Tag Archives: adult
The Same Sky
Fiction
Ballantine Books
2015-01-20
288
A childless woman looking to adopt crosses paths with a 13-year-old Honduran girl who has embarked on a dangerous journey into Texas with her brother. By the author of How to Be Lost.
Review:
“The Same Sky” is an intense book told in the stark voices of two narrators, a girl from Honduras named Carla, and a woman from America named Alice. The two stories combine to make a haunting novel that will, hopefully, forever remain in the mind of the reader.
Alice, while she can be somewhat of annoying character, is a good representation of middle-class America. Her family has its own struggles and deal with the inability to have children. She and her husband run a small family business and live comfortably within their own bubble until the poverty that surrounds them becomes a part of their lives. I liked this subplot of the book, as it was a good example of the fact that poverty exists, quite literally, in our own backyards.
The story of Carla is eye-opening and disturbing. Her life in her village is vividly described, illustrating some of the many reasons people of all ages choose to risk the journey to the United States. I had no idea the trip is as difficult as it is, and I may have nightmares about it for quite some time.
I highly recommend “The Same Sky”. It brings a deep understanding to the struggles of others who share our world, and it sheds light on the reasons many illegal immigrant children are arriving at our borders alone. It is my hope that we can all come together to help others in need with this book in the backs of our minds. I know it will remain in mine.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
While I do not typically write content warnings for adult books, please be aware that there is rape, child, and drug abuse in this book.
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth
Fiction
Grand Central Publishing
2015-01-06
480
After witnessing the death of his younger brother in a terrible home accident, 14-year-old Kevin and his grieving mother are sent for the summer to live with Kevin's grandfather. In this peeled-paint coal town deep in Appalachia, Kevin quickly falls in with a half-wild hollow kid named Buzzy Fink who schools him in the mysteries and magnificence of the woods. The events of this fateful summer will affect the entire town of Medgar, Kentucky. Medgar is beset by a massive Mountaintop Removal operation that is blowing up the hills and back filling the hollows. Kevin's grandfather and others in town attempt to rally the citizens against the 'company' and its powerful owner to stop the plunder of their mountain heritage. When Buzzy witnesses the brutal murder of the opposition leader, a sequence is set in play which tests Buzzy and Kevin to their absolute limits in an epic struggle for survival in the Kentucky mountains. Redemptive and emotionally resonant, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth is narrated by an adult Kevin looking back on the summer when he sloughed the coverings of a boy and took his first faltering steps as a man among a rich cast of characters and an ambitious effort to reclaim a once great community.
Review:
For the first time, I feel like a jerk for giving something three stars as opposed to four, because at its heart “The Secret Wisdom of the Earth” is a solid four-star novel. There are some plot flaws that made me feel the need to dock a star, and they may not bother others, so please research other reviews along with mine to determine if this novel is right for you.
“The Secret Wisdom of the Earth” is a coming-of-age tale in the slice-of-life tradition. It meanders through the beautiful world of the Kentucky mountains, creating a respect within the reader for the beauty and fragility of nature. Mixed in are the very real issues of coal mining, poverty, and homophobia. All are handled in a realistic and unflinchingly honest way.
The main characters of Kevin, Pops, and Buzzy are likable and flawed, making them people whom those from all walks of life can relate. The supporting characters are all given complex stories and personalities that make you want to sit around at the diner and get to know them better.
Given all of these positives, you may be wondering why the three-star rating. The problem comes at the end. While some issues were not resolved, and should not have been, there were others that were not addressed at all, leaving the reader with no closure. On the opposite end, there was too much closure in the epilogue, with as many personal details crammed in as possible. It cluttered what would have been such a great book had the ending simply addressed the initial themes as opposed to ignoring them for the minor details.
I don’t regret reading “The Secret Wisdom of the Earth”, but I do have mixed feelings about it. I can neither recommend nor not recommend this novel.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content:
I don’t do content warnings for adult books, but do want to warn that there is strong homophobic and racist comments, as well as animal abuse.
Just Call Me Superhero
Fiction
Europa Editions Incorporated
2014-10-07
240
His face disfigured after being attacked by a dog, 17-year-old Marek has a lot to come to terms with. Tricked into attending a support group for teens with disabilities, he is rude and dismissive to the other members, with one exception. An atmospheric evocation of modern Berlin, a vivid portrait of youth under pressure, and a moving story about learning to love oneself and others, Just Call Me a Superhero is destined to consolidate Alina Bronsky's reputation as one of Europe's most wryly entertaining authors.
Review:
“Just Call Me Superhero”, by Alina Bronsky, is the story of a young man named Marek, who lives in modern-day Berlin. Marek was attacked by a rottweiler, leading to facial disfigurement, and is tricked by his mother into attending a support group. This forms the basis of the story.
Make no mistake about it, Marek is far from a likable character. He is blunt, homophobic, a jerk to anyone who finds themselves unlucky enough to be in his company, and seems to have no problem with any of it. However, he is an also extremely well-developed character who shows a wonderful amount of growth by the end of the book.
