Breathing Lessons
has been on my tbr list for ages not only because it won the Pulitzer Prize, but also because I'm an Anne Tyler fan. While I enjoyed it, I'm always of the mindset that a prize-winning book should be in the 4 1/2 to 5 star range for me, and this one was slightly under that with a 4 star rating. An interesting note is that
The Accidental Tourist
and
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
were both finalists for the Pulitzer Prize as well.
The story takes place in a single day and doesn't have much of a plot, but the characters are so believable that that didn't really bother me. Maggie and Ira Moran seemed like a very real couple to me. The novel centers on their marriage but also branches out into Maggie's relationship with her friend Serena and the couple's relationships with their children and grandchild. In the novel Maggie is portrayed as a flighty woman who just wants everyone to get along and quite frequently tries to encourage reconciliation between injured parties. Ira is somewhat aloof but has a habit of whistling tunes that betray his inner mindset. He can be blunt at times and doesn't appreciate Maggie's well-intentioned meddling. However, in the end we are left wondering which of the two has really done the most damage by his or her actions.
I could identify with Maggie's wish to be more involved in her children's and granchild's lives. I also identified with some of Ira's issues and their issues as a married couple. I think almost everyone would know a couple like Maggie and Ira Moran. Perhaps that is what Tyler does so well, though. She brings those 'typical' characters to life in a way that makes us wish we could continue the relationship with them even after the story is finished.
I own all of Anne Tyler's novels published after
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
, although this is only my third book read. The other two were
The Amateur Marriage
and
Saint Maybe
, which I also enjoyed.
I felt that Father's altogether human blindness could not be held against him. The dangerous ramifications that existed for his wife and children when he undertook to extricate himself from his embarrassing and humiliating situation in Nashville he could not have been expected to foresee.
A Summons to Memphis
by Peter Taylor won the Pulitzer Prize in 1987.
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand it has a real 'sense of place' for the South; on the other hand, it can leave you wondering what all the fuss is about. Set in Tennessee, it is basically a story about how a domineering father and a move from Nashville to Memphis affected a family.
But again, I ask -- why all the fuss? Why would a move leave everyone in the family so altered? What if they had moved to California instead of another southern city in the same state? What if they had had to move every year as some families do? What if they had had to endure much more painful occurrences such as divorce, death, sickness, or violence? So what if the father thwarted some of their plans? Move away. Act like a grown up and make your own decisions instead of acting like a child for the rest of your life.
Or perhaps that was Peter Taylor's point. After living in the South for over 15 years, I've seen some maneuvering behind the pleasantries, some manipulation behind the politeness. No one saying what they really mean or feel. The exaggeration of small problems into a lifelong battle. Not being able to get away from family, on both the parents' and the adult children's side. This novel has all of the above. In that sense and in the descriptions of both cities, I do feel the book conveys a strong sense of the South, but some readers may be bored by the relatively small problems faced by the family in this book. In addition, there were quite a few instances in the story where Taylor seems to repeat himself and I found myself asking, 'Didn't he just say that?' Very strange.
Recommended for those interested in Southern literature or Pulitzer winners.
I must confess that I read this book to kill three birds with one stone. I needed a 'Y' title, a Canadian book, and a fantasy book so I could fit it into three challenges. I had always wanted to read de Lint anyway, so it seemed like a good fit. But, it really wasn't. This was my first foray into urban fantasy and while I'm not giving up on it yet, I don't know if I really like the genre.
Cat Midhir is an isolated Canadian fantasy writer who finds inspiration through her dreams. Suddenly, though, she has a severe writer's block and cannot find the reason for it. She confides in Peter, a bookshop owner, and the two become friends. Peter helps her to open up and even thinks he can fix her up with his friend Ben. Meanwhile, Cat soon realizes she is being stalked and is afraid to go to her own home at night. Afraid of being alone, she begins spending more and more time with Peter.
This story actually reminded me a bit of
Lisey's Story
by Stephen King. I was uncomfortable with aspects of that story, and was even more so with this one.
Yarrow
was much too gritty for my taste, but I'm usually in the minority on that score. On the positive side, de Lint knows how to build characters. I really, really liked the 'good guys' in this and really hated the bad ones. I probably will try at least one more of de Lint's books before I make a final judgment. Any suggestions?
Dear Mr. Henshaw
is definitely one of my favorite Newbery titles. I really, really enjoyed it. I listened to it on audio with my 15 year old son, and though he is much older than the target audience, he very much enjoyed it as well.
Leigh is a boy whose teacher gives him the assignment of writing to a favorite author. Leigh does and asks Mr. Henshaw some questions required of the assignment. When he gets a letter in response, Mr. Henshaw asks him a set of questions as well. Leigh continues to write Mr. Henshaw and they develop a correspondence over the years. Leigh wants to become a writer, and he asks Mr. Henshaw for writing advice but also tells him of some deeply personal events occurring at home, such as his parents' divorce.
This is an excellent book that can definitely be appreciated by both children and adults, especially if they are struggling with a major life event.
"The place I like best in this world is the kitchen."
I didn't quite get to
Kitchen
for the
Japanese Challenge
, but I'm still glad I read it shortly afterwards. I liked the book, but I didn't love it.
Food and kitchens play a central role int he book, but it's essentially about two people finding their way through the grief process. Mikage has recently lost her grandmother, whom she lived with, and her friend Yoichi and his mother Eriko take her in. Yoichi ends up losing someone close to him as well, and the bond between the two of them becomes even closer.
Note: This book has been added as one of the new titles in the latest edition of the
1001 list
.
1988, 1993 for the English translation;
105 pp.
4/5
I read this book because I needed an 'I' author and another book that fit the Canadian Challenge. This short novel is essentially about two sisters' obsession with Yoshi Takahshi, their Japanese concert pianist neighbor. I love classical music so I was hoping music would play a big part in the story. Although music obviously plays a role, the bulk of the plot centers around the girls' adoration of Yoshi.
The girls use every excuse they can to visit him and even start to decorate their rooms in a spartan, Japanese style. Yoshi encourages the girls and even invites them to accompany him on an overnight trip to one of his concerts. As you can probably guess, a s*xual situation develops. The book flashes back and forth from when Jean and Collette were young teenagers and both had crushes on Yoshi to the present in which they are now grown. Even as adult women, their obsession continues.
I most enjoyed the parts of the book where it concentrated on Jean's struggle to continue on with her own music -- especially the conversation she has with her father, also a musician. This book was the basis for a Canadian film called
The Pianist
(different than the film with the same name starring Adrien Brody).
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (
Luke 6:35-36
,
ESV
)
Dear Mr. Henshaw
is definitely one of my favorite Newbery titles. I really, really enjoyed it. I listened to it on audio with my 15 year old son, and though he is much older than the target audience, he very much enjoyed it as well.
I read this book because I needed an 'I' author and another book that fit the Canadian Challenge. This short novel is essentially about two sisters' obsession with Yoshi Takahshi, their Japanese concert pianist neighbor. I love classical music so I was hoping music would play a big part in the story. Although music obviously plays a role, the bulk of the plot centers around the girls' adoration of Yoshi.
