Kick Her Again; She's Irish
Mary and Colin O'Reiley, 2012
CreateSpace
143 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781475126594
Summary
Marie O’Reiley is outside screaming at the world. Her children watch through the living room window as the police come and arrest her for disturbing the peace, leaving them alone in the house.
Thus begins the astonishing true story of a family always living on the brink of disaster. The story unfolds, told through the eyes of Marie’s children. Not only are they impoverished, but they are dealing with Marie’s erratic and often bizarre behavior.
Through it all shines Marie's sense of humor and her unconventional ways of dealing with her difficult situation. How they manage to not only survive, but to grow into well-adjusted adults is a true story that shows how the miracle of love can overcome all obstacles.
Author Bio
Marie O'Reiley always said that if anyone wrote a book about her life it should be called Kick Her Again; She's Irish. The title haunted her son, Colin, through the years until his wife decided it was time to tell Marie's story. To protect the family, the names have been changed and the authors' identities will have to remain a mystery. (From the authors.)
Discussion Questions
1. How would you describe Marie’s raising of her children?
2.In today’s world, Sean, Colin and Katie would very possibly be under child protection. Do you feel Sean, Colin and Katie were better off living with their Mother or child protection?
3.Since the author did not live this experience, do you think having each sibling tell his or her story was an effective way to tell the story?
4.What did you think of the children’s different reactions to the same event?
5.Describe the different rituals the children developed to cope with their situation.
6.Katie wrote that Marie made their life fun. How do you think that helped the children cope later in life?
7.How did you react to Sean’s statement about using their Cuban renters’ electric power when he said, “They had a lot more money so they could afford it”?
8.Despite her craziness, the children were glad to have their mother home after two months with Nana. What does that say about Marie’s relationship with her children?
(Questions courtesy of the authors and the Amesbury Book Club.)
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Las Hechizadas
Anne Garcia, 2013
Synchronicity Publishing
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781891554384
Summary
Las Hechizadas is a novel set in a fictitious Latin American village where Mother Nature and her chosen women work together to care for the community. When Juan Romero, a young photographer living in Arizona, decides to visit his Abuela in Aguas Puras he doesn't realize the magical healing powers that exist in the high mountain valley.
His journey to reconnect with his family's past transforms his life and the lives of generations to follow. He becomes involved in a battle to save the valley from a multinational mining company and the struggle threatens to destroy the village as well as "Las Hechizadas," or the healing women, and their way of life.
Twenty years later his sister, Silvia, makes her way from the U.S. to again discover the secrets of her family's past, but in contrast to her brother, what she learns finally sets the universe straight and the women of the valley are once again in balance. The book is based off of the author's own experiences living and traveling in Latin America. She has woven stories told to and lived by her into this magical novel that connects us all to the power of the extraordinary women of the valley of Aguas Puras.
The novel is separated into Book I & Book II, intertwining the different time periods in which the siblings and their friends, families and lovers struggle to solve the problems of a society in which money and power rule over health, wellness and balance. It also has a spattering of Spanish, using codeswitching to communicate the biculturalness of the characters. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—March 8, 1972
• Raised—the State of Colorado, USA
• Education—M.A., University of Colorado
• Currently—lives in Colorado
Anne García is a writer and a teacher. Her writing career ranges from working as a magazine journalist to writing education professional development books to exploring children's books and fiction. Her day job finds her teaching others in a bilingual elementary school. She lives in the mountains in Colorado with her family.
She has recently started a blog on writing, teaching and a little bit about motherhood—seeing as once a mother it's hard to escape the wonderful stories that children provide. (From the author.)
Visit the author's blog.
Follow Anne on Facebook.
