Annette's Book Spot: 1970s

Showing posts with label 1970s. Show all posts

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Book Review: Small Mercies, by Dennis Lehane

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane book cover and review

Small Mercies is a book that takes place in 1974 when Boston was trying to desegregate schools by bussing kids out of their neighborhoods. It's not really much about that, though.

Yes, there are protests, but mostly the book is about racism during this time and how being in the wrong place at the wrong time (and if you are the wrong color) can be deadly.

The book is well-written and kept my interest. The main characters are well developed, especially Mary Pat, who is looking for her daughter who has disappeared. I did get some of the supporting characters confused, as Mary Pat visits all sorts of people who might know what happened.

Small Mercies takes place during a tumultuous time that I knew little about. The history is interesting and inciteful. The book isn't a favorite, but if you are interested in this time period, Small Mercies is a good option.

Published by Harper, April 25, 2023
eARC obtained from Edelweiss+
320 pages

Rating: 4/5

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Book Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins book cover and review

It took me a while to get into The Villa, but it was entertaining enough.

Emily and Chess are lifelong friends who decide to spend a summer at a villa in Italy. The trials of adult life have caused them to drift apart, so they are looking forward to reconnecting.

This is the same villa where in 1974 a group of five people spend the summer at the same villa and one of them ends up dead. Out of this group, one was already a rock star. One records a best-selling album, another writes a book (suspiciously about a murder in a villa), and the other is convicted of the murder. These aren't spoilers, as this information is given fairly early. Part of the narrative is also passages from the book that was written during the summer of 1974 (which involves more characters!)

Emily, an author, gets interested in the history of the villa and begins to research what happened. Chess is also a self-help author and begins to press Emily to let her help write a book about it. Emily doesn't want Chess's help, tensions build, and things go south from there.

So it takes a while to sort it all. There are a lot of characters and two time periods. Hawkins is a good writer, so it all makes sense, but I thought it all went on a bit too long. I had read about the "twists," and was looking forward to them. But it takes about 80% of the book before anything twisty begins to happen.

Don't get me wrong--there are more twists than you realize. I suspected something of the sort...for a while, but it kept going farther than I ever imagined.

I would recommend The Villa. The characters are interesting, even if the buildup goes on a bit too long. (and I just realized this book is less than 300 pages. Seemed longer...) The twists are clever and worth the wait.

Published by St. Martin's, January 3, 2023
eARC obtained from Edelweiss+
288 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Monday, February 10, 2020

Book Review: The Girl in White Gloves: A Novel of Grace Kelly by Kerri Maher

The Girl in White Gloves by Kerri Maher book cover and review

The Girl in White Gloves: A Novel of Grace Kelly was an entertaining fictionalized account of Grace Kelly's life.

This book kind of made me sad because I had always thought that Prince Ranier swept Grace off her feet and she willingly gave up her stardom to become Princess of Monaco. That's not exactly true...

The account of Grace's life goes back and forth from the 50s to the 70s. We immediately see (in the 70s) that she is not completely fulfilled by her life as a Princess and her relationship with Ranier. But then we go back to the beginning, of Grace as a Barbazon model. What I didn't realize is that she really worked hard at acting, taking classes and studying under some great acting teachers. She has a lot of relationships and a lot of success. Even though she didn't realize that she was a success. She had no desire to do movies--she wanted to be a Broadway star. But when that didn't materialize, she decided to give Hollywood a try.

Apparently, the author had to pick and choose which relationships to include, but still, I thought that part went on a big long. A lot of familiar stars and familiar movies were mentioned, and I got a bit tired of it. (But was fascinated by her encounter with Princess Diana.) Maybe if Maher had jumped back to the 70s a bit more in the middle of the book that would have broken it up a bit.

However, I still really enjoyed The Girl in White Gloves. But as I said, my dreams have been shattered. Grace was really forced to give up acting and risked losing her children if she ever tried to move in that direction. Ranier turned out to be quite the cad, and the storybook romance ended fairly quickly.

The Girl in White Gloves is well researched, and the author points out some historical inaccuracies in her notes at the end. Well worth the read if you are interested in Kelly, or the life of a princess.

Published by Berkley, Februery 25, 2020
eARC obtained from NetGalley
384 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, July 2, 2018

Book Review: Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani book cover and review

I've read a few Trigiani books previously and really enjoyed her writing. Big Stone Gap is no exception. She pulls you into these lives so easily.

Ava is our main character. It is 1978, and she lives in Big Stone Gap, a tiny town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's the pharmacist and also is part of the emergency services. She is 35 years old and has no interest in getting married. She has lots of friends and keeps busy with many activities.

Her world gets turned upside down when she receives a letter from her mother, who died a month ago. She begins to see her life in a new way and decides to plan a trip to Italy, her mother's home country. In the meantime, she begins to get marriage proposals, and she doesn't handle it very well.

