Book Review: The tale of Lucia Grandi, the early years by Susan Speranza: Blog Tour

Title:The tale of Lucia Grandi, the early years
Author: Susan Speranza
Publisher:Book House Press
Price:
Pages: 426
ISBN:094465701X
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Review copy from Ligtning book promotion


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Summary:
When an old woman is asked to tell the story of her life, she tells is an intense and poignant tale about growing up in and surviving an irrational, warring suburban family during the 1950s and 60s. The narrative is told from Lucia’s perspective as the second child where she and her siblings are caught in the middle of a lifelong war between her mother, Ruth, an overbearing, unhappy homemaker, and her father, Leonard, a manipulative, sometimes violent New York City cop. Lucia is the silent, thoughtful eyewitness to her parents’ constant and sometimes life-threatening battle.
The story is told as a memoir; each chapter describes a particular incident in Lucia’s life which shows the constant struggle between her parents and the perverse effect it has on her and her siblings. From her complicated and unwanted birth, to her witnessing a suicide at age 3, to her stint as a runaway at age 14, the story progresses to the final crisis where as a young woman, she is turned out of her house and banished from her family forever.
This timeless story of one woman’s courageous attempt to come to terms with her past and the troubled family that dominated it is powerfully and poignantly told.

Review:
 Lucia is 110 yr old spends her life by quoting that
"The world has all but forgotten me, like some continuing drama from which I had been excused, the world went on without me."(p-1)
 So she is surprised by the young visitor in the form of Beatrice Cummings who comes to her to talk about her lie for her thesis on "Oral histories of living people" , hence she begins her reminiscence of her past life only because she doesn't want to lose the only company she had after ages... 
"But what was I going to talk about? My past seemed liked a long, tedious and poorly traveled road and disappeared from the horizon the moment I looked at it..."
Her childhood swings from a complicated and difficult Ruth mother who never really wanted a second daughter and a father Leonard who was never there for his family,Leonard hopes rested on his son , he didn't have much to do with his daughters.. She shares a strained relation with her sibling older sister Lynn , who was the apple of the eye of her parents coming first in whatever she tried her hands on...Hence Lucia was the sour one of the lot, having her own mind upon things a kid who walked her own mind rather being an obedient daughter..But her layer of honesty and obedience was set in her early days..She also had some great moment in the form of Bernard her Grand pop , The true hero of her life and a friend Karen..Her rift with her mom only widened as years went by, making her rebellious...Her hatred for the family especially for her parents  mounted as even beyond sky...AS years passe even Leonard's beloved daughter Lynn turns against him as he doesn't her relation with Danny whose parents outranked him living in a better settlement...Slowly and steadily her life too chnaged
"My childhood was grinding to a close and the grief and loss that too often defines the adult world, made its way into my life, changing it forever."(p205)..Turned down by her close friends and any tie that would keep her company , she started everything and everyone around her...Suicide tendency develops in her... She volunteers to Red Cross , what started off as a fanciful dream, becomes a pain...Even high school didn't help her...Losing Bernard makes her all alone in life..All her lost love and insecurity in complemented By Clliford who pursues her through vengenance...
The book flows well until the and that came abruptly..Her recollection of her early days with not much love from the family affects her family deep and down..Though she tries her best to be i control of things, things have a way of controlling her..She moves on well through all her years...Lucia is a kind of character who would stay for some time..But the problem with her is the reminiscence is through her early days and there is no connection with the old woman who recalls her own tale so I was connected to the young girl and found the old Lucia as a totally different person...Susan has done justice to the early days of Lucia had she paid more attention to the end and pulled them together, it would have been a real master piece..

Teaser Tuesday (4)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by should be reading ..Anyone can play along!!!!!! Just do the following :

• Grab your current read
• Open a random page
• Share two (2)  "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!!! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the books for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants  can add the book to their TBR  Lists if they like your teaser !!

