The Atonement Child

Note: This is a "classic" review - one that I had written up when I first started doing book reviews back in Grade Twelve. Enjoy!

The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

The Atonement Child is the story of Dynah Carey, a young woman facing a huge decision. Dynah is a Christian girl who grew up in a very loving family. All in one instant, however, her life is altered. She must make a massive decision all while being influenced by the people she loves. The reader is introduced to the meaning behind many scripture passages and to the utmost faith that Dynah has through her ordeal. The reader is also made aware of a couple of dark secrets held by Dynah's mother and grandmother. As the novel progresses and these secrets are revealed, you will not want to put this book down. Finally, just before the end of the novel, Dynah makes her decision, all the while making you laugh, making you cry and keeping you on the edge of your seat with anticipation as her story unfolded.

I think this story is great for anyone from ages thirteen and up. This story has great morals and demonstrates that with faith - maybe not in God, but in what you are trying to accomplish - you can conquer anything. I recommend reading this novel in a pair of comfortable sweatpants with a box of tissue nearby because you will not want to put the book down; and you will need some chocolate for comfort as you are drawn into Dynah's complex story.

Francine Rivers has accomplished a lot in writing this novel. She is bold in her mannerisms about God and describes things with absolute detail. I think that she is a brilliant author and I am excited to read another of her works called Redeeming Love.

Happy Spring!

Spring Break is in full swing and the weather seems to be cooperating, finally! I have one novel that I am just about finished (The Night Trilogy by Elie Weisel) and I have 4 on loan from my mom that I'm very eager to get to reading! With summer fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to find out what is on everyone's "To Read" list for the upcoming warm months. Comment below and let me know what you're planning to read over the next few months!

My "To Read" list is currently comprised of the books I have borrowed from my mom, which include:
In A Heartbeat by Rosalind Noonan
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

I hope everyone has been out enjoying the lovely sunshine and taking in the fresh spring air! Happy Reading, as always!

The Underpainter

The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart

Austin Taylor is an aspiring artist. During the early 1900's, following the death of his mother, Austin's father strikes it rich after investing in Silver and begins what would become the annual trips to the Northern shores of Lake Superior in Canada. It is during these summers spent in Canada that Austin crosses the path of George, a porcelain painter and owner of the China Hall shop, and Sara, his soon-to-be mistress and muse. Now an old man, Austin looks back on his life and the summers spent up North with a tinge of regret. As an artist, Austin had been encouraged to distance himself from his emotions in order to paint better but in doing so, Austin managed to build a wall around himself shutting out the warmth, love and friendship his companions had to offer. In hindsight, Austin realizes that his connections with George and Sara were shallow and weak and the way things ended between each of them was far from desirable.

Right off the bat I can tell you that this story would most likely hold more for a reader who is able to discern the hidden meaning in writing - this, sadly, is not a strength of mine (I prefer to read a story with a more obvious message) and so I feel that I may have missed out on some of the subtleties that are no doubt lying within the text. There is much reference made to Austin's work as a painter, and especially in his style of underpainting - which I'm sure alludes to something else key in the story. Overall I thought the story was good; tragic, though, in the sense that Austin couldn't see how much he was shutting out everyone around him until it was too late. I probably wouldn't recommend this novel due to the fact that I, personally, don't enjoy novels like this (hidden meanings, etc); however, if I knew someone who did enjoy that sort of writing style, I would recommend this novel to them.

The Almost Moon

The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

Helen had never decided to kill her mother. It wasn't something she had set out intending to do, yet following a recent visit to her mother's house, that is exactly what she ended up doing. Through flashbacks, Helen recalls her childhood and what events brought her to this moment, to what she has just done. Having been reared by two parents who were mentally unstable, Helen isn't sure what to feel - she doesn't feel guilt, but she also doesn't feel satisfaction or relief. With the help of her ex-husband, Jake, Helen must now figure out a way to cover up what she has done and decide what she is to do now.

I'm still not quite sure what to think about this novel. I enjoyed the way it was written - jumping between past and present, allowing the author to introduce small pieces of information at a time, encouraging the reader to fit the pieces together creating the larger picture of Helen's past. I'm not keen on the way the story ended, but I will leave my comment at that, as I don't want to give anything away. This was a darker novel, and you really can't help but feel for the main character despite that she murders her mother. Helen had to face not one, but two parents who were not mentally stable and the humiliation that came with it. Having read Jodi Picoult's Mercy, this novel touches also on the topic of "mercy killing", but in a very different light - I'm not even sure that you could count them as one in the same. Helen feels that she has done her mother a favor, but really it seems it was a selfish thing to do; Helen had become responsible for caring for her aging mother who was slowly sliding towards dimentia and it seemed as though it had just become too much for Helen to deal with.

I'm not sure that I would recommend this novel. Given that I had really enjoyed The Lovely Bones which is also by Alice Sebold, I would be inclined to recommend that novel instead. I think The Almost Moon is a novel that the reader needs to decide to read for themselves, as I'm sure it would vary from individual to individual whether or not it was enjoyable to read (which is generally the case with any novel). I don't feel that this novel is suitable for younger readers due to content (the murder, etc).

Wicked

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

When Dorothy's house comes hurtling out of the sky and falls on the Wicked Witch of the East in Frank Baum's tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz readers are introduced to her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West. Gregory Maguire has taken this classic tale and filled in the blanks, giving us a background on this seemingly evil character. Will your interpretation of Frank Baum's novel change once you've heard both sides of the story? Afterall, maybe the Wicked Witch of the West hadn't always been so evil...

