[Review] Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publishing Date: April 2, 2013
Format: paperback
278 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 5 stars

Synopsis 

The author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be delivers her most ambitious and powerful novel to date: a captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.

Nearly eighteen, Molly Ayer knows she has one last chance. Just months from "aging out" of the child welfare system, and close to being kicked out of her foster home, a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvie and worse.

Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past. As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

The closer Molly grows to Vivian, the more she discovers parallels to her own life. A Penobscot Indian, she, too, is an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past. As her emotional barriers begin to crumble, Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life - answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

My Review

My first thought when I finished this book a few days ago: I just put this book down and I already have a book hangover from it.

This book was chosen for my book club's February pick and I was really excited to read it. I had heard good things about it, but to be honest, I wasn't completely sure what it was about. And I'll admit that I barely knew anything about the orphan train movement in the early 1900's. But this book captured my attention from the minute I opened it. I've always loved learning about history and my dad's side emigrated from Ireland many years ago, so I was excited to learn Vivian did as well. 

The historical story line in this book was clearly my favorite. I immediately empathized with Vivian/Dorothy/Niamh and couldn't wait to learn what happened to her with the different families she was placed with. I didn't mind the first family, but they clearly weren't that great to her. And I hated the second family (can't say more than that without spoiling it). The next family was obviously my favorite and she was treated really well. She ends up reconnecting with someone she met on the train, and I was so excited when that happened (again, I can't say too much more). Vivian definitely had a difficult life for many years, and even after she was adopted, her life wasn't exactly easy. We learn as the story unfolds just how much she had to endure. 

Even though the historical line was my favorite, I still really, really enjoyed the present-day story line with Molly. I love how the characters' lives are very parallel, both growing up in the foster system. I didn't like Molly's family at all, but unfortunately, it portrayed a very real depiction of today's foster system, to which I'm happy it did. Molly was easy to relate to and you could tell that although she's gotten into some trouble, she really just wanted to find her place in the world. I didn't like her boyfriend; he seemed a little better in the end, but there was just something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. 

I LOVED the ending of this book and thought it wrapped everything up perfectly. But honestly, the moment I finished this book, I was sad because it was over. I didn't want the story to end and I wanted to stay involved in Vivian and Molly's lives! I immediately went online to find more stories like it and seriously contemplated re-reading it right away. I didn't, but its still on my mind! I'm glad the girls at book club liked it just as much as I did! I've also recommended it to so many of my friends and colleagues since I finished. I cannot wait to read the other work by Baker Kline; I hope it's just as good! 

[Review] Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
Series: Winter, #1
Publisher: Little Brown & Co
Publishing Date: Oct. 14, 2014
256 Pages
Format: hardcover, library
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 3 stars

Synopsis 

In bestseller Elin Hilderbrand's first Christmas novel, a family gathers on Nantucket for a holiday filled with surprises.

Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket's Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. Patrick, the eldest, is a hedge fund manager with a guilty conscience. Kevin, a bartender, is secretly sleeping with a French housekeeper named Isabelle. Ava, a school teacher, is finally dating the perfect guy but can't get him to commit. And Bart, the youngest and only child of Kelley's second marriage to Mitzi, has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines. 

As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on Mitzi kissing Santa Claus (or the guy who's playing Santa at the inn's annual party), utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley's ex-wife, nightly news anchor Margaret Quinn, to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn. 

Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays.

My Review

This was our winter pick for my book club and I was excited to read it. I've read other novels by Hilderbrand and I've always really enjoyed them; plus, it's a winter themed novel and what a better time to read it?! 

This what a pretty short, quick book. There's a lot going on with the different family members, and everyone kind of has their own secrets. As the story unfolds, we learn what these secrets are and how the family handles them. It's great to see the family come together in tough times and really support one another. 

This is a mini review, but I really did enjoy this book and I'm glad I read it. Great holiday read. I can't wait to read more of Hilderbrand's work. 

Stacking the Shelves 8.1.15

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews. Its all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether physical or virtual books. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course, ebooks! Tynga posts this meme on Saturdays, but you can post on any day that works best for you! Check out the guidelines by visiting Tynga's blog! 

Another great week in books for me! Although I didn't buy much, I'm really looking forward to these! 

Bought

Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey

Kowalski Family #9

I've only read one book by Shannon Stacey, and that was part of the Kowalski series as well, and I really enjoyed it. They seem to be light-hearted romances, which are always my go-to if I'm not sure what to read. 

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

I've read Still Alice and Inside the O'Briens by Genova and absolutely loved them! (You can see my reviews by clicking on the titles) She writes about really important issues and the stories are phenomenal. So I knew right when I saw this one that I HAD to pick it up! 

