The House at Riverton – A Review
Title: The House at Riverton
Author: Kate Morton
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Genre: Fiction
Length: 468 pages
I fell in love with Kate Morton’s writing when I first read The Forgotten Garden, Morton’s ode to her love for Frances Hodgson Burnett. How appropriate then that I fall in love with her work all over again while reading The House at Riverton, Morton’s ode to all things F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ian McEwan’s Atonement
But of course, I’m not talking about me, I’m supposed to be writing a review. That’s the thing about Kate Morton though, her work is beautiful and intricate and secretive and it feels so real. Although I get completely engrossed in her story (because she is an amazing story teller), by the end all I can think about is my own story, my own secrets. Obviously, nothing so dark and grand as love-babies out of wedlock and murder and suicide, but still she makes you think about all the things in your life left unsaid that will remain unsaid even after you die.
Morton wrote the elderly Grace beautifully. I imagine that is exactly how it must feel to be old. I loved her so much, and she reminded me so well of people I have met in nursing homes when I used to sing there. She left so many little hints of other pieces of Grace’s life outside of Riverton, I was left longing for more of Grace even after Hannah and Emmeline’s story was over. I wanted to dive into a spin off story of Grace on her archeological adventures and reconnection to Alfred. I know it wouldn’t be a best seller, wouldn’t hold the same magic with Grace’s deep dark secret already revealed and the last thoughts at her death already documented, but I wanted to have a little more of Grace nonetheless. That’s what makes Morton’s writing so great though, you don’t get tired of the story. She wraps everything up so nicely for you, but still leaves an inkling of longing in your heart for what is now done.
One thing that I must say to the masses about this book… if you are one of those that reads the last page first – DON’T. You will ruin the charm and the magic. I can’t imagine reading the last page first without the whole book losing its adventure.
Check out this blog to read a more detailed and descriptive review: http://gigilovesparis.blogspot.com/2009/12/house-at-riverton-by-kate-morton-review.html
Not So Legendary
A Review of Legends of the Fall, a novella by Jim Harrison
I only read The Legends of the Fall novella of this book, not the other short stories and novellas. That being said, I was disappointed with this short piece. After growing up watching the sweeping epic film, the novella felt too quick, there were no moments to pause on the beautiful despair of it all. Although they are almost exactly the same (aside from the fact that Tristan and Susannah were actually married in the book and there was a lot of time spent on Susannah’s mental instability) I feel as though the film makers did well with the screenplay and turned mere 80 pages into something amazing. Obviously, kudos to Jim Harrison for his awesome original storyline – but when it comes down to it – I’ll hypocritically watch the movie on repeat before I re-read the book.
Forget About It
I just finished reading Caprice Crane’s Forget About It, a little romantic comedy about a girl with the worst life ever and to top it all off, gets hit by a car while on her bicycle and decides to suffer from fake amnesia to give her life a new starting point. Although it’s set in New York and has a bit of You’ve Got Mail quirkiness, it feels so familiar and southern. Probably because I’m southern and if it feels homey and familiar it must be southern! Which is just a fault of my own, not a fault of the writer’s. Not quite as hilarious as her debut Stupid and Contagious, but quite funny nonetheless, it was a much needed break from the doom I’ve been feeling while reading Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. I sped through it in a delightful day off and still had time to get my chores done. Caprice Crane truly is the best at romantic comedy (a genre I am not too fond of unless the characters are in long flowing dresses and top hats) as she actually does keep me in stitches and does make me believe the happy couple should indeed have a happy ending. Jane Austen would be proud despite all its contemporary pop culture because Crane, like herself, is a master of the absurd and a breath of fresh air.
The Lovely Bones
I read this book a few years ago, actually, but with it being so wildly popular again I realized I never wrote a review.
The Lovely Bones is a bit tragic, terrible in its opening rape and murder, hazy with a metaphysical view of heaven, and sad as the family surviving the deceased fourteen year old attempt to function with one less person in the household. Its beautifully written despite its harsh plot points and terrifying point of view, but reading Alice Sebold’s memoir Lucky will help you understand her approach to the story. I highly recommend for 14-18 year old girls to read as a warning to pay attention to what’s going on around you and that the wise choices in life are not always polite nor do they quench certain curiosities.
Gloriously Symmetrical
As beautiful as The Time Traveler’s Wife is, Audrey Niffenegger’s Her Fearful Symmetry is awful. Every moment, every line is filled with mystery, sadness, and the terrible selfishness of humanity. I loved it.
People have described this second novel as disappointing. I feel as though it was done on purpose. I cried on page one, knowing that the rest of the book could not be even remotely as beautiful or as happy; and by the end I had been disappointed by every character so often, I merely settled into a sigh of understanding. Of course it ends this way, of course. The novel was gloriously backwards, in comparison to Niffenegger’s first book, just as Valentina is a backward version of Julia.
If you read it, I think you’ll understand my meaning.
If you liked it, I also recommend:
The Lovely Bones
The Mercy of Thin Air
Swan
Light Holiday Reading
Rebel Angels: Part II in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray
Delightful, though predictable, Bray’s second novel in her magical realms series was an exciting and fanciful Christmas adventure. The sequel is much more intriguing than the original piece. I found myself more drawn in to the lives of the girls of Spence while on their Holiday Vacation than I was with their previous escapades at school. Over all, well done and I look forward to Part Three in the trilogy.
Origins and Thoughts, and Original Thoughts
January 19, 2010 at 5:44 am (JARS, Reviews, The Whim) (book, creationists, darwin, family relationships, fiction, history, intelligent design, irving stone, religion, review, social commentary, the origin, theology, victorian era)
My thoughts on Irving Stone’s The Origin so far… (I’m on Book Ten)
Despite being an enjoyable novel, its astonishing how much humanity is lacking in the description – it has the feel of a 1950′s family sitcom, Leave It to Beaver meets the Darwin family in Victorian England.
I like Irving Stone’s version of things, however. It gives a detailed time line of publications and events. Its a good source to use as an introduction to the study of evolution: names, dates, and important essays, journals and other writings are handed to you chronologically on a silver platter so that you can jot them down and do additional research afterward.
The book is quite clever, actually, sidestepping every controversy and smiling noncommittally.
“They established a routine in which everyone fitted harmoniously,” (from book nine: the Whole Life) seems to be the theme of the book, rather than the development of the theory of evolution. It is full of lines like: “The Manuscript on Volcanic Islands moved along felicitously.” Even through his many illnesses and the death of his two daughters, Charles Darwin seems to have led a very charmed life.
I discussed all this with a member the physical JARS book club, and she pointed out something important that I failed to notice: this is exactly the way a man of the Victorian Age would want his biography written. The Victorian era was a time when the upper class mastered the art of smiling and pretending everything was fine, introducing what my friend described as “that very British attitude of ‘Get Over It and Move On.’ “
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