Review: Talking at Night (by Claire Daverly)

My Rating:  4.5 stars

One thing I wanted to establish right off the bat:  this is one of those books that is hard to place into any one genre, since it's technically a mix of several, however I would strongly caution against classifying it as a typical "romance" novel.  Sure, there's a "love story" at the core of this one, with a main "couple" that it's pretty much impossible NOT to root for (more on this later), but there is actually so much more to the story than that.  This is a story with a tremendous amount of emotional depth and nuance, told in a way that is raw, honest, heartfelt, and realistic.  

When the story first starts out, it might seem, on the surface, like "romance trope" territory:  a shy and soft-spoken good girl (who is also an ardent rule-follower) falls in love with a handsome bad boy whom we find out actually has a heart of gold despite his tortured past — but then tragedy tears them apart and they end up going down very different paths, seemingly forever…yet somehow the deep connection they share keeps pulling them back into each other's orbit. That's the general premise, but as the story progresses, we come to realize that there is so much more beneath the surface that, in the end, elevates things to a level beyond a simple love story.  There is love, yes, but also family, friendship, parental expectations, unrequited longing, missed opportunities, regret, tragedy, death, etc…and a roller coaster ride of feelings and emotions both heavy-hitting as well as lighthearted. Throughout it all — despite how many times I felt incredibly frustrated with Rosie's indecisiveness, or how many times I felt incredibly sad seeing Will's pain and anguish dredged up over and over again, or how many times this "couple" broke my heart, put it back together, then broke it all over again — I could not help rooting for them, steadfastly, unequivocally, from beginning to end.  I didn't always agree with their decisions, of course (in fact, I found myself yelling at them more than once), and truth be told that I was a bit more partial toward Will than Rosie (because, um, how could anyone not be after what he does in the later part of the story), but I still ended up loving both of them regardless.

A few comments on the writing, which I personally thought was beautifully done. I felt that there was a lyrical, rhythmic nature to the writing that seemed to ebb and flow alongside Will and Rosie's tumultuous relationship.  Now there will be aspects of the writing that may not sit well with some readers — for example, the lack of quotation marks for the dialogue, some random words and phrases that don't seem to express a complete thought, some sentences that run on for entire paragraphs — but if you become as immersed in the story as I was, you probably won't notice any of these things after awhile (as I didn't).  

This was Claire Daverly's debut novel, though it definitely didn't read like one, at least to me.  There's no doubt that I will be on the lookout for more from Daverly in the future.  In the meantime, if you're looking for a story that's poignant, powerful, and heartfelt, with believable characters that you won't be able to stop yourself from caring about, I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Received ARC from Pamela Dorman Books via NetGalley.

Review: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (by Lisa See)

My Rating: 5 stars

Lisa See is one of my favorite authors!  I've loved every book I've read of hers so far and after finishing The Island of Sea Women (one of my all-time favorite novels) four years ago, I've been eagerly awaiting the day when her next book would be published.  Well, that day has finally arrived — her newest historical novel, Lady Tan's Circle of Women, came out earlier this month and as soon as I received my copy, I of course dropped everything in order to read it.  And once again, I was not disappointed, as this book met every expectation and then some.

In an essay at the back of the book (I bought the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition), Lisa See writes that there are generally three themes that run through all her novels: "stories about women that have been lost, forgotten, or sometimes deliberately covered up; the unique physiology that defines us as women; and our desire to record through writing our moments on earth."   In her latest work, all three of these themes are explored through the captivating story of Tan Yunxian, a real female doctor who had lived during the Ming dynasty in China. Yunxian was from an elite family in Wuxi who got sent to live with her paternal grandparents after her mother died when she was only 8 years old.  As one of China's few female physicians, Yunxian's Grandmother Ru was in the unique position of being able to treat female patients up close through the Four Examinations (looking, listening, touching, asking), which allowed her to help many women with their illnesses, especially those related to childbearing (this was important because male physicians during that time period were not allowed to do any of those things with female patients and instead had to rely on an intermediary to pass messages back-and-forth from afar, which often led to shoddy diagnoses and treatments).  Yunxian is taken under her grandmother's tutelage and learns everything about medicine from her, but faced with the various restrictions placed on women at the time, as well as the necessity for a woman of her status to adhere to societal traditions, she was largely prevented from practicing her trade.  Fortunately, Yunxian was supported by a "circle of women" — including her childhood best friend, a midwife named Meiling — through whom she was able to put her skills to use, helping many women and girls in the process. 

