THE FROZEN RIVER

Posted on by Jan tramontano

This novel is an absolute page turner. It encompasses many of the elements of what we think of as compelling historical fiction—context, a crime, a trial, a cover up, a disavowal of the rights of women. In its way, it is also a love story. It's also a tribute to women in history whose lives and achievements are left out of the history books.  The protagonist is Martha Ballard, a real midwife and healer who lived and worked in colonial America. The seeds of this story were formed when the author, Ariel Lawhon, discovered her diaries.  

The Race Card Project: An Honest Look into Race and Identity in America

Posted on by Jan tramontano

This book is the culmination of a long journey into the subject of race in America. Through micro memoirs, interviews, stories, and commentary, NPR award winning journalist, Michelle Norris offers us a way forward— not necessarily to reach common ground but as a way towards building bridges. Our Hidden Conversations (Simon & Schuster 2024) has … Continue reading The Race Card Project: An Honest Look into Race and Identity in America

Coming of Old Age Story

Posted on by Jan tramontano

The book’s beginning is somewhat deceiving. As the story opens, we meet an older man, widowed ten years in a semi crisis state. He’s noticing he’s somewhat forgetful. He's a bit panicked because the housekeeper he has relied on since his wife’s death has had a personal emergency and doesn’t know when she’ll be back. A rookie meter reader comes to the house and Baumgartner takes him down the poorly lit basement stairs and has a bad fall and struggles with the injury without help.  So starts the story. My impression was that this was a doddering man on his way down.

The Island of Missing Trees and The Beekeeper of Aleppo: Portraits of Immigration

Posted on by Jan tramontano

I am always amazed by what I learn from historical fiction and how it illuminates diverse perspectives and little known events. Given what is going on in the world right now, regardless of your personal viewpoint, fiction and poetry can make us think in a way we can’t get from other sources. Sure, the horrific images shown over and over inform us, but some writers have a way of making us expand our thinking.

The Collected Regrets of Clover

Posted on by Jan tramontano

I read this book quite by accident. Looking for an audio book from the library collection can be challenging if you aren't looking for #18 in a mystery series or self help. Anything remotely interesting is on hold and doesn't help the need for wanting it now! But then, every once in a while, there is a neglected book that turns out to be better than those high up on the best of lists. This may not have a great title but The Collected Regrets of Clover turned out to be a terrific story. Please don't be put off thinking it dark and dreary.

Riveting Murder Mystery

Posted on by Jan tramontano

Deadly Depths has all the ingredients of a great read. It has vivid, well-developed characters, twists and turns you might not see coming and great pacing. It is rooted in a dark history that has lived in the shadows.

The In Between: A Lyrical Immigrant story

Posted on by Jan tramontano

There is little new to learn about the immigrant experience in Small Worlds. It does not explore unfamiliar, unknown ground. The protagonist has no dreams for his future that isn’t experienced in many coming of age stories. The protagonist, Stephen, born in England to Ghanian parents, articulates a story universal to immigrants everywhere in the world. He wants to find his place in the world where he is accepted and free to be himself. However, what sets it apart from other similar stories is how it is absorbed through the senses. I would describe it as an exquisite meditation on the immigrant experience.For the most part I felt I was like I was in a boat, gently rocked through rich imagery and the distinctive repetition of a ballad.

A Novel That Reads Like A Memoir

Posted on by Jan tramontano

This is a great summer read. A coming of age dramedy about friends, lovers, and an Ireland steeped in chaos. The book is fully inhabited by a lovable, yet flawed twenty-something trying to figure it all out. It's all there— crisis, humor, confusion, love.

When A Satire Needs Some Air…

Posted on by Jan tramontano

Paris California is a small coastal town. There had been little change there for years. As in many small towns, Paris's mom and pop stores slowly went out of business. However, the longterm residents were content, the beach was open to everyone, children played freely, the old carousel building was at its heart, and it had the friendly feel of small town America.

A MODERN TAKE ON MRS. DALLOWAY

Posted on by Jan tramontano

Ana Turns is loosely based on the Mrs. Dalloway concept. A day in the life of a woman reckoning with her past and present in order to live a richer future.  Although the most notable tribute was Michael Cunningham’s, Pulitzer prize winning THE HOURS, written in 1998,  in many ways, this story is a fresh take on the Virginia Woolf story. With grace, perception of what makes us tick and originality, this book was a wonderful read. It's Ana’s sixtieth birthday. And what are birthdays for (especially the milestones) but to think about the rest of our lives. Her life has been complicated and she understands that if she is to find happiness in her future, she must make peace with her past. Unlike Clarissa, she did not plan her party, which may be part of her overall problem.