Tale of Lucia Grandi The Early Years By Susan Speranza

 I read this book for my upcoming blog tour

" The world had all but forgotten me, like some continuing drama from which I had been excused, the world went on without me." (p-2)

"Even then, before I knew my name or was conscious of life and the world my battle began, my endless war with existence and its cruel arbitrary nature." (p-11)

Book Review: Ramblings in Ireland by Kerry Dwyer

Title:Ramblings in Ireland
Author: Kerry Dwyer
Publisher: Create space Independent Publishing platform
Price:$ 9.9
Pages:178
ISBN:1478392762
Genre: Travelogue
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Source: Author

Buy Ramblings in Ireland from amazon.com
Summary:
This is a book about rambling in Ireland with her French husband Bertrand, they get lost, find their way back..Along the way they reminiscence , reflect upon things they come along, following their spirit to lead the way...

Review:
If you are looking for a travelogue that will enlighten you on Ireland that would help you to travel,well then this book is not for you..It is a personal take or like a journal entry of Kerry Dwyer with her French husband Bertrand...To start with this trip didn't happen to Kerry as a dream come true , because her other plans never materialized..She wanted to travel to Egypt but a civil war stopped her and her alternative plan was Ireland..But now with much preparation they head to Ireland which hardly help her..Like she says nothing can prepare one to travel to Ireland , one has to experience it truly to feel it...Born in England and settled in France she was looking forward for all new experience from this trip but for her husband it was a way to discover another culture and the way of people...First chapter the pre-Ramble gives an idea about her family especially her  Mum and Dad, her mom who quotes
"Google is not a replacement for a good library or a good encyclopedia"
Her life in England with short family outings till they settle down in a calm Hamlet in France , her mom still amuses the family with her FB posts and comments, Now if your starting to think that the rambling is getting off the track well then get used to it, this is how things are going to be....Finally she gets on to her holiday destiny with her husband through various troubles of budget travel, setting her foot in Ireland ..Her hosts gets confused with her maiden name it was amusing to read the subsequent response and to learn about her married name "Renaudineau"...First day is foggy and they get lost..The walker's walk doesn't go well like they had planned yet they manage to have some fun along the way..Meeting fellow travelers getting some tips their conversations with them help them a lot...Their appetite grows wide and far yet they feel hungry all the time..There are pretty amusing moments along the pages where she gets herself an oversize bra from a street vendor, some might feel she went overboard with many passages dedicated to the description, yet it was fun read..Their clothing doesn't help them through the rain in Ireland they are also shocked to discover the heavy price tag on almost everything ...When it deals with travel and walk Kerry and her husband gets it all wrong, the descriptions are often short while her conversations with pub attenders, waiters and people she gets talking are elaborate...But her contemplation on people, their thoughts, the cultural difference are absorbing and had a psychological insight to it ..This is what I liked the book for...

To get a hang about the book do not skip the introduction ..This would give a fair idea on what to expect...The book is pleasingly written, for me there were moments that I absolutely loved and moments that put me off still I enjoyed the book for her wit and the spirit that is contagious..Had the book been able to deliver more details as a travelogue I could have appreciated it even more...Go for it if you like a free spirited read about a personal rambling...

Book review: The cat cellar and other stories by Mayra Calvani

Title: The cat cellar and other stories
Author: Mayra Calvani
Pages: 71
ISBN:9781466050846
Genre: Short story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source:Author

Buy The cat cellar and other short stories from smashwords.com
Buy The cat cellar and other stories from amazon.com

Summary:
Its a collection of dark, short stories.
Déjà Vu
Déjà Vu (in Spanish)
The Gift
The Painting
Things to Do on a Hot Day
The Cat Cellar
Killing Writer’s Block
Little Hunting Games 

