Review: The Sequel (by Jean Hanff Korelitz)

My Rating: 4 stars

 

Given how much I loved Jean Hanff Korelitz’s literary thriller The Plot, it should come as no surprise that when I heard Korelitz had written a sequel to that book – aptly titled The Sequel – I was dying to read it (pun intended, lol).  The Plot was a book that blew me away – clever, creative, and so masterfully done, with an ending that was wholly unexpected (but made sense given the clues hidden throughout the story).  It was so well done, in fact, that I initially couldn’t help but wonder whether a sequel would be able to live up to the original (even Korelitz gives a shout out to this common cultural sentiment when one of her characters in The Sequel states that “they’re never as good as the first book, are they?”).  Well, it seems that the jury is still out with this one, as there seem to be varying reactions to it from what I can see – some readers feel the second book is better while others feel the original is still the best; for me personally, I would have to say that I fall into the second camp.  While I did enjoy this one and found it to be every bit as clever as the first book (I absolutely loved the way Korelitz named each chapter the title of a real-life literary sequel, as half the fun of reading this book, for me at least, was figuring out which book the sequel title belonged to), I also felt that it was not as tightly-written as the first book was and much less “suspenseful” in comparison. 

 

Before I go any further, I have to say this: despite what people may say about it being fine to read this one as a standalone, I actually feel it is absolutely necessary to read The Plot first, for multiple reasons.  First and foremost is the fact that this book starts off where the first one ended; second, much of the story expands upon many of the plot points from the first book, particularly as it pertains to Anna’s background; third, many of the characters from the first book also show up again, with a few featuring heavily in the storyline this time around; and fourth, there are a few points in the book where the big “twists” from the first book are mentioned.  So basically, if you have not read The Plot but try to read The Sequel, you will either be completely lost with the storyline or you will encounter so many “spoilers” from the first book that there’s no point going back to read it anymore.  To be honest, even reading the “blurb” on the jacket of the sequel is not a good idea if you haven’t read the first book, since there are some references to plot points in that story that, in my opinion, can be “spoiler-ish.”

 

In any case, with that out of the way – as I mentioned earlier, I feel that this book was enjoyable but the original was definitely better. I think part of the reason why I feel this way is because The Plot was unique enough on its own, from all aspects, whether storyline, characters, format (the “story within the story” concept was particularly well-done), tone, voice, flow, etc. – it all came together brilliantly.  With The Sequel, I feel that Korelitz was trying to rehash essentially all the same elements, except this time around, with Anna as the protagonist instead of Jacob (for obvious reasons).  This gave me a little bit of a “been there, done that” vibe for one, and two, it made the storyline a lot more predictable – case in point: with a few minor exceptions, the first book largely had me guessing as to the direction that Korelitz was going to take and I was genuinely shocked with ending; with this book, I already had everything figured out midway through the story and not only that, I ended up being exactly on-the-dot in terms of the ending.

 

I also have to say that I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Anna being the protagonist in this story given all the horrible things she did (and continues to do). The blurb on the jacket states that with The Sequel, Korelitz “gives readers an antihero to root for” – well, this wasn’t really a true statement for me because with Anna, I honestly did not see anything worth rooting for (though I understood Anna’s motivations, I still found her behavior and actions beyond appalling).  But I guess this is more a case of “it’s me, not the book,” since I’m not really a fan of diabolic, villain characters as protagonists.

 

Overall, this was a worthwhile read, especially if you’ve already read The Plot, as this story fills in nearly all of the gaps that were left open-ended from the first book (and it’s definitely a thrill to be able to recognize a character or plot point from the first book and wonder what the implications will be for the new protagonist who wasn’t involved in the interaction the first time around).  As for whether I would read a third book (if there were to be one – which, all indication so far is that there might be), probably yes, but definitely with less anticipatory excitement, especially if Anna is also going to be the protagonist the third go around.

 

Received ARC from Celadon Books via NetGalley.

 

Review: Us Against You (by Fredrik Backman)

My Rating: 5 stars

I read Beartown for the first time this weekend (I know, I’m late to the party, as usual) and was absolutely blown away by it.  I loved everything about that book — from the writing to the story to the realistically-rendered characters — to the point that I didn’t want it to end.  So of course, I was glad that I already had the sequel, Us Against You, on my shelf ready to pick up. 

