The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende has written a beautiful love story in her novel The Japanese Lover.  This book is not a "typical" love story in that the main character, Alma, is not typical in any way.  Sent to live with an American relative when the Nazis were threatening Poland, Alma became a strong female who was not romantic in her views of people overall.  She was determined to be self sufficient and dependent on no one.  Alma did, however, fall deeply in love with Ichimei Fukuda, the son of the gardener on her uncle's estate.  Theirs was a love that transcended time, social morays and family connections.  This clandestine love affair is nestled into the story of Alma and her grandson, Seth, and his quest for the love of his life, Irina the sweet girl who has suffered an abusive step father.  Irina is afraid to let herself feel strong emotions.  This fear is counterpoised against Alma's fierce love and belief that love will win out.  Allende has created a wonderful tale that opens up the many facets of "love" in any person's life.  We readers are taken on this splendid journey with fingers crossed hoping that all the characters find true happiness and their true soul mate.

The Sound of Glass by Karen White

Some mysteries take years to be solved and that is the case with Karen White's novel, The Sound of Glass.  A plane crash in a small southern town sets into motion a series of unlikely events that intertwine the lives of two families.  Through the use of flashbacks, White let's us see the dysfunction of these two families.  With subtle, disguised references to now dead men and women we are led down a path to discovery.  We slowly come to realize that  both families had long histories of abuse and cover up.  Both families were plagued by fierce feelings of a need for revenge and justice.  And both families sadly, had made misguided attempts at helping the victims of abuse.  The characters in this novel were well defined and the story revealed itself at a pace that was easy to follow thus satisfying readers.  In the end, good wins and isn't that what we need sometimes in a good read?

Circling the Sun by Paula McClain

Paula McClain's novel, Circling the Sun, is a retelling of the life story of Beryl Markham, a record setting aviator in the 1930's.  Markham was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from Europe to America.  Her life story, however, is about much more than her flying exploits.  This extraordinary woman was raised in Kenya from the age of four.  Her father was a horse trainer and adventurer.  Her mother was not cut from the same cloth, and so she left Beryl and her father to fend for themselves after little more than a year in Africa.  The results of this unexpected abandonment changed or perhaps more likely, revealed the indomitable spirit of Beryl.  Throughout her entire life, she seemed to be willing to challenge any obstacle whether cultural or societal with little or no fear of the outcome.  Because of her determination she became the first licensed woman horse trainer in Africa  She also ensconced herself with the upper crust British colonials and consequently, she lived their sometimes amoral life.  The wealthy Brits and transplanted expats seemed to live above any prescribed rules or morays that would have been deemed necessary back in their homelands.  Infidelity was a sport it seemed.  Gossip was a conduit for entertainment.  Using the wealthy to support less than seemly lifestyles was the norm and all of this was done with the unwritten agreement that everyone would pretend it was not happening.  Beryl played this game when it suited her, but more often than not, she balked and went her own way.  Markham was a unique and independent and determined to live life as she saw fit.  She trained herself to be strong and fierce and able to handle anything life threw at her.  It is difficult to think of Beryl Markham as a woman who is warm  or accepting, but she is certainly one who is admired.  This is powerfully written historical fiction novel that reveals the extraordinary life and adventurers of a remarkable woman.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

     There are some characters from novels that become so real you feel you have known them your whole life.  The main character of Fredrick Backman's book, A Man Called Ove is just such a character.  He is the grouchy neighbor we all may have had; he is the social misfit who always seems to be scowling at people around him; he is your father, your brother or your husband.  Ove was a man who saw only black and white, right and wrong.  His life was orderly and controlled until his wife, Sonya, died and then he felt he had nothing to live for.  Suicide seemed the only alternative to the pain of continuing to breathe without her by his side.  Unfortunately, Ove was constantly thwarted by the people who insinuated themselves into his "life."  First, it was the pregnant woman with the totally inept husband and two daughters.  Then it was the delivery boy who had been one of Sonya's "lost" students at the special needs school.  Add to these a "bent" (gay) friend of this boy and the obese fellow who happened to live next door.  Backman created a motley, needy group of people who barge in on Ove and his many attempts to "end it all," but they are all so "real" and loveable.  Eventually, we see that Ove is not the curmudgeon he seems to be and that he is in fact, a man who loves deeply and protects everyone who he calls his own.  I really believed in this character with all his warts.  He made me laugh and cry but mostly he made me feel "safe."  It is nice to know that there are people who will stand firm, who will go the extra mile and who will be in your corner no matter how difficult it may be.  Ove was such a man.  He was dependable and strong and faithful to a fault and isn't that what we all want in the end? Ove was a man I would have been happy to call my friend.