One of the things that always stands out with Lisa See's novels is the meticulous research she does in order to bring the historical aspects of her stories to life, which I absolutely admire.  Each time I read her books, I'm blown away by the amount of intricate and exquisite detail she is able to incorporate so seamlessly into her stories, to the point that I always feel completely transported and immersed in the time period she is writing about. With this book in particular, even though I was already familiar with many of the traditions and other historical elements described in the story due to having grown up in the Chinese culture, I appreciated the fact that I was still able to learn so much. I also love how See presents the historical contexts behind her characters and events authentically, and doesn't mince words to try to make things more "palatable" for readers. Of course, this means that there were quite a few scenes that were difficult to read (the ones describing the footbinding process and some of the patients' specific medical conditions especially made me cringe), but they were realistically rendered, which I appreciated. 

For me, the mark of truly great historical fiction is its ability to immerse me in the story to the point that, after finishing the book, I feel compelled to read up on the subject matter / event / historical figure at the center of the story.  I definitely did that that with this book — I was so fascinated with Tan Yunxian's story that I spent hours afterwards googling and reading more background about her (Lisa See's website has some links to sites she used in her research that were especially interesting to explore).  

I could go on, but I will stop here and end with the recommendation to read this book, since no amount of description on my part would be able to do it justice.  As a fan, I hope I won't need to wait another 4 years to read a new Lisa See book (though if that's what it takes, I will wait of course, lol), but at least in the interim, I can go back and read her backlist books that I hadn't gotten a chance to read yet (which I intend to do at some point soon).

Review: Romantic Comedy (by Curtis Sittenfeld)

My Rating:  3 stars



I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance novels, and rom-coms especially can be a bit of a "hit or miss" for me.  With that said though, I don't mind picking one up now and then as a palate-cleanser in between heavier reads —  which is why, when one of my book clubs put Curtis Sittenfeld's newest rom-com, Romantic Comedy, on my radar, I decided to go for it, even though the premise didn't really appeal to me.  

Structure-wise, the entire book is divided into 3 long chapters. Chapter 1  revolves around "The Night Owls" (a late night live comedy show similar to SNL) storyline, where one of the sketch writers, Sally Milz, meets handsome pop star Noah Brewster when he guests hosts for one week and they collaborate on a series of sketches for the show.  Chapter 2 takes place almost 2 years later and is told in an epistolary format, consisting of email correspondence between Noah and Sally. Chapter 3, of course, is where Noah and Sally finally hook up and become a couple.

For me, even though chapter 1 was the most interesting arc in the entire story (and hewed closest to the premise), it took me quite a while to get into it.  I think this was mostly because, nowadays, I don't watch a whole lot of English-language TV shows anymore (I used to watch TONS when I was growing up), plus I've never really been a fan of SNL (I can't even remember the last time I watched an episode of the show…maybe decades ago?), so much of what went on during this chapter felt a bit tedious to me (not to mention I most likely didn't catch any of the pop culture references to the real SNL show, so the entire arc was less meaningful to me).  I actually enjoyed chapter 2 a lot more, probably because I have an affinity for the epistolary storytelling format (it's one of my favorite formats), for one, and two, I like reading fun, witty banter and there was plenty of that in this section.  Chapter 3 was run-of-the-mill romance stuff, which was fine, but not really my jam (oh and just a heads up that this section does get a bit "spicy" in places, in case that matters to those who decide to pick this up).  When it comes down to it, I think what I ended up enjoying the most from the entire story was the "girl power" friendship between Sally, Vivian, and Henrietta, and how they were always there for each other through everything, which I found to be very moving (though yes, their hilarious banter back-and-forth cracked me up as well).

Overall, this was a quick, entertaining read, and both fun as well as funny in places, but I think this was written more for a niche audience (fans of SNL, for example), who will likely enjoy and appreciate this story way more than I did.

