A Friend told me about this book and lent it to me. She had taught it at school and was sure I would like it. And I did. What a story!
The story of Martha is heartbreaking. She has no freedom, she is kept like a prisoner at home. She cannot make friends. Children at school bully her. Well, that part I could comprehend because I had that same problem at school. My parents didn't have much money and my mother used to sew all my clothes. They were nice clothes but I was always bullied because of it. And I didn't belong to anyone.
But luckily my parents were just ordinary Catholics and they would always complain about people who placed religion over their own family. Because this is what Martha's parents do.
I cannot go into the story without revealing what happened and why the family behaved like that. Only this, Martha does make a friend and he helps her to find to herself.
I am sure this book would have a different effect on children than they have on me but I was pretty shocked.
From the back cover:
"A dark tale of shameful secrets, religious intolerance, and breaking through the emotional chains binding one girl to an abusive home life Martha is 12—and very different from other kids, because of her parents. Strict members of a religious group—the Righteous—their rules dominate Martha's life. And one rule is the most important of she must never ever invite anyone home. If she does, their shameful secret—Abomination—could be revealed. But as Martha makes her first real friend in Scott, a new boy at school, she begins to wonder. Is she doing the right thing by helping to keep Abomination a secret? And just how far will her parents go to prevent the truth from being known?"
I have been participating in "What's in a Name?" ages ago (2014 and 2020) but then the person who did it finished and I somehow lost touch.
Now I found this on Margaret's page BooksPlease and decided to join again. This is currently hosted by Andrea at Carolina Book Nook. It was started by Annie, who was ten or eleven at the time, on her blog Words by Annie. First Beth @ Beth Fish Reads and then Charlie @ The Worm Hole took over hosting before handing it over to Andrea.
So, this is a ‘must‘ challenge for me!
The words we need to find this year are:
Six/6: Titles for this category need to include the word "six" or number "6" somewhere in the title, even if they are part of another word or number.
Cold weather: Your title for this category should include a word that describes cold weather such as "snow," "ice," "blizzard," "frozen," etc.
Peace: Titles for this category need to include a word that describes peace: "peace," "serenity," "still," "calm," etc, even if it doesn’t directly mean "peace."
Pathways: Titles for this category need to include a words that are types of paths: "trail," "road," "avenue," "sidewalk," etc.
Terrain: Titles for this category need to include a word for a type of topographic terrain or the name of a particular part of terrain. Lanschot, Reinier van "We are Europe" (NL: Wij zijn Europa: een nieuw Europees verhaal) - 2024
Flower:
Titles for this category need to include a type of flower or the word "flower."
I don't know whether I will manage to fill all the challenges but, as you say, have already done one.
I have always loved books by Joyce Carol Oates and often said, she should receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
I have read many of her books but she has written so many that I won't get to all of them soon.
When one of my blogger friends (Lisa @ Captivated Reader) talked about a buddy read she had started with another reader, I was very keen to join in. They had already started and I still had to get the book, so I joined in a little too late. It was still interesting to have someone to talk to directly.
Lisa already warned everyone that this is the darkest novel she read by JCO and that is something to say because her books usually are pretty dark. And she is right. It's about child abduction and abuse, lots of psychological problems that come along with it.
The author has a great way of describing the trauma of the abduction by describing it five times from different angles. As always, the author uses fantastic ways to let us into the story.
I would love to write more but don't want to say too much.
If you are interested in the buddy read, here is the discussion I had with Lisa. But there are spoilers!
Chapter I - 1 - 5 Abduction
Ypsilanti, MI, 11.04.06
M: At first I was a little surprised that the abduction was described five times. But it is a good way of introducing us to the whole story. How did it all happen? How did the abductor manage to snatch away little Robbie?
