November reads

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - My first encounter with Anne, I wanted to make her acquaintance as I had already met Charlotte and Emily.  Anne Bronte, while lesser known than her sisters, was actually first and more published than the other two.  This story focuses on a mysterious woman who takes up residence of a nearby manor.  We are told the story through two voices - the son of a local land owner, Gilbert, and the tenant of Wildfell Hall, Helen, who come to know one another very well. Anne's writing style reminds me of Charlotte's more than Emily's, focusing much on the thought life of characters to the point of tedium in some places.  It was a decent read - although I think It could have been wrapped up much sooner than it was.  Could have used a bit of Emily's specters to liven things up a bit.  But Anne was the practical responsible one...we can't all be crazy, I guess.   6.5

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - From Anne Bronte to a main character who loves Anne Bronte - I didn't plan that - Juliet is an author whose series of light-hearted war articles brought her great acclaim among Londoners, but not her biography of Anne Bronte, much to her chagrin.  This is such a great read - funny, deep, sad, showing much about what it was like to live under the German occupation of the English Channel Islands during the Second World War.  I could read this book aloud, but would find myself cracking up all along the way so it would inevitable take twice as long as it should. One of my new favorites.  9.9

The Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore - This was my Chapters book club read and when asked "what did you think about the book?" I believe my exact quote was "It's my new worst.  I hated it more than Life of Pi."  So there.
 I did read the thing all the way through, but was so annoyed by the main character, in whose voice we hear the story told, and the little political barbs inappropriately inserted along the way that didn't matter a hill of beans.  The story takes place shortly after 9/11, but that is not played up well at all - I think it is used as an excuse for the author to make her condescending statements about certain persons of a political nature here and there.  That said, I do think the story had potential and had it been voiced by the other woman, who the story really centered around, it would have been better.  But it wasn't and I have learned my lesson about paying full-price for books I know nothing about.  2

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton - The author of The House at Riverton, she is one of my new favorites.  How can I not love anyone who can blend narrative from past and present with mystery and a sprinkling of fairy dust along the way.  I was so caught up in this story I did not want it to end.  Little Nell finds herself alone on a dock in Australia - she is found by the port master and after her parents are nowhere to be found, he takes her home and raises her as his own.  The story is about Nell trying to find out who she is and it weaves narrative from Nell, her granddaughter, and a woman from Nell's past simply known as The Authoress.
Intrigued?  You should be.   9