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

Saturday, June 22, 2013

OUT OF WARRANTY (Haywood Smith)

Recently widowed Cassie Jones is coping with grief and lifelong disabling health issues, including multiple joint replacements.  Her late and much-loved husband's life insurance money is disappearing much too quickly into a well of medical bills not covered by her very expensive insurance.  She is beginning to wonder if she will ever feel better, physically or emotionally.  When her holistic physician (not covered under her insurance) refers her to a doctor specializing in the treatment of fungal allergies (also not covered by her insurance plan), Cassie finally has a diagnosis of fungal arthritis, a rare genetic condition, and a very expensive course of treatment and medications (none of which are covered by her insurance).  She also needs to completely free her home of mold, a process not covered by her homeowner's insurance, of course.

At her new doctor's office Cassie meets Jack Wilson, a grubby, one-legged curmudgeon with COPD who is undergoing the same course of treatment as Cassie.  She initially believes him to be an uneducated  mechanic and he assumes she is a pampered, wealthy housewife.  As the novel progresses Cassie and Jack, whose appointments coincide, develop a very tentative friendship colored with frustration and a deepening understanding of each other's feeling about life and loss. While Cassie wonders if she can even afford to grow older, Jack wonders if it's worth it to even try, yet during the course of helping each other cope with their treatments they discover a mutual love of literature and common frustration with parents and children.  One very interesting thing about this very entertaining book is that author Haywood Smith suffers from the same genetic form of arthritis as Cassie Jones.

I have to say that I enjoyed every moment of this wonderful novel.  Watching Cassie and Jack's relationship evolve into unexpected (i.e. not your typical romance!) territory, suffering along with them while they each try to cope with loss of "things" that they thought were important, and their very practical solution to most of their problems was a total delight.  If this were a movie and I were a critic I would give it 2 thumbs up without question!  By the way, anyone who has ever for a moment worried about the state of health care in America should read this novel.  In some ways it's an eye-opener!

DEATH OF AN IRISH SINNER (Bartholomew Gill)

Here are the plusses of Death of an Irish Sinner:
1.  Detective Peter McGarr is a realistic and appealing character.  His personality and his loving  relationship with his wife and daughter make him identifiable to most readers.
2. Gill was a very literate writer.  I have a definite admiration for any author that compels me to run for the dictionary several times during a novel.
3.  I enjoyed the bonding and obvious friendship among the various police officers.
The minuses:
1.  Much grittier than the mysteries I usually enjoy.
2.  A lot of confusion trying to keep track of the various characters and their inter-relationships.
3.  Too many words that I actually had never heard before (very odd!).
4  Dissatisfying ending.

Overall, I would have to say that this was not my favorite book ever.  Far from it, in fact.  However, I would not NOT recommend it.   Rather, I would  recommend it for those who enjoy gritty literary mysteries and are good at keeping track of multiple characters and interrelated plotlines. Gill was a very good writer, just not my style.

Friday, June 14, 2013

THE FIREBIRD (Susanna Kearsley)

I can't believe that I am back in Connecticut, sitting in front of my computer with one of my cats sitting nearby. Just a few minutes ago I was in St. Petersburg, and before that Calais and Ypres and Scotland, hovering back and forth between the present time and 1715. Author Susanna Kearsley has once again produced a literary work of art, an irresistible combination of wonderful historical research, romance, and the fascinating phenomenon of psychometry, the ability to sense information about an object or people who have been associated with it through touch or proximity.

Nicola Marter has a gift that she has kept hidden for most of her life out of shame and fear: she is able to see the history of an object just by touching it.  When she holds a small wooden bird owned by a woman quietly desperate for money, Nicola sees Empress Catherine of Russia giving the carving to Anna, the woman's many-times-great grandmother. But how to prove it? Her quest to help the woman takes Nicola, along with old friend and former love Robbie McMorran (seen previously as a psychic 10-year-old boy in "The Shadowy Horses) from Scotland to France and Belgium and, finally, to imperial Russia.

As usual, Kearsley's characters are both fascinating and endearing.  She draws her readers completely into the story, present and past, and her historical research seems impeccable.  As always with Susanna Kearsley's novel, I recommend this one HIGHLY.  Be prepared to be enchanted!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

SPEAKING FROM AMONG THE BONES (Alan Bradley)

Eleven-year-old amateur detective Flavia de Luce is thrilled when plans are made to exhume the bones of Saint Tancred, the "bishop" of Bishop's Lacy, from his tomb in the local church on the 500th anniversary of his death. When the tomb is opened, however, Flavia stumbles upon the body of the handsome Mr. Collicut, the much admired church organist who has been missing for several weeks.  This is not just an ordinary murder case, though.  How did Mr. Collicut end up in the tomb, why is he wearing a gas mask, and how does the legend of St. Tancred's bejeweled staff, supposedly buried with his body, figure into Collicut's death?  Despite being worried about her father's preoccupation and the possible sale of her crumbling family estate, Flavia uses her considerable investigative skills and her talent as a chemist to narrow down the list of suspects and, as usual, trump the local constabulary to solve the crime  in this hilarious mystery full of twists, turns, and all the undiminished charm of Flavia's past adventures.  Warning:  Do NOT look at the last page ahead of time!