Book Review- Sara Gruen's At the Water's Edge

Several years ago, I came across Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants and it was instant book love. I plowed through the novel in less than a day and now I will read anything that Gruen publishes. Admittedly, I've felt mix reactions towards her other novels, in particular, Ape House, but I'm still holding out hope that another Water for Elephants is out there. 

I was very excited to see Gruen's latest novel, At the Water's Edge, available for review on Netgalley. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for gifting me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Madeline Hyde, her husband Ellis and their friend, Hank are all in their twenties and living the easy life in Philadelphia, as World War Two rages on in Europe. Ellis and Hank have both been exempt from serving in the military due to Ellis' color blindness and Hank's flatfoot. They are rich, jobless and living the highlife with their parent's money.

Life is grand, until the trio get smashed at a society party and are overheard discussing a scandal involving Ellis' father. Many years earlier, Colonel Hyde was in Scotland and he gained fame for his sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. He was discredited and shamed when it was revealed that he had fabricated evidence of Nessy. After hearing that this scandal was mentioned at the party, the colonel kicks Ellis and Maddy out of his home.

They take their savings and hatch a plan to get back into the colonel's good graces. They will catch a freighter ship to Scotland and redeem him by getting proof that Nessy exists. What the three underestimate is the toll that the war has taken on Scotland and that their vacation to hunt for the monster, will not be received kindly.

The group quickly learn that no amount of money can buy them certain privileges during the war and that no one is interested in their social status or plan. Maddie begins to realize that her life in America was shallow and that her marriage is falling apart. Her life begins to change as she makes friends with the people who work at the inn, including the mysterious and handsome innkeeper, Angus.

LIKE - I like Gruen's choice of themes. In Water for Elephants the theme is was circus life and animals. In Ape House it was primatology and in At the Water's Edge, it's the hunt for Nessy. These are themes that catch my interest and make me feel connected to Gruen. I think that she's an author that I'd love to have a cup of coffee with! 

The best element of this story is the contrast between Maddy, Ellis and Hanks life in America to their stay in Scotland. In America, they are living like they are part of Jay Gatsby's social circle ( although a different era) and in Scotland, they are confronted with poverty and rationing. They simply cannot understand the contrast. They have no concept of the danger that they have put themselves in by traveling during the war. To them, everything in life is just a fun game. I liked seeing these two worlds collide and then watching Maddy's transformation as she realizes that her life in America was shallow and that she is becoming a more fulfilled woman with her new life in Scotland.

There are vivid and compelling secondary characters. In particular, I liked Meg, the feisty and sweet pub maid/inn worker.

Having recently visited Scotland, I felt a connection to the physical world of the story. On a side note, if you get a chance, visit. It's a gorgeous landscape and the Loch is a very foreboding and mysterious place.

DISLIKE - I didn't really care for the ghost element or the backstory for Angus. I understand the connection to the story as it was a link for the title and it bookended the story. Plus, it gave an air of mystery to both Angus and Loch Ness. However, with so many very serious issues tackled in this story, it made the serious issues seem a little less important, almost flippant. I think that this story would have been stronger if it had 100% been rooted in reality.

RECOMMEND - Yes! At the Water's Edge didn't grab me like Water for Elephants, but it's still a compelling story and Gruen is a good storyteller. I'd especially recommend this for people interested in Scotland and stories set during WW2. Gruen clearly spend a lot of time research the era and location, effort that paid off. 

Book Review - Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience

Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience was a gift from my in-laws. Thank you Dave and Jan!  Getting this book was an ordeal. The first copy, went missing in the mail and the second copy was sent to the wrong address and ended up being held at a post office across town. It's a bit of a miracle that I finally got it, but it was well worth the effort and wait.

PLOT - In Letters of Note, writer Shaun Usher has compiled a wide range of letters from all around the world, written during various time periods. Some of the letters are written by famous people and some are from ordinary citizens. Thematically, there is a huge range in content, but the common thread is that all of the letters are extraordinary.

LIKE - Although this is very much a coffee table book and the letters can be read in any order, I decided to start at the beginning. I anticipated that I would slowly make my way through the book, reading a few letters each day. It was impossible to read slowly. The letters are like potato chips, I read one and had to read another. This is a weighty book, both in theme and in size, but I plowed through it in three sittings, because I simply couldn't put it down.

