Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, Mad Honey
There's some good stuff about bees, and the plot resolves nicely. Picoult's novels (mostly) have good narrative flow. The characters are often a little predictable, and she's kind of a one trick pony (kids in peril, and big twist near the end). It's like Flannery O'Conner, whose every story was about how people are monstrous freaks who need the grace of God to make them bearable. Picoult's every story is kids who seem to do monstrous things, but really haven't.
I did enjoy this one, but it self-harm and abusive relationships put you off, maybe skip it.
Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead
Kingsolver is also, for me, hit and miss. I really liked her first three novels, and haven't much liked anything since. This one is Kingsolver's recasting of David Copperfield, moved from 19th century London to 1990s Appalachia and the opioid crisis. I mostly enjoyed it, though once Demon becomes addicted to opioids, Xanax, and other pills, it's a grim slog. If you like David Copperfield as much as I do, there's a certain amount of pleasure in spotting the parallels.
Sarah Miller, Marmee
Sarah Miller wrote Caroline, which I liked a lot -- it's the story of Little House on the Prairie, one of my favorite childhood books, but from the POV of Caroline Ingalls (Ma). This one is Little Women, told from the point of view of Marmee. We get a more accurate and less Jesus-y picture of what life might have been like in the March household during the years between 1862 and 1872. Especially if Little Women is one of your favorites, you'll like this.
I see Miller has written some other books. I'll have to hunt them down.
No comments:
Post a Comment