End of Year 2016

Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota, 2016 - Nominated for the Man Booker Prize, Year of the Runaways is the compelling, wrenching story of Avtar, Randeep & Tocha, who flee India like countless others for a better life in England.  Narinder is a UK National, but feels compelled to return to India monthly as she struggles with her beliefs and living an independent life in a traditional family.

Powerful and ruthless, Years of the Runaways makes me realize how resilient humans can be & how powerful an opportunity, any opportunity, can be for people who have nothing.

One new English term I learned is lollipop lady, or a crossing guard who holds ups a stick with a circle on the top to halt vehicles.








The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, 2016 - Claire, Jessie & Gabriela are best friends who realize that learning from your mistakes does not mean you'll make new ones.  From being honest & not scared of family to telling the truth to really going for what you want until it consumes you, all three women make wrong decisions but end up where they are supposed to be.

- November 2016

The Smart One by Jennifer Close, 2013

Real characters.  Weezy (nickname for Louis) is a stay-at-home mother whose children are having trouble starting their own lives.

Paragraphs that ring so true, like when she picks up glasses and dishes left behind by her family around the house like they expect a magic fairy to clean up after them.  They don't consider that that magic fairy is her...!

Very readable, but did not enjoy as much as Girl in White Dresses or The Hopefuls. The Hopeful definitely felt like a very mature novel. 

Girls in White Dresses seemed like short stories strewn together, with The Smart One a more integrated narrative, but not as good as The Hopefuls.

No Angel by Penny Vincenzi, 2003

First of a trilogy.  Very easy reading.  British publishing house Lytton struggles to survive during World War I.  Lytton brother moves to New York City and starts a building empire.

The most eye-opening of this story for me is how horrendous World War I was.  How many men died.  How many men were stuck in trenches and sent to their deaths while armchair generals did not seem to know what they were doing.

Heroine is Celia Lytton, married to Oliver Lytton.  Oliver's siblings include LM (Little Margaret), Robert (emigrates to America), and Jack.

After-post:
Tried reading the sequel (2nd in the trilogy) and could not get through...  Characters felt too contrived and the Lytton world felt suffocatingly predictable.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close, 2011

After reading The Hopefuls, knew I wanted to read Girls in White Dresses.  Had taken it out before but ended up not reading.  Perhaps too close to home - girls at the age mid-to-late 20s when friends are starting to get married and you wonder what if you never meet someone...spend the rest of your life single...

Engaging characters with mannerisms & stories that capture the little moments & memories that are so easily overlooked & forgotten.

Isabella in New York City would never dream of moving Chicago (despite all the space you can get...!) or Boston (dulls-ville). 

Mary who marries Ken, the ultimate Mama's boy.  Lauren, the wild one who ends up with the mysterious Mark.

Very much privileged liberal arts college point of view.  Colgate is even mentioned!

The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory, 2014
The King's Curse is about the 3rd or 4th Gregory book that I have read.  She brings the world of 15th Century royalty to life.  The power, drama & sex (especially when the story involves Henry the VIII.

The story is told from Margaret Pole's, Countess of Salisbury's, point of view.  She is a Plantagenet/York, a family feared by the Tudors.

The cousin of Henry the VII's wife, Margaret becomes the governess for future king Arthur, Prince of Wales.  With Arthur's early death from the Sweat, Arthur's younger brother Henry VIII becomes the next in line.

In and out of favor of the royal court, Margaret is thrown into poverty after the death of her husband.  With the ability to regain a place in the court for herself and her son if she betrays Princess Katherine, Author's widow, from Spain, Margaret chooses to remain faithful to her friend and former charge.

Once Katherine marries Henry VIII after his father's death, Margaret is brought back to court and bestowed lands and titles.

Unfortunately, as Henry VIII becomes more paranoid and obsessed with fathering a male heir, those close to him are mercilessly sent to the Tower and charged with treason for the barest offense.

The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close, 2016
Captures DC perfectly.  Captures marriage and couple-friendships perfectly. 
Midwestern Beth is married to Matt, whose family fashions themselves after the Kennedies. 
Matt grew up knowing he wanted to run for office and purposefully abstained from any questionable behavior while growing up to prevent any embarrassment when he ran for office.  A friend's husband that I knew in DC behaved the same way.
New to DC, Beth and Matt befriend Texans Ashleigh & Jimmy. 
Despite having a very "DC" relationship, Beth appreciates Ashleigh & Jimmy because they are the rare political couple who can talk about other things besides politics.
When Matt signs on to run Jimmy's campaign, the stress of the campaign, especially a failing one, becomes too much for everyone involved.