Russian Winter

In Russian Winter, author Daphne Kalotay takes readers behind the Iron Curtain to observe the life of prima ballerina, Nina Revskaya.  Through flashbacks to a Russian winter and scenes in present day Boston, a completely believable and captivating mystery unfolds.  A mystery involving the ballet, jewels, poetry, and a letter.  I loved this book for three reasons.  First, this book allowed me to learn about the constraints of Stalinist society from an artist's point of view.  Second, Nina's actions and reactions were incredibly true to her character.  Third, the mystery was completely believable.  While I love the ballet and jewelry, it is the raw feelings of regret and loss that made the story and its characters so authentic from beginning to end.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

The Book Keeper was in love with this page-turner until the last ten pages.  The ending just did not "feel right."  I would still absolutely recommend this beautiful piece despite any disappointment I feel towards the novel's ending.  Lisa See captured the relationship between two sisters in such a remarkably realistic way that readers are left completely breathless at times.  Pearl and May became so real to me that I often picked up the book to read "just a few more pages" due to genuine concern regarding their well-being.  I still cannot help but wonder "what happened next."  What happened to Pearl and May after the Book Keeper turned the last page and shut the back cover? 
If you need yet another reason to read the book, other than the fact that See's characters are the sort Hollywood pines after, then read it for its historical significance.  The Book Keeper loves history - yeah, yeah, yeah.  We have been here before, huh?  Well, sort of.  As in Sarah's Key, this history is the type we are not so proud to learn.  See teaches an important lesson through Pearl and May's daily interactions that is, embarrassingly, unknown to many Americans.  Pearl and May journey to the United States shortly before America enters World War II.  The sisters endure prejudice on many levels.  Their personal experience with Angel Island Immigration Station (the Ellis Island of the West) is heart breaking, but it pales in comparison to the danger faced by being Chinese in America during the Red Scare.  A story of true perseverance, Shanghai Girls is definitely worthy of your time.

November 2010 Pick: Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

This Book Keeper will be carrying Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay on the L during the month of November.  A story about ballet, jewels, love and betrayal.  I am desperately trying to keep my expectations grounded, but I am quite excited start turning pages.

The Next Book: October 2010

The Book Keeper's book club will be discussing both American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and Shanghai Girls by Lisa See in October.  I am so excited to read and blog about Shanghai Girls.  The book was selected based partly on the story summary and testimonials as to See's previous novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.  I am interested to hear if anyone else has comments regarding any of Lisa See's works.  A few months ago, I blogged about all three of Sittenfield's pieces, including American Wife.  Therefore, I will most likely not write a new review . . . well, maybe I will talk a little bit about my book club's reaction to the novel.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

If you love a good mystery (and one that is well written), you will love this book!  I will not lie, it took me a good 75 pages to "really get into" the story.  The first 75 pages were interesting, just not captivating.  That being said, once you do "really get into" the novel, good luck trying to put it down before finishing the last sentence of the last chapter.

The basis of the book?  Margaret Lea, a bookseller's daughter, is contacted by the world famous author, Vida Winter.  The dying author hires Margaret to tell her own long-hidden life story.  The dramatic tale unfolds in the setting of two estates:  Vida Winter's estate in Yorkshire and Angelfield, Winter's childhood home.  Telling you anything more would be unfair; a reader should be left to enjoy each page without any sort of spoilers.

What I can tell you is that Setterfield's talent is every English literature teacher's dream.  The incredible detail of each scene can only be outdone by a strong personal memory.  It is evident that the tale takes place over a long period of time, but emphasis is always on the complexity of each character, rather than historical references.  Setterfield created believable characters and her sensible narrator keeps the dramatic tale grounded in reality.

Put this book on your list.  It is out in paperback; no excuses.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Our book club has three new members and I was so happy that A Reliable Wife was the first book we discussed together!  While it is true that this story contains several "bodice-ripping" chapters, this book is a fabulous selection for a book club for so many different reasons.  First, the characters are quite complex.  Goolrick took great care in creating each of his fascinating characters.  A reader cannot help but become emotionally involved in each character's plight.  Hate, love, and empathy, but NEVER indifference.  Second, the author painted such a descriptive landscape for each setting/location, that you could not help but speak about symbolism.  [Insert congratulatory message to all high school English literature teachers here:  your students really were listening!]  The contrast between the frozen life the characters faced in Wisconsin and the general moral corruption of St. Louis is beautifully presented.  Third, the overall story is one of forgiveness; something all readers can relate to in some way.

Suggestions for May's Book Selection

Post the title and the author of a book you are interested in reading and discussing in the month of May! Feel free to include a description or a link!

The Next Two Books: February & March 2010

The February 2010 selection is The Weight of Silence. Follow the link to the book's website to find a brief description of both the book and its Midwest author.

The March 2010 selection is Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I did not have any luck finding an official book website. If someone knows of an official website, please let me know! Here is a brief description from Publishers Weekly found on Amazon.com:

De Rosnay's U.S. debut fictionalizes the 1942 Paris roundups and deportations, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested, held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver outside the city, then transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant, unfaithful Bertrand Tézac, with whom she has an 11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an American magazine and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél' d'Hiv' roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about Bertrand's family, about France and, finally, herself.

To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful,

ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry.

~ Gaston Bachelard ~