ALL WE EVER WANTED (Emily Giffin)

Sometimes "fitting in" is not really worth the effort.  Giffin's latest novel examines the juxtaposition between the privileged and working class and the consequences of trying to maintain an image that doesn't fit who you really are.  Nina Browning grew up in an ordinary middle-class family.  Now living in Nashville with her wealthy, successful husband and a son headed for Princeton, Nina seems to have it all but may have lost herself on the journey.  Tom Volpe's daughter, a student at the Windsor Academy, the prestigious private school that Nina's son attends, is on scholarship and her hard-working father worries that their working-class family doesn't fit in with the upscale people at the school.  When a photo of Tom's daughter, Lyla, surfaces after a local party, accusations fly and lives are turned upside down.

I love Emily Giffin's novels and this one is especially relevant because we have become so polarized in this country.  Rich vs. poor, deserving vs. undeserving, truth vs. lies - all of these are the focus of this story.  If you don't want to0 think deeply about it, though, it's also a very entertaining story.  I would recommend it!
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THE BAKER'S SECRET (Stephen P. Kiernan)

I'm not quite sure how to describe this incredible novel.  It is both heartbreaking and hopeful and, to me, represents historical fiction at its best.  The setting is Normandy, France, just before D-Day.  The people of Vergers, a village on the coast, have been devastated by the occupying Nazis, who have brutalized and killed, insulted and humiliated, and have stolen nearly everything of monetary or sentimental value from the village.  Emma, an apprentice to baker Ezra Kuchen, a Jew, is tasked with baking 12 baguettes each day for the Kommandant with flour that he provides.  She finds a way to produce 2 extra loaves per day by adding pulverized hay to the dough, hoping that the Kommandant will not discover her secret.  The two extra loaves are distributed to her starving neighbors and, eventually, Emma finds herself engaged in a system of exchange and barter designed to provide food and sustenance to the village while they wait to be rescued by the Allies.  Emma doesn't believe that that day will ever come.

This is a difficult novel to read because of the subject matter.  Kiernan's insights into the Nazis, their attitudes and brutality, and the incredible resilience and courage of those who fought to stay alive during the occupation are brilliant.  Emma's character, compassion, and love for her community battle with her belief that the Nazis will triumph, but she continues on her quest to defy them and make life a little more bearable for her neighbors.  I would highly recommend this story of selflessness and ingenuity in the face of horrifying circumstances.  Kiernan brings his characters to life.  You won't soon forget them.

THE LIFE LUCY KNEW (Karma Brown)

Lucy Sparks is shocked to wake up in a hospital bed, her co-worker Matt Newman and her parents at her side and no sign of her husband, Daniel London.  Did she have an accident at work?  How long has she been in the hospital?  Why is Matt so upset about the whole thing?

After slipping on some ice and hitting her head, Lucy suffers from false memories, a condition, according to her neurologist, caused by her brain attempting to make memories during her coma.  But they seem so real!  While she remembers her job, her friends, and her family, much of the past 4 years is no longer clear.  Her sweet co-worker Matt is actually her boyfriend and she and Daniel broke off their engagement before ever getting married.  The wedding she remembers (why was that dress so NOT her usual taste?) was someone else's, not hers and Daniel's.  The biggest problem is that she feels that she is still in love with Daniel, not Matt, who steadfastly works to help her recover her elusive past and make sense of her memories.

I really enjoyed The Life Lucy Knew.  This is what Lisa Genova would come up with if she decided to try her hand at something closer to chick-lit than her usual novels, which feature conditions like early onset Alzheimer's and Huntington's Disease.  I enjoyed the author's skillful intertwining of relationship angst and medical facts.  I would definitely recommend it.

THE REPLACEMENT WIFE (Eileen Goudge)

I haven't read Eileen Goudge in quite a few years, but I always liked her novels.  I hesitated a bit with The Replacement Wife because the plot revolves around a woman with terminal cancer.  I have to admit that at this stage in my life I prefer more upbeat reading.

When Camille Harte's cancer returns she is informed that she is terminal.  As a professional matchmaker, she decides that she needs to ensure her family's future by finding a new wife for Edward, her husband of 20 years, and a mother figure for her 2 children.  Edward, a physician, is deeply in love with Camille and has no desire for another women to take her place, but Camille persists in her plan to match him up with her future replacement.

Most of us think sometimes about what would happen if we lost the person closest to us and wonder if we would find love again.  Some have already been through that experience and experienced the wonder of starting life over again with someone new.  In The Replacement Wife, Edward is forced into trying to form a new relationship while the woman he loves is still very much alive, before he has had the opportunity to grieve or to adjust to a life on his own.  He also resents that fact that Camille is assuming that he will fail as a single parent and be unable to cope with her loss.  The ultimate result is unexpected, both in terms of Camille's health and the couple's future.  The reader will be sympathetic to the well-meaning but misguided wife who, in wanting the best for her family, creates an impossible situation for all of them.

EREWHON (Samuel Butler)

Years ago I read Erewhon.  I even have a battered paperback copy that I, naturally, couldn't find when it came to re-read it for the Vintage Book Club. 

