Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Nov 14

3

Review and Giveaway: Window Smalls by Jamie Lisa Forbes

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on November 3, 2014
Posted in Book Tours • Books Read in 2014 • My Giveaways • Short Story Collection  | Tagged With: , , | 6 Comments

Widow Smalls 2CoverToday it is my great pleasure to kick off the tour for ‘The Widow Smalls’ by Jamie Lisa Forbes!

Book Description:

Publisher: Pronghorn Press (October 20, 2014)
ISBN: 978-1-932636-97-0
Category: Short Stories, Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Tour Date: November, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 231 Pages

Thirty years of browbeating from rancher Bud Smalls has penned his wife, Leah, into emotional isolation.  Now Bud is gone and Leah owns the ranch, but there is no help forthcoming from Bud’s brothers who want to force her out and take the ranch for themselves.  When their attempt to humiliate her instead becomes her opportunity to succeed, Leah begins to find her way back to herself and learns how much she can gain by opening her heart.

The Widow Smalls is just one of the stories in this collection by the WILLA Award winning author of Unbroken, Jamie Lisa Forbes, who writes about the hardships of making a living from the land with an understanding that comes from first-hand experience.

Her deftly drawn characters include star-crossed lovers, a young rancher facing his first test of moral courage, an inscrutable ranch hand claiming an impressive relative, a father making one last grasp for his daughter’s love and a child’s struggle to make sense of the world around her.   Each will pull you into the middle of their stories and keep you turning the pages.

My Thoughts:

In this collection of short stories, there are two novella length stories as well.  There are 6 stories in all.  The stories fit well together, with the common theme of ranching life in the 1930’s-50’s . I truly loved this collection as a whole.

I found the first story, Romona Dietz haunting.  It is about a rancher, Roy who brings on a couple to work for him.  Romona, the wife, is very young and does the cooking.  Roy starts out the day every morning, eating breakfast with the couple.  It soon becomes apparent to Roy that the couple are having problems.  He even asks Ramona if her husband is beating her.  She doesn’t reply but he is convinced.
At the end of the story, we find out something even worse.  All is not what it seems.

The last story is that of the title, ‘The Widow Smalls’.  Leah’s husband, Bud, just dies and already his brothers are trying to get Leah to sell them her ranch.  Bub an Leah have no children but before Bud died, sometimes their nephews would lend a hand.  However, now Leah is on her own and the brothers give her a very weak offer for the property.  Leah is tested she shines through as a strong woman, not to be taken for granted or “to the cleaners.”

I enjoy short stories but this has to be about the best collection I have read for a long time.  My favorite collection of all time is probably, Jhumpa Lahri’s ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ the stories are all about Indians and Indian Americans.  However, I have to say, ‘The Widow Smalls’ comes the closest to that, in terms of my favorites.  So, yes it is among my favorite collections now!

I think even readers who don’t usually like short stories that much will really enjoy ‘The Widow Smalls’.  It has a bit of a John Steinbeck feel so, those fans of classics and literary writing, should enjoy it.  I highly recommend ‘The Widow Smalls’!

5/5

I received an ebook copy for my honest opinion.

About Jamie Lisa Forbes:Jamie Forbes

Jamie Lisa Forbes was raised on a family ranch in southeastern Wyoming.  She graduated from the University of Colorado with honors in 1977 and then lived in Israel until 1979, when she returned to her family’s ranch and raised her own family over the next fifteen years.  Today, she writes and practices law in Greensboro, North Carolina.  She enjoys spending time with her grandsons and playing old time Appalachian fiddle.  With her Arabian horse, Cody, and her cattle dog, Reb, she still devotes part of her life to the outdoors.

Jamie Lisa Forbes won the WILLA Award for her novel ‘Unbroken’.

Buy Widow Smalls:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
IndieBound

Thanks to the author, Jamie Lisa Forbes, I am giving away one print or ebook copy of ‘The Widow Smalls.’  This giveaway is open internationally however, the print book is only available to the U.S. An international winner will receive the ebook. This giveaway ends on November 27, 2014.  Please use the Rafflecopter to enter.

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Follow the Tour:

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Nov 3 Review & Giveaway Pinky’s Favorite Reads Nov 4 Interview & Excerpt Inspire to Read Nov. 5 Excerpt Cassandra M’s Place Nov. 6 Review & Giveaway Back to Books Nov. 7 Review WV Stitcher Nov.10 Review Dr Bill’s Book Bazaar Nov. 11 Review Deal Sharing Aunt Nov. 12 Review, Giveaway, & Excerpt Unshelfish Nov 13 Review Indie Re Behind the Scenes Nov 13 9 PM Eastern Live Interview My Reading Addictions Nov. 14 Review Bound 4 Escape Nov. 17 Review What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov. 18 Review, Guest Post, & Excerpt Room With Books Nov 18 Interview & Excerpt Manic Mama of 3 Nov 19 Review Lady in Read Nov. 20 Review Two Children and a Migraine Nov 24 Review The Book Binder’s Daughter Nov. 26 Review

Sep 14

8

Giveaway: The Children Act by Ian McEwan

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 8, 2014
Posted in My Past Giveaways  | Tagged With: , , | 9 Comments

Children-Act-3DThanks to John Pitts of Doubleday, I am giving away 5 copies of ‘The Children Act’.

Book Description:

Fiona Maye is a leading High Court judge who presides over cases in the family court. She is renowned for her fierce intelligence, exactitude, and sensitivity. But her professional success belies private sorrow and domestic strife. There is the lingering regret of her childlessness, and now her marriage of thirty years is in crisis.