The characters are colorful and full. There are many reasons to root for them all. The reader laments Ava's emotional turmoil, and we just wait, and wait, for her to sort things out and settle down. The ending is satisfying and heartwarming.

I need to read more Trigiani. I'll probably start with Big Cherry Holler, the next book in this series. I recommend Big Stone Gap, and really any of her books, to those who enjoy warm, fuzzy stories where you really get a sense of place and character. Trigiani is a master storyteller.

Published by Random House, 2000
Copy obtained from the library
306 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

Monday, January 29, 2018

Book Review: The Great Alone, by Kristen Hannah

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah book cover and review

There are so many things I loved about Hannah's latest novel, The Great Alone. She once again proves what a talented writer she is.

Leni's father has PTSD since he returned home after being a POW during the Vietnam War. It is 1974. He can't hold a job; he has terrible nightmares and a terrible temper that he takes out on Leni's mother, Cora. When the opportunity arises for them to move to a very remote part of Alaska, they pack up their VW van and move, hoping for a better life. They are totally unprepared for the harshness of this place. And the long, brutal, dark winters only serve to make Leni's father worse.

With the help of the generous and knowledgeable townspeople, they learn to grow and hunt for food and how to preserve it for the long winter. They also learn to protect themselves from predators, like bears.

I loved the historical aspect. Leni was born the same year that I was. I could relate to all the references, political and cultural, to the 1970s. Although, I wasn't as tough as Leni!

I loved the Alaskan survival aspect. These people spent every waking moment during the long days of a very short summer working to stock up enough food for the winter. They had to tend animals and learn how to keep them alive during the winter. They had no running water or electricity. No indoor plumbing. Then they spent the long nights of winter trying to stay warm and safe. Hannah doesn't make this sound like a romantic Alaskan adventure. She's brutally honest.

I loved the family dynamic, and how the PTSD aspect played out. Leni's father, Ernt, is scary. And her mother loves him and can't live without him. It makes for a lot of tension. It is scary when they realize he's about to go off, and there is nothing they can do to protect themselves. Cora is stupid and blind. But she has memories of her husband before the war and can't let him go. He gets crazier and crazier, and Cora is more and more blinded. As a reader, you know that eventually, something has got to give.

I loved the romance. Leni falls in love with Matthew Walker whose dad is the rich guy in town, and of course, Ernt hates him. I won't say too much more, but it's heartbreaking.

I loved the ending. It's tragic. It's happy. It made me tear up (and, you may recall, I'm not a cryer.) So yeah, Hannah got me.

The pacing is perfect. I just can't think of anything even remotely negative about The Great Alone. It's a great book for teens. There is nothing at all objectionable, and the main character is a teen. So those who enjoy "romantic survival drama" stories will go for The Great Alone. This is sure to be a favorite of 2018.

Published by St. Martin's, February 6, 2018
eARC obtained from NetGalley and Edelweiss
448 pages

Rating: 5/5

Monday, July 29, 2013

Book Review: Never Fall Down, by Patricia McCormick

Never Fall Down is a gripping tale of the killing fields in Cambodia, told from the perspective of a man who suffered through this time when he was a child. Never Fall Down is fiction, because McCormick had to add some details and fill in some blanks, but it is based on a true story.

One day when Arn was about 11 years old, the army, called the Khmer Rouge, made everyone leave their houses and march to "safety" because they were going to be attacked. They assured the people that they would return to their homes in three days. Thus began years of an internal genocide that killed nearly two million people -- 1/3 of the population of Cambodia.

The Khmer Rouge killed on a whim. They put everyone in camps.They killed any professionals (only farmers were worth anything.) They separated men from women and adults from children. They worked everyone in the rice fields until they literally dropped. Arn is a true survivor. He became somewhat favored because he was chosen to play music. Any extra food he received (which still wasn't much) was shared with the kids in his camp. Eventually, when the Vietnamese invaded, everyone was forced to leave the camps and Arn was forced to become a soldier.

Never Fall Down doesn't explain much about the politics of what was going on. I really don't understand why this happened. It seems like genocide is often based on religion, but that didn't seem to be the case in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge was Communist, but not all Communist takeovers were like this.

Fortunately, Never Fall Down is a very short book. Because even at its short length, I was really done reading about all the senseless brutality, starvation, and killing by the time I got finished. I think the book might be difficult for some teen readers because it is written as Arn would speak -- in broken English. For example, "You not allowed to go around by yourself at night." Verbs are left out; plurals are not used. It makes for authenticity, but I'm not sure I can recommend this to struggling or reluctant readers.

Never Fall Down is an important book that would be of interest to anyone wanting to know more about what the Cambodians experienced during this time. It's not an easy read, but I would still recommend it because of its authentic content.

