Pairing Books with Movies: A Week in Winter

A Week in Winter 

by Maeve Binchy 

★★★★ 

I needed a cozy winter read and this hit the spot. The story takes place in Stonybridge, a quiet coastal town in Ireland. We dive right in with the story of Chicky, a young woman who is swept off her feet and follows her love to America. Years later she returns to Stonybridge to turn an old home into a hotel. The house belongs to Miss Queenie, an elderly woman whose two spinster sisters have passed away. Chicky’s story starts the book, but each chapter introduces the reader to a new person’s life.

There’s Rigger, a troubled youth who ends up in Stonybridge to escape his mistakes. He leaves behind his mom, Nuala and his uncle Nasey, and a lot of hard feelings. We meet Winnie and watch as she falls in love but struggles to get along with her boyfriend’s difficult mother. There’s a fussy school principal, an American movie star who needs a rest, two English doctors, a young woman with a talent for seeing the future, and a kitten named Gloria. 

Binchy weaves the stories together in such a beautiful way. She layers one character on top of another, each one adding depth to the novel as a whole. Not every person gets a happy ending, but each story is one that I loved living in for a chapter. 

BOTTOM LINE: By the end of the novel I wanted to call Stone House and book a weeklong stay with Chicky and the gang. It’s heartbreaking that this was the last new Binchy novel I will ever read. I hate that there are no more characters for me to discover but I’m so glad her final work was a perfect example of her ability to create a world that feels both familiar and brand new at the same time. 

Pairing Books with Movies: Binchy's novels are wonderful portraits of life in Ireland. This one brought to mind the movie Waking Ned Devine. Both take a look at small town life and both have a cranky character who puts a damper on the lives of those around her. Both also have the death of an elderly person at the beginning that changes things for everyone around them (Ned Devine and then Miss Queenie's sisters).

Broken Harbor

Broken Harbor

by Tana French
★★★★

The best way I can describe Tana French's novels is that they get under your skin. The worlds she creates seem to give me tunnel vision, the farther I get into the book the more I'm wrapped up in the detectives' lives and their struggle to find the answers to their case.

This is the fourth books in the Dublin Murder Squad series, and features Detective Kennedy, a straight arrow. He's put on a dark case, a home attack that left a father and two kids dead and the mother in critical condition. The plot explores the cracks in our lives that aren't always easily visible to those around us. Kennedy's personal history and his troubled sister cause complications in the case as he tries to teach a new rookie the ropes.

I didn't love Kennedy as a character, but we aren't supposed to. He is rigid, seeing the world in black-and-white, but it's because he needs boundaries and fears what happens to those who spend too close to the edge.

This book follows the case of a murdered family, their history is slowly reveal as the detectives uncover pieces of their lives. One interesting thing about French is that she never feels the need to tie everything up with a nice pretty bow in the end. The murder mystery is always resolved, but issues in the detectives lives, other elements of the case, etc. are often left for the reader to determine.

BOTTOM LINE: Each of the books in the series works completely as a standalone. The Likeness remains my favorite, but every single one of them has deepened my appreciation for the author and heightened my anticipation for her next book. This one was no exception.

I save French's books to enjoy on vacation or times when I know I'll be able to dive into the novel. That's because she's one of my treasured favorite new authors to read and I ration her work. If you love a good mystery, with excellent writing, moody Irish settings and wonderful character doubt, you just have to check her out.

*Read as part of the R.I.P. Challenge hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings.

Mini Reviews: Odd and the Frost Giants, The Subterraneans and The Deportees

Odd and the Frost Giants
by Neil Gaiman
★★★★
 
Odd is a quiet boy living in a village in Norway. He's been through so much but he hasn't quite found his place in the world. When his path crosses with Odin, Loki and Thor he finds his strength.
 
The story delves into issues about growing up, solving problems without using violence and figuring out who you are. Gaiman's adult novel, American Gods, has similar themes on a much more adult level. One line from Odd about the Gods reminded me so much of American Gods...
 
"No. He doesn't learn. None of them do. And they don't change, either. They can't. It's all part of being a God."
 
It's a sweet book and one that I will definitely be sharing with my nephews and nieces. Also, I should mention the beautiful illustrations by Brett Helquist. They add so much to the book!
 
The Subterraneans
by Jack Kerouac
★★★

As I've said in the past, I think there's an ideal time period in which people should read Kerouac to best appreciate him. When you're young and have little to no responsibilities, the author's beautiful words and carefree life are much more appealing. When you are grown up and have a mortgage, etc. it's harder to embrace his drunken nights, callous treatment of women,  and complete disregard of responsibility.

At the same time, even when I'm frustrated by what Kerouac is saying I still admire the way he says it. His writing is like jazz. There's often no discernible pattern and I'm never sure what will happen next, but it's beautiful. He can always see the poetry in the world around him, but he also seemed incapable of overcoming his own failings.
 
"Just to start at he beginning and let the truth seep out, that's what I'll do."

The Deportees and other stories
by Roddy Doyle
★★★

There are eight short stories in this collection from the famed Irish author Roddy Doyle. Each one deals with Irish natives interacting with individuals from other countries that have immigrated to the Emerald Isle. 

There's the slightly creepy tale The Pram, about a nanny who is worried about a haunting. Black Hoodie about racial profiling and young crushes. Another story, Guess Who's Coming for the Dinner, takes us back to the premise of the Spencer Tracy movie of the same name. The Commitments introduces us to Jimmy Rabbitte, a musician hoping to get a band together.

The connecting line throughout the book is the changing face of a country. As Ireland becomes a more diverse  place its citizens must adjust to the new world around them.

BOTTOM LINE: I'm intrigued enough by Doyle's writing that I would like to read one of his better-known novels, but I wasn't overly impressed with this collection.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn
by Colm Toibin
★★★★

Eilis is a young woman living with her mother and sister in Ireland in the 1950s. She moves to New York City to find work and struggles with homesickness. When she leaves her sheltered life in Ireland she’s sweet and young and has never had to truly care for herself. Her older sister Rose has always looked out for her, but once she’s in America she’s forced to grow up.

Yes it’s a coming-of-age tale and it’s an immigrant’s tale, but more than anything it’s Eilis’ tale. The writing is lovely and there are some scenes that I can’t get out of my head, like her tumultuous first ship crossing to America.

It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what makes Toibin’s story so memorable. It’s not filled with melodrama or terrifying twists, it’s just one simple story, but he writes it in such an accessible, lyrical way. He also manages to capture a difficult level of awkwardness in the scenes between Eilis and her mother that anyone who’s once been a teenager would recognize. There’s a palpable sense of indecision and frustration that feels true to life as you near the end. I was left wanting to read more from the talented author.

You’ve Gotta Read This and The Complete Booker both have reviews if you want to hear more.