I will be honest and say that, in general, I’m not a fan of sequels, especially when it comes to a work (be it a book, movie, or TV series) that I absolutely adored.  This is because, from past experience, many sequels I’ve encountered often end up falling short of the original work, with a few extreme instances where the sequel actually ruined the original for me (this is also a reason why I’m not a fan of retellings either, but I digress…).  This is why, despite how much I LOVED the characters in Beartown and wanted nothing more than to keep remaining in their company for as long as possible, a small part of me was apprehensive going into this sequel. For me, Beartown was too wonderful, magical, and beyond exceptional to the point that I couldn’t help wondering:  will the sequel live up to the original?  Or am I setting myself up to be disappointed?

Well, I shouldn’t have worried because the sequel was absolutely fantastic!!!  Without a doubt, the sequel not only lived up to the original, it actually surpassed it in some aspects (specifically with the characters).  I rated Beartown a solid 5 stars…for Us Against You, let’s just say definitely more than 5 stars if I could!!

The story in this second book picks up pretty much where the first one left off, with the same beloved characters — Benji, Amat, Bobo, Ramona, Sune, Maya, Ana, Kira, etc. — who stole my heart the first time around now embedding themselves permanently into my soul.   In fact, I loved these characters so much and resonated with them so deeply that, once again, I found myself on a roller coaster ride of emotions (from laughter to sadness to anger and everything in between).  I cared about what happened to these characters so much that, when Fredrik Backman wrote in the first few pages of the book that “someone we love” will die by the end of the story, I felt an immediate ache in my heart (and even though, in the end, the person who died wasn’t who I thought it would be, I still couldn’t help bawling like a baby when the scene happened). Even the new characters introduced in the sequel — despite the fact that we didn’t get to spend as much time with them as those from the first book — managed to still find a place in my heart by the end of the story.  

It’s rare for me to be so emotionally invested in a story and it’s characters to this degree, but so far, with each of Backman’s novels that I’ve read, this has been my experience.  No one writes about the human condition as realistically as Backman is able to do in his fiction.  He also has the unique ability to write his characters as real people, human beings who look and feel and experience the way you and I do — flawed creatures who make mistakes, who have good days and bad, who say things we don’t mean and mean things we don’t say, who can be cruel and lash out when we’re scared or hurting, but yet also be compassionate and kind in moments when it’s needed most (I’m just scratching the surface, as there’s no way to relay the wide range of themes and emotions that this story explores).

I actually read this book all in one sitting, which is definitely a first for me (especially considering this book is 400+ pages)!  Without a doubt, this was worth every minute of my time and if I didn’t already have a boatload of books that I still need to get to, I would happily re-read both Beartownand this one in a heartbeat.  The third (and last) book in the series is supposed to come out later this year and needless to say, I can’t wait to read it (though I’m praying that the publication date for the English version doesn’t get pushed back because if it does, so help me God, I will find a way to read the Swedish version if I have to!).

Review: Beartown (by Fredrik Backman)

My Rating: 5 stars

Once again, I am rendered speechless by a Fredrik Backman book!  The man definitely has a way of telling a story that is so utterly compelling that, every time I read one of his books, I find it nearly impossible to tear myself away (which is why I'm glad I started this on a weekend so I could spend all day reading if I needed to).  

Before I go further, I need to make a confession: I've never been into sports and under normal circumstances, I probably would not have gravitated toward a book about hockey.  But as nearly everyone who has read and reviewed this book mentioned, this is more than just a novel about hockey (or, more accurately, about a small town in the forest that is obsessed with hockey). In fact, this book blew me away with the wide range of themes it explored, which ran the gamut from parent/child relationships, to identity, belonging, class conflict, society bias, love, friendship, loyalty, the difference between right and wrong, etc.  

Beyond all that though, this is also a richly rendered character study about ordinary people living their lives and struggling with real life issues such as loneliness, abandonment, death, abuse, bullying, financial hardship, circumstances outside our control, etc.  These are characters that we can absolutely relate to because they are flawed and realistic — characters that make us feel the entire spectrum of human emotion and then some.  

Backman is a masterful storyteller with a unique writing style that I absolutely love — a combination of serious and slightly humorous, yet also gut-wrenching and emotional.  I've been told that it's nearly impossible to come away from a Backman novel without feeling something (whether positive, negative, or indifferent) for the characters and I have to say that I absolutely agree!  That was definitely the case with every single character in this story.  In fact, by the end of the book, I was so emotionally invested in these characters that I didn't want to leave them — which is why I intend to pick up the sequel, Us Against You, right after this one so I can stay with the characters longer (and yes, I am eagerly looking forward to the final book in this series, which is scheduled to be published here in the U.S. in September).

