It is 1982 in London, and Charlie has used his inheritance to purchase the newest most amazing robot.  Only 25 have been manufactured, 13 Eves and 12 Adams, and they can do almost anything humans can, only quicker and better.  Charlie is pursuing Miranda who lives above him and Adam falls in love with her, too.  Throw into the plot an abandoned child and a secret Miranda has kept to herself for years, and you have an entertaining, thought-provoking novel.

Even when Ian McEwan is not at his best, he’s still better than most authors.  In Machines Like Me, he changes history, rearranges dates, and invents things that were unheard of in 1982.  McEwan leaves his reader with much to think about in terms of artificial intelligence, love, revenge and truth vs. lies.  The subtitle of Machines Like Me is And People Like You.  Read the book and try to guess what that means!!

 

I had never heard of Varian Fry, but after reading over 500 pages about him, I still wanted to know more.  Mr. Fry came from an upper-middle class Protestant family, attended Harvard and went on to save thousands of artists, philosophers and authors from the Nazi’s.  In 1940 he was head of the Emergency Rescue Committee that was established in Marseille.  His tireless efforts are described in The Flight Portfolio.  However, this is not just a novel about a brave hero, it portrays Fry as a bisexual who must decide if he wants to keep his personal life a secret.  Furthermore, this historic novel poses the question, is it more important to save someone with talent than someone without?

I didn’t think Orringer could do better than her first novel, Invisible Bridge, but she has.  The Flight Portfolio is exciting, frightening and very well-written.

Say Nothing describes the conflict in Northern Ireland from the early 1970’s to the present.  What began as a peaceful protest by IRA(Irish Republic Army) members in Belfast turned into decades of violence when the British army fired on the protesters.  This work of nonfiction begins with the disappearance of Jean McConville, a 37 year old mother with ten children,  and segues into stories of British officers and members of the IRA.  Colorful individuals, such as Dolours Price, Brendan Hughes and Gerry Adams help to add to the dramatic and intense narration of Say Nothing.

Keefe’s book is thoroughly researched, and he certainly doesn’t sugar coat the death and destruction that occurred in Northern Ireland for over thirty years.  Anyone interested in modern day Northern Ireland should read Say Nothing.

Please forgive me.  Anna’s last name is spelled Quindlen and Nanaville is a work of nonfiction.

In this short but thoroughly enjoyable work of fiction, Anna Quindlan describes the joys of being a first time grandparent.  In each chapter Quindlan shares her happy moments, sobering experiences and lessons she has learned along the way.  She tackles issues such as,  in-laws, day care and when grandparents should bite their lips and keep their mouths shut.  All is said with humor, love and candor.

As a first time grandmother, I adored this book!  I would allot myself one chapter a week because I didn’t want Nanaville  to end.  If there is a flaw in this memoir, it is that Quindlan’s situation is almost too good to be true.  She gets to see little Arthur often, she has a wonderful relationship with her daughter-in-law, and she’s an extremely helpful Nana.

I usually don’t pitch a book, but Nanaville is the ideal Mother’s Day gift for a grandmother with young grandchildren.

Helen Clapp is a well-known and somewhat famous physicist.  She is the single parent of a seven year old son and teaches and does research at MIT.  Her best friend in college, Charlotte(Charlie), has recently died leaving a husband and an eight year old daughter.  Just days after Charlie’s death, Helen receives a text from her.  She continues to receive short texts sporadically and they bring back memories of the life she and Charlie shared when they were students at Harvard.

Lost and Wanted is a very good read.  At first it appears to be a book about friendship, motherhood and death, but it is much more.  There are many paragraphs about the principles of physics, but don’t skim over them; they are fairly easy to understand and add to what this novel is all about.   I think Lost and Wanted would be a great choice for a book group that likes books with no easy answers.

This novel describes a year in the life of Henry Maxwell.  Henry is a veteran of World War II, a retired engineer at Westinghouse and a devoted husband, father and grandfather.  He is a native of Pittsburgh, a golfer, a sport’s fan, a tinkerer and a man who doesn’t like to “throw his money around.”  It is 1998, the year Henry turns 75, and as we follow his life during that year, we get to view him in the past, the present and a bit into the future.  We see him with his cynical wife Emily, his two children, his four grandchildren and his dog Rufus.  Henry is at his summer home in Chautauqua, with his golfing buddies and celebrating his 49th wedding anniversary.  During all of this experiences, Henry is delightfully true to himself.

If you are about 65 or older, I think you will thoroughly enjoy Henry, Himself.  Through the eyes of Henry Maxwell, you will recognize the joys and sorrows of growing another year older.

Cullen, the author of Columbine, has again written a work of nonfiction about a school shooting in an upper-middle class community.  However, Parkland does not focus on the shooting but on the movement that arose as a result of the tragedy.  There is no description of what happened on February 14, 2018 at Margery Stoneman Douglas High School,  and the gunman is rarely mentioned and never named.  What Cullen describes in detail is how four days later, two dozen remarkable students began a movement that probably changed the course of an election.  He puts the reader into the minds and hearts of a group of students, parents and teachers and tells how they acted and reacted after 2/14/18.

This book certainly is not for everyone,  but if you want to feel hopeful about the “next generation,” read Parkland.

 

Swing moves back and forth from the time its main character, Henry Graham, is 10 to when he is in his 40’s.  Grown up Henry has traded the life of a lawyer for that of a college professor in a small town in upstate New York.  His wife is a cancer survivor, his chances of getting tenure are slim and he has just learned that a man who was an important figure during his tenth year has died.  Henry Graham grew up in Pittsburgh.  In 9171 the Pittsburgh Pirates were playing the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.  Henry’s father had walked out on his family,  and the boy found a father figure in an avid Pirate’s fan with no legs named John Kostka.

Beard tells a good story with relatable characters and an easy to follow plot.  If you’re a baseball fan, Swing should prove an enjoyable read.

Lisa See’s tenth novel is the story of Young-sook and her friendship with Mi-ja.  Both women are part of an all female deep sea diving group on the Korean island of Jeju.  These women are their family’s breadwinners who are trying to survive in a somewhat matriarchal society.  Young-sook and Mi-jan’s lives are recounted from when they first met in 1938 up to the present day.  Their stories are told in conjunction with the history of Korea during that time.

I learned a lot about Korea in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.  Unfortunately, the story of  Young-sook and Mi-ja was not as interesting as what took place around them.  The Island of  Sea Women is not one of Lisa See’s best.