A Flurry of Reviews

Greetings. I hope everyone is enjoying their fall … or early winter as some might have it. We received several inches of snow on Tuesday, which made walking our Labrador (my trusty book assistant) very pretty and serene on Wednesday. We had the trails by the river all to ourselves and the sun was out and the snow bright and fluffy. Little ice crystals latched onto the tree limbs and fell from the air at times in the nippy 15F degree weather.

It’s often that winter days have the prettiest walks, but you just have to dress right for them. I usually walk Stella an hour each morning, year-around — no temperature is too cold for her — and I try my best to accommodate, which is pretty good for a California-raised girl based in Canada. And now I’ll leave you with reviews of several books I recently completed. 

The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir by Samantha Power (2019) / via hardback print copy, 552 pages

I’m a bit of a sucker for books by staffers from the former Obama administration and Samantha Power’s new memoir was almost as good for me as Michelle Obama’s book earlier in the year. Power as you might recall was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during President Obama’s second term and also won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for her nonfiction book: “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide.” Other than that, I knew practically nothing about her before reading this memoir. 

Background: The book picks up with the author’s youth in Ireland and how her parents divorced and her mother (a medical doctor) moved with Samantha and her brother to the United States when she was 9, first to Pittsburgh a few years then to Atlanta. Her parent’s divorce and her father’s subsequent decline hit Samantha hard, but she excelled at sports and school and eventually got into Yale, where she became interested in journalism and foreign affairs.

She was so taken with both that she moved to Bosnia during the war there and became a freelance reporter for various publications, while becoming hooked with wanting to do more for human rights. She went on to get a law degree at Harvard and the rest is sort of history. She wrote her book about the Rwandan genocide and later met Obama in 2005 and started working for him while he was in the Senate, then during his presidential campaign, and on his National Security Council, and finally at the U.N. 

My Thoughts: What made this an interesting read was the behind-the-scenes views of her personal and work lives … about how this Irish immigrant girl from a broken family rose to become such a voice and activist on human rights and the U.S.’s top U.N. Ambassador as well as one of Obama’s key advisors. She seems to be quite candid about her fears, struggles, and thoughts along the way — and I felt it wasn’t just PR fluff about her life and work in the administration but that she reveals much more, which made it enticing.

The memoir’s first half (of her early days & personal life of her family, school, ambitions, friends, and meeting her husband etc.) seemed to read quickly, and the last half delves into chapters of crises she faced in her government roles (such as on Libya, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Ebola) that weighed it down a bit more, but was quite informational. I felt a kinship with her on policy and ideology so that made it appealing.

All in all, I found the author to be thoughtful, humane, modest, candid, and caring throughout the book. Though it was long, I made it through and found it quite a worthy read. In it, she makes a strong case that an individual can make a difference … in the face of overwhelming odds and obstacles. It’s quite evident in reading her book: just how hard and many hours a day she worked on behalf of humanity and democracy — and for that, I wish Samantha Power was still at the U.N. 

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (2019) / via audiobook read by Kathy Keane

This is a bit of a heartwarming story about two married couples (Charles & Lily, and James & Nan) whose men come to co-pastor at the same church in NYC starting in 1963 for a couple decades. Their wives differ, Nan is religious and from a wealthy family, while Lily is orphaned at a young age and is not religious. The story grapples over the two couples faith, as well as the afflictions that are not trivial that hit their families over the years. (I will refrain from telling you what they are.) 

It starts a bit slow in Part 1 then moves a bit better in Parts 2 and 3 as things in their families come to pass. Quite a bit of the story had a 1950s and early ’60s feel to me and I wondered at times if in general it was a bit too wholesome and a tad saccharine. Still listening to it as an audiobook — the narration of their lives felt quite soothing. I can’t even explain it. These people did seem real to me and I felt like I came to know them — so I was a bit sad by the end to see them go. 

