satisfying observations of the people in her life and the world around her, including the river, food, New York, and the Tuscan countryside. Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is just a romance, as the title and cover art suggest. It does include romance, though, as well as many fascinating insights into the custom shoe business, Italian custom and culture, and human relationships of all shapes and sizes. Valentine is endearing and inspiring, a heroine whose love of family and of her craft make her a memorable character and a joy to experience.

Monday, February 9, 2009

HOOKED ON MURDER (Betty Hechtman)

Oh, how I have been longing for a mystery built around crochet! Those of you who have read previous posts know that I love yarn and always enjoy a good book that features knitting, but my own passion is crochet. This is the first in Hechtman's new series. Our heroine, Molly Pink, is a widow of one year who works in the Shedd and Royal Bookstore, which hosts a crochet group that is creating an afghan for charity. When Molly stumbles upon the body of the group's leader (and her late husband's business partner), Ellen Sheridan, she becomes the chief suspect, at least in the eyes of her romantic rival, Officer Heather. Molly gets involved with crocheting as a way to learn more about the group and hopefully discover a motive for murder. This is a charming mystery with likeable characters and the requisite hint of romance with, you guessed it, a member of the local law enforcement establishment! Check this one out!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

MURDER AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (Margaret Truman)

I was pleasantly surprised by Margaret Truman's capital crimes series. I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect, whether Truman's success as an author was due primarily to her name or to her talent. As it turns out, she is a fine mystery writer if this book is any indication. Her sleuth, Annabel Reed-Smith, is not flaky, trendy, haunted by tragedy, or looking for love as are so many of our modern mystery heroines. In fact, she is an attractive lawyer-turned-gallery owner approaching middle age and happily married to a slightly older man with knee issues. When asked to write and article for a prestigious publication's special Christopher Columbus issue, Annabel commits herself to two months of research at the Library of Congress and, naturally, a case of murder eventually interferes with her work. Truman has created believable characters and a solid mystery that holds the reader's interest. I think that the most fascinating aspect of this novel is her insider knowledge of the workings of Washington, DC and its many government and historical entities. As a librarian I was, naturally, fascinated with her fictional library staff and how she skillfully intertwines them with real people, places, and traditions connected with the Library of Congress. I looked up the Hispanic room on the Internet just to see how its appearance and descriptions compared to hers, albeit 10 years later. I think that Margaret Truman is an author worth reading. It's sad that she is no longer with us!