L: Yes, the abduction is described in five slightly different ways... At first, I was wondering why JCO was describing the abduction so many times. But, I felt describing the abduction of Robbie was a very cinematic way of sharing the traumatic event with readers giving us a slightly different perspective/feel with each retelling of the abduction. Additionally, I felt that perhaps describing the abduction this many times gives us a view of how traumatic it was for Robbie's mother physically, mentally, and emotionally. I can't even begin to imagine being a mother of a child and having my child snatched from me in such a horrific manner. So, perhaps this is another way of showing how this event affected Dinah so very deeply. It seems to me that Dinah most definitely had PTSD. How could she not after what happened to her son and herself? We (or at least myself) felt the guilt that Dinah had over losing her son. Dinah blames herself for not protecting Robbie enough and being too tired, giving me the feeling that if she'd been more alert then perhaps things would have turned out differently... And perhaps, Robbie would not have been abducted from her. Classic case of mother's guilt.
I also felt like the first five chapters were very atmospheric.
JCO really knows how to deep dive into the minds of her characters. JCO is such an excellent writer. Even though Daddy Love is a difficult read due to the subject matter, it is a very readable book in and of itself. I found that I was able to read this novel really quickly.
Chapter I - 6-10
6 Church of Abiding Hope, Detroit, MI, 12.04.06
7 I-80 East, Michigan, OH, 13.-14.04.06
8 I-80 East, Ohio, PA, 14.04.06
9 I-80 East, PA, NJ, 15.-16.04.06
10 Kittatinny Falls, NJ, 27.04.06
Introduction to Daddy Love and how he grooms Robbie
M: So, we get introduced to "Daddy Love" and how he grooms Robbie. Certainly not chapters for the faint-hearted. But a good description to find empathy amongst the readers. Poor little Robbie. You always ask yourself how children, once taken from their real parents, don't look for them, don't alert anyone. Now we know why. JCO has described this so well. Robbie couldn't because he didn't know any better. He believed "Daddy Love" who found great arguments to tell him why his parents didn't want him any longer. And he was too young to really remember how all that happened.
We also get introduced to the Church of Abiding Hope. I never trust those sects, no matter how they always insist of being "free churches. Or any kind of over-religious people, even from the main-stream ones.
L: We're into the meat of Robbie's abductor, Daddy Love (AKA Chet Cash). Boy, isn't Chet a piece of work!? It's interesting to see how JCO lays out the storyline for Daddy Love. I've read Zombie by JCO and Daddy Love is shaping up to be similarly creepy as a character. It was interesting to read about Chet's background and his previous abductions. We see how he has evolved in stalking and abducting children and separating them from their parents.
Chet/Daddy Love is a real narcissist as he fantasizes about a made for tv movie about his life. In chapter 9, we hear Robbie now being addressed as Gideon now by Daddy Love. We learn that Gideon means Brave Warrior. Seems like the meaning of Brave Warrior may be a bit of foreshadowing to come later on in this novel as Robbie just may live up to the meaning of his new moniker.
Chet/Daddy Love understands the way to brainwash and manipulate young minds through repeated abuse and isolation. Young children, Robbie's age, are easily controlled after being abducted. They can only rebel for so long before succumbing to the brainwashing. Additionally, young children of Robbie's age do not have enough life experience or understanding to know enough about how the real world works in order to escape initially.
Chapter I - 11-14
11 Ypsilanti, MI, 05/06.06
12 Kittatinny Falls, NJ, 07/08.06
13 Kittatinny Falls, NJ, 08/09.06
14 Ypsilanti, MI, 08/09.06
M: Here we get to see what this whole abduction has done not only to the child but also to the parents. I cannot see how someone can get through that, how they still can live. Only the hope to see the child again, the wish to be there should he turn up again, can make them stay halfway sane. Oh gosh, how can you get through this? We have to wonder how any marriage can get through such an upheaval.
L: As far as Daddy Love goes, it's a tough read! When I wrote my blog review of this novel I mentioned that this novel is not for everyone due to the trigger warnings of physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse of minors. But I think Daddy Love is very much worth reading for everyone despite the subject matter and I can get into that once you've finished this novel, if you like.
Yes, the killing of the dog was cruel and uncalled for by Daddy Love. Daddy Love was angry with "Gideon" because of the way the teacher fawned over "Gideon" to Daddy Love. Daddy Love's retribution was to kill the dog that "Gideon" loved so much. Daddy Love never liked the dog anyway.... Everyone and everything is a "tool" to be used by Daddy Love and this is apparent throughout the entire novel. Daddy Love is a true sociopath and narcissist. He doesn't care for anyone or anything beyond its usefulness to himself.