The story does switch between the four main characters at times quickly (a small criticism), and there is quite a bit about faith and God in it, but you don’t really have to be religious to partake or like the novel. There are some thoughtful passages just about human existence and struggle and despair in it. Ultimately it’s about family, friends, and communities and how people come together and help each other out in their daily lives over many decades, so I liked its overall theme.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959) / via e-book 

I was looking for a spooky story to read right before Halloween …. and this slim novel fit the bill quite well. When paranormal scholar Dr. Montague invites some guest researchers to stay at the presumed haunted mansion Hill House — he doesn’t know who he will get … but a shy, lonely girl named Eleanore Vance, who’s done nothing but care for her disabled mother for many years, and Theodora, a bohemian girl, answer his call … along with Luke, who one day hopes to inherit the mansion from his family. Eleanore is the main character and you root for her despite her being sort of out of it from being a recluse most of her life. 

All is quiet for awhile until a few nights in when disturbances inside Hill House start to take place and the four are frightened to their core. It’s a short novel that has plenty of atmosphere and eeriness and I didn’t exactly know what would happen — it kept me off-balance — though I knew wherever it was going likely wouldn’t be good. Hill House had me in its clutches, fearing its many nooks and corridors, and I probably won’t forget poor Eleanore Vance anytime soon. Ps. I have not seen the Netflix TV series that is loosely based on this novel, have you?

The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill (2017) / via audiobook read by Julia Whelan

This is the second novel I’ve read by Canadian author Heather O’Neill and one that Judy over at Keeping the Wisdom wrote about quite favorably just last month, so I had to investigate. It was also named one of the best novels of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews among a few other places.

It turns out the novel is an epic and lengthy love story about two talented orphans (Rose & Pierrot) who share their 1920s youths in Montreal together and become musical performers, then get separated for many years during the Great Depression … and what happens to their lives after they reconnect.

It’s a pretty gritty, grim tale as Rose and Pierrot’s impoverished orphan lives make them vulnerable to the bleak underworld of 1930s Montreal. Along the way, they endure a slew of harsh things to survive such as abuse, prostitution, addiction, and crime. The story is sexually explicit in places so readers should be forewarned. Yet the characters have a dignity and soul about them that makes you keep on following attentively. There is also some lively storytelling along the way about their love for one another and living on extreme edges …. I’ll call it a tale of Dr. Zhivago for destitute orphans who become mixed up in underworld life. 

I ended up liking Pierrot but Rose becomes pretty hardened and transformed by her circumstances. You root for them …. but sometimes you can never fully leave what shapes your life behind. It’s tragic and sad in that way.

That’s all for now. What about you have you read any of these books or authors?  And if so, what did you think? 

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23 Responses to A Flurry of Reviews

  1. Judy Krueger says:

    Your writing about the walk in the snowy world reminded me of our time at Lassen. Snow falling off branches is so entrancing! You have got me very interested in reading Samantha Powers’s book. Thanks for the shout-out re The Lonely Hearts Hotel. Did you find it too dark? Hill House was my least favorite of Jackson’s books but it still gave me the creeps. My favorites were Hangsaman and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, in case you want to read more.

    • Susan says:

      Hey Judy, it’s good to know your picks of Shirley Jackson’s books — I will likely pick up another next year. I first read as a kid in school her short story The Lottery … which scared me a lot, ha. I guess Lonely Hearts novel maybe was too dark for me — it surely didn’t sugarcoat anything. O’Neill’s other novel was a bit like that too — showing the grittier sides of Montreal, so I should have been ready but it kept going down the rabbit hole. You’d probably like the Samantha Power’s book … and I must get to Lassen sometime. Since my husband is a geologist /engineer, I’m sure he’d be interested in it.

  2. Brian Joseph says:

    Dogs and snow are a great combination. With that, I am hoping for a mild winter here in New York.

    I have been read The Haunting of Hill House for a long time. Though there have been several film versions I loved the one titled House on Haunted Hill. I have not seen The Netflix version.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Brian: I guess I’ll try to find the film version of Hill House that you mention. It sounds pretty creepy & good. The book had enough eerie atmosphere to it, which kept me turning the pages.

  3. I try to walk every day no matter the weather and am glad we don’t get much snow. I don’t have the right clothing for it.

