I've Been Duped

A glass house deep in the woods.  Limited access due to snow.  Old friends mysteriously reunited.  Ouija board.  Dead telephone lines.  These are the bones of one heck of a thriller - or perhaps a lighter, Agatha Christie-ish mystery.  No!  Total disappointment especially in light of learning that Reese Witherspoon has purchased the movie rights.  Reese Witherspoon can do no wrong where I'm concerned - but this could just bump her down a few notches on my list of favorite actors.

Really.  Four women and one man gather for a "hen" party at a remote home in rural England.  The bride to be set off alarms for me on page one, and well, there was nothing to from that point but follow my nose to the end.  Seldom do I figure out a who-dunnit and I took no great pleasure in solving this transparent crime as quickly as I did.  The clues were laid out like Hansel and Gretel's bread curmbs, and the narrator talked me right through the motive, means and opportunity of each character so early on that one by one, each was  ruled out.  Perhaps the fact that the narrator was suffering from partial amnesia should have thrown me off, but not even that could cast doubt on the perpetrator of this revenge plot.  

You all know how I felt about Gone Girl; this book makes Gone Girl seem like a work of art.  I can find no redeeming qualities other that it somehow tricked me into reading to the bitter end.  To be fair, I might be a little cranky from lack of sleep since Heart-A-Rama opens Thursday.  Maybe I'll give this book a second go when I more awake.  After all, I did change my mind about Ove so.....

Sadly, I had two play scripts on my desk to consider for all at UW-Manitowoc and I passed them by to wander through a dark, dark wood.

Oh well......

Thanks for stopping...don't forget....get your Heart-A-Rama tickets and help save lives!

Baby Girl

Everyone has a story.  Some stories are about beginnings, others - endings.  Some are happy, -others not so much.  Yet, each story inhabits a place in someone's personal history, moving them, directing them and shaping them.  Baby Girl is one of those stories.  

You know from past posts that if I were to list my least favorite characteristics in fiction, sentimentality and inspiration would top the list.  But when a friend handed me this book and announced that it is her story, those characteristics paled in light of the bravery and resilience shone in the main character. 

 Let me explain.  Although the author clearly identifies and thanks the local woman whose life became the road map for this book, I will refer to her only as "C".  C wandered into my store years ago; it might have even been in our former location.  She was bright, exuberant, and gentle even though the tiny glimpses she gave me into her life had me shaking me head and wondering how she had risen above her challenges.  At the time, C was living in a totally unorthodox dwelling, but she made it seem special, almost exotic.  Little did I know hoe much angst that "home" represented, nor did I have any inkling of all that led to her living in that awkward space.

Baby Girl is about losing and finding.  Giving up a baby girl for adoption marks the mid-point of C's sorrows, but also makes the beginning of C leaving her inner baby girl behind and growing into a strong, confident woman.  The path C takes to get to today tricks her, trips her and sends her spinning in a million directions.  Still, she beats down the enemies one by one with wit and intelligence.  Throw in a nice dose of stubbornness and you've got the perfect mix for success.  And whether she believes it or not, C is a success.  

I have to be honest here and say that the writing style is quite simple... without a lot of artistry.  However, the succinct word choice and linear plot development are solid.  The important element in the book is the main character, a fictional representation of my friend C.  Betty Lee Crosby allows that character to shine through the darkness.

C, thank you for trusting me enough  to share this with me.  I hope you are proud of who you are.  I am happy we are friends.

Thanks for stopping by.

LaDeDa Bev

A Bit of Nastiness

Admit it.  You saw the movie  Heathers and in a cringe-worthy sort of way you enjoyed the dark comedy about high school cliques.  It seems not much has changed in the twisted world of  popularity where the social leaders are both loved and feared.  A catty word thrown in the right direction, or a dubiously raised eyebrow can destroy reputations.  Not all campaigns of destruction are that subtle, however. Let's not forget about the power of rumor, both real and fictional, friendship betrayal and overt bullying.  All of that sounds horrid and dicey, but that movie is so campy, it's hard to turn away in disgust.

