Dear Great Book Guru,  We were at the Metropolitan Bistro last Friday for the Coalition To Save Hempstead Harbor’s annual Pub Crawl.  What fun it was seeing so many friends enjoying the evening! While we were there, someone mentioned a new novel set in medieval times about a revolutionary, semi-historical woman who was a remarkable force for good. Any thoughts?  Enthusiastic Coalition Supporter

Dear Enthusiastic Coalition Supporter, Yes, indeed! MATRIX by Lauren Groff is a National Book prize finalist and was on Barak Obama’s top ten book list of 2021. Set in 12^th century France and England, this short novel (272 pages) tells the story of Marie de France – half-sister to Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Little is known of the life of this mystic/poet so Groff is free to embellish…  and embellish she does. Very tall and physically unattractive, Marie is deemed unmarriageable and assigned by Eleanor to an abbey where she is to become a nun and eventually its prioress.  When she arrives at the convent, she finds a handful of impoverished, starving nuns who have been left to live in squalor.  After a short time lamenting her fate, she begins a campaign to enrich the lives of these women in her care. Her talents are extraordinary and soon the abbey is a bustling, thriving place where men are banned. There is a strong feminist message throughout the novel as we watch this young woman grow in strength and reputation.  By the book’s conclusion, Marie has lived a long life – “not of goodness but of greatness.” A powerful story and recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, This past weekend, at breakfast with friends, we all agreed we were looking for a good suspenseful book that we could read in a day and then get back together to discuss.  Any recommendation?  Breakfast Banterers

Dear Breakfast Banterers, I was back and forth to Brooklyn on the LIRR this weekend and read just the book you are looking for: MOUTH TO MOUTH by Antoine Wilson.  This short novel (192 pages) opens in a JFK airport ticket booth as our narrator learns his flight has been delayed.   Over the loudspeaker he hears the name Jeff Wood being called. A Jeff Wood had been a casual acquaintance twenty years before at UCLA but what were the chances it was the same person? So begins a mystery thriller where chance plays a pivotal role. Jeff invites our narrator to join him in the first-class lounge where he tells him a story that he has supposedly never shared with anyone. Years before - shortly after graduation - Jeff was housesitting near the ocean when he saw a man drowning. After bringing him to shore and giving him CPR, the man began breathing on his own. Afterwards, Jeff became obsessed with finding out more about this man he had saved and - more importantly - was he worthy of having been saved.  He learns he is a very wealthy art collector and soon stealthy infiltrates his life. Throughout, the reliability of both the narrator and Jeff is in doubt with the truth constantly shifting until the final terrifying sentence. Highly recommended!  

 

 

Dear Great Book Guru, I was at a wonderful Birthday/Anniversary party this past Presidential weekend at the Metropolitan Bistro – the food was delicious and the hosts and guests fascinating. There was talk about a new book that touched on the pandemic but was more about the hero’s quest to know herself.  Sound familiar?  Presidential Partygoer

Dear Presidential Partygoer,The book is JOAN IS OKAY by Weike Wang.  Joan is, at thirty-six years of age, a very skilled physician at a prestigious New York City hospital.  Her parents had moved from China so her brother Fang and she could attend schools in America. When both children finished their educations in elite universities, the parents returned to China to live out their lives in the comfort and security of their native land.  When the father dies, the mother returns to America for a visit but is soon caught up in the politics and restrictions of the pandemic as flights are cancelled and lives placed on hold.  Joan is comfortable in her circumscribed life at the hospital where she excels and finds her brother’s lavish lifestyle off-putting and her mother’s demands irritating. When a new neighbor attempts to draw her into his social orb, she recoils. Everyone around her seems to see her shortcomings while Joan herself sees herself as “okay.”   When the pandemic calls her back to work after a forced bereavement leave, she realizes that she is indeed more than okay - she’s just about perfect!  A short novel and highly recommended….

