Blog Tour Review: The Anti-Romantic Child

Title: The Anti-Romantic Child
Author: Priscilla Gilman
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Format: Review copy from publisher


As a parent, I enjoy reading stories from other parents about what it is like to naviagte the world of  parenting. I tend to lean more towards the serious, heartwarming type rather than the " I need a drink before noon" type simply because I prefer the honesty over humor. Don't get me wrong, I OFTEN joke and kid about how I could easily start drinking at 7am on any given day but in reality, that doesn't help me get through the day. I like to know the ins and outs, the struggles, the reflections, the joys and the concerns of real every day parenting. This book had that for me.

Gilman was raised in a very smart, percocious, literary world and grew to be a lover of the written word, most notably romantic poetry. She was looking forward to sharing this love with her own children and creating that idyllic childhood world she had. But her first born son is diagnosed with the developmental disorder, Hyperlexia and she is faced with the challenges of supporting his needs.

From Wikipedia:
Hyperlexia was initially identified by Silberg and Silberg (1967), who defined it as the precocious ability to read words without prior training in learning to read typically before the age of 5. They indicated that children with hyperlexia have a significantly higher word decoding ability than their reading comprehension levels.

As a lover of language and books, Gilman found it hard to recognize a problem with her son because he exhibited such "smart" tendencies. As time went on, however, other issues came to light and she made those tough decisions to get as much help as she could to make him as successful as he could be.

I loved everything about this book. I loved the relationship between mother and son. I loved the son and everything he could do and how he communicated. As a mother of a son who has some "needs" that could be considered special, I found the whole story heartwarming. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it was a struggle at times to figure out the best course of action. Yes, it put a strain on the marriage. But overall, any parent goes through ups and downs and reading stories like this that display a family that may have a few more struggles, makes you learn and hope for the best for them and for your own family. 

Nobody has it easy. All you can do is love the child and the family you have and support them and advocate for them as long as you breathe! Gilman did just that and I applaud her for that. And what a strong bond she has with her son. Amazing!

Rating:
Recommend
Parents, especially should read this, whether you have children with special needs or not. It is a testament of the true love between parent and child. 

Book Club Pick?
I think it would appeal to folks who are parents more than those who are not but it is a wonderfully written book overall, with many quotes of romantic poetry as well.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour. Click on the link for the other stops.

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller (GUEST REVIEW) BLOG TOUR

Title: Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness

Author: Alexandra Fuller

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Penguin

Format: Review copy for TLC Book Tours

I don't think there is a bookseller from the past decade that hasn't heard of Alexandra Fuller's first memoir, Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight. It was one of those sleeper hit sellers that catches us bookselling folks by surprise. No one ever knew what the correct title was and continued to screw it up for years to come. But it sold like hotcakes, to lovers of memoirs, literary fiction and to a whole host of book clubs. Her newest memoir has another uniquely fumbled upon title which, if backed by another well told story, should cement it in readers minds again.

Here is a description from Goodreads:

In this sequel to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller returns to Africa and the story of her unforgettable family.

In Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness Alexandra Fuller braids a multilayered narrative around the perfectly lit, Happy Valley-era Africa of her mother's childhood; the boiled cabbage grimness of her father's English childhood; and the darker, civil war- torn Africa of her own childhood. At its heart, this is the story of Fuller's mother, Nicola. Born on the Scottish Isle of Skye and raised in Kenya, Nicola holds dear the kinds of values most likely to get you hurt or killed in Africa: loyalty to blood, passion for land, and a holy belief in the restorative power of all animals. Fuller interviewed her mother at length and has captured her inimitable voice with remarkable precision. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is as funny, terrifying, exotic, and unselfconscious as Nicola herself.

We see Nicola and Tim Fuller in their lavender-colored honeymoon period, when east Africa lies before them with all the promise of its liquid equatorial light, even as the British empire in which they both believe wanes. But in short order, an accumulation of mishaps and tragedies bump up against history until the couple finds themselves in a world they hardly recognize. We follow the Fullers as they hopscotch the continent, running from war and unspeakable heartbreak, from Kenya to Rhodesia to Zambia, even returning to England briefly. But just when it seems that Nicola has been broken entirely by Africa, it is the African earth itself that revives her.

