Review: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Here is a summary of the book from the Simon and Schuster website:


"Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, in Jeannette Walls's magnificent, true-life novel based on her no-nonsense, resourceful, hard working, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town -- riding five hundred miles on her pony, all alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car ("I loved cars even more than I loved horses. They didn't need to be fed if they weren't working, and they didn't leave big piles of manure all over the place") and fly a plane, and, with her husband, ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Beryl Markham's West with the Night. It will transfix readers everywhere. 

My Review:
What a beautiful story Jeannette Walls created describing the life of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith.  Through a first person narrative, we are given a glimpse into the hard life this woman led, and I can tell you, she was one tough cookie.

We follow Lily's life from when she was a young girl living on her parent's ranch in Texas, to her following her dreams.  When she first decides she has had enough life on the ranch, she heads for a new life in Chicago.  Life in the big city turns out to be more than she bargained for when she meets up with a man who turns out to be probably the biggest sleazeball she ever met, and then losing the first true friend of her life.

She finds herself heading back to her family in Texas, to find her mind opened up to the dream of becoming a teacher.  Knowing that she needs to make a life of her own, she heads out on her horse for a one-month journey to her first teaching destination.  This is the first of many teaching jobs for young Lily, as she doesn't conform easily to other's directions and ideas.  She is a woman who stands up for her convictions and will not ever be easily swayed.

We follow Lily throughout her adult life as she finds love and deals with personal tragedies.  She moves across the Western United States, not afraid of what she will find when she gets there, but enjoying the journey along the way.  I developed a respect for Lily throughout this book, just knowing what she endured throughout her life.  She gave every task her all, and was never afraid to try something new.  How her daughter Rosemary turned out to be a woman without ambitions I guess I will never understand.

This was an awesome story that was enjoyed by all of the ladies in my book group.  Overall, our group enjoyed this one more than The Glass Castle.  I enjoyed both of them about the same, but I think there were many more points in this book that just made me laugh out loud.  I mean, if you have read this book, can you tell me that the Mormon's "Wonder Underwear" did not make you laugh?  With themes of love, family, struggles, perseverance, and home, this book made for a wonderful book club selection.  Don't be afraid to read it for your own entertainment though.  I highly recommend this true-life novel.

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  This book is part of my personal collection and I read it as a book club selection and for personal enjoyment.

Winners of American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar

I am pleased to announce the winners of American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar!

The winner of the audiobook is

Elisabeth

And the winner of the paperback is

Esme

Congrats to both of the winners!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information to forward on to the publisher.  I want to give a special thank you to Anna from Hachette for making this giveaway possible.

What Are You Reading?

Sheila over at Book Journey hosts this meme that gives you the opportunity to share the books that you have been losing yourself in lately and also the ones that you are looking forward to picking up next.

I finished:

What can I say about Love Anthony by Lisa Genova?  Wow.  Truly amazing.  I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Debra Messing and she did a fabulous job.  You will have to wait for a complete review, but this is definitely one of my favorite audios this year.

What I'm listening to now:

Since I don't have any audiobooks for review right now, I decided to stop at the library on the way home on Friday an pick one up.  Summer Island by Kristin Hannah popped out at me, but so far it doesn't come close to Love Anthony.  Maybe I just started it too soon after finishing the previous one.  I'll probably just start it over and see how it goes.

Next on the Kindle:

Our current book club selection is Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.  I am excited to read this one that I know so many of you have already read.  A few years ago I listened to So Brave, Young, and Handsome, and did not like the audio at all.  I have higher hopes for this one that I will be physically reading.

So what book is holding your attention lately?

 

Audiobook Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Title:  Beautiful Disaster

Author:  Jamie McGuire

Narrator:  Emma Galvin

Unabridged Length:  10 hrs, 30 mn

Here is a summary of the book from the Simon and Schuster website:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

My Review:
I have to admit when I requested this audiobook I didn't read the description at all, but was lured by the cover.  This worked out well for me, because had I read the summary it may not have appealed to me.  I believe this book would fall into the Young Adult genre, and I probably would not have enjoyed reading this book as much I enjoyed listening to the audio version.

Our main character Abby, is a young college freshman who has not lived an ideal life.  Her father was a high roller in Vegas, but when his luck turned, he blamed Abby and they lost everything.  This left them penniless while Abby strived to separate herself from her gambling addicted father.

When her and her best friend America start college at Eastern University Abby vows to make a new start.  She doesn't want any of the trash that tainted her life to this point to threaten her future.  The last thing she expects is for bad boy Travis to put a wrinkle in her plan.  When Travis starts to pursue her she informs him that nothing could possibly happen between the two of them, starting an honest friendship that both of them appreciate.