Chapter II - 1-5 II 04-05.12
1-3 Kittatinny Falls, NJ, 04/12
4 Church of Abiding Hope, Trenton, NJ, 05/12
5 NJ Transit Station, Trenton, NJ, 05/12
M: How weird that the teachers did not dig deeper. I mean, something was obviously wrong with "Gideon". My son and his friends once were beaten by other children at a birthday party in an indoor playground and since he inherited getting marks all over the body just from hitting a chair or so, I told the teachers so they wouldn't think it was us. They said, don't worry, kids who get beaten at home always show other signs, as well. And "Gideon" did show a lot of other signs.
Killing the dog was another huge cruelty that should have been noticed by someone. What about those other "religious" people? As I said earlier, they only think of themselves and pretend to be "good" people.
And the incident in the transit station. That guy gets worse all the time. And why did Robbie not take the chance and ran away? Because he wasn't aware of that possibility and that's what "Chet" wanted to try. But, oh so cruel!
L: Yes, I agree with you that you'd think the teachers would think that "Gideon" was being abused, but Daddy Love was always so pleasant when interacting with people in the outside world and this included "Gideon's" teachers that I think the teachers would have had a difficult time coming to terms that Daddy Love was an abusers. Daddy Love seemed to be a good con artist in this way. Daddy Love seemed to have a dual personality. I think this came about when Daddy Love spent time in Juvenile Hall as a youngster for his crime and had faked his behavior to his probation officer after being released in order to make it seem like he'd been rehabilitated for the world outside.
Yes, it's difficult to understand how people turn out badly under some circumstances, while others have trauma, but still manage to be normal and not turn into monsters.
Chapter II 04-05
1-3 Kittatinny Falls, NJ, 04/12
4 Church of Abiding Hope, Trenton, NJ, 05/12
5 NJ Transit Station, Trenton, NJ, 05/12
M: That church again. They pretend to care so much about people but don't see through such a huge betrayal. I mean, how does nobody wonder why "Chet" always turns up with different boys who then disappear? Does anyone really care about anything than their own soul? I don't think so.
And what about that episode with the transit station? I suppose he watched "Gideon" to see whether he can trust him now. But it's all completely weird. Well, we should never try to understand such a cray person, might be contagious.
L: Yes, the killing of the dog was cruel and uncalled for by Daddy Love. Daddy Love was angry with "Gideon" because of the way the teacher fawned over "Gideon" to Daddy Love. Daddy Love's retribution was to kill the dog that "Gideon" loved so much. Daddy Love never liked the dog anyway.... Everyone and everything is a "tool" to be used by Daddy Love and this is apparent throughout the entire novel. Daddy Love is a true sociopath and narcissist. He doesn't care for anyone or anything beyond its usefulness to himself.
Yes, I agree with you that you'd think the teachers would think that "Gideon" was being abused, but Daddy Love was always so pleasant when interacting with people in the outside world and this included "Gideon's" teachers that I think the teachers would have had a difficult time coming to terms that Daddy Love was an abusers. Daddy Love seemed to be a good con artist in this way. Daddy Love seemed to have a dual personality. I think this came about when Daddy Love spent time in Juvenile Hall as a youngster for his crime and had faked his behavior to his probation officer after being released in order to make it seem like he'd been rehabilitated for the world outside.
Chapter II 06-10
6-9 Kittatinny Falls, NJ, 05/12
10 Ypsilanti, MI, 05/12
M: The killing of the dog was definitely not a surprise. I think I said that I am not a great animal lover and would never want a dog but that doesn't mean I would want to kill an innocent animal. Just shows what type of character he is. I mean, he also killed those children, right?
As to the teachers. I think I told you the story about my son and the bruises. Those teachers would have said something. And I have seen it in classes where my kids were that the teachers had an extra eye on children with "weird" behaviour. "Gideon" certainly fit that description. And they know that some parents behave differently in the open than at home.
It gets worse and worse. We find out that he not only abuses his victims but also uses them for his work. Well, another thing that doesn't surprise.
