Book Swap: A Parchment of Leaves

Silas House's A Parchment of Leaves is a portrait of the tension of humanity. Woven with rich language, the text tells the story of a young couple trying to navigate the ties between families. They are asked several times to stretch beyond themselves to forgive past and present faults, and many times only the natural world can help them come to that realization. The novel is set in Kentucky during the early 1900s, when being Native American was not appreciated. A young man, Saul Sullivan, goes up the mountain looking for work but returns with a wife who is nothing like his mother expected. Vine, the young Cherokee girl who steals the heart of Saul, spends the next few years of her married life learning about family ties, forgiveness, and the hatred toward her people. 

The connection to nature in this book made me want to be outside more and more, especially during the gloaming. Unfortunately I spent most of my time reading this book in an airport or inside. Like the characters I have often looked at nature as a connection to God, not in the sense that I speak to God through the trees but that the trees represent God's ability to create beauty. At one point, Vine wonders about the trees and says " They were like God in many respects: they stood silent, and most people only noticed them when the need arose. Maybe all the secrets to life were written on the surface of leaves, waiting to be translated." If we all spent more time pondering nature, I think we might understand God just a bit more or at least desire to be closer to him. 

Family is huge theme in this novel. Amidst tough situations, Saul realizes that "All a man had in this life was his family, and he had to do his best by them. This was the think that would matter most to him when he lay upon his deathbed, taking inventory of his days on earth." At first Saul and Vine each try to cling tightly to their individual families, unwilling to see any faults in their own natural family and always running back when things got tough. They learn that while they can remain close to their own natural family they now have a new family by marriage.

I give this book a 5 out of 5. The story kept me entranced and the language was beautiful. I will leave you with one more quote from the novel that really sticks: "Words become solid on the air when spoken, but quickly drift away. Ink lasts always."

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/83293/a-parchment-of-leaves-by-silas-house/

Thanks to Martha S. for letting me borrow her book.

-Granny Eyre-

The Storyteller

Well I finished another book swap book in the midst of other crazy activities. In true Jodi Picoult fashion, The Storyteller was a mix of characters that fit together towards the middle of the book and then the book raced toward the end. When thinking about my review while starting the book, I thought I would give it a less positive review compared to other Jodi Picoult books, but now that I have finished it, I think it still deserves to be placed on the shelf next to the rest of her books.

The story begins with a young woman with some major self-esteem issues. She works at a bakery in the night because in addition to loving to bake, she wants to avoid people. Sage (adequately named for a baker, but maybe a bit forced for a novel character) frets that other people will judge her for the scar down the side of her face, but when she meets an older man who comes in to the shop and stays after it closes she can't continue to hide behind her flour and hair anymore. She begins to have a friendship, but the friendship gets rocky when he reveals that he was once a Nazi.

Picoult really displays her ability to create dynamic and real characters. There's the bakery cashier who only speaks in haiku, which as you might imagine displays Picoult's ability to write poetry. Josef, the former Nazi, is known by the rest of the town as the kind, retired German teacher who coached baseball and wrote letters of recommendation. The bakery owner is extremely nice to Sage but has an interesting past as an ex-nun. She now keeps a garden on a hill above the shop, called Our Daily Bread, where she is often found praying. She acts as sort of a spiritual guide for Sage, who is an atheist but comes from a Jewish family. Adam is the one character who is a bit flat because he plays the boyfriend who is also married. Personally I found his character a bit unnecessary except that he contrasts Leo, the detective. Leo is the guy that Sage contacts once Josef tells her that he regrets his actions as a Nazi and requests that she help him die.

This book centers around a couple of key questions.
1. Who can forgive?
               Josef comes to Sage because he regrets his actions as a former Nazi and wants her forgiveness. Since she rejected Judaism, Sage doesn't feel that it is her place to forgive him regardless of her family's religion. She also argues that her forgiveness will not undue his actions. This logic is exactly the same logic that is keeping Sage from forgiving herself. We learn that Sage blames herself for her mother's death, which is why Sage hides from the world. This is also why Sage has a relationship with a man already married; she doesn't see herself worth anything more.

2. How powerful are stories?
              Interspersed between narratives are short chunks of what is obviously a different story about a vampire falling in love with a girl (better than Twilight I promise). Towards the middle of the book, we learn that this story was written by a Jewish girl living during World War 2. I think this question is what makes me think this book is worth reading. The girl writing this story uses the story throughout her entire life in the ghetto and concentration camps to encourage other people and to save her life. While in the camp, she tells the story to the other inmates as a way of enticing them to live one more day, if only to hear the next part of the story. At one point, her whole existence in the camp is based on her writing ten more pages a day to present to a curious officer. The story literally saves her life. Later, she trades the journal where the story was kept for her life.

3. When can the past stop dictating the present and future?
               Josef has created an entirely new life for himself in the United States, but he can't quite seem to shake his past from his mind. Sage lives in isolation because she can't let go of her past. Sage's grandmother won't talk about her past because it is so full of pain. So many characters in this book let the past tell them how to live in the present and the future. Sage has to figure out how to first learn about the past and then how to let it guide but not control the future. She learns this for herself and others throughout the course of the book.

Overall I would give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It ends really well; in fact I was almost late to work because I wanted to finish reading it. The book, though, starts sort of slow and I wasn't a huge fan of some of the characters. Some of the sub-plot was unnecessary and distracting.

Thanks to Miss Ellaneous for letting me borrow it.

-Granny Eyre

Book Swap Reviews

Since we had our book swap during the camping trip I have been able to read two of the books I borrowed. I thought it would be good to review the books here.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
There are some books that you wish would never end. This is one of those books. I became so attached to the two main characters, Angel and Michael, that I wanted to see more of their life. The book is loosely based on the book of Hosea in the Bible, evidenced by Michael's last name. After the initial rescue of the prostitute and the fact that she runs away and he retrieves her, there is little to compare. It's set during the Gold Rush and centers around a girl who is sold into prostitution after her mother dies. Angel comes to believe that is she's worth and forgets about the little girl Sarah of her past. Michael, a quiet farmer, sees her in town and hears from God that he is to marry this prostitute. The book follows their marriage, her resistance to love, and Michael's obedience to God.
I found the book realistic to emotions, even though I have no idea how it feels to be a prostitute. The book paints a picture of how love can break down even the toughest walls. It's also a testament to the importance of following God; Michael hesitated to marry Angel but because of his obedience Sarah resurfaced and many other girls were saved from prostitution.
I know it's fiction, but I think there's a lot of truth in this book.
Thanks for letting me borrow it, Farmer's Daughter!


The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed by Lee Smith
This was a book of emotions, beautifully written and truthful. It follows one summer of the nine-year-old Susan, who's family is falling apart in the middle of her coming of age. The story begins cute with her descriptions of her family and friends. It's a close neighborhood and a time when kids roamed free outside. Throughout the story, Susan learns more and more about life when her family has more trouble and the kids form a club.
Smith writes in such a way that I felt that I was in Susan's head. The descriptions and feelings felt real. I have experienced divorce and I think I had some of the same naivety that Susan experienced. The difference was though that Susan didn't feel close to her mother from the beginning, evidenced by the fact that she called her the queen who lived in the castle. The character is interesting and could be a psychologist's field day.
Thanks for letting me borrow it, Martha S.!

What have y'all been reading?