Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

This novel looks back at a pretty dark time in American history, the witch trials of Salem. Kent is actually a 10th generation descendant of Martha Carrier, who was hanged as a witch in 1692, and writes the story of Sarah, Martha's daughter. Sarah is only 9 years old when her mother, brothers and herself are all charged and imprisoned for witchcraft. She very poignantly tells her tale looking back over the many years of her life. It is hard to imagine a time when whole communities could be taken in by something so irrational but the fear and uncertainty brought on by a life that was hard and unpredictable along with the pettiness of man set a strong back drop for the events which took place.
I really appreciated this intimate portrayal of the Salem witch trials. Where The Crucible set the stage for the events, the Heretic's Daughter gave detail and made it real for me.

Friday, June 26, 2009

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

Love, LOVED this book. A quick and very entertaining read.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Love Walked In by Maria De Los Santos

What a good read. I finished this today and I really enjoyed it. It starts out as a romance story, but quickly progresses in a direction you would not expect. A young terrified girl tries her best to cope on her own as her mother slides into mental illness. A woman living in Philadelphia, managing a cafe, is sure she has met the man of her dreams when Martin walks into the cafe. He looks like Cary Grant, acts like Cary Grant, and is her ideal of perfection. Meeting him begins a chain of events that lead to love. Real true love. But not the real true love you would expect.
I loved the characters, I loved the story. It was touching and soulful.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Books About the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies

I just wrote a very long post for my personal blog listing 4 different books about the Willie and Martin handcart companies. I was going to write a separate post for this blog but to save time - just check my blog if you are interested. Here is the link to the post:
http://almosthalfwaythere.blogspot.com/2009/06/price-they-paid.html