Book Review- Alexander McCall Smith's Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of Alexander McCall Smith’s short story collection, Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind, in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series and I was thrilled to have the chance to review his latest short story collection. In Piano and Flowers, Smith uses vintage photographs ( shown at the start of each story) as an inspiration for his fictional tales. The concept is interesting and a majority of the stories went a completely different direction than I anticipated.

I enjoyed the story about a woman living and working in London, who has an instant connection with a man that she meets. She gives him her address and when he fails to contact her, she leaves notes at an Egyptian statue that he mentioned as a spot he loves to visit. Time passes and she becomes engaged to a stable, yet far less exciting man, yet she never loses hope for the brief encounter that sparked so much passion. This beautiful story has a tone of longing and hope.

The other stand-out story involves a friendship between two boys that carries them through World War Two and adulthood. The opening of the story shows the boys at a hunting lodge that belongs to the family of the wealthier of the boys. We see the expectations that are placed on this child, yet the boy is very sensitive and uncertain. He is able to share this intimate aspect of his personality with his friend, the only person with whom he can truly let his guard down. It’s quite touching.

Overall, I was disappointed with the collection. A majority of the stories failed to hold my interest. I was considering why and I think it may have to do with the very thing that makes me love The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series and its protagonist, Mma Ramotswe, which is a certain touch of sweetness that borders on unrealistic. Sure, Mama Ramotswe handles difficult cases and personal issues that are not trite, yet her stories usually end on an upbeat note, leaving readers happy. In Pianos and Flowers, Smith wraps up several of his stories in a similar manner, and in the short story format it felt rushed or too neatly resolved.

If you’re a fan of Smith’s you will want to read Pianos and Flowers, however, if you are new to his work, I would encourage you to start with one of his series. He is an excellent storyteller and master of creating memorable characters. I usually finish his stories feeling delighted, but I’m sad to report that Pianos and Flowers was not his best work.

Book Review - Lisa Jewell's The Girls in the Garden

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of Lisa Jewell’s The Girls in the Garden, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT – Clare has recently left her husband and moved with her two daughters, preteen Pip and thirteen year old Grace, to a seemingly perfect community in London. What could be better for a fresh start than a family friendly neighborhood with a stunning community garden? When Grace is found lying unconscious and half-naked in the garden in the middle of a summer evening party, suspicious spreads like wildfire and neighborhood secrets come to light.

LIKE- Jewell has created vibrant characters that are highly sympathetic and relatable. I thought that she did an especially good job writing the teenage characters; capturing the social structure of teenage girls with its angst, tension, and emotions.

Equally well done, is Jewell’s pacing, the way she structures The Girls in the Garden, with flashbacks to build the mystery surrounding the assault on Grace. This story is a page turner. Besides the mystery of Grace, the moral questions posed in this work of fiction, give plenty for the reader to consider. How well do you really know your neighbors? How much can you trust them or even your own family?

Admittedly, at first I didn’t like the ending. Without revealing any spoilers, it was an ending that had to grow on me. I knew the story had affected me, when I couldn’t stop thinking about it and now, writing this review over a week later, I think that the ending was pitch perfect.

DISLIKE- Nothing. The Girls in the Garden is an engaging read from start to finish.

RECOMMEND- Yes! Jewell is a gifted writer and The Girls in the Garden is a story that lingers with you. It would be a great pick for book clubs.

Book Review- Jojo Moyes' The Last Letter from Your Lover

Having "discovered" British novelist Jojo Moyes last year, I've been eager to work my way through her books. My latest read is her generation sweeping epic, The Last Letter from Your Lover. 

In the 1960's Jennifer Stirling has been in a car wreck and suffers memory loss. She returns home from an extended stay in the hospital to her emotionally abusive husband. Soon, she discovers evidence of her own infidelity prior to the accident and begins to piece together the puzzle of her former life.

Fast forward to 2003, journalist Ellie Haworth is struggling. She has been having a year-long affair with a married man and she has a new boss who is a tyrant. Ellie's perspective is about to be altered when she discovers a series of love letters in the library of the news office. As she hunts for the owner of the letters, she begins to question the sanity and stability of her own love life.

On the surface, this is a story of two love affairs. However, Moyes doesn't write simple stories. The Last Letter from Your Lover is filled with unexpected twists and emotional heartache. Just when I thought that the story was going in a particular direction, Moyes would throw an unanticipated obstacle into the mix. I admire her ability to keep me guessing.

The story had tones of another story that I really admire, Graham Greene's The End of the Affair. What I liked about Greene and Moyes' stories is even though the protagonist are engaging in something morally wrong, you still feel compassion for their situation. Moyes has layered characters. She doesn't simply make Jennifer's husband a tyrant to justify the affair and make you root for Jennifer. She gives you real, concrete reasons to see why their marriage is failing and why Jennifer would find love elsewhere. She doesn't make Jennifer entirely sympathetic. In fact, sometimes I wanted to shake her. Jennifer can be a total bitch. It's Moyes' roundedness that she gives her characters that make them feel authentic and it is what makes the story such a compelling read.

Thematically, I enjoyed reading about Jennifer's lavish world. She is a wealthy woman living in the 1960's in London. Moyes paints the details of her life in high society in a beautiful way. I loved her descriptions of the gorgeous gowns and fancy parties. 

There was really nothing that I didn't enjoy about The Last Letter from Your Lover. If anything, it makes me want to start the next Moyes novel on my list. She is a gifted story-teller and I want more!