The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Danny was a little boy when his mother left and his older sister, Maeve, became the most important person in his life.  He and Maeve lived with their father in a huge, renovated Art Nouveau mansion called The Dutch House.  Things went along well enough until their father remarried, and the new wife, Andrea, slowly pushed her two step-children out of their home and inheritance. Her act of callous cruilty haunts the two as they grow up and make lives for themselves.  Time and circumstance slowly heal wounds and bring acceptance, forgiveness and ultimately, compassion.

This book has been hugely successful since its release in 2019.  It is very literary, atmospheric, and richly layered.  The characters are completely authentic and the relationship between Danny and Maeve is super sweet. Like the other Patchett book I read, the Commonwealth, there isn't any action or adventure. The whole purpose of the story is to see a family evolve, mature and then mellow over time.  As an extra bonus, the audiobook is performed by Tom Hanks.  He does an amazing job and it is worth the effort of listening to the book just to hear his voice for 10 hours. I am trying to think of what this book is like.  It is like getting up way too early to take a long pre-dawn hike just to watch an amazing sunrise come up over the mountain tops. (353 p.)

Redwall by Brian Jacques

The mice of Redwall Abby are a peaceful group, dedicated to helping the poor and downtrodden.  Then one day an evil pack of rats show up.  Their leader, Cluny the Scourge, had his heart set on taking the Abby, killing or enslaving its inhabitants, and then making it his headquarters.  A great peril makes way for great heros, and the hero in this story is Matthias.  Although a lowly apprentice monk, Matthias has always dreamed of becoming a great warrior mouse, like the legendary Martin.  But to do this, he must first find Martin's sword.  As he quests for the sword, the other good animals of Redwall Abby use their wits to best Cluny's band, but they cannot hold them off forever.  Will Matthias find the sword, save his friends, and fulfill his destiny? 

I have, or course, read Redwall before, but I guess it was before I started this blog.  I read it again because it is our June Parent/Child bookclub book.  I had forgotten how melodramic and cliche it is. It has every high fantasy trope you could think of: the brave Mattias, the sweet but brave Cornflower, the wize Methusuelah, and the good hearted head Abbot. The bad guys are sooo bad, and the good guys are sooo good.  You know what?  There is no problem with that.  It is a legetimate genre, and I know my sons, especially my oldest, loved it when they were boys. My oldest especially enjoyed the different dialects the animals spoke.  I think it was fun for him to challenge his mind to discipher ithem. It will be interesting to see what my parent/child group thinks of it. (1986, 351p)

Sweeping Up the Heart by Kevin Henkes

 Amelia's mother passed away when she was quite young, and now she lives with her reclusive professor father.  The two have a cook/housemade, Mrs O'Brian, who tries to be the female parental figure in the home.  One year, during spring break, Amelia meets Casey, who is staying with his aunt for a week while his parents decide whether to divorce. The two pre-teens strike an instant friendship, and help each other find hope despite complicated parental relationships. 

I love Kevin Henkes' light and open hearted touch when dealing with difficult family relationships.  Amelia's awkward relationship with her father is realistic and sympathetic.  Although he cannot express his love for his daughter with words, it gently shines through.  I also like that it is balanced by Mrs. O'Brian whose heart and arms are so open to the needy girl.  I met and had a fairly lengthy conversation with Mr. Henkes once, and he is as kind and gentle in person as he comes through in his books.    (183 p. 2019)

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

This is a well written biography of not only Orville and Wilbur Wright, but the whole Wright family, with special focus on their father, Milton, and their sister, Katharine. It is also a history of the beginning of modern aviation, and there is discussion of other early aviators.  It is written in McCullough's recongizable style and is very readable and complimentary of the brothers.  I was a bit surprised when the Wright's achieved powered flight only 1/3 of the way through the book.  I guess I had always read children's books about the Wrights that culminated in that achievement.  But, of course, the Wrights had lives after that and continued to have challenges and victories for decades.  It is amazing to realize that Orville lived until 1948 and witness the evolution of aeronautics clear to the advent of jet propulsion and the use the the Enola Gay in the bombing of Hiroshima. This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I will surely recommend it to others interested in American history. (2016, 320 p.)

Vying for the Viscount by Kristi Ann Hunter

 Hudson was born of English nobility, but was raised in India.  When first his father, then his grandfather die, he makes his way back to England to claim his inheritance and his title, Viscount Stildon. When he arrives in England, he finds it strange and not very welcoming. The first time he goes to his own stables, he is beaten off by a crazed young woman wielding a boot.  The woman turns out to be a neighbor, Bianca Snowley, and, despite the unusual introduction, they become fast friends.  It is their friendship that prompts Hudson to ask Bianca to help him win the hand of Lady Rebecca, who is sweet, beautiful, and whose father owned a valuable stud horse Hudson was interested in breading his mare to.  But Bianca has other ideas about Hudson's perfect match.

This was as light and fluffy as my introduction makes it sound.  It was a welcome relief to me after reading the previous two books, both of which were kind of heavy.  I don't think it is Ms Hunter's best, but is is entertaining enough, with the light Christian touch one would expect from this author.  (2020, 348 p)

Star Fish by Lis Fipps

 Ellie is a big girl.  When she was five she did a cannon ball in a swimming pool, and won for herself the nick name of Splash.  She is teased mercilessly at school but, even worse, her own mother is always saying cutting things about her weight. She believes that only her pschologist dad really loves her unconditionally, that is, until he sets her up with counseling.  At first she hates it, but eventually the couselor gets her to awknowledge the way people hurt her and gives her ways to setting boundries and regaining a sense of self-worth.

This was an interesting book for me to read.  Those who know me know that I, too, was an overweight child and teen.  I found some of Ellie's experiences (which were loosely based on the author's experiences) familiar, but others I did not.  I was teased, but not teased constantly, and not by my family. The thing that was a little unsettling to me about the book is that is was focused on how Ellie looked.  Her mother and her brother were embarrassed by her appearance, and her dad was worried about her emotional state, but nobody talked about the health hazards of obesity. Obesity is a complicating factor in most kinds of serious illness--diabeties, heart disease, cancer etc. It is really easy for obese people to lose mobility and quality of life earlier than their smaller counterparts. In my own journey to a healthy weight, there was a time when I had to accept myself where I was at, and only then was I able to make permanent improvements to my health habits. But I did make improvements. I kept hoping that would happen in Ellie's story, but it never did. (2021, 244 p.)