4.5 stars. Holding back a star because I wanted it to go on. Perhaps a sequel might be in the making to follow these characters further. I have read a4.5 stars. Holding back a star because I wanted it to go on. Perhaps a sequel might be in the making to follow these characters further. I have read all of Allen's books and they have been hit or miss with me, but this was definitely a winner! It was heartwarming and I wanted to live at the Dellawisps condos. It was like peeking into a secret garden full of possibilities, magic and the most interesting little birds. I wrote this quote down but now don't remember if it was from a book blurb or in the novel. Between the real and the imaginary there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary way. Although overall it was all quite charming, the underpinning of the story had to do with the 5 disparate residents and the manager. The residents all carried secrets and emotional scars that kept them from living their lives fully. The wounds from their feelings of loss and abandonment made it difficult for them to navigate adult lives and connect with others. In the midst of those living close together but disconnected, comes Zoey. Zoey is also seeking connection, a connection to her mother who died when she was quite young but left a condo unit to her. She has moved to Mallow Island, a barrier island on the coast of South Carolina, prior starting college in Charleston. She also carries scars and an "imaginary-type friend" with her but is young and hopeful enough to look to a brighter future. She becomes the catalyst for change among the characters. Frasier, the manager has a unique ability to sense " others". It is something that he has had all his life, feeling those who have just left the earthly world and those who can't seem to let go. Oh, did I mention there are ghosts? Very important and revealing characters. The various secrets are revealed in different ways, some are peeled away like the proverbial onion skin throughout the story, others are dropped like a small bomb exploding carefully crafted facades. One or two of the secrets were surprises to me. Ya know, the ones when you say to yourself" well I didn't see that coming!" Magical realism, yes, but also the best kind of finding family where you weren't looking kind of story. If the people around you don't love you just as you are, find new people, they are out there. And the other birds? There are birds and then there are other birds. Maybe they don't sing. Maybe they don't fly. Maybe they don't fit in. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather be an other bird than just the same old thing.
A coming of age story mixed with a small amount of magical realism. It is reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen's lovely books. It took me well over a huA coming of age story mixed with a small amount of magical realism. It is reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen's lovely books. It took me well over a hundred pages to really start getting into this story of Emmeline. In fact I set it aside for a short time after a particular incident that disturbed my sensitive nature regarding animals. It is a story of how scents are connected to memories, but we often miss those scents around us because we are awash in so much sensory stimuli. Emmeline seems to have a special gift for scents and for half her childhood she was raised on an uninhabited island where there was little to inhibit the development of that gift. It is also a story of secrets and how they can hurt us both when kept & revealed.
I didn't melt into this novel like I did with her first book The School of Essential Ingredients, but once I began to really find interest in the story & characters, I liked the substance and how it unfolded....more
My turn on the hotline was fairly quiet and I was able to quickly read this lovely debut (2009) novel of food and relationships. 4 stars for the enjoyMy turn on the hotline was fairly quiet and I was able to quickly read this lovely debut (2009) novel of food and relationships. 4 stars for the enjoyment it brought me. It falls in line with a number of similarly styled novels such as Garden Spells, Water for Chocolate & Chocolat, but without as much magical realism infused throughout. The drop of magic comes from Lillian's uncanny ability to read people and know what kind of food lessons will meet their needs, which also reminded me of the bookseller in The Little Paris Bookshop.
Lillian offers small cooking classes at her restaurant & this offering brings a mix of people who have been motivated to take the class for disparate reasons, as different as the people themselves. After the set-up, each chapter then is about each student and the essential ingredients that make them who they are . At 255pp, the book is not long enough to fully flesh out each character but enough to make you care about them and wish them well.
There is some delicious writing which had me roll the phrases around and savor them just as Lillian wants you to savor the ingredients in cooking. There is definitely a focus on the food and it even tempted this non-cook in considering (fleetingly) making the effort to learn.
If you love food and light easy reading with interesting people this may be the book for you. ...more
I loved this book. One of my comments I made as I got into it was that it was a book that I could sink into and that feeling continued throughout my rI loved this book. One of my comments I made as I got into it was that it was a book that I could sink into and that feeling continued throughout my read. It was a story of substance with a touch of magical realism. The "winds" bring Vianne Rocher & her daughter to a tightknit small French community whose lives revolve around the church. Their insulated lives makes them suspicious of others especially those who did not adhere to the teachings of the church or participate in the services. The story eventually pits the priest against Vianne( the two voices in the novel), not quite "good vs evil" but a tense battle of wills of an intolerant man against a non-judgmental woman who seeks to bring happiness and pleasure through her Chocolaterie to the townspeople. The timing of the opening of her shop during Lent, a time of fasting, and reflection, sets the stage for that battle. There are some stock characters but they fit nicely into the plot and move the story forward. I got invested in the peeling back of their lives. And what about the chocolates? Although chocolate abounds and are delicious in the descriptions making one's mouth water, it really is just the backdrop as the layers of the story unfold. Vianne's philosophy could probably be summed up in the following quote: I believe that being happy is the only important thing. Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive. Hmm I think the Dalai Lama would approve!...more
New author for me and my book club's NOV selection. I'm not sure how to review this book. I have liked other books in the magical realism genre, althoNew author for me and my book club's NOV selection. I'm not sure how to review this book. I have liked other books in the magical realism genre, although this had more of a fantasy feel to it. This is definitely a work in progress! I did enjoy it, but many times I felt lost in what was really happening. I was unsatisfied when this novella was over. I needed more. I needed explaining. I suppose that is the difference from myself as an analytical adult and the children in general having much more imagination! I mean really, a pond is an ocean? And was this a dream? "Nobody actually looks like what they really are inside." At it's core, it was good versus evil, friendship & sacrifice. I really liked the insights into how children explore the world vs adults. And I will join others in highlighting a particular passage: "Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands, perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath rhododendrons, to find the spaces between the fences" I'm sure I'll re-read prior to my book club meeting to ensure I can adequately describe how I feel about the book. Must let it settle in, then determine the number of stars. And although I liked this idea "you don't pass or fail at being a person.." I'm not sure I can hang onto it, when I see the evil in the world today.
