The author, Helen Simonson, does a good job developing the characters-
you immediately like some of them and take a dislike to others. Major Pettigrew ( who always uses his full title) is a distinguished, retired
gentlemen...old school manner and courtly charm.
Mrs Jasmina Ali, a widow, is a shopkeeper in the village; she is Pakistani and
strives to blend her ancient culture with modern times in England.
The setting is a small village, picturesque- and filled with quintessential charm:
thatched cottages and gently- rolling hills. The characters also fit the small
town picture: some busybody ladies, a country vicar, women planning socials and
a community involved in each other's lives.

Mrs Ali and Major Pettigrew, both widowed, share a love of literature, and gradually plan outings to get together and discuss the classics. Their unlikely friendship and mutual
respect blossom into love. Imagine the reaction of the villagers- one of their own courting
a foreign woman with foreign ways.
We are introduced to some facets of Pakistani culture : respecting the ancient traditions
and regarding the whole family ( and family name) over personal preferences. This is a story of loss and love; prejudices and acceptance; old ways making room
for new ones. And, a few twists and turns along the way.

This a good book to curl up with - "cuppa tea" in hand!

Author Frank Delaney makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea and
picture yourself in the Irish countryside- 1950's.....

A storyteller, whose identity remains a mystery until the very end of the
book, wanders the countryside- telling animated tales of Ireland's history,
mixed with a bit of imagination and blarney. He intrigues his audience, who are spellbound for the hours that it takes to complete his tale.....
subjects vary from battles to saints to how things were named or
discovered....much of the history is factual and much of the entertainment
lies in the added myths and "inside stories".
In return, the itinerant storyteller is given hot food and drink and a place to
sleep ( often in the barn). Not an easy life- walking from town to town, hoping
to find a home that is hospitable, and then performing his heart out.

Ronan O'Mara is a nine year old boy, who is captivated by the storyteller, when he
visits the O'Mara home for 3 nights. The boy doesn't move a muscle for fear of breaking
the spell of the story.....he lies awake at night recalling the stories....he is deeply
saddened when the storyteller hits the road.
Ronan is so drawn to the storyteller's tales and lifestyle, that it becomes his personal mission to find the storyteller again and learn the trade.
Years go by....Ronan seems to have many close encounters, but always
just misses the old storyteller. Neighbors claim "sightings", but always
a few days or weeks before. Fast forward to Ronan's college years....he is called home suddenly, as his
father is gravely ill. Sadly, Mr O'Mara dies, and who should appear at the funeral
but the old storyteller! Ronan gets to talk to him briefly, but the crowd gathers
round and the storyteller disappears down the road, once again.

Why the obsession? Why are neighbors and family members sending Ronan
on wild goose chases? Where does the magic of the stories come from?
Read this charming book and find out!
Each chapter was delightful( and often informative- relaying Irish history).
It's a lengthy book of 550 pages, but you can easily pick it up, read a chapter,
and set it down to be continued the next night.

Sent from my iPad

Alice LaPlante teaches creative writing at Stanford and shares this creativity with
her readers in this latest novel.
That said, being too creative can be problematic .....

The story portrays a renowned surgeon, Dr Jennifer White, who has early onset
of dementia...she is only 46 years old. Sounds pretty depressing- not exactly light reading, huh? Well, there are humorous parts, stories from her past, interactions
with family and friends, as well as drama. Jennifer's best friend is found murdered
and 4 of her fingers were surgically removed.....Jennifer was a orthopedic surgeon,
specializing in hand surgeries and she was known as the "doctor of last resort" - who
could perform the nearly impossible.
No big surprise: Dr Jennifer White is a suspect. She and her friend, Amanda, had
highs and lows in their friendship....often combative and competitive....but, they
always supported each other and "forgot" about past incidences. Besides the legal drama, the reader is given a glimpse into the world of
dementia...here's where the author tries to get a bit too creative: some of the
flashbacks and stories from much younger years aren't clear...it's hard to know
who she's referring to sometimes....
It's story of survival and dealing with lost mental capacity on a daily basis...good days
and bad days.....and her family's way of reaching out and communicating.

