I downloaded this book from the library and for some reason it downloaded two copies of every file. So, when I was halfway through the book, I thought I was only a quarter of the way through the book. This made me very confused about the book and where it was headed right up until it ended.
This is the story of a preacher in Gilead, Iowa who has been diagnosed with heart failure and is reaching the end of his life. He married and had a son late in life so the entire narrative is told through letters written from the father to the young son. The father talks about his father and grandfather and the roles that they played in the Civil war. He talks to his son about his relationships and the wife and child the he had before he met and married his son’s mother. He talks about how racial issues played out before, during and after the Civil War in Gilead and the rest of the Iowa territories. And, he talks about his godson Jack and how Jack has recently appeared in town after a long absence.
I really enjoyed this novel. I liked the narrative pace (even if I was confused about how far I was in the novel). I was interested in the mystery of why Jack had reappeared and what caused him to disappear in the first place. I was interested in the tension between the father and grandfather as told by a son to his son. That is a confusing sentence, but trust me the novel isn’t confusing. It is an interesting look at how different generations see the same issues. And, how history sometimes repeats itself.
This is the first book that I’ve read by Marilynne Robinson (which is ridiculous since she’s considered an Iowa treasure and Iowa is my home and it one the Pulitzer Prize in 2004.) I really liked the prose and I think I will be reading more of her work in the future.
I checked this book out from the Buffalo and Erie County Public Libraries
I have finished reading Reawakened but since it doesn’t come out until August I’m going to hold my review of it. So instead, I’m going to talk about Colleen Houck’s other series The Tiger’s Saga. The as-of-now four piece series follows Kelsey, your normal American teenage girl who travels to India to try to break a 300 year old Indian Curse. In the first book, Tiger’s Curse, Kelsey gets a summer job working for a circus, whose main attraction is a white tiger. She is immediately drawn to the tiger, not realizing that the Tiger is actually a 300+ year old Indian Prince named Ren. Ren was cursed by the evil Lokesh, who was trying to take over his kingdom and take the mysterious Amulet. He has been trapped inside a Tiger’s body ever since and is only himself for 24 minutes a day. Kelsey and Ren set out to solve the prophecy and break the curse under the watchful eye of the Goddess Durga to free Ren from his bondage. Of course it’s not that simple. Lokesh is still out there, searching for the amulet to gain the ultimate power. Ren’s brother, Kishan was also cursed, though he has been living as a tiger in the Indian jungle. And the tasks to breaking the curse are fraught with danger, magic and myths. They take them to places all around India and even Nepal and even mythical places like Shangri-La. With each successful completion of a task the brothers gain more time as themselves until they break the curse and no longer can become a tiger.
I fell in love with the series. It’s kind of a mix of Twilight and Indian Jones. I know an odd mix. It has the romance element but also the action and adventure element that keeps it exciting. Kelsey falls for Ren but is reluctant to express her feelings. Her parents died a couple of years ago and has since had trouble opening up to new people in fear that they will also leave her. Ren is an honest, sweet man who wants to do the right thing for his kingdom and others but after centuries as a tiger, you can’t blame him for fighting for what he wants. Their chemistry is apparent from almost their first meeting, which I’m counting as a Tiger. Complications of course happen when they meet Kishan. Ren and Kishan were not on the best of terms when they were cursed. There are obviously going to be some bad feelings when one brother tries to steal the other brother’s fiance. Even 300 years as tigers is not enough time to heal those wounds. Of course it doesn’t help that they both fall in love with Kelsey. It’s your classic love triangle. The good girl, who falls in love with the good brother and the bad brother. Their tiger’s fur even signifies who’s who. Ren is a white tiger and Ren is a black. As the series progresses, they become more than just good and bad. Kishan has lived in the jungle for all those years because he can’t face what he did. Houck makes a good case for why each brother would be a good match for Kelsey but there is never any doubt who she truly loves and will eventually end up with. As for the villian, Lokesh, he’s your typical bent on world domination villian and the lengths he will go to get what he wants are kinda frightening. Ren and Kishan have been supported by Mr. Kadam. His parents personal guard, who continued to live thanks to part of the Amulet he was given from the family and Nilima, Mr. Kadam several greats granddaughter. They provide a stability to the story. Nothing would get done without them.
Stop what you are doing right now and read this book. I mean it! I really wish it had been written when I was a teenager because I could have used this book. That being said, my 32 year-old self needed this book too. It works on so many levels. Taking on feminism, sexism and the unrealistic expectations of beauty on it’s head. Let’s be honest, no one really expect much from teenage girls. We expect them to be agreeable, charming, pretty, and happy and not much else. Just like you probably wouldn’t think much about a book about beauty queens stranded on a deserted island either but this is one fine satire.
Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series has 
2 Women, So Many Books 