Book Review - Spare by Prince Harry

"Harry spills the tea!”

Cheeky headlines are the hallmarks of tabloids and gossip papers--especially in the UK. Slap a rhyming, pun-filled header on a story about a celebrity & willing readers gravitate toward the ink-splotched paper, plunking down the money to get the salacious details. This same strategy is now the standard for social media. Why do so many (including me) get such a kick out of seeing movie stars at the grocery store ("Celebs! They're just like us!)? Yet how often do we really think about the person on the other end of the tale? What's true? Who's lying? Aren't they signing up for this by being famous? In this intimate, revealing, profound memoir, Prince Harry tells his side of this story. And, in my opinion, it's one of the best I've ever read.

Like Jennette McCurdy, Harry's story shines a light on the "other" side of an issue, in this case the monarchy and tabloid culture. While the book is divided into three sections, Harry's life after Diana died, his military service, his life with Meghan, it still manages to have one thread woven throughout—how humanity is muzzled by large-scale power structures, particularly those built on money and tradition. Sound too lofty for a book about the spare and (in one story) his frozen penis? Maybe. But that's what elevated it above the usual for me. It speaks to an issue that, in today’s day and age, is getting worse. And it’s not just affecting so-called royalty. Many days it seems power, ego, lies, nastiness, and a lack of humanity reign (very often fueled by social media) and “death bed” ideals (what I call the things you’ll hold onto when dying)—family, joy, love—are suppressed or, worse, abandoned completely.

I won't go through the parts that were leaked before publication but instead speak to the bigger issue he touches on. After Diana's death, Harry assumed, even at 12, that things would change. The paparazzi and the entire tabloid culture would stand down and keep the promises they made—no more endangering the lives of people with aggressive behavior or incessant lies. Yet, as we clearly see by the end of the book and his family’s move to America, it’s worse than it's ever been. And it was made worse when Harry dared to marry a biracial woman and expected them to be supported, defended, and protected by his family. Yet there weren’t. Sadly, the monarchy works in concert with the tabloid machine to stifle truth, perpetuate lies about one royal to “beef up” the public goodwill given to another, and to craft lie-riddled narratives that are underpinned by the ego of the subject AND the media to satiate a willing public. Some of the hardest parts of this to read for me were when Charles (Pa), William (Willy), and even the Queen (Grammy) had the chance to stand up and say, “no, this is NOT how we’re going to do this.” Unfortunately again and again they did not.

What I found interesting was how relatable Harry’s story was to the state of our world. Diana’s death gave the tabloids and the monarchy an opportunity for a reset—a chance to self-reflect, course correct, and work to advance humanity, not degrade it. Unfortunately, the chance was squandered and it all came back and now is worse than ever. And the “spare,” or Harry, the one furthest from assuming the throne, seems to be the only one able to see just how damaging and, frankly, ridiculous it all is. Family, life, humanity, and, yes, true love, seem to have firmly put him on the side of, “I’m not gonna take it anymore.”

Good for him, I say. Honestly, I'm tired of hearing, "This is just part of being famous." Diana's death was supposed to bring about change—and it didn't and, 25 years later, it's gotten worse. And, sadly, the Institution aids and abets it. Harry speaks to an issue that plagues even our country today—humanity being muzzled by nastiness, lies, power-trips & ego. He has experience and a platform on which to speak to that issue AND try to institute change. But speaking truth to power and change takes time. I'm glad he is living a wonderful life—with true love and family—away from the heart of the mess. I truly do hope his family comes around and realizes that tradition, power, and ego should never come before love.

Want to start the year off with a roller-coaster of a book filled with razor-sharp humor, women taking on the patriarchy (sometimes with murder), and twists and turns that will keep you guessing? Then this one is for you!

Geeta is a social outcast in her small Indian village. Five years ago, when her alcoholic, abusive husband disappeared, the whole town assumed she killed him. What they don't know is he up and left, and she has no clue where he is. She's happy he's gone--he abused her emotionally and physically--yet she still isn't thrilled that everyone considers her a danger and an anomaly, as she doesn't have kids. She keeps away from most of her village, especially her childhood friend Saloni and only interacts with the village's women at the micro-loan meetings she attends to keep her jewelry business running.

