Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place

 

 

I bought Refuge for a nonfiction class at UVU (same class where I read An Elemental Thing), but it ended up not being read in class, and it took me until now to read it. Refuge is Terry Tempest Williams' female family history told alongside the story of The Great Salt Lake and her migratory birds. 

 

It was really hard for me to get into the novel. Chapters opened with different numbers, water level, number of birds, etc. Numbers are hard for me to comprehend, so the significance of the numbers at the beginning of each chapter was missed by me. It also felt like things weren't exactly in order, which was hard for me to understand. It was unclear when things were happening in the timeline. I also felt that Refuge has a very narrow demographic as to who would be most drawn to it. I know it's not something I would pick up off a shelf and take home myself. I give it 3 stars.

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty

If I was quoted and it was put on the front of this book, it would say, "If you enjoyed Face on the Milk Carton as a teen, you'll love Jackson's A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty."  It's also reminiscent of  Esme Lennox with the southern feel of Harper Lee in today's world. Okay, it's not Harper Lee good, but I sure did enjoy it. It's almost a 5. Just not quite there yet. 

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty tells us the story of the three Slocumb women, 45-year-old Big, 30-year-old Liza, and 15-year-old Mosey. Yup, getting pregnant at 15 runs in the family, and even though Mosey is a virgin, she regularly pees on a stick to assure herself she's not pregnant. Big feels that God sends her biggest trials every 15 years, and this year is no exception. All three of these women tell us their part of the story as Jackson takes us down the winding road of Liza's past as we try to unravel her secrets as well as the truth. I liked the twist and the mystery, but I'm not sure that I loved this novel. It got a little blurry at parts, especially at the end, and the logical me things there are some legal ends that will need to be tied up that are not discussed in the novel. Granted, that's not the point of the novel or the moral of the story . . . 

It was weird for me, though, that I related more to Liza's high school years than Mosey's, that I'm closer in age to Liza at 30 than Mosey at 15. Regardless, I really liked this novel, and I think you will too! 

Mom, It's Your Birthday

Happy Birthday, Mom! 

You are such a great mom and I love you so much.

You always are there for me.

You support me in everything I do.

I couldn't do it without you, Mom.

I wouldn't be who I am without you.

Love You!

The Almost Moon

"Alice Sebold may be our true heiress to Edgar Allan Poe, a novelist who dares to write honestly about the banality of violence, and about how it lives next door to normalcy, in a mist." -Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer

Romano's analysis of Sebold and Almost Moon is completely correct; Sebold is eerily Poe. For a book about mother-daughter relations  and accountability for actions, it is a gripping story with an element of intensity and disgust. Our main character, Helen, is a mother and a daughter, but has always been primarily a daughter. Her mother holds an uncanny grip on her, despite Helen growing up and making a life of her own. Eventually Helen's mother becomes old and feeble. Helen is the only one who can take care of her, continuing to be insulted by her mother. Finally she can take it no longer, and kills her mother. The rest of the novel unfolds with the repercussions of Helen's actions and her resulting emotions. The emotions Helen struggles with are much more exciting than the actual action; it's really intense and makes you think. What would you do in this situation? 

This is a typical creepy book for me and I really enjoyed it! I recommend it, with the caution that it does delve into some un-mormon behaviors as well as touchy emotional subjects. Enjoy! 

The Rest of Her Life

The Rest of Her Life

This is my second Laura Moriarty book (turns out it's her second book as well) and I enjoyed it nearly as much as I did the first.  

The story is told form the point-of-view of Leigh, the mother of Kara. Kara was driving, on the phone, with a friend and a dog in the car. And she hit a fellow student, one who was in the crosswalk, headed home. And she died. 

The novel tells the story of this family as they cope, as they try to heal, individually and as a family. Leigh struggles in her relationship with Kara; they were never close and the gap becomes larger because of the accident. At first she doesn't know how to look at her daughter, she sees her as guilty and cannot seem to reconcile her feelings. This novel is all about their relationship, the mother-daughter dynamic and how it changes. 


I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it. I personally did not resonate with Leigh the way Moriarty intended, but I think that is because I am not a mother of a teenager. I am not the intended demographic, so I did not, could not, identify as well. Yet I did like the book. And I think you should read it. Especially you, Mom! :) 


Aside: There was one part, near the end, and I'm like, "Oh! This is it! This is the surprise! This is the twist!!" And then I remembered Jodi Picoult just reviewed the book, she didn't write it. So watch out for that part!