KimberlyFish

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand

To give Major Pettigrew a fair shake, I didn’t fall for him the first time I saw him. It was only after I read an endorsement in an article that the next time I was in a bookstore, I reconsidered the book. Since this is a review, you must know I brought Major Pettigrew home with me. He was a pleasant sort, Major Pettigrew, although the character I really liked the best was Mrs. Ali. That romance finds Major Pettigrew at 60+ is sweet, but I wonder how this story would have gone down if told by Mrs. Ali–she had some real obstacles in her life. Still, it was a lovely story about small town dysfunctions, family disappointments and finding love in the most surprising of places…the Super Mart. Kudos to Helen Simonson for crafting a charming story in Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.

The Vintage Caper

Peter Mayle, an author who is my go-to guy for all things Continental has, in this latest novel, set the perfect table  for a leisurely repast with elements of exquisite lifestyle, a dash of mystery, exotic people, all offset by evocative landscapes and sensory delights. Being invited to dine with him, is as easy as opening Chapter One. I first saw the BBC series, A Year in Provence, based on his memoir as a British ex-pat settling into the Provence countryside, and quickly became enamored of his infectious love for all things French, his absurd perspective on all things French, and his cinematic descriptions of all things French. As an armchair traveller, I appreciate that I can feel a member of his escapades for as little as $15. This book, The Vintage Caper, is as charming as they come. Beginning in Hollywood–and a suite at the enigmatic hotel Chateau Marmont–the characters travel from LA, through Paris (I swear I will follow his itinerary if I ever get to go to Paris again,) into Bordeaux, and resolve their caper in Marseilles. All in a few days work for a former lawyer/con/insurance investigator. Trust me, this story would make a fun movie. For a mental vacation, on a dreary winter day, pick up a copy of The Vintage Caper and glimpse into the world of the “good life.”

Windfall

Just turned the last page on a British soap opera entitled, Windfall, by Penny Vincenzi. This novel set in pre WWII England tells a compelling story of a woman handed an unexpected windfall of money and how the gift impacts her life and those lives around hers. British writers are more internal than external and there’s a lot of worrisome narrative in these 500+ pages, but Ms. Vincenzi certainly knows how to capitalize on family angst/saga. I can’t say that I loved this story because for me, the characters were completely without hope and had little to redeem them. But the critics raved about it. I thought it was sad.

The Mischief of the Mistletoe, A Pink Carnation Christmas

Ah, the Pink Carnation series. . . has any one writer done more for pre-Victorian British spy circles than Lauren Willig? I think not. Although from the first book, tribute is paid to the infamous Scarlet Pimpernel–but, remember, he was a one-book wonder. Ms. Willig has embellished this mysterious segment of British history in manufacturing a stylized and extensive aristocracy spy network. Beginning with the first novel (where we meet the mysterious Pink Carnation) Ms. Willig interweaves dual stories of the British ton (both male and female) in daring escapades with dastardly Napoleonic sympathizers beside a modern story of young grad student desperately trying to compile her research into the Pink Carnation society for her Harvard thesis. There are some very nice juxtapositions between the ongoing events. But this is not a review of Willig’s stories in general. For the Mischief of the Mistletoe, was quite honestly, a gift to readers. I’ve lost count of the memorable characters that pop in and out of the Pink Carnation books, but few were as memorable as Turnip Fitzhugh. Apparently, I wasn’t alone in my opinion. Per the notes in the back of the book, thousands of fans had hounded the writer to know more about Turnip. I think they worried for him. So to satisify those fans, she wrote a a Christmas caper about Turnip, a poor school teacher and a Christmas pudding. In previous books he came across as a bumbling buddy that I often wondered if he wasn’t the most expert of all the male characters for the clever charade that might in fact qualify him as a disguised super-spy. His outrageous fashion issues aside, Reginald Fitzhugh aka Turnip, is revealed to be a consenting ruse to distract the enemy,  a devoted friend, a fan of Shakespeare, and a man of great warmth and character. And then there’s the whole matter of Christmas puddings, but you kind of have to be in a British mode to appreciate that significance. In a novel writing coup, the heroine of this story is a close friend to Jane Austen. JA fans will find this delightful. Because history has so little to go on regarding Ms. Austen, I doubt there are those who will take exception of Ms. Willig adding JA in as a character, borrowing from one of JA’s unfinished manuscripts, The Watsons, and otherwise making this novel–in addition to a vindication of a secondary character–also a love letter to Miss Jane Austen. I know I didn’t mind at all.

Now that I’ve seen this most capable author do the unexpected–that is go back to one of her previous stories (or two) and take scenes already in the published world and revisit them from other characters perspective, I’m itching to reread the whole series again–in order–so that I can enjoy seeing the layers unfold.  Bring on the mistletoe.

The Writing Circle

Finished a novel recommended on an agent’s blog, The Writing Circle by Corinne Demas. The characters in this novel were, if nothing else, hauntingly memorable. Anita Shreve writes an endorsement, and it’s important to say if you like Anita Shreve’s style of writing, drama, and resolution, you’ll love this book. Ms. Demas has a stylish hand when it comes to paring down a scene or a motivation to its bare bones and letting it poke you. This story, told from many different POVs, is a collection of interior and exterior reactions to events that are remarkably linked. It’s the seven laws of Kevin Bacon in 300 pages or less. I’ll tell you my favorite character (the one most developed, in my opinion) was the self-absorbed villain. I won’t name names so as to not spoil the end for you. . .but suffice it to say this plot is the stuff of most writing critique nightmares–plagiarism.

