Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was really looking forward to reading this book for a couple of reasons. One, I’d read Patrick’s first novel, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper earlier this year and was enchanted by the story and the characters. Secondly, I’d watched the Hallmark Channel adaptation of Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone, and enjoyed it more than most of their movies. I figured that the movie was a watered-down version of the book as is usually the case. I was definitely correct with this one. The story of Benedict, a jeweler in a small Yorkshire village, delved into matters not usually seen on Hallmark such as unfaithfulness, divorce, teenage mental health, and infertility. Benedict is estranged from his younger brother, whom he had raised after their parents’ deaths until Charlie left for adventure in the US. Benedict is also separated from his wife after years of trying unsuccessfully to start a family of their own, and the family business he took over is struggling. Then Charlie’s 16-year-old daughter, the niece Benedict has never met shows up at his door in the middle of the night turning his drab life upside down and adding a treasure trove of color and sparkle and love and pain to his gray existence.
I did not enjoy this book quite as much as The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. While it talked about some weighty issues, it lacked the depth of emotion I felt in that first novel and the characters were less lovable and interesting. What I enjoyed best was the information about the gems given at the beginning of each chapter and connecting to the story itself. I found myself looking up the ones I’d never heard of.
There are a lot of books out there, like Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone, about people just going through the motions. They aren’t happy with their lives but they are unsure of how to change that or afraid to rock the boat. Patrick’s first novel, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper had me rooting for Arthur as he took baby steps and giant leaps out of the mire he’d fell in after the death of his wife. Louise Miller’s The Late Bloomer’s Club tells the story of Nora who comes out of her shell when her sister and the threat of corporate development in her small town turn her life upside down. And Harry actually retreats further from life into the woods until an encounter with precocious Oriana drags him back into the world in Jon Cohen’s Harry’s Trees.
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Tag: Fiction
Review: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This uplifting book was recommended to me by both my mother who listened to the audiobook earlier this year and my friend at the local library who has made so many wonderful recommendations before so I was anxious to read it. I was not disappointed. This novel about Arthur Pepper, a widower who on the first anniversary of his beloved wife’s death finds among her things an expensive charm bracelet he has never seen before is a charming, heartwarming, and empowering story. Curiosity about the bracelet and the unique charms leads him on a journey of discovery not only about his wife’s life before meeting him but about himself, the people in his life, love, and the world at large. His path is a winding one with turns that bring pain and some that bring joy during which he meets a wonderful cast of characters who each add something to his life. Despite the weight of Arthur’s grief and the importance of the lessons to be found in his story, there is a gentleness and a wonderful sense of humor to the story that makes you want to stay in Arthur’s world long after the final page.
I do so enjoy a story that takes the protagonist on a journey from grief or fear to self-love and happiness in their life. The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton, which I recently read was one such book, as was Jojo Moyes’ After You. A couple of my favorites, though, are Jon Cohen’s Harry’s Trees and The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman, the likes of which The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper matches in heart and humor.
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Review: Lost Souls at the Neptune Inn
Lost Souls at the Neptune Inn by Betsy Carter
My rating: 2.75 of 5 stars
I struggled to get into this story of three generations of women and how their relationships with each other and themselves influence their lives and relationships with others. Maybe my struggle came from the novel not being at all what expected based on the title and description, or perhaps it was the narrative style that kept me, despite the insight into the characters’ feelings, at arm’s length like the many secrets between the characters keep them distanced from each other, or maybe it is because I realized early on that the story would be filled with heartache and I tried to shield myself. It didn’t work. In the end, I was heartbroken. It was a moving story and, toward the end, rather engaging about how so many things, our past, our expectations, losses, lies, and, of course, secrets affect our lives and relationships.
What I enjoyed the most about Lost Souls at the Neptune Inn was the use of music as a touchstone in the characters lives and a way to connect though that connection too is broken eventually.
A major theme of Lost Souls at the Neptune Inn is the complex relationship between mothers and daughters. A couple of other books that you may enjoy that tackle this theme are All We Had by Annie Weatherwax and Kathy Hepinstall’s wonderful The Book of Polly.
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Review: Nine Perfect Strangers
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This story of nine very different people attending a luxury health retreat that turns a bit sinister is often quite funny but the narrative isn’t as taut as the only other novel of Moriarty’s I’ve read so far – Big Little Lies. There was, for me, a lack of urgency in learning all of the secrets of all of the characters through at least the first half of the book. Instead, the time is spent introducing the characters – usually through the eyes of the other characters- and lulling the reader and Tranquillium’s guests into a false sense of security. Romance writer Frances Welty is the heart, soul, and wit of the book. It was Frances and her unique world view that kept the book entertaining enough to keep me reading when I didn’t particularly care about finding out what would come later. I often wished, especially early on in the novel, that the Frances chapters weren’t interrupted in favor of other points of view. By the end of Nine Perfect Strangers, though, I had come to care for at least most of the guests.
Nine Perfect Strangers can, at times, be a slow read, getting mired down in details but it is a fun read. However, it doesn’t come close to being as well-written and thrilling as Big Little Lies so, if you haven’t already, I absolutely recommend reading that one.
Review: Harry’s Trees
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am so thrilled to have received a copy of Jon Cohen’s novel, Harry’s Trees from Goodreads.com. This book will be hard to beat as my best read of 2018. It has so many wonderful qualities that it is difficult to figure out where to start gushing about it (which is why it has taken me over a week after finishing to write my review).
Harry’s Trees is the extraordinary story of how Harry and Amanda and Oriana learn to live again after two separate tragedies. As the novel explores how each person copes differently as they attempt to come to terms (or not) with their losses, it also shows that if we look hard enough we can find fairy tale elements in everyday life. At its heart, Harry’s Trees is a love letter to some of my favorite things – books, libraries, reading, and nature (For those who know me and know that I’m a major indoor cat, that last part may come as a surprise). Cohen’s writing lovingly, and with a devilish sense of humor, depicts the feelings evoked by reading and just being in among the trees while telling a darn good story that has everything you could want in a good read.
The book is packed with a lovable cast of three-dimensional, relatable, fun characters. I especially loved Oriana for her spunk, conviction, and fearlessness, and Olive for her strength, devotion, and her quirkiness. And now I long to live in a gorgeous treehouse in the middle of the woods with a stack of fairy tales and Sibley’s guides to keep me company.
If you enjoy Harry’s Trees (and I really think you will!) you’ll probably enjoy one of last year’s best reads, The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman with which it shares some thematic similarities. Both also have a great sense of humor.
Shelly's Bookshelf 