Some of the letters left a huge impression. In particular, a letter that Albert Einstein wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning Roosevelt about the potential for using uranium to construct a nuclear bomb. This letter set into motion a chain of events that would create the  Briggs Advisory Committee on Uranium, which led to the Manhattan Project and ultimately the creation of the nuclear bombs used in Japan. Einstein considered this letter to be one of his biggest mistakes.

On a lighter note, one of my favorite letters was a very clever and humorous inquiry that copywriter Robert Pirosh wrote to various movie studios in 1934, when he wanted to transition into a job as a screenwriter. It has to be the best cover letter ever written and it immediately made me feel inadequate with regards to anything that I might write in the future. It's that good and it ultimately landed him a job with MGM.

My biggest take-away from reading Letters of Note, is how it made me feel. This book is an emotional roller coaster and often an intense experience.

DISLIKE - There was nothing to dislike, however, as with most collections, there was an unevenness in my reaction to the letters. I tended to favor the more modern letters, those written in the last hundred years. This isn't to say that I didn't find merit for every single letter that was included in this book, just that some affected me more strongly than others. I think that everyone who reads Letters of Note, will have a completely unique experience and reaction. 

RECOMMEND - Yes. Buy this book now! Letters of Note is a life altering read and I hope that Usher creates a follow up, as I'm sure that there are more amazing letters than he was able to include in this book. 

Book Review - Dee Oliver's The Undertaker's Wife

Just prior to reading Kate Mayfield's memoir, The Undertaker's Daughter, I came across Dee Oliver's memoir, The Undertaker's Wife. I liked the symmetry! Thank You to Zondervan for the advance copy of Oliver's memoir in exchange for an honest review. 

PLOT - Dee Oliver grew up in a wealthy environment, living in a beach front home in Virginia. After graduating from a private college, she lived at home, struggling to figure out both a career path and her love life.

   In the 1980's Dee met her future husband-to-be, Johnnie, when he contacts her after she catches his eye during a funeral. Johnnie is a fourth generation funeral director and his profession shapes their entire relationship, starting on the first date when he needs to leave a restaurant to pick up a body, bringing Dee along.

The pair soon married and Dee found her life shift, as she became the mother to three daughters and helped out at the funeral home. When Johnnie unexpectedly dies of a heart attack in his early fifties, Dee is left not only mourning her husband, but trying to figure out a new direction for her life. She decides to go back to school and get her funeral director's license, expecting to find a job at her husband's funeral home, which is being run by her brother-in-law. When it comes time to fulfill her internship hours, she is shocked when her brother-in-law refuses to let her work for him. Dee finds that the only funeral director willing to help her out, is a man named Riddick, who runs the only African-American funeral home in town. The funeral business in America is still unofficially segregated and Dee's acceptance of the internship is a shock to both the white and black communities in Virginia Beach. 

LIKE - The biggest reason to read The Undertaker's Wife is Dee Oliver. She is such an inspiration and a strong woman. She's plucky and someone who doesn't give up, even though she is repeatedly told no or turned down. More over, she is an inspiration for people who need to face major life changes, especially mid-life.

Oliver is frequently funny, lightening the mood even when writing about her husband's death. She dispenses good advice towards pre-planning your own funeral and on the grieving process, both for someone who is in mourning, but also towards those who are interacting with people who have recently suffered a loss. It's gleaned from her personal experiences, but also from all of the people that she has helped in the funeral business. 

I was amazed by the segregation that exists in the funeral business, both with race and religion. This aspect added another layer to the memoir.

DISLIKE - This is a memoir, so Oliver is speaking from her heart and through her experiences, but there is a heavy bent on her experiences as a Christian. This is totally fine and she says nothing that I found particularly offensive ( although there is talk of Christians going to heaven and a segment where an atheist is pushed to believe in something), the main issue that I had was it is limited in scope. There is little mention of other religions and there would have been ample opportunity, especially with theme of segregation. There is enough references to Christianity, that I think that this book will likely be placed both in a "Memoir" and a "Christian" section in bookstores and it will likely be available at Christian bookstores. 

RECOMMEND - Yes. The Undertaker's Wife is a wonderful book for people needing a little inspiration to make a life change or those who are grieving. It's also just a good "life lesson" book. It made me think seriously about my own need to do estate planning. Life is short.