Going into this book, I must admit that I was wary because I'm not usually a fan of introspective female narratives. Instead, I found myself glued to the pages of this deep dive into a fascinating life of a square peg in the round hole of wealthy New York society.
Each chapter covers a year, starting with the fateful year of 1981 when Laura becomes pregnant with Emma. The chapters are then broken into small vignettes, that are addictive as candy. Greathead has amazingly astute observations of things that can seem insignificant, but paint such a detailed portrait of life. Stories of her misguided friendship with the pediatrician, her best friend, her upper crust WASP caricature of a mother, dates gone wrong, sister in law dynamics, school mom drama, and preteen drama all struck a chord. When Emma is excited about her new school but isn't responding to the adults with the right level of enthusiasm:
"One of the more exhausting aspects of getting older was having to act like an adult. Pretending to like people you couldn't stand, speaking for the sake of filling a silence, smiling when you felt like crying."
These episodes are witty, funny, fraught with tension and quite sad, in equal measure. Laura's privilege blinds her to any real self awareness, or awareness of the lives of others, which makes for so many quirky moments that can go in unexpected ways. One might find her infuriating, but I couldn't help but root for her to triumph in the end.
"Life hadn't required Laura to navigate unknown territory on her own, and on the few occasions over the years when she had taken the initiative to do so had all been very empowering."
The author's uncanny ability to convey authentic dialogue and such genuine details about life reminds me a great deal of Curtis Sittenfeld's writing, one of my all time favorite authors. The prose on the agony and ecstasy of motherhood and adolescence rings so true. If you enjoy character driven, fly on the wall, hypnotically written episodic stories, I would HIGHLY recommend Laura and Emma.
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review! Visit http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/ for more reviews and bookish musings.

This was just ADORABLE. It felt like a well written, literary version of The Goonies, but set in NYC with a troupe of adorable siblings in lieu of a gang of best friends. No pirates either, just a mysterious and grumpy landlord who lives upstairs, never leaves his home and decides to terminate the Vanderbeeker's lease. Glaser creates a vivid picture of the 141st street neighborhood and it's inhabitants. It comes together with a lot of poignancy and heart. I also think it'd be a great read to please a lot of ages, as there's something for everyone with the characters ranging in age from toddler to teen.
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Ughhhh. Just. Ugh. This was so scarily eye opening about where, and how, money has been spent over the last forty or so years to push the far right agenda, despite the majority of Americans polling progressive. Campaign financing barely factors into this massive web of tax shelters, secrecy, infiltrating universities and think tanks full of 'alternative facts' in an attempt to shift our culture by those who have wealth beyond imagining. I felt quite ill listening this one on audio. And although it was a little dry, all citizens should be aware of the actions of these people and the effects on our society (mainly the Kochs, but now I know even more about Betsy DeVos, which is gross).
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O'Farrell's memoir I Am, I Am, I Am is on my 'to be read' list, but I wanted to check out her fiction first - and I'm glad I did. This novel was completely up my alley, like a puzzle to piece together: full of family drama, with multiple narrators and settings, that jumps around in time. The short version is that it is a romance between Daniel, who is divorced and estranged from his children, and Claudette who is a former movie star who escaped to anonymity in rural Ireland. Yet it is a complex tapestry of the lives of their children, exes, friends, siblings, and parents. Each character has his or her own compelling story that leads to Daniel and Claudette. It did get rather confusing at points, and I'd have to stop and gather myself to remember who was who. But I loved threading the story lines together and seeing the full and beautiful picture come together in the end. This was lovely, and I can't wait to read all of her work.
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This was another audiobook and, though I am picky about audio, it was a perfect choice for listening. I love when books are read by the author, and you can hear the tears as well as laughter in Jahren's voice as she conveys her gorgeous prose. Not what I was expecting for a nonfiction work about a scientist. Alas, her use of plants as metaphor for the human experience is a wonder: from Sitka trees, cacti, creeping vines and moss. I feel as if I can relate to them all, and especially her sidekick Bill. Their dry humor and witty banter, from her point of view, is a delight and a beautiful tribute to their friendship. And, yes, I also learned about the struggles of the science community and about the science of plants. I really do feel the urge to plant a tree as soon as possible.
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I picked up a signed copy of this one when visiting Parnassus books in Nashville, so it will always have a special place in my heart! It starts off with a terrible incident that rips the two main character's marriage apart and then goes into a slow burn of introspection on their relationship, family and upbringing as their lives diverge. Then the last third or so of the book builds to a near heart stopping conclusion. Seriously, I was so stressed to see how things would conclude between Roy and Celestial. It's an emotionally heavy story about the realities of love and marriage that had me absolutely captivated.
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I feel that I should preface this review with a full disclosure that I have a great amount of love and nostalgia for Las Vegas. I first traveled there with my mom for my 21st birthday many years ago (over two decades, gah) and going once or twice a year thereafter for at least ten years. I remember visiting several of the hotels featured in the novel, most which no longer exist. It's not high on my travel priority list anymore, but I think on it fondly and love most things associated with the City of Lights.
Esme is a powerful narrator with a distinct voice. Sharp renders her with such strength and courage, while being one of the most tragic characters I've read in a long time. A dual timeline is employed to great effect, slowly gathering tension towards the conclusion of her mother's story in Hollywood during Esme's childhood, and the conclusion of her own story in Las Vegas as a young woman. I found myself more engaged with Esme as an adult in Vegas. Although I am a fan of old Hollywood historical fiction (see also: Beautiful Ruins, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and films like L.A. Confidential), the Hollywood storyline is centered around Esme's parents and upbringing which are both deplorable. The early part of the novel focuses heavily on this period, so it took awhile to warm up. Once things turn more towards her coming of age, and the crises Esme faces during the fascinating coming of age of Las Vegas, I began turning the pages in rapid succession, desperate to learn of her fate.