Review:
It is a collection of seven short stories...The book starts with "Déjà Vu" a story of Amanda and Felipto, Amanda belongs to an influential part of the society, during one of her visits from the market to home Felipto a young boy steals her purse and runs away, subsequently a bond develops between them, she invites him to her home for Christmas, but what I discovered surprised me ..."The gift" explores darker side of Gabriel a high school  graduate living with his mother, she gifts him two puppies and he can go beyond the normal world when he works with them even taking revenge on people who irritate him..."The painting" is another dark tale revolving around a guy living by himself in an apartment with a painting that has an ability to peep into his soul, he is often disturbed by the neighbor upstairs with her pointed heels and her argument with her husband and he had a way to deal with her, later he scribbles down his confession fast and furious yet carrying an air of calm around him...."Things to do on a hot day" is about Robert who makes a choice for an animal that has come to his door asking for it ...." The cellar" was my favorite , Steve takes a room at The Pension a two story room managed by lady with strange features..The place had cats with costly artifacts around its neck, he could even hear cats in the cellar, he is disoriented and disturbed yet takes a room in there but when he wakes up he is hit by the weirdest reality he is forced to live for the rest of his life..."Killing writer's block" ,Greta is a first year creative writing student at Tampa who is visiting her aunt Carla she is in her  sixties, she is introduced to Julio a guy in his twenties with heavy Spanish accent, Greta is shocked to learn that he is her aunt's lover.. Everything about the place and is weird and strange,Carla paints strangest paintings she has ever came across, her eyes are intriguing, Carla doesn't know what is she after, her innocence, youth or her idealist nature?? "Little Hunting Games" is about four people Elliot and his wife Marjorie, Frank and his girl  friend Evie, Evie is new in the world of corporate a world transcending between the grey part of life..Evie slowly transforms into the so called corporate world of dead enjoying the game of kill with seduaction...

The stories are for a breezy read completely dark and paranormal , disturbing and disorienting at times...Calvani has explored the satire with style....The characters are unique who appear disturbing and engaging..The plots are crafted like that in shades of secrets ,secrets that are awaiting to be unwrapped..Though few stories were too quick, I liked my share of this genre that caught me off guard...

Book 3 for short story reading challenge

 

Book Review :Life and Times of Michael K by J.M Coetzee

Title: Life and times of Michael K
Author:J.M Coetzee
Publisher:Vermillon
Pages:192
Price: Rs 399
ISBN:009947915X
Genre: fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Personal


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Buy life and times of MIchael K from amazon.com

Summary
 Michael hare-lipped (that becomes his identity)  sets on a journey with his ailing mother to her hometown..Civil war makes it difficult for them to move with no paper and permission, to make it hard his mother dies , yet he moves ahead with her ashes through, escapes, confinement, hunger with dignity and honor..

Review
The Time is 1940's were south Africa is hit by civil war unending and undeclared, people are affected by it deeply and engrossingly but that is not the storyline of the novel..Its is about Michael K , his hare lip set him apart from the crowd..His lip shaped like a snail's foot hurdles his speech with disorientation and flimsy pronunciation..Born to Anna K who works as a servant in Cape town, he is raised in state institution, home for handicapped children...His communication with the world and its people shrinks as he grows up making him an isolated man..He is employed as a gardener by the municipality of Cape town at the town park.. It is during this time the civil war breaks down, Michael is unaffected by all of it...But his mother health deteriorates, she finds it difficult to get  relief in the over crowded hospital..She wants to go back to her hometown, a near-desert state of Karoo.... Together they set on the journey turned down at the check points not getting too far...He loses his mother ,leaving behind her ashes in a brown parcel.. He is unstoppable from this point, he is detained for not having sufficient papers for the journey , sent to prison and rehabilitation center thereafter..He is homeless, hunger struck goes through several days down with racism and confinement of prison..Yet his zeal to life with dignity and to take his mother's ash home burns high in his mind rendering him strength and the grit to pursue his journey..

