book review – Page 2 – Leave Me Alone I Am Reading and Reviewing

“Indigo Field” by Marjorie Hudson

April 2, 2023April 2, 2023 MartieLeave a comment

Genre: Literary Fiction Indigo Creek /Mysticism
Publisher: Regal House
Pub. Date: March 14, 2023

Mini-Review

This multigenerational drama is ghost filled and written with Black and Native American spirituality in mind. In the rural South, three protagonists narrate the story—A retired colonel living in a posh home grieving from the abrupt passing of his younger wife. There is humor in his anger that he was supposed to go first. An elderly Black woman living on the opposite side of town is fiercely mourning her niece. Her niece was murdered by a white man giving good tension in her part of the tale. In addition, a widowed goat farmer lives between the other two. She has an autistic son written tenderly and with an understanding of the disability. There is an abandoned field between the three that has been the scene of atrocities for three centuries. The novel has all the makings of a captivating read, which it mostly is. My only gripe is the jumping around between the living, the dead, and especially the lengthy paragraphs regarding mystical spiritualism. There were pages that I needed to reread for clarity. Still, I recommend reading “Indigo Field.” How could I not? The book is fascinating.

I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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“My Last Innocent Year” by Daisy Alpert Florin

March 8, 2023March 9, 2023 Martie2 Comments

Genre: Literary Fiction/Coming-of-Age My Last Innocent Year
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pub. Date: February 14, 2023

Daisy Alpert Florin’s debut novel, “My Last Innocent Year,” is a coming-of-age novel set on a college campus near the close of the last century before #MeToo. It’s been a long time since I read a coming-of-age novel that I enjoyed. I often find them sappy, but not this one. Florin’s portrayal of New England student life includes shady college town bars, English department parties, and skinny-dipping, which reads like a stream of consciousness, accurately capturing the confusion and instability of college life, “In sophomore year at a St. Parick’s day party…He had shamrocks painted on his face; as we fucked the green paint dripped down his cheeks. There wasn’t much to say about it…except we decided never to do it again and that somehow we managed to stay friends.”

The story is set against the backdrop of President Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. Our protagonist, Isabel Rosen, faces more challenges than most. She is a lower-middle-class Jewish student on a scholarship at the prestigious Wilder College, which strongly resembles the real-life Dartmouth College, filled with wealthy Christians. Besides her Saint Patrick’s sexual experiment, Isabel is the least promiscuous of her college girlfriends. She is majoring in English Lit, and her goal is to become a writer.

Throughout the novel, Florin’s character exhibits profound, interceptive ideas. In the library, “I weaved my way slowly through the shelves, rubbing my fingers along the spines pulling out books at random. I loved the way each writer burrowed deep into his or her matter, no matter how obscure, and yet taken together, the books here felt larger than the world.”

This story benefits from the author’s willingness to address young women’s sexuality without passing judgment. Isabel has had two sexual encounters throughout her time in college, and they forever alter the way she remembers those years. First, Florin tackles the confusion between a miscommunication and date rape. Afterward, the boy asks her, “then why did you come to my dorm room?” She “honestly doesn’t know,” thus she is unable to respond, showing her lack of knowledge in what to do when “maybe he was a little too rough.” The other happens when an older man seduces her in a Bill and Monica scenario. In her senior year, she began an “affair” with her thesis adviser, a handsome, married creative writing professor. In both experiences, we see the complex power dynamics in sexual relationships.

At graduation, Isabel wonders when a girl becomes a woman. Did it happen “when I confessed my relationship with the professor?” “Is it happening right now, in front of Fayerweather Hall as the sun rose higher into the sky?” There is beautiful prose throughout the novel. However, the tail end of the story during Isabel’s post-college years. Here the writing feels rushed and clumped together, losing its tone of introspection. Still, this is a poignant coming-of-age story that I recommend to adults and young people as well.