"I didn't know yet how these men were protective of little girls but preyed upon them when they grew up. But you couldn't stop growing up. The transition from girlhood to womanhood turned on a pivot. One day you were a child and then, all at once, you weren't."

Esme's narration feels almost as if she is an outside observer to her own life. One could take that as detachment, but I thought that it lent even more empathy towards her character because she was clearly not in control of her life for much of the novel. And many of the circumstances in which she had to bear witness were so tragic that her detachment can be seen as a defense mechanism, the most pivotal of which is disclosed near the end of the novel and it brought tears to my eyes. Overall, it was darker than I had anticipated, yet a mesmerizing read.
Many thanks to the great people at Harper Books for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!
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Curtis Sittenfeld is an auto-read author for me. I didn't even read the blurb from the publisher until just now and, yes, You Think It, I'll Say It is all of the above. She is MASTERFUL. I think this just tied with Prep for my favorite of her books.
Short stories are not usually my jam. I love great plot, and I feel that short stories can be unsatisfying in that regard and oftentimes abrupt. Leave it to Sittenfeld to change my tune about short story collections. Each story is certainly self contained, yet there is an underlying similarity that underpins them all. She examines the minutiae of everyday life and our inner turmoils and turns the ordinary into extraordinary with her unique brand of crazy storytelling. Most of the narratives revolve around women in their early 40s (my and Sittenfeld's age) and are so identifiable to me, but should really be to anyone. She tells some stories from the man's perspective, reminisces about high school love and politics, newlywed dynamics, first babies, and even a trip to summer camp run the gamut of experiences that will probably spark a feeling of empathy from any reader. Until they are NOT empathetic - characters id's and ego's start to go off the rails and she examines them in a deliciously scandalous way. I couldn't put it down! From stories about college friends, one night stands, social media woes, mommy wars, she touches on all things we can relate to and then takes them in such unexpected ways.
I am praying that she comes to Seattle on book tour so that I can get myself a signed copy and ask how many ideas germinated from real life experiences. Though the stories are completely strange, they appear to fall into the stranger than fiction category. Did she meet a lifelong friend in a lactation group? 'Bad Latch' was one of my favorites and I love how the dynamic of female friendship felt so real. Did she ever interview a celebrity ingenue? 'Off the Record' seems like a celebrity blind story. Does she know something about The Pioneer Woman that we don't know? 'The Prairie Wife' feels like a fun and shocking fictional take of such a celebrity.
If I haven't made it abundantly clear, this book is phenomenal and you should run right out and get it for some stellar summer reading. Thank you SO MUCH to Random House and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!
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My (first) birth story in a nutshell: I developed preeclampsia, had eclampsia by the time I checked in to be induced, baby did some poopin' in utero, and after 12 hours of labor/putting it off/much to my disappointment - I had a c-section. The mother's group which the novel centers around has a ritual of everyone telling their birth story, so I thought I'd share the short version of mine! Dealing with the recovery, hormones, sleeplessness and EVERYTHING after becoming a first time mom was really, really hard - as it is for the characters in this book. Many new moms, myself included, join a group of mothers to help each other through the difficult transition to motherhood.