Michael's story that begins in a simple note, branches up with several layers of complexities of life and people..He grows up very slowly that at times the reader miss to realize them..During the start of the journey, he builds up a cart out of scrap to push his ill mother through to her hometown, escapes the confinement of prison faking as a dead man..Learns the art of survival through evrey experience he goes on with....The novel is set into three different parts one from Michael's point of view then from the authors point of view, a third person account and back to Michael's point of view...I loved Michael's vantage more but  the third person account helped  me to define Michael better...The book is not about overcoming the physical obstacles one has to overcome but also finding strength to live with dignity in the face of prejudice and bigotry...The images and symbols of life and its adverse circumstances are brought up well by Coetzee..Its an absorbing tale  that is decently portrayed....The novel also discusses the reason for the war, minorities should have a asay in the governance a superficial reason from the vantage of democratic idealism...But the time were during the period when the place was ruled by the white minority over the black majority.....Not a light read, go for it if you have time for a thoughtful read...I am looking forward to read Coetzee's Disgrace...

Book 7 for TBR challenge

The sunday post

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer..It's a chance to share the news...A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received  and share news about what it is coming up on the blog  for the week ahead....

My blog has helped me a lot to remain organized in terms of reading and introduced me to several books and authors which I would have missed otherwise..The best part is getting to know many bloggers who read and blog so well that I shamelessly stalk them for their recommendation and commentary...Last week were dominated by blog tours..This week I have one upcoming blog tour..Rest would be more for the books I read in the last days...My blog posts would be more on Indian authors....Have a great week ahead...

Book review: The magic of ordinary days by Ann Howard Creel

Title: The Magic of ordinary days
Author: Ann Howard Creel
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 274
Price: Rs 783
ISBN:0143119958
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Borrowed



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Summary:
From the back cover
In Colorado during the last year of World War II, the usually sensible Olivia Dunne, an intelligent young woman who dreams of becoming an archeologist, commits a careless act of passion and must redeem herself by agreeing to marry a man she has never met. Her new husband lives on a remote farm and is himself a reserved, though seemingly kind, man. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia finds friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp.

While struggling to shape her new life, Olivia learns how powerful-and how confusing-love, friendship, and family ties can be. 

Review:

I love a novel when the lead role that too lady lead is strong, determined, independent who make sense and not just some drama queen...I found such a personality in Livvy Dunne, an ambitious undergraduate scholar she has a dream and goal for her future that is to be she an archaeologist and to travel wide and far..I readily connected with that , back in my school days I too aspired to become an archaeologist ,dreamnt to travel to Egypt..But call it fate or just the way of life, Livvy's mother falls sick, she takes a break from school,but then her sudden death , she feels all lost and left lonely setting her completely off her track...From then on she goes on a path that she herself fails to decipher..She flirts with a soldier but things go bad , but marriage does happens to her , but not the way she had dreamnt,settling down on plain of Colorado with a farmer husband this is nothing like she had wanted...Giving up on her dreams and living by what is new to her isn't easy for Livvy yet she tries her best to live by..Her current home is not far from Japanese Interment camp , her husband helps those who come for help, and that is how she finds much needed comfort, friendship from the sisters who help them in the farm, helping her to redefine her life and perspective...

I loved the slow and steady pace of the novel that beautifully paints the Colorado plains, Livvy's colorful dreams and her grayer mental struggle to keep up with life...The pace is slow which at times goes off track, still all in all I liked it......Livvy's struggle to come in terms with her situations ..As a young girl with two older sisters she had great dreams...Watching her sisters getting married to young soldiers she wanted something more than a married life and husband, but the very same girl settled down for it leaving behind her dreams..The early twentieth century Colorado with the war background  was still quiet and calm when it came to love..Ann has crafted the passage artistically crafting every character like that of in the portraits..Entering into an arranged marriage with much embarrassment, guilt , she slowly transforms with determination evolving into a matured person....Ray comes across as a devoted husband, his love is like that of a gentle breeze , soft and gentle...He is shy that further complicates her to shatter the walls between them...The pace of the book picked up during the last few chapters...This book is for anyone who like slow streamers.......

book 6 for TBR challaenge