    I loved The Dearly Beloved and really want to read The Education of an Idealist.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Kathy: yeah I thought you walked everyday, 3 miles is a good jaunt. I have to layer up on clothes to go early in the morning. I’m glad you liked Dearly Beloved. It sort of snuck up on me after listening to it for a week. Have a great week.

  4. Carmen says:

    We dodged snow last night, but today it feels 19F with the wind factor.
    You’ve been busy. Samantha Power’s memoir piqued my interest, and I would love to read any of the Jackson’s novels around Halloween (maybe next year).

    • Susan says:

      Hi Carmen: Yeah I’d like to read another of Jackson’s novels next October — she definitely knows how to unsettle readers. The Samantha Power book took me a month to read but in the end I was glad I did. Our weather has been Up and Down from near 60F today to 12F coming on Sunday, ouch. Will you be able to dodge snow much longer?!

  5. Ugh! Snow! Just not my thing. I don’t know how you do it after growing up in CA.

    I really liked The Dearly Beloved, but read it and listening can be a totally different experience. You have me quite curious about The Education of an Idealist. I’m adding it to my nonfiction TBR list.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Susie: more snow today, yikes! You might find Samantha Power’s memoir long though the first half goes quickly, the 2nd half took me awhile. Still pretty inspiring. The Dearly Beloved felt heartwarming and a bit sad too. I think I heard about it from your site.

  6. Diane says:

    I love snow when I don’t have to go anywhere – so pretty. That being said, I’m hoping for a mild winter here in New England. I read Dearly Beloved and thought it was okay but, I didn’t love it the way many others have seemed too.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Diane, yeah I can understand where some readers might not be overly into The Dearly Beloved. I was somewhere in the middle on it. We are getting more snow today and it does look pretty out. So far it’s looking to be quite a winter.

  7. Catherine says:

    I read Dearly Beloved in print and loved it. The character transitions did not feel as abrupt as I imagine they would in audio.

    I’m in between books but need to come up with something quick as we are getting hammered with snow and temps in the single digits so leaving the house will be unlikely for most of the week. Needless to say, I’m not thrilled. We’ve only been here a week and I was hoping to have a little bit of time to rive around and get to know Ann Arbor.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Catherine: sounds like winter has welcomed you to Ann Arbor. Yikes. I’m sure it’ll take you a while to get sorted there. I hope you enjoy it once you do. Is your husband’s work involved with the university?

      I think I heard about Dearly Beloved from you & Susie and I’m glad I got to it.

  8. The Lonely Hearts Hotel and Dearly Beloved both sound like books I might enjoy reading. I enjoyed your reviews. Thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog. I hope that you receive this comment.

  9. I’m curious about The Education of an Idealist. I am a fan of such memoirs.

    Enjoy your week, and thanks for visiting my blog.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Laurel: I think you’d like the Samantha Power memoir. I recall you reading the Hillary Clinton book …. and I think this is likely just as interesting, though a bit long. Check it out if you get a chance.

  10. I loved The Lonely Hearts Hotel but it’s been a while since I’ve read it so I don’t remember too many details. I do remember that part of it were disturbing.

    I tried to listen to the audiobook of The Haunting of Hill House because I try to read a scary book in October. However, I found the narrator grating so I gave up on it before all the characters even arrived at the house! I’ll have to read the print version for my next attempt.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Rachel: Yeah try out the print version next October for Hill House. I think I will try another of Shirley Jackson’s books. The Lonely Hearts did have some disturbing parts to it …. and maybe it was too much for me …. in the grimness, but some of the storytelling was worth it.

  11. Ti says:

    I know I comment on the weather a lot but as you know, our weather here is pretty static. This week we are nearing 90 degree temps and yet rain is supposed to hit. So strange.

    Right now my brain is all over the place. The tragedy of last week’s shooting has really set us all on edge. We are all rattled and anxious but doing our best.

    • Susan says:

      Ti — I just commented over on your site about the shooting. I can’t imagine how everyone’s nerves there must be totally frayed. So sorry this has happened in your area. It’s awful. I’m in Redlands this week and have been surprised how hot it’s been here in November. Crazy. Luckily there is supposed to be rain tomorrow!

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