Summer Book Review #3 & 4

I've had the luxury of being able to read almost every evening this past week.....I just love reading books on a hot, summer evening, sitting out on the deck or in the living room with the AC on if it's too humid to sit out (which it's been the last 2 nights!).  I even snuck in a few pages while waiting for the ballet to begin last weekend......this book took me just 3 days to read. It is EXCELLENT.

The book featured here is written by one of my favorite authors of contemporary fiction.  Her books go deep.  

This one is no exception! It is set in New England (Vermont) and centers around one family with several other characters added in from the children's friends.  The main character is Mary Beth Latham.  She is married to Glen and has 3 teenagers:  Ruby, her oldest and her twin boys, Alex and Max.  They live a typical small village life:  Mary Beth's life is revolved around her family, her landscaping business and keeping intact, their daily rituals.  When one of the boys becomes depressed, she begins to focus on him, but becomes blindsided by a shocking act of violence.  This act of violence will shock you, the reader.  And you will not be surprised by the perpetrator.  However, you will weep throughout this book......and laugh......and call out "Bravo" if you are a mom.....and if, like me, you don't dwell on the future, you won't be surprised by life's twists and turns on the journey.  

This book is about trying to travel a road we might never intend to be on.....about living a life we never imagined....and yet finding our selves brave enough to try.

And after you read it, you will want to hug your family a little bit closer.

At least I did.

I rate this a 10/10 and highly recommend this for summer reading.  It's appropriate for ages 16 and older.

This book, written by the great F Scott Fitzgerald ( best known for The Great Gatsby), was marvelous. It was set in France, mainly in the French Riviera and Paris.  The characters are well developed and the plot is typical for the author.  If you enjoyed The Great Gatsby (I HOPE you have read that!!), then you will like this story....I actually enjoyed this book but started to get bored with it by a little more than half-way through.  I found my self skimming through whole sections just to get towards the end.  There are some surprises along the way which kept things interesting. His literary style, of course, is top-notch although I much preferred Great Gatsby.  It's one of those books that most high schoolers will not crack open....my oldest daughter thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't believe I had never read it.  I'm glad I did last week!  If you like reading about life in the 1920's, you will like this.  And if you haven't read The Great Gatsby, well by all means, please do!  (and then rent the movie!!)

THE PLOT (taken from Wikipedia

"Dick and Nicole Diver are a glamorous couple who take a villa in the South of France and surround themselves with a circle of friends, mainly Americans. Also staying at the resort are Rosemary Hoyt, a young actress, and her mother. Rosemary gets sucked into the circle of the Divers; she falls in love with Dick and is also adopted as a close friend by Nicole. Dick first toys with the idea of an affair with Rosemary at this point, which he finally acts upon years later."

What happens with the Divers??  Why did Dick marry Nicole?? Does their marriage survive?  Who is the weakest character and who is the strongest?? You will need to read it to find out what happens.......

It is appropriate for ages 14 and older but most teenagers, unless they are in advanced English classes, most likely won't like it.....it is definitely a more challenging piece of literature.