A Bittersweet Yet Rewarding Read
594463
Sadie and Nathan Hunt have always had the perfect marriage. Really, that's how people introduce them, and Sadie has always believed that they lived up to it. Until lately. Lately, Nathan isn't the husband that he's always been, and Sadie is left feeling alone and confused. When new neighbor Finn Cohen moves in, he and Sadie begin spending time together. A lot of time. Before long, Sadie is finding Nathan's distance a little more tolerable, but when lines begin to blur, deciding what matters most will take everything she has.

This book absolutely wrung me out. I mean, the emotions, people. It was like a roller coaster; you're hanging on for dear life, but can't stop the ride because it's that thrilling, that enthralling. That's what reading SLIP OF THE TONGUE was like for me.

I had read previous books by author Jessica Hawkins, and enjoyed them, so was really looking forward to this story. Forbidden romance, possible love triangle, what wasn't to like? Oh. My. Goodness, I am telling you, this book. I got immediately and completely sucked in, and believe me when I tell you that I read later than I have in forever just so that I could finish this book, because I could not put it down.

The characters are complex in SLIP OF THE TONGUE; Jessica has done a great job of creating a realistically possible situation, along with characters that seem more human and easier to relate to than not. There were elements that I liked and did not like in Sadie, Nathan, and Finn, things that made it understandable, though not acceptable, regarding the choices that they made. Some of my favorite characters were actually supporting ones, especially Sadie's boss, Amelia, and Sadie's brother, Andrew, and niece, Bell (she was hoot; she'll be kicking butt and taking names in a few years, bet on it).

SLIP OF THE TONGUE is a book that I had waited for with anticipation, and I can happily say that it does not disappoint. This book is an emotional, realistic, sometimes gritty read, and gets a solid 4.5 stars from me. I look forward to reading more from Jessica in the near future, and wouldn't mind seeing Andrew get his own story. Grab this one and read it. I feel certain that you will not regret it.
126013
Liz has captured our attention with this look into the past.  Not sure what to expect with each turning of the page, I found myself anxious to continue  reading to see where the story would take me next.  I enjoyed reading the book knowing there was a personal history attached to the story and the characters, and found particular interest in this look into the life of a ranch family during a time when that life was difficult at best.  This story is a bittersweet tale of relationships and love, and I found myself contemplating the story's lessons taught and learned long after the final page had been turned.
4067900
I am so grateful I stumbled upon this read.  After finishing The Sorrows of Young Mike, I sat in a daze for a period of time letting the story and my related emotions sink in.  Mike is a complex, yet relatable character.  His perception of the world mixed with his own personal struggle is at times troubling and hard to swallow, but for anyone who has traveled or been young and in love this story will feel sincere and oddly familiar.  I highly recommend this book!!  It will stick with you and remind you that the world is at times vast and terrifying, yet so unbelievably beautiful.
1526048
I bought this book because of an ad in the New Yorker and settled down to discover an author I hadn't read before.  I loved the descriptiveness of the prose, but I know people (e.g., Hemingway fans) who would be too impatient for this type of flowery writing.  As the story progressed, I found myself slowing down and relishing the literal and figurative play of light and darkness through post-war New York.  The end was profound for me, starting with a chance encounter with a Turkish physicist and suddenly I realized why light was the central metaphor of the book.  The ending left me both sad and elevated. The novel was well worth the careful reading and extra time and I will not soon forget it.
354773
Wonderfully written and told from the perspective of a grumpy old man who you will grow to love more and more throughout the book. The ending is bittersweet.
1912241
For the first half of the book it feels like you are reading three separate stories, but of course they all melt together for one sweet ending. The story is emotional, sweet, tragic, hopeful and hopeless. The three women are deeply hurt and angry which makes them interesting to befriend. The surprises held no surprise as I Had predicted the ending before the book was half finished. Despite this fact I enjoyed the book very much. I shed tears upon the resolution, even though I had guessed the ending. To me, this indicates that the author did a beautiful job of writing with feeling, heart and empathy.
4382608
This is an extraordinary memoir that touches a variety of emotions in the reader. The author loses his wife to a rare form of cancer and feels lost without her. He becomes something of a hermit until one day a little kitten named Coco enters his life and his compassionate nature requires him to keep him. This kitten helps him work through his grief and be able to move on with his life.

