I just returned from a FABULOUS way too short vacation to Cabo San Lucas . (Hope you read my post about it… http://www.greatthoughts.com/2011/01/the-butler-the-telescope-and-the-whales-aka-my-15th-anniversary-trip/.html/ And, you know me, I had to take good books with me.
On the plane, I completed an about to be released book, The Violets of March by Sarah Jio. Thanks so much to Ms. Jio for sending me the book to review. This author is a health and fitness blogger at Glamour.com so she clearly knows how to appeal to women readers.
The story in a nutshell- the main character, a writer, goes through a bad divorce in New York City and takes refuge with her elderly aunt in Bainbridge Island, a place she vacationed often as a child. Parts of the book are a bit fairytale like- for instance, she is there to recover from a divorce and immediately starts dating not one but two fabulous gentlemen on the island. (Go girl!) But, like all well educated women, I am a sucker for a good beach romance!
She discovers an old diary in her aunt’s home and through reading it, learns quite the secret. At first, I thought this book was too chick lit for me but THEN, the diary and ensuing story totally capture the reader and I was anxious to see the conclusion. Overall, this is a good read which will appeal great to fans of romantic fiction. My favorite quotes in this book-
“My muse had taken ill, and her prognosis didn’t look good.”
I also read Bread Givers: A Novel by Anzia Yezierska. I LOVE that this book was written 75 years ago and still had me hooked from the very beginning. It is the story of Polish Jewish immigrants in New York City. Basically, Sara Smolinksy rebels against her Orthodox rabbi father (quite the character) to define her own role as daughter, puts herself through school and creates who she wants to be. She does this after watching her unhappy older sisters follow their parent’s guidance. I have no idea why I didn’t find this book sooner but I’m glad I read it and highly recommend it.
Finally, I read The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall, the prequel to two of my favorite books of 2009, The Russian Concubine and The Girl from Junchow. (My 2009 post about these books http://www.greatthoughts.com/2009/12/top-books-of-2009/.html/ While it took me a bit to remember the characters (this was my first prequel), I enjoyed the book. It is a light read and was perfect for the beach. A few quotes:
“Too much testosterone.” “What’s that?” “It’s what men use instead of perfume.”
“a man who can read is a man who can rule the world.”
What are you reading and where are you going?
So glad you enjoyed the Violets! I can’t wait to read it! XOX
thanks for bringing my attention to The Bread Givers – I am hosting The Immigrant Stories Challenge and this book sounds like it would be perfect for it! I will add it to the list of suggested books for the challenge.
[...] Here is my review of The Violets of March. [...]
Your Comments-its very nice