Author: Aurora

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: The Dutch House
Author: Ann Patchett
Format: Audiobook
Genre(s): Literary fiction, Historical
Rating: ★★★★★

I picked up this book entirely because I’d heard that Tom Hanks does an incredible job narrating the audiobook; that’s 100% true and I’d recommend listening just to hear how a first-rate actor can really bring a story to life through narration. But this is also a moving story about a brother, a sister, their childhood home, and the ways their relationships (with each other and everyone around them) grow and change through their lives. We often think of a relationship as a thing that exists between two people, but this books illustrates how relationships exist in a web, and how changes in one relationship can pull on the other strands, shaping or loosening or weaving them tighter. The house also, unsurprisingly, has a strong presence throughout the book — unchanging while the family within it is remade over and over. A fascinating story about relationships, family, wealth, memory, and the ways that we build and rebuild our lives moment by moment.

Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King

Aurora1 Comment

Title: Five Tuesdays in Winter
Author: Lily King
Genre(s): Literary fiction, short stories
Rating: ★★★★☆

This collection of short stories portrays a fascinating variety of relationships, with characters at different points in their lives struggling through very different situations. All of the stories have a profound element of sadness, and some even violence, but they are also threaded with hope and love. As with my favorite short stories, these drop us right into the middle of a character’s experience, seeing their struggles from their perspective, and they aren’t all resolved pleasantly. We sit with the messiness of real conflict, mixed with pain and affection. A wonderful set of stories and a great introduction to a new-to-me author; I’ll be reading more of Lily King’s work.

Arabella by Georgette Heyer

AuroraLeave a comment

Title: Arabella
Author: Georgette Heyer
Genre(s): Romance, Historical
Rating: ★★★☆☆

A friend recently introduced me to the Internet Archive Books collection, so I decided to take advantage of its vast collection of older books to read a regency romance by the author who established the genre. I love the historical details in Heyer’s novels, including the dialogue, and she includes a great deal of humor (especially in stories like this that revolve around a sort of mistaken identity). Arabella, as a relatively unsophisticated girl from Yorkshire, provides a refreshingly progressive perspective on the inequality that pervades London — her combination of privilege and naïvety is mostly endearing though at times offensive as she rides roughshod over those around her in an attempt to help the less fortunate. I tend to feel that Heyer rushes the endings, with everything resolved a bit too quickly. But the journey to get there is funny and witty and I always enjoy the ride.