Book Review: The Horse Whisperer

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(Originally read Sept. 6, 2004)

When my mother returned from the movie theater, raving about what a fabulous film The Horse Whisperer was and how she simply *must* read the book, all I could think was "Robert Redford... yuck!" It's not that Redford is a bad actor, rather that he appears in films that are too touchy-feely for my tastes. So for a long time I associated this book with the movie, assuming I would be no more interested in its story than I would a Redford film.

I was wrong.

This is perhaps one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. Nicholas Evans balances life's extremes perfectly in his less-than-perfect characters, and gives such vivid accounts of America's western frontier that it make me want to saddle up and ride to the other side of the Mississippi.

Young Grace Maclean and her steed, Pilgrim, are involved in an accident that leaves both horse and rider mentally and physically scarred. What follows is the gentle recovery of more than just those immediately involved in the accident -- Grace's parents, Annie and Robert, also undergo a healing process.

But Tom Booker, whose kind understanding of both horses and humans helps to mend the Maclean family's wounded relationships, finds himself in a difficult position. He and Annie are overcome by an undeniable attraction, and though their affair takes away from the healing focus of the story, I think it's appropriate for Evans to show that life goes on despite us and that new scraps and bruises are acquired, even as we lick our wounds.




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Book Review: The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ernest Hemingway was a brilliant shit.

I first encountered his works in college, and though they weren’t my cup of tea, I could appreciate their literary significance. But The Paris Wife is about Hemingway’s life before he became the world-renowned writer whose work is studied by students. It’s a fictional story that follows the true events of his life and tragic marriage to Elizabeth “Hadley” Richardson, Hem's first wife.

Told from Hadley’s perspective, the first part of the story is all about the couple — who they know, where they travel, what they do. I enjoyed Hadley as a narrator through these descriptions. She was steady and honest and so much more practical than the crowd she was running with. It’s perfectly boring, except for the colorful nicknames everyone has and a handful of interesting escapades.

But once they left Spain something happened. The situations Hadley and Ernest found themselves in were more volatile, more stressful, and yet our narrator was hardly emotional. She’d note her difference of opinion with Ernest and move on. No biggie. At first I couldn’t put my finger on this near ambivalence of hers, but once I figured out what was going on with Pauline, it genuinely pissed me off.

That Hadley didn’t cancel her vacation plans when she learned her friend was actively trying to steal her husband was outrageous. Her tolerance of Pauline’s intrusion was unthinkable, but the pseudo-friendship and delusional correspondence that continued was even worse. Hadley seemed to shrink into herself, and even after her accounts of the love triangles and destroyed relationships around her, she continued to tolerate Ernest and his other woman.

And Hem. Oh, Hem. The brief moments when he’s allowed to narrate were well-timed. Paula McLain must’ve known that he needed to defend himself, to speak up just a little and remind the reader that he was a troubled, sensitive soul, and that none of this was easy for him, either. But those brief jaunts into his perspective accomplished the opposite for me. What kind of delusional idiot was he? Was Pauline? Was Hadley for not sticking up for herself for crying out loud!

Hadley shows a little more emotion toward the end — she makes a few scenes, a few demands. She calls Pauline a whore, calls Hem a coward. But so was she. Finally she makes the only decision she can; she lets him go.

Throughout the chapters about life as a threesome, there were dark, serious mentions of suicide. If anything could make Ernest seem more sympathetic after what he puts his family and friends through, it would be reminding readers of his eventual suicide, right?

It also showed the main difference between Hemingway and Hadley. They both mention at various points in the story how alike they become, but when their thoughts turned to suicide, Hemingway was making plans, whereas Hadley was just playing with the idea. She determined quite quickly that she wanted to live. Even in the epilogue, her optimism shines through—she calls herself “the lucky girl.” The Paris wife who got to see Ernest at his best self: “an incomparable friend and a sonofabitch.”




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Book Review: Small Wonder

Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is actually a re-read for me, and though I liked it a lot then, I appreciate it more now. The first time around, I had difficulty with the first few essays - "Small Wonder," "Saying Grace," were very well written, but didn't speak to me nearly the way the others did. They each have a message, a lesson, an opinion that some have interpreted as preachy, pretentious; to me, they're proof that it's possible to live differently and happily, but that the later is the more important of the two.

The part that surprised me the most about this collection, though, was how moved I was by the essays about people and relationships, not just about nature and environmental policy.

"Lily's Chickens" makes me smile when I think about it, as does "Going to Japan."

