Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards
As has been documented on this blog, I am a serious Julie Andrews fan. Her children's book Mandy reminded me of The Secret Garden, which I loved as a child. I enjoyed Mandy, but probably would have enjoyed it more had I read it 25 years ago.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
I really liked the Jack Nicholson movie based on this book, so when I saw the novel on clearance, I picked it up. The character of McMurphy is original and entertaining and the plot is compelling. The book is narrated by the Chief, so it spends more time floating around his brain than the movie does. I found the sections of the book that delved into the Chief's psyche less interesting, but overall One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was worth reading.
Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
One of my coworkers recommended this book and lent it to me. I have never read a Danielle Steel book, but Someone Else's Love Story was like I imagine those books to be. It is a romance novel with a main character named Shandi who calls her mother "Mimmy," so I could never be fully on board. On the plus side, it was a quick read and reasonably entertaining. (Although I thought the conclusion was lame.)
An Uncommon Education by Elizabeth Percer
I bought this book because the author is a graduate of Wellesley College and part of the book takes place at Wellesley. Unfortunately the setting was not enough to win me over. Aside from noting several familiar on-campus locations, I did not recognize the main character's Wellesley, where most students were cold and/or competitive. The plot of An Uncommon Education never grabbed me and the characters were not memorable enough to salvage the book for me.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Apparently The Alchemist is a widely-read and beloved book. One of the reviews on the jacket likened it to The Little Prince, which is a favorite of mine. The Alchemist not only failed to live up to the high standard set by The Little Prince, but actively ticked me off while I was reading it. Goofy self-help philosophies (I'm talking about you, Oprah's The Secret) offend me and the "personal legend" philosophy laid out in The Alchemist really offended me. I felt that this book was neither entertaining nor deep. The characters Santiago encounters during his journey were forgettable, unlike the characters in The Little Prince. I was expecting Santiago's treasure to be revealed as love or family, which would have been predictable and hokey, but even worse was that the treasure was. . . treasure. His "personal legend"/purpose in life was getting his hands on a bunch of dough. I strongly disliked this book.
*I finished Ordinary Grace this morning (a day after starting this post) and I stand by my recommendation. The story is told from the point of view of an adult looking back on a very dramatic summer when he was 13 years old. In that way, it reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my all-time-favorite books. The narrator Frank's pastor father Nathan had a bit of an Atticus Finch vibe, which is probably the highest compliment a fictional father can receive. By the end of the book I was very attached to Frank, his little brother Jake, their father, their family friend Gus, and a number of other members of their community. I tend to value character development over plot, so appreciating so many of the characters that William Kent Krueger created pretty much guaranteed my love of this book, but the plot was compelling as well. (And made me cry on the T more than once.) I would usually avoid a book that was described by author Dennis Lehane as "a pitch-perfect, wonderfully evocative examination of violent loss." I am glad I didn't skip this one.
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