Book Reviews: Six Contemporary Female Fiction Authors
- At November 8, 2011
- By admin
- In Book Reviews, Featured
0
I am a lover of authors and books. My great escape in this world is to turn my head down and to bury my thoughts inside the words and books.
Books next to my bed.
There is nothing more satisfying than taking a journey inside a novel. There is nothing more pleasing to the mind than to find a character that you can identify with, and say, “Yes, I feel like sometimes, too.” Some are drawn to nature. Some are obsessed with sports, bird watching, ocean loving, hikers, beauty, fashion, movies, friends and well, for me—BOOKS. I had so many that clutter my life, I have had to abandon them on occasion. Rather give them to a second hand bookstore. In 2007, I walked away from over 500 books that lined the room of my walls like army of friends and angels protecting me when I lived alone with my son. When I do not take time to nurture my soul by finding a book within reach, I can feel overly sullen, then suddenly realize I haven’t been devoting enough “Me” time to myself. That happens to be turning off the computer, turning off the cell phone and sitting quietly with a story in hand without being disturbed by anyone. I went through a Biography phase in my early twenties, the must have “Self Help Guru Books,” when I lived in Hollywood, and the period of philosophy books when I felt rather intellectual for reading “The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran. However, honestly nothing compares to an amazing novel. A book that can take you somewhere else, meet new fantastic characters and pull me out of my daily routine. John Irving once wrote in “Trying To Save Piggy Sneed” that he felt like he had known fictional characters better than those living. I can relate to that. I can relate to why I search out an author, their many many books, and try to read them all in one sitting. Just briefly, I thought I would share with you my current favorite authors. You might see a trend; they are all women. There have only been a few authors that I love that are men, but that truly is another post, and I don’t want to get sidetracked into telling you why I prefer John Steinbeck any day over Ernest Hemingway. So, get ready to meet some truly fascinating authors that are worth finding, buying and devouring their books in one full sitting when you can find the time.
#1 Luanne Rice Luanne’s writing is like visiting a sacred place. Her fiction novels all deal with truly deep moving issues we all must face at
Luanne Rice
some point like grief, loss, recovery or starting over. She also writes about the dynamics between families: Young characters to older; sister relationships and broken family ties. Luanne definitely writes character driven novels that pull you in right from the beginning of the book. Magically written, her style is used sparingly with meaning and depth. Her stories ring true to your bones.
The first novel I ever read of hers was “Cloud Nine.” This book dealt with the main character battling cancer. Besides dealing with life battling issues, her books are filled with meaning and hope behind all of her plots. There are lessons and answers you can find within yourself, while reading one of her books. Also, many of her books take place near the beach and sand. The air is full of sea salt and you can feel the wind brush your cheeks as you turn the pages in one of her books. Here are my top favorites by Luanne: “Home Fires,” “Follow The Stars Home,” “Beach Girls,”Deep Blue Sea for Beginners,” Angels All Over Town, “Cloud Nine,” “Summer Light,” and her newest novel, “The Silver Boat.” Luanne has written 30 novels, and is a New York Bestselling Author.
****Why do we love certain books and what makes them mean so much to us? Impact, I would say is the 1# thing for me when I consider why certain novels resonate deeper than others. At the time I discovered Luanne Rice’s novels, they were like white little beacons of hope touching my soul. I found them when I needed them the most. For this reason, Luanne will always rank as my top female modern author.
#2 Morag Prunty (a.k.a. Kate Kerrigan). Talk about making a great discovery in the year of 2010, Irish writer, Morag Prunty truly
added some much needed fun back into my life. (This period I am referring to is shortly after being married to my husband, and all of fun single friends, well, yes, went on being single, while I found myself in the other category looking sideways at silly, which lead me to finding more books to read at Barnes and Noble.) “Recipes for a Perfect Marriage,” made me laugh. I loved the opening and I never even realized that how appropriate I should find that book then, but I just loved this book. I don’t want to describe it because I have just realized you will immediately think I saw the same correlation in my marriage, too, to the main character, which I didn’t. But let’s just say her witty style and selfless approach through the main character made me remember what it was like to laugh during a time I missed the laughter. The chapters open with a recipe, which the main character’s grandmother created. Each recipe reveals a foreshadow in it that fits with the evolving plot and character developments. What I loved most about this novel is how there are two love stories woven into the book; the grandparents and the the granddaughter. Perfect, salty, sweet, and loved the recipes, this story brought me to all of Morag’s other books, so I will forever love it the most.
Here are some of her other books: “Disco Daddy,” “Dancing with Mules,” “Poison Arrows,” and “Super Star Lovers.” I also loved her “Miracle of Grace.” I’ll never forget the disappointment I had when “Dancing with Mules” arrived at my doorstep and I had already read the American printed version by Harper Collins! My heart sank because I was so jazzed about reading another new book by Morag! http://www.katekerrigan.ie.
Elizabeth Berg "Pull of the Moon," is one of my favorite novels.
- #3 Elizabeth Berg “Pull of the Moon,” really spoke to me, you know, I literally could her “Nan” in my head.
