Jeanne Blasberg is a novelist, travel writer, and adventurer. She is a voracious reader and regularly reviews books on her blog, Goodreads, BookBub, LibraryThing, and Amazon.
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
What beautiful language and innovative structure. Red At The Bone and specifically the character of Iris was illuminating and thought provoking. This was a short read chock full of poetic language. A huge fan of books about the cycles of motherhood and sacrifice, I truly enjoyed this fresh point of view. I highly recommend- a timeless tale yet deeply rooted in these times.
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
This family saga is all encompassing – the trials of marriage, bearing children, and sisterhood with a special twist added in for good measure. As I listened to the pages of this book, I became completely wrapped up in the dynamic of the Sorensen family. The structure of the novel is especially interesting with chapters narrated out of chronological order. The gradual reveal of information added a great deal to the suspense of the story and each character’s development. Having no sisters of my own, it was a compelling peek into a family with four daughters!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I really liked the voice and pace of this novel. I enjoyed the premise as well. Reid writes Hollywood well – I was curious about this novel after having enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six! It is a great portrayal of the price of fame, and also the rendering of a character who chooses fame over much else. The novel was structured well, and I admired the author’s technique as much as I did her writing. You are told there is going to be a big payout early on and then read like heck to get there. It delivers!
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
Olive Again is a wonderful collection of independent chapters continuing in the vein of Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kittredge. As Olive ages, remarries, and navigates grand-motherhood, her cutting and wry observations are portrayed in her own voice as well as through the point of view of others. Her aging seems to come with a stripping away of possessions and relationships. Although she suffers no fools, she is refreshingly accepting of others as well as the changes to her own life. Her lack of filter is refreshing in a world where everyone checks what they say aloud. This book is wonderful in its pared down prose, and its elevation of the mundane business of living and loving.
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur
Wild Game is a memoir that dissects an especially complicated bond between a mother and daughter. Adrienne Brodeur’s mother violated acceptable boundaries when she made 14 year old Adrienne her confidante and accomplice to her illicit affair. Desperate for her mother’s love and approval, even to cut her brother out, Adrienne played this role for a decade. The story continues to shock as Adrienne marries her mother’s lover’s son. Set against the backdrop of Orleans on Cape Cod, Adrienne longed for a landscape the way she longed for familial love. In addition , family heirlooms become a stand in for love and devotion. It is a very sad story about the way victims of emotional abuse not only defend their abusers, but replicate bad behavior. In telling this story, Brodeur aims to break the cycle. I enjoyed the writing and language even as I cringed. I calculated that I am the same age as the author and as the only child of a narcissistic, promiscuous mother I felt extreme compassion for the author as I devoured this book.
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
This rom-com was fresh and fun to read. I’ve been looking forward to digging in ever since hearing Linda Holmes speak about her debut in June. Indeed, the characters are original and nothing was formulaic. The setting is painted as relaxing, a destination for a star Yankee pitcher to get his head together. Well, the book had the same effect on me, spending time in Maine with Evvie and Dean made it hard to put this book down and had me looking forward to more. Evvie had many men in love with her, but not your typical Cinderella story.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Dutch House is a beautifully structured novel about a brother and sister who live in their memories as much as in the present moment. I was enraptured by the language and by the characters as well. There are ghosts in all of our lives, but witnessing Danny and Maeve negotiate with theirs was magical… and for their reappearance in adult life – offering an opportunity to reconcile and forgive – magical!
I picked up this book because of the campus novel aspect, a genre I am invested in! The work is unique and experimental, reminiscent of the MFA program that is described within it. The whole work has a very Alice fell down the rabbit hole quality – as in a wonder where the main character was hallucinating or whether the entire novel was a metaphor for the artistic birth she was experiencing. Female relationships – both with haters, and with a lover is at the center of the work. This novel really got me thinking!!
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Listening to the author narrate this work is like listening to a 7 hour long poem. What beautiful, evocative language. I was in a trance. Not only is this a beautifully wrought narrative, it is an important and timely letter from a son to his mother and an enlightening glimpse into an underrepresented population. I highly recommend!
Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Loved this book in its fun beginning and extremely profound ending – it’s an amazing explanation of the predicament we find ourselves in, with all of our choices and ambition and the pulls on our being. What’s more, the narrative structure was so clever and the writing so smart. I highly recommend.
Bunny by Mona Awad