On a more feel good note: I also re-read one of my most favorite novels this weekend, Susan Meissner’s Blue Heart Blessed. Let me just say, I’d move into the Finland Hotel if I could.

Dining with Joy

In between visits from trick or treaters last night, I finished reading Rachel Hauck’s new novel, Dining with Joy. I’m sorry to say I raced through the pages, but that’s the way it goes when I get my hands on one of her books. I love the way she spins stories that I can’t stop until I get to the end (kind of like with those “fun” sized Snickers that kept leaping into my mouth last night.) This book is a perfect fit with her other two Low Country novels –Beaufort, SC never had it so good as in the hands of R.H.– and her characters are, as always, memorable. This story felt so fresh because it’s set amid the spilled flour and melted butter of a cooking show. But instead of the expected setbacks, there was one huge secret that colored everything–the cooking show host can’t cook. Rachel handled the conflicts with a touching reality that didn’t let everything come out souffle perfect. Her genuine characters, their humorous dialogue, and heart-tipping crisis pulled the reader in and I just couldn’t shake free until long after the last of the candy was given out and the pumpkins had been brought in. Rush out to buy Rachel’s Dining with Joy, and while you’re at it, grab a slice of bananna bread–you’re going to want some. Believe me.

Dark Road to Darjeeling

Pour a china cup of dark, floral tea and settle in for a wonderful read in this latest from Deanna Raybourn, Dark Road to Darjeeling. Ms. Raybourn has created some of the most intelligent and memorable characters in historical fiction and I’m still amazed how she crafts their mysteries, secrets, and vulnerabilities within each serial novel. Even in this story, made more complex by the new and sometimes awkward layer of marriage, she never strays from the yin and yang magic that drew Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane to aid each other in Silent in the Grave. Though this novel felt slower (no doubt from all the back story that had to be incorporated so that new readers would understand long-standing dynamics) it was no less glorious in the hands of Ms. Raybourn’s masterful writing. She has a genuine gift for writing that one doesn’t see in many modern authors. Her sentences can be, and often are, brilliant. And she’s a subtle story-teller. There are few boisterous moments that a make a reader anticipate a big reveal–instead, she quite simply surprises readers with round after round of onion skin layers until you see what she wanted you to see all along–that people are never, ever what they seem. Despite the neatness of her murder investigations, the real beauty comes in discovering the characters who beguile us with each new story. And this one, like the first novel, reveals that in even in age we often think of in gilded terms, human beings were disturbed, corrupt, misguided, and brash in a way that feel all together contemporary. I implore you to follow Julia and Nicholas through this adventure in the tea growing mountains of India.

Lady in Waiting

Just finished reading Susan Meissner’s new historical fiction, Lady in Waiting. She’s interwoven two delicate stories of love, choices and resolution between Lady Jane Grey (famously beheaded as one of only three Tudor female rulers) and a contemporary Jane who runs an antique shop in Manhattan. This story resonated with me because of the poignant reminder love is a choice, not an emotional reaction and that even when things look desperate that women make the choices that lead (or not) to their own happiness. I could gush about the brilliant writing and deft handling of heavy emotional content, but its best if you experience it for yourself. Don’t wait for Lady in Waiting.

Sherryl Woods and those Carlton Characters

So you remember that I’ve been exploring Amazon.com and downloading many books to my Kindle? In a fluke a few weeks ago, I found an old (ha, 2004) novel that Sherryl Woods wrote for Harlequin and downloaded (it was cheap, part of the appeal.) Within a few pages I was hooked by the refreshing characters and unusual dynamic she’d created within the bracket of a beloved aunt who raised three brothers and was now systematically marrying them off. By the conclusion of the first delightful novel, Isn’t It Rich, I was desperate to read the follow-up stories that completed the trilogy of books related to the Carlton brothers. Each one was charming and had the fun of the familiar characters bouncing between the pages that I was compelled to download them all. But to my surprise, I discovered that Mrs. Woods had written a fourth, follow-up novel that centered on the amazing aunt who’d been so generous and devoted to these brothers. Honestly, this story was the best of the lot. Sherryl Woods had created one of the strongest, most- gracious, most-complex female character that I’d read in a long time and with her story shed wonderful light on the beauty of later-in-life love. Though a bit bored by all the retelling and catching up she had to include in each book (in case a reader found just one novel and needed appropriate back story to fill in the gaps) I was enchanted by the characters, the conflicts and the settings. The resolution was a typical Harlequin-esque ending, but that’s sort of like ordering creme brulee at the end of an elegant meal–you know what your getting and you like it all the better for its sweetness.

If you get a chance, download all four of these and read them in chronological order–I did and it was one of the best mental escapes I’ve had in a while. (Just goes to show why Sherryl Woods novels tend to fly off the bookshelves–keep that in mind if you find any of her other stories.)

Isn’t It Rich, Priceless, Treasured and Destiny Unleashed.

Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt

After a hot August morning, I wandered into Barron’s Bookstore and fingered the books stacked on their shelves. This debut novel by Beth Hoffman, Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, was highly recommended so I added it the pile already in my arm. Having travelled this weekend, it was with some relief that I sat in the comfy rocking chair in my room and finished this delightful novel. It’s a coming of age story about a young girl utterly askew by her mother’s mental illness. Sometimes I’d laugh, sometimes I’d tear up, but I kept turning the pages fast to keep up with the wonderful women who played a part in healing Cee Cee of her scars. I recommend you indulge in this oh-so-Southern remedy for ravages left by loneliness and twisted love.