Erewhon, as you've probably noticed, is an anagram of "nowhere."  The novel centers around an unnamed main character who sets out into the wilderness (presumably in New Zealand, where Butler lived for a time)  in hopes of discovering new, unspoiled land.  Instead, he stumbles upon Erewhon, where the ill are arrested and imprisoned, most machines are outlawed, and what we would consider criminal behavior is compassionately treated in hopes of a cure. In Erewhon money is worthless, making the country appear to be a Utopia where people can coexist peacefully.

The main themes of Erewhon are religion (the narrator egotistically hopes to convert the Erewhonians to Christianity) and evolution, which seems to have reversed itself in this remote location.  I won't presume to analyze this novel as you can find this done in numerous places online.   Suffice it to say, it is a satire and its main subjects are the institutions and beliefs of Victoria England.  It is a fascinating book with a fantastical concept, but it requires some thinking.

HIGH TIDE CLUB (Mary Kay Andrews)

I enjoyed this novel immensely, as I always do Mary Kay Andrews books.  This one combines almost every element a reader could want: mystery and intrigue, murder, love, enduring friendship, family history, and more.  Since I am behind in my reviews, I won't waste our time going over the details.  The summary below, from Amazon, says it all.  What I will say is just, "Read it!"

From Amazon.com:

Eccentric heiress Josephine Warrick is a notorious recluse - reigning over a crumbling pink mansion on a private island, she is rarely seen but often whispered about. So when Brooke Trappnell, a struggling young lawyer, is summoned to the island, she has no idea what's in store. As she listens to Josephine recount a story of old friendship, dark secrets, and a mysterious murder, it becomes clear that Brooke is there for two reasons: to help protect Josephine's beloved island, and to make amends with her old friends, the skinny-dipping, secret-keeping girls of the The High Tide Club.

To fulfill a dying woman's last wish, Brooke must track down the descendants of Josephine's closest friends and bring them together for a reunion of women who've never actually met. But in doing so, Brooke uncovers a scandal that could make someone rich beyond their wildest dreams…or cause them to be in the crosshairs of a murderer.

The High Tide Club is Mary Kay Andrews at her very best - a compelling story steeped in mystery, fierce friendship, love lost and possibly...love found.

A STUDY IN SCARLET (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This is the first of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series.  If you're like me, you probably read it years ago and have seen 3 different versions of the movie but still don't quite remember the plot!

It is delightful to learn about the beginning of Holmes's and Watson's relationship (it reminded me a little bit of Sheldon and Leonard!) and how their partnership developed.  In A Study in Scarlet Holmes investigates the death of a man in a deserted house where the word RACHE has been written in blood on the wall.  The story hits one jarring point in the middle of the book, when Holmes declares that he has solved the crime and on the next page the reader finds himself in the Utah desert.  Did a new novel begin without warning?  Why would Conan Doyle suddenly take us out of London and into the world of the American Mormons?  It turns out that the second part of the novel is interesting and, ultimately, makes sense, but there probably should have been a better segue (if I dare to presume to tell Sir Arthur Conan Doyle how to write!).  I will say that reading this made me want to go back and read more of Sherlock Holmes.  It's been too long!

CRISIS AT THE CATHEDRAL (Jeanne M. Dams)

One of the wonderful things about Dorothy Martin is her ability to comment on almost anything in a thoughtful and unbiased manner.  Oh, I'm sure that many of her views come from her creator, Jeanne Dams, but I have a feeling that Dorothy also has a mind of her own.

Crisis in the Cathedral is set mainly close to Dorothy and Alan's home in the village of Sherebury, England.  They do some traveling here, back and forth to London, but primarily without planning or luggage.  Dams has written a very timely novel here.  The plot revolves around a humanitarian Muslim family who is visiting Sherebury and is interested in visiting the cathedral to attend a service.  Husam, Rana, Rahim, and little Aya are a family who believe that experiencing the customs of other faiths and cultures is the best way to understand them, so they greatly enjoy their visit.  Dorothy and Alan invite them to a concert at the cathedral later that week, so the parents arrange for Rahim and Aya to be cared for by their landlords at the local inn where they are staying.  Alerted to the activities of a young man that they fear is becoming involved in terrorist activities, Husam and Rana slip out of the cathedral during the performance, telling no one and leaving their cell phone behind.  Of course there is speculation about their possible involvement in terrorism, especially when a suitcase that they stored at the inn is discovered to be full of money in different denominations.

Fearing for their new friends' lives, Dorothy and Alan, who is working with MI5 on the case, go to London to try and track them down.  In the process they alienate faithful Jane, their neighbor and animal carer, and enlist the aid of, among others, the bishop and a chess player with Asperger's.  naturally, it is Dorothy who has a brainstorm that leads to the outcome of the novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dorothy's numerous references to current political concerns about the Islamic world and the political climate of the United States, her home country.  The mystery is fast-paced and current, and the relationship between Dorthy and Alan is just as comfortable and appealing as always.  This series never gets old!