 Dear Great Book Guru, Last weekend, we had friends over for a Valentine’s celebration and one of the guests mentioned a book that is part of the Together We Read program - unlimited quantities available online with your local library card. She didn’t know the name of the book being discussed this month.  Are you familiar with it?  Post Valentine Reader

Dear Post Valentine Reader, Together We Read is a great program and the name of the book chosen is FIVE WOUNDS by Kirstin Valdez Quade.  It’s a beautifully told story of four generations of the Padilla family living in a small village near Espanola, New Mexico. Their story is told in alternating chapters by three family members: Amadeo, an unemployed thirty-three year old man about to become a grandfather; Yolanda, his mother who is the family breadwinner working for a local legislator; and Angel, her pregnant granddaughter, who has just moved in with them.  The five wounds refer to a religious ritual in which a local man is chosen to portray Christ in a procession through the village at Easter time.  When the story opens, Amadeo has just discovered he has been chosen, and he immediately sees this as a sign that he should change his ways. At the same time his mother is diagnosed with a terminal illness and a difficult life becomes infinitely more difficult. Throughout, decisions are made that seem only to add chaos to already tumultuous lives, but as our affection for the characters grows,  we realize that redemption is always possible. Highly recommended!

 

Dear Great Book Guru,  I am looking for a book to throw myself into for this Valentine weekend.  I love courtroom dramas, but I would also like a story about family.  Any thoughts? Weekend Reader

Dear Weekend Reader, I just finished a short novel you could easily read over the weekend. THE FINAL CASE by David Guterson is about a father and son and is set within the justice system.  The unnamed narrator is a renowned writer who has stopped writing. It is not so much a case of writer’s block but more a case of world weariness so when his elderly attorney father, Royal, crashes his car and need a ride to his office and courthouse, our narrator is more than willing to help. He soon finds himself enmeshed in his father’s latest pro bono defense of a woman accused of murdering her young, adopted daughter. We learn of the child’s early life in war-torn Ethiopia, her time in an orphanage there, and her hopes for a “good life” in America.  She is adopted into a large family with a very strict code of behavior and sadistic punishments abounding. When the child dies, the court assigns Royal to represent the adoptive mother. The trial uncovers few surprises and we come to realize this novel is not so much about the crime but more about Royal’s respect for the law and his ability to see past human faults. By the end, our narrator sees his father as a truly heroic figure.  This is, at times, a hard book to read but ultimately worthwhile- recommended.

 Dear Great Book Guru,  As we are completing the second year of the pandemic, we all wonder how long will it last… and then I heard about a book written years ago that tells the story of a pandemic that lasted decades.  Do you know anything about it and- if so- worth reading?  Pandemic Weary

Dear Pandemic Weary,  Yes, the book is STATION ELEVEN  by Emily St. John Mandel and a TV series based on it has recently aired.   The story begins in Canada during a performance of “King Lear” and the actors we meet will reappear throughout the novel. As the play ends, a devastating virus attacks and millions of people quickly succumb – some whom we have just met. The survivors spread out over the United States and form unlikely communities- some live for decades in an airport, others form a religious cult, while actors from the original Shakespeare group band together in a “traveling symphony” that attempts to bring a touch of civilization in the midst of enormous despair.  There is a mystery that works its way throughout – a set of comic books that connects many of the survivors.  While the novel is terrifying on many levels, there is a sense that humanity prevails with the opening tragedy of “King Lear” giving way to the comedy of “Midsummer Night’s Dream. “ A difficult topic in difficult times but recommended!

 

Dear Great Book Guru, My friends and I would like to start a film/book discussion group and wondered if you had some suggestions as to where we could start.   Film/Book Buffs

 Dear Film/Book Buffs, What a great idea and I do have a pairing your group might want to begin with: THE LOST DAUGHTER. The novel was written by Elena Ferrante and the movie was just recently released to theaters and TV.   The novel opens with Leda, a middle-aged college professor vacationing in an Italian resort where she encounters a large, boisterous Neapolitan family.  Mother of two grown daughters, Leda is fascinated by Nina and her young child, Elena.  As Leda learns more and more about the family, we learn about Leda and her struggles as a young mother. Much of the time we are inside her mind, listening to her voice and observations, so we have to ask ourselves how reliable are these “facts.”   There is a prevailing sense of dread throughout as Leda struggles with her feelings about the past and the present.  While definitely a psychological mystery, the story is also a study of what it means to be a parent, particularly a mother.  The novel and movie follow one another closely but there are enough differences to spark lots of great discussion.