Books I've just read

Time for a book report. I just finished 3 books, but I wouldn't recommend any of them very highly.

The first is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The book takes place on the island of Guernsey just after WW II. The most interesting part of the book was learning about how the Germans occupied Guernsey during the war and basically cut the island off from the rest of the world. The rest of the story is a predictable sort of love story. It is written as a series of letters, which is a neat device, but seems like a cheap way to write a book. I've often thought of writing a story taking emails I've written and received and weaving them together. Maybe some day I'll get there.

The second book was Loving Frank. It is a fictional account of Frank Llyod Wright's several year affair with a woman whose name I've forgotten. It is a true story, but the fiction comes in the creation of dialogue and scenes that could only be imagined. The woman, Mamah, is caught up in the early feminist and suffragist movement. She is torn between following her heart to Frank or staying with her children. She chooses Frank, he is her soulmate. Do soulmates exist? I have always doubted that notion, but maybe I'm just not romantic enough. The story follows her enchantment, her abandonment of her family, her struggles and doubts. The ending is no surprise to those familiar with the true story, she dies in a tragic murder at Wright's Wisconsin estate.

The third book is The God of Small Things. This story takes place in India. It is a commentary on the class system, but on a basic level is a story of forbidden love and family dysfunction. A pair of young twins are caught up in a family drama that affects their lives from then on. I find it hard to describe the story, without completely revealing the plot and twists. I enjoyed the book, but it is not an easy read and takes some work. Partly I had difficulty with the character names and getting a good image of the people in my mind. I'm still thinking about the title.

Well, just thought I'd catch people up on my reading adventures. I'll let you know when I get to a book I can really recommend. Did I already talk about the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I really enjoyed that one......