Published by Balzer + Bray 2012
Copy obtained from the library
216 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3.5/5

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Book Review: Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline @erniecline

Ready Player One is awesome. I simply could not put it down.

Ready Player One takes place in the future -- sometime in the 2040s. The world is very different. The economy has crumbled, and a lot of people are very poor. Most people spend their time in the OASIS, a virtual reality world. The OASIS was created by James Halladay as a virtual game world, but it has become much more. It's really a virtual world, where people can do almost anything. They can own property and build things, go to school, buy things, and most importantly form close relationships with others -- via their avatars. You can have best friends and even a romantic relationship, and not know what your friend looks like or where they are physically located in the world.

When Halladay dies, he leaves a video explaining his will. He is going to give his entire fortune to the person who can defeat his virtual game -- find his Easter Egg hidden somewhere in OASIS.

No one is able to make any progress for several years, and some people forget about the challenge. But there are those who devote their entire lives to finding the Egg. These people are called gunters. Wade is a gunter. Most know him as Parzival, his avatar's name. He has spent most of his life learning everything about Halladay -- who grew up in the 80s and was a huge fan of everything to do with 80s culture -- music, movies, books, pop culture, and most importantly early video games.

When Parzival figures out the first step to the Egg -- finding the first key -- all hell breaks loose, and the game really takes off. Things become exciting but dangerous too. There is an "evil corporation" pooling all its resources to find the Egg, and they will stop a nothing to make sure they find it first.

The adventure in Ready Player One is awesome, but the characters are what made this story stand out. They are teens on a mission (well, at least their avatars are teens....) and while they are competing against each other, they are still friends. And they are funny! Their banter is priceless. And there's a little romance between two of them which adds some more emotion.

There isn't a lot of detail about the real world, but enough to make me think I don't want to live there. Ready Player One is about the characters and their quest, so don't expect political details of the downfall of civilization.

I was in my 20s in the 80s (OK, pause to do the math....) and I recognized many of the cultural references. But there are SO MANY of them -- I didn't know them all. And that's OK, because Ready Player One is such a great adventure, that those details can be overlooked if necessary. Cline includes some descriptions for those who are unfamiliar with the important references.

So, the question is, will today's teens like Ready Player One? I believe they will. Even if they don't understand all the references, it's the quest that keeps you turning pages. It's the "teens against Big Brother" theme that makes your root for the underdog.

Ready Player One has wide appeal, but particularly to teens who enjoy science fiction, adventures, and video gaming. This book has it all.

Published byCrown Publishing, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
374 pages

Rating: 5/5

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Book Review: Battle Fatigue by Mark Kurlansky

I thoroughly enjoyed Battle Fatigue. The historical time period is one I can relate to, and the book reads quickly and held my interest.

Joel and his friends are growing up in the years after WWII. Nearly every "Dad" in town is a war veteran. However, they have little on which to base their pretend war play, since most of these vets aren't talking. Joel says his dad has malaria from the war. But the reader knows those sweats and nightmares aren't caused by any mosquito.

As Joel enters his teen years, the Vietnam conflict is just beginning, and it is interesting to see everyone try to make sense of what is going on. There is a lot of confusion, and of course miscommunication on the part of the government and media, so that no one understands. As Joel graduates from high school and decides to attend college, he must also decide what to do about the draft. Can he really go to war and kill people? Joel sees what has happened to some of his friends who fought in Vietnam, and he doesn't like what they've become.

My father is a WWII veteran. I was a small child when my two brothers got very high draft numbers. I remember the tension in my house during that time. I remember my brothers' friends going to Vietnam. So, reading Battle Fatigue explained a lot of the feelings of that time to me from the perspective as an adult. As a child, I didn't understand much of the politics. I remember my brother saying he'd go to Canada if he got drafted, but I don't know if he really would have. Needless to say, I found Battle Fatigue very relatable.

I love historical fiction, and this story is rich with details of the 1960s and 70s. We go through Kennedy's election and assassination, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights movement and King's assassination, Johnson's entry into Vietnam, and Nixon's election. Joel becomes part of the anti-war protests. Joel loves baseball, so famous baseball legends are mentioned throughout the story.

The characters, besides Joel, are not very individualized. I got confused when old friends were mentioned later in the book. I would have to think, "Now, which one was that?" since they all seemed to mesh together.

The setting and Joel's inner dialog and struggle with his decision are what make Battle Fatigue stand out. I would not hesitate to point boys who are interested in this time period to Battle Fatigue. However, this isn't a book with a lot of action or war scenes. It's about the inner struggle of one teen boy who has to make a very difficult decision. Battle Fatigue is quick and easy to read, but would only appeal to a certain niche of teen readers.

Published by Walker Childrens, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
242 pages

Rating: 4/5