But when Farrah, another woman who is being abused by her husband, comes to Geeta to ask for her help in "removing her nose ring" (aka killing her husband), Geeta gets pulled into a web of darkly humorous hijinks and crime.

Shroff uses the exaggerated events of murder and mean-girl drama to deftly comment on very-real aspects of rural Indian culture--the misogyny experienced by Indian women, the inequity and racism of the caste system, and the hypocrisy bred of anti-drinking directives. I really enjoyed how easily she went from humor to horror and back again.

Geeta is a complex character. She's at times scared, strong, deferential, defensive, aggressive, smart, and oblivious. Frankly, she's real. How she and the women of the village "fight back" is shocking, funny, clever, and, in the end, a heck of a lot of fun.

If you're a fan of dark humor, biting commentaries on the patriarchy, and women one-upping the forces that oppress them, give this one a whirl. It'll definitely make you think and, at times, cheer.

When I read the summary of this novel I was immediately intrigued. Set in 1980s rural Mississippi, it tells the story of Ella, a young Black girl who befriends a middle-aged white woman named Katherine St. James. Katherine is in town researching her thesis about race relations. She moves into a house on the Black side of town and starts asking questions of the town's residents.

This novel touches on so many important themes--colorism (Ella is very dark-skinned since she's a product of her mom's relationship with an African man who passed through their town), sexual abuse (Ella's stepfather), racism (Katherine is the daughter of a KKK member), violence, white supremacy, mental health issues, etc. The author handles all of them with sensitivity, which I admired, but the lack of even minimal closure for some left me feeling wanting in the end.

Ella's story is more compelling than Katherine's, especially as a coming-of-age tale. She's precocious and her personality jumps off the page. You cheer, cry, and ache for her and her struggles. Katherine is an enigma that slowly gets revealed as the novel progresses. Her first-person portions were interesting--and admittedly something we don't normally get to read--but they still ended with many "what happens now?"

I enjoyed this read and appreciated the author's attempt to cover so many facets of racism, white supremacy, and the vestiges they leave, but I still felt like not enough was resolved to make it a 5-star read. I look forward to more from this debut author! Her voice is strong and her story-telling intriguing.

Thanks to @netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve had this book on my TBR since it was published in March 2021. The stunning cover has taunted me since then! (Props to Daniel Arsham for his amazing sculpture and Jaya Micelli for her cover design!). When I was looking for a book set in Africa to fit the bill for my #ReadAroundTheWorld 7 continents/7 months challenge, I knew this was the one.

Kosawa, a fictional African village, is home to a people whose children are dying from toxic water. It's the 1980s and Pexton has been drilling for oil in the village and have the full support of the country's dictator. When the novel starts, the Pexton reps are having a meeting with the villagers when the village madman captures the company's reps' keys and all hell breaks loose.

At this point I thought the novel would lead to a long-fought victory. But life is not like that. And Mbue is too smart and talented for that. And thank goodness because this novel blossoms into a decades-long tale told from multiple perspectives that breaks your heart and raises your ire. The most vocal of the characters, Thula, hopes her education will help her figure out a way to save her homeland. "The children" are a Greek chorus of sorts, who have grown up with Thula, are devoted to her and her cause. Parents, siblings, and other villagers have their say. Yet the vestiges of colonialism and the heartlessness of capitalism continue to devastate as the village and its people go through more changes brought on by time.

I love the expanse of this book. So many voices. So many issues. So much emotion. Mbue is great at shifting through various timelines and characters. Some minor quibbles were perspectives in the middle that didn't really move the plot forward and intriguing characters (Yaya) who only got one chapter to speak. This wasn't quite a 5-star read for me, but it was pretty close, so I'm giving it 4.5.

If you enjoy sprawling, issue-driven literary fiction, this is a great one.

Rating: 3.5

This book has been everywhere! It was a January pick for Book of the Month & GMA. It has its own table at my Barnes & Noble. I expected it to be a 5-star for me. Unfortunately, it was not. That's not to say it's bad; it isn't. Its story just didn't resonate with me (especially at 500+ pages).

