WHAT ALICE FORGOT by Liane Moriarty

I loved this book. I always like discovering a good writer and tend to read all their books. I also love books that deal with family dynamics. "What Alice Forgot" is one of those books. It is charming, clever and insightful. It allows the reader to see how false perceptions can change people, relationships and outcomes. It makes you to wonder if there is such a thing as truth and if people's perceptions is all there is. As Alice sustains a head injury in gym class she loses her memory of the past 10 years. She goes back to the time of her first pregnancy when her love for her husband was new and fresh and 'exhilarating and light and bubbly'. What Alice has forgotten is 10 years of three children and a marriage that hasn't survived its' challenges so well. Instead of 1998, it is 2008 and Alice is in the middle of a nasty divorce, the only problem is that Alice has forgotten that she hates the husband she is divorcing and loves him like they are newlyweds. Because the theme of the book is 'lost memories' Liane Moriarty uses the medium of reflection by three main characters to piece Alice's story together. Alice puts events of her life together through snippets of memory, her sister Elizabeth reflects on their relationship through the diary she is writing for her therapist and Alice's adopted grandmother Franny writes a blog. The rambling of these three women makes the characters very real and true to life. The diary Elizabeth keeps chronicling struggles of her infertility is both fascinating and heart wrenching. It shatters the inadequate perception you might have of women whose bodies betray their longing for motherhood. The ending of the book is extremely fitting with characters stepping up to the maturity that the situation asks for. This book is true to complexities of family dynamics, devoid of unnecessary sentiment and highly entertaining.

THE LOST HOURS by Karen White

This is my first book by Karen White. This was a brilliant story but I found its' narration overly sentimental and Karen's lack of self-restraint as a writer leaving very little to the imagination of the reader. I found the overly sentimental prose irritating which made me want to gallop through the book rather than savor it. Phrases such as 'digging deeper to moist earth, exposing its secrets' and 'the fall of years was like pierced lace over old secrets' complicated the narration unnecessarily and sometimes appeared confusing. I still don't understand what 'pierced lace over old secrets' actually means or how it can be possible.... Situated in the deep south this book is about grief, grief, and more grief interlaced with deep seated secrets which I found more frustrating than intriguing.  From Piper the equestrian, whose dreams of Olympian glory were aborted by her horse who fell on top of her, to her grandmother Annabelle who ended up with Alzheimer's because of her ruined life, to beautiful Helen who went blind at 14 and was considered as punishment to her grandmother who raised her, to Helen's brother, Tucker, whose wife committed suicide and who lived with overwhelming guilt, to their grandmother Lilian, who kept a dark secret and would not talk about her past until days before her death at the age of 90.  Even the oak trees on the Savannah plantation that housed these unfortunate souls grieved for their brothers who were cut down and who 'shout out their grief when the breeze off the river at night stirs them'. Karen White's lack of self-restraint made the characters too accessible and the story, therefore, somewhat predictable. I would have enjoyed this book much, much more if I was allowed to imagine the state of characters' emotions as they were experienced. Feeling like someone is holding your hand leading you through the story describing everything to you in detail because you are not capable of understanding it yourself, does not endear the reader to the writer. I prefer authors who treat their readers with respect acknowledging their ability to read between the words but then again you would have to write in such a way that meaning there can be found. It's an art form.

THE TAILOR'S GIRL by Fiona McIntosh

Another wonderful book from Fiona McIntosh. If you like stories set post World War I, you will love this book. Dealing with the phenomenon of shell shock and legacy of warfare, this story is brilliantly crafted to arouse sentiment in the reader and enhance the reader's understanding of such a complex time as this. You will be transported to post war London and through a brilliantly woven story learn about the lucrative trade of tailoring and high fashion, of enduring love and tenacity. When a Jewish tailor's daughter Eden Valentine, meets a war veteran with no memory at the London hospital, she agrees to help him escape. She names the soldier without a name 'Tom' who makes his home with her and her father.  Eden and Tom fall in love and marry against the Jewish tradition and her father's wishes. Tom proves to have a great head for business but doesn't know why. Future looks very bright for the young couple until one day Tom's memory of his past life returns and the memory of his present life leaves. It is then that Tom's real identity is revealed. In reality Tom is Alex Wynter, aristocratic heir to the country manor Larksfell Hall. The story becomes intense with each page as Eden's and Tom's paths diverge but seek to once again come together. This book is a real page turner. I hope you enjoy it, I certainly did.

REMARKABLE CREATURES by Tracy Chevalier

Another beautiful book from the brilliant mind of Tracy Chevalier. The story takes us to Lyme Regis in England and centers on two women whose fossil discoveries challenged the religious and geological thinking of early 1800's. Daring to tread into a man's world where they received small recognition for their accomplishments, they fall into the category of women pioneers who despite their lack of education, are now being recognised for their strength, courage and brilliance. This is a true story of Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot who were fossil hunters and whose alliance stands as a monument of the power of friendship. Tracy Chevalier has a remarkable ability to transport the reader to a different time and period through her detailed and careful use of language and evocative image making the reader appreciative of her  thorough research of the subject at hand. I wept when I read the ending of this story but more so when reading the postscript, for I was once again reminded that the characters were real women who once lived and walked upon the shores of Lyme.

THE LAST RUNAWAY by Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier is a literary genius. If you want to read a book rich with historical content and moral values, this is the book for you. The book explores a 19th century American movement called the Underground Railroad through which 30,000 Negros managed to escape slavery assisted by white abolitionists, freed slaves and many members of the Quaker community. The Last Runaway is set in 1850 and follows a sheltered Quaker girl immigrating from England to America with her sister who is to be married to an English man living in Ohio. Within days of landing in America, and before reaching Ohio, her sister Grace dies of yellow fever leaving Honor alone in a new country that she needs to make her home. Honor joins the Quaker community called Friends in Ohio and marries Jack, a dairy farmer. Her strong Quaker instincts lead Honor to become involved in the rife runaway movement assisting slaves to escape to Canada where freedom awaits them. Tracy Chevalier achieves the optimum balance of realism and sentiment in this heart warming and enlightening book which is extremely hard to put down. Read The Last Runaway, you will be glad you did.