The wry humor had me literally laughing out loud at times. Bronsky knows exactly when to insert sarcasm and absurdity to break mounting tension. It makes what could be an extremely depressing book an enjoyable and somewhat lighthearted one.
The only reason I gave “Just Call Me Superhero” four stars instead of five is the homophobia is very over-the-top. There is growth and resolution to it, but I believe some of the phrasing may be a result of it being a translation. As long as you keep this in mind, I recommend “Just Call Me Superhero”.
This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher through the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
Language, Sexual Situations
Red Rising
Red Rising, Book 1
Fiction
Del Rey Books
2014-07-15
400
A tale set in a bleak future society torn by class divisions follows the experiences of secret revolutionary Darrow, who after witnessing his wife's execution by an oppressive government joins a revolutionary cell and attempts to infiltrate an elite military academy.
Review:
Before I go any further, let me warn you that “Red Rising” is not for the faint of heart. It is extremely brutal and violent, but if you can handle that, it is one fast and exciting novel.
Nothing pleases me more than a well-built world in a dystopian novel, and “Red Rising” is one of the most fascinating worlds I have found. The attention to detail is vivid, and it leaves you wanting to go deeper into their world and their history.
The characters and their motivations are complex, and they are very well-developed. The plot has so many twists and turns it is like a roller coaster, and just when you think you have it all figured out, something happens that takes you in an entirely new direction.
The writing flows well and is easy to read, while also challenging to the reader, throwing in quite a bit of history and mythology.
In short, I cannot wait for the sequel to “Red Rising”, and highly recommend it to all fans of dystopian or fantasy novels.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
Language, Sexual Situations, Extreme Violence, Gore
The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men
History
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
2014-10-28
288
A revelatory secret history of how America became home to thousands of Nazi war criminals after World War II, many of whom were brought here by the OSS and CIA—by the New York Times reporter who broke the story and who has interviewed dozens of agents for the first time.
Review:
“The Nazis Next Door” is a book about the various Nazis living in our country after the war, along with how our government not only helped bring them here but helped them avoid prosecution through various means, including forged documents.
As opposed to many history books, this one is easily read and accessible not only to the novice, but also provides little known information to historians. My major was history, with a concentration in Jewish history, and I was appalled by just how much has been hidden for so long. The fact that Patton himself was an anti-Semite made me feel physically ill.
A secondary benefit to the history lesson is the knowledge at just how carefully we need to question the actions of our own intelligence agencies. This is certainly a timely topic, and one that we could all use a reminder regarding.
If a reader has an interest in the Holocaust, especially the more unexplored topics surrounding it, I cannot recommend “The Nazis Next Door” enough. Novice or professional, it is an excellent resource.
This review is based upon an advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
As this is a book meant for adults, no content warning will be given.
The Bully Order
Fiction
Harper
2014-09-02
400
Washington Territory, 1886 Jacob and Nell Ellstrom step from ship to shore and are struck dumb by the sight of their new home—the Harbor, a ragged township of mud streets and windowless shacks. In the years to come this will be known as one of the busiest and most dangerous ports in the world, and with Jacob's station as the only town physician, prosperity and respect soon rain down on the Ellstroms. Then their son, Duncan, is born, and these are grand days, busy and full of growth. But when a new physician arrives, Jacob is revealed as an impostor, a fraud, and he flees, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Years later, on a fated Fourth of July picnic, Duncan Ellstrom falls in love. Her name is Teresa Boyerton, and her father owns the largest sawmill in the Harbor. Their relationship is forbidden by class and by circumstance, because without Jacob there to guide him, Duncan has gone to work for Hank Bellhouse, the local crime boss. Now, if Duncan wants to be with Teresa, he must face not only his past, but the realities of a dark and violent world and his place within it. Told from various points of view, Brian Hart's novel follows the evolution of the Harbor from a mudstamp outpost to a city that rivals the promise of San Francisco. The Bully of Order is a meditation on progress, love, and identity; a spellbinding novel of fate and redemption—told with a muscular lyricism and filled with a cast of characters Shakespearean in scope—where everyone is as much at the mercy of the weather as they are of the times.
Review:
This review is of a complimentary copy provided by Harper through the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review.
“The Bully Order” by Brian Hart is an unapologetic novel set on the coast of Washington State in the early 19oo’s. It is gritty and doesn’t shy away from just how brutal and miserable things were during that time in that area.
I really wanted to like this novel. The history is sound and a refreshing take on an era that is all too often romanticized. A few of the characters were engaging and made me want to know more about them. Unfortunately, those were the only redeeming qualities I found.
The beginning of the book is slow and filled with words that make it seem as though the writer went crazy with a thesaurus. It really bogs the flow down and makes it near impossible to get sucked into what may otherwise be a good story. The flips between points of view were enough to make me seasick. I stuck with it in the vain hope that it would get better, but the flaws pulled me too far out to ever really settle into the story.
Content Warning:
Language, Violence, Sexual Situations, Rape
Follow my book reviews and ramblings:
