BOOK REVIEW: Woman On The Edge Of Time by Marge Piercy

With honest and compelling prose, Marge Piercy delves into the mind of thirty-seven-year-old Consuelo (Connie) Ramos, a woman who exists on the fringes of life in contemporary New York City. Early in the novel Connie beats up her niece's pimp and is committed - again - to the psychiatric ward in Bellevue Hospital. The novel shifts between the horrible conditions in psychiatric wards and the year 2137, as Connie at first talks to, then time travels with Luciente, a person from that future time. Luciente lives in a non-sexist, communal country where people's survival is ensured based on need, not money. A sense of freedom, choice, and safety are part of Luciente's world; Connie's world is the complete opposite. Though Connie struggles to stand up for herself and others in the treatment centers, she knows that the drugs she is forced to take weaken her in every way. She knows she shouldn't be there, knows how to play the game, and tells herself "You want to stop acting out. Speak up in Tuesday group therapy (but not too much and never about staff or how lousy this place was) and volunteer to clean up after the others." But she knows she is stuck. Connie spends more time "away" with Luciente, trying to develop a way out of her hell. Ultimately Connie makes her plan of action, and the book leaves us with our own questions about Connie's insanity and decisions. (From Amazon)

The above review left out the bit about an oddly grim technologically-oriented society that Connie jumps to upon occasion, which may or may not be connected to the experimental procedures she's being subjected to in the mental hospital. And nothing I write here will begin to convey the sheer beauty of this novel. I loved every bit of it. Is she sane or delusional? In the end, it doesn't matter. Connie is real, and she believes.

Highly recommended.

BOOK REVIEW: Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

A wonderful story told in straightforward language. The author gives us a window into the world of servitude, where choices were few and rights were unknown.

Griet becomes a maid in the household of a wealthy family after her father is blinded and can no longer work to support their family. She captures the eye of the master of the household, the painter Vermeer, for her attention to detail and her sense of color. He soon pays her special notice, creating tension with the other servants, and arousing jealousy in her mistress. Throughout the intrigue and manipulation surrounding her, Griet endeavors to maintain her virtue, her contact with her family, and perhaps even to find a little happiness for herself.

A lovely haunting story, well told. Highly recommended.

BOOK REVIEW: The Master Of All Desires by Judith Merkle Riley

Judith Merkle Riley is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her stories and characters are just offbeat enough to keep me smiling with enjoyment from beginning to end.

In this novel, Sibille Artaud, the daughter of minor nobility and an aspiring, if bad, poet, has unwittingly acquired the "Master Of All Desires": an ornate box containing the undying head of Menander, an ancient evil magician who will grant any wish to anyone, exactly as it is wished. These wishes often result in tragedy and death, and Menander likes it like that. Sibille's accidental possession of this horrific relic brings her to the attention of the French queen Catherine de Medici and the legendary seer Nostradamus, each of whom has an overweening interest in the box and its contents, albeit for differing reasons. How Sibille negotiates the treacherous ground she's encountered and achieves her ultimate destiny makes for a marvelous story. Compelling reading. Highly recommended.

BOOK REVIEW: Elizabeth And After by Matt Cohen

Winner of Canada's prestigious Governor-General's Award, this is an incredibly intricate novel about a small town and its people. West Gull is in Ontario but could be anywhere in the world where small towns survive. Protagonist Carl McKelvey, who is reminiscent of Richard Russo's characters, particularly Sam Hall in The Risk Pool, returns to West Gull for reasons seemingly unknown to him and others in town. In West Gull, Carl had left an ex-wife and a daughter, a dead mother, an old father, and a reputation as a violent drunk. Hoping to rebuild his life, he reestablishes contact with his seven-year-old daughter, Lizzie, but finds that the memory of his mother, Elizabeth, who touched everyone in town to some degree and who died in a car crash when Carl was at the wheel, is a strong impediment. Now, Carl must put that memory and guilt to rest before moving on. Cohen's novel is packed with humor, desperation, and romance. (Library Journal)

A marvelous jewel of a novel, spare and beautiful and haunting and lush. Carl's efforts to rebuild his life and be a parent to his daughter are presented without filter, with all the joints and seams and ugly places exposed. A very human story, well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I have the best husband

Yes, I gripe about him a lot. But get this: it's after 10PM and where is he? Gone to the store to get milk, coffee and Double-Stuf Oreos. Because I asked him to. *beam*