This novel was fantastic! I couldn't read it fast enough and I was really sad to finish it. I have only seen the movie adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz", so my interpretation of the original story is taken from that movie rather than from Frank Baum's novel. Gregory Maguire's Wicked fills in the blanks almost flawlessly. Readers are transported further back into the history of the land of Oz and introduced to an odd, young, green child named Elphaba who grows up to become the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West. This novel is extremely well written and gives the reader a wider understanding of the land of Oz, including its politics and the insurrection of the people against the Wizard.

I very highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a good, rewarding read. This is a novel that I will think about often and I already cannot wait to re-read it. This is a must, must read!

Wishlists & Airmiles

So I have just been on the Chapters website updating my wishlist of books (3 pages worth!). I think it is great that they offer this service as it is a way for my family members to access a list of books I would like to have without worry that I will be given a duplicate of a book I already own. I encourage my family members (mom in particular) to go on the website and start a list of their own as well as I often find it difficult to choose books for other people - not everyone likes to read the same thing! The best part is: you don't even have to approach the recipient of the book to gain access to their wishlist - you simply go to the Chapters website and enter their email address to see their wishlist! It's that easy! Plus that means that you don't have to give away the fact that you're getting a book for someone for their birthday, Christmas, etc.

On that note, I have just started in on my third-to-last new book from Christmas. Once I've finished these, I should hopefully have enough Airmiles to get more! For those of you who are not Airmiles Collectors, I encourage you to look into that as well. Over the past two years, I doubt I have actually spent even $30 on books - instead, I redeem my Airmiles for a Chapters gift card and use that (either online or instore) to get my books. Since I shop at Safeway so often, it doesn't take long for the points to add up. It takes 365 points to get a $50 gift card - that can buy quite a few books (especially if they're in the "bargain" category). It makes it much cheaper for those of us who prefer to buy books rather than borrow them from the library.

Hope everyone is enjoying a good book on this cold day. Happy Reading!

Almost Spring!

We are finally nearing the end of Winter! I cannot express how happy I will be to see the snow gone and the sun shining more often! I hope, too, that I can get more reading in soon. It seems as though I hit a bit of a rough patch and was reading one un-inspiring book after another but that already seems to have turned around - I have a review still to do for Memoirs of a Geisha and I am currently reading (and thisclose to finishing) Wicked by Gregory Maguire and my hunger for books seems to have returned with a vengeance! These books are really good and I'm excited to get my reviews up for them soon. I have four books left to read from my Christmas "haul" and then I will get to shop for some new ones! All-in-all things are looking up and I've got lots of reading to look forward to!

Heidi

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Following the death of her parents, 5 year-old Heidi is brought up to live with the grandfather she has never known before. Her Aunt Dete makes the trek up the Alm with her to the hut where the "Alm-Uncle" lives, and where Heidi will now reside. Although the Alm-Uncle has a reputation in the town of Dorfli, at the base of the Alm, of being withdrawn and cruel, little Heidi quickly warms up to the old man and seeing her enthousiasm and innocent joy about the world around her, the Alm-Uncle cannot resist the changes that begin as the two of them create a life together. Heidi's world is suddenly changed with the reappearance of her Aunt Dete a few years later, summoning Heidi to Frankfurt to act as a companion for an invalid child. Stifled by the city and walls around her, Heidi feels torn between her new friend, Klara, and the Alm and grandfather she loves so dearly. Will she ever return to the fresh air and mountains she loves or will she be forever confined indoors, as is the fate of her disabled friend? And what is to become of the Alm-Uncle, left once more alone on top of the Alm?

This is such a wholesome, heartwarming story. It is a simple plot, and is filled with beautiful descriptions of Heidi's home and surroundings on the Alm.You cannot help but feel the joy that Heidi expresses for her home and surroundings and it is easy to warm up to her as the main character. This is an ideal novel for families to share and read together (note: although the story line is simple, the style of writing may be difficult for a child to interpret on their own). I can't remember if this is a novel that I read, or had read to me as a child, but it is one that I will be sure to share with my kids.

The Lucky One

 

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

When Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a woman during his time in the Marines stationed in Iraq, he thinks nothing of it. His best friend, Victor, however comes to realize that this photograph seems to bring Logan luck - helping him survive numerous bombings that kill man others in their group - and once the two finish their time in Iraq, Victor urges Logan to find the mysterious woman believing that Logan now owes her for the luck the photograph gave him. Walking from Colorado to Hampton, North Carolina, Logan finds himself on a wild goose chase to track down "E" - the woman in the photograph. When he finally meets Elizabeth, he is stunned by the attraction he feels to her and chooses to keep the story of the photograph a secret; that is, until Elizabeth's meddling ex-husband intervenes, determined not to let Logan interfere with his own plans for his ex-wife.

This was a really sweet story. I must admit that it isn't my favourite book by Nicholas Sparks (maybe a bit too predictable in parts), but as always it is well-written and filled with heart. One of my favourite things about this novel is that there is a dog involved (a German Shepherd named Zeus), and Elizabeth's Nana owns a dog kennel - and, of course, I'm simply biased when it comes to dogs! I really like the way the story played out; despite the predictability in parts, there were other sections that came as a surprise and I was really intrigued and shocked by the way it ended.

The book didn't take me long to finish - it would be a great read for a rainy day when you're stuck inside. It could easily be read in one sitting, and if I could have I would have preferred that. I couldn't wait to get back to the book and continue to where I had left off to see what would happen next. Nicholas Sparks has such an honest, hear-warming way of delivering a love-story, and keeps it real in that the story still has heartbreak, sadness, etc - all of which real-life love stories do. He is a very talented author and I always enjoy reading his novels, this one being no exception. Some of my other favourites of his novels include: The Guardian (also including a dog!), The Notebook, A Walk to Remember and The Wedding. You won't be disappointed by him, no matter which of his novels you choose to read!