Review: A Quitter’s Paradise (by Elysha Chang)

My Rating:  3.5 stars

Elysha Chang's debut novel A Quitter's Paradise is an interesting story about a Chinese-American woman named Eleanor who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and self-reflection after her mother dies.  The narrative alternates between a past and present timeline, with the present one told from Eleanor's first person perspective, covering her adult life where she and her husband Ellis are both scientists working on their PhDs.  Eleanor is prone to avoiding her feelings and often goes to great lengths to make herself small and invisible — a "skill" she cultivated as a child growing up in a household that was often devoid of warmth and tenderness.  In this timeline, we are given glimpses into Eleanor's fraught relationship with her mother, but we don't learn how this tense relationship came to be until the past timeline, told in third person, where the backstory of Eleanor's parents, Rita and Jing, is told.  Rita and Jing were immigrants from Taiwan, and though they were able to provide a financially stable life for Eleanor and her sister Narisa, their family dynamics were anything but harmonious.  Jing was often away for work and when he was at home, he was mostly indifferent (and sometimes violent) toward his family.  Rita often criticized  her daughters for infractions that either didn't exist or were contradictory to the point of confusion.  Narisa was a wild child who mostly did as she pleased, even if it meant hurting others in the process (especially Eleanor, whom she bullied and ridiculed relentlessly).  Growing up, Eleanor learned to be quiet and obedient, immersing herself in schoolwork and reading (similar to how the ancient scholars immersed themselves in their studies) — not because she particularly enjoyed either activity, but because that was the only way she could be left alone. In this way, she could become what her mother Rita "envisioned a modern scholar to be: someone actively engaged in disappearing, in self-effacing, someone hermited within themselves… Eleanor never corrected mistakes, never offered opinions, convictions, suggestions, clarifications. Never revealed anything about what she knew or did not know, what she felt or did not feel. How had she trained herself to be so amenable? Where did she learn to nod at concepts she didn't understand? Simple. Eleanor did not really rule herself or any realm of her life. She inhabited a world that belonged always to someone else." It is this personality trait of Eleanor's that shapes much of the story in the present timeline, which ends up affecting her relationships with everyone around her.

I had serious mixed feelings toward this book, with regard to both the story arc and the characters. In terms of story arc, the first two-thirds or so was quite strong and kept me engaged, but then the last third of the story got a bit muddled and abstract, to the point that, in the end, I felt lost and was no longer sure I knew where the author was trying to go with the story.  I also felt like the way the 2 alternating timelines were presented came off a bit disjointed - specifically as it pertained to the relationship between Eleanor and her mother Rita, which I was expecting to be more of a focus in the story. In the past timeline, we get to know Rita through her backstory, which plays a huge role in shaping her relationship with her daughters in their childhood years. In the present timeline however, the mother-daughter relationship wasn't explored much outside of the first few pages, which felt like a lost opportunity to me.  But it could be because I preferred the past timeline over the present one, so I was more interested in how that played out.

With the characters, I was actually quite conflicted.  On the one hand, I definitely resonated with Eleanor as a child, growing up in an immigrant household and the struggles that came with it, as well as the tenuous relationship with her mother that shaped who she became as an adult — much of it was familiar to me, as I had experienced similar struggles in my own life.  In the present timeline however, I couldn't relate much to Eleanor and the outlandish decisions she made, many of which I thought were a bit over the top — so much so that I actually found her annoying, especially near the end of the story. I also didn't know what to make of her relationship with Ellis, who featured prominently in the present timeline, but yet as a character, was not developed much — it felt like he could've easily been cut out of the story and it wouldn't have made much difference. 

Overall, I did enjoy this one, even though I felt parts of the story were uneven and the characters could've been better developed. The writing itself was quite good though, so I would definitely be interested in reading more from Elysha Chang in the future.

