Review: Five-Carat Soul (by James McBride)

My rating: 3.5 stars

When it comes to fiction books, I tend to prefer novels over short story collections, as I like being able to spend a good amount of time getting to know a character(s) and immersing myself into their story.  With short stories, especially ones that feature different characters in each story, this becomes a bit of a challenge – it usually takes a bit more effort and concentration on my part to really get into the stories and hopefully connect with the characters.  While I would say that overall, I liked almost all of the stories in James McBride’s latest short story collection Five-Carat Soul, there were a few that really stood out to me and that I enjoyed reading more than others.  My favorites were definitely the first story about the railroad box car set as well as the series of stories about the Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band.

The author James McBride is a wonderful storyteller and obviously one with heart as well.  All of the stories in this collection explored different facets of the human condition in a way that was both fascinating and poignant, with well-timed doses of humor throughout (where appropriate of course).  Some of the stories were also fun and imaginative, such as the one where the main characters are zoo animals, with the story narrated primarily by a lion (McBride stated in his Author’s Note that he wrote this particular story after taking his nephews on a trip to the zoo).  There was also a pretty significant historical aspect to the stories, as several of them revolve around important figures and/or events from American history, such as the Civil War and General Robert E Lee, Abraham Lincoln and his famous Emancipation Proclamation, World War II military history, etc. -- some of the stories were also spiritual in nature while others were more philosophical and metaphorical.  For me though, I enjoyed the “historical” stories the most, as I’m somewhat of a history buff for one, and two, I wasn’t really in the mood for anything too deep or too philosophical at the moment, as I already had a few things going on in my personal life that over-exerted my brain power a bit too much, so in a way, I resented a little having to ponder too deeply with some of the stories.  Perhaps if I re-read these stories later on during a different period of my life, I may be able to connect with them a little better.

One of the things that sets McBride’s stories apart from other short story collections is his brilliant use of different, distinctive voices for each story.  I’ve read short story collections in the past where it was often difficult to distinguish the narrative voice from one story to another and at times, it caused confusion for me.  With McBride’s stories, this was never an issue because each of his narrators had a voice that was uniquely their own; not only that -- the writing style was also very different from one story to another, to the point that, at times, it was easy to forget that each story was written by the same author. 

The one issue I had with this book was that some of the stories ended a bit too abruptly, sometimes right in the middle of a significant thought or idea, it seemed, and so it gave me the feeling that the stories were incomplete or that there was perhaps something I missed.  There were a few times where I turned the page expecting to read more but instead it cut to the next story already, which left me feeling a little jilted – not to mention the slight effort in having to shift gears mentally after realizing I would be reading a completely different story.

Overall, I liked this short story collection well enough, but didn’t “love” it like I thought I would.  Again, it could just be me though, since there are quite a few 4 and 5 star reviews for this collection from other readers, so I suggest checking those out as well.  Despite my rating, I would still recommend this collection of stories for its varied and interesting take on different societal issues as well as human behavior.

Received advance reader’s copy from Riverhead Books (Penguin Publishing Group) via Edelweiss

Review: Love and Other Consolation Prizes (by Jamie Ford)

 My Rating:  5 stars

When I finished reading Jamie Ford’s newest novel Love and Other Consolation Prizes, the first words that came into my mind were “heartbreaking” and “heartwarming.”  I felt both emotions strongly throughout the time I was immersed in the story of Ernest Young, an elderly man in his 60s when the story begins in 1962, and his beloved wife Gracie, who is suffering from memory loss and barely remembers who her husband is.  As Ernest stands outside the gates of Seattle’s newest world’s fair, the Century 21 Expo, his memories flow back to the city’s very first world’s fair, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYP), back in 1909 – a day that changed his life forever.  That was the day that, at 12 years old, he was “auctioned off” at the fair, given away as the grand prize in a raffle, technically for the second time.  Prior to that, at 5 years old, when he was still a little boy named Yung Kun-ai living in poverty with his mother in China, he was sent away with an “uncle” who would supposedly take him to America so he could live a better life free from starvation.  Little Yung does make it to America and eventually becomes a ward of the state of Washington, but not before suffering various hardships and discrimination due to his status as a ‘half-breed’ – the “bastard son of a white missionary and a Chinese girl, he was an outcast in both of their worlds.”  Later, he is taken in by Madam Flora, the “winner” of the raffle at the 1909 world’s fair, who also happens to be the owner of a notorious brothel named the Tenderloin, located in the red-light district in the seediest part of town.  Ernest becomes a houseboy helping out with various chores at the brothel and it is there that he meets Maisie, the secret daughter of Madam Flora, and Fahn, a young Japanese maid who works in the kitchen -- together with the other women who live and work at the Tenderloin, they become the first real “family” – albeit an unconventional one – that Ernest ever had.

