Life After Life: A Novel by Kate Atkinson
At this point pretty much everyone has seen the movie Groundhog Day.
This book has a slight similarity but isn't quite the comedic event of the film.
Ursula is born on a snowy night and then she promptly dies. Then she's born again and lives for awhile only to die shortly after. Once again she's born but this time she lives for awhile. Her story goes on like this over and over again. She has no real memory of her lives lived before only an eerie sense of deja vu. In large part, the people all around Ursula make the same choices in their lives over and over again but Ursula changes events by making a different decision when she has a feeling of foreboding.
Until you read a bit into the story, it is a little disorienting. Once you get a feel for the flow of the book, it is highly enjoyable to live life with Ursula over and over again.
I highly recommend this book.
Showing posts with label World War I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World War I. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Warm Moonlight
Warm Moonlight by Joseph Wurtenbaugh
This was a Kindle Single so I'm not sure if this is available if you don't have a Kindle.
This is a short story of a woman telling her great-grand-daughter an amazing tale of adventure, peril and rescue. The story is told as a short chapter in the life of the grandmother. It is up to the young woman whether to believe if it is true or not and how to use the information.
This is a really nice short story. I recommend it as a quick read for an afternoon.
This was a Kindle Single so I'm not sure if this is available if you don't have a Kindle.
This is a short story of a woman telling her great-grand-daughter an amazing tale of adventure, peril and rescue. The story is told as a short chapter in the life of the grandmother. It is up to the young woman whether to believe if it is true or not and how to use the information.
This is a really nice short story. I recommend it as a quick read for an afternoon.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner
Stegner excels at his description of people, their emotions and what makes them tick. This book is no exception.
This book follows a family over the course of about 50 years as they struggle to survive in an uncertain world. The voice of the book is an omnificent third party. The voice first follows Elsa who marries Bo Mason against the better judgement of her family. Bo is an erratic and volatile man who is in search of the next great break. He is constantly trying to find his "big rock candy mountain." Later, the voice changes and follows the youngest son Bruce. Bruce had a difficult early childhood but learns to adapt to his ever-changing environment. He ends up succeeding in ways the rest of his family never did. He is also able to see his family with a detached view which seems almost cold and calculating.
This book takes place largely in the west and up into Canada. It is set during the early years of the 20th century so we see the local effects of World War I, prohibition and the flu pandemic. It is viewed as a largely autobiographical novel. Whether it is or not, Stegner's tale is heart wrenching and poignant. This book was very difficult to read at times but in the end, I really enjoyed it and thought it was well worth reading.
Stegner excels at his description of people, their emotions and what makes them tick. This book is no exception.
This book follows a family over the course of about 50 years as they struggle to survive in an uncertain world. The voice of the book is an omnificent third party. The voice first follows Elsa who marries Bo Mason against the better judgement of her family. Bo is an erratic and volatile man who is in search of the next great break. He is constantly trying to find his "big rock candy mountain." Later, the voice changes and follows the youngest son Bruce. Bruce had a difficult early childhood but learns to adapt to his ever-changing environment. He ends up succeeding in ways the rest of his family never did. He is also able to see his family with a detached view which seems almost cold and calculating.
This book takes place largely in the west and up into Canada. It is set during the early years of the 20th century so we see the local effects of World War I, prohibition and the flu pandemic. It is viewed as a largely autobiographical novel. Whether it is or not, Stegner's tale is heart wrenching and poignant. This book was very difficult to read at times but in the end, I really enjoyed it and thought it was well worth reading.
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