Looking Back - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

Nonfiction - Medicine

1997 Noonday Press

Finished on April 4, 2001

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction

When three-month-old Lia Lee Arrived at the county hospital emergency room in Merced, California, a chain of events was set in motion from which neither she nor her parents nor her doctors would ever recover. Lia's parents, Foua and Nao Kao, were part of a large Hmong community in Merced, refugees from the CIA-run "Quiet War" in Laos. The Hmong, traditionally a close-knit and fiercely people, have been less amenable to assimilation than most immigrants, adhering steadfastly to the rituals and beliefs of their ancestors. Lia's pediatricians, Neil Ernst and his wife, Peggy Philip, cleaved just as strongly to another tradition: that of Western medicine. When Lia Lee Entered the American medical system, diagnosed as an epileptic, her story became a tragic case history of cultural miscommunication.

Parents and doctors both wanted the best for Lia, but their ideas about the causes of her illness and its treatment could hardly have been more different. The Hmong see illness and healing as spiritual matters linked to virtually everything in the universe, while medical community marks a division between body and soul, and concerns itself almost exclusively with the former. Lia's doctors ascribed her seizures to the misfiring of her cerebral neurons; her parents called her illness, "qaug dab peg"--the spirit catches you and you fall down--and ascribed it to the wandering of her soul. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

I thought this was a fascinating book. I feel like it should be a supplemental book in an anthropology class. I highlighted several passages and learned a great deal about Hmong culture. The chapters devoted to Lia Lee and her family were very readable. The others, dealing with the Hmong culture and history, were interesting, but required dedication and patience. I was easily distracted and sometime bored with these chapters. I'm glad I read the book, in spite of not being a gripping story.

My Current Thoughts:

I chose to read this book based on the recommendation of a fellow online book group member (Books on the Fence) over twenty years ago. It was educational and thought-provoking, although at times, somewhat dry. I no longer own my copy, so it's not one that I ever intended to read a second time.

Looking Back - Keeping Faith

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

Fiction

1999 William Morrow & Company

Finished on March 15, 2001

Rating: 4.5/5 (Excellent)

Publisher's Blurb:

For the second time in her marriage, Mariah White catches her husband with another woman, and Faith, their seven-year-old daughter, witnesses every painful minute. In the aftermath of a sudden divorce, Mariah struggles with depression and Faith begins to confide in an imaginary friend. At first, Mariah dismisses these exchanges as a child's imagination. But when Faith starts reciting passages from the Bible, develops stigmata, and begins to perform miraculous healings, Mariah wonders if her daughter--a girl with no religious background-might actually be seeing God. As word spreads and controversy flares, Mariah and Faith are besieged by believers and disbelievers alike, caught in a media circus that threatens what little stability they have left.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

Excellent read! Engaging. Thought-provoking. I will definitely read more of Picoult's books. I loved this novel. Suspenseful. Would make a great movie. Highly recommend!

My Current Thoughts:

This was the first book I'd read by Jodi Picoult, but it's not one that I'd like to reread. I've read and loved nearly everything she's written, but this isn't one of my favorites, despite the high rating.

Looking Back - Never Change

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Never Change by Elizabeth Berg

Fiction

2001 Pocket Books

Finished on March 2, 2001

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Elizabeth Berg has penned an unforgettable tale about second chances that tugs hard at the heart strings even as it soothes the soul. Never Change tells the bittersweet story of Myra Lipinsky, a 51-year-old home care nurse and self-acclaimed spinster who finds herself assigned to care for the golden boy she secretly worshipped back in high school. Only Chip Reardon isn't quite so golden these days -- he's dying from a highly virulent type of brain tumor.

For Myra, the chance to care for Chip fills her with both pleasure and anxiety, particularly when she realizes that she still has strong feelings for him. At first their reunion is marked by fun, joy, and memories. But then reality kicks in when Chip's old girlfriend, Diann, shows up, and Myra once again finds herself feeling like the fifth wheel she was back in high school. Yet despite slipping into their old roles, the three quickly discover that they have all changed. For Myra, this leads to a bittersweet irony as she finds herself in a loving relationship for the first time in her life -- only to have it be with a man whose days are drastically numbered.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

Sucked right in from the very first page. I love this author! Another wonderful book. Sweet. Romantic. Memorable characters.