"Letter to My Mother" is a powerful selection of mini-essays within the essay; things Kingsolver recalled or felt from her childhood and her relationship with her mother, the beautiful and the complicated.

"And Our Flag Was Still There" captures Kingsolver's thoughts about the post-September 11th world and her reaction to her fellow citizen's reactions. I know some read a lot of negativity in this section, but I heard at least as much hope as disappointment in this passage. One quote in particular sticks with me: "There are as many ways to love America as there are Americans, and our country needs us all."

As the mother of a one-day teenager, "Letter to a Daughter at 13" was one of my favorites. Kingsolver shares stories from both her teenage years as well as experiences with her teenage daughter, particularly where guys are concerned. Her observations are so simple and so true - from liking what your boyfriend likes because of this inexplicable feeling that it's the only way you'll be able to stay together (and what worse fate than to be single!) to recognizing that no matter how much we love our children, eventually we have to accept the fact that with any luck they will become grown ups, on their own.

That essay also contained my favorite quote: "When you, my dear, were about two and a half, I carefully and honestly answered all the questions you'd started asking about reproductive organs. For several months thereafter, every time we met someone new... you'd look up earnestly and ask, 'Do you have a penis or a vagina?' If you are ever tempted to think my presence is an embarrassment to you, please recall that I stood by you during the 'penis or vagina' months, July to September 1989."

Oh, Barbara - you slay and inspire me.





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Book Review: You Are a Lion! And Other Fun Yoga Poses

You Are a Lion! And Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first time I attempted reading this with my daughter was right before bed. While the colorful illustrations and the familiar animals kept her interest, she didn't seem that into it.

So the next day, instead of saving it for a bedtime story, we read it before dinner and tried to follow along with the pictures. It was quite amusing watching my daughter's interpretations of the yoga poses, and she had a lot of fun making the animal noises if nothing else. Her favorite part is a tie between the dog (every time she looked at me upside down, she laughed so hard she'd fall over) and the mountain, which actually surprised me because it was the easiest of all poses and didn't have an animal noise for her to make.

So I'd highly recommend reading this at a time when your little one can interact and get silly while following along. You'll both enjoy it a lot more that way!




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Book Review: Boy and Bot

Boy and Bot by Ame Dyckman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this one up based on the colorful, clean illustrations alone - and it turned out to be a good selection, as my daughter found them just as captivating as I did!

The story is cute - a boy meets a robot in the woods and they have fun playing until the bot's power switch gets turned off. The boy believes the bot is sick and takes it home to make it feel better. But when the bot's power switch is turned back on, the boy is asleep. The bot mistakes this for a malfunction and takes the boy home to fix him. It's cute, clever symmetry that parents can appreciate (and two particularlly witty bits about oil and an instruction manual had me laughing out loud!) as well as children.

My 2-year-old didn't quite grasp the comedy, but she thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story and following along with the pictures.




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Flushed

This is what happens when I ignore my compulsiveness to put everything where it belongs.

Last night we celebrated a friend's 30th birthday. It was Carl's turn to play designated driver, so admittedly I celebrated a little bit more than he did. By the time we got home and relieved my sister of her babysitting duties, I was pretty beat and totally not following my typical nighttime routine. So shoes, clothes, jewelry, everything came off in the bathroom. Nothing was where it should've been.

CUT TO the next morning.

FADE IN:

INT. MASTER BATHROOM - DAY

CARL and EMMA are gathering dirty laundry. EMMA spies something shiny on the counter--her mother's wedding and engagement rings. She tries them on.

EMMA
(calling to MAMA, who is in the bedroom) Mommy, I wear your rings, OK?

MAMA
(replies from the bedroom, distracted)
Sure, honey, bring them in here, please.

EMMA sneezes. She reaches across the toilet for some toilet paper to wipe her nose with. After a good wipe, she puts the toilet paper in the toilet, accidentally dropping one of the rings into the bowl as she does.

CARL
C'mon, Emma, let's go. Other room, please.

CARL ushers EMMA into the bedroom with one hand and flushes the toilet with the other. EMMA goes to MAMA, next to the bed.

EMMA
Here, mommy. I dropped one.

MAMA
What do you mean you dropped one, honey?

EMMA
I dropped one in the potty.

MAMA looks up at CARL in alarm.

CARL spends the rest of the day fruitlessly disassembling the toilet and trying to fish MAMA's wedding band from the pipes.

MAMA buys some more wine.