I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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“ House of Eve” by Sadeqa Johnson

March 4, 2023March 4, 2023 Martie3 Comments

Genre: Historical Fiction/Multiculturalism The House of Eve
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pub. Date: February 7, 2023

Mini-Review

Will someone please tell me when historical fiction became melodramatic women’s fiction/romance? Because this novel is all romance, a genre I have never cared for with stereotypical characters. As for multiculturalism, well nothing new regarding racial biases. In the future, I will need to look more closely before reading what is marketed as historical fiction.

I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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“The Senator’s Wife” by Liv Constantine

March 4, 2023March 4, 2023 MartieLeave a comment

Genre: Women’s Fiction/Mysteries & Thrillers The Senator's Wife
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine
Pub. Date: May 23, 2030

Mini-Review

I would pass on this: clumsy dialogue, stereotypical personalities, and some absurd characters. I defy you not to chuckle at the greedy vixen. The White House details were the only aspect of this book I enjoyed.

I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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“Violeta” by Isabel Allende

March 3, 2023 Martie4 Comments

Genre: Historical Fiction Violeta
Publisher: Random House – Ballantine
Pub. Date: January 25, 2022

This chronological epic is marketed as historical fiction, but it is a women’s fiction novel punctuated with references to historical events, including the rise of a military takeover. It is set in an unnamed Latin American country that resembles Chile. Violeta is our one-hundred-year-old protagonist, born in the 1920s during the Spanish Flu and now living during the Covid crisis. The novel is structured as a letter in which Violeta outlines her life with such frankness that it is as if we are peeking into the character’s soul. She writes, “In this country there are always calamities, and it’s not hard to connect them to some life event.” Allende is a self-professed “raging feminist.” It is no surprise that her protagonist is a strong woman. “Exert some independence; you’re not a little girl. You can’t let anyone else decide things for you. You have to take care of yourself in this world.” Even A toxic love affair cannot stop Violeta from achieving her goals.

She leaves a short marriage but never divorces since her ex will not sign the papers. Still, she begins a relationship that produces two children with Julian, a debonair but soon abusive pilot. Here the author brings her lens to examine the confusion between passion and domestic violence. Their long love affair is “held together by a perpetual cycle of hate and lust.” Think Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee. Since Violeta is written as an independent person, I found it incongruent that the author has her tolerating her lover’s behavior. Yet, she is not above having some fun at Julian’s expense. Unknown to the pilot, Violeta befriends his latest girlfriend. She explains to the girl that he will never marry either of them. The young girl sighed while Violeta laughed.

In between all the love affair drama, Violeta chronicles the events leading to a dictatorship in her country. As she recounts the brutality of a fascist coup, we read about “death flights” of political prisoners to torture centers, making a connection to the “worst atrocities of German concentration camps.” We get an up-close look at the horrors women face while living under an oppressive government. The author’s aim seems to be to remind her readers of the perils of returning to a time when women had few rights. Throughout her lifetime, Violeta goes from wealth to poverty, and since she is a savvy businesswoman, back to wealth. She has lived through many historical events, including pandemics, wars, and natural disasters. Ultimately, however, the historical contents seem crudely blended into the story. It feels as if the political events are the backdrop to her life rather than the other way around. I am guessing this was the author’s intention. I would have preferred the novel’s storyline to be more balanced. Still, Allende has a gift for writing and storytelling. I loved her rich prose. Near the end of Violeta’s life, she writes, “The world is paralyzed, and humanity is in quarantine. It is a strange symmetry that I was born in one pandemic and will die during another.” I recommend “Violeta.”

