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Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
Irene (Harborcreek, PA)’s review of Reservoir 13 | Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

A 13 year old tourist goes missing while hiking with her parents on the edge of a rural English village. In the glare of TV cameras, with the entire country watching, this feels like the most significant event that has happened in this community. The specter of the missing girl flickers behind the fears and hopes, the plans realized and failed for years to come. Meanwhile, with few looking, people are born into this world and leave it, children depart for university and jobs and the family business changes hands, loved is professed between young lovers and old friends and parents who protect their troubled children at all cost. Could the disappearance of a stranger really be more significant than the myriad stories of fidelity and heart-break and quiet kindness that is lived without remark each day? This is an extraordinary account of ordinary lives.

Intuition by Allegra Goodman
Irene (Harborcreek, PA)’s review of Intuition | Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Ambition, jealousy, competition play out in a post-doc lab doing cancer research. I appreciated a setting that has not been over used in novels. It was over written in places, descriptive or explanatory phrase layered on top of phrase like pancakes, all pretty much saying the same thing, adding no new information or insight, simply more words piled on (you get the picture).

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Irene (Harborcreek, PA)’s review of The Lowland | Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

It is the 1960s in India when a young college student gets involved in a violent revolutionary movement. The tragic consequences rip the family apart. Lahiri masterfully creates characters and portrays family dynamics. This is a very slow moving book. Little happens apart from the gradual shifting of relationships in this family.

River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer
Irene (Harborcreek, PA)’s review of River Sing Me Home | Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

This slave story is set in the Caribbean in 1834. Slavery has just been outlawed in British colonies, but the former slaves are forced into 6 years of indentured servitude. One woman in desperation flees and embarks on a search to find the children who were sold away from her many years earlier. This follows the tradition quest story line. Along the way she has to overcome great challenges, picks up those who will assist her and prove herself. 3.5 stars

A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Timothy Egan
Irene (Harborcreek, PA)’s review of A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith | Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

The author follows an ancient pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome. As with most great travel writing, he brings to life the sights and smells, the culture and history of each town along the road. This is a traditional Catholic pilgrim way; its history and culture are explicitly linked to the larger Catholic story. But the author is a religious sceptic whose criticism of the Catholic Church comes close to distain. I enjoyed the writing and learning about each place. But I do not share the author’s religious attitude and found the juxtaposition of revered holy sites with condemnation of the Church to be jarring.

Harsh Times by Mario Vargas Llosa
Irene (Harborcreek, PA)’s review of Harsh Times | Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

This is a fictional account of the violent political turmoil in Guatemala in the 1950s. This novel tells the story of the power brokers, the deceitful campaign of United Fruit, the brutal hand of Trujillo, the callous manipulation of the Eisenhower administration. I needed a better understanding of the historical figures in Guatemala at that time to appreciate this book.

Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson
Irene (Harborcreek, PA)’s review of Perfect Little World | Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

For an experiment in child rearing practices, 10 sets of new parents and their first born infants are recruited to live in an intentional community where child care is shared. What would be the impact on the children’s development if all sources of stress or anxiety were removed from their lives and the lives of their parents. This novel lacks the quirky humor I expect from a Wilson story. 2.5 stars