The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar

Thrity Umrigar in her book, The Story Hour, tells the story of two women whose paths cross in the most unusual way.  Lakshmi, an Indian immigrant trapped in a loveless marriage to a cruel man, comes to meet Maggie, a hospital psychologist,  when she tries to commit suicide.  Doctor and patient soon develop a relationship.  It is not a friendship per se, but it is pivotal to both their lives. Both women suffer from extreme loneliness. Lakshmi was forced to leave her family in India; Maggie lost her mother to cancer and her father because he could not live up to her needs.  In the beginning of this relationship it is Maggie who leads Lakshmi toward independence and self esteem, but as the story progresses the roles seem to switch.  Maggie's insecurities and flaws cause her to tear apart her own family.  It is Lakshmi who then comes in to help repair the damage.  Umrigar uses the one hour therapy sessions, the story hour, to unveil these interesting and touching women.  We come to know them in this intimate setting and we quickly see they are just like all of us "more than our ... sin."  The lesson we learn is that we all are worthy of the hope we have in each other and of a better, happier future.

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright is a story of second chances.  Set in the most deplorable location, the story unfolds in the largest municipal dump in Cambodia where hundreds of people live and work scratching through the garbage looking for anything they can recycle and sell.  It is a day to day existence with peril at every turn from giant bull dozers to fire.  The story revolves around two women who begin their journey together in a most unexpected way.  Sang Ly has to confess to the ill tempered, alcoholic rent collector, Sopeap, that she does not have money for this month's rent because she had to take her chronically ill baby for expensive medicine.  It is only by sheer coincidence that this vile woman happen so see a book that Sang Ly's husband has brought home from the dump.  Sopeap reveals that she is more than an illiterate drunk; she can read and Sang Ly bargains with her for the book -- teach me to read.  And, of course, learning to read leads to discussions of literature and this changes everything.  The women work together to reach renewal and redemption.   The works of literature they study together range from Cinderella to Moby Dick but all lead to an important life lesson.  "Stories that change your nature, stories that cause you to become a better person from their telling--these stories always contain truth."  This was a life affirming, uplifting allegory of all our lives.  You will come away feeling amazed at the magic revealed through the works of a story.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Sometimes the best books are found when we look to the past.  Classics are so named because they stand the test of time.  In Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca we find such a treasure.  The fact that this book has never gone out of print since it was first published in 1938 reinforces its proper placement on any list of classics. Rebecca, according to Du Maurier, is a gothic novel even though reviewers have insisted on describing it as a romance.  As a gothic novel, the setting becomes just as important as the characters or plot and this is certainly clear in that this story is driven by the central importance of the English estate on which it is set, Manderley.  The great Cornwall estate presents a brooding, secretive, dark backdrop to the action; it seems that the castle-like house and the extensive grounds that surround it control all the main characters. For example, the grounds of the estate play into the suspense as seen in the narrator's descriptions of the azaleas as being "blood red" and monstrous and the trees that line the drive as forbidding and encroaching as if they are trying to trap anyone who dares to enter.  The narrator, the second wife of Maxim de Winter, is fearful and unsure in this place that she feels she is so unfit to live.  So, the setting is a wonderful enhancement to the mystery that unfolds.  The plot centers around the death of the first Mrs. de Winters, Rebecca, who we find did not die accidentally but was indeed murdered.  We find that Maxim was not the heartbroken husband who had lost the love of his life, but was instead a man who hated his first wife with a deep and dark anger.  We find also that the remaining characters, especially Mrs. Danvers the house manager and Rebecca's personal maid, have never really let Rebecca go but have instead kept Manderley just as if she might walk back in from the beach cottage, her sanctuary.  This is twisted, tormented, dark novel.  It could very well be described as the original Gone Girl.  It is a classic and wonderfully intense and brooding.  Read and enjoy!