A story of survival and madness, love and war, loyalty and forgiveness,Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is an intimate exploration of the author's family. In the end we find Nicola and Tim at a coffee table under their Tree of Forgetfulness on the banana and fish farm where they plan to spend their final days. In local custom, the Tree of Forgetfulness is where villagers meet to resolve disputes and it is here that the Fullers at last find an African kind of peace. Following the ghosts and dreams of memory, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is Alexandra Fuller at her very best.

So, I don't plan on having Guest Reviewers be too frequent on my blog but with my reading being a bit behind and having an interested party, I let my husband have a go at this one first. He was looking for something new and had some down time to fill during his lunch breaks. He is such an insightful reader, I thought this would be a good pick for him.

Here are his thoughts:

Having never read anything about colonial Africa, this book was eye-opening in that it tells the story of day to day life as colored by the recollections of the author's mother "Nicola Fuller of Central Africa"; meaning that the facts are often overshadowed by the stories accompanying. A recurring theme is the mother's near constant reference to "that awful book"(Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight) as a travesty for lacking the glorification she had always assumed book writing entailed. This bittersweet yet humorous tale of family in the face of adversity is refreshing; as many books have been written on the subject, few happen in Kenya, South Africa, Zambia or Zimbabwe. I enjoyed the narrative as being genuine, and representative of an honest memoir. I thought this book was a fun read, despite some of the harsh realities present. A great study of British occupied Africa before Zimbabwean independence, through the eyes of a daughter of one such settler. I would recommend this for any student of African History, or any reader interested in this era of History.

Once again, thank you Sean for your thoughtful review. When the copy of this book finally falls in my lap, I look forward to discussing it further with him.

Here are the other stops on the tour:

Tuesday, August 16th: Jenn’s Bookshelves

Wednesday, August 17th: Luxury Reading

Thursday, August 18th: StephTheBookworm

Monday, August 22nd: Rundpinne

Tuesday, August 23rd: Lit and Life

Wednesday, August 24th: Jenny Loves to Read

Thursday, August 25th: Silver’s Reviews

Friday, August 26th: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

Monday, August 29th: An English Major’s Junk Food

Tuesday, August 30th: Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, August 31st: BookNAround

Author Website:

Alexandra Fuller was born in England in 1969. In 1972, she moved with her family to a farm in southern Africa. She lived in Africa until her midtwenties. In 1994, she moved to Wyoming with her husband. They have three children.

Visit Alexandra at her website.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Case for the Only Child by Susan Newman, Ph.D (review #125)

The Case for the Only Child by Susan Newman, Ph D.

Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.

Genre: Parenting/Nonficiton

Format: Review Copy

TLC Book Tours

This book came at the exact right time for me as a mother. I'm not always in to sitting down and reading a ton of parenting type books but I do browse heavily and scan chapters that interest me. I tend to get stuck in this section of any bookstore.

It's my mom sense kicking in. Am I doing everything right? Is he developing?

Am I feeding him okay? What do I do about _?

The list goes on and on.

Our son is 3 and the last six months we have decided to try for a second. When this book came up to review, however, I knew it would be the exact right fit. I still debate within myself about if it's okay that he might be an only child. Would he be lonely? Spoiled? Etc...

The author discusses all these fears and more in this simple, to the point read on the myths of the only child. She shares stories of her own and stories of others who have struggled over the question of "What is the "right" size for my family?"

She starts with the family trends and how they have changed in the last 20 years to the still present pressure from society to produce more children. Debunking some myths about how "singletons" grow up to be spoiled and socially awkward, she also discusses the financial impact of a larger family today and how it just isn't always the smartest decision to multiply.

