The Engineer's Wife - Fantastic tale of the Brooklyn Bridge

The Engineer's Wife
by Tracy Enerson Wood
4.5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐🟇


I could tell I was going to love this book after 3 sentences! The writing is fantastic!

The Engineer's Wife is the story of Emily Roebling, whose husband and father-in-law designed and began the building of the Brooklyn Bridge just after the Civil War. Her hand, whose first name is Washington (Wash) gets a bad case of the bends during underwater construction and is basically bedridden. Emily, having an interest in his work, takes over supervision of the project, at first shuttling orders back and forth, but learning more, and becoming integral to the project. The story is interwoven with real events and characters, although some situations are construed for dramatic effect.

The story is so well-told, the author does a great job of painting a picture of the era and the people with her words. The action moves along really nicely most of the time, not too fast, and not too slow. There is a secondary storyline involving PT Barnum that is lots of fun, and really enjoyable. It also made me want to learn more about what a caisson is, and how the bridge was built.

The only downside to the story for me, and this may actually be true to the period is that after his illness, Wash never really appears to be sexually active/interested in his wife again, and she ultimately is OK with that. I don't know how it would be possible to live the rest of one's life without physical love.

This book is an excellent jumping-off point for discussions of women's rights, women's suffrage, etc. I think it would be a great choice for book clubs, and there are some book club notes at the end that are very thoughtful.

I could also see this book being a film- I think it would be a great adaptation, it really lends itself to the visual, there are many scenes that would be so dramatic in nature.
All in all, this was an excellent book, I'd give it 4 1/2 stars if that were an option!

Thanks very much to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book at NC, my opinions are unbiased and my own.

The Dutch House - NOT one of her best :(

The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett
3/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐

The Dutch House is about a brother and sister, Danny and Maeve, and their relationship over the years, and how it is defined by the large ostentatious house they grew up in.

I have read several books by Ann Patchett, and read this based on the fact that I like her as an author in general, but this seemed very different. It was far less compelling for me, and much of the book was like literary masturbation if you will. It just went on and on and on. I left it for a bit and read an entirely different book in toto in the middle, and then I finally went back and finished it.

It got a bit better in the last third, and then very near the end, but it just wasn't that compelling to me. I simply don't have tons of sympathy for characters who have something hard to overcome and then perseverate on it all their life. I mean, "woe is me" we all have challenges, "suck it up buttercup"! But hey, maybe that's just me.
I'm more of a get busy living kind of person...

I really can't recommend this- I think your time is better spent reading something else.
Not one of her best IMHO.

Kiss and Consume - Uninspired Drivel

Kiss and Consume 
by Lynelle Barrett
2/5 Stars
⭐⭐


Kiss and Consume is the story of Abigail Hynes, a young woman in the 1800's whose parents are apparently some type of vampire, and who possesses some type of undefined magical witch-like powers. 

This book really just struck me as so much drivel. 
It had such potential, and the blurb made it sound really interesting and good. 
However, the writing was really lame, and the story took forever to define itself. 
Even the love/sex scenes, which sometimes redeem these types of books were just trite and uninspired for me. 
The important plot points took forever to develop, and even then things that were made out to be giant secrets were not that big of a deal in my opinion. 

The best thing I can say about this is that it was a really quick read, and there was some interesting research done on attitudes towards sex in the time period. 

Thanks to Booksirens for a free ARC of this book, my opinions are my own.

The Art of Inheriting Secrets - An entrancing tale

The Art of Inheriting Secrets 
by Barbara O'Neal 
4/5 stars 
⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Olivia Shaw’s mother dies, the magazine food editor is astonished to learn she’s inherited a centuries-old English estate—and a title to go with it. Olivia is still grieving and recovering from a serious accident, but she has to leave her native San Francisco to unravel the mystery.
Olivia now understands why the manor, magnificent even in disrepair, was the subject of her mother’s numerous paintings. What she doesn’t understand is why her mother never mentioned it to her. Although personal problems and her life back home beckon, Olivia finds herself falling for the charming English village and its residents.

