Review 660: Prodigal Summer

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s fiction. Her writing is of quality. This book takes place during one momentous summer in (fictional) Zebulon County, which is located in the Appalachian region. There are three separate stories in this book. One can almost think of them as three independent stories, although they do have a connection, as Zebulon is a small county and everyone knows everyone.

There is a strong focus on the land, with predators and small bugs. One story-line has a middle-aged woman living in a cabin working for the forest service and trying to protect the predators, if possible. Another story is about two older people with differing views on using pesticides. The last is a young widow, newly married too, less than a year. Lusa has studied bugs extensively, but now on the in-law’s family farm she’s trying to figure out how to fit in this family and how to make the farm work.

I’ve had this book for a couple of decades, and not sure why I always passed up reading it until now. Perhaps I thought is was just of short stories, which the book really isn’t. In any case, glad I finally got to reading it.

Review 659: Vigil

Vigil by George Saunders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book reminded me of Saunders surprisingly popular book Lincoln in the Bardo. There are a multitude of voices and most are not of this world, they have passed on.

One reason I liked the earlier book was its novelty, but in a second book with something similar, they style is not new. Yet the story line was more contained and seemed to fit this story somewhat better than the earlier book.

A young woman, Jill Blaine, sits with people as they are dying. She already has passed onto the other side, and once there you can inhabit others. This dying man has several that come to visit him in his last hours, some living and some not.

The story is not all about this man, as Jill has her own journey finding out about her own death and what became of her young husband and the man that killed her. It also poses some philosophical questions about how one acts and effects the world. Also are these actions due one's choice to act or inevitable due to circumstances?

I listened to the audiobook and felt swept along with the story. I’m not so sure I would have liked the book as much if I read this in print. Honestly, the ending was the most interesting part of the book.

Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.

Review 658: The Nightingale

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
My rating: No Rating

Not rating this book since I didn't read it entirely. I actually read very little of it, but quickly realized this book won't work for me. For one, I'm not a fan of the style, the way the book was written. And secondly, not a fan of dramatized war books. Thirdly this is not a short book either, well over 500 pages or 17 hours. I was listening to the audiobook (audible gave it out free, this was years before their plus catalog of free titles).

It looks like a movie is being made, if it comes out I may watch it as 2 hours is easier than 17. But I don't know...

There was a reason this sat unread in my library for over 10 years. I read many reviews and they seem to be polarized on either end, and from them it confirmed my opinion this is one for me to skip.

Review 657: Land That Moves, Land That Stands Still

Land That Moves, Land That Stands Still by Kent Nelson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The opening of this novel has the husband, Haney, being killed in an accident on the farm while building a fence in the pouring rain. They had already lost a son years ago. Now Mattie is alone, except her daughter comes home from college to help out. The farm needs constant work. Shellie didn’t do farm work while growing up, so she has to learn too.

Mattie is confused by several things she learns shortly after her husband’s death, like why did he want to be buried in Maine instead of next to their son here in North Dakota. She finds a plane ticket he bought, then there was an invoice from their neighbor. They had friends from Maine, but couldn’t find letters from them and Mattie looked everywhere.

Meanwhile, the work continues. They had advertised for a man to help on the farm, and a young woman showed up instead. Dawn, as she wants to now be called, knew how to fix the farm equipment so it worked out.

There was also a young Indian boy hiding out in the barn. Mattie coaxed him out, said he could stay, and she paid him for helping out with all the work too. But in the fall he would need to go to school. The boy was shy and took a very long while to figure out his name. In the meantime Mattie looked into a missing person’s report, trying to find his family.

While the women work the farm things happen, and they also learn about Haney’s life.
There was something about this novel that has stuck with me, my mind keeps going back to that farm, the rural area in North Dakota. The author drew the characters fully, although not all completely likeable. There’s sadness, violence and neighbors that you just know are going to do something horrible someday.

This was another book that had lingered on my bookshelves for a long time. I’m glad I finally picked it up to read, but it wasn’t easy going the whole way.

Review 656: Winter

Winter: The Story of a Season by Val McDermid
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

Suppose it was my mistake in understanding what this book was about...I thought it would be about nature in winter time. Instead it is more an autobiography of sorts. The author writes about different traditions and festivals in Scotland, but mostly her memories of being a child experiencing these. Also, I did not realize this is an author of thriller, mystery books perhaps well known for those who enjoy this type of genre.

The beginning of the book begins with what McDermid typically does in a new year, preparing to write a new book. Then it backtracks to the Fall with Halloween, and how that was for her growing up in Scotland. How different things were, such as using a neep, or rutabaga, instead of a pumpkin. This becomes a pattern for the festivals and holidays that occur during the winter, with McDermid’s personal recollections. Often those are of her in childhood, but not always. There was a section on comfort food, which for her is soup.

It is decent enough, and I didn’t mind reading about Scottish traditions and her experiences. I just wish I had known that going in. Again, fully my part in not understanding as I sometimes just glance at descriptions not wanting too many spoilers beforehand. The book included some drawings peppered throughout the book. I quite enjoyed those images.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.