I identified with the "Tick-Tock-Your Biological Clock" chapter that discussed the topic of individuals who have children later in life, mid thirties and up. There are those of us who are choosing to have children as older adults and there are others who have a child and try for a second but experience "secondary infertility", the inability (or struggle) to conceive a second child. This, I feel, is where we are at and her take interested me.

The book continues on with a focus on siblings and only children giving their take.

Overall, it was a book that hit home for me and would have a specific audience I think. Susan Newman obviously knew her stuff and her research comes through.

Rating: 4/6

Whether you are a parent of one child or thinking of starting a family, this book lends a lot of insight into the size of families. It may help you in determining how big you want your family to be. And if you are currently struggling with the 'Oh no, I need to give my child a sibling" dilemma, this book will help you calm some of that anxiety.

Ultimately, you create the family you have and make it what it is. That is what you have to remember. You can love your only child and give him or her everything they need. You are your family. Make it your own and love it!

Author Blog:

Susan Newman

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to be on this tour.

Thursday, June 9th: Life in Review

Monday, June 13th: Redheaded Book Child

Thursday, June 16th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Monday, June 20th: Life is Short. Read Fast

Tuesday, June 21st: I’m Booking It

Monday, June 27th: Helen’s Book Blog

Tuesday, June 28th: Girls Gone Reading

Thursday, June 30th: Stacy’s Books

Tuesday, July 5th: Overstuffed

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Wrecker by Summer Wood (review #120)

Wrecker by Summer Wood

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Genre: Fiction

What an extraordinary novel. I am so glad I signed on to do this tour. Before I go any further here is a description from the TLC Book Tour website.

After foster-parenting four young siblings a decade ago, Summer Wood tried to imagine a place where kids who are left alone or taken from their families would find the love and the family they deserve. For her, fiction was the tool to realize that world, and Wrecker, the central character in her second novel, is the abandoned child for whom life turns around in most unexpected ways. It’s June of 1965 when Wrecker enters the world. The war is raging in Vietnam, San Francisco is tripping toward flower power, and Lisa Fay, Wrecker’s birth mother, is knocked nearly sideways by life as a single parent in a city she can barely manage to navigate on her own. Three years later, she’s in prison, and Wrecker is left to bounce around in the system before he’s shipped off to live with distant relatives in the wilds of Humboldt County, California. When he arrives he’s scared and angry, exploding at the least thing, and quick to flee. Wrecker is the story of this boy and the motley group of isolated eccentrics who come together to raise him and become a family along the way.

This book had a feel to it that everything and nothing happened at the same time. Even though it spanned over 15 years, there was such a simplicity to the way the story was written. It wasn't a traumatic event one after the other, it just seemed that it was life; Wrecker's life. You take it. You leave it. You move on. Each character was touched on a bit and each got their moment in the sun, so to speak. I felt for each of them; Ruth's quirkiness, Melody's need for love, Willow's distance, Johnny's activism and Len's sorrow.

Their link was their love for Wrecker.

I especially felt for Wrecker. I just adored this character from the tough little 3 year old he starts out as to a smart, matter-of-fact, kind adult.

As a mother, this hit home. Summer Wood portrayed a unique blend of family. She carved out her own definition. I liked that Wrecker's biological mother, while in prison, was still very much his mother and not portrayed as a dead beat. She was a young woman who made a mistake and paid for it for 15 years away from her son.

They each cared for Wrecker in their own way and always knew the day would come when his mother would find him. The ending is quite simply life, as it happens; knowing, bittersweet and uneventful.

Review: 6/6

I highly recommend this book. It may not be for everyone but it hit home for me being a mother and putting such importance on family and caring for my child. It was a unique tale filled with a cast of eccentric yet heartwarming characters. It reads quick and when finished I was left a little sad that their story had ended. Summer Wood is a fresh voice in fiction and one I would read again.

Book Club Pick?

Yes. I think the core message here is that you create your own definition of family. That alone would get MY book club buzzing!

Don't miss the other stops on the tour:

Monday, April 18th: Scraps of Life

Tuesday, April 19th: Musings of an All Purpose Monkey

Thursday, April 21st: Book Club Classics!

