A Portrait of Emily Price

A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay is a novel about an art restorer who meets and falls in love with an Italian chef, then marries him after two weeks and follows him home to Italy. Once there, she has a hard time fitting in; mostly she tries to fix everyone and everything and begins questioning her life choices and marriage.

A somewhat charming, yet forgettable read.

The Red Car

The Red Car by Marcy Demansky is a deceptively simple little novel that packs a real punch. When Leah gets a call in NY that her old boss and mentor died in a car accident and left her her red car, Leah flies out to SF for her funeral, leaving her possessive husband behind. There, her old life awaits her and she finds herself on a journey of self discovery in the very car that killed her friend, a car she has always hated.

Always unexpected, never boring, I was happy to go along for the ride wherever The Red Car might take her. A great read.

Ways to Disappear

Ways to Disappear by Idra Novey is an original debut novel about a Brazilian writer who one day takes a small suitcase, climbs into a tree and disappears. This sends her two grown children and her American translator on a quest to find her. They discover she had an online gambling debt, is being chased by a loan shark and might be in contact with her editor.

The writing is brilliant, I liked it better than I liked the characters or the story, which usually isn't enough, but this time it almost is. Novey has written such a unique novel, from the perspective of being a translator herself, that I was willing to follow her just about anywhere. A worthwhile read.

The Book That Matters Most

The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood is a novel about Ava, a woman living in Providence, Rhode Island. Her husband of 25 years leaves her for an old fling, her grown kids are both living abroad and she finds herself alone and lonely, until she joins a book club. This book club is much more serious than any I have ever been a part of, it was intimidating just reading about it. Each person picks the book that mattered most to them in their lives and they read one a month,

Ava's book sends her on a journey of discovery into her past and also into the present life of her daughter who is drifting and in trouble in France. Hood ties it all up a little too neatly at the end, but I always enjoy a good book about good books, and this was no exception.

The Dollhouse

The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis is historical fiction based on the Barbizon Hotel for women, referred to as The Dollhouse in the 50's, and the women who lived there.

Mystery unfolds as present day journalist Rose tries to discover what happened on a tragic night in 1952 to one of the older women still living in the building. Rich in detail of NYC's jazz scene at the time, and full of colorful characters, this should have been a great book.

However, something fell flat. I found it predictable and I didn't quite believe in the characters, especially Esme. A mildly interesting, just ok read.

Swimming Lessons

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller is a novel set in Dorset, England. A mystery involving the disappearance and assumed drowning of a mother with ten and fifteen year old daughters. During the last days before her disappearance, she wrote letters to her husband and placed them in the books piled all over the house. Eleven years later, believing he has spotted his missing wife, the father takes a bad fall and the daughters come home to take care of him.

Well written, and if you enjoy a good mystery, you might like this book. However, I didn't really like any of the characters and the book left me feeling very sad. There was no real resolution, it was all a bit hopeless. My recommendation, skip it.

The Revolving Door of Life

The Revolving Door of Life by Alexander McCall Smith is part of his 44 Scotland Street Series. I've read a couple of these, so far this is my favorite. McCall Smith is back with his usual charm and wit; this time Bertie's Mother is on a prolonged stay in the Persian Gulf. When his Grandmother arrives from Portugal, she quickly cancels his yoga, psycho-therapy and Italian lessons, orders him a pizza and gets down to the business of letting him be a little boy for once.

Full of wonderful characters, funny, wise and heartfelt, McCall Smith is at his best here. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.