Me Before You

Jojo Moyes, Pamela Dorman Books, December 2012

...not your typical romance novel

Set in modern day England, this story centers around Louisa Clark and the Will Traymor, a quadriplegic for whom she becomes a care giver.  Lou is unemployed when she reluctantly signs up for this position.  Coming from a decidedly lower middle class family she is somewhat awed to find herself working at the Castle taking care of Will the scion of an upper class family.  

Lou is not particularly well suited for this job and soon finds herself challenged to work with Will.  She tries to learn more about quads by joining some online support groups and works mightily to engage Will in life outside his apartment of rooms.  Will is embittered by the accident that left him paralyzed.  There are a number of supporting characters in this story that really add to the enjoyment.  Lou has a family of eccentric but likeable members including her long time boyfriend Patrick..  The male nurse who helps Will and his parents are also well drawn characters.  The central story though is the relationship between Will and Lou.  I loved their dialogue, witty and engaging, it reminded of the best between Tracy and Hepburn.  Both Will and Lou have secrets that are revealed and there is no chance I’ll tell them here.

This is a love story for sure, but really it is so much more than that.  It examines class differences (and renders them inconsequential), the humor is real and funny.  It speaks to the life altering power of true love and finally this story addresses a thought provoking ethical dilemma.  I can't really list all of the emotions you will feel while reading this.

I took a break from reviewing books (not reading books)  for about six weeks.  I wanted to review and recommend this one because I just enjoyed it so much.  Don’t be fooled by the cover this is not your typical romance novel, it would be great for a book club choice.  It will stay with you long after you read the last page.  

I read a copy of this book borrowed from The Free Library of Philadelphia

The House at Tyneford

by Natasha Solomons, Plume, December 2011

Read this is if you like romance with a great historical setting

Spoilers

The opening chapters of this novel describe the carefree life in Vienna in the 1930s.  Our heroine, Elise Landua is the nineteen year old daughter of an artistic family.  Her mother is a famous opera singer and her father a novelist.  They are Jews.  Recognizing the threat that the Nazi regime represents, Elise’s father works to get them out of Vienna.  Her sister manages a passage to California; her parents await visas to do the same.  Elise at the urging of her parents takes a position as a parlor maid in a manor house in southern England.  So begins the tale.

Elise struggles with her changed circumstances but receives support from both the down stairs servants and the lord of the manor, Christopher Rivers.  In a turn of events that should not surprise even one reader Elise falls in love with Kit, the only son of Mr. Rivers.  War comes and hope for Elise’s parents fades as England struggles in the early years of the war.  Elise’s love affair with Kit is frowned on by the servants but in a response that seems unlikely at best is supported by Kit’s father.  There are some idyllic scenes of manor life that are in sharp contrast to the events of the Dunkirk evacuation and its aftermath.   As with almost all war novels, there is loss; this one is no exception.

This is a World War II novel with an original plot.  I am always fascinated with the almost random circumstances that allowed some Jews to escape the Nazi terror.  I had not read previously that some wealthy Jewish families arranged for their sons and daughters to emigrate on work visas as house servants.  The author does a good job of contrasting the carefree high society life of Vienna with the bleakness and rigidity of the English class system.  The downstairs servants are well drawn and the English desire to maintain normalcy in the face of severe deprivation is depicted.  The plot then moves to a more traditional story line (think Rebecca, Mrs. Miniver, etc.) and if you miss this shift the author actually has the characters attend a movie showing where the feature is Rebecca. 

The writing contains a lot more descriptive paragraphs than I’d find necessary to tell this story.  I skimmed over quite a few.  I had to keep reminding myself that this novel is tagged as historical romance, not a genre I usually read.  I found the ending quite unbelievable but if you recognize that this story was first and foremost a romance, no other ending would do. Read this is if you like romance with a great historical setting.

I read a copy of this novel provided by the publisher.

Brava, Valentine: A Novel

By Adriana Trigiani
February, 2010
Harper

This is definitely a beach read. If you have not read Very Valentine, Trigiani’s first book in this trilogy you really should before reading this one. I note that I said in my blog title I don’t read romance but this novel is sure close to a romance if not one. What I do like about her writing are her characters. The characters are stereotyped but to me very funny. Valentine is the unmarried, career minded daughter in an extended Italian-American family. No angst here, her writing is respectful and loving towards this culture. I find myself smiling and sometimes laughing at the family dynamics. The Thanksgiving dinner scene is a train wreck. I love her humor. I enjoyed the descriptions of the hand made shoe industry – who knew- that you could go and have shoes made just for you! There are descriptions of clothes, interior design and other aesthetic items, all lost on me! The novel includes tough topics, death, infidelity, racism, lost loves, economic distress but as in any good, unchallenging read all is right in the end. I will no doubt read the last part of the trilogy when it is published. I’d recommend this if you like authors such as Maeve Binchy and Jan Karon then you’ll surely like Trigiani’s books. If you like them there are plenty more to read.