Sybil Exposed is a non-fiction historical book with mostly chronological reporting, although it does jump back and forth at times. It is not fast-paced but does have information and facts which I found interesting and which told an amazing story. This is a history of many subjects, which are all intertwined: religion, feminism, psychology and early psychotherapy. From a social psychology perspective, it’s a revealing look at how quickly something can veer off course and what society can be led to believe as a result.
The author stays very objective; the language is straightforward but in many ways it reads like a true crime story – the author has done an excellent job fleshing out these historical figures and telling an intriguing story. The setting and time periods are very well described – not in exhausting detail but enough to understand the context in which the main “characters” lived and worked. This book at times made me raise my eyebrows in disbelief, at other times caused me to be amazed, and yet other times made me feel angry or frustrated along with the main subjects. It’s not so much the tone she sets as the information she delivers – it speaks for itself.
Since it’s non-fiction, the characters are what they are. I like that there are few true “villains”; instead, there are several deeply flawed individuals who made poor choices. As I’m reading, I can see how they were in large part “products of their times”, which I find intriguing: how would they be different or have made different choices today based on more opportunities and knowledge?
Overall, this book was appealing to me because I did learn so much on a topic of interest (social psychology / psychotherapy) to me. It was one of those books I felt I had to share with people – it was that intriguing to me.
Catch Me by Lisa Gardner
Catch Me is both a criminal murder investigation and a family mystery rife with dysfunction. It is quickly paced, yet at the same time slow to unveil what actually happened. There are several alternating story lines featuring different characters, with all stories brought together at the end.
Multi-layered, Catch Me begins with Gardner throwing everything out there at the same time: nothing seems to fit together and it’s easy to think, “She’ll never tie all this together!” However, in the end, after multiple clever plot twists, everything is explained and all loose ends tied up (but not in an overdone way). I am amazed at her imagination and creativity to pull together such a story without being formulaic.
I like everything about how she built the characters: Not all characters are as they first appear; lots of personal life details and story lines are revealed about characters as the story goes along; and the main characters are strong but conflicted women (a female detective and a woman with a troubled childhood).
The writing is straightforward, terse with a lot of action words. Gardner uses lots of descriptors to bring to life gritty Boston and its surrounding neighborhoods. The characters are also described but not in exhausting detail. Something important for me is timeline, particularly years and ages, as I calculate these numeric details in my head while reading (i.e. it really bugs me if the story is set in 2009, the character is supposed to be 30, but they were born in 1980). This book for the most part did that, although I thought the ages of two of the younger characters were a little muddled. The overall tone is grim and extremely suspenseful: time is of the essence with these characters. Gardner is a self-described research junkie, and her books reflect that level of detail as she outlines police work, crime solving, and forensics. For me, this book appealed to my love of true crime, mystery, characters with dark pasts and overall CSI-esque intrigue.
My recommendations:
I recommended two books to Sharyn Yenzer:
Since you liked Loving Frank, I would recommend another historical fiction book: The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin. It has everything you listed in Loving Frank: 1) Vivid characters (Charles and Anne Lindbergh). Not a spoiler but just a heads-up: Charles is not the heroic, clean-cut guy from the history books. 2) The story moves along – chronicling everything that happens to the couple as they age (particularly their run-ins with the press, the kidnapping of their first child and Charles’ fall from grace as an American hero). 3) The tone is similar – romantic, dramatic, definitely sad and reflective. 4) The settings are well-described, especially the Hawaiian dwelling and their house in New Jersey. 5) There is a resolved ending, although, like with Loving Frank, maybe not what you wanted to see. It’s truly a bittersweet tale and I learned a lot about the Lindberghs and their life together.
*Based on what I’ve read so far, I would also recommend Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler. (again historical fiction). Like with Anne Lindbergh, there’s more than meets the eye with Zelda – and it reveals more of the shades of gray of the Fitzgeralds’ marriage.
Since you liked Son, I would recommend Safekeeping by Karen Hesse. Although I think of this as more “post-apocalyptic” as opposed to dystopian, since it takes place in the wake of disaster, it is another book about a young teenager searching for people she holds near and dear (in this case her parents) in a world which is suddenly chaotic and insecure. Certainly suspenseful, this book is also introspective and shows how one girl learns to survive and forge new friendships when everything she has known about her country / government and taken for granted is gone. One criticism I’ve read about the book is that everything ties up too neatly at the end – I think Lowry does a better job of leaving questions unanswered and in that way gives the reader more to ponder. One difference is that it is a stand-alone book – not part of a series like Son. Despite the differences, the developed characters and pacing of the book make Safekeeping a good read-alike.
I recommended two books to Sharyn Yenzer:
Since you liked Loving Frank, I would recommend another historical fiction book: The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin. It has everything you listed in Loving Frank: 1) Vivid characters (Charles and Anne Lindbergh). Not a spoiler but just a heads-up: Charles is not the heroic, clean-cut guy from the history books. 2) The story moves along – chronicling everything that happens to the couple as they age (particularly their run-ins with the press, the kidnapping of their first child and Charles’ fall from grace as an American hero). 3) The tone is similar – romantic, dramatic, definitely sad and reflective. 4) The settings are well-described, especially the Hawaiian dwelling and their house in New Jersey. 5) There is a resolved ending, although, like with Loving Frank, maybe not what you wanted to see. It’s truly a bittersweet tale and I learned a lot about the Lindberghs and their life together.
*Based on what I’ve read so far, I would also recommend Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler. (again historical fiction). Like with Anne Lindbergh, there’s more than meets the eye with Zelda – and it reveals more of the shades of gray of the Fitzgeralds’ marriage.
Since you liked Son, I would recommend Safekeeping by Karen Hesse. Although I think of this as more “post-apocalyptic” as opposed to dystopian, since it takes place in the wake of disaster, it is another book about a young teenager searching for people she holds near and dear (in this case her parents) in a world which is suddenly chaotic and insecure. Certainly suspenseful, this book is also introspective and shows how one girl learns to survive and forge new friendships when everything she has known about her country / government and taken for granted is gone. One criticism I’ve read about the book is that everything ties up too neatly at the end – I think Lowry does a better job of leaving questions unanswered and in that way gives the reader more to ponder. One difference is that it is a stand-alone book – not part of a series like Son. Despite the differences, the developed characters and pacing of the book make Safekeeping a good read-alike.
Melanie, you may enjoy Broken Harbor by Tana French and Blue Monday, the first title in the new series by Nicci French. Both are fast paced, psychological mysteries. While the plots may not be as intricate as Catch Me, they do feature compelling writing and are great reads.
ReplyDeleteAs for suggestions for Sybil Exposed, you may try Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, first published in 1993, and also Mad Mary Lamb: Lunacy and Murder in Literary London by Susan Hitchock. Cheers.
Thanks Cynthia!
ReplyDeleteMake sure you have posted your recommendations on Sharyn Y's blog as well Melanie. Great job!
ReplyDeleteYes - I had posted them to Sharyn's blog first - then copied the info to mine.
ReplyDeleteHi Mel, I wanted to reccomend two titles that I thought would be of interest to you. The first, All of Me by Kim Noble. A story of a London artist whos has learned to come to terms with the 100 different personalities that share her body. As you read you will first meet Patricia, the most dominant of the personalities...which would be enough to cause pause in the sturdiest of people. Regardless of how many there are!
ReplyDeleteThe second is The Mapping of Love and Death. A thriller set in post WWI London. The main character Maisie Dobbs travels down dark hallways of her memory from the horrors of war to present day, and the unraveling of the truth in order to find a murderer, and come to terms with her own role in his life and death.