This was a delightful story and an easy fun read. The story just leads you along, and the prose is beautiful.
"It was, at last, a dry, fine morning, the light a pregnant yellow that angled at a long slant from the east, shimmering over the open fields and glazing the grass on the rolling hills."
I loved that sentence, who calls light pregnant? so great...

Later on, Olivia has a glass of wine and says,
"I swirled and tasted, and it was light and dry and fruity. It was also the first glass of wine I’d had in weeks, and it hit my tongue like a dance troupe, tapping all my taste buds, waking me up."
Lovely - beautiful imagery - I want all my wine to taste like that!

Upon dipping into one of the local delights , she writes
"His lips were pillowy soft yet firm, warm and lush, and I could not help but open my mouth, wanting to drink him in as if he were a potion, a potion that tasted of candied fennel from the dish on the table,"
Great imagery- and the whole book is like this, I just drank in the great word ppictures!

The story also has a great arc, with villians and heroes, and things to overcome.
The characters are all well-drawn, and they are introduced at a leisurely pace, so it's easy to keep them straight.
I highy recommend this book, and I think I'll be finding more from Ms. O'Neal in my queue!

Girls burn Brighter - A Haunting cross-cultural story

Girls Burn Brighter
by Shobha Rao
4/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐

A haunting debut novel set in India and America, about an enduring friendship between two girls who are driven apart but never stop trying to find one another again.
When Poornima first meets Savitha, she realizes that Poornima is her best friend for life and maybe more. Poornima's father hires Savitha to work one of their sari looms, and the two girls are quickly drawn to one another. Both girls end up subjected to devastating cruelty, and Poornima is determined to find her friend again. Her journey takes her into the darkest corners of India's underworld, and across the globe to an apartment complex in Seattle. Alternating between the girls’ perspectives as they face innumerable obstacles, these two heroines who never lose hope.

This was a truly haunting book, very well written, and really gives the reader a glimpse into a culture that is not familiar to the western reader. You really feel for Poornima and Savitha in so many situations, and it is shocking that people are still treated in this way.
The indignities suffered by the young women and the way they are treated is nearly incomprehensible to someone like myself, a middle class western white woman, with self-determination. My heart broke about 50 times reading this book.

It was very well written, but I was reading a paper copy, and there were many words I had to Google. It might have been a nice idea to include an index of terms for the mainstream reader. I know what a sari is of course, but not a charka (Indian spinning wheel) or a Pallu (the long, loose, end piece of the sari). There were numerous other terms such as these I was unfamiliar with.

Overall a great book, highly recommended

Mrs. Everything-growing up in the 60's (not such a nice Jewish girl)

Mrs. Everything
by Jennifer Weiner
4/5 stars 
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mrs. Everything is the story of Jo and Bethie, two sisters from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places—and be true to themselves—in a rapidly evolving world.

I loved this book, which is set in a Jewish family background. It really resonated for me. The cycle of all the holidays and rituals was a beautiful backdrop for all the action.

I could really relate to the stories of going to college in the days of Hippies and parties, altho I was by no means as wild as Bethie, and I really felt for Jo as she struggled with her identity and desires.

The twist on the title was interesting, IDK if I would have chosen this title for this book, but maybe it's apropos. I also felt lukewarm about the opening chapter, which kind of gives away the ending of the book, I really felt like the story would have had more suspense without that chapter. It's like reading a spoiler right at the front, so be warned, you may want to skip the first chapter if you don't like spoilers.

Overall, it's a great book, and especially for those reading from a Jewish perspective. 

Into the Hourglass (Evermore Chronicles #2) Good Sequel

Into the Hourglass 
(The Evermore Chronicles #2)
by Emily R. King
4/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐


This book follows the continuing adventures of Everly and her friends.
We are introduced to mer people and fin people in this book.
I enjoyed the book and thought it was well-written.
There was some really beautiful prose, 
and the action was fast-paced and easy to follow.
Everly gets to see someone she has been longing to reconnect with.
There were some good twists and turns and I would recommend this book.