And while we fear the worst by the Evil One's announcement that he is looking for a "little brother", we can also see how things get worse in the original family. My goodness, how much compassion I feel for them, especially the mother
L: Have you read the parts yet where Gideon essentially turns into a criminal!! Gideon visits his teacher's home and starts a fire was mind blowing!! Gideon did this all because his teacher had told Daddy Love what a great art student Gideon was and Daddy Love didn't take it well. It's like Gideon thinks it is his teacher's fault and not Daddy Love's fault. the kid has been brainwashed for sure! Then there's a child labor issue with daddy using Gideon to macrame items to sell at boutiques and then pawning it off as his own to sell and make money. Or the story about Daddy/Chet taking Gideon with him to rob those rich people while they are away from home. Then Gideon being left for a long time at the bus station by Daddy Love!! Gideon had no idea if he was being left behind or what.
Chapter III
III Ann Arbor, MI, 09/12
M: That is the conclusion of the novel. Robbie getting back to being Robbie, being reunited with his family, one he barely remembers. No wonder he is reluctant. No wonder they all need professional help. And I am sure they'll be getting there. There is so much love from the parents. And in time, Robbie will see the advantage of a real family. At least we can all hope for it.
L: I didn't like the ambiguous ending for Daddy Love! I like solid endings and was hoping to see/hear a satisfactory outcome to Daddy Love's/Chet's trial. I was telling another friend about the ambiguous ending and was told that JCO writes ambiguous endings frequently. It's been a while since I've read anything by JCO, so I don't recall if this is the case or not. Maybe the ambiguous ending was due to the fact there could be no satisfactory ending to this story. Robbie is damaged and may never be normal again even with years of therapy. We already saw him turning into Daddy Love/Chet in this last of five chapters as he doesn't care about school anymore, starts acting out towards teachers, thinks poorly of women like Daddy Love (calling them cunts), thinks the new kid Daddy Love brought home is whiney, believes the lies Daddy Love/Chet said about his parents giving him up, and does various acts of arson and bomb he made and left behind. Robbie seems to have two personalities due to the abuse by Daddy Love. Robbie hides behind a mask and is guarded, not letting anyone know his true feelings. So, I'm left wondering if Robbie will ever trust anyone again or show his true self. And, who is the unidentified man at the end!? Did you ever draw a conclusion about the person Robbie/Gideon was eating lunch with when his mom found him? M: I never realized that a lot of JCO's books end that way but now that you mention it, I can see it. I don't mind them so much. A "final" end would have been too happy-endish, if you know what I mean. It will take a long time, if ever, before the family can start a new life.
Same as you, I have no idea who the guy at the end was, if he had any meaning at all. But the final sentence gave me hope. "Hi Mom".
I am still thinking about the review I am going to write. I will definitely include the link to your post. The rest, I will have to see. I usually try not to give away too much to the readers but might include some of your thoughts. If that's alright with you.
******
"Have they found him? Have they found Robbie? They waited. Each hour of the day they waited. No one told her, the latest news, for the latest news was usually no news. A day, a night, two days, several days, a week and finally twelve days - and then, fifteen days: no news."
Book Description:
"Daddy Love, aka Reverend Chester Cash, has for years abducted, tortured, and raped young boys. His latest victim is Robbie, now renamed 'Gideon,' and brainwashed into believing that he is Daddy Love's real son. Any time the boy resists or rebels he is met with punishment beyond his wildest nightmares. As Robbie grows older he begins to realize that the longer he is locked in the shackles of this demon, the greater chance he'll end up like Daddy Love's other 'sons' who were never heard from again. Somewhere within this tortured boy lies a spark of rebellion... and soon he will see just what lengths he must go to in order to have any chance at survival."
There are tons of quotes but I just leave it at this one: "After all these years, Joyce Carol Oates can still give me the creeps." Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review
Turgenev, Ivan "Fathers and Sons" (Russian: Отцы и дети/Otzy i deti) - 1862
I love Russian authors, as all my friends know. But I had never read a book by Turgenjew. So, I was happy that #2 was chosen for our classic spin this term.
