After Before

After Before by Jemma Wayne is a novel that tells the story of three women whose lives overlap one British winter, all struggling with different issues. Lynn, not yet 60 is dying, Vera, a newly converted Christian engaged to Lynn's son is battling with secrets from her past, and Emily, Lynn's caregiver is trying to forget the horrors she survived during the Rwandan genocide that killed the rest of her village.

Sad, tragic and at times difficult to read, yet there were moments that I was very drawn into this book. However, I didn't really like most of the characters other than Emily, and even some of the choices Emily's character made near the end of the book were not quite believable to me.

It seems like Wayne was trying to do a lot of different things with this book, and although it packs an emotional punch, for me, she didn't quite succeed.

How to Start a Fire

How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz is a novel about three female college friends who manage to stick together through thick and thin over the course of 20 years.

Jumping back and forth through time and space, at first I found the novel's format disconcerting, but once I surrendered to it, everything fell into place by the end.

Lutz has created unique, well drawn characters that are impossible not to care about. Quirky, witty, clever, sad, beautiful, brave, each of these women are all of these things and more. One of the best books about female friends I've read in a long time.

The Marriage of Opposites

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman is historical fiction based on the life of Camille Pissaro, the Father of Impessionism, and his mother Rachel Pomie Petit Pizzaro.

Both born and raised in St. Thomas and later living in Paris, this is an imagined story of the painter's early life and ancestry on this little island in the Carribean.

Beautifully written, Hoffman brings to life 1800's St. Thomas and one fierce girl who always dreams of Paris. Hoffman is a wonderful storyteller, the book is rich in details and full of characters real and imagined. A great read.

Act of God

Act of God by Jill Cement is slim novel about a glowing mushroom found in a corner of a closet in Brooklyn that turns into a super mold that destroys blocks of the city, leaving many homeless and some dead.

Part comedy, part horror story, and totally original, it is really the story of a small group of people coming together and what it means to be a family. I found it so compelling that I couldn't put it down until I was finished. However, I was disappointed that so many characters fates were left hanging at the end. It felt more like a short story than a novel.

Affinity

I loved Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, so I thought I'd read one of her earlier novels. Affinity is a Victorian Era crime mystery lesbian love story set in a women's prison in London.

Waters is an amazing storyteller, there were so many twists and turns, by the end I felt like I needed to read it all over again to see what I had missed. Not as good as Paying Guests, but Waters is such a brilliant writer it is still worth a read.

Dietland

Dietland by Sarai Walker seems at first to be a light comedy, but quickly becomes quite subversive, a feminist call to arms.

Plum, an overweight woman about to have surgery to release the skinny woman inside her has been struggling with her weight her whole life. Everything in her life gets turned upside down when she finds herself being followed by a mysterious girl in colorful tights and combat boots. From there she becomes involved with all kinds of women she never even imagined existed and questions everything she thought would make her happy.

Walker comes on strong and this book is certainly not for everyone, but I found it compelling, original and thought provoking, shedding light on real issues of our times.

All the Stars in the Heavens

All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani is historical fiction based on the Golden Years of Hollywood in the 1930s. Trigiani reimagines the love affair between Clark Gable and Loretta Young and the daughter they had together that they hid from the world.

I enjoy Trigiani's novels, her characters, her storytelling and all the rich details she fills in the scenes with. This is not my favorite of her books, however. Much of the way she painted the characters was not believable to me and I wasn't drawn in the way I usually am to her stories.  

Trigiani fans will probably enjoy it, but if you are new to this author, start with one of her earlier books.