I did re-read and let things seep and ended up underlining much more than I had before. I am more satisfied after reading again & realize there was even more packed into this little book than what I had originally thought. So I ended up with 5 stars for this imaginative & provocative book....more
I loved this wonderful mystery and interesting characters! So 4.5 stars for enjoyment. Unique in its setting- 1970's communist Laos and a delightful wI loved this wonderful mystery and interesting characters! So 4.5 stars for enjoyment. Unique in its setting- 1970's communist Laos and a delightful wry & cynical 72 y/o protagonist who has unsettling dreams that become instrumental in his quest for answers when he becomes enmeshed in political intrigue. Dr. Siri Paiboun was ready for retirement when the regime taps this physician as the country's coroner for which he has no background. So it's on the job training while leaning on his nurse and a morgue assistant with Down's Syndrome to help him. After a relatively non-stressful introduction into the job except for a harassing judge, he is pulled into becoming an investigator when a number of cases come into his morgue that don't add up quite right. Not everyone appreciates his investigation and he is not sure who to trust completely. There are quite a few wonderfully drawn characters in the mix. To top it off, the "ghosts" of some of the dead come to Siri in his dreams with oblique messages. His connections with the spirits becomes even more pronounced when he is sent to look into a couple of mysterious deaths of government workers while on a project near a Hmong community. The culture and traditions of the Hmong people are explored a little during this episode.
All in all, a great read for my time waiting in the airports and flying. This series is now high on my radar...more
I really wasn't sure of what category to shelve this book in. It's written for middle grade children, but will touch anyone especially if you have hadI really wasn't sure of what category to shelve this book in. It's written for middle grade children, but will touch anyone especially if you have had to deal with someone who is terminally ill. It has myth, fantasy, & the horror of nightmares interwoven with the contemporary storyline and packs quite an emotional punch in a relatively short novel...with some terrific illustrations to boot!
The main character of the book is the son of a single mom who has cancer. It delves deftly into the emotions of a child grappling with a life-changing disease of the most important person in their life. Superb....more
A lovely story as only Allen can write. As sweet & magical as the candies Claire was making in this novel. All Waverly women have a gift, and 15 y/o BA lovely story as only Allen can write. As sweet & magical as the candies Claire was making in this novel. All Waverly women have a gift, and 15 y/o Bay knows what hers is, but not sure how it fits in to the scheme of things and her inexplicable draw to Josh Matterson. Although the story really revolves around Bay, each of the Waverly women, Claire, Sydney, & Evanelle, are working through issues of their own....more
Not sure what to say about this book, some if it I liked a lot and some not so much. I didn't feel there was total explanation about why Julia's fatheNot sure what to say about this book, some if it I liked a lot and some not so much. I didn't feel there was total explanation about why Julia's father stayed with the family & why he left is apparent at nearly the very end. Set in Burma prior to WWII, at it's core there is a beautiful love story between a blind boy & a girl who can not walk. He is introverted, and very comfortable in his world with his adopted Mother & his mentor in life at the monastery. She embraces life, and becomes his eyes, steering him not only to walk without fear of stumbling, but also opens the "bigger world" of their village to him. He has an extraordinary gift of hearing what others can't, including heartbeats!!! That's why I put this in the magical realism genre. The story unfolds slowly and the narrator lends a fairly tale quality to it. There is some lovely writing throughout. ...more
I gave this five stars because it made me feel good after I was done. So not spectacular writing or a book for the ages just wonderful storytelling. II gave this five stars because it made me feel good after I was done. So not spectacular writing or a book for the ages just wonderful storytelling. I thoroughly enjoy all her books, she delves into relationship issues, difficult childhoods, abuse, rural southern living, dysfunctional families etc, but all wrapped up in cotton candy, quirky characters and a touch of whimsical magic. Lost Lake brought back to me some childhood memories of camping and exploration and slow summer days. Come to Lost Lake, I don't think you will be disappointed.
"When your cup is empty, you do not mourn what is gone. Because if you do, you will miss the opportunity to fill it again."...more