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“The Widow of Weeping Pines” by Amanda McKinney

February 8, 2023 Martie2 Comments

Genre: Psychological Thriller The Wisows of Weeping Pines
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Pub. Date: December 2, 2022

The main prognostic is a widowed psychologist who runs an illegal clinic in her home’s basement. When the book’s blub reads, “Two women—one crazy, one ill—and both have secrets they would kill for and Two men—one innocent, one ruthless,” you pretty much know that the novel will be a domestic thriller, which is why I wanted to read the book. As promised, early on in the story, it is apparent that some or all of the characters are mentally unbalanced. The blurb doesn’t mention that they are also unlikeable. Unlikable characters can contribute to an engaging plot. That did not happen here. When I read “The Widow of Weeping Pines,” I wasn’t aware that it is part of the “Mad Women Series.” I wouldn’t have read the book if I had known. In my experience, thriller series novels are sometimes clumsily written, and they can be cheezy, which pretty much sums up my opinion on this novel that began with promise but didn’t follow through.

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“Dirty Laundry” by Disha Bose

February 6, 2023 Martie2 Comments

Genre: Multicultural Interests/Murder Mystery Dirty Laundry
Publisher: Random House-Ballantine Books
Pub. Date: April 4, 2023

Mini-Review
I was in the mood for a beach read when I decided to review this novel. And fluff is just what I got. The story revolves around a trio of competitive mothers in the present time who reside in an Irish village. One can anticipate that in this genre, one of them will be murdered. The three of them alternately narrate the story from their points of view. We meet the so-called perfect mom, the community’s passive-aggressive ruler. She adopts the immigrant newcomer mom, and they become best buddies. The third mom is shunned by the other two because the ruler does not want her in the trio for petty reasons. Think “Mean Girls.” I enjoyed this novel but only recommend it if you go in knowing that you will be reading yet another dysfunctional neighborhood murder tale often written better in previous books.

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“Bad Dolls” by Rachel Harrison

January 29, 2023 MartieLeave a comment

Genre: Horror Bad Dolls
Publisher: Berkley Group
Pub. Date: December 6, 2022

In these four short stories, Harrison explores the strange happenings in women’s lives as they face shocking, peculiar, and sometimes terrifying events. The themes in this collection center on female body image, complicated friendships, and heartbreak, all written in a spooky manner. One could say that this is a horror women’s fiction novel. However, with lines such as, “I always imagined rage to be a red, chaotic state. But it’s quiet and translucent and euphoric” there is a literary vibe to the collection.

In “Reply Hazy, Try Again,” a young woman purchases a Magic 8 ball that promises to answer your questions by seeing into the future. The seller had no idea where the toy originated from among his flea market bins. Thus, the author introduces the story with a tinge of strangeness. The toy’s responses don’t take long to become too intimate. Similar to when you detect someone cheating on an Ojuju board, but with the ball, there is no other person. This is not a particularly scary tale. It is more a clever way to explore our sexuality.

The story of “Bachelorette” centers on a woman who attends one of her sorority sisters’ bachelorette party, despite not wanting to attend the entire weekend-long celebration. This genuine horror story explores our morals, but mostly how we dislike feeling left out or behind, even though we may have drifted apart from old friends. Spoiler: The woman thinks, “If I’d been told in advance about the blood sacrifice.” There is also some humor in this one. Think “The Witches of Eastwick.”

In “Goblin,” a woman tries out a new software app that offers a cute little goblin-like figure to help its users to attain their weight loss objectives. However, her goblin ends up being anything but adorable. Every time she wants to eat, it terrorizes her. At first, I thought this was a comedy because I did laugh a lot as the author shows us how silly we can be about our weight. However, the main character has an eating disorder, which is what the story is truly about, making this a sad insightful read.

My favorite in the collection is “Bad Dolls.” Besides the horror elements, unlike the other shorts, there are fully developed themes of family, grief, selfishness, and sacrifice that could warrant a full-length novel. After losing her little sister, a headstrong woman reluctantly returns to her hometown to be nearer to her family during their crisis. Staying at her childhood home would be too painful. She leases a room in a boarding house and discovers a porcelain doll that no one remembers who it belonged to or where it originated. We watch her slowly go crazy as she becomes attached to the doll in a way that she never did with her family.