Was it as good as most of the other Russian authors I read? Yes, it was. I loved reading about life in Russia in the middle of the nineteenth century, when times started to change, farmers got more freedom, serfdom started to be abolished and the whole order of society was questioned.
Almost any kind of character was described in this book, diffferent ages, different social status, different education, different housholds, town and countryside, students and farmers, parents and children, women and men (which doesn't happen often in those books).
According to Wikipedia, this is considered the first modern Russian novel. I can well believe that. Changes were coming and the author managed to put that situation to paper.
In any case, I can highly recommend this book. And not just to those who love classics and/or Russian literature.
From the back cover:
"Bazarov—a gifted, impatient, and caustic young man—has journeyed from school to the home of his friend Arkady Kirsanov. But soon Bazarov’s outspoken rejection of authority and social conventions touches off quarrels, misunderstandings, and romantic entanglements that will utterly transform the Kirsanov household and reflect the changes taking place across all of nineteenth-century Russia.
Fathers and Sons enraged the old and the young, reactionaries, romantics, and radicals alike when it was first published. At the same time, Turgenev won the acclaim of Flaubert, Maupassant, and Henry James for his craftsmanship as a writer and his psychological insight. Fathers and Sons is now considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century.
A timeless depiction of generational conflict during social upheaval, it vividly portrays the clash between the older Russian aristocracy and the youthful radicalism that foreshadowed the revolution to come—and offers modern-day readers much to reflect upon as they look around at their own tumultuous, ever changing world."
"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". It was created because they are particularly fond of lists. It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.
This week's topic is Ordinal Numbers (Ordinal numbers are numbers that define an item’s place in a series. For example: first, second, third, fourth, tenth, fourteenth, thirty-third, one hundredth, etc)
I thought I had read more books with ordinal numbers but it was hard to find ten that start with an ordinal numbers. So, I had to cheat a little. But most of the books I mention fit the description.
The other day, I finished a book (Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus) and was led to the Literary Wives page by one of my blogger friends who had reviewed it before. They read four books a year with regards to wives in the book. I have read a few of them already. And I have more on my list that would be great to discuss with these ladies. So, I decided to join them.
The books: This is the list of books they read so far, and I am going to add the other books that we are going to read. But you can always find the links to all the comments on the main page: Literary Wives (the links on this one here only get you to my page).
October 2013: Ahab’s Wife: or, The Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund December 2013: The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon February 2014: The Inquisitor’s Wife by Jeanne Kalogridis April 2014: The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman June 2014: The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness August 2014: The World’s Wife by Carol Ann Duffy October 2014: Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon December 2014: The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani February 2015: The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson April 2015: The Bishop’s Wife by Mette Ivie Harrison June 2015: My Father’s Wives by Mike Greenberg August 2015: The Astronaut Wives Club by Melanie Benjamin October 2015: The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison December 2015: The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan February 2016: A Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante April 2016: The Happy Marriage by Tahar Ben Jelloun June 2016: The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic-Stanley August 2016: How to Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman October 2016: American Housewife by Helen Ellis December 2016: Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Wood February 2017: The Wife by Meg Wolitzer April 2017: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Theresa Fowler June 2017: The Awakening by Kate Chopin August 2017: On Beauty by Zadie Smith - 2005 October 2017: Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill December 2017: A Lady and Her Husband by Amber Reeves February 2018: The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt April 2018: The Headmaster’s Wife by Thomas Christopher Green June 2018: Stay With Me by Ayòbámi Adébáyò August 2018: First Love by Gwendolyn Riley October 2018: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones December 2018: The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve February 2019: They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple April 2019: Wait for Me, Jack by Addison Jones June 2019: A Separation by Katie Kitamura August 2019: Ties by Domenico Starnone October 2019: Happenstance by Carol Shields December 2019: The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher March 2020: War of the Wives by Tamar Cohen June 2020: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - 2019 September 2020: Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen December 2020: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton March 2021: Every Note Played by Lisa Genova June 2021: Monogamy by Sue Miller September 2021: The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler December 2021: The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams March 2022: I’m Fine and Neither Are You by Camille Pagán June 2022: The Sentence by Louise Erdrich September 2022: Red Island House by Andrea Lee December 2022: State of the Union by Nick Hornsby March 2023: His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie June 2023: The Harpy by Megan Hunter September 2023: Sea Wife by Amity Gaige December 2023: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell - 2020 March 2024: Mrs. March by Virginia Feito June 2024: Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown September 2024: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston December 2024: Euphoria by Elin Culhed March 2025: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - 2020 June 2025: The Constant Wife by W. Somerset Maugham September 2025: Novel about My Wife by Emily Perkins December 2025: The Soul of Kindness by Elizabeth Taylor March 2026: Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell June 2026: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri - 1999 September 2026: Family Family by Laurie Frankel December 2026: The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh
#6Degrees is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. I love the idea. Thank you, Kate. See more about this challenge, its history, further books and how I found this here.