This is not a book I would have chosen myself; there's a group reading this and sharing
reviews. But, I think it's a worthwhile choice and will provide a lot of discussion
material- from "What would you do" to "Why me" ?

Sent from my iPad

Lauren Belfer's second book is a medical drama, mystery and human interest story. Well- written, you'll find yourself involved in the story and hoping for an outcome that is unlikely. Claire Shipley is a photojournalist for Life magazine and has been assigned the job of following the progress of a possibly miraculous drug: penicillin.
The highs and lows of research and experimentation are followed; the real life drama when it is used on a human for the first time....and, as the patient progresses
from near death to renewed good health.

As in all mysteries, there's a twist: production of penicillin is very limited, expensive
and unavailable.....what little there is, must be used for the troops ( story begins days
after Pearl Harbor). So, the patient's health deteriorates and nothing can be done.
People will do anything to get ahold of some penicillin! Murder, sabotage, theft....

What lengths would we go to? Some people are looking for financial gain and others
for medical intervention. All of modern medicine that we take for granted had beginnings that were speculative, costly and painstakingly achieved.

This book is very well written and holds your attention.
Let me know how you like it...

PS: Lauren Belfer's first book was "City of Light", set in Buffalo.

Sent from my iPad

This first novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda is a keeper!
It's packed with emotion, drama, danger and love.....

The story has 2 settings: a remote Indian village near Mumbai and
San Francisco. A young woman , Kavita, gives birth in a birthing tent in
a rural area, accompanied by a midwife, while her husband waits nearby to
see "what it is.". Alas for the baby, it's a girl. Being a poor family and living in
a culture that centers around males, news of a daughter is not welcome and the father
"takes care of the baby.". Not a good thing.......
Take two: Kavita secretly delivers another girl a couple years later and is determined
not to let her husband murder this baby. After a long and arduous journey , she leaves the
infant girl at an Orphanage in Mumbai. Naturally, she is heartbroken. Meanwhile in San Francisco, a young couple...the woman- an American doctor -and the man a surgeon-born in India -struggles with infertility issues.
After much deliberation, they decide to adopt a baby from India.

So story flips back and forth between CA and India.......
Cultural differences and lifestyles are depicted.....
love 'n loss; conflict, strong emotions on all sides......

A quote I like: " You can't Always see the power a woman holds, but it is there....."
Both of the women involved in this story had strong characters and had some power,
even if it wasn't obvious.
To add to the drama, the adopted daughter, Asha, wants to go back to India to explore
her roots ( remember, her father doesn't even know of her existence). Another source
of power...

This book was well-written and moved along.....
I recommend it for individual readers and for for bookclub members.

Let me know your thoughts!

Sent from my iPad

I previously reviewed White Tiger about a young man making his way in the modern Indian world.  This is a similar tale told from the perspective of a young woman.  It is charming and horrifying by turns, but in general has a more hopeful point of view.  The book provides some insight about the expectations of young women born in relatively middle class families who live in the Indian countryside and how that traditional life is changing.  It is a quick read and keeps your attention and you learn a little about a different culture.  I would recommend it.

This is Alexandra Fuller's follow up (part sequel part prequel) to her book about her childhood growing up in Africa during the 70's and 80's--Lets not Go to the Dogs Tonight.  This book is mostly about her mother who also grew up in Africa, Kenya as opposed to Rhodesia.  If you have not read the first book, I would recommend that you read that first, and then read this book if you are still interested.  The Fuller household was mildly to profoundly dysfunctional.  Both parents "drank a little" and Nicola, the mother, has bipolar disorder which was untreated for years.  This added to the general chaos in Africa when Rhodesia was fighting a war to hold on to the minority white rule when the rest of Africans were gaining their independence, lends itself to an interesting life story and an interesting take on world affairs.  Both books are well written and hold your interest even though you often have little patience with the opinions and actions of the characters, especially the mother.  I would recommend both books.