At the same time, she is called on to try an urgent case: Adam, a beautiful seventeen-year-old boy, is refusing for religious reasons the medical treatment that could save his life, and his devout parents echo his wishes. Time is running out. Should the secular court overrule sincerely expressed faith? In the course of reaching a decision, Fiona visits Adam in the hospital—an encounter that stirs long-buried feelings in her and powerful new emotions in the boy. Her judgment has momentous consequences for them both.

Praise for ‘The Children Act’:

“McEwan presents a ferociously intelligent and competent woman struggling to rule on a complex legal matter while feeling humiliated and betrayed by her husband … a notable volume from one of the finest writers alive.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“Haunting … a brief but substantial addition to the author’s oeuvre.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Smart and elegant … a grown-up novel that reminds us just how messy life can be and how the justice system … doesn’t always deliver justice.”—Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today

“As in Atonement, what doesn’t happen has the power to destroy; as in Amsterdam, McEwan probes the dread beneath civilized society. In spare prose, he examines cases, people, and situations, to reveal anger, sorrow, shame, impulse, and yearning. He rejects religious dogma that lacks compassion, but scrutinizes secular morality as well … Few will deny McEwan his place among the best of Britain’s living novelists.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“McEwan, always a smart, engaging writer, here takes more than one familiar situation and creates at every turn something new and emotionally rewarding in a way he hasn’t done so well since On Chesil Beach.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Irrefutably creative … With his trademark style, which is a tranquil mix of exacting word choice and easily flowing sentences, McEwan once again observes with depth and wisdom the universal truth in the uncommon situation.”—Booklist, starred review

About Ian McEwan:

Photo Credit-Joost van den Broek

Photo Credit-Joost van den Broek

Ian McEwan is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels Sweet Tooth; Solar, winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize; On Chesil Beach;Saturday; Atonement, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the W. H. Smith Literary Award; The Comfort of Strangers and Black Dogs, both shortlisted for the Booker Prize; Amsterdam, winner of the Booker Prize; and The Child in Time, winner of the Whitbread Award; as well as the story collections First Love, Last Rites, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, and In Between the Sheets.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on September 22, 2014.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Aug 14

24

Review: The Promise by Ann Weisgarber

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on August 24, 2014
Posted in Books Read in 2014 • Historical Fiction  | Tagged With: , , | 7 Comments

Book Description:

From the author of The Personal History of Rachel Dupree, shortlisted for the Orange Award for New Writers and longlisted for the Orange Prize.

1900. Young pianist Catherine Wainwright flees the fashionable town of Dayton, Ohio in the wake of a terrible scandal. Heartbroken and facing destitution, she finds herself striking up correspondence with a childhood admirer, the recently widowed Oscar Williams. In desperation she agrees to marry him, but when Catherine travels to Oscar’s farm on Galveston Island, Texas—a thousand miles from home—she finds she is little prepared for the life that awaits her.

The island is remote, the weather sweltering, and Oscar’s little boy Andre is grieving hard for his lost mother. And though Oscar tries to please his new wife, the secrets of the past sit uncomfortably between them.

Meanwhile for Nan Ogden, Oscar’s housekeeper, Catherine’s sudden arrival has come as a great shock. For not only did she promise Oscar’s first wife that she would be the one to take care of little Andre, but she has feelings for Oscar which she is struggling to suppress. And when the worst storm in a generation descends, the women will find themselves tested as never before.

My Thoughts:

Catherine Wainwright has been scandalized in Ohio society and knows she must leave.  As an accomplished pianist, she this thinks about going somewhere to teach piano but know it would still be a difficult life as a woman alone.  She starts corresponding with an old friend that she grew up with.  Oscar Williams is a recently widowed dairy farmer on the island of Galveston, Texas.  It is a very isolated place.

When Oscar writes to Katherine with a marriage proposal, she hastily accepts and hops on the train.  Oscar meets her at the station, they have lunch and then they get married.  They then take the boat ride to the island and as they approach she sees how remote it really is.

Oscar takes her home to meet his son, Andre, who is still grieving for his mother.  She also meets their housekeeper, Nan who loves both Andre and Oscar,  She was best friends with Oscars wife, whom asked her to take care Andre for her.

Nan has trouble accepting Katherine as Oscars wife and Katherine has trouble getting use to her new family and the lesser cultured people on the island.  However, she does try.

Then, the worst storm of the 20th century in the U.S. hits the island.

The storm really happened and was deemed “the worst natural disaster.”  Ann Weisgarber knew that there were accounts of what happened in Galveston but not on the remote part of the island.

She did a great job capturing the time, place, and landscape.  I felt like I was there with her descriptions.  She also created great characters that came to life.  Ann Weisgarber is the The Personal History of Rachel Dupree, which is on my “to be read”.  Reading The Promise has made me want to read it even more.  I highly recommend The Promise to fans of historical and literary fiction.

5/5

I received this novel for my honest review.

About Ann Weisgarber:Ann Weisgarber

Ann Weisgarber’s first novel was the critically acclaimed The Personal History of Rachel DuPree. She was nominated for England’s 2009 Orange Prize and for the 2009 Orange
Award for New Writers. In the United States, she won the Stephen Turner Award for New Fiction and the Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction. She was shortlisted for the
Ohioana Book Award and was a Barnes and Noble Discover New Writer. She serves on the selection committee for the Langum Prize in American Historical Fiction.

She divides her time between Sugar Land, TX and Galveston, TX. Her website is http://annweisgarber.com.

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