The Beach Club (Elin Hilderbrand)

Elin Hilderbrand was an author I knew nothing about until I discovered she grew up in a neighboring town.  I started off reading Silver Girl last year and then continued with Summerland this year.  Even though she is a great summer read, she is by no means a frivolous one.  Her stories revolve around characters you truly grow to care about.  More than possibly any other author I’ve read, you can get completely lost in her books, with hours passing before you realize you read half of the novel already.

The Beach Club is an older novel, and, while not quite as good as Silver Girl and Summerland, still an intriguing story.  Mack is the manager of Bill and Therese’s Nantucket hotel/beach club.  Having lost his parents in a tragedy, he must decide what to do with the family farm and with his relationship with his girlfriend, Maribel.  Lacey is an 88-year-old fixture at the hotel, spending every summer there.  Jem, who quickly falls in love with Maribel, is happy to get a job as a bellman under Vance’s watch.  Love comes to the island from Aspen, after Bill offers her a job as a front desk clerk, but she has an ulterior motive.  Each character interweaves seamlessly with the others, creating a story that is summer breezy at times, but has real heart always.

With the exception of a line involving Cecily (Bill and Therese’s daughter) that could have come straight out of a romance novel with Fabio on the cover, I found myself hanging on every word.  I’m reading Barefoot right now and loving it, and I can’t wait to read Hilderbrand’s others.  She is a gifted storyteller whose novels are just right for the beach or a nice summer escape in the dreary cold winter.

MY RATING - 4

The Hunger Games Trilogy (Suzanne Collins)

After multiple people yelling at me when I told them I had not read "The Hunger Games" trilogy, I decided to give in to peer pressure and read them (haven't read "50 Shades of Grey" yet either...uh oh!).  It's amazing to me how word of mouth can spread to a magnitude like this.  As PR manager for a large bookstore in 2006, I was told that an author by the name of Stephenie Meyer would be coming to our store for a signing.  I knew that "Twilight" had just come out, but I had no idea how big she would become.  She drew about 400 people to the store that evening, but now she would need armed guards.  (Side note...She is SO nice and deserves all of her success.)

I read all of the "Twilight" books and loved them, so why was I so hesitant to read "The Hunger Games?"  Perhaps the concept...kids trying to hunt down other kids is not my definition of beach reading.  However, I gave in to the hoopla and started with "The Hunger Games."

I'm certainly not going to discuss the plot, because I'm probably one of the only people in the world who just got around to reading these books. Were they books I couldn't put down?  Not really.  "Catching Fire" was my favorite, while I didn't like "Mockingjay" much at all.  But I can completely see the appeal of them.  For some reason, people like their triangles in books (Harry, Ron, Hermione; Edward, Jacob, Bella; and now Peeta, Gale, Katniss).

They are definitely suspenseful but probably not books I would read again.  However, I'm sure Suzanne Collins won't mind, as I doubt this review will stop the huge moneymaker that is "The Hunger Games" trilogy.

MY RATING:
"The Hunger Games" - 3
"Catching Fire" - 4
"Mockingjay" - 2

Summerland (Elin Hilderbrand)

When you see someone on the beach with a beverage in her hand, chances are she’s not reading War and Peace or Crime and Punishment.  Summer is a time for what is commonly called “chick lit.”  However, no matter how mindless you want your book to be, some of it can be just plain awful.  Very few books that take place in the summer and are geared towards women can be considered quality books.  Elin Hilderbrand is one of those authors who writes these types of novels…books where you can do your “mind escaping” but completely enjoy the story along the way.  Hilderbrand’s latest, Summerland, will take your breath away.

We begin the night of Nantucket’s high school graduation.  Sitting in the audience are the main cast of characters...Zoe, mother of twins and an established caterer; Hobby, one of her twins; Jordan, the head of the local newspaper; and Jake, Jordan’s son.  Penny (Zoe’s daughter, Hobby’s twin sister, and Jake’s girlfriend) is on stage singing the National Anthem with the voice of an angel.  Later that night, a tragedy occurs that affects the life of every Nantucket resident.

Characters take turns playing the narrator in Summerland, which is very effective at allowing the reader to see the plot from different angles.  Your heart aches for each and every one of them as they deal in their own way with the unimaginable tragedy.  This is the best type of novel…the type that you can’t wait to see the ending, but you also don’t want it to end.  Both Summerland and last year’s Silver Girl were beautiful reads, and I can’t wait to delve further into Hilderbrand’s past books.

MY RATING - 5

Rules of Civility (Amor Towles)

I am always looking for the best new books to review, so I picked up Rules of Civility because of many recommendations.  I was immediately drawn to the cover, which depicts a photo of a woman in '30s garb lying on a chaise lounge with a man at her beck and call.  I just love books set in different time periods, especially ones from this era...a time when political correctness was unheard of and the names of Fairbanks and Garbo were on everyone's lips.

Katey Kontent and her roommate, Eve, are living in New York when they meet a sophisticated gent by the name of Tinker Grey.  Katey and Eve quickly become enamored with the debonair and, by all accounts, rich fellow. A tragic event changes the course of all of their lives forever and "what could have been" never materializes.

Most reviews are giving Rules of Civility between 4-5 stars, with phrases like "not able to put it down" written about it numerous times.  Why then did I find it dull and boring?  It has been compared to Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, but I see no comparison.  Because I absolutely hate to not finish a book, I slogged through it unable to care about or sympathize with any of Towles' characters.  I found the plot jarring with no real underlying purpose and did not understand where it was going.  But most of all, I just didn't care about any of the characters.  To me, the definition of a great book has always been one where I couldn't wait to get through my day so I could curl up with it at night.  That didn't happen here.

I'm giving it a 2 because Towles did a nice job integrating the historical facts and culture of that time period.  The cover was brilliant.  Other than that...not for me.

MY RATING - 2

The Lifeboat (Charlotte Rogan)

I’ve had the pleasure of reading some darn good debut novels lately.  Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child is a beautifully written tale set in Alaska that’s based on a Russian fairy tale.  Now comes a novel where, again, the setting plays a central role in the story. 

Set in the early 1900s, The Lifeboat is about a disaster on a large shipliner, the Empress Alexandra.  Grace’s new husband, Henry, takes her to one of the lifeboats, and then she never sees him again.  She is in the boat with strangers, and they quickly split up into two factions.  Following Mr. Hardie, the seaman with a wealth of experience, will require making the necessary difficult decisions for survival.  Mrs. Grant, on the other hand, tries to keep some semblance of morality when all seems lost.  Both sides must do what society would deem terrible things.  We discover very early on that Grace survives, but she’s been arrested for her part in the lifeboat saga.  What did she do?  Where does she go from here?

The Lifeboat is a quick read and very easy to devour in one or two sittings.  It keeps you on the edge of your seat, knowing that Grace made it out, but not knowing why she’s on trial.  Part psychological drama, part thriller, and part survival story, Rogan has delivered a tour de force first novel…and makes it look easy.

MY RATING - 5

Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)

I truly can’t, for the life of me, figure out the mass appeal and popularity of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.  Blurbs on the book by renowned authors use words like anguish and heartbreaking.  I didn’t feel either of these things, perhaps because the characters were not appealing to me at all.  Oh well, to each his own.

Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are three friends who are part of a group raised for a special purpose.  From a very early age, they are enrolled in a school led by the “guardians” and told that their art projects are sacred.  After graduating from their school, they go to live in the Cottages, a middle ground to prepare them for what is to come. 

Never Let Me Go is narrated by Kathy.  Ishiguro has a peculiar way of having Kathy state what she is about to tell you instead of allowing the story to unfold naturally.  While it has an important message…how science has the danger of going too far…it was just too predictable for me. 

So I was not one of the many people who will call Never Let Me Go one of the best books in recent times.  Predictability and unlikeable characters do not make quality literature for me.  To me, the mark of a great book is whether I can’t wait to pick it up again once I set it down.  Not the case for Never Let Me Go.

MY RATING - 2

The Snow Child (Eowyn Ivey)

The Snow Child is Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel, and what a novel it is.  It’s one of those books that stay with you for a long time after you’re finished.  I made myself put it down after a few chapters to really let the beauty of Ivey’s prose sink in.  But whether you devour it in one sitting or continuously put it down like I did, the effect is the same.

Set in the 1920s, Mabel and Jack are a couple who move to the Alaskan wilderness.  A few years before, they lost their only baby at birth and have remained childless and grieving.  They’re hoping that Alaska provides the solace and hard work they need to move on from their loss.  However, things don’t quite work out that way, as all they feel is alone.

One day, on a whim, they build a snow child.  They’re shocked to see that the next day the child has disappeared, with tracks leading away from it.  The story, based on a Russian fairy tale, gains strength from here.  I had a vague idea of how The Snow Child might end but was surprised at the route Ivey chose to get there.  I disagreed that one character would do something that proved vital to the outcome of the story.  For that reason alone, I need to give The Snow Child a 4.

This is a novel where the review needs to stay mysterious.  I have to watch my words carefully as giving too much away would take away from the beauty of the story.  But trust me, The Snow Child is not to be missed.

MY RATING - 4