THE LIGHTKEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Iain Lawrence

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LAWRENCE

When seventeen-year-old Squid returns from a four-year absence to visit her parents on their isolated island off the coast of British Columbia, she brings her three-year-old daughter. The account of her visit is interspersed with the story of what happened during the last year Squid lived on the island, leading to death of her brother and her own departure.

Though there are hints that incest might have been involved, it was not. The true story is nonetheless heartbreaking, involving family dysfunction, statutory rape, and suicide. The writing is beautiful; the story is not, though is is certainly memorable.

WHEN WE WERE ORPHANS by Kazuo Ishiguro

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ISH

This book is challenging, and, to my mind, much more effective as a book on tape. One reading might be inclined to skip ahead of what is incomprehensible, and therefore boring, without allowing seemingly insignificant details and images to coalesce and become meaningful.

Christoper Banks is a renowned London detective with a tragic past: his parents disappeared from their home in Shanghai when he was ten. Twenty years later he decides to return to Shanghai to solve the mystery. Why did he wait so long? Why are the only people who penetrate his isolation fellow orphans? Why do people surrounding him bolster his delusions?

When We Were Orphans is a fascinating book, certainly not for everyone, by a rewarding reading experience nonetheless.

THE ENGLISH PATIENT by Michael Ondaatje

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ONDAATJE

Brilliantly told tale of the mystery of the "English patient," a badly-burned man of unknown identity being cared for by a young nurse, Hannah, in a deserted Italian villa at the end of World War II.

It can be read with pleasure after seeing the movie since the book contains much that was sketch in the film version, including the romance between Hannah and Kip, the young Sikh engineer.

MADAME BOVARY by Gustave Flaubert

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FLAUBERT

Emma is the daughter of a simple farmer. She marries Dr. Charles Bovary, a equally simple doctor. Emma becomes disillusioned with marriage, and terrible bored. In truth, she craves the passion and romance she has read about in books.

Madame Bovary embarks on an affair with Leon, a law clerk. After he leaves her, Rodolphe is next. She steadily loses control, taking risks, borrowing more and more money. The hapless doctor is oblivious. Rodolphe's desertion precipitates her downfall.

GRANGE HOUSE by Sarah Blake

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BLA

Though Maisie has always spent her summers in Maine at Grange House, the summer of 1898, when Maisie is seventeen, is different. The girl's parents are pushing her toward marriage, and the owner of Grange House, Miss Grange, hopes Maisie will have the mysterious "gift." She tries to show Maisie some of the Grange family history, real or imagined.

A terrible accident, however, kills Maisie's father, prompting Maisie to write about him after she returns home. On receiving Maisie's biography of her father, Miss Grange sends Maisie her own diaries.

Only when Maisie and her mother return to Grange House can Maisie sort fact from fiction and learn who she herself is and who she wants to be. This very Victorian telling of Maisie's story should appeal to women and girls who enjoy a Gothic atmosphere, beautiful detailed writing, and complex characterization.

A LESSON BEFORE DYING by Earnest Gaines

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GAINES

Jefferson, a poor and uneducated black man, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now he is in jail, convicted of murder. Jefferson's godmother does not want him to go to the electric chair like the ignorant hog is white lawyer says he is, so Grant Wiggins, the black schoolteacher, is under pressure to visit Jefferson. Grant's job is to make Jefferson a man before he is executed.

Grant Wiggins worried that he is not making a difference in the lives of his students. How he will make a difference in Jefferson's life in the short time he has Grant has no idea. He does know that the sheriff and Mr. Giteau, for whom most of the black people in the Quarter work, want him to fail. They do everything they canto take away the teacher's dignity. Grant Wiggins succeeds in a way he could never have foreseen, however, teaching not only Jefferson, but himself, a lesson before dying.

COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier

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FRAZIER

A love story and adventure featuring Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier who walks out of a hospital ward, tired of war and senseless killing. He begins a long journey to see Ada, his sweetheart. Ada too has seen some hard times since her father's death. She has not a clue as to making the farm work and seems destined for failure until the arrival of Ruby.

