Tag Archives: literary fiction

Book Review of The Glorious Heresies, by Lisa McInerney

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The Glorious Heresies

I received a copy of The Glorious Heresies, by Lisa McInerney from Blogging for Books.

Description from Goodreads:
One messy murder affects the lives of five misfits who exist on the fringes of Ireland’s post-crash society. Ryan is a fifteen-year-old drug dealer desperate not to turn out like his alcoholic father Tony, whose obsession with his unhinged next-door neighbour threatens to ruin him and his family. Georgie is a prostitute whose willingness to feign a religious conversion has dangerous repercussions, while Maureen, the accidental murderer, has returned to Cork after forty years in exile to discover that Jimmy, the son she was forced to give up years before, has grown into the most fearsome gangster in the city. In seeking atonement for the murder and a multitude of other perceived sins, Maureen threatens to destroy everything her son has worked so hard for, while her actions risk bringing the intertwined lives of the Irish underworld into the spotlight . . .

Biting, moving and darkly funny, The Glorious Heresies explores salvation, shame and the legacy of Ireland’s twentieth-century attitudes to sex and family.

Review:
Wow, that was a head trip and one hard read. I could generally only read a couple chapters at a time before needing breathing space. In fact, I read several other books in the time it took me to finish this, and I’m usually a literary monogamist; preferring to read one book at a time.

But despite being gritty and hard to face at times, it’s a stellar book. It kind of has a similar feel to J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, except I think it pulls off spotlighting the humanity of the destitute and desperate better than Rowling did.

The characters are fleshed out and human, most of them screw-ups of one sort or another, all constantly cheating one another and themselves in the process, knowingly or not. The plot is twisty enough to keep you interested, but not so much as to feel contrived. And the writing is magnificent! Really, if you are a literary fiction reader, who likes their fiction a little on the dark side pick this up.

What I’m drinking: Loyd Rich India Orange Pekoe Black Tea

Book Review of A Wife of Noble Character, by Yvonne Georgina Puig

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A Wife of Noble Character

I won an ARC of A Wife of Noble Character, by Yvonne Georgina Puig, through Library Thing.

Description:

Thirty-year-old Vivienne Cally is wealthy in name only. Orphaned as a child and raised by a cold but regal aunt, Vivienne was taught to rely on her beauty and Texas tradition, and is expected to marry a wealthy and respectable man who will honor the Cally name. Friends with Houston’s most prominent families, she’s a beloved fixture at social events, and suffers no shortage of access to the city’s most eligible bachelors. Preston Duffin has known Vivienne and her set since childhood, though he’s never shared their social aspirations or status. About to graduate from a prestigious architecture program, he is both fascinated and repelled by this group of friends he sits on the cusp of. He’s long admired Vivienne’s beauty, but isn’t sure he holds any place in so traditional a life. Intrigued by the extent to which Preston challenges the only way of life she’s ever known, Vivienne both courts his attention, and rebuffs his critiques of her antiquated values.

Review:

Lordy, I struggled with this one. I set it aside so many times. In fact, I read five other books between starting it and finishing it. I’ll say up front that I felt it redeemed itself in the end, but for most of the book I could not relate to Vivienne. I disliked her intensely.

I understood what Puig was highlighting with the positions Vivienne found herself in and the way she thought and what she did to survive, but it all made my skin crawl. It’s the sort of feeling I actively avoid in my life, so it was very hard for me to face it through Vivienne.

However, the writing is beautiful. The characters are ones you’ll recognize, even as you hate them. And, as I said, I liked the end.

What I’m drinking: What the English might call Builder’s tea. One inexpensive bag of black tea, quite strong and a dash of milk. This is one of my comfort drinks. These days, I’m often off dairy. So, I don’t drink it as often. But for pure, melt into the couch relaxation, it’s my go-to drink. Or, as the case may be, while reading books that depress me.

Book Review of Faith Healer, by Victoria G. Smith

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I purchased a copy of Victoria G. Smith‘s Faith Healer from the publisher. It even came with a signed bookplate inside the front cover.

Description from Goodreads:
Ousted years ago from the MalacaNang Palace in Manila, where he healed the people’s ailments with the power God sent through his hands, Victor Mariano has made a peaceful, if lonely and uncertain, life for himself as the caregiver “Tita Vee” in a California long-term care facility.

Victor is no stranger to living as neither one thing or another–not a man or a woman, not a fraud or a miracle, not black or white or Filipino. Like the sacred mountain that chose a penniless intersex bastard to receive the gift of healing, Victor lives on the very edge of where any other human could travel.

Faced with crisis and deportation, tormented by the loss of his unbelievable gifts, Victor has nothing left but memories and a remarkable story of multiple abandonments, faith and disbelief, palaces and poverty. Hair graying, with no hope even of escape, his own tale might be the only way to save the twisted heart of a cruel racist who threatens the small peace he has forged.

Review:
This is a hard book for me to review because I found it rich, thought provoking and interesting. However, I also thought the dialogues was extremely stiff, some of the themes heavy-handed and the narrative voice often awkward. But on the whole, I think it is definitely worth picking up and reading.

Also, I don’t usually talk about the actual physical book in a review, but I’m going to make an exception here. I don’t know if Brainmill does all their books this way, but the copy I have has colored front matter, headers/footers and chapter titles. As well as surprisingly nice paper for such a little book. It’s so unusual I just had to comment on it.

What I’m drinking: Earl Grey with milk. I used to drink quite a lot of Earl Grey, as I quite like the bergamot flavor. But I’m on an oolong kick recently, so this was a bit of a departure from the norm.