Received ARC from SJP Lit / Zando via NetGalley

Review: Watch Us Shine (by Marisa de los Santos)

My Rating: 4 stars

When I first picked this book up, I had no idea that it was part of Marisa de los Santos's popular series Love Walked In. This worried me initially, as I hadn't read any of the other books in the series, so I was afraid I would be lost without the backstory or that I wouldn't be able to connect with the characters.  Luckily, this one turned out to be a standalone story that didn't require any knowledge from previous books (though I've heard that it's recommended to read the other books in the series for the best emotional effect).  With that said, even though I wasn't familiar with this particular series or its characters prior to diving into it, one thing I was familiar with was the writing, as I had read de los Santos's previous standalone novel I'd Give Anything and remember being smitten by how beautiful and heartfelt the writing was.  My sentiments toward that book very much apply here as well — the memorable, relatable characters who may act a bit quirky at times, but overall are tremendously endearing; the themes of family, love, forgiveness, truth, regrets, and relationships in all its various forms;  the "messiness" of complicated family dynamics where each member might not agree with or understand one another, but still love each other regardless;  and of course, the emotional nuances that permeate the story, woven into the narrative in a way that felt seamless and effortless.

De los Santos has a way of tackling difficult topics with empathy and grace, which I admire and appreciate.  Her characters are put through some incredibly hard things, and sometimes the decisions they make I might not necessarily agree with, but yet I couldn't help rooting for them wholeheartedly.  I loved all of the characters in here, but I especially connected with Martha, specifically in her role as protector (in this case, of her sister Eleanor), which ends up taking more of a toll on her than anyone could've anticipated. Martha's story was heart wrenching, yet rendered so magnanimously, with an undercurrent of hope and compassion that added emotional nuance, but was never heavy-handed.  

There was actually so much to unpack with this moving, poignant story that it's virtually impossible to do the story justice in the short space of a review.  I definitely recommend picking this one up, especially if you've read the other books in the series.  Over the course of just this book, Cornelia, Eleanor, and their large, extended family already endeared themselves to me to the point that I definitely want to read the previous books in the series so that I can get further acquainted with them.

Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.

Review: Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? (by Crystal Smith Paul)

My Rating: 4 stars

This is one of those books where it's hard to say much without giving away major plot points in the story, so my review is going to be deliberately short and a bit vague. 

Pretty much all you need to know going into this story is that, in 2017, a famous and iconic movie actress named Kitty Karr Tate, who is White, dies at the age of 81 and leaves her billion dollar fortune to the already wealthy St. John sisters, who are Black.  The St. John family is Hollywood royalty and also millionaires in their own right, so Kitty's actions of bequeathing her estate to them raises lots of questions.  The story opens in the present, where the eldest St. John sister Elise is tasked with sorting through Kitty's belongings according to her very specific instructions, as well as arranging her memorial service, all while having to deal with personal problems of her own that, being a famous actress herself, are getting played out in the public eye.  From there, we are sent back in time to 1934, where we meet a Black woman named Hazel living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  The story alternates back and forth between the past and present, in a slow-burn narrative told from the perspectives of several different characters.  The two timelines do eventually converge, but it takes a long time to get there — which isn't usually a problem, except that in this case, I had already figured out the entire plot by that time, so when the moment of "the big reveal" arrived, it was anti-climactic.  Even so, despite the predictability of the plot, the story still held my interest, and I was especially curious, given the circumstances of the characters, whether the secrets that some of them had been hiding, would eventually come out, as well as what the repercussions would be.

Even though the setting of the present timeline was in modern day Los Angeles (which I'm always drawn to in stories due to the familiarity, since that's where I grew up and also where I still live currently), I actually preferred the past timeline more than the present one, as I found the historical nuances of Hazel's and Kitty's stories much more interesting to read about. With that said, from a structure perspective, flipping back and forth between the two timelines, I felt that there were moments where some of the plot points involving a few of the characters got lost in the shuffle — this resulted in me having to go back and re-read some sections to make sure I got those parts of the story straight.

Overall, this is a captivating story that's both relevant and timely in its exploration of race, gender, and identity, as well as the question of how to reconcile these against society's conventions.  I definitely appreciated what the author, Crystal Smith Paul, tried to do here, even though I did feel the story as a whole was overly long and some scenes (especially the ones in the present timeline) were perhaps not really needed.  There are also quite a few "heavy" things that are dealt with in here and triggers abound, so keep that mind (although I didn't feel that the "heaviness" overwhelmed at all).  In terms of characters, there are quite a few and at times, it's hard to keep them straight, but the main ones will stand out.  I found Kitty Karr to be a very compelling character, though Hazel was the character I emphasized with and rooted for the most.

This was a strong debut and I definitely look forward to what Crystal Smith Paul comes up with next!

Received ARC from Henry Holt and Co. via NetGalley.