Inman's trip back to his true love is long and treacherous, filled with solitude and savagery. Like Ada, Inman acquires the courage and tenacity to reach the end of his goal.

BARCHESTER TOWERS by Anthony Trollope

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TRO

To the modern reader, this Victorian novel is reminiscent of those of Barbara Pym with its keen interest in the lives and foibles of the Anglican clergy. It is also full of humor and romance and characters who remain fresh and real after 150 years.

ON CHESIL BEACH by Ian McEwan

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MCEWAN

The setting is England in 1962. The novel opens in the wedding suite of Edward Mayhew, age 23 and his wife of a few hours, Florence, age 22. They are eating a post-ceremony dinner in a beautiful resort on Chesil Beach. They are strangely quiet, each consumed with thoughts of the remainder of the evening. Edward is anxious to consummate their relationship, while Florence is repelled at the idea. Because of the social mores of the time and their repressed English upbringings, neither one can discuss his feelings and apprehensions. The situation is almost unbearably tense. McEwan's description of the conflict is insightful and compassionate.

THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant

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DIAMANT

Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob, tells the story of her father, his relationships with her mother, Leah, and his three other wives, all Leah's sisters, Dinah herself, and her many brothers. Her tale, told from the viewpoint of the women involved, is a good deal more detailed and believable than that told long after by men in the Hebrew Bible. After her marriage to an Egyptian and his betrayal at the hands of her hateful brothers and treacherous father, Dinah's story takes her and her readers to Egypt, where she comes to happiness and , in full circle, to her brother Joseph, now a man of power.

While some more conservative readers might disapprove of Dinah's version of events, since it departs in points from the Biblical story, most women familiar with the original will find Dinah's recounting closer to real life and considerably more interesting. They will quickly understand why The Red Tent became a bestseller.

HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG by Andre Dubus III

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DUBUS III, A.

Compelling, beautifully written story of two individuals' struggle for a house. Colonel Behrani, an Iranian immigrant, has purchased a house at public auction and hopes to sell it for a nice profit. Unfortunately, the house was sold due to an error by the county, and its owner, Kathy Nicolo, a recovering addict, is evicted.

Neither person sill back down when Deputy Sheriff Lester Burden becomes involved int he dispute, as well as romantically with Kathy, the results are tragic.

FALLING ANGELS, by Tracy Chevalier

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CHE

Early 20th century London has its own time-honored customs and it is in this context that two young girls, Maude and Livia, become friends. Their families represent two different social classes. Lavinia with her younger sister, Ivy May, are part of a working class family; while Maude's parents are definitely upper class. The families encounter each other as they visit their family graves at the local cemetery. And it is there that they come into contact with poor Simon, the gravedigger's son, who represents yet a third class. While Lavinia's family is comfortable in the Victoria age, Maude's mother is decidedly not. Kitty Coleman becomes involved with suffragettes and is it during one of their events that tragedy strikes.

ORDINARY WOLVES, by Seth Kanter

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KANTER,S.

Critics have compared this debut novel to the works of Jack London. the plot: Abe Hawcly settled in the wilderness of remote Alaska in the early 1970's. His wife returned to civilization, leaving him with three children to raise and educate. Cutuk, the youngest, grows up intimately connected to nature. His lifestyle in the igloo with his siblings is so basic that it is alien even to the Native Americans in the nearby town who prefer the modern trappings of tvs and snowmobiles.

After being home-schooled for most of his life, Cutuk attends the public high school where he, just like any other boy, falls for a girl.

Discriminated against because he is white, he eventually tries to live in Anchorage with a friend but finds urban life confusing. Cutuk returns to his simple life. An engrossing read.

LAMB IN LOVE by Carrie Brown

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BROWN,C.

Norris Lamb is the postmaster in a small English village. He dispenses stamps and takes charge of all mailings in and out of the village. Vida Stephens lives in a mansion in and out of the village.