Friday, April 22nd: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books

Monday, April 25th: In the Next Room

Tuesday, April 26th: Life in Review

Wednesday, April 27th: Boarding in my Forties

Thursday, April 28th: Red Headed Book Child

Monday, May 2nd: Joyfully Retired

Thursday, May 5th: Rundpinne

Monday, May 9th: Caribousmom

Tuesday, May 10th: Amused by Books

Wednesday, May 11th: I’m Booking It

Author Website:

Summer Wood writes

The publisher has been kind enough to give away one copy of Wrecker to one of my readers. Please leave an email address and reside in the United States please.

Giveaway ends May 5.

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer (review #118)

The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer

I became intrigued with this particular title because I have always wanted to read one of her earlier novels called, The Ten Year Nap. I could tell from the subject matter of that book and this that she was a smart woman with a lot on her mind.

I can safely say this novel was nothing like I have ever read before.

Here is a brief description from the TLC Book Tour website.

When the elliptical new drama teacher at Stellar Plains High School chooses for the school play Lysistrata—the comedy by Aristophanes in which women stop having sex with men in order to end a war—a strange spell seems to be cast over the school. Or, at least, over the women. One by one throughout the high school community, perfectly healthy, normal women and teenage girls turn away from their husbands and boyfriends in the bedroom, for reasons they don’t really understand. As the women worry over their loss of passion, and the men become by turns unhappy, offended, and above all, confused, both sides are forced to look at their shared history, and at their sexual selves in a new light.

As she did to such acclaim with the New York Times bestseller The Ten-Year Nap, Wolitzer tackles an issue that has deep ramifications for women’s lives, in a way that makes it funny, riveting, and totally fresh—allowing us to see our own lives through her insightful lens.

I didn't feel a lot of emotion throughout this book. The beginning was a bit hard to get into because I couldn't quite get the mood or the flow. It was a bit difficult to figure out where it was going. It starts out with the story of Dory and Robbie Lang, a married couple and both teachers at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Smart, fun, well liked and the first to be hit by the spell...the sexless spell, that is. Their part was okay to read. I didn't find them overly exciting unfortunately. A little too bland in their perfection.

I started to get into it when it hopped to the next person the spell took over. Leanne Bannergee, the school psychologist. She was a bit more fun to read about. She was single, fun, and attracted to many men.

The spell eventually hits several other women in this small community, including Willa, the Langs' daughter and Marissa, the lead actress in the play that causes it all.

Lysistrata- the Aristophanes comedy where women stop having sex with men in order

to stop war.

The idea behind this book is quite brilliant. The affects of not having sex really impacted the lives of these people. In some ways it seemed silly but then in others it seemed quite realistic. I had the chuckle because at this time in my life, we are trying to have a second child so a spell like this would just...let's say, screw up the mojo.

It had a charm to it that peaked my curiousity in the characters, even eventually Robbie and Dory. Like I said before, it wasn't an emotional book for me. I didn't grow to care for the characters as much as I simply wanted to know how it would play out for them all.

Rating: 4 /6

It was cleverly written and once I figured out the writing style and the flow, I was able to read it pretty quickly. It was unique and probably not the book I would recommend reading first as an introduction to her. It has that magical realism quality to it and that might not be for some.

Overall, Wolitzer is a talented writer and worthy of a recommend.

Thank you to TLC BOOK TOURS for allowing me to be a host.

Here are the other stops on the tour.

Friday, April 1st: The Literate Housewife Review

Monday, April 4th: In the Next Room

Tuesday, April 5th: I’m Booking It

Wednesday, April 6th: The 3 R’s Blog

Thursday, April 7th: A Musing Reviews

Friday, April 8th: Chick Lit Reviews

Monday, April 11th: Red Headed Book Child

Tuesday, April 12th: Regular Rumination

Wednesday, April 13th: Lit and Life

Thursday, April 14th: Bewitched Bookworms

Monday, April 18th: Rundpinne

Tuesdasy, April 19th: Nomad Reader

Wednesday, April 20th: Peeking Between the Pages

Thursday, April 21st: Acting Balanced

Monday, April 25th: Everyday I Write the Book

Tuesday, April 26th: Book Vixen

Wednesday, April 27th: Debbie’s Book Bag

Author Info:

Meg Wolitzer is the author of eight previous novels, including The Ten-Year Nap, The Position, and The Wife. Her short fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and The Pushcart Prize. She lives in New York City.