This is an exceptional month as I have indeed read the starter book. However, it is by far not my favourite Brontë book. I love those by her sisters a lot more. Therefore, I decided to present them here this month. I'm sure most people and all readers know about Jane Eyre. But do you know all the other novels by this talented family?
Before I go into them, here is the description to our book of the month:
"Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, situated on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before; of the intense relationship between the gypsy foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw; and how Catherine, forced to choose between passionate, tortured Heathcliff and gentle, well-bred Edgar Linton, surrendered to the expectations of her class. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance at his betrayal is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.
Emily Brontë's only novel, a work of tremendous and far-reaching influence, the Penguin Classics edition of Wuthering Heights is the definitive edition of the text, edited with an introduction by Pauline Nestor. In this edition, a new preface by Lucasta Miller, author of The Brontë Myth, looks at the ways in which the novel has been interpreted, from Charlotte Brontë onwards. This complements Pauline Nestor's introduction, which discusses changing critical receptions of the novel, as well as Emily Brontë's influences and background.
Emily Brontë (1818-48), along with her sisters, Charlotte and Anne, was one of the most significant literary figures of the 19th century. She wrote just one strikingly innovative novel, Wuthering Heights, but was also a gifted and intense poet."
Agnes Grey is partly autobiographical, Anne Brontë added a lot of her own life here.
We learn about the hard life of a governess. If parents don't really want to be involved, want to discipline their children but also don't want others to discipline them but want those others to teach their children, you are always the piggy in the middle. How is the poor governess to instill the love of learning in children who are not told to follow the teacher? I know that teachers have a similar problem nowadays with parents who think their kids are little angels and little Einsteins at the same time while at the same time … well, let's not go there.
Of all the Brontë novels, this is my favourite. It reminds me of Jane Austen, though in a different direction.
The novel is exciting from the beginning. The description of the mysterious woman moving into Wildfell Hall, the suspicious neighbours, the generous landlord ... everything is quite interesting already. Then she disappears and the mystery gets even bigger.
If you are a fan of English classics (like me), Jane Eyre is a definitive must.
Charlotte Brontë has created a wonderful, strong young woman. If she had lived today, she certainly would have gone exploring and conquering the world. But she doesn’t live now. She is an orphan in Victorian England who lives with an aunt who doesn’t like her. After attending a school, she has to work as a governess.
I have yet to find a book by any of the Brontë sisters that I don't like at all, they are all fascinating and gripping (except for Wuthering Heights, maybe. I must admit, I might like it even more because it takes place in Brussels but it would have been just as interesting had the protagonist lived elsewhere.
Shirley and her friend Caroline show us the situation of women in the 19th century just as well as Jane Eyre. The story might not be as dramatic but it certainly is interesting. Charlotte Brontë shows quite a bit of humour in her narrative.
This novel is not just about a young girl who lost her family and has to look after herself, not easy at a time where the only decent way for women to keep alive is to get married. But Lucy is not someone who gives up easily, who gives in to her despair. She goes abroad and hopes to find something. And she gets rewarded for her courage. Her life still isn't easy but at least she knows she will not starve. And she finds some wonderful friends who stand by her.
* * *
This one is easy, the connection between the first and the last novel (as well as all the others) is, that it was written by sisters.