My Current Thoughts:

I still have a copy of this book and think I'll make time to read it again.

Looking Back - Lily of the Valley

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Lily of the Valley by Suzanne Strempek Shea

Fiction

1999 Atria Books

Read in February 2001

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Lily Wilk always knew she was destined to be an artist -- ever since she pulled a drawing kit from a grab bag on her tenth birthday. Now Lily's work is always in demand around her small Massachusetts town, where she makes her living painting fire hydrants, lettering diplomas, and applying "Gulls" and "Buoys" to restaurant bathroom doors. But when supermarket heiress Mary Ziemba commissions her to paint a family portrait, Lily senses her lifelong dream of creating a memorable masterpiece is finally within her grasp. What she discovers, however, is that dreams often take their own unexpected twists...and with each small and gentle brush stroke she applies to Mary Ziemba's painting, Lily learns more than she ever imagined about the meaning of friendship, family, and love. With a gift for creating fiction that is "rich with an unusual sweetness" (USA Today) and filled with wry humor, bestselling author Suzanne Strempek Shea delivers a poignant and unforgettable work of art in Lily of the Valley.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

It took me a while to get caught up in the story, but I eventually did. I don't think the author writes very well, though. I stumbled over many sentences that were jerky and seemed poorly written. However, the story intrigued me and I'm happy I kept at it. Reminiscent of Lorna Landvik's novels.

My Current Thoughts:

I doubt I'd have the patience for this book now. Pretty sure it would have wound up on my recent reject pile. 

Looking Back - The Testament

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

The Testament by John Grisham

Fiction

1999 Island Books

Read in February 2001

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

In a plush Virginia office, a rich, angry old man is furiously rewriting his will. With his death just hours away, Troy Phelan wants to send a message to his children, his ex-wives, and his minions, a message that will touch off a vicious legal battle and transform dozens of lives.

Because Troy Phelan's new will names a sole surprise heir to his eleven-billion-dollar fortune: a mysterious woman named Rachel Lane, a missionary living deep in the jungles of Brazil.

Enter the lawyers. Nate O'Riley is fresh out of rehab, a disgraced corporate attorney handpicked for his last job: to find Rachel Lane at any cost. As Phelan's family circles like vultures in D.C., Nate is crashing through the Brazilian jungle, entering a world where money means nothing, where death is just one misstep away, and where a woman - pursued by enemies and friends alike - holds a stunning surprise of her own.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

It's been a very long time since I've read anything by John Grisham. I enjoyed this novel, although it wasn't quite the page-turner that I expected. I didn't really get engrossed until over halfway through. I was pleased it didn't have a perfect ending. I enjoyed the story of Nate's journey to Brazil in search of Rachel, the missionary and soon-to-be billionaire. Of course, as with most of Grisham's books, it would make an entertaining movie.

My Current Thoughts: 

I have no memory of this book at all!

Looking Back - The River King

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

The River King by Alice Hoffman

Fiction

2000 G.P. Putnam's Sons

Read in February 2001

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

From the best-selling author of The Dovekeepers, The River King confirms Alice Hoffman as "one of our quirkiest and most interesting novelists" (Jane Smiley, USA Today).

People tend to stay in their place in the town of Haddan. The students at the prestigious prep school don't mix with locals. Even within the school, hierarchy rules as freshman and faculty members find out where they fit in and what is expected of them. But when a body is found in the river behind the school, a local policeman will walk into this enclosed world and upset it entirely. A story of surface appearances and the truths submerged below.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

Took a while to get into, but glad I stuck with it. "A suspenseful, lyrical account of one man's search for the truth, by the master storyteller whom the Washington Post Book World has called 'a writer of great wisdom and compassion.'" Memorable characters. Mystical realism. Romance and mystery in one. Good, but the ending was a bit flat and anticlimactic. 

My Current Thoughts:

I have a vague memory of reading this book and not really enjoying it very well. I also didn't bother to watch the movie, which is based on the novel. It's been a long time since I've read anything by Hoffman, and I was surprised to see that she has written over two dozen novels. I keep meaning to try The Dovekeepers.