Review: Yours Cheerfully (by A.J. Pearce)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

I definitely enjoyed this sequel much more than the first book, Dear Mrs. Bird, which I had read right before this one.  While the story continued more or less where the first one left off and the characters were all the same (with the exception of Mrs. Bird of course), I think I took to this book better perhaps because I kind of knew what to expect already — and perhaps that's also why I found the main character Emmy Lake a little less annoying this time around (though yes, she did still frustrate me at certain points).

With Mrs Bird's departure from Women's Friend magazine (not a spoiler, as it's in the book summary and she's already gone when the story opens), Mr. Collins has been promoted to Editor (no surprise there either, lol).  After what happened at the end of the first book, Emmy is back with the magazine again, but on a probationary basis.  While the magazine's advice column continues to be a focus, the crux of the story this time around is on the government's call to all of Britain's women's magazines to help recruit female workers for the war effort.  As Emmy immerses herself in this task, she meets a few of the women who work at the munitions factories and soon realizes that, while they are all happy to contribute to the effort, there are real-life challenges they face that makes the war work much more difficult for them.  When Emmy learns about their plight, she of course steps in and tries to help them any which way she can.

I think the direction that the author A.J. Pearce took with the story as well as with the characters this time around made so much more sense than the first book.  I'm not sure how best to put it, but I felt like most of Emmy's actions in the first book were too over the top, to the point that it felt unrealistic and contrived.  With this second go around though, her actions were more in line with her role in the sense that it made sense for her to constantly insert herself in situations, but in a more tempered way.  Just for the record…I don't have a problem with Emmy's personality — in fact, I like the way her character was headstrong, curious, assertive, and always willing to stand up for what she believed in as well as help others, which was especially significant given the time period — what I actually had a problem with was the "bull in a china shop" approach that she seemed to apply to every single situation, especially at work.  For example, in the first book, Emmy's job as a newbie at the magazine was to open letters and give them to her boss to review and type up a response, however because she doesn't like the restrictive (and rude) nature of her boss's responses, she decides to take matters into her own hands by deliberately defying her boss's instructions and writing letters to readers on her own (as well as sneaking some of her letters into the magazine itself).  While it's fine to disagree and question how her boss does things, it's not fine, especially in her position, to go in and start changing things on her own (obviously, there were more rational ways to approach the situation than the way she did).  In the second book, I assume because she has learned her lesson, Emmy's approach was a little more mature and above board (and as I mentioned earlier, definitely less grating on my nerves).  I point all this out because I appreciate seeing characters grow and evolve in stories and even though in this case, it took a sequel for it to happen, I'm still glad to see it.

For those who read and loved Dear Mrs. Bird, I definitely recommend picking this one up, as I believe you'll love it just as much as the first (maybe even more).  For those like me who may not have been a fan of the first book, I still recommend reading this one, as it did put the first book into better perspective for me (even though it didn't change my feelings overall toward the story and characters).

Received ARC from Scribner via NetGalley.

Review: The Sixth Wedding (by Elin Hilderbrand)

My Rating: 4 stars

I read Elin Hilderbrand's 28 Summers last year and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book (I'm not usually a fan of contemporary romances).  In addition to the well-developed characters, there was also depth to the story that made it a compelling read for me, though what I had loved most about that book was the structure, with each chapter starting off with various current event and pop culture references from that year – I definitely had a lot of fun taking that trip down memory lane!

 

The Sixth Wedding, which is out today, is the sequel to 28 Summers.  In this super short novella, the story opens in 2023, when the gang decides to reunite at the Nantucket cottage for one last Labor Day weekend.  We get a chance to find out what happened to each of the main characters since that fateful summer in 2020 and later, we get to see how their stories wrap up.   I love that Hilderbrand kept the same format with the current event and pop culture references, though instead of starting each chapter with them, she summed them all up in the Introduction, then after that, we got to hear from each of the characters.  While it was nice getting to catch up with these characters again, it was also bittersweet knowing Mallory wouldn't be a part of it.  Mallory was a one-of-a-kind character who was also the heart and soul of the story, so without her, of course things wouldn't be the same.  

