The Night Strangers (Chris Bohjalian)

I was hesitant to pick up The Night Strangers simply because it did not get the greatest reviews. Bohjalian's Midwives was an Oprah Book Club selection, which of course, instantly became a bestseller. He's an interesting author in the sense that he rarely writes the same style of book twice. In The Night Strangers, he takes practically every iconic, classic horror movie and mashes them up..."The Shining", "Rosemary's Baby", "The Wicker Man"...with great success until the ending.

Chip Linton is an airline pilot who is thrown into a horrible situation one day at work. His plane hits a flock of geese, and he is forced to make an emergency landing in water...you know, like the miracle on the Hudson...which Bohjalian compares Chip's landing to ad nauseum. Unlike Sully Sullenberger, however, Chip loses 39 passengers and of course, his life becomes unbearable.

Hoping to get a fresh start, Chip, his wife Emily, and their twin daughters move to New Hampshire into a big, old house. There is a door in the basement, with 39 nails in it, which quickly becomes the center of attention. What's behind that door? What's the history of the house? Why do all of the women in their new town love to be in their greenhouses so much? Most importantly, who can they trust?

The characters in The Night Strangers, not all of whom are living by the way, are well intertwined. While I can understand some of the reviews, which thought the book moved rather slowly, I thought this quality added to the sometimes unbearable suspense. It was quite simply one of the scariest books I've ever read. Read it with all of the lights on. The ending though was too strange for me. However, I truly hope Bohjalian writes a few more books in the horror realm, because he can certainly give King and Koontz a run for their money.

MY RATING - 4

The House I Loved (Tatiana de Rosnay)

Paris was very different before the mid-1800s than it is today. Villages existed where everyone knew each other, and houses were in the same family for decades. It wasn’t illogical that someone would be born and die of old age in the same house. Flower shops, bakeries, and restaurants existed where everyone knew your name. Then Emperor Napoleon came to power, and he wanted a very different Paris. He hired Baron Haussmann to make it into a city that would be modernized and renovated. Some Parisians agreed with the plan, but others did not, especially those who would be forced to move when streets would run right through their houses.

The House I Loved, by Tatiana de Rosnay (she of Sarah’s Key fame, my all-time-favorite book), tells the story of Rose Bazelet, a woman still grieving the death of the love of her life and her young son many years before. She has the support of her community, including her flower-shop owner friend, Alexandrine, through her grief. All of her memories are in that house, but it is one of the houses Baron Haussmann will tear down. Even though her estranged daughter is expecting her to come live with her, Rose does not leave her house. She hunkers down in the basement, with food and visits delivered from another friend, waiting for the demolition crew to come.

The House I Loved is both heartbreaking and suspenseful. de Rosnay writes beautifully with flowing language, and her books always translate well into English. While Sarah’s Key will always be my favorite, The House I Loved is a worthwhile read based on some historical fact. How far are we willing to go for modernization?

MY RATING - 4

More Like Her (Liza Palmer)

We never truly know what another person is going through in their personal life. No matter how much we may envy their beauty, gorgeous house, and fancy job, everyone has secrets. This is the message of Liza Palmer’s More Like Her, a sometimes frustrating blend of banal chick lit and outright horror.

The story revolves around Frannie, a thirtysomething speech therapist, working in an elementary school with her best friends, Jill and Lisa. Frannie has just been dumped by Ryan, also a teacher at the same school. When the school year begins, Emma, the new headmistress, seems to have it all…looks, brains, a cushy job. All Frannie can do is rethink everything in her life and bemoan the fact that no one will ever love her.

The first part of More Like Her features endless monologues by Frannie, both internal in her head and external to her friends. Jill tries to set her up, throwing parties with guys Frannie would love to forget. When she meets Sam, she thinks she may have found someone different from all the other guys, but soon Sam acts just like all the others. Things take a tragic turn when a life-changing event occurs, making Frannie realize that you never truly know another person unless they let you.

This novel definitely becomes more readable when the shocking event occurs; however, Frannie’s monologues weigh More Like Her down. More action and less talking would probably make things more interesting. I was hoping in the last few pages that Palmer would not end it in the predictable way that she did. The best stories are not always wrapped up in a nice, neat package with a red bow.

MY RATING – 3

This review can also be found on www.bookloons.com.

Fairy Tale Interrupted (RoseMarie Terenzio)

Count me in with the throngs who always looked for the latest gossip about JFK Jr. When he married the beautiful Carolyn Bessette, it seemed like you couldn’t go a day without some sort of story about them, true or not. When they both died, along with Bessette’s sister Lauren, in a tragic plane crash, people mourned as if they knew them. RoseMarie Terenzio really did know them, as John’s administrative assistant at George magazine, and is sharing her memories in Fairy Tale Interrupted.

Even though RoseMarie worked for John, she quickly became a personal friend. Kennedy was a very private person, as was his family, and did not let too many people into his circle. When John met Carolyn, “Rosie”, as John called her, became one of the few people they both trusted. Terenzio eventually saw herself as John’s “chief of staff”, guarding his time and privacy, even from his employees. She and Carolyn were great friends, with Carolyn taking RoseMarie shopping for designer duds and buying her expensive haircuts. RoseMarie also had the grim task of cleaning out the couple’s apartment after the plane crash.