Book Reviews
Great read and great experience. Las Hechizadas was a wonderful read. The entire story was very engaging and beautifully written. There were so many aspects of it that felt like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez story. I loved the re-telling of the family history and its importance. I loved how tradition played such an important role in the plot of this story. Fantastic and interesting read. If you like anything by Isabel Allende, you will like this book.
booknerd (booknerdloleotodo) - Amazon Customer Review
Magical story! Las Hechizadas brought me into the story after the first chapter. I couldn’t stop reading and was fascinated by the characters and the town of Aguas Puras, wishing it exists.… Anne Garcia awakens the reader’s senses with her beautiful description of the colors, textures, sounds, and smells of Aguas Puras. The way Anne Garcia narrates the story has a magical realistic style that reminded me of Garcia Marquez, and Isabel Allende’s books. Thank you Anne Garcia for this beautiful story.
Rosa Medina - Amazon Customer Review
Intrigue in the Andes. Anne Garcia's debut novel is pure intrigue, Latin-style. The story follows a young idealist coming of age, whose sensitivity and actions invite heavy repercussions that will reverberate through the ages. It's a real page turner, and a lovely portrait of Latin America from a very insider point of view.
Carolyn McCarthy - Amazon Customer Review
This book was an enchanting read, one I wished would have went on and on! And it's not a short book, not by any means. I really enjoyed this journey, it was a beautiful book and a true literature masterpiece! I loved it all, the characters, the plot, and the setting. I think this a book that everyone should read at least once, it's a definite keeper in my kindle library.
Cryptic Reads
Discussion Questions
1. How does the structure of the book help or hinder the development of the plot?
2. As the female characters become to show their strengths and weaknesses, how did you feel about their significance in the story?
3. Do you think it is important that small communities be allowed to be autonomous? Compare the situation in Aguas Puras with your own community. Are there any situations in which your community has had to fight for autonomy?
4. What do you think about Juan Romero's political understandings and do you think they would have changed over time? Are people like him actually able to make a difference in today's world?
5. Did you like the book? Why/why not?
6. If you could ask the author anything what would you ask her?
7. What would you change about the plot or structure of the book if you could?
8. Which character or characters did you like best and why?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
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In a Moment
Caroline Finnerty, 2012
Poolbeg Press
359 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781842235300
Summary
Adam & Emma are a couple being torn apart by their past. Their relationship is only held together by a thread. As their marriage disintegrates around them, Adam tries desperately to salvage it—while Emma does everything in her power, not only to avoid the issue, but to avoid him.
But what has brought them to this point? Why is Emma traumatised by the very sight of him? And why is Adam having recurring nightmares?
Jean McParland has long been living her own nightmare, battling with her son Paul whose violent outbursts have terrorised her and his younger siblings in their own home. Torn between her love for her eldest son and fears for the other children, Jean has shied away from taking decisive action . . . while their lives continued to spin out of control.
Then, in just one moment, Adam, Emma and Jean’s lives became inextricably linked and were changed forever. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—November 6, 1980
• Where—Kildare, Ireland
• Education—N/A
• Currently—Kildare, Ireland
Caroline Finnerty is an Irish author and freelance writer living on the banks of the Grand Canal in the County Kildare countryside with her husband, their three young children and their dog. She is the author of In a Moment, The Last Goodbye, and Into the Night Sky. She also compiled the charity anthology If I Was a Child Again in aid of Barnardos.
Caroline has written articles for The Irish Daily Mail, The Star, Woman’s Way Magazine, as well as several parenting magazines. (From the author.)
Visit the author's website.
Follow Caroline on Facebook.
Book Reviews
The whole novel, in fact, wraps itself around the heartstrings and then yanks them like an overzealous bell-ringer. A great first novel—just make sure you keep a few boxes of tissues handy.
Irish Independent
An absorbing and emotional read.
Irish Examiner
So Enjoyable—an addictive and hugely moving story.
Melissa Hill, bestselling author
Discussion Questions
1. Emma takes her anger out on Adam. Why do you think it is that as humans we hurt the ones we love the most?
2. Did you find Emma to be a likeable character?
3. If Paul were your son, what, if anything, would you have done differently while raising him?
4. Do Jean’s parents do enough to help their daughter or as a grown-up, should she be left to stand on her own two feet?
5. If you were in Jean’s position, would you inform on your son?
6. It is the age-old question of "nature versus nurture," but do you think that Paul is a product of his upbringing or do you believe that he would have turned out like that anyway?