 

Overall, I enjoyed this sequel, though I do wish that this had been longer (maybe not a full-length novel but definitely something more than 76 pages).  If you read and enjoyed 28 Summers, I definitely recommend reading this one too!  

 

 

Review: Olive, Again (by Elizabeth Strout)

My Rating: 4 stars

In this sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Olive Kitteridge, we once again get to revisit the town of Crosby, Maine and our old friend Olive, who is now entering her sunset years in what is possibly the last decade or so of her life, with new husband Jack in tow. As fierce and brash as ever, Olive is still insufferable at times and continues to be stubborn to a fault, but yet, she also seems more empathetic this go around, which I attribute to the fact that she has come to a somewhat better understanding of herself (ok, perhaps only slightly, haha).  Of course, Olive being Olive, the usual brutal honesty is expected, but she has also learned to be a bit more aware of other people's feelings and in that regard, understands how to let things go a little when circumstances call for it (though still depends on who she is interacting with).  

Structure-wise, we have the same short story format told from the perspective of different characters, nearly all residents of Crosby (with a few returning characters from the first book), but this time, I felt like more of the stories centered on Olive, and even the stories that were about others seemed to incorporate her presence a bit more directly.  For some one like me who is not a huge fan of short stories, this continuity of course worked better for me, since it made this read less like a series of short stories and more like a continuous novel.   One of the things I appreciate most about the sequel compared to the original is that this time around, we get more humorous moments with Olive — not that she deliberately tries to be funny, it's just that seeing the way she would react to certain situations made me chuckle (such as the entire baby shower segment and also her row with Jack about flying first class).

The original Olive Kitteridge was written in 2008, while this sequel Olive, Again was just published last month (October 2019).  To be very honest,  this book doesn't feel like it was written 11 years after the first one — when I picked it up and started reading, the transition between the 2 books was so seamless that I felt like I was merely continuing on from the first book.  Elizabeth Strout's writing continues to be masterful and despite only having read 2 of her books (so far), she can already be counted amongst my list of favorite authors.

Olive is the type of character who will probably never be "endearing" (she herself would never permit it anyway), but she IS a character who, like those in the most beloved of classics, will live forever in the hearts of readers like me who were lucky enough to have made her acquaintance.  I will most certainly miss Olive, but I am also grateful for the amount of time (the span of two books) that I was able to spend with her.

Received ARC from Random House via NetGalley.

Review: Cilka’s Journey (by Heather Morris)

My Rating: 4 stars

When I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz last year, I was blown away by Lale and Gita's incredible story and the harrowing ordeal they endured during their 3 years at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland.  As I mentioned in my review of that book, stories about the Holocaust continue to be extremely important given the world we live in – whether through fictionalized or non-fiction accounts, these are stories that absolutely need to be told, no matter how difficult and heartbreaking it may be to hear such unthinkable atrocities being recounted.  With Cilka's Journey, the sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris gives us the story of Cecilia "Cilka" Klein, a woman we first met during Lale's recounting of his story, whom he described as "the bravest person [he] ever met" and whom he credited with saving his life.  When she was just sixteen years old, Cilka was forcibly separated from her family and sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp where, on the first day, she was immediately singled out for her beauty.  In order to stay alive, Cilka had no choice but to endure repeated sexual abuse from the Commandant (and other men in power), but what weighed on her soul the most was the role she was forced into --  the unspeakable role of being the one to send hundreds of women to their horrific deaths in the camp's gas chambers.  After suffering 3 years of pain and torture, freedom finally comes when the camp is liberated, but unfathomably not for Cilka, as she ends up being charged as a collaborator for "sleeping with the enemy" and sentenced to 15 years in a Siberian prison camp.  In the gulags, Cilka encounters horrors both new and familiar, once again finding herself at the center of unwanted attention despite her best efforts to go unnoticed.  Placed under such circumstances, Cilka must reach within herself to find the strength to not only survive, but also help others in the process.  In a narrative that jumps back and forth in time, between memories of her time at Auschwitz and the realities of her present situation, Cilka shows her remarkable will to endure and confront the daily terrors with courage.