Vida Stephens lives in a mansion in the village and is the loving caretaker for the past twenty years of Manfred Perry, an autistic "child." Manfred lost his mother at birth and his father doesn't know how to relate to his challenged, non-speaking son.

Now after all these many years, Norris becomes aware of his love for Vida, but is too shy to express it. He sends her unsigned love letters postmarked from various parts of the world. Vida of course is quite baffled by this.
This story is all the more tender because the lovers are no longer young, and the author understands that love is disconcerting at any age.

NINETEEN MINUTES by Jodi Picoult

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PICOULT

19 minutes...that's all it took for an alienated teen to shoot 29 people at high school one day. 10 lost their lives. What could have caused this teen so much anguish?
Peter Houghton had been bullied by kids since his first day in kindergarten. In those early years little Josie Cormier had been his best friend, but as Josie grew older, she began to spend more time with the "popular" kids. In fact, these are the very same kids who continually victimize Peter.
Thus, Peter brings guns to school and begins the rampage. Josie is in the center of many who are shot, but remains unharmed. After the shooting, she can't remember anything about the incident. Complicating the situation, Josie's mom is the judge assigned the case. Can she render a just decision?
Picoult's characters and events reflect real life and her insight into teens is nothing less than awesome. A compelling read.

THE GRASS DANCER by Susan Power

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POW

Susan Power is a Sioux from Chicago with a B.A. from Radcliffe, a J.D. from Harvard, and an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writer's Workshop. For all these academic credentials, this book is very nonacademic and readable.
Power focuses on a group of North Dakota Sioux who are in touch with the past and the magic of nature. Tribal spells abound and ghosts are an everyday presence that is accepted by the members of the tribe.
Written in vignettes, this is a wonderful book that does not deal with day-to-day existences of Native Americans, but concentrates instead on their spiritual lives.

BACK ROADS by Tawni O'Dell 2000

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O'Dell, T.

This book is strange and not complete successful, in my view. The plot concerns 20-year old Harely, who has been raising his three younger sisters since his mother's incarceration for the murder of his father two years before. He works two jobs, money is tight, and life in general is awful. He loves his sisters, however, and takes seriously his duty to protect them.
He begins an affair with an older woman, the mother of his littlest sister's friend, and that relationship leads to a violent and shocking series of events that reveal the true nature of what has already been described as wildly dysfunctional family.
The story is told in Harely's voice, funny and poetic, and vaguely reminiscent of Holden Caulfield's. It is his voice that makes the book what it is.

THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER by Ann Packer, 2002

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PACKER

In Madison, Wisconsin high school and college sweethearts Carrie Bell and Mike Mayer are having relationship problems - at least Carrie is. Before they can clear the air Mike, trying to win Carrie's attention, foolishly dives into shallow water at a Memorial Day picnic. He is paralyzed. Carrie feels pressure and expectations from all sides: his family, her mother, her best friend, Mike's best friend, Rooster, Mike himself. Carrie finds refuge shut up in her room sewing outfits of her own design. In the middle of one night she leaves and ends up on the doorstep of a high school classmate living in Manhattan. She gets cheap rent and finds romance with an older, emotionally impenetrable man. All this adds to her confusion in her quest both to forgive herself and to embark on a career. As for Mike, you have to read the book!

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

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Martel, Y.

Sixteen-year-old Pi is on his way from India to a new home in Canada when the ship carrying him, his family, and many of the animals formerly in his family's zoo, sinks. Pi finds himself alone on a 32-man lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Time, determination, and Pi's knowledge of animals help him establish a territory the tiger respects. Both the tiger and Pi's faiths-Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism-help the two survive a horrific 227 days at sea. When investigators from the shipping company refuse to believe Pi's story, he presents them with an alternate version. Even the executives admit their preference for Pi's original, possibly metaphorical, tale. So it is, Pi points out, with God.

Though Martel takes much time recounting Pi's early history, the patient reader will be rewarded.