Looking Back - 24 Hours

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

24 Hours by Greg Iles

Fiction

2000 Putnam Adult

Read in February 2001

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

24 HOURS --- that's how long it takes a madman to pull off the perfect crime. He's done it before, he'll do it again, and no one can stop him.

But this time, he's just picked the wrong family to terrorize. Because Will and Karen Jennings aren't going to watch helplessly as he victimizes them. And they aren't going to let him get away with it.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

I think I read this in 24 hours! Even stayed up reading until after 1 am. Very good, suspenseful thriller. Would make a great movie. Brilliant kidnapping scenarios involving doctors and their families. Believable characters. Terrific pace. Big screen written all over it with maybe Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer? I'm ready to read more by Greg Iles!

My Current Thoughts:

Funny that I predicted this would make for a good movie and it wound up being a blockbuster TV series. I watched one season of the show and thought it was really good. I don't know if I've read anything else by Iles, but maybe I should.

Looking Back - A Yellow Raft in Blue Water (re-read)

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris

Fiction

1987 Warner Books

Read in February 2001

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Michael Dorris has crafted a fierce saga of three generations of Indian women, beset by hardships and torn by angry secrets, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of kinship. Starting in the present day and moving backward, the novel is told in the voices of the three women: fifteen-year-old part-black Rayona; her American Indian mother, Christine, consumed by tenderness and resentment toward those she loves; and the fierce and mysterious Ida, mother and grandmother whose haunting secrets, betrayals, and dreams echo through the years, braiding together the strands of the shared past.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

My second reading of this wonderful book. Just as good as the first time. It had been four years, so I had forgotten a lot of the details. Three generations with secrets and misunderstandings.

My Thoughts in 1998:

Fantastic novel! I loved it and really didn't want it to end. I even put off reading the last chapter, saving it to be read in bed. [No distractions or interruptions.] Ida, Christine and Rayona became my friends and I didn't want them to leave! Beautifully written. Michael Dorris captured the voices of these three women, narrating their thoughts and emotions with superb realism - more so than Wally Lamb did [with his female character] in She's Come Undone. This one did move me to tears. What a shame this talented writer is no longer living. A saga of three generations. Hardship. Angry secrets. Kinship.

My Current Thoughts:

I wonder why I reread this book so soon after the first reading. I rarely reread books and when I do, it's many years after the initial reading. I enjoyed this book both times I read it, but twice is enough.

Looking Back - Wish You Well

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Wish You Well by David Baldacci

Fiction

2000 Warner Books, Inc. 

Read in February 2001

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

David Baldacci has always delivered great stories, authentic characters, and thought-provoking ideas since he burst on the literary scene with Absolute Power. Now this versatile writer movingly evokes the charms of rural America as he makes us believe in the great and little miracles that can change lives—or save them. 

Precocious twelve-year-old Louisa Mae Cardinal lives in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her family. Then tragedy strikes—and Lou and her younger brother, Oz, must go with their invalid mother to live on their great-grandmother's farm in the Virginia mountains. Suddenly Lou finds herself coming of age in a new landscape, making her first true friend, and experiencing adventures tragic, comic, and audacious. But the forces of greed and justice are about to clash over her new home…and as their struggle is played out in a crowded Virginia courtroom, it will determine the future of two children, an entire town, and the mountains they love.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

Wonderful story and characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. Coming-of-age story. Touching passages. Humor. Unforgettable characters (Eugene, Cotton, Longfellow, Diamond, Oz, Lou and Louise). A real page-turner, yet more literary than Baldacci's previous works. Unpredictable.

My Current Thoughts:

I've only read a couple of books by David Baldacci, but I remember how much I enjoyed this stand-alone novel. At the time, it was quite a departure from his early thrillers (Total Control, Absolute Power, etc.). Might be fun to read it again.