Eating the Cheshire Cat is Heathers for the new generation of readers who may have themselves been scorned by the high school royalty and who now, older, wiser and distanced from those days, love to laugh at the transparent feats some people went to to remain the focus of everyone's attention.  In this book, even the mom's get into the picture.  Remember the bizarre case of the Texas cheerleader mom who tired to have her daughter's main cheer competitor killed?  People like that really exist - who knew. 

Helen Ellis's book takes us to Tuscaloosa, Alabama where we see the lives of three girls and their mothers collide.  Sarina wants it all - so much so that in the opening scene, her mother fills her with whisky to numb the pain of breaking her daughter's misshapen pinkie fingers.  Nicole is not only Sarina's best friend, but she is obsessed with her.  Killer obsessed, perhaps.  I'm not far enough into the story to say that for sure, but there are surprises on every page and I wouldn't doubt that a failed murder plot will bubble soon.  

I can't forget Bitty Jack Carlson, the bed-wetting camper who, for some reason always winds up in the top bunk much to the chagrin of the lower occupant.  Bitty, a nice girl, gets caught between the two "pretty' girls, and after a lengthy romance with a sideshow star billed as Johnny Iguana, she inadvertently falls into a relationship with a college boy who years earlier had been manipulated into bits of naughtiness with Sarina.  

Fast and furious.  That's all I can say.  Ellis's writing sometimes confuses with an overuse of pronouns, but the plot snaps along like a fresh and finely tuned soap opera.  You can tear through this book in an afternoon and not be disappointed with the time you spent with this dark, diabolical and ridiculously unethical cast of southern socialites.

I haven't yet figured out what the title or the cover image means.  I'm guessing it has something to do with falling into a rabbit hole.....

Thanks for stopping by.

Ove Again

Seldom do I change my tune about a book.  My initial reading of Ove left me cold; basically, the utilitarian style annoyed me.  I found the writing rigid , lacking rhythm or any sort of dynamic variety.  Also, the story relies heavily on flashbacks, a technique I don't care for in movies and find it equally as distracting in novels.  

When our book group chose toe read this book, I decided to concentrate on the character rather than the trapping, and guess what?  I am enjoying the story of the ersatz crabby old man.  If you're a fan of PBS's Doc Martin, you have a pretty good idea of what Ove is like.  His straight forward manner borders on bully behavior, but (gotta admit it) those flashbacks inject information about how and why he honestly came by his ways.

Ove is frustrated by planned obsolescence, over-specialization and technology.  He believes that people should own and do "just enough."  Any more than that complicates one's life.

A point comes in Ove's life where we begin to see him loosen up.  He shares more.  He is quicker to react and to reach out.  At that some point, the pace of the writing quickens, making this a more enjoyable read for me than it was in the first 100 or so pages.  The author sprinkles the story with clever lines - mainly in  meta type unspoken thoughts seen through the eyes of an omniscient narrator.  And there's symbolism in the most unexpected forms - a cat and a pregnant woman.  

  

About 150 pages to go.  With Heart-A-Rama getting closer, I'm not sure how consistently I will be posting but stop back anyway.

Chatter - on Friday night my friend, Mary, and I took a risk and went to one of the painting with wine sessions.  OK - we didn't paint with wine, we were offered wine while we painted.  The facilitator, Amy Zander, was knowledgeable and patient.  She had us paint a Kandinsky inspired work.  Of the twenty plus people there, I'd say about five pieces were quite impressive, including Mary's.  We were pleasantly surprised to find Angie, another book club member there painting as well.  We always knew that Angie has art in her soul, and her painting rocked.  Mine will not be hanging in a gallery anytime soon.  But, it was fun, and - watch out Amy- I might be coming  back!

Thanks for stopping by

LaDeDa Bev