Review: The Key On The Quilt, Stephanie Grace Whitson

Title: The Key On The Quilt
Author: Stephanie Grace Whitson
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Publishing Date:  March 1, 2012
Summary: (From book)   From a distance, the  building may resemble a castle, but it's the last place Jane Prescott, Mamie Dawson and Ellen Sullivan thought they'd be, and the last place they expected to see love grow.
Broken in spirit and wondering if God has abandoned her, Jane is serving a ten-year sentence at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, even as she hides a startling secret. How will one caring physician help unravel the hidden meaning behind Jane's courthouse steps quilt?
Mamie told God she'd go anywhere, never dreaming He'd send  her to nurture women the world had forgotten as a prison matron. But while helping those around her, will she stubbornly keep the attentions of a kind guard at arm's length?
Ellen was never going to leave Kentucky, but then marriage made her a Nebraska warden's wife. Can she reach past uncertainty and fear to find God's purpose in it all?
Together, these three woman form an unlikely friendship that takes them to the ends of themselves and ultimately, on a journey that proves prison walls can neither frustrate God's plan nor keep love out.

My Thoughts:  
Wow, what a beautiful novel. It was thought provoking and touching and managed to convey a wonderful message without being overbearing or extremely sappy.  I find myself looking forward to the sequel and whatever else this author has written.
I became  very invested in Jane's story, and madly in love with that doctor of hers, Max Zimmer. (But then again, I fall for every doctor I ever read about, and to be far, he did have grey-green eyes)
The touch of mystery to her story kept me interested and the love the other 'friendless' women had for each other made me realize that I should not judge others. It makes me reconsider the way I view people and I need to be better at treating everyone as equals.
Her writing style was flowing and easy to get into and clearly well researched. I found myself right there in the scene with the characters going from one emotion to the next.
As a Christian novel, it was kept clean, aside from a few mentionings of 'feminine wiles' and couple romance, but nothing at all like what is considered acceptable for even teen and children fiction.
What I learned: 
This book has made me realize I need to include God more in my life. I am at a point growing up where I really need His influence and I admired the way Mamie went to Him for everything. I need to remember to say my 'thankfuls' and be watchful for the 'grace notes' God pours out on us when we need His help.
God is truly no respecter of persons and if He loves those women in the Nebraska State Penitentiary regardless of their pasts, then He must have a little room in His heart for me.

Review: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Publisher: Scribner
Publishing Date: April 10, 1925
Summary:  (From book) The Great Gatsby,  F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, stands as the supreme achievement  of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulous Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted, "Gin was the national drink and s_x the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920's.


My Thoughts:  Um....I don't really have much to say about this book except for:  What?
I understand the interpretation of the American dream, and the overall emotion of the book, but Fitzgerald's writing style is bizarre. He jumps all over and goes back and forth between so many things, that the entire plot of the story is twisted only to be occasionally lightened by beautiful description and a few 'ah ha' moments.
The book didn't even really seem to focus on Gatsby.  And Gatsby wasn't even really much of a character. I'm having a hard time understanding why this book is considered such a classic. Maybe I'll better understand it in a few years.
What I learned:  Don't ever have affairs. Being rich is overrated.

Review: The King of Mulberry Street, Donna Jo Napoli

Title: The King of Mulberry Street
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Publisher: Random House
Publishing Date: 2005
Summary: (From Amazon.com) In 1892, nine-year-old Dom’s mother puts him on a ship leaving Italy, bound for America. He is a stowaway, traveling alone and with nothing of value except for a new pair of shoes from his mother. In the turbulent world of homeless children in Manhattan’s Five Points, Dom learns street smarts, and not only survives, but thrives by starting his own business.


My Thoughts: Wow. What a way to look at immigration to America. The summary does not do it justice. The first person narrative of the main character, Dom, as he is come to be called, gives life to this story in a way that was believable and moving.  
I have long had a soft spot for the little orphans and street children in history and this book only further increased my compassion for their plight. The concept of a padrone   is just horrific. The fact that such things existed, that such men, if they could call themselves that, would take advantage of poor boys unable to speak English and just trying to support their families is staggering. It makes me sick to think that for a long time, this is what America was built on.
Dom's story is partly based on the life of the author's grandfather, and that makes the story all the more heart wrenching. These are the sort of things that people ought to be reading, to realize, to understand that this is where people came from, how many things started....
Dom is an imaginative boy who takes charge of his situation and quickly figures out how to thrive on the American Dream. I worry about what happened to him though: if he ever went back to Italy, contacted his family....or if he became successful in America and really prospered in the way so many coming to Ellis Island hoped for.
I'd have to say the message I learned from this book is the need for compassion. The way Dom and his friends lived was unimaginable. It was such a relief that he found a way to push through it all and find kind people who cared for him. Their is no end for the need for service and Christlike love we can show to people and I will try harder to give generously to others.

Review: Inside Out & Back Again, Thanhha Lai

Title: Inside Out & Back Again
Author: Thanhha Lai
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publishing Date: 2011
Summary: (From book)
"No one believes me,
But at times
I would choose
wartime in Saigon
over
peacetime in Alabama."
For all the ten years of her life, Ha' has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by....and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Ha' and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed towards hope. In America,  Ha' discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape...the strength of her very own family.