7. Are there any parallels that can be drawn between the lives of Jean and her son Paul?
8. Did you have any empathy for the character of Paul?
9. Do you think when Paul is older that he is likely to repent for his actions?
10. The book deals with how a split-second action can change the course of our lives forever. Do you believe that we can change the outcome and events in our lives by the choices that we make or are we always predestined to do certain things?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
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Remember Me Like This
Bret Anthony Johnston, 2014
Random House
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781400062126
Summary
A gripping novel with the pace of a thriller but the nuanced characterization and deep empathy of some of the literary canon’s most beloved novels, Remember Me Like This introduces Bret Anthony Johnston as one of the most gifted storytellers writing today. With his sophisticated and emotionally taut plot and his shimmering prose, Johnston reveals that only in caring for one another can we save ourselves.
Four years have passed since Justin Campbell’s disappearance, a tragedy that rocked the small town of Southport, Texas. Did he run away? Was he kidnapped? Did he drown in the bay? As the Campbells search for answers, they struggle to hold what’s left of their family together.
Then, one afternoon, the impossible happens. The police call to report that Justin has been found only miles away, in the neighboring town, and, most important, he appears to be fine. Though the reunion is a miracle, Justin’s homecoming exposes the deep rifts that have diminished his family, the wounds they all carry that may never fully heal.
Trying to return to normal, his parents do their best to ease Justin back into his old life. But as thick summer heat takes hold, violent storms churn in the Gulf and in the Campbells’ hearts. When a reversal of fortune lays bare the family’s greatest fears—and offers perhaps the only hope for recovery—each of them must fight to keep the ties that bind them from permanently tearing apart. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1974
• Where—N/A
• Education—B.A., Texas A&M University; M.A., Miami University;
M.F.A., Iowa Writers' Workshop
• Awards—Pushcart Prize (more below)
• Currently—lives somewhere in the Northeast...don't they all?
Bret Anthony Johnston is the author of the 2014 novel, Remember Me Like This, and the award-winning Corpus Christi: Stories, which was named a best book of the year by the Independent (London) and Irish Times.
He is the editor of Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer and also teaches in the Bennington Writing Seminars, as well as at Harvard University, where he is the director of creative writing.
Johnston' work has appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Paris Review, Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere. His nonfiction has appeared in New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Tin House, Best American Sports Writing, and on NPR’s All Things Considered.
His awards include the Pushcart Prize, the Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers, the Stephen Turner Award, the Cohen Prize, and the Kay Cattarulla Prize for short fiction. He is the recipient of both a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship and a James Michener Fellowship. And he received the "5 Under 35" honor from the National Book Foundation. (Adapted from the publisher and the author's website.)
Book Reviews
There’s real humanity in Johnston’s writing, and it’s heartening to spend time with these folks as they relearn how to be a family. Rendered in these compassionate, candid chapters, theirs is a struggle that speaks to those of us who have endured far less.
Washington Post
[Bret Anthony] Johnston’s scenes are exquisite, the internal and external worlds kept in taut balance.... [A] fully immersive novel in which the language is luminous and the delivery almost flawless.
Boston Globe
I know the novel you’re looking for. It’s the thriller that also has interesting sentences. It’s the one with the driving plot but fully realized characters as well, the one that flows like it was plotted by Dennis Lehane but feels like it was written by Jonathan Franzen.... It’s a surprisingly rare breed.... Fortunately, there’s Bret Anthony Johnston’s Remember Me Like This.... The book is riveting, with the elements of suspense neatly folded into an elegant series of interlocking arcs.... There is nowhere you want to stop.
Esquire
[A] strong debut.... The novel offers a melodrama that tries to sympathetically portray the devastating effects of loss on a family.... Johnston has a talent for drawing well-rounded characters, although verbal excess weighs down the novel’s pace. In the end, this is a convincing and uplifting portrait of a family in crisis
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) An admirable achievement.... The story starts where other stories might end.... [Readers] will find their expectations continually defied as characters refuse to follow a formulaic plot trajectory.... This is ultimately an uplifting reading experience owing to the believable love and warmth of the family.