The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer 

I've seen this book around on the clearance shelf a few times while at my local used book store, but never picked it up. Then I saw it again at the library and they were selling it for 50 cents. I couldn't really pass it up. Plus the storyline really intrigues me and it's set in Wisconsin. (my state, which never happens!)

Library

Torch by Cheryl Strayed

This is for August's book club! A few friends of mine (who are also in book club) really liked Wild by Cheryl Strayed, so they wanted to try this one next. I'm excited to start it soon! 

[Review] The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publishing Date: April 3, 2012
Format: paperback, purchased
352 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis 

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

My Review

My friends and I picked this book for our book club read for May. It had been on my TBR list for a while, but I never got around to buying or reading it. So this was the perfect reason to do so. Plus, it was on my other friend's list to read as well, so we both wanted this one. 

I have to say that this was unlike any other book I've read. I've never loved reading about flowers and their meanings so much. It was really interesting to read about Victoria's life. I loved how the book flipped back and forth between the past and the present. I felt like we really got to know Victoria so much more than if it had been in chronological order. 

Victoria was an interesting character. She was pretty harsh in some ways, a sometimes unfortunate consequence of growing up in the foster system. She was sent from one house to the next to the next, never having a true place to call home. And then she meets Elizabeth, who loves her without reservation, despite all Victoria does to try ruin it. Elizabeth is the first person to teach Victoria about the language of flowers, how each flower has a different meaning and the messages you can convey with flowers. We watch as Victoria sabotages her relationship with Elizabeth, grows into a young, lost woman, and eventually starts to learn who she really is through her flowers, Grant, Elizabeth, and Hazel. 

I've never wanted to learn about flowers as much as I did while reading this story. Right when I got done, I wanted to run out a buy a book on different flowers. I've always liked them, but never really learned the different names, other than the few popular ones. But after reading this, the flower beds at my house will certainly have some new plants and flowers in them! This book was really well written and I enjoyed Victoria's character. She was real and original, and I can't wait to see what else Diffenbaugh has in store for us. 

[Review] Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publishing Date: 2007
Format: paperback, purchased
292 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 5 stars

Synopsis 

Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she’s a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life--and her relationship with her family and the world--forever.

At once beautiful and terrifying, Still Alice is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Judith Guest's Ordinary People.

My Review 

I picked this book up after seeing an advertisement for the movie Still Alice, based on this book. It sounded like something I'd really be interested in reading and I definitely wanted to read it before I saw the movie. So I suggested this for my book club's next pick!

Normally, I would have had this book read in just a few short days, but with moving to a new house and beginning a remodel of the basement... took me a little longer! Even so, this book moved me so much. Every time I picked it up and started reading, I wanted to cry. I felt so involved in Alice's story and felt so much emotion towards her and her family. I've never really dealt with Alzheimer's in my personal life, but that didn't stop me from being heart broken for all those who suffer from this disease and their family and friends. 

This book is really amazing, but so heartbreaking at the same time. Alice is a very accomplished professor of psychology at Harvard and is then diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. As I read, I found myself struggling with her to comprehend being diagnosed, then struggling to remember things like appointments, struggling to remember what words to use, and finally, struggling to remember who her family and friends are. I felt like I was experiencing this with her. At one point, when I was so engrossed in the story, my husband came home and started talking to me about our basement project. I felt like every time I asked him something, I was repeating myself - kind of like when you're really tired or talk with someone in the middle of the night and don't really remember it in the morning? I realized it was just because I was so absorbed in this story and felt like I was Alice. To me, that's the best part of a book; being completely captivated that when you stop reading, you feel like you are still in that story. Obviously, I'm glad I'm not actually part of this story because it is so heartbreaking, but it really was an excellent book. I can't wait to read more of Genova's novels (I have one on my iPad waiting for me right now from Netgalley!). I cannot recommend this book enough. I really hope others enjoy it as much as I did! 

Trailer of Still Alice

Stacking the Shelves 2.16.14

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews. Its all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether physical or virtual books. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! Tynga posts this meme on Saturdays, but you can post on any day that works best for you! Check out the guidelines by visiting Tynga's blog!

Had a great week of books! Bought a few, received two ARCs, and grabbed a couple at the library! :) 

Purchased

I finally have books 1-9 of the Women's Murder Club by James Patterson. I'll eventually have them all, but since I'm only on the 5th right now, I'm okay waiting for the rest! I've already read Water for Elephants, and really liked it, so since it was only $2.00, it had to get it! 

I love Philippa Gregory's work and love learning about these time periods. As for the French book, I took about 4-5 years of French throughout middle/high school and loved it. But then I stopped and forgot so much. I've decided to try learning again, so I'm starting from the basics (: 

ARCs

From Library 

The first one is for me to explore my faith, or lack of... Supposed to be a pretty good read, so we'll see! And the second is for a book club! Can't wait to start reading it :)