Through Cilka's story, Morris once again presents us with an impactful tale of survival, resilience, and true love's ability to overcome hardship.  For someone so young to have to endure so much, it was heart-rending to read, yet at the same time, it humbled me and reminded me how much there truly is to be grateful for.  The Author's Note at the end of the book as well as the Afterword give keen insight into Cilka's real-life story and the conditions those interned in the camps were subjected to — both these narratives supplement the story and should not be missed. I'm keeping this review deliberately short, as this book is a necessary read as well as a timely one and it is my hope that more people will read it.  Thank you to Heather Morris for bringing us Cilka's story as well as that of Lale and Gita and helping us better understand this important piece of our society's history.

Received ARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and direct from publisher.

Review: The Butterfly Girl (by Rene Denfeld)



My Rating: 3.5 stars 



As the sequel to 2017's The Child Finder, Rene Denfeld's latest work, The Butterfly Girl, sees the return of Naomi Cottle, an independent investigator whose knack for finding missing children stems from a childhood tragedy, a kidnapping that she was able to escape from, but sadly her sister did not.  Unable to let go of the guilt of leaving her sister behind, Naomi has made it her life's mission to find her sister, despite barely having any information to go off of.  This time around, Naomi's search for her sister brings her to Portland, Oregon, where she discovers a growing number of homeless children disappearing off the streets, only to be found murdered days later, their bodies tossed in the dirty waters of the local river.   Despite her best efforts not to get involved due to a vow she made to locate her sister before taking on any more cases, Naomi is eventually pulled into the case after meeting Celia, a twelve-year-old girl who chooses a life on the streets rather than returning home to an abusive stepfather and an oblivious, drug addict mother.   Seeing Celia reminds Naomi of her own past and instills in her an urgent need to try her best to protect her, while Celia's own desire to protect her younger sister Alyssa from the abuse she herself suffered draws parallels to Naomi's relationship with the sister she is desperately trying to find.

This was one of those books that I struggle with rating, as there were enough things I appreciated about the story, but there were also things that didn't work tremendously well for me.  Perhaps because I never read the first book in this series, I found Naomi's storyline about searching for her sister and the way it eventually unfolds a bit unrealistic and maybe even a tad forced  — I didn't connect with her story as much emotionally and at times, even felt frustrated with the way Naomi's search becomes an obsession to the point that it takes over her life.  Celia's story, on the other hand, was heartbreaking — drawing from her own personal experience of living on the streets as a kid, the way that Denfeld depicted the harsh realities of street living was both heartfelt and emotionally gut-wrenching.  Her story ran the emotional spectrum for me – there was sadness and anger, but yet there was also an underlying element of hopefulness interspersed throughout the story.  I think for me, I preferred more focus on Celia's story rather than Naomi's, as I found myself skimming some of the sections that dove too much into Naomi's backstory, which I felt were a bit repetitive and, in a way, dragged down the rest of the story.  With all that said, one of the things that set this book apart for me was the atmospheric writing, especially in the chapters involving Celia and her friends and what their lives were like out on the streets.  There was also the brilliant use of imagery in a seamless yet metaphoric way – in this instance, the imagery of butterflies and their importance to Celia's story.

Overall, I feel this was a good story that had a lot of potential and while I agree with other reviewers that this can definitely be read as a standalone, I think for me personally, I would've appreciated the story more if I had read the first one prior.  I do intend on going back to read The Child Finder at some point, preferably before Denfeld's next book comes out, especially if it will be a continuation of Naomi's story.

Received ARC from Harper via NetGalley.   

Review: The Long Call (by Ann Cleeves)

My Rating: 4 stars

Set in North Devon, England, a place where two rivers converge to meet the sea, The Long Call is a brand new detective series from author Ann Cleeves that introduces us to DI Matthew Venn, a forty-something police detective who is investigating the case of a man named Simon Walden found stabbed to death on the beach, in an area close to where Matthew lives with his husband Jonathan.   After breaking away from the strict evangelical community to which his estranged family still belongs, Matthew is no longer welcome among the Brethren, cast out to the point of only being able to observe his father's funeral from afar.  As Matthew and his team follow the leads that emerge in investigating Walden's murder, the detective finds himself unexpectedly pulled back into the folds of the Brethren community, where the secrets of his past threaten to collide with the present life he so painstakingly built.   To complicate matters, having recently transferred from Bristol, Matthew is the new boss in town heading up a group of detectives whose personalities couldn't be more different from each other, but who must now work together to solve the case, the dynamics of which add a layer of complexity to the investigation.  

