DCL Book Chat

Whimsical novels, all succeed on the author’s ability to make the reader want to abandon reason and embrace the impossible. Like a skilled circus barker, Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel, The Night Circus, calls out to the audience and pulls readers in through the circus tent with a swish of imagination and a flash of romance.

The premise for the plot is that two rival magicians of indeterminate age, have over many generations, tested their skill at choosing and training a young student in their preferred method of magic; magic that goes way beyond rabbits and top hats. They set their students against each other in a battle of wits and skill in a contest where the pupils know neither the rules nor their opponent. But this time the contenders, Marco and Celia, fall in love while Marco is managing and Celia is performing in the mysterious Night Circus, a glorious venue offering whole landscapes of delight run by a host of intriguing entertainers. The most magical element of the book is the earnest and electric tension that connects the young magicians as they use their wits and hearts to win for their tutor and put an end to the contest — without knowing the dire consequences of that end.

The juxtaposition of the staid Victorian era with the ethereal, lush visual imagery of the circus prevents the book from floating away on its own imagination, and the patiently woven plot that folds through time like the pleats of the circus tent adds to the book’s dynamic mix of reality and wonder.

Laura J.

The Paris Wife is Hadley Richardson, a twenty-eight year old spinster who falls in love with a handsome, magnetic, passionate young man full of dreams named Ernest Hemingway. The Paris Wife is a fictional account of their short, turbulent marriage spent mostly in 1920s Paris. Through Hadley’s eyes we see Jazz Age Paris and the many larger than life artists who frequent their cafes. We also see her brilliant, self-absorbed, egocentric husband through her eyes, the woman who loved him before he was famous.

Dedra

Bruce Machart’s debut novel, The Wake of Forgiveness, is a stirring and dramatic tour-de-force. Jumping between several time periods spanning 1895 – 1924, we learn the story of the Skala family. We learn how grief has distorted a father’s ability to love his sons, especially the youngest, Karel, whose birth began the cycle of anger and withdrawal. We learn how Karel resiliently manages to grab affection wherever possible. And we learn how power can mangle a relationship in the span of a midnight horse race. Like All the Pretty Horses meets East of Eden, The Wake of Forgiveness tells a tale of tough westerners living harsh lives of brutal passion. It deals with damaged relationships and heart-stopping emotional turmoil through beautifully written passages of brusque eloquence.

Laura

Parrot and Olivier in America, double Booker Prize-winning author Peter Carey’s eleventh book, is a rollicking, rambling, rakish look at unexpected friendship, art and burgeoning democracy.

Loosely based on Alexis de Tocqueville (but don’t let that scare you away) Carey has created the character of Olivier de Garmont, a young, effete French noble still reeling from the slaughter of the revolution, and has paired him with Englishman, John Larrit (known at Parrot for his uncanny ability to mimic), a grizzled former printer’s devil, as his unlikely servant. From alternate points of view we discover America from their vastly different perspectives as we also learn about their vastly different histories. Uniting the two in their reluctant partnership is the looming presence of the Marquis de Tilbot, the one-armed tour-de-force who commandeers both characters in sometimes subtle and oftentimes profound ways. Also uniting the two colorful characters is a love of art, as well as the love of feisty portraitist Mathilde. As they negotiate the daunting new country of America, under the guise of Olivier writing a study of America’s prisons, both men discover as much about themselves as they do about this new democracy.

This debut novel certainly deserved winning the Barbara Kingsolver Bellwether Award for books on social justice and change. It is a beautifully written book about Rachel, a young Danish/African American blue-eyed girl who is sent to live with her grandmother and aunt in Portland, Oregon after a family tragedy. Rachel struggles with being bi-racial because no one seems to accept her in school. Her lighter skin and blue eyes cause people to ridicule her and sometimes threaten her – no matter their race. This is a book about labeling people and how people can overcome the prejudice of others and just live for themselves. It is told with alternating chapters from various character’s versions of the story. It would be an excellent book club selection because of the many discussion points it offers.

Heidi Durrow is also Danish/African American with lovely blue eyes. Go to her website for more about the amazing projects she is involved in – like her mixed chicks chat podcast.

Lisa

When a young Algerian refugee is discovered to possess the happiness gene, a struggle in the scientific community and a media frenzy ensue. Thought-provoking and insightful.

Jill

This fabulous novel consists of three overlapping stories. In one a college student is recruited to perpetrate identity theft by a man who may be his father. In another, a magic shop salesman sets off for the northern reaches of Canada to search, yet again, for his long lost twin brother. Finally, a young woman has run away from home with a man that she believes is a high school teacher. Chaon’s writing has a wistful, youthful quality that is haunting and appealing.

Jill

In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Its owners – mother, son and daughter – are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? This chilling ghost story was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Linda R

From the vantage point of present day England, Stephanie Barron, a bestselling historical mystery author, writes a compelling story about what lies beneath the surface of the six decades old death of Virginia Woolf.

Linda R

This is a simple and quiet story of a summer love between former convent-raised foundling, now farmer’s wife Ellie Dillahan and bicycle-riding, quasi-photographer Florian Kilderry. Their affair develops quite innocently but affects several characters quite profoundly in the small town of Rathmoye, Ireland. Trevor’s writing is subtle and restrained, yet he manages to capture the essence of each characters’ deepest emotions.

Laura