pontalba

Naoko by Keigo Higashino 4/5 "He didn't see it coming. At all." The very first line allows the reader know that even though all seems pretty idyllic, that won't last long. Heisuke and Naoko have a happy marriage, and a beautiful daughter, Monami. Their lives are shattered by a horrific accident that takes the life of one of the two latter ones mentioned. It appears that Monami has survived, she is in a coma and when she awakens, refuses to speak. Therein lies the human mystery. How these two, Heisuke and Monami, deal with their very unusual situation is the heart of the book. Love and sacrifice are explored, thoroughly. I've read two other books by Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X and Salvation of a Saint. This author knows how humans think and operate, and is able to put that knowledge to use on the page. Highly Recommended.

Yup, what she said. ^^^^^^^^^^^ All true.

Thanks to you guys, y'all made it easy! I was so worried that no one would post!! /phew!!/ Ah wuz sweatin' bullets, ah can tell ya!

Just a quickie post to thank everyone that contributed to the thread, y'all did great! I think a collective round of applause for all of the varied and thoughtful, not to mention insightful posts y'all made is in order. :clapping: Also, not to mention that drinks are on the House! It should go without saying (but I'll say it anyhow) that the thread remains open for anyone that didn't get a chance to post, or who might read On the Beach, or see the film at a later time. You can put your two pound, ten tuppence, ha'penny in anytime!

Yup. A few of The Lord John series. They vary in quality, I'd say, but are pretty good. But it's just not the same! Lol No! Order the sequel! LOL

Congratulations on getting the earplugs, Athena! I bet they'll be a big help. Thinking of you at the docs. We missed almost all of the bad weather......only watches, no warnings. Beautiful sunshine today.

Wow. Excellent review, Janet! It is definitely my next read.

Thanks, Gaia. Present day. It was present day for when it was written.........I believe 2011.

Thanks LP, we are under a tornado watch, so not so bad, so far. Lots of clouds and rain and wind though. And!, the electricity hasn't failed yet! Glory be! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda 4/5 Two teenaged girls set out in an inflatable boat off of the New York City, Red Hook shore. One survives, one does not. The effect of this girl's disappearance in the Red Hook area is described by the author, first in a series of third person narratives focused on each protagonist at the time, then in a more general narrative. The narrative seemed a bit choppy in the beginning, but slowly evened out as we learned the who, what, where and part of the why of everyone's situation. Pochoda built the characters realistically, I cared about all of them, and wanted all to succeed in their endeavors. They are a ethnically diverse group, friends of the girls, shopkeepers, and neighborhood people interacting in a very true to life manner. I thought the author described a slice of New York life that is often overlooked in fiction. The book was published by Harper Collins under the Dennis Lehane imprint. Lehane's involvement is really the reason I picked it up in the first place. I was not disappointed. Although I've wavered between a 3.5 star and 4 star review, I used the 4 stars above because giving it only three just didn't seem fair, or give it the credit it certainly deserves. Recommended.

Great reviews, Alexi. You've confirmed my thoughts on Life After Life, I was really on the fence about it, but I don't think I'll pick it up now. An, for me, that's a good thing!

I've started Naoko by Keigo Higashino. I've already read two of his, Salvation of a Saint and The Devotion of Suspect X, both detective stories. This one is different though, not a detective story, and rather.......different I think. Naoko is his first book translated into English.

Very occasionally, and as I recall, it was Amazon Marketplace, not the main store. I always contact the seller through the Amazon system, and have always been satisfied with the results. They've either refunded, or sent out the correct book. Sometimes, they even say to just keep the incorrect book. Recently, I received an incorrect book, contacted the seller and never heard from them. I waited the 3 days suggested by Amazon, and then wrote them again in conjunction with contacting Amazon themselves. Amazon apologized for the seller, and refunded the price of the book and shipping charges. I never, ever heard from the seller. But as Amazon had made it good, I didn't care. But, in the decade plus I've dealt with them, it's only happened a handful of times. And those times, Amazon has been very helpful, and very anxious to make it good.

Great review, Janet! I have 4 or Goddard's books, and really enjoyed them. Unfortunately, not this one! grrrrr! You know what that means. Also, love the pictures, you really take great ones, Janet. Good angles, and very atmospheric.

I love this. It does make me more understanding of Mary. And, really, her positive thinking is the best way to go. It's just that all are not capable of managing to do it! So, kudos to her!

I do believe there would be a lot of that sort of behavior. But. Something just occurred to me with reference to that. I wonder, in this particular case, a case where everyone on earth was doomed.....not just the "weak" and sick ones, but everyone. With no hope of hiding before the radiation sickness took them. Maybe it is possible that if we knew, knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were all doomed, and survival didn't depend on being stronger, faster, meaner than anyone else. I'd hope (possibly unrealistically) that our better natures would take over, at least for the most part. I have to think that is what Shute was trying to impart....because he did mention some crimes, break-ins and drunkenness and the like. But only in passing, acknowledged, but not dwelled upon. When I think of books like The Road by McCarthy............and absolutely shudder. Who would want to survive into that sort of world!? But people do, and do whatever it would take to survive. /shiver/ I liked that book very much btw. But still. Who wants that?

muggle, we're just getting the southern edge of those storms, it was very windy on the Causeway yesterday, with whitecaps. Nuttin' like what the Midwest is going through. I hope you don't receive the brunt of the storms!

Thanks, Alexi. Oh, what a great trip! How long do you plan on staying? Have you been over here before? Ahh, thanks for that Michelle. It's difficult for me to separate prior knowledge from what was actually said or intimidated in the book. I was a young teenager when Kennedy was killed, so it really is part of my fabric.

Amaretto di Saronno on the rocks.

Gaia, Probably not. I wasn't reading with that in mind, but I believe King structures it in a way that tells what really happened. So prior knowledge is not really that necessary. Of course he does take some poetic license with some private conversations. But as far as I know, even those are based on some eyewitness accounts. And, geographically it is correct.

I've finished Stephen King's 11/22/63, really enjoyed it. Review over on my book thread. I think I'm starting Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda. I came across it as it is something Dennis Lehane has as his imprint with Harper Collins. It's the second of such books. Literary mystery. /fingers crossed/

Hey, wanted to let you know I read The Dark Age last night.....thanks for recommending it! He really put across all the emotional turmoil the father went through. I see the author has lots for sale...../sigh/

Hah, what Gabaldon does though is write other books during the interim. She says that she sets up a couple of computers and when writers block hits on one, she just turns to another book. heh She has written a series about the Lord John character in the main series as well, plus a bunch of tangential short stories to do with various characters.

I'm glad you're better.

BB, I've heard of the movie, and knew Costner was in it, but haven't seen it. That didn't keep me from picturing Costner as the character though! 11/22/63 by Stephen King 4.5/5 King is most adept at creating just the right amount of tension in this novel. Not enough to scare the reader silly, but enough to keep the leash on, to draw the reader along willingly, to find out what happens next, or more accurately, 50 years ago. Jake Epping is an English Literature teacher, loves his work, and is divorced in 2011. How he ends up back in 1958 is an interesting story in itself, but what his mission entails could change the world. Will he succeed? And if so, is that a good thing? Will the past allow itself to be changed? Who is the Yellow Card Man and how does he affect the story? There are King's usual tie-ins with at least one of his other books, IT, that lend a creepy ambiance to parts of the book. Not a horror story, but a should have, could have, would have been tale of suspense. And enough murder and mayhem to satisfy any reader of thrillers. Oh, and a love story. Natch.

Devi, hope you are feeling better. It's almost impossible to keep up with everything, I know I'm not able to keep up with all the threads I'd like to.