Being able to identify with this group as a whole and each woman's struggles, at least in some small way, pulled me into this story. Molloy takes on the themes of modern motherhood with some seriousness and a lot of satire. Most of the chapters open with one of those ubiquitous baby website emails chronicling the stages of your child. Missives that usually drive parents mad: 'time to get on a schedule!' 'more tummy time!' 'get back in the bedroom with your partner' or, maddeningly, 'get in your pre-pregnancy jeans!' They are juxtaposed against what start as everyday newborn woes with the 'May Mothers' group, and then the unthinkable when one of the babies is abducted.
The narrative quickly goes into full on thriller mode and the rabbit hole these women go down as they try to cope with postpartum delirium, as well as deliriously try to figure out the crime. It is certainly a fun read, I finished in few days, was eager to follow the plot twists and DID NOT predict the ending.

Although, like many thrillers, I didn't fully connect with any one character on a deeper level and, at times, they bordered on caricatures. They had a lot going on - a rape survivor, a woman in hiding from a public scandal, a retired actress with a stalker, a stay at home dad... I feel as if the novel only scratched the surface of their lives, in service of moving the plot forward. Though, I absolutely identified with their plights as new mothers and women in the world (there are obvious feminist themes relatable to most women) which made this thriller a cut above others I've read.

This would be a perfect summer beach read. I would compare it to another favorite brain candy domestic suspense novel, The Couple Next Door, unlike the pervasive comparisons to Big Little Lies, which I think is more literary than thriller. On that note, I will say that this looks like it will make a terrific screen adaptation, and I look forward to Kerry Washington's starring and producing! Perhaps we will get to follow the character's individual story lines in more detail. If, like me, you must read the book before the movie - definitely pick up The Perfect Mother.

Thank you so much to the awesome people at Harper Books for an advance copy to review!

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This book was a definite departure from my normal fare of mostly literary and contemporary fiction. But, when I do find a fantasy novel that speaks to me, I love it with my whole heart. I have the most success with character and relationship driven stories, whether they are fantastical or not. (The Raven Boys and The Night Circus are great examples of magical realism/fantasy that worked for me.)
There is certainly not a lack of unique characters in Fine's novel, and a great deal of them are quickly introduced at the beginning of the novel, as part of Maisie's family tree. At first, I had a hard time keeping the stories of her ancestors straight. Though, as the present day plot moves forward, interspersed are chapters dedicated to each of these women that were cursed and how they disappeared into the forest. This was my favorite aspect of the book, told like fables that engendered so much empathy for each of these women. The pace picks up as Maisie begins to interact with the real world in order to find her father. Her exceptional power, or curse depending upon how you look at it, is an engaging aspect of the book and makes for interesting interactions and I wished there were more scenes of Maisie navigating the outside world.
Alas, I felt as if the main plot didn't have the same heft and emotional pull as the legends of her ancestors. There were so many abstract ideas, situations wherein it was tough for me to suspend my disbelief, and plot points that didn't seem to coalesce - nor did Maisie's relationships. There was so much potential for her romance with Matthew, her caretaker's nephew, as they join forces to find her father, but he is absent for a large part of the book and the time they do spend together is never really fleshed out. Three days waiting for at a mechanic's for a car part is rife with potential bonding moments, yet this time together is not delved into and is over in less than two pages. The same can be said of her relationship with her father. He disappears pretty early in the book, and their interactions told in flashbacks are brief.
That being said, I thought much of the writing to be lovely, enjoyed the creepy atmosphere and can pretty confidently say that it will go over well for those who really adore fantasy. I also found what Fine was trying to convey about the dangers of the stories we tell ourselves, living our truth, of embracing womanhood, and feminism admirable. Though I wasn't entirely sure of what was going on, I desperately wanted to - and furiously turned the pages until the end. Overall it was an intricate and thought provoking story and I'd love to hear other readers thoughts - and maybe answer a question or two for me!
Many, many thanks to the wonderful people at Harper Books for an advance review copy!
For more reviews and bookish musings visit: http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com