Review: The Life She Was Given

The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My neighbor Sue recommended this to me and it was a really unusual read. It was about a woman who, as a young girl, was sold by her abusive mother to a circus, because she was an albino. Over time, she builds a family at the circus, but not without drama. There are alliances, betrayals, and complications throughout her life. The plotting of the book was spectacular, the character development bordered on trite, but was well-written enough that I still enjoyed the read. Great ending, too.



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Review: The Lost

The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was AMAZING. I was familiar with it but never made it a point to pick it up. I found it at a bookstore in (of all places) Kansas City, and took a chance. WOW. It is hard to categorize this book - part memoir, part world history, part American Jewish history, Mendelsohn covers a lot of ground. And I could not put it down.

Mendelsohn opens by describing his Miami Beach relatives, who would look at him as a child and comment how much he looks like a particular relative who died in the Holocaust. This sticks with him through his childhood and into adulthood, and is one of a few influences that drives him to want to learn about his family's history. Rather than be satisfied with "he, his wife, and their four children died in the Holocaust," he embarks on a decades-long quest to learn what actually happened to his particular relatives. In doing so, he really personalizes the tragedy of the Holocaust in a way that is both individualized and universal. He is meticulous in his research, and in his descriptions of his reactions to every piece of information he uncovers.

This is not an easy book to read - it's quite readable, but has a lot of descriptions of Holocaust murders that are, appropriately, awfully disturbing. But I also found it a hopeful book, and one that told a very complete personal story, from beginning to end.

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Review: The Constant Gardener

The Constant Gardener by John le Carré
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought this book a while ago, then it sat on the shelf, then Web read it, didn't love, so it sat on the shelf for another while, then I finally picked it up. I did love it! It is about a British diplomat whose wife is killed while they are stationed in Kenya. As he begins to investigate the circumstances of her death, he learns that she may have been uncovering a major public health issue that powerful people didn't want publicized. The balance of the book is about what she discovered and how he tries to avenge her death.

Like his other books, this had plenty of intrigue and twists. Though not a "spy" book like his classic works, it had a similar pace and plotting. It wasn't fast-moving, but the subtleties were well-delivered, and the story overall compelling.

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Review: Asymmetry

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a frustrating book. The first third was a well-written and enjoyable read about a young woman who falls for an older man, both writers. This made sense with the title of the book (their relationship, due to their age and experience, was asymmetrical on many levels.) The second third of the book was about a man detained at airport security because of racial profiling. Then the final third of the book supposedly tied the first two together - except I don't believe it did - not well at least. After such good character development in the first third, and such good plot in the middle, I was expecting a great crescendo at the end to tie it all together. Alas, no luck.

Perhaps this is an insiders' book - one that is better enjoyed by writers and critics. But for a professional book-lover, it missed the mark.

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