- She was real. I went on that journey with her. I found myself looking for a solid green rock to keep next to my bed just like she did. And I wanted to congratulate Nan on taking off and finding herself when sometimes in life we do absolutely lose ourselves along the way. Where did that girl go? You know, the one I was when I was 13, 22, 33 etc, etc? This book deals with thoughts like that, andwhy we lose pieces of ourselves in relationships or in the midst of our journey. I have read it several times. When I read “Pull of the Moon,” I found myself rooting for Nan, begging her to find herself in that turquoise diary that was overpriced. And, that green rock? Well, I kept wondering, did she she take that on the trip, too? Berg’s writing is sharp and crisp and just like you are there with the tiny details that reveals more than just the setting, but also how they describe so much about each scene. I will forever love her as an author because that book is in my top 5 of all time. http://www.elizabeth-berg.net/
“Pull of the Moon.” “Range of Motion” and “Open House.” The reason I found Morag Prunty was because Elizabeth Berg endorsed one of her novels.
#4 Sophie Kinsella I know. I am a little late in the game and everyone has been reading “Chick Lit” for at least ten years.
"Make Me Laugh, Cry and want to Live large."- That's what a Sophie Kinsella book does to me.
Becky Bloomwood’s quirky disasters and her needs to own the latest must-have designers like an alcoholic, had me bursting with laughter through the entire series. Becky sense of love for her friends, self, family and husband add another texture to this funny and witty character that also depth and spunk in her heart, too… However, “Twenties Girl,” with a ghost named Sadie and a must have necklace may be my absolute favorite stand alone novel. I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to be Sadie somehow, too. She inspired me to dig deeper into my closet and pull out the more fabulous things and retire the beach shoes. (Although, I’ve never been a flip-flop girl!)
“Undomestic Goddess,” “Gatecrasher,” (this title was under her married name) are also two of my favorites. I will wait patiently for Becky’s move to Beverly Hills with the rest of Sophie Kinsella fans. “Can you Keep a Secret,” “Twenties Girl,” and all of the Shopaholic Books, period. Which is my favorite of all?
Becky Bloomwood (Brandon) is a modern day Holly Golightly with more fun and verve to her. I absolutely would follow Becky anywhere!
Alice Hoffman
- #5 Alice Hoffman The first book I ever read by Alice Hoffman was, “The Ice Queen.” I think I cried within two pages of reading this novel. I’ve never been so moved so quickly by such an up close first person narrative that I was entranced by this story about lightning striking human beings, the love story within and how sometimes icy roads must always be avoided. The brother and sister in this book both learned about life the hard way after losing a mother very on in life and how some pieces of our childhood can never be mended with time. The butterflies at the end, the baby on the way and the therapy group. Need I say more? Here are a few of her other books that I also loved: “Local Girls,” Here on Earth,” “Skylight Confessions,” “Practical Magic,” and “Blue Diary.”
- Alice Hoffman can shatter me in two pages. Her writing takes you down to the depth of the characters muck and things you may not even want to see, but you go there because you can’t resist turning the page. At the end of each novel that I have read, I am always filled with a sense of hope, a small light shining across the horizon. I know when I read a book by Alice Hoffman, I must prepare myself to be ready to feel.~
#6 Maeve Binchy I went through a period recently, where the highlight of my day was finding her paperpack novels and reading them all in a row, one after another. “The Lilac Bus,” what can I tell you? I want to go to Ireland just to ride this bus and meet the folks that rode it on this novel. “Quintins,” when can I get there to eat that this fabulous place? “Echoes,” where can I find this cave that sat at the bottom of the town? This wind swept seaside, where a body is found floating in the water at the beginning of the novel? The fear in finding out the person that had drowned kept me reading for hours by my nightstand, lit in a yellow haze book- glaze of wonder at unraveling this plot, these characters with slow, delicate reading, for fear I might miss something. Maeve Binchy is also writes wonderful short stories of fiction. “The Return Journey” is perfect if you are looking for easy, light stories to read with heart, meaning and fun.
“Tara Road” was my first Maeve Binchy book that I had ever read. I had read it when I was pregnant with my son. Those nine months rank up there as probably the worst due to health conditions, fatness, and the fact I had just left Los Angeles, a career and my life. “Tara Road” walked around in my hands like a friend, as I remodeled a Ranch house in a place called The Ranch. I just felt so connected to those two women that switched homes one summer and rediscovered themselves again in a new environment. You see, as I write this, I can see how that book gave me comfort in the very thing that had been happening to me at that time…
Maeve Binchy
Books~ A place to be, to escape and to live in our dreams. Forget your iPad, your Kindle, your computer, your little phone that is giving you wrinkles as you try to read your stories On-line. (Ladies, remember, don’t wrinkle your squint your eyes!) Pick up a book at your local Bookstore and take time to read, even if it’s just for fun. You might find that life is never better when you have a story to look forward to after the sun sets. I could keep going on and on about this journey of reading. Books have helped me discover things about my own soul that I know I might not have recognized without the insight and stories from other writers. In the midst of busy schedules, friendships and other relationships, a book helps us focus our mind inward and become reflective about what we are reading. In the process, we find those hidden jewels we might have missed if we hadn’t buried our minds inside the pages of a book.
I love a lot of other women authors, too:
Billie Letts, Sue Monk Kidd, Emily Giffin, Lolly Winston, Barbara Kingsolver, Marian Keyes, Candace Bushnell, and Daniel Steele, Jodi Picoult, Elizabeth Gilbert, Kristin Hannah, Kathryn Stockett, and Susan Minot.