The entire collection explores feminine motivations and the reasons behind female behavior, particularly under duress, often with a hint of humor. Despite the stories’ predictability, I did enjoy the collection and recommend this book. I would have loved it if Harrison pushed herself a little harder to give more substance to each story other than the obvious.

I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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“Aesthetica” by Allie Rowbottom

January 22, 2023 Martie1 Comment

Genre: Contemporary Fiction Aesthetic
Publisher: Soho Press
Pub. Date: Nov. 22, 2022

“Aesthetica” is both a cautionary tale and a contemporary horror-like story with a “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” theme making me grateful that social media did not exist when I was in my teens. In the near future, 2032, a 35-year-old woman, Anna Wrey, is in Los Angeles lounging by a hotel pool, reflecting on her first cosmetic procedure back in 2017. The next day, she will have a radical, elective, and dangerous surgery called “Aesthetica,” which claims to undo all of her cosmetic surgeries. Her goal is for her 35-year-old body to look as it should in hopes that it will reflect how she feels on the inside, making her a whole person, no longer a funhouse mirror—a fascinating concept to explore. As social media grips the world, the author asks if someone devoted to looking sexy and gaining fame can change. Moreover, is it their fault if they cannot?

The author nails the desire to emulate a reality star’s life. Think Kim Kardashian. As the hours pass at the pool, Anna’s mind wanders back in time, recalling her youth. In flashbacks, we see her as a teenager who had just moved to Los Angeles to become an Instagram celebrity. The reader can feel her urgency. The more followers she has, the closer she gets to stardom. Rowbottom is good at building suspense and keeping the reader engaged throughout the novel, especially as Anna begins a relationship with a pimp-like man who promises to make her famous by introducing her to a world of seedy gatherings, Botox, fillers, boob jobs, waist reduction surgeries, and butt enhancers, which leaves her with a pain med addiction. I wish the author had gotten into why so many practice this unhealthy behavior. Then again, Rowbottom is an author and not a shrink.

Anna’s Liberian mother has a terminal illness. Anna goes back and forth from visiting her dying mom in the hospital to sex parties. She wants to stay with her mom until she has passed but cannot bring herself to take time off from Instagram. These scenes had such a heavy weight to them that I had tears in my eyes for both mother and daughter. Shrewdly, the author has made Anna’s Liberian mother a feminist, the opposite of her daughter, implying that she should be aware of ludicrous beauty standards. Yet, she often complains about her body’s size and shape. This is smugly in Anna’s mind as she “turned the camera to my face and spoke as I walked, Gonna be a big staaaah, I said and smooched the lens.”

I am sure that the theme of how far we will go to feel beautiful, even if it means losing ourselves in the process, must have been covered in other contemporary literature. However, I have never read them in either a novel or a nonfiction format. The subject matter is fresh to me. This may be the reason why I am so impressed with this author. The book is not without flaws. I expected the ending to have the same vivid imagery as the rest of the tale. It did not. My ultimate feeling was that I missed some parts. Still, I now want to read the author’s memoir, “Jell-O Girls.” I recommend this debut novel that forces us, like Anna’s mother, to realize whether we like it or not society’s glare on our appearance influences all of us.

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“The Block Party” by Jamie Day

January 19, 2023 MartieLeave a comment

Genre: Domestic Suspense The Block Party
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: July 18, 2023

Mini-Review

In “The Block Party,” the dysfunctional residents of a posh neighborhood take center stage. When a murder occurs at their annual party, we rewind with flashbacks to the previous year and discover the secrets each neighbor is harboring that could make them suspects. What we get is a community thriller that is a “Big Little Lies” wannabe. Just as in Liane Moriarty’s novel, the reader gets a heavy dose of lies, infidelity, violence, and a murder mystery. This tale is not as well written as Moriarty’s. However, this may be because the narrative is often in a teenager’s voice, which reads too juvenile for me, probably because I don’t usually care for YA. Still, I found the ending clever, which is when the author finally won over. Though not for me, this sort of escapism novel is a good beach read.

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