Looking Back - All the Pretty Horses

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

Border Trilogy #1

Fiction

1992 Vintage International

Read in February 2001

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

The national bestseller and the first volume in Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy, All the Pretty Horses is the tale of John Grady Cole, who at sixteen finds himself at the end of a long line of Texas ranchers, cut off from the only life he has ever imagined for himself. With two companions, he sets off for Mexico on a sometimes idyllic, sometimes comic journey to a place where dreams are paid for in blood. Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

Wonderful story! Engrossing. Beautiful passages. I never thought I'd enjoy a western so much, but I did and now I want to read the other books in this trilogy. The only negative comment I have is my frustration with the large amount of untranslated dialogue. I relied on my Spanish dictionary throughout the entire novel. 

A story filled with horses, cowboys, gunplay and romance. 

My Current Thoughts:

I remember how surprised I was that I enjoyed this novel as much as I did. I never did get around to reading the other books in the trilogy, but I still have my copy of this book so maybe I'll read all three back-to-back. The only other western that I've read is Whiskey When We're Dry, which I also loved. And, yes, I still have Lonesome Dove on my TBR list... 

Looking Back - West With the Night

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

Nonfiction

1983 North Point Press (first published in 1942)

Finished on February 21, 2001

Rating: 2/5 (Fair)

Publisher's Blurb:

The classic memoir of Africa, aviation, and adventure—the inspiration for Paula McLain’s Circling the Sun and “a bloody wonderful book” (Ernest Hemingway).

Beryl Markham’s life story is a true epic. Not only did she set records and break barriers as a pilot, she shattered societal expectations, threw herself into torrid love affairs, survived desperate crash landings—and chronicled everything. A contemporary of Karen Blixen (better known as Isak Dinesen, the author of Out of Africa), Markham left an enduring memoir that soars with astounding candor and shimmering insights.

A rebel from a young age, the British-born Markham was raised in Kenya’s unforgiving farmlands. She trained as a bush pilot at a time when most Africans had never seen a plane. In 1936, she accepted the ultimate challenge: to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west, a feat that fellow female aviator Amelia Earhart had completed in reverse just a few years before. Markham’s successes and her failures—and her deep, lifelong love of the “soul of Africa”—are all told here with wrenching honesty and agile wit.

Hailed as “one of the greatest adventure books of all time” by Newsweek and “the sort of book that makes you think human beings can do anything” by the New York Times, West with the Night remains a powerful testament to one of the iconic lives of the twentieth century.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

I read this for my book group, and while I'm glad I did, I didn't really enjoy it. I thought a lot of the chapters were dull and wished it had been more about her flight across the Atlantic, rather than so much of her childhood. Some chapters were interesting (hunting, training horses, etc.), but definitely not a page-turner. Could it have really been written by one of her husbands?

My Current Thoughts:

I was not aware that Paula McLain had written a historical novel about Markham. I'll have to give Circling the Sun a try. Maybe I'll enjoy it more than Markham's memoir.

Looking Back - Julie and Romeo

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray

Fiction

2000 Harmony Books

Finished on January 27, 2001

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A deliciously funny and wickedly sexy novel of love found (finally!) and love threatened (inevitably) by the families who claim to love us best. Romeo Cacciamani and Julie Roseman are rival florists in Boston, whose families have hated each other for as long as anyone can remember (what they can't remember is why). When these two vital, lonely people see each other across a crowded lobby at a small business owners' seminar, an intense attraction blooms that neither tries to squelch. They're not sure what fate has in store for them, but they're not about to let something as silly as a generations-long feud stand in the way of finding out. That is, not until Romeo's octogenarian mother, Julie's meddling ex-husband, and a cast of grown Cacciamani and Roseman children begin to intervene with a passionate hatred that matches their newly found love, stroke for stroke. Think Montagues and Capulets, think wise and witty and thoroughly modern. Julie and Romeo is a love story for the ages.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

A cute, sweet story about love between two 60-year-olds. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with a modern twist. Rival florists and feuding families. Refreshing. A page-turner. Read it in two days.

My Current Thoughts:

I remember how much I enjoyed this novel, which I've read a couple of times. I went on to read a few others books by Jeanne Ray (mother of Anne Patchett, btw) and may go back and reread all of them. They're quick, light, and as I remember pretty funny, too.

