Dying to Know You August 5, 2012

In Dying to Know You, Aidan Chambers paints a brilliant picture of human emotion.

Karl is in love with Fiorella, who demands written love letters describing his feelings for her.  Not the best writer, Karl finds and begs the assistance of Fiorella’s favorite author, who agrees to write the letters as Karl.  What follows is a beautifully written tale of loss, first love, grief, and learning.

This book doesn’t follow the traditional style of writing.  Punctuation is few and far between, each line is a new paragraph; time jumps.  But instead of being difficult to follow, this technique brings us immediately and fully into the mind of each character.  The paragraphs are real, nothing fluffy or fake – every word is something I’d say, or you’d think.  Chambers does a marvelous job of portraying each character, every one unique and developed so much that I saw them in my mind.  I felt their pain, I saw their discomfort, I knew their feelings.

Though marketed as a Young Adult novel, there is nothing childish about this book.  Pick up Dying to Know You today, and you’ll be a better-read person by tomorrow.  You won’t regret it.

The House at Tyneford June 20, 2012

From the moment you pick up The House at Tyneford and open to the first page, you realize this book is not like other books.

Set in the English countryside during the opening of World War II, The House at Tyneford depicts a struggle I’m sure occurred in many households.  Elise, a Jewish woman from Austria, applies as a maid to a country home in England.  The plan is to work there until her parents, headed to America, can send for her.  What follows is a soon-to-be-classic story of love, loss, yearning, laughter and family, all set against the backdrop of World War II.

Natasha Solomons sets the scene perfectly.  I’ve been to Vienna, and she captures the magic, the beauty, and the feeling like nothing else I’ve ever read.  When we move to the shores of England, Solomons made me feel as though I was there, smelling the salty air, feeling the wind on my face.  And the characters were as well-rounded as the scenery; solemn Mr. Rivers, playful Kit, strict Mrs. Ellsworth, determined Mr. Wrexham, beautiful Anna and uncertain Elise – they were alive in my head, and I didn’t want the book to end because that meant I would have to say goodbye to them all.

In short, when you pick up The House at Tyneford be prepared to keep it open all day.  Perfect for a rainy afternoon, you can brew yourself a cup of tea, curl up next to the fire, and immerse yourself in 1940’s England.  You will enjoy yourself.