I found this on one of the blogs I follow, Books are the New Black who found it at One Book More. It was originally created by Reviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles. March: Pi Day, March Madness or Green Covers
Pi Day, mmmh, I have no idea, maybe books about maths. But then I thought, maths is also a part of science and I am more likely to find books about any kind of science in my reading list. And here I am:
Here are my #ThrowbackThursday reviews from March 2016.
Anonymous "Lazarillo de Tormes" (Spanish: La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades) - 1554
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book that was written almost 500 years ago, a great classic that you can read quite quickly because it is so short but there is a lot of action going on. This young, poor boy called Lazarillo, has to fend for himself, he has several masters and tells us his stories with them in this novel/novella.
"Un étranger" in French is "a foreigner", someone who is not a citizen of the country in question. Who is a stranger, really? Why do we exist? And this is really the question of this story, a philosophic one, even though you can read it as a novel, as well.
Nora Ephron, may she rest in peace, always found the right words. Reflections about growing older, losing your health, losing friends, your whole world is changing.
When you are in that position, all that is left some days is your sense of humour. And Nora Ephron helps you with it.
Günter Grass has grown on me and has shown why he really deserved the Nobel Prize with this work. One hundred years in one hundred stories, told from different perspectives, from the rich and the poor, the left and the right, those that left and those that stayed. Men, women, children, everyone got the chance to tell their story that is so particular for that part of the century. If you want to understand what Germans went through and achieved in that time, this is a good point to start.
Gloria Steinem is a new hero for me. What she did at a time when most women could only dream of having a good husband and leading a quiet life, the things she fought for, brilliant.
Ulitzkaya, Lyudmila "Imago" or "The Big Green Tent" (Russian: Zelenyi shater/Зеленый шатер) - 2010
We learn about the lives of a group of friends, three boys who have a brilliant literature teacher and how he influences the rest of their lives, how they live or don't live with the inflictions put upon them by the regime of their country.
I have taken part in this reading challenge since 2013. The moment I saw that post, I know this was the most interesting challenge for me. I signed up for the highest of the four levels "Mor-book-ly Obese" which meant eight or more chunksters (books over 450 pages) of which three must be 750 pages or more.
I have carried on with that challenge without setting goals, I love big books and I will always read some. And I am more than willing to tell my friends about them.
If you are interested in the challenge, check out this link. They discontinued their challenge in 2015. You can still find suggestions by page number, in case you can't find any chunksters yourself. 😉
Or you can check out my lists from the previous years (below), maybe you are interested in a couple of them. I read in 2013: 38 chunky books, 13 of them chunksters 2014: 37 chunky books, 15 of them chunksters 2015: 26 chunky books, 8 of which chunksters 2016: 28 chunky books, 3 of which chunksters 2017: 35 chunky books, 6 of which chunksters 2018: 29 chunky books, 6 of which chunksters 2019: 20 chunky books, 7 of which chunksters 2020: 18chunky books, 7 of which chunksters 2021: 24 chunky books, 10 of which chunksters 2022: 11 chunky books, 3 of which chunksters 2023: 12 chunky books, 3 of which chunksters 2024: 16 chunky books, 4 of which chunksters 2025: 17 chunky books, 4 of which chunksters
I will be posting the books I have read here: (I add the German title, if available, for my German friends) [I add my own translation of a foreign book title if it's not available in English.]
Baldursdóttir, Kristín Marja "Die Eismalerin" (Karitas án titils/Karitas untitled) - 2004 - 463 pages Godfrey, Jennie "The List of Suspicious Things" (Unser Buch der seltsamen Dinge) - 2024
I read 2 chunky books in 2026 of which 0 are considered a chunkster.
If you want to do this challenge or just check at the end of the year what category you are, here is the list:
The Chubby Chunkster - this option is for the readers who want to dabble in large tomes, but really doesn't want to commit to much more than that. FOUR Chunksters is all you need to finish this challenge. The Plump Primer - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to SIX Chunksters over the next twelve months. Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - this option is for the reader who can't resist bigger and bigger books and wants to commit to SIX Chunksters from the following categories: 2 books which are between 450 - 550 pages in length; 2 books which are 551 - 750 pages in length; 2 books which are GREATER than 750 pages in length (for ideas, please refer to the book suggestions page for some books which fit into these categories). Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to EIGHT or more Chunksters of which three tomes MUST be 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.