I've never really been a fan of stories about the anti-hero. I'm the girl who's going to take Ted Lasso over Tony Soprano. So this book, which centers some pretty despicable people, didn't absorb me as much as it might other readers.

Set in the opulent, drink-and-drug-drenched world of modern India, it follows three characters—Ajay, a boy from a poor village who becomes Sunny Wadia's protector; Sunny, the son of an Indian mobster; and Neda, a journalist who forms a connection with Sunny. With the pace of a movie and a lush, cinematic scope, it zings back and forth through a non-chronological narrative that's fast-paced and engrossing at first, but becomes overly long about halfway through.

Ajay's story is the most compelling. His rise from poor village boy to muscle-to-the-mob is fascinating and heartbreaking. Sunny's story is more muddled, with his connection to Neda the most interesting part. I liked the fast-pace of the first half, but in the second, some characters (one who was literally just introduced) take center stage and made me wish for the story to get back to the main trio. While intriguing in parts, the ending was too drawn out and lacked closure...until I read that this is the first in a planned trilogy. Reading book #2 is going to be a wait and see for me.

While this one didn't wow me, that's not to say it won't wow you. If you like characters who fall victim to the corrupt forces in their families and lives and struggle to make good choices because of it, you'll like this one—especially if you like books with a movie-like pace and structure.

At this point, you're in one of two camps--a reader who's never read any of the Beartown books or one who has and LOVES them. After finally finishing The Winners, I'm in camp #2. What a reading experience!

You just don't read these books. You cheer, cry, laugh, and live them. Written by Backman in a compelling third-person omniscient POV, this trilogy tells the story of the ice-hockey town of Beartown and its residents. While weaving an amazing multi-character story, he also speaks to humanity in general--with emotionally resonant precision.

The story: Beartown, a small rural town in northern Sweden, is all about ice hockey. At a party, Maya, the 15-year-old daughter of the general manager of the ice hockey team, is raped by the star player. The reverberations of this crime pulse through all three books, as the town and its people deal with other dramas, both within their family and friends and on a larger scale. Backman addresses so many important things: first and foremost the toxic culture of masculinity in sports. He also speaks to prejudice, family, friendship, love, hate, violence, politics, life. Throughout it all, he offers some great nuggets of wisdom and emotional moments that tug on your heartstrings.

I could go on and on about the books, but honestly you really should read them. Is The Winners a tad too long? Sure. Do some nuggets of the omniscient narrator's wisdom seem a bit hokey? Yes. But overall this trilogy, even with my minor quibbles, is a fulfilling reading experience. I really loved it.

I love novels about complex, fully realized women and how love and life drive their stories. This novel is exactly one of those.

Evocative and moody, this historical fiction novel is framed through the thoughts, dreams, and memories of an ailing woman on her death bed. Magdalena (Lena), is a strong-willed, smart Polish girl who's passionate about becoming a doctor. After she's hit by a streetcar, she's forced to abandon her dreams of becoming a doctor and marry an older military man named Anton who loves her with a passion that teeters between adoration and obsession. When Anton sends her and their child away from the base due to the rise of WWII, she goes to her family home in northern Poland. She and her family are sent to a Siberian labor camp by the Russians who consider their middle-class family enemies of the state. Here she meets a prisoner-turned-guard, who turns out to be the love of her life.

The way Lichtarowicz moves seamlessly between what a dying Lena is experiencing and what she is remembering is a true feat of storytelling. As a reader I went right along with the changes and loved it all. Lena is my favorite type of female character. Strong-willed (especially for the time in which she lived), smart, complicated, and even frustrating at times. She's a great character through which to drive this story.

I both read and listened to this book. The audio is a wonderful example of how special effects can enhance the storytelling! When Lena is in that space between immortality and mortality, talking to those who have gone before, the narration is done so that it sounds like the voice is in a cage with echoes. It helps the listener know what is a dream or not as an ailing Lena's realities and memories flood the narrative. I loved it. Major props to Rose Ackroyd for the terrific narration.

Much thanks to both @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for the gifted copies in exchange for a review. I LOVED this historical fiction and its strong female protagonist. Highly recommend!