Today's Sunday Salon includes books read in the first 10 days of 2009, I have given them what I call tag reviews.1.The Madonnas of Leningrad***** by Debra Dean
I loved it. Russia, 1941, siege of Leningrad, WW II, Hermitage Museum (Catherine the Great's Palace), I've been there; museum workers, evacution of artworks, lots of description of real art pieces, many paintings, conditions of cold, starvation, Germans bombing; Marina (main character), fiance is a soldier at the front; she tries to memorize details of missing paintings; parallel story of them in old age, grown children don't know details of the war, their mother Marina slowly succumbing to Alzheimers and says confusing things that make sense to reader because we know her past, but not to family. Great story, highly recommended.
2.What We All Long**** For by Dionne Brand (full review and giveaway upcoming)
3.The Gravedigger's Daughter**** by Joyce Carol Oates 592 pgs.
A Jewish family escapes Germany to America, 1930's, father beomes town's gravedigger, poverty, anti-Semitism, war, immigrants, Germans, murder leaves youngest child orphaned, town unforgiving, she marries and has a child who is musically talented, dicovers unsavory things about husband and makes her escape, new identity, constant fear and mistrust, until she meets some decent people. She tries to re-establish contacts with Jewish relatives who may have survived the war. A very good story.
4.The Museum Guard**** by Howard Norman
Canada, Nova Scotia, Halifax, 1939, nephew and his colourful uncle are both museum guards, art, paintings, radio broadcasts re Europe gearing up for war, anti-Semitism, nephew's girlfriend beomes obsessed by a Dutch painter and takes on personna of the painter's Jewish wife, insisting on going to Europe. Unusual but very interesting story, recommended.
5.Letters Between Us**** by Linda Rader Overman (full review and giveaway upcoming)
Some weeks won't be this good but it was a nice start to the new year. Any opinions or comments are welcomed. What are you reading today?