By now, I believe most already know that this story was inspired by a real event – the raffle that truly did take place in real-life, at the 1909 AYP World’s Fair where an infant boy, also named Ernest, was put up as the “grand prize”.  That raffle did not result in a winner and it is not known what eventually happened to the infant boy, but with the seed of that event, Ford turns it into a story that imagines what might have happened to that boy, with the difference being that the Ernest in Ford’s story is a 12-year-old boy rather than an infant.  Ford also incorporates some of his own heritage into his stories, as anyone who is familiar with Ford’s background will probably know that he is also of mixed-race, with a Chinese father and an “adopted” American last name (Ford) that came about when his 100% Chinese great-grandfather decided to adopt the name William Ford when he immigrated to America back in the late 1800s.  I love the personal touch that Ford incorporates into his stories and the fact that he pays tribute to his heritage, all done in a way that is seamless yet meaningful.

There was so much to love about this book, as it truly combined the best of everything I normally look for in historical fiction: a well-written, captivating story that pulled me in from the start; a good dose of historical content that was obviously thoroughly researched yet did not take away from the flow of the fictional part of the story;  a non-typical love story that tugged at the heartstrings without diving into  “overly saccharine” territory;  endearing characters who, despite being deeply flawed, you can’t help but care about personally and eventually grow to love; wonderful writing that transported me to the time and place that the characters lived in and made the experience feel like a personal one. Ford is known for crafting tender, moving stories that incorporate aspects of hope and redemption and this was definitely the case here with Ernest’s story and the love he had for both Maisie and Fahn.  The ending to their story moved me to tears yet it was not sad or depressing but rather a scene filled with hope that made me feel good inside – I love the way the story came full circle, bookended by the two world’s fairs that also played such important roles in Ernest’s story.

I also liked the fact that this wasn’t a typical love story, but rather a story with substance that also dealt with important societal issues – questions of right and wrong, moral versus immoral and who has the right to judge.  Also topics such as equality, social justice, class issues, women’s rights, slavery, etc. – all heavy subjects that were dealt with in a way that didn’t make light of their existence but at the same time did not weigh down the story with gloom or despair and also did not try to “preach” or attempt to provide any answers, instead letting the reader go with the story and see where it leads.

This is my first time reading Jamie Ford and it certainly won’t be my last!  While I wait patiently to get my hands on whatever Ford decides to write next, for sure I will be moving up the two previous novels he wrote (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost) from my TBR so I can get to both of them before the end of the year.  If you haven’t read Love and Consolation Prizes yet, all I can say is – READ IT!  Wonderful book, highly recommended!

Received advance reader’s copy from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.

Review: The Glorious Heresies (by Lisa McInerney)

DNF (Did Not Finish) - NO RATING given

Sorry, but this ended up being a DNF for me.  I feel a bit bad about it, as I had actually requested a review copy of this book several months ago and there were some issues with getting the physical book delivered to me -- after all the trouble, I felt like I should at least try to push through the book, despite the subject matter not being something I normally would choose to read.  Unfortunately, it just didn't work out. 

It's actually rare for me to DNF a book and this is actually the first book I've done so in a long time.  I got through a little over 200 pages but couldn't really get into the story -- I didn't like any of the characters, the plot didn't really go anywhere, and even though the writing was good, it was hard to concentrate...I found my attention wavering way too often and I kept setting the book aside.  Or perhaps right now is just the wrong timing for this book.  In any case, this book had won a few awards when it was published last year and scanning through Goodreads it looks like there were some pretty good reviews on it, so I'm sure the book has its merits.  Since I hate not finishing books, I will probably give this another try later on...but since I have other books that I need to get to, I will be moving on for now.

