Glory Over Everything: Beyond the Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom- Beyond my Expectations!

Glory Over Everything: Beyond the Kitchen House  by Kathleen Grissom

*** This is an individual review,  not from my book club***

Rating System:
5- Fix-tastic! I have seen the light and it's in this book!
4- Fix-alicious.  Best served with wine!
3- Fairly Fix-worthy.  Not a perfect "F" but I wouldn't kick it out of bed, wink wink.
2- Fixer-Upper- Sounds like a good idea but even HGTV would have a hard time with this one!
1- Don't Fix It, Nix It.  Enough said.

I was afraid that this book would have a hard time living up to its predecessor, The Kitchen House, which our book club loved.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was just as engrossed in these characters and this story.  Once again, the description of the treatment of slaves and their sympathizers was hard to read.  However, the author manages to present a realistic story that also contains hope.  I loved how she kept some of the characters from the first book, but also introduced some new, particularly lovable ones, such as Pan and Robert!  I will eagerly await another novel by Ms. Grissom! 

Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley- Quirky and clever!

Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

 

*** This is an individual review,  not from my book club***

Rating System:
5- Fix-tastic! I have seen the light and it's in this book!
4- Fix-alicious.  Best served with wine!
3- Fairly Fix-worthy.  Not a perfect "F" but I wouldn't kick it out of bed, wink wink.
2- Fixer-Upper- Sounds like a good idea but even HGTV would have a hard time with this one!
1- Don't Fix It, Nix It.  Enough said.


Anyone who reads this story is bound to make comparisons to Life of Pi and there are indeed a number of similarities.  There is a dream-like quality to many chapters, with other notes of reality sprinkled in.  The clever comparison of a tumor to an octopus allowed the author to bring a cancer battle to life.  I've never thought of an octopus as being a particularly aggressive or dangerous creature, but it certainly works with the appearance of the tumor and its invasive, tentacle-like invasion into poor Lily.  Ted, the main character and owner of Lily, was endearing in some ways, but definitely has some mental issues.  He has been lonely for far too long and is clearly losing his grip with reality.  I won't spoil the ending, but it's interesting how the relationship with Lily parallels to his future relationships.  Not plausible, but interesting. The author wasn't going for believability, though, and I think the beauty of the book is in its allegorical approach to describing the impact a pet can have on its "person".   It is definitely one of the quirkiest and oddest books I've read in a while, but I found myself loving it!  That may have something to do with my being an obsessive dog lover...

All the Single Ladies by Dorothea Benton Frank- Not a "Single" thing to like about this one

All The Single Ladies by Dorothea Benton Frank


Rating System:
5- Fix-tastic! I have seen the light and it's in this book!
4- Fix-alicious.  Best served with wine!
3- Fairly Fix-worthy.  Not a perfect "F" but I wouldn't kick it out of bed, wink wink.
2- Fixer-Upper- Sounds like a good idea but even HGTV would have a hard time with this one!
1- Don't Fix It, Nix It.  Enough said.


In the words of our book club members, this one is Designing Women meets Scooby Doo.  And that's not  as cool as it may sound!  Ridiculously amateur dialogue along with a far-fetched plot and ludicrous characters results in our rating of 1.  I can't even bring myself to elaborate more.

Woman With A Secret by Sophie Hannah- I Wish The Author Had Kept This Book A Secret!

Woman With A Secret by Sophie Hannah

Rating System:
5- Fix-tastic! I have seen the light and it's in this book!
4- Fix-alicious.  Best served with wine!
3- Fairly Fix-worthy.  Not a perfect "F" but I wouldn't kick it out of bed, wink wink.
2- Fixer-Upper- Sounds like a good idea but even HGTV would have a hard time with this one!
1- Don't Fix It, Nix It.  Enough said.

***Spoiler Alert***

My book club, Lit Fix NC, was grateful to receive free copies of this book. However, it was not one of our favorites. As one member put it, it was like "Bernadette (from Where'd You Go, Bernadette) crashing a bad episode of NYPD Blue". We found the plot to be confusing and overcomplicated and it seemed as if the author was trying too hard. There were too many characters and it was difficult to determine their significance- minor characters ended up being major players and vice versa. Although this may initially sound like it was successful at being a mystery, we found it to be more frustrating than intriguing. Additionally, every character in the book was so morally flawed that it was difficult to care about any of them. The flow of the book was choppy, due to perspective changes and plot disconnects. The conclusion was fairly anti-climactic. Based on the complex build-up, we were expecting a surprise ending with a major character being heavily involved in the murder (ie the wife, husband, etc.). Instead we were left with a fairly minor and insignificant character carrying the guilt, which was a letdown. We appreciate the author's attempt to surprise the reader, but it just didn't work.
As a last note, we thought it was slightly narcissistic that she named 2 characters after herself.  That was the icing on the cake.

America's First Daughter By Stephanie Dray- A Realistic History Lesson

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray

Rating System:
5- Fix-tastic! I have seen the light and it's in this book!
4- Fix-alicious.  Best served with wine!
3- Fairly Fix-worthy.  Not a perfect "F" but I wouldn't kick it out of bed, wink wink.
2- Fixer-Upper- Sounds like a good idea but even HGTV would have a hard time with this one!
1- Don't Fix It, Nix It.  Enough said.

My book club recently had the opportunity to read this book, thanks to being part of Harper Collins Publishing Book Club Girls group. We all thought it warranted a 4-star rating, in large part due to the fact that these historic characters were written as real, and often highly-flawed, people. The relationship between Patsy and Thomas Jefferson was centered around a mutual dependence that Patsy in particular allowed to dictate her major life decisions. This began with a deathbed promise to her mother to take care of him, which was too much pressure on a girl of her age and likely absorbed differently than her mother had intended. She prioritized their relationship above all others, even her husband. It was hard not to pity Tom, in spite of his character flaws, after the abuse he suffered from his father and the second-place status with his wife. Another very interesting topic in the book is that of slavery. The book did a great job of navigating the complexities of landowners and the intense decisions they faced regarding slavery. Even though many condemned the practice, the logistics of breaking away were presented in a way that provided an inside perspective on this awful chapter in our history. Another interesting discussion our book club had was around the fact that politics today are so similar to the way it was when our country was first established- the alliances, core belief differences, and career politicians. We were shocked at the extent of Jefferson's debt. Having been a Founding Father, it was assumed that he would have been a wealthy person throughout his life. While this book was slow in places, very dense, and certainly not a mindless read, it succeeded in making history feel real and was very well-researched. Our book club enjoyed a quality discussion!

The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda- Worth the Golden Title!

The Golden Sun by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Rating System:
5- Fix-tastic! I have seen the light and it's in this book!
4- Fix-alicious.  Best served with wine!
3- Fairly Fix-worthy.  Not a perfect "F" but I wouldn't kick it out of bed, wink wink.
2- Fixer-Upper- Sounds like a good idea but even HGTV would have a hard time with this one!
1- Don't Fix It, Nix It.  Enough said.

I would actually rate this book a 4.5! There are so many positive things to say about Ms. Gowda's writing. The story was very compelling and I was mentally and emotionally invested from the beginning. This was largely due to the quality of her character development. I cared so much about even the minor players in the book because of how real they seemed. The portrayal of rural Indian culture and the complexities of family expectations was very educational and thorough and it's surprising that the author herself was not raised in India. The marriage dowry practice and virtual enslavement of women was devastating to read. She was equally adept at navigating the challenges of immigrating to America and balancing two cultures. I happen to live in an area with a large population of Indian immigrants and I found this book to be very enlightening about the trials they face. A wonderful read!