Looks like I've always been "more book-ly obese". 😂
None of us had read many books from Iceland before, so we decided to choose this one for our book club.
Iceland 100 years ago. A widow with six children. That's certainly not easy even today, but a hundred years ago it was incredibly difficult everywhere. But Steinunn Olafsdóttir not only manages to raise her children during those hard times, she also provides them all with an education, even the girls, which was very unusual back then. Of course, everyone has to pitch in, otherwise it wouldn't be possible.
The youngest daughter, Karitas, even becomes a painter; she has great talent and is given the opportunity to study in Denmark. But even she can't escape the customs of the time.
A highly interesting novel about a life we know very little about.
It was nice that there was a map of Iceland in the book. It wasn't so nice that the places mentioned in the book are hardly ever shown on the map.
We had a really nice discussion about this book, even though we all basically agreed. But everyone was able to take something different away from it or noticed something different, which greatly contributed to our understanding.
Personally, the scenes with elves and ghosts bothered me a little, but one member suggested that they were partly hallucinations of the protagonist. That's quite possible, and I'm glad someone saw it from a different perspective.
We also really liked that there was a matching drawing by the "ice painter" (German title) for each chapter.
We discussed this book in our local book club in February 2026.
Book Description:
"A portrait of an artist trapped by convention and expectations but longing for the chaos that can set her free. Growing up on a farm in early twentieth-century rural Iceland, Karitas Jónsdóttir, one of six siblings, yearns for a new life. An artist, Karitas has a powerful calling and is determined to never let go of her true being, one unsuited for the conventional. But she is powerless against the fateful turns of real life and all its expectations of women. Pulled back time and again by design and by chance to the Icelandic countryside―as dutiful daughter, loving mother, and fisherman’s wife―she struggles to thrive, to be what she was meant to be. Spanning decades and set against a breathtaking historical canvas, Karitas Untitled , an award-winning classic of Icelandic literature, is a complex and immersive portrait of an artist’s conflict with love, family, nature, and a country unaccustomed to an untraditional woman―but most of all, with herself and the creative instincts she has no choice but to follow."
Happy March to all my Friends and Readers New Calendar picture with this beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch "Besuch im Garten" "Visit in the Garden"
Hanka and Frank say to this picture:
"Seit vielen Jahren beobachten wir die kleinen bunten Sänger in unseren Gärten. Egal ob Sommer oder Winter - irgendwie hat man doch ein kleines Lächeln im Gesicht, wenn man die kleinen Vögel sieht. Zeit, ihnen mal wieder ein kleines Aquarell zu widmen."
"For many years we've watched these little colorful songbirds in our gardens. Whether summer or winter, seeing them always brings a smile to our faces. Time to dedicate another little watercolor painting to them."
This picture is not only beautiful but a wonderful reminder of my childhood. We always had lots of swallows and songbirds in our garden and they always make me smile. Even now, songbirds are always around us. Beautiful little companions.
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An old weather lore is: "If February is dry and cold 🥶, heat will soon follow in spring". (Ist der Februar trocken und kalt, kommt im März die Hitze bald.)
* * * And a poem I found about March: Never mind March, we know You're not really mad Or angry or bad. You're only blowing the winter away To get the world ready For April and May.
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My favourite books last month: Lanschot, Reinier van "We are Europe" (Dutch: Wij zijn Europa: een nieuw Europees verhaal) - 2024 and Chevalier, Tracy "The Glassmaker" - 2024
A non-fiction about Europe and the European Community, and a fictional account about living in Venice through the centuries.
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My German word this month is: Augenweide this translates into: A Feast for the Eyes but word for word: Eye Pasture
I think this is a good word to make us look forward to the next month, the beginning of spring. You might say Eye Candy but Augenweide means so much more.
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I've checked my February pictures and I found that February seems to be a month where we play board games constantly. We play all year round but I guess it is due to the weather that we play more of them in February. So, here is a collage of some of the games we played during the last couple of weeks. Do you know any of these? Have you played any of them?
The names of the games are: verkopft, krazyWords, Wie Arsch auf Eimer (it's a perfect match) and Hitster.