The relationship between Abby and Travis is a rollercoaster ride of emotional ups and downs.  Travis is the opposite of the kind of boy she was hoping to meet, but when she finally accepts that their relationship is much more than a friendship she embraces him wholeheartedly.  She cannot foresee that her past will be the factor to threaten their union.

When I first started listening to this book I have to admit that I didn't care for Galvin's narration.  It started out a bit cold an unemotional to me.  But that changed as the book went on and now thinking back it makes sense.  She was trying to start over and leave her past behind, so I can see how one would need to put their emotions at bay.

 I enjoyed this audiobook more than I thought I would.  Maybe it's because it reminded me of myself somewhat.  A girl trying to put her past behind her, but still being attracted to the bad boy.  Yup, I admit it.  I like the bad boy!  With themes of young love, new beginnings, and college life, this made for an interesting audio book.  I feel that the young adult audience will appreciate this book even more than I did and I don't hesitate in recommending this novel in audio form.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review. 

What Are You Reading?

Sheila over at Book Journey hosts this meme that gives you the opportunity to share the books that you have been losing yourself in lately and also the ones that you are looking forward to picking up next.

Here is what I just finished listening to:

I've had the audiobook Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci sitting on my shelf for at least the last year and I finally decided to pop this one in my car.  Why did I wait so long?  I have no idea because it was awesome!

What I'm currently reading on my Kindle:

I thought I would enjoy A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama more than I am.  I'm about halfway through and it seems like I am just muddling my way through it.  Hopefully the second half of the book picks up for me.

Next on audio:

I'm so excited to listen to Love Anthony by Lisa Genova, narrated by Debra Messing.  Yes, Debra Messing was the female lead on Will and Grace, which I just loved, so I'm excited to see how her narration skills are.

So what has been keeping you busy lately?  Since my commute to work is a half hour each way, I now have the opportunity to listen to more audiobooks.  So you may notice more audio reviews on my blog, but we have to roll with the punches!

Books That Make Me Go....Ahhhh

Every Friday I plan to post a notable excerpt from either a book I am currently reading or have read in the past.  These gems that catch my eye deserve much more notoriety besides being written down on a little sticky note in the front of the novel.

The following excerpt from A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama was a feast for my senses so I couldn't help but share it:
His ba ba once told him that if he paid attention, he could actually smell, even taste the seasons.  He had begun to notice that the powerful scent of the kapok flower meant it was late March, or the sweet sticky taste of magoes and pineapples which came in the fall, while the worst part of summer brought the stinky smell of the durian fruit, which made him gag just to think of it.  Next month in November there would be the orangey citrus scents of winter, followed by Chinese New Year in January or February.

Kindle location 1169 of 2677

***Please note that this is from an Advanced Reading Copy so the final printing may change.

Review: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Here is a summary of the book from the Random House website:


The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

My Review:
I loved this novel that brought us into the life of young Victoria Jones.  Victoria is lost and alone without any friends or family as she prepares to live on her own.  Now that she is eighteen she is no longer allowed to live in foster homes, leaving her with the responsibility of finding both a job and a home for herself.

Diffenbaugh did a great job of presenting Victoria's life to us within the pages of this book.  The chapters alternated between Victoria's current day struggles and times from her past when she lived in foster homes.  The majority of her past glimpses were from when she lived with a single woman named Elizabeth, who planned on adopting her.  Victoria only lived with Elizabeth for a year, but their time together was special and it left quite an impact on the person Victoria would become.

Victoria turned into quite a tough cookie, never staying in one house too long, and usually not being treated very nicely either.  This shows through as she tries to start her adult life, living day to day, not making any plans for the future and just falling asleep wherever her head may lay.  How could she know that the knowledge of flowers that Elizabeth taught her all those years ago would help her get a leg up in this hard world.

One day while wandering the streets in search of a job, Victoria is drawn to a small flower shop called Bloom. After showing the owner, Renata, a sample of the floral gifts she can create, she is offered a temporary job.  This allows Victoria the chance to express herself in a way that helps her find the person that she wants to become.

This story flowed very nicely, making me want to get back to reading it right after I set it down.  So much more happens in this book than I have described above, but I don't want to give any more away.  I found myself pitying Victoria as she made foolish mistakes as a young woman, but then cheering her on when she figured out what she needed to do to make things right.  It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, but it did leave me with a happy feeling as I read the last page.  With themes of love, forgiveness, family, and survival this book would make for a great book club discussion or just to read at your own leisure.  I don't hesitate in recommending this novel.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me from LibraryThing as part of the Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review.