My Thoughts: What a beautiful book.  I was first attracted to the cover, and then the style of the book. I have never read a book written entirely in prose. Hats off to the author, my lack at writing poetry really left me in awe of her style.
Part of what made this book so interesting is that this story is written from what she remembers happening to her as a child. It really makes the story all the more real. The characters may be fictional, but the circumstances and story are not.
It was a short read, about an hour to finish, but well worth it for the beauty of the words. Ha's story was touching and I found a soft spot for her older brothers that tried so hard to protect her. It was devastating to see how rude people can be just over different cultures and backgrounds.
The idea of Ha' and her family being baptized into Christianity with no concept of its principles or even giving their consent was shocking.
We are all God's children, and He loves us no matter what we believe or where we come from. Part of our journey here on earth is to use our agency to turn to Him.  This book is the halfway mark to my goal for the year, fifty two books, and I think I'd like to start doing some things different on this blog.  My motto for this has been: Gaining life perspective through a literary lens,  and I'd like to start posting what sort of lesson or overall message I get from what I read that will help me in my life.
The message I received from this book is a bit of a recap from what I said above. We are all God's children and He loves us no matter what our skin color, backgrounds or social status. The change I am going to make from having read this book is to be more Christlike to everyone.
Happy Half Way Point!

Review: I'll Be Seeing You, Jerry Borrowman

Title: I'll Be Seeing You
Author: Jerry Borrowman
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Publishing Date: 2006
Length: 386 Pages
Summary: (From book) As the Depression worsens, a distant war draws near. Dan O'Brian finds he is once again embroiled with the inner conflicts he had hoped were far behind him after returning from World War I. Dan holds a strong conviction that the United States should stay out of this new war-because this time it is his son, Cory, whose life could be threatened by a foreign menace. But convictions can change.
Through his work as a musician, Dan finds an unlikely friend in Josh Brown, a man who challenges Dan's view of the world. And though both men share a common tragic link to the past, events of the future will soon forever bond the two men's families together.
In an era where the future is as uncertain as it is exciting, Cory O'Brian and Nathan Brown know they must defend freedom, just as their fathers have done. What they don't yet understand are the human costs of war-to those in the battle and those at home.
My Thoughts: Augh...why do these books make me cry so hard? I seriously sobbed towards the end of the book. Something in these stories really get to me and I will be finding the rest of the series as soon as I can to  keep the emotional roller coaster going.
I guess my only issue with this one is that I got a little bored with the technical, explaining of the submarines and war machines, but I guess that's because these books are more boy-centered in that regard. It's just so nice to find good series of books that uplift and inspire while teaching about important facts in an interesting and touching manner.
This is a series that I am going to recommend to anyone interested in the Great Wars.

Review: Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer

Title: Artemis Fowl
Author: Eoin Colfer
Publisher: Hyperion
Publishing Date: 2001
Length: 277 pages.
Summary: (From book)  Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius, and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short, of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories; these fairies are armed and dangerous.
Artemis thinks he has them right where he wants them...but then they stop playing by the rules. 
My Thoughts: What the heck did I just read?
There's been a lot of hype over the Artemis Fowl series, and I can see why; the covers are gorgeous, his name is fantastic and the plot interesting, so why did I hate this book?
Blame it on my dislike of Hyperion Publishing and my mistrust of adolescent fiction.
My overall impression of this book was that humans are bad,  fairies are weapon wielding technology geniuses and this little twelve year old boy is a psychologist's nightmare. In the book summary, I half expected the words, 'genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist to show up. The humor was a bit crude at times and I really wouldn't count this as a children's book. The violence had it been in a movie, would have been disturbing, and there were even occasional swear words.
The author seems very likable, and the series as a whole is very successful, so maybe this is just me and not my particular cup of tea.

Review: 'Til The Boys Come Home, Jerry Borrowman

Title: 'Til The Boys Come Home
Author: Jerry Borrowman
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Publishing Date: March 2005
Length: 407 Pages
Summary: (From book) At fifteen, Danny O'Brian dreams of being something different than what his union-leader father has become-and now that the Richards family has moved to town, maybe it's possible. The Richardses have everything that the O'Brian's seem to lack-education, money, social standing-and best of all, they and their son are truly kind to Danny.
Everything changes, however, when war takes the two young men far from the peaceful streets of Pocatello, Idaho.  Danny must fight in the trenches, reluctantly using the one skill he was taught by his father. Meanwhile, Trevor battles the enemy in the skies. But war will not  be kind to these two men with a brotherly bond.

My Thoughts: Why is this author so amazing? Again, I literally sat there and cried for the last one hundred pages of this novel. What a beautiful, sweeping story of the pain of the war to end all wars. I fell deeply attached to both boys, and cheered and cried with them. The plot got a little slow right before the pre war dive, but other than that, this story was engaging and hard to put down. Borrowman is truly a gifted word weaver and I am going to eagerly dive into his other two historical fiction novels, but not after I've given myself a bit of a breather-I need to find more tissues.