Connect with Meg on her Facebook page.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Raising by Laura Kasischke (review #114)

The Raising

by Laura Kasischke

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Genre: Literary Thriller

Price: $14.99

Available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon, or Shop Indie

This book was a no brainer for me to sign up as a reviewer. From the brief description of it on TLC Book Tour website, I knew it would be right up my alley.

It takes place mostly on the campus of a prestigious university and even more so at the Godwins Honor Hall. Perry and Nicole are both from the same small town of Bad Axe and they both came to this university as two of the brightest students. Both extremely different yet connected by that link, they develop a friendship during their freshman year as study buddies. Craig is Perry's roommate and far from the ideal student. He gets in on a favor of his fathers who happens to know the Dean. Smart, yet unmotivated, Craig sails through his days mostly smoking pot with another slacker named Lucas.

The friends lives are forever changed when Craig begins dating Nicole and not long into their relationship, an accident occurs. Nicole dies and everyone blames Craig. But the details do not match up and that is where the rest of the cast of characters enter the picture.

Shelly, an older woman who works at the campus Chamber Music Society, was the first witness to the accident. Though she gives her exact telling of the accident, the paper nor the college take the correct information down. After several attempts to correct their mistakes, Shelly begins to see that something is trying to be covered up.

Mira is a professor of Death Studies on campus and gets approached by Perry to learn more about the what happens to us when we die. Turns out he keeps seeing Nicole around campus and Perry is convinced she is not dead.

And then there is Josie (by far, the character I hated the most), Nicole's roommate and sorority sister at Omega Theta Tau. Flighty, self absorbed and totally manipulative, she uses her position as a work study student with Shelly to further cover up the "death" of Nicole.

It's impossible to sum up this book. So much happens and it weaves back and forth in time every few pages. There has been some comparison to The Secret History by Donna Tartt and though I read that book over a decade ago, I would agree to an extent. They are both very complicated, involved thrillers surrounding a bunch of students at a upper crust college. But really I think that's where the similarity ends.

This novel was almost 100 pages too long. I really enjoyed it and kept going back to it excitedly at every chance I could but the going back and forth in time made it a bit lengthy. I appreciate the fact that the author wanted to really give depth to many of the characters but some of the story didn't need to be told for the sake of the greater story.

I was chopping at the bit to figure out what really happened. I knew all along that Nicole was not all she was supposed to be. She is described as being such a virginal beauty, great at school and a kind soul and perfect all around. Bleh! I knew something was up. At the same time, I knew that Craig wasn't the screw up he was portrayed to be either. As he grew more in love with Nicole, his softer and fragile side came out.

The ending was a bit abrupt for me. I won't give any spoilers but it was summed up as a flashback almost. The last part was written so many years later. It did get summed up but I had to adjust to the changes in the characters that I had been reading so closely about and get used to them as older adults.

Rating: 5/6

Overall, I felt is was a very well written literary thriller. It was not a light read. It was almost too heavy at times with the sadness of Craig, the secrets of Nicole, the bitchiness of Josie, and the doom and gloom of the other characters, especially Mira. Mira, though very educated on her subject as a professor, lives a very dysfunctional life with her husband Clark and her two toddler sons. You get to go along with that at the same time she is helping Perry in his research about the dead.

With that, I still recommend this to serious fiction fans along with those who like a layered mystery. It is a bit hefty in size, roughly 460 pages. Because of the detail to the story, it wasn't a skimmer. You had to pay attention to the flow of time and how the story meanders.

Book Club Pick?