Looking Back - A Good House

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

A Good House by Bonnie Burnard

Fiction

1999 Henry Holt

Finished on January 25, 2001

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

In Canadian short-story writer Bonnie Burnard's deeply moving novel, we meet the Chambers family: Bill and Sylvia and their three children, an ordinary family from Ontario. Beginning in 1949, we follow the Chambers for the next fifty years through the many joys and disappointments of their lives: a childhood accident, a tragic illness ending in death, and a remarriage for Bill. Some of the children choose a traditional route, marrying and having children of their own. One forges her own very new path. The clan expands and changes; marriages fail and careers bloom. But despite the heart-aches and difficulties each member of the family faces, there is never a lack of love to be found. With writing so clear and crisp it rings with honesty and grace, Burnard's characters work their way under your skin and into your heart. An auspicious debut. 

This extraordinarily moving and beautifully crafted first novel was a number one bestseller in Canada where it won one of the country's most prestigious literary awards, the Giller Prize, in 1999.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

Post WWII saga spanning almost 50 years. The first few chapters reminded me of the TV show "Father Knows Best" or the movie "Pleasantville," yet as the story progressed, pain and suffering surface in all of the characters' lives. Realistic family dramas. Many events shocked me - not a predictable novel by any means. Very matter-of-fact writing style. 3rd person POV, which kept me at a distance as a reader. Page turner, yet not action-packed. Lots of characters coming and going.

My Current Thoughts:

I have no memory of this book.

Looking Back - Love Medicine

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

Fiction

2001 Harper Perennial (first published in 1984)

Read in January 2001

Rating: 1/5 (Meh)

Publisher's Blurb:

The first book in Louise Erdrich's highly acclaimed "Native American" trilogy that includes "The Beet Queen," "Tracks," and "The Bingo Palace," re-sequenced and expanded to include never-before-published chapters.

Set on and around a North Dakota Ojibwe reservation, Love Medicine is the epic story about the intertwined fates of two families: the Kashpaws and the Lamartines.

With astonishing virtuosity, each chapter draws on a range of voices to limn its tales. Black humor mingles with magic, injustice bleeds into betrayal, and through it all, bonds of love and family marry the elements into a tightly woven whole that pulses with the drama of life.

Filled with humor, magic, injustice and betrayal, Erdrich blends family love and loyalty in a stunning work of dramatic fiction.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

If it weren't for a book club selection, I never would have finished this book. I thought it was terribly confusing (even with family trees - my own attempt) and dull! I felt no connection to any of the characters.

My Current Thoughts:

I know Erdrich is a beloved author of many readers, and I have a couple of her more recent novels in my TBR stacks, but this one was a big miss. Maybe I'll give a second read sometime after reading some of her other books, but it was not a good introduction to her writing. 

Looking Back - Welcome to the Great Mysterious

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Welcome to the Great Mysterious by Lorna Landvik

Fiction

2000 Ballantine Books

Read in January 2001

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Megastar of stage, screen, and television, Geneva Jordan now has a command performance in Minnesota, where she agrees to look after her thirteen-year-old nephew, a boy with Down’s syndrome, while his parents take a long-overdue vacation. Though Geneva and her sister, Ann, are as different as night and day (“I being night, of course, dark and dramatic”), Geneva remembers she had a family before she had a star on her door. But so accustomed is she to playing the lead, finding herself a supporting actress in someone else’s life is strange and unexplored territory. Then the discovery of an old scrapbook that she and her sister created long ago starts her thinking of things beyond fame. For The Great Mysterious is a collection of thoughts and feelings dedicated to answering life’s big questions—far outside the spotlight’s glow. . . .

My Original Thoughts (2001):

While it was an enjoyable and quick read, I was disappointed in Landvik's latest novel. It read like a Sidney Sheldon or Danielle Steel book with all the sappy scenes you'd expect from those authors, but not Landvik. It could have been much better, I think. Too cliched and predictable. Obviously life-changing moments occur, including the requisite romance. It wasn't a bad book; just not the caliber I've come to expect of this author. 

I did like the idea of The Great Mysterious scrapbook. Very creative idea and thought-provoking.

My Current Thoughts:

Not surprisingly, I don't remember this book or anything about the scrapbook.