Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner 341 pages What's it about? This novel is about a decades long friendship between two couples- the Langs and the Morgans. They meet in Madison at the beginning of their careers and immediately become friends. What did it make me think about? This is one of my favorite books of all time. I try to re-read it every few years. It is a story of friendship, of rescue, and of the passage of time. Should I read it? This is a book not to be missed. My review is short because how can I do this novel justice? I highly recommend this one. Quote- "Is that the basis of friendship? Is it as reactive as that? Do we respond only to people who seem to find us interesting?.. Do we all buzz or ring or light up when people press our vanity buttons, and only then? Can I think of anyone in my whole life whom I have liked without his first showing signs of liking me?" If you like this try- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles A Place For Us by Fatima Farheer Mirza And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger 9 1/2 stars |
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The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer
576 pages What’s it about? Varian Fry was honored at Yad Vashem as “righteous among the nations” for his work rescuing victims of the Holocaust. In this novel Julie Orringer imagines his time in France during the early occupation of France. He comes to France to aid in getting as many artists out of Europe as he can. It is an insurmountable task. What did it make me think about? How would you choose the criteria for who to save? Should I read it? I loved The Invisible Bridge and I have been looking at this book on my nightstand with anticipation since it came out. Unfortunately, although beautifully written, this book was just too long. Once I started reading I found that Julian Fry was not a character I was terribly interested in. It seemed like every other page he talked about "Harvard" and his days there. He came off as a prig. Ms. Orringer threw in a homosexual love story to spice up the novel but even that couldn't add enough interest to make this book exciting. The book needed to be edited. I am sorry to say that even though I am sure Varian Fry was a hero, and there were real moral dilemmas involved, this story was work to get through. Quote- “Did he actually care less about saving human beings if those human beings couldn’t write a perfect novel or make an enduring painting.” If you liked this try- The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck Among the Living by Jonathan Rabb Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave 6 stars
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― Charles William Eliot
ratings
3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
7 to 8- It was a good book. I liked lots of aspects of this book. I would recommend it.
9 to 10- I was sorry to turn the last page. I highly recommend this book!