For my club, I think it would be a bit dark but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be a good pick for others. Being that it takes place on a campus, discussion topics can include academia, hazing, pressure, etc. With Mira's studies of the dead, there is quite a bit of history of ghosts and sightings and superstitions. If you are prepared for some heavier conversation, then it would be a good pick for you.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for letting me be a part of this tour.

Wednesday, March 16th: Books Like Breathing

Thursday, March 17th: Life in the Thumb

Wednesday, March 23rd: In the Next Room

Thursday, March 24th: Life In Review

Friday, March 25th: Book Club Classics!

Wednesday, March 30th: Amusing Reviews

Tuesday, April 5th: Jenn’s Bookshelves

Wednesday, April 6th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Thursday, April 7th: Wordsmithonia

Friday, April 8th: Proud Book Nerd

Author Info:

Laura Kasischke teaches in the University of Michigan MFA program and the Residential College. She has published seven collections of poetry and seven novels including In A Perfect World. She lives with her family in Chelsea, Michigan.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Half in Love by Linda Gray Sexton (review #112)

Half in Love (Surviving the legacy of suicide) by Linda Gray Sexton

Genre: Memoir

Publisher:

Review Copy

* Read for the 2011 Memorable Memoir Reading Challenge

I've recently discussed the difficulty in reviewing memoirs with a few other bloggers. Some are hesitant with reviewing them because they feel they don't want to "review" someone else's life. My opinion is you don't review or analyze the book itself, you simply discuss how their life and story affected you. You don't judge, you don't criticize.

When you get a powerful memoir like Half in Love, you walk away extremely affected.

I have to say honestly I need to take a break for atleast a few months from books involving mothers, daughters, depression and suicide. I'm spent.

Here is a brief description of Half in Love from TLC Book Tours website.

Despite experiencing the agony of witnessing her mother’s multiple suicide attempts, the last of which was successful, Linda Gray Sexton found herself gripped by the same strong tentacles of mental anguish. Falling into the familiar grooves of her mother’s relentless depression, Sexton tries once, twice, three times to kill herself—even though she is a daughter, sister, wife, and most importantly, a mother.

Sexton unsparingly describes her struggle to escape the magnetism of her mother and the undertow of depression that engulfed her life. Her powerful prose drags readers into her imperviously dark mental state. It conveys her urgent need to alleviate the internal pain, a need that becomes compulsive and considers no one.

But unlike her mother, hers is a story of triumph. Through the help of family, therapy, and medicine, Sexton confronted deep-seated issues, outlived her mother, and curbed the haunting cycle of suicide she once seemed destined to inherit.

I had never read any poetry by Anne Sexton or knew much about her life and death. It was eye opening to read about her own mental anguish and depression combined with the genius of her literary life. How does depression and madness affect your family? Obviously for Linda Gray Sexton it was her whole life. From her early memories of admiring and wanting to be it all for her mother to her own issues with overcoming depression.

Though incredibly raw and vivid and undeniably hard to read at times, Linda's memoir flowed very beautifully in its heartbreak and madness. She managed to be brutally honest without it sounding forced. It was as if she came to a place in her life where it was time to let it all out, no holds barred.

The memoir is broken up into parts, starting with a lot of her childhood back and forth and surviving her mother's suicide and forging on with her young adult life. Then it progresses into her own adulthood; marrying her husband, having her two children, starting her writing career as a novelist. The middle parts of heavy on her depression and her own suicide attempts and then the eventual demise of her first marriage. It does not wrap with happy endings but it does end up with hope, which in turn is that title of the last chapter. New marriage, better awareness of her demons,and optimism for the future.

The parts that struck me the most were during her early years in her first marriage to Jim. The affects of having children and the emotional roller coaster that comes with it. I certainly identified with that. Her desire was to be a good mom but she still had the impact of her own mother hanging over her.

Rating: 4/6

It was a well written, honest memoir of her life. It was intense, brutal and sad. If you are not in the mood for a heavy book, this would not be for you. But those of us who have suffered from depression in any way shape or form could certainly identify and learn from her journey.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour. Click to find out more about the author and the remaining stops along the tour.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child