This was a well-written police procedural that I found to be engaging and a bit different from ones I've read previously.  Normally I would expect these types of stories to be action-packed and fast-paced, with a complicated plot as well as twists and turns galore, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case here.  Instead, this was an atmospheric read that was actually a bit of a slow-burn, but not to the point of being draggy — rather, the plot moved along in a way that felt natural and un-rushed, though with an ending that still managed to be unpredictable and also a resolution to the case that caught me off guard.  I like how Cleeves didn't just focus on developing a complex and believable plot, but also balanced it with meticulous character development as well, lending a level of depth to the story that made it more engaging in my opinion.

Overall, I enjoyed this quiet but steady detective story that kept me interested throughout.  This is the first book in a new series for Cleeves, and for me, it is a good introduction to this author's work, since this is my first time reading her books.  I'm definitely looking forward to continuing this series when the second book comes out!  As for her previous book series, I understand that two of them — the Shetland Island as well as Vera Stanhope series — were both turned into successful television series; no doubt that this new Two Rivers series will likely follow in the same footsteps.  When that happens, it will be interesting to see how this story translates on screen.

Received ARC from St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) via NetGalley.

Review: Moloka'i (by Alan Brennert)

 My Rating: 5 stars

Several months ago, I was offered an ARC from the publisher for Alan Brennert’s newest novel Daughter of Moloka’i (which is scheduled to be published in February).   At the time, I skimmed the brief synopsis of the book that came with the email and that, along with the knowledge that the book would be in the historical fiction genre (one of my favorite genres), was enough for me to make the decision to accept the ARC I was offered.  Thinking at the time that the book was a standalone novel, it wasn’t until the end of last year, as I was planning my upcoming reads for 2019, that I read a more in-depth summary of the book and discovered that it is actually a sequel to a novel that Brennert had written 15 years ago, a bestseller from 2003 titled Moloka’i.  I put the book on my TBR list hoping I would get a chance to read it before reading the sequel.  A few weeks later, as I was browsing at a used book store I had recently discovered, I unexpectedly came across a paperback version of Moloka’i – coincidence or not, I knew right then and there that this was a book I just had to read, so I decided to take a much needed break from my ARCs list and squeeze this one in.  I am glad I did so, as I ended up loving this book and am happy to say that it is my very first 5 star read of 2019!

Prior to reading Brennert’s beautifully written masterpiece, I actually had no clue that there once existed a quarantined leprosy settlement on the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i.  I also knew very little about leprosy (now known as Hansen’s disease) itself outside of brief mentions I had come across many years ago that talked mostly about the physical deformities associated with the disease.  With this little bit of knowledge to go on, I went into this book expecting a heavily depressing story, one that I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle.  Now I know that I need not have worried, as instead of a depressing read, I was treated to an exquisite, beautiful, moving story about life, love, family, and strength in the face of adversity – a story that, while sad and heartbreaking, was also simultaneously hopeful and uplifting.  I appreciate the fact that Brennert took a humanistic approach with this story in that he was able to give leprosy patients a voice and show the world that, at the end of the day, these were ordinary people just like the rest of us, with the only difference being the horrible disease they were afflicted with, through no fault of their own, that forced them to live under extraordinary circumstances and make heartbreaking sacrifices that many of us often take for granted.

I loved all the characters in this story and really connected to all of them on an emotional level.  I especially loved the main character Rachel Kalama, whose story, albeit fictional, is beautifully rendered in here.  When she is discovered to have leprosy at the young age of 7, Rachel is taken from her family and exiled to the leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka’i, first at the Bishop Home for girls where she is cared for by the Franciscan sisters, then later, in adulthood, living on her own in Kalaupapa.  Despite the natural beauty of its terrain, Moloka’i is a desolate place, isolated from the world, where leprosy patients are sent to die — an “open grave” in a sense where the number of people who meet their deaths far outnumber those who survive. Yet, in such circumstances, Rachel and those she meets here, her new “family,” are determined to make the best of their situation, defying the odds and living their lives to the fullest — they go to gatherings, date, fall in love, get married and do everything else that others in a “normal” society would do.  Living out most of her life on the settlement, having to watch her friends succumb to death one after another, then later having to give up her beloved daughter, forcibly separated from her just like she herself was from her parents, Rachel shows incredible endurance and strength even in the face of so much tragedy and sacrifice.  Rachel is one of those unforgettable characters whose strength, bravery, and resilience touched my heart to the point that I continue to think about her and everything she went through long after finishing this book. 

