New Author Alert - Laura Lee Smith

A new year of great reading is ahead and I can't wait to dig in. I've begun physical therapy for my broken shoulder - those of you who've been following me know all about that saga - and I have a feeling that I'll be back in full form by the end of the month. With my down time I've been continuing my never ending search for new Florida writers whose books I can tout on my radio review program (http://news.wgcu.org/programs/florida-book-page) and I'm pleased to say that I found a gem in Laura Lee Smith (https://lauraleesmith.com/)

When I saw that one of my all time favorite authors, Richard Russo, had written a blurb for her debut novel, "Heart of Palm," I knew that I was in. And what I love about Russo is the same thing that attracts me to Smith. She has a kind and forgiving heart, something we see too little of these days. Many of the characters Smith creates are deeply damaged, some may be beyond redemption, but she gives them second, third, and fourth chances and, as we get to know and understand them, so do we.

"Heart of Palm" opens with a tragedy that sets the tone for this 400 plus page family saga. Life rarely plays out the way we imagine it will and for the sprawling, brawling Bravo family, life made no exceptions. Bad boy Dean Bravo may capture the heart of St. Augustine's golden girl, Arla Bolton, but the guilt that he carries after disfiguring his beautiful, perfect wife in a boating accident on their honeymoon, informs the next four decades. In fact, as Arla's strength and acceptance of her fate blossoms, Dean's sense of self seems to diminish. 

Though they'll raise four children in the rambling Bravo family homestead that sits on a glorious piece of Florida land hugging the inter-coastal waterway, secrets, lies, and plain old stubbornness will take their toll on the Bravos' marriage. Alcoholism plays a major roll in the unraveling of the family, so if your own life has been affected by this disease, you may find Smith's book to be an especially difficult read.

Still, the dialog is simply outstanding and there isn't one peripheral character in the entire novel. A few readers have faulted Smith for stereotyping certain Florida denizens but, for me, the big shot developer swanning in from out of town in his Mercedes, the pushy local realtor just trying to catch a break, or the impatient, overworked waitress at the local coffee shop are all just pitch perfect.

If you're looking for a book with an authentic sense of place and characters that you could throttle one minute and hug the next, if you're a fan of Pat Conroy or Richard Russo, then give this debut novel a go. If you're as enamored as I was then you can move on to Smith's new book, "The Ice House," which just came out. I'm halfway through and will let you know.

My Favorites of 2017, Part 2

The novels that I review for Library Journal are normally in the genre of International Fiction. These are wonderful, unusual books from African, Iranian, French, maybe Pakistani or Turkish writers who are not that well known to Americans and will likely never make the New York Times Best Sellers List. What a shame. We miss so much by not familiarizing ourselves with these award-winning authors. A couple of these titles really stood out for me this year:

★ 02/15/2017
On the day of his death, Massud awoke to the muezzin's call to prayer and the smell of baking bread, a fragrance, he had read, that instills kindness in human beings. There are many acts of generosity in this exquisite novel, though they are equaled by the treachery and corruption common to this Punjab region of northern Pakistan, where Muslims and Christians live warily side by side. Massud's grieving widow, Nargis, refuses to accept blood money from the state in exchange for her absolution of the American who shot her husband, causing the authorities to investigate this difficult woman, who may be harboring a blasphemous secret. Her intransigence draws adverse scrutiny to the Christian family who lives next door, a young woman named Helen and her widowed father, Lily, who is in a forbidden relationship with the imam's daughter. Through the reminiscences of each of these deeply sympathetic characters, Aslam (The Blind Man's Garden; The Wasted Vigil) elucidates the history of occupation and division that has influenced Pakistan's current climate of religious intolerance. VERDICT Man Booker Prize long-listed and Dublin short-listed Aslam uses lush, sensuous prose to create beauty from ugliness, calm from chaos, and love from hatred, offering hope to believers and nonbelievers alike. This thoughtful, thought-provoking read will enthrall lovers of international fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 10/17/16.]—Sally Bissell, formerly with Lee Cty. Lib. Syst., Fort Myers, FL

 
★ 04/15/2017
At Laguna Prep, CA, all the kids seem to have money, cars, pools, and parents who don't seem to care what their offspring are up to. All except Rez (Alireza) Coudree, whose Iranian-born father has a low boiling point and a swift hand for his only son. Rez's perfect grades drop as he seeks to assimilate by experimenting with weed, hooking up for casual sex, and becoming addicted to surfing. An illicit road trip to Mexico results in a crime that drives a wedge between Rez and his all-American buddies, and he soon settles back into his studies, winning parent-pleasing awards and hanging out with guys named Arash or Omid. Rez soon falls for Fatima Hassani, ventures into a mosque, and gradually discovers the joy that comes from finding your tribe. Then bombs explode at the Boston Marathon. Suspense builds as microaggressions turn friend on friend, loyalties between country and culture tug at hearts, and the seeds of radicalism are sown. VERDICT Brilliantly channeling the minds of angst-filled teenagers with barely formed worldviews who seesaw between brash self-confidence and deflating insecurities, Whiting and Pushcart Prize winner Khadivi (The Walking) has written an important, smart, timely novel that rivals such standouts as Karan Mahajan's The Association of Small Bombs or Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist. [See Prepub Alert, 12/5/16.]—Sally Bissell, formerly with Lee Cty. Lib. Syst., Fort Myers, FL

Library Journal

 

http://bit.ly/2uT2bZH

 

Ko's gorgeous book about the immigrant experience knocked me out. A debut, it was nominated for the National Book Award and won the Pen/Bellweather Award for socially engaged fiction. And then there was Eleanor Henderson's novel which delved into the horrors of the African American experience right here at home.