The next Kitty who comes into his life is human, and she eventually becomes his wife. Then they decide to get a companion for Coco, who is named PomPom, completing their family.

This book starts as a story of loss and hopelessness and ends as a story of love and hope. I highly recommend it as a quick feel good read.
4288720
I decided to read this book because it has received so many accolades.  During most of the time I was digesting the inner turmoil of the story's protagonist, I wondered what all of the hoopla was about - until I reached the last few pages.  The denouement of this short and gripping story makes the journey well worthwhile.  Tony Webster, the protagonist, is frequently told throughout the narrative: "You just don't get it."  It took this reader a while to "get it," but this touching tale of a long ago friendship and a broken romance takes an unlikely twist that sears the heart.  The author reminds us once again that things are not always as they appear to be.
3675215
Mr. McCourt wrote a wonderful book about a very sad subject. His autobiography of his younger life shows how hard he had to work to try to obtain the life most of us were given and take for granted.  The character development is spectacular. The story is sad, but is also triumphant as McCourt shows the loss of family members, the loss if his respect for other family members, and his struggle to save what little money he can for his journey back to America while trying to support his entire family on a meager income.

The story reads slow at times, but will retain a hold on your attention for the most part. I was shocked at how distant the writer made himself sound from the emotions he must have felt growing up.  I thought that this may have been an attempt to leave emotion out of the story, and that may have hurt my overall opinion of the novel a little, but all in all it still remains a well written and intriguing.
3432105
Although there are five stars sitting atop this review, Sycamore was a draining experience for me. By the end, I felt part of this book's community of characters and deeply missed one of them, Jess Winters. A deep sense of loss and sorrow runs through this book, and grief, drawn even more sharply by the moments of love and well being that contrast with it. It touched those places in me where I've made mistakes, where I will always miss lost friends and loves, where divorce has set me adrift. That's because it's a very well written book, and, being a big fan of Tony Earley, who teaches at Vanderbilt, I could hear his voice in its pages. At times, though, I wasn't sure where I was. Chancellor is fond of simply doing away with transitions in time and place and steering you into another landscape. Although I rejoiced when I remembered where I was meant to be, and I recalled characters and actions and places, it took a bit of effort to do so. As a result of this constant reviewing process, in the end I remembered everything and everybody, their emotional breakthroughs and sorrows, their dreams and their shame, and my reading experience was full and complete. I'm very surprised that this book hasn't shown up on any annual list of best fiction in 2017. It deserves to be there. Perhaps critics have dismissed it as chick lit or as too overwrought. I beg to differ. It holds together just fine, and its premises are authentic, its characters real. If you want to read something of substance, pick this one up. Get ready to feel what real life is like.
4031314
Here I sit with tears in my eyes, having just finished Sheila. Maybe because I've so recently felt the nearness of old age, maybe because I've had so many dear pets, I am deeply affected by this tale.

The story is so well wrought - all the details that describe a loving family life; the sons, adults now, cold and practical; the clarity of the old man's mind and his respect for the law.  All these details draw the reader in, and lead inexorably to the surprising ending.

A wonderful read indeed! I look forward to seeing more stories from Rebecca Wright.
1270154
The Sea of Tranquility was a heart wrenching, bitter-sweet story that stayed with me long after I finished reading.

Nastya and Josh both have pasts that are marred by trauma and they are still broken as a result. Nastya can't bear being around her family at the moment, so she moves two hours away to live with her aunt and start her senior year, where no one knows her. On her first day, she spots Josh sitting alone in a crowded lunch area. It reminds her of someone with a force field keeping people away. But that's the way Josh likes it. And Nastya soon finds herself spending her lunch hour hiding away in the bathroom. But they seem to constantly get thrown together, until they reach a stage where Nastya can't seem to stay away from Josh and he can't seem to make her.

Nastya, Josh and Josh's unlikely best friend, Drew, are the main characters here, with the book being written from the POV of both Nastya and Josh. Nastya has had something really bad happen to her and is still dealing with it on a daily basis, and she doesn't speak. She doesn't want to act like herself as she feels that the real her, died three years ago, so she has created a new persona for herself. Josh has lived through his own personal hell and now, everyone just leaves him to himself. And he likes it this way. Things happen to the people he gets close to. And Drew, the manwhore, always trying to get into the girls panties and dumping them afterwards. Himself and Nastya build an interesting relationship, to say the least. No love triangle though.

While contemporary fiction is not my first love, this book just captured me with no release until I'd read the last line, and not even then. This book still invaded my thoughts for days afterwards. And with parts that made me want to cry, there were also times when I couldn't keep the smile from my face. Especially the last line. I closed the curtains on this book with an enormous grin.

This review has been a long time coming as I read this book back in December, but writing this review, I want to read it again right now. One you should definitely pick up.
2142744
This is one of those rare books I couldn't wait to get back to each time I had to take a break from reading. Jeanie Arthur is a proud woman who has been forced to abandon a successful and comfortable life in Des Moines to start over in the Dakotas. Unfortunately, her husband Frank is more of a dreamer than a doer and Jeanie's frustrations mount as he repeatedly fails to be the reliable foundation that she so much needs in an unforgiving environment. The tragedies that afflict this family are palpable and time and again Jeanie's intuition reveals what her logic defies.

The characters are vividly drawn, each in their own way. Even as Jeanie struggles with the circumstances that befall them, it's easy to understand the conflict she feels: wanting to keep her family together despite Frank's shortcomings.

The Last Letter is about far more than pioneers hewing a life out of a savage land; it is about weighing mores against the yearnings of the heart, about enduring against relentless tragedy, and about pride vs. truth. This is one of the most compelling historicals I've read in quite some time. I won't soon forget it.
1002725
THE NIGHT CHILD is an unforgettable emotional read that hooked me from the very first paragraph and pulled me all the way through the needle of the final page. Written with haunting lyricism, this story mirrors the mind of a psychologist, the heart of a mother, and the soul of a poet. Quinn has a penchant for simile and metaphor that is notable while not distracting. From a writer's perspective, I found myself re-reading specific lines, marveling at several descriptions that are so perfect I couldn't help but feel a little envious. As a reader, the story swept me away, stole my undivided attention, and left me feeling deeply satisfied.

This is not an easy read. Nor should it be. The protagonist Nora, a high school English teacher, feels herself fracturing at the seams of an otherwise-normal life when she experiences visions and voices. With the help of her psychiatrist, Nora tumbles, often unwillingly, down a path that leads to devastating memories of abuse. With the help of her alter-ego (a child named Margaret) Nora makes a choice to reclaim her lost self and become the champion of her present life.

I loved the ending. I'm not one for stories wrapped in a sweet pink bow. I like when the author trusts her reader to sit with imagination and possibility. I, for one, am still imagining all the different futures for Nora, for her daughter Fiona, and for all the children who've suffered at the hands of their abusers
185359
In this touching book of prose, the author has a way of quickly engaging the reader in the lives of the characters. Each story, through writing that is clear and compelling, brings to life a different aspect of family dynamics, relationships, or basic living.

It is refreshing to see an author able to use words to create such vivid imagery. The lives of the characters became real to me. The feelings evoked in the poetry stayed with me, giving me something to think about, long after the last page was turned. This is a book to cherish, to hold onto, to re-read again and again.
1021523
This was one of the best yet bittersweet books I have ever read.  I fell in love with the characters and cheered them on as well as grieved with them .  Some stories have to be told this is one of them.
31838
A divorced couple, both in their forties, dealing with the loss of their 11-year-old son. Before he died, he became friends with a 104-year-old woman, Ona Vitkus. Afterwards, the parents and Ona are drawn together because of the boy. All three of them are engaging, but it was especially a pleasure to read about a very old woman who's still mentally strong, who thinks and feels deeply, and who dispenses hard-earned grace to the younger people who unwittingly look to her for comfort. The story portrays the parents moving beyond grief, but this beautifully written book is far broader than that. Ona in particular has such a rich history, yet she was strangely passive in her own life until something happens to shake her out of it, at an age when she was far from young. All three of the characters demonstrate my belief that, as long as we're alive and thinking, we can grow. It's a hopeful book, but I cried at the end, because it was so beautifully written I almost hated to lose these characters. Well done.