One common characteristic with most of the books I’ve rated 5 stars is that almost all of them were emotional reads for me on some level.  This book was certainly no exception, as the roller coaster of emotions I felt while reading it never ceased – the story and characters gripped my heart from the very first page and never let go.  I found myself crying tears of sadness each time something bad happened to one of the characters and as the progression of the disease took one life after another, tears of joy each time one of the characters is able to overcome a small triumph over the disease as well as the moments of happiness that they are able to enjoy despite the circumstances, and of course tears of anguish each time one of the characters had to unfairly endure harsh words or cruel treatment from others in society that were guided mostly by fear and ignorance.  Reading this book, it is hard not to be drawn in emotionally and even after finishing, I know this is a story that will stay with me for a long time to come.

Good books have the innate ability to transport us, as readers, to a completely different world, to experience things (however briefly) that are beyond our reach, to gain knowledge about things that we probably would never have explored otherwise, and most importantly, to provoke us to think and reflect upon the attitudes, beliefs, values that we uphold in our lives and the impact these have on others.  This book definitely checked all the boxes for me and then some!  This book is historical fiction at its finest and one that I absolutely recommend, without a doubt.  Now that I’ve experienced Rachel’s story, I can’t wait to read her daughter Ruth’s story in Brennert’s follow-up novel Daughter of Moloka’i next month!

Review: After You (by Jojo Moyes)

My Rating:  3 stars

I had actually read this book more than a year ago, not too long after reading the first book Me Before You, however I had put off writing a review for it because of several reasons, the main one being that I was seething mad that this sequel even existed.  I enjoyed Me Before You immensely and even though at the time I read that book, I may not have been as emotionally invested in it overall as other readers were, I still felt that there was a “specialness” to Lou and Will’s story that was uniquely and irreplaceably theirs.  Despite the controversial ending, that book worked perfectly fine as a stand-alone novel and I finished the book feeling that there was enough closure for this to be a memorable read that was not overdone.  But then I found out that there was a sequel and despite my misgivings due to a general disdain for sequels/spinoffs/follow-ups that involve the same characters and story, I decided to go ahead and read After You anyway – once again, my curiosity got the better of me.  My very first reaction after finishing the sequel was that I wanted to throw the book against the wall (yes, I was that upset) – the only thing that prevented me from doing so was the fact that I had bought a paperback copy of the book at the airport (I was coming home from a business trip) and seeing that it cost way more than I should’ve had to pay for it, I didn’t want to ruin the physical book itself.  To me, the entire story in After You was totally unnecessary and it frustrated me the direction that Moyes decided to take the sequel, introducing characters that I felt did nothing to enhance the original story.  In fact, I felt like the way things went down in the sequel actually eroded some of that “specialness” that had made the first book so good and memorable.  Also, there were too many times throughout the book where I felt like the story was being dragged out unnecessarily and I actually started to lose patience.  Worst of all though, this sequel ended up tainting my memory of all the characters from the original story -- by the end, I was so irritated and annoyed with Lou that it was hard for me imagine her as being the same “special” person she was in the first book.  If After You had been a completely separate story, a stand-alone that had nothing to do with Me Before You, I think I might have been able to overlook some of the things that frustrated me about the story (i.e. some of the plot points that were a bit far-fetched) and maybe, just maybe, even like the book. But I guess it was not meant to be….

So then, since I obviously didn’t like the sequel much and procrastinated on writing this review because of it, why did I decide more than a year later to finally put my thoughts to paper?  Well, I just found out (and very shockingly so) that Moyes will be coming out with a THIRD book to this series (the third book is titled Still Me and is scheduled for publication in January 2018).  Of course, my first reaction to this news was – REALLY??? ANOTHER SEQUEL???  Do we really need a continuation to this story?  Part of me wants to steer clear from the third book because seeing how my reaction was to the second book, I’m pretty sure this go around is going to be the same (reading the summary for the third book didn’t help things either) and I’m not keen on the idea of putting myself through all that frustration again. BUT of course, once again, my curiosity got the better of me, plus the fact that I’m already so “invested” in this franchise from reading the first 2 books, I feel like it’s impossible at this point not to read the third book too.  I’m not sure what to expect (in a way, I don’t WANT to expect anything) but I’m going to try to keep an open mind and hope for the best….

(Read in August 2016)