The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. "A wonderfully creative premise - using flowers and what they stood for during victorian times as a means to express feelings for an orphan who grew up mostly in abusive foster homes - and a nicely woven together story, with some extreme moments. Overall an entertaining and at times heart wrenching read.”
The Expats by Chris Pavone. “Great spy drama. Exciting – it unfolds like a flower. TOTAL page turner.” And: “I really liked the flashback structure. Pavone has a unique way of using flashback that keeps you guessing about the characters and whether you can or cannot trust them.” And: “Very gripping and hard to put down. A spy story starring a wife and mother who in between intrigues goes shopping at European Costco and takes clandestine meetings while the kids are at school. Loved it!”
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. “Very tender story of several students (two of whom are on the college baseball team), a college president, and his daughter. All have their own problems and concerns, and each is sympathetic in his/her own way. Intelligent and well-written.” And: “May this author write more! Prep school must-read.” From my friend’s Goodreads review: “The characters are not perfectly written, but they are very engaging. Harbach does a good job of giving us several different narrators who all have their own distinct voice, even if some are better fleshed out than others. The baseball is interwoven throughout the book but not hard to follow for those not well versed in the sport. There is a driving plot that keeps you turning the pages… There is a lot to enjoy here.”
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini No surprise here, I guess. Here are your reviews: "Follow-up to The Kite Runner. Challenging life of women in Afghanistan during the Taliban rule." … "I am enjoying it, though it's depressing! I preferred Kite Runner I think but am only half way through and it's picking up... it's a good read if you are interested in the plight of women in Afghanistan...not light summer reading!" … "I started reading this one, and it's a page- turner. It' got a historic backdrop of some 30 years of Afghanistan turmoil." … "Unbelievably sad yet uplifting, this story centers on two women in modern Afghanistan and the men who love or abuse them. Not for the faint of heart -- I cried like a baby."
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky: Several people mentioned this book to me in person, plus I got the following reviews: "Beautifully written tale about life during WWII. The book is wonderful, but three times as good once you read the appendix." … "Loved this book. Story is so interesting as is the story of the author."
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. Everyone seems to be talking about this book: "Fun quick read for travel and food lovers." … "Read it on vacation and thoroughly enjoyed it." … "A journalist recounts a whirlwind year of self-exploration in three countries. This woman experiences more in one year than most of us experience in a decade! Warning: the section on Italy caused me to crave pasta and wine--well, more than usual. This woman's life experiences are so different from mine. I had trouble identifying with the author, but I still enjoyed the book and found it very worthwhile."
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. This book made the list as a unprecedented "midsummer top pick addition" in 2012. "I'm sure most of you have at least heard of it, if not read it. A gripping psychological thriller. Very hard to put down." One contributor commented, “A lot of HATE in that one!"
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. From Amazon: "A long-lost book reappears, mysteriously connecting an old man searching for his son and a girl seeking a cure for her widowed mother’s loneliness. Leo Gursky taps his radiator each evening to let his upstairs neighbor know he’s still alive. But it wasn’t always like this: in the Polish village of his youth, he fell in love and wrote a book. . . . Sixty years later and half a world away, fourteen-year-old Alma, who was named after a character in that book, undertakes an adventure to find her namesake and save her family. With virtuosic skill and soaring imaginative power, Nicole Krauss gradually draws these stories together toward a climax of “extraordinary depth and beauty” (Newsday).
The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls. This emerged as the “must read” for the summer of 2006. Has been called an American Angela’s Ashes. “So touching, sweet, sad and hilariously funny. Page one and you are hooked. You MUST read it!"
Defending Jacob by William Landay. “Very readable and fast paced. A district attorney's son is accused of killing a classmate and his father is thrown into the case. The author's description of life and the people in the upper middle class town ring true and so do the feelings and conflicts of the accused's and victim's parents.” Another contributor writes, “This is a legal thriller in which a 14 year old boy is suspected of murdering a fellow student. As the case wears on the parents’ belief systems are sorely tested. The fictional father is an established assistant D.A. and supportive of his son. The book has been likened to Anna Quindlen’s ‘Every Last One’ in its connection with that tiny bit of uncertainty that parents may have about their children. There are many twists in “Defending Jacob” which keep one reading right to the end.”