Library Journal
[Johnston’s] first novel is so spellbinding, so moving, that one’s only complaint is that we had to wait ten years to read it.... Johnston is a master at creating honest portraits of family members that could easily be your neighbor. Make no mistake about it: Bret Anthony Johnston is a writer to watch.
BookPage
Discussion Questions
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher. In the meantime, use our generic mystery questions.)
GENERIC QUESTIONS
Mystery / Crime / Suspense Thrillers
1. Talk about the characters, both good and bad. Describe their personalities and motivations. Are they fully developed and emotionally complex? Or are they more one-dimensional heroes and villains?
2. What do you know...and when do you know it? At what point in the book do you, the reader, begin to piece together what happened?
3. Good crime writers are skillful at hiding clues in plain sight. How well does the author hide the clues in this work?
4. Does the author use red-herrings—false clues—to purposely lead readers astray?
5. Talk about plot's twists & turns—those surprising developments that throw everything you think you've figured out into disarray. Do they enhance the story, add complexity, and build suspense? Are they plausible? Or do the twists & turns feel forced and preposterous—inserted only to extend the story.
6. Does the author ratchet up the story's suspense? Did you find yourself anxious—quickly turning pages to learn what happened? How does the author build suspense?
7. What about the ending—is it satisfying? Is it probable or believable? Does it grow out of clues previously laid out by the author (see Question 2). Or does the ending come out of the blue? Does it feel forced...tacked-on...or a cop-out? Or perhaps it's too predictable. Can you envision a better, or different, ending?
8. Are there certain passages in the book—ideas, descriptions, or dialogue—that you found interesting or revealing...or that somehow struck you? What lines, if any, made you stop and think?
9. Overall, does the book satisfy? Does it live up to the standards of a good crime story or suspense thriller? Why or why not?
(Generic Mystery Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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The Fortune Hunter
Daisy Goodwin, 2014
St. Martin's Press
480 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250043894
Summary
Empress Elizabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, is the Princess Diana of nineteenth-century Europe. Famously beautiful, as captured in a portrait with diamond stars in her hair, she is unfulfilled in her marriage to the older Emperor Franz Joseph.
Sisi has spent years evading the stifling formality of royal life on her private train or yacht or, whenever she can, on the back of a horse.
Captain Bay Middleton is dashing, young, and the finest horseman in England. He is also impoverished, with no hope of buying the horse needed to win the Grand National—until he meets Charlotte Baird. A clever, plainspoken heiress whose money gives her a choice among suitors, Charlotte falls in love with Bay, the first man to really notice her, for his vulnerability as well as his glamour.
When Sisi joins the legendary hunt organized by Earl Spencer in England, Bay is asked to guide her on the treacherous course. Their shared passion for riding leads to an infatuation that jeopardizes the growing bond between Bay and Charlotte, and threatens all of their futures.
This brilliant new novel by Daisy Goodwin is a lush, irresistible story of the public lives and private longings of grand historical figures. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—December 19, 1961
• Where—England, UK
• Education—B.A., Cambridge University; Columbia University Film School
• Currently—lives in London, England
Daisy Georgia Goodwin is a British television producer, poetry anthologist and novelist.
Having attended Westminster School and Queen's College, London (another fee paying school, not a university), Goodwin studied history at Trinity College at Cambridge, and attended Columbia Film School before joining the BBC as a trainee arts producer in 1985.
In 1998 she moved to Talkback Productions as head of factual programmes, and in 2005 founded Silver River Productions. Her first novel, My Last Duchess, was published in the UK in August 2010 and, under the title The American Heiress, in the U.S. and Canada in June 2011. Her second novel, The Fortune Hunter, was released in 2014.
Victoria, published in 2016, is also the title of PBS's Masterpiece Theater's series by the same name. Goodwin is both writer and creator of the series.