 

 

 

 

 



http://bit.ly/2lp596t





And, as promised, still my favorite novel of this year and one that shockingly didn't seem to end up on any other "best of" lists that I could find, is from another debut author, Cherise Wolas.


       http://bit.ly/2lmDsuX

Thank you so much to all of you who read, make and take suggestions, and spread the word about good books. I wish every one of you a healthy, satisfying new year and remember, if the world is too much with you, just pop your nose into a book. Don't forget to tell me what you're reading.

 

 

My Favorites List for 2017, Part 1

When I woke up this morning I thought I was quoting Shakespeare when I turned to Don and said, "The world is too much with us." Turns out, it was Wordsworth who deserves the honors and, if he was alive today he would double down on that sentiment I'm sure. 2017 has not been a year I'd want to repeat. In fact, more than ever, I just want to hide my face in literature and leave the news of the world behind. But that isn't fair, is it? If we turn our heads away from the steady disintegration of civility in our country, beginning with our nominal head of state, then we are responsible in some indirect way for perpetuating it.

It seems that I have given an inordinate amount of time to the news media this year. I've only managed to read one hundred books in 2017, the lowest number since my retirement. The good news is that there are way more than ten titles that could make my top ten list, including novels that I've read for the second time. ("Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi for one) But, I have to draw the line somewhere so, in no particular order, I'll share the first five today:

In memoir, I was blown away by Connie May Fowler, Bruce Springsteen, and Joyce Maynard.


http://bit.ly/2Dxo6dw






http://bit.ly/2lksTby







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And then there are the oh, so difficult reads that introduce us to characters we are never going to forget. Two such novels that will wrench your guts came from Jesmyn Ward and Hanya Yanagihara:

http://bit.ly/2loFDgG

 

 

http://bit.ly/2C7Frxs

 

 



And in deference to my healing arm, I will continue my favorites list tomorrow. Happy reading!

I'm Back with a Beauty of a Novel by Mark Helprin

Four and a half weeks have gone by in a split second. I find that, as my shoulder continues to heal, I can now use my right hand for brief periods if I'm careful. I was planning to share my top ten list for 2017 today. Until, that is, I discovered Mark Helprin. I just had to give this glorious book, "Paris in the Present Tense," the full treatment.

I'm quite sure that my friend Andrea Carter recommended one of his novels to me several years ago, either "Winter's Tale," or "In Sunlight and in Shadow." I regret not having gotten to either of them yet. Helprin has such a lush, lyrical style of writing that it's a perfect fit for a love story set in Paris. And, no, this is not your typical love story but rather a lengthy ode to joy, the joy of living a full life, of appreciation for the smallest pleasures and the greatest of beauties, and of course, it is a book about loss.

Jules Lacour may now be one of the most fully realized literary figures that I've met this year. I love and admire him. A seventy-four year man, a cellist, a teacher at the Sorbonne, and a composer, Jules is a man devoted to his wife though she's long dead of cancer, his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson Luc. Jules is a creature of habit. His grueling exercise regime keeps him fit, a responsibility to his progeny that he takes very seriously.

A Jew who doesn't believe in God, Jules was born in an attic over a bakery in Reims where he and his parents hid from the Germans for four years. This fact and what happened to them even as the city was being liberated informed Jules' life. He wanted little, aimed less for wealth and fame than for satisfaction and the ineffable quality of the deep love he found with his wife Jacqueline.

But suddenly Jules finds that he needs money, more money than he has ever dreamed of earning, and he suffers the guilt of a man who realizes that his choice of a life of happiness over one of greedy accrual has left his family vulnerable. Now he must devise a way, by any means necessary, to provide a legacy that will enable his daughter to travel the world in search of the best medical care for little Luc.

Helprin's narrative flows like a piece of music. Just as Jules' very being thrums with notes, so the novel moves, adagio then allegro, then back again in a pleasing rhythm of gorgeous sentences and visual set pieces.  Unexpectedly there is a violent murder that reveals the politics of present tense France.  Fear of Muslim immigration rears its ugly head, as does the new wave of anti-Semitism plaguing Paris and other major cities around the world. And still, profound acts of love prevail.

All I have to decide now is whose book gets bumped from my top ten list so that Helprin's can be added. This novel would lend itself to a nuanced, complex book discussion.

On Hiatus

A week ago I did that thing we all, at a certain age, fear more than anything. I fell at home and broke my shoulder.  this is what good luck looks like, a clean break that should heal on its own if I can just be patient, be still in my sophisticated sling, and learn to accept help. So, I will be reading a LOT but writing little until I can use my right hand again. Bear with me, I'll be back.

2 recommendations for this week:

The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy and

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones