Hannah is a talented young artist who has lost her dearest friend and mentor, her grandmother. In grief and at the insistence of her mother, she sets asides her dreams of being an artist to work in a stable job, but she's miserable. When she catches her boyfriend cheating on her, meets two very sexy men, her job goes belly up, and her best friend goes after her own dreams, Hannah must reevaluate her choices and decide whether or not to take a chance on her dreams and in love.
Impression: I generally do not like romance--there have been a few I've liked, but most have another plot that drives the story and don't let the romance take over. The "romance" books I like are the ones where the romance makes sense rather than ending up the end all be all of the book. The sexual tension comes in at appropriate times rather than being forced into the situation, no matter what that situation is. In my experience, most romance books are not like this. Every now and then, I pick up and try another one (usually by some well recommended author), only to get the same old stuff (and, yes, I do understand that the romantic/sexual element is the main part of the genre; honestly, that's not my beef--it's that the element too often overrides common sense--well, that and the language often used that is really silly when you think about it). I'll keep trying, but I pretty much expect the same old same old.
So it's always a surprise when I run into a romance novel that I enjoy, and I really enjoyed The Still Life of Hannah Morgan. The romance elements do not overwhelm the rest of the story, the main character is someone I could relate to as a reader, and the plot very solid. I literally could not stop reading it. Still Life is funny, romantic, and very real. It's a book that I'm enjoying editing, and a book I would buy if if I found it on the shelves at B&N. And, for someone who doesn't like romance, that's saying something.
Jing-Mei's mother's death opens the door to the past, present, and future for the three remaining women of the Joy Luck Club and their daughters, as well as her own, as they explore the events that made each of them who they are. In the process, they discover a new depth to their mother-daughter relationships, a new understanding of what it means to be Chinese and American and a woman. For Jing-Mei, the journey leads back into China to meet the sisters she never knew she had.
Impression: I enjoyed the movie, but still wasn't quite sure what to expect from the book since movies and books can be so different. In this case, however, the book was as enjoyable as the movie, primarily because they changed very little in the movie. The book is beautifully written. The characters come alive, their various thoughts and experiences are simply but elegantly told. Each has her own voice, clearly heard in each of the interconnected vignettes - there is no mistaking who tells each story. The novel reveals the profound connectedness these women have with each other and with their pasts, but also how they - and we - each have control over who they become despite the it all. Most of all, it shows how the bond of love can transcend misunderstanding. These stories didn't reveal everything about the characters, but they revealed enough to paint each in a colors and emotions that were very different from the others. They revealed what was important. I highly recommend this book and plan to read it again very soon.
Nanny works for the wealthy Mr. & Mr.s X watching their son Grayer while finishing out her Masters degree. Things begin well enough, although Mrs. X has her quirks, but the situation goes further and further south as Mrs. X takes advantage of her employee and pushes the boundaries Nanny has set while imposing more and more outrageous demands of her own, Mr. X's mistress starts to consider Nanny part of the Mr. X package, and Nanny finds herself attached to and concerned for their son in the ensuing confusion.
Impression: I was laughing from the very beginning, but, then, I can kinda relate. I was a live-in nanny for a summer. Granted, the family I worked for wasn't as wacked out as the one in this book, but they had their moments as well. I definitely want a copy of this book for my own - it's something i want to be able to reread again.
I actually received this from a kind fellow bookcrooser and have already shared it with my 14-year-old who read it in a day and thought it was funny. It'll be going on to the 16-year-old, then it will be released into the wild, maybe at oldest's high school. :)
