A Column of Fire by Ken Follett

I have always listed Pillars of the Earth as one of my all time favorite novels. (The STARZ TV adaptation is pretty good too!!)  I remember not being quite so bowled over by the second book, World Without End.  Still, I was excited to read this third installment about Kingsbridge and the descendants of Tom the Builder.

It did not disappoint.

A long, sweeping novel that covers several decades at the end of the 1500's, this story follows Ned Willard into the first ever secret service for Queen Elizabeth I.  He spies, he collects information, he thwarts, he travels, he loves, he loses.  The scope is naturally much wider here as the world becomes larger and more accessible than in previous centuries, so the focus is less on the politics and people of Kingsbridge and more about the times - intrigue, family betrayal, the continued treatment of women as property (not by our forward thinking Ned, of course!!).

Told from varying points of view, we learn what both sides of this religiously divided time are scheming - and there is a lot of scheming!  By Ned, by his enemies, by the several strong female characters who bravely fight for their beliefs in the face of execution if caught.  The Protestants versus the Catholics; tolerance versus power; family versus family; Queen versus Queen.  Everyone is convinced that their side is the side of God, in the right, this is the ONLY way, the other people are evil.....

Sounds familiar right?  Some things never change.

Follett writes simply and does have some questionable phrasing for the times here.  But it cannot detract from the way he weaves real historical figures into his stories and brings this long ago age to light and to life.  Historical fiction is my favorite genre to read, and Follett is a master.  I especially loved the Epilogue here - true fans will appreciate the nod to Pillars here - and there is the scent of yet a fourth opportunity to follow the lives and loves of the people of Kingsbridge into the next century and a new world.....stay tuned!!

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Rawles

Educated by Tara Westover

So, I am not really sure how to review this one.

My brain was in so many places when I finished a week ago that I had to take a break.  Whew!

And this is a good thing, at least for me.  If you don't already know, this is another memoir of resilience, defying the odds, and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.  A la Glass Castles, Hillbilly Elegy, even the novel The Great Alone.  I am sure there are others.  Trapped by her parents (really, her dad's) paranoia about the government, Tara and her 6 siblings do not attend school regularly (Tara not at all - she's the youngest), are forced to work in the family junkyard business, always face serious injury, only believe in home remedies (doctors collude with the government!) and never are given the chance to make up their own minds about things in the world because they are never taught, they are only TOLD.  But then one brother self studies himself into college, and convinces Tara she can - and should - do the same.  Now they both have PhDs (as does another brother).  Impressive?  Impossible?  Both??


My first impression of this book was made in the very first paragraph - so descriptive!!  What imagery!!  "...a gentle hill slopes upward and stitches itself to the mountain base."  WHAT?  This woman never went to high school?  She only graduated from BYU, Cambridge and Harvard.  And was a Gates Scholar.

Oh.  Education has nothing to do with intelligence.  Only with knowledge.

This is a great choice for a book club.  I have two book clubs that are reading it this month.  In the first group of various ages and genders we had some people who didn't really believe this was a fully true story.  It is hard to believe.  So many injuries in the junkyard and in other accidents that one friend felt like it was "violence voyeurism." (stolen from Debbie!!)  And like Hillbilly Elegy, there is a lack of emotion here that I find very interesting in memoirs.  Like the author has to distance herself from the truth in order to tell it straight, without the blurring of emotion.  Abuse abounds in many forms.  But that is MY definition of abuse.  Those perpetrating the abuse don't see it as abuse at all.  There is a lot of denial.  Tara herself in a recent interview still seems to defend her now estranged father from his decisions and actions, saying he didn't mean for the kids to get injured in the junkyard, it just is what it is.  (God's will?)  I also agreed with my friend Debbie again when she said she wanted more of the things Tara had to learn when she "entered society."  Much is made of the fact that she had never heard the word Holocaust before college and had to ask what that meant.  She did have access to a computer and later a tv in her house, but that level of not knowing is mind blowing to those of us that are mainstreamed.  But should it be??  Remember, we are all only knowledgeable about the things we have been told - by our parents, by our teachers, the media, our church, the history books.  How much do we all take at face value?  Tara did her own research, and learned, and questioned, and grew.  There is no shame in not knowing, only in not trying to learn.

She is clear at the beginning that this is not a story of their religion (they are Mormon) but rather belief.  Interesting clarification.  But it is a story of paranoia, family, responsibility to self, intended and unintended abuse and questioning authority.  Her path is not "normal" by any definition.  But her story is well worth reading.  Tara is an excellent writer and I will be curious to see if she writes another book and what sort it will be.  Her choice of study was focused on the history of historians - where does knowledge come from and who are these people who have traditionally told us what to believe.  Interesting indeed.

I can't really say more in a review without totally spoiling the book - I have probably already revealed too much, but I promise there is SO MUCH MORE (hello Shawn) - but I have an entire other review written for my other book club which meets tonight - more like discussion points really.  So much to talk about!!  Whether or not YOU believe, is left to you.  But read, you should.  Then, be like Tara.  Decide for yourself.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

The one good thing about having a bad cold is you don't feel like doing anything but reading. Sniff.

This was a great book to hunker down with.  I have enjoyed all the Moriarty books I have read, and in this one her humor really shines through.  Frances Welty, who I would call the main character, is hilarious and imperfect and oh so relatable.  On a whim, Frances signs up for a Health Retreat to relax, get her head straight, mend a broken (and embarrassed) heart, maybe lose a few pounds, detox.  What she gets, and who she meets, makes for one of the most creative tales I have read in a long time!

There are nine guests for this session at Tranquillum House.  Some come from Melbourne, some Sydney, some other places down under.  There is one couple, one family, a few divorcees, and a lawyer.  The Director and staff members are determined to bring out a "new you" they tell everyone cheerfully and enigmatically.  Red flags begin to wave almost immediately.  Will they work together?  Will they indeed go through a metamorphosis?  They will certainly be changed!

I loved the pace here - different chapters give the reader insight into each of the guests, as well as the staff and director.  And I loved how the author handled the end of the book. (No Peeking!  See previous review for The Silent Patient.)  There are so many plotlines and character traits and backstories here that it must have taken a flow chart to keep them straight, but somehow it all works when put together.  Kudos to Moriarty for keeping it straight, for a wonky twist, and for giving us a book that was totally hard to predict!  Definitely an author to count on for a wild ride and a good story.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

This is a debut author to watch!!!

What a story!!  Well told - a murder mystery that unravels slowly.  Alicia is accused of killing her husband - no one knows why she would do it, or why she stopped talking altogether after the fact.  Greek tragedy much?  A Psychotherapist decides he is the one to unlock this mystery of why she is not talking, and gets a job at the facility where she lives.  The investigation he goes on is intriguing, intruding, and totally fascinating.  Many questions are answered, and many questions are raised, but I will say I loved the ending - not so much a shock as just really really well presented.  (Don't read it first!  ARRGGHHHH there should be immediate removal of books from people who do that.  Why read at all if you know the ending???  I literally am that reader that puts her hand over the right hand side of the page to keep myself from reading ahead.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and when I forget to cover it up I hate it! It is like opening Christmas presents on December 20th!!!  HAHA!)

Very Good read.  This was my first Book of the Month club choice (got it as a gift) - impressed!!!!