I’m sure Terenzio’s goal was to give her readers the “truth” about John and Carolyn’s life. Carolyn especially was portrayed as an “ice princess” in the media, and Fairy Tale Interrupted definitely disputes this fact. However, considering how private they both were, would they really want Terenzio writing a book filled with personal memories (not all of which are flattering, especially in John’s case)? In addition, be warned that much of this book is not even about John and Carolyn at all. It’s about Terenzio herself….boasting about having John’s ear, getting thousands of dollars of Christmas presents from them, and lamenting the fact that she was out of a job after the tragic crash. It seems if she was as loyal to the couple as she says she was, that she would keep her memories private…just like the Kennedys would want.

MY RATING - 2

Gossip (Beth Gutcheon)

I must admit, when I first picked up Gossip, I had a hard time understanding where Beth Gutcheon was going with it. She seemed to be all over the map, introducing characters left and right, none of which were, at the start, very well developed. I kept putting it down and picking it up again. Then, early one Sunday afternoon, I started reading again, kept reading, and finished Sunday night before bed. The plot and characters finally came together in a very shocking and devastating ending.

Gossip is narrated by Lovie French, a high-end clothing-store owner in Manhattan. We learn Lovie’s back story, including her time in high school with her friends, Dinah and Avis. Avis is a buttoned-up, reserved art dealer, while Dinah is a free-for-all newspaper columnist. The story weaves around these three characters as they grow up, marry, and have children. Once all of the characters are introduced, Gossip really picks up, and they seamlessly interact with each other. Avis, Dinah, and Lovie are not spring chickens. The fact that Gutcheon chose to revolve her story around them proves that this age group can be more interesting than the twentysomething “chick lit” genre.

While talking behind another’s back does happen a lot in Gossip, I was surprised that Gutcheon chose this as her title. It seemed that there were no repercussions when Lovie heard things about her friends through the grapevine. Don’t think that Lovie is innocent in all this either, as she’s holding a big secret as well. Even through the gossip, there is an underlying sense of calm. But once things start happening, the novel comes to its dramatic ending in a big way.

Don’t let the slow start of Gossip keep you from plowing through this multi-generational novel. The ending is your reward.

MY RATING - 3

This review can also be found on www.bookloons.com.

Elizabeth the Queen (Sally Bedell Smith)

Events related to Queen Elizabeth II and/or London have been in the news quite a lot lately, from the much-watched royal wedding in 2011 to the Summer Olympics in 2012. 2012 also marks 60 years on the throne, which was only surpassed by Queen Victoria. Even though there has just lately been a renewed interest in the monarchy, she has done her job and put duty above everything else since her ascension to the throne in 1952. Imagine the weight of your country (and the robes...and the crown) being put on your shoulders at the age of 25.

Sally Bedell Smith's Elizabeth the Queen is a thoroughly researched, 537-page biography. It begins with the story of her parents, famously depicted in the the award-winning movie, The King's Speech. The Queen grew up during World War II, repairing army trucks, never one to refrain from getting her hands dirty. When her father died, her reign began, and continued through 12 (and counting) prime ministers (the first being Sir Winston Churchill) and the many, many dramas of her children and family.

Bedell Smith wrote Elizabeth the Queen for 2012, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year. At times, it can read slowly, and some things were not really necessary to include (I don't need to read graphic details of the Queen watching horse intercourse.). Smith is also extremely flattering to the Queen and presents her in an always positive light, even though there have been controversies along the way. However, it is fascinating to read about the ins and outs of the Queen's life, from her sumptous events to her comfort in routines. This is a very worthwhile read.

MY RATING - 4

Lone Wolf (Jodi Picoult)

Every year, at around this time, Jodi Picoult’s fans anxiously await her new novel. Most of the time, Picoult’s novels are “ripped from the headlines”. In the past, she’s taken on everything from gay rights to a school massacre to religious freedom. In Lone Wolf, she asks the questions none of us ever really are fully prepared to answer if it would happen to someone in our family. Presented with a traumatic brain injury, when does life stop? Does life on a ventilator, with a slim-to-none chance of regaining consciousness, constitute a life worth continuing?

Since the beginning, Picoult has not strayed from her style…various narrators, all involved in the story, typed in different fonts, with different opinions. Because of this, Jodi’s books are usually extremely well-rounded, with all sides of an issue presented. However, in this case, the fact that the “main character”, if you will, is in a comatose state, prevents him from narrating what is happening in the present. Luke is involved in a car crash with his daughter, Cara, who is also majorly injured. Cara decided to live with Luke after he divorced her mom, Georgie. As much as Georgie tried living with someone like Luke, she found it impossible. You see, Luke was fascinated with wolves, even going so far as to disappear from his family for awhile to infiltrate their packs. Luke and Georgie’s son, Edward, escaped to Thailand after a fight with Luke. When he gets the call that his dad was in a car accident, he rushes home to try to do things “right” by his dad and Cara.

Unfortunately, Edward and Cara have differing opinions about what they should do about Luke’s care. Of course, this being a Picoult novel, it goes to trial and there is an emotional ending. When I said before that Luke is not involved in the narration in present day, that doesn’t mean he does not narrate at all. Because of this narration, the reader is hardpressed not to come to the conclusion of what Luke would want his kids to do.

Almost 20 books later, Picoult is still the master of making the reader think. It’s almost impossible to come away from one of her books not having learned something about yourself. While not my favorite Picoult, Lone Wolf is still tremendously worthwhile to read.

MY RATING – 4

This review can also be found on www.bookloons.com.