In addition to her novels and film work, Goodwin has also published eight poetry anthologies and a memoir entitled Silver River, and was chairman of the judging panel for the 2010 Orange Prize for women's fiction. She has presented television shows including Essential Poems (To Fall In Love With) (2003) and Reader, I Married Him (2006).
Goodwin is married to Marcus Wilford, an ABC TV executive; they have two daughters. She appeared as part of the winning Trinity College, Cambridge team on the Christmas University Challenge BBC2, 27 December 2011. (From Wikipedia. Retrieved 7/15/2014.)
Book Reviews
Goodwin’s second novel travels the difficult protocols of Victorian-era fox hunting, as well as the even more complicated protocols of love and marriage in the era, especially for an intelligent young woman with a fortune.... Goodwin manages to take the reader deep inside the characters’ longings and flaws in a way that makes the reader root for them. An enchanting, beautifully written page-turner.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Goodwin uses finely drawn characters and intriguing plot lines to create numerous memorable scenes.... Although readers who enjoyed The American Heiress will be first in line to savor Goodwin's new novel, they will be followed quickly by others who appreciate engaging and thoughtful historical fiction.
Library Journal
Goodwin’s second novel is a luxurious indulgence for romantically inclined readers....Mingling historical fact with imaginative fiction, Goodwin writes with effortless grace, and her dialogue’s subtle wit is delightful.... Elizabeth is never less than beguiling.
Booklist
With its witty dialogue, intriguing research and cameo appearances by Queen Victoria and other royals, Goodwin’s latest is a pleasurable excursion into Downton-land complete with high-society weddings, lavish balls and an exciting, all-or-nothing horse-racing finale
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. The fortune hunter of the title, of course, is Bay Middleton. What do you think of his character, and what fate do you think he deserves?
2. In her day, the Empress of Austria, or Sisi, was considered the most beautiful woman in Europe, married to one of the richest and most powerful men. In what ways do you see her position as enviable or otherwise?
3. By the time the novel opens, Sisi is in her 30s, and so worried that her beauty is fading that she refuses to sit for new portraits or to have her photograph taken. How do you regard her beauty rituals and her fears? Were you struck by the similarities between Sisi’s routine and that of a modern celebrity: the exercise, the veal, etc.?
4. While very different, both Sisi and Charlotte Baird face constraints because they are women: Sisi is defined by her husband’s position, and Charlotte, whose wealth gives her certain freedoms, is nevertheless ordered around by her aunt and her future sister-in-law. Maintaining at least the appearance of propriety is essential for both. In what ways has life improved—or not—for women in the 21st century?
5. Queen Victoria offers a different perspective on a woman with unusual power. What do you think of her in this story? How do she and Sisi reflect the privileges and/or burdens of royalty?
6. What is your view of Charlotte? Do you think that she and Bay could be happy together?
7. Daisy Goodwin has said Sisi reminds her of Princess Diana: Each was unhappily married at a very young age to a much older husband with whom she had little in common; each was idolized and hounded for her glamour; each found consolation both in affairs and in charity work. What do you think of these parallels?
8. In the love triangle here, do you see one of three the principals as the central figure, or does the focus seem equal? Do your sympathies lie with one of the characters more than the others, and do your allegiances shift in the course of the story?
9. How do you feel about the ending? Would you have wanted something different for any of the characters?
10. What role do photographs play in the story? How do pictures hide or reveal the truth?
11. Charlotte compares Caspar’s photos of the American west to her own work: “How I envy you your deserts and your endless light. We have nothing like that here, that’s why we have to create little tableaux in studios…housemaids dressed up as goddesses.” Similarly, Sisi feels the need to “escape the stifling formality of the Austrian court.” What does this say about Victorian society, and do you feel things have changed for the better or the worse?
12. The Author’s Note says: “This novel is based on fact: The cast of characters, Sisi, Bay, Charlotte, Earl Spencer, and even Chicken Hartopp are all real, even if their thoughts and feelings have been supplied by me.” What do you think of the mixture of history and fiction here? (One fascinating footnote: In real life, Lady Blanche Hozier’s daughter Clementine, whose paternity has been much debated, grew up to marry Winston Churchill.)
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
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