This book kept my interest right from the beginning....It's written as a novel,
but is based on the life of the author's grandmother.

It has true life drama, raw emotions, and realistic characters.
Verna Krone is the center of the story and Dr Crampton makes the
story develop. To add more controversy, she is white and he is black.
This is set in the Great Depression days and continues for decades; the storyline
revolves around abortion. Yes, to many an evil word! An abhorrence; An illegal procedure done
in backrooms of non-medical facilities.

So, why did Dr Crampton perform abortions and what made Verna choose to be his assistant?
Women were dying at the hand of butchers, most of whom were not qualified to perform any kind
of surgery....they did it to rake in lots of money. Dr Crampton felt that women should have a safe
option to pregnancy- many of which were unplanned and resulted from acts of violence.
Verna experienced this when her boss (the man of the family that she worked for) took "inappropriate
liberties" as they delicately put it. Hogwash! He raped her and left her to suffer the consequences, which
unfortunately were pregnancy and abortion through archaic methods.
Verna painstakingly put herself through a nursing course and set out to help to ease women's suffering.
It tells of her spirit and determination to rise about poverty and make a difference in the world.
The fact that abortion was illegal added another challenge, but didn't stop her or Dr Crampton.

Sure they both were well-paid for their work, but the overriding feeling was one of providing a service to
the women who needed it and doing so in a safe, sterile setting.
Of course, it doesn't all go along smoothly...there are obstacles to overcome and secrets to keep.
Many of the patients were from well-to-do families and had political ties. Many were dirt poor and
could not afford - healthwise or moneywise- another baby.
They were all treated the same!

Dr Crampton tried to raise as much capitol as possible to help the black community and the kids who
were at risk. Eventually, he took took much risk himself and ended up on the wrong side of the politicians.
Of course, Verna ended up there, too.

This book shows the power of determination and hard work....it shows the human side of the law and who
is affected by these laws...certainly not the "big guys" in power.

Pick up a copy and let me know how you like it.

This is by far one of the best books I've read in years.

It's partly great because of the foreign time and place: a hospital in Ethiopia in the 60's. I had no idea of anything that occurred in that time period or that part of the world (thanks, high school World History, for skipping over Africa completely!) and it was fascinating. Mostly it's great because of the characters. Marion, the narrator, is the steady, dedicated, polite twin. The other twin, Shiva, is a genius, and everyone accepts that he's both special and different from other people. Ghosh, who helps to raise the twins, is my favorite character, with his optimism and oddities.

It's really long, which can be a deterrent, but I thought it was great!

Maeve Binchy's books make you feel like you're having a cup of tea and hearing
stories of small time life in Ireland. " Minding Frankie" is set in Dublin, but relates stories of
a close-knit community and their joint effort to raise a motherless infant girl.

One can almost place yourself in the midst of the group and feel like part of the tale.
Baby Frankie ( short for Frances) has a young mom who dies in childbirth and a father who is unaware of her expected arrival. And, so the story begins.....

Noel receives a phone call from a long ago friend from his partying days who claims
that he is the father of her soon-to-be daughter. At first, he was skeptical.....then he was
convinced by a visiting cousin that he needs to check it out.
A social worker, intent on placing the baby up for adoption as soon as she is born
( mother has incurable illness and will not survive delivery), is the protagonist.
Noel jumps in wholeheartedly to keep the baby and prevent her from being
adopted.

Despite the sad-sounding story, it centers on a new life and all the folks who helped
to raise Frankie- despite the social worker, Moiria's, intention to place baby up for
adoption. This stirs Noel into action..he stops drinking, goes back to school to finish his degree and forms a network of support.
Maeve Binchy has an easy going manner of writing and a great cast of characters.
One can easily get into the story, choose sides, and root for the underdog!

If you feel like reading a cozy book, give this one a try.
Let me know what you think!

Sent from my iPad