Received review copy from Tim Duggan books (Crown Publishing) via Blogging for Books.

Review: The Essex Serpent (by Sarah Perry)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

I had won this book in a Goodreads giveaway a few months back but wasn’t able to find the time to read it until about 2 months ago when it got chosen as the book of the month for one of my book clubs – that motivated me to finally read the book and while I can’t say that I was disappointed with the book, I have to admit that I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

The main strengths of this book I feel were in the characters and the writing.  The primary female protagonist in this book, Cora Seaborne, is a character very different from the typical Victorian era women we may be used to seeing from classical literature.  She is, by all accounts, completely opposite from the prudish, well-mannered upper class women of her time – though smart and well-educated, she possesses neither grace nor elegance nor the typical interest in religion and superstition but instead has an insatiable appetite for adventure and exploring the world around her through the lens of science and the laws of nature.  She is the type of woman who shuns elegant dresses and jewelry and would much prefer going out in ordinary clothes that include an overcoat that looks like it belongs to a man and boots caked in mud perhaps from one of her prior adventures.  She is also witty, charming, open-minded, outspoken, perpetually optimistic (or at least it comes this way) – in more contemporary terms, I would say she has somewhat of a “happy-go-lucky” personality and doesn’t seem to let anything bother her.  On the opposite corner is William Ransome, the local rector of Aldwinter parish with his beautiful but fragile wife Stella and 4 vivacious children – a man who can match Cora for wit and intelligence, but is deeply rooted in his faith and obligation to his parishioners.  He has a pronounced intolerance for superstition and therefore is deeply suspicious of the pervasive rumors of a winged sea creature – the titular Essex serpent – that supposedly lurked in the town’s back waters. There were also other characters in the book that were equally important and played a large part in shaping the story, all of whom were interesting and well-imagined, but to me, Cora stood out from the rest, whether in physical appearance, personality, behavior, attitude, etc.  The author Sarah Perry did a great job imagining her characters and bringing them to life in the story.

In terms of writing, the prose was lovely and elegant, poetic even – I definitely felt like I was reading a classical novel.  With that said though, I felt a lack of consistency with the writing in that some parts were overwritten and overly detailed while others were severely underwritten – I was frustrated at certain parts when the writing got a bit too “poetic”(?) I guess (the right word escapes me at the moment) and I felt like yelling out – just be clear already, did they or didn’t they, did something happen or did something not happen?  Perhaps it was just me but I felt like some parts took a bit too much brain energy to read and process (which is partly why it took me so long to finish reading this book).

I think for me, the part that made this reading most difficult was the lack of one cohesive plot that tied the story together.  Yes, essentially it was the Essex serpent that basically provided the premise of the story and a lot of the subplots (and there were many) linked back to this in some way, but I felt like some were unnecessary and detracted from the story a bit.  I found myself losing interest at certain points but then when it got back to the main story, I started paying attention again.  At one point, I was nearly 200 pages in and I remember thinking to myself that I really didn’t have much of an idea what was truly going on with the story.  It almost felt like I was reading a series of character vignettes detailing how particular characters’ every day lives were upended due to the community’s obsession with a potential serpent lurking in their midst.  While having a book be more character-driven than plot-driven is not necessarily a bad thing, I think it didn’t work that well for me in this particular book because of some of the other things mentioned above.

There were also quite a few themes that the story dealt with – science versus superstition, fanatical adherence to religion versus free thinking and letting nature take its course, prudishness versus being openness and being sexually bold, etc.  To be honest, I didn’t read as deeply into the story as others might have and near the end I was just relieved to finally finish the book, so I really didn’t explore some of these themes as much as I probably could have.  With that said, my review might not be the best one to read if you’re trying to decide whether to read this book or not -- I would suggest checking out the other reviews to get a more balanced perspective.

In the end, while I can’t say I “enjoyed” this book and definitely did not feel emotionally engaged when reading it, there were many good things about the book that made me feel it deserves a higher mark.  In fairness, I decided to rate this 3.5 stars.

Received advance reader’s copy from Custom House (William Morrow) via Goodreads Giveaways